For a limited time, Bluehost is taking 70% off its web hosting plans. After discount, you'll pay as little as $2.99/month for basic starter plan, $4.19/month for the business plan, or $9.99/month for the ecommerce essentials plan. These prices are valid for the 36-month plans. One-year plans are also on sale for $3.99/month, $6.99/month, and $12.99/month, respectively. (For more ways to save, check out our guide to the best Bluehost coupon codes).

Bluehost is one of the world’s largest and most popular website hosting companies. It serves over two million domains from its Utah servers. We've put its services to the test and in our Bluehost web hosting review, we said Bluehost's excellent performance, customer support, and WordPress features make it a solid choice for any business looking for a time-tested, reliable web hosting company.

It has multiple plans, stretching from cheap shared hosting to dedicated servers. Bluehost also offers significant discounts on your initial term, often up to 70% off, as they're doing right now.

Simply put, the Editor's Choice service deserves its reputation as one of the top web hosting companies available today. And while it's certainly not the cheapest web host around, its pricing is warranted if you value performance and stability.

I've tested the top website builders hands-on, so you don't have to. Following all this testing, I've come to the conclusion that Wix is the best website builder overall. Its editor gives you creative freedom, its AI tools speed up the build process, and its e-commerce capabilities are strong enough for serious sellers.

However, every builder included in this guide has a niche worth knowing about, so read on to find the best fit for your project. Check out all of the options below to find the best website builder to suit your particular needs.

The quick list

Here's a snapshot of my top picks, with direct links to more comprehensive reviews so you can dig deeper into the builders that interest you.

The best website builders of 2026

The best website builder overall

I keep coming back to Wix because it delivers on creative control. There's a reason why it tops not only this list, but our lists of the best e-commerce website builders and best small business website builders, too.

With over 900 templates and an editor that lets you place elements wherever you want, it's the closest thing to freeform design you'll get without writing code. The drag-and-drop interface enables pixel-perfect placement, and I've built everything from restaurant menus to membership sites without hitting a wall.

If you'd rather skip the blank-canvas approach, Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) asks a few questions and generates a custom starting point you can publish in hours. I've found it impressively good at matching business type to design. It won't replace a designer, but it gets you 80% of the way there fast.

For those who want to push further, Wix Studio opens up custom forms, dynamic pages, and database-driven content, features that usually require a developer. E-commerce tools cover inventory management, multi-channel selling, subscriptions, and digital products, making Wix a serious contender for online stores, too.

The free plan gives you the full builder to experiment with, and paid plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Support includes 24/7 ticketing and callbacks, plus an in-app help center with guides and video walkthroughs. The SEO Wiz walks you through meta tags and sitemaps step by step.

Wix's Ascend platform ties it all together with lead capture, workflow automation, and email marketing, positioning it as a full business toolkit, not just a page builder.

The catch is cost. Pricing starts with Light at $17 a month (annual billing), which includes a free domain for the first year and 2GB of storage. Core jumps to $29 per month, Business to $39 per month, and Business Elite to $159 per month for priority support and significantly more resources.

• Check out our full Wix review

The best value website builder

Squarespace's templates are, hands down, the most visually polished I've tested. The library is smaller than Wix's, but every design feels professionally crafted and targeted, whether you're building a portfolio, a restaurant site, or a fashion brand. The Blueprint AI system can generate a personalized site from a prompt, which I found usable as a starting point.

I really like the blogging tools here. You get multiple authors, post scheduling, and mobile content creation, with many templates designed specifically for blog-first sites. Monetization options include videos, podcasts, paid newsletters, and Member Areas for premium subscriber content, making Squarespace much more than just a page builder for creators.

The Mobile View feature lets you preview and adjust layouts specifically for phones and tablets, which is a thoughtful addition I appreciate when building for real-world audiences.

My main gripe is the editor. It can be confusing to navigate, especially for beginners, and I still trip over it occasionally despite having used it dozens of times. There's also no free-forever plan; you get a 14-day trial, and that's it.

All four paid plans include a free domain for the first year, unmetered bandwidth and storage, and built-in SSL. Prices range from $16 per month for an annual Personal subscription to $99 per month for the Advanced plan. Make sure you check our Squarespace promo codes page for discounts.

• Read our full Squarespace review.

The best budget website builder

Bluehost has been officially recommended by WordPress.org since 2005, and WonderSuite is the company's answer to the "WordPress is too complicated" criticism. It layers a guided, AI-enhanced experience on top of real WordPress, and I was surprised by how well it smooths out the rough edges.

WonderStart kicks things off by asking about your site's purpose and style, then generates a foundation with relevant images and copy suggestions. WonderHelp provides in-builder step-by-step support without making you leave the page, which I found useful when navigating WordPress for the first time.

The building experience uses WonderTheme (a flexible block-based theme) and WonderBlocks (pre-designed patterns and full-page templates). These blocks auto-populate with your setup info and are fully customizable via drag-and-drop. For e-commerce, WonderCart integrates with WooCommerce and adds promotion tools like "Buy One, Get One Free" offers.

The biggest caveat is pricing transparency. Introductory rates are very attractive (Starter begins at $3.99 per month, with Business at $6.99 and eCommerce Essentials at $14.99), but renewal rates are more than double. Make sure you factor in the long-term cost before committing to a term.

The real strength here is that you're building on actual WordPress. That means full data ownership, the ability to migrate to any host, and access to the entire WordPress plugin ecosystem as your site grows. Unlike proprietary builders, you're never locked in.

• Read our full Bluehost review

The best in-house website builder

GoDaddy's builder is the one I recommend when someone just wants a site live with the least possible friction. There's no third-party app market or add-ons to navigate. Everything is built in-house, which keeps things clean and ensures compatibility.

The drag-and-drop interface is the most approachable I've tested. Novices can configure a site to their liking using pre-built templates without ever feeling lost. The analytics and support tools are solid, too. GoDaddy offers 24/7 live chat and phone support, extensive tutorials, and an active community forum.

Built-in e-commerce functionality allows you to sell physical and digital goods through GoDaddy Payments, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Venmo. Marketing tools include email campaigns (100 to 25,000 sends per month, depending on plan), social media integration, and an SEO wizard, though for deep optimization, you'll want a more advanced platform.

The template library is small, the designs are functional rather than inspiring, and the online store tools are basic compared to Shopify or even Wix. GoDaddy is the easiest builder on this list, but it's not the most powerful.

Three plans range from $9.99 to $20.99 per month with annual billing. All plans include a free SSL certificate, custom domain connection, a free business email for the first year, and analytics. Advanced plans add marketing, e-commerce, and expanded business features. Prices are significantly higher for shorter subscriptions.

• Read our full GoDaddy website builder review.

The best website builder for e-commerce

If your primary goal is to build a website for e-commerce, Shopify is the best choice for you, hands down. Millions of merchants across 175 countries use it, and having compared the e-commerce tooling across every builder on this list, Shopify's is in a different league.

You can get an online store running in minutes, and Shopify's library of over 8,000 apps allows you to add exactly the functionality you need, from multi-platform selling on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay to advanced inventory management and subscription handling. Plus, it supports more than 100 payment options out of the box.

The backend is built for growth. Shopify's inventory system and order management are robust enough for serious scaling, and hundreds of mobile-responsive premium themes ensure your storefront looks professional on any device. Security is strong, too, so you can be assured that any personal information your customers input will be kept safe and secure. Shopify is Level 1 PCI DSS-compliant, which is the highest standard for e-commerce safety.

The current plan lineup is Starter ($5 per month), Basic ($39 per month), Grow ($105 per month), Advanced ($399 per month), and Plus ($2,300 per month). Annual billing is available on the core plans at lower monthly rates. The Starter plan is limited to social selling and link-in-bio setups, so for a full online store, Basic is the real entry point, making Shopify pricier than it first looks.

If you're looking to build a traditional website or blog, Shopify isn't the right tool. Additionally, you should keep in mind that a transaction fee applies to each sale unless you use Shopify Payments, which is worth factoring into your margins.

• Read our full Shopify review.

The best low-cost e-commerce builder

Weebly has been around for a long time, and its partnership with Square Online means e-commerce is baked into the experience. What I like about it is the low barrier to entry. A large chunk of the available templates include a store by default, so getting started is as simple as adding your products and publishing.

The interface is what I'd call simple in the best sense. Templates are well-designed enough that it's hard to build something that looks bad. The editor uses drag-and-drop, but elements snap into pre-coded positions rather than floating freely. If pixel-perfect control matters to you, this will likely feel limiting. However, if you just want a clean site without design mistakes, it'll probably suit your needs.

Weebly's e-commerce tools include a shopping cart, product pages, and integrations with PayPal and Stripe. SEO features and Weebly Promote (an email marketing tool) round things out, though abandoned cart emails require the highest-tier plan, unlike with Shopify.

There's a free-forever plan that lets you create a site and store, though you can't connect a custom domain. Personal ($10 per month) adds domain support, Professional ($12 per month), and Performance ($26 per month) open up more advanced features. All prices reflect annual billing.

• Read our full Weebly review.

The best website builder for EU websites

IONOS is one of Europe's largest web hosts, and its website builder packs an impressive template library organized neatly by industry and genre. What caught my attention is the built-in targeted content system, which lets you display specific messages to different visitor demographics, a feature I don't see on many competing builders.

The drag-and-drop editor requires no coding knowledge, and there's an AI text generator for creating website copy, which is helpful if you struggle with writing compelling content for your pages. Email hosting is included on every plan, too, with options from 2GB to 50GB of storage.

In testing, I found that its performance was solid. IONOS guarantees 99.99% uptime and includes a free Wildcard SSL certificate on all plans. However, some themes may not be fully responsive to screen size, which is something to watch for.

