Ever wondered how much do website builders cost?
I mean, there are several tools out here seeking to help you create beautiful websites without touching code, the question is, what’s the cost of that?
In this article, we are going to analyze the costs of the top 6 website builders in the world.
While at it, we are going to look at what each is offering and whether it is worth the cost.
But before that, let’s get you acquainted with what a website builder is all about.
What is a website builder and how does it work?
A website builder is a tool used to create websites without the need to touch code.
In the past, you had to hire some coding guru to do the dirty job of digging into web code and transforming it into a masterpiece. Often, that wasn’t the result.
While most of them do a really good job of working their code magic to give you the site you contracted them for, most of them end up doing a worse job.
It reaches a point where you as the client don’t see the need for them anymore. Besides the regular headaches of pushing papers back and forth with your web designer, there is also the chance of you not getting what you want and deserve.
That is where website builders come in.
With these tools, you have all the power and tools you need to create a website of your dreams without spending a fortune.
The entrance of this software into the web development industry ushered in an era of excellence and awesomeness.
Can you imagine yourself building a beautiful, professional, and functional website in under 10 minutes?
Well, it is a dream worthy of your time, thanks to website builders.
Now, when using website builders, don’t assume you have eliminated the costs of creating a website altogether. What they do is cut down the costs significantly. There are indeed free website builders out there, but what you don’t know is that they aren’t that completely free after all.
For example;
A website builder like Olitt gives you a free plan. With it, you can create a free website and even connect to the custom domain. It is free, right?
Well, not entirely.
Yes, the hosting part is free and if you choose to use the provided Olitt domain, you incur zero costs.
But if you are looking for a serious website business, you are more likely to go the custom domain direction, surprise! It costs money.
How do website builders work?
If they are promising you a stunning website without touching it, they must be magicians, right?
Well, kinda!
A website builder comes with templates. These are pre-made websites available to you to choose from.
Most website builders group their templates according to industries or niches.
For example;
If you want to build a book reviews website, you are most likely to find a befitting template under either ‘reviews’ or ‘book’ categories. Once you have your template, install it and start chipping away things you don’t need.
This is revolutionary because the process of creating a website is distilled down to picking a template and editing (adding and removing elements such as texts, images, and other blocks).
And to facilitate all these processes, most website builder software comes with drag-and-drop technology.
This is a revolutionary invention where you just drag an element and drop it anywhere you want on the website. Helps with repositioning and achieving that perfect design you always wanted.
How much do website builders cost?
Considering the problems these tools are solving, they should be expensive, right?
Well, that is not far from the truth.
As you will see, some cost more while others charge a few bucks per month. But what is more important than that magic number is what they have to offer.
Before we dive into the costs of website builders, there is something you need to know.
While we have strived to provide accurate information here, there is no guarantee that they will stay that way. Prices and features change all the time without notice.
With that said, let’s look at the top 6 website builder tools prices and features.
#1. Wix
Wix is the most popular website creator, with over 160 million users around the world to create stunning websites without touching code.
The company has invested a lot in research and development aimed at coming up with the best innovations.
What they give you
- Wix Editor – with this tool, you can start from scratch to create a website or choose from over 500 designer-made templates. And with the help of a drag and drop website builder, you can design any website you want.
- Stunning Templates – you have access to over 500 designer-made templates for every business.
- Mobile Optimized – all of their sites look great on any device screens
- Wix ADI – with these tools, all you have to do is answer a few questions and be on track to creating a website of your dreams
For these and much more, how much will it cost you?
Wix costs
Wix website builder software comes with two categories of pricing;
- Websites – people who want to create simple websites
- Business and e-commerce – for online entrepreneurs
Under websites, you have four pricing plans;
- VIP – Gives you First Priority Support and costs US$ 24.50 per month. It also comes with UNLIMITED Bandwidth, 20GB Storage, the ability to connects your domain, Removes Wix Ads, and Free Domain for 1 Year among others.
- Unlimited – perfect for Entrepreneurs and Freelancers. Costs US$ 12.50 per month. Comes with UNLIMITED Bandwidth, 10GB Storage, Connect Your Domain, Remove Wix Ads, and Free Domain for 1 Year among others.
- Combo – perfect for personal use. Goes for US$ 8.50 per month. Gives you 2GB Bandwidth, 3GB Storage, Connect Your Domain, Remove Wix Ads, Free Domain for 1 Year, and 30 Video Minutes.
- Connect Domain – the lowest and most basic Wix plan. Costs US$ 4.50 per month. Comes with 1GB Bandwidth, 500MB Storage, Connect Your Domain and loaded with Wix ads.
For business and e-commerce, you have three pricing plans to choose from.
- Business VIP – gives you the Full Suite and costs US$ 35 per month. Comes with Accept Online Payments, UNLIMITED Bandwidth, 50GB Storage, Connect Your Domain, Remove Wix Ads, Unlimited Video Hours, and Sales Analytics & Reports among other features.
