Best Cheap Website Builders 2026: Pricing Plans, Hidden Fees, & More

The best cheap website builder is Hostinger ($1.76 per month with Tech.co 86% off promotion, otherwise $1.95 per month). Our research, which compared 16 website builders across 398 evaluation categories, found it to be remarkably functional for such a low price, with an easy to use interface and lots of AI features.

However, Hostinger is far from the only option on the market. Also worth looking into is Shopify ($5 per month), which offers a lot more in terms of features, as well as help and support options. In fact, Shopify is unbeaten among the providers that we’ve tested when it comes to help and support, making it a great option for website builder novices.

In 2025, it’s essential that your business has an online presence. However, you might not be willing to shell out for an expensive solution, which is completely understandable. Luckily, with so many cheap options on the market, you don’t have to. Read on for a complete rundown of the best cheap website builders on the market.

In this guide:

• Best Cheap Website Builders Reviewed
• What to Look for In a Cheap Website Builder
• Methodology: How We Test Cheap Website Builders
• Verdict: What is the Best Cheap Website Builder?

What are the Cheapest Website Builders?

In the section that follows, we’ll provide an in-depth review of each of our chosen providers, with a look at features, pricing, and more. You can use the links below to navigate to your desired section.

1. Hostinger – cheapest overall
2. Shopify – cheapest way to sell online
3. Web.com (now Network Solutions) – cheapest option for building a simple site
4. IONOS – cheapest way to get discovered
5. Pixpa – cheapest option for creative businesses

1. Hostinger

• Cheapest overall
• Paid plans from: $1.95 per month with current promotion (or $1.76 with Tech.co promotion)

Hostinger is the cheapest option on this list, with a current promotional offer that will let you get started for a scarcely believable $1.95 per month. Even better, you can actually get started for just $1.76 per month with a concurrent Tech.co promotion.

Who should use Hostinger?

• Busy businesses
• Users with little site-building experience
• Users who want help generating content

Who shouldn’t use Hostinger?

• Larger businesses with advanced site-building needs
• Omnichannel retailers with brick-and-mortar stores

Why is Hostinger a good website builder?

If you’re looking for a no-frills website builder that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, you just found it. During our latest round of research, our team concluded that Hostinger was the best cheap website builder on the market.

Its pricing is very competitive, it offers key advanced features, including an AI logo maker and AI blog generator, and provides over 150 easy-to-use templates.

Check out our Hostinger vs Wix comparison guide for more info.

Hostinger offers a wide range of cool additional features that can really help you when it comes to building your site, including an AI blog generator, which provides unique, engaging written content on your site without you having to lift a finger. Impressively, it can generate up to 2,000 words at a time, which means you can dip your toe into content marketing without having to give it a second thought.

You’ll also be able to utilize the platform’s logo maker to better establish your brand.

Hostinger offers great AI features, but I found its customization features lacking, which makes it less ideal for users who want a super unique website. Source: Tech.co user testing

Hostinger has no app store, meaning that it’s not the best solution for users who might want to bolt on additional services, such as a POS integration for businesses with brick-and-mortar stores. If this is a must for you, we would recommend looking into Square Online.

From an analytics standpoint, Hostinger offers a comprehensive heatmap, which will help you better understand how your users interact with your website. This is super helpful if you want to take an iterative approach to design and copy, as you can put different ideas on trial, see how they fare, and learn and improve.

I was impressed with Hostinger’s AI heatmapping feature because it lets you gain valuable insights into user engagement on your website. Source: Tech.co user testing

Ultimately, Hostinger is a great solution for individuals who are keen to get their business online quickly, don’t require much in the way of advanced capabilities, and are keeping an eye on costs.

How much does Hostinger cost?

The best thing about Hostinger is the price. It’s significantly cheaper than your average website builder, so if you’re looking to save some money, Hostinger is a great place to start.

Premium plan

The first Hostinger plan costs $12.95 per month for one month. However, this drops right down as soon as you opt for anything longer term. You’ll find a full breakdown below:

• 12 months – $2.95 per month
• 24 months – $2.45 per month
• 48 months – $1.95 per month

The package includes a free domain name, a 100-website limit, and access to Hostinger’s builder. However, it lacks advanced artificial intelligence features like AI writing and heatmaps.

Business plan

The Business plan will set you back $14.95 per month for one month. Again, its pricing varies depending on how long your contract is, as you can see below:

• 12 months – $3.75 per month
• 24 months – $3.25 per month
• 48 months – $2.75 per month

The plan includes hosting capacity for up to 100,000 monthly visits, WordPress AI tools, and Hostinger’s full suite of in-house AI features.