Pricing requires careful attention. The standard Starter plan is $6 per month, and Pro is $17 per month. You'll see the Plus plan promoted at $1 per month, but that's a first-year promotional rate, so expect higher renewal pricing afterward. E-commerce options range from $6 to $44 per month, depending on the tier. There's no free plan, although a paid one-month trial is available.

• Read our full IONOS MyWebsite website builder review.

The best website builder for scaling businesses

Zoho Sites makes the most sense if you're already using Zoho's productivity suite, where the integrations are seamless, and the whole ecosystem works together in ways third-party tools can't match. Even if you're not in that ecosystem, I'd say it's worth a look. It's a solid, affordable builder with 190+ templates and a surprisingly clean interface.

The code editor is a nice touch for those with technical chops who want to tweak things behind the scenes. Add-ons for marketing and customer management are all in-house, which means fewer compatibility headaches but also limited support for external tools, for example, non-Zoho analytics or email platforms.

Communication tools (comment boxes, contact forms), SEO tools, and sitemaps are included, along with password protection and SSL. Zoho Sites also integrates with Google Analytics and Mailchimp for those who need outside connections.

Pricing is straightforward. Starter is $5 per site per month (billed annually) with limits on storage (500MB), bandwidth (10GB), and page count, which is sufficient for a simple site. Pro is $17 per site per month with higher limits and extras like newsletter subscriptions and blog scheduling. Monthly billing is available at $8 per month (Starter) and $23 per month (Pro). Paid add-ons let you scale pages, contributors, and member portals as you grow.

• Read our full Zoho Sites review.

The best website builder for blogging

WordPress.com started as a blogging platform and it still excels at content-heavy sites like blogs, news sites, portfolios, and anything where publishing is the core activity. If your site is primarily about putting out content, this is where I'd start looking. The ecosystem of over 50,000 plugins is unmatched.

The Gutenberg block editor gives you structured drag-and-drop customization, and Premium plans unlock CSS editing for finer control. During testing, I found the interface had a steeper learning curve than Wix or GoDaddy, especially for absolute beginners, but the payoff in flexibility is real once you're comfortable.

When I used it during testing, I was pleased with the way its built-in SEO tools, social media integration, and monetization options (ads on Premium+, payment blocks on all plans) functioned. Its e-commerce functionality is handled via WooCommerce on Business and Commerce plans, with automatic tax calculation and multiple payment gateways.

Support varies by tier: all users get the knowledge base and community forums, while paid plans add email and live chat (24/7 on Premium+).

Pricing starts with Personal at $3.25 per month (billed every two years) with 6GB storage. Premium is $6.50 per month with 13GB and advanced design tools. Business at $20 per month unlocks the plugin ecosystem with 50GB storage. Commerce at $36 per month adds dedicated e-commerce tools. The lower tiers are limited, but the scalability makes WordPress a strong contender for sites planning serious growth.

• Read our full WordPress review.

The best website builders, compared

Website builders FAQs

What is a website builder? 

A website builder offers end-to-end site creation, via templates, a visual editor, and extra advanced tools. They are extremely beginner-friendly and often provide a drag-and-drop editing interface.

No prior coding or technical experience is required, and they're a great option for creating a simple site quickly. Some offer significantly more design flexibility, and can even provide coding access for advanced editing.

How to choose the best website builder for you

With so many different factors to consider, choosing from the best website builders can be difficult. The learning curve is key, and most users opt for builders because CMSs are too complex or time-intensive.

We recommend considering your level of experience: some builders require a high level of technical knowledge to use properly, while others are extremely intuitive and designed specifically for beginners. Experienced users have options including WordPress, for which you'll need plugins and WordPress hosting from the best web hosting services.

Develop a clear plan of your site's look, purpose, and budget before you start. Most builders offer free trials or free plans, which makes them easy to test. Pay careful attention to tools: look for strong ecommerce support for online stores. Similarly, look for templates when building a portfolio site.

Don't compromise on quality for ease of use: the best builders have strong template collections and powerful drag-and-drop editors. After-sales support is key, as you might find it difficult to diagnose and fix issues. Most come with extensive knowledge bases and resource libraries, but live support options vary extensively. Pay careful attention before you buy: look out for good live chat and phone support, to ensure you’ll bounce back quickly.

Ultimately, consider the specific nature of your business: a small business website builder might be what you're looking for, or you may need to build an enterprise website. You can then decide which providers are best for the site you want.

How we review the best website builders

When we review website builders, we test the site editor to judge its difficulty level, so that we can notify potential users whether it's suitable for beginners or if it's designed for those with more website creation experience.

Via trial access to leading platforms, we test out each builder comprehensively and study each given service's tools and features, such as any AI tools or unique elements that might set it apart from the competition. We then trial the provider's customer service knowledge and support response times, as these factors are key to a site's successful operation and a service's suitability for customers.

A significant element of any website builder's offerings is price: we establish how a service's pricing and payment plans work because very often, initial monthly costs can increase after your first term. Finally, we compare builders against one another so as to give you the best possible chance of finding the best website builder for you in a crowded market.

See our testing methodology page for further information.

Next steps with website builders and web hosting

At the end of the day, every builder is different. It's important to understand that they can be powerful and easy-to-use, and are often suited to different needs. It's important to remember that powerful and easy-to-use aren’t mutually exclusive when building a website.

We recommend that you take some time to discover the differences between web hosting, WordPress, and website builders. Learn more about what web hosting is, and how to choose a web hosting service.

However, files need to be stored somewhere so that people can access them when they visit. Web hosts offer storage for and access to files on a server connected to the internet. When someone loads your site, the files are delivered to their device.

Choosing the right web hosting service can make or break your website's success. I've been building websites for over 25 years, and I can tell you the difference between a great host and a mediocre one goes way beyond the advertised features. It's about real-world performance when your site gets slammed with traffic, responsive support when things break at 2 AM, and pricing that doesn't hide nasty surprises.

To help you find the right fit, I've tested all the major providers in 2026, focusing on the criteria that truly matter. My top recommendation overall is Hostinger, which consistently delivers exceptional value with innovative features, solid performance, and fair pricing that won't shock you upon renewal. But there are many other top options that might suit you better.

I'll walk you through the nine best web hosting services available in 2026, sharing what I've learned from professional experience to help you avoid the mistakes I see people make all the time.

The best web hosting service overall

When I'm asked which host might suit a small business website, Hostinger is my first recommendation. I've found Hostinger actively improving over the years, with useful features being added to the already packed plans. Its new AI assistant, Kodee, for example, can help you with lots of tasks from site migration to backup creation. It makes hosting more accessible for beginners.

The hPanel control panel is strong, too. After you've used dated web hosting interfaces that feel stuck in 2005, Hostinger's modern take is refreshing. Everything is logically organized. The AI-powered tools actually help simplify website management. For WordPress users especially, I think the AI website builder, content generator, and troubleshooting assistant provide real value.

If I had a gripe, it'd be that the domain pricing structure needs careful attention. Hostinger advertises competitive rates, but you need to read the fine print. Some discounts only apply to multi-year commitments. The hosting plans themselves are excellent value. I just wish the company were more transparent about domain costs.

Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat. You'll initially interact with an AI chatbot, which can feel like a barrier. But once you connect with a human agent, though, they're knowledgeable and helpful.

I can confidently say Hostinger offers one of the best experiences in 2026. It's fast, affordable, packed with innovative features, and works for everyone from complete beginners to experienced developers.

• Read our full Hostinger review.

The best value web hosting service

As one of the last privately owned large hosting companies, ScalaHosting isn't answering to shareholders. The company can focus on what's actually good for customers.

An interesting feature is SShield, its in-house AI-powered security tool. I've seen too many websites get hacked because basic security wasn't in place. SShield provides real-time threat detection and blocking that most hosts charge extra for. The WP Lock tool is another nice security feature. It prevents unauthorized modifications to WordPress sites, which is invaluable if you're working with clients or external collaborators.

ScalaHosting's SPanel control panel is well-designed. Yes, there's a learning curve if you're used to cPanel. But it's cleaner and more thoughtfully organized. I also like that users can request and vote on new features, and ScalaHosting implements the popular ones. That level of customer input is rare.

I recommend ScalaHosting for growing businesses and eCommerce sites that need reliable, secure hosting with responsive support. The AI-enhanced security and managed VPS options provide excellent value. Just remember to budget for renewal price increases after the first term.

*We’ve listed the introductory prices here. Check the ScalaHosting website for the prices you'll pay after the first term.

The best budget web hosting service

While Bluehost is heavily focused on WordPress hosting, offering specialized plans and a solid ecosystem around it, it also provides other services like general web hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers. It's one of only three hosts officially recommended by WordPress.org. That endorsement comes from years of contributing to WordPress and supporting the community.

I think the WordPress Academy is genuinely valuable. The free courses cover everything from basic setup to advanced SEO and site optimization. If you're just getting into the wonderful world of WordPress, this resource adds real value beyond the hosting.

Bluehost's WonderSuite AI builder and one-click installations make getting started straightforward, too. Bluehost guides you through the setup with clear explanations at each step.

Automatic core updates, static content caching, and integration with WooCommerce make Bluehost a strong choice if you're all-in on WordPress. 24/7 support is available via live chat on all plans; however, phone support requires upgrading to a higher-tier plan. I often find the knowledge base more than enough for common issues.

While the basic plan includes free weekly backups, daily backups require upgrading or purchasing an add-on.

I recommend Bluehost for WordPress users who value learning resources and the credibility of that official WordPress endorsement. The performance is reliable, and the features are comprehensive for WordPress. Just factor in those renewal rates and that features like daily backups and phone support aren't included in the basic plan.

