7 Best Small Business Website Builders (Tested & Compared)

For years, we have built and managed our websites using WordPress.org, and it has been an amazing platform for our needs. That’s why we thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking to start a small business website.

However, we recognize that every company has unique needs, which is why we’ve explored other small business website builders, including Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com.

We didn’t just read about these platforms – we actually put them to the test and built real, working websites with each of the most popular ones. This gave us firsthand experience with everything they offer, from their features and how easy they are to use, to how well they perform.

It also allowed us to identify each builder’s strengths and weaknesses. This means we can give you honest and accurate recommendations that are tailored to your specific needs, not just a generic list.

In this article, we will share our list of the best small business website builders, along with their pros and cons. Our goal is to help you make the right choice for your business.

An Overview of the Best Small Business Website Builders

If you are in a hurry, then take a quick look at our expert picks of the best small business website builders to make a decision.

#	Website Builder	Best For	Pricing
🥇	WordPress.org	Powerful small business website	Free
🥈	Wix	Appointment bookings and management	$4/month + Free
🥉	Squarespace	Photographers and subscription-based services	$25/month
4	HubSpot	Basic small business websites	Free
5	Gator Website Builder	Freelancers and simple business sites	$3.46/month
6	WooCommerce	Small online stores	Free
7	WordPress.com	Managed website builder	$10/ month + Free

How We Tested and Reviewed Small Business Website Builders

Want to launch your small business website quickly, without having to mess with any code? Then using a website builder is definitely the way to go. But, we know there are tons of website builders to choose from, which can feel a little overwhelming.

That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you. We’ve actually downloaded and built real, working websites with the most popular website builders, to help you choose the right one for your business. When we were testing them out, we paid close attention to a few really important things:

• Ease of use: We know you’re busy, so we’ve focused on website builders that are super easy to use, even if you’re a complete beginner. Think user-friendly interfaces, a smooth setup process, a helpful community to turn to, and lots of easy-to-understand guides.
• Features: A great website builder for a small business needs to have the right tools. We looked for things like a simple drag-and-drop interface (so you can build your site visually), ready-made templates to get you started quickly, the ability to grow as your business grows, and pricing that won’t break the bank.
• Reliability: We only included website builders that we’ve personally tested and trust. We also paid attention to what other users are saying in reviews and how good their customer support is, to make sure you won’t run into a lot of headaches.

Having said that, let’s take a look at the best small business website builders on the market.

1. WordPress.org

If you’re serious about building a fantastic website builder for your small business, look no further than WordPress.org. We think it’s the absolute best, and here’s why: it’s free, open source, and scalable.

We’re not just saying that – we’ve been using WordPress.org for over 15 years to build and manage our own successful websites, like WPBeginner and WPForms. WordPress has been absolutely key to our growth – it’s easy to get the hang of and hasn’t slowed us down as our websites have become more popular.

Want to dig deeper? Check out our complete WordPress review for more details.

One of the coolest things about WordPress.org is how flexible it is. You can add pretty much any feature you can imagine to your site using its massive library of over 59,000 free WordPress plugins.

Plus, you can use tons of awesome themes to make your site look exactly how you want and really grab your visitors’ attention.

With that said, it’s no surprise that WordPress powers over 43% of the sites on the internet, according to our research statistics.

With WordPress.org, you’re in complete control of your website. And get this – you can even connect it with popular drag-and-drop page builders like SeedProd to get your small business site up and running in minutes (be sure to check out our SeedProd review for more information!)

On top of all that, choosing WordPress.org means you actually own your website and all your content. You won’t be stuck with the limitations or annoying ads you often find on free website builder plans.

And as your business takes off, your website can easily keep up. WordPress.org can handle tons of traffic, so you can build a website that grows with your ambition.

Pros

• We absolutely love the huge community of WordPress users and developers. If you ever get stuck, there are tons of helpful resources and tutorials online.
• Many popular brands trust WordPress.org, including Sony Music, Disney Books, and even Taylor Swift!
• The website builder is translated into over 75 languages, meaning you can create a multilingual site with it.
• You can pretty much create any kind of website with WordPress – from a blog or membership site, right through to an online store or a website for your travel business or furniture shop. We’ve used WordPress.org to build online stores and blogs, and have always had a great experience.

