Try for free?
Lifetime license?
✔
✘
✘
✘
✘
Free hosting?
✘
✘
✔
✔
✔
Easy to use?
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Who uses this?
Business owners
Business owners
Freelancers
Freelancers
Business owners
Templates
1525
200
963
110
63
Ecommerce?
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Responsive?
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Mobile editor?
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
Design flexibility?
9.7
9.6
9.0
8.6
8.8
24/7 support?
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
WordPress based?
✔
✔
✘
✘
✘
Blog ready?
✔
✔
✔
✔
✔
SEO ready?
9.4
9.6
8.4
8.2
9.2
Affiliate disclosure *
Hey there! This website is sponsored by affiliate partners. Click here to read more.
So what are the best website builders?
Hey there! Don’t have the time to compare these website builders? I get you!
Here’s a summary of the website builder comparison above. In short, we’re a big fan of Divi. It’s easy to set up and gives you maximum control over your website – while still being very intuitive.
One thing all these website builders have in common: no coding required.
Sure, if you want to, feel free to add custom code wherever you want. But it’s definitely not necessary. In fact, I bet 98% of all websites made with these website builders never used a single line of code.
Here are the best website builders of 2023:
- Divi – Best overall website builder
- Elementor – Great for fast websites
- Wix – Super easy to use
- Squarespace – Great for freelancers
- Weebly – Great for e-commerce
PS: Need a hand with your website? We love to help!
Hey there, friendly stranger! My name is Ralph I'm the founder and author at My Codeless Website. Wake me up for a great web design!
How did we compare the website builders?
I’m not going to lie. Writing this guide took me a LOT of hours and a lot of coffee. Comparing these website builders was a lot of fun!
I was familiar with all of the website builders, I’ve built a website with each one myself. But doing this analysis made me think critically about each website builder. I can really see how they improved over the last few years. These 5 players are all giants in the website builder industry and their competition clearly made them focus on a good user experience. Nice!
It makes sense, they want you to be a lifelong customer in the end.
I tested all their features and looked at what’s important. Considering the fact that they’re all pretty easy to set up, there really isn’t a bad choice in this list.
Since every website builder offers a free trial or a 30-day cancellation option, I would recommend you try the ones you like. It’s risk-free!
Did you compare the pricing of the website builders?
If you look at the pricing of these website builders there is one that clearly stands out. Divi is the only website builder which offers a lifetime license payment option.
That’s why Divi is the best website builder from a pricing point of view.
It might not seem like a big deal, but if you’re planning to keep your website up for the next 5 years, it will save you a lot of money.
Compare Website Builders 2023
What are the best website builders of 2023?
Divi Summary
Divi is the world’s most popular website builder. It allows you to build drag & drop websites on the free WordPress system. A few key facts about Divi:
- Worldwide over 2.5 million websites are built with Divi. It’s the most popular WordPress theme.
- If you get the Divi theme builder, you can build an unlimited number of websites with 1 Divi Theme license
- The Divi theme comes with 46 free modules you can use to build your website
- You can try the Divi theme for 30 days risk-free. If you don’t like it, you’ll receive your money back
- Divi has 1525 pre-built templates you can use for free to build your website
- Divi has an active Facebook group with over 65,000 users who help each other
Divi Pros
✔ Building websites with Divi is fast
✔ You can use 1 license to build unlimited websites
✔ They offer a lifetime payment plan
✔ You’re able to check your design in real-time
✔ You can just click to type
✔ You can customize everything
✔ Your website will be 100% responsive
✔ You can share your designs with friends instantly
✔ Divi offers many free bonus plugins
Divi Cons
✘ The code output can be messy, although you won’t even notice it
✘ Once you choose Divi, you’re probably going to stay with it. So it’s wise to choose the lifetime plan.
Divi Pricing
Divi offers two payment options:
- The annual plan at $89 per year
- The lifetime plan at $249
I did the math for you.
It all comes down to how long you’re planning to use Divi. You should purchase Divi for the lifetime price if you’re planning to use Divi for 34 months or more. If you use it for 33 months or less it’s better to get the annual license.
Who should choose for Divi
If you’re a business owner, and you want to have full control over your website, I highly recommend choosing Divi. Sure you’ll need to install hosting in order to go live. But that’s super easy!
- Here’s my recommended hosting for Divi
- Here is my guide on how to set it up within 5 minutes
- Here you can find my 70+ Divi website examples
Elementor Summary
When I first started creating websites in WordPress, it didn’t take long for me to realize how limited its customization options are. Adjusting templates is a pain in the ass, and hiring developers to adjust them is expensive and takes ages.
That is until Elementor showed up.
Elementor is the ultimate & free WordPress page builder, that lets you create beautiful WordPress websites in an easy way.
