Building a professional website doesn’t require a massive budget or an agency. Whether you’re launching a new business, testing an idea, or running a side project, choosing the right budget-friendly website builder is a smart strategic decision—not a compromise.
The best affordable website builders deliver clean design, quick setup, and essential ecommerce tools that help you reach customers and grow your business. They’re powerful enough to support your goals without draining your resources, giving you more budget to invest in other areas of your business.
The wrong choice, however, can slow you down with hidden fees, locked features, and limited scalability that forces you to rebuild when you’re ready to expand.
Here’s what to look for in a cheap website builder and seven top options, depending on your needs.
What is a website builder?
A website builder is an intuitive tool that lets you make a website without writing code. No learning HTML—just prebuilt templates and easy-to-use interfaces that make it easy to arrange text, images, and buttons on the page. Most platforms offer customizable templates, free hosting, and built-in search engine optimization (SEO) tools. The goal is to help you get a professional website online fast, even if it’s your first time.
Some website builders go further by offering AI features. An AI website builder can generate layouts, write text, or pick fonts and colors based on a few quick questions—providing a fast, practical solution when you need a clean, functional site without the extra work.
“If you’re looking for a free website builder, there are options that can work well for simple, basic sites,” says Ben Sehl, director of product at Shopify. “For example, an artist may want to create a free portfolio site. They can easily update and host it at no cost, and it serves their needs. But the challenge arises if they decide to sell their art; that would complicate things significantly.”
7 best cheap website builders
Shopify
What sets Shopify apart from other website builders is that it’s built for ecommerce, but also works well for service-based businesses or small-catalog brands. You get product pages, secure payments, shipping tools, inventory tracking, and built-in marketing features—all in one place, without cobbling together plug-ins or extra tools just to make your first sale.
Shopify themes work well on any screen and are easy to adjust, and if you want more features later, the Shopify App Store offers thousands of options you can plug in without redoing your whole site.
“With Shopify, you can start small and turn things on as you grow—subscriptions, international selling, in-person sales, whatever,” Ben says. “You don’t have to go looking for a whole new platform every time your business levels up.”
Who it’s for
Shopify is built for ecommerce businesses of all sizes, from solopreneurs to large enterprises. It’s the best choice for business owners who want a professional online store without custom development.
Pricing
Shopify plans cost $5 to $299 per month. Start your Shopify free trial, no credit card required. Get three days free, then the first three months for $1 per month.
Features
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AI tools. Use Shopify Magic to streamline your online store design process, create landing pages and product listings, and receive guidance on everything from shipping to analytics.
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800+ themes. Jumpstart your site design with one of Shopify’s 800-plus themes.
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Integrated payment processing. Shopify Payments is an integrated payment gateway that accepts all major payment methods. Plus, more than 100 third-party payment providers are compatible.
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Extensive app store. Access the Shopify App Store for more than 8,000 add-ons and integrations.
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Shipping and fulfillment. Built-in order, inventory, and shipping tools generate labels, collect import taxes, provide tracking information, manage returns, and more.
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Advanced analytics. Track sales, customer behavior, and other essential ecommerce metrics with analytics and reporting features.
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Advanced customization and API access. While coding isn’t required, you can tailor your storefront and back-end systems to meet your unique needs with extensive customization options and API support.
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24/7 customer support. Enjoy round-the-clock support via email, live chat, and phone.
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
Wix
Wix is a no-code website builder with more than 2,000 templates. It gives you a large amount of layout control—from moving images freely to adjusting fonts and colors site-wide. Wix includes SEO features, and the built-in app market covers extras like booking forms, live chat, or a synced Instagram feed. Note that the platform is not designed specifically for ecommerce, although it offers ecommerce functionality at higher paid tiers.
Who it’s for
Freelancers looking for design flexibility.
Pricing
It’s free to publish a Wix site, but you’ll have ads and a branded subdomain. Paid plans cost $17 to $159 per month, and ecommerce functionality starts at $29 per month.
Features
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AI tools
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2,000+ templates
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Integrated payment processing
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800+ apps
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Shipping and fulfillment
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Advanced analytics
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Advanced customization and API access
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24/7 customer support
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.2
Squarespace
Squarespace is a basic website builder known for its minimalist designs. Pick a template, swap in your own photos, and you’re halfway to launch. The layouts are fully responsive, resizing smoothly on mobile without requiring a separate version or extra tweaks.
Squarespace wasn’t purpose-built for ecommerce: It also has a relatively small app library, which could make it difficult to add more granular features to your site down the line. It is often used by service businesses like freelance writers and designers who want to showcase their work and book clients.
