Doing so, I’ve purchased domains from virtually every platform in existence. Some experiences were great, others were awful, and the majority fell somewhere in the middle.
Whether you’re buying a domain for the first time or looking to change providers, you need to understand that you have options.
Where can you register a domain name? The choices can be segmented into three categories:
Domain Registrars
Hosting Providers
Website Builders
I’ll show you the difference between these options and point out the top platforms within each category. Use this guide to learn the best way to buy a domain name.
Register a Domain With These Top-Rated Domain Registrars
If you want to register a domain, you’ll need a domain registrar. Here are the best options.
As the name implies, a domain registrar’s primary function is domain name registration. There are some registrars that provide additional services as well, such as hosting plans or website builders. But the best domain registrars specialize as platforms to buy a domain name.
Let’s review four of the top domain registrar services on the market today.
Domain.com
Domain.com is the best domain registrar for first-time and experienced buyers alike. The process is simple, straightforward, and the registrar provides exceptional service.
You can register a .com domain for just $9.99 per year with Domain.com.
During the checkout process, this registrar gives you the ability to buy your domain for up to five years. I love this feature because you won’t have to worry about renewing every year.
When you register a domain, your name and address become available to the public. Domain.com offers privacy and protection for $8.99 per year per domain. If you’re registering a domain under a company name (that’s what I do), you can skip this. Otherwise, you’ll definitely want to add the privacy and protection.
Some domain registrars offer this for free, but it’s worth paying a little extra for the personal privacy.
Domain.com hits with you additional upsells throughout the checkout process. This is pretty standard practice in the domain registrar industry. I’d skip the add-ons. Things like an SSL certificate and SiteLock should come standard from your web hosting provider.
Registering a domain from Domain.com takes less than a minute. It’s the perfect registrar for those of you who plan to buy multiple domain names.
Domain.com also has exceptional 24/7 customer support, making it a top choice for domain transfers as well.
Namecheap
Namecheap is another top choice to consider for domain registration. More than 10 million domains have been registered through this platform.
The process is easy for someone who has never bought a domain before.
Namecheap has .com domains available for $8.88 per year. They also offer free privacy and protection, which is a nice bonus since it’s something you’ll likely need to have.
Like most domain registrars, Namecheap offers a wide range of upsells during the checkout process. Since you’re getting privacy and protection for free, you can skip everything else.
Namecheap has an excellent knowledge base of resources if you need some assistance. Live chat is available 24/7, and their support team provides ticket response times under two hours.
With a simple process, free privacy protection, and outstanding support, Namecheap delivers everything you want and need in a domain registrar.
NameSilo
If you’re looking for a no-frills domain registrar, NameSilo has you covered. As you can see from the screenshot above, their website is very outdated. But this hasn’t stopped them from becoming one of the most popular domain registrars in the world.
Buying a .com domain from NameSilo starts at $8.99 per year. You’ll benefit from bundle discounts if you’re registering more than 50 domains in a single order.
NameSilo lets you search for up to 500 domains simultaneously. You can even upload a list of domains from your computer to save you time.
If the outdated interface doesn’t bother you, NameSilo will be a top choice for those of you who want to buy multiple domains at the same time.
There are barely any upsells during the checkout process. WHOIS privacy and protection is free, and ICANN fees are included in the total. You can be out the door for $8.99 per year per domain.
NameSilo allows you to enable auto renew as well, so you won’t have to worry about the name lapsing if you forget to do so manually.
2. Web Hosting Provider
Every website needs to be hosted. So once you register a domain name, the next step is finding a web hosting provider. With that said, some hosting providers let you register a domain directly from through their platform.
If you’re planning to register multiple domains over time, use a domain registrar. But if you just need one domain, you can save some money by bundling your hosting and registration together.
Bluehost is the best web hosting provider for domain registration bundles. It’s what I recommend the most.
But if you’re set on using another hosting provider, there are a few other platforms that deliver decent deals and service for hosting and domain registration.
Bluehost
Even though Bluehost is a web hosting provider, you can still purchase a domain directly from them without using their hosting services. However, I don’t recommend this.
A .com domain from Bluehost is $11.99 per year. Privacy and protection is $11.88 per year. For the same price, I can register two domains from a domain registrar and still have change to spare.
However, you can get a free domain name from Bluehost if you bundle your domain registration with their hosting services.
The process is extremely simple. Just choose your web hosting plan, and Bluehost will prompt you to register a new domain. If you follow these steps, your domain will be free for the first year.
You’ll still have to pay $11.88 per year for privacy and protection. Bluehost provides a free SSL certificate, one-click WordPress installs, and 24/7 support.
Bluehost is the best web hosting provider on the market today, and it’s the only web host I actually recommend for domain registration.
Dreamhost
Dreamhost is another top consideration for web hosting. While it’s not as popular as their web hosting products, Dreamhost does offer domain registration services.
You can get a .com domain with Dreamhost for $7.99 per year. This includes free privacy and protection. Furthermore, Dreamhost has more than 400 TLDs, with .xyz extensions as low as $0.89 per year.
While $7.99 for a .com domain is definitely a great deal, there is a catch. Your domain will renew at $15.99 per year.
I really can’t justify this price, especially from a platform that specializes in web hosting, not domain registration.
In addition to web hosting, HostGator offers a wide range of other services, including a site builder and domain registration.
You can register a .com domain with HostGator for $12.95 per year. While it’s a bit high compared to the domain registrars we reviewed, it’s just the introductory offer. The price actually jumps up to $17.99 per year upon renewal.
Privacy and protection is an additional $14.95 per year. So your initial registration comes to $27.90 and will renew at $32.94 per year.
I could get three domains from Domain.com, Namecheap, and NameSilo, for the same price.
So can you get a domain name from HostGator? Yes, the option is available. But I really don’t see any reason why you would.
SiteGround
SiteGround is one of the most popular and well-known web hosting providers on the market today. The platform also has domain registration services, although I can’t say I recommend it.
You can register a .com domain from SiteGround for $17.99 per year.
That’s double the price of Namecheap’s registration, and there’s still a catch. You’re only able to use SiteGround for domain registration if you have a SiteGround web hosting plan.
So if you wanted to buy a domain from SiteGround and host your site elsewhere, that’s not an option.
For those of you looking to bundle domain registration with web hosting, you’re much better off using Bluehost. With Bluehost, you’ll get a free domain for the first year, which is not available with SiteGround.
3. Website Builder
Most people don’t associate website builders with domain registration.
Similar to web hosting, I normally wouldn’t recommend buying a domain from anywhere other than a registrar. But with that said, there are a handful of site builders offering domain registration services.
Wix is best known for its simple drag-and-drop website builder. If you don’t know how to code and you’re creating a website from scratch, Wix is a top choice to consider.
Wix is also one of the most reliable and secure platforms out there right now. Their 24/7 live security team is constantly monitoring for cyber threats and keeping Wix websites safe. They also have an impressive 99.98 percent uptime rate, meaning your site will be available virtually all the time. No unexpected downtime to thwart visitors.
You can’t exclusively buy a domain using Wix. You’ll need to bundle your domain registration with their website builder.
With that said, there are two ways to get a free domain with this platform.
Every Wix site comes with a free Wix subdomain. Without spending anything, you can have a domain in the following format:
wixusername.wixsite.com/yourdomain
I don’t recommend this to anyone unless you’re just experimenting with the Wix platform. Once you’re ready to take things to the next level, you’ll need to register your own domain.
Wix also offers a free domain for one year with all paid site builder plans. Privacy and protection is included free as well. You could even bundle your web hosting through them, although I can’t endorse that option.
Squarespace
Squarespace is another one of my favorite website builders. It’s great for beginners and people with an eye for great design.
But like Wix, getting a domain from Squarespace means you’ll have to bundle it with a site-building plan.
All Squarespace annual plans come with a free custom domain name for the first year. WHOIS privacy and protection is included. Additional domains can be purchased between $20 and $70 per year, depending on the extension.
Those prices are outrageous if you compare them to the domain registrars that we reviewed earlier. If you need to buy more than one domain, this is not the platform to do so.
I would only consider registering a domain with Squarespace if you need one domain, you’re using the site builder, and you think it’s easier to purchase everything from one provider. Just know that you could run into problems if you need to transfer your domain and website to another platform in the future.
WordPress
WordPress is the world’s largest CMS platform. We use WordPress here at Quick Sprout to power our website.
This website builder is best for those of who are comfortable with coding and want to get the most out of your site’s content. Although WordPress does have plugins that allow drag-and-drop building capabilities.
You can also use WordPress to buy a domain. The domain will automatically be connected to your website, and renewals get handled through your WordPress account.
While it may be tempting to get a domain directly from WordPress, it’s not the most convenient procedure. You’ll have to go through a six-step process, which includes creating your WordPress account.
Plus, the domain registration is a bit pricey. A .com domain from WordPress costs $18 per year, which is more than double the price of the cheapest domain registrars.
Weebly
Weebly is a website builder geared toward ecommerce sites. Compared to some of the other website builders out there, registering a domain name with Weebly isn’t the worst idea.
Two of Weebly’s premium plans (Professional and Performance) come with a free domain for one year with an annual contract. Those plans start at $12 and $26 per month, respectively.
You can use Weebly to register a domain without a site builder plan. The nice part about using Weebly for domain registration is that you’ll save money by registering for longer periods of time.
1 year — $19.95 per year
2 years — $16.95 per year
5 years — $14.96 per year
10 years — $12.57 per year
But even though you can save up to 37% off with an extended registration, the ten-year price is still more expensive than NameCheap, NameSilo, and Domain.com.
How to Find the Best Place to Buy a Domain
With so many options to choose from, finding the best place to buy a domain can be challenging. There are certain features and elements that must be taken into consideration when you’re evaluating a prospective platform to buy a domain.
This is the methodology that we used to narrow the search.
Price and Contract Terms
The price should always be the first thing you look at. If all of these platforms are basically offering the same thing, it makes sense to go with one that’s cost-effective.
Don’t just look at the cheapest extensions. Always compare the prices for .com domains, since that’s what you should be registering.
Look at the length of your contract. Some providers will require a minimum registration period, such as one or two years. Others will offer discounts for long-term registration.
Keep an eye out for additional fees. Most add-ons you’ll be able to ignore. But you’ll definitely want to get WHOIS privacy and protection. This comes free with your registration on some platforms, but others upcharge for it.
Make sure that your contract makes it easy for you to renew your domain. Look for automatic renewals or contracts giving you a grace period after the domain expires, in case you forget to renew manually.
Domain Transfers
If you’re unhappy with your domain registrar, for any reason, you might want to transfer your domain in the future.
You cannot transfer a domain within the first 60 days of registration. However, you’re free to do what you want with your domain after that.
Just make sure that your registrar makes transferring easy for you. Platforms like GoDaddy, have a reputation for throttling down outgoing transfers. So always check customer reviews about the transfer process before you settle.
The best domain registrars make transfers easy and don’t impose any extra fees.
Additional Services
As you’ve seen from this guide, you can get a domain name from a wide range of platforms. Some of those platforms specialize in additional services, like web hosting or website builders.
The ability to bundle multiple services shouldn’t sway you toward one provider over another.
Most providers are better at one service compared to the other. Just because a platform is one of the best website builders, it doesn’t mean they have a flawless domain registration process.
In many cases, domain registration is more expensive from website builders and hosting providers. Some of these platforms let you to buy a domain independently from their primary services, while others force you to bundle everything.
Sometimes it’s worth it to go with a service bundle. For example, Bluehost gives you a free domain for one year when you sign up for a web hosting plan.
Support and User Experience
Registering a domain name shouldn’t be complicated. If a platform is making you jump through hoops, it’s probably best to look elsewhere.
Most of the time, you should be able to register a domain in a minute or two, at most.
If you’re interested in buying dozens or even hundreds of domains simultaneously, look for platforms that support those needs.
In some cases, you may want to request some assistance. Although this usually won’t be required unless you’re transferring a domain. In any event, you’ll want to make sure that the platform provides excellent customer service to assist you with transfers or whatever else you need help with.
Conclusion
There are three main options for buying a domain; domain registrars, web hosting providers, and website builders.
Within each category, you’ll have tons of different providers to choose from.
Buying a domain from a domain registrar like Domain.com will almost always be your best option. These providers specialize in domain registration, so you’ll get the best price, quality, and customer service here. Plus, domain registrars won’t force you to bundle your registration with another service.
Using Bluehost to bundle your domain registration with web hosting is the only time that I’d consider bundling services. That’s because Bluehost gives you a free domain for one year when you sign up for a hosting plan.
Other providers have similar offers, but overall, they fall short in one category or the other.
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best business loan for most people is from Bluevine or Lendio.
From startups to companies that have been around for decades, it’s not uncommon for businesses to seek funding at one point or another. Loans can cover operating costs, purchase new equipment, buy inventory, help with expansion, and more.
Regardless of your company size or capital needs, you can find the best loan for your business using this guide.
Compare Quotes From The Best Business Loan Companies
Get matched up with a business loan that fits your specific needs.
Bluevine is one of the first places a business owner should look for a loan. You can get approved for a loan in just five minutes, and they have interest rates as low as 6.2%.
Applying online will not affect your credit score. Hard credit checks are only performed after you’ve reviewed and accepted an offer.
Bluevine offers lines of credit up to $250,000 with a decision made in just five minutes.
Bluevine’s main type of small business assistance comes in the form of a line of credit, which includes:
Revolving line of credit to $250,000
Only pay interest for the amount used
No prepayment penalties
Fast decision turnaround
The line of credit funds are available on-demand and very simple to request on the website. As your business grows and gets a better credit score, your line of credit will increase.
More than 20,000 business owners have used Bluevine for a loan. The company has provided more than $2 billion in loans to a wide range of business types across all industries.
There are some eligibility restrictions to consider. For example, to get a line of credit, you need to be in business for at least 24 months, earn at least $40,000 in monthly revenue, and have a 600+ FICO score.
This makes Bluevine a better choice for an established business as opposed to a startup company. Apply online.
Lendio is unique compared to some of the other lenders on our list. That’s because you won’t be borrowing money directly from them.
Instead, Lendio operates as a small business loan marketplace. They have a national network of more than 75 different lenders. PayPal, American Express, and Bank of America are just a few of the many companies that you’re familiar with. You’ll even recognize some names from our list of the best business credit cards.
Simply fill out an application, and you’ll be matched with the top lenders and loan terms to meet your needs. This is the best way to compare business loans from a single platform.
It takes just 15 minutes to apply, and there’s no fee or obligation. Once approved, you can have access to your funds in as little as 24 hours.
Over $10 billion has been funded from 216,000+ loans in the Lendio marketplace. No matter what you need the capital for, Lendio is sure to have an option for you.
In some cases, Lendio will request additional information or documentation after you apply, which can sometimes be a pain. But if you’re not in a major rush to get a loan, this extra step is a non-issue. Apply online now.
OnDeck is a global leader in business financing. The company has loaned more than $13 billion to businesses across 700+ industries.
With OnDeck, you can access a term loan or a business line of credit. Here’s a quick overview of each option:
OnDeck Term Loan
$5,000 to $500,000
Term lengths from three to 36 months
Same day funding
Daily or weekly payments
OnDeck Line of Credit
Revolving line of $6,000 up to $100,000
12-month term lengths
No prepayment penalties
Weekly payments
To qualify for a loan with OnDeck, regardless of the loan type, you must meet the following minimum requirements:
At least one year in business
Personal FICO score 600+
Annual revenue $100,000+
Established business bank account
With that said, the typical OnDeck customer has been in business for more than three years, has a personal FICO score above 650, and does $300,000+ in annual revenue.
There’s some conflicting information online about OnDeck. Some websites claim this is a good place for business owners with bad credit. But you’ll still need to meet the minimum FICO requirements.
OnDeck does not offer funding to businesses based in certain industries. For example, adult entertainment materials, firearms, drug dispensaries, gambling services, and vehicle dealers will need to seek a loan elsewhere. You can view the full list of OnDeck restricted industries here.
More than 100,000 businesses have trusted Fundbox to finance their small business loans.
Fundbox is known for its simplicity and transparent pricing. It’s a great option for small business owners who don’t meet strict qualification terms from other lenders.
To get approved for a Fundbox loan, you need to meet the following qualifications:
500 minimum personal credit score
Have a business checking account
Provide three months of business banking activity
Be registered in the US
Fundbox specializes in trade credit, which is also known as vendor credit or net terms. In these cases, your company can continue to purchase inventory and supplies directly from vendors. But the vender will be paid by the lender, and your business repays the lender based on your term agreement.
You can get interest rates as low as 4.66% with Fundbox. They offer 12 and 24-week term options for repayment.
Funding Circle is a well-known and trusted name in the small business financing world. More than $10.9 billion has been lent to 77,000+ businesses throughout the globe on this platform.
It takes just six minutes to apply online for a loan from Funding Circle.
Access interest rates as low as 4.99% per year. You can borrow between $25,000 and $500,000 and pay it back between six months and five years.
This type of flexibility is one of the many reasons why Funding Circle is such a popular choice for small business owners.
Try the Funding Circle loan calculation tool on their website. It’s a great way to calculate your monthly payments based on the amount you want to borrow and the loan term.
One potential downside of using Funding Circle is that you’ll have to pay an origination fee. This fee ranges from 3.49% to 5.99%, depending on your term.
Funding Circle has loans specifically for minority business owners, businesses owned by women, business debt consolidation loans, and business acquisition loans.
Another reason why I like Funding Circle is because they provide excellent customer service. You’ll hear back from a personal loan specialist within an hour of applying. Once your offer has been approved and accepted, you can usually access funds the following business day.
Kabbage offers small business funding in the form of revolving credit. You can get a credit line of up to $250,000 from this online lender.
With Kabbage, the application process is simple. You’ll get a decision within minutes of applying online. With that said, you must connect your bank account so the system can review your business performance.
You have to meet the following minimum requirements to get a loan from Kabbage:
Business has been operating for at least one year
Revenue is $50,000 per year or $4,200 per month
This is a great alternative for business owners who don’t qualify for stricter revenue requirements that we’ve seen from other lenders.
Kabbage offers 6, 12, and 18-month loan terms with no prepayment penalties. However, you will pay a fixed monthly fee in addition to the financing rate. The monthly fee ranges from 1.5% to 10% of the principal loan amount. The good news is that there are no prepayment penalties if you want to pay your balance off early.
More than 200,000 businesses have used Kabbage to secure financing.
Lending Club offers a wide range of loan options. In addition to business loans, they provide auto refinancing, personal loans, and patient solutions for healthcare bills. Altogether, over three million customers have borrowed $50+ billion from Lending Club.
$28+ billion has been loaned to businesses.
Lending Club is another loan marketplace, similar to Lendio, which we reviewed earlier. However, Lending Club stands out because it’s a P2P lending network.
The money you borrow can come from individual investors.
In general, P2P lending has a reputation for high-interest rates since it involves more risk for the investor. But Lending Club has rates as low as 4.99% for qualifying borrowers.
Lending Club has business loans for:
Inventory
Debt consolidation
Marketing
Equipment
Remodels
Emergency repairs
Acquisitions
Another reason to consider Lending Club is the loan terms. You can get all of your capital in a lump sum upfront and repay it with fixed terms for up to five years. There are no prepayment penalties.
Loan amounts range from $5,000 up to $500,000. You can get funded in just a few days if you qualify.
To get a business loan from Lending Club, you must be in business for more than one year and have at least $50,000 in annual sales. You must own at least 20% of the business and be free of any recent bankruptcy or tax liens.
Kiva is a nonprofit organization. This allows them to offer business loans at 0% interest. Yes, you heard that right; 0%.
More than 2.5 million people have used Kiva to raise $1+ billion.
This platform is designed to create opportunities for entrepreneurs in the United States.
Benefiting from 0% interest does come at a cost. Kiva can only be used for microloans of up to $10,000. There is also a lengthy process to apply and get funded.
First, you’ll have to fill out an application that takes up to 30 minutes. Then you’ll spend 15 days getting your friends and family to lend you money “to prove your creditworthiness.” Next, you can go public on the Kiva marketplace, where your loan will be visible to more than 1.6 billion lenders across the globe.
Basically, Kiva is a mix between crowdfunding and P2P lending. You’ll have up to 36 months to repay the loan.
If you need fast access to large sums of cash, Kiva is not for you. But for small business owners who aren’t in a hurry to get a microloan, Kiva is the best way to avoid interest fees.
In most instances, you’ll need to visit a bank to get an SBA loan. These are government-backed loans that give businesses access to cash at favorable rates.
Fortunately, you can get an SBA loan directly from banks in the SmartBiz marketplace.
SmartBiz has SBA loans for up to $5 million, with interest rates between 6.25% and 8.50%. Loan terms range between 10-25 years.
These favorable rates do come with stricter qualification terms. For example, get an SBA loan between $30,000 and $350,000 for working capital or debt refinancing, you must:
Be in business for 2+ years
Have a personal credit score above 650
Be a US citizen at least 21 years old
Own and operate the business in the US
No outstanding tax liens
No foreclosures in the past three years
No bankruptcies in the past three years
Be up to date on all other current government loan payments
SBA commercial real estate loans between $500,000 and $5 million have even stricter qualification terms:
Be in business for 3+ years
Personal credit score above 675
Real estate must be majority occupied (at least 51% of square footage) by your business
Sufficient cash flow to support debt
Provide three years of tax returns and financial information
No defaults or delinquencies on other government loans
While it’s harder to qualify, you’ll benefit from favorable lending terms. SmartBiz has other loans that aren’t SBA-backed. But I’d only consider using this platform if you’re seeking an SBA loan.
Credibility Capital specializes in small business loans. All of their loans are bank-backed, which gives them the ability to provide lower rates than other financing options on our list.
Loans range from $25,000 to $350,000.
Each loan is paid back monthly over one, two, or three-year terms. Interest rates start at 8%. There is no application fee. However, Credibility Capital charges origination fees starting at 3%. Fortunately, there are no prepayment penalties if you want to pay the loan off early.
Here are the eligibility requirements for Credibility Capital loans:
2+ years in business
Business is currently generating revenue
Business owner is a US citizen
Strong personal credit
No bankruptcies in the last five years
Businesses located in Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Nevada are NOT eligible
The information on their website is fairly limited. You’ll need to start an application to see more details about your financing options.
CAN Capital has been served 81,000+ businesses for more than 20 years. During that time, they’ve loaned more than $7 billion to small business owners.
With CAN Capital, you can get access to funding quickly with minimal paperwork. Most decisions are made within a few hours of applying, and funds can be released as soon as the next business day.
They offer loans from $2,500 to $250,000.
In addition to short-term business loans, CAN Capital also provides merchant cash advance programs. A merchant cash advance is more flexible. The repayment schedule is based on a percentage of future credit card receivables.
This is an excellent option for business owners who don’t want to be locked into fixed daily payments, which is required for CAN Capital’s short-term loans.
Repayment terms range from 6-18 months, regardless of your loan type.
There’s an origination fee of up to 3% on short-term loans. All merchant cash advance loans have a $595 administrative fee.
How to Find the Best Business Loan For You
With so many business loan options to choose from, finding the best loan for your small business can be challenging. Getting a business loan is a big deal, so don’t rush through this process.
Compare Quotes From The Best Business Loan Companies
Get matched up with a business loan that fits your specific needs.
There are certain factors that must be taken into consideration when you’re evaluating a prospective loan or lender. This is the methodology that we used to narrow down the choices on our list. You can use the same criteria during your search.
Loan Type
All loans are not created equally. Some lenders offer a wide range of loan types, while others provide just one or two. Common types of small business loans include:
Installment Loans — Lump sum of cash paid back in fixed installments over the term length.
Business Line of Credit — Revolving line of funds that can be drawn at any time. Interest is only paid on the amount borrowed, as opposed to the full amount of the credit line.
SBA Loans — Loans with lower interest rates backed by the Federal government.
Short-Term Loan — Lump sum of cash that must be paid back in fixed installments over a shorter period than an installment loan. Some short term loans typically range from 12 weeks to 18 months.
Equipment Loans — Must be used to purchase business equipment. In many cases, the equipment is used as collateral to secure the loan.
Merchant Cash Advance — Money borrowed against future revenue, typically repaid as a percentage of daily or weekly credit card sales.
It’s important that you apply for the right type of loan. For example, certain loans can only be used for real estate. So you wouldn’t be able to use those funds to purchase inventory.
Lender Type
Decide what type of lender you want to borrow money from. Certain lenders offer more flexible terms or types of loans. Lenders typically fall into one of the following categories:
Big national banks
Small local banks
Credit unions
Alternative lenders
Loan marketplaces
Nonprofit lenders
Crowdfunding services
P2P lending
Qualification terms and interest rates vary based on the lender. For example, a P2P lending platform might offer loans to business owners with poor credit, but the interest rates will be much higher than an SBA loan from a bank.
Funding Needed
How much money do you need?
This will have a significant impact on choosing a loan and lender. Some lenders on our list only provide microloans of up to $10,000. Others offer loans in the $500,000 to $5 million range.
Make sure you choose a lending option that can provide you with adequate funding.
Interest Rates and Loan Terms
Before you accept a business loan agreement, review all of the terms. Some platforms have great tools to calculate the amount you’ll pay, including interest and other fees, over the term of your loan.
Shop around for the best interest rates for your loan type. If you have excellent credit, you’ll be able to get more favorable terms.
Always try to get the longest loan term for the lowest interest rate. I only recommend loans with no prepayment penalties. So you can pay it off early to avoid added interest charges.
Some loans come with other charges, like a fixed monthly fee or an origination fee. While a 3% origination fee might not sound like much, it gets quite expensive as you start looking at six-figure loans.
Qualification Requirements
Unless you have an outstanding credit score, you probably won’t qualify for every loan. Review the qualification terms before you apply to anything. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time.
Common loan qualification terms include:
Minimum credit score
Location of business
Age of the business owner
Years the business has been operating
Minimum monthly or annual revenue
These requirements are usually easy to find on every lending website.
Funding Time
How fast do you need money?
In some cases, you can fill out an application online in just a few minutes and get a decision within the hour. Other times, the application process is a bit slower.
Some business loans provide same-day or next-day funding once you’ve been approved. You’ll have to wait days, weeks, or even months (rarely) in other cases to get your hands on cash from some lenders.
Unless it’s an emergency, getting next-day funding shouldn’t be the deciding factor. I’d rather get a loan with lower interest rates and favorable terms, even if it takes a bit longer to get funded.
The Top Small Business Loans in Summary
The best small business loans give you working capital for your business. These loans can range anywhere from $15,000 to $1+ million.
While you may be tempted visit your local bank or credit union. The best business loans typically come from online lenders and alternative financing options.
Compare Quotes From The Best Business Loan Companies
Get matched up with a business loan that fits your specific needs.
A small business credit card can offer more than just a way to pay for everyday purchases. Lots of business owners use these cards as an alternative way to secure financing if they don’t qualify for a small business loan.
That’s because business credit cards usually have higher spending limits compared to traditional consumer credit cards.
In many instances, you don’t even need a formal business structure to apply for a small business credit card. If you’re a freelancer or entrepreneur without a registered LLC, you can still apply for cards using your social security number as opposed to a tax ID or EIN.
The best business credit cards offer exceptional rewards, from cash back to airline miles and other money-saving benefits.
This guide is perfect for anyone interested in a small business credit card. I’ll show you the top options and explain how to find the best business credit card for your situation.
Top 8 Best Business Credit Cards for 2020
There are hundreds of business credit cards on the market today. It seems like they all claim to be “the best” for something. But with that said, there are only eight business credit cards that I would confidently recommend.
I’ll highlight the top features, benefits, costs, and any other considerations for each one below.
The Best Business Credit Card Reviews
Chase Ink Business Cash
Chase Ink Business Cash is the best overall business credit card. It ranks first on our list because of its benefits and flexibility for a wide range of business purposes.
That’s because Chase offers outstanding rewards on this card for things you’re already spending money on.
5% cash back on first $25,000 in combined purchases for Internet, cable, business phone services per year
2% cash back on first $25,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations
Unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases
You’ll get up to $1,750 cash back each year if you max out those first two categories.
Chase offers built-in protection for instances using your Ink Business Cash card. You can decline collision insurance offered by rental companies when you’re renting a car; Chase Ink Business Cash has you covered.
The card also provides purchase protection against theft or damage to items for 120 days, up to $10,000 per claim and $50,000 per account. It also extends qualified manufacturer’s warranties on purchases for an additional year.
You can get extra cards for your employees at no cost, and set individual spending limits for each cardholder.
Chase is currently offering a $500 bonus cash back bonus if you spend $3,000 in the first three months of opening a new account. There is 0% APR for the first 12 months using the card. After that, there is a 14.74% – 20.74% variable APR.
The Ink Business Cash card does not have an annual fee.
Capital One Spark Cash
Capital One Spark Cash offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases. The offer for new cardmembers is a $500 cash bonus when you spend $4,500 in the first three months of opening an account.
There is a $95 annual fee for this card, but it’s waived for the first year.
Some of the top features and benefits for Capital One Spark Cash include:
Free employee cards
Fraud alerts and protection
No foreign transaction fees
$100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck
Rental car collision coverage
I like the fact that you can immediately lock a card from the mobile app if it’s lost or stolen.
You’ll also benefit from a detailed year-end summary report that’s perfect for budgeting and tax preparation. It’s easy to integrate your purchase records with Quickbooks to simplify your accounting tasks.
There is an 18.49% variable APR with this card.
Capital One provides emergency card replacement, as well as emergency cash 24/7 at locations throughout the world.
Not everyone will be eligible for this card. To apply, you’ll need an excellent credit score and a business registered in the US.
Blue Business Cash Card From American Express
If you want all of the benefits associated with American Express, without paying an annual fee, the Blue Business Cash Card will be your best option.
You’ll earn 2% cash back on purchases up to $50,000 in a calendar year. After that, you’ll receive 1% cash back on your purchases. Rewards will automatically be credited to your statement, so you don’t have to worry about manual redemption.
One unique feature of this card is the spending capacity terms. You have the ability to spend above your credit limit with Amex’s expanded buying power.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll have unlimited spending freedom. The amount available above your limit varies based on things like your payment history, usage, and other factors.
American Express offers outstanding travel and transportation benefits with this card. In addition to car rental loss and damage insurance, you’ll also have access to 24/7 services with global hotline assist whenever you’re more than 100 miles from home.
This program gives you access to legal, financial, medical, and other emergency services coordination, such as helping you travel with a lost passport.
Other Blue Business Card highlights include:
No charge for employee cards
Detailed year-end summary with spending category and expense reports
Account alerts and monitoring
Integration with Vendor Pay by Bill.com
Extend manufacturer’s warranty on purchases
Purchase protection
American Express has a long history of providing exceptional service to its cardholders. Their dispute resolution services are second to none.
You can apply online for the Blue Business Cash Card from American Express and get a decision in 30 seconds.
Chase Ink Business Preferred
The Chase Ink Business Preferred card has better benefits and rewards than the Ink Business Cash card that we previously reviewed. However, this card does have a $95 annual fee. It’s a better option for business owners who spend more money and prefer rewards points as opposed to cash back.
Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on the first $150,000 in combined purchases on:
Airfare
Hotels
Car rentals, train tickets, and taxis
Advertising purchases on social media and search engines
Internet, cable, and phone bill
In short, you can earn up to 450,000 points per year if you spend money in those categories. You’ll get 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases, unlimited.
If you redeem your travel points with Chase Ultimate Rewards, the points are worth up to 25% more. For example, 80,000 points will get you roughly $1,000 toward travel.
You can even transfer qualified points to your favorite frequent travel programs at a 1:1 value.
Chase Ink Business Preferred gives you protection for auto rental collision, cell phone protection, as well as trip cancellation or trip interruption insurance. If you miss a business trip or need to cut it short due to sickness, weather, or other situations, Chase will reimburse you up to $5,000 for prepaid, non-refundable expenses. This includes hotels, airfare, and tours.
If you refer other business owners to an Ink Business Preferred card, you can earn up to 100,000 bonus points per year (20,000 per approved referral).
Capital One Spark Miles For Business
If you’re a frequent business traveler, the Capital One Spark Miles cards will reward you with miles instead of cash or points.
There are actually two options to choose here. One card is free with decent perks, and the other has a $95 annual fee with better rewards. Beyond that, the two cards are basically identical. Here’s an overview of each one:
Capital One Spark Miles
$95 annual fee (waived the first year)
Unlimited 2x miles per $1 dollar spent on all purchases
Unlimited 5x miles per $1 dollar spent on hotel and car rental bookings through Capital One
18.49% variable APR
Earn a 50,000 mile bonus ($500 in travel) when you spend $4,500 in the first three months of opening an account
Capital One Spark Miles Select
$0 annual fee
Unlimited 1.5x miles per $1 dollar spent on all purchases
Unlimited 5x miles per $1 dollar spent on hotel and car rental bookings through Capital One
0% intro APR for first 9 months, 14.49% – 22.49% variable APR after
Earn a 20,000 mile bonus ($200 in travel) when you spend $3,000 in the first three months of opening an account
The Spark Miles Select card will best for those of you who don’t want to pay the annual fee. But if you travel often enough, the $95 is justifiable for Spark Miles card.
CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard
The CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is the best business credit card for frequent American Airlines travelers. If you or your employees frequently fly with American, you definitely need to consider this card.
Travel Benefits:
First checked bag free for you and up to four people on your itinerary
Preferred boarding
25% off in-flight food and beverages
25% off in-flight Wi-Fi
Rewards Benefits:
2x miles per $1 spent on cable, telecommunications, gas, and car rentals
2x miles per $1 spent on American Airlines purchases
Earn 1 mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
You’ll also earn an American Airlines Companion Certificate for domestic travel after spending $30,000 per year. The certificate is worth a free round-trip domestic flight for someone else on your itinerary. You’ll just have to pay taxes and fees.
New card members can earn 65,000 bonus miles after they spend $4,000 in the first four months of opening an account. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year.
It’s easy to justify the annual fee is you travel with American Airlines often enough. Assuming you check a bag when flying, two round-trip tickets would normally cost $100 in bag fees. The card pays for itself right there.
The card allows you to earn 4x membership points on the top two categories where your business spends the most money each billing cycle. Those categories are:
The 4x points are valid for the first $150,000 spent per year combined on your top two categories. You’ll earn unlimited one point for every $1 spent after that.
American Express has an outstanding membership rewards program for redemption. Your points will transfer to the majority of popular loyalty programs.
If you book a flight using American Express Travel and pay with your points, you’ll get 25% of those points back to your account.
You also get all of the exceptional American Express travel perks like no foreign transaction fees, car rental loss and damage insurance, baggage insurance, and the global assist hotline.
Furthermore, the Amex Business Gold card offers room upgrades and a $100 hotel credit for dining, spa, and other resort activities when you stay at a participating property for at least two consecutive nights.
Amex offers a 50,000 sign-up bonus to cardmembers who spend $5,000 in the first three months of opening an account.
The American Express Business Gold card has a $295 annual fee.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited credit card is very similar to the Ink Business cash card that we reviewed earlier. The most significant difference between the two cards is the way rewards get earned.
With the Ink Business Cash card, you’ll get a different percentage of cash back based on your spending category with certain limits and restrictions for how much can be earned in a year.
The Ink Business Unlimited card is much more straightforward. You earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases; no limit.
All of the other features and benefits are the same as the Ink Business Cash card.
You’ll get a $500 cash back bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months using the card. There is no annual fee for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card.
How to Choose The Best Business Credit Card
Now that you’ve had the chance to review the top business credit cards, you’ll need to choose one for yourself. But the best business card for me might not be the best for you. Everyone’s situation is different.
This is the methodology that we used to come up with the cards on this list. You can use the same process to evaluate the best option for your business.
Fees
One of the first things you should look at is how much the card will cost you. The cards we reviewed ranged from $0 to $295 in annual fees.
An annual fee is easy to justify if you’re going to be spending enough to get the most out of the perks and rewards. But if you’re a single-member sole-proprietor working out of your home office, you probably don’t need a card with an annual fee.
Beyond that, look for APR, cash advance fees, foreign transaction fees, transfer fees, and late payment fees. Personally, I always pay my cards in-full each month, so the late fees and APR aren’t really relevant to me. But things like foreign transaction fees can add up quickly during international travel.
Rewards
What type of rewards do you want?
Some cards offer cash back, while others offer points or miles. Cash back will likely be the best option for most of you. If you travel often for business, cards that reward you with miles should definitely be taken into consideration.
Just make sure you understand how rewards get earned and if there are any stipulations. Some cards will limit the number of rewards you can earn in a year.
Qualification Terms
Some cards require you and your business to have excellent credit. You won’t get approved for certain cards if your credit score is below 700.
You’ll also need to have an incorporated business to be eligible for certain cards. Other cards allow you to apply using just your name and social security number.
Loyalty Programs
There are certain business credit cards that are tied to a specific loyalty partner. For example, the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard is an American Airlines card.
In most cases, it’s best to stay away from those airline or hotel-specific cards because you won’t be rewarded as much for purchases with another company. So you’re better off with general miles, cash back, or points that can be used with any airline or hotel.
With that said, if you know that you’ll be flying a specific airline often, these types of loyalty programs will give you the most rewarding benefits.
So if you fly from Chicago to Dallas once a month (both American Airlines hubs), it makes perfect sense to get a card tied to AAdvantage.
Spending Habits
A business spending $10,000 per year shouldn’t have the same credit card as a company charging $100,000 per year.
Your spending categories can also influence your decision when choosing a card. Certain cards offer better rewards for purchases at restaurants or gas stations. Others will give you extra benefits for money spent on advertising or your phone bill.
Perks
There are dozens and dozens of potential perks that could sway you to choose one card over another. Some of these include:
Sign up bonus
Purchase protection
Extended warranties
Free cards for employees
Insurance protection (travel, car rental, baggage)
Priority boarding
Free checked bags
Hotel credits
The list goes on and on. Find a card with perks that align with your business and spending habits.
For example, the American Express Business Gold card has a 50,000 point sign up bonus if you spend $5,000 in the first three months using the card. But if you don’t normally spend $5,000 in three months, this card isn’t for you. The $295 annual fee won’t be worth it.
Conclusion
Every business owner needs a credit card. Fortunately, the credit card companies have created cards with a wide range of benefits, rewards, and perks to accommodate your needs.
Here’s a quick recap of the best business credit cards on our list:
Whether you want cash back, miles, or points, I made sure to include something for everyone on this list. Some of these cards are best for larger businesses that travel frequently, while others are suitable for small business owners and sole proprietors.
Document management software has become a crucial component of running a business in 2020. So many organizations are either going paperless, have remote employees, or both.
These new trends make it unrealistic to keep documents and paperwork in physical filing cabinets or boxes in an office.
Document management software allows you to declutter your office, improve security, and access files or data from anywhere. This software also enhances efficiency when sharing documents or collaborating with team members.
Are you ready to digitally upload, track, and securely archive your documents? You need document management software to achieve this.
Whether your company is going paperless, or you just want to digitize your records for improved organization, this guide has everything you need to know about DM software (DMS).
The 7 Best Document Management Software
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of document management solutions on the market today. Cloud storage tools like Google Drive or Dropbox could technically fall into this category as well.
But for the purpose of this guide, I focused on DMS for businesses. For this instance, there are really only seven solutions that I would recommend.
The reviews below include a brief summary, features, benefits, prices, and any potential drawbacks of each software. Use this as a resource to find the best document management software for your unique situation.
eFileCabinet
eFileCabinet is one of the best document management solutions on the market today. Since 2001, this company has helped individuals, small business owners, and enterprise-level companies organize data and files online.
The software makes it easy for you to stay organized and find a document, regardless of how many you have on file.
You can search for documents or locate them based on folder templates or pre-defined file names. eFileCabinet also keeps a portfolio of your most used documents for quick access.
The eFileCabinet solution does all of the hard work for you. Simply upload a document, and the software will file it for you. The automated workflow streamlines your time-consuming tasks to improve efficiency in the office.
All of your documents can be accessed from anywhere with a web browser or mobile app. You can upload documents directly from your phone using the camera on your device. eFileCabinet also allows you to sign contracts.
One of the biggest standouts for this solution is the collaboration features. The system allows you to create different levels of security, so only certain people can access data.
eFileCabinet has encrypted file sharing and requests, two-factor authentication, and role-based permissions. You can even set IP or location-based authentication.
The software integrates with popular third-party services like DocuSign, Salesforce, and Microsoft Office.
Here’s an overview of the plans and price points for eFileCabinet:
Starter — Starting at $15 per month (25 GB of storage)
Advantage — Starting at $55 per month (1 TB of storage)
Business — Starting at $99 per month (5 TB of storage)
Unlimited — Starting at $199 per month (Unlimited storage)
All prices are listed per user and billed on an annual basis. Once you upgrade from the Starter plan to Advantage, you’ll need to pay for a minimum of three users.
I’d only recommend the Starter plan to individuals. Sole proprietors or very small businesses can probably get away with the Advantage plan, but the Business package will likely be the best for the majority of you.
With eFileCabinet, you get to choose if you want your storage either on-site or on the cloud. Personally, I prefer the cloud storage. But there are advantages to on-premises as well.
M-Files
M-Files represents the future of document management. The software leverages AI technology to automate your organizing process.
When you upload content to M-Files, the platform automatically organizes the data based on what it is, as opposed to just where you want to store it.
You even have the ability to connect M-Files to your existing network and systems to protect your information and categorize everything with AI, automatically and securely.
Another top benefit of M-Files is that they offer industry-specific solutions. Some popular industries that they service include:
Financial services
Construction and engineering
Oil and gas
Real estate
Manufacturing
Professional services
M-Files is great for larger teams that need to access documents at different times. If someone on your staff needs a file that was uploaded and saved by another colleague, they won’t need to search through different folders to see what the document was saved as.
With AI technology, all you need to know is what type of document you’re looking for. Then you can organize the content based on criteria like project title, author, customer, or expiration date.
