16 Best Website Builders for UK Small Business in 2025 [Reviewed]

Website builders allow anyone, even people without coding, design, and technical knowledge, to create a professional-looking website. This is great for UK startups and small businesses as it provides cost-effective solutions to establish their digital presence quickly and efficiently.

According to a survey by the UK Government, 68% of businesses in the UK have websites, underlining the importance of a business’ online presence. Website builders address this demand by providing businesses with affordable, rapid solutions that enable them to establish professional online service pages and storefronts.

When choosing a business website builder, essential factors include the platform’s ease of use, pricing, and available features like AI-assisted design, content generation, SEO, marketing tools, and analytics. You should also look into the quality of templates and technical support offered.

Not all of them have every one of those features, but I recommend considering the ones with a good combination to make it worth any investment you put into them.

In this post, I’ve reviewed 24 popular solutions and shortlisted 16 of the best website makers to help you choose the right option.

• 1. Wix – Best Overall
• 2. Hostinger – Easy-to-Use AI-Powered Website Generator
• 3. GoDaddy – 100+ Beautiful Templates with SEO Tools
• 4. Squarespace – AI Website Builder for eCommerce
• 5. Create.net – Offers a Drag-and-Drop Website Builder
• 6. IONOS Website Builder – Cheap Website Builder
• 7. Names.co.uk Website Builder – Offer Built-in Analytics
• 8. Weebly – Best Free Website Builder
• 9. Webador – AI-powered Website Editor
• 10. ZipWP – AI-powered WordPress Site
• 11. Elementor – Popular Choice for WordPress Site
• 12. Strikingly – No-code Website Builder
• 13. Ucraft – Integrates with Popular Payment Gateways
• 14. Dorik – Free AI Website Builder
• 15. Shopify – Best Shop Builder for Small Business
• 16. Jimdo – Best for Startups
• Show moreShow less

Best Website Builders for Small Business Comparison

Below is a comparison of the website builders I’ve mentioned in this post. I’ve highlighted differences in key features, AI-powered capability, ease of use, templates, and starting price.

1. Wix

Wix is a highly regarded web page builder due to its versatility and ease of use. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows customisation of every element on the page, it caters to both beginners and advanced users. Anyone can create professional-looking websites with Wix, and coding capabilities are available for those who need more control.

However, it was Wix’s AI-driven design tool called Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) that impressed me the most. It’s extremely useful for people who lack both coding and design know-how. The tool automatically designs a customised website based on a site profile that you provide to the chatbot.

With the Wix mobile app, you can create content and edit their websites on the go, making it a truly flexible solution for website management.

Wix Pricing

Wix allows you to start building and publishing websites for free—it will have a wixsite.com subdomain. But once your needs grow larger, you can switch to one of the premium plans, which comes with a free custom domain for 1 year, additional storage, multi-cloud hosting, 24/7 customer care, and other advanced features.

• Light: £9/month
• Core: £16/month
• Business: £25/month
• Business Elite: £119/month

Try Wix

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is a web hosting company that provides various hosting services, and its AI-powered website builder is packed with comprehensive features. I like how the builder automatically adjusts websites for optimal viewing on any device and supports multiple languages to maximise global reach.

The platform connects seamlessly with tools like Google Analytics for enhanced site management. It also offers AI-driven content and image generation capabilities that help you create unique assets based on user prompts.

I like how Hostinger’s smart grid system maintains alignment and design consistency without manual adjustments. Furthermore, AI heatmaps predict user behaviour to optimise page layouts for better engagement.

The builder includes AI SEO suggestions to enhance search engine rankings, automatic weekly backups for data safety, and a blog generator with AI suggestions for content creation. These are more reasons why I think it is one of the easiest website builders out there, while leaving customisation room for advanced users.

Hostinger Pricing

The Hostinger website builder has no free plan or trial for you to test the features. But it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if things don’t work out. Furthermore, all plans include 2 free months before the true price kicks in.

• Premium Website Builder: £1.99/month for 48 months, £5.99/month when renewed
• Business Website Builder: £2.99/month for 48 months, £8.99/month when renewed (advanced AI tools and eCommerce features)

Try Hostinger

3. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is one of the world’s largest domain registrars and web hosting providers. I like how its website builder has dozens of templates that are both aesthetically pleasing and SEO-optimised from the start.

