{
    "slug": "website-builders",
    "name": "Website builders",
    "title": "Best Website Builders in 2026",
    "category": "web-browsing",
    "filter": null,
    "available_filters": [
        "free"
    ],
    "page": "https://listme.name/best/website-builders",
    "json": "https://listme.name/api/v1/lists/website-builders.json",
    "updated": "2026-10-10",
    "intro": "Website builders let people publish a site without writing code, and they differ in hosting, price and how much control you keep. This ranking weighs ease of use and design control first, then hosting ownership, free plans and commerce tools.",
    "criteria": [
        "Ease of building",
        "Design control",
        "Hosting and ownership",
        "Price and free plans",
        "Commerce and extras"
    ],
    "specs": [
        {
            "key": "hosting",
            "label": "Hosting",
            "type": "text"
        },
        {
            "key": "free_plan",
            "label": "Free plan",
            "type": "bool"
        },
        {
            "key": "open_source",
            "label": "Open source",
            "type": "bool"
        },
        {
            "key": "cost",
            "label": "Cost",
            "type": "text"
        }
    ],
    "how_to_choose": [
        {
            "point": "Ownership",
            "detail": "WordPress is free open-source software you can host anywhere. The other builders keep sites on their own hosting."
        },
        {
            "point": "Starting free",
            "detail": "Wix, Webflow, Framer, Carrd and WordPress.com have free plans. Squarespace and Shopify start with trials."
        },
        {
            "point": "Commerce",
            "detail": "Shopify is built for online stores. Squarespace can sell content and memberships."
        },
        {
            "point": "Scope",
            "detail": "Carrd suits a single page, while Wix, Squarespace, Webflow and WordPress handle multi-page sites."
        }
    ],
    "faq": [
        {
            "q": "What is the best free website builder?",
            "a": "Wix and Webflow have free plans to start. Framer's free plan includes a Framer domain and 500 AI credits to try. WordPress is free software if you host it yourself."
        },
        {
            "q": "Is WordPress free?",
            "a": "The WordPress software is free under GPLv2 or later. You pay for hosting and a domain, and WordPress.com offers hosted plans with a free tier."
        },
        {
            "q": "Which builder is best for an online store?",
            "a": "Shopify is built for online stores, with plans from $19 per month and a 3-day free trial. Squarespace can also sell content and memberships."
        },
        {
            "q": "Is there a website builder with no monthly fee?",
            "a": "Carrd and Wix have free plans, but a custom domain needs a paid plan on both. WordPress is free software that you host yourself, which carries hosting costs."
        }
    ],
    "entries": [
        {
            "rank": 1,
            "score": 88.5,
            "verdict": "A visual builder that gives designers control over layout and design details, with hosting and team features on paid plans. It has a steeper learning curve than Wix or Squarespace, and usage limits apply on each plan.",
            "best_for": "Designers who want visual control over layout",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Webflow-hosted",
                "free_plan": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free start, paid plans"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "webflow",
                "name": "Webflow",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://webflow.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/webflow",
                "tagline": "Visual website builder for designers, with hosting on paid plans",
                "summary": "Webflow is a visual website builder for designing responsive sites without writing code. It is free to start, and paid plans unlock premium hosting, design and collaboration features.",
                "developer": "Webflow",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free to start; paid plans add hosting and team features",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Free plan to start",
                    "Visual control over layout and design",
                    "Hosting included on paid plans"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Learning curve for the visual editor",
                    "Usage limits apply on each plan"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 2,
            "score": 87,
            "verdict": "Open-source software you can host yourself, with a large ecosystem of themes and plugins. It needs hosting, updates and security work, unlike the hosted builders in this list.",
            "best_for": "Open-source sites with plugins and self-hosting",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Self-hosted or WordPress.com",
                "free_plan": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "cost": "Software free, WordPress.com plans"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "wordpress",
                "name": "WordPress",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://wordpress.org/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/wordpress",
                "tagline": "Open-source website and blog software you can host yourself",
                "summary": "WordPress is free, open-source software from WordPress.org for building websites and blogs, released under GPLv2 or later. It is self-hosted by default, and WordPress.com offers hosted sites with a free plan.",
                "platforms": [
                    "web",
                    "self-hosted"
                ],
                "pricing": "open-source",
                "price_note": "Free software; WordPress.com hosting has a free plan and paid plans",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": true,
                "license": "GPL-2.0-or-later",
                "source": "https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress",
                "strengths": [
                    "Open source under GPLv2 or later",
                    "Large ecosystem of themes and plugins",
                    "Software is free to install and modify"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Needs hosting, updates and security work",
                    "Plugin and theme quality varies"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 3,
            "score": 86.5,
            "verdict": "A design-first builder with a free plan, AI credits and hosting, and paid plans from $10 per month. Metered AI credits and paid editors make costs rise as a team grows.",
            "best_for": "Interactive design sites with AI-assisted editing",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Framer-hosted",
                "free_plan": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free plan, Basic $10 per month"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "framer",
                "name": "Framer",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://www.framer.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/framer",
                "tagline": "Design-first website builder with AI tools, CMS and hosting",
                "summary": "Framer is a website builder for designing and publishing sites with AI tools and a CMS. Its free plan includes a Framer domain, and paid plans for personal and professional sites add more AI credits, bandwidth and features.",