M-Files will automatically detect duplicate content. Rather than having multiple versions of the same or slightly different documents on your storage system, it will automatically update the latest document to one singular file. This way you always know that you’re viewing or working with the latest version.
With M-Files, you can store a wide range of document types, including emails. The software also allows you to collaborate with external users who don’t have M-Files. That content can be shared as a secure link.
M-Files offers cloud storage, on-site storage, and hybrid storage solutions as well.
You can try M-Files free for 30-days by filling out a form on their website. Pricing for M-Files is not listed on their website. You need to contact their sales team to inquire about a custom solution.
Templafy
Templafy is a relatively new DMS. After launching in 2014, they have been providing all-in-one document management solutions for enterprises all over the world. It’s designed specifically for large businesses and helps streamline tasks to save time when it comes to storing and accessing files.
More than 300 enterprises across 80+ countries use Templafy for document management. This translates to more than one million users.
Using intelligence software, Templafy will automatically show the most relevant content to each employee based on their usage and position.
Your marketing team doesn’t need to see accounting documents, and vice versa.
One of the biggest pain points with DMS, in general, is having to create new documents using another platform. Templafy eliminates this pain point by giving users the ability to create and edit new content directly within the system.
Both new and uploaded content can all be managed in a simple and singular feed on your dashboard.
Templafy’s cloud storage software means you can access documents from anywhere, including on your smartphones and tablets.
You can integrate Templafy with Microsoft Office 365, G-Suite, and other platforms that you’re using to run your business on a daily basis. You can even integrate Templafy with CRM solutions like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics.
Big brands like Pandora and IKEA trust Templafy to manage their documents with enterprise-grade software.
In addition to managing documents and files, Templafy has solutions for maximizing employee productivity and creating an evergreen IT infrastructure.
Security is another top benefit of using Templafy. You and your team can securely store and access content from anywhere, using any device, whether you’re online or not.
Like most enterprise software, Templafy provides custom solutions for each unique company. So they don’t list any prices online. You can try Templafy for free before you commit to a contract by reaching out to their sales team.
DocuWare
For those of you who are looking for a high-quality cloud-based solution for document management, look no further than DocuWare.
This DMS is unique because it has specific solutions for tasks within your business processes:
Document management
Invoice processing
Employee management
Sales
Marketing
DocuWare has everything you need for digital transformation and going paperless using cloud technology.
This is another software that’s used by large businesses and enterprises. Sony, Toshiba, Levi’s, and Kellog’s are just a handful of their most well-recognized customers.
But with that said, DocuWare stands out as a top option for small and medium-sized businesses as well.
Small business owners can use DocuWare to automate their digital workflow, securely organize and store documents, and automate certain tedious tasks.
DocuWare allows you and your staff to edit or annotate documents directly on the platform. Not every DMS on our list gives you this capability.
I like DocuWare because it has features designed to connect remote employees and your deskless workforce. Anyone can easily access content at home or on the go from any device.
More than 12,000 businesses in 90+ countries trust DocuWare for document management. So you know that the company is legitimate with a track record like that.
It has specific use cases for things like contract proposals, finance processes, and HR tasks as well.
The pricing for DocuWare follows a common theme in this guide. They offer a free trial, but you need to contact their customer support team directly for a custom quote.
Hightail
Hightail is a document management solution with a specific purpose—sharing and collaboration.
Other DMS on the market have features for file sharing as well, but Hightail takes this to the next level.
I recommend Hightail to businesses that need the ability to send large files securely.
Sharing is simple. Just drag or upload a file from your device or cloud storage solution into your Hightail account. Enter the information for who you want to share it with, and automatically send an email notification to the recipient.
With Hightail, you’ll be able to track the delivery and downloads of content you shared. So you know exactly who opened it and when.
Hightail lets you send files of up to 500 GB. You can add password protection to files and set expiration dates as well.
Here’s an overview of the plans and pricing for Hightail:
Lite — Free
100 MB file send limit
7 day file expiration
Comments for feedback enabled
Sync from third-party integrations
Pro — $12 per month per user
25 GB file send limit
Configurable file expiration
File previews enabled
Send tracking and delivery notifications
Password protection
Phone and live chat support
Teams — $24 per month per user
50 GB file send limit
Custom branding
Organization and archiving tools
Version control with side by side comparisons
Real-time discussions for collaboration
Members management
Business — $36 per user
500 GB file send limit
Enterprise-grade security
Dedicated customer support team
Organizational level permissions
Admin reports
As you can see, the pricing is largely based on the file sending limits. But the features get significantly better with each plan as well.
The free option is actually pretty good if you don’t need to send huge files, and even the entry-level Pro plan is suitable for a number of individuals.
If you’re interested in a paid plan, you can try Hightail free for 14 days.
MasterControl
MasterControl is a DMS made for businesses where security is a top priority and concern. Certain industries have strict regulations for companies to comply with.
MasterControl understands those compliance concerns and created a document management solution that meets any security requirements.
One of the top features of MasterControl is its ability to track changes and revisions. If a document needs to be reviewed by a particular person, you can schedule a time and send out reminders as well.
MasterControl can also limit revisions based on access. You have complete control over who can make changes to a document.
You can also create custom watermarks, sequential numbering, and location tracking to control copies of your files.
MasterControl is 21 CFR Part 11 compliant. This means that documents have a time-stamped audit trail, as well as e-sign functionality that complies with federal regulations.
Another unique standout of MasterControl is its learning center. You’ll have access to tons of free videos, documents, and other resources to educate you about the platform and security compliance in general.
If you need enterprise-grade security for document management in a strict industry, MasterControl will be a top option for you to consider. Contact their sales team for a custom quote.
PaperTracer
PaperTracer has solutions for small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses. It’s a simple solution for document management.
With PaperTracer, you’ll have the ability to automate your contracts and digitize all of your documents in a centralized database. PaperTracer has tracking and reporting capabilities and HIPPA compliant solutions as well.
Your document management solution is completely customized. You can benefit from a cloud-based implementation with end-to-end workflow solutions.
E-signature capability is also available with PaperTracer.
PaperTracer is a top solution for businesses in healthcare and legal industries.
Here’s a brief overview of the available plans, although all pricing is customized.
Small
Up to 10 users
Electronic signing
Searchable database
Upload and scan to PDF
Advanced reports and dashboards
Input forms
Mid Size
Up to 100 users
Contract authorizing
Custom fields
Custom workflows
Implementation
Enterprise
Unlimited users
Unlimited input forms
Single sign-on
Demos and free trials are available for all three plans. I’d recommend PaperTracer for small and medium-sized businesses. While they do have an enterprise-grade solution, there are better options for that on our list.
How to Find the Best Document Management Software
Choosing a document storage solution can be challenging if you don’t know what to look for. There are certain features and benefits that you need to keep an eye on when you’re evaluating a prospective software.
I’ll show you the methodology that we used to come up with the choices in this guide. You can use the same system to help narrow your search.
Storage Location
In most cases, document management solutions are either cloud-based or on-site. Some companies offer just one, while others let you choose which one you prefer.
For example, eFileCabinet offers both on-premises and cloud-based storage. M-Files has both as well, and also has a hybrid solution. Other solutions, like DocuWare are completely cloud-based.
I personally prefer cloud solutions because you can access content from anywhere. But for security reasons, some companies want files stored locally on their network.
File Sharing and Collaboration
What can you do with your files once they are uploaded and stored? While organizing files is obviously important, it’s useless for some companies if the documents can’t be shared with teams or external users.
Look for a DMS that accommodates your internal needs for editing or collaborating on files. Features like automated version updates and in-platform editing capabilities are crucial here.
The size of your files will also depend on which solution is best for your business. If you need to share large files, Hightail is the best choice.
Security
Most business-related files and data are sensitive. So it’s important to have a document management solution that can securely store information.
Some solutions offer access permissions based on individual clearance levels or even location.
Other platforms specialize in compliance for unique industries, like healthcare, legal, or government businesses.
Price
Pricing for DMS is usually based on storage limits and users. At each price tier, you can expect the plan to have additional features and benefits.
The majority of the solutions on this list offer custom plans and pricing. So to get a better idea of how much your document management software will cost, you’ll need to consult with a sales representative.
For those of you who are looking for a cost-effective solution and instant sign-ups, eFileCabinet will be a top choice for you to consider.
Integrations
Ideally, you want to find document management software that works with the platforms you’re already using. Whether it’s CRM like Salesforce, or document editing and creation software like Microsoft Office 365, certain platforms have a wide range of integrations for you to choose from.
However, other solutions that are niche-specific are a bit more limited. So make sure you use software that will actually benefit your workflow process.
Conclusion
Document management software is extremely diverse. Each solution offers unique benefits for businesses based on size, industry, or specific needs.
What’s the best document management software? It’s impossible to say since every option is so different. Here’s a quick recap of the platforms reviewed above:
eFileCabinet — Best administrative controls and third-party integrations.
M-Files — Best document management software for automated organizing with AI.
Templafy — Best enterprise-grade document management software.
DocuWare — Best cloud-based DMS for small to medium-sized businesses.
Hightail — Best document management software for sending large files.
MasterControl — Best DMS for strict security and compliance standards.
PaperTracer — Best for small or medium-sized legal and healthcare companies.
If you’re looking for a basic all-in-one document management solution, eFileCabinet will probably be your best bet.
But for those of you with unique circumstances and needs, you can find custom software from one of the providers on our list.
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best video conferencing service for most people isVonage.
Video conferencing software has to work perfectly, or it doesn’t really work at all. If there’s any lag in the video, it’s nearly impossible to have a conversation. If someone doesn’t get the invite, you may have to reschedule.
Below you’ll find my top picks for video conferencing services. These are affordable, reliable, secure options your business can depend on.
The 9 Best Video Conferencing Services
Best of 2023: Vonage, Ooma, ClickMeeting, Zoho Meeting, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Webex, GoTo Meeting, and RingCentral.
All of the video conferencing solutions that I reviewed in this guide are quality options. But these are my three favorite that stand out above the rest:
ClickMeeting — Best video conferencing software for webinars
These video conferencing services are not ranked— all have pros and cons. Use the in-depth reviews below to compare them, and find the one that works best for your needs.
Vonage offers a complete unified communications suite to businesses of all shapes and sizes. But one area where it really shines above the crowd is its dedicated healthcare solutions.
With so many healthcare practices offering virtual appointments and consultations, the ability to keep patient data safe is more important than ever before.
Vonage makes it easy to consult with patient’s from anywhere while keeping their data safe.
Vonage’s video conferencing is HIPAA-compliant and PCI-compliant. The software also has a HITRUST CSF certification, which is one of the most widely adopted security frameworks for healthcare companies in the US.
In addition to basic video conferencing, Vonage has advanced communication APIs. This lets you fully personalize the patient experience in a way that works best for your practice. So whether you’re running a small therapist’s office, a large hospital, or something in between, Vonage can be customized to fit your needs.
Beyond the ability to meet with patients through a video call, healthcare organizations can use Vonage to collaborate internally as well. So if a primary care physician wants to consult with a surgeon about a patient, they can do so without having to be in the same building.
Basic Vonage plans start at $17.99 per month per line. To access video conferencing, you’ll need a Premium plan, which starts at $27.99 per month per line.
Consult with a Vonage expert if you’re interested in a dedicated healthcare solution and video API. They’ll guide you in the right direction for your unique needs.
Ooma is a popular phone solution for small businesses. It’s a great way for smaller offices to get all communications needs under one roof—including voice, video, text messaging, virtual fax, and video conferencing.
All Ooma business phone plans come with over 50 standard features.
In terms of video conferencing, Ooma has one of the most unique features on the market. You can simultaneously share screens with another person on a video call.
Simultaneous screen sharing on Ooma is an excellent way to collaborate during meetings.
I love this feature, and it’s something I wish was available on other business phone systems. It’s a great way to compare notes and share information in a way that’s more collaborative than a single screen share. This can also be used for collaborative presentations.
Meeting hosts have the ability to mute participants and add password protection to calls. Ooma also supports unlimited meeting recordings and storage for three months.
I also love that Ooma is compatible with traditional office phones in addition to its mobile and desktop app. This is perfect if part of your team works in a traditional office setting.
Here’s a quick overview of Ooma’s plans and pricing:
ClickMeeting is a bit different compared to some of the other video conferencing services. This platform has a unique feature: webinars.
It’s a great option for anyone who wants to hold large online events, market products with video demonstrations, and host online courses or training sessions with live video.
ClickMeeting also offers traditional video conferencing solutions for team meetings and business collaboration. However, if that’s all you need, I’d look at other options on this list.
Pricing is complicated too. There are two plans, and each offers different levels and costs depending on how many attendees you have.
Here’s an overview of those price points per month for each plan:
Live
Up to 25 — $30
Up to 50 — $45
Up to 100 — $79
Up to 200 — $149
Up to 500 — $179
Up to 1,000 — $309
Automated
Up to 25 — $45
Up to 50 — $55
Up to 100 — $95
Up to 200 — $179
Up to 500 — $229
Up to 1,000 — $359
For video conferences with more than 1,000 attendees, contact the ClickMeeting sales team for a custom enterprise solution.
You can try ClickMeeting free for 30 days and run webinars with up to 25 attendees to try it out. Save up to 20% with annual billing instead of a month-to-month contract.
The Automated plan is your best option for broadcasting professional video webinars. This plan comes with advanced features like auto-streaming to Facebook or YouTube, automated follow-up emails to attendees, Google Analytics integration, and certificates of attendance.
ClickMeeting is definitely pricey compared to the other options on our list, which is why I wouldn’t recommend it for just basic video conferencing use. But the price is worth it if you’re planning to use the webinar features.
More Great Video Conferencing Software
Zoho Meeting – Most Affordable Video Conferencing Service With Basic Features
Zoho Meeting is arguably the most straightforward video conferencing solution on the market today. There aren’t a bunch of bells and whistles.
Some of Zoho’s top features include:
RSVP scheduling
Screen sharing
Moderator controls
Embed meeting links
In-session chat
Lock meetings
You’ll also have the ability to switch a presenter, give someone control, and remove users from a video conference.
As expected, Zoho Meeting integrates seamlessly with Zoho CRM. So if you’re already using a Zoho product, this will be a top option for you to consider.
This isn’t the most feature-rich video conferencing software out there. But it’s a quality solution for small business owners who just need basic features and already utilize Zoho products.
Pricing is tiered based on the number of participants in a meeting, and charged per host per month. Here’s a breakdown of what that looks like:
10 participants — $3 per host per month
25 participants — $6 per host per month
50 participants — $9 per host per month
100 participants — $12 per host per month
150 participants — $14 per host per month
200 participants — $16 per host per month
250 participants — $18 per host per month
There’s also a free forever plan with limited features that supports 100 meeting participants and 100 webinar attendees.
Microsoft Teams is an instant messaging service with chat, audio, and video capability. The platform is designed specifically for internal comms in the workplace.
With the ability to support group sizes of 10 or 10,000, MS Teams is the ultimate in-house communication solution.
MS Teams shines over competitors like Slack with its superior technology and video conferencing features. But the setup, usage, and onboarding are a bit more complex compared to other options on the market.
MS Teams is best when it’s accessed from a desktop device or web app. Your team can also take advantage of the mobile app version of the software, but it’s not as easy to navigate as the web version.
Let’s take a quick look at the plans and pricing options:
Microsoft Teams — Free
Microsoft Teams Essentials — $4 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic — $6 per user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard — $12.50 user per month
Microsoft 365 Business Premium — $22 per user per month
All paid plans are only available with an annual contract.
You’ll still have access to quite a few features with the free version, including video calls. But you’ll need Office 365 Business Premium to get the most out of this software.
Paid plans have 140+ app integrations, 1 TB of storage, scheduled meetings, meeting recordings, and administrative support. Our in-depth Microsoft Teams review covers its features and capabilities in greater detail.
Aside from its complexity, MS Teams does have some limitations. It’s not really a true video conferencing service. Instead, it’s better for one-on-one video meetings or smaller groups.
If you want to host large-scale video conferences and make presentations to clients, you should look elsewhere for a more suitable solution.
Since launching in 2011, Zoom has quickly become an industry leader in the video conferencing space. The software is trusted by large businesses like Ticketmaster, Uber, Pandora, and GoDaddy, just to name a few.
Zoom shines with its simplicity, which is highlighted in our full Zoom review. There’s a plan for businesses of any shape and size, including a free-forever option.
Zoom has video conferencing capabilities with up to 1,000 participants, and up to 49 videos on the screen simultaneously.
Zoom helps connect entire organizations with video conferencing.
The platform is secure and has role-based user security options, password protection, and waiting rooms. Zoom makes it easy for your team to collaborate with screen sharing, filing sharing, and other interactive features.
Zoom is modern, so naturally, the service can also be accessed from a mobile app. This is perfect for participants who are on the go and unable to reach a computer for a meeting.
Here’s an overview of Zoom’s pricing model:
Basic — Free
Unlimited one-on-one meetings
Up to 100 participants
40-minute limit on group meetings
Unlimited number of meetings
Pro — $14.99 per month per host
All basic features
24-hour meeting limit
User management tools
Admin feature controls
Reporting tools
1 GB of cloud recording
Business — $19.99 per month per host
All of the Pro features
Up to 10 hosts
Up to 300 participants
Dedicated phone support
Company branding
Cloud recording transcripts
Admin dashboard
Enterprise — $19.99 per month per host
All of the Business features
Up to 50 hosts
Up to 1,000 participants
Unlimited cloud storage
Dedicated customer support manager
Executive business reviews
Bundle discounts available for Zoom Rooms and webinars
As you can see, there is a plan for everyone. The free option is an excellent choice for a small team or freelancer who only needs to video chat once in a while for brief meetings.
Beyond personal use, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro or Business plans to get the most out of Zoom. Fortunately, Zoom makes it easy for you to scale to another plan as your company grows.
Just be aware that your plan will impact the level of customer support you receive. To get premium support, you’ll need to upgrade.
Webex – Best Video Conferencing Service For Cloud Collaboration
Cisco is a brand name that’s synonymous with superior business technology. So it should be no surprise that Cisco Webex ranks so highly on our list for video conferencing software.
With Webex, you can host massive virtual events with up to 100,000 participants and run an interactive webinar for 3,000-person audiences.
Webex is perfect if you need to run on-demand training lessons for large groups as well. This is a great tool for onboarding employees at scale throughout multiple locations.
You can use webex to join or host video conferences from your computer or mobile app.
The Webex mobile app is another standout feature of the platform. Hosting and joining meetings are both simple and accessible from anywhere.
Arguably the best part about this video conferencing software is the cloud collaboration features. It’s easy to share files and screens with other meeting participants to stay organized and make the conference more interactive. That’s what makes them great for teams.
Cisco offers four different plans for you to choose from, including a basic free option.
Free — $0 per month
Up to 50 participants
40-minute limit on meetings
Unlimited meetings
1 GB of cloud storage
Starter — $16.95 per month per host
Up to 50 participants
Unlimited meeting duration
5 GB of cloud storage
Recording transcriptions
User management
Application and file sharing
Plus — $22.95 per month per host
Up to 100 participants
Assign alternate hosts
Allow others to schedule meetings for the host
Customizable Webex URL
Admin portal
24/7 customer support
Business — $32.95 per month per host
Up to 200 participants
10 GB of cloud storage
Branding and custom options
Single sign-on
Active Directory sync
Minimum five licenses per month
At first glance, the Webex prices appear to be higher than Zoom. However, you can save 20% per month with an annual contract.
It’s also worth noting that the Webex Plus plan doesn’t have any host minimums, and the business plan has just a five-license minimum. Zoom has a 10- and 50-host minimum for their plans at similar price points.
So Webex will be a better option if you want those business or enterprise-level features for a smaller team.
GoTo Meeting – Best Video Conferencing Service For Small Businesses
GoTo Meeting makes it easy for you to turn any video conference into a highly collaborative workspace.
It’s a fantastic choice for remote workers from sales managers to business owners to IT teams.
Why? GoTo Meeting easily integrates with the systems your business is currently using.
It also offers an all-in-one hardware and software kit for those of you who want to transform your physical conference room into a digital one. This hardware is more advanced than the built-in cameras, microphones, and speakers on your current devices.
Some other top features and benefits of using GoTo Meeting for video conferencing include:
Cloud collaboration
Automatic bandwidth adjustments
Available on Mac, PC, iOS, and Android
Single-click start and join sessions
Multi-channel support
Integrated scheduling
GoTo Meeting offers three plans to choose from:
Professional – $12 per organizer per month billed annually
Business – $16 per organizer per month billed annually
Enterprise – Contact sales to request a quote
The Professional and Business plans are very similar. You get unlimited meetings and unlimited meeting durations with either plan. You’ll also benefit from Salesforce integration, Slack meeting launcher, and an admin center with both plans.
The significant difference is the Professional plan can host up to 150 participants while the Business plan supports up to 250 participants. In addition, the Business plan also offers extra video meeting features like transcripts, keyboard and mouse sharing, unlimited cloud storage, drawing tools, meeting lock, note taking, and mobile cloud recording.
I think signing up for the Business option instead of Professional is a no-brainer. The added benefits are worth the extra $4 per month.
GoTo Meeting also offers enterprise-grade plans for up to 3,000 participants. But those prices aren’t available online. You’ll need to speak to a sales rep for a custom quote.
Save 16% on your GoTo Meeting plan with an annual contract.
You can get rid of your traditional phone plan, too. RingCentral provides video conferencing features as an added bonus.
You can always purchase RingCentral Meetings as a standalone product. Those plans are below:
Free — $0 per month
Up to 100 participants
Unlimited one-on-one meetings
40-minute limit on group meetings
Essentials — $14.99 per month per user
Up to 100 participants
Unlimited group meetings
24/7 phone support
1,000 call minutes per license
Advanced — $19.99 per month per user
Up to 100 participants
2,500 call minutes
Real-time usage dashboard
SLA available
The free plan is decent if you compare it to others on the list. The meetings cap at 40 minutes each, but you can still have up to 100 participants.
Paid plans are also limited to just 100 participants, which is low compared to the competition. However, you can add on larger meeting options to your plan for an upcharge.
RingCentral also has great enterprise solutions. You’ll need to contact their sales team to get a custom quote. But you can save some money by bundling RingCentral Meetings with a VoIP business phone.
Now that you’ve had a chance to review the top solutions on the market, how can you find the best option for your unique situation? This is the methodology that I used to come up with this guide.
I’ve identified each feature set that matters the most and why you need to take it into consideration when you’re evaluating prospective platforms.
Conference Size
In the world of work-from-home and distributed teams, video conferencing sizes are a very important consideration.
Make sure you choose a service and plan that can accommodate the number of people you need for your video conferences. You don’t want to overpay for a plan that has participant limits that you’ll never reach. But more importantly, you don’t want to be in a situation where your participant list is too large for your platform and plan.
Meeting Length
With the global pandemic putting a ton of people into remote work, businesses and schools need to be able to take as long as they need for certain calls.
That’s why we took a close look at how long each plan allows you to meet when determining this list. Often, they had to be counterbalanced with how many participants are allowed in a plan as well.
After all, a plan that offers unlimited time but with only a dozen participants might not be helpful for larger teams.
Scheduling Options
Good video conferencing tools allow you to schedule easily and across a wide breadth of calendar apps.
When looking at scheduling options, see if they integrate with common planning and calendar services such as Google Calendar, iCal, and Office 365.
Video Streams
You might be able to have a large number of participants in a conference, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every user will be able to broadcast a video stream.
For example, RingCentral plans have up to 100 participants per meeting, but limit you to just ten simultaneous video streams.
So don’t be swayed by the participant limits alone. Always check to see how many users can actually stream a video at the same time.
Collaboration Tools
Collaboration tools are crucial for groups and teams.
Features like screen sharing, built-in chat, file sharing, and cloud collaboration are very useful for presentations and group projects. It’s also helpful when a video conferencing service integrates with existing tools and platforms that you’re already using to run a business. You can look for features like Salesforce integration or Google Analytics integration.
The Top Video Conferencing Services in Summary
Video conferencing software has become the new normal for business use, especially with remote work and dispersed teams trending upward. For daily standups, interviews with prospective hires, and quick calls to prevent long email chains, video conferencing improves efficiency in the workplace.
It’s worth noting that your internet connection will impact the quality of your video conferencing calls. So you should always test your connection or sign up for a free trial to see how the quality holds up.
Compare Quotes From The Best Video Conferencing Services
Get matched up with a video conferencing service that fits your specific needs.
The days of developers and web designers being the only people who can create a website are long behind us. Anyone can create a website in minutes without writing a single line of code. All you need to do is find a website building platform.
But if you’re creating a website for the first time, you’re probably looking for the most cost-effective solution. You might want to test out different options to see what you like the best.
If this sounds like your situation, then I’m sure you’re looking for a free website builder.
Dozens and dozens of platforms out there will tell you that you can build a website for free. Unfortunately, building a legitimate website for free is actually not very realistic.
Most free website builders will be extremely limited or have some contingencies that require you to pay. It might start out as free, but you’ll quickly learn that it’s not truly free.
This shouldn’t discourage you from trying different website builders. Free website building plans are a great way to get your feet wet with web creation. A free plan will also help you pick a platform that you ultimately want to pay for down the road.
In this guide, I’ll show you the best free website builders on the market today. I’ll explain what you actually get for free, and what features require a premium membership.
The Top 12 Free Website Builders
All website builders offer free features. You’ll be able to get a free trial with nearly every website builder on the market today. But these 12 website builders have free plans that go beyond a trial period:
WordPress
34% of the entire Internet is powered by WordPress. It’s the most popular CMS in the world and a top choice for building a website.
With WordPress, you can create a website and get it live on the web without paying anything. Free plans include hosting, themes, and a WordPress.com subdomain.
Don’t expect high-level performance from the free hosting plan. The WordPress subdomain won’t be very professional either.
We use WordPress here at Quick Sprout, but we have a premium plan. If we stuck with the free option, our domain would look like this: www.quicksprout.wordpress.com, which is obviously no good.
You do not need a credit card to create a free WordPress site. So you won’t have to worry about an expiring trial or being charged for hidden fees.
The free WordPress plan is best for getting started with something small, like a personal blog. It comes with Jetpack essential features, which has SEO tools and automation functionality. You’ll get a pre-installed SSL certificate, free templates, and 3 GB of storage.
It’s worth noting that WordPress is not a traditional website builder. You should have a basic understanding of writing HTML code and how it works to use WordPress.
When you’re ready to upgrade to a paid version of WordPress, these are your options:
Personal — $4 per month
Premium — $8 per month
Business — $25 per month
Ecommerce — $45 per month
WordPress users rely on plugins to add features and functionality to their sites. Many of these plugins require payment as well, which will add to your costs.
Wix
Wix lets you create a website for free without writing any code. It has a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy for anyone to build something beautiful, regardless of their technical experience.
All you need to do is choose a template and customize it with your own content.
Here’s what you get with a free Wix plan:
Hundreds of templates
Stock images, icons, and clip art
Free web hosting
SEO assistance
Mobile optimization
Access to free apps in the Wix App Market
500 MB of storage and 1 GB of bandwidth
Free Wix domain
The free Wix domain is even weirder than the WordPress one. It’s yourwixusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress; which would look like this for us here at Quick Sprout — quicksproutadmin.wixsite.com/quicksprout.
Obviously, this type of domain is not reasonable or realistic to use if you’re serious about creating a legitimate website. But it’s fine for the beginning while you’re evaluating the Wix platform.
The free plan will also have Wix ads appear on every page of your website.
Using Wix for free will give you an introduction to their platform, but you’ll quickly learn that it’s very limited if you’re not paying. You’ll take an action or try to do something and be prompted to upgrade your plan, which can be a bit annoying.
Wix has premium plans starting at $13 per month for blogs, portfolios, and personal sites. Business and ecommerce rates start at $23 per month.
Weebly
Weebly is powered by Square, making it a website builder that’s geared toward ecommerce websites. So for those of you who are looking to create an online store from scratch, Weebly would be a top choice to consider.
Unfortunately, the free Weebly plan doesn’t come with any ecommerce functionality. You’ll need to upgrade for selling capabilities.
Here’s what you get with Weebly for free:
SSL certificate
500 MB of storage
Free hosting
Domain name with Weebly branding
SEO tools
Lead capture and contact forms
Access to community forums
Live chat and email support
Compared to other free plans we’ve seen, this one is actually pretty good. It’s still extremely limited and I wouldn’t recommend it for the long-term, but it’s a viable option for starting out.
You can begin to collect customer information before your online store officially launches.
For $5 per month, you can connect your own domain to eliminate the Weebly branding. Aside from that, Weebly has premium plans starting at $12, $25, and $38 per month.
Webnode
Webnode is website building made easy. In minutes, you can create and publish your site on the web. It’s a great option for personal sites, businesses, and ecommerce shops.
More than 30 million people have built a website using this platform. Webnode has stunning templates that you can easily customize with your own content.
Unlike other free website builders, you can create an unlimited number of pages with the free plan from Webnode.
You’ll also get reliable hosting and access to customer service representatives.
The biggest catch is that your site will have a Webnode subdomain with your free plan. But this is pretty much the industry standard if you’re not willing to pay.
I’d only use the free plan for something simple like a blog. You can create your site, publish content, and then share your work on social media. But once you’re ready to take things to the next level, you’ll need to consider one of the following paid plans:
Limited — $3.95 per month
Mini — $5.95 per month
Standard — $11.95 per month
Prof — $19.95 per month
Webnode does require an annual subscription with all plans. So this won’t be the best choice for those of you who prefer month-to-month contracts.
Ucraft
Ucraft is a bit unique compared to some of the other platforms we’ve seen so far. It’s advertised as a landing page creator, as opposed to a website builder.
The free plan can be used to create simple single-page websites.
If you already have a domain name, you can connect it for free. This means your free site won’t be forced to use a ucraft.net subdomain, which is a big bonus since most free website builders won’t give you this luxury. However, your website will have Ucrafted branding on the page itself.
Here are some of the other features and benefits you’ll get for free with Ucraft:
SSL certificate
Drag and drop builder
Visibility settings
SEO tools
Google analytics
24/7 support
Password protected pages
Free hosting
Unlimited bandwidth
For a free plan, this is actually pretty good. Again, the only catch is that you’ll be limited to building just one page. To create more than that, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the following paid plans:
Pro — $10 per month
Pro Shop — $21 per month
BigCommerce — $39 per month
All premium plans come with a 14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Onepager
Onepager is a website builder marketed toward small business owners. It’s intended for people without much technical ability who want to create a site with ease.
Onepager offers a “free forever” plan, which is extremely limited. Here’s a quick overview of what you get (and don’t get) for free:
Onepager branded domain
No web analytics
No email
Onepager ads on your pages
No ecommerce capability
No custom forms
No custom CSS
You’ll still get hosting and 24/7 support, but overall, I wouldn’t recommend the free site for any serious websites. Use this plan if you’re interested in trying Onepager as an extended trial.
To remove Onepager ads, use your custom domain, and activate ecommerce functionality, paid plans start at $8 per month with an annual contract.
Cindr
Building a website with Cindr is about as easy as it gets. They eliminated lots of the complex features and distractions for users who prefer simplicity.
You’ll be able to quickly add and publish photos, videos, music, text, and other content on your site in minutes. Designs are mobile-friendly and highly responsive.
You can create a site with Cindr without providing any credit card information. In fact, Cindr has just two plans; Free and Premium.
The free plan comes with:
Custom design capability
MyCindr.com domain
Live chat and email support
Unlimited pages
Free hosting
1 GB of bandwidth
Unlimited storage
Your free Cindr site will have Cindr ads displayed on your pages. To remove those ads, connect your own domain, and build multiple sites, you’ll need to upgrade your plan.
The Premium plan is $9 per month with no long term contracts. It also comes with unlimited bandwidth and storage.
Site123
Similar to our previous review, Site123 also has just two plans; Free and Premium. Compared to other website builders, the free plan is actually packed with quality features.
You’ll get everything included with the Premium plan, except you won’t be able to use your own custom domain. You’ll also be limited to just 500 MB of storage and 1 GB of bandwidth.
Aside from that, here are some of the features that come standard for free with Site123:
Intuitive page editor
Mobile-friendly designs
Free hosting
SEO tools
24/7 support
This website builder is a bit different from a traditional drag-and-drop editor. But it’s still easy to use and doesn’t require any code.
To get the most out of your Site123 website, upgrade to a Premium plan starting at $12.80 per month. This comes with ecommerce capabilities.
Strikingly
Millions of users have used Strikingly to create a website. It stands out from the other platforms on our list because it has ecommerce capability built-in, including the free version.
That’s right. For free, you can build an online store with Strikingly.
There’s just one catch. You can only have one product on display per website.
However, Strikingly lets you create an unlimited number of websites with the free plan. This is definitely better than some of the other options we’ve seen that restrict you to just one website or limited pages.
The free plan from Strikingly also offers 5 GB of bandwidth, which is more than we’ve seen from its competition.
As expected, you’ll be stuck with a Strikingly subdomain if you sign up for the free plan. To use your own domain and benefit from premium features, these are your upgrade options:
Limited — $8 per month
Pro — $16 per month
VIP — $49 per month
These prices are based on annual contracts. To save money, Strikingly offers long-term contracts for up to five years. All premium plans come with a 14-day free trial.
Webstarts
Webstarts is another popular free website builder. It’s reliable, versatile, and extremely easy to use.
You can create a website with an unlimited number of pages, but Webstarts pretty limited beyond that.
The free plan doesn’t allow you to use a custom domain. There’s no social integration, emails, SEO tools, contact forms, or slideshows either.
Your free Webstarts site won’t be mobile-friendly and won’t give you HTML access or ecommerce capabilities. All free sites will have ads on every page.
Overall, you can’t really build a legitimate site unless you upgrade to a premium plan. There are two paid options, priced at $7.16 and $19.99 per month, respectively.
Yola
With Yola, you can create and publish a website online in less than 30 minutes. Unlike other free website builders, Yola won’t put ads on your pages, although you will have a Yola domain.
Yola’s drag-and-drop site builder is simple and easy to use. It doesn’t require any technical experience, making it a top choice for beginners.
With that said, advanced users can edit using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
The Yola free plan has 1 GB of bandwidth and 1 GB of storage. You’ll also benefit from features like:
SEO tools
Email support
Web hosting with 99.9% uptime
Social sharing
Ability to embed YouTube videos
Google Maps integration
Video backgrounds
Contact forms
Tumblr blog integration
Site statistics
However, there is one major contingency here. You can only build three web pages.
Obviously, that’s not reasonable for those of you who want to create a full website. The three pages are only enough to test out Yola’s platform to see if you like it enough to upgrade to:
Bronze — $4.95 per month
Silver — $9.95 per month
Gold — $19.95 per month
All of these plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can add ecommerce capabilities to any premium plan for an extra $10 per month.
Jimdo
Jimdo was born back in 2007. Since then, more than 20 million websites have been built using this platform.
You can build a website for free using Jimdo, although your options will be extremely limited.
All free websites will have a .jimdosite.com subdomain. You’ll get 500 MB of storage, 2 GB of bandwidth, and HTTPS security. That’s pretty much it.
Jimdo will only let you build five web pages with the free plan. That’s obviously not enough to build a full website. But you’ll still be able to get your site live and see if you like the software before you upgrade.
I’d treat this free website builder as a trial that never expires. If you’re happy with the platform, then you can upgrade to one of the following paid plans:
Start — $9 per month
Grow — $15 per month
Grow Business — $19 per month
Grow Legal — $20 per month
Unlimited — $39 per month
To get the most out of Jimdo, the Unlimited plan will be your best bet. It doesn’t have any restrictions and gives you better access to customer support. Jimdo also has ecommerce plans starting at $15 per month.
Hidden Costs of Free Website Builders
Lots of website builders say they are free, but they fail to mention any hidden costs. In reality, the majority of website builders are not truly free if you want to create and publish a legitimate website. These are some of the top hidden costs you need to keep an eye out for.
Custom Domain
Every free website builder on the market will give you a free branded domain with their name somewhere in the URL. But if you’re serious about publishing your site on the web, you’ll need to buy your own domain name.
There are a couple of site builders that let you connect your custom domain with a free plan, but you’ll still be paying for that elsewhere.
I do not recommend buying a domain from your website builder. Check out my list of the best domain registrars for more guidance with this process.
Web Hosting
Most free website builders will also offer free web hosting. But to be blunt—free web hosting stinks.
If you plan to have site visitors at any point after your site goes live, you’ll definitely need to take web hosting more seriously. Don’t worry, web hosting isn’t that expensive. These are my top recommendations for the best cheap web hosting plans.
Page Limitations
There are plenty of website builders out there that let you build a site for free with an unlimited number of pages. Some will even let you create an unlimited number of sites with a free plan.
However, there are other free website builders that restrict how many pages you can create before you’re forced to upgrade.
These page limitations can be as low as one or three pages. Obviously, you can’t build a full website with those types of restrictions. Adding pages will cost you money.
How to Choose the Best Website Builder For You
With so many free website builders on the market, choosing just one can be difficult. Here is the process that you should use when narrowing down the best option for your website.
Upgrades
If you want to start with a free website builder for now, that’s fine. But eventually, you’ll need to upgrade. You can’t really make a legitimate and high-quality website for free.
So choose a website builder that has plenty of upgrade options to meet your needs.
You don’t want to switch to a different platform when you’re ready to start paying. That’s too much of a hassle, and you’ll probably need to rebuild the majority of your site.
Ease of Use
You shouldn’t be struggling to create a website. Look for platforms with drag-and-drop builders and lots of templates that you can easily customize.
If you don’t have a technical background, this will make your life much easier.
Basic functions like adding text, images, videos, and creating new pages shouldn’t require too much effort. Managing your site, publishing blog posts, and everything else must be simple.
Some website builders, like WordPress, are extremely popular. However, WordPress doesn’t have a traditional drag-and-drop builder. So if you don’t have certain technical skills, avoid website builders that require coding knowledge.
Type of Website
What kind of website are you building?
Blogs, portfolios, ecommerce shops, and small business websites are all very different. You have to make sure that the website builder you choose has the ability to accommodate your needs.
Just because a website builder makes it easy for you to publish blog posts, it doesn’t mean it’s a great option for your online store. If you refer to the list above, you’ll see that some builders are definitely made for creating certain types of websites.
Conclusion
Creating a website for free is easy. All of the website builders on our list allow you to create a website for free.
But with that said, even the best free website builders are limited in some capacity. Some of these platforms will have more restrictions than others.
If you’re serious about creating a website, I would not recommend building it for free.
Instead, use these free builders to try different options. Think of these as extended free trials that won’t expire. Once you find a platform that you like, take a look at their paid options and upgrade to a suitable plan that meets your needs.
Creating a new website from scratch is exciting. But where do you start?
The first step is choosing a website builder. If you do some preliminary research, you’ll quickly learn that Squarespace and WordPress are two of the top options to consider.
Squarespace is a traditional website builder with some of the highest quality design templates that you’ll find on the market. It has a drag-and-drop builder, which means you don’t need to know how to code if you’re using Squarespace.
Squarespace is more of an all-in-one platform. You’ll be able to get your domain and web hosting plan from this provider as well.
On the other hand, WordPress is not technically a website builder, but you can still use it to create your own website. WordPress is a CMS (content management) system that powers 34% of the entire Internet. We use WordPress here at Quick Sprout.
WordPress requires a bit more technical knowledge and basic coding ability. The upside of using WordPress is that offers complete customization—it’s virtually limitless.
In short, anyone can create a beautifully designed website with Squarespace, but the functionality of the site will be limited. WordPress allows you to scale and customize your website with total freedom, but it requires more work and technical ability.
There are definitely pros and cons to each of these website builders. I created this guide to help you determine the best option for your website.
I’ve identified 12 evaluation categories that you should keep in mind when you’re looking for the best website builder. I’ll highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each platform and ultimately choose a winner for each category.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
To evaluate the ease of use, I considered how you set up an account and get your website started from scratch. I reviewed the building features as well as editing and managing your website down the road.
Squarespace Ease of Use
You don’t need to have any coding skills to use Squarespace. The drag-and-drop website builder and editing tools make it easy for anyone to create a website from scratch.
To get started, you simply choose a template and start customizing the page elements to your liking. You can even edit your website from your mobile device with the Squarespace app.
The best part about using Squarespace to build your website is that you can see what your changes look like in real-time. You’re dragging, adding, and moving things around directly on the page.
It’s easy to add a text box or image and simply drag it exactly to where you want it on the screen.
Although I don’t recommend it, you can also get your domain and hosting directly from Squarespace as well. These offers are great for people who want to manage everything in one place from the same provider.
WordPress Ease of Use
Getting started with WordPress requires a bit more work. You’re responsible for your own domain and hosting, which is what I would recommend regardless of the platform you choose.
But unlike Squarespace, your WordPress site gets built in the backend using code. You won’t see what these changes look like in real-time. You’ll essentially be making changes in the dark and then previewing them when you’re done to see how things turned out.
WordPress users will rely on plugins and coding skills to customize their websites.
WordPress does offer a builder-like tool called the Gutenburg editor, which allows you to add blocks for page elements like images, text, or headers.
However, this is not nearly as user-friendly and design-savvy as the drag-and-drop builder offered by Squarespace.
But for those of you with coding skills, WordPress will be a breeze. Plus, it’s the easiest way for you to have ultimate control over every single aspect of your website.
Best Website Builder For Beginners: Squarespace
In terms of simplicity and ease of use, Squarespace is the winner.
If you’re a developer or having coding experience, you’ll find WordPress very easy to use as well. But the average person with no technical knowledge will be lost using WordPress for the first time.
Professional Design
Website visitors will judge the credibility and trustworthiness of your website based on its design. Your design has a major impact on user experience, engagement, and conversions.
That’s why it’s crucial that you find a website builder that allows you to create an attractive and functional design.
