Best Website Builders for Small Business: Compared for 2026

Before I dive into each builder’s key features for small businesses, take a look at our quick comparison table:

Swipe right to see more

0 out of 0

• backward
• forward

BEST ALL-IN-ONE	BEST FOR SELLING	BEST FOR ONLINE BOOKINGS	BEST FOR EASY USE	BEST FOR SOCIAL TOOLS
Wix	Shopify	Squarespace	Hostinger	GoDaddy
Overall Rating 4.8	Overall Rating 4.8	Overall Rating 4.7	Overall Rating 4.2	Overall Rating 4.0
Today's best price $17 $15.30 with code “TAKE10”	Today's best price $29 $1/mo for 3 months	Today's best price $16 $14.40 with code “WBE10”	Today's best price 85% off in the New Year Sale: $12.99 $1.99/month + 3 months for free	Today's best price $10.99
Free plan or free trial Free plan	Free plan or free trial 3-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 14-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 7-day free trial	Free plan or free trial Free plan
Number of templates 2,000+	Number of templates 1,000+	Number of templates 190+	Number of templates 150+	Number of templates 200+
Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain
AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder
Transaction fees 2.9% + $0.30	Transaction fees 0.6 – 2% (without Shopify Payments)	Transaction fees 0% – 2%	Transaction fees No transaction fees	Transaction fees 2.7% + $0.30
Try Wix	Try Shopify	Try Squarespace	Try Hostinger	Try GoDaddy
See our Wix Review	See our Shopify Review	See our Squarespace Review	See our Hostinger Review	See our GoDaddy Review

If you’d rather have someone talk you through the key pros, cons, features, and pricing of our top five small business website builders, watch our video:

Play

• Wix pricing: Free – $159 per month, get 10% off with our code TAKE10
• Read our Wix review for a detailed look at the website builder

Editor's Choice

Wix

All-in-one builder to manage your business

Outstanding

4.8

out of 5

• Easy marketing setup
• Well-rounded features
• Personalized SEO

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $17 - $159 / month

Pros

• Email marketing with cheapest plan
• Keyword support from Semrush
• Great AI features

Cons

• 2.9% + $0.30 processing fee
• Interface can be overwhelming
• Slow loading times

Wix Review

Use code TAKE10 for 10% off

Try Wix

Key Features Wix Offers for Small Businesses

• 📨 Marketing features – Wix’s email marketing tool helps you set up automated workflows, use brand assets from your site, coordinate communications with Wix’s Mailchimp partnership, and generate personalized messages to speak directly with your customers. This isn’t something all builders provide either (Hostinger lacks any email marketing tools).
• 🔍 SEO – You can utilize Wix’s SEO Learning Hub and other tools, such as its AI meta tag creator and keyword research tool (powered by Semrush), to help your website appear in search engine results. That’s why Wix is our top SEO website builder for 2025.
• 🤖 AI tools – Wix’s AI features can help you choose online business ideas, build your website quickly, generate website copy (such as product descriptions), offer design suggestions, and more.

Should You Use Wix?

You should use Wix if you want a well-rounded website builder, with a huge range of built-in tools and AI features available to support your small business. While Wix offers a free forever plan, businesses should upgrade to a premium plan as soon as possible to remove ads and ensure your site looks professional as you scale your business.

• Shopify pricing: $29 – $299 per month, get your first three months for $1/month
• Read our Shopify review for a detailed look at the website builder

Shopify

Best builder for selling online

Outstanding

4.8

out of 5

• Intuitive product backend
• Extensive app store
• Great scalability

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $29 - $299 / month

Pros

• Sell on socials like TikTok
• Ideal for complex inventories
• Manage business bills easily

Cons

• Not the best for beginners
• Limited store customization
• Heavy reliance on apps

Shopify Review

Try Shopify

Key Features Shopify Offers for Small Businesses

• 🛒 Multichannel selling – Connect Shopify with a range of online marketplaces, social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram, or with its POS system for offline selling. Shopify merchants can download the Shopify Marketplace Connect app to gain access to platforms like eBay and Amazon.
• 💳 Payment options – Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, as well as Shopify Payments, which you don’t have to pay transaction fees on.
• 🔒 Website security – Shopify provides a built-in SSL certificate, two-step verification, and customer logins, and ensures your website is PCI compliant. You can also depend on Shopify’s fraud analysis tool, which helps small businesses recognize fraudulent orders.

