Searching for the cheapest website builder to create a great-looking website on a budget?
There are billions of websites you can visit, and not all of them were created by professionals. Many of those sites (even the good ones!) were created by people with no web development experience. Cheap website builders are everywhere, and they include a lot more features than you might expect.
In fact, some of the cheapest website builders cost as little as $10 per month or less. This article will compare the top six options for those on a budget. We’ll discuss what features they offer, how much they cost, and who should consider using each option.
First, let’s have a quick chat about what constitutes a ‘website builder’!
What is a website builder?
Any service or software that helps you create websites is technically a ‘website builder’. However, the term usually refers to platforms that offer you drag-and-drop tools and pre-built elements for building simple sites:
Website builders enable anyone to create modern-looking websites that aren’t just static pages. You can use elements such as forms, buttons, galleries, social sharing features, and more.
Keep in mind that most website builders work on a subscription basis. You’ll need to pay a monthly or annual fee to use them and to keep your website online.
What’s the cheapest website builder in 2024? Top options compared
We’ve talked about our top choices for website builders before. However, today we’re going to focus on helping you find the cheapest website builder for your needs. We’ll concentrate on the entry-level plans for each option and what those tiers offer.
1. Hostinger Website Builder
As the name suggests, the Hostinger Website Builder is a website builder from the team behind Hostinger. It has a very user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that offers templates for different website types:
This cheap website builder is ideal for beginners, since you don’t need any coding knowledge to use it. You also receive free hosting and a domain with your subscription, which means that you can manage everything about your site in one place.
Along with blogs, Hostinger Website Builder is suitable for ecommerce stores. It has integrated payment methods and live chat apps to help you keep in touch with your customers.
Hostinger really shines when it comes to its AI tools. The platform uses artificial intelligence to help you create custom slogans, business names, blog titles, images, and more. Therefore, Hostinger can be an excellent choice if you want a website builder that will jump-start your creativity.
We only wish that Hostinger would offer a free trial so more people could check it out for themselves before making a monetary commitment.
Features of Hostinger Website Builder ⚙️
- A free domain for one year
- Unlimited bandwidth and storage
- 100 free domain emails
- An SSL certificate
- AI branding tools
- Marketing integrations
Who should consider using Hostinger Website Builder? 🙋
Hostinger Website Builder can be an excellent option if you want to create a small business quickly. It has a user-friendly interface and ecommerce specific templates to get you started on the right foot. Free hosting means you’ll also have fewer business expenses.
Pricing 💵
Hostinger Website Builder costs $2.49 per month (with the four-year subscription). As mentioned, there’s no free trial, but they do offer the option of paying month-to-month. To take advantage of it, you’ll need to pay a one-time setup fee of $4.99 and then it’ll set you back $11.99 for that initial month. At that price, it obviously doesn’t qualify as the cheapest website builder.
However, if you fall in love with it, then you can upgrade to either an annual plan or a multi-year plan, and it’ll be quickly re-categorized into one of the cheapest website builders on the market.
2. Webnode
Webnode is a budget-friendly website builder that offers basic ad-supported plans. The service enables you to choose from a broad collection of templates (over 90 options in total), and edit those designs using an intuitive drag-and-drop builder.
In our experience, however, we found Webnode’s selection of page sections to be a bit lacking:
Webnode offers a free plan, and its premium options start at $4.50 per month. You get 200 MB of storage and 1 GB of bandwidth on the Limited plan. You receive access to all of Webnode’s website builder tools, and the platform doesn’t limit the number of websites you can set up with a free or Limited plan.
However, note that these plans don’t include a domain. You’ll need to register one through Webnode or connect your own.
Features of Webnode’s Limited plan ⚙️
- 200 MB of storage
- 1 GB of bandwidth
- Support for multiple websites
- Over 90 templates to choose from
- Limited form builder capabilities
- Access to basic website analytics
Who should consider using Webnode’s Limited plan? 🙋
The primary advantage of using Webnode is that its starter plan is remarkably cheap, and it’s more than good enough for a personal blog or as a portfolio builder. However, its bandwidth and storage limitations make it a poor choice for websites that receive moderate to high traffic.
Pricing 💵
Webnode’s cheapest plan starts at $4.50 per month.
3. IONOS Website Builder
The IONOS Website Builder is another excellent option that’s also affordable. It’s especially great for beginners since it leverages AI to assist users as they create their custom websites. For instance, it enables you to create original images and text.
The IONOS Website Builder offers professional templates, pre-designed color schemes and layouts, and much more. It’s also highly flexible and customizable. Plus, you can get in touch with an IONOS personal consultant if you run into any issues.
The IONOS Website Builder can also help you build ecommerce sites. With the right plan, you can create an online store and manage appointment bookings.
However, the cheapest package for the IONOS Website Builder (the Starter plan) does not include all ecommerce features. To get booking functionality, analytics, and SEO tools, you’ll need the Plus plan.
Features of IONOS Website Builder’s Starter plan ⚙️
- Intuitive website builder
- AI-assisted web design and content generation
- Responsive design
- Free domain for one year
- Free business email
- 10 GB webspace and 10 pages
Who should consider using IONOS Website Builder’s Starter plan? 🙋
The IONOS Website Builder is an excellent option for beginners who don’t need ecommerce functionality. For instance, it could be a good option for bloggers or affiliate marketers.
