Find the Best Website Builder for Small Business in 2023 [Free & Paid]

Looking for the best website builder for small businesses?

We’ve got you covered.

We’ve reviewed and tested 13 website platforms and builders to help you launch your website and sell online.

Hostinger Website Builder has extensive customization tools and integrations, enabling you to create a powerful eCommerce website quickly and easily. Divi builder software has one of the biggest template libraries, perfect for any business niche. 

Besides the shortlisted builders, you’ll also learn the determining factors to choose the best one.

Without further ado, here are the 13 top website builders for small businesses in 2023.

1. Hostinger Website Builder

Features

• 150+ fully customizable templates
• Built-in integrations, including Google Analytics, Hotjar, and WhatsApp
• 20+ payment options
• SEO and advanced AI tools
• Hostinger web hosting
• 24/7 email and live chat support
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Rating 4.8/5

Starting Price $2.99 per month Try Now

Hostinger Website Builder is one of the best site builders for any purpose, including selling online. It offers over 150 responsive website templates for various niche and industry verticals.

This site builder features a pixel-perfect, easy-to-navigate, drag-and-drop editor. To customize a website template, browse the menu on the left sidebar. Let’s break down the panels:

Add element – click on this panel to create, modify, or move around website elements, such as texts, images, videos, social icons, and pop-up forms.

Page and navigation – add, rename, duplicate, and delete web pages. Also, you can create a dropdown menu and add new links to the navigation menu.

Website style – go to this panel to align colors, text styles, button shapes, and animations with your overall branding strategy.

Blog – add, edit, and delete blog posts, as well as create categories and track the content pieces’ status. 

Online store – click on this panel and Add Store to unlock the eCommerce functionality. Once active, you can create product pages, manage inventory, and upload up to 500 products.

Languages – click on this panel to add more languages, like German or Korean. As adding a new language will duplicate the current pages, be sure to do it once your website is complete in the default language.

AI tools – utilize the Logo Maker, AI Writer, and alt text generator to streamline your website building process. In addition, the AI Heatmap is a handy tool to help with conversion rate optimization (CRO).

The Online store panel is also where you can add the checkout functionality by integrating the cart icon and setting up the page, payment, and delivery options. You’ll have access to over 20 payment options, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, and Mastercard.

Moreover, you can connect your eCommerce shop with various third-party apps, like Google Analytics, Hotjar, and WhatsApp.

The marketing automation tools let you schedule Google and Facebook ad campaigns. If you’re selling services, utilize the builder’s book appointment feature.

Find the built-in SEO tools in the Website Setting menu. On the editor, you can add meta titles, meta descriptions, and image alt texts. Using these tools, you can also create a sitemap and access your 30-day traffic history.

Don’t worry about additional hosting costs, as Hostinger Website Builder has fully-managed web hosting services. Running on Hostinger’s servers, this site builder guarantees 99.9% uptime, perfect for an online business. It also includes a free domain name for a year. 

Also, its server response time is exceptional. It has multiple data centers worldwide – including the US, the Netherlands, India, Lithuania, and Singapore – to ensure excellent page speed around the globe.

It’s the best website builder for small businesses as it’s easy and quick to set up, enabling business owners to focus on more critical tasks.

To keep your site secure, it provides various security features, including DDoS protection and a free lifetime SSL certificate. It also creates automated backups and adds the one-click restore option each time you update your eCommerce shop.

Starting at $2.99 per month – take a look at our Hostinger coupon codes available; it’s an excellent website builder solution equipped with hosting services. Providing a clean and user-friendly template editor, you won’t have to worry about spending too much time setting up your small business website.

If you ever encounter an issue, Hostinger’s customer success team will happily help through emails and live chat. Alternatively, use the self-help channels, which include a knowledge base, Hostinger Tutorials, webinars, and the Hostinger Academy YouTube channel.

2. Divi

Features

• 2,000+ pre-made website layouts
• 200+ full website packs
• WooCommerce integration
• CSS customization options
• 24/7 support via email and live chat
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Rating 4.7/5

Starting Price $70 per year Try Now

Divi, developed by Elegant Themes, has one of the biggest website template repositories. Choose from over 2,000 layouts and 200 website packs to create a fully functioning eCommerce site.

