The best website builders for small businesses in 2024
Find the best website builders for small businesses for your company website
The list in brief
1. Best overall: Wix
2. Best pro templates: Squarespace
3. Best for rapid sites: GoDaddy
4. Best for one-page sites: Strikingly
5. Best for e-commerce: Weebly
6. Best multilingual: IONOS
7. Most flexible: WordPress.com
8. Best budget builder: Gator Builder
9. Best for beginners: Hostinger
FAQs
How to choose
How we review
In 2024, 27% of all business is conducted online, so most small businesses must have an online presence.
The best website builders for small businesses, often also the best website builders available, offer business-specific features and tools for building a website for your company. These platforms enable any business to simply, quickly, and cheaply build a website that's professional and meets company requirements.
Our picks for the best small business website builders also offer functionality and tools for enhancing a business's online presence, such as ecommerce, bookings, subscriptions, and marketing. For those on a budget, many platforms rank among the best cheap website builders too, offering cheaper, professional site creation that enables you to save for other projects.
There's no one builder that works for all business use cases, and you might be overwhelmed by the choice available. We're here to help: we review all builders by creating custom sites, testing uptime and response times; examining specific small business tools; comparing builders to competitors; discussing and exploring pricing in detail; and trialing customer support and service responsiveness.
Read on to see who we consider the best small business website builders.
The quick list
Seeking the top website builders tailored for small businesses? Here’s a rundown of the leading platforms, emphasizing what makes them stand out. Follow the links to the full reviews.
Best overall
Best website builder for small businesses
Wix, frequently topping website builder lists, offers over 800 templates and a vast App Market. It’s a top choice, though it may require some initial familiarization.
Best pro templates
Best small business website builder for professional business templates
Squarespace is renowned for its modern templates and robust ecommerce tools. While it offers unlimited bandwidth and storage, its editor might be a bit complex for beginners.
Best for rapid sites
Best small business website builder for creating a website fast
GoDaddy’s website builder is ideal for those wanting a basic online presence quickly. It offers a straightforward editor, basic ecommerce tools, and a commendable free plan.
Best for one-page sites
Best small business website builder for one-page websites
Strikingly is tailored for one-page sites and landing pages. It boasts an intuitive editor, and while it offers limited templates, its pricing is competitive.
Best for ecommerce
Best small business website builder for ecommerce
Weebly stands out for businesses aiming to establish an online store. With ecommerce tools powered by Square and a variety of templates, it’s a top choice for online sales.
Best multilingual
Best small business website builder for multilingual sites
IONOS offers a user-friendly builder with standout multilingual tools, allowing content translation into multiple languages. It’s ideal for businesses targeting diverse language groups.
Most flexible
Best small business website builder for design flexibility
WordPress, the internet’s leading CMS in 2023, offers unmatched design flexibility with thousands of templates and plugins. While powerful, it can be daunting for beginners.
Best budget builder
Best budget small business website builder
Gator Builder from HostGator offers excellent value with a powerful drag-and-drop interface. Its design flexibility rivals that of Wix, making it a top choice for budget-conscious businesses.
Best for beginners
Best small business website builder for beginners
Hostinger Website Builder is perfect for those seeking a simple online presence. Its designer might be basic, but it offers standout customer service and AI tools.
The top 3 website builders for small businesses right now
Why you can trust Tom's Guide
Wix: best all-around builder for small businesses
Wix has hundreds of templates, a suite of tools, and a flexible, beginner-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Its fairly-priced plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee: ideal for small businesses starting out. You get the full builder with its free plan, while paid plans provide an ad-free, feature-packed site builder.
Squarespace: top for native tools and templates
With over 110 professionally-designed templates available, native tools designed for businesses, and plenty of options for customization, Squarespace provides visually-appealing designs for small business sites, including online stores.
