There are a surprising number of online website builders you can buy. Before you invest your time and money, compare and research your purchase, then buy an online website builder or website software that best meets your website needs.
Start your online website builder and software research with this comparison chart:
Website Builders and Software
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| Website Builders | Pricing* | Unlimited Use? | Number of Templates** | Support |
| Yola
(web-based) |
Free (no custom domain) $49.95 / yr. – custom domain, hosting & premium designs if you buy this online website builder. |
Pay for ea. custom domain & hosting. | Hundreds: (some are available with the paid package). Easy to customize. | Forum, Tutorials, and professional design for $349 flat fee. |
| Weebly
(web-based) |
Free (no custom domain) Paid: Custom domain & hosting Pro: $5 / mo. plus domain cost to buy this online website builder. |
Free: 2 sites. Pro: 10 sites. Pay for each custom domain & hosting. |
100s Easy to customize. |
Forum, tutorials, and ticket support system. |
| XSitePro (desktop software) |
$197 one time (doesn’t include hosting) in order to buy this website software. |
Yes – but you must get your own hosting. | Hundreds plus very easy to customize. | Forum, tutorials, knowledgebase, and ticket support system. |
| Webs
(web-based) |
Free (no custom domain) Premium: $4.16 to $20.83/mo. |
Premium: pay per custom domain. | 300 + Easy to customize. |
Free: Forum Premium: Forum and 24/7 live chat. |
| Wix (Flash website builder – web-based)My Wix Review |
Free (no custom domain) Premium: $4.95 – $19.90 / mo. |
Can have multiple free sites. But pay for each custom domain. |
275 + (plus very easy to customize). | Knowledgebase, tutorials, ticket support, and forum. |
| Homestead
(web-based) |
$4.99 to $49.99 / mo. | 1 – 3 domains – depending on package. | 2,000 + Easy to customize. |
Toll free tel. support and ticket support system. |
| Site Build It!
(web-based) |
$29.99 / mo. – includes a domain, hosting and a full e-business building course. | Pay for each domain. | Hundreds. Can customize. Can import existing sites. | Forum, knowledgebase, tutorials, and ticket support system. |
| 1and1(web-based) |
$6.99 to $19.99 / mo. | 1 – 5 – depends on package. | 125 Easy to customize. |
Telephone and e-mail support plus online knowledgebase. |
| WebDCO(web-based) |
Free – $7.49 / mo. | Pay per custom domain. | 3,500 + | E-mail and live chat. |
| Artisteer (create WP, Joomla, Drupal, Blogger, DotNetNuke templates – download software)My Artisteer Reivew |
$49.95 Home & Academic Version $129.95 Standard (both 1 time payments – doesn’t include hosting). |
Yes – unlimited use. | Unlimited – you create without knowing any code. | Forum and support ticket system. |
| Jigsy (Web-based)My Jigsy Review |
Free – $30 / month to buy a premium version of this online website builder | Pay per custom domain | Hundreds of templates to choose from. You can customize a template to some degree. You can hire a Viviti designer to create a custom website. | No support with a free website. Premium support with a paid package. |
Online Website Builders vs. Website Software
1. Online Website Builders:
Online website builders are accessible online. This means you access all the tools you need to build your website(s) through your online account with whichever service you use.
If you opt for a premium service, you’ll pay ongoing hosting and possible additional costs every month.
You pay hosting charges for each additional website (i.e. custom domain) you use. Some services offer package deals giving you multiple websites (domains) for a flat monthly price.
Pros of buying online website builders online:
- Very easy to use.
- Can try it for free.
- Don’t need to bother with getting your own hosting account.
Cons of purchasing online website builders online:
- Ongoing monthly cost.
- You are restricted to the functionality of the website builder software.
- If you have multiple websites, it will cost more in the long run than if you get your own hosting account and upload your sites (or use WordPress or Joomla).
2. Downloadable Website creator Software
The download website building software applications (XSitePro and Artisteer) are downloaded to your computer.
You build your websites in the software and then upload the sites to a hosting account (such as Bluehost) you must get separately (my Bluehost review).
Pros of buying downloadable website creator software
- More flexibility and in designing your site (much more so with XSitePro than Artisteer).
- No ongoing cost except for your hosting account (i.e. the software is a one-time purchase). Note, generally hosting with a service such as Bluehost is less than the hosting costs of a web-based software builder.
Cons of buying downloadable website creator software
- Larger up-front expense.
- Must get a hosting account and deal with uploading your site (Bluehost and other hosting services are really good with tutorials and guiding you with this process).
XSitePro vs. Artisteer
- XSitePro builds HTML/CSS websites.
- Artisteer builds templates for use on WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. The layout for Artisteer designs is really a blogging layout.
- If you don’t like the confines of CMS such as WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, then you’ll definitely prefer XSitePro.
Note, with the XSitePro websites, you can easily add blogging by installing WordPress in a sub-folder of your site. In fact, you could build your main website with XSitePro and then design a blog in Artisteer and add it to your XSitePro website.
Like most website templates, you can build a great site regardless with route you go. The key is choosing a website building platform and then get to know it really well. The better you know it, the better websites you’ll be able to build.
Choose wisely before you buy an online website builder or website software.
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