Its key features include background masks, sticky headers, shape dividers, and border options. It also offers various effects, including hover, shadow, animation, and scroll effects. If you’re familiar with CSS, you can customize templates using the Divi code module.

Regarding online store functionality, Divi is compatible with WooCommerce and various email marketing tools, like Mailchimp and Constant Contact. Moreover, you can embed social media icons, build contact forms, and create pricing tables.

If you’re targeting the US audience, Divi is a good choice. Its server prioritizes processing the necessary PHP functions and CSS code to render the requested page. This website builder also utilizes caching tools to boost speed.

Regarding security precautions, it provides an editing history and automated backups, so you don’t need to worry about losing your progress. Should you need any help, Divi customer support is available through email and live chat.

Divi’s yearly subscription costs $70, with a 30-day money-back guarantee. For a more cost-effective option, you can also choose $199 as a one-time fee. 

3. Elementor

Features

• 100+ widgets and designs
• WooCommerce Store Builder integration
• Google Cloud Platform
• 24/7 support through email and live chat
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Rating 4.6/5

Starting Price $9.99 per month Try Now

While famous for its page-builder plugin, Elementor offers a bundle including web hosting for WordPress website building. It features a user-friendly visual editor with hundreds of pre-made widgets and website templates.

Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface consists of two sections – Basic and Pro. 

The Basic section lets you customize website elements such as heading, column, divider, and spacer. You can edit texts, add images and videos, create buttons, and embed Google Maps. 

The Pro section lets you play around with your web pages, like creating portfolios, slides, or forms. If you find any issues, contact customer service through email and live chat.  

Elementor’s online store features include a landing page, form, and pop-up builders. Also, business owners can integrate WooCommerce to create their online stores.

To boost website performance, Elementor integrates with Cloudflare CDN. The table below shows how this page builder delivers excellent speed in many parts of the world.

Elementor costs $9.99 per month, with managed WordPress hosting on the Google Cloud Platform and an SSL certificate included. If unsatisfied with the service, take advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee to get your refund.

• Read: Elementor Pro Discount Code for 2023: Experience the Live Offer Now!
• Read: Elementor vs Divi: Which one should you pick?

4. Wix

Features

• 900+ customizable templates
• Extensive customization tools
• Wix App Market
• Code editor
• Multi-cloud hosting
• 14-day money-back guarantee

Rating 4.6/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

Wix is a popular website builder for small businesses. It comes with over 900 customizable templates, making creating a small business website easier. 

It also offers numerous built-in customization tools. For example, you can embed various website elements, including images, videos, event calendars, and community forums.

As for eCommerce features, business owners can add contact forms, integrate payment gateways, create product pages, and link their social media handles.

On the Wix App Market, you will find third-party apps to support your online business’s growth. They include email marketing, analytics, digital advertising, and SEO tools. Activate the Dev Mode to customize Wix’s templates using JavaScript and connect to external APIs.

Wix uses multi-cloud hosting to host your small business website. In terms of performance, the website builder guarantees 99.9% server uptime and excellent page load time.

Offering a free plan, Wix is among the best website builders for small businesses that are tight on budget. Note that free plans don’t let you connect to a custom domain name.

Opt for the Business VIP plan, $35 per month, to remove Wix ads from your site and enable online payments. It includes a free SSL certificate and domain registration for a year. If you’re unhappy with the service, request a refund thanks to the 14-day money-back guarantee.

5. Canva

Features

• 610,000+ templates
• 100+ million stock photos, graphics, audio, and videos
• AI tools
• Brand Kits
• Easy background remover
• Email support

Rating 4.7/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

Canva offers one of the most beginner-friendly website builders. With its built-in templates and stock multimedia elements, you can create a unique one-page website for your small business. 

Its wide variety of customization options includes a color palette generator and AI writer. Canva also offers real-time collaboration, enabling team members to work on the site design simultaneously.