- Elementor has over 5000 5-star reviews
- Elementor has over 7 million active installs
- Their Facebook page has over 144.000 likes
Elementor Pros
✔ Live front end page editor
✔ Website personalization features
✔ Powerful popup builder
✔ Extensive mobile responsive options
Elementor Cons
✘ Some features lack advanced options
✘ Some 3rd party addons cause issues
✘ They don’t have a lifetime payment plan
Elementor Pricing
Unlike Divi, Elementor doesn’t have an unlimited license option. However, they do have a plan which allows up to 1000 websites. I’m guessing that’s enough, haha! Here are their payment options:
- $49 for 1 website for 1 year
- $99 for 3 websites for 1 year
- $199 for 25 websites for 1 year
- $499 for 100 websites for 1 year
- $999 for 1000 websites for 1 year
Who should choose for Elementor
If you’re a business owner, and you want to have full control over your website, Elementor is a great option, with the main difference being their payment plans. I don’t like the fact that they don’t offer. a lifetime plan.
That being said, the annual costs are pretty low.
Sure you’ll need to install hosting in order to go live. But that’s super easy! Here’s my recommended hosting for Elementor and here is my guide on how to set it up within 5 minutes for Divi/Elementor.
- Here you can learn more about Elementor Pricing in 2023
- Here you can find my favorite Elementor website examples
Wix Summary
Wix is an all-in-one site builder that allows you to build websites without installing anything. With hundreds of customizable website templates, you’re ready to go within minutes. Literally.
Wix is a great tool if you’re not so tech-savvy, as it’s extremely easy to set up.
- Wix was founded back in 2006
- Wix has over 170 million registered users
- Wix is used by 1.5% of all websites worldwide
Wix Pros
✔ Awesome templates with slick designs
✔ It’s easy to add animations
✔ They’ve got hundreds of apps you can connect to your website
✔ They do automated backups of your website
Wix Cons
✘ Running a Wix website can be expensive. in the long-run
✘ Once you’ve chosen a template, it’s hard to switch
Wix Pricing
Wix has a free plan which is available forever. However, if you need professional features such as your own domain name or e-commerce, you’re forced to use their paid plans. Their paid plans all include a custom domain, a free SSL certificate, and are all ads-free. Their pricing plans are based on the storage space you use:
- $14 per month (3GB storage)
- $18 per month (10GB storage)
- $23 per month (20GB storage)
- $39 per month (35GB storage)
Who should choose for Wix
Their impressive layouts are created for businesses, restaurants, online stores, and artists such as photographers and freelancers. They are highly optimized for mobile responsiveness without using any code.
In a way, you can compare Wix to a prefabricated car. The fundaments exist and can’t be changed. However, changing the color is extremely easy.
- Here you can find my favourite Wix website examples
Squarespace Summary
Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder, just like Wix. It’s actually quite similar, with the main difference being the pricing plans.
Although Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial, they don’t offer a free plan. So after 14 days, you have a decision to make.
Furthermore, Squarespace offers a little bit more features inside the platform. Wix chose to limit its features and trust their app integrations to take care of it.
- Squarespace is used by 1.6% of all websites worldwide
- Just like Wix, Squarespace offers free hosting with your website
Squarespace Pros
✔ Squarespace offers more than 100 slick themes that are optimized for mobile and tablet
✔ They offer a great blogging feature
✔ They have 24/7 support which replies pretty fast
Squarespace Cons
✘ Don’t use Squarespace if you’re planning. to make a website with a lot of pages. Their menu hierarchy doesn’t work well with it
✘ The page speed of their templates seems to be on the lower side
Squarespace Pricing
As mentioned, Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan just like Wix does. However, they do offer a 14-day free trial which you can use to try their entire platform.
Their monthly fees look like this:
- $12 (for personal websites)
- $26 (for business websites)
- $30 (for e-commerce websites)
- $46 (for advanced e-commerce websites)
Who should choose for Squarespace
You should choose Squarespace if you’re looking for something easier than WordPress. Also, it’s a great choice if you need 24/7 support that replies fast, and don’t mind paying a premium for it.
- Here you can find my favorite Squarespace website examples
Weebly Summary
Weebly is one of the largest website builders, with over 50 million users worldwide. This drag & drop website builder has over 40 templates that are super mobile-friendly. Another thing we love about Weebly – it’s pricing! It’s one of the cheapest website builders in this comparison, considering the fact that they also include free hosting.
- Weebly has over 30 million active websites
- Their own website gets over 250 million visitors per month
Weebly Pros
✔ Weebly is super easy to use
✔ It’s very easy to create a membership area that is limited to paying customers
✔ They have some cool third-party apps you can install with a few clicks
Weebly Cons
✘ It’s difficult to create an international website in multiple languages in Weebly
Weebly Pricing
Yes! Weebly actually offers an entirely free plan. Sure, it will show ads on your website, but it’s a great way to start! Here are all Weebly’s pricing plans:
- $0 (no domain name, with ads)
- $6 (own domain name, with ads)
- $12 (own domain name, no ads)
- $26 (advanced e-commerce tools)
Who should choose for Weebly
You should definitely try Weebly if you want to build a website easily. Also, if you’re just looking to play around and build completely for free, Weebly is the way to go!
3 Award Winning Web Designers I recommend