These templates cover a wide array of industries and business types and include an integrated SEO wizard that guides users through optimising their sites for search engines.

The platform also includes GoDaddy InSight, which provides actionable advice on how to enhance the online presence of a small business.

Another big reason I included GoDaddy on the list, other than the templates, is its comprehensive integration of marketing tools directly within the platform. You can manage your social media posts directly from the dashboard and utilise built-in email marketing capabilities to create and send newsletters.

The platform also includes practical features like an appointment booking system for service-based businesses and basic analytics for tracking site visits and user behaviour.

This all-in-one approach makes it an efficient solution for entrepreneurs who want to build and market their online presence.

GoDaddy Pricing

While the free version of GoDaddy has plenty of decent built-in features, it lacks custom domains, professional email, and design tools. However, there is a 7-day trial that users can take advantage of to see if those are the features they need.

And if they’re satisfied with the premium features, there are several plans to choose from.

• Basic: £7.99/month
• Standard: £9.99/month
• Premium: £11.99/month
• eCommerce: £13.99/month

Try GoDaddy

4. Squarespace

Squarespace is a website-building and hosting platform with powerful eCommerce capabilities. I found that its AI-powered Blueprint tool is excellent for building custom online stores.

The tool generates website layouts after you answer a few prompts. Then, you can complete the setup by adding products, setting up shipping, and connecting payment systems.

With other AI-driven tools like Squarespace AI, you can easily create content, designs, and templates, and optimise for SEO. This makes it easier to set up, manage, and market your online shop without extensive technical skills.

Also, I discovered several useful Squarespace templates with native eCommerce functionalities if you don’t want to use Blueprint.

Overall, Squarespace provides an integrated ecosystem where all aspects of the website, from design to sales analytics, are available in one place. This allows you to manage your brand in a single location.

Squarespace Pricing

Squarespace has no free plan, but offers a 14-day trial. If you want to continue using it after the trial period ends, you can subscribe to the following plans:

• Personal: £12/month
• Business: £17/month
• Commerce Basic: £23/month
• Commerce Advanced: £35/month

Note: You only get a free custom domain if you pay for the yearly subscription, which allows you to save from 18% to 29% annually.

Try Squarespace

5. Create.net

Create.net is a UK-based platform providing website-building tools for small businesses. During my evaluation, I found 40+ templates for website creation.

They can easily be customised using the drag-and-drop editor, which allows you to modify much of the template’s design, including the copy, colours, and themes.

Furthermore, Create.net has a comprehensive feature set. This includes device-specific editing capabilities, built-in image adjustment tools, and extensive marketing tools covering SEO, social media, blogging, and analytics.

It also offers robust eCommerce features like Google Shopping integration, abandoned basket recovery, and optimised checkout processes.

I also liked that Create.net provides a web design service for users to request a custom template.

Create.net Pricing

Create.net offers a free trial. If you’re satisfied with the features, you can pick one of the below plans:

• Personal: £8.49/month
• Professional: £16.99/month
• Business: £33.99/month (gets UK-based priority support)

Try Create.net

6. IONOS Website Builder

IONOS is one of the leading web hosting providers that also offers a range of tools to help businesses establish an online presence, including a website builder. Out of all the website builders I’ve checked, IONOS’ website builder is one of the cheaper ones.

Its plans start from £10/month, but it has a special offer where users can pay £1 for the first 12 months. Every plan includes a free domain for the first year and professional email accounts.

I was impressed by the platform’s AI-assisted website creation tools to help with design, content, and SEO optimisation. The platform also has integrated email marketing tools for newsletter creation and distribution.

Additionally, their multilingual support is great, allowing websites to be translated into 60 different languages. This is something businesses looking for a global audience will appreciate.

From what I have found, many people find IONOS to be a service provider worth the price. They have an “Excellent” score of 4.7/5 on their Trustpilot page.

IONOS Website Builder Pricing

The pricing plans for the IONOS website builder are as below:

• Starter: £6/month (6-month term)
• Plus: £1/month (1-year term)
• Starter: £17/month (6-month term)

Try IONOS Website Builder

7. Names.co.uk Website Builder

Names.co.uk offers a range of digital services, including domain registration, web hosting, email solutions, and a website design tool called Website Builder.

