When you buy through affiliate links in our content, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn If you’re looking to build a new website, the best website builder Reddit recommendations offer a lot of insight. As most people know, Reddit is a great source for finding real-world opinions and reviews of nearly everything, and website builders are no exception. In fact, thousands of Reddit users have recommended their favorite website builders on the online forum based on their own experiences.
Whether you’re seeking the best website builder for a small business, to host a portfolio, or to offer an SEO-optimized online presence, our guide will help you find the tool for your requirements, as informed by Reddit, and with insights on their features, plans, usability, and upgrade options.
Webador - User-friendly Interface, Drag-and-Drop Functionality, and Intuitive Design Tools
Ucraft - Great All-In-One Marketing Platform
Reddit’s Best Website Builders
Here’s a quick breakdown of the top website builders recommended by the Reddit community:
- Wix — Popular, Easy-To-Use & Vast Template Library
- Squarespace — Beautiful Templates For Ecommerce, Perfect For Artists & Creatives
- Shopify — All-in-One Ecommerce & Hosting Platform With Good Support
- Webador — User-friendly & Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Platform
- Weebly — Ecommerce Features & Integrated Marketing Tools In Free Plan
- GoDaddy — Affordable Plans And Reliable Hosting
- Square — Robust Integrated Ecommerce And POS Solution
- Ucraft — Great All-In-One Marketing Platform
- IONOS — Offers Plenty Of Customization Options
- Systeme.io — All-In-One Marketing Platform with Sales Funnel Automation
- Show Full Guide
The Best Website Creators According to Reddit Reviewed
Now, let’s dive into our list to find the best website builder Reddit recommends:
1. Wix — Most Recommended Website Builder on Reddit
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy, No-Code Website Builder | $17/Month (No Annual Plan) | Yes | Free Plan |
– AI-Powered Tools – Free SSL – 500MB Bandwidth per month |
No |
Wix is rated by Reddit as the best website builder available. It combines versatility and user-friendliness in a simple yet powerful no-code website editor, which makes it a great option for creating functional and visually appealing websites without needing extensive technical knowledge.
Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface empowers you to effortlessly design websites, regardless of your design or coding skills. With over 800 customizable templates to choose from, the creative possibilities are virtually endless, which has led Reddit users to recommend Wix over other website builders.
Wix offers more than 300 built-in app integrations, enabling you to enhance your websites with additional functionality at the click of a button.
The basic Wix Editor allows you to customize design elements in existing templates and easily add features to your site, such as online stores, online scheduling, portfolios, events, blogs, and restaurant management.
Wix ADI offers a quick way to create a website from scratch using artificial intelligence. For more difficult design problems, you can hire vetted Wix Partners for professional assistance. If you’d prefer to work on your own custom code, you can add advanced functionality with JavaScript and node.js using Velo by Wix.
Wix isn’t just a website builder interface, either. It offers powerful marketing tools, including email marketing, social posts, video creation, and site analytics.
Wix’s wide array of tools will guide you through the otherwise difficult process of optimizing your sites for search engines and delivering your content to as wide an audience as possible. Reddit users have found these tools offer valuable insights and tips for improving search rankings, which is crucial for online success.
For all these reasons, we think Wix stands out as the most highly acclaimed website builder by Reddit’s standards. However, if you’re not convinced and you’re still looking for the best website builder, our comprehensive guide has you covered.
Pricing
While Wix offers a free plan, there are certain limitations to consider. The free plan includes Wix branding, limited storage, and the inability to use a custom domain name. For ecommerce activities, such as accepting payments, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan, which starts at $16 per month.
Pros
- Inbuilt CDN for faster load times
- Security, including SSL and DDoS protection
- App integration with over 200 platforms
Cons
- Limited analytics
- Ecommerce is paid only
2. Squarespace — Outstanding Website Templates
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Portfolios | $192 Annually ($16/Month) | Yes | Free 14-Day Trial |
– Mobile-optimized websites – One Year of Google Workspace – No transaction fees |
No |
Squarespace consistently ranks as a top recommendation among Reddit users. This website builder allows you to build stunning websites with ease, and for this reason, it has garnered a strong following among creatives.
Reddit users think highly of Squarespace because its website builder template designs are widely regarded as some of the most visually appealing in the industry. These designs are not just eye-catching but also mobile-responsive, ensuring that your website looks fantastic on various devices.