• Read our full Bluehost review.

*Monthly payments aren’t available, so prices shown are derived from the price of a 36-month subscription term: prices will increase significantly after this initial subscription

The best web hosting for high-end configurations

On the whole, you'll pay more with InMotion than you will with budget hosts. But you're getting enterprise-grade infrastructure that justifies the cost when your website matters to your business.

The 90-day money-back guarantee InMotion offers is the most generous in the industry and to me, it shows confidence. It also gives you real time to evaluate whether InMotion works for you.

My favorite thing about InMotion is its U.S.-based support team. The company requires agents to complete rigorous training before handling customer inquiries. When you contact support with complex questions, you typically reach someone who can actually solve problems rather than just read from a script. That level of expertise is worth paying for, in my opinion.

The NVMe SSD storage (about 5x faster than traditional hard drives) across all plans delivers noticeably faster performance, especially for database-heavy WordPress sites with multiple plugins.

The interface design does feel dated compared to newer hosts like Hostinger, though. It works fine, but it could use a refresh. Also, some features like automatic backups cost extra, which can be frustrating when competitors include them as standard.

I recommend InMotion for growing businesses that have outgrown budget shared hosting. You'll pay premium prices once the introductory pricing is over, but you're getting superior hardware and exceptional support. The 90-day guarantee virtually eliminates risk, so you can try it thoroughly before committing.

• Read our full InMotion Hosting review.

The most eco-friendly web hosting service

Companies that take environmental responsibility seriously deserve recognition. GreenGeeks purchases wind power credits to offset 300% of energy usage and plants a tree for every hosting account. As someone who believes businesses should minimize their environmental impact, this is refreshing.

But environmental credentials don't mean much if the hosting doesn't perform. I'm happy to say GreenGeeks delivers solid results. The unmetered bandwidth, generous 25GB storage on the base plan, and WordPress-optimized infrastructure handle small to medium websites comfortably.

GreenGeeks doesn't offer 24/7 phone support. But its round-the-clock live chat connects you with knowledgeable agents. In my experience, email response times are fast, too, often beating the 1-4 hour waits common with other hosts.

Security features are strong. All plans include daily backups, not just higher tiers like many competitors. The free malware cleanup service is valuable too, since most hosts charge $50-100 for removing malicious code when your site gets hacked. For WordPressers, the proprietary WordPress dashboard gives you control over automated updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes. This is useful for managing updates safely without breaking your site.

If environmental responsibility matters to you, GreenGeeks is an excellent choice. You're not sacrificing hosting quality. Just factor in those higher renewal rates when budgeting.

• Read our full GreenGeeks review.

*GreenGeeks offers monthly, annual, biannual, and triannual billing with its shared hosting: monthly prices decrease with longer subscription terms

The best web hosting for small sites

My colleagues often swear by SiteGround, and that's for one reason — SiteGround's support. The reputation is well-earned. Its support team delivers fast, knowledgeable solutions across live chat, phone, and support tickets. Many industry professionals consider them the gold standard.

I also really like SiteGround's proprietary WordPress plugins. The Speed Optimizer automatically handles image compression, caching, and other performance optimizations that typically require multiple third-party plugins. The Security Optimizer adds two-factor authentication and hardens WordPress installations more effectively than most manual security measures.

The Site Tools control panel is beautifully designed and intuitive. The Tool Finder search helps you locate features quickly, and the site-centric design lets you adjust settings per website rather than account-wide. This is perfect when you're managing multiple client sites where each needs different configurations. Daily automated backups come standard on all plans.

Nothing is perfect, and SiteGround's Achilles' heel is its renewal pricing. Jumping from $2.99 to $17.99 per month after the first year is a significant increase. The features may justify premium pricing for many users, but that's a substantial jump to budget for.

In my experience, SiteGround works best with WordPress and common PHP frameworks. If you're using less mainstream platforms or need custom server environments, you might run into limitations.

I recommend SiteGround for small businesses and WordPress users who value top-tier support and comprehensive management. The proprietary optimization plugins work well. But that dramatic renewal price increase means this is better for those willing to pay premium prices for premium support.

• Read our full SiteGround review.

The best web hosting for WordPress

DreamHost is a veteran host that's been around since 1997. It's evolved while staying beginner-friendly. I've always found it delivers excellent uptime and performance.

The new Liftoff AI website builder does a decent job creating functional sites quickly. Competitors like Bluehost and Hostinger offer more advanced builder options, but I think DreamHost's version works well enough for straightforward sites.

DreamHost has recently upgraded infrastructure with expanded data centers and revamped servers. The improvements show in the performance metrics. The custom control panel is modern-looking and generally easy to navigate, though it can feel sluggish at times.

WordPress comes pre-installed. The free automatic migration plugin handles site transfers without requiring technical knowledge. Migration can be stressful because moving databases and files between servers often breaks things if not done carefully, so automated tools like this are valuable.

The 97-day money-back guarantee is exceptional. Three full months gives you real time to test whether DreamHost works for you.

I recommend DreamHost for beginners who want reliable WordPress hosting without diving deep into technical details, and the excellent money-back guarantee eliminates risk.

• Read our full DreamHost review.

* Discounted monthly rates

The best shared web hosting

Namecheap lives up to its name. At $1.98 per month for the first year, the Stellar plan includes 20GB storage, 30 email accounts, unmetered bandwidth, a free domain, and 24/7 support. Nothing else on our list comes close for budget-conscious users.

The trade-off is a more basic experience. You might find the account control panel overwhelming at first with all the lists, sidebars, menus, and icons. Once you learn the layout though, it provides solid access to essential tools. You get cPanel (the industry-standard control panel most hosts use) and Softaculous for easy app installations.

Performance reports show Namecheap achieving excellent uptime, though load speeds are slightly below average. For budget hosting running a personal blog or portfolio, I think the performance is perfectly acceptable. You're not going to win speed contests. But your site will stay online and load reasonably quickly.

A bit of a frustration comes from the domain pricing structure. The way Namecheap discounts first-year pricing makes it confusing to figure out what you'll pay on renewal. Read the fine print before purchasing domains. Too many people get surprised by renewal costs.

Namecheap delivers cheap hosting with reliable uptime and acceptable performance. If budget is your primary concern and you're willing to accept slightly slower speeds and a learning curve, I think Namecheap offers excellent value.

• Read our full Namecheap review.

*This price only applies to the first year of your subscription, and renewal prices will be significantly higher

Web hosting service with domain registration

GoDaddy might be better known for its cheap domain names, but its hosting is no slouch either and is deserving of the last spot on our list. There's definitely convenience in managing everything in one place. From a pure hosting perspective, though, I think better values exist at similar or lower prices.

Where GoDaddy has improved, in my experience, is in customer support. It now offers support via phone, live chat, and even text message. The support team handles basic questions competently, and response times are reasonable. For complex technical issues, though, I've found other hosts provide more knowledgeable help.

The Economy plan at $5.99 per month (then $11.99 per month after three years) includes 25GB NVMe storage and unmetered bandwidth. Automatic daily backups come standard. This is pretty good, but at this price point, hosts like Hostinger deliver noticeably better performance and more features.

The security features require careful attention. Free SSL certificates (which encrypt data between your site and visitors, required by Google for search rankings) are included, but only for one year on the Economy plan. Since SSL is essentially mandatory for any modern website, this recurring annual cost is frustrating when competitors include it indefinitely.

The one-click WordPress installation works smoothly, and I think the interface is reasonably user-friendly.

GoDaddy's strength is really in domain registration rather than hosting. If you want everything in one place with a recognizable brand name, it's adequate. But Hostinger, ScalaHosting, or Bluehost arguably offer better hosting value at similar or lower prices.

• Read our GoDaddy hosting review and our GoDaddy website builder review.

Best web hosting services, compared

What to look for in a web hosting service

Choosing the best web hosting service for you can help your site achieve the best performance it can. This is because the best web hosting service can improve loading times, help catch and keep visitor attention, and help convert visitors to customers. Additionally, search engine rankings are also boosted for sites with faster loading speeds.

By increasing your site's performance, you'll improve its reliability and uptime. If your chosen host has a generous uptime pledge, then you can work safe in the knowledge that your site will remain online, and that your provider is reliable enough to keep it responsive and live.

Another thing the best web hosts on the market provide is top-tier technical support. This means that if you run into any issues, you'll have a team of experts on hand to help solve any problems if/when they arise.

Hosts often provide domain-associated email addresses (such as tom@yourdomain.com as opposed to a Gmail or iCloud address) and also provide site backups. This means that you can quickly resume site operations without losing anything significant should the worst happen.

You can also improve the security of your site by using one of the best web hosting services. This is due to the fact that hosts’ data centers are highly secure, while the top providers offer excellent extra precautions and measures, including firewalls, automatic installations of anti-malware, virus, and spam software, and security plugins.

How we review the best web hosting services

When reviewing web hosts, we build a test site with the provider, or with a separate platform if they don't offer a built-in builder. We then trial response times and uptimes over a two-week period: these indicators are key to site performance. An unresponsive or offline site can cost you both customers and revenue fast.

We analyze and test user interfaces, features, and tools, to make sure where they land on a scale from easy to use to complex. With security and site safety integral, we test how easy it is to set up or import an SSL certificate, as well as explore any other security features a host might offer.

You'll want to know how well supported you'll be in the event of a problem: as such, we test customer service and support responsiveness, establishing not only how quickly a host responds to help requests, but how knowledgeable and reliable they are as well.

As so many hosting packages can be confusingly priced, we study and research pricing plans in detail, outlining for you whether monthly costs might increase for you after your first, cheaper initial contract period elapses.

For more information, check out our testing methodology.