Website Builder, in particular, has one of the most robust analytics features I have ever seen. It allows you to gather deep insights into the performance of your websites without needing additional third-party tools.

Beyond analytics, Names.co.uk’s website builder offers a variety of features, including a wide selection of customisable templates and integrated eCommerce functionality for selling online products.

You also get a free domain, email, and SSL certificate (for enhanced security). The platform offers generous bandwidth and storage, making it an attractive option for both beginners and seasoned web developers.

Names.co.uk Website Builder Pricing

Names.co.uk’s website builder has no free plan or free trial. Here is a list of all the available pricing plans:

• Starter: £9.99/month
• Standard: £16.99/month
• Business: £22.99/month
• eCommerce: £39.99/month

Users can also opt to get a website built for them by professionals at Names, starting from £299.99.

Try Names.co.uk Website Builder

8. Weebly

Weebly is owned by the financial service company Square, and offers a free website maker. Its website builder allows you to develop fully functional websites without any initial cost. However, there are limitations, such as Weebly branding and limited storage.

With that in mind, Weebly still provides free access to a host of features that are often locked behind paywalls in other builders. That’s why I think it’s the best free website builder for small businesses. For instance, the free website comes with site stats, SEO tools, and eCommerce capabilities.

The free eCommerce features impressed me the most, as they include unlimited products, a shopping basket, inventory management, and an automatic tax calculator. Furthermore, it’s integrated with Square’s payment processing, which is great for eCommerce.

There’s an App Centre to extend the website’s functionality with free and paid apps. The platform also offers practical features like site-wide search functionality and password-protecting specific areas or entire sites.

Weebly Pricing

If users need to use Weebly beyond the basic features provided in the free version, they can subscribe to one of the below plans:

• Personal: £5/month
• Professional: £9/month
• Performance: £19/month

Try Weebly

9. Webador

Webador is a website builder focusing on simplicity and efficiency. It’s AI-powered Website Editor allows you to build websites by simply describing what you want to create. The AI then handles the website’s construction, making it exceptionally user-friendly for those new to web design.

The AI editor not only simplifies the creation process but also aids in content generation and layout suggestions, providing a personalised touch to each site.

According to the website, Webador is used by 222,000 small business owners worldwide. Users like how user-friendly it is and its exceptional customer support. That’s why I wasn’t surprised with its “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot, with a user rating of 4.5/5.

Webador Pricing

The free plan includes a “.webadorsite.com” domain, which is fine for solopreneurs. For users seeking a custom domain, as well as more eCommerce features and extras, there are paid plans available.

• Lite: £0 for the first 6 months, then £4.50/month
• Pro: £0 for the first 6 months, then £8.50/month
• Business: £0 for the first 6 months, then £17.50/month

Try Webador

10. ZipWP

ZipWP is an AI-powered website builder to create WordPress sites. It can generate a professional, fully functional WordPress website in about 60 seconds by leveraging AI. This rapid site-building capability is ideal for businesses that need a quick WordPress site without deep technical knowledge or time investment.

Through my testing, I discovered it produces high-quality, niche-specific content automatically and even pulls relevant visuals from stock photo libraries to save time.

ZipWP works directly within WordPress and can use popular themes like Astra. It also has an AI wireframe builder that helps create complex site structures.

Furthermore, I love that ZipWP integrates seamlessly with WordPress’s ecosystem. This allows users to benefit from WordPress’s array of plugins and themes without being WordPress developers.

Its Blueprint feature is a great addition, letting you save and reuse website structures for multiple projects or share them with others. Plus, the websites can be hosted with any provider, giving you complete control over your site’s future.

ZipWP Pricing

ZipWP has the following pricing plans:

• Pay Per Use: $79 one-time fee
• Pro: $199/year
• Business: $399/year

Try ZipWP

11. Elementor

Elementor is a popular drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress. I liked its intuitive drag-and-drop functionality specifically designed for WordPress. This allows you to edit your website in real-time without needing to toggle between the editor and preview modes. It also offers scalable cloud hosting, ensuring websites perform well under varying loads.