Cloud Startup plan

This costs $27.95 per month for one month. Opt for a longer contract, and you’ll get the following prices:

• 12 months – $9.95 per month
• 24 months – $8.95 per month
• 48 months – $7.45 per month

This plan includes everything in Business with an additional dedicated IP address, priority support, and the hosting capacity for 200,000 monthly visits.

Please note that these prices are part of a current Black Friday promotional offer, so will not stay this price forever.

You can also currently get a discount on both the Premium and Business plans through Tech.co. We can get you a 48-month term for $1.76 per month and $2.48 per month, respectively, with an additional 3 months for free.

Check out our Hostinger review for more information.

2. Shopify

• Cheapest way to sell online
• Paid plans from: $5 per month

Shopify is the undisputed ecommerce king, and with an entry-level plan that will let you start selling for just $5 per month (albeit via social media), it has rightfully earned its place on this list.

Who should use Shopify?

• Individuals who want to create a robust online store
• Users looking for third-party integrations
• Users who are likely to require support

Who shouldn’t use Shopify?

• Design-conscious users
• Users who want an intuitive user experience
• Users looking for good value for money

Why is Shopify a good website builder?

Shopify makes this ‘cheap’ list due to its highly affordable $5 per month Starter plan, which offers a powerful entry point into its world-class ecommerce ecosystem, despite its reputation for higher-priced tiers.

However, prospective customers should bear in mind that after the first plan, Shopify’s pricing jumps right up to $29 per month for the Basic plan.

After that, it’s $79 per month. So if you’re looking for advanced functionality at a reasonable fee, you will not find it with Shopify.

The first thing to say about Shopify is that its ecommerce features are second to none. During our latest round of testing, the platform came out on top in terms of sales performance. Our researchers were particularly impressed with how easy it was to upload products and generate product copy from AI.

At the same time, its analytics features make it easy to monitor sales performance, with comprehensive reports and live tracking.

We were able to add products to the Shopify POS with this simple field. Source: Tech.co testing

There’s a but coming, and here it is: most advanced ecommerce functionality is reserved for the pricier Shopify tiers. The Starter plan is mostly geared towards social media sellers who want to leverage Shopify’s payment system without the bells and whistles of a full-fledged store.

In other words, it won’t be suitable for businesses that sell a lot of products, require advanced customization, or want to get discovered in search.

However, if you’re just looking to get your boutique store off the ground, you could do a lot worse than Shopify’s first plan. For a modest outlay, you’ll get a handy dashboard with basic sales tracking, the ability to process payments and Shopify’s renowned checkout process.

You’ll also get seamless integration with different social media platforms and social selling links, so you can convert your viewers into customers from right within your channels.

Shopify POS lets you track your performance by total sales, sales by channel, online store sessions, and more. Source: Tech.co testing

How much does Shopify cost?

As mentioned above, Shopify earns its place on this list thanks to its Starter plan, which is very reasonably priced at $5 per month. After that, however, Shopify’s affordability goes out the window, with a series of expensive plans that put this provider right at the top end of the pricing scale. You’ll find a full breakdown of plans below.

Basic plan

After Starter, the next Shopify plan is the Basic plan ($29 per month). At this tier, you’ll unlock a fully customizable store with several different available themes, up to 10 inventory locations, the ability to create gift cards, 24/7 live chat support, and more.

We found that generating a gift card was easy with Shopify. Source: Tech.co testing

Retail plan

The Retail plan starts at $79 per month. This plan is geared towards brick-and-mortar retail stores that are looking to build their online presence. For that price, you’ll get your hands on unlimited staff accounts and products, as well as some customer management tools.

Shopify plan

Starting at $79 per month, the titular Shopify plan is perfect for small and medium-sized businesses with several employees. In addition to everything on the Basic plan, subscribers will also unlock five staff accounts, a shipping discount and shipping insurance, and USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing.

Advanced plan

The next Shopify plan starts at $299 per month. Features at this level include 15 staff accounts, custom sales and performance reports, and real-time shipping calculations so your customers always know what they’re paying.

Plus plan

This is geared towards large businesses with complex business needs. Starting at $2,300 a month for a three-year term, it’s a hugely expensive option that will not be suitable for smaller businesses. Standout features include 200 inventory locations, localized global selling in 50 markets, unlimited staff accounts, and more.

Please note that Shopify is currently running a promotional offer, so that new customers can get three days of any plan for free before a further three months at $1 per month. After this, it reverts to full price.

3. Web.com (now Network Solutions)

• Cheapest option for building a simple site
• Paid plans from: $1.99 per month for the first year with current promotion

Formerly known as Web.com, Network Solutions will let you build a simple website for the rock-bottom price of $1.99 per month with a current promotion. Its AI website builder certainly does what it says on the tin, so you’ll be able to generate a new site in no time at all.

