8 Best Drag & Drop Website Builders in 2023
Drag-and-drop website editing tools eliminate the need to learn code or master complex software to build a website. The best drag-and-drop website builders are affordable and easy to use with built-in features for ecommerce, appointments, lead generation, events, and marketing. We ranked our top picks below based on our evaluation criteria and first-hand experience with the platforms.
- Overall best drag-and-drop website builder and best for SEO: Wix
- Best for visually impactful site design: Squarespace
- Best drag-and-drop for building a WordPress website: Bluehost
- Best for restaurants and small ecommerce operations: Weebly
- Best for serious ecommerce and selling on multiple channels: Shopify
- Best integrated sales and marketing tools and best free option: HubSpot
- Cheapest drag-and-drop website builder: IONOS
- Best for service-based businesses and easiest for beginners: GoDaddy
Best Drag & Drop Website Builders at a Glance
Provider | Free Plan | Starting Cost of Plans (Monthly) | Ecommerce Plans From | Free Domain Included |
---|---|---|---|---|
✓ | $16* | $27* | ✓ | |
✕ | $16* | $23* | ✓ | |
✕ | $2.95** | $9.95** | ✓ | |
✓ | $12* | Free | ✓ | |
✕ | $39 | $39 | ✕ | |
✓ | $23* | $23* | ✕ | |
✕ | $1** | $1** | ✓ | |
✓ | $11.99* | $24.99* | ✕ | |
*Starting cost per month with annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost
**With annual billing and renews at a higher rate after the first year
Take our quiz to find out which customer database software works best for you.
Which drag-and-drop website builder is best for you?
Wix: Best Drag & Drop Website Builder for Small Businesses
What We Like
- True drag-and-drop editor for max design freedom
- Beginner-friendly and intuitive
- Free plan to get you started
- Responsive templates for a good user experience (UX) on any device
- Advanced search engine optimization (SEO) features
What's Missing
- Limited storage on lower-tier plans (try Squarespace or IONOS for content-heavy sites)
- Can’t change templates without starting over, unlike Squarespace
- While robust, ecommerce is more expensive vs Weebly or IONOS
Key Features
- Annual plans include hosting, SSL certificate, and a free domain name
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-built template or choose from 800+ templates
- 300+ paid and free integrations
- Base ecommerce tier with unlimited ecommerce, appointments, reservations, events, online ordering, memberships, and subscriptions
- Best site builder for SEO: auto image compression, schema markup, code embedding, and Semrush keyword research in the dashboard
Wix is the best overall drag-and-drop site builder for small businesses. It tops our list because it has true drag-and-drop editing capabilities, and it’s the one that allows for the most design freedom and website customization. Plus, it does so without sacrificing beginner-friendliness and intuitive ease of use. To get started, see how to use Wix to build a website in five steps.
With Wix, you can drag elements anywhere within your web pages, giving you maximum design flexibility, especially compared to section-based editors like Weebly and GoDaddy. There are premade page blocks to choose from, as well as elements like buttons, menus, and galleries, and even more functionality, such as adding a store, blog, or content sections.
Its array of SEO-friendly features also propelled Wix to the top of our list of best SEO website builders. Automatic image compression speeds up page loading, and structured markup gives search engines the information they need to fully index your site. In addition, Semrush keyword research tools are now embedded into your dashboard (you’ll need a Semrush account), making it easy to find the best keywords for your site’s content.
Wix offers the best of both worlds, combining functionality you’d normally need to use WordPress to obtain with the ease of use of a no-code site builder. Unless you need features requiring developer-level coding, Wix is the best site builder for those needing a fully custom business website. Learn more in our Wix vs WordPress head-to-head comparison.
Wix is packed with native functionality, but if you find something lacking, there are over 300 plug-and-play integrations to add even more to your website. Among these is a PayPal integration that allows you to accept payments, including subscriptions and donations, enabling ecommerce with the free plan. Integrate with Mailchimp for email marketing, add pop-ups with deals or coupons to your site, and monetize it by integrating Google Ads.
Wix Pricing & Plans
Free | Combo | Unlimited | Business Basic | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $0 | $16 | $22 | $27 |
Storage | 2GB | 2GB | 5GB | 50GB |
Free Domain & SSL | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
App Marketplace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
SEO Wiz | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
SEO Site Booster | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Events, Appointments & Online Reservations | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Unlimited Ecommerce | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Cart Abandonment | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Subscriptions & Memberships | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Social Selling & Ad Vouchers | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Video Capacity | ✕ | 30 minutes | 1 hour | 5 hours |
*12-month subscription paid annually
Wix isn’t the cheapest for selling online, but the base ecommerce plan is the most robust compared to its competitors. Squarespace, one of the best ecommerce platforms, requires paid add-ons for membership sites and appointments. With Bluehost and IONOS, subscriptions only come in the highest plans, and some drag-and-drop site builders don’t even offer this capability. With Wix, you get all of this and more in the first Business plan, allowing you to:
- Sell physical and digital products online (unlimited)
- Accept recurring payments for appointments, subscriptions, and memberships
- Create gated content (e.g., membership sites)
- Accept online bookings and reservations
- Set appointments and sync them to your calendars
- Sell tickets and manage events
- Sell artwork or stream video and music
- Take orders online (e.g., restaurants)
You can use Wix’s free plan to build your site and get it online. In fact, Wix is also our top pick for the best free website builder. However, we recommend you only use the free version to test the site builder, as you can’t publish your free site on a custom domain branded to your business. HubSpot is the only option for those who are looking for a free website builder they can use with a domain they own.
