The Ultimate Showdown: Comparing The Best Website Builders In 2023

In today’s digital world, having a website is crucial for business success. It’s a platform where businesses can showcase their products or services, interact with customers, and generate leads. However, it’s essential to have a website that’s not only easy to navigate but also visually appealing, responsive, and SEO-optimised.

In this blog post, we’ll be looking at the pros and cons of each platform and highlighting their unique features. At Blue Whale Media, we understand that every business is different, and their website needs may vary, so we’ll be addressing the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, allowing you to make an informed decision.

WordPress

Flexible, powerful, but can require technical know-how.

WordPress is the most popular website builder, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. Its popularity can be attributed to its flexibility, ease of use, and vast range of customisation options. WordPress is an open-source platform, which means that it can be used for free, making it an affordable option for small businesses.

However, WordPress does require some technical knowledge to get the most out of it, and even though it is extremely user-friendly, it may not be suitable for those who are new to website building. The platform offers thousands of themes and plugins that allow users to customise their website’s appearance, functionality, and performance. WordPress is also SEO-friendly, and its plugins can help optimise your website for search engines.

WordPress is actually the main choice of web-builder by our own website design company in Manchester!

Cost

WordPress offers six pricing plans: Free, Personal, Premium, Business, Commerce and Enterprise.

1. Free: This plan is suitable for those who want to familiarise themselves with the platform’s functionalities. With this plan, users get access to a limited range of features and a WordPress subdomain. However, it comes with limited storage space, and users cannot use custom themes or plugins.
2. Personal: This plan costs £8 per month and includes a custom domain name, 6GB of storage, and basic email and live chat support. However, users cannot access premium themes or plugins.
3. Premium: This plan costs £17 per month and includes all the features of the Personal plan plus access to unlimited premium themes and plugins, advanced design customisation, and 13GB of storage.
4. Business: This plan costs £32 per month and is suitable for larger businesses that require eCommerce features. It includes all the features of the Premium plan plus access to eCommerce tools, unlimited storage, and the ability to integrate third-party payment gateways.
5. Commerce: This plan costs £355 per month and is suitable for specialist online shops and eCommerce websites. The Commerce plan includes advanced shopping features such as selling & shipping products, inventory management, checkouts, global payment options, shipping carrier integrations and on-site sales reports.
6. Enterprise: The enterprise option is completely bespoke and custom. It is only relevant for massive corporations – with prices starting at around £20,000 per month. Examples of businesses on the Enterprise plan include Slack, Disney, CNN and more.

Customisation Options

WordPress offers an extensive range of customisation options, allowing you to create a website that reflects your brand’s identity and meets your specific needs. The platform comes with thousands of pre-designed templates, known as themes, that you can use as a starting point for your website. These themes cover a wide range of industries and niches, so you’re sure to find one that suits your business.

In addition to the pre-designed themes, WordPress also offers a built-in theme editor that allows you to modify the theme’s design and functionality to your liking. This can be a useful tool for business owners who want to create a more unique website.

Themes

WordPress offers a wide range of themes that cater to different website needs, from professional accountants to personal blogs. These themes are designed by professional developers and designers, ensuring that your website looks professional and visually appealing.

One of the most significant benefits of WordPress themes is their customisability. You can easily change the layout, colours, fonts, and images to match your brand’s identity. Additionally, most themes are mobile-responsive, ensuring that your website looks great on any device.

WordPress also offers premium (not free) themes, which provide additional features and functionalities compared to free themes. These premium themes offer more advanced customisation options, integration with third-party plugins, and better support.

Ultimately, WordPress themes allow you to create a website that is unique to your business, allowing you to stand out from the crowd and attract more customers.

Templates

In addition to themes, WordPress also offers a vast selection of website templates that can be used to create specific types of pages on your website. These templates include landing pages, sales pages, and contact pages, among others.

WordPress templates are pre-designed, saving you time and effort in creating pages from scratch. They are also customisable, allowing you to easily modify the design and content to suit your specific needs.

WordPress’s selection of templates makes it easy for business owners to create specific pages that are tailored to their needs, without the need for extensive design or development knowledge.