GoDaddy: ease-of-use and high security
GoDaddy's website builder is packaged with its web hosting services, and as well as being simple and easy to use, it offers compatibility and improved security as part of the package. Other features include excellent support and powerful analytics, and its drag-and-drop interface allows for personalization.
The best website builders for small businesses of 2024 in full
Best overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Wix is a regular feature at the top of lists of the best website builders, and it's top of the best small business website builders for good reason, too. Take advantage of the Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence) tool to get online fast, or use the more powerful Wix Editor to harness the full power of the platform.
One thing that stands out is the template library, which contains more than 800 attractive designs that you can base your site on. There’s also a great selection of add-ons available via the Wix App Market, and the free-forever plan is up there with the best we’ve seen.
A recent addition to Wix is the fully integrated AI content generation tool, which simplifies content creation by generating web copy tailored to your industry and preferences. This tool uses advanced algorithms to produce unique, SEO-friendly content, significantly reducing the time and effort required for website development.
Wix has also made significant improvements to its mobile optimization capabilities. The platform now offers advanced tools for creating highly responsive mobile versions of websites. This includes more intuitive drag-and-drop features and mobile-specific design options, ensuring that websites look great and function seamlessly across all devices.
Wix is a little confusing to start with, though, so expect to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the platform. It’s also at the expensive end of the spectrum, so it’s not a great choice on a tight budget. The first Wix business plan costs $36 a month with 100GB of storage. The Elite plan, which unlocks unlimited storage space and advanced marketing features, costs $159 a month.
Read our full Wix review and view our Wix promo codes.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Business | Business Elite |
---|---|---|
Cost per month | $36 | $159 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 800+ | 800+ |
Best pro templates
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
If you’ve heard of website builders, the chances are that you’ve heard of Squarespace. It’s one of the most popular site creation platforms in the world, and it’s easy to see why.
For one, it offers a neat selection of modern templates that you can use to start your small business site. All plans come with unmetered bandwidth and storage, and there’s a range of great ecommerce tools. The cheapest business-focused plan is the Business package, starting at $23 a month, with Basic and Advanced Commerce plans for those with online sales at $27 and $49 a month respectively.
The editor is relatively powerful, but it doesn’t offer the pixel-perfect design flexibility that some of the other options on this list do. It’s also a little confusing, so you should expect to spend some time familiarizing yourself with it when you’re getting started.
Squarespace recently launched a series of updates and new features targeting the unique needs of small businesses, making it an even more attractive option. A standout addition is the integration of AI-driven design tools, which tailor website design suggestions based on the specific industry and goals of a small business. This means, for example, a local bakery or a freelance photographer can get customized template recommendations, streamlining the setup process.
Another significant improvement is the enhancement of Squarespace's ecommerce capabilities, particularly its inventory management system. For small businesses aiming to expand their online sales, Squarespace now offers a more intuitive interface for managing stock levels, tracking orders in real-time, and setting up alerts for low inventory.
Furthermore, Squarespace has bolstered its marketing tools, with a focus on email marketing and SEO optimizations. Small businesses can now benefit from more advanced SEO features that are designed to improve site visibility and drive more organic traffic.
Read our full Squarespace review and view our Squarespace promo codes.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Business | Basic Commerce | Advanced Commerce |
---|---|---|---|
Cost per month | $23 | $27 | $49 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 110+ | 110+ | 110+ |
Best for rapid sites
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
If your main priority is getting a basic site online as fast and efficiently as possible, the GoDaddy website builder could be your best option. Although it’s quite basic, the editor is simple and intuitive.
In addition, GoDaddy boasts a selection of basic ecommerce tools, a full analytics portal, and excellent support resources. There’s also a great free plan that you can use to test the platform, and three premium plans ranging from $10.99 to $20.99 a month, increasing after renewal. The Basic, Premium, and Ecommerce plans are ideal for businesses starting out, growing, or selling online.