Our Expert Opinion
If you’re looking for the overall best drag-and-drop website builder for small businesses, choose Wix. It’s the best for design freedom, even if you don’t have prior web design experience. It’s also the best for SEO, ensuring your site can rank on Google. With robust native features and hundreds of integrations, you can build a custom-looking business website with all the functionality you desire.
Squarespace: Best for Visually Impactful Site Design
What We Like
- New Fluid Engine with drag-and-drop editing and more design freedom
- Sleek, modern templates, which you can swap out at any time without starting over
- Beginner-friendly and fairly intuitive
- Unlimited storage for large or content-heavy sites, like portfolios
- Video Studio to create branded content
- 14-day free trial (but no free plan)
What's Missing
- Not as fully customizable as Wix, and far fewer templates
- Appointment booking requires an add-ons, unlike Wix and Weebly
- Page-level SEO isn’t as easy or intuitive as Wix or IONOS
- No free plan, unlike Wix or HubSpot
- Very few (approx. 35) third-party integrations compared to competitors
Key Features
- Annual plans include hosting, SSL certificate, and a free domain name
- Multiple contributors with any plan
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth on all plans
- Google Workspace account with Gmail business email free for 12 months (Business plan or higher)
- 100% responsive, mobile-optimized templates
Squarespace consistently ranks as one of the best website builders for small business, partly for its modern, impeccably designed templates. This enables you to easily build a visually impactful professional website to engage visitors with little time and effort, even for design and website beginners. For more insight, read our step-by-step instructions on how to use Squarespace.
Assuming you want to customize your template so your website stands out, the new Fluid Engine site editor makes this easy. Previously, you could add sections and move them around on Squarespace, but changing spacing or moving elements around in a section was nearly impossible. With the new Fluid Engine editor, you can now literally drag any element to a new spot and easily change the spacing between and the sizing of objects.
Another plus of choosing Squarespace’s drag-and-drop website builder is that the templates are all fully responsive, and you can change them anytime. For example, Wix and Weebly’s templates are responsive for the most part, but you will likely need to make some design adjustments for the mobile versions. Also, you can’t swap in a new template with either site builder without completely rebuilding your site.
Like Wix and HubSpot, Squarespace is a top site builder for search engine optimization (SEO). In your dashboard, you’ll find an SEO checklist to help ensure you do all you can to get your website seen and rank on top search engines like Google. Sites load quickly, and since all templates are fully responsive, you won’t have to worry that your site visitor will have a poor user experience (UX) on a smartphone or tablet.
Squarespace Pricing & Plans
Personal | Business | Commerce Advanced | |
---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $16 | $23 | $49 |
Unlimited Storage & Bandwidth | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain & SSL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Studio | Limited | Full | Full |
Contributors | 2 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
App Marketplace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Stock Image Library | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Unlimited Ecommerce | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Transaction Fees | ✕ | 3% | 0% |
Social Selling | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Cart Abandonment | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*12-month subscription, paid annually; monthly contracts are also available for a higher price.
Notably, unlike Wix, tools for appointment booking, reservations, events and ticketing, membership sites, and features most restaurants need aren’t included in any of Squarespace’s plans. Instead, they are offered as add-ons you can purchase in addition to your Squarespace subscription to gain specific functionality:
- Scheduling: From $14 to $45 per month for appointment booking with calendar syncing, custom payment settings, reminder emails and texts, and bundled client deal packages with gift certificates, multi-appointment or recurring appointments, and gift certificates.
- Tock: From $199 to $699-plus per month for restaurants, wineries, and others as a complete reservation, table, takeout, event, and guest management system.
Squarespace does offer some unique features involving website functionality and marketing. Many are geared toward ecommerce, such as inventory, order management, payment processing, and shipping. For example, Squarespace allows you to do the following:
- Add an online store to any template
- Add a Google map to your website
- Use pop-up banners and promotions to engage site visitors and drive subscriptions
- Display content from social media channels on your website and auto-publish content from your website to social channels
- Create shoppable posts on Instagram from your website (Commerce plans)
- Let visitors save your webpages and media to their Pinterest with the click of a button
- Hire a Squarespace expert to build or perfect your site directly from the platform
- Expand the capabilities of your site with extensions for third-party customer relationship and order management, dropshipping, accounting, and marketing apps
Our Expert Opinion
Squarespace is a good choice for users of all skill levels who need a high-quality site that both looks and functions as if a web design expert built it. It also provides tools to drive traffic to your website, build your online presence through social media, create branded videos, and set up a fully functional ecommerce website.
