- Quick Comparison: The Top 5 Website Builders for Artists
- 1. Squarespace: Best for Visual Artists
- 2. Wix: Best for Commission-Based Artists
- 3. Shopify: Best for Artisanal Crafts
- 4. Hostinger: Best for Side-Hustle Artists
- 5. GoDaddy: Best for Performing Artists
- What Should I Look for in an Artist Website Builder?
- Our Testing Methodology for Artist Website Builders
- Summary: Which Website Builder Is Best for Artists?
- FAQs
Based on over 300 hours of in-house research, I can confidently say that Squarespace is the best website builder for artists due to its stylish templates, beginner-friendly interface, and monetization options. That said, the leading website builders differ in terms of ease of use, flexibility of design, and cost. Explore the five best options below.
- Squarespace is the top website builder for most artists, since it offers stunning design options and a user-friendly editor
- Wix’s strong SEO and marketing tools are great for getting your artwork seen by potential customers
- Shopify’s robust ecommerce tools and POS products facilitate both in-person and online art sales
- Wix and GoDaddy offer free-forever plans, and Hostinger has the most affordable premium plans, which start at $2.99 per month
- Artists who need a quick and affordable website to showcase their work should consider GoDaddy
We tested 12 of the best website builders for artists to deliver our current recommendations. Along with hands-on user testing, our research focused on six core categories: design features (35%), website functionality (20%), user experience (20%), pricing (10%), help and support (10%), and reputation (5%).
For artists specifically, we looked at key requirements and pain points, such as portfolio uploading tools, template quality, and print-on-demand integration.
To help you make a well-informed decision, I’ve double checked key information for accuracy, including updates to pricing and features. I’ve also added more detail on each builder’s pricing plans and a video to help you make your final choice.
Quick Comparison: The Top 5 Website Builders for Artists
Compare the top five website builders for artists side-by-side in the comparison chart below:
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Overall rating
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Today's best price
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Free plan or free trial
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Number of templates
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Storage space
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Free custom domain
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Squarespace |
Wix |
Shopify |
Hostinger |
GoDaddy |
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4.6
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4.6
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4.3
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4.2
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4.2
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14-day free trial |
Free plan |
3-day free trial |
14-day free trial |
Free plan |
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190+ |
2,000+ |
1,000+ |
300+ |
200+ |
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Unlimited |
2GB – Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
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Free for 1 year |
Free for 1 year |
No |
Free for 1 year |
Free for 1 year |
1. Squarespace: Best for Visual Artists
- Starting price: $19 per month (Save 10% with code WBE10)
- Best for: Painters, illustrators, photographers, graphic designers, 3D modelers
- Read our full Squarespace review to learn more about the website builder
Squarespace is our top choice for visual artists, since its award-winning templates cover a large range of industries and styles, from modern gallery sites to streetwear startups. Plus, its dynamic content blocks give artists full creative freedom to create a distinctive page and impress potential clients.
What Makes Squarespace Good for Artists?
- Built-in monetization – You can create memberships or use Acuity Scheduling to offer creative services (additional $16-$49 per month – billed annually).
- Ideal for beginners – It’s the easiest website builder I’ve tested, coming with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor that let me simply click and move my desired content into place.
- Seamless customization – You can easily make your page reflect your unique art style.
What Are Squarespace’s Key Downsides?
- Some creative restriction – Though I found Squarespace’s grid framework helpful when aligning page elements, it restricted my creative freedom since I could only place blocks into specific slots.
- Product photo limitations – Product photos were awkward to manage, with Squarespace automatically locking them in a fixed aspect ratio. I had to resize my photos before uploading them, which was time consuming.
- No autosave function – You will need to manually save your website’s design as you go along.
- User-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- 30+ art & graphic design templates
- Can sell physical and digital art
- Acuity Scheduling tool for art services
- Unlimited storage on all plans
- Can accept donations
- No auto save function on editor
- Grid editor can feel restrictive
- Product photos have a locked aspect ratio
- No free plan
How Much Does Squarespace Cost?