You can watch our video below to learn more about Shopify’s features:

Play

Should You Use Shopify?

You should use Shopify if your small business is growing or if you have a large inventory, since Shopify’s product management tools are unmatched. Your store won’t be hit by product limits, and you can access advanced sales features, such as the ability to sell via marketplaces and currency conversion, from the cheapest Shopify plan.

What the researchers think...

I’d recommend Shopify as a great option for small businesses because of its simple backend tools that let you add products easily, as well as its huge app store which is great for helping small businesses grow and adapt. You’ve got apps like TikTok that can help grow your audience or Klaviyo which is great for setting up email and SMS marketing!

Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive

• Squarespace pricing: $16 – $99 per month, get 10% off with our code WBE10
• Read our Squarespace review for a detailed look at the website builder

Squarespace

Manage online bookings seamlessly

Excellent

4.7

out of 5

• Built-in booking tools
• Stylish templates
• Easy-to-use editor

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $16 - $99 / month

Pros

• Ideal for creative businesses
• Offer services and appointments
• Unique content tools

Cons

• Not suitable for complex inventories
• Less creative freedom than Wix
• No POS integration

Squarespace Review

Use code WBE10 for 10% off

Try Squarespace

Key Features Squarespace Offers for Small Businesses

• 🗓️ Booking tools – If your business needs to offer services or appointments, you can use Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool to take bookings online. This is a premium add-on, with plans starting from $16 per month.
• 🎨 Template quality – Squarespace’s 150+ templates cover a wide range of industries, including “Fashion,” “Media & Podcasts,” “Real Estate & Properties,” and “Travel.” It’s a far cry from Wix’s 2,000+, but Squarespace focuses on quality over quantity. Alternatively, you can use Squarespace’s AI builder, Blueprint AI. It’s easy to use and creates a custom theme for you in less than 10 minutes.
• ✏️ Content tools – Squarespace provides dozens of professionally designed elements to place on your pages, meaning you can display your content in a variety of ways. For example, an accordion is great if you want to hide additional content so visitors aren’t overwhelmed, or you could add a map to make your small business’s location easy to find.

Should You Use Squarespace?

Squarespace targets creatives and service-based businesses with its high-quality templates and built-in scheduling tool. But its easy-to-use editor and affordable pricing makes Squarespace a great option for beginners and smaller businesses finding their feet online as well.

Plus, with Squarespace now including ecommerce on all plans, you don’t need to splurge on a high-tier plan immediately. Instead, you can steadily upgrade as your business expands.

• Hostinger pricing: $1.99 – $2.99 per month, get 10% off with our code WBE
• Read our Hostinger website builder review for a detailed look at the website builder

Hostinger

Easiest builder for small businesses

Very Good

4.2

out of 5

• Impressive AI tools
• Easy-to-use editor
• Affordable plans

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $1.99 - $19.99 / month

Pros

• 24/7 help and support
• Fast loading times
• Quick way to get online

Cons

• Limited scalability for businesses
• No app market
• Prices increase after first term

Hostinger Review

Try Hostinger

Key Features Hostinger Offers for Small Businesses

• ⚙️ Beginner-friendly editor – Our testing confirmed Hostinger as the easiest website builder for small businesses, featuring a streamlined drag-and-drop editor and AI tools for quick setup. You get total creative freedom while also keeping things simplified so you don’t get overwhelmed, which can happen with Wix. Not only are the designs really modern-looking and polished, but it’s easy to add brand assets, such as a logo.
• ⏰ Time-saving AI tools – Hostinger relies heavily on its suite of AI tools, including an AI-powered website builder, but this makes it ideal for beginners and businesses looking to get online fast. If you’re on the Business Website Builder plan ($2.99 per month), you’ll have access to Hostinger’s full range of AI features.
• 💰 Budget-friendly plans – Hostinger is the cheapest website builder for small businesses, without sacrificing quality for cost. While Hostinger’s functionality is limited in comparison to other builders, like Wix, you get a good range of features for the small price you pay.