Squarespace Design
Squarespace is best-known for the quality and professionalism of their templates and designs. If you have a creative vision for your website, Squarespace will let you turn that vision into a reality.
They offer templates that are clean and modern—perfect for building a website in this day and age.
Finding a template for your website is easy. Just browse the list of categories to see choices for your niche.
Photographers, fashion designers, musicians, artists, and anyone with a portfolio should consider Squarespace to showcase their work. But it’s also a top option for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Squarespace offers award-winning designs that are highly customizable and optimized for mobile devices. It’s easy for you to switch your template at any time.
WordPress Design
WordPress has thousands of both free and paid themes for you to choose from.
To find the best WordPress theme for your website, simply browse by category and determine your budget. As you can imagine, higher quality themes will cost you more money.
Since it’s an open source platform, anyone can add a theme to WordPress. While this gives you more options to choose from, it also means that some of the themes are not as responsive and reliable. So you need to make sure that you choose a theme that will support your site without weighing it down or causing problems.
Not every theme offered on WordPress will be optimized for mobile devices. Avoid any themes that aren’t mobile-friendly.
The upside of using WordPress for design is that you can completely customize your theme using code and plugins. Although switching themes isn’t always the smoothest transition, especially if you’ve made lots of complex changes to your site.
Best Website Builder For Design: Squarespace
While Squarespace has fewer themes than WordPress, the quality of the designs are far superior. All of the themes are all beautiful, mobile responsive, and highly customizable.
Squarespace is still a bit restricted in terms of how much you can change compared to WordPress. But this category was no contest from the beginning—Squarespace is the clear winner.
Built-in Features and Tools
This category focuses on “out of the box” features offered by each platform. This will give you an idea of your capabilities and limits without having to rely on any third-party tools.
Squarespace Features
Squarespace comes with tons of built-in features. It has virtually everything you need to build a new website from scratch. Some of the top features include:
I like Squarespace because you don’t need to install any third-party plugins or apps to build, edit, and manage your site. Everything can be controlled directly from your admin dashboard.
Whenever Squarespace comes out with a new tool or feature, it will automatically be available for you to use.
WordPress Features
One of the reasons why WordPress is so powerful is because you can install a plugin for virtually anything and everything that you could possibly imagine. The problem is that those plugins don’t come standard when you create a WordPress account.
With that said, there are still some basic features that are built-in to WordPress.
Most of these features are related to publishing. WordPress has tools for things like scheduling content and editing images. You’ll also be able to add passwords to pages and manage your comments.
WordPress has features for multiple contributors and multilingual settings as well.
You are responsible for updating your WordPress version (we’ll talk about this in greater detail later). So any new features and tools won’t be immediately available if you aren’t updating your WordPress account.
Website Builder with the Best Features: Squarespace
Everything you need with Squarespace comes standard out of the box. The features are more robust and easier to access than WordPress.
While WordPress has the capability to do more overall, those tools and features aren’t built-in.
Plugins, Apps, Extensions, and Add-ons
Now let’s evaluate the tools and features that can be installed or added on to these website builders. Add-ons can offer more flexibility and customization when you’re creating your site.
Squarespace Apps
Squarespace does not have an app store or way to add building and customization capability to your website. All of its tools are already built-in to the platform, and they’re updated automatically.
With that said, you can integrate certain apps and tools with your Squarespace account.
But overall, you’ll be relying heavily on the built-in features when it comes to building and editing your website. The integration with third-party apps won’t really change that.
WordPress Plugins
As an open source platform, anyone can create a tool and add it to WordPress. Programmers and designers can offer these tools for free or charge other WordPress users to install them.
This is where WordPress shines. There are roughly 55,000 plugins available for you to download and install to your WordPress site.
The capabilities here are endless. There is a plugin for nearly anything you can possibly imagine. This gives you the opportunity to add custom functionality to your website.
Just be careful before you install a plugin to your site. Remember, anyone can create these.
I only recommend adding plugins offered by legitimate developers. So don’t slack when it comes to due diligence for evaluating a potential plugin.
To learn more about WordPress plugins and their capabilities, check out my guide on the best WordPress plugins for each essential category. This will give you a better understanding of the possibilities for your website.
Website Builder with the Best Add-ons: WordPress
All of the Squarespace apps are built-in, so the platform never really had a chance at winning this category. The sheer volume of available plugins that you can add to your WordPress site is unlike any other website builder on the market.
Plugins are the reason why people love WordPress so much. It’s the best way to truly customize your website exactly the way you want to by adding specific functions.
SEO Friendly
In order for your website to be successful, it needs to be visible and rank high in SERPs. You should definitely look for a website builder that has tools and features that focus on SEO.
Squarespace SEO
Squarespace has SEO best practices built-in to its platform. It has automatic sitemaps, auto redirects, canonical tags, robots.txt files, and plenty of other ways to boost your site’s SEO.
The nice part about using Squarespace is that you won’t have to go out and install any apps to deliver these SEO capabilities. You won’t have to think twice about your website being SEO-friendly because Squarespace handles everything for you.
WordPress SEO
WordPress is fully optimized for SEO on the backend. You can make changes to nearly every aspect of your website to make your content more appealing to search engines.
Modifying permalinks, creating a sitemap, header tags, meta descriptions, and robots.txt are all areas where WordPress excels. WordPress is the ultimate website builder for the technical side of SEO.
Plus, you can always add on plugins to improve your SEO strategy even further.
Yoast SEO has more than five million active installations. It gives you complete customization and control over your WordPress site from an SEO perspective.
Best Website Builder for SEO: WordPress
Squarespace is an SEO-friendly website builder, but it’s no match for WordPress. The flexibility of WordPress and the ability to add SEO plugins will give you an advantage when it comes to ranking organically in search engines.
Blogging Capability
All websites should have a blog. But there’s a difference between a blogging website and website that features a blog as a supporting element. I’ve taken both of these scenarios into consideration when evaluating Squarespace and WordPress for blogging.
Squarespace Blogging
Squarespace offers basic blogging capabilities. You can choose the layout and appearance of your blog while allowing multiple contributors as well.
You can tag your blogs, segment them into categories, and edit them at any time. Squarespace also lets you set up automatic posting on social media any time you publish a new blog.
The best part about using Squarespace for blogging is that you’ll get stylish templates for free.
But you won’t have the ability to access the HTML code of your blog, which is a problem if you really want to customize your content.
Overall, the Squarespace blogging tools are suitable for niche websites that also have a blog. For example, if you’re a photographer and use Squarespace to showcase your portfolio, you can add a basic blog as well.
WordPress Blogging
WordPress is built for bloggers. We publish hundreds of blogs per year here at Quick Sprout, and that’s one of the many reasons why we trust WordPress as our website builder and CMS.
Unlike Squarespace, WordPress lets you access the HTML code of your blog. You may not need to take advantage of this often, but at least it’s available when you need to.
As you can see, Squarespace owns just a fraction of this market share.
Another benefit of using WordPress for your blog is the ability for you to manage comments. You have complete control over who can comment on your blog. WordPress also offers plenty of plugins to customize and improve the blog on your website.
Best Website Builder For Blogging: WordPress
If blogging is the primary feature of your website, WordPress is definitely your best bet. Squarespace offers a basic blogging platform, but the fact that you can’t access the HTML code of your content is a huge downside.
Ecommerce Functionality
Are you planning to sell products or services online? You need to find a website builder that makes this as easy as possible for you.
Squarespace Ecommerce
Modern layouts and simple designs make Squarespace a frontrunner for selling online. You can easily build an ecommerce shop using Squarespace since ecommerce functionality is built-in to the platform.
Squarespace makes it easy for you to sell products, services, subscriptions, and digital content. You can also sync your online inventory with your physical store locations to improve in-person selling.
You’ll also benefit from features like built-in tax tools, gift cards, discount codes, and flexible checkout pages. This is everything you need to optimize your ecommerce shop for conversions.
Squarespace offers easy ecommerce integrations with platforms like PayPal, FedEx, UPS, Stripe, Apple Pay, USPS, and many more.
WordPress Ecommerce
WordPress is not optimized for ecommerce out of the box. You’ll need to install a plugin for ecommerce functionality.
There are tons of options to choose from, but WooCommerce is the most popular and it’s what I would recommend.
Once you install WooCommerce to your WordPress site, selling online is simple. You’ll have the ability to completely customize your store, instead of relying on cookie-cutter designs and templates.
It’s possible to add any function to your ecommerce site with WordPress. You can work with a developer or programmer to create these functionalities for you if you can’t find a plugin that meets your needs.
With WooCommerce (and other plugins), it will take you a bit longer to build a store from scratch. Updates to the plugin and your WordPress version aren’t always smooth.
Best Website Builder For Ecommerce: Squarespace
Squarespace is the winner for ecommerce because the capabilities are already built-in to the platform. You can start selling products and services with Squarespace out of the box with no hurdles in the setup process.
WordPress ultimately offers better flexibility and customization for your ecommerce store, but it’s reliant on plugins.
If you already have a WordPress site, then installing WooCommerce is a no-brainer. But if you’re building a new ecommerce store from scratch, you’ll be better off with Squarespace.
Maintenance and Updates
When evaluating the best website builders, you need to look beyond the initial creation process. It’s important to choose a platform that makes it easy for you to manage, maintain, and update your content for the lifetime of your website.
Squarespace Maintenance
Ongoing maintenance with Squarespace is about as easy as it gets. There is nothing that needs to be done on your end.
Squarespace regularly tests updates and automatically applies them to your website. In most instances, you won’t even know that anything has happened. This allows you to spend your time focusing on more important tasks related to owning and operating a website.
WordPress Maintenance
WordPress is constantly coming out with new updates. They do this in order to improve the security and performance of the platform. Failing to update your WordPress version can put your site at risk for malware and attacks.
In addition to updating WordPress, you also need to keep up with updates for all of your plugins. Sometimes plugins aren’t updated as frequently as they should be, which can cause compatibility issues with your WordPress version.
You can take advantage of automatic updates, but it still requires you to stay on top of everything.
Best Website Builder For Maintenance: Squarespace
Squarespace maintenance is hassle-free. They handle all of the updates for you, which is a big edge over WordPress.
Keeping up with WordPress updates can be a pain, but it’s really not that difficult. Just don’t ignore them because you can put your website at risk for problems related to security and performance.
Security
Unfortunately, security needs to be a top concern for every website. There are too many bad people out there that target websites with malware, spam, and hacks in an attempt to steal information related from to business, customers, and website visitors.
Every website is at risk, no matter what platform you’re using to create and manage your site. But some platforms offer more advanced security capabilities and features than others.
Squarespace Security
Squarespace includes an SSL certificate with your plan. They handle all of the security for you.
Since Squarespace is a popular website builder, hackers will occasionally target it. But overall, it’s not as big of a target as more popular platforms.
WordPress Security
With WordPress, the security of your site is completely in your control. This has its pros and cons.
On the one hand, you can take steps to set up your website to be a fortress. But on the other hand, if you do nothing, your site will be susceptible to attacks.
The benefit of using WordPress is that you can install security plugins, like Wordfence, to handle all of this for you as well.
But since WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, it’s also the most attacked platform by hackers and cybercriminals.
Best Website Builder For Security: Squarespace
This was a tough one, but Squarespace is more secure compared to WordPress. Squarespace sites aren’t as vulnerable to attacks and the Squarespace team handles everything for you. The fact that an SSL certificate comes standard with your plan is a bonus as well.
WordPress is still secure if you know how to set up everything properly. But it’s not the safest option out of the box.
Retaining Rights to Your Content
Content ownership might not be the first thing you think of when you’re creating a website. But you should always review the policies of whatever platform you’re using to publish content on the web.
Without realizing it, you may inadvertently lose the rights to work that you thought was your own.
Squarespace Content Ownership
Anything you publish on Squarespace is your content. If you decide to move to another platform, you can take all of it with you.
However, the templates are licensed to you; they aren’t actually owned. So even if you paid for a template, you won’t be able to keep it if you leave Squarespace.
Here are a couple of excerpts from the Squarespace terms of service page that are worth reviewing in greater detail.
In short, everything on your website is being licensed to Squarespace. This means that they can modify, store, publish, and reproduce your work.
Under this agreement, they also have the right to use your website as an example for marketing and promotion of their platform.
Some of you might be turned off by this, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Big companies like Squarespace will always try to keep their customers happy. It doesn’t benefit them to steal your content outright. This terms of service agreement is pretty standard if you compare it to social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
WordPress Content Ownership
WordPress is a free and open source platform. All of the source code on WordPress is free for anyone to distribute, modify, and use as their own.
That’s what makes WordPress so great. It’s perfect for adapting and customizing functions to your specific needs.
Since WordPress is set up this way, all of your content is 100% yours. WordPress does not impose licensing terms similar to Squarespace. This means you have total control and ownership of your content with no strings attached.
Keep in mind, WordPress users are responsible for their own web hosting. So your web hosting provider might include content ownership terms that are similar to Squarespace.
Best Website Builder For Owning Content: WordPress
WordPress has better terms than Squarespace when it comes to owning content. If you use WordPress, then you don’t have any licensing contingencies in your terms of service.
You won’t be able to keep your site themes or templates, regardless of which platform you use.
Site Migrations
In a perfect world, you’ll build your website on a platform and stick with it forever. But for one reason or another, you may decide to migrate your site to a new platform.
Maybe you want to move from WordPress to Squarespace. Or maybe you’re trying to migrate for Squarespace to WordPress. You could potentially migrate your site to a different platform altogether.
Website builders don’t always make it easy on you when you’re leaving. So this evaluation category primarily focuses on exporting your site during a migration.
Squarespace Migrations
Migrating your site from Squarespace to another platform can be tricky. Squarespace limits what you’re able to move and retain during a migration.
You’ll be able to migrate all of the basics like your pages, blog, comments, galleries, image blocks, and text blocks. But beyond that, you’ll have to rebuild quite a bit on the new platform when the migration is complete.
Squarespace offers step-by-step instructions to guide you through the migration process, which is definitely helpful.
The complexity of your migration will depend on the type of website you have. For example, it will be easier to migrate a Squarespace blog than a Squarespace ecommerce store.
WordPress Migrations
Migrating content to or from WordPress is a bit easier. Since it’s the platform is so popular and widely used, it’s compatible with whatever formats you were previously using or plan to use moving forward.
In some cases, your web hosting provider can handle WordPress migrations for you. Depending on the plan you have, this could be free or for a small fee of around $100.
If an expert is able to migrate your WordPress site for you, then I’d definitely take advantage of it. Even if you have to pay, it’s worth getting it done properly.
Best Website Builder For Site Migrations: WordPress
Migrations are a pain no matter what platform you’re using. Exporting and importing on both ends is usually a hassle. I’ve never met anyone who enjoys this.
But with that said, WordPress has the edge here because of its popularity. It’s more compatible with other platforms than Squarespace.
Customer Support
I always use customer service as a factor when I’m evaluating a product or service. I want my provider to be there for me whenever I need help or assistance.
Squarespace Support
Squarespace has excellent support. They have a dedicated IT team available 24/7 via live chat and email.
They also have an extensive knowledge base that’s easy to use for troubleshooting on your own. Squarespace offers webinars to teach you how to use their platform and improve your website.
As an all-in-one platform, Squarespace offers things like security, hosting, and a CDN standard with all plans. They handle all of the backend functions of your site so you won’t have to worry about anything.
WordPress Support
If you’re using WordPress, you need to be good at finding answers on your own.
Fortunately, WordPress has a massive community of users. So there are tons of forums and help articles available online.
Not every WordPress user has access to live support. Only paid plans will have this option, and the level of support offered depends on how much your paying.
Best Website Builder For Customer Service: Squarespace
The 24/7 live chat and email support offered by Squarespace is unbeatable. There is definitely more information about how to use WordPress on the web. But in terms of a dedicated support team, Squarespace is the winner.
Price
We can’t evaluate these website building platforms without comparing the prices.
Squarespace Price
Squarespace has four different plans, starting as low as $12 per month. Here’s a brief overview of the pricing tiers.
The plan you choose will depend on the type of website that you’re building. For example, if you plan on selling online, you’ll need the Basic Commerce plan, at a minimum.
But if you are running a small, simple, personal portfolio site, you can get away with the Personal plan, which is very cost-effective.
If you’re just running a small blog, you can stick with the free plan or upgrade to the cheapest plan. But any other website should consider the Premium option, at a minimum.
Upgrading your WordPress plan gives you access to features like premium templates, marketing tools, and support.
The amount of storage you need will affect which plan you choose.
Best Value Website Builder: WordPress
The fact that you can use WordPress for free is a great option for new websites. The two entry-level WordPress plans are cheaper than the lowest Squarespace plan.
WordPress can cost as much or as little as you’d like. Some plugins will require payment, which adds on to your base cost.
Who is Squarespace For?
Squarespace is the best website builder for artists, musicians, photographers, fashion designers, and entrepreneurs. If you’re creative, but not technically-inclined, then you can build a beautiful website on Squarespace with the drag-and-drop builder.
As an all-in-one platform, Squarespace is very easy to manage and maintain. All of the features and tools come built-in, so you never have to worry about adding anything on.
Who is WordPress For?
WordPress is best for developers, programmers, bloggers, and webmasters who know how to code. If you want complete control over the look and feel of your website, WordPress gives you the ultimate ability to customize.
WordPress is pretty bare and limited out of the box. So it’s up to you to add plugins and code the site to meet your standards. It requires a bit more work, but the possibilities are endless.
Final Verdict: Which is Better?
Now to the burning question—which website builder is better? Squarespace or WordPress? Here’s a quick recap of the categories we evaluated above:
Ease of Use — Squarespace
Design — Squarespace
Features — Squarespace
Plugins and Apps — WordPress
SEO — WordPress
Blogging — WordPress
Ecommerce — Squarespace
Maintenance — Squarespace
Security — Squarespace
Content Ownership — WordPress
Support — Squarespace
Value — WordPress
Each website builder has its upsides and pitfalls. It all depends on what you’re looking for and what’s important to you.
Based on these factors alone, Squarespace wins 7-5. But with that said, WordPress is still a great option for lots of websites. We use WordPress at Quick Sprout, and I haven’t considered switching because it handles everything we could possibly need.
But what’s best for me may not be best for you. If you’re building a new website from scratch and you don’t have any coding experience, Squarespace will probably be your best option.
You’re likely here because you don’t want to pay more than you need to for web hosting. Why pay more, right? The other question I’m sure you’re asking is: Free web hosting — what’s the catch?
We’ve all heard the saying there’s no such thing as free lunch, but is there such a thing as free hosting? Yes, and no. Free hosting exists, but it’s not great. You may even pay in the long run: in lost sales, man hours, frustrations, etc.
To be brutally honest, even the best free web hosting only makes sense for a very narrow scope of websites. If you are going to run a small business or build an online presence you want to grow, I recommend paying for hosting. Some of the best web hosting services start for as little as $4/month. For the price, you’ll get increased functionality, more reliability, and better customer support. For $50 a year, it’s an investment I think is worth it for just about every site. I also have a guide on the best cheap hosting plans, which is much better than many of the free options.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best free web hosts, their pros and cons, explain “the catch,” and point out a few other free options you should consider.
The Top 5 Free Web Hosts Compared
Awardspace — The free hosting plan includes one gig of storage, a drag-and-drop site builder, and WordPress installer.
Atspace — A lot like Awardspace, but with unlimited bandwidth and 24/7 customer support.
Freehostia — Fast speeds and customer service in under an hour, but super small storage limits (250 MB disk space, 10MB database storage).
Agilityhoster — A runner up. More limited storage and bandwidth, and no drag-and-drop builder.
Byethost — Skip it. Promises of unlimited storage, bandwidth, and sites plus 5 email accounts, but so unprofessional I’d pass.
Educators and nonprofits often qualify for free (or deeply discounted) hosting by some truly excellent providers. Jump here to read more.
Pro Tip: Two Free Website Builders Offer Free Hosting
Ucraft — If you just need one page, Ucraft’s one-page site builder will get you online and looking professional for free with a custom domain.
Google Sites — Google is free site builder that can host a custom domain and is a good choice for something simple like a wiki.
Hands-down the easiest way for most people to get a website up and running is a website builder, where you can drag-and-drop content blocks and tinker around with customizable templates. Most website builders are only free if you use a subdomain (for example, our URL on a Wix subdomain would look like: quicksprout.wix.com), which is a dealbreaker for anyone who wants to run a professional-looking site. I don’t like it one bit. I talk more about free hosting using a subdomain here.
What’s a custom domain? A custom domain is what switches your url from www.MyBrand.WebHost.com to www.MyBrand.com. If you’re serious about your business, you need to use a custom domain — free subdomains just scream, “I didn’t pay for this,” which is like putting up a flashing sign that says BUYER BEWARE.
I have great news, though. There are two builders that host websites for free and connect to a custom domain. They are super simple and have limited functionality — but since super simple, limited websites are the only ones I recommend hosting for free, that’s not really a problem. The two that meet this criteria are Ucraft and Google Sites.
If all you need is a super simple page — AKA the only kind of site that should run on a free host anyway — I recommend you try a free website builder that hosts custom domains, like Ucraft or Google Sites.
The Cons of Free Hosting
Like I mentioned above, I’m not going to dance around the fact that there are plenty of downsides to free web hosting. To make my recommendations for the best free host, which is definitely a title that’s relative to the niche, I took the following six criteria into consideration.
Ads
Some free web hosts stay afloat by selling ad space. We wanted to avoid those providers — no one wants random ads appearing in the middle of their content — and opted for hosts that support their free tier from sales of their paid hosting plans.
Email hosting
My recommendations offer at least one custom email address and free email hosting since that is one of the glaring things lacking from a free website builder. (Ucraft doesn’t offer email hosting at all and Google Sites only offers a custom email address if you pay $5/month for GSuite.) An email that’s attached to your website and domain name is great to have for one-off correspondences (plus looks pro on a business card), and a free web host provider’s email hosting is perfect for that.But be warned, your legit emails may be flagged as spam. Why? Free hosting is a hotbed for less-than-savory online activity, and your site might get lumped into a server of bad actors. In other words: spam filter activated. If you’re going to use your email a lot or for anything important — say for sending out a newsletter or for marketing promotions — we recommend upgrading to email hosting through a service like GSuite or even a domain registrar like Namecheap, which sells email hosting starting at $10/year.
Storage and bandwidth
Free web hosting has famously low limits for both disk space and bandwidth. If you go over your limit, your site may get suspended or you may be automatically upgraded to a paid service. Even when providers like Byethost offer unlimited bandwidth and storage, it’s not infinite. Just like with a paid service, unlimited storage and bandwidth only last until you start negatively impacting the other sites on your server — and all hosts are extremely vague about how much traffic or storage is too much traffic or storage. Have a negative impact and your site may still be suspended or auto-upgraded.
PHP and MySQL
PHP is one of the most popular programming languages. It’s what apps like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal run on, and therefore what a lot of websites use. MySQL are databases those apps store information on. Your web host needs to support up-to-date versions of both. The problem: Most hosts don’t disclose the exact version of the PHP or MySQL they run. And even if these apps do work, there is a high likelihood that with any free host they are going to load slowly — a PHP application requires a lot more lift from what is probably an extremely burdened server. If you’re worried at all about page load time (and you should be — Google takes it into account), we recommend limiting anything you build on a free host to a simple static HTML/CSS site.
Another thing to keep in mind is database limitations. Every piece of software you want to use on your site requires a database to store its information. If you are running WordPress, it needs a database. If you’re running another app, it’s going to need its own database. Most free hosts impose a limit on the number of databases your site can access, and the amount of storage available in that database.
SSL certificate
Secure Sockets Layer encryption is what confirms a website is secure enough to receive sensitive data like credit card data and passwords. SSL certificates are the only way a site can do any sort of ecommerce at all, but Google also considers it a factor for where any site, ecomm or not, shows up in search rankings. Most free web hosts don’t offer a free SSL certificate; the ones that do tend to offer a “self-signed” SSL. Self-signed SSLs are issued by servers, not by a certificate authority (Comodo, Digicert, Let’s Encrypt, etc). They offer the same level of encryption, but it’s not the standard version, so web browsers will still flag your site and issue a security warning to visitors.
Customer support
With any free host customer support is going to be limited, slow to respond, and not all that helpful. That’s just the way it is.
A note on custom domain names and domain privacy: You can host a site with a custom domain for free, but you’re still going to have to purchase the domain name through a domain registrar. Lots of hosting providers have a domain registration arm of their business, but you can also purchase a domain anywhere and connect it to your free web host. No matter what, we recommend also springing for domain privacy, which keeps your personal information (including your phone number and physical address) from being listed on the WHOIS public database. Opt-out, you’ll be spammed like crazy — at least for now. (Since the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect in May 2018, domain registrars are “refraining from publishing this information” to avoid liability. Others are retracting information to avoid accusations of selling information to spammers.)
Limited customer support ticketing, live chat, online documentation
Awardspace is a big player in the free hosting space and has been around for more than a decade. It stands out for offering a full gig of storage, more than many others, and, according to a friendly sales rep we chatted with, up-to-date versions of PHP and MySQL. It also offers the Zacky drag-and-drop website builder, plus an easy-to-use WordPress and Joomla installer. Note: If your site receives no traffic for 12 months, it will automatically be set to inactive; after two more weeks of notices, it will be deleted.
More Awardspace specs
PHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 30MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL
Limited 24/7/365 customer support, live chat, limited ticketing, online documentation
Atspace has nearly identical stats to Awardspace, with the exception of unlimited bandwidth (as opposed to Awardspace’s 5GB) and a claim of 24/7/365 support. (Digging deeper, though, Atspace lists that support as “limited 24/7/365 support” so take that with a big fat grain of salt.) Atspace also uses the Zacky website builder and app installer for apps like WordPress and Joomla.
More Atspace specs
PHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 30MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL
24/7 customer support with 1-hour ticket response and online documentation
Freehostia offers free cloud hosting on its Chocolate plan (your guess is as good as ours). That means it should be fast, but the Chocolate plan is also very small: only 250MB of disk space and 10MB of database storage. That said, it does include a free self-signed SSL certificate, a site builder with free templates, and the promise of a response to help tickets in under one hour — pretty much unheard of. If you have a small enough site, the customer service promise alone makes Freehostia a compelling pick.
Limited ticketing, live chat, online documentation (24/7 customer support for system malfunctions only)
Agilityhoster’s free tier is slightly smaller than what’s offered from Awardspace and Atspace: only 1000MB of storage and one 20MB MySQL database. It also lacks any sort of website builder, although it does have a simple WordPress and Joomla installer to get you up and running quickly. A sales rep confirmed that it runs up-to-date PHP and MySQL.
More Agilityhoster specs
PHP 7.2, MySQL 5.7, 20MB database storage, 1 email account, no SSL
Byethost is by far the most generous free web host with unlimited sites, unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and five email accounts. It also provides an automatic SSL on all domains, and includes a free site builder with templates. That said, Byethost is one of the least professional-looking hosts I looked at, with a poorly written website and enough vagueness that I wonder how unlimited its unlimited offerings actually are. Unless you think you need a lot of database space, I recommend going with a different free host.
Selling products through a website that’s hosted for free isn’t easy. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t say this: if you’re serious about starting a business online, you need to run your ecommerce with Shopify. It’s the only contender in this space, and the subscription cost is well worth it.
Most free sites don’t support ecommerce, and when they do, the experience is pretty limited.
I confirmed with Strikingly support that if you want a custom domain, you’ll be paying for a subscription.
Though selling only one product on a subdomain is super limiting, it’s very rare to find a free option that’ll let you sell anything at all. That’s why I included it at all. But, you already know how I feel about subdomains. (They are instant trust breakers for people who aren’t already convinced to buy from you.)
Free online stores are a little easier to come by. The difference? Online stores are just the stores, without the bells and whistles of a full-fledged website. That means no blog, no additional content — just products.
Drag-and-drop editor, plus four customizable themes
Supports custom domain name
Transaction fee: 2.9% + $0.30
Square is a powerhouse business that was originally best known for its point-of-sell credit card swipers found at every farmers market and craft fair. Its free online store hosts unlimited products and has decent functionality.
Square offers four customizable templates for its free online stores.
Transaction fee: Depends on payment provider (Ecwid supports 40 gateways)
Ecwid is a really interesting option. While it offers a free online store like Square (Ecwid calls it a “Starter Site”), Ecwid also offers a free online store widget with code you can insert into pretty much any platform your site is on from Wix to WordPress to Tumblr just like you’d insert a YouTube video. That widget also means you sell simultaneously on multiple sites.
You can add an Ecwid online store to any website for free.
The 2 Free Website Builders with Free Hosting
Design limitations are probably the biggest downside to using a free website builder. If the templates available on Ucraft and Google Sites aren’t what you’ve envisioned for your site, the next easiest free option is to find a free template you like and pair it with a free web host. I may be beating a dead horse, but the best web hosting services aren’t that expensive. We’re talking around $4/month for the initial contract. I think the price more than pays for itself in customer service, security, and speed.
Drag-and-drop builder, plus customizable templates (although you can’t update fonts)
Single page
Supports custom domain
Ucraft ad floats in bottom-right corner
Upgrade for unlimited pages, more customization, and no ads for $6/month
Ecommerce functionality starts at $14/month
Ucraft has a free plan for a single-page website that’s built with what it calls “elements.” An element is any individual piece of content: a title, a text block, a video, an image, an image gallery, a button. Ucraft’s free tier supports up to 50 basic elements, so that single-page website can hold a decent amount of content — just nothing too snazzy.
Six of Ucraft’s 21 free templates, including a blank page for a completely customized site.
A “Powered by UCRAFT” ad hovers in the bottom right corner of all free Ucraft websites.
Drag-and-drop builder, plus limited customizable themes
Unlimited storage
Supports custom domain
Google Sites ad in footer
Integrates with GMail
There are no upgrade options — this is everything
Google Sites is your other option for a super simple free site. And when I say “super simple,” I mean it. There are only six versions of the same template to choose from, and a limited number of layouts to work in. It’s super basic. In fact, lots of Google Sites are used for basic things like internal wikis.
Google Sites offers one basic template in six simple themes.
That said, Google Sites hosts as many pages as you want at no cost. It connects to your custom domain. It integrates with every other Google service, like Docs, Forms, and Slides. And it’s absurdly simple to use, especially if you’re used to working in Google products. If you already have a Google account, or are paying for GSuite for email hosting (which I wholeheartedly recommend), it’s a no-brainer.
Free Web Hosting Alternatives for Subdomain Sites
If you’re okay with a subdomain (as opposed to a custom domain) your options for free hosting increase. That’s because lots of great website builders offer freemium versions of their platforms when you use a subdomain — for example, our URL would be quicksprout.wordpress.com or quicksprout.wix.com.
Obviously, a subdomain lacks the professionalism of a custom domain, and free versions of any website builder product or platform tend to be pretty stripped down. But if you’re interested in launching content quickly, subdomains offer a really low barrier of entry. Most can launch in just a few minutes. Even better, if you envision a more robust web presence in the future, starting for free on the platform you ultimately want to use means you’ll have everything already built. You’ll just need to upgrade.
At the free level, these 3 are pretty comparable. They’ve all got an assortment of free templates or themes, an easy-to-use editor, limited storage, and ads for their service floating near the footer or in a bottom corner of the site. If you may eventually upgrade to a paid plan, check out our review of website builders. I go into a lot more detail than I do here.
Upgrade for custom domain, no ads, and ecommerce functionality: starts at $8/month
The free version of Weebly includes ads and a Weebly subdomain. You’ll be limited to 500MB of storage, but will have the full drag-and-drop builder plus templates. You can always start with the free version and upgrade later, though Weebly’s ads are pretty obvious.
Upgrade for custom domain, no ads, and ecommerce functionality: starts at $11/month
Wix’s free plan is a lot like Weebly’s — you’ll get 500MB of storage and a drag-and-drop builder with templates. But you’ll subsidize your free plan with ads and one of the most eggregious subdomains out there, username.wixsite.com/siteaddress. You have the option to start for free and upgrade at a later time.
Upgrade for custom domain and no ads: starts at $4/month
I love WordPress, but typically recommend people go with WordPress.org, the self-hosted version. The fully hosted version does have a free subdomain plan with free themes, but you’ll be using a subdomain and displaying WordPress ads. To get rid of those elements, it’ll be $4 a month, or about the price of some of the best web hosts. I think it’s better to go the self-hosted route at that point.
Best Free Web Hosting for Nonprofits and Educators
There are excellent — and extremely robust — free hosting options available for nonprofits and educators. These typically aren’t stripped-down versions, but full-blown shared hosting plans that are available for free, including custom domains, full technical functionality, and attentive customer support.
For nonprofits, I recommend DreamHost.
DreamHost offers one free Unlimited shared hosting plan (which includes email hosting) for 501(c)(3) organizations, plus a 35% discount on its suped-up DreamPress managed WordPress hosting. Both are killer deals.
DreamHost is a really big name in web hosting. It’s one of our top picks for best web hosts for small businesses and is one of three recommended hosts by WordPress itself. Most of the other free web hosts for nonprofits don’t have nearly as strong of reputations, nor offer as robust free plans. This plan has unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage, and you can host an unlimited number of sites. Read more about the company in my Dreamhost web hosting review.
Free month-to-month “Small Shared Plan” for businesses that pass A Small Orange’s “criteria.” You’ll get 50GB bandwidth, 5GB storage, and can host an unlimited number of sites.
Free “Startup” shared hosting plan (plus free LiteSpeed caching add-on) for US-based charities that meet Kualo’s criteria. The plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, 30GB storage, and unlimited websites.
SiteGround, our pick for best web host, has some of the most robust shared hosting technology available — and arguably the best reputation in an industry of hundreds. SiteGround offers all the features and functionality of its StartUp Plan (including 24/7 support on chat, phone and ticket) to teachers for free with a SiteGround subdomain. SiteGround also discounts its hosting for students. Learn more about SiteGround plans and features in my SiteGround hosting review.
InMotion Hosting, our pick for best web host for beginners and another standout in the world of shared hosting, gives its mid-tier Power plan to educators for free. Check out my InMotion hosting review for more info on the hosting company.
Weebly has a eductor-focused arm of its website builder business. It works just like Weebly for any small business or personal website, but is geared for educators. The edu-version of Weebly gives the option of publishing content to a custom domain, not a Weebly subdomain. It also skips all Weebly advertising.
If you like the sound of Weebly and a website builder, check out WordPress’s version, Edublogs. Similarly, it offers an ad-free environment with class and student management functionality, edu-focused plugins, and an Edublog subdomain.
Recap On Free Web Hosting
If you’re after free web hosting, you might really want the simplicity and ease of a free website builder. I’m impressed with both Ucraft and Google Sites which provide easy to use drag-and-drop templates and support custom domains. Yes, you’ll be limited in design and there will be some sort of “Powered by” ad in the footer on both. If those are deal-breakers, you probably do want web hosting.
Any free host will have similar drawbacks: limited storage and bandwidth, potential for spam-flagging email, and limited customer support. Go with Awardspace for more storage (1GB), Atspace for 24/7/365 help, or Freehostia if your site is really small (under 250MB).
If you’re an educator or nonprofit, you have a lot more — and better — options. SiteGround and InMotion Hosting, two of our very favorite web hosts, have excellent free plans for educators. So does website builder Weebly. And Dreamhost, another of our favorite web hosts, doesn’t charge nonprofits for one free Unlimited shared hosting plan.
The web hosting type you choose is incredibly important for the website you want to create.
If you’re starting out, you should learn about the different types of web hosting. That way you can figure out which option is the best for your website.
Don’t rush this process. Choosing the wrong web hosting type can cause big problems for your site down the road.
Some of you might be unhappy with your current web hosting situation, so you’re looking to switch. That’s what brought you to this page.
This guide will explain everything you need to know about your web hosting options. Once you figure out the type of web hosting you want, then you can review the best web hosting providers and select a plan to meet your needs.
What is Web Hosting?
Websites are hosted on servers, which are powerful pieces of hardware that house websites and data related to those sites.
Every component of your website is stored on a server and accessed through your web host. This includes elements like files, text, images, videos — everything.
Servers are physically located in data centers, which are typically run and managed by different web hosting companies.
Web hosts provide the technology and server space required for your website to be accessed on the Internet. This allows users to search for your site and view your web pages online.
Different Types of Web Hosting
All websites are different. That’s why there are different servers to meet their needs.
Multiple websites might share a single server. Meanwhile some websites have a server to themselves.
Reseller hosting and WordPress hosting are also specific types of hosting that fall within these categories. We’ll cover all six types of web hosting as we continue.
How do you know which hosting option is best for your website?
The type of server you choose impacts elements like performance, security, scalability, and management level of your website.
Your decision also depends on the type of website you have and the amount of traffic you get.
For example, a small personal blog with 5,000 monthly visitors has different hosting needs than a large ecommerce site with 250,000 visits per month.
It’s also worth noting that different hosting options are offered at varying price points. So it’s important that you find an option that falls within your budget as well.
I’ve outlined and explained the six different web hosting options below. You can use this information to figure out which hosting type is the best choice for your website.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. It’s cost-effective and the best choice for small or entry-level websites.
As the name implies, websites using shared hosting will be sharing resources with other websites on a single server. This works well because the vast majority of websites don’t need a whole server of their own.
That’s how shared hosting remains so cheap. By splitting resources, it’s less cost for the web host.
As such, each website on the server will have a limited amount of resources as defined by their specific hosting plan.
Think of it as renting an apartment with roommates. You have your own bedroom, but you and your roommates will share resources like water, electricity, and common spaces throughout the house.
The nature of sharing a server with other websites has its drawbacks. If another website on your server has a traffic spike, it can potentially cause performance issues with your site. These situations are out of your control.
So while shared hosting is a great option if you want to save some money, it definitely won’t deliver the most high-quality web hosting experience for you or your website visitors. Learn more about shared hosting compared to other types of hosting options.
Who is Shared Hosting For?
Shared hosting is a great choice for beginners and smaller websites. It’s cost-effective and doesn’t require lots of technical knowledge to get started.
I’d recommend shared web hosting for simple websites–it’s all you need–or folks that are on a tight budget. Bloggers and small business owners are great candidates for shared hosting. Any website that doesn’t require too much on-site interaction or lots of resources will be fine with this hosting type.
If you’re not expecting more than 10,000 or 20,000 monthly visits to your website, you can save some money by selecting a shared web hosting plan.
Our recommendation for shared hosting is Hostinger because they have some of the best uptime rates in the industry. Plus, they make it affordable and easy enough for anyone to use.
Single websites start at $1.99 per month. Weekly backups of your site are free, and there is a 30-day money back guarantee.
Premium packages start at $2.99 per month, and come with a free domain (normally $12-$20 per year), free SSL certificate, and free marketing credits for Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising.
If you have questions, problems, or need any assistance, you can contact Hostinger support 24/7 via live chat.
VPS Hosting
VPS stands for “virtual private server.” This hosting type is a step above shared web hosting. When a website outgrows their shared plan, it’s common for owners to upgrade to a VPS.
With a virtual private server, your website will still be sharing a single server with other websites. However, the number of websites you’ll be sharing it with is significantly lower.
The main server is split into multiple virtual servers—hence the name. These virtual servers can be customized by individual websites.
For those of you who want to run custom configurations to your server, you can get optional root access with your VPS hosting plan.
Your site will perform better due to having more resources. This means you’ll benefit from faster loading times and higher uptime rates. You won’t have to worry about another website causing your site to crash.
Most websites do not need a dedicated server (we’ll get to that next). But a VPS gives you some of the benefits of dedicated hosting at a fraction of the price.
A virtual private server is like renting an apartment on your own. You won’t be sharing a kitchen, bathroom, living room, or other common spaces with any roommates. This gives you much more freedom and flexibility to do what you want with the space.
However, you’ll be sharing some resources with the other units in the building. So there will still be some limitations.
Who is VPS Hosting For?
VPS hosting is best for small or medium-sized businesses that can’t afford to have unexpected downtime on their website. It’s a great option for website owners who have outgrown the resources of a shared hosting plan.
A virtual private server can benefit website owners who are tech-savvy and want to make custom changes to their server configuration.
Websites with large files like videos and images should consider a VPS. Interactive websites with complex files will perform better on a VPS as opposed to a shared server.
VPS hosting pros:
Dedicated server resources.
Ability to make custom configurations to your server.
Higher uptime rates and faster loading speeds.
More cost-effective than a dedicated server.
VPS hosting cons:
Sharing the main server with other websites.
Not as easy to set up as a shared server.
Still has limitations in terms of what you can control.
Lots of hosting providers offer VPS plans, but InMotion is our top recommendation for this type of web hosting.
The VPS plans offered by InMotion come with root access, which gives you the ability to make custom changes to your virtual server. This is a great option for those of you who are more technically advanced.
InMotion offers options when it comes to managing your VPS. You can choose from cPanel or Control Web Panel (CWP), making it easy for anyone to view and manage their VPS.
InMotion gives you options when it comes to managing your VPS.
You’ll also have the option to choose your data center for maximum speed. InMotion has VPS plans that are optimized for ecommerce shops as well.
All VPS plans from InMotion come with a 90-day money-back promise, which is one of the best satisfaction guarantees that you’ll find in the industry.
WordPress Hosting
WordPress hosting optimizes for WordPress as your content management system.
You’ll see two different types of WordPress hosting offered by providers.
Shared WordPress hosting
Managed WordPress hosting
Shared WordPress hosting works the same way as regular shared hosting, except WordPress might be pre-installed.
Managed WordPress hosting provides added benefits like enhanced security, server caching, staging, and faster loading speeds.
WordPress hosting usually has added security that’s specifically designed for websites that are running on WordPress. Since WordPress is the most commonly used CMS across the globe, those websites are a higher risk for cyber crime. So that added security is definitely a great benefit.
Who is WordPress Hosting For?
This isn’t rocket science. WordPress hosting is for WordPress users. If you want your hosting to be optimized for your WordPress site, then you should look into this type of web hosting.
