Best Website Builders for Designers

This guide to the best website builders for designers compares six real platforms that designers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses commonly choose: Webflow, Framer, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress with Elementor, and Shopify. I compare design control, visual editing, CMS capabilities, performance, ecommerce support, SEO, extensibility, and total cost of ownership so you can match choice to goals.

Key decision criteria include: pixel-level design control and interactions, ability to run a CMS or blog, ecommerce needs, hosting and maintenance model (hosted vs self-hosted), learning curve, team collaboration, and budget. Quick summary: Webflow offers fine-grained visual CSS control and a built-in CMS; Framer focuses on motion and prototyping with modern performance; Squarespace gives polished templates and fast setup; Wix provides flexibility and an app marketplace for non-technical users; WordPress + Elementor is the most extensible and plugin-rich self-hosted option; Shopify is the best managed solution for scalable ecommerce.

Read on for detailed breakdowns, pricing examples (noting prices are as of June 2024), side-by-side tables, a decision checklist, and an FAQ to help you pick the best fit for your project.

Webflow

Overview and Positioning

Webflow is a hosted visual web design platform targeted at designers who want full control over layout, CSS, and responsive behavior without writing production code. It blends a design-focused visual editor with a CMS and optional ecommerce, and it exports clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript when needed.

Key Features and Strengths

True visual CSS control: box model, flex/grid, positioning, typography, and responsive breakpoints.
Built-in CMS for structured content and Editor for client edits.
Interactions and animations engine for complex scroll- and hover-based effects.
Clean, production-ready code export and option to use Webflow hosting for CDN, SSL, and backups.
Team workspace and staging for client handoffs.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Steeper learning curve than template-driven builders like Squarespace or Wix.
No native plugin ecosystem comparable to WordPress; some integrations require Zapier or custom code.
Pricing can rise if you need multiple projects, team seats, or advanced ecommerce.
For very large-scale sites, development control beyond Webflow’s constraints can be limiting.

Pricing and Value

Site plans (billed annually) typically start at about $14/month for Basic, $23/month for CMS, and $39/month for Business.
Ecommerce plans and Workspace/team plans add cost: ecommerce entry-level often starts near $29/month, with more advanced tiers higher.
Designer value: strong if you price projects that include design time and client Editor access; hosting and CMS bundled simplify maintenance.

Best For

Freelance designers and small agencies building custom portfolio sites, marketing sites, or content-driven projects that need fine-grained visual control and a managed hosting/CMS stack.

Framer

Overview and Positioning

Framer is a modern design-to-web platform that emphasizes motion, micro-interactions, and rapid prototyping that becomes the live site. It targets designers and teams who want expressive, high-performance sites with a code-adjacent workflow.

Key Features and Strengths

Intuitive visual editor with strong support for animations and interactive states.
Component-based approach and the ability to add React code for custom logic.
Fast hosting with global CDN and server-side rendering for performance.
Good developer handoff: projects can include custom code and integrate with APIs or headless CMSs.
Built-in form handling, analytics, and simple CMS options.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Not as mature a CMS or ecommerce platform as Webflow or Shopify; complex content models may need external headless CMS.
Smaller ecosystem and fewer prebuilt integrations than WordPress or Wix.
Pricing for team and advanced collaboration can add up.
Learning curve if leveraging React/code capabilities; designers who want no-code only may hit limits.

Pricing and Value

Framer offers a generous free tier for prototypes and simple sites; paid plans (as of June 2024) typically start around $12 to $15 per editor per month for Pro plans when billed annually, with hosting/site costs included in plan tiers.
Teams and larger projects will require higher-tier plans for collaboration and advanced features.

Best For

Designers looking to ship motion-rich marketing sites and interactive portfolios quickly, or teams that want a modern design system and React extensibility without full dev stack setup.

Squarespace

Overview and Positioning

Squarespace is a hosted website builder known for visually polished templates and a low-friction setup. It’s aimed at creatives, small business owners, and service providers who prioritize elegant design, fast launch, and reliable hosting.