Pricing 💵
The pricing for the IONOS Website Builder can be a little confusing. At first glance, it would appear that the Plus plan is the cheapest option as its introductory deal offers the package for just $1 per month for the first 6 months. However, after that, it jumps to $18 per month.
Meanwhile, the Starter plan is $6 per month for the first 6 months and then $12 per month after that. If you do the math, that comes to $9 per month during the first year for the Starter plan.
Although the Plus plan technically comes to $9.50 per month during the first year, you’ll be hit with a steep increase after that. Therefore, we recommend the Starter plan if you want a more affordable solution.
4. Zoho Sites
Zoho Sites is part of the Zoho family of tools. With Zoho Sites, you can select from a limited library of templates and modify them using an intuitive site builder.
This solution includes a broad selection of pre-built sections and elements. Moreover, its page builder is among the most intuitive that we’ve tested:
Zoho Sites’ Starter plan costs $5 per month, and for that price you get great value. The plan supports up to five pages with 500 MB of storage and 10 GB of bandwidth. It’s ad-free, enables you to add custom code to your site, and integrates with the Zoho CRM and SalesIQ tools.
One downside of the Starter plan is that you don’t get access to Zoho Sites’ full suite of templates or pre-built elements. You also can’t use Zoho Sites for online stores – for that, you’ll need to use Zoho Commerce instead.
Features of Zoho Sites’ Starter plan ⚙️
- Support for up to five pages
- 500 MB of storage
- 10 GB of bandwidth
- Limited selection of templates to choose from
- Limited support for custom forms
- 10 MB max file size and up to five photo galleries
- Ad-free website
- Integration with the Zoho CRM and SalesIQ tools
Who should consider using Zoho Sites’ Starter plan? 🙋
Zoho Sites’ Starter plan offers great value when it comes to bandwidth. However, its five-page limitation means that we can only recommend Sites if you plan on creating a very small-scale website.
Pricing 💵
Zoho Sites’ cheapest website builder plan starts at $5 per month.
5. One.com
One.com offers both regular hosting plans and an additional website builder. The latter enables you to choose from among dozens of templates, which you can then edit visually.
In comparison with the other cheapest website builders, One.com offers very limited sections and pre-built elements:
One.com’s website builder comes for free with all of its hosting plans, and it enables you to build up to five pages. However, many of its best features are locked behind a Premium website builder plan that costs $14.48 per month, and is only free for the first three months.
The service’s cheapest hosting plan costs $6.99 per month and supports one website with 50 GB of storage and unlimited traffic. At that price, you also get free daily backups.
Features of One.com’s free website builder ⚙️
- Access to a limited template selection
- Support for up to five pages
Who should consider using One.com’s website builder? 🙋
One.com’s website builder is primarily an add-on for its hosting plans. Moreover, the free version is rather limited. Overall, if you’re looking for the cheapest website builder that you can find, we recommend looking elsewhere – unless you’re planning to sign up for One.com’s hosting services as well.
Pricing 💵
One’s website builder comes in both free and premium versions, and its hosting plans start at $6.99 per month. However, you get the first three months for free.
6. Web.com
Web.com offers a sophisticated AI-powered website builder. It provides you with some stunning website templates, but you can also build your site from scratch. As you can imagine, this is much easier (and faster) when you’re using AI.
Like with other AI tools, Web.com will use your prompts to create your website. It comes with an AI web builder, AI logo builder, AI writer, and AI domain name generator.
Web.com’s cheapest plan is aptly called Website, and it gives you both a domain name and domain privacy for free in your first year. You also get an SSL certificate, a business email, and much more.
You’ll even get free expert design support. Plus, every Web.com plan includes booking functionality for your websites, as well as analytics.
Features of Web.com’s Website plan ⚙️
- A suite of AI features
- Built-in web hosting
- Built-in booking functionality
- Access to analytics
Who should consider using Web.com’s Website plan? 🙋
Web.com’s AI web builder is an excellent option for beginners as it can do most of the work for you. It’s also great for anyone who wants to build and launch a website relatively quickly. Furthermore, it enables you to embed social media feeds on your site, so this can be useful if you market heavily on these channels.
Pricing 💵
Web.com’s cheapest plan – the Website – starts at $4.95 per month.
Which is the cheapest website builder for you?
There’s a lot of competition for the title of the cheapest website builder on the market. If you go by price alone. One.com would be your top choice. However, if you don’t mind spending a couple of extra dollars, our top recommendations are:
- Zoho Sites offers the best value in terms of bandwidth and storage. The downside is that it limits you to only five pages on the cheapest plan.
- In contrast, Hostinger Website Builder strikes a nice balance of giving you all the features you’d need for a very affordable $2.49 per month.
Both platforms offer plans that start at below $5 per month (depending on your region), so pick whichever one suits your needs the best.
Or, if you’re willing to go the DIY route, you can always consider using the popular self-hosted WordPress software, which can be very cheap if you choose budget web hosting.
Do you have any questions about which website builder to use? Let’s talk about them in the comments section below!
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