WordPress hosting pros:
Optimized for WordPress.
WordPress pre-installed or one-click installations.
I’m a little biased here. We use WP Engine here at Quick Sprout, so naturally, this is my top pick for the category.
It’s not necessarily the best choice for beginners. But for those of you who have some experience with web hosting and plan to build a blog or business website with high-traffic, WP Engine is your best bet.
WP Engine has WordPress hosting plans starting at $30 per month. This is another reason why I don’t think it’s the best choice for a beginner. There are other WordPress hosting plans out there starting for less than $5 or $10 per month.
The speed and security is the best part of WP Engine. They offer managed WordPress hosting services, so everything is handled at the server level.
This means that you won’t have to install lots of extra plugins that can weigh your site down.
Another reason why I recommend WP Engine is because they have excellent customer support. All plans come with 24/7 live chat, and some of the higher-tier plans even come with 24/7 phone support.
WP Engine is a top pick because of its fast and knowledgeable customer support team.
I’ve been impressed with the quality and level of service whenever I’ve needed to contact them.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated servers are typically considered the best choice in web hosting. That’s because you have a dedicated server that belongs to you, and you alone. You typically get more benefits with dedicated hosting too such as more uptime and faster speeds.
However, it comes with a catch: This is the most expensive type of web hosting.
Since you won’t be sharing resources or anything else with other websites, your site will operate at peak performance.
Websites being hosted on a dedicated server have complete technical control over the server settings. You choose the software, configurations, and anything else you need.
If you get a dedicated server, you should expect extremely high uptime rates and lightning fast loading speeds. You won’t have to worry about traffic from other websites impacting your performance.
A dedicated server is like owning a house. If you want to build a fence, plant a tree in the yard, build a patio, or renovate the kitchen, everything is completely up to you.
Who is Dedicated Hosting For?
Dedicated hosting plans are typically reserved for enterprise-level websites. That means more than 100,000 monthly visits — not to mention plenty of revenue coming in to afford the server.
Don’t even consider this type of hosting if you’re still struggling to pull in a few thousand in traffic each month.
Large ecommerce sites and enterprises should consider a dedicated hosting plan because they can have complete control over the functions of their server. Sites that require the highest levels of security, such as websites that store financial data or medical information would benefit from a dedicated server.
Dedicated servers come with varying management levels. You can look for a hosting provider that will manage your server for you, or you can manage it on your own. The downside of managing the server on your own is that you’ll be responsible for installing updates and monitoring everything for glitches or errors.
Only consider a dedicated server if you can afford it. In most cases, a dedicated hosting plan will be out of your price range, especially if you are starting a new website. These servers can cost up to $2,000 per month.
Dedicated hosting pros:
Complete control over the server.
Not sharing resources with any other websites.
High security.
Fast load times, high uptimes, and optimal performance.
If you’re interested in cloud hosting, look no further than SiteGround. Siteground has always been an industry leader in web hosting. Their cloud plans are suitable for a wide range of businesses and website sizes.
Their entry-level cloud plan comes with 4 CPU cores, 8 GB of memory, and 40 GB of SSD space. But you can fully customize a cloud with up to 32 CPU cores, 128 GB of memory, and 1 TB of SSD space. Although most of you won’t need all of that, it’s nice to know you have those customizable options to deliver exactly what your website requires.
SiteGround’s cloud plans are fully managed. Their IT team will take care of all of the technical aspects of your hosting experience. This allows you to focus on everything else.
You won’t have to worry about patches or updates, as SiteGround’s team of experts takes care of all the maintenance. You’ll also benefit from their proactive security measures, which will keep your site hack and spam free.
All cloud plans come with a free SSL, free CDN, private DNS, and daily backups. You’ll also benefit from SiteGround’s advanced priority support if you ever need assistance.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is like a hybrid version of a VPS—but more cost-effective.
Cloud hosting plans come with multiple remote servers. Each server has different responsibilities. If one of the servers is compromised or has a problem, the other servers on the network will take over those responsibilities and pick up the slack.
That’s what makes cloud web hosting such an appealing alternative to traditional web hosting.
With cloud servers, your website will have higher uptime rates and won’t have as much unexpected downtime due to server errors. Your site will remain fluid and perform at a high level.
The best part about cloud web hosting is scalability.
With traditional hosting, there is always a constant dilemma between server resources and price. You don’t want to overpay for a plan with resources that you’ll never use, but at the same time, you don’t want to exceed the resources of a lesser plan and negatively affect the performance of your website.
Unless you know exactly how many page views your site will get per month, then this is nearly impossible to predict.
But website traffic is never an exact science. At times, you’ll experience spikes or surges to your site—which is great news. You just need to make sure your plan can accommodate that traffic.
That’s why cloud hosting is the ultimate solution to this dilemma. The best cloud hosting plans allow you to scale your resources on-demand.
You pay for what you use, and you can always adjust these resources within your admin dashboard.
Who is Cloud Hosting For?
Cloud hosting is the best option for medium and large business websites that are growing at a rapid rate.
If your website traffic is unpredictable and you’re planning on it scaling at a steady rate in the coming months or years, then you should consider a cloud hosting plan.
Any website with more than 50,000 monthly page visits could consider a cloud plan. Websites that have outgrown their shared plan and need to upgrade could seek cloud hosting as an alternative option to a VPS.
HostGator is my top recommendation for dedicated server plans. While dedicated hosting definitely isn’t cheap, the plans offered by HostGator are actually pretty affordable.
Introductory pricing specials for their dedicated servers start at $118.99 per month.
One of the reasons why I like HostGator is because they offer fully managed plans. If you want, their team of technicians can handle system monitoring, software patching, updates, offsite backups, data migrations, and more.
You’ll have access to 24/7/365 priority customer support as well.
So if you think your website needs a dedicated server, check out the plans and options offered by HostGator.
Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting involves selling hosting services to clients. As such, it is definitely not for everyone. If you’re building a small website from scratch or just looking to host a website on your own, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
But if you want to sell web hosting to other sites, then you should look into reseller hosting plans.
As the reseller, you get to choose the pricing options for your clients. Since you’ll be paying wholesale rates to the provider, then you have the opportunity to make substantial profit margins.
Who is Reseller Hosting For?
For the most part, reseller hosting is for agencies, web designers, and web developers. These are people who already have clients in this space, so they can just add web hosting to the services that they currently offer.
You can make it easy on your clients by allowing them to get all of their website needs in one place, as opposed to finding a web hosting plan on their own.
One of the best parts about being a reseller is sustainability. If you design a website for someone, they won’t necessarily need your services forever. But if you can get those clients to buy web hosting services from you, then you’ll benefit from a steady monthly income for the lifetime of that website.
I wouldn’t consider reseller hosting unless you’re planning to manage at least 10 different websites. Otherwise, it probably won’t be worth it for you.
Reseller hosting pros:
Set uncapped prices to your clients.
Get recurring and sustainable income.
Improve your existing services.
Reseller hosting cons:
Need lots of clients to make it worth your time and effort.
If something goes wrong, your clients will turn to you.
A2 Hosting is known for speed, which is one of the reasons why it’s my top recommendation for reseller hosting.
When you white label hosting to your clients, you want to make sure that you deliver high performance. Even though the hosting technically isn’t coming from you, any problems will be a poor reflection of your personal brand. But with A2 Hosting, your clients will still get high uptime rates and fast loading speeds on a shared server.
Another top benefit of A2 Hosting is that WHMCS comes free with all reseller plans. You’ll definitely need this to effectively manage all of your clients and their resources. Other hosting providers charge extra for this.
Overall, client management with A2 Hosting is the best I’ve seen in the industry. You can even set up simple hosting support as well.
A2 Hosting also offers a 99.9% uptime commitment to you. So you can pass that along to your customers.
What is the Best Hosting Type For Your Website?
This answer will be different for everyone. It depends on the type of website you have, the resources you need, your budget, and traffic.
I gave my top recommendation for each category in this guide, so that’s the best place for you to start your search.
Once you know what you need, you can narrow your options. To figure out what category you fall in, here’s a quick recap of the different hosting types and who they are for:
Shared Hosting — Most cost-effective plans for entry-level websites. – Recommended Shared Host = Hostinger
VPS Hosting — For websites that have outgrown shared hosting. – Recommended VPS Host = InMotion
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best cheap web hosting provider for most people is Hostingeror DreamHost.
If you’re trying to get your site up and running for as little as possible, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve investigated dozens of the cheapest web hosts out there to find the most affordable web hosting plans that are actually worth using.
The Cheapest Hosting Plans
Hostinger — Starting at $9.99 (month-to-month contract)
DreamHost — Starting at $4.95 (month-to-month contract)
GreenGeeks— Starting at $9.95 (month-to-month contract)
A lot of the options in this top list are priced on a month-to-month basis. That means minimal commitment.
But to get the absolute cheapest monthly rates available, you need to lock in a longer contract and pay in advance. This costs more money upfront but saves you a lot in the long run.
If you can afford to do it, I highly recommend signing on to a longer contract to get the best discount.
Here are my top picks ranked by the cheapest per-month cost along with the contract term. All require full payment upfront:
You may be wondering where SiteGround is on this second list. Don’t worry, it’s still here–it just offers its best rates with a one-year commitment. You’ll pay just $2.99 per month that way. Paying for two or three years upfront saves quite a bit, too.
In addition to locking in the lowest available rates with these pre-paid, long-term packages, you’re also delaying the inevitable renewal upcharges. Commit now and stretch that promotional rate as long as possible.
If you know that your site will be up and running for at least a few years, a long-term contract will offer the most value. Just make sure you sign up for a plan with a money-back guarantee, so you can opt-out at the beginning if you’re unhappy.
The Best Month-to-Month Hosting Prices
For those of you who don’t want long-term contract commitments, you’ll need to find a web hosting provider that offers month-to-month pricing.
These prices will be a bit higher than the cheapest advertised rates, but you can pay way less on day one.
Typically, you have to pay everything upfront for a long-term hosting plan–so even if it’s only a few dollars a month, that might cost hundreds of dollars to get started.
If you are looking for hosting without a big price tag or years-long commitment, you should definitely look at my top picks for month-to-month web hosting.
If you’re looking for an affordable web hosting option, look no further than DreamHost. More than 1.5 million websites worldwide are hosted by DreamHost. They also have an outstanding reputation due to their high-quality hosting at rock-bottom prices.
DreamHost offers month-to-month web hosting plans starting at $7.99 per month. This is a solid price for web hosting without a long-term commitment, but DreamHost is willing to lower that price to get your business.
Currently, it’s less than $2 for the first month to get your website off the ground.
There are no setup fees and no strings attached. Cancel whenever you want. You don’t have to commit to more than a month. These are two of the most straightforward low-cost plans in the industry.
The sale pricing above is subject to change, but I’ve included the current regular pricing below:
Shared Starter— starting at $7.99 paying monthly, $2.95 per month for one year, $2.59 per month for three years
Shared Unlimited— starting at $13.99 paying monthly, $2.95 per month for one year, $3.95 per month for three years
You can save a good bit by signing up for a longer plan with DreamHost, but they offer a lot more at a better price than most other hosts if you are looking to avoid a long-term contract.
Shared Starter is good for one website, but if you upgrade to Shared Unlimited, you’ll be able to create as many sites as you need.
Both plans come with a free website builder, WordPress pre-installed, and a free SSL certificate.
Email comes free with the Shared Unlimited plan and starts at $1.67 per month with the Shared Starter plan.
Their customer service team is 100% in-house. They don’t outsource agents like other web hosting companies and can provide more hands-on support to your issues. However, the trade-off is that live chat and email support is only available for 16 hours per day.
If you miss those hours, don’t worry. DreamHost has an extensive knowledge base of FAQs and guides making it easy for you to find help on your own.
Not only are you able to sign up month-to-month, but you’ll also be refunded if you’re unhappy. DreamHost has an industry-leading 97-day money-back guarantee. Check out my complete Dreamhost review for more details about them.
A2 Hosting is built for speed. The fact that you can get cheap plans from such a reputable provider is a bonus.
Like most web hosts, A2 offers the lowest prices when you lock in a longer contract. The best rates are available when you sign up for 36 months.
Here’s a closer look at those plans and prices:
Startup — $2.99 per month
Drive — $5.99 per month
Turbo Boost — $6.99 per month
Turbo Max — $12.99 per month
The Turbo Max plan gives you the fastest speeds. But if you’re prioritizing price, Startup is the cheapest. The Turbo Boost plan is an excellent value when you consider the fact that it’s just $1 more than the Drive plan, with access to a turbo server.
A2 offers a free SSL certificate with every plan. All plans are backed by a 99.9% uptime commitment and money-back guarantee.
If you’re switching from another hosting provider, A2 will migrate your account for free.
Another reason why I recommend A2 Hosting is because they provide a cPanel control panel. This feature will make it much easier for you to manage your hosting experience.
HostGator’s entry-level rates are a bit higher than some of the other month-to-month plans that we’ve reviewed—but they are still one of the best cheap web hosting providers in the industry.
One great benefit of HostGator: Their month-to-month rates are exactly the same as the 3-month contracts and 6-month contracts.
So for those of you who don’t want to commit, even for a few months, there’s no reason to.
Hatchling Plan — $2.75 per month for the 1st year, then $6.95 per month
Baby Plan — $3.95 per month for the 1st year, then $9.95 per month
Business Plan — $5.95 per month for the 1st year, then $14.95 per month
Even at $6.95 per month, it’s still very affordable. Especially when you factor in the setup fees and renewal rates of other providers.
The fact that there is only a $1 difference between the Hatchling and Baby plans is another bonus. In my mind, this pricing structure makes it a no-brainer for you to sign up for the Baby plan.
Even if you only have one domain right now, being able to add more down the road without switching plans is worth the extra $1 per month, and even the extra $3 after the first year.
Additional features like SiteLock monitoring, professional email, SEO tools, and daily backups will cost you extra.
HostGator has 24/7/365 support via phone, email, and live chat. They offer instant account activation without any setup costs as well as a 45-day money-back guarantee.
SiteGround is a web host with a great reputation and websites all over the world.
They pack a lot of useful features in each plan and offer the same pricing packages for managed WordPress and WooCommerce hosting as their shared hosting plans. That can help you secure an even better deal by getting more specialized hosting for a shared hosting price.
Their best deal, across the board, is their StartUp tier with a one-year upfront commitment. No matter which tier you go with, the one-year term gives you the best promotional price compared to month-to-month billing and longer commitments.
Here’s a deeper breakdown of their pricing plans for a one-year term:
StartUp: $2.99 per month
GrowBig: $4.99 per month
GoGeek: $7.99 per month
As you can see, you get a good chunk of resources on the lowest-tier package. Those of you who are starting a new website should be fine with the StartUp plan. SiteGround recently dropped its prices for all three tiers, making the StartUp plan even more enticing.
StartUp does only offer one website and 10 GB of space, so you will need to aim for one of the pricier tiers if you want unlimited websites or more storage space. Only the GoGeek tier offers advanced priority technical support, although all three tiers offer phone and live chat support.
On all plans, you get managed WordPress and useful freebies like an SSL certificate, content delivery network, email, and daily backups.
Renewal pricing can get expensive, but there’s another hidden benefit of seizing on the one-year-term promotional pricing. SiteGround offers a 20% discount on their base renewal rate for two-year renewals and a 30% discount when renewing for three years. That means you’ll come out ahead over the long haul, as well as for that first year of hosting.
The Best Annual Hosting Prices
If you’re willing to commit to a web hosting plan for at least one year, you’ll get a cheaper monthly rate if you pay for 12 months upfront. These plans will take more out of your pocket initially but save you money in the long run.
The web hosting plans offered by InMotion are great for small business owners. So if you’re looking for cheap small business web hosting, these are the plans that you should consider:
Core — starting at $3.29 per month ($9.99 per month after first year)
Launch — starting at $6.99 per month ($13.99 per month after first year)
Power — starting at $6.99 per month ($17.99 per month after first year)
Pro — starting at $14.99 per month ($24.99 per month after first year)
Again, you need to pay upfront to lock in these annual rates.
Most entry-level plans limit you to host just one website. But the Launch plan from InMotion allows you to host two sites.
All plans come with unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email, a security suite, marketing tools, and a free SSL certificate.
InMotion has a free one-click installer for more than 400 apps as well as one-click data backups and restores.
Another reason why I recommend InMotion is because of their 90-day money-back guarantee. This assurance should make you feel more comfortable about paying for a year in full when you sign up.
While InMotion does have some add-ons like a dedicated IP and backup management, the plans seem to have more basic features included than some of the other providers out there. Learn more about them by reading my in-depth InMotion hosting review.
iPage is known for its excellent website builders and affordable web hosting.
I recommend iPage because its annual pricing rates are cheap and straightforward.
As we’ve already seen, other hosting providers offer multiple plans at varying price points. The pricing depends on features and resources.
But iPage pricing is based solely on your term length. Then you can customize your plan with additional products.
The base price for an annual web hosting plan is $2.99 per month, which translates to an upfront total of $35.88 for the year.
Here are some of the additional features that you can add to customize your plan:
Daily backups — $14.99 per year
Website security — $19.95 per year
Pro website builder — $131.88 per year
SiteLock — $23.88 per year
Domain privacy — $9.99 per year
WordPress optimization — $36.00 per year
G Suite business — $36.00 per year
Most of you won’t need all of these. But you’ll probably want to add on the domain privacy and added security at a minimum. That would bring your upfront annual total to $65.82.
iPage offers a free SSL certificate and a 30-day money-back guarantee for its annual plans as well.
Overall, iPage has some of the most affordable annual web hosting plans in the industry. Read my full iPage review for more on them.
GreenGeeks is affordable shared and VPS web hosting with a twist. GreenGeeks is so committed to the environment that for every amp of power the company uses, it matches three times that with renewable energy. That 300% renewable energy match means your website will actually be carbon-reducing!
But don’t choose GreenGeeks just because of its renewable energy commitment–GreenGeeks also guarantees 99.98% uptime and has five data centers. Four of the five centers are located in North America, and the fifth is in Amsterdam.
All GreenGeeks hosting plans include free CDN integration plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Lite shared hosting plan starts as low as $2.49 per month for one website with a three-year contract. This plan includes 50GB of web space, unmetered transfer, 50 email accounts, a free SSL certificate, a free domain for one year, nightly backups, free CDN, built-in caching, managed WordPress hosting, unlimited databases, and multi-user access.
The other two GreenGeeks plans are Pro starting at $4.95 per month, and Premium starting at $8.95 per month. Both of these plans cover unlimited websites, web space, and email accounts. The biggest additional features in the Premium plan are a free dedicated IP, free AlphaSSL, and object caching.
On top of the 300% renewable energy match and affordable rates, GreenGeek has 24/7 live chat support and a robust knowledge base. And the free drag-and-drop website builder is a great tool, with hundreds of templates to customize.
We have already reviewed SiteGround’s month-to-month pricing. But their annual rates are appealing enough for me to mention them again here.
In most cases, web hosting providers give you better discounts for longer contract terms. But SiteGround offers the same monthly rate for 12-month, 24-month, and 36-month contracts.
You’ll still have to pay upfront, but you don’t need to commit for three years to get the best rate.
Startup — $2.99 per month ($41.88 per year)
GrowBig — $4.99 per month ($71.88 per year)
GoGeek — $7.99 per month ($119.88 per year)
So if you know that you want to use SiteGround for at least one year, these annual rates are very affordable.
Bluehost is an incredibly reliable and popular hosting service — and for very god reason.
Bluehost plans are pretty unbeatable when you compare the price to the performance and quality of service that you’re getting in return.
Let’s take a closer look at the annual rates for Bluehost shared hosting plans.
Basic — $2.75 per month ($33.00 per year)
Plus — $5.45 per month ($65.40 per year)
Choice Plus — $5.45 per month ($64.40 per year)
Pro — $13.95 per month ($167.40 per year)
In terms of affordable web hosting, most of you probably won’t need or want the Pro plan.
But the Basic plan is a great option for a new or small website.
If you have the budget to spend a little bit more, the Plus and Choice Plus plans are offered at the same price for the first year. So I’d recommend Choice Plus, as it comes with extra benefits like site backups and domain privacy.
Just be aware that all of these plans renew at higher rates after the first year. The renewal rate for Choice Plus is $18.99 per month compared to $13.99 per month for the Plus plan.
For an extra $5 per month, I’d still lean toward Choice Plus as the best value.
All plans come with a free SSL certificate and unmetered bandwidth. The basic plan has 50 GB of storage, and the other three have unlimited SSD storage.
Bluehost also offers $100 in advertising credits for Microsoft Advertising as well as $100 in credits for Google Ads. The free advertising can balance out some of your hosting costs. Read my full Bluehost review for more info about them.
Hostinger offers affordable web hosting with a long-term contract. So, if you are always going to need hosting, why not sign a contract and lock in the lowest price possible for as long as you can.
Here is an overview of Hostinger’s current per-month rates if you lock in a 48-month contract:
Single Shared Hosting — starting at $1.99 per month
Premium Shared Hosting — starting at $2.99 per month
Business Shared Hosting — starting at $4.99 per month
The biggest difference between the three options is the server resources and the number of websites that can be hosted. The available disk space is 30 GB, 100 GB, or 200 GB, depending on the plan you choose.
The Single Shared Hosting plan allows you to create one website that can host approximately 10,000 visitors each month. The Premium and Business plans let you host up to 100 sites with a lot more visitors each month.
All three plans have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, 24/7/365 customer support, and an easy-to-use website builder.
What they lack in name recognition, they make up for in affordability and service.
I like Hostinger because their service is reliable and they don’t force you to commit long-term. However, the month-to-month plans do not come with lots of freebies and extras. These are some of the add-ons that you’ll want to consider:
Daily backups (free with the Business Shared plan)
Cloudflare CDN
SEO toolkit
Priority support
At a minimum, I’d recommend the daily backups. The Cloudflare CDN is a good value as well.
How to Choose the Best Cheap Web Hosting For You
With so many great options to consider, finding the best cheap web hosting provider can be challenging. But this process is much easier when you know what to look for as you’re evaluating different contenders.
We encourage you to use the criteria below to guide your decision.
Intro pricing and renewal rates
Whether you commit to one month, one year, or four years, your first contract will always be your best offer. That’s why it’s important to understand what you’re going to be paying when your contract expires.
Let’s look at an example using the web hosting platform iPage, which has the lowest annual rates on our list.
The intro offer for a 12-month contract paid-in-full is $2.99 per month. So your base hosting cost is $35.88 for the first year. But iPage annual plans renew at $9.99 per month, so you’ll be paying a $119.88 base cost for each subsequent year.
Hosting providers are always changing their introductory offers. It’s common to see prices slashed around the holidays, like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. No matter what introductory offer you see from a hosting provider, find out what you’ll be paying once the promotional period ends.
Contract length
Month-to-month pricing can seem lucrative. Without a long-term commitment, it’s no big deal if you’re unsatisfied, right?
But short contract terms often translate to higher monthly rates.
For example, HostGator’s entry-level pricing starts at $10.95 per month with no long-term commitments. This will cost you $131.40 over the course of the year, which is very affordable.
But locking in that same exact plan for 36 months and paying upfront costs just $2.75 per month. So you’ll get three years of web hosting for $99 in total. That’s less than the cost of one year at the month-to-month rate!
Hostinger is another prime example of the difference between monthly and yearly rates. You can pay Hostinger upfront for four years of hosting at $1.39 per month, and you’ll still be paying less than you would for a single year with other providers.
The downside of locking in a long-term contract is that you lose the flexibility to change your plan if you’re unhappy or outgrow your resources.
That said, most of the providers I’ve chosen offer money-back guarantees if you aren’t happy. And if you’re always going to need a website, you’re always going to need a host.
I recommend looking for the best long-term deal you can find. You can always continue using your same hosting plan even if you change domain names.
Add-ons and freebies
Most web hosting providers will offer extra features built into the base cost of your web hosting plan. But some providers offer more than others.
In addition to web hosting, common add-ons, freebies, and extras include:
SSL certificate
Domain registration
Setup costs
Security
Daily backups
cPanel
WordPress integration
Advertising credits
Email
Marketing tools
SEO tools
MySQL databases
Domain privacy
Website builders
It’s important to take all of this into consideration—and balance it with the cost.
One plan may look more appealing at face value, but you’ll have to pay extra for basic features. In comparison, another provider may have higher base prices but deliver more in terms of extras and freebies.
Upgrades
As your site grows, you’ll need to look beyond the cheapest option. After all, you want your website’s traffic to exceed the limits of an entry-level shared plan.
The next logical step is to upgrade to VPS hosting or a cloud hosting plan.
This might not happen for a few years. But you should take a look to see what types of upgrades are offered by various web hosts. Ideally, you’ll want to choose a provider that will make it easy for you to upgrade to another type of web hosting.
Review those upgraded plans so you can budget and calculate hosting costs accordingly for the long term.
The Best Cheap Web Hosting in Summary
You don’t need to spend a ton of money on web hosting, especially if you have a new or small website. I don’t recommend choosing a web host based solely on price. You also need to factor in the quality of the service you get.
Many hosts require a long-term contract to lock in the lowest possible rate. But some providers offer cheap annual and month-to-month pricing.
Every website needs to be hosted. So if you’re building a new website for the first time, learning how to host it is the only way your site will be published on the web.
The concept of web hosting is pretty straightforward.
Your website lives on a server. A web hosting provider maintains the server and technology needed to connect your site to the Internet.
When an Internet user wants to visit your website, they simply type your domain or web address into their browser. Their device connects with the server and your pages are delivered to the user.
Hosting a website isn’t complicated. But you want to make sure you get it right the first time. Otherwise, it can cause you big headaches and problems down the road.
So how do you host a website?
There’s an overwhelming amount of information on the Internet about web hosting. The answer depends on multiple factors, such as your technical experience, type of website, and size of your website.
That was my inspiration for creating this guide. I’ve simplified the web hosting process into just five easy steps.
No matter what type of website you’re creating, you’ll be able to host it with ease if you follow the steps below.
Step #1: Research Web Hosting Providers
Web hosting is just like any other consumer product or service. If you wanted to buy a new car, you wouldn’t just walk up to a dealer and purchase the first one on the lot. You’d research different types of cars, makes, models, and dealerships to help you make an informed decision.
The same concept can be applied to web hosting.
All web hosting providers are not the same. Some are undoubtedly better than others.
Here’s the thing. There are dozens, if not hundreds of different web hosting providers on the market today. Your research process can help narrow your search. You’ll be able to eliminate certain hosts right away.
There are web hosting providers out there that specialize in speed, while others prioritize customer service. Some providers are best for small business websites and others are best for agencies or enterprises.
So where should you start your research?
Don’t just blindly start clicking through different web hosts on Google. That’s way too time-consuming and it won’t be very productive. Plus, you won’t know what to look for to see if the company is legit or not.
Nobody is going to search through all of those results. Instead, I’d recommend finding a third-party guide of reviews.
As an expert in web hosting, I’ve written one of these guides myself. After personally checking the features and performance of nearly every web host in existence, I was able to narrow down the top options. So check out my list of the best web hosting providers.
You don’t need to pick a provider just yet. But the research process will guide you in the right direction as you continue through each step in this guide.
Step #2: Determine Your Budget
This step can be tricky because it involves more than picking a price point. Your budget will also depend on the features you need and the type of hosting that you want (which we’ll get to in the next step).
How much does web hosting cost?
You can find hosting providers that offer plans for less than $1 per month, and other providers offering plans for $2,000 per month.
Having a rough idea of what you’re willing and able to spend will at least help you narrow down your options.
For example, if you’re starting a small personal blog and not expecting tons of traffic, you can get away with paying less than $5 or $10 per month for a cheap web hosting provider. Small business owners and ecommerce sites would likely want to look towards a higher pricing tier.
Web hosting is like any other type of product or service. In most instances, you get what you pay for. So don’t expect to pay $2 per month for the best web hosting experience on the planet.
While price doesn’t automatically equate to quality, it’s usually a good indication of how many additional features and benefits you’ll get with the plan.
If you want dedicated resources, lightning-fast loading speeds, cPanel, freebies, and 24/7 customer support, you can expect to pay a bit more for those hosting services.
Step #3: Choose a Hosting Type
Now that you’ve had a chance to research some providers and get an idea of how much you want to spend, it’s time to determine the type of hosting that’s best for your website.
You have four main options to choose from:
Shared hosting
VPS hosting
Dedicated hosting
Cloud hosting
I’ll give you a brief overview of each so you can figure out which one to use.
Shared Hosting
Shared web hosting is a popular choice for new or entry-level websites. It’s the most affordable type of web hosting and doesn’t require a ton of technical knowledge.
A shared plan is ideal for websites that won’t be getting high volumes of traffic.
As the name implies, your website will be sharing server resources with other sites as well. This can impact the performance of your website. If another site on the same server has a traffic spike, it can cause the server to crash and bring down your website with it.
VPS stands for virtual private servers. With this type of hosting, you’ll be using a single server that’s been separated into multiple virtual machines.
VPS hosting is a step above shared hosting. Since you won’t be sharing your resources with other websites, it will improve the performance of your site. Expect to have more disk space, bandwidth, higher uptimes, and faster loading speeds with a VPS plan.
This is a great option for websites that will be expecting higher volumes of traffic and need enough resources to accommodate those users. VPS plans give you more control over your server settings as well.
The majority of new websites do not need a dedicated server. This hosting type is reserved for large websites that need enterprise-level hosting capabilities.
With that said, for those of you who are more tech-savvy and want complete control over your server settings and hosting environment, a dedicated server plan is the best way to get that.
A dedicated server gives you the most resources and therefore delivers the highest performance.
The biggest downside of a dedicated server is the price. This is the most expensive type of web hosting, which is another reason why it’s not ideal for new or small websites.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud web hosting is new compared to the other three options. But it’s definitely becoming a popular choice for website owners.
A cloud plan is ideal for websites that are growing and need to scale server resources as their site gets bigger. If your site is going to surpass 50,000 monthly visitors, it’s time for you to consider cloud hosting.
Cloud hosting is a step above shared hosting, yet it’s usually cheaper than a VPS plan.
If you choose this option, your site will be run on multiple cloud servers, which decreases your chances of having unexpected downtimes due to traffic surges or server issues.
I’d recommend a cloud hosting plan to new website owners who plan on growing their site as fast as possible in the coming years. By going with a cloud plan from the beginning, you won’t have to change your hosting type down the road as you outgrow a shared plan. Check out my list of the best cloud hosting companies to help you find the best plan for your needs.
Step #4: Select Your Hosting Plan
Using the information you’ve gathered in the first three steps, it’s time for you to choose a hosting plan.
Find a provider that offers the type of web hosting option you need at a price point that’s within your budget. You’ll likely have at least a couple of choices that fit this description. So here are some other factors that you should keep in mind when you’re evaluating a hosting plan.
Uptime
Uptime is the most important feature in web hosting. If your hosting provider isn’t offering a minimum of 99.9% uptime, then look elsewhere. Most web hosts will offer an uptime guarantee in their plans, and compensate you if they fail to meet that promise.
Resources
You need to make sure that your plan has enough resources to accommodate your website content and traffic.
The first thing to look at is RAM, which is your storage. 4 GB of RAM is enough for an average website. That’s the minimum I would recommend for you.
Next, you’ll have to consider the bandwidth offered in the plan. 120 GB of bandwidth is enough for 2,000 daily page loads of a 4 GB website. So if you are expecting more traffic or plan to have a larger website, you need to get more bandwidth.
Customer Support
You may not think so right now, but aside from the performance of your hosting plan, customer service should be your next priority. Roughly 20% of web hosting customers agree with this.
In a perfect world, nothing will ever go wrong with your website or servers. But realistically, something is bound to go wrong at some point. That’s just the nature of the web hosting world. It happens to everyone, and your site probably won’t be immune from it.
During a time of trouble, you want to be able to get in contact with your web host immediately. So look for a plan that offers 24/7 support via phone and live chat.
Aside from that, you should also look for providers that have a knowledge base and resource center that will teach you how to do certain tasks on their platform. This type of customer support can really help you get the most out of your web hosting plan.
Renewal Rates
You need to look beyond the introductory rate of your web hosting plan to make sure that it will continue to fit within your budget in the coming years.
It’s common practice in the web hosting industry for providers to heavily discount new contracts, and then increase the fees when it’s time to renew. Normally, you can lock in the best possible rate by committing to the longest term length, which is usually up to 36 months.
But make sure you know how much your plan will cost you at the end of that period.
Freebies, Add-ons, and Additional Features
You should also be looking for plans that give you the best value for your money. Most hosting providers will include some extras in their plans as an incentive for you to sign up.
Here are some common features to look for:
Free domain (usually for the first year)
Free SSL certificate
Free cPanel license
Google Ads credit
Free site builder
Free site migration
Unlimited email accounts
Automatic backups
Most plans come with a money-back guarantee as well. 30 days seems to be the industry standard for this, but I’ve seen plans offer up to 97 days for you to change your mind.
Step #5: Register Your Domain Name
The domain name is your digital address. Ours is www.quicksprout.com.
I included this step last because you can potentially register your domain name from your hosting provider when you sign up for a hosting plan. Sometimes this will even come free depending on the plan and provider you go with.
But with that said, you can register your domain name elsewhere before you settle on a plan.
Personally, I like to keep my domain registration services and web hosting services separate. So I’d recommend using a domain registrar for this step. If you’re lost and don’t know where to do this, take a look at my guide on the best domain registrars.
Getting your domain from a web host isn’t necessarily wrong. So it’s fine if that’s what you prefer.
Regardless of where you get it from, this step needs to be completed in order for your website to be live on the web.
Alternative Option: Self Hosting (Not Recommend)
It’s possible to host your website without using a web hosting provider, although I would not recommend this option.
Self-hosting can be accomplished by using your computer or a Linux machine as a server. It requires lots of technical experience and a full understanding of how websites and servers work.
In many cases, self-hosting is slow, unstable, and unreliable. Plus, you’ll be responsible for all of the server maintenance, backups, software updates, and security on your own.
Overall, self-hosting is a bad idea, especially for beginners. So I don’t want to spend too much time talking about it. But I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t at least mention it as an option.
Conclusion
Hosting a website isn’t as complicated as you might think. In fact, the whole process can be accomplished in just five simple steps.
Research web hosting providers.
Determine your budget.
Choose a hosting type.
Select your hosting plan.
Register your domain name.
If you follow the steps in this exact order, it will give you enough information to make an informed decision. This is the most ideal way to host any website.
Get started by reading our expert reviews of the top web hosting providers to find the best host for your website.
Everything had to be built by hand and businesses needed to work with an online marketing agency that would charge them tens of thousands of dollars to build the site. If you wanted a professional-looking site, that was your only option.
Things have gotten a lot cheaper over the years.
Now it’s possible to get a polished site for less than $100. About $10 to buy the domain, $30–60 for a good template, and $5–10/month to host it. It’ll look so good that people won’t even realize that you built it yourself. It’ll look like some high-flying marketing agency built it for you.
Not only has it gotten cheaper, it’s also gotten a lot easier.
There’s a number of approaches you can take to creating a website.
Our General Take On Building a Website
Don’t get confused by all of the different options for creating a website. For a more in-depth look at how we think about this, check out our preliminary guide on how to create a website.
WordPress is King
In most cases, we highly recommend to build your website with WordPress. It’s an open source platform that allows you to run your website with very little technical expertise.
For Ecommerce, we like Shopify — which is an Ecommerce website builder that allows you to get an online store up and running quickly.
The reality is that creating and running an online store can be a huge pain. Shopify takes that pain away. That’s probably why they are growing so quickly, and so many great online stores are popping up on the platform.
If you’re reading this right now, then you most definitely fall into the category of someone that should be using WordPress or Shopify.
In rare cases, it might make sense to create a website using Squarespace or a similar website builder.
In other (very) rare cases, it might make sense to have a custom built website.
A Step-by-step Guide to Creating a Website With WordPress
I’ve broken down the 9 simple steps to create your website from scratch. You’ll easily be able to run through these steps over the next 120 minutes.
Step 1: Pick a name and find a domain for your website
These are not two separate steps, unfortunately.
I really wish I could sit down, pick any name that I want for my business, and be able to create the site that I want around that name. Now that the internet is a couple of decades old, we all have to face the reality that most of the good domains have been taken.
Here’s how a naming session always seems to go for me:
In a moment of inspiration, we think of an amazing name.
We hold on to this name for months, maybe even years.
It’s time to start the business, so we go to purchase the domain.
The domain is taken.
We try a dozen small variations of our original idea, all taken.
No biggie, we thought of one brilliant name, we’ll think of another one.
Backup idea #2 = taken.
Backup idea #3 = taken.
Backup idea #4 = taken.
Despair sets in.
We start considering names that we don’t actually like, hoping that anything is available.
We come up with 2 or 3 options that we don’t like at all.
Then we spend a week trying to come up with a name that’s both available and a name that we can live with.
Finally, we find one.
Websites have also become so embedded in our day-to-day lives that it’s better to change the name of the business to match an available domain than it is to pick a poor quality domain. Through this process, I almost always end up with a completely different name than I originally intended.
This is why I consider the “naming my business” and “buying the domain” steps for creating a business to be the same step. I try to only lock myself into a name once I have the domain.
The good news is that the rest of these steps are a breeze once you have your domain purchased. It’s the first and hardest step to create your website.
Step 2: Register your domain name
Real quick, let’s sort out the difference between a domain registrar and a web host.
A domain registrar is a company that specializes in buying (registering) domains.
A web host, on the other hand, specializes in running servers that host websites.
Every web host will desperately try to get you to also registrar a domain through them. The reason is that it’s a great upsell for them. They’ve spent most of their resources building out a hosting service, then they offer domain registration as a convenience, increase the price a bit, and collect a nice chunk of extra profit from you.
My philosophy is to buy things from businesses that specialize in that exact thing. Prices will be better and so will quality. That’s why I also use a domain registrar for buying domains and a web host for hosting. I never mix up the two.
The best domain registrar is Domain.com. That’s where I have all of my domain names.
Most guides on creating a website will push you into using WordPress. It’s the most popular and flexible website builder. And that’s usually a good recommendation.
But there are a few situations where I recommend different options.
Simple Portfolio or “Business Card” Sites
Many businesses need a simple website that tells people a few things:
Who the business is for
What the business does
Sometimes a portfolio that shows off some work
Contact info
This kind of site gives the basic info for the business, nothing more. If this is what you need, Squarespace is your best option for creating your website. It’s incredibly simple to use and will give you a professional site at a very low price. It’s perfect for small businesses.
Squarespace will try to convince you that they can handle everything. That’s not true.
They’ve created the simplest and easiest website builder out there. Truly, it’s a joy to use.
However, they completely lack all the advanced features that an online business needs. The ecommerce functionality is extremely limited, and I don’t know any serious online marketer that uses Squarespace for a content site. If your business an online business, Squarespace isn’t a legitimate option. You’ll hit the limits of its features too fast.
If you know that you want an ecommerce store from the beginning, start on Shopify and skip Squarespace. And if you know you want a blog or are planning on doing lots of content, start on WordPress. The majority of this guide is around building a wordpress website.
Squarespace makes the most sense when you just need a clean, professional-looking site that gives some basic info on your business. It’s perfect for small businesses, freelancers, and artists.
Here’s another way to think about it: If you’re building a business that doesn’t live and die on its website, it just needs a website in case anyone looks for it, like a digital business card, then go with Squarespace. But if you’re website is your business, use one of the more tailored platforms.
The best option, by far, is Shopify. There used to be more competition in the ecommerce tool space but Shopify got too far ahead. Now they’re really the only option and they have an incredible reputation. You won’t regret using them for an ecommerce site.
If you want to create a blog with a bunch of content, you need to use WordPress. We have a detailed guide on starting blogs here. Most websites are really just blogs. Some of the biggest, and most well known websites on the Internet are blogs.
WordPress left all those other platforms in the dust about a decade ago. They’re not even legitimate options at this point. Pick WordPress — there isn’t a single situation where you’ll regret it.
When I originally started with this online thing, Drupal sites were still pretty common. I partnered up with an engineer friend of mine and we did a lot of freelance work migrating sites from Drupal to WordPress. Even back then, WordPress was a clear winner.
Now when I come across a site on any of these other tools, it’s kind of exciting. It’s like finding an ancient artifact. “This still exists!? How fascinating!”
Don’t use any of these other tools, stick to WordPress.
Everything Else
If you’re not sure or have another vision for your site outside the categories above, use WordPress. It’s the most flexible platform out there. It will do ecommerce, it’ll do simple portfolios, it’ll do massive content sites, it’ll do Fortune 500 marketing sites, it’ll do it all.
You might have to customize it more than other platforms in some situations but you can make WordPress do whatever you want it to. And just about anyone in online marketing knows their way around WordPress so you’ll be able to find plenty of people to help you when the time comes.
Whether you want to build your site by hand or you have an online marketing agency to do it for you, you should still build on top of WordPress. It’ll shortcut a lot of the programming work and give you the ability to edit basic items on your site without having to edit any code. I’ve managed marketing sites of venture-backed tech startups that employed dozens of engineers — we still had our marketing site built on top of WordPress. It’s the standard choice.
Step 4: Get a host for your website
For the rest of this guide, I’m going to assume that you’ve picked WordPress to create your site. If you want an ecommerce site, skip the rest of this guide and follow our guide on creating an ecommerce site.
WordPress is the tool that you’ll use to build your website. But you also need a host that will store your site and make it available to anyone who visits.
The best place to go for most people is Siteground.
Just about every website host has a 1-click install of WordPress. Siteground, the hosting provider I recommend the most has this feature. It’s usually under a section called Tools, Website, Software, or Content Management Systems (CMS). It’ll look something like this:
If you have trouble finding it, contact support at your host and they’ll be able to walk you through it.
Step 6: Point your domain to your host
Let’s do a quick recap.
You bought your domain using a domain registrar.