- Squarespace’s pricing: $19-$99 per month (billed annually)
- Free trial? 14-day free trial
- Special offer? Code “WBE10” at checkout for 10% off your chosen plan
The following table outlines Squarespace’s four pricing plans and key features:
| Squarespace plan | Cost (billed annually) | Key features |
| Basic | $19/mo |
• Premium site templates • AI tools • Drag and drop editor • Free domain for 1 year • Sell unlimited products/services • Unlimited bandwidth & storage space • 2 site contributors |
| Core | $29/mo |
Everything on the Basic plan and: • Advanced site analytics • Unlimited site contributors • Professional Google email address for one year • 5 hours of video storage |
| Plus | $49/mo |
Everything on the Core plan and: • 50 hours video storage |
| Advanced | $99/mo |
Everything on the Plus plan and: • Unlimited video storage |
The cheapest option, the Basic plan, comes with website design tools, unlimited storage, and ecommerce functionality so you can make money from subscriptions or sell your creations. It’s a great choice for visual artists that want to get online and display their works with flair.For a deeper dive into Squarespace, watch our video review below:
2. Wix: Best for Commission-Based Artists
- Starting price: $17 per month (Save 10% with code TAKE10)
- Best for: Artists who work on commission, such as illustrators, tattoo artists, and portrait artists
- Read our full Wix review to learn more about the website builder
Wix’s AI tools, such as its AI Marketing Agent, is great for commission-based artists, since it generates promotional content and optimizes your site’s SEO to help secure new clients without an extensive marketing team.
And when you do secure that customer, Wix’s members area has a member’s chat feature, where you can discuss creative ideas together, update them on your progress, and ask for project feedback.
What Makes Wix Good for Artists?
- Blogging – Wix is the best blogging platform I’ve tested, so it’s ideal if you want to share your artistic musings with your audience. I could monitor blog-specific analytics, review comments to foster a community with my readers, and add social bookmarking.
- Print-on-demand integrations – Wix integrates well with print on demand services like Gelato, enabling customers to buy products with your designs on them. It then carries out the order fulfillment for you.
- SEO tools – Wix’s SEO features can help you improve your artist website’s visibility online. The personalized SEO checklist flagged good areas to improve on my site, I could easily add image alt text and metadata, and it took me seconds to connect my site with Google Analytics.
What Are Wix’s Key Downsides?
- Can’t switch templates – You can’t change templates one your website is live, which isn’t ideal if you’re an artist with ever-evolving styles or collections.
- Expensive pricing – For unlimited storage, you’ll need to pay for the Business Elite plan ($159 per month) that will be too expensive for some businesses, whereas Shopify and Squarespace offer unlimited storage across all plans.
- Limited free plan – Comes with Wix branded ads on your website that clash with your own artistic style.
- 130+ artist-specific templates
- Can set up members chats
- Integrates with print on demand services
- Best blogging features on the market
- Great SEO features
- Can't switch templates once website is live
- Expensive pricing plans
- Limited storage on cheaper plans
During testing, I was really impressed by the scope of Wix’s features. The platform provides artists with all the tools they need to create a professional website and reach new customers online, which includes promotional tools like SEO and blogging, ecommerce tools like selling services or art products, and design tools that can help you create a website that reflects your artistic style. I love how much ground this covers!
How Much Does Wix Cost?
- Wix’s pricing: $17-$159 per month (billed annually)
- Free trial? No, but has a free forever plan
- Special offer? Code “TAKE10” at checkout for 10% off your chosen plan
Wix has four main pricing plans, as shown below:
| Wix plan | Cost (billed annually) | Key features |
| Light | $17/mo |
• Premium site templates • AI tools • Drag and drop editor • Free domain for 1 year • 2GB storage space • 2 site collaborators • 4 lead capture forms |
| Core | $29/mo |
Everything on the Light plan and: • Accept payments via popular methods • Sell up to 50,000 products • Sell on socials & marketplaces • 50GB storage space • 5 site collaborators • 10 lead capture forms • Customers can create accounts on your site |
| Business | $39/mo |
Everything on the Core plan and: • 100GB storage space • 10 site collaborators • 25 lead capture forms |
| Business Elite | $159/mo |
Everything on the Business plan and: • Unlimited storage space • Customized site reports • 75 lead capture forms • Priority customer care |
For artists, I’d recommend the Core plan at $29 per month, since this unlocks ecommerce, scheduling, booking, and streaming music and video. It’s one of the more expensive plans, with transaction fees of $2.9% + $0.30 per month, so only commit if you can afford it.