Bluehost: Best Drag & Drop Website Builder for WordPress
What We Like
- No-code WordPress page builder
- Unlimited websites available on premium plans
- All the benefits of WordPress plugins, widgets, and customizability with a much lower learning curve for beginners
- WordPress is installed and core updates are managed for you
- Monthly billing is available
What's Missing
- No free version or trial
- Still some learning curve—you’ll need to install and configure plugins for site security, SEO, and any custom functionality you want
- Can’t change your theme (template)
- No automated backups on base plans
- Annually billed pricing increases significantly after the first year
Key Features
- All-inclusive web hosting plans with domain, SSL, and email addresses
- Plans for basic websites and online stores with all the plugins you need pre-installed
- 300+ templates in the base plan or more than 1,000 design options in higher tiers
- Unlimited email addresses and email storage after the base tier
- 24/7 support
All Bluehost plans come with the Bluehost Builder, one of the best WordPress website builders. Having the versatility of WordPress with the intuitiveness of a site builder platform could be an especially great option for anyone struggling to get the custom look they want through WordPress’ Gutenberg blocks or even premium themes and templates. Learn more by reading our tutorial on how to make a WordPress website.
You can move between the Bluehost Builder and WordPress administrative dashboards easily. This enables you to expand your site’s functionality through plugins, which may mean you don’t need to access more expensive plan tiers with Bluehost to get your desired capabilities, like the ability to accept payments.
However, this also assumes that you have a basic working knowledge of WordPress. In that case, have no fear, as you don’t have to know how to use WordPress to get a fully functional website, including an online store, using Bluehost’s site builder. Some plans come with WordPress, all the essential plugins you need to create, and an online store pre-installed, with updates managed for you.
Bluehost Pricing & Plans
Basic | Pro | Online Store | |
---|---|---|---|
Intro Cost / Month* | $2.95 | $9.95 | $9.95 |
Renews At* | $10.99 | $14.99 | $39.95 |
Storage | 10GB | 20GB | 100GB |
Websites | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Templates | 300+ | 330+ | 330+ |
Free Domain & SSL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Accounts | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Email Marketing Plugin | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic Backups | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Yoast SEO Plugin | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ecommerce Plugin | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Accept Recurring Payments & Sell Gift Cards | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Shipping Plugin | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Subscriptions & Memberships | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*Billed annually; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost.
Bluehost’s dedicated WordPress website builder, which comes in all plans, bridges the gap between WordPress and all-in-one site builders like Squarespace and Wix. But keep in mind that the plan costs above might not be all the investment needed to build on WordPress. Read up on what WordPress costs, including hidden expenses you might not have anticipated.
You’re likely to need some premium plugins, especially if you want any kind of unique functionality. You’ll also need to be able to add code for things like Google Analytics or Google Data Studio integration. Our list of WordPress tips and tricks details aspects of building on WordPress you’ll need to know to ensure your site is secure, optimized for search, and offers a good site visitor experience.
Still, using the Bluehost Builder makes it much easier to create a fully functional WordPress website in far less time. With Bluehost plans, you’ll get:
- Free domain, SSL, and email addresses (from five to unlimited)
- No-code WordPress page builder
- Landing page templates to optimize lead generation and sales campaigns
- Pricing, packaging, and premium website templates after the base tier
- Fully responsive—artificial intelligence (AI) ensures your site looks good no matter what device it’s viewed on
- Ability to add and manage a blog from the site builder (all plans)
- WordPress installation and its core updates managed for you
- Pre-installed plugins for functionality included in your chosen plan
- Online store with unlimited products (Pro or Online Store plan)
- Private domain name registration (Pro or Online Store plan)
Our Expert Opinion
If you’ve been waiting for WordPress to get easier, your day has come. All Bluehost plans come with a drag-and-drop page builder to build a WordPress website quickly, and WordPress updates will be managed for you. However, building a website with Wix will still be much easier–you’ll still have some learning curve to use WordPress and you’ll have to manage plugin installation and updates yourself.
Weebly: Best for Small or Casual Ecommerce
What We Like
- Forever-free plan for ecommerce
- Premium plans are cheaper than most competitors
- App marketplace for paid users
- Free photo studio app to perfect your product photos
- Weebly Promote email newsletter builder
- Specific features and apps that make it the best site builder for restaurants
What's Missing
- Outdated templates vs Squarespace or Wix, and fewer to choose from
- Can’t switch from Square editor to the more versatile Weebly editor
- The free ecommerce plan is only available to U.S. users
- Shoppable social media posts only available on Square (not Weebly)
Key Features
- Two editors to choose from: section-based editor with Square Online plans vs drag-and-drop with Weebly for personal sites
- Robust ecommerce on all plans
- Third-party apps to increase functionality
- Embed code at the page level
- Member-areas built in with some plans
Weebly allows startups and small businesses to sell online starting for free, making it our top pick for building small or casual ecommerce websites. Weebly’s free and cheap ad free plans allow for unlimited ecommerce, online ordering, inventory management, and automated sales tax, powered by its parent company, Square. These features are often locked behind far more expensive plan tiers with other site builders.