You signed up for a hosting plan.
You installed WordPress on your host.
Now you’re going to connect all that stuff together by pointing your domain to your host. Then when people go to your domain, they’ll end up on your website.
There are a few technical settings you need to apply. This involves configuring a few nameserver settings on your domain registrar for your domain. Your host will give you the correct settings; you’re looking for their nameserver settings.
If you get stuck, contact your host and they’ll give you all the info you need.
Once you have the nameserver info from your host, go into your domain registrar and configure those settings for the domain that you want to point at your site. Once you’re done, it’ll look something like this:
Step 7: Install a WordPress theme
Think of WordPress as the guts of your site, it’s all the pumping that makes your site work.
WordPress uses themes to determine how your website looks. This makes it really easy to change how your site looks without having to rebuild your site from scratch. Swap out your old theme for a new one and ta-da! Your design will look completely different.
These days, I purchase all my themes from StudioPress.
Heads up, WP Engine bought StudioPress and now includes all the StudioPress themes in its hosting plans. WP Engine is more expensive but it’s perfect for serious bloggers. It’s a great way to save money on your theme if you are planning on building a large site to begin with. WP Engine is another one of our recommended hosts if you’re looking for the best. The downside is that WP Engine tends to be more expensive than other hosts. It’s probably overkill if you are just starting out, or creating your first website.
Back to themes, are there other options?
You betcha. ThemeForest has a marketplace of WordPress themes. There are literally tens of thousands of themes to pick from. They’re usually in the $30–60 price range. When looking for theme, I rank them by the most popular or the highest rating. Then I pick one I personally like.
After you’ve purchased a theme, go to the WordPress Theme settings and upload your theme. The Theme settings are under Appearance in the WordPress sidebar menu. You’ll have to click through “Add new” and “Upload Theme” in order to see this option to upload:
Go ahead and upload the .zip file you received when you purchased your theme.
After it’s uploaded, you’ll also have to click “activate” on the theme in WordPress to make it go live.
Step 8: Add content to your website
Now the fun part — it’s time to create the individual pages of your site.
You’ll do this within WordPress.
WordPress has two types of content: pages and posts.
Think of posts as blog posts that are published under a “blog” section of a site. If you’re not planning on having a blog, then you can skip posts entirely.
Pages are the more permanent pages on your website. Like your About or Contact Us pages. When you’re first creating your website, you want to get a batch of pages live so your site feels real.
Every website has a few standard pages you should create:
Homepage – Your WordPress theme usually has settings for this page.
Contact Page – Create a new page and install a WordPress form plugin so you can add a form to the page.
About page – Tell your story and why you’ve started your business.
Product or services pages – For the main services or products that you’re offering, it’s a good idea to create a dedicated page for each.
Blog – If you’re building a blog, make sure all your posts get listed here.
This list will get you started. You can always add more later.
Step 9: Continue evolving your website
At this point, you have a fully functioning site that looks great.
I’m not going to lie, there’s a lot of extra configuration you can do to your site: you can add WordPress plugins that upgrade your site, build out a blog, add an email list, grow traffic, the list is endless.
You don’t have to do any of this extra stuff — it’s all optional. It depends on your priorities and goals.
A website is an ever evolving thing. The way it looks after you first create it, won’t be how it looks a couple months later. At least that is the case if you are actively working and growing your website.
When you’re ready, these guides will walk you through the extra stuff that’s worth considering:
You need a web hosting provider in order to have a website.
We recommend SiteGround for most people. For advanced WordPress users, with high traffic websites, it could make sense to move to WP Engine at some point.
An analytics tool is important if you want to know what’s happening on your website. It tells you how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from, and what people do on your site. Google Analytics is the standard. That’s what we use for Quick Sprout.
A WordPress website is basically made from what’s called a WordPress Theme and WordPress Plugins. All of the features of your website will come either from the theme or the plugins you install.
When you really break it down — most websites are blogs, and blogs are websites. They have become one and the same. The most popular blogging platform is WordPress, and that is also the same platform we use for any other website, blog or otherwise.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog specifically, and that is why you’re trying to figure out how to create a website…we have over 40 guides on blogging.
Here are the blogging guides specific to getting started, and building your blog:
Creating your website might seem overwhelming at first. It really comes down to starting with these simple steps:
Is your primary purpose to sell things on your website? If yes, then focus on Shopify, if no, then focus on WordPress.
Use the guides on Quick Sprout to help you through the process. It’s a learning curve for sure. Taking the time to set up everything correctly will help you grow your business and your traffic much faster later on.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly via email with questions. We’ll help however we can.
No, I’m just talking about how many visitors you’re getting or how much money you’re making. I’m referring to the actual backend performance of your site.
The truth is, factors like uptime rate or page loading speed have a direct impact on conversions and other KPIs.
Most web hosting providers will offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. But how can you know for sure if they are meeting that promise?
The solution is simple; you need a website monitoring tool.
Website monitoring services can help you determine the strengths and weaknesses of your site. Based on this information, you’ll be able to make any necessary adjustments in order to improve your site’s performance.
Everyone with a website can benefit from website monitoring tools. It doesn’t matter if you’ve owned your site for a decade, launched within the last year, or you’re building a new website from scratch—you need to monitor its performance.
What is Website Monitoring?
Years ago, website monitoring used to be challenging. It required on-site servers and complex packages for IT departments.
Today, website monitoring is easier than ever before. Site monitoring tools are now offered as managed services. This provides webmasters with an easy to understand dashboard view of the most critical metrics of a site’s performance.
A website monitoring service can help you track things like latency, load balancing, site traffic, uptime, and other factors related to the health of your website.
Website monitoring tools can determine everything from a large-scale outage to a traffic surge on your ecommerce site.
These types of tools can help you make critical decisions when it comes to things like scaling your server capacity or allocating resources in a more cost-effective way.
Here’s the bottom line—you can’t effectively manage your website without using a website monitoring service.
The Best Website Monitoring Services
There are dozens of website monitoring tools available on the web today. How can you possibly know which one is the best for your website?
Fortunately, I’ve done all of the research for you. This guide contains the top site monitoring services for every type of website out there.
You don’t need to spend a fortune on website monitoring. I’ve included a mix of both free and paid monitoring tools to make sure that you can find one that meets your needs and fits within your budget.
StatusCake
More than 100,000 users trust StatusCake for website monitoring. Some of their biggest clients include Microsoft, Netflix, FanDuel, and JetBrains.
StatusCake has over 200 monitoring servers across 43 different countries. They actually have a monitoring server on all but one continent.
The reason why this tool ranks so high on my list is because it has one of the fastest testing intervals on the market today. So far, we’ve seen tools check the status of a website every minute or every five minutes. But StatusCake has an option for 30-second intervals.
In order to get the fastest monitoring intervals, you’ll need to sign up for the Business plan, starting at $66.66 per month.
StatusCake also has a Superior plan, starting at $20.41 per month. For that rate, the testing interval jumps back up to one minute.
For those of you who want a website monitoring service with advanced features, StatusCake is a great place to start. Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll benefit from things like:
Page speed tests
SSL monitoring
Domain monitoring
Virus scanning
Alerts and reports
Another top feature of the Business plan is access to team tools like multi-user login and audit logs.
Like some of the other top website monitoring services out there, StatusCake offers a free plan with basic features. If you sign up for free, your site will be tested in five-minute intervals and you’ll have access to root cause analysis for any downtimes.
The free plan also comes with page speed tests every 24 hours. But beyond that, you’ll need to upgrade if you want any of the advanced features.
Monitis
Monitis has been around since 2006. This website monitoring tool is used for monitoring more than 300,000 websites across nearly 200 different countries.
Major companies like Visa, BMW, and Avis use Monitis as a web monitoring solution, so you know that this is a brand you can rely on.
Its cloud-based platform is one of the best ways to monitor the uptime of your website. Since everything is run via the cloud, you won’t have to install any software or hardware to take advantage of this tool.
Uptime rates are monitored down to the minute and your history is archived for two years. It uses more than 30 check locations to monitor your site’s uptime from major markets across the globe.
Monitis runs tests using multiple protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, PING, and DNS to ensure accuracy. It also does VoIP checks, public IP checks, and email checks.
You’ll have access to daily, weekly, and monthly reports as well as instant alerts for any failures.
Monitis comes with synthetic transaction monitoring and full page load monitoring as well.
The synthetic transaction service is ideal for any ecommerce website. It simulates a user’s interaction with your checkout process to ensure that all steps are always working properly.
Monitis also includes features for RUM (real user monitoring) and server monitoring.
Pricing for these services starts at just $12 per month. You’ll get a 20% discount if you commit to an annual plan.
I like Monitis because the pricing is fully customizable. So you only pay for what you actually need. Here’s an example of some features that I selected.
These features would cost about $50 per month or $480 for the year with the 20% discount.
But as you can see, I didn’t include any application monitors, custom monitors, or sub accounts. These additional services would add to the price. For those of you who are running a basic website like a blog, you probably won’t need synthetic transaction monitors, so you wouldn’t be paying as much.
Overall, this is one of the best website monitoring tools on the market today. At the very least, I’d recommend taking advantage of the 15-day free trial to check it out.
Uptime Robot
For those of you who don’t want to pay for a site monitoring tool, Uptime Robot has one of the best free website monitoring solutions available.
The free monitoring plan comes with 50 monitors and two months of log history. Your website will be checked in five-minute intervals, which is pretty good for not having to pay for anything.
Uptime Robot initially launched back in 2010. For the first five years, the service was completely free.
They didn’t launch a paid version of this tool until 2015. For those of you who want faster downtime detection and more advanced features, I’d recommend upgrading to the Uptime Robot Pro Plan.
The pro version comes with one-minute monitoring intervals and up to 20,000 monitors.
Although I’m assuming that most of you won’t need that many monitors, it’s nice to know that this platform has enterprise-level solutions. The pro plan also comes with:
20 SMS or voice calls
Two years of logs
SSL monitoring
Advanced alerts and notifications
HTTP type customization
Advanced maintenance windows
Custom HTTP statuses and headers
Pricing for 50 monitors starts as low as $5.50 per month with an annual plan. The price for 20,000 monitors is $649 per month, but there are more than 20 plans in between those two extremes. So you’ll definitely be able to find a price-point that fits your budget.
It’s worth noting that if you want the discounted annual plan, it only applies for the first three years of the service. After that, you can expect a 20% increase in price.
One of the reasons why I love this solution is because it lets you set custom downtime notifications. If your site goes down for 10 seconds, you don’t need to know about it immediately and waste a notification.
But Uptime Robot allows you to set your alert frequency based on how long your site has been down, such as one minute or two minutes. This allows you to ignore minor downtimes.
Pingdom
Pingdom is well-known for some of its free tools like the website speed test and real-time outage map. These are two things that I use all of the time.
But beyond that, Pingdom also has some great paid website monitoring services. Some of the top benefits of Pingdom’s website performance monitoring include:
Uptime monitoring
Real user monitoring (RUM)
Synthetic interaction testing
Page speed monitoring
Root cause analysis
I recommend Pingdom because its API integration allows you to easily automate your interactions. It’s also a top option for teams. You can set up your notifications so that the right team member is always alerted. This will drastically improve your incident workflow process.
Pingdom goes one step further by not only alerting you of a problem but also identifying the root cause. As a result, you’ll be able to fix it faster to get back up and running with minimal downtime.
There are three different pricing tiers offered by Pingdom. These are the discounted rates for an annual contract:
Standard — $42.12 per month
Advanced — $82.45 per month
Professional — $228.25 per month
Pricing is based on resources. Depending on the plan you select, you’ll get either 50, 80, or 250 uptime and endpoint monitors, respectively.
Advanced monitors range from 3 to 25, RUM ranges from 500,000 to 5 million page views, and user logins range from one to ten.
Unlike some of the other website monitoring services that we’ve seen so far, Pingdom’s plans aren’t as customizable. So you’ll have to pick the one that best fits your needs.
With that said, Pingdom does have enterprise-level customization.
For those of you who want more advanced monitoring options, you can add-on server monitoring for as low as $9 per month.
Montastic
Montastic is another free website monitoring service with paid versions as well. Here’s a look at the different pricing plans.
This tool is as basic as it gets. Unlike other options on our list, it doesn’t really have a dashboard or offer any advanced features.
Montastic will simply notify you when your site goes down, and then again once it’s back up.
The free service monitors your site every 30 minutes, which isn’t as good as some of the other free plans out there that do this every five minutes.
For the most part, I’d only recommend the free version or the $5 per month plan to smaller websites. Aside from those options, I can’t really justify the cost for something so basic.
Montastic is definitely not the best website monitoring service you’ll ever see. But I included it on my list because not every webmaster has a need for extra bells and whistles.
If all you want is a notification within 30 minutes of your site going down, for free, then Montastic is a great option for you.
Uptrends
Uptrends is a cloud-based solution for website performance and network monitoring. They have been around since 2007 and serve major websites like NASA, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Shell, and the Discovery Channel.
If you want a free website monitoring service, Uptrends has an option for you. Simply provide them with your email address and website to be notified whenever your site goes down.
This is one of the most straightforward and basic plans that you’ll find. Uptrends also offers a free website speed test that can be customized based on device, screen size, bandwidth, and browser. It’s one of the best free speed tests on the web today.
Besides the free tools, Uptrends has five different paid website monitoring plans.
Starter — Starting at $11.67 per month
Premium — Starting at $33.51 per month
Professional — Starting at $163.37 per month
Business — Starting at $27.95 per month
Enterprise — Starting at $50.57 per month
The Business and Enterprise plans allow for complete customization, you can check the interval testing frequency and buy extra monitors as well. Features like transaction monitoring and API monitoring are also customizable on these plans as well.
For those of you who want RUM (real user monitoring) in your plan, you’ll have to add that on separately. Pricing for RUM starts at $5.09 for 100,000 page views per month. This goes as high as $127.31 per month for 5 million page views per month.
In short, Uptrends has website monitoring solutions for everyone, regardless of the type or size of the site.
Uptrends stands out as one of the top website monitoring services on the market because of its customer service tools. They have an academy, knowledge base, and other resources making it easy for anyone to learn more about how to monitor a website.
Host Tracker
Host Tracker is a website monitoring service that offers some unique features compared to some of the other tools on our list.
In addition to uptime reports, downtime alerts, and SSL monitoring, Host Tracker will let you know if your domain is listed on a DNS blacklist. You can also get advanced features like server load parameters for elements like CPU, RAM, and HDD.
Host Tracker automatically pauses any Google Ads if your website goes down. It will start those ads back up again as soon as your site has recovered.
Choose from one of three plan options:
Webmaster — Starting at $9.92 per month
Business — Starting at $18.25 per month
Enterprise — Starting at $74.92 per month
All plans come with a 30-day free trial. So at a minimum, I’d recommend using this option to explore the dashboard and take a closer look at their features.
More than 320,000 websites are using Host Tracker for site monitoring. They have over 140 monitoring locations worldwide and average over 15,000 alerts per day.
How to Find the Best Website Monitoring Service
As you can see from our list, not all website monitoring tools are created equally. Some platforms have more advanced features than others.
Depending on your needs, here are some features and factors that you can use in your decision-making process.
URL Monitoring Frequency
A website monitoring service is useless if it doesn’t track your uptime and notify you about downtime occurrences. But most services don’t track websites in real-time, meaning you won’t know the very second that your site goes down.
URL monitoring happens using interval checks. The fastest time we’ve seen is every 30 seconds and the slowest time we’ve seen is every 30 minutes.
If you have a business website with lots of traffic, you’ll want to find a plan that checks your URL status every minute, at a minimum. Otherwise, every five minutes should be fine for most of you.
Server Monitoring
Not every website monitoring service comes with a server monitoring plan. This is not typically something that’s offered for free either.
A server monitoring tool will keep on eye on resources like memory, disk space, CPU usage, and more. It’s a great way to help understand how your server resources are being allocated, and if you need to make adjustments to your web hosting plan.
Real User Monitoring (RUM)
RUM is one of the best ways to gain quick insights on how people are experiencing your website. This advanced monitoring system collects information on how real people interact with your site.
Based on this data, you can recognize strengths or weaknesses on your website. It can also help you identify and troubleshoot any problems with its performance on the user end.
Price
Like anything else, price will likely play an important role in your decision-making process. You don’t need to spend a ton of money on website monitoring.
If you have a small website or personal blog, you can get away with a free monitoring service. These plans will essentially just notify you when your site goes down and provide some basic reports.
For those of you who are willing to pay for website monitoring, plans on our list range anywhere from $5 per month for a starter plan to $650 per month for enterprise-level monitoring. There are plenty of outstanding options out there that fall within the $30 to $100 per month price range.
Conclusion
What’s the best website monitoring service? It depends on what you’re looking for.
One website will be happy with a free plan that provides basic reports, while another website might need advanced features and reports. That’s why I included an option for everyone on my list above. Here’s a quick overview of the plans on this guide:
Host Tracker — Most unique features like blacklist notifications and Google Ads integration.
Even the paid plans on our list have some type of free trial available. So I’d recommend taking advantage of those offers before you settle on a service.
You can usually get a lower monthly rate if you lock in an annual contract. Keep that in mind when you’re going through this process.
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best reseller hosting provider for most people is SiteGround or InMotion Hosting.
Reseller hosting is an ideal business model with low barriers to entry. You don’t have to worry about technical backend tasks like network availability, power, or server security. Plus, you don’t need expensive hardware and a hosting facility.
You can get started with little more than a business plan and company logo.
However, your business success largely depends on the quality of your web hosting company. That’s why I set out to curate this review of the best reseller hosting providers and plans.
The Best Reseller Hosting Providers and Plans for 2022
GreenGeeks — Best for developers who prioritize eco-friendly hosting
HostGator — Best for cost-effective reseller plans
Liquid Web — Best hands-off server maintenance and upkeep
A2 Hosting — Best for scaling small-to-medium-sized client lists
Read on to learn more about each of the top reseller hosting providers on my list to find the best option for you.
I think you’ll be surprised at how inexpensive it is to get started. The more you sell, the more you can make. Every company needs hosting for their site–start providing this valuable service today.
SiteGround is a big player in the web hosting industry. So it’s no surprise that they offer excellent reseller hosting plans.
SiteGround used to sell “reseller credits,” where each credit was worth one year of hosting for a website.
However, they now have three reseller packages with varying levels of web space and support.
Every plan comes with unlimited websites, a centralized dashboard, free WP installation, auto-updates, daily and on-demand backups, free SSLs, CDN, and email, easy staging, and unlimited databases.
If you start with the GrowBig plan, you’ll pay $4.99 per month. The GoGeek plan costs $7.99 per month. It includes priority support and allows you to white-label clients. Cloud reselling plans start at $100 per month.
With cloud reselling plans, you can customize your clients’ access to SiteGround’s site tools. These plans also let you put together unique hosting packages to attract a variety of clients.
It’s important to note that these fantastic prices are promotional rates and will renew at a higher price after the initial contract period ends.
While SiteGround offers free daily and on-demand backups, they are missing some essential reseller features, such as automated billing and domain name reselling. But SiteGround is ideal for helping existing businesses expand their offerings.
SiteGround makes it easy to manage your reseller hosting business because you can access all your sites from a single dashboard. In addition, SiteGround can grow with you as your business scales.
The prices alone make SiteGround a top choice for resellers. If you’re a small agency with a handful of websites to manage and want to grow, SiteGround’s pricing system allows you to add reselling to your offerings. Read more about their hosting services in my complete SiteGround review.
InMotion is a very well-known web hosting company, and their reseller plans are perfect for people looking to get into the hosting business themselves.
You get all of the tools and resources you need to start reselling in one complete package. Even their entry-level plan comes with 25 cPanel accounts, WHM, and WHMCS. This means you can sell hosting and bill people within the platform as soon as you sign on.
Some reseller hosting plans make you pay extra for the essentials, but not InMotion. You can brand your hosting however you want. Other hosts make whitelabeling your service a premium features.
On top of that, you get 24/7/365 support and very competitive pricing.
Here’s a breakdown of what each reseller plan offers:
Things like disk space, monthly bandwidth, and dedicated IPs increase with each plan.
I recommend any one of the R plans for people starting out. There’s less responsibility in terms of set up and management, which is good if you are just getting into the hosting game.
If you’re a hosting pro already, the VPS plan will work very well. You’ll get a great price on hosting resources and root access to configure everything your way.
InMotion offers free billing software, free cPanel and WHM, free SSD drives, DDoS and malware protection, and server management features for select packages.
They also have a 90-day money-back guarantee, which is almost unheard of in the web hosting space.
If you are thinking about becoming a reseller, I highly recommend checking out InMotion. They offer the price, support, and complete toolkit that you’ll appreciate starting out. To learn more, check out my full InMotion hosting review.
GreenGeeks – Best for developers who prioritize eco-friendly hosting
GreenGeeks offers environmentally-conscious web hosting services.
That means they leverage renewable energy to power their hosting solution—which is so cool. In fact, for every ampage of energy they use, they put back 3x that via renewable energy through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
They specialize in reseller hosting too. In fact, GreekGeeks offers three different reseller plans:
Their packages can be purchased in quantities of 10 clients. The more clients you have, the more cost-effective it is per account.
If you fall somewhere in the middle of these tiers or have more than 50 clients, you can purchase additional accounts in bundles of 5.
All GreenGeeks reseller plans come with great benefits like:
Free SSL certificates
Free cPanel migrations
WHMCS licenses
White label services
GreenGeeks managed support
Free CDN integration
Nightly backups
As their name implies, GreenGeeks uses renewable energy to power their hosting services. They strive to make each of their servers carbon neutral. That means whatever carbon they contribute to the environment, they try to take out through various environmental initiatives.
So it’s a great option for those of you who are conscious of the environment and want to market green web hosting to your clients. They’ll also plant one tree for each hosting package they sell.
This reseller service is made with developers in mind. You’ll get multiple PHP versions, MySQL databases, FTP accounts, support for Perl and Python, and access to the latest developer tools like WP-CLI, Git, Drush, and lots more.
All GreekGeeks reseller plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s definitely nice to have that assurance to fall back on.
HostGator – Best for cost-effective reseller plans
HostGator is an industry leader in the web hosting space. On top of that, they also give you great reseller options.
They offer three different reseller plans:
As you can see, the price points for all three are within $5 of each other. Just remember that this is a promo rate. But you can lock in this introductory rate for your first 36 months.
All reseller plans come with great benefits like:
Unlimited domains
Free SSL certificate
Private name servers
Email accounts
FTP accounts
MySQL accounts
The plan you choose depends on your needs, of course. So pay attention to the bandwidth and storage for each package.
Fortunately, HostGator makes it easy for you to scale. If you start with the Aluminum or Copper plan, you can upgrade for free at any time.
All reseller plans come with free WHMCS billing software, which makes it easy for you to manage your clients.
You’ll also get WHM control panel for monitoring your server status, and setting limits for things like disk space and bandwidth for your clients.
If you’re already a reseller and want to switch providers, HostGator offers up to 80% off transfers and registrations.
HostGator guarantees a 99.9% uptime rate. So you won’t have to worry about your clients being upset with the performance of their website.
Another reason why I recommend HostGator for reseller hosting is because of their support.
They offer 24/7 customer service via phone and live chat. Automatic weekly backups and 24/7 server monitoring are standard as well. Plus, you’ll get a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is more than enough time to see if you’re satisfied with your plan.
Liquid Web – Best for hands-off server maintenance and upkeep
Their reseller hosting options are no exception. They offer both VPS and dedicated servers for resale. These come with a free WHMCS plugin as well as instant provisioning.
LiquidWeb also offers a WHMCS plugin for you to sell cloud VPS or cloud dedicated hosting products.
For their dedicated servers, Liquid Web has a number of lucrative plans that include a free WHMCS license. It should be noted, though, that’s only available to customers who have hosting services with Liquid Web already.
Those plans are as follows:
I recommend going with at least the Silver plan. The extra 8 GB and the terabyte of backups is entirely worth it for the price.
Here are a few more notable features to call out:
100% Uptime Service Level Agreement. This promises that if your site ever goes down due to their servers, Liquid Web will compensate you for the downtime.
No SysAdmin required. Liquid Web handles any upkeep and maintenance you might need for your server—so you won’t have to hire someone to do it for you.
Free DDoS protection. Their network is highly secure, layered with multi-level DDoS attack prevention systems.
To get started you’ll have to apply for their reseller program. Doing so is as easy as filling out a form indicating the products you’re interested in, your contact info, and information about your business.
A2 Hosting – Best for scaling small-to-medium-sized client lists
A2 Hosting offers some of the fastest speeds for web hosting out there. They’re also very reliable in terms of uptime. Both of which are crucial in the web hosting industry.
Their reseller choices are great for those of you who want a quality service in a low-to-mid price range. Here’s an overview of A2’s entry-level reseller hosting plans.
These prices reflect signing up for three years. Signing up for a shorter period of time will increase the price. Kickstart, for example, is $24.99 per month for a single year, or $34.99 paying month to month.
In addition to these plans, A2 offers four more, so scaling up won’t be an issue.
You’ll notice that they have regular and “Turbo” plans. I’d highly recommend going with the Turbo plans, as that is the only way to get A2’s legendary speed. The regular plans are fine, but if you are in the reseller game, providing your clients with the best possible performance is going to help you grow.
Note that with the entry level hosting plans, Kickstart and Turbo Kickstart, you don’t get free WHMCS, which is crucial for client management.
You can buy the WHMCS add-on for $10 per month, but at that point, you might as well upgrade to a package that includes it for free.
With reseller plans above Kickstart, you can also have a greater number of client accounts. Unless you’re planning on keeping things small, I’d recommend starting with Launch or above.
In my A2 hosting review research I found that A2 Hosting is committed to a 99.9% uptime rate. Their servers are up to 20 times faster than their competitors (if you go with Turbo plans), and they have an amazing customer support system.
What is reseller hosting?
Reseller hosting makes it possible for you to sell web hosting to other people.
It’s essentially white label website hosting. You buy the service from a larger hosting company, and then resell that service to your clients.
The reseller focuses on marketing and sales while leaving all of the heavy-lifting to the larger hosting service.
With reseller hosting, you set the hosting prices for your clients. As long as the provider gets their monthly rate, the sky is the limit for what you can charge. Since you’ll be paying wholesale rates to the hosting company, there’s an opportunity for you to make substantial profit margins.
If you pitch it correctly, your clients will love this option. You become a one-stop-shop for their website. You’re already handling things like development and design, so why not handle the hosting as well?
Who is reseller hosting for?
If you’re launching a website from scratch, or you’re just looking for a new web hosting provider, reseller hosting is not for you.
For the most part, reseller hosting is for web developers, web designers, and agencies.
However, if you’re an entrepreneur in the tech space, you might see an opportunity here to earn extra money as a reseller.
For example, if you own a local computer shop, you could potentially start reselling hosting packages to customers in your community.
Whether you’re a solo developer, large enterprise, or anywhere in-between, reseller hosting is suitable if you’re planning to manage at least 10 websites or more. Anything less than that won’t really be worth your time or effort.
Aside from the additional profits you can make from your current client packages, reseller hosting is a great way to retain your customers for the long term.
If you develop and design a website for someone, they won’t need your services forever. But if you can simultaneously manage their hosting service, then you’ll continue to get recurring income long after your development work for them is complete.
The Top Reseller Hosting Plans in Summary
Since every website needs a hosting provider, you have no shortage of potential customers to target. But success as a reseller is directly tied to finding the right hosting partner.
SiteGround and InMotion Hosting are my top choices for the best reseller hosting providers. They offer cost-effective plans and greater ease of use that help them edge forward their competitors.
Building a website from scratch used to be hard. Not anymore. In fact, the best website builders turn you into a web designer overnight, even if you’ve never built one before. All you do is pick a stunning template and add your personality to it. See for yourself in our review of the best website builders on the market.
GoDaddy – Best for building your website from your phone
Website builders have gotten so much better over the years. Today, you don’t have to struggle with getting a site online or updating it to keep up with changing times.
To find out which ones were the most helpful, the Quicksprout research team got in touch with people who used these website builders for their business. Keep reading to get the full story.
Shopify is our top recommendation for companies that need a way to sell on their website. Sell products, book appointments, schedule deliveries–it’s all incredibly easy.
You can certainly do all this with other website builders, but ecommerce is Shopify’s strong suit. No other website builder will be as easy or as powerful.
It’s a true all-in-one platform: website, online store, payment processor, order fulfillment, and marketing tools. If Shopify doesn’t have a built-in feature to do what you need, it offers the most diverse app marketplace in ecommerce.
Start with any of the more than 100 ecommerce website templates. Tweak a few important elements to make it on-brand, and then start adding inventory. You need not be a tech whiz to make your first buck on Shopify.
With a paid shopify template, you often have the ability to try the template for free before deciding whether to buy it.
Shopify has very few limits. You can sell as many items, styles, and varieties as you like on any channel. Shopify makes it easy to impress customers who visit your page, giving them a polished online shopping experience with minimal work on your end.
Building an Ecommerce Website With Shopify
Most people will want to start with one of the online store templates. There are 11 free options, so don’t worry about having to spend more to get started.
By the time you add your content and images to the template, it already looks like a professional online storefront.
Shopify templates provide a layout that looks great, allowing you to focus on adding your products.
The best part about working within the online store templates from Shopify is that all your products are going to look great on a mobile phone. There are no extra plugins to install–your store will look great no matter how people are visiting it.
In terms of driving traffic to your site, Shopify lets you sell on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and more. You can create on-brand content that looks like it belongs in each social network. You can also start selling on Google, eBay, and Walmart Marketplace with a few clicks.
No other platform has the ability to sell on as many different channels as Shopify. You receive email marketing and marketing automation tools that are built into the platform, too. Everything you need to get the word out is part of the package.
And keeping track of sales is no problem. Shopify gives you a clear dashboard to track every aspect of your online store.
Shopify gives you detailed data about your site’s performance and growth.
Running an ecommerce store isn’t rocket science–you just have to make good decisions based on what’s working and what’s not. Shopify puts all the critical information at your fingertips, updated in real time, so you can always choose the best path forward.
As we mentioned, you’ll have access to Shopify Payments to use as a secure credit card processor. You can connect Shopify with other payment gateways, but there are third-party transaction fees.
Using SEO with Shopify
Shopify helps you make use of SEO when adding products to your online store.
When building a new online store, drawing in customers is perhaps your biggest challenge. We mentioned earlier how Shopify helps you sell on a variety of platforms, like Facebook.
Additionally, Shopify helps you drive visitors to your site by guiding the content on your product pages with SEO (search engine optimization) in mind.
Ranking for keywords is not an easy process, even with the tools that Shopify provides. However, Shopify does a nice job of giving you guidance, which is far better than trying to figure out what to do on your own.
Shopify places SEO tools directly on the website building pages, making them easy to access and use. Add photos and product descriptions that take advantage of SEO principles.
There’s no excuse to skip SEO when building your Shopify store, as it becomes a natural part of the process of adding content to your product pages.
Where Shopify struggles in terms of helping you with SEO is when you want to add a blog to your site. Shopify’s blogging features leave quite a bit to be desired. We’d recommend using WordPress for your blogging needs alongside your Shopify store.
Finding Expert Help with Shopify
Shopify provides you with access to experts that you can hire for help with your online store.
One thing we really like about Shopify–especially for beginners–is the ability to access expert help when needed.
Perhaps you chose to build your site on your own, but something just doesn’t look quite right with it. Maybe you want to add a lot of new products, but you aren’t sure about the best way to organize things.
Shopify gives you access to a list of professionals who are willing to provide advice (for a fee). These experts can help with site design, marketing, and photography of products.
You can search the network for professionals who are located near you if you’d prefer to work with someone local. You can work with an individual freelancer or with an agency.
Tradeoffs with Shopify
Shopify is totally focused on ecommerce, so if you are looking to build another type of website, Shopify is almost certainly not what you want.
As a website builder, Shopify is pretty basic in terms of design. A beginner isn’t going to be able to build a unique or dazzling website on Shopify, at least not without the help of a developer. This is something that you’ll see when you compare Shopify to alternative ecommerce platforms.
The nice part about the simplicity of Shopify is that it’s easy to build, edit, update pricing, swap out products, and so on. The tradeoff with that is you don’t get the depth of customization that comes with freeform website builders.
Something like Wix or Squarespace is better for people looking to make a statement with their site. Those companies also offer ecommerce websites, which may be worth checking out if you have concerns that Shopify isn’t going to let you build the site you want.
Why We Recommend Shopify
There’s simply no easier way to launch an ecommerce website than with Shopify. A total beginner can start selling the day they launch their site.
It’s a really welcoming platform that lets you start small and grow as big as you want. There are few limits to what you can sell and where you can market your goods.
On the rare occasion that Shopify doesn’t have a feature built into it, you can probably find what you need on the Shopify App Store. Check it out today and see why more and more businesses are building their sites on Shopify.
Bottom Line: If you are looking to sell online, build your site with Shopify. Check out our full Shopify review for pricing and more detailed information.
If you’re a beginner and looking to build your first website, the clear choice is Wix.
It offers a way that makes your website building experience painless and, dare I say, fun.
Their AI helps you create a website after answering just a few questions about your goals. It’s like taking a Buzzfeed quiz, but when you’re done you have a great website (instead of just wasting time during your work day).
All the users we spoke to attest to how easy Wix was to use—without sacrificing the quality of the final product.
“[Wix] is very intuitive, and they give you great tools to create great websites,” one user told me. They also spoke highly of the hundreds of templates the builder offered, praising the variety of great-looking designs along with “its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder.”
They have templates for music, art, fashion, health, travel, photography, construction, and restaurant sites—just to scratch the surface.
Wix also offered numerous revenue streams for one user we talked to.
“My Wix website got me a few jobs,” they told me. “I’m also making consistent monthly income because of an online store I built on my site.”
Even though Wix offers a user-friendly website builder, it also gives you a comprehensive knowledge base of articles you can use if you ever get stuck.
“If I’m unsure about a certain topic, it’s quick to find answers via their support,” one user told me.
If you need a little bit more hands-on help, Wix offers a 24/7 callback service for US-based users so an actual person can walk you through any issues.
That’s a rarity in the website builder world—and definitely something that’ll help you in the long run. That way, if something breaks or your website crashes, you can immediately call someone up to help you.
Of course, I wanted to test it out for myself, so I jumped in and created my own Wix page from scratch.
Building a Website with Wix
When I set up my Wix account, I was surprised to find that it actually gave me a few ways to create my own website.
First, I could get my hands dirty and choose a template and build my website from the ground up.
Or, I could simply answer a few questions about the type of website I wanted to build, and Wix’s ADI builder would handle all of the work for me. I had a decent-looking site after just a few answers.
Once you pick a template, you can update everything from the font, logo, and colors to images and more. That means you can make any of the already great-looking templates all your own with a little bit of tweaking.
When I tested Wix, I loved how easy it was to find a template that matched our vision. The AI stayed with me as I edited the page, helping me pick the next thing to edit and showing me how to do it.
The Wix AI matched my new site to my existing social media accounts, used my logo to create a color palette for my site, and gave me a template pre-populated with that logo and our street address. Connecting images from existing social media accounts made it easy to pull in all the assets we already owned.
Pick a business you already know and see how close Wix’s AI comes to replicating it. I used a local yoga studio as an example, and Wix did closely match the studio’s existing site. Even better, I bet the studio paid a web designer for their design while I did mine for free with an AI assistant.
Tradeoffs With Wix Website Builder
Take note: all of Wix’s plans are automatically set to auto-renew. Sticker shock is real, especially if you signed up with an introductory promo pricing. As one of our users put it, “the price per month tends to be quite high.”
That can be a big deal if you’re, say, a scrappy startup trying to make and save as much as possible. If you want to recoup some of the expenses with an ecommerce site, you’ll still have to pay for a more expensive plan for the subscription fee.
Most of the users we spoke to did use Wix to build their own personal portfolios and blogs. That allowed them to find clients and customers.
Since Wix occasionally features their own users on their official blog, it can lead to more opportunities for you if you choose the platform. That’s exactly what happened to one of our users who said, “Being featured on Wix got me some freelance opportunities and ultimately landed my full-time job.”
Why We Recommend Wix
Overall, Wix offers the best combination of ease of use and customization of any platform we looked at. It’s not the cheapest, but people seemed really excited about the sites they were building.
The themes are varied and fantastic. You’ll also be armed with the tools you need to customize its look and feel to your exact specifications—or pretty darn close.
Wix gives you the option to essentially build your website for you through their AI site builder. That’s an amazing feature that no other website builder we reviewed offers. It takes the guesswork out of everything, especially if you just want to get a website up and running right away.
And if all that isn’t enough, Wix also delivers rock-solid security and reliability. It includes high-grade security compliance, 24/7 monitoring against cyber threats, a robust 99.98 percent uptime rate, ecommerce security measures that meet the highest industry standards, and worldwide data and backup centers to keep your site information safe and secure. So no matter what kind of website you build, you can sleep easy at night knowing it’s protected, without you having to do a thing.
Hostinger is a great low-cost solution for anyone who wants to build and update a website on their own. There are only a few great website builders out there—this is one of the most affordable ones that doesn’t skimp when it comes to functionality.
You don’t need to learn how to code. You won’t have to hire a developer. You can just drag, drop, and click your way to an eye-catching website. And you’ll save a lot of money each year while doing all this.
If you’re a startup or freelancer that just needs a basic website, Hostinger should be at the top of your list. Is it as robust as some of the other heavy hitters on our list? Not quite. But it is exceptionally easy to use and comes in at a fraction of the price.
More than 100 website design templates let you get your website up and running really fast.
Will you make a few tradeoffs with Hostinger? Maybe, but when you’re just starting out and need a web presence to get things moving, you likely won’t even notice anything missing.
When your budget is small, there’s no easier way to build your website than Hostinger.
Building a Website with Hostinger
Simple and low cost don’t usually go together when it comes to website builders. But Hostinger does both with ease. It was already one of Quick Sprout’s top picks for affordable web hosting companies.
Now it has added website building to the mix, so you get the best of both worlds—affordable hosting services and a very easy-to-use website building experience—all for one low monthly price.
This is what makes Hosting so attractive. A total beginner can jump right in and have a functioning website up and running for just a few dollars each month.
We interviewed a Hostinger user who needed a professional-looking website when she started her freelance writing business. She wasn’t technically inclined but noted that Hostinger is “great for anyone intimidated by the web.”
It took her under 24 hours to build her site with Hostinger. “This is your confidence builder,” she said, adding that the process is “very, very intuitive.”
When you design your site on Hostinger, nothing is left to chance. The drag-and-drop functionality means great design is just a few clicks away. Plus, pages are automatically optimized for mobile or desktop, so your site looks great on every device with no extra work on your side.
Hostinger’s drag-and-drop functionality makes it really easy to design your site with no coding knowledge required.
You don’t have to start from scratch, either. Hostinger includes more than 100 professionally designed templates ready for you to customize. So if you really want to simplify things, just choose a template, fill in the blanks, and have your site up and running in a few minutes.
But you’re never limited to out-of-the-box design. There are tons of elements you can pick and choose to include on your site, including videos, links, maps, galleries, and color schemes. You just pick what you want and apply it to your site. No CSS or HTML efforts are required.
While you can always go the WordPress plus hosting route to minimize costs, if you’re a beginner at website building, it will be more complicated to get your site looking the way you want. It will also likely require multiple plugins (some you may have to pay for) and tweaks to the code to achieve what you can automate with Hostinger web builder.
Hostinger includes basic tools that deliver fundamental website functionality, like creating contact forms, building landing pages, and scheduling blog posts. But there are some pretty in-depth features you wouldn’t expect to see at this price point.
The AI suite of tools has some of these advanced features. This gets you going faster by taking the guesswork out of adding key elements required for great website design and functionality.
AI logo maker: design a unique logo by just answering a few questions
AI writer tool: write copy that converts even if you’re not a writer
AI heatmap tool: identify where people are (or aren’t) clicking, moving their cursor, or scrolling on your site
Hostinger includes several AI-powered tools to speed up your website design.
While some of this AI functionality still has room for improvement—like the AI writer tool—it is a start. And sometimes, a start is all you need to get your creative juices flowing.
The real benefit of Hostinger, though, is how it integrates basic website tools like SEO and image compression right into the platform. Even if you’ve never had to optimize an image or use SEO to improve your site’s Google rankings, Hostinger makes both easy to do.
And if you get stuck on anything, there are plenty of resources available on its website, plus 24/7 customer support to get you back on track. Hostinger customers seem satisfied with both.
“They’ll give you a canned response in some cases,” one user told us, but it “wasn’t a big deal” most of the time because the resource library on the Hostinger website is quite robust. Overall the customer service agents are “very, very helpful.”
Tradeoffs with Hostinger Website Builder
In terms of design, WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace will all give you more options than Hostinger currently offers.
So if you have a goal of designing an award-winning website that catches the attention of professional designers, you’ll probably be better served to go with one of these other options. Wix has hundreds more templates available and integrates with more online tools, too.
Another important thing to know is the concept of “template lock-in.” Some website builders, including Wix and Hostinger, don’t let you switch templates once you choose one.
To change your site template, you’ll have to copy everything over to a new template, which can be very time-consuming. If you think you’re going to want to change templates often, Squarespace or WordPress might be a better option.
Simplified drag-and-drop might also be a bit limiting for some aspiring website creators. If you really want to get granular with layouts and designs, something like WordPress might be a better alternative. Of course, that extra design power comes at a cost of being harder to learn and use.
One word about price. Hostinger comes in as one of the most budget-friendly options on our list for a solid website builder. You can get started for just $2.99 per month, and that price includes both the website builder tools and website hosting.
Hostinger is one of the lowest-cost options on our list, yet doesn’t skimp on functionality.
However, to get this price, you’ll need to sign up for a year or more. You’ll also have to pay upfront, which can be a bigger investment if you choose a multi-year option. But if you know you’re going to need a website for the long term, this tradeoff will save you a lot of money in the long run.
