Best Website Builders for Teachers Guide

Overview

best website builders for teachers should be easy to use, affordable, and capable of showcasing class pages, lesson resources, calendars, and parent communication. This comparison reviews five widely used builders and evaluates them on ease of use, template quality, classroom features, student privacy, cost, and extensibility.

com, Google Sites, and Weebly. Key decision criteria include: learning curve for nontechnical users, built-in education or calendar widgets, ability to host private pages or password protect content, mobile responsiveness, cost for ad-free hosting, and integrations (Google Drive, forms, LMS tools).

Quick summary by audience:

• Teachers who want the fastest setup with free tools: Google Sites.
• Teachers wanting attractive, customizable portfolios and parent-facing pages: Squarespace or Wix.
• Teachers who need blogs, plugins, or advanced control: WordPress.com.
• Teachers on a tight budget who want drag and drop simplicity: Weebly.
• Teachers who want an app and built-in student booking or payments: Wix Business plans.

The following sections analyze each option in detail, present pricing breakdowns, a decision checklist, a comparison table, and a short FAQ.

Best Website Builders for Teachers

This section gives a snapshot comparison before the deep dives. The list focuses on builders that balance low friction setup with classroom needs like embedding assignments, calendars, and password-protected content. Each product will be followed by strengths, limitations, and recommended classroom use cases.

Wix

Overview and Positioning

Wix is a general purpose, drag and drop website builder aimed at small businesses, creators, and educators who want design flexibility without coding. It offers visual editing, many templates, and an app market with widgets for calendars, forms, polls, and member areas.

Key Features and Strengths

• Visual drag and drop editor with many education-friendly templates.
• Wix App Market includes booking, event calendars, forums, and member areas you can use for class signups or private pages.
• Built-in blog and multimedia embedding (YouTube, Google Drive).
• Password protected pages and private member areas for student/parent access.
• Free plan available with Wix branding; simple upgrade path for ad-free hosting and custom domain.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Editor complexity can be overwhelming for absolute beginners due to many options.
• Free plan displays Wix ads and uses a wixsite.com subdomain.
• SEO and site portability are okay but migrating off Wix is not as straightforward as some open-source alternatives.
• Some useful apps require separate subscriptions from third-party vendors in the App Market.

Pricing and Value

• Free plan with Wix ads and subdomain.
• Combo (personal) around $16 per month billed annually - removes Wix ads and adds custom domain.
• Unlimited around $23 per month - for freelancers and higher bandwidth.
• Business Basic (for payments) around $27 per month.
• Wix member areas and many apps are free but some premium apps are additional monthly fees ($3 to $15+).

Values: For teachers wanting polished pages, easy embedding, and optional parent payments or bookings, Wix is strong value starting at about $16/mo to remove ads; adding apps can increase cost.

Best For

• Teachers building visual class websites, portfolios, or event signup pages.
• Educators who want optional scheduling or small payment capabilities.
• Users who want templates and a WYSIWYG editor rather than code.

Squarespace

Overview and Positioning

Squarespace focuses on design-forward templates and a streamlined editor that produces consistently polished sites. It is popular with creatives and professionals who want a modern aesthetic and integrated features like blogging and e-commerce.

Key Features and Strengths

• High-quality, mobile-optimized templates suitable for portfolios, class pages, and newsletters.
• Built-in blogging, galleries, and announcement bar for news and updates.
• Simple integrations for Google Calendar embedding and forms (Squarespace Forms).
• Native analytics and solid SEO basics with friendly workflows.
• Reliable hosting and SSL included.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Less free tier flexibility - no forever-free plan; trial only.
• More opinionated template system means less absolute layout freedom than Wix.
• Advanced features like member-only content require using Commerce or third-party workarounds.
• Slightly higher starting cost for ad-free and custom domain hosting.

Pricing and Value

• Personal plan roughly $16 per month billed annually - standard site features and templates.
• Business plan about $23 per month - includes premium blocks, promotional pop-ups, and commerce fees.
• Basic Commerce $27 and Advanced Commerce $49 per month for shopping features.
• No free plan; trial period available.

Values: Squarespace is strong for teachers who prioritize visual polish and clarity over extreme layout flexibility. For a clean class website or portfolio, plan costs start at $16/mo.

Best For

• Teachers wanting a professional-looking class site or personal teaching portfolio.
• Educators who prefer curated design and straightforward setup without many plugins.
• Small private-course sellers who may later use Commerce plans.

Wordpress.com

Overview and Positioning

com provides hosted WordPress sites with tiered plans, combining the power of the WordPress ecosystem with managed hosting. It is suited to teachers who want blogging, flexible content types, and plugin/extensions when on higher plans.