Create a Canva website for free and upgrade to the premium version, starting at $17.99 monthly, as your business grows. Aside from enabling you to connect a unique domain name, the paid plan comes with Brand Kits and a One-click Background Remover.

The former lets you modify Canva’s pre-made logo, color palette, graphic elements, and fonts to stay on-brand. The background remover can help beautify your product photos.

Canva is a simple website builder for one-page sites, still in its early days. Hence, the limited eCommerce capabilities. If you ever need help, customer support is available through email.

6. BigCommerce

Features

• Marketplace and POS (point of sales) integrations
• JavaScript, CSS, and HTML editors
• Google Cloud Platform
• 24/7 tech support via email, live chat, and phone calls
• 30-day free trial

Rating 4.2/5

Starting Price $29 Per Month Try Now

BigCommerce specializes in eCommerce website development. Whether you operate as a B2B company or a wholesale retailer, BigCommerce can help you create and launch a professional website for your small business. 

Regarding customization options, its drag-and-drop page builder lets you choose a website layout and add images, videos, a hero banner, and a carousel slideshow. Tech-savvy business owners can use developer tools to modify the theme’s code.

BigCommerce has various online store features, like checkout customization and marketplace integration on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. If you want to migrate to a headless environment, this builder is a good option, as it’s compatible with React.js and Vue.js.

BigCommerce hosts its clients’ websites on the Google Cloud Platform and guarantees a 99.99% server uptime. It also offers robust security and is one of the best site builders for speed.

BigCommerce’s plans start from $29 per month. If you have technical problems, the tech support team is ready to help via email, live chat, and phone calls.

7. Shopify

Features

• Thousands of pre-made themes
• Unlimited products
• POS integration
• Marketing features and third-party app integrations
• 24/7 support via email and live chat
• Free 3-day trial

Rating 4.4/5

Starting Price $5 Per Month Try Now

Shopify is another eCommerce platform for getting your small business online. It offers a theme store and an app store and lets you upload unlimited products.

Thanks to the POS and centralized inventory tracking systems, you can apply omnichannel selling. Don’t worry about spreading the word about your business, as Shopify offers built-in SEO tools and marketing automation.

In addition, Shopify Shipping is a great feature for implementing discounted rates on global and regional deliveries.

To ensure your small business website’s security, Shopify offers fraud analysis and guarantees Level 1 PCI DSS compliance for every transaction. Regarding speed, this website builder delivers fast response times.

Make use of Shopify’s 3-day trial before purchasing a plan. During this period, it lets you play around with its themes, uses stock images, and previews your online store.

The Starter plan, at $5 per month, is a great option for creating a simple website to promote on social media or messaging apps. If you need a full-fledged eCommerce website, opt for the Basic plan at $29 per month (billed annually).

You can reach Shopify’s customer support team via email and live chat if you encounter any issues.

8. HubSpot

Features

• Hundreds of customizable themes
• Integration with HubSpot CRM platform and Facebook Messenger
• Includes hosting
• Email, phone, and in-app chat support
• 14-day free trial

Rating 4.5/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

HubSpot offers a freemium drag-and-drop website builder and its Content Management System (CMS) Hub service. Its hundreds of customizable themes and capability to connect a custom domain enable business owners to create a website that suits their brand. 

HubSpot’s interface is easy to navigate. It consists of two main menus – page and theme editors. The page editor enables users to create, rename, and modify web pages and create content.

The theme editor is where you access the theme’s settings. Among other features, you can edit the color palette and font styles.

Aside from helping with site building and designing, the CMS Hub includes hosting with 99.99% uptime. It also integrates with HubSpot’s CRM platform, enabling you to easily create forms or incorporate live chat using pre-built modules.

If you’re an avid web designer, use the local website development integration with GitHub and front-end frameworks.

HubSpot also offers CDN and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) integrations to help speed up your page load time. Regarding security, it provides a free standard SSL certificate, malware scanning, and web application firewalls (WAF).