Web hosting services FAQs

You can get web hosting for cheap even with the best web hosting services: there's no divide between high-level hosting and affordable pricing. Users with any budget can access website hosting without needing to cut bandwidth, storage, security, or uptime needs, and without breaking the bank. 

If you're wondering how to choose a web hosting service, and then, once you've chosen, how you buy a hosting package, it's our view that it's best to ensure you've prepared yourself fully, given yourself all the information you need, and then get the best web hosting for cheap via the best deals available.

We've brought together the best web hosting for cheap, collating the top deals available across leading providers of quick, reliable, and secure web hosting for individual or business sites.

Hostinger, one of our leading web hosts, is offering 80% off four-year subscriptions on its Single Shared hosting plan (covering one site). Namecheap, one of the most competitively-priced hosts, offers a top series of plans with unmetered bandwidth and storage: it's offering 40% off its Professional Business Email packages, and 18% off its PositiveSSL Multi-Domain security add-on. 

Web hosting has always been an energy-intensive service, but for those minded to save the environment and the planet, GreenGeeks is your best bet. This eco-friendly host is giving new customers up to 77% off its Lite, Pro and Premium packages. For experienced web devs, Liquid Web is pffering 25% off dedicated server hosting, as well as 40% off bare metal servers and HIPAA-compliant servers. 

If you're looking for a new website too, our round-up of the best website builders and the best cheap website builder deals give you our top providers and their best deals, so that you can save money throughout your new site development plans.

Web hosting for cheap: the best deals

Web hosting: deals round up

• Hostinger: Save 80% on four years of Single Shared hosting
• Bluehost: Save 60% off shared hosting for new users
• Hostinger: Get over 70% off premium, WordPress, and cPanel hosting
• HostGator: Use code SNAPPY for up to 60% off a variety of hosting options
• GreenGeeks: Get 77% off Lite, Pro and Premium plans (from $2.95 a month)
• Liquid Web: Get up to 75% off Linux/Windows VPS (12 or 24-month plans)
• SiteGround: Save 69% off web hosting plans (from $3.99 a month)
• InMotion Hosting: Save 35% or more during your first year
• DreamHost: Save 68% with Shared Starter/72% with Shared Unlimited
• Namecheap: 40% off professional business email plans (MARPE40)
• GoDaddy: Save 85% on hosting (GDD1hos), and 30% on bundles (GDD1mwp)
• Hostwinds: Get 25% off Basic plans with unlimited bandwidth and disk space

Web hosting FAQs

How we review web hosting services

When we review web hosts, first of all we trial a given host's response times and uptimes, as these are key to performance, and do this by creating a test website, checking the times over a two-week period for comprehensive results. We also analyze and test user interfaces, features, and tools, in order to ensure that we can tell you with confidence if they're easy to use or designed for professionals.

In addition, we also look into security features and customer support response times in depth, as you'll want to make sure your site is safe, and that any issues encountered can be fixed promptly and professionally. Finally, we make sure to research and explain pricing in detail, so that we can make you aware of one of the less-positive elements of web hosting: often-exponentially increasing monthly costs after your initial, cheaper introductory period.

Further reading on and next steps with web hosting

Learn how to host a website before you start, and avoid common hosting mistakes. Enhance your knowledge of hosting security and look into anonymous website hosting for added privacy; then choose a domain name and register your domain. Finally, see how hosting can affect SEO for your website.

It's also worth taking a look at our guides covering different types of web hosting, including the best Linux web hosting, the best Windows hosting, and the best WordPress hosting.

The best cheap website builders, which are usually the same providers as those ranking among the best website builders, provide any user with the ability to build a website from scratch quickly and simply, regardless of their level of experience.

Whether you're creating an individual or business website, the best cheap website builders offer users visually-impressive templates, specific marketing or website SEO tools, small businesses and ecommerce functionalities, and intuitive user interfaces that utilize drag-and-drop technology.

We've outlined below our best cheap website builder deals from providers across the sector. Wix is our top platform across many use cases, and it's one of the most popular and highly-rated site builders available thanks to its powerful editor and versatile user experience. In May, Wix is offering 10% off its yearly premium plans with the code TAKE10. 

For those looking to build an ecommerce website, Shopify is one of the most commonly-used ecommerce store builders available. This month, it's offering 10% off annual plans, and 20% off biennial plans—it's also worth noting that you can try the platform for free for 14 days, with no credit card required. 

If you're entering the website builder sector at the beginner's end of the spectrum, 1&1 IONOS MyWebsite offers simple, no-code site creation with excellent tools and features, and is currently available for 50% off.

Read on to find the best cheap website builder deals available: if you're in the market for the best web hosting services, it's also worth taking a look at the deals offering best web hosting for cheap to save yourself money across the board.

The best cheap website builder deals

Best cheap website builder deals roundup:

• Wix: Save 10% on yearly premium plans (TAKE10)
• Bluehost: Save 75% on Bluehost’s website builder, just $2.95 a month
• Editor X: Save 21% on this powerful new editor with year plans
• HostGator: Get 50% off the Gator Website Builder (SNAPPY)
• Shopify: Save up to 20% off premium, biennial plans or 10% off annual plans
• GoDaddy: Save 30% by bundling GoDaddy's builder with hosting, domains and more
• Weebly: Save 33% when choosing annual pricing on new plans
• 1&1 IONOS: Save 50% on your first year (just $5 a month)
• Web.com: Get 50% off your first month with new plans, just $1.95
• Squarespace: Take 10% off websites or domains on any plan (GIMME10) with more deals on our Squarespace promo codes

Website builders FAQs

Free vs cheap website builders — Which is better?

When comparing free website builders vs paid, major website builders often offer a free plan that allows you to “test-drive” their services before you make an annual commitment. While these plans are indeed free forever, they are highly limited both in terms of features and resources. Some even display compulsory ads on your website as a means of compensating for the free offering. 

If you are building your website as a hobby or for other personal reasons, a free plan might just suffice. However, professionals and business owners should always consider buying into a paid plan if they want to create a successful website.

How we review website builders

When we review website builders, we test the site editor to see where it lands on the user experience scale, so we can identify whether it's aimed at novices or more advanced users. We undertake trials in which we construct sites and test builder features and tools comprehensively, and test customer support and service response. 

In turn, we establish how pricing works, because a cheaper initial monthly cost can increase exponentially after your first term; and we compare builders against one another to see which platforms come out on top in this competitive sector.

Further reading on and next steps with website builders

Looking for a particular kind of website builder not covered here? We've got buying guides covering the best website builders for photographers, the best website builder for musicians, the best free blogging sites, and the best website builders for WordPress.

Be sure to learn how to choose the right way to build a website for you. We’ve also put together a guide on how to get the best performance with a good, simple website design.

Once you've chosen a builder, there are a range of elements you need to familiarize yourself with and steps to take. Choose a domain name and then register your domain; implement website security; enhance website branding; and find free website content.

It's important to ensure that you make your site accessible; that you understand web SEO; that you undertake website audits regularly; and, if you're just blogging, learn how to start a blog.

Our comprehensive analysis of Windows hosting providers involved rigorous testing of server performance, compatibility with Microsoft stack products, and the implementation of common applications and content management systems.

Liquid Web is our top recommendation, impressing with its cloud VPS capabilities and extensive feature set. But the ideal choice depends on your specific requirements, budget constraints, and scalability needs. This guide offers an in-depth look at the leading Windows hosting services, so let's get started.

The quick list

These are our top choices for Windows hosting in 2026. Have a look at the full reviews for more details.

The best Windows hosting of 2026 in full

Best overall

A popular web hosting provider for businesses, Liquid Web is one of the most powerful options for companies looking for Windows hosting. Its cloud VPS tools enable users to host across devices for optimal scalability and performance. In fact, Liquid Web describes itself as the “fastest managed VPS hosting on the planet”.

Furthermore, plans include features that are often considered add-ons by competing services. For example, all subscriptions come with Gigabit transfer, unlimited sites, protection from DDoS attacks, Cloudflare CDN, and hosting in either the EU or the US.

Liquid Web has three plans for Windows Server 2022, starting at $107.80 a month for 4 vCPUs, 100GB of storage, and 10TB of bandwidth. Two other plans build on the amount of RAM and processing power you get.

Liquid Web also provides private cloud servers for organizations interested in dedicated servers.

Private cloud server plans enable subscribers to create, use, and manage multiple virtual servers, including both Linux and Windows VPS instances. You may be charged a Windows licensing fee on top of the cost of your subscription, but these are only charged a single time for each cloud server. You can also avoid this fee by removing Windows instances.

The platform also comes with excellent support options including live chat, phone, and email help. The knowledge base and blog provide detailed responses to common questions and technical issues, so make sure to check these resources before contacting the support team.

Liquid Web backs up its pricing with a service level agreement guaranteeing 100% uptime for its users. This kind of guarantee is unusual among hosting services, and providers that do offer guarantees typically don’t commit to 100% uptime. While Liquid Web targets larger businesses than some of the competitors on this list, it’s the top Windows hosting provider for many use cases.

Read our Liquid Web web hosting review.

Best value

HostGator offers Windows hosting solutions on its dedicated server plans. While more expensive than shared or VPS plans, these come with impressive hardware specifications, including AMD EPYC processors and DDR5 RAM, which ensure high performance for resource-intensive Windows applications.

HostGator has scaled back the number of dedicated server plans it offers to one - The Value plan with 1000GB of NVMe storage, which offers significantly faster data transfer speeds compared to traditional SSDs. You get an eight-core CPU and 32GB of RAM.

HostGator emphasizes server control and customization, allowing users full management capabilities over their Windows environment. This is particularly beneficial for those requiring specific Windows configurations or running custom applications.

