Cheapest Website Builders: Get Online for Under $15

Aside from price, there’s factor in to make sure you choose the right website building platform for your needs. Here’s a quick overview of our top cheap website builders:

Swipe right to see more

0 out of 0

• backward
• forward

BEST AI FEATURES
Hostinger	Shopify	Pixpa	GoDaddy	Squarespace
Overall Rating 4.2	Overall Rating 4.2	Overall Rating 3.5	Overall Rating 4.1	Overall Rating 4.5
Cheapest plan $11.99 $2.99 + 3 months free (48-month term)	Cheapest plan $5 Shopify Starter plan $1/month for 3 months	Cheapest plan $8 $4.80 on a 12-month contract	Cheapest plan $9.99	Cheapest plan $16 $14.40 with code “WBE10”
Free plan or free trial 7-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 3-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 15-day free trial	Free plan or free trial Free plan	Free plan or free trial 14-day free trial
Number of templates 150+	Number of templates 800+	Number of templates 200+	Number of templates 200+	Number of templates 180+
Storage space Unlimited	Storage space Unlimited	Storage space 3GB	Storage space Unlimited	Storage space Unlimited
Try Hostinger	Try Shopify	Try Pixpa	Try GoDaddy	Start Free Trial

Editor's Choice

Hostinger

Best for AI fans

Very Good

4.2

out of 5

• For beginners
• For the budget-conscious
• For simple website needs

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $2.99 - $19.99 / month

Pros

• Fastest site loading speed
• Great suite of AI tools
• Ecommerce plan available

Cons

• Limited scalability
• No app market
• Steep renewal fees

Hostinger Review

Use code WBE to get 10% off

See Pricing

Hostinger is the most affordable website builder on this list, with plans starting from $2.99 per month. It’s an ideal option for beginners and small business owners who want to make use of user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and ever-growing suite of AI tools.

However, while its AI tools might be advanced, it lacks other basic functionality. For example, there’s no app store or email marketing features – if these are essential for your site, Squarespace and Shopify will give you access to better tools.

How Much Does Hostinger Cost?

Hostinger’s pricing is split between two website builder plans: Premium and Business.

Those who sign up for a 48-month term of either plan can take advantage of Hostinger’s introductory deal. This gives you three months free, a year’s free domain, and a heavily discounted monthly price:

After your first two years are up, you’ll be charged the standard monthly price:

Are Hostinger’s Plans Affordable Long Term?

Both of Hostinger’s plans are very affordable, and with only a $1 price difference between them, it’s risk-free to upgrade or downgrade as you see fit.

To unlock Hostinger’s full suite of AI tools and ecommerce features, you’ll need the Business plan. Still, the majority of core website features, such as a free domain name and access to the AI website builder, come with the cheaper plan. If you’re unsure which to choose, Hostinger offers a seven-day free trial, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Is Hostinger Good Value for Money?

Hostinger is the cheapest website builder on this list, which makes it an affordable option for budget conscious beginners looking to test the waters. Still, its introductory offer doesn’t last forever, and, after testing it against other builders, we found GoDaddy and Squarespace to provide a higher quality and variety of features for your buck.

While Hostinger has continued to hone its suite of AI tools this year, including the AI Product Information Generator and Kodee, a built-in AI assistant to help you set up and manage your website, it’s still lacking the fundamental – and arguably more important – features that make up a well-rounded builder. For instance, you won’t be able to carry out email and social media marketing.

My verdict: Is Hostinger worth the money?

I really enjoyed setting up a website with Hostinger because of its AI-powered builder and tools. This made the whole experience easy and quick – in my opinion, it rivals Squarespace for ease of use. However, because of its more limited suite of features and lack of key functionality (such as email marketing), Hostinger is best for very small businesses and personal, informational sites. At such an affordable price point, it’s definitely worth the money.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Shopify

Best for online stores

Very Good

4.2

out of 5

• Ideal for online stores
• For big inventories
• Good scalability

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $29 - $299 / month

Pros

• Best for experienced builders
• Good AI tools
• Huge app store

Cons

• Handful of free templates
• Some additional costs
• Limited customization

Shopify Review

See Pricing

Shopify is our top-rated ecommerce website builder, offering an affordable $5 per month Starter plan – though its actual website builder plans are much more expensive. Shopify’s Starter plan enables you to sell on social media (such as Instagram and WhatsApp), and includes basic inventory management tools, analytics to monitor selling, and a custom Linkpop page to drive customers to products. However, it doesn’t include the ability to build an ecommerce website.