For creatives, especially those like photographers, designers, and artists, Squarespace offers a range of portfolio designs. In particular, it’s the best wedding website builder Reddit recommends. These designs are not only professional but also highly customizable.
You can create galleries to showcase your projects in the most visually appealing manner, even for those with little to no coding experience.
Squarespace enables the creation of password-protected pages, as well, which can be invaluable for sharing confidential work with clients and collaborators. All this makes Squarespace the best website builder for portfolios Reddit can find.
This quality comes at a price, however. Squarespace only has a free trial and does not offer a free plan tier. This means that as soon as you get started with Squarespace, you’ll get access to a set of great ecommerce tools that prove an excellent choice if you’re planning to sell products online.
Squarespace’s e-shop tools support a variety of products, from physical goods to digital downloads and services, providing flexibility for various businesses.
Pricing
While Squarespace’s pricing is not the lowest, it offers good value for its features. The option for a monthly payment plan sets it apart from competitors who often lock users into annual subscriptions. Although there’s no free-forever plan, the 14-day free trial gives you ample opportunity to explore Squarespace’s capabilities.
Pros
- Excellent ecommerce tools
- Flexible pricing plans
- Marketing integration
Cons
- No free forever plan
3. Shopify — Ideal for Ecommerce Needs
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce | $348 Annually ($29/Month) | No | 3-Day Free Trial |
– Integrates with POS systems – 1,000 inventory locations – Multiple logins |
Yes |
Shopify is a popular ecommerce solution that offers monthly plans designed to accommodate any budget. This all-in-one platform provides everything you need to launch an online store, even if you have no coding or design experience.
Every Shopify plan comes with unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth and lets you post unlimited products, which means Shopify scales naturally as your business grows. The platform is so user-friendly that you can create a live Shopify store that’s optimized for search in just a few hours.
Shopify is built for ecommerce, supporting both physical and digital sales. It provides comprehensive sales analytics and inventory management, accepts recurring payments for subscriptions, and all plans come with 24/7 support by default. It also offers mobile apps for easy store management and built-in blogging and SEO tools.
However, customization on Shopify is somewhat limited compared to self-hosted platforms like WordPress. There’s also a learning curve for beginners. While Shopify is among the best small business website builders and hosting options for a full-fledged online store, it may not be the best choice for content-centric websites.
Shopify compares very favorably with other website builders like Wix and Squarespace in terms of ecommerce functionality and scalability. Wix may be cheaper, but Shopify offers unlimited storage and more extensive product listings, while Squarespace has templates with better visual design but fewer integrations.
Pricing
You can get started with Shopify by taking advantage of its three-day free trial. After that, you’ll need to purchase a paid plan. Shopify offers three primary plans that all include ecommerce functionality, 24/7 support, Shopify POS Lite, a free SSL certificate, and free postage label printing. For larger enterprises, Shopify offers a Plus plan with a custom quote starting at $2,300/month.
One thing to note is that Shopify’s transaction fees can add up, and while it offers some free themes, more design options come at an additional cost.
Pros
- Built for ecommerce
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Extensive app integrations
- Best ecommerce website builder – Reddit recommended
Cons
- Limited free themes
- Lacks blogging analytics
4. Webador — Unlimited Free Website Hosting
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Site with Unlimited Bandwidth | $60 Annually ($5/Month) | Yes | Free Plan |
– Unlimited Bandwidth – Free Stock Photos – 50+ responsive templates |
No |
Webador is a website builder that’s gained Reddit’s attention, and it’s clear why. It’s an excellent option for beginners aiming to establish an online presence quickly for several reasons, but the most important one is that the free plan offers unlimited bandwidth, storage, and site pages.
This even includes the site’s extensive stock photo bank – making it the best free website builder according to Reddit users.
Customization is very user-friendly with Webador. Its editor is intuitive and responsive, allowing you to craft a functional website in under 10 minutes.
Much of the technical work associated with website creation is eliminated, as you can simply drag and drop elements to design your site. With the website editor, you can easily modify the overall look of your website with just a few clicks.
Webador’s templates are versatile, with 50+ mobile-friendly options. Additionally, Webador supports ecommerce, enabling you to launch online stores complete with features like credit card payments and stock management.
Webador’s ecommerce tools are included in paid plans, but they’re worth the upgrade. You’ll get access to features like product customization and SEO settings, and there are, notably, no transaction fees. This makes it an attractive option if you’re looking to start small online stores without costs eating into your profits.