Security is a key focus, too, with DDoS protection and SSL certificates included. The RAID 6 storage configuration adds an extra layer of data protection and redundancy.

The company offers 24/7/365 support. It also provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee, backed by a Tier 3 data center infrastructure.

Overall, HostGator's Windows hosting on dedicated servers is a solid combination of performance, customization, and support, making it a viable option for larger businesses requiring a Windows-based hosting environment.

Read our HostGator web hosting review.

Best budget

Pricing is obviously one of the most important factors to consider when looking for a hosting provider. That said, many people who are looking for the best Windows hosting solution require functionality and speed beyond what most budget options can provide.

With 10 managed and 10 unmanaged Windows hosting plans available, Hostwinds has a subscription for virtually every use case.

While each plan is different in notable ways, every subscription provides free migration, SSD storage, and network connectivity at 1Gbps. The platform is compatible with Windows Server 2012, 2016, and 2019.

Additionally, Hostwinds provides excellent customer support, with response times of roughly 30 seconds for live chat and phone inquiries, and just five minutes for support tickets. The platform guarantees an incredible 99.999% uptime, which works out to around five minutes of downtime per year.

The Hostwinds Tier 1 managed subscription includes 1GB RAM, a single CPU core, 1TB bandwidth a month, and up to 30GB storage. It costs $17.24 for the first month, followed by $22.99 a month upon renewal. Unlike some other providers, Hostwinds bills monthly without any annual contracts.

Of course, upgrading to a more expensive plan significantly increases those limits. Tier 5, for example, comes with a total of four CPU cores plus 8GB RAM, 3TB bandwidth, and up to 150GB storage. For the first month, the Tier 5 subscription costs $77.99, going up to $103.99 a month following renewal.

If you prefer an unmanaged Windows server solution, Hostwinds has those too, starting at $16.99 a month.

Along with its range of subscription tiers, Hostwinds also provides some optional add-ons at an additional charge. Cloud backups are available for $1 a month, while you can get basic server monitoring services for just $5 a month.

With incredible flexibility and strong hosting plans for a variety of use cases, Hostwinds is worth considering for any user with robust Windows hosting needs. The service also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee to all new subscribers, so you can test it out risk-free for roughly two months before committing to a subscription.

Read our full Hostwinds web hosting review.

Best for SMBs

High prices are one of the most common downsides of Windows hosting compared to Linux. IONOS provides excellent hosting services at affordable rates.

The base IONOS subscription starts at $6 a month for the first six months, followed by an increase to $12 a month. It comes with one site (including a free domain and SSL certificate), unlimited bandwidth, 100GB storage, daily backups, 24/7 help via email or phone, and up to 25 email addresses, each of which includes 2GB of additional SSD storage.

A second plan, Pro, costs $7 a month for the first six months and $14 a month ongoing. It supports up to 5 sites and 250GB of storage.

You can also upgrade to the IONOS Expert Windows plan for 2GB of RAM and 500GB of storage. This subscription costs $11 a month for the first six months followed by a permanent increase to $22 a month.

IONOS Windows hosting supports Windows Server 2022, ASP.NET 4.8, and .NET 8.0.

Along with shared subscriptions, IONOS also provides dedicated plans and Windows VPS at surprisingly affordable prices. The cheapest Windows VPS plan costs $15 a month. Considering its features, pricing, and one-month free trial for new users, IONOS is a great place to start for anyone interested in Windows hosting.

Read our full IONOS MyWebsite website builder review.

Best VPS

GoDaddy offers Windows hosting on its highly scalable VPS plans, making it a strong choice for businesses anticipating growth. If you're using Windows, you can choose from seven self-managed or managed plans, each offering different levels of vCPU cores, RAM, and SSD storage. All plans include NVMe SSDs for fast performance, DDoS protection, a free SSL certificate for the first year, and unlimited traffic.

GoDaddy's self-managed Windows plans, starting at a reasonable $17.99 a month, provide full root access, giving experienced users complete control over their server environment. For those who prefer a hands-off approach, GoDaddy's managed VPS plans offer 24/7 support, monitoring, backups, and updates, though these start at $107.99 a month.

While GoDaddy no longer offers shared Windows hosting, its VPS plans cater well to businesses and individuals needing more resources and scalability. However, cPanel and Plesk, popular control panel options, come at an additional cost.

Read our GoDaddy web hosting review.

Best cloud

Unlike some providers with fixed configurations, ScalaHosting lets you tailor your server by selecting your preferred CPU cores, RAM, SSD storage, and data center location. This granular control makes it an excellent choice for tech-savvy users who want to fine-tune their hosting environment to their specific requirements.

ScalaHosting's Windows VPS plans provide full root access, granting experienced users complete control over their server. This level of access allows for advanced configurations, software installations, and server optimizations. ScalaHosting offers a selection of Windows Server versions to choose from, ensuring compatibility with your preferred applications and frameworks.

While ScalaHosting excels in customization and control, it's worth noting that it primarily focuses on unmanaged VPS solutions. This means users should have the technical expertise to manage their server environment effectively. Beginners or those seeking a more hands-off approach might require more support than ScalaHosting currently offers.

The best Windows hosting services, compared

Windows hosting FAQs

What is Windows hosting?

Web hosting is the process where servers and infrastructure owned by web hosts store site files, delivering them to visitors. Any website comprises a wide range of files including text, code, images, and more, which when linked together create a functional site.

However, files must be stored somewhere for visitors to access when loading the page. Web hosts provide the storage for and access to website files, with the data stored on a web-connected server. As a visitor loads your homepage, all of the files are delivered to their device of choice.

When it comes to the best Windows hosting, providers will often offer managed web hosting. This is available across all hosting types, but specifically for both Linux and Windows-specific hosting requirements, meaning that you can hand over the administration of your site, and any complex or day-to-day tasks, to the web host. Many compare managed vs unmanaged hosting, but the latter is only ideal for those with the requisite knowledge and technical experience.

How to choose the best Windows hosting service for you

Selecting the best Windows hosting for you involves considering several critical factors. First, identify whether the host supports the most recent versions of Windows Server. The server version will impact your website’s functionality and compatibility with specific applications.

Pay close attention to the .NET framework and MS SQL database support, as these are essential for many Windows-based applications. The host should offer robust support for ASP.NET, MVC, AJAX, and other Windows-related technologies to facilitate smooth operation of your site.

The user interface matters too; Plesk, an intuitive and widely used control panel, is favored for managing Windows hosting environments. Make sure your host provides it or a similarly user-friendly alternative.

Windows hosting can be more susceptible to security threats than other operating systems, making robust security measures vital. Look for hosts offering regular server backups, updated firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.

Lastly, customer support skilled in Windows-specific issues can be a lifesaver, and clear, fair pricing is important. Some Windows hosting services may charge more due to licensing fees, so ensure you're aware of potential cost hikes down the line.

How we review the best Windows hosting services

In reviewing any web hosting service, we assess response times and uptimes over a two-week period, because both figures are integral to site performance. To do this, we build a test site with the host, or with a separate platform if a built-in builder isn't included.

With this site, we test, analyze, and evaluate user interfaces, features, and tools, in order to ensure these are easy to use and not too complex. Security elements and customer service and support response are also focused on because we want to make sure that your chosen host keeps your site safe, and fixes any issues encountered as soon as possible.

To do this, we test out how easy it is to import or set up an SSL certificate, alongside interrogating and testing other relevant security tools offered. We test customer support by seeing how quickly they respond to issues, and how reliable and knowledgeable the staff is when responding.

Finally, we undertake an in-depth interrogation of pricing plans, in order to make you aware if there are any increasing monthly costs after an initial period. Many hosting packages can be confusingly priced, so we outline for you how costs might change down the line.

See our testing methodology page for more information.

Next steps with web hosting and website builders

Before you learn how to host a website, it's worth looking into how to choose a web hosting service, and the most common mistakes to avoid when choosing a web hosting provider.

Make sure to read our other buying guides ranking the best VPS hosting, the best WordPress hosting, and the best unlimited web hosting.

When you've chosen a provider, learn top tips when it comes to buying a web hosting service, and find out more about web hosting security, as well as anonymous website hosting, to keep yourself safe.

Need to build your first website? Take a look at the best website builders available, and learn how to go about building a website.

Finally, ensure that you've chosen a domain name and registered your domain. It's also worth looking into how hosting can affect SEO, especially if you're looking to create a site that competes with rivals for business on search engines.

What does anonymous website hosting do? 

Anonymous website hosting is the closest one can get from being truly private online. It provides multiple different ways of ensuring there's no way of tracing the ownership of a website back to you. These include:

• Registering under a pseudonym: users don't need to use their real name to sign up to anonymous website hosting
• No postal address requirement: when registering a domain name, you don't need to use your actual address to do so
• Paying anonymously: most anonymous website hosting companies allow you to pay using anonymous and protected crypto transactions, rather than regular payment methods
• Being located somewhere with tight privacy laws: like when using a VPN, the country of origin for a website hosting firm can dictate what privacy laws are involved; those with more relaxed laws are best for the most privacy-conscious
• Whois privacy protection: many anonymous website hosting firms, as well as regular ones, use Whois privacy protection to ensure that others can't view their details online

How departments use anonymous website hosting 

Customer service

Often, anonymous website hosting is used for selling products that a customer does not wish to be identified from. That doesn't solely mean anything illegal; it could also mean products that are of a private nature. Customer service departments can deal with a client without knowing anything more than the product involved, giving peace of mind to the customer. Anonymous website hosting can also mean less issues with spam for both the company and the customers involved, too. 