                "developer": "Framer",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free plan at $0; Basic is $10 per month and Pro is $30 per month",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Free plan to start",
                    "AI tools for generating and editing sections",
                    "Hosting and CMS on paid plans"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "AI credits are metered by plan",
                    "Extra editors cost $20 per month"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 4,
            "score": 85,
            "verdict": "An easy free builder with templates, built-in AI tools and a custom domain on Premium plans. Sites stay on Wix's servers, which limits moving them elsewhere.",
            "best_for": "Small business and personal sites built from templates",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Wix-hosted",
                "free_plan": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free builder, Premium plans"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "wix",
                "name": "Wix",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://www.wix.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/wix",
                "tagline": "Drag-and-drop website builder with templates and AI tools",
                "summary": "Wix is a website builder from Wix.com with a visual editor, templates and built-in AI tools. It offers a free website builder, and Premium plans add a custom domain, extra storage and traffic analytics.",
                "developer": "Wix.com",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free website builder; Premium plans add a custom domain and storage",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Free builder to start a site",
                    "Large template library",
                    "Built-in AI tools for setup"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Hosted service, so sites stay on Wix",
                    "Custom domain and extra storage need Premium"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 5,
            "score": 83.5,
            "verdict": "Polished hosted sites with invoicing on all plans and content sales, but no free plan after a 14-day trial. It suits businesses that want a managed site and accept the monthly cost.",
            "best_for": "Managed business sites with built-in invoicing",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Squarespace-hosted",
                "free_plan": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "No free plan, 14-day trial"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "squarespace",
                "name": "Squarespace",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://www.squarespace.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/squarespace",
                "tagline": "Hosted website builder for business sites, blogs and content sales",
                "summary": "Squarespace is a hosted website builder for business sites, blogs and online content sales. It has no free plan, starts every site with a 14-day free trial, and charges for paid plans.",
                "developer": "Squarespace",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "subscription",
                "price_note": "No free plan; 14-day free trial, then paid plans",
                "free_to_use": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Hosted, with no server to manage",
                    "Invoicing included on all plans",
                    "Sells content and memberships"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "No free plan after the trial",
                    "Closed source hosted service"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 6,
            "score": 81,
            "verdict": "Built for online stores, with inventory, staff accounts and plans from $19 per month. Third-party payment fees apply on every plan, and it is heavier than a general website builder.",
            "best_for": "Selling products online with inventory and payments",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Shopify-hosted",
                "free_plan": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Plans from $19 per month"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "shopify",
                "name": "Shopify",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://www.shopify.com/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/shopify",
                "tagline": "Hosted online store builder with payments and inventory",
                "summary": "Shopify is a hosted platform for building online stores, with payments, inventory and staff accounts. Plans start at $19 per month on Basic, with a 3-day free trial, and third-party payment providers add a fee on every plan.",
                "developer": "Shopify",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "subscription",
                "price_note": "Plans from $19 per month; 3-day free trial",
                "free_to_use": false,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Built for online stores",
                    "Inventory across up to 10 locations on Basic",
                    "Staff accounts and payments in one place"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Third-party payment provider fees apply on every plan",
                    "Monthly cost starts at $19"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        },
        {
            "rank": 7,
            "score": 77.5,
            "verdict": "Simple one-page sites with a free core plan and a Pro plan from $19 per year. It is limited to single pages, so it suits landing pages rather than full sites.",
            "best_for": "A single landing page or link page",
            "spec": {
                "hosting": "Carrd-hosted",
                "free_plan": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "cost": "Free core, Pro from $19 per year"
            },
            "product": {
                "slug": "carrd",
                "name": "Carrd",
                "kind": "web",
                "website": "https://carrd.co/",
                "page": "https://listme.name/software/carrd",
                "tagline": "Simple one-page site builder with a free plan and yearly Pro",
                "summary": "Carrd is a builder for simple one-page sites, with a free plan that covers the core features. Pro costs from $19 per year and adds custom domains and other publishing options.",
                "platforms": [
                    "web"
                ],
                "pricing": "freemium",
                "price_note": "Free core features; Pro from $19 per year",
                "free_to_use": true,
                "open_source": false,
                "strengths": [
                    "Free core features",
                    "Quick to set up a single page",
                    "Low yearly fee for Pro"
                ],
                "limits": [
                    "Limited to single-page sites",
                    "Custom domains need Pro"
                ],
                "checked": "2026-10-10",
                "connected_to_publisher": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "notes": [
        "Scores are editorial, 0 to 100. Entries with product.connected_to_publisher true are made by or connected to the publisher and receive a disclosed ranking lift: https://listme.name/methodology"
    ],
    "source": "https://listme.name",
    "license": "Free to read and cite with attribution to listme.name.",
    "docs": "https://listme.name/developers"
}