Who should use Web.com (now Network Solutions)?

• Users with simple website requirements
• Web building novices

Who shouldn’t use Web.com (now Network Solutions)?

• Businesses that want to get discovered through search
• Individuals who will want to regularly update their website

Why is Network Solutions a good website builder?

Web.com (now Network Solutions) is a functional website builder with cheap plans and neat AI capabilities. For the low price of $1.99 per month (for the first year – it then jumps up to $16.99 per month after that), you’ll get a free domain and secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate, access to the LogoBuilder and Design Studio, as well as use of its simple AI website builder.

When it was still known as Web.com, I tried out the AI builder myself, and I had a mixed experience. Right off the bat, you’re given two choices – generate a website through AI or use a preexisting template. From there, you’re asked a few basic questions – what’s your website called? What makes it unique? And so on.

Like a lot of its contemporaries, Web.com (now Network Solutions) asks you some pretty basic questions to guide the generation process. Source: Tech.co testing

Then, you’re taken to a page titled “Style it up,” at which point you can choose between five different templates – “playful,” “modern,” “professional,” “bold,” and “classic” – to give your page a certain visual mood.

Handily, you’ll be able to see what each template looks like in situ thanks to a small preview window. Then, it’s time to choose your color scheme and typeface.

This level of detail is refreshing, with some AI website builders prescribing a typeface based on other criteria, rather than allowing you to choose your own.

I was impressed with the array of available color schemes in the Web.com (now Network Solutions) AI builder. Source: Tech.co testing

The problems started when I tried to actually generate my site. I was hugely frustrated to witness the site builder time out not once, not twice, but three times before my page was finally generated. It was a maddening experience that definitely left a sour taste.

All told, I was impressed with the final outcome – Web.com (now Network Solutions) created a page that stacked up to my prompts, looked professional, and reflected my brand.

Henry’s Hats in all its splendor. Source: Tech.co testing

How much does Web.com (now Network Solutions) cost?

Like its predecessors, Web.com (now Network Solutions) has a very accessible entry point, with its first plan, the Website plan, costing just $1.99 per month for a one-year contract. After this, however, it reverts to its standard pricing, which puts it at $16.99 per month. For more details, read the breakdown below.

Website + Marketing plan

As per the current promotional offer, this starts at $3.99 per month for a one-year contract, before reverting to $21.99 per month. In addition to the features you’d get on the previous plan, this tier also unlocks the ability to process online appointment booking, sell services, and comes with a Google My Business listing.

eCommerce plan

This currently starts at $9.99 per month for a one-year contract, before reverting to $29.99 per month. Like the name suggests, it’s geared towards selling, with a secure checkout hosted right on your domain, and the ability to sell on Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, and more.

4. IONOS

• Cheapest way to get discovered
• Price from: $1 per month for a one-year contract (reverts to $18 per month after one year)

Not only is IONOS dirt cheap, it also has a raft of great tools for getting discovered by new audiences. Impressively, you’ll get SEO optimization, which is a rarity on starter plans at this pricing bracket.

Who should use IONOS?

• Users with security concerns
• Users who want a choice of hosting options

Who shouldn’t use IONOS?

• Businesses that will attract a high volume of traffic
• Businesses looking for robust website functionality

Why is IONOS a good website builder?

Coming in at fourth on our list of the cheapest website builders is IONOS. While IONOS is a renowned website hosting provider, its website-building arm doesn’t attract the same level of acclaim. And it’s not hard to see why.

While it’s reasonably priced, the platform has specific shortcomings, including a lack of an app market, no blogging functionality, and no free trial, as noted in our testing. I’ll go into more detail in this section.

IONOS has some decent AI enhancements. For a start, users can get up and running quickly with a number of AI-generated website templates, as well as quickly spinning up images and SEO text. Not many introductory website builder plans include SEO optimization, so it’s to IONOS’s credit that you’ll be able to get discovered in search on each of its plans.

Onto the website builder itself. IONOS doesn’t boast the most extensive library of available templates, meaning that it can’t compete with Shopify on that front. However, the templates in question all look uniformly good and professional. What’s more, they’re well-optimized for mobile, so IONOS sidesteps that particular pitfall.

A zoomed-out view of the IONOS website builder. Source: Tech.co testing

In terms of customizability, the website builder adopts a point-and-click-style editor, which is good for making adjustments to specific areas, but less optimal for making wholesale changes. To make matters worse, you’ll lose any content that you’ve added to the site if you change templates after initial setup.