Plugins

In terms of plugins, WordPress has over 58,000 plugins available through their plugin repository, allowing you to add new features and functionalities to your website. You can create contact forms, add social media icons, and even integrate with other platforms such as Mailchimp.

There is a plugin available for almost any website need, from social media integration to e-commerce functionality. Some of the most popular plugins include Yoast SEO, which helps optimise your website for search engines, and Contact Form 7, which allows you to create custom contact forms.

Another significant and popular plugin is WooCommerce, the official WordPress eCommerce extension which quickly and easily transforms your website into an online eCommerce shop. WooCommerce is entirely free and allows you to start selling products online with international payment gateways, shipping methods and more.

One of the most significant benefits of WordPress plugins is their customisability. Most plugins allow you to modify the design and functionality to match your brand’s identity and specific needs. Additionally, many plugins offer integration with third-party services, allowing you to streamline your website’s functionality further.

Overall, WordPress plugins are a powerful tool for business owners looking to enhance their website’s functionality and attract more customers. Whether you need SEO optimisation or e-commerce functionality, there is a plugin available to meet your specific website needs.

SEO

WordPress is highly SEO-friendly out of the box, making it an excellent choice for businesses looking to improve their search engine rankings. The platform is built with clean code, and there are various plugins available to help you optimise your website further. One of the most popular SEO plugins for WordPress is Yoast SEO, which provides a comprehensive set of tools to help you optimise your website’s content, metadata, and technical aspects like XML sitemaps and robots.txt files.

Another great feature of WordPress is its ability to generate clean, readable URLs for your website pages and posts. This can make it easier for search engines to understand your website’s content, leading to better search engine rankings.

Wix

Simple but limited website builder.

Wix is a popular website builder platform that allows users to create professional-looking websites without any coding knowledge. It was founded in 2006 and has since grown to become one of the most popular website builders on the market, with over 200 million users worldwide.

Our web designers in Birmingham have come across a number of clients running Wix websites before turning to us, and we’ve always recommended they switch to a different builder for the best website possible.

Cost

Wix offers various pricing plans to cater to different user needs. Here is an overview of the costs:

Wix offers various pricing plans to cater to different user needs – including 4 “website plans”, 3 “business plans” and bespoke enterprise plans:

1. Free: This plan is entirely free but comes with limited features and Wix branding on your website, which is not ideal for a business. Your website will also be a Wix subdomain, which will restrict your website’s ability to rank.
2. Connect Domain: This plan costs £4 per month and allows you to connect your domain name to your Wix website so your website can now rank in search engines. However, it still comes with Wix branding and limited features.
3. Combo: The Combo plan costs £7.50 per month and includes a free domain name for one year, removal of Wix branding, and more storage and bandwidth.
4. Unlimited: This plan costs £11 per month and includes unlimited bandwidth and more storage compared to the Combo plan. This is probably the minimum plan you should be looking at if you’re building a business website on Wix.
5. VIP: The VIP plan costs £21 per month and includes priority support, professional site review, and more storage and bandwidth. This is for serious businesses who will actively be using their Wix website and will therefore require more technical support than normal users.
6. Business Basic: The first business plan. This plan costs £15 per month. The step-up between the website plans and business plans are the new eCommerce features. Starting with the Business Basic plan, your website can accept online payments, sell online subscriptions/recurring payments, customer-created accounts as well as unlimited bandwidth and increased server storage space.
7. Business Unlimited: This plan costs £20 per month. The only real difference between Business Basic and Business Unlimited is the increase in server storage – from 20 GB to 35 GB. You’d only need to upgrade from Basic to Unlimited if you find your website growing beyond the 20 GB server storage space.
8. Business VIP: This plan costs £27 per month. This plan features a further increased server storage space – from 35 GB to 50 GB. In addition to this, Business VIP plan features unlimited video hours – so if you find your website is very video-heavy, you definitely want to go with this plan. To top it off, this plan also adds Customised Reports to your website which is always a good thing.
9. Enterprise Plans: Enterprise Plans are completely custom and bespoke. Wix does not list a starting price for this. Some of the companies that are listed as part of Wix’s Enterprise Plans include Vevo, intuit and Glassdoor.

