Best Website Builders for Life Coaches

Overview

“best website builders for life coaches” compares six real, widely used site builders and platforms that life coaches typically consider when launching or improving an online presence. I compare core criteria coaches care about: ease of use, booking and scheduling integrations, payment and membership support, templates for coaching services, SEO and blogging, client portals or course delivery, and pricing/value.

Key decision criteria include whether you need built-in course/membership delivery, appointment booking, funnel/landing-page flexibility, full design control, or the lowest ongoing cost. Quick summary: Squarespace is strong for polished portfolios and basic booking; Wix is flexible with many apps and templates; WordPress with Elementor gives maximum control and lowest long-term cost if you can manage some setup; Kajabi is an all-in-one choice for coaches selling courses/memberships and recurring programs; Duda targets agencies and multi-page business sites with team features; Carrd is the lowest-cost way to publish simple landing pages or single-page coaching funnels. Below the summaries you’ll find in-depth comparisons, pricing breakdowns, a decision checklist, and an FAQ.

Squarespace

Overview and Positioning

Squarespace focuses on design-forward templates and an integrated workflow for small businesses, creatives, and coaches who want an attractive site with minimal setup. It bundles hosting, templates, SSL, blogging, and basic commerce, and includes appointment scheduling via Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity).

Key Features and Strengths

Clean, responsive templates that present coaching services professionally.
Built-in blogging, basic SEO settings, and analytics.
Integrated scheduling (Squarespace Scheduling) for appointments and packages.
Payment processing with Stripe and PayPal for one-off payments and subscriptions on Business Commerce plans.
Good image and portfolio handling for coaches using testimonials, media, and downloadable resources.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Less flexible than open-source options for advanced customizations or third-party plugins.
Membership and course features are limited compared with dedicated course platforms; third-party integrations (e.g., MemberSpace) are often needed for advanced membership sites.
Pricing is higher than bare-bones hosting for equivalent control.

Pricing and Value

Personal plan: starts around $16 per month billed annually (no commerce).
Business plan: around $23 per month billed annually (adds commerce and advanced integrations).
Commerce plans for payments and subscriptions typically start around $27 to $49 per month billed annually.
Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity) can be included or added separately; scheduling plans begin around $16 to $25 per month depending on features.

Squarespace is good value for coaches who prioritize fast, beautiful sites and built-in scheduling without managing hosting.

Best For

Coaches who want a visually polished site quickly, with built-in blogging and scheduling, and who do not need advanced membership/course delivery or deep custom development.

Wix

Overview and Positioning

Wix is a drag-and-drop site builder with a large app marketplace and many templates. It is highly approachable for non-technical users and offers flexible page layouts, built-in booking via Wix Bookings, and commerce options.

Key Features and Strengths

Intuitive visual editor with near-freedom to place elements anywhere.
Wix Bookings for appointment scheduling, class management, and bookings payments.
App Market with integrations for email marketing, memberships, webinars, and forms.
Wix Ascend offers marketing tools: email campaigns, automations, chat, and simple CRM features as add-ons.
Large template library with coaching-specific templates.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

The absolute design freedom can lead to inconsistent mobile views if not checked.
Performance and SEO require more attention than some competitors; site speed can vary.
Some key features are behind separate Ascend or app subscriptions, increasing overall cost.

Pricing and Value

Combo plan (personal site): starts around $16 per month (annual billing).
Unlimited plan (small business): about $22 per month.
Business Basic (for online payments/bookings) begins around $27 per month.
Wix Ascend marketing bundles and premium apps may add $10 to $50+ per month depending on needs.

Best For

Coaches who want a visual, flexible editor and a large app ecosystem to add booking, email, and simple membership features without code.

Wordpress with Elementor (Self-Hosted)

Overview and Positioning

org) combined with a page builder like Elementor offers maximum flexibility and scalability. It requires more setup but supports advanced SEO, membership plugins, booking plugins (e.g., Amelia, Bookly), and full ownership of content.

Key Features and Strengths

Total design control with Elementor and access to thousands of themes and plugins.
Best-in-class SEO plugins (Yoast, Rank Math) and blogging capabilities.
Wide range of booking, membership, LMS, and payment plugins for complex coaching setups.
Lower ongoing hosting costs are possible; you can scale hosting as traffic grows.
Full data ownership and exportability.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Requires more hands-on setup and maintenance: hosting, backups, security, and updates.
Learning curve for non-technical users; potential plugin conflicts can arise.
Costs can vary widely depending on hosting, premium plugins, and developer help.

Pricing and Value

Hosting: shared hosting can start around $3 to $10 per month (intro offers), managed WordPress hosting commonly $10 to $30 per month.
Elementor Pro: starts at about $59 per year for a single site (gives professionally designed widgets and templates).
Booking/membership plugins: many premium plugins range $30 to $200 per year each (one-time or annual).
Domain and SSL usually included with hosting or available for $10 to $20 per year.

Best For

Coaches who need full control, advanced funnels, membership or LMS features, and want to optimize costs long-term or build a multi-faceted business platform.

Kajabi

Overview and Positioning

Kajabi is an all-in-one platform built specifically for creators and course sellers. It combines website building, courses, membership sites, email marketing, landing pages, funnels, and payments in a single product, with little technical overhead.

Key Features and Strengths

Purpose-built for delivering coaching programs, courses, and membership communities.
Built-in course creator, pipelines (sales funnels), email campaigns, and analytics.
Integrated checkout, subscriptions, coupons, and affiliate management.
Templates and automation designed for selling programs and onboarding clients.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Higher price point than general-purpose builders.
Less flexible for custom site design compared with WordPress.
Not ideal for coaches whose primary need is a simple brochure site and scheduling without courses.

