We list the best alternatives to Wix make it simple and easy to set up your website using an easy-to-use website builder, for people who would prefer to use something different to Wix.
1. Best overall
2. Best for new users
3. Best for customization
4. Best affordable
5. Best for personal sites
6. Best for UK
7. FAQs
8. How we test
With an easy to use drag and drop editor, powerful marketing tools and great customer support, Wix is undeniably one of the best website builders on the market. Yet it doesn't meet everyone's needs, budgets of preferred way of doing things. Our list of the best alternatives to Wix make it simple and easy to set up your website using an easy-to-use website builder.
Website creation has long been looked at as a difficult, arduous, and time-consuming process. Before easy drag and drop website builders started coming into play, there were no other option but to hire web designers and web creators. This often meant shelling out tons of cash on a regular basis.
Website builders have made creating a website so much easier. Anyone can now come up with a stunning website packed with features, without ever needing to touch a single line of code. Freeing you up from the technical hassles means you can focus on the site and its content, delivering the information your visitors need or encouraging to make a purchase.
Wix is one of the most popular website builders around, but that also means there are so many sites using the same technology. What if you'd like to have something that looks different, and makes your business stand out from the crowd? It’s good to know what other website builders are out there offering the same ease of use and stunning results, and we’ve gathered five here to help you find other viable options.
We've compared these options across multiple points, from their performance and ease of use to their template libraries and security features. We evaluated their learning curve, free trials, customizability, and pricing plans, among other things.
We've also featured the best website design service.
The best alternatives to Wix in 2024 in full:
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Best overall
The power behind 43% of the web, WordPress is the biggest name in Content Management Systems (CMS). While other platforms claim to be versatile, WordPress really is: whether you're building a simple personal site, a blog, a busy web store, a social media platform, or anything else you can imagine, WordPress delivers.
It’s often regarded as the best website builder if you’re looking to build something that you won’t outgrow in the long run. You can even start a website on WordPress for free. Most web hosting accounts include a '1-click installer' which will set up WordPress for you in seconds. Add a post to the default theme and you can be ready to share it in under five minutes.
Building more capable websites requires some time, just because WordPress is such a powerful and configurable product, with a vast ecosystem of add-ons and extensions. But it's manageable, even by inexperienced users, and once you've learned the add-on basics, you'll be able to equip your site with whatever advanced features you need.
WordPress offers a great website builder that’s trustworthy and its free plan is great for simple websites. You can easily install it on a regular hosting account and access more features for a lower price. With so many plugins and add-on options, you’ll be able to truly customize your website to best reach your audience. However, do note that if you sign up directly on WordPress.com and host your site there, you will face a number of limitations, hence no 5 stars in our review of that service.
Read our full WordPress.com website builder review.
Best for new users
Squarespace is a great platform for novices in website creation. Just make your choice from hundreds of elegant, mobile-friendly and regularly updated themes, and you've already got a polished and professional base for your site (no design or coding experience required.)
The drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to personalise the template, change the layout, add your own content and pictures, and give the site whatever look and feel you need.
But Squarespace understands that online success isn't just about your website. Its Unfold app brings the same flexibility to creating social media content, with custom story, post and video templates, unique filters and effects, hand-picked fonts, stickers and more.
And if you're intending to use Squarespace for a business or ecommerce site, check out the Extensions store, where an array of add-ons have all the sales, marketing, product management, payment and shipping tools you're ever likely to need.
Overall, Squarespace is one of the best Wix alternatives out there, which is probably why the service now has more than 1,000,000 international customers. A 14-day free trial (no credit card required) provides a risk-free way to see what Squarespace can do for you, and if you're planning several sites, you can even sign up for as many trials as you need, then pay to upgrade whatever works best.
Read our full Squarespace review.
Best for customization
Unlike some, Tilda offers a free service, which gives you an idea of what’s available, without unlocking all its features. It’s a great way to see what all the fuss is about without committing yourself. Even better, you can also try out the paid features free for 14 days.
Tilda’s website service is based on blocks: you select those you want, add them to your page, and build your site that way. There are currently over 500 fully customizable blocks with more being added regularly. You also have access to over 200 responsive templates, can add animations to jazz up your site, there’s a photo editor, a royalty free image library, a collection of icons, and you’re able to embed YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud and Coub media. Not to mention of course blogging and ecommerce facilities.
This is a very nice website builder and is perfectly suited for people who like to understand how their system works by essentially connecting all the dots themselves.
Although the broad brushstrokes are provided for you, you have complete control over the customization, and this is nowhere more clear than with the blogging and ecommerce tools which won’t work unless you connect all the systems yourself. It’s not hard once you know how, and the instructions are very clear, but this is not a service for people who want everything done for them.
Yes, Tilda can help you create very simple sites, but its power does lie in its customization features, which are very good indeed.
Read our full Tilda review.