Marketing

Marketing is fairly unaffected by anonymous website hosting. While some users of the website may browse via a VPN (if it's a sensitive matter), thereby making tracking through cookies harder, there's no reason why it would affect regular marketing campaigns. Marketing can still work reasonably effectively through CRM tools and similar, so that they can generate strong sales leads for a customer. Generally, contact between customers and the company are what generates the best leads, rather than how open the website is.

HR

HR departments mostly benefit from anonymous website hosting because there are limited issues with spam and unwanted interest. HR can focus on ensuring employees are kept up-to-date with the latest developments within the company, instead of having to worry about other admin. Such admin can ordinarily include keeping an eye on Whois details, which is no longer needed when using anonymous services. Not having to worry about personal information being disclosed can also be a benefit. 

IT

An IT department can focus on the website's performance over potential security issues relating to information being leaked. As with knowing how to host a website that isn't anonymous, it's important to understand how web hosting security can impact a website, but one of the most obvious ways of being tracked is removed through anonymous website hosting. An IT department can then use that time to look at hosting providers who offer the best uptime, speed, and general service.

Finance

Finance departments need to deal with things slightly differently when using anonymous hosting providers. That's because payment is not done in a conventional manner. Instead, the best way to pay is via anonymous means of payment such as cryptocurrency like Bitcoin or Ethereum. It's important to educate a finance department on how this differs from regular bank payments before committing to the process. They may also want to invest more in fake/temporary email addresses, or purchase a VPN service for maximum security. 

Features and benefits of anonymous website hosting 

Near complete anonymity

The biggest benefit of anonymous website hosting is in the name. By using it, your website and services are far more anonymous and private. Your business address isn't listed. so there is no chance of the website and business location being linked. It's also possible to use a fake name, so that no one knows who actually owns the website. It's the nearest to being anonymous online one can get. 

More payment options

Most anonymous website hosting firms offer cryptocurrency as a payment option, meaning there is more flexibility in how you pay for its services. For users involved in NFTs or other cryptocurrency-related industries, it can be far easier to pay for services using crypto rather than having to convert back and forth between conventional money. It's also more anonymous.

Limited risk of being discovered

If you're selling sensitive products, or simply wish to keep online life separate from offline, setting up anonymous website hosting helps make that possible. By keeping Whois records private, there's no way of tracing your business address via a web address, so there's no risk of someone turning up at your premises. When information can soon be pieced together for identity theft, it's a useful way of keeping more hidden away.

Less risk of spam

It's a small but significant help. By keeping all your details private, your business won't receive as much spam. There's no risk of a marketing company tracking down your details and inundating you with colds calls or mail, meaning less hassle for you. Such content can range from companies trying to sell similar services, to unwanted insurance schemes, and even to a company trying to find out more about your products in an illicit manner. 

Circumventing local laws and regulations

A bit of a gray area depending on the laws involved, by using anonymous website hosting it can be easier to circumvent some local laws. This may be highly inadvisable depending on the product involved, but as with the best VPN services, it can be useful when dealing with a country with a repressive regime which may limit what can be achieved for your business, or even what can be discussed by someone. For the most part though, this isn't a recommended benefit for the average company.

Anonymous website hosting FAQs

Main takeaways 

• Anonymous website hosting lives up to its name: by using anonymous website hosting, you're as hidden away online as possible - no details are listed or kept
• Not everyone needs it: anonymous website hosting is useful for some, but few users need it, as hiding Whois searches will suffice for most
• It can circumvent censorship issues: like a VPN, anonymous website hosting can be useful in countries with repressive regimes
• Sensitive items can be sold through such methods: anonymous website hosting may encourage users looking to buy items that are of a sensitive but legal nature
• It can cut down on admin: using such a service often means less spam from cold callers and similar, thanks to being more anonymous online

Further reading 

When considering anonymous website hosting, it's important to also evaluate your website security so your site is extra safe. Knowing what to look for when buying web hosting is useful too. Don't forget to consider one of the best VPNs as well, so your browsing activities are also safe and secure. 

If you’re trying to choose from the best website builders around, Editor X is certainly worthy of consideration.

Editor X review: Snapshot

Editor X is a new addition to the website builder market, and comes with features we’ve not seen before in this space. High levels of customization and design flexibility are the order of the day, making it a powerful tool, if not one that may be right for everyone.

With Editor X, you can collaborate in real-time with other designers and developers, and the developer tools enable you to dive deep into the website code. Since this functionality offers tons of flexibility, experienced web designers or creative teams will love what they can do with it. But anyone looking for a more simple web design experience with plenty of template options might want to look towards providers such as Wix or Squarespace.  

Score: 4.5/5

Read on for our full and detailed review.

Editor X’s competitors

Editor X: Key features

Editor X offers some functionalities that you simply won’t find with other website builders. These make it an ideal choice for experienced website designers, teams that regularly collaborate over website creation, or anyone who simply isn’t getting the design flexibility they need from other providers.

The most notable of these features is the multi-user collaboration capabilities. Editor X allows multiple people to edit the website in real-time. For agency teams, this is a huge win. Managers can assign custom roles with different permissions, and team members can comment on different elements in real-time.

Another notable feature of Editor X in comparison with competitors is the custom code functionality. This could be seen as a major benefit or significant drawback depending on the user. While experienced designers will love the ability to use custom JavaScript and connect APIs, this feature could easily intimidate someone who is completely new to website design. 

Editor X: Key features and highlights

Editor X makes it very easy to save, re-use, and edit sections of your website. By using their “Content Collections” you can use what are essentially databases in the back end of your site to display data and media in responsive and repeated layouts. Content Collections make it easy to change text, add new media, and update uniform design elements on your site.

An example of this would be updating product lists or a photo gallery. Without the need to make design adjustments to an element or page, new data can be added to responsive layouts on your website. You can even update a content collection by uploading a CSV file, and instantly see the fully designed result on your website.

Editor X’s parent platform, Wix, is known for its extensive collection of free and paid apps to expand the functionality of your websites. Luckily, you have access to the Wix app marketplace through Editor X. The only downside is that not all Wix apps are compatible with Editor X just yet.

Editor X: What’s new in 2022?

When it comes to Editor X, almost everything is new because the platform was only released in February 2021. That being said, the Editor X team has already made leaps and bounds in the year since it was brought to market. The number of templates available has increased from eight to 28, and recently-added functionality includes the ability to create test sites and enhanced form design.

Academy X has also been created, a resource library and knowledge base where users can access articles, video tutorials, and webinars to enhance their usage of Editor X. The team behind the platform are receptive to feedback, and regularly seek input from users on their community forum, Community X.

Editor X: Pricing

Editor X is a subscription-based platform, and offers two separate pricing categories. General websites fall under the Website Plans category, while any website that requires payment processing/ecommerce functionality falls into the Business and eCommerce Plans category. 

Each category has three pricing tiers, which offer different levels of functionality and storage capabilities. While there is a “free forever” option, functionality is limited, and you won’t be able to customize your domain name. For large teams, you can also contact Editor X to learn more about their enterprise pricing. 

While the pricing is displayed as an amount per month on the Editor X website, subscriptions are annual, so you’ll pay in full for one year when you purchase any of the premium plans.

Testing Editor X

With Editor X, it’s very simple to create an account and get started with building a website. It took us all of three clicks through sign-up pages to get straight into editing a pre-designed template.

Like with many cloud-based providers these days, you can sign up with an existing Gmail account. Once we had signed up, Editor X asked us to either select a template or start from scratch. Using a template is a great way to get familiar with everything Editor X can do.

For example, the platform makes it very simple to layer elements over each other without any complex padding or margin settings. Similarly, resizing elements can be done with easy click-and-drag functionality.

Every template and element on Editor X is fully mobile responsive. However, once you start making edits to a template, you might notice that the sizing and spacing of elements aren’t quite what you’d want. This means taking the time to manually edit the mobile versions of your site, which is time-consuming.

Since Editor X is essentially the Wix editing platform with advanced functionality, help queries are submitted through the same customer care center for both offerings. The Wix team promises 24/7 availability through email and phone callbacks. You can even schedule a specific time for your callback if needed. 

Phone callbacks are only available from 3am to 7pm (PST) Monday to Friday. So, we first submitted a request for a callback and waited around 30 minutes to receive the call. The representative was very helpful and knowledgeable, even when it came to questions about the more complex developer tools.

After that, we submitted another ticket via email. For this request, we received a reply just after the one-hour mark. While support for Editor X from the Wix team is very helpful by both phone and email when you receive it, the wait times are a little longer than we would like.

Alternatives to Editor X

Editor X is entering a fairly competitive market when it comes to website builders. However, it does seek to fulfill different needs to those of providers such as Wix and Squarespace. Between these three services, it really comes down to what type of website you want to build, how quickly you need to build it, and how much customization you require.

If you want to get a highly attractive site up and running fast, Squarespace is the superior option. The platform is renowned for its large range of over 100 beautiful, ready-to-use templates. In comparison, Editor X only has 28 templates to choose from. 

The templates on Editor X are diverse in design and layout, but they don’t quite reach the same elegance or simplicity of design as Squarespace. While Wix outdoes Squarespace in the number of templates available with over 800 options, the Squarespace templates are generally considered to appear more sophisticated.

On the other hand, Squarespace is not the most intuitive website editor to use. Making updates to your site or attempting extensive editing of a template can require a significant time investment. Both Wix and Editor X offer a far more intuitive user interface.

For large web design teams or web design agencies, Editor X is the easy winner. Features such as real-time editing by multiple users are unique to Editor X, and you can’t beat the level of flexibility and customization provided through the developer tools.

Editor X: Final verdict

There’s a lot to be excited about when it comes to Editor X, especially if you’re part of a creative team. It offers functionalities that are simply not available in comparable website builders. This includes the ability to speed up collaboration through real-time editing among multiple users. Web design also becomes far more efficient with the use of features such as Content Collections. 