On the downside, design flexibility is very limited. You won’t have access to any advanced tools whatsoever, which can make it hard to personalize your site. The templates are also quite basic, which can make it hard to build a business site with any sort of size or complexity.
GoDaddy has invested in enhancing user experience with its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), which personalizes the website-building process according to your specific needs.
The inclusion of features like social media integration, albeit with some limitations, opens avenues for businesses to enhance their online presence and engage with customers across different platforms.
Given these enhancements and the platform's overall ease of use, GoDaddy stands out as a viable option for small businesses.
Read our full GoDaddy website builder review and our GoDaddy hosting review.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Basic | Premium | Commerce |
---|---|---|---|
Cost per month | $10.99 | $14.99 | $20.99 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Best for one-page sites
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
With its powerful yet intuitive editor and selection of beginner-friendly site creation tools, Strikingly is another great option for website-building newbies. It’s designed specifically for landing pages and one-page sites, and it comes with a suite of unique features.
The standouts among these are the simple store and blog modules, which you can use to add ecommerce and blogging functionality to your one-page site. The template library is a little limited, and the Limited account (from $6 a month) comes with a five-page restriction, but overall, there’s a lot to like here.
When it comes to paid plans, the Pro and VIP packages are best for businesses, starting at $11.20 a month and $34.40 a month respectively if you pay for five years up front.
While Strikingly might not top the charts when compared to giants like Wix or Squarespace, its simplicity is its charm for small business owners who prioritize ease of use over complex functionality.
You'll find Strikingly's customer support responsive and helpful, a boon for any beginner navigating their first website build. Despite its basic nature, Strikingly offers a solid foundation for establishing an online presence quickly with minimal fuss.
Read our full Strikingly review.
Plan type/feature | Limited | Pro | VIP |
---|---|---|---|
Cost per month | $6 | $11.20 | $34.40 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 (Dedicated manager) |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ (Basic) | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 64 | 64 | 64 |
* Based on a five-year plan.
Best for ecommerce
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Weebly is a great choice for small businesses that want to add an online store to their website. It features an excellent range of ecommerce features, and its online store tools are controlled by Square, one of the world’s most popular payment gateways.
On top of this, Weebly boasts a selection of templates for sites of all shapes and sizes. Its free forever plan is a neat option for those who want to try the platform before purchasing a subscription, and the premium plans saw a price slash in 2013.
For small businesses, the Professional and Performance packages (at $12 and $26 a month, respectively) offer the best levels of website services as your business grows. The biggest addition of the Performance plan is the addition of PayPal payments.
Note, though, that the builder is a little limited. You will be restricted to predefined element positions, and it can be hard to achieve the design that you want. Weebly's ease of use is commendable, and its improved app store offers a range of functionalities that can enhance your website's capabilities. However, its design flexibility and SEO tools, although beginner-friendly, might not suffice as your business evolves.
Read our full Weebly review.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Professional | Performance |
---|---|---|
Cost per month | $12 | $26 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 50+ | 50+ |
Best multilingual
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
IONOS Website Builder is a beginner-friendly website builder that’s very competitively priced and backed by a selection of great features. Every plan comes with a free domain, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth. There isn’t any free forever plan, but the introductory prices are very competitive.
One standout feature of the IONOS Website Builder is its excellent multilingual site tools. There’s a built-in translator, which can be used to translate your content into 62 different languages. Individual sites support up to 25 different languages at a time, which makes this a great option for small businesses targeting different language groups.
You can get a basic site with the Starter plan at $12 a month, but the Plus and Pro site builder plans cost $18 and $30 a month respectively, bringing in features like customizable designs and unlimited webspace that most businesses would need. But this pricing doesn't include an online store, which comes at an additional $12 a month.
IONOS impresses with its built-in email marketing tools, a feature that is particularly beneficial for small business owners looking to engage with their customer base directly. Unlike some other website builders that require third-party integrations for email campaigns, IONOS provides this feature natively. This allows businesses to easily create and send newsletters or promotional emails right from their IONOS dashboard.
