Hostinger is the most affordable website builder, offering low-priced plans, extremely discounted special deals, and access to advanced features despite the low cost, according to more than 100 hours of in-depth research of twelve top website builders.
There are a lot of cheap website builders out there, though, with competitive deals that can have you building a site for as little as a dollar per month.
Why Trust Us? Our Research Explained
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we’re giving you the clearest, most useful product recommendations.
Here’s how our website builder research came about, by the numbers:
- More than 100 hours
- Seven categories of investigation
- 36 subcategories
- 207 individual evaluations
The primary categories of investigation included website functionality (30%), design features (25%), help and support (10%), reputation (5%), pricing (15%), and user experience (15%).
| Price | Special deal | Price for ecommerce The cost for a plan that allows users to build and operate an online store. | Price for AI The cost for a plan that allows users to access certain AI features. | Free plan | Free trial | Transaction fees | Pros | Cons | App store Is there an app store available to utilize third-party integrations? | Templates How many templates are available? | Maximum products The maximum number of products you can sell in an online store. | Who should? Who should be using this platform? | Who shouldn't? Who shouldn't be using this platform? | ||
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| BEST OVERALL  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||
| Hostinger | Shopify | Network Solutions | IONOS | Pixpa | |||||||||||
| $11.99/month | $29/month | $15.99/month | $18/month | $9/month | |||||||||||
| $2.99/month for 4-year contract | $1/month for first 3 months | $4.99/month for 1-year contract | $1/month for 1-year contract | $4.05/month for 2-year contract | |||||||||||
| $18.99/month | $5/month | $28.99/month | $27/month | $9/month | |||||||||||
| $11.99/month | $29/month | $15.99/month | $24/month | $9/month | |||||||||||
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| 30-day money-back guarantee | 3-day free trial | | 30-day money-back guarantee | 15-day free trial | |||||||||||
| None | 2.9% + 30¢ | 5% + 50¢ | 2.9% + 40¢ | None | |||||||||||
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| 300+ | 900+ | 220+ | 50+ | 150+ | |||||||||||
| 1,000 | Unlimited | 10,000 | Unlimited | 1,000 | |||||||||||
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Key Takeaways
- Best: Hostinger is the best cheap website builder, with plans starting from just $2.99 per month with the current promotion.
- Ecommerce: Shopify is the best cheap website builder for selling online, with a plan for only $5 per month with basic ecommerce functionality.
- Pricing: Cheap website builders generally cost between $3 and $6 per month, with more advanced plans costing as much as $20 per month.
- Limitations: Cheap website builders are almost always missing some key features available with more expensive options.
- Hidden fees: Steep renewal costs, domain name charges, and transaction fees for online stores are often found with cheap website builders.
How Much Do Website Builders Cost?
The starting price of a website builder costs between $5 and $20 per month, while mid-tier and enterprise-level plans can cost between $25 and $300 per month.
The function of the website can also impact the cost. Ecommerce website builders that can build an online store typically start at around $20 per month, while portfolio and blog sites start at between $5 and $12 per month.
Check out our website building price guide to learn more
| Starting price | Top considerations | Recommended website builder | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio Sites | Online Blogs | Small Business Sites | Larger Business Sites | Ecommerce Sites |
| $12/month | $6/month | $12/month | $20/month | $20/month |
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| Squarespace | WordPress | Square Online | Wix | Shopify |
What Are the Best Cheap Website Builders in 2026?
Below, we’ll provide an in-depth review of each of our top cheap website builders, with a look at features and pricing. You can use the links below to navigate to your desired section.
- Hostinger — Cheapest overall
- Shopify — Cheapest way to sell online
- Network Solutions — Cheapest option for beginners
- IONOS — Cheapest promotion price
- Pixpa — Cheapest for creative businesses
Expert Tip
Cheap and free website builders are an attractive option for businesses that are low in resources, because they allow you to get a site live at little to no cost at all.
However, in our research, we found that these free forever plans are a bit too limited to provide the functionality most businesses need from a website builder in the long run. Product limits, ads, high transaction fees, non-custom URLs all impede your sites ability to showcase your business.
Our advice? Use the free plan as more of an extended free trial rather than a viable solution to your website-building needs. That way, you can test out the platform in a meaningful way to be sure it’s the right fit for you.
Then, when you’re ready, you can get a paid plan to really take your website building seriously. And with prices as low as the ones on this list, hopefully it won’t break the bank.
1. Hostinger: Cheapest Website Builder
- Price: $11.99 per month
- Special deal: $2.99 per month for four-year contract + three months free
Our research consistently found Hostinger to be the best budget website builder because of its competitive special deal that allows you access to the platform for the very low price of $2.99 per month if you’re willing to sign up for a four-year contract.
Hostinger also has no transaction fees for ecommerce users, it provides AI features like heatmaps and blog generators, and offers the fastest site loading times across our research.
Check out our Hostinger review to learn more.
Pros
- AI generated site in 60 seconds with only three steps
- Built-in heatmap for advanced site analytics for helpful data
- Language translations capabilities
Cons
- No app market for third party integrations
- No email marketing to reach new customers
- No free trial or free plan for new users
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Starts at: $11.99/month ($2.99/month with deal)
- Up to 86% off with code TECH
2. Shopify: Cheapest Way to Sell Online
- Price: $5 per month
- Special deal: $1 per month for first three months
Shopify is the best ecommerce website builder on the market, but most of its pricing plans are quite expensive. It made the list, however, because it offers a basic ecommerce platform for only $5 per month, allowing you to set up a basic site with products, descriptions, and a checkout interface, but you won’t get access to the actual Shopify website building platform.