Who it’s for
Service businesses looking for polished, responsive templates.
Pricing
Squarespace plans cost $25 to $139 per month, and there’s no free version. You can start selling with the lowest-priced plan, but Squarespace charges an additional 2% transaction fee to sell products and services and a 7% transaction fee for digital content and memberships.
Features
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AI tools
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185+ templates
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Integrated payment processing
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Small library of 25+ apps
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Shipping and fulfillment tools
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Advanced analytics
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Advanced customization and API access
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24/7 customer support
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.2
Weebly
Weebly—now owned by point-of-sale (POS) company Square—is a simple site builder with a free version that lets you drag a photo into place, type over the sample text, and have a basic page ready in minutes. The drag-and-drop editor is easy to learn, and you can manage your site on the go with Weebly’s mobile app.
The platform’s template library is relatively small, and some of the designs don’t look as modern as those from other platforms. Weebly also lacks AI tools. While you can list and sell a handful of products on Weebly’s free plan, you’ll need to level up two tiers to remove Weebly ads.
Who it’s for
Web design beginners.
Pricing
Paid Weebly plans cost $13 to $29 per month. The free version restricts you to a branded Weebly domain.
Features
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50+ themes
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Integrated payment processing
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350+ apps
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Shipping and fulfillment through third-party tools
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Advanced analytics
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Advanced customization and API access
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No G2 rating available
GoDaddy Website Builder
After a short setup with GoDaddy Website Builder, you’ll find a ready-made page with placeholder text and stock photos you can replace with just a few clicks. The editor is designed for simplicity—large buttons where you expect them and clean, easy-to-scan menus. You won’t get the same pixel-level design control as on other website builders, but skipping those extra steps means you can go from signup to a live site in less time.
Appointment booking (for service businesses) works right away, basic marketing tools are already in place, and you can reach support any time. If you’re just testing an idea—like a landing page for a new service or a portfolio mockup—you can try out GoDaddy Website Builder with a seven-day free trial. Note that GoDaddy doesn’t have an app library, so you’ll be limited to the native features you see on the platform.
Who it’s for
Businesses looking for a quick setup.
Pricing
GoDaddy Website Builder plans cost between $16.99 and $34.99 per month. You’ll need to level up to the $29.99 per month plan to accept online payments.
Features
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AI tools
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100+ templates
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Integrated payment processing
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Shipping and fulfillment through a third-party extension
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API access
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24/7 customer support
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.1
Hostinger
While it’s not as full-featured as Shopify, Hostinger is a viable choice for small catalogs or for testing a business idea without a big upfront investment. Its higher-priced plan includes AI tools for copywriting, logo creation, and image editing. While Hostinger doesn’t have a free plan, each of its paid tiers includes web hosting, SSL, and a free domain for the first year.
Who it’s for
Merchants looking for a simple budget option.
Pricing
Hostinger sells two plans, one at $10.99 per month and the other at $13.99 per month. The higher-priced plan has ecommerce features and gives you access to AI tools.
Features
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AI tools
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150+ templates
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Integrated payment processing
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Shipping and fulfillment
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Advanced customization and API access
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24/7 customer support
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
WordPress
WordPress handles daily blog posts, long-form articles, and regular updates without slowing down. The free plan is fine for a hobby site, but you may want to step up to a paid plan for a custom domain, better design control, and, if needed, important ecommerce tools. You can choose from thousands of themes, bolt on plug-ins for elements like contact forms or image galleries, and reorganize your pages as your archive grows.
Who it’s for
Writers.
Pricing
WordPress offers a free plan, but you’ll face important limitations like ads. Paid WordPress plans cost between $4 and $45 per month. The $25 Business plan adds SEO and analytics tools and 24/7 support. You can install the Shopify plug-in to turn your WordPress site into an online store with the world’s best-converting checkout—no coding or migration required.
Features
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AI tools
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13,000+ themes
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Integrated payment processing
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59,000+ plug-ins
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Shipping and fulfillment through WooCommerce
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Advanced analytics
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Advanced customization and API access
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24/7 customer support
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G2 ⭐️ rating: 4.4
What to look for in a cheap website builder
- Room to grow
- Clear, honest pricing
- Built-in ecommerce features
- SEO tools and performance features
- Templates and an easy-to-use interface
Going with a cheap website builder doesn’t mean you have to settle for clunky design, slow load times, and features you’ll quickly outgrow. Here’s what to look for when comparing your options:
Room to grow
Getting your site online quickly and cost-effectively is one thing; keeping it there as your needs grow is another. A good budget website builder should let you upgrade from a free plan to a paid one without losing your existing site or starting over.
