Choosing the best website builder is crucial if you want to create an impressive, functional website that effectively reaches your target audience. With the right website builder, you have a better chance of increasing online sales, streamlining operations such as inventory management and customer service, and gaining a competitive edge. You’ll also be able to ensure compliance with local regulations like GDPR and cater to specific UK market needs, including supporting GBP payments.
We rigorously tested the best website builders tailored for the UK market, considering factors like features, pricing, performance, and local support. Read on to discover the best platforms for your unique needs.
The Best Website Platforms in the UK
- Wix – Best website platform option for businesses of all sizes
- Squarespace – Stylish templates, perfect for creatives with merchandising needs
- Shopify – Best UK website builder for ecommerce companies of all sizes
- Weebly – Robust ecommerce and marketing features in its free plan
- GoDaddy – Affordable and reliable with hosting option
- Hostinger – Simple marketing and SEO tools as well as combined hosting
- Strikingly – Best website builder for single-page sites
- Duda – Best site builder for website design agencies
- Site123 – Quick set up, easy-to-use, great for personal websites
- WordPress – Best open-source website builder with extensive plugins
The 10 Best Website Builder UK Providers Reviewed
Our review of the top site builders in the UK focuses on the features that matter most to people – price, available templates, integrations, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and analytics tools.
1. Wix – Popular Platform, Stacked with Features & Good Value for Money
Best For | Best for businesses of all sizes |
---|---|
Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Hundreds of templates • Easy-to-use automated web builder • Hundreds of integrations |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Free – 500 MB storage, 1 GB bandwidth • Wix Light: 2 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • Wix Core: 50 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • Wix Business: 100 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • Business Elite: unlimited storage and bandwidth |
Price | Starting from £0/month |
Pros
- Easy-to-use platform
- Advanced AI tools
- Free tools like logo maker and web builder
- Hundreds of integrations
Cons
- No visitor analytics in Light package
- No online stores feature in the Light package
2. Squarespace – Best UK Website Builder for Creatives with Merchandising Needs
Best For | Best for creatives with merchandising needs or online store |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Advanced ecommerce features for online stores • Marketing and analytics tools • Easy-to-use bio sites |
Storage & Bandwidth | Unlimited storage and bandwidth for all packages |
Price | Starting from £144 Annually (£12/month) |
Pros
- Advanced tools for creatives
- Advanced marketing tools
- Quality e-commerce tools
- User-friendly interface
- Free logo maker
Cons
- Limited AI tools
- Fully integrated e-commerce features not available with the personal package
3. Shopify – Best Website Builder for Ecommerce
Best For | Best for ecommerce companies and online stores of all sizes |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Advanced e-commerce tools • Marketing and analytics tools • Hundreds of powerful integrations |
Storage & Bandwidth | Unlimited storage and bandwidth for all packages |
Price | Starting from £19/month |
Pros
- Advanced e-commerce features
- Multi-platform selling features
- Easy-to-use platform
- Highly customisable
- Used by big global brands
Cons
- More expensive than other website builders
- Higher transaction costs
4. Weebly – Free Plan with Ecommerce Features & Marketing Tools
Best For | Best site builder for bloggers and influencers |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Advanced e-commerce features • Marketing and analytics tools • Inventory management |
Storage & Bandwidth | All packages have unlimited bandwidth, but only professional and performance have unlimited storage |
Price | Starting from £0 |
Pros
- Integration with Square
- Easy-to-use platform
- Enables websites to accept numerous payment options
Cons
- Ecommerce tools are less advanced than those offered by Wix and Shopify, and transaction fees are across all paid plans
- Limited templates and customisation options compared to some other builders
- Limited SEO features compared to some other website builders
5. GoDaddy – Affordable Option with Hosting, Perfect for Small Businesses
Best For | Best for small businesses |
---|---|
Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Integration with GoDaddy’s website hosting tools • Marketing and analytics tools • In-built marketing tools |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Standard – 30 GB storage, 100 GB bandwidth • Premium – 100 GB storage, 500 GB bandwidth • E-commerce – Unlimited storage and bandwidth |
Price | £83.88 Annually (£6.99/month) – Renews at £119.88 |
Pros
- Integrates well with other GoDaddy-branded features
- Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools
- Easy-to-use interface
- Built-in marketing tools
Cons
- E-commerce solutions are only available in the most premium plan
- Expensive add-ons
- E-commerce platform lacks most advanced features offered by Shopify
6. Hostinger – User-Friendly Option for Simple Websites
Best For | Best for simple website needs |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Cloudflare integration by default • Advanced malware scanner tools • 100+ websites per account |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Premium – 100 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • Business – 200 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth |
Price | Starts at £31.08 Annually (£2.59/Month) |
Pros
- More affordable and good value for money compared to many other site builders
- Advanced artificial intelligence tools
- Zero transaction fees for its e-commerce platform
Cons
- Lacks advanced tools like accounting and marketing
- Limited integrations compared to competitors
7. Strikingly – Best UK Website Builder for Single-Page, Mobile-Ready Sites
Best For | Best website builder for freelancers and consultants |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Advanced analytics • E-commerce features • HTTPS built-in |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Free Plan – 500 MB storage, 5GB • Limited – 1 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth • Pro – 20 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • VIP – 100 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth |
Price | Starts at £0 |
Pros
- Easy-to-use platform
- No transaction fees for VIP package
- Unlimited bandwidth for the pro and VIP package
- In-built marketing tools
Cons
- Pricier compared to competitors
- Limited version has Strikingly branding
- Limited integrations
