Best Easy Website Builders for Beginners: Which is Best?

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1 of 3

Squarespace – For a seamless user experience

4.7

Try Squarespace

2 of 3

Hostinger – For AI building support

3.9

Try Hostinger

3 of 3

Shopify – For easy-to-use ecommerce

4.4

Try Shopify

Creating a business website can be a daunting task, especially if you’re new to the world of web building. That’s why we’ve carried out over 200 hours of testing to determine the best easy website builders for your small business. Our winner? Squarespace is the easiest website builder to use thanks to its intuitive editor, stylish templates, and support options.

Of course, it’s never one-size-fits-all, so I’ve summarised the top beginner-friendly options for first-time builders to help you find the right fit for your business.

Best easy website builders for 2024

Squarespace – For a seamless user experience
Hostinger – For AI building support
Shopify – For easy-to-use ecommerce
GoDaddy – For total beginners
Wix – For flexible customisation

Before I dig into each website builder individually, check out our side-by-side comparison table to see the key differences:

Swipe right to see more


Squarespace	Hostinger	Shopify	GoDaddy	Wix
Ease of use 4.7	Ease of use 4.5	Ease of use 4.3	Ease of use 4.0	Ease of use 3.9
Price £12-£35 per month, billed annually Use code “SU10” to receive a 10% discount on all Squarespace plans	Price £2.59-£3.79 per month Up to 81% discounted with code “STARTUPS”	Price £5-£259 per month, billed annually £1 for first month	Price £7.99-£13.99 per month, billed annually (first term discounts available)	Price ~~£9-£119 per month~~ £8.10-£107.10 with code “TAKE10”
Free trial or plan 14-day free trial	Free trial or plan 30-day free trial	Free trial or plan 3-day free trial	Free trial or plan Free plan	Free trial or plan Free plan
Number of templates 150+ templates	Number of templates 150+ templates	Number of templates 200+ templates	Number of templates 200+ templates	Number of templates 900+ templates

This article will cover:

#1. Squarespace: For a seamless user experience
#2. Hostinger: For AI building support
#3. Shopify: For easy-to-use ecommerce
#4. GoDaddy: For total beginners
#5. Wix: For flexible customisation
Are easy website builders free to use?
How did we test the easiest website builders?
My verdict: choosing the easiest website builder

#1. Squarespace: For a seamless user experience

Squarespace pricing: £17 to £35 per month (billed annually)
Ease of use score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.7)

Easy

Squarespace has over 150 high-quality and stylish templates – these are especially useful for creatives or design-focused businesses
Squarespace is the easiest website builder I’ve tested thanks to its drag-and-drop editor and smart grid, which helps keep elements aligned
Recent improvements to its AI builder make building a website easier than ever – you can use Blueprint AI to create a custom site based on pre-designed choices
Get 24/7 help via email or contact Squarespace using live chat

Challenging

Squarespace’s editor doesn’t have an autosave feature, so the risk of losing work is higher than with other builders that do have an autosave feature – Hostinger, GoDaddy, and Wix will automatically save your work

Moving a text box on Squarespace's drag and drop editor

Squarespace’s editor felt so intuitive to me, and I appreciated the grid lines to help stop my pages from looking messy. Source: Startups.co.uk

Do I recommend Squarespace for beginners?

Squarespace’s editor and interface cater to all, no matter your skill level or design capabilities. When testing it myself, I was particularly impressed by its modern and sleek-looking templates – a lot of the heavy-duty design work is done for you, giving you time to focus on other business priorities.

For these reasons, Squarespace is a solid option for complete beginners. However, I also highly recommend picking Squarespace if you’re a creative professional. The builder’s focus on visuals and design makes it the ideal home for portfolios, artist sites, and photography sites.

Read our complete Squarespace review for a breakdown of the builder’s key features and drawbacks.