Why We Recommend Hostinger Website Builder
Hostinger is the best option for anyone who needs a low-cost, easy-to-use website builder.
You’ll pay less than the cost of one latte each month for a fast, reliable website. Need to change things on the fly? Announce a special sale? Share important information with site visitors? You can do it all yourself in just a few minutes.
If you’re committed to your website for a year or more, there isn’t much risk to signing up for a longer plan term and locking in the ridiculously low price for Hostinger website builder and web hosting services.
Hostinger gives you all you need to hit the ground running, even if you’re not savvy about building or maintaining a website.
WordPress is the most popular way to build a website in the world–but you need your own hosting. Using Bluehost WordPress Website Builder is our recommendation for launching your site.
A quick disclaimer: WordPress is the content management system (CMS) we use here at Quicksprout. They don’t pay us to, mind you—we just like the product. So, I can personally attest to how great it is.
We’re not alone, either. If you use WordPress, you join the likes of Vogue, Bloomberg, and even Beyonce, who use it as their CMS.
Don’t just take my word for it, though; our users all thought the same thing.
“With no knowledge of WordPress when I started, it was a bit of a steep learning curve, but I figured everything out quickly enough,” said one user. “WordPress is very intuitive, and if you can’t figure something out, you just have to Google it or check on YouTube, and you will likely find an answer.”
Not only is it highly customizable, but it’s also scalable. This is a CMS that can grow as large as you want or be scaled back to as small as you want.
Another user loved how flexible WordPress was. That’s because it’s an open-source application, so the back-end code is widely available—allowing developers and creators to make their own themes, widgets, and plugins for the CMS.
That means there are a ton of different ways you can mix and match plugins and themes out there. And, if you want to get your hands dirty, you can jump into the backend yourself and customize your site to your heart’s desire.
WordPress also has more than 11,000 themes. Many of them are free, and some of them are paid.
The benefit of doing this is that your website will easily stand out from the rest. When you go with one of the popular free themes, it’s just going to look like hundreds of other WordPress websites. However, if you put in a little work—and a little money—you’ll end up with a site that’s uniquely you.
All of our users built their sites exclusively to draw in leads, customers, and sales. The CMS allowed them to do so with easily integrated ecommerce functions, as well as powerful SEO tools such as Yoast to help capture organic traffic.
“I was able to monetize my website using affiliate marketing,” one user told me, “along with infoproducts like ebooks and minicourses once my audience got big enough.”
This user runs a genealogy website dedicated to helping people connect with family members. They were able to use their ancestry-specific blog along with a popular newsletter to build a loyal community of readers (and, therefore, customers).
“One thing that helped with that was creating an email subscriber list and a newsletter using the Mailchimp plugin,” they said. “It’s a must-have if you want to monetize your blog.”
Building a Website with WordPress
Like I said, this is what we use here at Quick Sprout—so I’m well-versed in WordPress.
That said, there is a little bit of a learning curve for new beginners. The backend dashboard can frankly be overwhelming.
The good news is that after just a little bit of exploring and experimenting, you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
From your dashboard, you’ll be able to do everything from creating new pages for your site to crafting blog posts to downloading new themes, plugins, or widgets.
The blog and page editor uses WordPress’ proprietary Gutenberg interface: a user-friendly blog and page creator that leverages drag-and-drop tools to help you create the page you want.
It’s not the What You See Is What You Get interface that Wix has—but it’s close. If you want to see what your page or blog post looks like in the final product, you’ll have to click on the Preview button at the top of the editor. That’ll open up a new tab with the preview of your page/post.
It’s much, much more intuitive than its old editor—and will give any other WYSIWYG editor a run for its money.
As I mentioned before, WordPress is scalable. If you want to build a big website with a ton of different assets, you can choose the right plugins to help. You can hire a developer (or yourself if you have PHP skills) to jump in the back end and build exactly what you need.
“WordPress gave me everything I needed to create the blog I wanted,” one user told us. “It gave me an easy interface to post my blogs, as well as everything I needed or wanted in my blog: a subscription box, an author area; just the look I wanted and the flexibility to change things as needed.”
I highly recommend you start small when it comes to plugins. My favorite plugin is Yoast SEO. It’ll help you make your page, and blog posts rank better on Google search results by helping you find optimization opportunities in your content.
Choosing a Host
If you want to build a website with WordPress, they give you two options:
Build it for free. This means your site will be hosted by WordPress. We don’t recommend this for a number of reasons. One of the obvious ones is that you’ll have to have a WordPress-branded subdomain (e.g., quicksprout.wordpress.com). Note: WordPress.com is their free, fully hosted version. If you want the self-hosted option (which I recommend), you’ll have to go with WordPress.org.
Host it somewhere else. By hosting it elsewhere, you’ll get access to more resources and (potentially) a free unbranded domain name. This is where WordPress.org comes into play.
It’s one of the most popular web hosts out there. It’s also the one I highly recommend to beginners.
Every Bluehost plan comes with one-click WordPress installation, allowing you to easily create a website using the CMS once you sign up.
Each plan also comes with a free domain name registration too. In one fell swoop, you’ll be able to get a great domain, set up powerful and affordable web hosting, and create your WordPress site. Triple win!
All of our users surveyed used the powerful combination of WordPress with Bluehost. “I’m still using Bluehost after four years for most of my sites,” said one user. “It’s great for beginners due to how the pricing model is structured.”
Bluehost offers rock-bottom promotional pricing starting at just $2.75 per month.
Every Bluehost plan comes with 24/7 customer support. You’ll be able to email them directly, and they’ll help solve your issue as soon as possible.
That was the case for one of our users when their website crashed—but they said, “I contacted their chat support, and they were able to identify the issue (a broken plugin) and fix it immediately. [I’m] very grateful for that.”
They’ll also help you migrate to their host if you’re coming from a different hosting service. This can easily be the biggest headache for any website manager—but Bluehost makes it a snap.
“The website migration was unbelievably easy!” one user told me. “And I really prefer the portal at Bluehost compared to the old place, plus the service is better for me.”
Cons of WordPress’s Website Builder
When it came to the drawbacks, our users agreed on one thing: It’s not the most beginner-friendly website builder.
In fact, they each told me about their frustrations when using the CMS for the first time. One user said, “I don’t like how it does take a bit of a learning curve to use. Sometimes I’d like to have my hand held more through the [website creation] process rather than having to look up a bunch of YouTube how-to videos to learn how.”
The dashboard is complex at first look. Once you learn it, you’ll be able to jump into the backend of any WordPress website and know how to get around with ease. This can be a valuable skill set to have—and one that employers frequently look for.
Still, this isn’t going to be the website builder for you if you’re looking to easily create a website out of the box with little to no site-building experience or knowledge needed. For that, we recommend you look towards Wix instead.
But if you’re willing to put in the work, learning even just the basics of WordPress can result in a massive return on investment. Not only will you be able to create a fully customized website, but you’ll have a valuable skill employers definitely look for.
Another thing to mention is that WordPress doesn’t have the most comprehensive support system. “I wish there was a help desk that you could contact either by email or chat,” one user opined.
In fact, the only option WordPress offers for support is a forum where you can pose questions or bring up issues you’re having with your site.
I decided to jump in and test it out and posted a question about a fake issue I was having with my website. It took about two hours before I received a reply. While the answer was comprehensive and answered my question, that was still a long wait before it was answered.
If I had a business and relied on that income to keep my lights on, those two hours would represent my livelihood. I would need help faster than that.
Why We Recommend Bluehost Website Builder
WordPress is the most popular website builder on the planet, and it’s not an accident.
The users we spoke with liked how easily they were able to monetize their blogs to turn their websites into income-generation engines.
While there is a learning curve, once you get the hang of it, we promise you won’t look back. By the end of it, you’ll have a website that is endlessly customizable—and it’ll be able to grow as big as you or your business gets.
That means if you’re creating a blog for your passion, and the blog grows a big audience, you’ll be able to turn the same WordPress blog into a website that generates revenue for you from your audience.
Bottom line: It’s going to take a little bit more elbow grease, but once you create a WordPress website, you’ll have a customizable website that you can make into whatever you want it to be. Couple that with Bluehost, and you’ll be able to do so easily in one fell swoop.
Squarespace – Best Website Builder for Creators of All Stripes
Squarespace has been the go-to choice for creative professionals and business owners who really care about the look and feel of their websites.
So you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that the Squarespace users we talked to had creator-focused websites. We spoke to a web design expert who teaches students how to create jaw-dropping sites and an interior design blogger who uses Squarespace to feature gorgeous home tours.
“I think I had my blog up and running within a day,” said one user. “Squarespace offers clean, beautiful templates you can easily tweak.”
Building a Website with Squarespace
Jumping in, I found that Squarespace does indeed give you an easy way to start a blog, just like Wix. However, I had to admit that as much as I liked Wix’s themes, Squarespace would take home the Best In Show ribbon for how gorgeous their themes looked.
Aside from the template selections, it’s also worth noting that the backend editor is user-friendly and intuitive.
This is ideal for beginners, like the newly graduated graphic designer that wants to build a portfolio or a photographer who wants to launch their first business website.
Squarespace is also a viable option for the new generation of influencers and content creators who are currently using platforms like YouTube or TikTok. Squarespace gives them a chance to expand their reach across multiple channels, and it even plays nicely with other platforms. This is especially useful for YouTube creators, making it easy to embed videos directly on your Squarespace site.
“They have a great What You See Is What You Get builder,” said one user. “That means when you’re building the page, you see what the page will look like as you’re building it.”
This is an area where site builders like Squarespace and Wix shine above WordPress. You can easily see the changes you’re making to your website as you’re making them. There’s no need to click back and forth between preview windows.
If you’re just starting out, this can make your life much easier. Even seasoned webmasters might see this as a breath of fresh air compared to alternatives.
“Sometimes, like in WordPress, you’re editing your site in the backend, but then you have to go to the front end to see what it’ll look like when you’re finished,” the user said. “With Squarespace, as you’re building the blog post, you’re seeing the changes happen at the same time. And I think that’s really useful. That’s one aspect that makes it easy to use.”
Tradeoffs with Squarespace Website Builder
While Squarespace ranks fairly high for its level of customization, this was still an area of some contention for our panel of interviewed and surveyed users.
One user enjoyed what Squarespace offered in terms of customization options and extra tools, such as an ecommerce function, integrated email marketing, and podcast support. However, they still found it fairly limiting when compared to the enormous customizability of WordPress. Not to mention, you might have to pay more for the plugins and widgets you need to make certain things work.
“Custom CSS is only available in the Business Plan,” said one user. “It’s doable for my website, I found some great tutorials on the internet for extra CSS customization, and I had to buy a sidebar plugin because it wasn’t integrated in my template. For more complex websites, this might be a problem.”
More specifically, the level of mobile customization is an area our users flagged. One user found it particularly frustrating, saying they essentially had to create your website twice—once for desktop and another time for mobile.
But, it should be noted that the Squarespace version you use might result in a different desktop vs mobile experience. For example, Squarespace version 7.0 might have templates that include extra built-in mobile styles that’ll make your site look different depending on what device you’re using to browse.
While the website builder is easy to use, it could certainly be more intuitive. This is an area where Wix has an edge over Squarespace. One user told us, “It could be more obvious how to perform certain actions. Sometimes you have to hunt and click here and there. Every now and then, I’ve accidentally deleted a blog because I’ve clicked the wrong button.”
Why We Recommend Squarespace
Squarespace allows you to create an eye-catching blog or portfolio with ease. For people who want a million interactive features on their site, it might not be the best. But if you prefer a minimalist look or you really need to showcase images and videos–Squarespace should be your top choice.
The website builder’s gorgeous templates and creator-friendly features earned it a spot on our list. Their designs truly can’t be matched.
Weebly is another flexible, out-of-the-box website builder in the family of Wix and Squarespace. We like it for freelancers and solopreneurs who need a website and a simple way to charge for their services.
Weebly is powered by Square—the folks behind the popular point-of-sale system. That means if you sell products in person, like at a farmers’ market, you’ll be able to easily integrate your POS sales with your website.
For ecommerce, it’s hard to beat Shopify–but if you don’t want a full online store, Weebly may have what you need.
We talked to users that ranged from a musician who used Weebly to sell music directly to fans to a LinkedIn coach and blogger who sold her coaching services via sessions directly on her website to a website designer who used her Weebly site to bring in new clients.
“I chose Weebly to design all of my websites years ago with the idea that it was simple enough that my clients could update their own websites,” said the web designer.
Building a Website with Weebly
After hearing our users glow about Weebly’s easy site-building process, I had to jump in for myself.
True to their word, our users were right when they said it was easy. Weebly offers an intuitive website creation process. It is as simple as choosing a domain name and a template and creating the site.
It’s also easy to add new pages to your website. One of our users told us, “Creating the blog section of my website was super simple and took less than five minutes to set up.”
I found that Weebly integrates nicely with other third-party tools that you’ll definitely want for your website such as Google Analytics and Mailchimp.
The builder itself is drag-and-drop a la Wix or Squarespace. So like those platforms, it’s minimal effort and headache free. What you see is what you get.
There are tools for email, SEO, site analytics, shipping, and inventory for the ecommerce plan. You’ll be able to even add a product search to your online store—which I love. If you have a big catalog of products and services, you’ll definitely want to add this function in.
They also give you the ability to add badges to your products and services when they go on sale or when inventory is low for a specific item. That’s a great way to build scarcity into your products—and make your customers want to click the buy button all the more.
Setting it up is simple and straightforward too. Since it’s a WYSIWYG builder, I can easily swap out products, prices, and descriptions, along with digital assets like logos, product images, and banner images. Setting up a rudimentary store took less than five minutes to do after signing up.
I was also pleased by how I was able to accept payments via gateways like Paypal, Stripe, and—of course—Square. Those options are a boon for users who will be able to pick the gateway they want.
Tradeoffs with Weebly Website Builder
One of our users didn’t like how Weebly doesn’t allow you to “save” changes on your site before it goes live. That would be a good addition if you were in the process of redesigning your site.
Another user we spoke to didn’t like how complicated it was to sync up their inventory between their Weebly website and their Square POS system.
“Square and Weebly sometimes don’t cooperate with me or each other,” the user said. “So I can’t have full, accurate inventory reflected between the two entities.”
That user also opined the fact that they had to jump back and forth between Square support and Weebly support if they needed help fixing an issue. It’s like a game of tennis, and you’re the ball.
“If I want to fix something and I go to Weebly, they go, ‘No, go to Square,’ and Square’s like, ‘No, you have to go back to Weebly.”
Why We Recommend Weebly Website Builder
Weebly offers users a very simple website design experience with the ability to sell goods and services.
We’d point most ecommerce users to Shopify, but freelancers, consultants, and solopreneurs with a simple suite of services may want to check out Weebly.
Like Squarespace, Weebly also lacks the comprehensive customization and scalability of WordPress. But, on day one, Weebly is a lot more approachable than WordPress.
Bottom line: If you are running your own business, Weebly works off the shelf. You can check out our Weebly review for more information on pros, cons, features, and pricing.
GoDaddy – Best for Building Your Website from Your Phone
On top of the solid domain and hosting services, GoDaddy offers a simple and straightforward website builder.
It’s not necessarily the best at any one area—but think of it as “jack of all trades, but master of none.” From ecommerce websites to blogs to portfolios, they have tons of different templates to help you create the website that’s right for you.
If there was one single thing that GoDaddy does well, though, that’s intuitiveness and simplicity. That was the biggest standout for Gabriel Smith, one of the users we spoke to. In fact, Gabriel built his GoDaddy website all from his phone while he was homeless living on the street.
You read that correctly. He had just finished his memoir, also from his phone, and wanted to get his words out there. So he found GoDaddy and got to work building an entire website from his phone.
“I literally did it because I was homeless,” Gabe told me with a laugh. “What else could I do? Some way, somehow, I was going to get my story out because I didn’t know how many people that could possibly help.”
Gabe was able to easily create his website using one of his few possessions: a smartphone. Using just the mobile editor, he was able to create a website that worked for him and his goal of promoting his book.
In his own words, he ranks GoDaddy’s ease of use at a five “only because ten isn’t an option.” So simplicity is definitely a strong suit for the website builder.
With some more hustle and grit, Gabriel was able to secure speaking engagements because of his book and website, as well as coaching opportunities to help out folks who were in a similar situation to him. Now, he has a successful career as a motivational speaker and a self-improvement author.
Building a Website with GoDaddy
I tried it out for myself and found that Gabe was correct. GoDaddy offers an intuitive way to create a website via a mobile editor or a desktop site builder.
With GoDaddy, you can build and launch a mobile-friendly website directly from your smartphone.
That’s not to detract from Gabriel’s immense accomplishment of building a successful website on his own while homeless, mind you—just verification that it is, in fact, easy to use.
I like that it gives you tools to book appointments, sell different products and services, and take reservations. Their drag-and-drop website builder makes it easy to do so too.
One user we spoke to owns a gardening shop and regularly offers classes. They said that they like the way GoDaddy “easily integrates appointments and workshops into the site.”
Our entire user panel of users also liked the tools offered—but occasionally wanted more. One user who owns a coffee roastery said they were “able to build an email list with our Godaddy website, which is an extremely effective way to grow, but outside of that, the growth tools were limited.”
GoDaddy has built-in email marketing tools to help businesses grow.
The simplicity is a boon and a drawback (as we’ll get into shortly). But overall, I enjoy it because of how easy it is to use.
It’s pretty affordable, though, with plans starting at $9.99 a month. I highly recommend it if you are already using GoDaddy for your domain or web host.
Cons of GoDaddy’s Website Builder
GoDaddy does seem to trade off simplicity for depth of customization.
In fact, they’re too simple in some ways. One user said that while the drag-and-drop editor was easy to use, it’s still “quite limited, and you can’t easily alter things like font size.”
That user also criticized how slow the editing tool becomes if you have too many digital assets on the page.
Also, if you’re hoping to direct your emails to a portal of your choice, it’s going to be tough. “I think my biggest issue with them is their webmail that’s tied to the website,” one user said. “After a very frustrating season of my emails to customers constantly getting stuck in spam filters, I had to give up and switch to Gmail for all correspondence. GoDaddy has not been able to fix the issue.”
They continued, “It’s a bummer because I’m paying for the service, and I want to have that professional email address, but I just can’t use it and have confidence that it will get to my customers.”
Another user actually recently switched from GoDaddy to WordPress because they felt like they had to “compromise on some aspects” of their website when building with GoDaddy.
“I wanted a store list of the physical locations people could buy our [products]. This didn’t exist,” said one user. They ended up having to get creative with a menu tool to create this page—but it obviously wasn’t ideal.
The user also added, “The lack of ability to have recurring purchases for our [product] subscription service was also a big factor in deciding to switch from Godaddy to WordPress.”
Why We Recommend GoDaddy Website Builder
If you’re looking to build a website easily and quickly and don’t expect to upkeep it too much, GoDaddy could be a good choice for you.
It’s a fantastic alternative if you’re a busy, on-the-go professional or someone who might be limited in the ways they can create their website looking for a dead simple website builder to get the job done.
In any case, Gabriel is more than happy to tell you how happy he is with GoDaddy—and that makes it a fantastic choice in my book.
I chose all seven website builders based on four criteria:
Ease of Use
Depth of Customization
Scalability
Ability to Earn Money
I took a look at dozens of the most popular website builders on the market today and benchmarked each of them against the three qualities above.
For each website builder I found, I created a bare-bones website to test out its tools and features. I also took into account the things offered in paid premium plans.
Using this method, I was able to narrow down my list of more than a dozen website builders to what I considered to be the seven best. These seven best showcased the three criteria above in unique—but effective—ways.
In all, this stage of the research process took two weeks to complete. When I finished, it was time to find real users of each product.
How We Reviewed Each Product
At Quick Sprout, we believe that if you want to get actual insights about a product or service, you need to talk to actual users.
You can’t just trust the website builder’s marketing or even the testimonials you find on review sites. Instead, you need to find the people who have used the builders before. Only then can you get the good, the bad, and the oh-so-frustrating.
It took time to find and verify users, but in the end, we were able to connect with a few dozen people that used these website builders for their businesses.
Each person agreed to either a phone interview or a survey. Questions for both were identical, though some of our interviewees had a lot to say about their experience.
We took all of our research, interviews, and surveys and synthesized them into the post you are reading now.
What We Learned Choosing the Best Blogging Platform
There’s no such thing as a “perfect” website builder. Instead, each one offers a unique set of features and tools for a different kind of user.
Everyone wants something easy to use, but what exactly does that mean when it comes to website builders?
Keep reading to hear insights from our research and user interviews that can help you hone in on a website builder that really matches your needs.
Ease of Use
If you’re reading this, you’re likely a beginner. We all need to start somewhere.
What that means is that ease of use plays a bigger role in your ultimate decision than ever.
The reason is that it’s easy to get frustrated and burned out when learning a new skill like website building. That can easily result in abandoning your website-building efforts entirely.
To combat that, you want to make things as easy as possible in the beginning. That’s why we highly recommend finding a platform that can help you create a site easily and quickly.
With something like Wix, a first-time user is not going to run into any trouble
“[Wix is] intuitive and has great tools to create individual website designs,” one Wix user told us.
We also love that it will hold your hand through the process—and will even build out the website for you if you want.
That said, Squarespace, Weebly, and GoDaddy are also easy-to-use products as well. It just depends on what you’re looking for.
For example, if you’re looking for a great WYSIWYG website builder to create gorgeous blogs and portfolios, Squarespace is for you.
If you want to create an online store, Shopify is for you.
If you want a simple builder with a great mobile editor, look no further than GoDaddy.
Depth of Customization
Being able to customize your website to the exact look and feel you want is crucial—but it sometimes makes the learning curve for the builder a bit steeper.
This is a delicate balancing act. But once you strike it, the platform will allow you to not only align with your brand but also draw in the type of readers and customers you want.
Customization also includes things outside of the way your website looks. It’s also the ability to add the features you need to accomplish your goals.
For example, if you want to build a list of email subscribers for a newsletter, you want to find a website builder that’ll allow you to easily capture your visitor’s contact information. For that, you might want to go with Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, as they give you either native tools to do so or allow you to download a third-party plugin like Mailchimp.
Not all platforms offer the same amount of customization. A website builder like WordPress offers the deepest level of customization on this list. You’ll be able to create the exact website you want so long as you have the knowledge to code and edit or are willing to pay someone to do so.
A website builder like GoDaddy offers likely the least amount of customization. That’s not to say you won’t be able to build a good website. They’re just not open-source. As such, there’s no community out there dedicated to creating widgets, plugins, and themes for GoDaddy sites.
A builder like Squarespace allows you to include things like ecommerce stores easily right out of the box.
“One of the reasons why I recommend Squarespace to small businesses or bloggers is because you don’t need to go get a third-party plugin to add a shop or to have your Instagram in the footer or create your email newsletter collection,” said one of our users. “It’s really an all-in-one system, which is wonderful.”
It all starts with the templates that they give you. You start with a theme but are able to use it as a launching point. Once you tweak and customize it to your specific needs, it becomes virtually whatever kind of website you want it to be.
Scalability
One often overlooked factor in choosing a website builder is scalability.
When you’re signing up for a website builder today, you may not be thinking about what your site will look like in one year, two years, or five years down the road. But this is something that absolutely must be taken into consideration, as it will save you a ton of time and headaches in the future.
Here’s what I mean.
Let’s say you’re just building a small personal portfolio site right now as a way to showcase some of your photos or artwork. So you find a website builder that allows you to do just that. But next year, you might want to add a blog. The following year, you might decide to start selling photography and artwork online and need ecommerce features like product pages and payment methods.
If you don’t plan for scale today, you might be forced to switch website builders in the future to accommodate new goals and initiatives. Fortunately, all of the website builders that I featured in this guide are built to scale. For example, Squarespace will let you start with a basic site, then upgrade your plan when you want to ecommerce functionality. If you’re using Bluehost, you’ll be able to extend the functionality of your WordPress site without limitations by simply installing new plugins.
Ability to Earn Money
If you’re building a website for your business portfolio, or even a simple blog, you likely want to make money from it.
Websites are marketing channels, after all. They exist to promote brands, products, services, movements, and more.
The website builder you choose will have a fairly big impact on how much money you can earn.
For example, if you want to build a good ecommerce store, I would highly recommend going with Shopify. It’s a true plug-and-play ecommerce website builder that works across every sales channel.
Weebly is partnered with Square—which makes it a cost-effective way for people to start selling from their site.
But online stores aren’t the only way to make money.
For people looking to drive traffic to their site for advertising purposes, Shopify is not going to work out well at all. WordPress is probably a much better choice for that. They offer a ton of great third-party plugins to help with SEO.
Sure, you won’t have an out-of-the-box ecommerce functionality. But WordPress gives you a much higher ceiling in terms of being able to customize your website and creating even more avenues to revenue beyond sales.
Best Website Builder: Your Top Questions Answered
What is the best website builder for a company?
The best website builder for a company depends on the type of business you own. If you run an ecommerce business and want to set up an online store, Shopify is our top recommendation. It’s more than just a website builder. It’s a complete ecommerce platform that provides you with a website, an online store, inventory management tools, payment processing, marketing features, and more.
If you’re a freelancer or solopreneur who doesn’t need a full online store, Weebly is a solid option. It offers an easy way to charge for services as well as a seamless website building experience. And if you want an endlessly customizable website that can grow with your business, we recommend using WordPress with Bluehost. It has a higher learning curve but is well worth the time investment.
Is Wix or WordPress better for beginners?
Wix is the best website builder for beginners. With a drag-and-drop editor and hundreds of customizable templates, Wix makes it easy for anyone to create a high-quality website. And to make it even simpler, you can use the user-friendly Wix ADI wizard to build your site for you. After asking a few questions about your design preferences, Wix ADI will start creating your polished and professional-looking website instantly.
With that said, WordPress isn’t a bad option for beginners, especially if you’re a blogger or content creator. Just make sure you choose WordPress.com, which is a much easier platform for beginners than WordPress.org. WordPress.com offers an array of high-quality free and paid themes, which means even a complete novice can run a beautiful and functional website instantly.
How do I choose the best website builder for me?
To choose the right website builder, you need to consider factors like ease of use, depth of customization, and scalability. If you’re a complete beginner, you should decide right away how much effort you’re willing to put into building your site. Do you want a website that can be built quickly with minimal effort, or are you willing to put in a little extra work to create a website tailored to your exact vision?
You should also consider the type of website you need when choosing a website builder. Do you need an online store for selling products and services? Look no further than Shopify. If you’re looking to build a website to display your creative portfolio, Squarespace will have the creator-friendly features you’re after.
What is the best free website builder?
Wix is the best free website builder, as it offers not only free website creation tools but zero-cost hosting as well. Just keep in mind that there are tradeoffs to choosing a free plan. You won’t be able to connect a custom domain, and Wix ads will appear on all pages of your site. We highly recommend upgrading to one of the premium plans to remove Wix ads, connect your own domain, and get more robust features.
The Top Website Builders in Summary
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for website builders. What works for one person or business might not work for you—and that’s okay. Look for a website builder that addresses your needs and skill level. Start with a template, and you’ll be on your way.
Use the recommendations in this guide as a resource as you’re evaluating the best website builders. Our reviews still steer you in the right direction.
It’s never been smarter to start an ecommerce site. The best ecommerce platforms make it so easy for online sellers in every industry. Common troubles like inventory size and sales volume aren’t problems anymore.
We’ll give you peace of mind whether you’re starting your new business from scratch or taking your brick-and-mortar operation online. Either way, this guide has you covered.
There’s more than one way to start selling products and services online. Two of my picks–BigCommerce and Shopify–are dedicated ecommerce platforms. They’ve each been conceived and developed as one-stop shops to create an online store.
Squarespace, Hostinger, and Wix are website builders that also make creating an online store easy. Even if you’re not a developer, you’ll be able to create a more unique website experience with these platforms than you can with the ecommerce-only platforms.
Keep reading for in-depth reviews, followed by an ecommerce platform buyers’ guide that walks you through the key factors to consider before making a final decision.
Shopify is the world’s most popular choice for setting up an online store. It’s beginner-friendly yet capable of handling big-time sales.
Shopify Starter ($5 per month after a three-day free trial) lets you add “Buy Now” links to emails, blog posts, messaging apps, and social media profiles. Start selling to your audience and let Shopify handle the backend.
Complete online stores start at $39 per month and come with all the ecommerce necessities packaged in a sleek platform. Manage inventory, shipping, marketing, and online payments from the same dashboard.
It’s extremely easy to use, despite being a very powerful platform. All the users we spoke with complimented Shopify on its ease of use, especially for first-timers.
One user without any technical experience who “hates computers” was able to get her site online in a single weekend “just kind of trying different things.”
Another user who worked for a nationwide boutique furniture retailer described how the platform teaches users to find success. He’d never used a platform so welcoming and helpful previously.
Shopify delivers detailed data about the growth of your site, letting you track progress.
“Shopify helps you set up everything,” he said. “It doesn’t do things for you, but it makes you aware of things you need to do.” That was the key thing for him. He described the types of helpful notifications he received: “Hey, you probably need to check about taxes. Hey, you probably want inventory alerts.”
The platform automatically detected issues and blind spots that would have been costly to discover in the future. “As a first-time store operator, it can be really beneficial,” he said.
These are just two of the Shopify users we spoke with, but their experiences capture the breadth of who can start using this platform right away. Everyone from total rookies to more mature businesses that want to jump into the ecommerce space can do great things with Shopify.
Shopify Wins
6,700+ apps and plugins: This is the largest ecommerce app store by a long shot. BigCommerce, its closest competitor on my list, offers around 1,000 apps. Shopify users receive a greater variety of developed tools to connect on social media, merchandise products, fulfill orders, and report on sales. The best part? More than 3,000 apps are free.
Easy to scale: Shopify supports multiple staff user accounts, currencies, and inventory locations with its entry-level plans. The bulk editing feature for inventory management makes it particularly easy to tag, track, and update large numbers of items in a small amount of time.
Deep knowledge base: Shopify’s online resources were a huge help to the users we talked with. Even though Shopify offers 24/7 customer support, one user said, “I think they do a really good job of giving you enough information that you don’t need to contact them.”
Out of the box, the Shopify platform is not quite as feature-rich as BigCommerce when it comes to managing a really complex inventory. That said, new users aren’t going to notice this. Shopify’s rich plugin selection will more than enable people to fill in any gaps once they’re ready to grow.
You can start with Shopify’s intuitive core platform and take it in whatever direction is most valuable to you. You can sell directly on Walmart, eBay, Pinterest, Facebook, and more.
And any decent platform lets you link with social media channels, but Shopify actually allows customers to shop directly on Instagram or TikTok. Not only is it easy to build engaging ads that fit with the norms of each different platform, but those viewers will be one swipe away from your shop.
Now there are other easy platforms to use–Wix and Squarespace come to mind–but you’re going to run into limits trying to grow on those platforms.
If you never have more than one location for inventory or a few dozen products, you’ll be okay with the lighter website builders.
But if you want to carry a lot of products, perform transactions in multiple currencies, or do any of the things that let you scale in a big way, Shopify is the better choice.
Shopify provides store owners with multiple statistics related to the performance of the store.
You’ll have more options to customize product variants, more tools for shipping and tracking, and a much easier time merchandising your products.
There are many such shortcuts that are easy to use in Shopify, which cuts down on the effort it takes to keep your store up to date while minimizing mistakes.
One user we spoke with said Shopify saved him several hours during every inventory update, which contained thousands of products and variants. He said last-minute price changes and other “creative differences” were completely normal for his company. Getting everyone on the same page was really frustrating.
He said, “I was super over people sending me screenshots with doodles all over,” in order to reflect the current price or name changes.
With Shopify, it was easy to create “great workflows” that allowed him to upload changes to inventory all at once.
He said the eleventh-hour changes were still annoying, “but it’s only going to take me 10 minutes versus two hours.”
Shopify Drawbacks
Limited free layouts: Shopify only offers 11 free themes you can use for the layout of your store. You’ll be able to customize these to get them on brand, but you don’t have as many free themes or the same design freedom you get with Wix and Squarespace.
Plugins can drive up cost and complexity: Every platform uses plugins to some extent, but users described Shopify as “dependent” on the plugins. Lots of plugins can drive up your monthly cost, slow down your site’s performance, and potentially cause conflicts with one another.
Fewer product variants than BigCommerce: Although it’s a lot more accommodating than Wix and Squarespace, Shopify doesn’t let users fine-tune their product listings as much as BigCommerce. You are limited to 100 product variants in Shopify, for example, whereas it’s 600 with BigCommerce.
If you just need a simple, polished, intuitive storefront, Shopify will knock it out of the park. But shop owners looking for something a little more unique might have to spend money on a premium theme from Shopify. Wix, on the other hand, would enable them to create something just as good themselves.
Plugins are always going to be a double-edged sword, regardless of platform. The reason I’m drawing attention to them in the Shopify review is that every user we talked to depended on plugins in order to create the online store they needed.
As you’re looking at your options, you may find that one of the other platforms has more of the tools you need baked into its core system. This can keep costs down and make managing everything a lot easier.
Shopify Pricing
Shopify offers multiple pricing tiers, although its most popular tier starts at $29 per month when billed annually.
For the majority of users, Shopify offers three plans in tiers: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced. You also can subscribe to the Starter tier we mentioned earlier. You’ll have to reach out to Shopify for enterprise pricing through the Shopify Plus tier.
The prices in the above image are for paying annually upfront. The pricing is a bit higher if you choose month-to-month pricing.
Basic Shopify, which starts at $39 for the month-to-month subscription, has quite literally everything you need to start selling. You can have two staff accounts and up to 1000 locations for inventory.
You also get features like printable shipping labels, gift cards, discount codes, and abandoned cart reminders for free. Those tend to cost money and might require integration into another platform.
All Shopify users get competitive shipping rates from DHL Express, UPS, and USPS. Basic Shopify shipping rates are discounted up to 77% and premium plans up to 88%.
Their mid-tier plan, Shopify, is $105 for month-to-month billing, and gives you more staff accounts and standard reporting features. You also get a lower fee for credit card transactions.
Advanced Shopify is $399 when paying month-to-month and comes with deeper reporting features, calculated shipping rates from third parties, and an even lower rate for credit card transactions. At a certain volume, you’re going to pay for the difference in savings.
If you use Shopify Payments, there is no transaction fee beyond what the credit card processor charges. This is why they advertise “0% transaction fees.” Just bear in mind that using another payment gateway will result in a transaction fee.
One last thing to understand is that you will have to pay for the really valuable plugins. Every Shopify user we talked to had several plugins at least.
Ease of Use with Shopify
Shopify integrates your online shop with multiple shippers, simplifying the process.
As we mentioned earlier, the Shopify users we spoke with love how easy it is to use this platform successfully. But we had to try it for ourselves.
Our verdict: The users we spoke with knew what they were talking about.
Beyond the ease with which you can create a site, Shopify keeps things simple as you grow. For example, you can automate many tasks that you need to do to operate and grow your store.
Should a user leave you a negative review, you can have Shopify alert you with a support ticket, so you can respond quickly. If you are running low on inventory for a certain product, have Shopify automatically hide that product until it’s back in stock.
Additionally, Shopify greatly simplifies the process of shipping products to customers. You automatically receive access to the shipping company options we mentioned earlier, directly integrated with your Shopify store.
Once you set up the shipping options you prefer to run as part of your checkout process, you can simply print a shipping label and go when you receive an order.
Designing Shopify Stores
Shopify helps you design your store with dozens of free and pay themes.
When you are ready to design your Shopify store, you can pick from multiple themes. Some themes are free, while others require a one-time fee.
Themes help you set up a layout for your store that looks professional. Select from more than 100 design options so the design of the store matches the types of products you are selling.
With a theme selected, you should be able to build your site on your own–even if you are a novice. Setting up your own site saves you quite a bit of money versus having to hire a designer from the start.
However, if it seems like something is missing from your site after you create it, Shopify can put you in touch with experts that you can hire to help with design, marketing, or other tasks.
Why We Recommend Shopify
Shopify made the list based on our research and interviews with active users. The Shopify users loved it. No one had any trouble getting started or growing their stores.
Smaller shops that are going to stay small can get by with something less, but Shopify is my top pick for folks looking to make a splash. You don’t have to start big to grow like crazy on this platform.
Bottom line: It’s no accident that more people start their store on Shopify than anywhere else. Check out our complete Shopify review for more information.
Wix – Best for Stores with Fewer Than 100 Products
Wix is hands-down the best option for stores that are never going to carry a ridiculous amount of inventory.
Wix technically does allow you unlimited items, but the reality is that its most successful users have a simple product line that they showcase with Wix’s best-in-class website builder.
You can start for free with one of 122 free templates for online stores. That number may be low by the time you read this article because Wix really is always adding more options for online store owners.
In fact, it offers more ecommerce templates than the rest of the platforms I’ve reviewed combined. You can start editing a Wix online store template now to see if you like the interface.
We spoke with a web developer who’d used both Wix and BigCommerce. He thought Wix was “fantastic” from a design perspective, and perfect for small businesses without super complex or expansive inventory.
“[Businesses like that] need something that looks professional and is easy to evolve as they change,” he said. With Wix, you can build the site you want and “there’s not a lot of heavy lifting and expense.”
Wix Wins
Quick setup for new users: Every platform we recommended is easy to use, but Wix is in a league of its own. It has literally hundreds of industry-specific templates to get started and extensive in-platform guidance. The lack of complexity on the backend won’t matter to people without an extensive product selection, and makes day one that much simpler.
Truly free-form design: You can drag and drop page elements anywhere on the page. There are guiding lines set up in the Wix templates, which make it easy for people to create an intuitive layout on the page. Unlike Squarespace, however, Wix lets you ignore those lines.
Easy to edit: Users loved the ability to change up the look of their site and add new content, pages, or interactive elements. With other platforms, most noticeably BigCommerce, it was harder for users to adjust their site as the market evolved.
Exceptional security: When it comes to online transactions, both merchants and customers want to know their financial information is protected. Wix delivers that reassurance automatically, no extra steps required.
Squarespace is another great option for folks in this position, but Wix really allows total freedom when it comes to design.
You can play with the text or add videos with a click. Shopify and BigCommerce are certainly getting better in this regard, but Wix is really setting the standard these days.
“With Wix, it was definitely super easy to just move things around,” said a recording artist who sold merch on her site. “It wasn’t super difficult to navigate edits,” she said, which was important because she liked to run limited edition product sales of things like t-shirts and CDs. Editing the site was as easy as updating inventory.
You can also track orders on the platform, print shipping labels, or use one of Wix’s partner shipping services to handle your deliveries.
Users had no complaints about keeping track of inventory, orders, or shipping within the Wix interface. Granted, the folks we talked to were not shipping a high volume of items week after week.
The recording artist we interviewed doesn’t have an assistant yet, so the simple store management was a big plus. The FAQs and Wix documentation have been more than enough for her to figure out how to get her product out the door.
The fact that her site looks professional and polished is also a big deal because she’s looking to sign on with a studio. “Having that website definitely helps with attracting management,” she explained. It’s not a perfect science, but because “there’s just so many platforms to be present on” in terms of social media, having a dedicated site of her own has piqued more serious interest in her work.
The ability to sell on social media is included with every Wix plan, so you don’t have to pay more to do what I consider to be an essential part of any ecommerce strategy.
By linking her Wix site to Twitch, the recording artist has been able to run a challenge where she sells out t-shirts on her stream. “Once it sells out, I’ll launch a new t-shirt with a new design,” she said, and this tactic is, “definitely driving more people to the website for the purposes of selling merchandise.”
One other area where Wix excels is security. It has a dedicated world-class security team in place monitoring for and preventing cyber vulnerabilities and threats 24/7. Wix is also compliant with the highest industry security standards and certifications, including SOC 2 Type 2, PCI Level 1, GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, and ISO 27001, 27701, 27018, and 27017.
When it comes to protecting the online financial information of customers, every Wix site is compliant by default with the Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). Both merchants and buyers are protected with secure checkout and payment methods, and merchants can choose from 50+ secure payment providers.
Wix also boasts a 99.98 percent uptime rate, meaning your customers will be able to reach your site all the time. And your data is secure too, with your data saved across 20 data centers and backup servers.
Wix Drawbacks
Not built to scale: Wix is great for simple stores, but once you start to carry and ship a ton of inventory, it’s not going to be as easy to manage as something built specifically for that purpose, like Shopify or BigCommerce. Fewer supported currencies, inventory locations, shipping options, and payment gateways start to become real issues at scale.
Decent plugin selection: Wix has a few hundred apps, many of which make sense to use with ecommerce. It’s a good selection, but there may be a social network, marketplace, shipper, supplier, or other partner that Wix is missing compared to the more mature ecommerce platforms.
Unclear price parameters: Users reported here and in other research that the price of Wix was hard to predict. It wasn’t always clear what was an upsell, what was included, and what was only included as a trial.
Wix offers unlimited items, six product options, and up to a thousand variants per product. So on paper, it looks like you can go really big, but the users we talked to disagreed. This is exactly why we do the research.
One web developer explained that he uses Wix for clients that need a fairly basic store they can launch quickly and inexpensively. It won’t have the powerful backend, but his Wix clients are “not going to notice the difference between a super distributed, well-designed site that is going to handle millions of hits a day versus what they’re going to get, which is hundreds of hits a day.”
And a different developer we spoke with said, “Wix will fall way short when it comes to any of the features that involve tracking a transaction in the store.”
Shopify and BigCommerce have a lot more tax, shipping, and reporting options built in–with Wix, you’ll have to install plugins and get them to work in harmony. This isn’t something most stores should worry about if they have a few conventional items to ship each week. But what’s your inventory going to look like in a year?
What would be easy to scale in BigCommerce might require a professional with Wix. You just don’t have as much built-in ability to support multiple locations, currencies, staff members, or payment gateways.