Overall, Wix’s pricing plans offer a range of features and flexibility to suit businesses of all sizes and budgets. It is recommended to choose a plan that meets your specific needs and budget, as upgrading or downgrading plans is easy and straightforward.

Customisation Options

Wix offers a wide range of customisation options, allowing users to create a unique and professional-looking website. One of the key features of Wix is its drag-and-drop editor, which makes it easy to add, delete, and move elements around the page. This means users can customise their website’s layout and design according to their preferences and needs.

For more advanced customisation options, Wix offers access to its Wix Code platform (also known as Velo by Wix). This platform allows users to add custom code to their website, giving them greater flexibility and control over their site’s design and functionality. It also offers APIs and webhooks, allowing users to integrate third-party tools and services into their website.

Overall, Wix’s customisation options are extensive and user-friendly, making it easy for businesses to create a unique and professional-looking website that reflects their brand’s personality and style.

Themes & Templates

Wix offers a vast collection of professionally designed templates, catering to a wide range of industries and niches. Their templates are fully customisable, allowing businesses to personalise their website’s look and feel to match their brand’s identity.

Wix’s templates are categorised into different industries, such as business, photography, music, fashion, and more. This makes it easy for businesses to find a template that suits their needs and audience. Each template is also fully responsive, ensuring it looks great on all devices, from desktops to mobiles.

One of the key advantages of Wix’s templates is their versatility. They offer a range of layout options and design elements that can be customised to suit a business’s specific needs. This means businesses can create a unique website that stands out from the crowd, regardless of the template they choose.

Another advantage of Wix’s templates is that they are regularly updated with new designs and features. This ensures businesses can stay up-to-date with the latest design trends and functionality, ensuring their website is always fresh and engaging.

Overall, Wix’s templates offer businesses a great starting point for their website design, with plenty of options to customise and make it their own. Businesses can easily switch between templates at any time, making it easy to refresh their website’s look and feel as they grow and evolve.

Plugins

Wix offers a wide range of apps (plugins) that can add extra functionality to a business’s website. These Wix Apps provide businesses with the ability to customise their website to suit their specific needs, without needing to have any technical expertise.

One of the most popular apps on Wix is the Form Builder & Payments App. This app allows businesses to create custom forms, such as contact forms, sign-up forms, and survey forms. Businesses can customise the fields and questions, as well as the style and design of the form to match their branding. This app also allows users to directly take payments through contact forms.

One of the most popular social media apps on Wix is Social Media Stream which allows businesses to add links to their social media profiles directly to their website. This app makes it easy for customers to find and follow a business’s social media pages, helping to increase engagement and loyalty.

Another useful app is the Hostme Reservations app, which allows businesses to offer online booking and appointment scheduling directly from their website. It’s ideal for businesses such as hotels, spas, restaurants and any business that relies on appointments or reservations.

The rankingCoach App is another popular choice among businesses. This app provides users with step-by-step guidance on how to optimise their website for search engines, making it easier to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Other apps available on Wix include eCommerce apps, such as the Wix Stores App, which allows businesses to sell products directly from their website, and various analytics apps that provide businesses with insights into their website’s performance.

SEO

Wix is a very SEO-friendly platform, with many features built-in to help businesses optimise their website for search engines. One of the ways Wix achieves this is through their clean and organised code, which is beneficial for search engine crawlers.

Additionally, Wix has made it easy for businesses to add meta descriptions, alt tags, and other important SEO elements to their website. Their in-built SEO Wiz checklist provides easy-to-follow guidance on how to optimise Wix websites for search engines, making it easier for businesses to rank higher in search engine results pages.

Wix also provides businesses with a built-in sitemap, which is important for search engines to index and understand the structure of a website. Wix’s sitemap is automatically generated and updated, saving businesses the hassle of creating and maintaining one manually.