How Much Does Shopify Cost?

Shopify’s pricing is more expensive than other builders on this list, particularly Hostinger. Besides the limited $5 per month Shopify Starter plan, there are three core premium plans:

Shopify doesn’t have a long term discount for new starters like other options on this list. However, it has a three-day free trial and you can get your first three months for just $1.

Are Shopify’s Plans Affordable Long Term?

There’s a steep price hike between Shopify’s Starter and Core plans, which can be hard to justify as your business grows. For instance, upgrading from the Starter to the Basic plan will increase your monthly spend by $24. On top of that, Shopify’s introductory offer only offers three months of savings, unlike other builders on this list that give you a discount for a whole year.

With basic analytics and the ability to sell unlimited products, Shopify Starter is a great choice for casual sellers building up a customer base without their own online store. However, to access advanced selling features—such as discount codes and greater customization options to showcase your brand—you’ll need to pay for one of Shopify’s core premium plans.

Is Shopify Good Value for Money?

Shopify offers the least value of the builders in this list due to its expensive plans and the fact that not everyone needs its advanced suite of ecommerce features. However, if your business does require ecommerce functionality and has the budget, Shopify’s powerful features are worth the cost.

Given the high costs, Shopify does give you access to powerful ecommerce features from its cheapest plan. The same can’t be said for other website builders, like GoDaddy or Squarespace.

My verdict: Is Shopify's Starter plan worth the money?

If you’re simply selling on the side and want to focus on socials, then the Shopify Starter plan is a great deal. However, I really recommend upgrading to one of Shopify’s core premium plans to build a polished website for your online store. Yes, these are more expensive than other builders on this list, but you unlock a lot of impressive sales features to support your ecommerce journey. If you have the budget to spare and want to sell online, a dedicated ecommerce builder like Shopify is well worth it.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Read our Q&A with a real Shopify business:

Peter Martinzez

Co-Founder & Fashion Stylist

Leather Skin Shop is a thriving online leather fashion brand with a vast variety of apparel and accessories for men and women made from the highest quality real leather. Besides their ready-to-wear collections, they offer impeccable customization services for leatherwear.

Choosing the right Shopify plan was crucial […] we carefully evaluated features and pricing to find a plan that perfectly fit our needs and growth projections.

Q&A

1. What did you initially think about Shopify's pricing, and how did you decide that it was a good fit for your business?

Initially, Shopify’s pricing structure felt very reasonable, especially considering the features offered. We started with the Basic Shopify plan, which was perfect for launching our online leatherwear store. We could showcase as many products as we wanted, track our inventory across multiple locations, and still have good checkout capacity on big sales events. 

As our sales grew, upgrading to the Advanced plan provided the additional features we needed to manage inventory and discounts more effectively. The feature of localized selling with custom markets with the advanced plan was a huge plus, allowing us to scale our business growth.

2. Which Shopify features do you think are great value for money?

Several Shopify features have been immensely helpful for us. The built-in abandoned cart recovery has been fantastic for capturing missed sales, and the discount code functionality allows us to run targeted promotions that resonate with our customer base. We also find the ease of adding high-quality product photos and descriptions to be invaluable. It allows us to showcase the rich textures and craftsmanship of our leather goods beautifully.

Customizing our selected Shopify theme, Turbo!, to align with our store’s unique style and objectives proved to be an invaluable investment. The ability to tailor every aspect to our brand’s vision not only justified the cost but also enhanced the overall shopping journey for our customers, ensuring a seamless and delightful experience from start to finish.

3. Do you have any budgeting tips when using Shopify?

Here are a couple of budgeting tips we’ve learned along the way:

We embraced a “start small, grow big” mentality. We began with a modest budget, focusing on core functionalities rather than fancy extras. This allowed us to test the waters and refine our approach before scaling up our spending alongside our business growth.

Choosing the right Shopify plan was crucial. We didn’t get swept up in the most expensive option.  Instead, we carefully evaluated features and pricing to find a plan that perfectly fit our needs and growth projections. This ensured we maximized the value we received from Shopify’s platform.

Shopify offers a treasure trove of free apps and tools. We took full advantage of them to enhance our store’s functionality without breaking the bank. We only invested in premium apps when they addressed a specific need that couldn’t be met with a free alternative.