- Business Unlimited – perfect for someone seeking to scale their business. Costs US$ 25/month. Gives you online payment gateways, UNLIMITED Bandwidth, 35GB Storage, Connect Your Domain, Remove Wix Ads, 10 Video Hours, and Sales Analytics & Reports among others
- Business Basic – this plan allows you to Accept Online Payments and costs US$ 17 per month. Gives you UNLIMITED Bandwidth, 20GB Storage, Connect Your Domain, Remove Wix Ads, and 5 Video Hours among others
Let’s look at the next tool as we answer how much do website builders cost.
#2. Olitt
Olitt is a free website builder. Just like Wix, you can create a free website, thanks to its innovative drag-and-drop tool.
What it gives you
- You can easily buy or transfer domain names at Olitt.com. They have 400+ domain names extensions available at insanely discounted prices
- Easily perform Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your landing pages and sites with Olitt SEO Tools.
- Every website published on Olitt comes with a free SSL certificate
- Comes with a free DNS management system
- Easily collect payments on your landing pages, thanks to PayPal and Stripe integrations.
These and many other features make Olitt your go-to website builder software when looking to launch your ideas fast.
Olitt costs
While Olitt has the free plan that gives you, free olitt.com domain name, access to the DNS system, and the ability to connect custom domain among others.
There are premium plans.
- Lifetime deal (offer) going for $59 per lifetime. With it, you get a free domain for a year, unlimited bandwidth, and integrations among others.
#3. Squarespace
This is another well-known page builder tool around the world.
Some of its features include;
- Highly customizable templates
- A ton of content types such as text, photos, videos, audio, galleries, products, newsletter sign-ups among others
- Blogging features and tools
- Online store tools such as inventory management systems, in-built discounts tools, etc.
- Scheduling capabilities
How much should you expect to pay?
Squarespace costs
There are four plans, with the cheapest going for 12 bucks per month. This should give you a free custom domain for a year, an SSL certificate, and unlimited bandwidth among others.
The top tier plan is going for $40 per month. It has been designed with an online store in mind and comes with extra features like commerce tools, marketing, and support.
#4. Shopify
Shopify is the granddaddy for small businesses looking to create stunning online stores.
It is the best software out there for creating an eCommerce business, especially in this age of dropshipping.
What it offers
- 70+ professional themes
- You can edit your store’s HTML and CSS
- Use your own domain
- Add blogging section to your store
- Recover lost sales by automatically sending an email to prospective customers with a link to their abandoned shopping carts, encouraging them to complete their purchase.
- Free web hosting and unlimited bandwidth and free SSL
Shopify Costs?
Shopify gives you a 14-day free trial to test-drive their tool. After that, you can upgrade to premium packages which include;
- Advanced Shopify – this comes with advanced features for scaling your business and costs $299 per month
- Shopify – gives you everything you need for a growing business and costs $79 per month
- Basic Shopify – goes for $29 per month and contains all the basics for starting a new business
That is how much Shopify costs.
#5. WordPress
You might have heard WordPress is free. Well, it is but they also offer premium plans.
It is one of the best website creator tools and shouldn’t be confused with WordPress.org.
The latter is a self-hosted content management system (CMS) and it is free to use. All you have to do is download and install it on your website.
As for WordPress.com, there is a free option. It allows you to create a free blog with wordpress.com free domain.
What it offers
If you are familiar with WP you already know what’s in store for you.
- Themes – these are pre-made website templates you download and install
- Plugins – scripts available to boost the functionality of your site
- Website builder – this is the free tool you can use to create a website
WordPress costs
There is something for everyone.
- Personal plan – perfect for building personal websites. Costs $4 per month, billed yearly
- Premium – suited for freelancers and goes for $8 per month, billed yearly
- Business – designed for small business owners. Sets you back $25 per month, again, billed annually
- eCommerce – suites online store entrepreneurs. Going for $45 per month billed annually.
Each plan comes with its own set of features, so be sure to ascertain first that it contains what you need to create a website.
To conclude this article on how much do website builders cost, let’s look at one more software.
#6. Weebly
Weebly is another online store builder software.
The tool boasts over 40 million users around the world using its advanced builder software.
What it offers
If you are an online store owner, these are some things to expect from Weebly.
- Professionally designed website templates with full customization
- Mobile responsive stores
- Access to app market where you can get third-party integrations to your website or store
- Reliable and free hosting for exceptional site performance
- User-friendly statistics dashboard for tracking visitors and understanding the performance
Weebly costs
Just like Wix, Weebly has two categories of pricing plans; for websites and another for online stores.
If you are building a website, here are the costs;
- Free plan – costs nothing per month.
- Connect – costs $5 per month
- Pro – going for $12 per month
- Business – $25 per month. Gives you free domain and $100 Google ads credit
For online stores, you have three plans.
Each comes with a set of tools and features.
Wrapping up costs of creating a website
The costs of website builders depend on its features and type of sites it creates. You should therefore understand first the things you need to create a functional website and then set out to hunt for the best website builder.