Note that the drag and drop editor doesn’t come with the complete design flexibility you get with Wix, so while you can drag content blocks onto web pages, you can’t necessarily move elements anywhere you want. Still, this makes it easier for beginners to build their websites, as there are fewer ways to mess them up. See more information on how to build a Weebly website with our guide.
Weebly offers two editors: the original Weebly editor and the section-based Square editor. Both are beginner-friendly, but you can’t switch from the Square editor to the Weebly editor, nor can you access Weebly’s third-party app marketplace with the Square editor. To choose a template, you’ll also want the Weebly Websites editor, as Square uses AI to build your template, similar to GoDaddy.
It’s a little confusing, as during setup, you’ll be asked if you want a business website or a personal website. Choose the second option (Weebly Websites) to head to the free drag-and-drop website builder. Don’t worry if you plan to sell on your website, as you can still do so using this editor, even though it indicates it’s for personal sites.
Also, restaurants wanting to integrate apps like GloriaFood will want to go in through the personal sites / Weebly Websites portal, as you can’t add this app (or any other Marketplace apps) to sites on the Square Online builder. Learn more about this and find out why Weebly tops our list of the best restaurant website builders.
If you choose the Square editor, a template will be built for you using AI, and you can customize it from there. When using the Weebly Websites editor, you’ll have access to its library of templates. Some are a bit basic or dated, and there are only about 50 to choose from. If design is a high priority, check out Wix’s 800-plus templates or Squarespace’s ultra-modern selection instead.
Weebly Pricing & Features
Free | Professional | Performance | |
---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $0 | $12 | $26 |
Ad-free | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Unlimited Storage & Bandwidth | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Free Domain & SSL | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Store With Unlimited Products | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Transaction Fee 2.9% + 30 Cents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Inventory Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Member Sites & Subscriptions | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Abandoned Cart Recovery | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Customer Accounts | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
PayPal Payments | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*With annual billing
Weebly includes unlimited products on all their websites (even the free one). This makes the platform a fantastic choice for small or casual sellers. It even includes some nifty ecommerce features, like shipping calculators, coupon codes and gift cards, inventory management, and product SEO on even the most basic plan.
Get the following when you build a website on Weebly:
- Unlimited products and advanced ecommerce tools for affordable prices–starting from free
- Ecommerce transactions and point-of-sale powered by parent company Square
- Ability to add other payment processors with the highest-tier Performance plan
- Sell physical or digital goods
- Integrate dropshipping apps
- Membership sites and subscriptions (Performance plan)
- Page-level code embedding
- Page and product SEO
- Optional drag-and-drop newsletter builder (Weebly Promote)
- Photo Studio for professional product photos
The highest-tier Performance plan is cheaper than comparable ecommerce plans with other drag-and-drop website builders. Likewise, the first plan appropriate for business use, Professional, is several dollars cheaper than starter plans with Wix, Squarespace, or HubSpot. For the same reason, Weebly is better for casual ecommerce sellers than Shopify, as you’ll have all the features you need at a lower price point.
Our Expert Opinion
Weebly is the best drag-and-drop website builder for restaurants and for small ecommerce operations thanks to robust ecommerce, point-of-sale features, and affordable plans. In addition, its built-in SEO tools are useful for businesses looking to build an online presence and grow their store. Read our full Weebly review for more.
Shopify: Best for Dedicated Ecommerce & Multi-channel Selling
What We Like
- Sell in-person or online, and across channels like Google and social media
- Tons of premium themes in the store
- Hundreds of third-party apps available in the store
- Switch themes without losing content
- Add code to edit your site
- Plans scale as your online store grows
- Multi-language sites
What's Missing
- Fewer than 10 free themes
- Need an app for true drag-and-drop functionality
- Cost of plans jumps steeply with upgrades and apps get pricey
- Plans don’t include a free domain, unlike Wix, Squarespace, and IONOS
- High transaction fees on all plans
Key Features
- Advanced features and tools for large and/or international ecommerce sellers
- Multi-channel point-of-sale (POS) supported for free
- Partnered with various social media platforms for in-app purchases
Shopify is much more than a top ecommerce website builder. In fact, website building is just a sideline. Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform (and one of the most popular) and you can easily build an ecommerce website using its editor.
Shopify’s free theme selection is the smallest one on this list. Though they are modern and professional-looking, you only have nine templates to choose from. However, you can purchase one of over a thousand themes in the store or hire a Fiverr designer to create a custom design for your Shopify store for as little as $5. Learn more as you read how to set up a Shopify store in a few simple steps.