8. Duda – Best Website Builder Platform for UK Design Agencies
Best For | Best for website building design agencies |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Advanced artificial intelligence tools • User-friendly collaboration features • Hundreds of user-friendly templates |
Storage & Bandwidth | Unlimited storage and bandwidth |
Price | Starts at approx. £15/month |
Pros
- Easy-to-use website-building platform
- Ideal for agencies and enterprises
- Hundreds of integrations
- AWS hosting by default
- Hundreds of website templates
Cons
- No free domain like other platforms include
- Pricier than other platforms
9. Site123 – Best UK Website Builder for Personal Websites
Best For | Best site builder for personal websites |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Has an app market with free and premium features • Advanced marketing and analytics features • Social media integration |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Gold – 50 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth • Professional – 35 GB storage, 35 GB bandwidth • Advanced – 10 GB storage, 10 GB bandwidth • Basic – 3 GB storage, 3 GB bandwidth |
Price | Starts at £0/month |
Pros
- Easy-to-use website builder
- Offers 24/7 support
Cons
- Limited templates
- Limited ecommerce/online store functionality
- Packages are more expensive than other platforms
- Ecommerce/online store platform has a limit of 500 orders per month
- No AI features
10. WordPress – Open-Source, Flexible Option with Extensive Plugins
Best For | Best website for enterprise websites |
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Free Trial | ✅ |
Top 3 Features | • Has thousands of free and premium themes • Has over 50,000 plugins • Advanced website analytics tools |
Storage & Bandwidth | • Free – 3GB storage, limited bandwidth • Starter – 6 GB storage, limited bandwidth • Explorer – 13 GB storage, limited bandwidth • Creator – 50 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth • Entrepreneur – 50 GB storage, unlimited bandwidth |
Price | Starting from £0 |
Pros
- Highly customisable
- Thousands of plugins and themes
- Advanced security features
- Budget-friendly
- Global CDN that boosts its performance
Cons
- Plugins can slow a website
- Bit of a learning curve
10 Best UK Website Builders Compared
Here, we compare the best website builder UK options in terms of their pricing, features, storage, and e-commerce tools. Take a look at how these tools stack up against each other:
Best UK Website Builders | Free Trial | Cheapest Paid Plan | Top Features |
---|---|---|---|
Wix | 14 days | £0/month | Hundreds of templates, advanced analytics, AI tools, and hundreds of integrations |
Squarespace | 14 days | £10/month | Advanced analytics, tons of templates, bookings and memberships |
Shopify | 3 days | £19/month | Shipping tools, Point of Sale integration, inventory management |
Weebly | 14 days | £0/month | Third-party integrations, responsive themes, free forever plan |
GoDaddy | 14 days | £6.99/month | Integration with GoDaddy’s hosting package, free SSL certificate, AI tools |
Hostinger | 30 days | £2.59/month | AI tools, zero transaction fees, 20+ payment methods |
Strikingly | 14 days | Approx. £6/month | Built-in analytics, simple commerce tools |
Duda | 14 days | Approx. £15/month | Integrated AWS hosting, white label program, client management tools |
Site123 | 14 days | Approx. £10/month | Free themes, free website domain for a year, free forever package |
WordPress | 14 days | £3/month | Thousands of plugins, Thousands of themes, unlimited payment options |
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
Please note: most of these website builders, including WordPress, Wix, and Weebly, have free tiers with limited features.
What Is a Website Builder?
Website builders are tools that simplify the process of creating a site. It removes the need for specialised coding. In most cases, website builders like WordPress and Wix provide an easy-to-use platform with tons of themes.
Users with no experience can select a theme and replace its content and graphics with their preferred content. In some cases, website builders have artificial intelligence tools that can help users with content and image generation.
Website builders solve a real problem since most people don’t have extensive coding knowledge or experience. As such, they simplify the website-building process and help companies and individuals save money and time.
Free Plan Vs. Paid UK Site Builders – Which is Better?
Some free website builders provide adequate tools for some users or companies. For example, a freelancer seeking to showcase his portfolio can do so with a free WordPress website. The best free website builder UK platform is Weebly.
However, all free website builders have some limitations, especially for companies. For example, Weebly’s free version does not allow you to connect with your custom domain or sell digital goods.
Therefore, one approach for small companies is to start with the cheapest package and then upgrade as they scale their operations. In this case, you can start your website with the basic Shopify package as you test the market. If it is successful, you can move to the next package and so on.
How to Choose the Best Website Builder in the UK
When choosing the best website builder, assess why you need the website. If your goal is to create an SME ecommerce platform or online store, you can go for Shopify, which focuses fully on this industry.
Similarly, WordPress is the best alternative for building a powerful and scalable website for a large business.
You want to get the most value for money when selecting the best website builder. Assess your budget and consider the reasons for having a website builder before choosing one. Also, consider paying an annual package since it is often cheaper than a monthly one.
Select a website builder that is easy to use by you and members of your organisation. Going for a highly complicated builder will be costly and inefficient, especially when training new staff.
The most important features to consider are integrations with third parties, responsive themes, SEO tools, and e-commerce tools. It should also have integrations with multiple payment gateways.
You should consider a website developer with advanced design options. In this, we recommend that you select one with adequate customisable themes and plugins. WordPress has the most themes across all industries.
Customer support is an essential part when selecting the best website builder. Most builders provide free chat options for premium packages.
FAQs
What is the most used website builder in the UK?
How much does it cost to have a professional website built in the UK?
Is Wix better than WordPress?
Is it better to build your own site or use a website builder?
Is Wix actually free?
References
- Wix Income Statement (SeekingAlpha)
- Wix Annual Report (SEC)
- Wix Enterprise (Wix)
- Squarespace Annual Report (Squarespace)
- Squarespace Income Statement (SeekingAlpha)