Cons

• From our years of experience with WordPress, we know that keeping the core WordPress software, your plugins, and your theme updated can sometimes be a bit frustrating and time-consuming. This means you may need to pay for WordPress maintenance.
• Even though WordPress.org itself is free, you will still need to pay for a domain name and hosting.

Why we recommend WordPress.org: Overall, WordPress.org is the best small business website builder because it is free and allows you to customize your site however you want. You can launch a professional website for your small business without writing a single line of code.

Want to learn more? Then check out our beginner’s guide on how to make a WordPress website.

2. Wix

Wix is another great option for small businesses. It is a powerful website builder with a drag-and-drop editing interface and a vast library of pre-made templates for all kinds of industries and niches.

We put Wix to the test by building a sample website, and we found it to be a really user-friendly platform, especially if you’re new to website building. Its straightforward interface makes it easy to create a professional-looking website without needing any coding skills.

The platform is fully hosted, so you won’t have to purchase a hosting plan. They also automatically include an SSL certificate to keep your visitors’ information safe. And just like WordPress, Wix has hundreds of apps (similar to WordPress plugins) that can add different features to your small business site.

Additionally, Wix offers basic SEO tools that suggest relevant keywords, generate sitemaps, optimize images, and customize meta tags.

We were particularly impressed with Wix’s SEO Wiz, which makes it much easier to optimize your site for the search engines. Its step-by-step instructions are fantastic for beginners who want to improve their website’s SEO.

Want to see how Wix stacks up against WordPress? Check out our detailed comparison of Wix vs. WordPress.

Pros

• When we were testing Wix, we were impressed by its built-in artificial design intelligence (Wix ADI). It can actually help you design a website just by answering a few questions.
• Wix includes security tools to help protect your site from hackers and viruses.
• Wix websites look great on mobile phones, and they have built-in analytics to help you track how your site is performing.
• If you run a business that takes appointments, then Wix has a built-in booking feature that lets you manage appointments and bookings online.

Cons

• One thing to keep in mind is that Wix shows their own ads on your website unless you upgrade to a paid plan. These ads can be a bit annoying for visitors and might not look as professional for your brand.
• We also found that once you build a website on Wix, it can be difficult to move your website from Wix to any other builder.

Why we recommend Wix: We think Wix is a great option, especially if you run a hotel or similar business and want to easily manage online bookings.

It is also a good option for an online store because it offers features like product listings, secure payments, and shipping management.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is a great website builder known for its collection of modern templates. When we tried building a site with Squarespace, we found it really easy to switch between different layouts, which is great for playing around and finding the perfect look for your business.

You can create stunning websites in minutes thanks to the builder’s drag-and-drop interface and mobile-responsive design. Plus, Squarespace has some powerful features for showing off your work, like portfolios and galleries, making it a great choice for online portfolios and other businesses that rely on visuals.

They also have a huge app market with lots of add-ons that can add extra features to your website, like contact forms, social media feeds, and pop-ups.

If you’re looking to sell online, then Squarespace has special eCommerce plans that let you create an online store, manage your inventory, accept payments, handle shipping, and more.

Pros

• One cool thing we found when testing Squarespace is that you can easily sell subscription-based services and products through their platform.
• Squarespace makes it super easy to upload and edit your images right within their builder.
• Since Squarespace is a self-hosted platform, you don’t have to worry about finding and paying for separate web hosting.
• Squarespace has some basic SEO and analytics tools to help you get started with online marketing.

Cons

• One potential downside is that Squarespace doesn’t have as many integrations with other tools as some other platforms. This might be something to consider if you plan on using a lot of third-party services as your site grows.
• We also noticed that while their templates are beautiful, they don’t offer as much flexibility for customization compared to some other builders. If you want a really unique and highly customized design, this might be a deal breaker.
• Squarespace can be a bit more expensive than some other options, especially if you’re just starting out, or have a tight budget.

Why we recommend Squarespace: If your small business is related to photography, art, or design, then Squarespace is a good choice due to its huge library of visually appealing templates.

To get a better idea of how Squarespace compares to other platforms, you can check out our comparison of Squarespace vs. WordPress.