Key Features and Strengths

Professionally designed templates with strong aesthetics and mobile-optimized styles.
Integrated blogging, simple ecommerce, appointment scheduling add-ons, and built-in analytics.
Straightforward editor focused on sections and templates rather than pixel-level CSS.
All-in-one hosting, SSL, and support with a small learning curve.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Limited design freedom compared with Webflow or Framer - custom layouts and advanced interactions are restricted.
Less suitable for complex CMS structures or large-scale content sites.
Ecommerce functionality is solid for small catalogs, but fees and features are less flexible than Shopify.
Fewer third-party integrations and limited ability to export complex site structures.

Pricing and Value

Pricing (annual billing as of June 2024): Personal $16/month, Business $23/month, Basic Commerce $27/month, Advanced Commerce $49/month.
Squarespace is good value for creatives who want low maintenance and great templates with integrated commerce options.

Best For

Photographers, designers, restaurants, and small businesses that want fast, beautiful sites with minimal setup and ongoing maintenance.

Wix

Overview and Positioning

Wix is a hosted, highly flexible website builder with a large template library and an app marketplace. It suits users who want an easy drag-and-drop editor plus lots of add-ons and built-in features without coding.

Key Features and Strengths

Large template selection and a visual drag-and-drop builder with absolute positioning.
Wix App Market offers plugins for bookings, chat, marketing tools, and more.
Artificial design assistance (ADI) for quick setup and Wix Editor X for more advanced responsive design.
Built-in SEO tools, hosting, and customer support.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Generated code and layout output can be less clean than Webflow or hand-coded sites, affecting performance on very complex builds.
Once you pick a template and go live, migrating to a different template or platform is more difficult.
Advanced custom interactions and developer workflows are more limited than Framer or Webflow.
Pricing tiers and add-ons can get confusing as you add features.

Pricing and Value

Typical pricing (annual billing as of June 2024): Personal/Combo ~ $16/month, Unlimited ~ $22/month, Pro ~ $27/month. Business/ecommerce plans start at about $27/month and go up to $59+/month for VIP levels.
Wix is competitively priced for one-off business sites that leverage apps instead of custom code.

Best For

Small businesses and entrepreneurs who want quick setup, many built-in features, and an app ecosystem without hiring developers.

Wordpress + Elementor (Self-Hosted)

Overview and Positioning

WordPress (self-hosted) combined with a visual builder like Elementor gives designers the maximum flexibility. It separates hosting from the CMS and the builder, offering near-unlimited extensibility via plugins and custom code.

Key Features and Strengths

Massive plugin ecosystem for SEO, memberships, multilingual sites, ecommerce (WooCommerce), forms, and more.
Elementor Pro provides a visual design interface with theme building, dynamic content, and integrations.
Full control over hosting, performance optimization, and code-level customizations.
Large talent pool of developers and prebuilt templates.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Requires more ongoing maintenance: updates, backups, security, caching, and plugin compatibility.
Quality varies across plugins and themes; poor choices can create performance or security issues.
Setup time and configuration can exceed hosted builders for simple sites.
Hosting costs and plugin subscriptions must be managed.

Pricing and Value

Hosting ranges widely; typical managed WordPress hosting is $5 to $25+/month. Example: SiteGround, Kinsta, or WP Engine offer plans in this band.
Elementor Pro pricing (as of June 2024) starts at $59/year for a single site - about $5/month when averaged annually. WooCommerce is free core but paid extensions cost extra.
Real cost includes hosting, a theme/license, plugin subscriptions, and developer time if needed.

Best For

Designers and agencies building complex or custom sites that require specialized plugins, multi-site setups, or deep backend customization and who are comfortable managing hosting or hiring a sysadmin.

Shopify

Overview and Positioning

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform built specifically for online stores. For designers, Shopify is the go-to when ecommerce features, payments, inventory, and fulfillment integrations take precedence and you want a reliable, scalable store without managing servers.

Key Features and Strengths

Robust ecommerce feature set: product variants, inventory, multi-channel selling, checkout customization, shipping integrations, and POS options.
Large app marketplace and many storefront themes optimized for conversions.
Reliable hosting, PCI compliance, and global infrastructure.
Developer APIs, Liquid templating language, and themes that designers can customize.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Not aimed at generic marketing sites; design control is constrained by theme structure and Liquid templating.
Transaction fees apply if you do not use Shopify Payments. App fees can add recurring costs.
For large custom frontends, designers often pair Shopify with a headless frontend (increasing complexity and cost).