Websites created on this platform are also optimized for Google, ensuring better visibility and a range of SEO tools are available to aid in this process. SEO optimization is crucial when you’re aiming to grow your online presence. Webador simplifies this, making it easy to tweak page titles, meta descriptions, and indexing settings.
Pricing
Webador’s free plan includes unlimited bandwidth and storage but utilizes a Webador subdomain. It’s ideal for testing the waters before you upgrade to a paid plan, but it isn’t great if you need a production-ready site.
That said, all Webador’s paid plans are free for the first six months, allowing you to have plenty of time to test the waters of whichever plan interests you before you need to commit.
Pros
- Website builder allows for rapid prototyping
- User-friendly interface
- SEO optimization
Cons
- Free plan paid for with ads
5. Weebly — A Stylish Ecommerce Website Builder
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slick, Stylish Storefronts | $120 Annually ($10/Month) | Yes | Free Plan |
– Ecommerce integration – One-click SSL – DDoS protection |
Yes |
Weebly is a user-friendly website builder with a free option that Reddit users highly recommend. With Weebly, you can easily create and publish attractive and responsive websites, blogs, and online stores.
It provides a clear and simple interface with a variety of attractive templates. It also offers full commerce options, allowing users to sell digital goods and integrate payment processors like Square, Stripe, and PayPal.
Site statistics are included, helping you track their website’s performance, and it permits switching between templates without rebuilding the site, unlike some other website builders.
You can easily customize fonts, apply advanced animation effects like parallax scrolling and reveal animations, edit images directly within the platform, use video backgrounds, implement a site search function, and display videos and audio with stunning clarity.
However, Weebly has limited theme customization options compared to other services and may not cater to specific design preferences. If you eventually want to move on from Weebly, there’s no commitment. You’re allowed to download your sites and host them elsewhere, providing flexibility not typically found in similar services.
Pricing
Weebly’s pricing structure includes a free plan with some limitations, but it does include free SSL and the ability to embed third-party code alongside your shopping cart for analytics.
Upgrading to the paid plan gives you the ability to add your own domain and unlimited storage and removes all ads from the site.
Pros
- Unlimited items by default
- Stylish default themes
- Integrated analytics
Cons
- Theme design could be detailed
6. GoDaddy — Great for Specialized Dedicated Hosting
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Businesses Looking to Scale | $131.88 Annually ($10.99 Month) | Yes | Free Plan & 7-Day Premium Trial |
– GoDaddy Studio – Full Domain Protection – 24/7 Support |
Yes |
GoDaddy is a versatile web hosting service that’s popular with Reddit users and is known primarily as a domain registrar – but it also excels in web hosting and website building.
GoDaddy will allow you to build full sites with their free plan, either from scratch in the GoDaddy site editor or by editing one of their hundreds of specialized templates. Reddit users particularly appreciate how GoDaddy makes mobile site development easy by translating desktop designs to mobile automatically.
GoDaddy’s add-on system allows you to scale up your free website with paid options as you need them instead of committing to a hosting plan upfront. When you do need paid site hosting, GoDaddy gives you the option to choose between Linux and Windows servers, even with shared hosting plans.
GoDaddy uses Microsoft 365 for its email client, ensuring seamless integration with Outlook, Teams, and Skype. GoDaddy is particularly good for blogging according to Reddit. Managed WordPress plans include automatic backups of your website’s database every 90 days and daily malware scans with the Sucuri plugin.
These plans also offer a staging site for testing changes before going live, a feature that Reddit users love. This feature allows you to test and make changes to your site without interrupting your business operations.
GoDaddy’s interface is user-friendly. It employs a version of cPanel for website management, which offers one-click installers for popular content management systems and includes a dedicated FTP client. You can also use it to add content delivery networks like Cloudflare at no extra cost for protection against DDoS attacks.
Pricing
All shared hosting plans include unlimited bandwidth, a free domain, Microsoft 365 email for one year, and a three-year contract locks in introductory pricing. However, GoDaddy charges extra for some security features, such as SSL certificates, and doesn’t include backups with shared hosting.
Pros
- Microsoft 365 integration
- Great option for managed WordPress sites
- Linux and Windows server support
Cons
- Additional costs for security features
7. Square — Online Retail Meets Brick & Mortar
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retailers Going Online | $348 Annually ($29/Month) | Yes | Free Plan |
– Mobile-first website design – Sync with Square POS – Pickup, shipping, and delivery |
Yes |
Square Online is gaining recognition on Reddit as a user-friendly website builder with deep ecommerce capabilities. The platform’s excellent free plan, which allows you to sell unlimited products, makes it an attractive choice if you’re looking to establish an online presence without a significant financial commitment.