But one of the most advantageous parts of Editor X is the level of customization available. The developer tools allow users to get deep into the code of their website, unlike parent platform Wix or competitor Squarespace. 

Editor X is slightly more expensive than other platforms, especially in the upper pricing tiers of its ecommerce packages. With more expensive packages, it’s a little disappointing that the customer support wait times are so long.

With all of its flexibility and custom code features, Editor X is not for the beginner website creator. If you’re looking for an affordable and simple way to create a great looking website for your personal blog or small business, Wix is the preferable option. 

Overall, Editor X is an exciting new entrant to the website builder market for web designers and creative teams. It’s got powerful functionality combined with the simplicity of drag-and-drop website building.

Further reading on website builders and web hosting

If you’re still on the fence about Editor X, you’d do well to get more advice. If cost is a concern, or you're looking for something more business-focused, you might like to check out the best cheap website builders or the best small business website builders. You might be evaluating what to use for building an ecommerce website: take a look at the best ecommerce website builders.

Another option for increased customization and flexibility is WordPress, via the best website builders for WordPress. If you opt for this, you'll also need to sign up to the best WordPress hosting: make sure to sign up with one of the best web hosting services offering WordPress hosting.

In our Shopify vs BigCommerce comparison, we take a look at two of the world’s leading online store creation platforms. Shopify is extremely popular among beginners. With Shopify, you will have access to an intuitive management dashboard containing countless attractive tools. The editor is a little simple, but it supports rapid, cost-effective store creation.

On the other hand, BigCommerce targets larger companies and established entrepreneurs. It offers advanced custom solutions for enterprise-level clients, and it’s known for its excellent scalability. However, ecommerce beginners may find the sheer number of features overwhelming.

We look at their main features, performance, support, and prices to help you decide which is the best ecommerce website builder for your needs.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Features

Shopify and BigCommerce are known as two of the most advanced ecommerce platforms on the market. Both offer a huge range of features and cater to stores of various sizes. Below, we analyze how they stack up against each other.

Templates

Shopify has 81 templates to select from in the Shopify Themes store. Of these, 10 are free and 71 will require you to dig into your wallet. Prices for the premium themes range from $150 to $350. You can also upload custom themes to Shopify. These can be developed from scratch or purchased from a third-party marketplace. 

The BigCommerce Theme Marketplace is surprisingly similar. It boasts a larger selection of 189 themes, but only 12 of them are free. The premium themes will set you back anywhere from $150 to $300, making them similarly priced to Shopify’s. And like Shopify, BigCommerce enables you to upload custom themes from third-party sources.

App marketplace

Shopify and BigCommerce both have large app marketplaces where you can find an array of extensions. These include everything from drop shipping integrations to product review plugins and marketing tools. 

Shopify’s App Store contains over 4,200 apps. There’s a load of free and premium options, and many come with free trials or tiered billing. The BigCommerce app store is smaller, with just over 800 extensions. However, there’s still plenty of value to be found here, and you should be able to find something that makes managing your online store easier.

Sales channels

Like most leading ecommerce platforms, Shopify and BigCommerce enable you to sell via multiple sales channels. Your store will likely be one of your main revenue sources, but the others are still very useful when used right! 

With Shopify, you can connect to a Point of Sale (POS) system to link your ecommerce and brick-and-mortar sales. You can add a buy button to an existing website or blog. Various social media integrations, including Facebook and Pinterest, are available to help you sell directly to your followers. It’s even possible to link to large marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. 

BigCommerce is similar. It offers POS connections through Clover POS, along with similar third-party marketplace and social media integrations. However, it doesn’t offer a buy button to add to a separate website. Because of this, Shopify may be a better option for businesses that sell products via multiple websites.

Analytics and reporting tools

Both Shopify and BigCommerce offer advanced reporting and analytics tools to help you understand your store’s performance. 

BigCommerce presents data in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. You can filter by sales channel, date, and other criteria. You’ll be able to find information about your overall marketing efforts, orders, customers, purchase funnels, in-store searches, and more. 

Shopify’s analytics dashboard is just as good. It presents similar information and enables you to generate custom reports. One thing that stands out is Shopify’s marketing campaign analytics, which enable you to track the results of specific campaigns. BigCommerce doesn’t offer anything that’s comparable.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Performance

To test the performance of Shopify and BigCommerce, we created a simple store with each and tested various management and customization processes. 

Getting started with Shopify is easy. All you need to do is hit the "Start free trial" button on the company’s website, and enter an email address, password, and store name to create an account. You’ll be asked about your experience level, so that Shopify can provide you with relevant educational material. You’ll then be taken directly to the management dashboard.

BigCommerce’s sign-up process is similar to Shopify’s. Once you create an account, you should be able to access your dashboard within minutes. 

Here’s where Shopify and BigCommerce begin to differ. The BigCommerce management dashboard is very well designed, but it’s packed so full of advanced tools that it was hard to know where to start. 

On the other hand, Shopify provides a clear checklist of the steps you need to take to get your store off the ground. The very first thing you’ll see is a link to a video outlining how to get started, which we found very useful. 

Shopify also makes ongoing customer and inventory management straightforward. On the left of your main dashboard, you will find links to various management portals. You can even add apps for extra functionality.

With BigCommerce, you will also have access to advanced product and customer management tools. But we found it difficult to get the hang of using them, and you may run into trouble if you don’t have much tech experience.

Next, we tested how easy it was to design a store. With Shopify, you will be confined by the layout of the template you select. The store builder enables you to add and remove sections on each page, but you won’t be able to fine-tune things like element positioning or size. 

We also found the Shopify editor to be a little clunky. It’s slow to load, and the editing options are quite confusing to navigate. However, you will be able to change global design settings easily via the Theme Settings menu, which we appreciate. 

On the other hand, BigCommerce’s editor is much more intuitive and easier to use. As with Shopify, you will be somewhat constrained by your template, but you’ll have much more flexibility. Widgets can be dragged and dropped into position, and you can add custom HTML blocks if required. There are loads of excellent global design tools here, too. 

Overall, BigCommerce wins on the performance front. Shopify is targeted at beginners, and has a clear management interface, but its editor just doesn’t impress.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Support

Customer support is crucial for ecommerce beginners. If you run into a problem, you’ll want the ability to resolve it rapidly before it causes more significant issues. 

Shopify’s customer service appears excellent on the surface, with 24/7 email, live chat, and phone support. But when we tested it, we found that the support agents weren’t very knowledgeable. And at times, when it’s too busy, you will have trouble actually getting connected with an agent. You may have to wait upwards of 30 minutes for a response.

BigCommerce also offers 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support. But unlike Shopify, it seems the company actually employs customer service agents who know their stuff. Overall, we had a much better experience interacting with the BigCommerce support team than the Shopify one. 

Both platforms offer a suite of self-help resources. BigCommerce has a decent support center with a number of useful resources, including video guides, user docs, and step-by-step tutorials. 

But when it comes to self-help resources, Shopify comes out ahead due to the sheer number and quality of the resources available. For example, you can access in-depth tutorials and guides in the Shopify Help Center which outline things in a clear, beginner-friendly way. On top of this, Shopify’s popularity means that the internet is packed full of even more information to help you out.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Pricing and plans

Shopify and BigCommerce have very similar pricing structures. Shopify has a 14-day free trial that you can use to test the platform, while BigCommerce has a 15-day trial. Neither requires you to enter payment details. However, BigCommerce offers annual subscription discounts, while Shopify doesn’t. 

With Shopify, you will have access to three main plans, a custom-priced enterprise-level option, and a cheap WordPress plugin. The Shopify Lite plugin costs $9 a month, and enables you to add a buy button to your existing website. BigCommerce has no comparable product, but it also has three main plans and a custom-priced enterprise-level option.

The cheapest Basic Shopify plan ($29 a month) enables you to create your own store with up to two staff members and four inventory locations. You will have access to all basic selling tools, but advanced reports will be disabled. 

BigCommerce’s Standard plan ($29.95 a month) is directly comparable to this in price. It supports up to $50,000 in sales a year. However, advanced tools like customer segmentation, an abandoned cart saver, and product filtering are absent. 

The Shopify plan ($79 a month) and BigCommerce’s Plus plan ($79.95 a month) are also comparable in terms of price, as are the Advanced Shopify ($299 a month) and BigCommerce’s Pro ($299.95 a month) plan. 

One of the main differences between the two platforms is that BigCommerce offers 0% transaction fees with third-party payment gateways. Shopify’s fees range from 0.5% to 2%, depending on your plan. Shopify also limits the number of staff accounts you can have, while BigCommerce enables unlimited accounts with all plans. 

Both platforms also offer advanced, custom-price enterprise solutions for high-end online stores. It’s difficult to separate the two in terms of price, and in the end, you will need to make a decision based on the features you require.

Shopify vs BigCommerce: Verdict

It’s easy to see why Shopify and BigCommerce are two of the world’s top-rated ecommerce platforms. They both bring a lot to the table, and it’s virtually impossible to say that one is better overall than the other. 

Both offer a wide range of advanced features. BigCommerce has almost triple the number of templates as Shopify, but Shopify has a better app market. Both platforms offer similar sales channels, but Shopify comes out on top when it comes to analytics and reporting. 

Shopify is beginner-friendly and has a more intuitive dashboard layout, but both are great for stores of all sizes. BigCommerce’s customer service stands out above Shopify’s due to its more knowledgeable support agents. 

Furthermore, BigCommerce’s editor is more flexible and easier to use than Shopify’s. The two platforms are very similarly priced, though, and both offer a free trial that you can use to get started. 

At the end of the day, both platforms are excellent. Shopify is better for beginners, and it has more apps and better analytics. But BigCommerce remains an excellent option for larger stores and those that plan to scale quickly.