Should You Use Hostinger?

You should use Hostinger if you’re a beginner to website building or need a cheap website builder. Its sales tools aren’t as advanced as other website builders and there’s a product limit of 1,000, so it’s only really suitable for budget-conscious small businesses in the early stage of life. When your business is ready to grow, it’s worth looking at other platforms, such as Wix or Shopify.

What our editor thinks...

I think busy entrepreneurs would really benefit from Hostinger’s suite of time-saving AI tools. This is what makes Hostinger a smart choice for small businesses – it gives you a helping hand with things like website creation, content generation, and tracking customer engagement.

With no app market and limited plans, it’s not the most scalable option, but when you’re a new business owner juggling all the tasks that come with those early days of building and running a website, these AI tools can make a real difference and help you set up fast!

Lucy Carney Editor

• GoDaddy pricing: Free – $23.99 per month
• Read our GoDaddy review for a detailed look at the website builder

GoDaddy

Great social tools for promoting your store

Very Good

4

out of 5

• Built-in social tools
• Simple editor
• Quick onboarding

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $10.99 - $23.99 / month

Pros

• Great for beginners
• Budget-friendly plans
• Mobile app management

Cons

• Lacks quality designs
• Limited functionality
• Basic SEO support

GoDaddy Review

Try GoDaddy

Key Features GoDaddy Offers for Small Businesses

• 📷 Social media tools – In our recent testing, GoDaddy’s social media tools became a standout feature. You can populate the social media calendar with GoDaddy’s AI Social Post Creator, review your scheduled content, and identify the right days to post.
• 🏃 Quick onboarding – GoDaddy asks a few questions about your business needs during the setup process before generating a custom template, so it’s a great builder for beginners and tech novices.
• 🤳 Mobile management – Small businesses are juggling a million tasks at once, so make the most out of GoDaddy’s mobile app to create and manage your online store anywhere, anytime. You can make tweaks in the mobile editor, but also monitor your sales and traffic on the go, which is incredibly convenient.

Should You Use GoDaddy?

Choose GoDaddy as your small business website builder if you’re looking for a platform that’s simple and budget-friendly. You get standard built-in features, such as SEO and marketing, to promote your business online. But its plans aren’t as scalable as other platforms, like Wix or Shopify.

That said, with pricing starting from $10.99 per month (billed annually), GoDaddy is a very cheap option for small businesses to get started with.

To choose the right website builder, evaluate your business model: use Wix for general promotion, Shopify for high-volume sales, or Squarespace for service bookings. Of course, we’ve discussed our top five options in this article, but how do you know which one is right for you? What do you need to consider?

• Identify your primary goal – Does the builder accommodate your selling needs? Are you mostly looking to promote your business? Do you need to take online bookings?
• Determine your budget – Compare plans to see how much you need to pay for the features your business requires.
• Recognize your skill level – If you’re new to building websites, choose a builder with an easy-to-use editor, like Hostinger or Squarespace, or look out for good AI tools to simplify the process.
• Plan for your future – Does the builder you’re looking at offer scalable plans? How many products can you sell? Will you need to switch platforms eventually?

Our research team have spent over 300 hours conducting in-depth analysis to find the best website builders for small businesses, and I’ve built websites with each of our top choices to share genuine insights and examples with you. Our goal is to deliver data-led recommendations – we cover the good, the bad, and everything in between, so you have all of the facts.

Based on our 2025 testing, Wix is the best choice for small businesses. The builder offers a powerful all-in-one platform, providing essential website features and sales tools that cater to a range of industries, such as hotels and restaurants.

Of course, the builder you choose will depend on your small business needs and priorities. You can see how Wix compares head-to-head with our other recommended choices: Wix vs Shopify, Wix vs Squarespace, Wix vs Hostinger, and Wix vs GoDaddy.