Resource Guide
What website builder is best, or should you
hire a designer?
There’s no single best website builder for everyone. There’s a best fit for your business, your budget and your time. Here’s how to choose, and how to tell when a designer is the better investment.
- By Raina Noël
- 4 min read
- Updated November 2026
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Key Takeaways
- There’s no single best website builder, only the best fit for your business.
- Choose by what the site must do, who builds and maintains it, growth and total cost.
- Builders suit DIY and early ventures; designers suit businesses whose website wins customers.
- I design custom WordPress sites from $1,200, with training included.
There’s no single “best” website builder
Search for the best website builder and you’ll find list after list, each crowning a different winner. That’s because the answer depends on what you need. A yoga studio, a bed and breakfast, a home builder and a tech startup all want different things from a website.
The main options most small businesses consider:
- Wix: a flexible drag-and-drop builder, easy to start, lots of templates and apps.
- Squarespace: polished, design-led templates; tidy and approachable.
- Shopify: built for online stores first.
- WordPress: free, open source software you host yourself; the most flexible, with more setup and upkeep.
- Webflow: a designer-oriented visual builder with precise control and a steeper learning curve.
For a closer look at specific matchups, see my comparisons of Wix vs WordPress and Shopify vs WordPress.
How to choose a website builder
Ask yourself these questions, in this order:
- What does the site need to do? Inform, take bookings, sell products, publish articles, host members? Rule out platforms that don’t do your main job well.
- Who will build it? If it’s you, ease of use matters most. If it’s a designer, flexibility matters more.
- Who will maintain it? Hosted builders handle updates. WordPress needs regular care.
- How might you grow? A platform that fits today but can’t handle next year’s shop or booking system will cost you a rebuild.
- Do you want to own it? Hosted builders keep your site on their platform. WordPress lets you move it anywhere.
- What’s the total cost over a few years? Include subscriptions, apps, payment fees and your time.
Best website builder by business type
Here are general patterns I see across the businesses I work with. They’re not hard rules, and plenty of businesses do well on a different platform:
| Business | Often a good fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Yoga studios, gyms, personal trainers | A builder with booking, or WordPress with a booking plugin | Class schedules and online booking are the main job |
| Counsellors, chiropractors, clinics | Squarespace or WordPress | Calm, trustworthy design and clear service pages; WordPress for more SEO control |
| Bed and breakfasts, inns | WordPress or a builder that connects to your booking system | Photos, local SEO and booking integration |
| Retail stores selling online | Shopify or WordPress with WooCommerce | Products, payments and shipping |
| Home builders, trades | WordPress or Wix | Project galleries, service areas and quote requests |
| Tech startups | Webflow or WordPress | Fast iteration and marketing pages; often a designer on the team |
| Non-profits | WordPress | Events, news, donations and volunteers can manage content |
Which website builder is cheapest?
On the surface, a basic builder plan or cheap WordPress hosting is the lowest cash cost. But the cheapest option depends on what you add. Builder subscriptions rise with higher plans and paid apps. WordPress adds premium themes, plugins and maintenance. And whichever you choose, the biggest cost is usually time, yours or a designer’s. My guide to how much a website costs covers this in more detail.
Website builder vs designer
This is the real decision for many business owners. Here’s an honest comparison:
| DIY website builder | Web designer | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low: subscription and your time | Higher: a project fee |
| Your time | A lot: design, writing, setup, testing | Some: content, feedback, approvals |
| Result | Depends on your skill and patience | A custom, tested, professional site |
| Strategy | Up to you | Built in: page structure, calls to action, SEO |
| Support | Help articles and platform support | A person who knows your site |
A builder makes sense when:
- You’re just starting out and testing an idea.
- You enjoy design and have time to learn.
- The site isn’t central to winning customers.
A designer makes sense when:
- Your website is a main source of new customers.
- Your time is better spent running your business.
- You want to look established and trustworthy from day one.
- You’ve tried DIY and it isn’t bringing in enquiries.
Common DIY website mistakes
If you do go the builder route, avoid the mistakes I see most often when people bring me a DIY site to redo:
- A home page that doesn’t say what you do. Lovely photo, vague slogan, no clear description of your services or area.
- Too many fonts and colours. Templates look good because they’re restrained. Adding five more fonts undoes that.
- Not checking on a phone. Something that looks fine on a laptop can be cramped or broken on mobile.
- No clear next step. Every page should make it obvious how to call, book or buy.
- Skipping page titles and descriptions. Leaving the defaults means search engines show something generic.
- Huge image files. Uploading photos straight from a camera slows the site down.
Questions to ask before signing up for any builder
- Can I export my content if I leave?
- Which features cost extra, and which need a higher plan?
- Are there transaction fees on sales?
- Can I use my own domain name and business email?
- How does the platform handle SEO basics like page titles and redirects?
- What happens to my site if I stop paying?
Five minutes with these questions can save a painful move later. It’s also worth reading recent reviews from businesses like yours, because a builder that suits a photographer may frustrate a restaurant, and the other way around.
Where I fit in
I design and build custom websites on WordPress, so you get a professional result on a platform you own and can update yourself after training. Packages start at $1,200 for 3–4 pages, with my most popular package from $2,400. If you’ve already built something on a builder and it isn’t working for you, that’s useful too: your content and what you’ve learned about your customers give us a head start. You’ll find full details on my web design page, and more guides on my resources page.
Raina Noël
Founder & Creative Director
Raina has designed websites and brands for businesses across Atlantic Canada since 2013, and won 2021 Best Boutique Graphic & Web Design, Atlantic Canada. Last updated November 2026.
Questions and Answers
Related Questions
More answers on this topic, in plain language.
What website builder is the best for a small business?
It depends on what the site needs to do. Wix and Squarespace suit DIY brochure sites, Shopify suits online stores, and WordPress suits businesses that want ownership, flexibility and room to grow.
Which website builder is cheapest?
Basic builder plans and budget WordPress hosting have the lowest cash cost, but add-ons, apps and your time change the picture. Compare total costs over a few years.
What’s the best website builder for a small business with eCommerce?
Shopify and WordPress with WooCommerce are the usual choices. See my Shopify vs WordPress comparison.
Should I use a website builder or hire a web designer?
Use a builder if you’re testing an idea and have time to learn. Hire a designer if your website brings in customers and your time is better spent on your business.
Can a designer build on a website builder?
Yes, some do. I build on WordPress because it gives my clients ownership and flexibility, and I include training so you can update it yourself.
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