4. HubSpot Website Builder

HubSpot Website Builder is an amazing choice for building a small business website. When we built a demo site with it, we were really impressed by how easy it was to use.

Want to know more about our experience? You can dive into our complete HubSpot review for more details.

HubSpot comes with a super user-friendly drag-and-drop builder, lots of ready-made themes, and it seamlessly connects with HubSpot CRM, which is awesome for keeping all your customer info in one place.

It also provides special SEO tools to optimize pages for search engines and offers built-in security to protect your website from malware and other attacks.

Plus, the website builder itself is free, and it comes with free hosting. That makes it a great choice if you’re just starting out.

Pros

• HubSpot has a really cool AI-powered tool that can help you create a basic website just by answering a few questions about your business.
• We particularly liked the adaptive testing feature. You can create up to five different versions of a page, and HubSpot will automatically show the best-performing one to your visitors.
• You can create WordPress forms, landing pages, live chat, and chatbots right on your website.
• You can also track your website traffic and see how visitors are interacting with your site. This is super helpful for understanding your audience.

Cons

• One thing we noticed when testing it is that HubSpot doesn’t have built-in tools for selling products online. That said, we don’t recommend it if you’re planning to start an online store (in that case, WordPress with something like WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads would be a much better option).
• As your site grows, the pricing can be expensive.

Why we recommend HubSpot Website Builder: If you have a small business and you want to create a relatively simply website, then this may be an ideal solution, especially since it’s free to get started.

5. Gator Website Builder

Gator is a popular website builder by HostGator that is a great option for making a small business site. We put Gator through its paces to see how easy it is to use and how well it helps you create a good-looking website, and we found it to be pretty straightforward.

One of the nice things about Gator is that they offer a free domain name, an SSL certificate (which is important for security), and a hosting plan at affordable prices. This makes it a great choice if you’re just starting your business.

Plus, Gator even gives you access to a library of stock photos that you can use in your blog posts to make your content look great.

Pros

• You can easily connect a website created by Gator to all your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
• We like that Gator has some built-in SEO and analytics tools to help you improve your site’s ranking in search results and keep track of how your business is doing online.
• If you want to sell products online, then Gator has eCommerce features like product listings, shopping carts, and payment processing to help you set up an online store.

Cons

• One thing to keep in mind is that Gator doesn’t offer a completely free plan.
• When we were building a website with Gator, we noticed that it doesn’t give you as much flexibility in terms of design and customization as some other builders. This might be a drawback if you want a really unique look for your site.

Why we recommend Gator Website Builder: If you are looking for a tool to build a simple business site that shows your opening hours, contact information, and services, then Gator is a great choice. It is also a good option if you are a freelancer and want to build a resume site to attract more clients.

Overall, Gator offers a user-friendly experience, especially for basic business websites, and the included domain, SSL, and hosting are a nice perk for beginners.

6. WooCommerce

Want to sell products on your small business website? Then you absolutely need to check out WooCommerce. We think it’s the hands-down best website builder specifically for eCommerce sites.

We’ve had a fantastic experience with WooCommerce. We’ve used it in the past to sell products online, and it’s been super reliable and easy to use. You can learn all about our experience in our in-depth WooCommerce review.

What’s really cool is how seamlessly WooCommerce works with WordPress. Setting up your online store is a breeze, and you can get things going in just a few minutes.

Managing your inventory, displaying your products, and collecting payments is simple, with over 83 different payment options and tons of awesome WooCommerce plugins and extensions to choose from.

WooCommerce also has a large and active community of users, which means you can find plenty of support and resources online if you run into any errors. And to top it off, it’s designed to be SEO-friendly right out of the box, which helps your store get noticed in the search results.

For more information, you can see our beginner’s guide on WooCommerce made simple.

Pros

• The platform has a lot of free and paid WooCommerce plugins that let you add all sorts of features to your online store.
• We found that WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with most of the tools you’ll need for your business, like email marketing services, help desk software, and live chat.
• With the help of All in One SEO (which is the best SEO plugin) you can add product schema to your WooCommerce store products. This can give your site a real boost in search rankings.