Keeping a watchful eye on inventory costs has been essential. We’ve implemented strategies to avoid both overstocking and understocking. This helps us minimize carrying costs and ensure we always have the right products in stock to meet customer demand.

Visit Leather Skin Shop here

Pixpa

Best for portfolios

Above Average

3.3

out of 5

• Very affordable plans
• Connect with socials
• Great for photographers

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $8 - $25 / month

Pros

• Mobile-friendly templates
• Specialist website builder
• Galleries for sharing and proofing

Cons

• No free plan
• Limited photos on cheapest plan
• Basic features and customization

See Pricing

Starting at $4.80 per month, Pixpa is an ideal cheap website builder for visual and creative businesses, particularly if you’re looking to build a portfolio or artist website. Its cheapest plan gives you access to basic features, including SEO and social media integration, but its primary selling point is that its includes online selling capabilities. For context, GoDaddy’s equivalent ecommerce plan will set you back $20.99 per month.

That said, Pixpa’s sales features pale in comparison to other platforms, such as Shopify. Its analytics and accounting tools are limited, so you’ll struggle to scale your online store as successfully as you would with another option. For that reason, that’s why I recommend Pixpa for portfolios and simple sites.

How Much Does Pixpa Cost?

Pixpa offers four premium plans to choose between: Basic, Creator, Professional, and Advanced. When billed annually, you’ll receive a 40% discount on the plans. If you’re a student or educator in a creative field, you’ll be able to get a 55% price cut. Annual prices are as follows:

After the first year, plans will return to the regular price:

Before you decide what plan to pick, you can test out Pixpa’s editor and tools with its 15-day free trial.

Are Pixpa’s Plans Affordable Long Term?

Our testing found Pixpa’s price range to be very competitive in comparison to other builders’. It’s fairly similar in price to GoDaddy, but Pixpa’s focus is on creatives and portfolio sites especially.

The cheapest Basic plan is pretty limited (it only allows up to 10 pages and 200 gallery images), so I recommend starting with at least the Creator plan to unlock extra features, including unlimited pages/images and blogging functionality. There’s around a $5 difference between each plan, which lightens the strain of upgrading as your portfolio begins to expand.

Is Pixpa Good Value for Money?

Pixpa’s Basic plan does offer a lot of the standard features you’d expect from a website builder, such as SEO, which is good considering the low price point. But you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Creator plan ($15/mo) for unlimited website pages and images, blogging functionality, a free domain name, advanced SEO like 301 redirects, and additional selling tools, such as coupons. For advanced features like abandoned cart recovery, you’ll have to sign up for the Advanced plan, which costs $25 per month (billed annually).

To get the most out of your money, I recommend choosing the Professional plan since this unlocks almost every feature.

My Verdict: Is Pixpa worth the money?

With pretty cheap premium plans, Pixpa won’t break the bank. However, I’d argue it’s only worth spending your money on Pixpa’s website builder if you want to launch a specialist, creative website. Its features and designs target portfolios in particular, so you won’t have the flexibility provided by other builders which cater to a wider range of industry types

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Best Value For Money

GoDaddy

Best for beginners

Very Good

4.1

out of 5

• Good for beginners
• Speedy setup
• Integrated booking tools

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $9.99 - $20.99 / month

Pros

• Get online in seconds
• Strong social media marketing tools
• Excellent 24/7 support

Cons

• Limited editor
• Lacks quality templates
• Not for advanced designers

GoDaddy Review

See Pricing

GoDaddy is an incredibly cheap website builder, with premium plans starting at $9.99 per month, as well as a free-forever plan. GoDaddy’s fast and intuitive onboarding process makes it the best option for beginners looking to get online quickly – our first-hand testing found it could generate a website in less than 30 seconds.

Its editor is super straightforward to understand, and while GoDaddy lacks many stylish designs or creative capabilities, the simple elements make GoDaddy a good option for content-heavy sites.

How Much Does GoDaddy Cost?

You can get started with GoDaddy’s free-forever plan, but it comes with ads and limited storage. I recommend opting for one of GoDaddy’s three premium plans instead: Basic, Premium, and Commerce.

When you commit to a year’s subscription, an introductory discount of between 40% and 50% will be applied, depending on the GoDaddy plan you choose. Plus, GoDaddy has reinstated its 12-month free trial Microsoft professional email, which would set you back $95.