The platform offers a suite of advanced selling tools, enhancing the functionality of online stores. This suite includes comprehensive ecommerce tools covering order fulfillment, inventory management, and marketing features.
One of Square Online’s strengths is its seamless integration with Square Point of Sale. This integration enables businesses to manage both online and in-store sales from a single, unified system. It streamlines operations and inventory management, resulting in a more efficient business model.
Square Online has received praise from Redditors who have used it to quickly extend their retail businesses to include online sales.
Usability is a strong point, with a straightforward sign-up process and a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. While Square Online’s customization options have limitations, the management tools are user-friendly and provide everything needed to run a successful online store.
Support options include live technical support and a comprehensive support center with detailed documentation and tutorials. The Square Online support team will provide timely and knowledgeable assistance.
Pricing
Square Online provides three subscription options. The free plan is impressive, but paid plans offer more advanced features and fewer transaction fees. This pricing structure makes it accessible to users with various budgets. However, using third-party payment gateways may result in additional transaction fees.
Pros
- Powerful free plan
- Advanced selling tools
- Flexible delivery options
Cons
- Limited customization options
8. Ucraft — Designed For Mobile First
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Websites | $144 Annually ($12/Month) | Yes | Free Plan |
– Automatic website translation – SSL Security – Unlimited bandwidth |
No |
Reddit highly recommends Ucraft, a website builder in the increasingly competitive landscape of online site creation tools.
The website builder focuses on mobile site customization. In today’s digital age, where a significant portion of web traffic comes from mobile devices, having a website that looks good on smartphones and tablets is essential. Ucraft excels in this department, ensuring you can create mobile-friendly websites without issue.
Collaborative site editing is another area where Ucraft shines. It allows multiple users to work together on building and maintaining a website, making it a practical choice for teams and businesses.
Ucraft offers an image repository, simplifying the process of reusing images across your website. This can be particularly useful for maintaining a consistent visual identity and branding throughout your site.
Unfortunately, Ucraft does not provide built-in site traffic reporting. While other website builders offer analytics tools to help users track and understand their site’s performance, Ucraft relies on integration with tracking tools like Google Analytics to deliver visitor data.
Pricing
Ucraft starts with a free account, which includes basic features but comes with Ucraft branding. For those looking to unlock more advanced features and remove branding, paid plans start at $12 per month for the Website plan, which offers basic features.
For those looking for ecommerce capabilities, Ucraft has updated its pricing structure to include three separate ecommerce plans:
Pros
- Collaborative website editing
- Ecommerce and SEO features
- Mobile site specialization
Cons
- Weaker analytics
9. IONOS — Extensive Hosting Options
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security | $1/Month For First Six Months | Yes | 30-Day Free Trial |
– Malware scanning – Free SSL – 50GB SSD storage |
Yes |
If you’re looking for a web hosting service with website-building features, you’ve likely heard of IONOS. IONOS’s hosting plans are known for their reliability and often exceed its promised 99.9% uptime.
This popular hosting platform, praised on Reddit, offers a range of competitively priced hosting services, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, WordPress hosting, and cloud hosting.
IONOS allows you to create your website in three simple steps: choose a design template, add your content, and publish your site on your own domain.
Once you’ve set up your basic site, you can start including add-ons like AI-powered text generation, SEO optimization, and responsive mobile design to ensure your website looks great on different devices.
Security is a priority with IONOS, which offers DDoS protection, daily backups, and free SSL certificates even with its basic website shared hosting packages. You’ll be confident that any site hosted on IONOS is as secure as can be from the second you go live.
Customer support is a mixed bag, offering 24/7 assistance through live chat and phone, but with occasional delays. Additionally, phone support is available only to 14 countries, limiting its accessibility.
Account registration is also restricted in some countries due to tax regulations. IONOS is considered the best cheap website builder Reddit has found so far, but if you don’t have access to IONOS, you can check out our list of the cheapest website builders for more.
Pricing
IONOS’s pricing is competitive, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious individuals. Shared hosting starts at just $1 per month for the first six months.
Compared to the rest of our list, this is the cheapest website builder Reddit can find. However, introductory prices renew at higher rates, so be aware of potential price increases.