#2. Hostinger: For AI building support

Hostinger pricing: £2.59 to £3.79 per month (for a 48-month term)
Ease of use score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5)

Easy

Hostinger offers an ever-growing suite of AI tools to support users as they build a site – for example, its AI website builder can generate a template based on your prompt, and you can use the AI Product Information Generator to fill out your product pages
The drag-and-drop editor offers more creative freedom than Squarespace since its grid lines provide guidance but don’t limit your placement of elements – I had a similar level of control as I did when using Wix’s editor
Hostinger has introduced a new AI assistant named Kodee as of September 2024 – this chatbot can provide helpful guidance on all things website-related, such as design and SEO

Challenging

Hostinger’s simple plans lack some basic functionality – for example, there’s no built-in email marketing tool, which can make it difficult to connect with your target audience
There’s no app market, meaning you can’t add extra functionality to your plan – you’re stuck with what you’ve got, whereas the other builders in this list have app markets
Hostinger’s AI builder can generate templates in seconds, but the end result can look pretty uninspiring and unoriginal

Hostinger's AI assistant (Kodee) showing as a pop up in the website editor

I used Hostinger’s new AI assistant to answer the questions I had when using the editor. Source: Startups.co.uk

Do I recommend Hostinger for beginners?

Not only is Hostinger the most affordable option on this list, but it also makes website building simple and beginner-friendly thanks to its AI tools. This low-cost builder is ideal for new and small businesses, but its features aren’t as sophisticated as rival website builders’, so I wouldn’t recommend Hostinger if you’re looking to scale your business further.

#3. Shopify: For easy-to-use ecommerce

Shopify pricing: £19 to £259 per month (billed annually)
Ease of use score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.3)

Easy

Shopify has the best sales features out of all the builders we’ve tested – this makes running an online store simple, from product management to customising your checkout page
You can use Shopify Magic, Shopify’s suite of AI tools, to help build your business site – for example, I used Shopify Magic to generate product descriptions for my test site
Shopify has a great Help Center full of guides and video tutorials to support beginners, and its AI-powered chatbot can provide detailed answers quickly to save you from browsing through hundreds of articles
Shopify’s interface is relatively easy to use and navigate – I could seamlessly jump between the editor and back end to manage my products, store settings, and site appearance
There’s a huge app store with thousands of third-party integrations so you can pick and choose additional functionality to add to your site

Challenging

The section-based editor is restrictive to use – I couldn’t drag elements or sections wherever I wanted, so Shopify felt less beginner-friendly than builders with drag-and-drop editors, like Squarespace
Shopify’s very short three-day free trial doesn’t feel like enough time to test out the platform and its features
Shopify’s paid plans are expensive and target growing online stores, so it’s not the most accessible option for new business owners
There are only 13 free templates to use, limiting the creative options available to beginners
Like Squarespace, Shopify’s editor has no autosave feature

Klaviyo app page in Shopify's app store with a button to "Install"

Shopify has thousands of free and premium apps, so I could add extra functionality to my site if needed. Source: Startups.co.uk

Do I recommend Shopify for beginners?

Shopify is a behemoth in the ecommerce space, ranking highly in our list of the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses. It offers unparalleled sales features, business support, and access to countless apps to give you complete control over your store. While its section-based editor and lack of free templates can limit you creatively, Shopify does make it simple to get your online store up and running.

However, because of Shopify’s expensive plans and advanced features, the builder is better suited to small businesses with complex or larger inventories.

Learn more about this powerful ecommerce builder in our detailed Shopify review.

#4. GoDaddy: For total beginners

GoDaddy pricing: £0 to £13.99 per month (billed annually)
Ease of use score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.0)

Easy

GoDaddy has one of the speediest setup times, helping you get stuck into your website in seconds so you can get online as quickly as possible
GoDaddy’s editor is incredibly beginner-friendly, offering a tour when you first get started and clear signposting for different tools
GoDaddy uses a section-based editor that’s very straightforward to understand – you simply place sections on top of one another to build your pages
Its plans are very affordable, targeting smaller businesses and personal sites
Get 24/7 customer support via phone and live chat – GoDaddy is quick to solve any issues you might have, but you can also boost your website knowledge using its knowledge centre
The GoDaddy Airo tool is AI-powered and free to use, offering detailed support as you build your website

Challenging

While GoDaddy’s editor is easy to use, it can feel too simple and lacks any real charm – creatives will struggle with its basic-looking designs
GoDaddy offers weaker ecommerce features than other builders, such as Wix and Shopify

I followed GoDaddy’s guide to help me set up my website. Source: Startups.co.uk

Do I recommend GoDaddy for beginners?