Read our full IONOS Website Builder review.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Starter | Plus | Pro |
---|---|---|---|
Cost per month | $12 | $18 | $30 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ (+$12) | ✔ (+$12) | ✔ (+$12) |
Number of templates | 400+ | 400+ | 400+ |
Most flexible
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) used on the internet in 2024. You can choose to host the free CMS on your own WordPress hosting, or you can use WordPress.com, which is a website builder based on WordPress.
WordPress.com has six pricing plans, but businesses will typically choose between the Creator plan ($25 a month) and the Entrepreneur plan ($45 a month). The Commerce plan includes one of the most powerful and customizable online stores you can find, with premium store themes, dynamic product upsells, bulk discounts, and inventory management.
WordPress.com has recently enhanced its analytics capabilities, particularly valuable for small business owners who need to monitor their website's performance meticulously. The upgraded analytics dashboard now provides more detailed insights into visitor behavior, including the pages they visit, how long they stay, and their geographical location.
WordPress.com has also introduced an SEO tools enhancement on higher-tier plans, offering guided assistance to improve search engine visibility.
You have full code access and complete control over every aspect of your site, enabling you to build exactly what you want. Note, though, that WordPress can be a little challenging to get started with, and it will take you some time to get your site online.
Read our comprehensive WordPress review.
Plan type/feature | Creator | Entrepreneur |
---|---|---|
Cost per month/year | $25 | $45 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✖ | ✖ |
Number of templates | 31,000+ | 31,000+ |
Best budget builder
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Although it’s a relative newcomer to the website-building world, Gator Builder from HostGator stands out as excellent. All plans come with unmetered storage and bandwidth, as well as a free domain for the first year.
The builder is arguably the most powerful after Wix, and this is largely due to the advanced drag-and-drop interface. Unfortunately, there isn’t a free-forever plan or a free trial, but there is a 45-day money-back guarantee. Even the cheapest of the four plans, Website at $4.95 a month, features a free domain, but it doesn't have the features most businesses will look for.
Adding marketing tools with the Website + Marketing plan brings Gator Builder to $7.95 a month, and the Online Store plan costs $13.95 a month. A more advanced store option with features like bulk product editing costs $19.95 a month.
Considering all the features included, from marketing tools to secure online payments, Gator Builder is well worth checking out.
Read our full HostGator review.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Website | Website + Marketing | Online Store | Online Marketplaces |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cost per month | $4.95 | $7.95 | $13.95 | $19.95 |
Customer support | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Store builder | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ |
Number of templates | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ | 200+ |
Best for beginners
9. Hostinger Website Builder
Our expert review:
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Hostinger Website Builder is a refreshing new entrant in the realm of website creation, particularly targeting newcomers with its budget-friendly and hassle-free approach.
This new platform, a successor to Zyro, distinguishes itself with an intuitive and insightful user interface, complemented by drag-and-drop functionality and a minimalist design. The platform's focus on AI-powered tools positions it as a forward-thinking choice for small businesses and individuals keen on using the latest technology to streamline their web-building process.
The platform's comprehensive image library offers a vast array of royalty-free images that can be effortlessly incorporated into websites, enhancing their aesthetic appeal without the legal concerns often associated with image use. However, it's worth noting that while the platform excels in user-friendliness and simplicity, advanced users may find the image editing capabilities a bit lacking.
Hostinger's Website Builder offers great value, too, especially for long-term commitments, with introductory plans starting at a competitive $2.99 per month. Although the initial cost does increase after the promotional period, the platform remains an affordable option that includes web hosting and domain registration, presenting a cost-effective solution for budget-conscious users.
Read our Hostinger web hosting review and check out our Hostinger coupon codes.