Best affordable
Hostinger's website builder emerges as an affordable alternative to Wix, particularly aimed at budget-conscious small businesses and individuals. For the entry price of $2.99 per month (if you subscribe for two years), you'll get web hosting and a free domain name (for a year) in addition to an easy-to-use builder. With its intuitive drag-and-drop editor, AI-powered tools, and multilingual capabilities, it offers an attractive suite for website creation and customization.
Tailored for freelancers and small businesses seeking simplicity in website creation, Hostinger's all-in-one solution also offers AI tools for generating and optimizing content for SEO. Its library of customizable templates, responsive design, and separate mobile editing capabilities can meet the needs of most small business sites, including art portfolios, online stores, and all types of blogs.
If none of the ready-made templates match your vision, Hostinger allows ample customization options, from adjusting colors and fonts to rearranging elements to your liking. Additionally, Hostinger hosts a library of royalty-free images, giving you the freedom to select and add appealing visuals seamlessly to your site. The site-building process revolves around template selection and customization, made effortless with Hostinger's editor. However, a notable limitation is that once a template is chosen, switching it requires starting from scratch.
A rock-solid choice for online stores, Hostinger ensures a hassle-free selling experience, allowing transactions for all product types (physical, digital, service, and so forth) without additional fees, unlike Wix where processing fees vary depending on the payment method. Also, Hostinger offers essential e-commerce capabilities across all its plans, whereas Wix restricts these features to its specific e-commerce packages.
For those prioritizing affordability and an all-in-one approach, Hostinger stands out despite lacking Wix's robust app store and advanced blogging features. Its attractive pricing and intuitive interface make it an appealing choice, especially for newcomers entering the realm of website creation on a budget.
All things considered, Hostinger's platform stands out as a cost-effective and beginner-friendly alternative to Wix. While long-term commitments unlock more budget-friendly pricing, even short-term plans offer solid value for money. The user-centric nature of Hostinger's builder ensures an enjoyable and straightforward website-building experience, making it a winning choice for those seeking simplicity without compromising quality or blowing their budget.
Read our full Hostinger website builder review.
Best for personal sites
MyWebsite is a drag-and-drop website builder from German web hosting giant IONOS. MyWebsite's Starter plan covers the basics for personal sites. You get unlimited pages and web space, a simple built-in blog, limited SEO settings, and website backup and restore functionality.
The interface is straightforward, and you're able to choose from hundreds of responsive templates. These are grouped by topics, or you can search the collection by keyword, and most of our test searches returned plenty of good-looking designs.
Depending on the plan you choose, you have two different editors at your disposal, called Now and Creator. Now is designed to make everything easy and fast, with limited options to get you up and running quickly. It looks simple and clean, and you can create something that looks pretty good in next to no time.
All IONOS plans are heavily discounted for the first term. Right now, the mid-range Plus plan gives you the core website builder only (no web store), professional templates, 50GB and 200 pages of storage, and professional email, all for $1 a month in the first year. It then renews at $15 a month, but if you don't think it's worth it, you can just cancel, and you've still had the builder and a full year of hosting for only $12.
It's a little more expensive than some after the first term, but IONOS's appealing templates, well-designed editor and powerful bonus features enable anyone to build feature-packed and professional looking websites.
Read our full IONOS MyWebsite Website Builder review.
Best for UK
123 Reg helps you share your business with the rest of the world. 123 Reg has evolved to offer a myriad of web hosting-related options. Three subscription plans are available to build and maintain your website, and three additional ones should you need an online store. The first year also comes with a hefty discount
The customisation process is very straightforward. All the tools you need are located in the sidebar on the left. From there you can create additional pages, add widgets and content, create your online store or blog, check out available apps and manage your settings. You also have the ability to gain access to HTML and CSS for those comfortable with tweaking the code.
Writing a blog is as you’d expect, with pretty much everything you need, right there at your fingertips. Editing a post is like editing any other page of your site: click on a section, be graced with contextual tools, and alter away.
123 Reg is a great website builder, offering a lot of options in a clean and simple way. It’s a shame there are no free options, or even a free trial, and the price increase after the first year could be off-putting, but if you’re looking for a service that will host your site and offer good tools to build it, it’s definitely worth taking a look.
Read our full 123 Reg Website Builder review.
FAQs
How to choose the best alternatives to Wix for you?
When choosing the best alternative to Wix, start by considering the size and type of the website you plan to set up. You'll want to evaluate the site builder's learning curve and check how easy to use the builder's site editor is.
Look at the website builder's template library to find out if it has the site designs that you're seeking, and analyze how customizable it is.
You'll also want to assess the website builder's storage, speed, security features, customer support, and pricing alongside the tools it offers such as SEO tools and email marketing functionality.
How we test
For testing the best alternatives to Wix, we signed up and created sites using all the website builders that are on this list.
We assessed and compared the builders' learning curve, performance, ease of use, template libraries, and pricing. We examined their security features, storage, and bandwidth and checked what types and sizes of websites they're ideal for.
Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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