3. Shopify: Best for Artisanal Crafts
- Starting price: $29 per month (Claim your first 3 months for $1/month)
- Best for: Ceramic artists, woodworkers, metalworkers, sculptors, jewelers
- Read our full Shopify review to learn more about the website builder
Shopify is the best website builder for artisanal crafts, offering the most versatile sales tools for multichannel selling. As our top-rated ecommerce website builder, Shopify also offers a customizable one-page checkout and Shopify POS products, such as card readers that sync all of your sales.
What Makes Shopify Good for Artists?
- Quality sales features – Shopify is best for selling art in high volumes. All plans come with unlimited storage, customizable checkouts, 24/7 support, multichannel selling, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery.
- Shopify Shipping – You can partner with respected carrier services, including USPS and DHL Express, and access discounted shipping rates. This offers flexibility when selling art online to local customers and customers from other markets.
- Multichannel selling integrations – You can sync your artist inventory with Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and X to increase your art’s visibility. These integrations sync in near real time, minimizing the risk of overselling stock.
I found lots of helpful apps for artists on Shopify’s App Market. My favorite, Artplacer, is a widget that lets your buyers visualize your artwork on their walls before they buy it.
What Are Shopify’s Key Downsides?
- Limited free templates – Only 24 out of the 1,000+ themes are free to use. The rest come with a price tag that can range from $100 to $500 (as a one-off payment).
- AI tool restrictions – Shopify’s AI-generated website designs often produce generic layouts, lacking the uniqueness needed for stylized artistic portfolios.
- Design difficulty – I found designing a website with Shopify difficult. The section-based editor limited my options when placing new blocks, and I found it hard to picture a polished website since the designs rely so heavily on you supplying information, such as product photos.
- Best sales features on the market
- 40+ art-specific templates (paid)
- Has Shopify POS syncing for in-person art sales
- Numerous shipping options
- Can download additional website apps for artists
- Can link your store with social media accounts
- Only 24 templates are free
- No free plan
- Free trial is only three days
- Limiting section-based editor
How Much Does Shopify Cost?
- Shopify pricing: $29 to $299 per month (billed annually)
- Free trial? three-day free trial
- Special offer? First three months for $1 per month
Shopify has three main pricing plans, which I’ve listed below:
| Shopify plan | Cost (billed annually) | Key features |
| Basic | $29/mo |
• Section-based editor • Online store templates • AI tools • Sell unlimited products • Sell via POS • Optimized checkout • Up to 77% shipping discount • Sell from 10 inventory locations |
| Grow | $79/mo |
Everything on the Basic plan and: • Up to 87% shipping discount and insurance • Set up 5 staff accounts • Shipping insurance with Shopify payments • USPS small-package discounts |
| Advanced | $299/mo |
Everything on the Grow plan and: • Up to 87% shipping discount, insurance & 3rd-party calculated rates • Set up 15 staff accounts |
Shopify’s higher prices are reflective of its powerful sales tools. Plus, Shopify offers no transaction fees (starting at 2.9% + $0.30) when using Shopify Payments, and real-time carrier negotiation tools to help you save more money.
I recommend the Shopify Starter plan. It’s only $5 per month and enables you make use of your existing social media followers rather than driving traffic to a new website.
4. Hostinger: Best for Side-Hustle Artists
- Starting price: $2.99 per month (48-month plan)
- Best for: Small crafts, DIY goods
- Read our full Hostinger review to learn more about the website builder
Hostinger is the best website builder for side-hustle artists, providing a less complex and more affordable alternative to Wix. As one of the easiest builders I’ve used, and the top performer in our website loading speed tests, Hostinger is a simple and reliable option for showcasing a wide range of media on.
There’s a lot to think about when crafting a website, and a good website builder should make this process easier, not overcomplicate it. I was happy to see Hostinger do just that. The AI builder was simple and concise, and, within minutes, provided me with a fully functional site that accurately reflected my goals. While the final result wasn’t the most showstopping I’ve seen, it would have been a perfect foundation for side hustle artists to make their own, especially those in a rush or on a budget.
What Makes Hostinger Good for Artists?
