Best Website Builder for Small Business (2026)
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Updated October 26, 2026. Prices below were checked against each company’s own pricing page on this date.
A website builder lets you put a professional site online without hiring a developer: pick a template, drag in your text and photos, connect your domain and publish. The differences show up in what you pay each year, how much you can customize, and whether you can take payments, book appointments or run a store.
We compared five popular website builders on what matters to a small business owner: real starting cost, what happens at renewal, selling and booking features, and who each one is the wrong fit for.
Our quick picks
- Best overall: Wix. A huge template library and built-in business tools, with a free plan to start.
- Best design: Squarespace. Polished templates that look professional with little effort.
- Best for selling products: Shopify. Built from the ground up for online stores.
- Lowest upfront cost: Hostinger Website Builder. Introductory prices from $2.49 a month.
- Best for custom design: Webflow. Pixel-level control for owners who want a unique site.
Website builder comparison
| Builder | Best for | Free option | Starting paid price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Most small businesses | Free plan | $17/mo |
| Squarespace | Design-focused brands | 14-day free trial | $19/mo |
| Shopify | Online stores | 3-day free trial | $29/mo |
| Hostinger Website Builder | Lowest upfront cost | 30-day money-back guarantee | $2.49/mo intro (48 months upfront) |
| Webflow | Custom design | Free Starter plan | $15/mo |
*Prices when paid yearly, except Hostinger, which is the introductory rate when you pay for 48 months upfront and renews at a higher price.
Wix: Best overall
Wix combines a large template library, an AI tool that can draft your site from a single prompt, and built-in business features like payments, scheduling and a store. For most small businesses, it covers everything in one place.
Pricing
There’s a free plan, and no credit card is needed to start. Paid plans, billed yearly, are Light at $17 a month, Core at $29, Business at $39 and Business Elite at $159. The Business plan includes accepting payments, standard ecommerce and scheduling for services. Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Why we like it
- More than 2,000 templates and an AI site builder
- Payments, ecommerce and booking tools on the Business plan
- A free plan to build and try before you pay
Who it’s not for
Owners who need online payments on the cheapest plan. Selling and scheduling tools are on Business ($39 a month), so many businesses will pay more than the $17 entry price.
Squarespace: Best design
Squarespace is known for clean, elegant templates. Sites look professional without much design work, which makes it popular with restaurants, photographers, consultants and boutique brands.
Pricing
Billed yearly, Basic is $19 a month, Core is $29 and Plus is $49. Every plan includes a free custom domain offer and the ability to accept payments. Basic charges a 2% transaction fee on online store sales, which drops to 0% on Core. There’s a 14-day free trial.
Why we like it
- Polished, professional templates
- Accept payments and send invoices on every plan
- No online store transaction fee from the Core plan up
Who it’s not for
Businesses that want a free plan, or that sell a lot online on the Basic plan. The 2% store transaction fee adds up, so active sellers should budget for Core at $29 a month.
Shopify: Best for selling products
Shopify is the go-to platform for businesses whose website is mainly a store. It’s built around products, checkout, inventory and shipping, and it supports selling in person too.
Pricing
Billed yearly, Basic is $29 a month, Grow is $89 and Advanced is $359. New customers can try it free for 3 days, then pay $1 a month for 3 months. In-store selling tools (POS Pro) are an $89-a-month add-on.
Why we like it
- Built specifically for online stores
- Sell online and in person from one system
- Shipping discounts and staff accounts on higher plans
Who it’s not for
Service businesses that mainly need a few pages, a contact form or bookings. You’d be paying for store features you don’t use. Wix or Squarespace is usually a better fit.
Hostinger Website Builder: Lowest upfront cost
Hostinger’s drag-and-drop builder includes 300+ templates, an AI tool that creates a starting design, a free domain and built-in marketing tools. It’s the cheapest way in this guide to get a professional site online.
Pricing
Introductory prices start at $2.49 a month ($119.52 paid upfront for 48 months), and renew at $10.99 a month. Higher plans are $3.49 a month (renews at $16.99) and $7.99 a month (renews at $25.99) on the same 48-month term. All plans are paid upfront, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. A free domain is included for one year with yearly or longer plans.
Why we like it
- The lowest upfront price in this guide
- Free domain for the first year on yearly or longer plans
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Who it’s not for
Anyone who doesn’t want to pay years upfront. The low prices require a long prepaid term, and renewal prices are several times higher. Budget for the renewal rate, not the introductory one.
Webflow: Best for custom design
Webflow gives you designer-level control over every element of your site, closer to how professional web designers work. It’s a strong choice if you want a site that doesn’t look like a template.
Pricing
The Starter plan is free but uses a webflow.io address and is limited to 2 static pages. Billed yearly, Basic is $15 a month for simple sites without a CMS, and Premium is $25 a month and adds Webflow’s CMS for blogs and other content-rich pages.
Why we like it
- Full control over layout and design
- A free plan to learn the tool
- Paid plans include unlimited form submissions
Who it’s not for
Beginners who want to be online this week. Webflow has a steeper learning curve than Wix or Squarespace, and a blog needs the $25 Premium plan.
How to choose a website builder
- Start with what the site must do. A brochure site, a booking site and an online store need different plans.
- Price the plan with the features you need. Payments, bookings and store features are often on mid-tier plans.
- Check the renewal price. Introductory rates can jump significantly when your term ends.
- Watch transaction fees. If you’ll sell online, compare fees as well as monthly prices.
How we chose
We compared each builder’s current pricing pages, plans, renewal terms and selling features as of October 26, 2026, and judged them by what a small business needs. Our guides are based on research, not hands-on testing, so use the free plans and trials to see which one you like before you commit. Prices change often, so confirm the current price on the provider’s site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest website builder for a small business?
Hostinger Website Builder has the lowest upfront price in this guide, from $2.49 a month when you pay for 48 months upfront. It renews at $10.99 a month, so compare that renewal price against Wix ($17 a month) and Webflow ($15 a month) billed yearly.
Can I build a business website for free?
Yes. Wix and Webflow both have free plans, though free plans have limits; for example, Webflow’s free plan uses a webflow.io address. Most businesses upgrade to use their own domain and unlock business features.
Should I use Shopify or Wix for an online store?
If selling products is the main purpose of your site, Shopify is built for that. If your store is one part of a broader business site, Wix’s Business plan includes standard ecommerce alongside scheduling and other tools.