Note that Shopify’s editor isn’t a true drag-and-drop website builder like Wix. Instead, it’s more of a section-based editor (like Weebly and GoDaddy), meaning you can add premade sections and blocks, edit the content, and move them around your page using arrows. You can, however, add drag-and-drop functionality by downloading an app through the marketplace. These apps, like many Shopify apps, aren’t free.
Shopify Pricing & Plans
Basic | Shopify | Advanced | |
---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $39 | $105 | $399 |
Unlimited Products | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Staff Accounts | 2 | 5 | 15 |
Online Transaction Fee | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.6% + 30 cents | 2.4% + 30 cents |
In-person Transaction Fee | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
Multiple Point-of-Sale (POS) options | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Multi-language Sites | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Local Currency Options | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Abandoned Cart Recovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Dynamic Pricing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ecommerce Automations | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Third-party Shipping Rates | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
Inventory Locations | 4 | 5 | 8 |
Reports | Basic | Standard | Advanced & custom |
*Represents 50% savings with annual billing; monthly contracts are available for higher prices.
In addition to Shopify’s pricing plans, consider the cost of apps and transaction fees when determining the best drag-and-drop website builder for your money. For smaller ecommerce sites and sellers on a tight budget, we recommend using Weebly instead.
There’s a lot you can do with Shopify’s unique ecommerce features. From building a thriving ecommerce store to expanding your business with online sales or selling internationally, here are the features that make it one of the best platforms for ecommerce:
- Sell from your Shopify store, Facebook, Shopify’s wholesale shopping app, Handshake, by using “Buy” buttons in social posts or tagging products in Instagram posts, or sell wholesale to other businesses
- Wide selection of third-party ecommerce integrations, including many dropshipping apps
- Multiple points-of-sale for free—see why it’s our top multi-channel POS system for 2022
- Advanced ecommerce like abandoned cart recovery and reports on all plans
- Tools for selling internationally, like multi-language translation, local payment methods, currency conversion, and international market management
- Partnered with social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) for shoppable posts
Shopify is especially ideal for large ecommerce operations and those which rely heavily on dropshipping. Learn how to open a Shopify dropshipping store today.
Our Expert Opinion
Shopify has all you need to start and grow your store. Compared to the other website builders showcased here, plans can be pricey but are worth it as they can scale with your business. If you want an easy interface (that can turn into a drag-and-drop builder), multiple POS capabilities, and features for expanding internationally, this builder could be ideal for you. Check out our in-depth Shopify review to learn more.
HubSpot: Best for Sales-oriented Businesses & Best Free Option
What We Like
- Only site builder that lets you use your own domain on the free plan
- Integrates seamlessly with HubSpot’s other free/paid tools for sales and marketing, including CRM, customer service, and email marketing apps
- Thousands of third-party integrations
- Strong SEO features
What's Missing
- Expensive jump in plan prices after the base tier
- No native ecommerce tools (only through integrations)
- Paid plans don’t include a domain
Key Features
- Enterprise-grade tools, features, and security
- Dedicated landing pages for sales and marketing campaigns
- Low-cost starter plan offers all the bells and whistles most small businesses need
The HubSpot CMS (CMS stands for content management system) is a relative newcomer to the space—but has exceeded our expectations with unique features that set it apart from the rest. On its free plan, you can connect a custom domain to build your brand presence online, unlike most other free site builders.
To make setting up your website easier, a User Guide walks you through the steps and there’s a checklist for SEO. There’s even a specific guide to help you get started with the drag-and-drop builder. Learn more in our guide detailing how to build a HubSpot website in just six steps.
You can integrate HubSpot’s other apps easily to turn your website into a lead and sales-generating powerhouse. For example, HubSpot is the best free CRM for small businesses thanks to tools for customer relationship management (CRM), sales, and customer service. You get site bots, live chat, ticketing, and automation features—all for free. For this reason, it’s the best drag-and-drop builder for sales teams needing online lead generation and relationship nurturing.
There are about a hundred free themes available, though you can opt for a premium theme or hire a low-cost freelancer to build one for you through Fiverr. Plus, as a section-based editor, it’s not as fully customizable as Wix or Squarespace sites. Like several other site builders, there’s also an option to hire a graphic designer to create a custom theme you can use when building a small business website.
HubSpot CMS Pricing & Plans
Free | Starter | Professional | |
---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $0 | $23 | $360 |
Connect Custom Domain & Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Multi-language Sites | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Store via App Integration | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Ad-free | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Website Pages | 25 | 50 | 10,000 |
Landing Pages | 20 | 20 | 10,000 |
Blog Posts | 100 | 10,000 | 10,000 |
Subdomains | 1 | 1 | Unlimited |
One-time & Recurring Payments | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Membership Sites | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*With annual billing; month-to-month contracts available for higher prices.