Plan type/feature | Website Builder & Web Hosting |
---|---|
Cost per month/year | $7.99 |
Customer support | 24/7 |
SSL certificate | ✔ |
Store builder | ✔ |
Number of templates | 150 |
The best website builders for small businesses, compared
Website builder | Cheapest business plan | Free version? | Free domain? | Storage | Bandwidth |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wix | $36 a month | ✔ | ✔ | 50GB | Unlimited |
Squarespace | $23 a month | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
GoDaddy | $10.99 a month | ✔ | ✖ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Strikingly | $6 a month | ✔ | ✔ | From 1GB | From 50GB |
Weebly | $12 a month | ✔ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
IONOS Website Builder | $12 a month | ✖ | ✔ | From 10GB | Unlimited |
WordPress | $25 a month | ✔ | ✔ | From 1GB | Unlimited |
HostGator | $4.95 a month | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Hostinger Website Builder | $7.99 a month | ✖ | ✔ | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Small business website builder FAQs
What is a website builder?
A website builder helps anyone to build a website, regardless of experience level, by employing simple platforms all the way up to powerful editors utilizing drag-and-drop technology, template libraries, and additional further tools for site creation.
Many of the leading platforms offer small business-specific features and tools, which include ecommerce functionality; marketing and email tie-ins; business and SEO analytics; and much more. The top builders generally offer business-tailored plans and packages, so you won't have to go far to find what you're looking for.
How to choose the best small business website builder for you
When you're trying to choose one of the best small business website builders, it's worth keeping key factors in mind to help make a good choice. First of all, decide why exactly you need a small business website and clearly identify your available budget, as well as the top tools you require.
If you want ecommerce tools, remember that not all builders offer ecommerce. Remember also to check if you require web hosting on top of your builder: this isn't likely, but it's important in particular if choosing WordPress.
Consider how much time you can spend building your site. Choose a beginner-friendly builder like Weebly or GoDaddy if you want a site finished quickly and easily; opt for a more powerful option like Wix if you want to spend more time finalizing your site's look and feel.
What's key to remember, however, is that most builders are available on free trials and some are free-forever website builders. As such, it can quite literally pay off to spend time researching builders before you choose; testing each out for free; and then opting for the paid plan from the provider you've earmarked.
How we review the best small business website builders
We review all website builders in similar ways, whether reviewing those focused on small businesses, ecommerce, or free blogs. First of all, we test the builder and editor by creating custom sites. In doing so, we can then say for sure where the platform resides on the difficulty scale, between beginners and advanced users.
We test our site's uptime and response times once online, as these metrics are integral to website performance. If your business site is offline or slow to respond, you can lose custom, money, and time.
On a more specific, small business-focused site basis, we examine specific small business tools and features, which could be ecommerce-related or could be more targeted elements like AI tools or content creation. We compare builders to competitors and discuss and explore in detail what each pricing plan offers, so you know which one to invest in for your business site.
Other common areas of our reviewing process include examining platform-specific features, as well as trialing customer support and service responsiveness and knowledge. The last thing you want is to have a problem with your business site, and then have a slow-to-respond, less well-informed support service.
See our testing methodology page for more information.
Next steps with website builders and web hosting
Learn more about drag-and-drop editors, as most small business website builders utilize this technology. If you're wondering about web hosting, discover the differences between web hosting, WordPress, and website builders and learn what web hosting is.
When it comes to the providers featured, check out our step-by-step guides outlining how to make a website with Wix, with Squarespace, and with GoDaddy.
Get the BEST of Tom’s Guide daily right in your inbox: Sign up now!
Upgrade your life with the Tom’s Guide newsletter. Subscribe now for a daily dose of the biggest tech news, lifestyle hacks and hottest deals. Elevate your everyday with our curated analysis and be the first to know about cutting-edge gadgets.
Daniel is a freelance copywriter with over six years experience writing for publications such as TechRadar, Tom’s Guide, and Hosting Review. He specializes in tech and finance, with a particular focus on website building, web hosting, and related fields.