Pros
- Many different hosting options
- In-depth SEO tools
- Security-focused even on basic plans
Cons
- Not available worldwide
10. Systeme.io — Integrated Free Website Builder with Ecommerce Tools
| Best For | Starting Price | Free Custom Domain | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Starter Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-Stop Solution for Online Presence | $27 per month | No | Free Plan |
– Marketing automation tools – Email campaigns – Course development tools |
Yes |
Systeme.io is making waves on Reddit as an all-in-one marketing platform. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools, including a sales funnel builder, email marketing, online course creation, website building, affiliate program management, and marketing automation, making it a one-stop shop for digital marketers.
The platform’s main attraction is its sales funnel builder, which simplifies the creation of customer journeys through landing pages, forms, and emails. Marketing automation allows you to capture contacts who interact with your site, and the platform offers a ‘forever free’ account for up to 2,000 contacts, making it risk-free to try.
Systeme.io also supports membership sites and affiliate management and offers powerful marketing automation features for streamlining business operations.
It even serves as an email marketing tool, allowing you to send newsletters, set up campaigns, and automate email responses. However, it doesn’t support native integrations with third-party tools, so you’ll need to use Zapier or another tool to connect to other applications.
In addition to website management and ecommerce capabilities, Systeme.io also caters to online educators by offering course creation features, though it’s less flexible than dedicated course-building solutions.
There’s an integrated student management system that allows you to gate course material based on payment or time. It integrates with the rest of your ecommerce features on Systeme.io seamlessly, allowing you to take advantage of your shopfront and marketing setup without any extra effort.
Pricing
Systeme.io is very affordable while being one of the best website builders for small business Reddit recommends. Regardless of the plan you choose, Systeme.io includes unlimited emailing capabilities, unlimited file storage space, and unlimited enrolled students to give your business the room it needs to flourish.
There are also no transaction fees when transacting through Stripe and PayPal.
Pros
- Complete one-stop solution for ecommerce
- Unique integration with marketing automation
- Free plan offers marketing and ecommerce tools
Cons
- Doesn’t specialize in any particular web development niches
Reddit’s Best Builders Compared
| Best Website Builders According To Reddit | Best For | Starting Price | Free Version | Standout Features on Cheapest Plan | Ecommerce on Cheapest Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Easy, No-Code Website Builder | $17/Month | Free Plan | – AI-Powered Tools
– Free SSL – 500MB Bandwidth per month |
No |
| Squarespace | Creative Portfolios | $16/Month | Free 14-Day Trial | – Mobile-optimized websites
– One Year of Google Workspace – No transaction fees |
No |
| Shopify | Ecommerce | $29/Month | 3-Day Free Trial | – Integrates with POS systems
– 1000 inventory locations – Multiple logins |
Yes |
| Webador | Free Site with Unlimited Bandwidth | $5/Month | Free Plan | – Unlimited Bandwidth
– Free Stock Photos – 50+ responsive templates |
No |
| Weebly | Slick, Stylish Storefronts | $10/Month | Free Plan | – Ecommerce integration
– One-click SSL – DDoS protection |
Yes |
| GoDaddy | Small Businesses Looking to Scale | $10.99/Month | Free Plan & 7-Day Premium Trial | – GoDaddy Studio
– Full Domain Protection – 24/7 Support |
Yes |
| Square | Retailers Going Online | $29/Month | Free Plan | – Mobile-first website design
– Sync with Square POS – Pickup, shipping, and delivery |
Yes |
| Ucraft | Mobile Websites | $10/Month | Free Plan | – Automatic website translation
– SSL Security – Unlimited bandwidth |
No |
| IONOS | Security | $1/Month for First Six Months | 30-Day Free Trial | – Malware scanning
– Free SSL – 50GB SSD storage |
Yes |
| Systeme.io | One-Stop Solution for Online Presence | $27/Month | Free Plan | – Marketing automation tools
– Email campaigns – Course development tools |
Yes |
To provide our readers with accurate and well-informed recommendations, we test the most popular website builders on the market to find the best options for you. Our methodology consists of the following criteria:How We Review And Test Website Builders
How To Choose a Website Creator From Reddit Reviews
When sifting through Reddit reviews to choose the ideal website creator, keep an eye out for these core factors:
SEO is among the most important ways to enhance your online visibility. You should look for website builders that offer either integrated or add-on SEO tools, such as keyword suggestion, rank tracking, backlink analysis, and content optimization.
Reddit reviews often discuss the best website builder for SEO, and we’ve investigated these to learn about the effectiveness of different SEO tools and capabilities.