All of HubSpot’s solutions can be easily integrated through the HubSpot CMS, and most have free starter versions. This includes its world-class customer relationship manager (CRM), customer service, email marketing, and operations apps. As they are designed for enterprise-level operations, your website will be geared with some of the best software on the market, and also scalable, able to keep pace as your company grows.
With HubSpot CMS, you get easy-to-integrate:
- Customer relationship and customer service tools, like live chat, ticketing, and automations
- Marketing software, such as landing pages, email marketing, SEO, and workflow automations
- Sales tools to manage your sales pipeline and nurture prospect and customer relationships
- Operational features that unify data across your business
- Thousands of third-party integrations to increase your website’s functionality, including ecommerce apps that you can integrate starting with the free plan
Our Expert Opinion
HubSpot CMS’ features and enterprise-level features set it apart. You can connect a custom domain on the free plan (unique among website builders), but you can also integrate HubSpot’s wealth of CRM, sales, marketing, operations, and service tools. It’s one to try if you’re looking for robust tools that can grow alongside your business. While prices aren’t cheap in higher-plan tiers, the return on investment could be more than worth it.
IONOS: Cheapest Drag & Drop Website Builder Plans
Pros
- Cheapest plans—from $1 per month
- Ecommerce from $1 per month
- Multi-language sites
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- Google PageSpeed for fast site loading
- 17,000+ royalty-free graphics
- Free domain and business email
- Dedicated success consultant to help you build your site and get the most from your plan
Cons
- No free version or trial
- Can’t switch templates without starting over
- Not as fully customizable as Wix
- No option for monthly billing
Key Features
- All plans include a free domain, email address, and SSL certificate
- Beginner-friendly drag and drop website editor
- Business apps to add more functionality
- Plus or Pro plans with email newsletters, booking forms, calendar tools, business apps, animations, parallax scrolling, and video backgrounds
- High level of customer support 24/7, including a dedicated consultant and help via chat, email ticketing, and phone callback
IONOS (formerly known as 1&1 or IONOS by 1&1) is a top domain name registrar and web hosting company. It has long offered low-cost bundled solutions that are great for small business and startup websites. While there is no free version of the IONOS website builder, there is a money-back guarantee, and you can essentially “test” the site builder for a full year for just $12 ($1 per month).
IONOS website builder is very beginner-friendly. It’s easy to add new sections to your page, and there are prebuilt designs for various content blocks, such as About, Articles, Galleries, Testimonials, Headers, Text, Video, and so on.
Those wanting the most customization and business features should opt for the Pro or Plus plan. These are the plans you need to add functionality for email marketing, appointment booking, calendar tools, and a slew of other business apps. With this version, you get features like animations, parallax scrolling, and more creative design freedom.
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll have a dedicated success consultant who can advise as you build and customize your website. You can also add an online store to any plan and still come in at a meager cost, especially in the first year. All plans include unlimited storage, bandwidth, a free domain and SSL, free email on your domain, and solid SEO tools and features.
IONOS Pricing & Plans
Starter | Plus | Pro | |
---|---|---|---|
Intro Cost / Month* | $5 | $1 | $15 |
Renews At (No Store)* | $15 | $15 | $25 |
Online Store (Optional) | 500 products | 5,000 products | 10,000 products |
Social Selling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Storage | 10GB | 50GB | Unlimited |
Free Domain, SSL & Email | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Success Consultant & 24/7 Support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Blog | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Business Apps. (e.g., Bookings, Reviews, Customer Accounts) | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Code Embed & HTML/CSS Editing | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Personalized Content | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
Sell on Google | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
*All plans are billed annually.
Every plan includes unique features for site optimization, speed, and site visitor experience, like automatic image optimization to ensure large images you upload won’t slow down your site. IONOS all-in-one easy website builder plans come with:
- Domain and business email included free
- Google PageSpeed and image optimization for speed, and built-in site and page level SEO
- A dedicated success manager to guide you through building your site and getting the most from its features
- Personalization rules to display pop-ups, banners, videos, and other content to specific site visitors (first time, returning, behavior-based, etc.)
- About two dozen default language options with Plus or Pro plan
- Multi-blogger access with Plus and Pro plans for content marketers
- Add an online store to any plan, including 500 to 10,000 products that can be uploaded by a comma-separated values (CSV) spreadsheet, set up flexible shipping and collection options, flexible payment options, and store management tools
- Sell on Facebook, Instagram, or Google Shopping
One thing that seems to be lacking with IONOS ecommerce plans are subscriptions. If you want the option to sell recurring memberships and subscriptions, Wix and Weebly are better options for your business.
Our Expert Opinion
IONOS offers great value for the money with an all-in-one solution for your website with hosting, domain, SSL, and email included for as little as $12 the first year. Choose the Plus or Pro plan for the most customization, or begin with the Starter plan to get a basic website up in the shortest amount of time.