GoDaddy is a great website builder for small business owners who want to create a site with minimal fuss and little cost. Its clear and simple template options might lack the stylish quality of Squarespace’s templates, but GoDaddy focuses on simplicity. This is why I highly recommend GoDaddy for complete beginners, as you won’t need all of the bells and whistles provided by more complex website builders.

See our full GoDaddy review to read more about this builder’s pros and cons.

#5. Wix: For flexible customisation

Wix pricing: £0 to £119 per month (billed annually)
Ease of use score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.9)

Easy

Wix’s drag-and-drop editor is incredibly easy to get to grips with – the builder lets you move elements, such as text boxes and contact forms, to wherever you want on your site’s page
The AI chatbot makes the onboarding process a breeze – I had a very human-like conversation about my business needs and it generated a personalised template for me
Wix has recently introduced an AI Theme Assistant to help beginners design a site – it offers suggestions on areas like font types and colour schemes
There are over 900 customisable templates to choose from, and these cater to a wide range of industries
Wix offers 24/7 help and support, as well as in-editor help if you get stuck during the design process
You can stay on Wix’s free plan forever, which is great for beginners as you can spend this time getting familiar with the platform

Challenging

Despite offering so much creative control, Wix doesn’t let you swap templates once your site is published – this isn’t ideal if you’re new to web building and aren’t sure what final look you want for your site
Wix offers an overwhelming number of features and tools, which is great long-term, but can be intense to navigate during the early days – GoDaddy is a better option for beginners

I could use Wix’s AI tools to help build and design my website, including the new AI Theme Assistant. Source: Startups.co.uk

Do I recommend Wix for beginners?

While Wix sits at the bottom of our easy website builder ranking, it still makes the top five overall, which isn’t something to overlook. Wix’s drag-and-drop editor and AI website builder let you create a website in just a few clicks, no matter your skill level. Plus, if you use Wix’s free plan, it’s entirely risk-free.

Wix is a great all-round option for small businesses, securing the top position in our list of the best website builders because of its comprehensive features and support options. And, when it comes to beginners, there’s no greater option if you’re looking for creative control.

Learn more about Wix’s features, pricing, and support options in our Wix review.

Are easy website builders free to use?

Luckily, a handful of our top-rated easy website builders offer free plans, making them ideal options for beginners and those less tech-savvy. Wix and GoDaddy let you build and manage a website without spending a penny, whereas Squarespace, Shopify, and Hostinger provide free trials to users.

That said, while free plans are a great way to get a feel for a platform before purchasing a paid plan, even the best free website builders have limitations. For example, Wix and GoDaddy won’t let you sell products unless you upgrade, and both builders place ads on your free website.

Free GoDaddy website showing the free plan ad at the top of the homepage

You can see GoDaddy’s free plan ad at the top of my free site. Source: Startups.co.uk

How did we test the easiest website builders?

In 2024, we tested 16 of the top website builders to determine our rankings. Our research process focused on six key areas of investigation, including website features, value for money, and design functionality.

For the easiest website builders, we’ve focused on one research category: user experience. We carried out hands-on testing with each builder to assess its accessibility and usability for people of varying skill levels. And, based on this data, we can calculate our ranking and share up-to-date recommendations with small business owners.

My verdict: choosing the easiest website builder

Of the five website builders mentioned, all of them are easy to use and suitable for beginners. However, Squarespace is the best easy website builder to use in 2024. Not only does it offer a stunning catalogue of professional-looking templates, but its drag-and-drop editor and user-friendly interface make it easy to build a site from scratch.

If you’re interested in Squarespace, I recommend using its 14-day free trial first to see whether the builder is a good fit for you and your business. You can only gain true insight into a website builder by using it for yourself – so, no matter which easy website builder you pick, make the most of free trials and plans, and do your research to compare a platform’s offering to others before you start paying for a service.

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