Best Website Builders For Mac

If you're researching what the best Mac website builder is, the answer is Wix. Thanks to its easy user interface, Wix is utterly simple to use, even for anyone with zero coding experience. In fact, thanks to its drag-and-drop approach, and range of professional-looking templates, you can create a website using Wix without ever once touching a line of code.

Rather than paying for Mac software, you pay a monthly fee – as low as $14 per month – to create and publish your website with Wix. There are regular Wix deals and discounts, too.

Our recommendations are based on independent tests and real-world user feedback. While Wix came out top of the pile, it's not the only website builder we've rated. From ecommerce templates to interactive galleries, there's no limit to what you can achieve with the best website builders for Mac that we've rounded up for you. We also take a look at dedicated website builder apps and let you know if these would suit you too.

Top Website Builders for Mac

The website builders we've rounded up don't actually require you to install anything from the Mac App Store, which is always nice to avoid when you can.

You access all of the website builders below through Safari, Chrome or your preferred web browser of choice. This makes it quick and easy to create, edit and update a website – even if you're using a lower-powered MacBook Air, rather than a MacBook Pro.

We have carried out extensive user-based research to rank and rate the most popular website builders out there. We ask the same questions you do, such as “how easy are they to use?,” “what features can they provide?,” “do they offer good value for money?,” and “what sort of customer support is available?,” then create our scores based on these factors, and others.

Each website builder we rate is based on real life use, with our testers having hands-on time with each service to work out what's great, and what's not so great.

Below are the top Mac Website Builders to come out of our testing:

• Wix – An excellent all-rounder for everyone
• Squarespace – An excellent range of designs and templates
• Weebly – Easy to use and great value
• Site123 – A decent offering, but not as rich as other sites
• GoDaddy – A good range of features
• 1&1 Ionos – One of the best web designers for eCommerce
• WordPress – Popular if slightly limited

Mac Website Builder Software Compared

If you're looking to create your own website using a Mac, whether it's a passion project or the online presence for your new business, then good news – it's never been easier. With a wide array of website builders that can help you build a professional looking website in minutes, for a minimal cost, you'll be spoiled for choice.

Wix Website Builder

Wix is one of the best known website builders in the business, and with good reason. It offers great value, whilst not scrimping on the features available to users. It's also refreshingly easy to use, with an intuitive drag and drop system, making it a great choice for new starters, as well as those with some experience.

Among its excellent range of features, Wix offers an extensive app store, allowing you to add functions to your site with just a click, from appointment booking to live chat. It also gives users powerful SEO tools to ensure that their website doesn't languish at the bottom of Google's search engine, meaning an excellent leg up for your website compared to competitors. Additionally, if you're new to website design and don't really know what you're doing, Wix's powerful ADI will design a website for you based on a few criteria you provide. Just answer a few quick questions and you'll be all set up fast and easy.

While you'll have to pay to get the best from Wix, you can get started for free easily

Wix offers a free version, but it's fairly basic, and we don't recommend it. The good news is that it has a good range of prices and won't break the bank. Opt for a paid package and you can have a professional-looking website up and running in minutes, for minimal cost.

Squarespace Website Builder

Squarespace's excellent range of templates enables website novices to whip up a professional-looking website in no time at all, and they are the linchpin of the service. With 91 templates to choose from, there are plenty of options, and with pretty much every facet editable, there really is no limit to how your site can look.

While Squarespace offers a fantastic range of options for those looking to create a website that looks the part, the interface can be a little confusing for first-time users. It's something that you'll get used to quickly, but be aware that there is something of a learning curve initially.

One excellent feature is Squarespace's blogging function. Posts look the same when they're being written as to how they will on the finished page, removing the need to continually go back and forth, previewing the site.

If you like the sound of Squarespace, you can try it for free for 14 days or find out more about its pricing

Weebly Website Builder

Weebly is a great website builder for perfectionists, thanks to its deep customization options. Want to see what your website would look like with a different template? No problem, with Weebly, you can swap out different styles at your will, while retaining the information on the page. These changes are done with a simple click, meaning it's not daunting for new users who want to experiment.

For expert users, Weebly allows the use of CSS and HTML to be added to its templates, meaning that those with experience can fine-tune the pages to their liking.

If you want to add features to your site, Weebly has an extensive app store, offering over 300 to choose from. One nice touch is the app review system, where users can leave ratings for the apps they have used, giving you guidance on which ones would work best for your site.