The introductory prices (when billed annually) are as follows:

After your first year is up, the plans increase to their original pricing:

Are GoDaddy’s Plans Affordable Long Term?

GoDaddy’s pricing is very affordable overall, but you’ll need the $20.99 per month (billed annually) Commerce plan to unlock ecommerce functionality. If you’re just after a basic site and don’t need to sell products, you’ll be fine with the Basic or Premium plan.

Is GoDaddy Good Value For Money?

GoDaddy’s plans are very affordable, and it dropped the price of its Basic plan from $10.99 to $9.99 per month (billed annually) in August 2024. This cements its position as the best value for money builder on this list! You get a decent amount of features for the price point, and its ecommerce plan is a cheaper alternative to builders like Wix or Squarespace.

Plus, GoDaddy offers a free plan which you can stay on for as long as you’d like. However, I’d recommend upgrading to remove ads and unlock additional features, such as ecommerce.

My verdict: Is GoDaddy worth the money?

GoDaddy tops our research when it comes to value for money, so it’s absolutely worth the money. Its plans are incredibly cheap, but you can find your feet with its editor and tools through the free plan first. And, even if you want to sell online on the Commerce plan, the $20.99 per month price tag is still cheaper than other ecommerce builders, like Shopify.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Squarespace

Best for creatives

Excellent

4.5

out of 5

• For creatives
• Beginner-friendly editor
• Stunning designs

Free trial available

Paid Plans: $16 - $99 / month

Pros

• Easiest website builder
• Improved AI tools
• Drag-and-drop editor

Cons

• No autosave when editing
• No free plan
• Slow site loading speed

Squarespace Review

Use code WBE10 for 10% off

See Pricing

Squarespace is the most expensive website builder on this list, at $14.40 per month with our code “WBE10.” However, its editor is highly intuitive and our testers rated it the easiest to use. Squarespace is the best choice if you’re a creative in need of affordable website design, thanks to its stunning templates and elements.

How Much Does Squarespace Cost?

Squarespace’s pricing consists of four plans: Basic, Core, Plus, and Advanced.

Each annual plan provides a free custom domain and a discount. And when you use the code “WBE10” at checkout, you’ll save an extra 10%, which takes each plan to the following price:

After your first year with Squarespace, your plan will renew at the standard annual price:

You can get started with Squarespace’s 14-day free trial to see whether it’s right for you.

Are Squarespace’s Plans Affordable Long Term?

After Squarespace’s pricing change this year, you can start selling on its cheapest $14.40 per month plan, meaning there’s less financial pressure to upgrade quickly. However, there is now a bigger jump between plan prices, with the Advanced plan way over double the price of the Plus plan. This makes it much harder to scale your business smoothly.

Still, once you upgrade to the Core plan, Squarespace softens the blow by removing transaction fees entirely and providing additional sales features, such as unique discounts.

Is Squarespace Good Value for Money?

If you’re looking for a cheap website builder, Squarespace is great value for money, sitting just behind GoDaddy in our research. On paper, this might seem surprising considering its cheapest plan is more expensive than Hostinger or Pixpa. But, you get a lot for your money with Squarespace – the majority of features, including ecommerce, are available on the cheapest Basic plan.

Read the Q&A below to discover an insightful first-hand experience with Squarespace:

Lauren Galvez

SEO Consultant

Lauren Galvez is an SEO marketing consultant for small businesses and she runs her business from her website built on Squarespace. She’s been a Squarespace fan for the last 5 years having tried many popular CMSs (Wix, Weebly, Duda, WordPress, and Shopify).

Take advantage of Squarespace’s 14-day free trial and see how you like using their platform.

Q&A

1. What appealed to you the most about Squarespace’s pricing?

I found Squarespace’s pricing to be competitive with other popular hosted CMSs and it was easy to get started with the 14-day free trial. It’s also not hard to find Certified Squarespace users who advertise their 20% discount offer for your first year.

2. Which Squarespace features do you think are great value for money?

My favorite things about Squarespace are its ease of use and aesthetic design elements. Squarespace offers just enough customizability without overcomplicating the web design process. As someone who has analysis paralysis, this was just what I needed to get up a beautiful and professional website quickly. I enjoy being on the Squarespace platform because of its user-friendliness and this is one less potential headache for all that comes with managing a business.