Does the website creator align with your use case, whether it’s for a small business, personal portfolio, ecommerce, or a blog?
A website builder that specializes in WordPress-managed hosting might be better for your blog, whereas a dedicated ecommerce site from a provider like Shopify or Square will be better if you’re trying to sell something.
Many free website builders don’t adhere to accessibility requirements, so you may have to review several to find one that’s adequate if you’re trying to build a site that works with screen readers.
Setting up hosting separately from your domain provider can be frustrating and time-wasting if you don’t know what you’re doing, so you should look for a website builder that integrates with domain registration and hosting services.
You’ll be confident your site’s security and email are set up correctly, and you’ll be able to contact support staff to assist with every aspect of your site management.
User-friendliness matters, especially when it comes to complex web technologies. Most website builders offer some form of no-code editor, so you don’t have to learn how to edit HTML, CSS, or Javascript.
However, not every web editor is created equal. The free trials we’ve outlined above will give you a chance to try out each one so you’ll have an idea of how much customization is available.
Should You Take Reddit’s Recommendation for the Easiest Website Builder?
On the plus side, you get access to a wealth of real user feedback. Reddit users often candidly share their experiences, providing valuable insights into what worked for them and what didn’t. These firsthand accounts can help you make informed decisions based on actual use instead of marketing copy.
If you have a specific requirement, such as building an ecommerce site or optimizing for search engines, Reddit can be an excellent resource as long as you find the right subreddit. Users in specialized subreddits often provide tailored recommendations and insights.
You need to consider how authoritative each user seems on the subject and whether they know what they’re talking about. Reddit users may not have the technical knowledge necessary to deliver comprehensive reviews, but articles on tech sites will be written by subject experts.
Where possible, you should cross-reference Reddit user reviews with professional reviews to get a holistic picture of a particular service.
The rapidly changing nature of the web development landscape can also be a challenge. A recommendation that was valid years ago might not be valid today as the service may have improved or declined since then. You should always check when a review was posted to make sure you’re not acting on out-of-date information.
Are the Best Free Website Builder Reddit Recommendations Any Good?
While Reddit users recommend some free website builders, it’s essential to understand the limitations of these tools. Free website builders can be a good starting point, but here’s why you should consider a paid solution:
Free website designers often offer a fraction of the full functionality you’ll get when you upgrade to a paid version. Usually, you’re capped on bandwidth or site size or only have access to a subset of customization themes compared to a paid user.
Paid website builders offer a broader range of features and complete control over your site’s design and functionality. It might not matter much for a hobby site, but it’s especially important if you want to create a professional-looking website for -commerce.
While some free website builders may allow you to import your own custom domain, most will force you to use a subdomain of your free host’s site. This can impact how professional you look and makes it harder for users to find your site through search engines as you’re not fully in control of your SEO.
By contrast, paid solutions allow you to use your custom domain, which is essential for branding and credibility. Most of the options we’ve picked based on Reddit recommendations come with a free .com domain, making it easy to get right into building your website without dealing with a separate website registrar.
Free website hosting almost never comes with an uptime guarantee, meaning there’s no compensation if your site goes down and no priority to get it back online.
This can be disastrous if you’re running an online business, but it’s not too much of a problem for hobbyist sites. These free sites will use shared hosting on virtual machines, which gives you minimal control over how your sites perform.
Paid services offer faster loading speeds and better performance. You can choose which tier of hosting you want, from cloud hosting to dedicated physical machines for your site.
Skipping out on-site performance can increase your site load times, and in turn, long load times can significantly impact user experience and SEO rankings.
Free plans usually don’t offer anywhere near the same level of support options. When you encounter site troubles, your support tickets will be de-prioritized compared to paid users.
Paid plans include priority customer support, ensuring you have assistance when encountering issues or needing guidance. Enterprise-level plans, in particular, often come with a dedicated account manager so you can build a business relationship, giving you faster access to support.
Some free website builders subsidize your free plan by inserting ads into your site, which your users will see. This can damage your reputation with your user base as you have little to no control over which ads your users are exposed to.
Upgrading to a paid plan removes these ads, offering a cleaner, more professional look that’s less likely to turn your users away from your site.
As your website becomes more successful, you will attract more users. On a free site, you’re likely to hit your bandwidth or storage cap long before your growth slows down, so you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to acquire more resources for your site.
Before signing up for a free website builder for a business website, you should consider your scalability requirements, as some sites are better equipped to handle large sites than others.