- Affordable price – Its Premium plan is only $2.99 per month (for a 48-month term), making it the most affordable builder for artists on this list.
- Effective image gallery – Hostinger has five grid layouts that should appeal to a range of different artists.
- AI tools – Hostinger’s content creation tools, which are available on the Business plan, keep the building process simple and gives you more time to focus on your art.
What Are Hostinger’s Key Downsides?
- No app market – You’re limited to the builder’s built-in tools if you want to add additional functionality to your website
- Limited scope – The rest of the builder’s features are quite basic in nature so there’s little to support artists directly. That said, Hostinger now has an email marketing tool if you want to send artist update newsletters to your audience.
- Affordable introductory plans
- Speedy site load times
- Beginner-friendly editor
- Over 150 stylish templates
- Great image gallery for portfolios
- Built-in suite of AI tools
- No app market
- Limited website features to support artists
- Not scalable for larger businesses
- AI generated templates sometimes lack polish
How Much Does Hostinger Cost?
- Hostinger pricing: $2.99-$3.99 per month for a 48-month term (billed annually)
- Free trial? 14-day free trial
- Special offer? Code “WBE” at checkout for 10% off your chosen plan
Hostinger has two affordable plans to choose from:
| Hostinger plan | Cost (billed every 48 months) | Key features |
| Premium | $2.99/mo |
• Free domain for 1 year • AI website builder • Premium templates • Send up to 200 emails/mo to 100 subs |
| Basic | $3.99/mo |
Everything on the Premium plan and: • Sell up to 1000 products • Accept payments with popular methods • Printful integration to sell custom merch • Live analytics • AI tool suite, inc. AI text editor & AI SEO assistant • Link in bio tool |
Each plan provides access to the AI website builder and core features, but you’ll need the Business Website Builder plan ($3.99 per month and 0% transaction fees) to unlock Hostinger’s full suite of AI features and ecommerce functionality.
5. GoDaddy: Best for Performing Artists
- Starting price: $9.99 per month
- Best for: Actors, musicians, dancers, comedians, performers
- Read our full GoDaddy review to learn more about the website builder
GoDaddy is the ideal solution for performing artists that may not have a consistent income, since it has affordable plans, a quick set up, bookings and revenue analytics, and marketing tools to promote your work.
What Makes GoDaddy Good for Artists?
- Excellent SEO and marketing features – I was particularly impressed by its built-in AI-powered Video Editor and Facebook ad functionality. I could design an aggressive ad campaign to mirror the level of a professional agency, all from my website.
- Easy website setup – It’s ideal for artists that aren’t confident about their website design skills, since I could build a functional artist website in an hour with GoDaddy’s AI builder. There’s also helpful checklists to support with page optimization and reaching your target audience.
What Are GoDaddy’s Key Downsides?
- Site designs lack finesse – I noticed that the AI-generated designs looked generic, which felt very lacklustre in comparison to the likes of Squarespace and won’t help your personal brand stand out online.
- Restrictive editor – I couldn’t drag elements around wherever I wanted to make my website my own.
I recommend upgrading from GoDaddy’s free plan to avoid its major limitations, which include:
- No custom domain name
- Access to only the most basic features, like video creation and posting on socials
- Branded GoDaddy ads on your website
- Quick setup times
- Supportive onboarding process
- Cheap pricing plans
- Useful built-in marketing features
- Great social media marketing tools
- Basic template options
- Restrictive editor
- Limited features on free plan
How Much Does GoDaddy Cost?
- GoDaddy pricing: $9.99 and $20.99 per month (billed annually)
- Free trial? No, but there’s a free forever plan
- Special offer? No
Below, I’ve outlined GoDaddy’s three premium plans:
| GoDaddy plan | Cost (billed annually) | Key features |
| Basic | $9.99/mo |
• AI website builder • Free domain for a year • Free professional email for a year • Advanced analytics • Accept payments via link or QR code • Free invoicing • 100 email sends/mo |
| Premium | $14.99/mo |
Everything on the Basic plan and: • 25,000 email sends/mo • Online bookings • Unlimited ads on Meta & Google |
| Commerce | $20.99/mo |
Everything on the Premium plan and: • 100,000 email sends/mo • Sell unlimited products • Accept payments via popular methods • Automatic sales tax calculation • Shoppable social posts |
The Premium plan ($14.99 per month) is a great starting point, offering booking, scheduling, and email marketing tools. To sell products on GoDaddy, you’ll need the $20.99-per-month Commerce plan, which charges 2.7% + $0.30 transaction fees.