This can be frustrating, as it means that you’re locked into your page look and feel from the off. It’s a similar story with Web.com (now Network Solutions), which outright prohibits you from deviating from your chosen template.

How much does IONOS cost?

IONOS is pretty well-priced, with three website builder plans, starting at $6 per month for a one-year term for the Starter plan. Find out more about the remaining plans below.

Plus plan

Interestingly, while this is ostensibly the mid-tier plan, IONOS’s current promotional offer actually puts Plus as the cheapest – and by some margin. At the moment, first-time customers can pick up this plan for one year at just $1 per month. It’s a stunning deal that includes a free domain for one year, an integrated online booking tool, and more.

Pro plan

The price jumps right up at this tier, with the current promotional offer putting it at $17 per month for a one-year contract. Like its predecessors, it reverts to its regular price after that term ($30 per month). At this level, you’ll unlock powerful SEO tools, including rankingCoach Standard.

This is all well and good for getting a basic site off the ground and getting discovered, but if you’re looking to set up an online business, it’s a different story. In this case, you’ll have to go for one of IONOS’s dedicated ecommerce plans, which are significantly more expensive.

If you’re looking to get your online store off the ground, our recommendation would be Wix, which offers unbeatable functionality, a generous selection of integrations, and 24/7 support. Make sure you check out our list of the best ecommerce website builders for a full breakdown, as well as our other recommendations.

5. Pixpa

• Cheapest option for creative businesses
• Paid plans from: $3.60 per month (with current deal)

Pixpa is purpose-built for creatives, with a focus on exhibiting portfolios that will delight photographers and artists alike. It’s also available on the cheap, with pricing starting at $3.60 per month with a current promotion.

Who should use Pixpa?

• Creative businesses like photographers and designers
• Bespoke online sellers
• Businesses with a content strategy

Who shouldn’t use Pixpa?

• Traditional businesses with info-heavy websites
• Large and enterprise online retailers
• Experienced web developers

Why is Pixpa a good website builder?

Pixpa is an affordable website builder designed specifically for creative users like photographers and artists. However, while Pixpa is primarily marketed as a website builder for portfolios, it also offers advanced blogging features and a seamless ecommerce platform for businesses to sell online, extending its use to a wider demographic of users.

If you run a creative business and don’t want to splurge on slightly more premium design-friendly builders like Squarespace, Pixpa should definitely be on your radar.

The website builder offers over 150 visually engaging, responsive templates that are perfect for showing off creative projects or products. When we used the builder ourselves, I was particularly impressed with how simplistic and clean these themes looked, especially compared to alternatives like Webador.

Check our guide to making money with a website to learn more

Pixpa has over 150+ themes catered to creative businesses. I was impressed by how clean they looked and how well they showed up on mobile. Source: Tech.co user testing

However, while Pixpa’s design tools will be strong enough for most average users, if you’re an experienced web developer who wants to have a granular level of control over the site design, you may find the builder restrictive. This is because the platform doesn’t let you carry out advanced customization tasks like importing your own font or building a site from scratch.

Pixpa will be a great option for growing businesses that are serious about widening their reach. The builder offers a range of marketing features in-house, such as on-site and email pop-ups, and an Announcement Bar, which lets you highlight a message on your website to make it stand out to viewers.

You’re also able to schedule announcements and add a clickthrough URL to the panel, which is a great perk for businesses with regular promotions.

Pixpa let me add a Mobile Action Bar to my site to increase engagement from visitors. Source: Tech.co user testing

Pixpa’s integrated ecommerce features, available to users on all paid plans, make it a good fit for smaller boutique-style retailers building an online presence too. However, if you already manage an established online store and are looking to sell through multiple channels like social media, we’d recommend using e-commerce-focused builders like Shopify instead.

Since Pixpa is portfolio-based and created with the needs of creative businesses in mind, the website builder won’t be a natural fit for traditional or technical businesses in manufacturing, law, and logistics, for example.

For these types of businesses, we’d advise checking out Wix, as the popular builder offers templates for a broader range of industries.

Learn more about the website builder for online stores in our Shopify review.

How much does Pixpa cost?

Pixpa offers four different pricing plans: Basic, Creator, Professional, and Advanced. The provider is currently running a deal that knocks 55% off all plans, making the builder even more affordable than usual. However, you’ll need to commit to a two-year contract to unlock this deal. Alternatively, you can commit to a one-year contract and get 40% off all plans.