Lastly, Wix’s website speed is also a factor in their SEO-friendliness. Websites that load quickly tend to rank higher in search engine results pages. Wix’s platform is designed to be fast and efficient, ensuring that businesses’ websites load quickly and rank higher in search engine results.

Overall, Wix is an excellent option for businesses looking for an SEO-friendly website builder. With many features built-in and plugins available, businesses can easily optimise their website for search engines and improve their online visibility.

Squarespace

Sleek, modern, and design-focused platform.

Squarespace is a popular website builder platform that offers a variety of features for businesses looking to create a professional and functional website. According to recent statistics, Squarespace has around 2.9 million live websites created on its platform, according to BuiltWith.

Cost

Squarespace offers four pricing plans for businesses:

1. Personal plan: This plan costs £16 per month and includes a free custom domain, SSL security, unlimited storage and bandwidth, and a website with up to 20 pages.
2. Business plan: This plan costs £24 per month and includes all the features of the Personal plan plus additional features such as a professional email from G Suite, advanced website analytics, and the ability to sell unlimited products.
3. Basic Commerce plan: This plan costs £28 per month and includes all the features of the Business plan plus advanced eCommerce features such as the ability to sell subscriptions, gift cards, and abandoned cart recovery.
4. Advanced Commerce plan: This plan costs £43 per month and includes all the features of the Basic Commerce plan plus advanced eCommerce features such as the ability to sell products on Instagram, customised checkout pages, and real-time carrier shipping.

The pricing plans are reasonably priced and offer a range of features to suit businesses of all sizes. The Personal plan is suitable for small businesses or individuals who want a simple website, while the Business plan is ideal for medium-sized businesses looking to expand their online presence. The Basic Commerce and Advanced Commerce plans are great for eCommerce businesses, offering all the features needed to sell products or services online. With the option to upgrade or downgrade plans at any time, businesses can easily adjust their website to meet their changing needs. Overall, Squarespace’s pricing plans offer excellent value for money and a range of features to suit any business.

Customisation Options

When it comes to customisation options, Squarespace really shines. The platform offers a wide range of sleek and modern website templates that are fully customisable to fit any brand. Businesses can choose from a variety of templates and then easily change the layout, colours, fonts, and more to create a professional-looking website that represents their brand.

Squarespace also offers a drag-and-drop editor, making it easy for businesses to create their website without any coding knowledge. With this editor, businesses can easily add and move elements on their website, including text, images, and videos. This means that businesses can create a truly unique website that stands out from their competitors.

In addition to the drag-and-drop editor, Squarespace also offers a range of customisation options for more advanced users. Businesses can add custom CSS code to their website to make even more advanced changes, or they can use the built-in developer platform to create custom integrations and features.

Overall, Squarespace offers a wide range of customisation options that make it easy for businesses to create a website that truly represents their brand. With a variety of templates, a drag-and-drop editor, and advanced customisation options, Squarespace is an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes.

Themes & Templates

Squarespace offers a great selection of website templates that are designed to fit a variety of business needs. The platform has more than 100 beautifully designed templates, all of which are fully customisable to suit the brand requirements of any business.

The Squarespace templates are categorised based on the type of website, such as portfolio, blog, or eCommerce. There are also templates specifically designed for different industries, such as photography, restaurants, and fashion.

Each template is modern, visually appealing, and includes built-in features. The templates are also mobile-responsive, meaning that they will look great on any device, from desktops to smartphones.

Squarespace also offers third-party themes that can be purchased from independent designers. These themes provide businesses with even more options to customise their website and make it stand out.

Overall, Squarespace’s pre-designed templates are a great advantage for businesses looking to create a professional-looking website quickly and easily. With a wide range of templates and the option to purchase third-party templates, businesses can easily create a website that represents their brand and stands out from the competition.

Plugins

Squarespace offers a range of integrations and add-ons that can be used to enhance website functionality. While Squarespace does not have a traditional plugin directory like WordPress, it offers some great built-in features and integrations with third-party apps: you can find these on the Squarespace Extensions page.

Squarespace offers integrations with a range of popular social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. These integrations allow businesses to easily connect their social media accounts to their website, making it easier for visitors to share content and connect with the business on diffe