Pricing and Value

Pricing (as of June 2024): Basic Shopify $29/month, Shopify $79/month, Advanced Shopify $299/month. Shopify Plus for enterprise is custom-priced.
Add app subscription costs and payment processing fees. Themes range from free to $200+.

Best For

Designers building storefronts that need reliable ecommerce features, integration with fulfillment and sales channels, and a managed operations layer.

How to Choose

Start by matching project requirements to the platform strengths.

Design control needed - Do you need pixel-perfect CSS control and custom interactions? If yes, prioritize Webflow or Framer. If a template is fine, consider Squarespace or Wix.
Content model complexity - Do you need a structured CMS with dynamic collections? Webflow and WordPress excel here; Framer and Squarespace offer simpler options.
Ecommerce requirements - For serious stores with inventory, shipping, and POS, Shopify is purpose-built. For simple commerce within a marketing site, Squarespace, Wix, or Webflow ecommerce can suffice.
Maintenance and hosting preference - Want fully managed hosting and minimal ops? Choose hosted builders (Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Framer, Shopify). Want full control and extensibility? Choose self-hosted WordPress.
Budget and scale - Account for subscription costs, team seats, plugin/app subscriptions, and developer hours. Calculate first-year total cost and ongoing monthly commitments.

Use this decision flow: if ecommerce is primary and scale matters, pick Shopify. If you are a designer who values layout control and clean export with built-in CMS, pick Webflow. If you want motion-first prototypes that become live sites, choose Framer.

If you want the fastest route to a polished site, choose Squarespace. If you need maximum extensibility and control and are comfortable with server management, pick WordPress + Elementor. If you want many apps and low friction for non-technical owners, choose Wix.

Quick Comparison

Pricing Breakdowns (Examples and Considerations)

Webflow: Expect $14/month for a simple hosted site (Basic), $23/month for CMS, and $39/month for business when billed annually. Ecommerce starts near $29/month and scales by plan and transaction processing needs. Add workspace seats for designers collaborating.
Framer: Free tier exists; Pro/editor plans are roughly $12-15/editor/month billed annually. Teams and advanced features increase costs. Hosting is usually included in plan pricing.
Squarespace: Annual plans start at $16/month (Personal) and go to $49/month (Advanced Commerce). Expect to pay for some add-ons like scheduling or email campaigns on higher plans.
Wix: Consumer plans start around $16/month; business/ecommerce plans start about $27/month. Add apps from the App Market with separate fees.
WordPress + Elementor: Hosting $5 to $25+/month depending on provider; Elementor Pro from $59/year for one site. Expect to budget for premium plugins and developer time if building complex functionality.
Shopify: Basic $29/month, Shopify $79/month, Advanced $299/month. Plan choice affects shipping features and reporting; apps and theme purchases add to recurring costs.

FAQ

Which Platform Gives the Most Design Freedom?

Webflow and WordPress with a builder like Elementor offer the most design freedom. Webflow provides visual CSS-level control without server maintenance; WordPress + Elementor provides unlimited extensibility when you combine themes, plugins, and custom code.

Can Designers Export Code and Host Elsewhere?

Webflow lets you export HTML, CSS, and JS for static sites (not CMS-driven pages). WordPress and Shopify (via themes) offer file-level control; Framer and Wix are more tied to their hosting. If code portability is a priority, verify export options before committing.

Is Webflow Better than Wordpress for SEO?

Both can achieve strong SEO when configured correctly. Webflow provides fast hosting, clean markup, and built-in SEO controls. WordPress has more SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) and flexibility, but requires proper hosting and maintenance to match Webflow’s performance.

What is the Best Option for a Portfolio Site?

For portfolios, choose based on desired look and maintenance: Webflow or Framer for custom, interactive portfolios; Squarespace for quick, elegant templates; WordPress if you want multi-site or plugin-based features. Cost and how often you update influence the choice.

How Much Technical Maintenance Should I Expect?

Hosted builders (Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Framer, Shopify) handle hosting, SSL, and platform updates, so maintenance is low. WordPress requires updates to core, themes, and plugins, plus backups and security hardening, which means more hands-on work or outsourcing.

Can I Run Ecommerce on Webflow or Squarespace Instead of Shopify?

Yes for small to medium catalogs. Webflow and Squarespace offer built-in ecommerce suitable for digital products and small product lines. Shopify is preferred for larger inventories, complex shipping, or multi-channel retail due to its ecommerce feature depth.