GoDaddy: Best for Service Businesses & Easiest for Beginners
What We Like
- Most beginner-friendly site builder
- Cheapest for recurring payments
- Graphic and video studios to create branded assets for your site and marketing
- Email marketing with all paid plans
What's Missing
- Monthly billing is a lot more expensive, and pricing of annual plans jumps quite a bit after the first year
- Can’t choose a template, unlike Wix and Squarespace
- Templates and design tools are limited
- Plans don’t include a domain, unlike Wix and Squarespace
- Transaction fees with all plans, even in upper tiers
Key Features
- Appointment booking and website chatbots with all plans, even the free one
- Google Business Page, Yelp, and social channel integrations
- Unified inbox pulls messages from chatbots, Messenger, and Instagram Direct Message into one place
- Free SSL with all plans (even free) and connect your own domain with any paid plan
Having used each of these site builders, we found that GoDaddy is the best drag-and-drop website builder for beginners. See for yourself by reading our instructions for building a website on GoDaddy in just five steps. It’s section-based rather than a full drag and drop like Wix. As a result you’ll get less customization, but also less chances you’ll make a mistake.
In addition, you don’t get to choose a template when using GoDaddy’s website builder. Instead, one is assigned to you based on your answers to onboarding questions with its AI-powered template builder. Still, fewer choices equate to fewer ways to mess up your website, as well as a faster, simpler website-building process overall, which is ideal for beginners.
All plans include free SSL, but unlike Weebly and Squarespace, you don’t get a free domain in any of its site builder plans. You do, however, get free website chatbots starting in the free version, which you can use to generate engagement with site visitors and to provide assistance when you aren’t available through live chat or email 24/7.
Site visitors can ask questions of chatbots, which can provide basic information, and then refer the message to your team for additional follow-up. Appointment booking tools also come standard beginning in the free plan. This makes GoDaddy a natural top option for service- and sales-based businesses that need online booking tools for appointments, demos, presentations, and so on.
Your marketing is further enhanced with the GoDaddy site builder through Google, Yelp, and social media integrations. You can manage your Google and Yelp profiles through the dashboard and post directly to social channels as well. This saves you time, as does GoDaddy’s Unified Inbox, which puts all your messages generated via chatbots, Messenger, and Instagram Direct Messages into one place.
GoDaddy Pricing & Plans
Free | Basic | Premium | Commerce | Commerce Plus | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost / Month* | $0 | $11.99 | $21.99 | $24.99 | $44.99 |
Free SSL | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Connect a Domain | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Web Chatbots | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Appointment Booking | One-time | One-time | Recurring | Recurring | Recurring |
Pay Links | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Graphic & Video Studios | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Appointment Reminders | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Store | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | 5,000 products | Unlimited |
Online Payments | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
2.3% + 30 Cents Transaction Fee | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
3.3% Virtual Terminal Rates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Email Sends / Month | ✕ | 100 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 100,000 |
*Representative of annually billed plans; monthly billing is available at a higher cost.
All GoDaddy websites have free SSL for site visitor data security, website chatbots, and appointment booking tools. Like Shopify, you’ll want to assess the transaction fees GoDaddy charges for online transactions and when using its physical point-of-sale or virtual terminal tools to assess the real cost of using GoDaddy. Also, you’ll have to get the most expensive plan to get unlimited ecommerce, unlike Wix or Weebly.
Some of the reasons to choose GoDaddy’s site builder plans include:
- Website chatbots to increase engagement and interactions with site visitors
- Appointment booking starting for free, and cheapest plans for recurring appointments and payments
- Access to the GoDaddy Studio to create branded content for marketing and post it directly to your social channels
- Google Business Page and Yelp profile integrations to streamline your workflows
- Connect and post directly to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter starting in the free plan, and ability to schedule posts
- Ability to create branded videos and post them to your site or social media
- Integrated email marketing to nurture lead and customer relationships
- Marketplace selling on Amazon, Etsy, Google, Instagram, and Facebook (Commerce plans)
Our Expert Opinion
GoDaddy makes building a website and online brand presence easy. It has a broad range of features for ecommerce and solid tools for businesses that need online appointment booking to generate leads and sales. Where it lets us down a bit is its lackluster design capabilities compared to most other drag-and-drop website builders, and it lacks the strong SEO features of Wix and IONOS. Read our full GoDaddy site builder review to learn more.
Pro tip: All these site builders are easy to use, but if you lack the time or know-how, you can hire a freelance web designer on Fiverr starting under $50. You’ll find freelancers skilled in building on Wix, Squarespace, or your preferred platform who can create your site quickly, optimize it for search, set up your store, and integrate third-party apps.
Honorable Mentions: Strikingly & Duda
There are dozens of viable website builders on the market. This makes it challenging to narrow the list to just a few, so we choose two for the honorable mention category. They don’t quite measure up to the broad capabilities of our top picks for small businesses in the list above, but each has a unique use case that might make them right for your business.