Imagine that you’re a musician with a free website showcasing your work. You decide to sell some samples and tunes and create 20 product pages. On a comprehensive platform, you’d just click “Upgrade” to unlock checkout tools—no changes to your pages, images, or settings. But with a less flexible builder, the ecommerce plan might use a different template system, forcing you to rebuild everything before you can start selling.
Look for a builder that lets you add ecommerce functionality (if you want to, say, open an online store to sell merch), gives you access to marketing tools, and provides advanced analytics to help you figure out what’s working—and what’s not.
Clear, honest pricing
A cheap website builder can seem affordable at first, but the real costs kick in once you start building. Free plans often come with trade-offs, like ads, a subdomain instead of your own URL, limited storage, and missing basics like free stock photos. Even on paid plans, you might have to pay extra for SEO, the ability to remove platform branding, and more advanced features like email marketing software.
“Whatever your price point,” Ben says, “look for a website builder that’s going to save you time, not create more work. It should let you sell right away without needing to patch together a bunch of extra tools just to function.”
Before committing, carefully review the platform’s pricing plans. Can you publish with your own branding? Are core tools like contact forms, analytics, or product pages included or locked behind higher tiers? And if you’re planning to sell anything, double-check for transaction fees. Some builders take a cut of each sale unless you’re on a higher-tier plan.
In addition, make sure you can walk away if you want to. Some builders make it a pain to export your site or move to another host, which can leave you starting over if you outgrow their plans.
Built-in ecommerce features
If you’re planning to sell online and launch an ecommerce store, make sure your website builder can actually support your vision. Many free or entry-level plans only offer basic selling tools, and the trade-offs can add up fast.
Wix, for example, doesn’t let you accept payments unless you’re on a Business plan, starting at $27 per month. Squarespace includes ecommerce functionality at its $23 per month tier, but charges a 3% transaction fee unless you upgrade. Weebly lets you sell for free, but it locks key tools like shipping calculators and inventory tracking behind paid tiers.
Don’t just look for a checkout button. Make sure you can build out full product pages with images, variants, and clear descriptions—not just a price tag in a content block. And consider design: Are the templates built for selling, or will you end up hacking a blog layout into a storefront?
It’s far easier to start with the right foundation than to rip everything up and start over once you’ve got customers.
SEO tools and performance features
You can design a great-looking site, but if it’s slow to load or doesn’t show up in search results, people may never find it. Performance and SEO are two areas where some website builders tend to cut corners in their lowest-priced plans.
Look for built-in SEO tools that let you edit what shows up in search engine page results (SERPs)—like page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt text. If those settings are hidden or paywalled, that’s a red flag. The good ones make it obvious; some include checklists to guide you as you go.
Loading speed matters, too. Heavy templates with excessive animations can drag down performance, especially on mobile. Good website builders optimize your images, clean up code behind the scenes, and offer themes that look good and load fast. Before you commit, test a demo site on your phone. If it feels slow to you, it’ll feel slow to your visitors.
“You want to feel like you’re in control,” Ben says, “not waiting on a dev or wondering if you’re about to break your layout.”
Templates and an easy-to-use interface
To jumpstart your site design, look for a cheap website builder with a number of templates, which will let you create a professional-looking site quickly.
Just make sure not to get distracted by a pretty preview: Spend a few minutes moving blocks around in the editor. If the website building process feels clunky or you’re buried in menus for simple changes without any technical expertise, that’s what everyday use will feel like, too.
Cheap website builder FAQ
How cheaply can I build a website?
If all you need is a simple web presence, you can get online for free. Platforms like Wix, Weebly, and GoDaddy let you publish without paying a cent. The catch is you’re carrying their ads, and your address looks like yourname.weebly.com instead of a real domain. For around $10 to $20 per month, you can get your own domain, remove ads, and unlock essentials like forms, analytics, and product pages.
What is the best cheap website builder?
It all depends on what you need. Selling products? Shopify is built for ecommerce functionality from the start, with payments, shipping, and inventory tools ready to go the moment you log in. Plans start at $29 per month. Want design freedom and access to email marketing tools, but no selling features? Wix has templates you can tweak with its drag-and-drop editor for roughly $17 per month. Planning to start a blog? WordPress can handle long-form content without slowing down.
How much is a domain name?
Buying a domain for your site usually runs $10 to $20 a year. Some builders—like Wix, Squarespace, and GoDaddy—throw in the first year if you pay annually. Note that, in most cases, you can’t use a custom domain name on a free website builder plan.