Key Features and Strengths

• Industry-standard blogging and content management features.
• Large template library and, on Business or higher plans, access to plugins and custom themes.
• Strong SEO tools, categories/tags, and media management.
• Built-in privacy options and password-protected posts/pages.
• Scales from simple blogs to full-featured sites when using paid plans.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Free and low-cost plans have limited customization and include WordPress.com ads.
• To use third-party plugins you generally need Business plan ($25/mo) or higher.
• Slightly steeper learning curve for nontechnical users compared to drag and drop builders.
• Managed hosting limits some backend access compared with self-hosted WordPress.org.

Pricing and Value

• Free with WordPress.com ads and subdomain.
• Personal plan approximately $4 per month billed yearly - removes ads and adds custom domain.
• Premium about $8 per month - additional design tools and monetization.
• Business about $25 per month - allows plugin installs and custom themes.
• eCommerce plan about $45 per month for selling online.

com gives the best upgrade path. Expect to pay ~$25/mo for plugin access and advanced features.

Best For

• Teachers building resource hubs, course blogs, or multi-author class sites.
• Educators planning to scale with plugins like LMS tools, membership plugins, or advanced SEO.
• Users comfortable with slightly more setup in exchange for extensibility.

Google Sites

Overview and Positioning

Google Sites is a free, minimal website builder integrated with Google Workspace. It is intentionally simple: drag-and-drop sections, tight Google Drive integration, and straightforward sharing controls. It is common in schools because it supports Google accounts and classroom workflows.

Key Features and Strengths

• Completely free with a Google account; often free with Google Workspace for Education.
• Tight embed and permission integration with Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, and Calendar.
• Simple page-level sharing and permission controls; pages can be restricted to domain or specific users.
• Fast to set up with templates for class sites, portfolios, and group projects.
• No ads and uses your domain when connected through Google Workspace.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Very limited design flexibility and template variety; sites tend to look basic.
• Few advanced features: no app marketplace, limited SEO options, no native blogging feature beyond embedding Docs.
• Not ideal for complex interactions like online payments or sophisticated forms without third-party embeds.
• Limited third-party integrations beyond embedding.

Pricing and Value

• Free for personal Google accounts.
• Included in Google Workspace plans; Business Starter around $6 per user per month if you want admin controls and a custom domain via Workspace.
• For many teachers using school Google accounts, there is effectively no incremental cost.

Values: For teachers focused on speed, privacy controls, and embedding Google Drive resources, Google Sites is the lowest-friction, lowest-cost option.

Best For

• Teachers needing a quick class hub, syllabus, and resource repository.
• Educators already using Google Workspace or Google Classroom.
• Schools that require domain or domain-limited sharing with minimal setup.

Weebly

Overview and Positioning

Weebly, now part of Square, is a straightforward drag-and-drop builder targeting small businesses and individuals who want simple sites quickly. It is easy for novices and offers integrated e-commerce if needed.

Key Features and Strengths

• Very simple drag-and-drop interface with basic themes suitable for classroom pages.
• Free plan available, plus affordable paid plans that remove Weebly ads and allow custom domains.
• Built-in form builder, blog, and ability to password protect pages with third-party or manual methods.
• Square integration for payments and selling items such as class materials or fundraisers.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Fewer templates and less modern design aesthetics compared with Squarespace.
• Functionality is more limited than Wix or WordPress.com in terms of apps and plugins.
• Some advanced features require paid plans or Square integration and may include transaction fees.

Pricing and Value

• Free plan with Square branding and subdomain.
• Connect plan about $5 per month - connect custom domain but shows Square ads.
• Pro plan around $12 per month - recommended for most users, removes ads and adds site features.
• Business plan about $25 per month - for e-commerce functionality.

Values: For budget-conscious teachers who want a simple site fast, Weebly provides adequate features at lower price points; Pro at about $12/mo is a common choice for ad-free class sites.

Best For

• Teachers who want a no-friction site with basic blog and pages.
• Educators selling small items or handling payments via Square integration.
• Users who prefer minimal setup and lower monthly costs.

How to Choose

1. Define primary goal: Is the site a static class hub, a student portfolio, a blog, a paid course landing page, or a combined solution? Choose builders that align with primary goals (Google Sites for hubs, Squarespace/Wix for portfolios, WordPress.com for blogs and extensibility).

2. Prioritize privacy and access control: If you must restrict content to students or parents, pick a tool with native password protection or member areas (Wix member areas, WordPress.com with plugins on Business, Google Sites with account restrictions).

3. Consider design vs simplicity tradeoff: Want pixel-perfect layouts and templates? Squarespace or Wix. Want the easiest path with Drive embeds? Google Sites or Weebly.

4. Budget and add-ons: List which paid features you need (custom domain, email, booking, payment processing). Add monthly costs for both the builder plan and any third-party app subscriptions.