Now you could hire a developer, and Wix has a fleet of them on standby, but I think most people will be able to build out a much bigger shop on their own with Shopify or BigCommerce.
You can hire a developer directly through wix’s partner page if you need something customized.
And then there’s the total cost, which seems to climb faster with Wix than it does with other platforms when people try to grow beyond a simple store. We talked to a lot of users, and this is something we’ve heard from nearly all of them.
You can get a great deal on Wix–they have some of the best prices in the space–but there are a lot of upsells and gimmick discounts, and people often end up using paid features without knowing exactly what it’s going to cost. As one user told us, “At first, it was great. And then it got more expensive.”
This is something that can happen with every platform, but I’d be extra cautious with Wix if you are thinking about offering a ton of products.
Another thing to think about with Wix is that you’re stuck with whatever template you choose. You have a huge selection of templates to choose from and they are fully customizable, but you can’t switch your content to a new template like you can with Squarespace.
Most of these drawbacks will never cause real issues for small stores that plan to stay small. The problems identified by web developers building sites for clients were not things we heard from end-users who were running Wix for their shop. It was more than what they needed.
Wix Pricing
Wix offers ecommerce builders as a separate product from their website builder, though you’re getting the same great design interface. They offer three plans for online stores:
Business Basic is one of the most affordable ecommerce platforms on the market. It doesn’t come with automated tax calculations, which is notable, but it does come with abandoned cart reminders, a premium feature on other platforms.
Business Unlimited comes with the ability to sell on marketplaces like eBay, print shipping labels, and tools to manage shipping. You also get automated sales tax calculation free for up to 100 transactions per month.
Personally, I think the $5 per month for Unlimited is worth it for the tax calculations alone. With Business VIP, you get free tax calculations for the first 500 transactions per month and the ability to dropship an unlimited number of products.
Note that your storage is limited with Wix, starting at 20 GB with the Basic plan. Other platforms give you unlimited storage, which is something to think about if you have a lot of high-resolution pictures of your products or use a lot of video content. Basic is actually capped at five hours of video content per month.
It’s hard to beat Wix in terms of web design, and they are only improving their platform. Editor X, their new web design interface, had all the developers really excited.
When it comes to ecommerce, Wix is one of the best plug-and-play options for people who want a good-looking store that “just works.” It’s a little more expensive than others, but you are getting more of everything: design tools, integrations, templates, reliability, security, and so on.
If you have a trim selection of products you want to sell, it’s going to be great. Wix is all that you need to be up and running within the hour.
BigCommerce is a very popular ecommerce platform that keeps getting better. There’s a whole lot you can do, and it won’t take you very long to learn.
We recommend BigCommerce for businesses with a large inventory of products. It keeps management simple regardless of how many SKUs, variants, warehouses, and channels you have.
On the front end, your customers have no problems finding exactly what they need. Where other ecommerce platforms struggle at scale, BigCommerce excels.
BigCommerce Wins
Complex inventory management: BigCommerce allows up to 600 variants tied to a single SKU. Not everyone needs this level of variety, but products that offer a wide range of colors, finishes, sizes, and so on are easy for customers to shop.
No code necessary: You can really geek out if you want–but you don’t have to. BigCommerce lets you point and click to design and optimize your site, no HTML or CSS knowledge required.
Channel management: You can easily keep track of customers and earnings, as well as adjust the settings of any channels you use. Facebook, Instagram, Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Wish, MercadoLibre, and TikTok channels are supported by the platform–others are available via third parties in the BigCommerce App Store.
The users we spoke with were especially happy that BigCommerce let them carry a ton of products and display them well for customers. On the back end, they could make listings as detailed as they wanted, and on the front end, they could offer customers more control to find exactly what they were searching for.
In some of the other platforms, like Shopify, you can only offer a few drop-down menus (do you want small, medium, or large), whereas drop-downs are just one of many options BigCommerce users can employ to increase their customers’ options–you can set up radio buttons, text fields, a selection of swatches, checkbox options, and more.
Users were also happy with how much of this functionality was built right into the platform. “We created discount codes, volume pricing, bulk pricing, and all of that directly in BigCommerce,” one user told us.
There was no need to use a plugin to get really targeted with their promotions. “For example, if we were selling to the public, but also wanted to target school teachers, we were able to create specific accounts for school teachers that would give them special access to a certain catalog and have unique pricing for them,” another user noted.
Customer ratings and reviews are also part of the BigCommerce platform, and there are more than 70 types of built-in discounts and coupons. Shopify users have to install multiple third-party apps to support customer reviews or run a similar diversity of promotions.
In the end, BigCommerce is about giving your customers more options and more ways to get what they want. “You can set up custom rules for those product variations,” another user said. “For example, if you have a T-shirt that has a certain graphic on it–you’ve got a turtle on one and an elephant on the other–and you just want to show the elephant photos when they select the elephant variant, you can do that,” she explained.
It’s kind of an odd example, but it illustrates the idea that you can control how you want to display your items, regardless of how many variations and permutations you have.
Contrast this with using a lighter platform where you’ll wind up having to find workarounds or using third-party apps to get things just right. Plugins are ok, but can often throw a wrench in your reporting. Out of the box, BigCommerce is just better set up to handle larger, more complex inventories.
BigCommerce Drawbacks
More than simple shops need: If you want to sell a few items from your blog or only carry a limited inventory, BigCommerce may add unnecessary complexity to your online store.
Grows bigger, not fancier: Building a unique and interactive shopping experience likely requires developer-level skills on BigCommerce. “If you were doing more of the same, you definitely could scale up,” said one user, “but I don’t think you could expand feature-wise.”
Harder to make design changes: Editing your site’s design is easy, but it’s not as customizable as Wix and Squarespace. You can’t “make it your own” to the same degree in BigCommerce.
Although BigCommerce has a robust list of included features, there are some surprising things you still need to accomplish through plugins, like printing shipping labels. Shopify has that built-in, whereas you’re going to need to add another service like ShipStation to BigCommerce to get your orders out the door without waiting in line at the post office.
Also, while BigCommerce can help you grow your online store quickly, it’s harder for people to escape the templated, box-store feel without the help of a professional. Your customers will always know they are on a shopping website from the moment they arrive. Something like Wix allows even a beginner to start differentiating their site from the crowd.
BigCommerce Pricing
The BigCommerce Essentials plan is what I’ve been describing in this review. It’s aimed at startups and small businesses. There are three different Essentials packages to choose from, as well as custom pricing for enterprise buyers.
The pricing above is the monthly price with an annual plan. You can get a 25% discount on all plans by signing up for a year.
One thing I want to call out right away is that customer support is available 24/7 on every plan. This includes phone, chat, and ticketed support. The users we spoke to had very positive reviews, saying support agents picked up within minutes, were patient with their questions, and fully resolved all issues.
The Standard plan includes everything you need for your online storefront and the ability to connect with 55 payment gateways. There is no additional charge from BigCommerce so long as your sales stay below $50k per year. After that, you have to upgrade to the Plus plan and pay a flat fee of $50 per month.
BigCommerce also offers a 15-day free trial.
This is one clear area where Shopify and BigCommerce differ. You have to use Shopify Payments to avoid a transaction fee, whereas BigCommerce lets small businesses sell for free.
The credit card rates for online sales are also slightly lower with BigCommerce than they are with Shopify. At scale, this is going to matter a lot.
Bigcommerce supports 100 different currencies. Shopify also handles dozens, but you’re going to have to depend on plugins to increase what your site can handle.
The reporting tools are also good, no matter which BigCommerce plan you pick. This is distinct from Shopify as well, which only includes advanced reporting tools with its most expensive platform.
With the Pro plan, you can give your customers the ability to filter products in your store. If you have a large inventory, this is key.
Why We Recommend BigCommerce
If you want to get your products in front of online shoppers, BigCommerce is a safe bet. There’s hardly anything it can’t do. A beginner is not going to be able to design a dazzling site, but other than that, the users we spoke to felt like this platform supercharged their ability to grow.
It excels in key areas that really matter to folks with pages of products and hundreds of variants. With BigCommerce, you can display products the way you want and offer rich options to your customers.
Bottom line: BigCommerce has everything we wanted to see in a large-scale ecommerce platform, and none of the annoying limits we saw with other options. For more information, refer to our BigCommerce review.
Squarespace is my top recommendation for users that need an online store with more style and substance than the typical commercial, shopping-cart-focused ecommerce platforms. You’ll be able to offer customers a much more on-brand, unique experience, which is critical for businesses competing in a niche market.
“It feels presentable in a way that I’m comfortable with being the face of our brand,” said one shop owner who sold house plants within her home state. Like the other Squarespace users we talked to, she felt like it was easy to design and maintain a site that spoke to her clientele.
Like the other platforms I reviewed, with Squarespace you can tag products on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, bringing people from different communities into your shop.
The plant shop owner liked the consistent feel between her Instagram page, where she does most of her marketing, and her Squarespace store. Not only was her site on-brand, it was also simple for visitors to start shopping. “I feel really good about the ease of use for the user as well,” she said.
Squarespace Wins
Customization without complexity: Users loved the design interface for creating their site. With Squarespace, you can switch up the template without starting over, which you can’t do with Wix.
Low maintenance: If you use a free Squarespace theme, it’s automatically updated (unlike with WordPress). There are also some key features built into Squarespace, like email marketing and analytics, that require plugins or apps in other platforms.
No storage limits: The other website builders, like Wix and WordPress, have storage and database limits. Squarespace does not, so you never have to worry about how many high-quality images and videos you upload.
Squarespace used to be in a league of its own in terms of providing users with an intuitive visual web page builder. The competition has caught up, with many vendors shamelessly copying everything that made Squarespace amazing.
The reason Squarespace still lives near the top of my recommendations is that they’ve continued to improve the design experience, and built out their online store offerings to a point where they can offer a viable alternative to something like Shopify.
You simply can’t create that original of a site on Shopify without diving into the code, whereas a total beginner can jump in and start crafting a really unique website on Squarespace.
Squarespace really stands on its own, in terms of establishing a professional online presence for your business, the “face of your brand.” BigCommerce has five online store templates to start from, Shopify has nine, and Squarespace has 34, and you have a lot more flexibility to customize from there.
And unlike Wix, which also allows for a lot of design freedom, Squarespace will let you keep your store if you switch templates. This can be really helpful for a branding refresh or taking a new direction. Wix is great, but you’d have to start over from square one to make such a significant change.
You can always change your squarespace template if you want to redesign your store.
“It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be,” said an artist who uses Squarespace as both a portfolio for displaying different types of artwork, as well as an online store where customers can buy originals and prints. She really appreciated how easy it was to add functionality to her site.
“There are so many more capabilities behind the scenes that they’re already built-in,” she said. It’s just a matter of clicking a button, instead of having to install a plugin, getting it to work, and keeping it up to date.
This level of manual maintenance is something you’d run into a lot with WordPress, which you have to build from the ground up. Squarespace is more or less ready to go, especially if you go with one of the built-in templates. As another user explained, “You don’t have to constantly be installing updates, because it’s what they do across the board with a limited number of templates.”
Not having to manage custom themes or plugins is a real time-saver and protects your site automatically from potential security vulnerabilities. “I knew that everything would always be up to date,” this user said, adding how much they enjoyed not thinking about it.
That was a common theme among Squarespace users–they were able to keep the backend management pretty simple despite growing their stores considerably. “My sales are so much higher than they’ve ever been and it’s so easy,” said one user. “I mean, nothing about it has gotten harder.”
Squarespace Drawbacks
Templated design: You don’t have total control over how your website looks. Most users were happy with the final result, but you lack complete design freedom. Advanced users can make changes in the code, but even that is harder than with other platforms.
Difficult to scale: Handling a large number of products, hundreds of variants, and multiple inventory locations won’t be as easy as it is in Shopify or BigCommerce. Successful Squarespace sellers we talked to did not have a high volume of orders.
Limited extensions: There are only 28 pre-built extensions for Squarespace, which means you have fewer options to increase the tracking, shipping, merchandising, and other functions of your store.
Every user we spoke with was happy with the design interface and what their store looked like, but I don’t want to give the impression that Squarespace’s design system is completely freeform.
With Wix, you can move page elements wherever you want on the page. You can’t quite do that in Squarespace. As one user with experience in both platforms said, “with the layout of Squarespace, it’s way more structured. It’s like things are where they are, and that’s where they go. You have to just kind of work within that.”
So while Squarespace is a lot more customizable than BigCommerce, you can’t escape the template altogether, as you can with Wix. You may find yourself constrained by the design, even though it’s easy to use.
It’s a tradeoff, though, like anything else. Wix gives you a little bit more freedom to add page elements how and where you want, but you can’t switch templates without starting over from scratch. Squarespace is a bit more regimented, but you have the freedom to switch your content from one template to another.
Some people are going to get their site the way they want it and only make minor changes after that. Others are going to want to try new designs to keep things fresh.
It’s possible to color outside the lines in Squarespace–but you really have to know what you’re doing. “It’s a little harder than I would like to override CSS and HTML,” one user told us.
Custom editing is also more difficult than with something like WordPress, where “you can easily just get under the hood, get to the source code and tweak a few things if you need it,” as one user described. Again, it’s a tradeoff, because Squarespace’s secure, proprietary platform is just a lot harder to hack into than WordPress, which is entirely open source.
Although Squarespace is diligent about adding new features and capabilities, I think Shopify and BigCommerce are going to work a lot better for folks that have a lot of products and a high volume of sales. Users said they felt confident Squarespace would work for a few hundred items, but a store with thousands of SKUs is going to run into issues.
“If you’re shipping out of a warehouse, Squarespace isn’t for you,” said one user. I think this is helpful for visualizing the limits, but it’s also literally true–you can’t track inventory in multiple locations with Squarespace. With Shopify, that’s built into the platform of their cheapest plan.
In other words, scaling Squarespace is going to take some in-house IT resources, or require the likely ongoing help of a developer. The ambitious store owner will likely be able to grow quicker by themselves with BigCommerce or Shopify.
Squarespace Pricing
Squarespace has very straightforward pricing for its website builder, which lets you create an online store with all but the most entry-level plan.
The prices above are for annual plans, which are discounted from the monthly rate. The Business plan is enough for an online-only shop to get off the ground. It’s appropriate for smaller shops only, as it doesn’t come with the merchandizing, analytics, or advanced shipping tools that help owners push a lot of product.
If you can make it work, the Business plan is a cost-effective way to bring your store to life. That said, there is a 3% transaction fee on all sales. That fee is removed if you upgrade to one of the Commerce plans.
For most folks who want an online store, the Commerce plans are going to work much better. You have a 0% transaction fee (credit card processors will still charge you, but Squarespace won’t), the ability to collect in-person payments, Instagram integration, and a lot more tools to display and market your products.
The biggest reason to go with one of the Commerce plans is that they include free TaxJar integration. This will automatically calculate all of your shipping taxes, though you will still have to upgrade to a paid TaxJar extension in order to automate sales tax filing for reporting.
This extension works flawlessly for most folks. “My husband is an accountant and his CPA is on the line if we don’t do things properly,” one user told us. Her home state had some unusual regulations that made it difficult to know how much to collect and who they needed to remit to. “TaxJar helped with that a lot,” she said.
Some of the noticeable features that only come with Advanced Commerce are abandoned cart reminders (Shopify includes this with every plan they offer), subscription sales, and API access to build your own solutions.
Why We Recommend Squarespace
Squarespace offers a website builder that delivers stunning results without a ton of work. For folks that need something on-brand and engaging, Squarespace allows you to craft a store that goes well beyond the templates of Shopify or BigCommerce.
And even though Wix allows you a little more liberty to set up your site the way you want it, Squarespace is much more forgiving in terms of letting you switch templates without starting over.
Hostinger is one of the most well-known and reputable web hosting solutions on the market today. But Hostinger also has an excellent website builder that can be used to create an online store from scratch.
It’s the perfect option for anyone looking to launch a new ecommerce site as easily as possible today without sacrificing customization or extensibility down the road. You can get a free domain name, managed WordPress hosting, and an ecommerce website builder packaged into a single subscription.
I recommend Hostinger if you prefer simplicity without limitations. There’s no need to bounce back and forth between multiple platforms to get started, and since the site is built on top of WordPress, you have endless customization options as your store grows in the future.
Hostinger Wins
Affordable: Starting at $2.99 per month, you’ll get Hostinger’s ecommerce website builder included with your hosting plan. This is by far the most affordable option on our list by a long shot.
Managed WordPress hosting: As a fully managed hosting solution, your online store will be optimized for WordPress on day one. You’ll also benefit from 24/7 support, one-click WordPress installation, automatic updates, and daily or weekly backups.
Drag-and-drop editing: Hostinger’s drag-and-drop site builder is easy for anyone to use. There are no technical skills or coding knowledge required, and it’s easy to see how your changes look in real-time.
People choose Hostinger because it has everything you could possibly need to start and manage your ecommerce store.
Newbies in this space can be intimidated about finding a web host, buying a domain, and connecting that domain to your host—all before building and launching a store. But with Hostinger, you’re getting all of this from a single provider.
get a free domain and ecommerce website builder with your hostinger web hosting plan.
Not to mention the fact that your site is powered by one of the fastest and most reputable web hosting providers on the market. So as your ecommerce store scales and you get more traffic, Hostinger can grow with you to ensure your site has lightning-fast loading speeds and the highest possible performance.
Your plan comes with tons of extra perks as well, including a free SSL certificate, Cloudflare-protected nameservers, malware scanning, and more.
Hostinger Drawbacks
No built-in payments: Other ecommerce platforms have built-in processing. But if you’re using Hostinger, you’ll need to get a payment gateway elsewhere and then integrate it with your store.
Limited ecommerce templates: While Hostinger does have several different templates designed specifically for ecommerce shops, the options really aren’t on par with what we’ve seen from other providers.
Sell up to 500 products: Hostinger’s ecommerce store lets you sell up to 500 products. This is fine for smaller shops, but you can’t scale a massive inventory on Hostinger’s site builder.
Overall, Hostinger is solid. But it definitely falls a bit behind some of the other solutions out there that solely offer ecommerce solutions.
The out-of-the-box ecommerce features from Hostinger are fairly limited. It’s enough to get up and running with ease, but you may need to rely on third-party plugins and add-ons to truly get the most out of your store.
With that said, the fact that Hostinger’s site builder is built on top of WordPress means your customization options are limitless. So while you may not have a gateway or subscription box feature at your disposal right away, you can easily add those later on.
If you know you’ll never come near the 500-product maximum on Hostinger, then this will be fine for you. However, if you know you’re going to be selling thousands of different products within the next year or two, you’ll probably want to consider a different option on our list.
Hostinger Pricing
Every web hosting plan from Hostinger comes with a free website builder.
Hostinger is the most affordable option on our list.
However, the Single plan does not come with a free domain name. So if you need to bundle a free domain with your ecommerce hosting plan, the Premium plan is well-worth the extra $1 per month.
You’ll also get extra storage, RAM, and active processes to ensure higher performance on your site. This is crucial for ecommerce shops, as you want to make sure your customers have a fast and seamless shopping experience.
The Premium plan supports up to 25,000 monthly visits as well, whereas the Single plan only supports up to 10,000 monthly visits.
If you want daily backups instead of weekly backups and you want to accommodate up to 100,000 monthly visits, upgrade to the Business plan at $3.99 per month.
It’s also worth noting that you need to lock in a 48-month contract to get the lowest possible rate. The price you pay now is also promotional, and it will renew at the regular rate when your contract expires. Even when the promotional rate expires, Hostinger is still way cheaper than the other ecommerce platforms on our list.
All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Why We Recommend Hostinger
Hostinger stands out from the crowd with its simplicity and rock-bottom pricing. It’s significantly cheaper than the other ecommerce solutions on our list, and you’re getting a free domain and web hosting included from a reputable provider.
Bottom line: Get Hostinger if you want a simple drag-and-drop ecommerce site builder bundled with high-quality web hosting and a free domain name.
Selection and Review Process for the Best Ecommerce Platforms
Selecting the top ecommerce platforms
In order to make our top list, each platform had to include all the fundamentals of a modern online shopping experience:
Visual website builder: Create your online store with clicks (not code)
Inventory management tools: Stock, tag, and categorize an unlimited number of items
Shopping carts: Allow customers to browse and order products
Payment gateways: Offer secure ways for customers to pay online
Shipping tools: Arrange for pickup, delivery, or price in a third-party shipper
SEO & marketing tools: Get the word out and more traffic to your store
Our researchers focused on platforms that individuals could start using right away, without deep experience in computer languages, supply chain management, or online marketing.
On day one, someone should be able to set up their store, stock their products, market their brand, and ship orders. None of these fundamentals should require a developer or a computer science degree.
This is why I ended up excluding some great products like Magento. Those products are marketed toward larger operations with complex requirements. For the vast majority of users, a tool in this class has more firepower than they need, and it’s going to be way more challenging to set up.
You can definitely do millions in revenue with the recommendations on my list. Many businesses already have.
Shopify and BigCommerce offer pre-built integrations with the most popular ERP software and form the ecommerce backbone of massive multinational retailers. Squarespace and Wix offer custom solutions used by some of the biggest companies on the planet. WordPress is still the king of the internet.
If you’re an enterprise buyer, reach out to any of these platforms’ sales teams. That’s where you’ll be able to learn just how well they can handle your needs.
For the rest of you, you can start on any of my recommendations and grow. All of these platforms have fundamentals like security locked down. You’re not worrying about SSL certificates, PCI compliance audits, or anything like that.
You may be on the hook for updating plugins, which is especially important for WordPress, but you certainly don’t need to have any specialized cybersecurity knowledge to keep your site, and your customers, hack-free.
Once we felt confident that our top list was suited to individuals and small businesses, it was time to take a deeper look at what it’s really like to run a store on each of these platforms.
Reviewing the top ecommerce platforms
The only way to find out how well these tools perform in the real world is to speak with active users. These are shop owners and web developers who have entrusted their businesses to these platforms.
Demoing a product for two weeks is fun, and it can be illuminating. However, nothing trumps the experience of someone who is depending on the platform for their income year after year.
How we found active users:
We combed through public review sites and social media to find people who had posted about their experience with one of the platforms we planned to review.
We confirmed users’ identities via LinkedIn. There are miles of fake reviews online, and this step served as partial confirmation that the review was written by a real person, working at a real company.
Once we made contact with the users, we confirmed they were still actively using these platforms for their businesses or managing a platform on behalf of a client.
Who we interviewed:
Over the course of several weeks, we coordinated interviews with 12 people who were all using at least one of the products on our list. We compensated interviewees for their time.
Users came from a variety of ages and backgrounds, ranging from 20 years old to more than 70.
Users sold a range of products, like furniture, fitness classes, and videography. They also sold digital products, like music and art.
Several users worked as web developers building ecommerce sites for clients
Interviews ranged from around 15 minutes to as long as 45 minutes. Some of the longer interviews were with developers who had tried every tool on the market and built high-powered sites on multiple platforms.
But we also had good long talks with total rookies who were finding success without any professional guidance. They were proud of their ability to find their own solutions online. As one first-timer explained, “I am a true millennial in the way that I will do anything to find the answer in writing rather than having to call someone.”
We found people of all ages are using these platforms. A 76-year-old told us about an 84-year-old he knows who “hates computers,” but sat at her desk one weekend and figured out BigCommerce.
What We Learned Reviewing the Best Ecommerce Platforms
One thing that surprised us about the people who switched was that we didn’t hear “x is so much better than y.” Instead, we heard “x worked well for certain things, but when I started doing other things, y was definitely the way to go.” This is similar to what we heard from web developers who had experience in multiple platforms as well.
So what are the major factors to consider? How should you frame your search?
In the guidance that follows, I’ve distilled everything we learned about ecommerce platforms. Three weeks of interviews, hundreds of collective years of ecommerce experience, and thousands of lessons learned are boiled down into four key considerations.
Your Platform Sets the Tone for Your Store
You’re going to invest a lot of time in your platform–getting all your inventory online, with pictures, tags, descriptions, and so on–so switching from one platform to another is not going to be easy. We talked to people who did, and they all recommended avoiding a switch if at all possible.
So how do you know, before you start, which ecommerce platform is the best one for your particular store long term?
I think it can be helpful to visualize the physical space you’d have to lease for your online store. Is it a small shop, a space in a strip mall, or a box store that can receive deliveries on a loading dock?
Wix and Squarespace are website builders that allow you to add an online store. They’re perfect for boutiques, small-scale online retailers, solopreneurs, and others that need to distinguish their products and services from the competition.
You’re going to have the freedom to create a much more unique site with these than you can with a pure ecommerce platform, like BigCommerce. With Wix and Squarespace you can really escape the strip mall feel and build an entire site that fits your vision.
In fact, one user who really loved BigCommerce told us that Wix outclassed it in terms of design tools. He said, “I would use Wix to promote an idea, promote a concept, promote a brand, where visual presentation and the flexibility to update that visual presentation are important.”
With the website builders, total beginners can put together an online store that stands out and evolve their design as the market changes. “Wix dominates that,” said the BigCommerce user. “You can do some fantastic stuff.”
But you have to judge these things based on scale, according to the folks we interviewed. Shopify and BigCommerce are pure ecommerce platforms. Out of the box, they are set up to provide the basics a shop owner needs to conduct ecommerce at a high-volume
The same BigCommerce user we spoke with told us that Wix is fine so long as “you’re not managing a complex inventory system tied into a point-of-sale system with a lot of other complex issues for managing your products.” After that point, it starts to break down.
This is what we heard from Squarespace users, too, who loved the look and feel of their site, but did not feel confident it could scale like the ecommerce platforms. “If you have a store with 500 to 1,000 different items, Squarespace isn’t for you,” one user said. “It’s way too many items. That’s better for a Shopify or something like that.”
The website builders also have a limited number of payment gateways and POS systems. A single brick-and-mortar with a single POS will be fine with Wix, but you’ll need to get some custom coding in order to support multiple inventory locations. Shopify and BigCommerce have this capability baked into their most affordable plans.
It’s like choosing between a boutique and a box store location. Deliveries are harder to make to the cute shop downtown than the massive warehouse by the highway.
One BigCommerce user explained the tradeoff perfectly. “It’s actually pretty easy to sell 10,000 products instead of 10,” he said, “but as far as offering more features, more end-user interactivity, that was the most difficult to do.”
We spoke with some Shopify and BigCommerce gurus, who knew how to work custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript elements into their pages.
Some of these folks built sites for less experienced ecommerce users, so while it’s possible to create a unique online experience with these tools, you really have to know what you’re doing. Wix and Squarespace make this aspect a little easier, though there’s much more of a ceiling for major growth.
Size (Of Your Store) Matters
The amount of software support and functionality you need is directly proportional to how big, complex, and varied your online store is–or will be. A solo creator who’s tired of paying table stakes for Etsy is in a very different position than a company with staff needing to oversee an online store that’s open 24/7.
A mismatch here can lead to a lot of headaches. Trying to do more than your platform is designed for is a recipe for frustration and an eventual switch, while trying to use an immense platform for a basic online trade show booth will feel like trying to drink from a fire hose.
Accuracy and simplicity also factor in here. A relatively basic store that’s accurate and up-to-date is going to be better than a dazzling one with mistakes. If pricing is no longer correct, or you’re listing products for sale that are actually out of stock, customers are going to hate shopping on your site.
Be realistic about the time you can give your store, too. The more plugins you add and products you list, the more work you’re going to have to do to stay on top of it.
One user we spoke with who used Squarespace to sell house plants said it was perfect for a side hustle. “I’m able to do what I need to do pretty easily with the time I’m able to give to it.” She still works a full-time job, and wished she had more time to master everything, but “I just don’t have the luxury of that time and energy.”
Similarly, you don’t have to do much to get a stellar, on-brand site with Wix. It’s like filling a display window–a couple of outfits on mannequins, a few accessories, a little seasonal decor, and boom, the small shop has what it needs to bring visitors in the door.
If you have a complex inventory or ship a lot of products each week (or you know you plan to get to that level within a year or two), platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce are better suited. The same simple product line that looked tight on Wix might look a little sparse on BigCommerce–like a warehouse with a lot of empty shelf space.
You’ll have more options to classify, filter, and sell products with ecommerce builders like these. It might be overkill for the side hustle or simple shop, but both Shopify and BigCommerce are designed for maintaining inventory at scale.
You just have a lot more control over product variations with Shopify (up to 100) and BigCommerce (up to 600).
One BigCommerce user who worked for a digital marketing company that helped retailers sell online told us how easy it was to manage a super diverse inventory. “You can set up custom rules for product variations, as far as, when you’re showing different pieces of content,” he said. “You can even show specific photos just for specific variations of a product.”
And a Shopify user told us how much time they saved updating high-volume inventory because of Shopify’s easy upload process. “You can come up with these great workflows for managing dozens to hundreds, to thousands of items and ensure that your QA is being adhered to.”
Previously, these updates involved manually going in and making the changes to each product. By their estimation, Shopify cut the time it took to update the product line in half.
Wix lets you add six product options, which is going to be fine for some users, but completely unacceptable for others. According to Wix, they’ve updated the platform so that you can add up to 100 variants, but none of the users we spoke with had used this feature yet.
With Squarespace, you can add a lot of variants, up to 250, but the process of uploading a .csv or using the product editor is not as streamlined as it is for BigCommerce and Shopify. This gets incredibly important when you’re trying to scale.
If you have a really simple inventory, Squarespace and Wix have the tools you need to manage it. But once things start to get complicated, Shopify and BigCommerce are much better set up. You’ll be able to categorize and display products on your terms, and keeping everything up to date will be far easier.
Compete For YOUR Market, Not THE Market
Everyone we talked to tied their store into social media feeds and online marketplaces. This was the lifeblood of their digital stores’ traffic. It created brand new streams of revenue for brick-and-mortars. “They were selling only in their store,” one developer said about a beauty shop, “giving them a very easy-to-use ecommerce site literally just open[ed] worlds up.”
Once the word about their products was online, it spread, and now they have their own niche market of shoppers from across the country.
“I have a presence on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, all those spots,” a recording artist told us. Squarespace makes it as easy as possible for her to gain followers, subscribers, and eventually paying customers.
The platforms I’ve recommended let you connect to all the big social channels, and are constantly adding newer, trendier social media options. People using website builders like Wix were using links to get followers from social media to their stores. It was very effective, but Shopify let store owners push further. With the TikTok app, Shopify users could link their store to TikTok for Business and generate shoppable, in-app content for customers.
BigCommerce has a comparable TikTok app, for example, but the other platforms do not. For example, you can embed TikTok on your Wix site, but you can’t design a shoppable TikTok video within the Wix platform.
I’d pay very close attention to the integrations, plugins, and apps available. Get current information and read the reviews in the app store–these are a goldmine for assessing the quality of the plugin or app.
But you can’t just blast away on every marketing channel. The users we spoke with who were finding success were extremely targeted in both the channels they selected and how they positioned themselves within the channel.
One user we talked with loved the ability to do email marketing directly within Squarespace. It was just “clicking a button” as opposed to installing a plugin or buying another tool to integrate. At the same time, though, she had to be careful “not to overwhelm them or cause email fatigue.”
Pick your channels carefully and word your offers thoughtfully. As the Squarespace user explained, “I want them to pay attention to a message when they do get it from us.”
Lock Your Shipping Strategy Down Early
After all the hard work of getting customers on your site and through the checkout process, the final step of actually delivering the product is supposed to be easy.
But is it?
We heard a lot about shipping issues from people, especially if they had large, heavy, or living items, like plants. They didn’t always know who to blame–the shipper, the platform, themselves–but the more you can figure out about what shipping setup works for you ahead of time, the better.
You may be able to use the built-in shipping features included with the platform, especially if you’re shipping conventional items, and you feel confident enough in your prices to charge default rates.
Bear in mind that entry-level plans don’t always include tools to handle more than basic shipping. Shopify lets you print shipping labels with their entry-level plan, but other platforms like Wix require you to upgrade if you want to avoid a trip to the post office.
With BigCommerce, you’ll have to use a plugin like ShipStation to print your own labels.
Out of the box, Shopify works incredibly well. You’ll get up to 77% off shipping rates with DHL Express, UPS, or USPS with the entry-level Basic Shopify plan. The discount increases up to 88% for premium plans.
If you need to ship large, heavy, or otherwise unconventional items where you need more flexible shipping rates, you are almost certainly going to have to use a plugin or extension.
These will fetch pricing rates from shippers, calculate the cost according to zip code, or allow customers to request shipping quotes where a flat rate or live quote isn’t feasible.
We spoke with one Shopify user who handled a lot of their own furniture deliveries because they needed a white-glove, concierge delivery.
“I mean, some of these orders are half a million dollars of stuff,” he said. “But we did offer shipping for a lot of products because if people can’t put in their credit card, and complete the order right then, they won’t buy it. They’re going to go to Amazon or somewhere else.”
He felt like anything you can ship should be available to buy with a click on their site. “Shopify would manage it for us based on whatever we were putting in there,” he said. “I didn’t even have to worry about that.”
Shopify and BigCommerce allow a ton more flexibility when it comes to shipping, especially internationally. BigCommerce has the edge simply because it’s easy to negotiate different currencies.
With other platforms, you’re going to run into some limits, like a lack of currencies to smooth international shipping, or the inability to dial in shipping costs for a varied inventory.
Squarespace, for example, does not allow for shipping costs by individual product. It adds corresponding weight and then calculates the total. You also can’t track your shipping from multiple locations, whereas Shopify lets you assign inventory to four different locations with their entry-level plan.
As one Squarespace user noted, the platform really works best for small scale. “If you just have a storefront, a couple hundred items, and you get like one or two orders a day, that’s easy,” he said, but recommended something like Shopify if you’re trying to do more.
Wix is another good option for ecommerce if you’re not shipping that much. For one thing, you don’t get automated tax calculations with their entry-level plan. You’ll either have to figure this out on your own or upgrade to Business Unlimited or Business VIP. Even then, though, the automated calculations are still limited to 100 transactions per month with Unlimited, and 500 transactions per month with VIP.
If you are interested in dropshipping, Shopify would be my top choice. No other platform integrates as seamlessly with as large a variety of dropshippers, directories, and databases.
BigCommerce also has a healthy number of dropshipping and fulfillment integrations as well, but Shopify allows the most flexibility in this regard.
Best Ecommerce Platforms: Your Top Questions Answered
What’s the best platform for an ecommerce business?
Shopify is the best platform for an ecommerce business because it has everything you need to build and scale your website. It has an integrated payments system and also supports over 100 third-party processors. Shopify’s drag-and-drop site builder makes it easy for anyone to create an ecommerce website without hiring a developer or learning how to code.
With plans starting at just $39 per month, it’s an exceptional value for everything you get within a single platform. Shopify is also known for its responsive and friendly customer support, available 24/7.
Which platform should I choose for my ecommerce website?
You should choose Shopify’s platform for your ecommerce website if you want a powerful all-in-one solution at a great value. Wix is a great choice if you’re looking for something more affordable and selling less than 100 products.
We recommend BigCommerce to ecommerce websites with massive inventories and Squarespace for online stores selling crafts, art, or other goods in a niche market. Hostinger is the best choice if you’re looking for the cheapest platform to start an online store.
How much does it cost to start an ecommerce site?
You can start an ecommerce site for around $20 to $30 per month. But this cost will only cover the use of an ecommerce platform and getting your site live on the web. Things like inventory, marketing, shipping, and payment processing still need to be taken into consideration when you’re evaluating the total cost of starting an ecommerce site.
If you’re starting a brand new company from scratch, you should also form a legal business entity for your ecommerce website. This typically costs around $200 or $300, and you check out our reviews of the best business formation services for guidance with this step.
How do I set up an ecommerce site?
To set up an ecommerce site, you need to purchase a domain name and select an ecommerce platform to power your site. Then you need to set up your payment acceptance methods either through your ecommerce platform or through a third-party processor.
Shopify is better than BigCommerce if you want a simple and easy-to-use ecommerce platform with everything you need under one roof. Shopify also has over 6,700 apps and plugins, whereas BigCommerce has roughly 1,000. But BigCommerce is better than Shopify if you’re selling thousands of products with lots of unique variants.
Shopify and BigCommerce are two of the best and most reliable ecommerce platforms on the market, and you can’t go wrong with either option. Refer to our Shopify vs. BigCommerce comparison guide for a more detailed analysis of these two platforms.
The Top Ecommerce Platforms in Summary
Ecommerce solutions come in all shapes and sizes. Some are made for international online stores with thousands of products. Others are better suited for sellers with just a handful of items.
All of the best ecommerce platforms provide the ability to sell online, but not all are built to scale. Be aware that your needs might change as your site grows. If that’s in the cards for you, be sure to choose a platform that can grow with you.
Email is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal. It can drive engagement, build relationships, and deliver a higher ROI than every other type of marketing campaign.
Success with your email strategy starts with finding the right email marketing service. Whether you’re starting a new list from scratch or just need an easier way to reach your audience, this guide has a solution for you.
Top 13 Best Email Marketing Platforms
Best of 2023: AWeber, Brevo, Campaigner, Constant Contact, ConvertKit, Drip, GetResponse, HubSpot, MailerLite, Moosend, Omnisend, Salesforce, and SMPT.com.
I’m confident recommending all of my top picks to different businesses in different situations. However, our research team found a handful of providers that quickly rose to the top of the list.
Of the top 13, our favorite email marketing platforms for 2023 are:
Whether you’re looking to streamline multiple marketing channels, start a new email list, sink your teeth into automation, or nurture and grow an existing list, you’ll likely find everything you need and more in one of the eight platforms above.
Keep reading to learn more about our favorite platforms as well as other top contenders for different situations.
Constant Contact is our recommendation for most users. Beginners will find a complete toolkit that’s easy to use, and veteran email marketers will recognize immediately how much time Constant Contact can save their team, especially when it comes to marketing automation.
Don’t take my word for it. Constant Contact lets you try the full email marketing platform risk-free for 60 days, with no credit card required.
And forget about needing to be good at designing emails. The intuitive drag-and-drop email builder allows you to easily create new emails that look good and on-brand—no coding knowledge is needed. Adding text, images, videos, coupons, polls, and events to any message is simple and straightforward.
It’s a really welcoming platform to work with. People who aren’t “techy” will quickly find themselves producing much more polished newsletters. There are more than 100 pre-built, mobile-optimized templates.
Constant contact delivers 100+ mobile-friendly templates that are easy to customize with its intuitive drag-and-drop email builder.
Automation is another key benefit of Constant Contact. A lot of the legwork can be set on autopilot. For example, you can trigger welcome messages for new subscribers and set up drip campaigns based on their actions.
How much time can you save list building with beautiful templates and simple marketing automation? Constant Contact excels as an email list service, but it’s so much more.
And as soon as you hit send, Constant Contact is recording results in real-time. You’ll see everything from open rates to click-through rates, as well as data for each individual subscriber.
This is so important–how else are you going to know which strategies are working and which need to be put on pause?
real-time analytics quickly give you all the information you need to understand your email campaign performance.
Pricing for Constant Contact’s email software is straightforward. There are three plans for you to choose from—Lite, Standard, and Premium.
Like most email marketing platforms, your rate will be based on the number of subscribers on your list. Both plans allow you to send unlimited emails.
Here’s what some of the prices look like for each plan:
Lite
0 – 500 Subscribers — Starting at $12 per month
501 – 1,000 Subscribers — Starting at $30 per month
1,001 – 2,500 Subscribers — Starting at $50 per month
2,501 – 5,000 Subscribers — Starting at $80 per month
Standard
0 – 500 Subscribers — Starting at $35 per month
501 – 1,000 Subscribers — Starting at $55 per month
1,001 – 2,500 Subscribers — Starting at $75 per month
2,501 – 5,000 Subscribers — Starting at $110 per month
Premium
0 – 500 Subscribers — Starting at $80 per month
501 – 1,000 Subscribers — Starting at $110 per month
1,001 – 2,500 Subscribers — Starting at $150 per month
2,501 – 5,000 Subscribers — Starting at $200 per month
Both plans offer pricing tiers for up to 50,000 subscribers.
For basic and professional emails, the cheaper plan will be fine. But for those of you who want to get the most out of your email campaigns, I highly recommend the Standard plan.
This plan comes with more advanced features like subject line A/B testing, dynamic content, and automated behavioral campaigns. You’ll also get access to personalized demographic data, coupons, polls, and surveys.
MailerLite offers all of the essentials with none of the frills. It’s free to use for up to 1,000 subscribers, so there’s no commitment if you’re looking to test it out.
It’s a great option for anyone who wants a straightforward email marketing service. You’re a creator who doesn’t need a ton of bells and whistles. You just need the tools to start your newsletter or manage a simple campaign.
It’s also nice for teams. Nobody is going to be intimidated by this platform, which means everyone is going to use the core features at their disposal.
The platform still offers tools for automation, landing pages, pop-ups, and surveys, so it’s not like you’re extremely limited. But even the UI for each one is fairly spartan and straightforward.
MailerLite has a drag-and-drop editor, which makes it easy for anyone to design a high-quality message. Segment your subscribers to enhance personalization and optimize your campaigns with features like A/B testing.
MailerLite delivers a very simplified interface with a drag-and-drop editor and the ability to segment subscribers and optimize campaigns with A/B testing.
I’d recommend MailerLite for those of you who want simple email software at an affordable rate.
MailerLite offers four pricing plans:
Free — $0 per month
up to 1,000 subscribers
12,000 monthly emails
1 user
Monday-Friday email support
ten landing pages
email automation builder
signup forms & pop-ups
Growing Business — $10 per month
up to 1,000 subscribers
unlimited monthly emails
three users
24/7 email support
unlimited templates
dynamic emails
unlimited websites & blogs
Advanced — $21 per month
up to 1,000 subscribers
unlimited monthly emails
unlimited users
Facebook integration
custom HTML editor
promotion pop-ups
multiple automation trigggers
There is also an Enterprise plan for businesses with over 100,000 subscribers. Pricing is by quote only.