Its integration of Copilot is one of the best I’ve seen. This helps you automate various aspects of building a WordPress site, including design, copy, images, and code, by providing useful suggestions.

On top of that, I found that Elementor has a vast template library with both pre-designed and user-created designs. Its Theme Builder feature allows you to design your own WordPress theme, including headers, footers, and custom post types, making it a comprehensive tool for full site customisation.

Elementor Pricing

Elementor offers the following plans:

• Essential: $4.92/month
• Advanced Solo: $6.58/month
• Advanced: $8.25/month
• Expert: $16.58/month

Try Elementor

12. Strikingly

Strikingly has a no-code approach to website creation, making it one of the best options for those without any coding or design experience. It’s built for simplicity and efficiency and offers integrated eCommerce capabilities for selling products directly from the site without additional setup.

Strikingly also includes tools that can positively engage visitors. For instance, businesses can use the sign-up and contact forms to collect customer information, register memberships, generate leads, and build an email list.

They can also integrate social feeds into their website to enhance interactivity. These feeds pull in content from social media platforms to keep the site dynamic and fresh.

I found that Strikingly is best used for one-page websites, making it particularly effective for landing pages or portfolios. It also provides built-in analytics that helps users gather insights about their visitors with easy-to-understand charts.

Strikingly Pricing

Strikingly offers a free plan with the essentials for compelling websites, including multiple pages, a single-product online store, and free storage and bandwidth.

However, these are all limited, and users with complex needs can subscribe to one of the following plans:

• Limited: $8/month
• Pro: $16/month
• VIP: $49/month
• Custom Email: $25/year

Try Strikingly

13. Ucraft

Ucraft is a versatile website builder that simplifies payments for businesses looking to establish or expand their eCommerce presence. I liked that the platform supports over 15 payment gateways, including major services like PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree. This allows small businesses to transact in over 100 markets worldwide.

Beyond payment integration for eCommerce sites, Ucraft offers features like customisable templates for various industries and an intuitive content management system for easy updates. You can also create websites that are optimised for different devices.

I found its solution for agencies interesting, as it enables them to use Ucraft’s platform to build a website-building business. They can brand the system to make it their own and sell websites, templates, and apps.

Ucraft Pricing

Ucraft offers a free plan and a 14-day free trial to test the premium features. Afterwards, you can sign up for the paid plans below:

• Website: $14/project/month
• eCommerce Starter: $21/project/month
• eCommerce Growth: $48/project/month
• eCommerce Unlimited: $125/project/month

Try Ucraft

14. Dorik

Dorik is an AI-powered no-code website builder, offering a compelling free plan that serves as a 14-day free trial. This trial provides you with enough functionality to create a substantial site, including 5 static pages, the ability to work with 2 collaborators, and space for 20 blog posts.

Dorik is an attractive option for those looking to experiment with AI in web design without immediate financial commitment.

Its AI features allow you to generate entire websites from text prompts, including content and images. This significantly reduces the time from concept to completion. Plus, there are over 80 templates you can utilise.

When you upgrade to the paid plans, you can enjoy features like 250 UI blocks for customisation, white-label CMS options for agencies, and built-in membership site capabilities.

Dorik Pricing

Once your free trial ends, you can check out Dorik’s premium plans mentioned below:

• Personal: $18/month
• Business: $39/month
• Agency: Custom

Try Dorik

15. Shopify

Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that provides a powerful website builder tailored for those who want to do business online.

Its website builder is considered one of the best for small businesses, offering features like unlimited products, secure payment processing with Shopify Payments (among others), and various sales channels, including social media integration.

Shopify has thousands of themes, both free and premium, and they can be customised without coding.

You get a POS system for integrating online and physical sales, as well as robust analytics for tracking sales and customer behaviour.

One aspect I find Shopify hard to beat is its scalability, which allows businesses to start small and grow with Shopify’s support. It also has a comprehensive app ecosystem with over 8,000 apps that you can add to your website to increase its functionality.

If that’s not enough, Shopify also has 24/7 customer support, automatic tax calculations for multiple regions, and the ability to create a branded checkout experience!