Shopify also offers a special deal that allows for you to get started for only $1 per month for your first three months. Because of the short free trial of only three days, this acts as an extended (almost) free trial.
Check out our Shopify pricing guide to learn more.
Pros
- Vast selection of third-party integrations and apps
- Range of customer support including phone, live chat, and 24/7 options
- Excellent generative AI features to craft content
Cons
- Messy interface between backend and frontend
- No free domain, must pay extra
- Short 3-day free trial to try platform before you buy
- Starter plan: $5/month
- Basic plan: $29/month
- Grow plan: $79/month
- Advanced plan: $299/month
- Plus plan: $2,300/month
- Transaction fees from 2.9% + 30¢
3. Network Solutions: Cheapest Option for Beginners
- Price: $15.99 per month
- Special deal: $4.99 per month for one-year contract
With a special deal price of only $4.99 per month for a one year contract, we found that Network Solutions, formerly Web.com, to be an excellent low-cost website builder, particularly because it offers a lot of built-in features, like a social calendar and post generator.
It’s worth noting, however, that after the first year, Network Solutions will cost about $16 per month, which is the same cost as more functional website builders like Squarespace.
Pros
- Intuitive interface
- Comprehensive free plan
- Mobile and tablet optimization is impressive
Cons
- Image editing capabilities are pretty basic
- Unable to switch templates
- Slow loading time
- Website: $4.99/month (first 12 months)
- Website + Marketing: $7.99/month (first 12 months)
- Ecommerce: $9.99/month (first 12 months)
4. IONOS: Most Affordable Promotion
- Price: $18 per month
- Special deal: $1 per month for one-year contract
IONOS is a good website builder if you want to get started at the lowest possible price, because it offers a special deal for its mid-tier plan that allows you to access the platform for only $1 per month for the first year.
After the first year, the price goes up to $18 per month, which makes IONOS more expensive than the starting plan for Wix, our top website builder for most users.
Pros
- International growth features built-in, like multilingual support
- Quickest server response team for fast support
- Best mobile site speed performance across our research
Cons
- No free plan or free trial available
- Limited customization
- Few advanced marketing features
- Starter plan: $6/month (first 12 months)
- Plus plan: $1/month (first 12 months)
- Pro plan: $17/month (first 12 months)
- Deal: One year of Plus for $1/month
- All plans: Free domain for a year
- 30-day refund guarantee
5. Pixpa: Cheapest for Creative Businesses
- Price: $9/month
- Special deal: $4.05 per month for two-year contract
Pixpa is purpose-built for creatives, with a focus on exhibiting portfolios that will delight photographers and artists. It’s also available on the cheap, with pricing starting at $4.05 per month if you’re willing to sign up for a two-year contract.
Even better, the renewal price after that is only $9 per month, making it still one of the most affordable website builders on the market in 2026.
Pros
- Lets you sell online for only $9 per month (currently $4.05 for 2 years)
- Beautifully designed templates
- Advanced blogging and SEO tools available for users
Cons
- No free plan available
- Limited customization options
- Artist-focused, so not ideal for non-creative businesses
- Basic Plan: $4.05/month for 2 years
- Creator Plan: $6.75/month for 2 years
- Professional Plan: $9/month for 2 years
- Advanced Plan: $11.25/month for 2 years
- Ecommerce features with all paid plans
- Yearly and biannual plans currently available with promotional discounts
How To Choose the Best Cheap Website Builder
When choosing a website builder, be sure to consider:
- Features: Cheap website builders are always missing some kind of key features, like ecommerce functionality, to make up for the cost.
- Scalability: Some cheap website builders are just stepping stones for larger, more expensive plans, while others are standalone cheap options with no room for growth.
- AI tools: Many AI features are put behind paywalls, so make sure your cheap website builder offers the features you want at the right price point.
- Renewal costs: Many cheap website builders are only affordable for a limited time, so make sure that you won’t incur unwanted charges when that time period is up.
- Transaction fees: Low cost website builders for building an online store are great, but transaction fees can cut into your profits in a serious way.
- Reliable help and support: Some website builders have premium support reserved for the pricier tiers.
Which Website Builders Offer Free Plans?
Free website builders are common, with popular providers like Wix, GoDaddy, and Square Online offering free forever plans that allow users to create, edit, and publish websites at no cost.
These free plans often come with serious limitations that hamper the long term success of your site, though, including no custom URL, ads on your site, and high transaction fees for ecommerce sales.
Check out our best free website builders guide to learn more.
Methodology: How We Rate Cheap Website Builders
We rate our website builders based on six key criteria:
- Website functionality (30%): The capabilities and functionalities offered by a website builder, e.g. blog functionality, SEO capability, and marketing capacity.
- Design features (25%): The aesthetic appeal and visual layout of a website created using a website builder.
- User experience (15%): How user-friendly and intuitive a website builder is for people with varying levels of technical expertise.
- Pricing (15%): The balance between the cost of a website builder and the benefits it provides.
- Help and support (10%): The assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance.
- Reputation (5%): This is the feedback and ratings given by customers who have used a particular website builder.
Our in-house researchers regularly update this data to reflect current pricing and features.
Verdict: What Is the Best Cheap Website Builder?
Based on our user testing, research, and analysis, the best cheap website builder is Hostinger. Not only does the website builder offer capable paid plans for as little as $2.99 per month, but it has some great features, including a neat AI website builder, AI blog generator, and all-round great user experience.
Next up was Shopify. The ecommerce stalwart has an intro plan that starts at just $5 per month, and while it’s certainly limited when compared with the provider’s other plans, it has some excellent sales features for the price point.