• Pixpa’s entry-level Basic plan costs $8 per month $3.60 per month, and offers an assortment of features including mobile-optimized templates, 200 website gallery images, domain connection options, password protection, custom CCS, and 24/7 customer support. The tier also has integrated ecommerce features and lets you sell up to three products.
• Pixpa’s Creator plan costs $15 per month $6.75 per month, and includes everything in the Basic tier with unlimited pages or galleries, blogging features, access for two contributors, marketing capabilities, and ecommerce support for up to 10 products.
• Pixpa’s Professional plan will cost you $20 per month $9 per month, and includes everything in the Creator package with additional free domain registration options for a year, Announcement Bar and Mobile Information Bar tools, email lists, and more. You’re also able to sell up to 100 products with this plan.
• Finally, Pixpa’s Advanced plan costs $25 per month $11.25 or month, and offers everything in Creator with additional marketing and growth capabilities, inventory management, and abandoned checkout features for your online store, and no cap on the number of products you want to sell.

What to Look for In a Cheap Website Builder

Website builders have the power to make or break your business. If you’re committed to building a high-performing site without splurging on pricey packages, here are some factors you prioritize.

• Scalable packages – Your budget might be tight at the moment, but a cheap package may restrict you in the future. Therefore, to save the hassle of switching down the line when your needs evolve, we recommend choosing a platform with scalable pricing tiers.
• AI features – Artificial intelligence features provide businesses with excellent value by saving businesses time and effort. Some top AI features to look out for include AI site generators, AI text generators, and AI image creators.
• Growth features – If you’re looking for a budget solution, chances are your business is in its early stages. This makes the presence of growth features like email marketing and SEO toolkits all the more important.
• Reliable help & support – Some website builders have premium reserved support for the pricier tiers. To avoid getting caught out, it’s always worth researching a solution’s help and support options before investing. This includes when support is offered, as well as through what channels.
• Customizable templates – A builder’s level of customization is a great indication of its overall value. If you want your site to stand out from its competition, we recommend choosing a builder with flexible templates and granular drag-and-drop editing options.

Common hidden fees to watch out for

When picking your preferred website builder, it’s important to look beyond key features and pricing. You should also be aware of any potential hidden fees that the platform might try to land you with. In this section, I’ll run through some of the most common ones to watch out for.

Steep renewal costs post-promotional period

This one catches people out all the time. It’s common for a website builder, such as IONOS, to offer you a discount on the first year of a new plan. But these plans will almost always automatically renew at the original market price. To use the example above, you can currently get an Ionos plan for just $1 per month (the Plus plan) for a one-year term. After this, though, it reverts to $18 per month for the next year, a sizable surge in price.

Domain name renewal costs

Similarly, a lot of website builders will offer you a free domain for one year across some of their plans, with examples including Wix and Squarespace. Normally, though, you will then be charged to renew that same domain for the next year (or on a monthly basis, if you so choose).

Transaction fees

This is unanimous across ecommerce website builder plans. Squarespace, for instance, will let you set up an online store and sell online, but you’ll incur a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If you’re selling a lot of products, this will start to eat into your bottom line. In which case, it’s time to opt for a higher-paid ecommerce plan with lower transaction fees to offset those costs.

Costs for plugins and apps

In addition, some website builders will charge you a fee to integrate with certain third-party applications. Shopify, for instance, integrates with 100 additional payment providers, but some of these incur an added cost.

Free vs cheap website builders: when to upgrade

If your needs are quite basic, you might find that a free website builder is perfectly sufficient. For instance, if you’re just looking for a site to host your blog, and you’re not bothered about having a custom domain, a free plan should do the trick.

At the same time, if your needs are a little more specific, you might find it better to upgrade. For instance, let’s say you’re looking for some basic ecommerce functionality. You will not find this with a free plan, period. But you could opt to pay $5 per month for the Shopify Starter plan and start selling tomorrow, albeit via social media.

As a business, your needs will be very specific, so only you will know whether or not a free website builder is sufficient. Remember that you can always start with a free plan and upgrade if you find you need a bit more functionality. Alternatively, you could opt for a free trial to get a flavor of a premium website builder before you commit to paying the full fee.

How Much Should a Website Cost?

The cost of building a website will vary from user to user. Users on a tight budget will be able to keep costs low by using a no-frills package with hosting included. However, if you’re chosen builder doesn’t offer hosting in-house, you’ll have to pay for this service through a third-party provider, while additional plugins and third-party apps can also bump up the price of a package.

It should be noted that the prices given in this guide refer to the cost of a plan when you opt to pay annually. In this case, you will almost always be required to pay the full one-year sum up front. Opting to pay on a monthly basis, meanwhile, will result in a higher monthly fee.

For greater insight into how much a website may cost you, check  out our pricing table below:

Methodology: How We Rate Cheap Website Builders