What Should I Look for in an Artist Website Builder?
When choosing an artist website builder, prioritize professional marketing features, robust ecommerce tools, and deep design customization. Use these questions to help you choose:
- Can it help build my professional presence as an artist? Look for strong marketing features, like Wix’s built-in SEO checklist and blogging functionality.
- Can I sell my art on it? Find versatile sales features for physical or digital wares. For example, Shopify has numerous shipping options, POS, and social media selling.
- Can I showcase my artistic abilities in my website’s creation? You’ll need professional design features like Squarespace offers, with its premium templates and customization options.
- Does it handle high-resolution image uploads? Squarespace automatically formats your site’s imagery for you, while Wix gives you more control with its Wix Pro Gallery feature.
Short on time? Find the best platform for your art with our 3-minute quiz.
What's the main purpose of your website?
Find Your BuilderOur Testing Methodology for Artist Website Builders
To find our top artist website builders, we put every builder on this list through our 2025 research process, which analyzed the best website builders according to six key criteria weighted based on their importance to artists:
- Design features (35%) – Can the website builder support me creatively? We looked at the quality of website themes and the AI builder, as well as the level of creative control
- Website functionality (20%) – How can I promote and market my art? We assessed foundational website features, such as SEO, blogging, marketing, and memberships
- User experience (20%) – Does the builder cater to all skill levels? I’ve created websites with each builder to see how easy they are to use and navigate
- Pricing (10%) – Is it good value for money? We looked at the affordability of the builder, considering price jumps between plans and its long-term value
- Help and support (10%) – What support is available if I run into an problem? I’ve reviewed the customer support options for each builder, checked responsiveness, and compared the quality of responses
- Reputation (5%) – How does the builder compare? We assessed the builder’s popularity and scanned third-party website reviews
Artists considered design features to be most important when choosing a website builder, so our testing methodology places special attention to templates and customization tools. I also included my own firsthand experiences testing each builder, so you can gain a balanced understanding of each option and make an informed choice.
Summary: Which Website Builder Is Best for Artists?
Squarespace is the best website builder for artists because its premium templates and customization options help promote artwork and secure new clients. That said, each builder has its own strengths and weaknesses, so take advantage of free trials and free plans to test each option first.
FAQs
Most website builders will have security settings available, such as adding copyright notices to your site to clearly state your ownership over any imagery or artwork. Some builders, such as Wix, can even protect your art by watermarking images on your site. Additionally, I recommend exploring the possibility to disable right-click downloads. All of the builders in this list permit this action, whether it’s through custom code or third-party apps.
A portfolio is a visual representation of your artistic skills and style. I recommend including a variety of your best work, organized clearly and cohesively in a way that gives context for each piece, such as the inspiration behind it, the medium used, and any relevant details. Your portfolio is a window into your mind as an artist, so let it be obvious where your art and creativity come from.
Hiring a web designer offers a more customized and professional touch, but it comes with additional costs. As an artist, your website will be an extension of your creative ability through its design, so it might be better – and more authentic – if you build it yourself.
Squarespace is the best builder for painters looking to express themselves through their website because of its image-centric templates and high level of customization available in the editor. Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool also makes it easy to sell your painting services, whether that’s booking portrait sessions or running workshops.
Hostinger was the fastest loading website builder in our 2025 speed testing. This means it’s a reliable option for creatives needing to upload a lot of media and large files on their site while maintaining a smooth visitor experience.
To ensure your art doesn’t slow down your site’s loading speed, I recommend resizing and compressing your art as best you can, without compromising quality. This will ensure efficient and responsive loading, especially for mobile visitors.
This depends on your space and resources. Selling original physical pieces requires upfront investment in supplies, storage, and shipping, whereas print-on-demand services eliminate manufacturing and delivery costs and can be done directly from your website.
Print-on-demand services, such as Printful or Gelato sync with Wix, Shopify, Hostinger, and Squarespace. They fulfill orders as they come in, printing your artwork onto anything from mugs to hoodies and shipping them to customers.
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