5. Future scalability: If you plan to expand into a full course site, plugin support (WordPress.com Business) or Wix Business plans may be better. If site will stay simple, stick to Google Sites or Weebly.

Checklist:

• Primary purpose defined (hub, portfolio, blog, payments)
• Privacy requirements confirmed (passwords, domain-limited access)
• Monthly budget set including any app fees
• Level of design control you want determined
• Future scaling and plugin needs evaluated

Quick Comparison

Feature | Wix | Squarespace | WordPress.com | Google Sites | Weebly — | —: | —: | —: | —: | —: Pricing (entry paid) | $16/mo (Combo) | $16/mo (Personal) | $4/mo (Personal) | Free | $5/mo (Connect) or $12/mo (Pro) Free plan | Yes (with ads) | No | Yes (with ads) | Yes | Yes Design flexibility | High | High (curated) | Moderate to High | Low | Low Ease of use | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate (varies) | Very Easy | Very Easy Member/private pages | Member areas (paid) | Limited (workarounds) | Yes (with plugins on Business) | Built-in sharing controls | Basic password workarounds Best for | Visual class sites, bookings | Portfolios, polished class pages | Blogs, extensible sites | Quick class hubs, Drive resource embeds | Simple sites, low cost

Pricing notes: listed prices reflect typical annual-billed plan rates; monthly billing is often higher. App or plugin fees may add to cost.

Pricing Breakdowns and Practical Totals

Below are representative monthly cost estimates for a teacher who wants an ad-free site with a custom domain, basic analytics, and some privacy controls. Values assume annual billing where available.

• Google Sites: $0 to $6 per user per month if using Google Workspace. Typical total: $0 for many teachers.
• Weebly Pro: $12 per month — includes custom domain, removes ads, basic features.
• Squarespace Personal: $16 per month — polished templates, analytics.
• Wix Combo: $16 per month — removes ads and adds domain (note: member areas/apps may cost extra).
• WordPress.com Business: $25 per month — plugin support and advanced SEO.

Add-on examples:

• Booking or class scheduling app on Wix: typically $5 to $15 per month.
• Third-party form or LMS embedding: $5 to $30 per month depending on provider.
• Domain registration: often included year 1, renewals roughly $10 to $20 per year.

Example total scenarios:

• Lowest cost hub: Google Sites + free Google account = $0.
• Polished class site: Squarespace Personal = $16/mo or Weebly Pro = $12/mo.
• Expandable course site with plugins: WordPress.com Business = $25/mo + domain.

FAQ

What is the Best Free Option for Teachers?

Google Sites is generally the best free option because it integrates tightly with Google Drive and Google Classroom, offers straightforward sharing controls, and typically has no ads for school accounts. It is limited in design but extremely practical.

Can I Password Protect Pages for Students or Parents?

Yes. Wix offers member areas and password-protected pages (some features may require paid plans or apps). com supports password protection on pages; full membership systems usually require Business-level plans.

Google Sites lets you restrict access by Google account or domain.

Which Builder is Best for Student Portfolios?

Squarespace and Wix provide attractive portfolio templates and media galleries. com is also strong for scalable portfolios, especially if you want custom themes or plugins later. Google Sites works for simple portfolios if design expectations are modest.

How Much Technical Skill is Required?

Google Sites and Weebly require minimal technical skill and are suited for nontechnical users. Wix and Squarespace are user-friendly but offer more options which can add complexity. com has a steeper learning curve when using plugins or themes, especially on Business plans.

Are There Privacy or Student Data Concerns?

School or district policies may restrict third-party tools. Google Sites used within Google Workspace for Education is often allowed because it stays within the school domain. For other builders, check terms of service and data storage locations; avoid storing sensitive student data on public pages and use password protection or district-approved platforms when required.

Can I Migrate My Site Later?

Simple content can be migrated, but full site portability varies. com content (posts and pages) exports via XML and is easy to migrate to self-hosted WordPress. Wix and Squarespace are less portable - you can export basic content but not full layouts.

Plan ahead if migration is likely.

Final Decision Checklist

• Purpose: list your top 3 site goals (example: syllabus page, parent updates, student portfolios).
• Privacy: verify if you must limit by domain or avoid third-party hosting.
• Budget: set a monthly cap including potential app fees.
• Design need: pick high design (Squarespace/Wix) or maximum simplicity (Google Sites/Weebly).
• Scalability: choose WordPress.com if you expect to add plugins or expand features.

Use the checklist to narrow to two contenders, trial them using the free tier or trial, and evaluate how easy it is to update content and manage permissions before committing to an annual plan.

Further Reading

• Website Builders Squarespace Practical Guide
• Website Building and Hosting Free for Small Businesses
• Best Drag and Drop Website Builders Guide
• Top Website Builders for Beginners - Best Options