Pricing and Value

Basic plan starts at about $149 per month billed monthly (discounts available for annual billing).
Growth and Pro tiers increase fees and add marketing and automation limits.
For coaches who will sell multiple courses or memberships, Kajabi can replace multiple tools but costs more upfront.

Best For

Coaches building a course- or membership-centric business who want an integrated marketing and delivery platform with minimal technical setup.

Duda

Overview and Positioning

Duda is a site builder that targets agencies and professional designers but also serves small businesses needing multi-page, collaborative sites. It emphasizes team tools, client management, and white-label capabilities.

Key Features and Strengths

Professional templates and design controls with good performance.
Team and collaboration features for agencies or coaches working with designers.
White-label and multi-site capabilities for agencies building many client sites.
Integrations with booking and payment providers; supports membership/workflows with third-party tools.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

More enterprise/agency focus; some solo coaches may find features they do not use.
Fewer consumer-facing apps than Wix; integrations often require custom setup.
Pricing and per-editor costs can be higher for single-site use compared with simpler builders.

Pricing and Value

Duda pricing typically starts around $14 to $22 per month for the basic site plan when billed annually, with team and agency plans rising significantly.
Agency or reseller plans add per-site or per-editor fees; white-labeling is on higher tiers.

Best For

Teams, agencies, or growth-stage coaches who need collaborative workflows, multiple sites, or white-label capabilities while keeping designs consistent across brands.

Carrd

Overview and Positioning

Carrd is a single-page site builder optimized for landing pages, lightweight funnels, and one-page coach bios. It is extremely low-cost and fast to set up.

Key Features and Strengths

Fast to build one-page sites and opt-in funnels.
Extremely affordable: free tier with Carrd branding, Pro plans allow custom domains and forms.
Integrates with payment processors and Zapier for automated workflows.
Ideal for lead capture, single-service pages, or lightweight booking links.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

Not intended for multi-page sites, robust blogs, or full membership/course delivery.
Limited advanced SEO features and fewer direct integrations compared with larger builders.
Not a full replacement for a website if you need extensive content, courses, or multi-page client portals.

Pricing and Value

Free plan for single pages with Carrd branding.
Pro plans start at low annual prices (commonly $9 to $49 per year depending on features) and add custom domains, forms, and payment integration.

Best For

Solopreneur coaches who need an inexpensive landing page, a booking link hub, or a fast funnel for a single program or opt-in.

How to Choose

Decision checklist

Primary goal: Are you selling courses/memberships (Kajabi or WordPress + LMS), booking coaching sessions (Squarespace, Wix with bookings, or WordPress with a booking plugin), or capturing leads with a single landing page (Carrd)?
Technical comfort and maintenance: Want no-maintenance hosting and built-in tools (Squarespace, Wix, Kajabi) or are you comfortable managing hosting/plugins for more flexibility (WordPress + Elementor)?
Budget: Low-cost landing pages and portfolios (Carrd, basic Wix or Squarespace plans). Medium budgets for full sites and scheduling (Squarespace, Wix). Higher budgets for integrated course/marketing platforms (Kajabi).
Growth plans: If you expect to scale into multi-course programs, memberships, and email automation, prioritize platforms that support funnels and memberships natively (Kajabi, WordPress with LMS plugins).
Customization and ownership: If you need full control, advanced SEO, and portability, choose WordPress with Elementor and managed hosting.

A simple decision flow: For a quick, attractive brochure site with bookings choose Squarespace. For drag-and-drop flexibility and many apps choose Wix. For full control and scale choose WordPress + Elementor.

For course-driven coaching businesses pick Kajabi. For low-cost landing pages choose Carrd.

Quick Comparison

FAQ

Which Platform is Best If I Only Need Appointment Booking and a Polished Site?

Squarespace and Wix are the easiest choices. Squarespace provides design-forward templates and integrated scheduling through Squarespace Scheduling, while Wix includes Wix Bookings and a large app marketplace for added features.

Do I Need Kajabi to Sell Coaching Programs?

No. Kajabi consolidates website, courses, email marketing, and payments into one platform which speeds setup, but WordPress with LMS plugins (LearnDash, LifterLMS) or other course platforms (Teachable, Podia) can also deliver professional programs at different price points. Kajabi is easier but more expensive.

Is Wordpress Cheaper than Hosted Builders?

WordPress can be lower cost over time because hosting and plugins can be chosen to fit budgets. However, initial setup and maintenance may require time or developer costs. Hosted builders (Squarespace, Wix, Kajabi) include hosting and support but typically have higher recurring fees for comparable features.

Can I Accept Recurring Payments and Memberships on These Platforms?

Yes, but availability varies. Kajabi and many WordPress plugins offer native recurring subscriptions and membership management. Squarespace and Wix support subscriptions on higher-tier plans or via apps.

Carrd supports basic payments through Stripe but is not designed for complex memberships.

What is the Best Low-Cost Option for a Single Landing Page or Mini-Site?

Carrd is the most cost-effective for single-page sites and opt-ins, with low annual pricing for Pro tiers that enable custom domains and payment forms. For slightly more capability, a basic Wix or Squarespace plan works, but at higher cost.

How Important are SEO Tools for a Life Coach Site?

SEO is important for organic discovery—especially if you publish regular articles, podcasts, or resources. WordPress has the most advanced SEO plugins and granular control. Squarespace and Wix include essential SEO settings that are adequate for many coaches; proper content strategy still matters most.