MailerLite offers a 15% discount if you sign up for annual billing, making it one of the most affordable options on our list.
Salesforce is a behemoth in the world of customer relationship management (CRM) systems. It has a well-earned reputation as cloud-based software that manages everything from sales and marketing to customer service and commerce for some of the biggest companies in the world.
Yet, despite being the backbone of many enterprise-level businesses, Salesforce also recognizes that smaller companies need the same type of support on a smaller scale. Which is where Salesforce Starter comes in.
Salesforce offers a great package to get even the smallest business started on the path to success.
With Salesforce Starter, even the smallest startup can have access to powerful sales, service, and email outreach tools. It doesn’t require much setup, and onboarding is a breeze with simple, built-in guides to help you every step of the way.
Once you’re up and running, you can automate your email activities and segment your customers so that the right people get the right messages at the right time. You’ll also get proven, pre-built sales process templates that your team can use to convert those email leads into deals.
The best part? As your business grows, so does Salesforce, especially when it comes to email marketing.
The Salesforce Email Studio lets you quickly build sophisticated, visually appealing messages with a simple drag-and-drop interface. You can also include interactive content, like carousels and weather reports, to keep readers engaged.
You can start from scratch or use one of the many customizable templates. It is also easy to optimize your messages so they look great no matter what device a recipient uses. And once you build the perfect email, you can save the whole thing or individual content blocks to reuse again and again.
Salesforce Email Studio lets you build beautiful and engaging emails with a simple drag-and-drop interface
There are also other features to help you build and execute email campaigns that deliver results, including:
A/B testing
Tracking
Subscriber importing
Folder management
Enhanced segmentation
Send logging
Return paths to monitor deliverability and reputation
Once you reach a size where Email Studio makes sense for your organization, you’ll have virtually unlimited power for your email marketing efforts. Until then, you can still maximize your efforts with Salesforce Starter.
Salesforce is not going to be the cheapest solution on our list. But for companies poised for rapid growth, it is an excellent solution that lets you stay with the same software through all your growth phases.
Pricing is as follows:
Small Business Solutions
Starter $25—includes sales, service, and email outreach tools
Sales Professional $75—Complete sales solution for teams
Service Professional $75—Complete customer service solution for teams
Marketing Cloud Account Engagement $1,250—Marketing automation tools for teams
All of the prices for these small business solutions are per user, per month and require an annual contract billed annually.
Marketing Cloud Engagement
Growth $1,250—marketing automation tools
Plus $2,500 per month—marketing automation plus analytics
Advanced $4,000 per month—advanced marketing automation and analytics
Premium $15,000 per month—enterprise-level features plus predictive analytics and support
All prices for these packages require an annual contract billed annually. The Growth, Plus, and Advanced packages include up to 10,000 contacts. Premium gives you up to 75,000 contacts.
Salesforce pricing can get complicated fast once you move beyond the small business packages. So it is best to contact them to discuss specific needs.
But if you’re in the small business phase, you can try Salesforce for free for 30 days. No credit card is required, and you won’t have to install any software.
HubSpot is the king of marketing automation–so it’s no surprise they offer a fantastic email marketing solution for any size business.
HubSpot’s tool allows you to quickly and easily create, personalize, and optimize your emails without the need for designers or IT.
Where the software really shines is in the automated workflows. This allows you to easily set triggers for your email subscribers and nurture the leads into customers (or whatever else you want them to do).
Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure journey that you set for your subscribers. Depending on the specific actions they take, you can have them branch off to experience different, targeted things via email.
The email marketing service is just one tool in the Swiss Army Knife that is HubSpot. It can stand alone or be used in tandem with other offerings such as Marketing Hub and their CRM. Your email marketing only becomes stronger when coupled with those products, too.
HubSpot also has plenty of pre-made email templates to help you get the results you want. With their drag-and-drop builder, you can create great emails with no coding or development knowledge needed.
HubSpot is simple to use and allows you to customize your layout, add calls-to-action and images, and modify your content and colors to match your brand.
Use their advanced personalization tools to personalize your emails in order to boost your open and clickthrough rates with ease. You can use any information in an email subscriber’s contact records to automatically serve up the most relevant subject lines, content, links, attachments, and calls to action.
Their A/B testing tool is top-notch. Use it and dive into the in-depth analytics after you send your emails to see which performed better—and why.
Hubspot is a behemoth in the marketing automation arena, yet still makes it easy for businesses of all sizes to master email marketing.
Use this data to determine which subject lines get the most opens and the content and calls-to-action that will earn you more sales. You can also leverage this with landing pages and signup forms to accurately get a sense of the ROI of email campaigns.
The HubSpot email tool is free for up to 2,000 email sends per month, with paid plans starting at $50/month.
Join HubSpot for free to create and send email campaigns that look professionally designed and display perfectly across any device—all by yourself.
Omnisend is a simple yet powerful marketing solution that’s perfect for ecommerce shops. The platform comes with a wide range of features for automated email and SMS messaging designed to convert leads into customers.
Conversions are achieved by going one step further than most solutions. Omnisend combines text messages, web browser push notifications, email marketing, Google Customer Match, and Facebook ad retargeting to ensure you connect with as many customers as possible.
Omnisend lets you target customers in detail with numerous segmentation options.
All of these channels allow for campaign segmentation. This means you’ll be able to target the exact customers you need for specific products and services.
Omnisend also offers pre-built automations based on actions a customer might take. For example, let’s say you send them a cart abandonment email. If they don’t open that message, Omnisend can automatically send them a cart abandonment text message.
Take your marketing efforts to the next level by combining email and sms campaigns with custom triggers and flows.
Omnisend has a vast library of drag-and-drop templates to choose from. You can browse by theme as well—simplifying the process of creating gorgeous, on-brand emails.
Here’s a closer look at Omnisend’s plans and pricing. Prices are based on the number of contacts you need:
Free — $0
Up to 500 emails per month and reach up to 250 contacts
Up to 60 SMS messages per month
Omnisend-branded email campaigns
Signup forms, boxes, and pop-ups
Sales and performance reports
Standard — Starts at $16 per monthfor 500 contacts
Up to 6000 emails per month
Up to 60 SMS messages per month
Email campaigns
Signup forms, boxes, and pop-ups
Sales and performance reports
SMS campaigns and automation
Unlimited audience segmentation
24/7 email and chat support
Pro — Starts at $59 per monthfor 500 contacts
Unlimited emails per month
Up to 3,933 SMS messages per month
Email campaigns
Signup forms, boxes, and pop-ups
Advanced reporting
SMS campaigns and automation
Unlimited audience segmentation
24/7 priority email and chat support
Unlimited web push notifications
Facebook custom audiences
Google Customer Match
Like most email marketing platforms, the cost per month increases as your contact list scales. So all the rates above are month-to-month, and Omnisend does not offer annual contracts.
The Free plan isn’t really viable for most businesses, so most of you will be evaluating the Standard and Pro options. For low-volume SMS needs, the Standard plan will be fine. But the Pro plan is definitely better for larger contact lists and businesses that want to use SMS marketing combined with email campaigns.
Standard and Pro plans both come with a customer success manager, and the Pro plan gives you access to 24/7 priority support. Sign up now to get started for free.
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) offers everything you need to launch and track an email campaign. Add your content to their machine and watch your outreach take flight.
This is a mature platform–it’s got all of the features you expect and more. You can add live chat to your site and grab new email addresses from folks browsing your store or learning about your company.
Give customers a personalized experience with real-time chat options on their preferred channels and manage these conversations all in one place.
There’s a lot to like. More than 40 customizable templates, simple tools to build workflows, and a built-in CRM with room for as many contacts as you like.
You can use the free forever version of Brevo and send up to 300 emails per day without paying a cent. Once you see how it drives, you’ll understand why it’s so popular.
In terms of reaching more people, Brevo has everything you need. They provide a host of lead nurturing tools to help you grow your contact list:
Landing pages. Create actionable and engaging web pages to collect leads for you.
Sign-up forms. Place forms anywhere on your website to get user information.
Facebook ads. Leverage the power of Facebook marketing to nurture more leads.
Retargeted ads. Powerful ads based on a user’s previous online interactions.
Make it as simple as possible to build that list with eye-catching forms that turn website traffic into subscribers. Brevo’s intuitive interface makes embedding a form no harder than a few clicks.
Brevo is a powerful platform with intuitive marketing automations, a built-in CRM, and more than 40 customizable templates.
It’s easy to see how these tools help you cultivate an audience, leads, and customer growth. And, unlike other email marketing services, Brevo can support chat and SMS if you want to drive leads on your site or by text.
The platform is available via a fantastic free plan that gives you unlimited contacts and up to 300 emails per day. That’s a pretty great deal—especially if you’re running a bootstrap startup or solo operation.
Their email builder has a beginner-friendly editor that allows you to easily create the look and feel of your email.
They currently offer four different pricing tiers:
Free — $0 per month
Up to 300 emails per day
Unlimited contacts
Chat
SMS marketing
Email template library
Starter — $25 per month
Up to 100k emails
No daily sending limit
A/B testing
Remove the Brevo logo
Business — $65 per month
Up to 1MM emails
Marketing automation
Facebook ads
Retargeted ads
Landing pages
Telephone support
Brevo+ — Customized pricing
Customized email volume
20+ landing pages
Customer success manager
Access for 10+ users
Dedicated IP
The Starter plan should be more than enough for most small businesses and startups.
However, as your business scales, the Business plan is always a great option. That comes with even more marketing features, such as Facebook and retargeted ads, along with telephone support.
Try Brevo today. Start out for free, and upgrade when it’s time to grow.
SMTP.com offers one of the most trusted email relay services that supports email at high volume. It doesn’t matter how many hundred or million emails you need to send. Payments or purchases? Not a problem.
Dealing with email deliverability problems is the worst. You put so much time into your list, segmentation, email design, and then some IP issue grinds your machine to a halt.
With SMTP.com email relay service, you can avoid deliverability issues entirely. Kick off your campaigns with confidence.
smtp is a great solution for high-volume email campaigns.
Think of SMTP.com as a final mile delivery service for email campaigns. Ensure the maximum number of emails reach their intended destination, track all the important metrics, and report back.
It’s not here for designing, strategizing, or project managing your email marketing. Instead, it’s a focused product that ensures your careful work is carried directly to the recipient’s inbox.
You can implement SMTP.com in a variety of ways. Teams that want a hands-off experience can use managed services, and those that want more control can implement the email relay API.
However you choose to deploy SMTP.com, the software is secure and built to scale. Integrations are minutes, not days, and support is available 24/7.
It’s a great solution for companies that send a lot of transactional emails for billing, accounts, ecommerce, and so on. These emails have to be fast in order to keep customers happy and their information secure. With SMTP.com, you know the message is going to make it safe and sound.
Pricing for SMTP.com services is broken into several packages, with custom pricing available for high-volume senders:
Essential: $25/month for 50,000 emails per month
Starter: $80/month for 100,000 emails per month
Growth: $300/month for 500,000 emails per month
Business: $500/month for 1 million emails per month
Notably, the Essential plan comes with a shared IP. All other plans have a dedicated IP. For people looking to send over 250 million emails each month, SMTP.com offers a custom high-volume plan that comes with its own dedicated IP and mail transfer agent (MTA).
Any plan may add on SMTP.com’s Reputation Defender service, which monitors and protects your IP against soft and hard bounces.
This is a very focused solution that can help email marketers put deliverability issues behind them. Get started with SMTP.com today.
Campaigner is the perfect tool for a team with experience that’s outgrown lightweight, beginner-facing email marketing options.
The sophistication of this tool keeps it out of the beginner camp, but it’s not so advanced as to require a developer by any means.
You’ll be able to customize your email segmentation, personalization, and customer journeys. Capture the info you really need and capitalize on it.
Campaigner automates a lot of the busy work, giving you more time to dive into the pre-built reports on open rates, conversion rates, and so on.
When your team outgrows your lightweight email marketing solution, consider replacing it with campaigner — the midpoint between a beginner and expert campaign management solution.
Everything from an email marketing service you would want is built into the platform. Total rookies might be overwhelmed by how much you can do, but if you’ve run some campaigns, you’ll recognize how easy it is to stay on track with Campaigner.
Deliverability is exceptionally high, even among top services, and there are plenty of tools to keep your contact lists groomed and your email in good standing.
Send transactional emails reliably with Campaigner’s SMTP relay service. Track opens, clicks, and specific links within your email. Figure out exactly what works and compound your success.
The built-in A/B testing features let you experiment with subject lines, senders, dynamic content, send times, and more.
Campaigner is available in several packages, but you can always contact them for a custom plan. You can also sign up for a 30-day free trial, which gives you access to the entire Campaigner platform.
Here’s how the plans break down:
Starter: $59/month for up to 5,000 contacts
Essential: $179/month for up to 25,000 contacts
Advanced: $649/month for up to 100,000 contacts
eCommerce: $79/month for up to unlimited contacts
The Starter plan comes with a trim set of segmentation tools, autoresponders, and the drag-and-drop email editor, among other tools. Upgrading your plan gives you a higher number of contacts and more advanced email marketing features.
Off the shelf, Campaigner is going to work fine for just about any email marketing use case. It gives you the tools and visibility to find wins and fine-tune your campaigns over time. Get started with Campaigner for free today.
GetResponse is a bit more than a basic email marketing service. It’s more of an all-in-one solution that specializes in automation.
And when we say all-in-one, we mean it.
With tools and features such as audience segmentation, autoresponders, landing page builders, automated emails, advanced analytics, and even webinar software, you’ll be able to collect beaucoup leads, put them in the right workflows, and turn them into returning customers.
One standout tool that GetResponse offers is called Autofunnel. It can be used to create funnels for sales, leads, webinars, and more. It’s fully automated and very easy to use.
Funnels include things like emails, landing pages, exit popups, marketing automation, Facebook ads, and ecommerce integration. It all depends on your goals and how you want to set them up. But GetResponse provides all the tools you need to grow your subscriber list and monetize those contacts.
Once a user enters your funnel, everything is fully automated by GetResponse. It’s the perfect way to guide customers through the conversion process with multiple digital touchpoints.
GetResponse is an all-in-one solution that includes Autofunnel which takes the guesswork out of growing your subscriber lists.
Let’s take a closer look at GetResponse’s plans and pricing.
Email Marketing — Starting at $19 per month
Autoresponders
Unlimited newsletters
Basic segmentation
Website and landing pages
Integrations and API
Marketing Automation — Starting at $59 per month
Everything in Email Marketing, plus
Marketing and event-based automation
Advanced segmentation
Webinars with up to 100 attendees
Sales funnels
Ecommerce Marketing — Starting at $119 per month
Everything in Marketing Automation, plus
Quick transactional emails
Ecommerce segmentation
Abandoned cart recovery
Promo codes
These prices are all based on 1,000 subscribers. The rate will increase as your list grows. As you can see, even the entry-level plan offered by GetResponse comes with advanced features like autoresponders, signup forms and pop-ups.
All plans come with unlimited monthly email sends, inbox preview, click tracking, and 24/7 live chat support.
GetResponse offers discounts for annual and 24-month contracts if you pay in advance. At the very least, you can try GetResponse free for 30 days.
ConvertKit – Best for Influencers, Bloggers, and Creators
ConvertKit is one of my favorite email marketing services.
It’s a perfect choice for creators of all stripes. That includes influencers, bloggers, video producers, musicians, artists, and more. That’s because their platform focuses more on engaging your audience and nurturing them with landing pages, ecommerce platforms, and membership sites.
You’ll be able to create leads out of casual visitors to your social media accounts, blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook pages, and more.
For those of you who want to build automated email funnels at an affordable price, ConvertKit will be a top option for you to consider.
ConvertKit excels at audience engagement and nurturing, making it a favorite with creators.
To set up automated emails, you’ll be guided through a simple visual flow chart.
Instead of having multiple lists of contacts, ConvertKit groups all of your subscribers into one list. But you’ll still be able to tag them manually for segmentation purposes or with auto tags based on their behavior to improve the personalization of your campaigns. That’s great for creators with big audiences.
ConvertKit is best for sending quick emails with clean formatting. There are no complex designs or distracting elements here.
ConvertKit offers three pricing plans:
Free — $0 per month up to 300 subscribers
Creator — $15 per month up to 300 subscriber
Creator Pro — $29 per month up to 300 subscribers
As you gain subscribers, the monthly price will increase accordingly. If you pay annually, you can get two months free.
ConvertKit has more than 70 third-party direct integrations, customizable forms, and custom reporting. Email and live chat are available for 12 hours per day, Monday through Friday, with limited support on nights and weekends.
Drip is a relatively new platform. It’s a CRM that offers email marketing for ecommerce businesses.
I like Drip because they’re great for new ecommerce merchants since they focus on offering smaller, independent shops the same powerful automation and segmentation tools for email marketing as larger ecommerce stores.
As such, they’re great for newer brands looking to get a leg up.
With Drip, you can track valuable commerce metrics related to customer intent and purchase behavior.
You’ll be able to segment new website visitors from returning customers. Drip also lets you target users who abandoned their carts.
Get nitty-gritty without hours of data mining–Drip gives you tools that make it easy to target the right people with timely offers.
Drip brings powerful automation and segmentation tools to small, independent shops, giving them the ability to compete with their bigger competition.
Their CRM helps you reach customers through multiple touchpoints online, including email. Drip also has a revenue attribution feature, giving you a clearer view of which campaigns are actually making you money.
Again, this is ideal for ecommerce shops.
With personalization capabilities, powerful segmentation options, and detailed analytics, Drip has everything you need to succeed with email marketing.
Pricing is based on the number of customers in your account. All plans come with the same features and benefits.
1-2,500 subscribers — $39 per month
2,501-3,000 subscribers — $49 per month
3,001-3,500 subscribers — $59 per month
3,501-4,000 subscribers — $69 per month
4,101-4,500 subscribers — $79 per month
4,501-5,000 subscribers — $89 per month
This stretches all the way up to plans that allow for up to 180,000 subscribers before pricing becomes custom.
All Drip plans come with 24/7 live chat and email support. You can try it out free for 14 days and have access to all of the features.
Moosend offers an email marketing solution no matter if you’re a complete beginner or if you’re a seasoned pro. If you have an online store, this is the perfect tool.
From their easy drag-and-drop email builder to their easy segmentation tool to their accurate real-time analytics, they have all the features you need to nail your email marketing campaigns.
Our favorite thing about Moosend is their ecommerce AI. It leverages machine learning and collaborative filtering to target customers with products they might like based on the shopping habits of similar customers.
Moosend’s Ecommerce AI tool lets you target customers with products them might like based on the behavior of similar customers.
You’ll also be able to easily cross-sell based on customer shopping habits and keep track of how often they buy certain products (e.g., perishables), so you can regularly promote the products they need when they need them.
A lot of otherwise great email list services really struggle to give you this insight, if they can do it at all. Moosend makes it easy with a simple interface that lets any ecommerce business looking to level up its targeting and segmentation game.
Moosend makes it easy to cross-sell based on detailed customer data displayed in a simple user interface.
Moosend also does the basics of email marketing very well. Their advanced personalization features allow you to create unique emails for your target customer. Their segmentation tool allows you to spit your audience by purchasing behavior, cart abandoned products, and more.
They don’t offer that many themes, with just 40 responsive themes to choose from. However, they’re all highly customizable and eye-catching.
Pricing starts free for a 30-day trial, with their premium plans starting at $9 per month. More detailed information is below:
How to Find the Best Email Marketing Service for You
The best available email marketing service is going to be unique to you. After all, the multi-million dollar info product business is going to have very different needs than the humble blogger.
But there are specific factors that we took into consideration because we believe that they tend to be the most important ones for most businesses.
I’ll break down the details of our process for making this list and explain what matters, what doesn’t, and what you need to know to find the best option for you.
Use our methodology to help guide your ultimate decision.
And while we don’t recommend using price as a deciding factor, if you’re just starting out and need to watch every penny, there are some solid free email marketing tools to consider, too.
Plenty of Email Templates
There are a lot of reasons to want an email marketing service. You might want to create your first sales funnel and incorporate email into your marketing strategy. Or maybe you just want to send the occasional newsletter out to subscribers.
Whatever your reason, you want your emails to look good while you do it.
That’s why you should find an email marketing service that takes the stress out of things like formatting and typesetting by giving you a list of great email templates for any of your needs.
Many of the offerings above offer drag-and-drop email templates to help take the headache out of designing a great-looking email. With tools like MailChimp’s email builder, you’re filling out the basic info, and a stunning email takes shape on its own.
look for a solution with a variety of templates that are easy to customize.
They’ll also offer a variety of different email template types to fit specific purposes.
For example, HubSpot comes with a library of pre-built sales email templates ready for you and your business to use. If you want, they’ll even allow you to create your own templates unique to your business. You can customize them to your exact needs and save them for use whenever you need them.
MailChimp is another great service with tons of different email templates for different needs, such as selling a product or promoting a blog post. It’s also highly customizable, allowing you to create specific ones for your brand’s goals.
Simple Segmentation
As your business grows, you’re going to want to target different parts of your audience for different products. After all, if you offer a variety of different services and products, not everyone on your list will want the same thing.
A good email marketing service gives you easy but powerful ways to segment your audience.
For example, a service like MailChimp allows you to tag segments of your audience depending on how they subscribed to your email list. That way, you can put those segments into specifically targeted funnels easily and automatically.
make sure you can segment your subscribers and that it is easy to do, like you can in Omnisend.
A service like Omnisend (pictured above) allows you to send segmented campaigns based on things like your subscriber’s interests, demographics, email open rates, and the products they’ve purchased.
It’s important to note: If you want segmentation features (and if you’re serious about email marketing, you should), you’re going to have to pay for it. This often doesn’t come with a service’s free plan. However, it’s well worth it, especially if you’re focused on growth and conversions.
Seriously–all the marketing automations, striking templates, and great writing in your campaigns depend on your ability to understand your audience. The perfect message is still an airball if it’s sent at the wrong time or to the wrong person.
Segmentation and other aspects of an email list service aren’t as flashy as some of the other features, but they are absolutely critical.
In-Depth Analytics
As the old business adage goes: “If you can measure it, you can improve it.”
To that end, a good email marketing service will give you all the reporting tools you need to provide you with in-depth metrics and KPIs.
Knowing this information will give you vital data about where your subscribers live, who they are, and what they want from your business.
It’ll also help you create better services and marketing strategies in the future. For example, you’ll be able to better segment your audiences with the right analytics.
HubSpot has some of the best traffic and conversion analytic tools available. Along with their A/B testing feature, their analytics tools will let you know exactly how each of your emails performs and why.
Data is key to understanding email campaign performance, so be sure the solution you select makes it easy to find and understand the analytics.
Easy Automation
There’s nothing quite like the “set it and forget it” approach to business.
When an email marketing service is automated, you don’t have to worry about making sure that each and every one of your new subscribers is in the right sales funnel. Once you’ve set it up, they’ll receive the emails they should receive automatically.
That’s why you want to find an email marketing service that will let you easily set up automated emails without a lot of fuss and complex tagging schemes.
Automation makes your life easier, so choose a solution that makes it easy to do.
Constant Contact (pictured above) is a standout when it comes to automating emails. It lets you trigger welcome messages for any new subscribers and put them into specific drip campaigns depending on their actions. The simple design allows you to do this easily, too, with no headaches involved.
GetResponse is another option to definitely consider if automation is your game. Its Autofunnel platform allows you to easily create fully automated sales, leads, and webinar funnels in just a few clicks.
Best Email Marketing Services: Your Top Questions Answered
What platform is best for email marketing?
Constant Contact is the best platform for email marketing because it’s easy to use, scalable, and accommodates the needs of most businesses. It’s packed with features at an affordable price, making it a great value—especially for companies that are just getting started with email marketing software.
Email marketing typically costs $10 to $20 per month for 500 to 1,000 subscribers. On the higher end of the spectrum, email marketing can cost upwards of $15,000 per month for an enterprise-level sales CRM with 75,000 contacts. But most small businesses with less than 5,000 subscribers will pay $80 or less for email marketing.
The cost of email marketing depends on the provider, plan tier, and number of subscribers. If you want premium features, like automation and A/B testing, it will cost more than an entry-level plan. Expect your monthly rate to increase as your subscriber list grows.
What is the cheapest email marketing software?
With plans starting at $10 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, MailerLite is the cheapest email marketing software. It’s a great value because it still comes with all the tools you need to succeed, and it’s still affordable as your subscriber list grows.
HubSpot is free for up to 2,000 contacts, which is the best completely free email marketing deal on the market. However, HubSpot’s paid plans start at $50 per month, which is more expensive than other cheap email marketing tools, like MailerLite.
Is email marketing still effective?
Email marketing is still highly effective for businesses of all sizes. It also delivers the highest ROI compared to other marketing strategies. Email marketing helps give brands more control over their messages and the scope of their reach compared to other marketing channels.
Email marketing is not dead, and it will stay relevant for the foreseeable future.
Is Gmail good for email marketing?
Gmail is not good for email marketing because it’s not scalable. It doesn’t have any built-in features for campaign automation and growing lists.
While Gmail works well for sending one-to-one messages to leads and customers, it does not work well for bulk email blasts to an entire subscriber list. Business users will be better off using a dedicated email marketing platform instead of Gmail.
Top Email Marketing Providers for 2023 in Summary
What’s the best email marketing service? I wish I could point you to just one, but your strategy, goals, audience, and budget are going to determine the right solution.
Use the reviews and methodology in this article to hone in on the perfect one for you. Here’s a recap of our top eight picks:
Need hosting, too? You can instantly get a free domain name when you sign up for Hostinger web hosting (starting at only $2.99/month!). This is recommended if you need a hosting account for your new domain name, which most people do.
Finding the right domain registrar is crucial for your entire website-building experience. But there are thousands of options to choose from.
Fortunately for you, I’ve purchased hundreds of domain names throughout my career. So I know exactly what to look for in different situations. Based on my research and experience, I’ve narrowed down and reviewed the top seven domain registrars on the market today.
Pro Tip: Get a free domain name when you bundle domain registration and web hosting together at Hostinger
If you’re buying multiple domains or planning to buy and sell domain names as a business, it’s usually best to keep domain registration separate from web hosting. Domain registry and web hosting are very different, and you should stick to expert providers for each service.
But if you’re starting a blog or simple portfolio website, it’s perfectly fine to get your domain name and web hosting service from a single provider.
Hostinger is the best option to consider if you fall into this category. They offer a free domain name with very affordable web hosting. Hostinger is the fastest and easiest way to get a new website up and running—and you can save money by bundling your domain with a hosting package.
GoDaddy is one of the largest and most well-known domain registration services on the market. It’s a simple and affordable way to register your domain and ensure its protection.
With GoDaddy, you’ll benefit from arguably the best introductory offers in the industry. You can register a domain name for just $0.01 for your first year when you commit to a two-year registration. It’s tough to find a better deal from such a top-notch domain registration service.
To start with GoDaddy, search for your desired domain name.
Where GoDaddy really shines above the crowd is with its privacy features.
Every GoDaddy domain comes with basic domain privacy and protection. This is available to you at no extra cost and protects things like your name, email address, phone number, and other personal information.
It’s common for other domain registrars to charge for domain privacy. So it’s nice that GoDaddy offers it for free.
WHOIS domain privacy is included free forever when you register a domain with GoDaddy.
For even more protection, you can upgrade to a Full Domain Protection or Ultimate Domain Protection package.
The Full package prevents hackers from stealing your domain or making changes. It also requires two-factor authentication for deletions, transfers, and other vital changes. The Ultimate package includes all of this, plus it holds your domain for an extra 90 days if your billing method expires upon renewal.
If you’re like me and you care a lot about your personal privacy and domain protection, then you’ll love GoDaddy.
Another unique standout of GoDaddy is its bulk domain search tool. You can use it to check the availability of up to 500 domains with just a few clicks. GoDaddy also gives you the option to purchase all of the available ones simultaneously.
If you’re thinking about getting into the domain flipping business, this tool makes it easy to list and park domains as well.
It’s also worth noting that GoDaddy has a domain broker service to help you purchase domains that are already taken. You’ll be assigned a dedicated agent to negotiate the deal between you and the current owner.
Hostinger is the best way to get free domain registration along with web hosting.
Instead of getting these from separate providers, use Hostinger and take care of everything in one place.
You’ll get fast, reliable, beginner-friendly web hosting, and you won’t have to pay any fees for domain registration for the first year.
Seriously, Hostinger offers free domain registration with plans starting as low as $2.99 per month.
It’s the service we recommend if you’re building a brand-new website. You can search for the perfect domain name on Hostinger, set up web hosting, and launch your website in minimal time.
WordPress is a one-click install with Hostinger, which makes it easy to start getting content on your site. What’s even better is that Hostinger offers one-click installs for more than 100 other apps.
Hostinger also includes free SSL certificates, which many domain registrars will charge you extra fees for. Plus, it’s easy to handle SSL certificates in hPanel, Hostinger’s user-friendly dashboard for managing your site. Our Hostinger review covers this in greater detail.
Another perk of getting your domain through Hostinger is the free privacy protection. The company automatically masks your contact information from the public WHOIS database. Other registrars will charge $10-$15 per year for this service.
Porkbun is a relative newcomer on this list, but they have made a name for themselves with affordable, competitive pricing–including on renewals, where a lot of domain registrars get you. Porkbun is committed to keeping its prices low and its options wide open.
With so many .com domains snapped up or way too expensive, it’s ideal to be able to take advantage of alternative domain extensions that make your URL–and your brand–more memorable.
Searching keywords on Porkbun will return a lot of new and trending domain extensions to choose from. Starting a blog about the best kinds of camping gear? Snag .review or .camp. Want to show off your portfolio and get new gigs? Try .studio, .art, or .ink.
A lot of these nontraditional but easy-to-remember extensions are available from Porkbun for under $8 for your first year. And they have literally hundreds to choose from, leading to nearly endless possible combinations with your desired keywords. Of course, they have .com domains available, too, starting at $4.75 to register a new one.
Right now, you can get a .shop extension for your web store starting at only $2.04 for the first year. That’s an incredible initial deal and it renews at a still reasonable $26.85/year after that. That’s better renewal pricing than just about anybody else on this list.
You can also purchase more than one year upfront, up to 10. Sure, you’ll lose out on the sweet first-year discount, but you’ll be able to secure your home on the web for up to a decade at Porkbun’s great rates. That same .shop extension can be locked down for ten years for just $228.93, an even better rate than their renewal pricing.
Plus, every domain purchase comes with the following extras for free:
WHOIS privacy
SSL certificate
URL and email forwarding
Trials of Porkbun’s site builder, web hosting, and email hosting
Half of domain hunting now is brainstorming the right combination of keywords and extensions. The latter can be hard if you don’t know what’s available. But Porkbun’s helpful pages for trending domain extensions and their best deals can help you find something effective and cheap. At the time of this writing, Porkbun has the lowest registration cost on the market for over 200 extensions. And they have over 500 total available domain extensions.
Get creative with your URL and make something memorable that won’t cost an arm and a leg to register. Find your site’s one-of-a-kind home by registering a domain through Porkbun.
Domain.com — Best for Fast and Simple Domain Purchasing
Domain.com is one of our top picks because of its quality of service, overall simplicity, and affordable privacy protection.
You can get a .com domain from Domain.com for just $9.99 per year. They also give you the option of purchasing the domain for up to five years, which means you can set it and forget it for the foreseeable future.
Where they really shine is in keeping your overall domain costs lower than average. While domain privacy and protection are two of the most important things when you own a site and domain, it is one of the add-ons where costs can really add up.
Domain.com only charges $8.99 per year for Domain Privacy + Protection. To compare, Network Solutions is $9.99 per year and only protects your information in the WHOIS database, skipping additional domain protection like malware scans.
Hostinger includes free WHOIS privacy protection with most domains registered through their service, which can amount to pretty big savings if you have a lot of domains.
With the addition of Domain.com’s SiteLock, you’ll get regular malware scans and blocklist prevention. Domain.com’s privacy protection also removes your personal contact information from the database and replaces it with its own.
You can add Domain Privacy + Protection at any time and it is available for all of the most popular domains, such as .com, .net, .org, .co, and more. There are some that don’t support domain privacy, including .ae, .es, .gg, and others. You can verify with the company if your chosen domain is supported.
Beyond privacy, Domain.com has other excellent services and 24/7 customer support. For example, you may be able to save even more money if you want to use them for hosting. Shared hosting with Domain.com is $3.75 per month whether you commit to 12 or 36 months. This is unlike some other hosting services, which only give you a lower monthly cost if you commit to several years upfront.
You can use the Domain.com website or online store builder to get everything you need in one place or use their services for domain transfers. They make the transfer process very easy.
The entire purchase process can be completed in a minute, including grabbing the privacy and protection add-on.
Fittingly for its own domain name, Domain.com should be one of the first places you look for a domain. Check out our Domain.com review to learn more about these services.
It’s crucial to lock down your dream domain once you find it. You want to own your prime real estate on the web for as long as possible without any worry about losing it by missing a renewal.
Network Solutions goes above and beyond the other registrars out there—you can secure your domain for anywhere from one year to 100.
You’ll have to pay upfront for the full 100 years if that’s the route you want to go (and there are no prorated refunds for changing your mind around the half-century mark). But if you’re betting on the longevity of your organization, company, or personal brand, Network Solutions makes it easy to set your domain up for the long haul.
While a full century might be overkill, the registrar’s options for 10 and 20-year terms are a real plus compared to other options on my list.
Even if you go with a shorter term, for just $9.99 per domain you can get expiration protection. If you forget to renew, are unable, or if you just have an old credit card on file that can’t be charged when renewal time rolls around, Network Solutions will keep your domain safe from poachers and rate hikes for up to a year.
Network Solutions also offers two common features, domain transfers and private registration, but in terms of cost they’re a little steeper than the others on this list.
However, Network Solutions has better search capabilities than most, allowing you to use their portal to bid on expired domains, place a certified offer on held domains, browse the inventory of premium reseller domains, search in bulk for up to 25 keywords or phrases, and score pre-registration deals on new domain extensions.
In any case, this is the registrar you need if you’re looking to lock down your dream domain for decades.
True to their name, Namecheap offers great domain names at incredibly affordable prices.
They also give you a swift domain purchasing experience. In less than two minutes, you’ll be able to buy and register a domain name for less than the price of your average UberEats meal.
There are also limited upsells, nothing confusing about the process, and nothing to slow you down either.
It’s everything I want in a domain purchasing experience and nothing I don’t.
When you get to checkout, here’s my suggestion for which upsells to buy–ignore everything. Seriously, there’s nothing extra you need to purchase. Namecheap already provides domain privacy via a WhoisGuard subscription, a privacy protection that prevents your personal contact information from being displayed in the publicly accessible WHOIS database—and that’s free forever.
As long as your domain is with Namecheap, you’ll never pay for WhoisGuard. GoDaddy, on the other hand, charges $10 per year for it, and most other web hosts that offer domain registration charge $12 per year.
Once you’ve purchased your domain, the dashboard is clearly laid out.
I’ve found Namecheap’s knowledge base to be thorough and helpful. Great documentation is key, since buying and setting up a domain isn’t part of most people’s expertise. It’s just not something you do every day.
If you need more support, Namecheap has 24/7 live chat help and a two-hour ticket response time. To learn more about Namecheap’s support and additional benefits, check out our complete Namecheap review.
NameSilo is the second-fastest-growing domain registrar in the world. A big reason for this is their easy and affordable way to buy domains in bulk.
With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to search for hundreds of available domain names and purchase them. You also get a huge discount for bulk domain purchases.
Search for your desired domain directly from namesilo’s home screen.
In fact, their lowest rates clock in at $8.39 per domain per year if you purchase 5,000+ domains. That’s easily the lowest rate out there for domains.
Of course, you’ll have to buy enough domains to populate a small town. But if your business wants to secure an array of potential branding opportunities or get into the domain trading business, this is a fast and cheap way to do it.
There are just a few quick upsells, including a Premium DNS, SSL certificate, and hosting.
Add a layer of security to your domain with namesilo’s premium dns service
You can start configuring your domain at checkout—linking it to a third-party service (like a website builder) and entering custom name servers. Don’t forget to opt-in to WHOIS privacy protection.
Oh, and NameSilo throws in domain privacy for free (though you’ll need to opt-in by selecting it in your cart).
Finding the right domain registrar for your business can be tricky. Even in a list like this, how do you choose when each option is great?
Let me help you break it down.
Below are the criteria I used when compiling this list. I judged each product against these benchmarks to see how they performed. Use the following information as a framework to help guide your decision based on your unique needs.
Free vs. Paid Domain Protection
When you sign up for a domain, you need to provide information for WHOIS—a public database filled with information about users who have purchased a domain name or created an IP address.
Think of it as a phone book for the Internet. Like a phonebook, you can use it to find the personal information (including the name, phone number, email address, and mailing address) of anyone with a domain name.
Spammers love the WHOIS directory. It gives them easy access to different people they can attempt to contact—as well as their contact information.
Luckily, you can keep the information out of their hands with domain privacy and protection.
Most domain registrars, like Namecheap, include WHOIS protection for free. Those who don’t charge about $12/year.
That might determine your ultimate decision on which domain registrar you go with. You’ll definitely want to research the domain registrar’s WHOIS privacy policy and whether or not you’ll have to purchase it at checkout.
You can also use your business info, since it’s already publicly available. But whatever you do, definitely don’t use your personal info unless you want to field spam phone calls and emails after your domain purchase.
Do You Need a Web Hosting and/or a Domain?
It’s common for domain registrars to offer web hosting services. It’s also common for web hosting providers to offer domain registration.
These bundles might seem tempting, but in most cases you should keep each service separate. Why? Separation gives you a lot more flexibility if you want to change web hosts and/or domain registrars in the future. It also improves the quality of service on both.
I’d only recommend registering a domain and getting hosting with the same company if you’re not planning to buy more domains in the future. Companies that offer domains and hosting together will tout the ability to save money by doing both together. However, when you are purchasing a large number of domains, you often can receive a better deal by shopping around and separating the two services.
If you are doing something simple, like starting a blog or personal website, using the same company for both web hosting and for purchasing a domain can work well. When you have a simple website in your plans, you can save some money by using the same company.
If you do decide to bundle your domain registrar and web host in one provider, you should use Hostinger. It is the best service when it comes to delivering both of these services at an extremely high level while offering both of them a great price.
Quick and Easy Domain Transfers
Domain transfers are a sneakily important aspect of a good registrar. This is especially true if you have chosen to bundle your services.
Why? At some point you’re likely going to transfer your domain, especially if you’ve chosen to bundle it with a web hosting service.
While I do recommend bundling with Hostinger for beginners, Hostinger is probably not the last place your website will live if you get really get serious about growing your traffic and web presence.
You also might end up finding a better deal with a different domain registrar later on. Or you might just not gel with the current domain registrar.
Whatever your reason, you’re going to want to make sure you choose a domain registrar with a clear and straightforward transfer policy. It shouldn’t cost you a bunch of money and time on the phone with a customer support rep just to transfer your domain to a new registrar down the road.
As you research, see what it takes to transfer a domain from their platform. Make sure it’s spelled out in clear and plain language. If not, you might end up resenting your choice down the road.
Bulk Domain Purchasing
This certainly won’t apply to most of you—but for those it does apply to, this will be an important consideration.
Does the domain registrar you’re researching offer bulk purchases? This can be an important tool for many businesses, especially if you’re building out multiple sites or if you’re looking to get into the domain parking game.
Platforms like Namecheap, NameSilo, and GoDaddy are fantastic options if you want to purchase domains in bulk. They even offer great promotions and discounts, too.
But be sure to find a domain registrar with a simple and user-friendly bulk purchasing tool. That means it’s easy to use, and pushes no upsells or hidden fees.
It’s way too easy to get caught up in a flashy tool, only to later find out that you accidentally purchased a ton of upsells you didn’t need.
Best Domain Registrars: Your Top Questions Answered
Where is the best place to buy a domain name?
GoDaddy and Hostinger are the two best places to buy a domain name. GoDaddy is the best option for most people who want to buy a domain, but Hostinger is the best option if you want to bundle your domain registration with your web hosting plan.
The great part about using Hostinger is that you can get a domain and hosting under one roof, and you’ll get a free domain for one year. This really simplifies the process for new sites, and it eliminates several steps when you’re launching a website.
What is the safest domain registrar?
GoDaddy is the safest domain registrar because it takes extra steps to protect your privacy and ensure your domain won’t get stolen. Free privacy protection is included with every plan, which conceals your identity from the public and prevents spam.
You can also add extra protection with GoDaddy’s two-factor authentication requirements for domain transfers, deletions, and other changes. This upgraded security package will also hold your domain for an additional 90 days if your registration lapses due to your credit card expiring.
What is the most credible domain?
Choosing a .com domain is the most credible option for most websites. This TLD helps ensure that your site appears trustworthy and legitimate to all visitors. Other credible domain extensions include .gov, .org, and .net.
If you’re looking for a domain extension that’s a bit more creative, check out Porkbun. While these types of domains don’t always seem credible, they can be a good option if you want to stand out from the crowd or save money compared to a .com domain.
Is GoDaddy better than Namecheap?
GoDaddy is better than Namecheap for free privacy and protection. Namecheap domains are cheaper than GoDaddy domains, but GoDaddy offers a better introductory offer of .com domains for just $0.01 in the first year.
GoDaddy and Namecheap are both quality options for registering a domain, and you can’t go wrong with either. Check out our side-by-side comparison of GoDaddy vs. Namecheap for more information.
The Top Domain Registrars in Summary
Whether you’re buying a new domain for the first time or purchasing domains in bulk as an investment, finding a reliable domain registrar will make your life much easier.
GoDaddy and Hostinger are the top domain registrars on the market today. GoDaddy stands out for its simple registration process and domain privacy and protection included with every purchase. Hostinger offers a free domain with web hosting—perfect for beginners who want to bundle both services from the same provider.
