Quick summary
Website builders can look cheap at first, but once you add the essentials (professional email, a decent design/template, ecommerce, and better performance), the real cost climbs fast. This comparison looks at WordPress (self-hosted), Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy for a small UK business website and shows how “monthly” deals are often only cheap if you pay annually upfront. Server location matters too (speed, GDPR, and SEO), and in the example comparison WordPress comes out as the best value long-term.
Website builder price comparison – WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy
Choosing a website builder looks cheap at first glance, then the real costs appear. Intro offers are shown as monthly prices if you pay a year up front, and the moment you add a professional email address, a theme, ecommerce, or better performance, costs climb quickly.
This guide compares the real, long-term cost of WordPress (self-hosted), Squarespace, Wix and GoDaddy for a simple small-business website in the UK. You’ll see how pricing changes when paying monthly vs annually, which extras are genuinely required, and how server location affects speed, GDPR and SEO.
What you’ll get
- A clear side-by-side cost comparison with all essential add-ons included (email, theme/templates, basic marketing tools).
- Notes on support quality, scalability and hidden renewal pricing.
- Practical recommendations for choosing a platform that won’t paint you into a corner as your business grows.
How this comparison was put together
- Publicly listed prices checked for both monthly and annual billing.
- WordPress priced with reputable UK hosting and a professional theme.
- Email included where needed so you can use a proper business address.
- No developer fees or bespoke build costs included, so you can compare like for like.
If you’re building a business, this helps you avoid nasty surprises and choose a platform that’s fast, compliant and ready to grow.
Website builders make their packages look incredibly attractive – by displaying monthly prices that are only applicable if paid for the full year. If you switch to monthly payment options, the prices almost double.
Why website builder prices look cheaper than they are
Website builders have their place, but I was writing a long a blog post about how to get started with your own WordPress website, when I looked into the prices of the main providers (WordPress, GoDaddy, Squarespace and Wix).
Over the years, I “rescued” many clients with website builder websites. They realised it’s not working for them.
The hidden limitations of website builders
They make it look easy
A website “site builder” can make setting up a website seem totally easy, they remove all the techie stuff. But….. when you actually need additional website functionality, such as
- an online store,
- a website template (for the design of the website),
- or an advanced feature like email marketing,
- better website speed,
- or a proper email address,
they then cost you more and more money each month.
Learning curve when building your own website
When you build your own website – either with a free website builder or through one of the well-known site builders – it’s going to be tough! Web Design is not easy, but thankfully you can learn the basics of website design by watching online video tutorials and also by looking at professional websites and how they display different features.
You probably entered “best website builder” in Google and possibly asked on Social Media, in a Facebook Group too. You will get lots of different opinions about the best website builder – as it’s different for everyone. However, as a professional website designer, I can only recommend what I know it’s working best – and for most web designers WordPress is the best website builder in the market (also, if you want to be found in Google, you’ll be surprised when you look at the top ranking websites!)
Building a website is only the first step to your online presence. In the second step, you really need to think about Search Engine Optimisation so that your website is also found in Google. In WordPress, you can add a handy SEO tool called “Yoast SEO” which makes SEO a bit easier.
Why server location matters
Another thing to consider with the website builders is server location.
Server location is still important for:
- website speed (important for the user and SEO)
- search engine optimisation and
- GDPR (data protection).
When you take out web hosting for your WordPress website, you can determine where your website is located – preferably in your own country. The popular website builders are often located in the United States or somewhere in Europe, but not the UK.
If you are faced with the decision on which website platform to use, think beyond the £9 price tag you see online. It might be a good starting point, but if you’re building a business, eventually, you will want to move your website to a properly hosted setup.
Website builder price comparison for small business websites
- All 4 systems have an inbuilt content management system.
- All builders come with many different features and can be expanded.
- Mostly, WordPress plugins are free to use in order to add more functionality to your website. Anything you can think of – someone will have developed a WordPress plugin for it (be it email marketing, an event calendar, contact forms, email marketing and lots more).
- Other platforms and builders charge extra to use an Ecommerce store for example.
- Website design is not easier on one platform over another. They all require learning and getting used to the native website builder.
It’s hard to say which website builder is the easiest. WordPress, GoDaddy, Squarespace and Wix all have their own pricing plans. Higher-tier plans may include extras like better support, a free domain, and advanced features — many of which you don’t actually need when starting out.
Some platforms offer a free plan, social media integration, maybe an SEO tool or a marketing tool as well as Google Analytics integration. But I would shy away from free website builders in general as they will often display advertising on your website and you have no control over it. GoDaddy offers a free version, but your website would be full of ads.
Scenario: You are creating an online presence for your business
You want to build a simple website and you want to have a professional email address, such as marie@mybusiness.co.uk.
Website builder cost comparison (26 Jan 2026)
| Year / Feature | WordPress | Squarespace (“Core” Plan) | Wix (“Core” Plan) |
GoDaddy (WordPress Basic) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per year if paid annually | £110 (20i UK hosting) | £204 (“Core”) incl. 1 business email | £192 | 1st Year £47.88, then £143.88/year |
| Cost per year if paid monthly | £10 | £288 | not available as monthly payment | not available as monthly payment |
| Monthly payment possible? | Yes, 9% higher if paid monthly | Yes, 41.2% higher if paid monthly | Not available in lowest plan | No |
| Professional email included? | Unlimited email accounts and forwarders (POP/IMAP) | 1 included, extras cost more | No — must purchase separately (Google Workspace) | No — purchase separately via Microsoft |
| Additional costs | £47.88/yr for pro theme (Elementor) | Extra email accounts cost more | £5.90/mo for email (£70.80/yr) | 1st Year £23.88, then £77.88/year |
| Total cost after 3 years | £377.88 | £612 | £788.40 | £515.28 |
| Disk space | 10 GB | 2 GB | Not stated | Not stated |
| Server location | UK | Worldwide, not UK-specific | US | US and Europe, not UK |
In this scenario, WordPress is the clear winner.
Which website builder should you choose?
Which one is the best website builder?
In any case, website design / website building is not something you can pick up over a long weekend. If you want to build a website for your business, add ecommerce features and other advanced website features – and if you want to avoid headaches in the future – stay away from a free site builder. The best and professional option – in my opinion the best website builder – is WordPress. The best option really is self hosted WordPress with a professional website template such as Elementor.
Support and long-term reliability
Another thing to look at is online reviews and check out what people say about customer support. When you start building your own website, you will have millions of questions and if you have a website builder with a free plan, you will not get any customer support.
What the data shows – We looked at 1,200 top-ranking websites
You might also be tempted to look at a comparison website, however, the best comparison website is proper statistics! I researched over 1,200 websites. I did lots of random Google searches and checked only the top 10 results for each search. Out of over 1,200 websites, there were only 10 Squarespace websites and 9 Wix websites. You can read the blog post here – which website builder is best for Google.
Also check the Google Trends website and compare what people search for.