Cons

• WooCommerce itself is free. However, just like with any website, you’ll need to purchase a domain name and web hosting to get your store online.
• We didn’t like that you have to manually update WooCommerce, create backups, and perform routine maintenance tasks. This can be time-consuming and annoying for some users.

Why we recommend WooCommerce: If you plan to sell products like clothing, pet supplies, or just about anything else on your business website, then WooCommerce is the absolute best choice. It’s powerful, flexible, and built specifically for eCommerce.

7. WordPress.com

Want to build a website without worrying about any of the technical stuff? WordPress.com is a managed WordPress hosting service and user-friendly platform, that makes everything straightforward.

Now, it’s super important to know that WordPress.com is different from WordPress.org, which is the self-hosted platform we often talk about. To understand the difference, you can check out our comparison on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

WordPress.com gives you pre-designed themes to work with, basic blogging features like creating and scheduling posts, and simple tools for managing your media. Plus, they handle all the website backups and maintenance for you, so you don’t have to worry about that.

However, while WordPress.com offers a free plan to get started, it displays ads and doesn’t let you use plugins, which can limit what you can do with your website. In particular, their Personal and Premium plans have these restrictions.

That’s why we usually recommend their Business plan, which costs around $10 (and you can often get a discount with our code WPB50), to create a fully customizable small business website with access to plugins.

On the other hand, if your goal is to sell products online then we recommend their Commerce plan, which starts at $22.50. It includes all the features of the Business plan with WooCommerce integration.

Pros

• WordPress.com has a clean interface, which makes it ideal for beginners.
• We particularly liked its mobile responsiveness, especially since about 60% of website traffic comes from mobile devices.
• If you upgrade to a paid plan, WordPress.com offers pretty good customer support.

Cons

• If you go with the Commerce plan to sell online, you’ll have to pay a transaction fee of 4-8% on top of the usual payment processing fees.
• While WordPress.com makes building a website easy, it’s more like using a managed WordPress hosting service compared to self-hosted WordPress.org. This means you have less freedom to customize things because you can’t just use plugins.

Why we recommend WordPress.com: If you’re looking to create a simple website for your business and don’t need a ton of customization, then WordPress.com can be a good solution. However, if you’re on a budget, then you are better off using self-hosted WordPress.org with an affordable hosting company like Bluehost, Hostinger, or SiteGround.

Which Is the Best Small Business Website Builder?

In our expert opinion, WordPress.org is the best small business website builder because it is free, scalable, and flexible. Plus, it gives you complete control over your site by allowing you to add kinds of functions using different plugins and themes.

However, if your small business manages bookings and appointments, then Wix is also a great solution due to its Wix Bookings feature.

Similarly, Squarespace is a good choice for photographers, artists, and designers because it has modern template designs.

But if you just plan to create an online store, then we recommend WooCommerce.

Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business Website Builders

Here are some questions that our readers frequently ask about website builders for small businesses.

How much do website builders typically cost?

An average website builder can cost you about $3-$30/month. However, most builders also offer a free plan or a trial period where you can try out the builder before purchasing it.

You can also opt for WordPress.org, which is self-hosted and completely free. Just remember that you will still need to purchase a domain name and hosting plan and that can increase overall costs.

Can I switch website builders later on?

Yes, you can switch your website builder later on. However, the process can be difficult depending on the website builder you used previously and the complexity of your site.

That is why we recommend choosing the builder that meets all your needs right from the start. To get an idea of how to switch builders, see our tutorial on how to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

Do website builders offer SEO tools?

Some website builders like Gator offer basic SEO tools like keyword optimization, meta description editing, and sitemap creation.

However, to completely optimize your site for SEO, we recommend using a plugin like All in One SEO and following all the best practices. For more information, see our ultimate SEO guide.

Related Guides for Small Business Websites

• How to Host a Website (Simple Guide for Beginners)
• How to Create a Free Business Email Address (in 5 Minutes)
• Best Email Marketing Services for Small Business
• Best Free WordPress Business Themes
• Tips to Grow Your Business Online (Without a Lot of Money)
• Best Live Chat Software for Small Businesses Compared
• Best Business Phone Services for Small Businesses
• How to Choose the Best Website Builder? (Compared)

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