One-page Website Wonder: Strikingly
We originally considered adding Strikingly as the best drag-and-drop builder for one-page websites. However, Squarespace’s mobile-optimized templates edge it out slightly—at least in the mobile website niche. Still, Strikingly is a solid platform to consider, especially if you’re building a one-page website exclusively for mobile.
Its single-page website builder comes with the following features:
- Multiple websites
- Free domain and SSL on premium plans
- Ecommerce on all plans (with up to one product on the free plan)
- Custom forms
- Pop-ups
- Multi-language websites
Strikingly provides a mix of a section-based and drag-and-drop editing. It’s beginner-friendly to use and is worth checking out as it has a free-forever plan and premium plans starting at $8 per month.
Most Agency-friendly Site Builder: Duda
Duda emerged onto the scene just over a decade ago, initially providing businesses with a way to build a mobile version of their website as mobile device use began to overtake desktop. In fact, it was originally called “DudaMobile.” It should come as no surprise that software designed for mobile responsiveness should evolve to become a full-fledged website builder.
It didn’t quite land in our top picks for small businesses because the ability to integrate apps doesn’t start until the third-tier plan. Plus, ecommerce requires an add-on ranging from $7.25 (limited to 100 products) to $39 per month, whereas it’s included in the native functionality of plans for the drag-and-drop website builders above. Still, it’s a top choice for agencies managing multiple sites, as the cost-per-site is super-affordable in the Agency or White Label plans, which include:
- Four websites hosted via world-renowned AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Priority support
- Collaboration with up to 10 team members
- Client management, comment, and billing tools
- A widget builder to add functionality through third-party integrations
Duda plans for individual websites start at $14 per month. They include AWS hosting, free SSL for HTTPS encryption, multi-language sites, membership sites, a content library and images, and access to free and paid add-ons in Duda’s app store.
How We Evaluated the Best Drag & Drop Website Builders
All-in-one plans and intuitive design tools enable users of any experience level to build a professional site with little to no learning curve. They’re affordable, provide good value for the money, and include everything needed to build, launch, and manage a small business website. We analyzed about a dozen site builders and narrowed our list to the top options overall based on the use case.
Click the tabs to learn more about how we ranked our top picks:
25% of Overall Score
In addition to the quality of the site editor, we also evaluated the quality and quantity of prebuilt templates that set users up for building great sites. Since each platform offers standout features, we looked for niche features or unique functionality that might make a site builder better in some business use cases.
20% of Overall Score
The best platforms offer competitively priced plans for professional-use websites. We compared plans not only by price alone but also by price for plan type and contract length. We also considered whether a free version was available as well as the length of free trial periods and money-back satisfaction guarantees.
20% of Overall Score
One of the biggest reasons to use site builders is the ease of use in building and publishing your business website quickly, which was one of our top concerns. We ensured that users wouldn’t need prior web design or development experience, that no coding skills were required, and that the interface was intuitive and easy to use.
20% of Overall Score
After many hours of firsthand experience building sites with these drag-and-drop site builders, we also took our own expertise into consideration. We analyzed each to give you our expert opinions and top picks, including the amount of customer support available should you need help building your site.
15% of Overall Score
In addition to the essential ease of use and features we expect from any drag-and-drop website builder, we looked at the total value provided in feature sets. We also gave extra points for money-saving bundled extras such as a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and free business email.
When it comes to the best drag-and-drop website builder for small businesses, Wix is our top pick. It’s affordable, intuitive, easy to use, fully customizable, and provides integrations and advanced native features that make it a universally adaptable site-building platform. You can try it without risk using the free version, so get started today and create the website you envision for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the easiest drag & drop website builder for beginners?
To a degree, all drag-and-drop website builders simplify the process of building a website. Even true beginners can build a fully functional website to establish their brand presence and grow online. However, we found that site builders like GoDaddy and IONOS’ Starter plan that limit customization are the easiest to use. With that said, Wix is also easy to learn, and you don’t have to sacrifice design freedom to use it.
What’s the best free drag & drop website builder?
Wix is the best free drag-and-drop website builder, with HubSpot coming in a close second. Wix offers the most extensive freedom in both site design and functionality in a free website builder. It also has robust SEO features to ensure your site gets found online. However, we don’t recommend using a free site builder if it means you can’t use a branded business domain—HubSpot allows you to do this 100% free.
Which is better: Wix or Squarespace?
Wix and Squarespace are both leading all-in-one business website builders, but they are not without their differences. For example, Squarespace is more predesigned to ensure that no matter what your experience with web design is, your site will look professional, whereas if you have an eye for design and are looking for the most design flexibility, Wix will be your better choice. For the full picture, read our Squarespace review and our Wix review.
Bottom Line
Getting your brand established online is easier than ever with the best drag-and-drop website builders. There are options for every budget (even free), intuitive and beginner-friendly editing tools, any type of functionality your website needs, and scalable plans to grow with your business. For the best, we highly recommend Wix. You can test it out for as long as you’d like using the free version and then get a free domain with an upgrade to a paid plan.