3. Do you have any budgeting tips for other businesses who are considering using Squarespace?

Take advantage of Squarespace’s 14-day free trial and see how you like using their platform. Experience what it will be like designing or making edits to your website by trying the different design blocks. Explore Squarespace’s settings and business integrations to ensure it’ll have everything you need to manage your unique business. Compare your experience to the free trials with other website builders. If you commit to using Squarespace, find a discount for your first year and consider paying annually for more savings.

Check out Lauren’s website here

My verdict: Is Squarespace worth the money?

Second to GoDaddy, Squarespace is one of the best value for money builders we’ve tested. So, while its plans are slightly more money than GoDaddy, you unlock a lot of advanced features and access to Squarespace’s easy-to-use editor and designs. If you’re looking to build a visually stunning website, I’d recommend choosing Squarespace.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

It’s possible to publish a site without paying if you use a free website builder, such as Wix or GoDaddy. Free-forever plans are a great choice for businesses that don’t want to commit to a plan on a long-term basis.

That said, even the most generous free plans come with considerable drawbacks. On most, you should expect:

• Limited storage space
• A website builder-branded domain name
• Distracting ads on your site

These drawbacks can definitely be overlooked for certain purposes, such as temporary wedding websites or school projects. However, if you’re making anything more serious than these, it’s best to use free plans to familiarize yourself with the builder, and plan to upgrade in the future.

Which Free Website Builder Plan Should You Use?

Of the five cheap builders on this list, GoDaddy is the only one that offers a free plan.

Wix, our top rated website builder for 2025, also has a free-forever plan with an impressive range of features to help you build a website and get found online. You’ll have access to some of its top AI tools and AI website builder, and even be able to customize your site with apps from its app marketplace.

Since I haven’t covered Wix in this article, here’s a quick snapshot of what the platform offers:

Wix

The all-in-one powerhouse for websites

Outstanding

4.8

out of 5

• Caters to all industries
• For all skill levels
• All-in-one platform

Free plan available

Paid Plans: $17 - $159 / month

Pros

• 2,000+ free templates
• Drag-and-drop editor
• Built-in email marketing

Cons

• Can’t switch template once live
• Can be slow to load and use
• Limited storage space

Wix Review

Use code TAKE10 for 10% off

Try Wix

Since every business has unique needs, there are a few factors to consider when choosing the right platform to build a website with.

• Review the website builder’s pricing and plans – Is there an affordable option that suits your needs? Is there a free trial or plan to test things out first? Is there a steep price increase between plans or can you scale your website steadily?
• Assess your website’s “must-haves” – For example, if you want to create an online store, you’ll need a plan that lets you accept payments. Thinking about writing content? Then your plan should include blogging tools. Shop around to find the right fit for your needs, or consider upgrading to a higher plan if you need access to certain features.
• See which builder suits your style of learning and skill level – Is the website builder easy to use? Are there templates that you like? Can you design the website you want to create with the builder’s editor? Is there support available if you need a helping hand?

To help you choose, I’ve included an overview of the pricing you can expect with each of the website builders on this list, including any deals you should be aware of:

We put every website builder through our rigorous testing process to create our data-backed recommendations. We want you, our readers, to have all of the information you need to make an informed decision when it comes to deciding what website builder to pick. To do that, our team has carried out over 300 hours of research in the areas you care about most. 

Our research methodology is broken down into six categories:

1. Pricing
2. Website functionality
3. Design features
4. Help and support
5. Reputation
6. User experience

To determine our list of the cheapest website builders, we primarily look at the pricing section of our research. In particular, we’ve assessed the average pricing plans for each builder, the jump between plans, the quality of features versus price, and reviewed the cheapest introductory deals on the market.

I personally built a website with each of these builders to test its features and limits, meaning I can share my unique experiences throughout the article.

I’ve shared the cheapest introductory deals across five top website builders to help preserve your budget.

Hostinger is the cheapest website builder out there, starting from $2.99 per month with its Premium Website Builder plan. And for just $3.99 per month, you’ll gain access to its suite of AI features and ecommerce functionality. So, because of its easy-to-use platform, I highly recommend Hostinger for beginners.

Just remember to keep an eye out for renewal prices and upgrade costs. The cheapest plan might only offer some of your website or business needs, but it can be a great place to start!