The free version includes CMS and marketing tools, among other features. For payment options, opt for the Starter plan at $23 monthly. Moreover, it removes HubSpot branding from your website and provides email and in-app support.

9. Duda

Features

• Dynamic page and widget builders
• Zapier integration
• AWS hosting
• JavaScript, CSS, and HTML editors
• Customer support via email, live chat, and phone
• 14-day free trial

Rating 4.6/5

Starting Price $14 Per Month Try Now

Duda is best for agencies and SaaS platforms that build websites for small businesses. Using this builder, web designers can custom-create web pages using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. It is also a great option for building dynamic online stores.

If you’re a beginner, Duda also offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop tool. Start customizing the desired template by hovering over the Brush icon on the editor.

Duda users can add or build their own custom widgets, like a countdown, weather forecast, and user reviews. Aside from playing around with the web design, it’s also possible to integrate Zapier to automate the business workflow. 

Duda website builder includes cloud-based Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosting. In addition to a 99.9% uptime guarantee, it has unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate.

Duda’s starting plan is suitable for creating simple websites like blogs, portfolios, and online resumes. 

To unlock the Dev Mode, Zapier integration, and the widget builder, you must subscribe to the Team plan, costing $22 monthly. The eCommerce features, however, are only available through paid add-ons, starting at $7.25 per month. 

The good news is that users can register for the 14-day free trial before purchasing. If you have any questions or encounter issues, contact Duda’s customer service via email, live chat, or phone.

Read: SaaS SEO: The Ultimate Guide to Do SEO for Your SaaS Business

10. WordPress.com

Features

• Hundreds of themes and patterns
• Unlimited pages
• Contact form builder
• Brute force and spam protection
• Email and live chat support
• 14-day money-back guarantee

Rating 4.6/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

WordPress.com is a freemium website builder. The free plan is perfect for creating test sites, portfolios, online resumes, and starting a blog. The paid plans are great for more complex sites, including online stores.

Choose from hundreds of WordPress themes and use the drag-and-drop Block Editor to customize the design. You can change the font styles, color palette, and website elements to align with your brand.

WordPress.com’s free plan lets users create unlimited pages and access the contact form builder. Regarding security, it protects your business website from malware, brute force attacks, DDoS, and spam messages.

To boost performance, this website builder implements global caching and integrates a CDN in more than 28 locations.

However, WordPress.com’s free plan doesn’t let you connect a custom domain. To be able to do so, upgrade to the Personal plan at $4 per month. The plan includes more features, such as an ad-free experience and email support.

11. Framer

Features

• Dozens of customizable templates
• Animation effects
• Code editor
• Figma integration
• Support via Discord and Slack

Rating 4.4/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

Framer, formerly a JavaScript library, has evolved into a web design platform. Its advanced features for web developers enable web pros to help small business owners create sophisticated online stores.

For users with little to no coding knowledge, the drag-and-drop functionality lets you set up your small business website in just a few minutes. You can start with a blank canvas or choose from dozens of templates available.

One of Framer’s key features is the Figma integration. This enables you to use your own website design or import a template from the app. It also offers various animation effects, including parallax scrolling. 

Regarding hosting, Framer offers a 99.99% uptime guarantee only for the top-tier plan. All in all, it registers excellent server response time.

Framer’s free version is perfect for a simple website for a small business. To remove the platform’s banners from your site, connect your own domain name, and access the eCommerce features, you’ll have to upgrade to a premium version, starting at $5 per month.

If you face any difficulties, go to the public Discord channel to get help from the community. In addition to that, a private Slack channel is available for those using the Business Custom plan.

12. Squarespace

Features

• Hundreds of templates
• Logo and video maker
• CSS and JavaScript editor
• SEO and email marketing features
• Various payment options
• 24/7 support via email and live chat
• 14-day free trial

Rating 4.4/5

Starting Price $16 Per Month Try Now

Squarespace is one of the best site builders for small businesses selling online. Besides the user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, it has a logo and video maker.

The eCommerce features include a shopping cart, customer review integrations, and product and checkout page builders. You can install various shipment and payment options, including UPS, FedEx, and Stripe.