Shopify Pricing

When you sign up for Shopify, you get a 3-day trial. Then, you will pay £1/month for the next 3 months. After this, you pay the full price of the plan you chose, and the pricing structure is as follows:

• Basic: £19/month
• Shopify: £49/month
• Advanced: £259/month
• Plus: From $2,300/month (3-year term)

Try Shopify

16. Jimdo

Jimdo simplifies the process of creating professional websites, and is particularly appealing to startups for its ease of use and comprehensive features.

I found that its primary strength lies in the drag-and-drop editor (Creator), which allows users to have precise control over their site’s design, offering a balance of simplicity and advanced customisation (through code).

Jimdo includes a selection of templates for various industries, helping startups quickly establish themselves online. For those looking to sell products, Jimdo supports simple eCommerce solutions, enabling businesses to start selling online with minimal setup.

Additionally, you get native SEO tools to help your new business gain visibility on search engines. Another advantage for startups is that some paid plans come with a free domain for the first year, reducing initial costs.

Overall, these features make Jimdo a compelling choice for startups aiming to create a functional, attractive website with business growth in mind.

Jimdo Pricing

Jimdo’s pricing for a website is as follows:

• Start: £11/month
• Grow: £18/month
• Grow Legal: £23/month
• Unlimited: £45/month

The eCommerce features are part of a separate package, as outlined below:

• Basic: £18/month
• Business: £22/month
• VIP: £45/month

Try Jimdo

What Is a Website Builder?

A website builder is a browser-based tool that allows users to create websites without needing web design and programming skills. It usually has a drag-and-drop editor to simplify website creation by giving users a visual way to arrange elements on the page.

When using a website builder, users can start from scratch or use a template they can customise using the drag-and-drop editor. If the website builder has an AI assistant, they can use it to quickly generate the layouts with a few prompts, including copy and images, and then tweak it later.

5 Limitations of Website Builders

While these website-building platforms provide a great deal of customisation in some cases, they also come with a few restrictions. Here are 5 of the biggest limitations:

1. Limited Templates

Some website builders have a limited selection of templates available. This makes it challenging for small businesses to be more creative and find a design that aligns with their brand and enables them to stand out from the crowd.

The result? Generic-looking websites that neither engage audiences nor promote a brand’s uniqueness, which small businesses need for a competitive advantage.

2. Branding Challenges

With website builders, users can’t tweak every design aspect, leading to branding issues. To create a unique brand identity for their small business, you need to customise everything, including the colours, fonts, and layouts. That means users will have to give up a great deal of this customisation for the rapid website-building capabilities of these tools.

A failure to establish a brand’s image through a website dilutes brand recognition and customer trust. Increasing a small business’s online presence can be challenging, especially in a competitive market.

3. SEO Limitations

There is a lot that goes into a website’s SEO, including being able to customise meta tags and descriptions, URL structures, and content.

On website builders like Wix or Weebly, you might be unable to control every aspect of the website’s SEO elements. This means users may not be able to, for instance, optimise each page for specific keywords or implement advanced SEO tactics like schema markup.

You need every bit of SEO to increase your ranking on search engines like Google. If you can’t, it might lower your visibility, hampering efforts to grow online.

4. Scalability Issues

As a business grows, so will its needs. For example, it might need servers to handle more traffic or advanced functionality. The business’ momentum can be impacted if the website builder can’t provide the resources or tools needed to accommodate growth.

In the case of the examples above, the website may become slow or crash when traffic is high, or the business might need to rely on another tool to obtain the required functionality. This leads to added complexities and costs.

5. Migration Difficulties

Sometimes, you might want to switch platforms (e.g., from Hostinger to Weebly) when you notice limitations or bugs in your current platform. This is when people run into issues with website builders because these are proprietary systems, and aspects like data, content, and design elements cannot be easily transferred.

This results in significant downtime, data loss, and a drop in search engine rankings. Be sure to pick your website builder wisely to avoid needing to migrate from one platform to another in the future.

Can I Build a Website for Free?

Yes, you can build a website completely free using popular website builders like Wix, Weebly, or Elementor, which offer basic plans without any upfront costs. However, these free plans often have significant limitations that may affect your website’s professional appearance and functionality.

Some of these restrictions include mandatory branding on your pages, the inability to use custom domains, locked premium features behind paywalls, and, in some cases, third-party advertisements on your site.

FAQs