Further reading on website builders

Whether you choose Shopify or BigCommerce, make sure you read our guide outlining how to build an ecommerce website if you want to create an online store. If you go with Shopify, we've also devised a step-by-step walkthrough on how to build a website with Shopify. 

Many of the best ecommerce builders also number among the best small business website builders; it's worth seeing which providers rank highly across the board, in case you need features covering different areas.

You might prefer to utilize WordPress; in that case, you'd need one of the best website builders for WordPress, and the best WordPress hosting offered by one of the best web hosting services. There's also plugin options such as WooCommerce for selling on WordPress.

In our Squarespace vs Shopify comparison, we take a closer look at these two popular online store builders. Both are designed for beginners creating their first store, but both also come with advanced tools for more experienced users. 

Squarespace is the more versatile platform, offering solutions for everything from small personal blogs to large stores. Shopify, on the other hand, is designed specifically for online store creation. To help you decide which of these two industry giants is best for your next project, we’ve done the legwork and reviewed their main features, performance, support, and prices.

Squarespace vs Shopify: Features

Both Squarespace and Shopify boast a huge range of features. Since both focus on ecommerce, we’ve compared some of the most important tools for ongoing store management and success.

Ecommerce

Both these platforms are ecommerce industry leaders, and both boast an excellent range of tools to help you get the most out of your store. For example, both Squarespace and Shopify enable you to sell digital goods, create abandoned cart recovery campaigns, offer gift cards, and add custom shipping rules. Basically, you will have everything you need to run a successful store with either option. 

However, Shopify goes slightly further, adding some advanced features that Squarespace just can’t compete with. These include the ability to create product collections, automatic inventory tracking, and advanced analytics and reporting.

Marketing

On the marketing front, Shopify clearly stands out above Squarespace. Both platforms come with built-in email marketing tools, and with Squarespace, you will be able to create basic email campaigns, schedule them, and track basic metrics such as in-email link clicks and visitor numbers. 

But with Shopify, you will be able to do much, much more. Along with email marketing, the platform also boasts tools to help you create social media campaigns on most of the major platforms, including Snapchat, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. You can even create SMS marketing campaigns. 

And the best thing? Shopify comes with advanced campaign-tracking tools. With these, you can carefully monitor campaigns, analyze their effectiveness, and ensure you’re getting the best ROI. On its marketing dashboard you will also find neat insights into your most successful products and how you could improve your marketing efforts.

Plugins and extensions

You’ll be able to access various apps and extensions through the Squarespace Extensions library or the Shopify App Store. If you use Shopify, you will have access to more than 4,000 apps that can add functionality to your website. 

Many of these are premium apps, but there are plenty of free options for those on a budget. You will find add-ons covering everything from dropshipping and email marketing to popup creation and social media integration. 

Unfortunately, Squarespace just can’t compare. Its marketplace contains just 28 extensions from a very select group of third-party platforms. Most of these deal with shipping, accounting, and dropshipping, and you shouldn’t expect to find anything too advanced here.

Security

When you’re operating an online store, you will be dealing with large amounts of sensitive personal and payment information. Security is therefore one of the most important things to think about when selecting a store builder. 

Fortunately, both Squarespace and Shopify excel here. Both offer the security basics, including SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates that facilitate secure encrypted data transfer. At the same time, both platforms use PCI-compliant (Payment Card Industry) payment gateways. This means that their security measures have been audited and certified as adequate by a third-party regulatory body. 

The bottom line: Both Squarespace and Shopify offer excellent security, and it’s hard to split the two here.

Squarespace vs Shopify: Performance

To test the performance of Squarespace and Shopify, we signed up for a trial with each platform and created two basic stores. We took various factors into account, including the ease of use and functionality of each editor, their analytics and reporting tools, and their main dashboards.

Creating your online store

The differences between Squarespace’s and Shopify’s store builders became immediately evident when we began to test them. Squarespace’s drag-and-drop builder is rather powerful, while Shopify’s beginner-friendly platform leaves a lot to be desired. 

If you use Squarespace, you will have free access to more than 110 high-quality templates, including 77 that include built-in ecommerce features. Its section-based drag-and-drop editor is a little confusing to get started with, but there are loads of customization options on offer.

For example, you can change the entire layout of your template by adding and removing elements and reordering them as required. CSS coding is even supported, enabling you to get a little fancy and fine-tune your design if you have the required knowledge. 

On the other hand, there are roughly 100 templates in the Shopify theme library. But only a handful of these are free. You can also add custom templates or purchase one from a third-party vendor. 

But the Shopify editor really lets it down. It's beginner friendly and easy to use, as it’s designed to be, but it’s also rather limited. You will be very confined by the pre-coded layout of the template you use, and there are no drag-and-drop editing tools.  

Squarespace clearly wins here.

Analytics and reporting

When it comes to analytics and reporting, we expected Shopify to excel. And we weren’t let down. 

Both Squarespace and Shopify offer the basic analytics and reporting tools that come with virtually every website builder. For example, you can keep tabs on visitor numbers, acquisition streams, product views, and sales. 

But Shopify goes one step further, with numerous filters and other tools to help you analyze your audience. Custom reports can be created based on a huge range of data, and you can even import data from various third-party sales platforms. 

Squarespace does let you connect Google Analytics, but Shopify does that too, and with so much additional functionality, it clearly takes the points here.

Ongoing management

The Shopify management dashboard is excellent, boasting a clear menu and excellent functionality. On the left of the screen, you will find options to manage customers, orders, products, and more. There are various marketing and analytics tools, and you can integrate third-party apps for automatic order fulfillment or to streamline other tasks. 

Squarespace’s management panel is fully functional, but it’s much more basic than Shopify’s. Let’s just say that you will find everything you need to run and manage your store, but that there aren’t any bells and whistles attached.

Support

Unless you’re an expert web developer, chances are that you will run into some sort of problem during your ecommerce journey. When this happens, it’s important to have access to reliable support to help you solve problems promptly. 

If you decide to go with Squarespace, you may be a little limited on the support side. Phone support is completely absent. Live chat is available, but only during business hours. And it can take a number of hours to receive an answer if you use the 24/7 email helpline. 

Shopify’s live support doesn’t fare a whole lot better. It does offer 24/7 support via email, phone, and live chat, but we’ve found all three options to be rather slow and unreliable. If you’re desperate, you can also try reaching out via the Shopify Twitter page for a potentially faster response. 

Luckily, both of these website builders offer decent self-help libraries. The Shopify Help Center contains a huge selection of guides and tutorials designed to help everyone, regardless of their skill level. Since it’s such a popular platform, you can also find loads of helpful resources across the web. 

With Squarespace, you may have luck finding answers to your question in the popular community forum. There’s also a large number of videos, webinars, and user guides to help you familiarize yourself with the platform. 

There’s little to separate the two platforms here, but Shopify’s phone support places it just ahead of Squarespace.

Squarespace vs Shopify: Pricing and plans

Shopify offers three standard ecommerce subscription options, along with a Lite and a Plus plan. Squarespace has four plans enabling everything from simple website creation to advanced online store building. Neither company has a free-forever plan, but both offer 14-day free trials. With Squarespace, you don’t have to add payment information to access the trial, while with Shopify you do. 

Squarespace’s plans range from $16 to $54 a month with monthly payments and $12 to $40 with an annual subscription. The cheapest personal plan has no e-commerce features and is really only good for building simple websites. 

Upgrading to a Business plan adds basic selling tools. But you will need to pay at least $26 a month for a Basic Commerce subscription if you want to access anything other than the most basic features.

Take a look at our Squarespace promo codes page for the latest offers and discounts. 

Unlike Squarespace, all of Shopify’s plans are designed for online selling. Prices range from $9 to $299 a month for the four paid plans, making it significantly more expensive than Squarespace. There are no discounts for longer subscription terms. 

Now, the Shopify Lite plan needs some explaining. Basically, it enables you to add a buy button to an existing website. However, it doesn’t come with any store-building or other infrastructure. Upgrading to the Basic Shopify plan opens up these features, providing access to an excellent management dashboard and a beginner-friendly store builder. 

The Shopify and Advanced Shopify plans are similar to the Basic Shopify option, but add lower transaction fees and more advanced marketing and management tools. Shopify Plus offers custom solutions designed specifically for enterprise-level stores—an option that Squarespace just doesn’t have.

Squarespace vs Shopify: Verdict

Squarespace and Shopify are two clear industry leaders in the online-store-creation world, but the truth is that they’re far from equal. Both enable you to create a highly functional store with excellent security, but the similarities end there. 

For one, Shopify offers many more advanced ecommerce features. Its marketing tools are great, and there are countless templates for you to get started with. However, it is quite expensive, and you will be stuck with an inflexible builder that can become frustrating. 

Squarespace is a less specialized platform, with options for both ecommerce and normal business websites. Its editor is a little confusing to get the hang of, but it’s much more powerful than Shopify’s. And it’s significantly more affordable, which will be a major consideration for many. 

At the end of the day, both can be great options. We’d recommend Shopify if you’re looking for a powerful yet easy-to-use platform to create a sizable store. On the other hand, try Squarespace if you’re looking for a cheaper option to create a highly customizable, content-based site with a small ecommerce component.

Further reading on website builders

If you elect to go forward with one of these two options, make sure to read our step-by-step guides outlining how to build a website with Squarespace and how to build a website with Shopify. It's also worth looking at our guide to the best ecommerce website builders, to see where both companies featured.

For those with more experience, another option is WordPress, via the best website builders for WordPress in tandem with an ecommerce plugin like WooCommerce. You'll also require the best WordPress hosting from one of the best web hosting services.