Squarespace also makes selling services easier as you can integrate booking features.

Regarding speed, Squarespace delivers a good server response time in many parts of the world. As the website owner, you can speed it up by reducing your page size.

Starting at $16 per month, Squarespace’s plans come with a free SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, and SEO features. However, the lowest tier subscription doesn’t include eCommerce features. Also, there may be transaction fees depending on your chosen plan. 

Squarespace’s 24/7 customer support is available through email and live chat if you need assistance.

13. Weebly

Features

• Hundreds of customizable templates
• Video background
• Custom header editor
• SEO and email marketing features
• JavaScript, CSS, and HTML editors
• Support via email, chat, and phone

Rating 4.2/5

Starting Price Free Try Now

Weebly is another great alternative for a freemium website builder. Its clean interface is easy to navigate, and its features help users quickly set up small business websites.

You can edit your homepage and create categories through the Page dropdown menu. Or modify the website elements by accessing the Site Design panel. Weebly also lets users use video backgrounds and create custom headers.

Weebly’s eCommerce features include a coupon builder, a gift card maker, sale badges, and customer review integration. For the checkout, this site builder integrates with Square, Stripe, and PayPal and an automatic tax calculator.

The free plan includes various marketing tools, eCommerce features, and an SSL certificate. It also enables users to install supporting extensions from the Weebly App Center or embed third-party code.

The premium versions start at $10 per month. In addition to the free version’s features, the Personal plan enables users to connect a unique domain name and unlock more customization features. 

Weebly’s customer support is available through email, chat, and phone if you have any questions or concerns.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best Website Builder for Small Business

Apart from all the features necessary to run an eCommerce shop, like shopping cart functionality, product pages, pricing plans, and payment methods, here are some important factors to look for:

Website needs – Check the builder’s compatibility with third-party applications your eCommerce shop requires. Some examples include digital marketing, customer relationship management (CRM), and analytics tools. 

Checking resources like bandwidth and storage can also help determine the perfect environment for your eCommerce website. Using a web hosting checklist is a great way to make informed decisions.

Security – Running a business website usually means handling loads of sensitive information. It may include customer data like login credentials or credit card details.

Consequently, choosing a website builder with robust security measures should be every business owner’s priority. An SSL certificate is a must for eCommerce sites. In addition to free SSL, look for DDoS protection, firewalls, and automated backups. 

Uptime – Most website builders come with hosting services included.

While an eCommerce store should achieve as close to 100% uptime as possible, aim for at least 99.9%. To make your research process more efficient, check our web hosting comparison.

Performance – A slow page speed may lead visitors to leave your website. Use BitCatcha, GTmetrix, or Google PageSpeed Insights to check the performance of existing websites built with the platform. 

Pricing – An expensive website builder isn’t always the best. That said, a free plan may be limiting, as it often displays ads on the site and doesn’t allow users to connect their domain name. 

Also, make sure your chosen website builder has a tiered pricing system. This enables you to scale as your small business grows. 

Support – Email, live chat, and phone calls are popular communication channel options. However, many builders offer self-help customer services like a knowledge base and blog tutorials.

Read: Best AI Website Builders [Made for Beginners]

Conclusion

Selling online is now easier, thanks to website builders that make launching an eCommerce shop a breeze. Choosing the best website builder for your small business can be time-consuming with the many options.

Some determining factors include website needs, security, and performance. Throughout this article, you’ve learned about 13 website builders for small businesses. Our top three choices are:

• Hostinger Website Builder – Best for building powerful online stores. This builder is one step ahead of the competition, from extensive customization tools to third-party integrations, security measures, and excellent performance.
• Divi – Offers one of the biggest template repositories. In addition, the code module is a great feature to further ensure design uniqueness. 
• Elementor – Best for WordPress websites with WooCommerce integration. It also has a widget builder, which most website builders don’t offer. 

We hope this article will help you find the best website maker for your eCommerce store. Good luck!

Small Business Website Builder FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

This section answers seven of the most frequently asked questions about small business website builders.