Like the sound of Weebly? Take a closer look at how it compares to Wix

Site123 Website Builder

Site123 claims to be ‘the easiest free website builder,' which is rather bold given its stiff competition. However, we can't disagree that the service makes things easy for you, with its sidebar system making it simple for virtually anyone to create a website in minutes. It's especially strong as a platform for ecommerce, thanks to its excellent online store template, with all you having to do is add the stock – Site123 will do the rest.

If there's one area where Site123 falls down, it's the templates. None of them are overall exciting, putting function before creativity. However, if all you care about is getting your ecommerce website up in record time and for with minimal cost, Site123 is certainly one to consider.

GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy is a huge force in the web building industry, with 17.5 million users. One of the reasons for its popularity, aside from its extensive marketing budget, is the ease with which it lets users create new sites, thanks to a simple drag and drop system, and 24/7 customer support on hand for any issues that might crop up as you're building your dream page.

Sounds good, but do we recommend it? While it does a decent job, and it's certainly not terrible, it's something of a compromise when pitched against the standards of Wix and Weebly. Its editor is restrictive, meaning you might struggle to create that exact website you've always dreamed of, and it's sorely lacking in apps to add features to your page.

WordPress Website Builder

WordPress powers over 500 million websites, so it must be doing something right. It's an ideal platform for running a blog, thanks to excellent tools and templates that will help you craft the best looking blog out there. As a website builder for creating professional looking business focused sites, it doesn't quite compete with our favorites, Wix and Weebly, if only because it cannot offer the same ease of adding extra features that those platforms can.

The editor itself is fairly intuitive, and has a great ‘what you see is what you get' approach, so that as you're writing your page, you can see how it will look to your readers. Also, thanks to the huge, active user base, any issues you might come across are usually just a Google away, so if you do come unstuck, it likely won't be for long.

If you're more of an expert when it comes to website building and you still want to stick with WordPress, WordPress.org provides users with open source access for free. However, it's worth noting that you're going to need a pretty serious knowledge base to design a website with WordPress.org, as the process can be quite complicated, particularly without any prior experience.

1&1 Ionos Website Builder

Is 1&1 Ionos as good as the likes of Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace? Frankly, no, but it still has some neat tricks up its sleeve which make it worth considering. One feature is that 1&1 Ionos sites can be multilingual, allowing you to create sites in 60 different languages, which could be a selling point for those looking to appeal to international markets.

The builder lets you have full access to the CSS and HTML coding of the templates – many builders don't like you tinkering with the backend of their pages like this, but with 1&1 Ionos, anyone with experience will be able to make coding changes to get their site to look how they want.

1&1 Ionos feels slightly dated compared to other website builders, and it's not a patch on the likes of Wix or Weebly, so opt for those instead.

Website Builder vs Mac Website Software

While a web-based website builder is the most popular option, there is also dedicated software available that can do the same job. Software has fewer benefits compared to online services like Wix and Weebly – quite often you'll have to pay more upfront, with potentially expensive licenses, you can only use them on the machine they are installed on, and some may have high requirements that won't pose a problem to newer Macs, but which older models might struggle with. On the other hand a website service is accessible from any machine, costs a few bucks a month, and guaranteed to run on your device.

The one appeal of dedicated software, is that you are fully in control – as they are not online, you are not relying on another persons service, and you can also use them offline, so they don't require an internet connection. If you're the sort of person who likes total control, then dedicated site building software may appeal.

We take a brief look at some of the most popular options.

Sandvox

Sandbox makes big claims about its accessibility, stating that users will be able to create a website in under an hour. With a drag and drop interface that's not too hard to believe, and those with coding experience can inject their own CSS or HTML to really make their website their own. It also offers in depth guides and on hand customer support should you need it.

RapidWeaver

RapidWeaver doesn't require any prior experience, and it's a decent starting point for newcomers who simply want to create a functioning website. Integrated SEO tools make sure that your site will be spotted by Google and rank well, and there are dozens of themes to choose from. The automatic navigation system means that your site won't suffer broken links.

Verdict: Next Steps in Choosing a Mac Website Builder

Website builders come in all shapes and sizes, particularly when you're an avid Mac user. While all these options can initially sound daunting, hopefully, you now understand that finding the right website builder for you is simply about knowing what you need before making the decision.

Truly though, if you're looking for the best of the best, you cannot go wrong with Wix. Across all operating systems and devices, this easy-to-use website builder is designed for professionals and newbies alike, so you can get a good-looking website launched without a whole lot of hassle. Plus, with these prices, it's worth taking the leap and getting your online presence started right now.