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While all the builders on my list will get the job done, my personal favorite is Squarespace. It has the best-looking templates around, and all the tools you could possibly need to build your website, integrated straight into its editor (so you don’t have to look for them elsewhere).
You can take advantage of Squarespace’s 30% discount on annual plans to save on your subscription.
Some website builders claim to be the best option for kids, but they’re too basic to create a real, functional website. Other builders are too complex or difficult to use and could potentially lead to frustration.
Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, I know how important it is to you to find a tool that can allow younger users to unleash their creativity and expand their horizons. But you also want to make sure the site builder you choose is safe, age-appropriate, and affordable.
I tested some of the most popular website builders on the market, with the help of my lovely niece (Karen, 8) and nephew (Oliver, 13). Together, we selected our favorites and put together this list of the best website builders for kids.
In a Hurry? These Are The Best Website Builders for Kids
Wix – A huge variety of colorful templates make this builder an appealing choice for kids
Squarespace –A simple and powerful editor for learning design fundamentals
SITE123 – The easiest builder to use for kids of all ages, especially first-timers
What We Look For in the Best Website Builders for Kids
Ease of use – 8-year-old Karen had lots of fun using all the website builders on this list. They all come with kid-friendly site editors and simple tools kids can figure out on their own.
Templates galore – Kids like to have choices (doesn’t everyone?), and all the builders on this list provide loads of templates they can choose from to get their website started. 13-year-old Oliver enjoyed taking things a step further and using the more advanced design and customization options – but that’s not a must.
Fun features – Just because a builder is easy to use, that doesn’t mean it should only provide the boring basics. These builders all include a wealth of extras kids can easily add to their website, like image galleries, blogs, and even video players.
Free plans and affordable pricing – You can try these builders for free to allow kids to create and publish as many websites as they like. If your kids are anything like Oliver and they insist on an upgrade so they can connect their own domain name to their site, don’t worry – upgrading is easy and the basic paid plans are so cheap, your kids can easily cover them with their weekly allowance. (Don’t miss my next article: Since When Do 13-Year-Olds Have Their Own Domain Names?)
Wix offers 900+ templates for kids to choose from. The templates are divided into categories, providing a great way to get a simple website started in minutes. The drag-and-drop site editor is fun to use, and kids can easily add their own text and images, change colors, play around with different fonts, and much more.
Another option is to use Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) – a step-by-step wizard that creates a site for you based on your answers to a few simple questions. Karen said it was just like magic!
Wix has a free plan your kids can use for as long as they want. The storage space on the free plan is a bit limited (500MB), but this should be enough for a simple website. Another downside is that the free site will display Wix branding, and it will be published under a Wix subdomain (sitename.wixsite.com). The good news is that the basic paid plans are very affordable.
Here are some other features that make Wix a great choice for kids:
Kid-friendly templates – If your kids are building a website as part of a school project, they might want to start with one of the templates in the Education category. These brightly-colored templates provide a lot of space to upload text and images.
Easy drag-and-drop editor – Wix’s site editor makes it simple for kids to add elements and place them wherever they want on the page. Younger kids are sure to have fun playing around, while older kids will appreciate how easy it is to add new pages and functions to their site.
Wix Gallery – If your kids want to show off their photos to their friends, they can easily add image galleries to their site. They even get access to the Wix stock image library, which includes countless free photos, clipart, icons, and more.
If you’re interested in going for a more didactic experience, the Squarespace editor is super fun and easy to use, but with enough restrictions to create a good-looking site. This is thanks to Squarespace’s grid editor and the “site styles” editor.The former lets you add new sections to your sites using a grid. The sections come pre-designed for anything from photo galleries to a blog. Thanks to the grid layout, kids can add any form of content while maintaining a consistent design.The latter lets you decide the broad aspects of your site, like color and font choice. It’s easy to play around and experiment with these settings. Kids can make as many changes as they wish without having to change the color of every page individually. This encourages them to experiment without frustration.The result is a site that always maintains a level of visual quality without being boring. Squarespace is a great way for kids to learn the fundamentals of web design.Some features that make Squarespace great for kids are:
Easy-to-add sections – It’s incredibly simple to add new and interesting sections.
Fun dynamic elements – Things like animations and image effects are fun to play with and add interest to a site.
Great blogging features – For any future writers looking to create, update and publish a blog online.
Unfortunately, Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan. But the 14-day free trialgives kids enough time to play with the software and find out if it’s good for them. If you decide to upgrade, at $16.00, the Personal plan is one of the cheapest premium plans around.You can learn more in our in-depth Squarespace review.
SITE123 is so easy to learn, even kids who are less computer-savvy should have no trouble picking it up. While it doesn’t offer as many features as Wix, this makes it simpler to use. Oliver was a bit iffy about this one, but Karen absolutely loved it.
The SITE123 editor isn’t drag-and-drop, but what we call “point-and-click” in the industry – you click the element you want to add to your site, and then click again to place it on the page. It really couldn’t be easier.
ITE123 also offers a free plan. It comes with a few limitations, of course – you only get 500 MB of storage space and some customization options (such as choosing your own color palette) are locked. If your kids manage to run out of storage space or just need more color in their lives, it’s easy to upgrade.
Here are some other features that make SITE123 stand out:
Basic templates – SITE123’s templates are pretty minimal and the designs look pretty similar. This means kids can get started with just about any template, without having to remove unnecessary pages and features they don’t need.
Easy blogging – With SITE123, kids can easily start a blog to share their thoughts with the world (how I wish I had this option when I was a kid!). Their friends and classmates can comment on their posts and even share them on social media.
Image and video galleries – SITE123 lets you upload both videos and images to your galleries, with interesting display options such as slideshow, carousel, and more. Kids can also embed videos from YouTube or Vimeo on their site.
You can add About, News and Events, and other pages to your site
Kids will have no trouble using Zyro, thanks to its flexible drag-and-drop editor. You can add any element to your page, and it will snap into a predetermined grid, so your content is bound to look good. You can add elements like image galleries and slideshows, videos, social media links, and Zyro has announced that animations will also be available soon.
Another feature that kids may find appealing is Zyro’s set of AI tools. There are Business Name and Slogan generators, an AI Writer, which generates content based on the details you give it, a Blog Title generator, and more.
Zyro has over 100 pretty designs, grouped into categories such as Photography, Events, eCommerce, and more. All templates are mobile-responsive, and you can edit them via mobile, too.
Here are some other features that make Zyro a good option for kids:
Free stock image library – Zyro has a large stock image library, which gives you access to over 1 million photos for free.
Video options – You can embed videos from any streaming service, including YouTube and Vimeo, and make videos play automatically when a visitor loads your page or set them to play on a loop.
Downloadable content. You can include downloadable digital content on your site. This is a great way for your kids to share fun pictures with the rest of your family and friends.
DoodleKit offers a dedicated child-friendly website builder that allows kids to create a site, start a blog, upload photos, and add custom pages.
As I highlighted earlier, the downside of using dedicated website builders for kids is their usually basic nature, which doesn’t present many creative options for inquisitive young minds.
That said, one advantage DoodleKit has over other website builders is its advanced security feature, which lets parents monitor their kid’s activity on their website. You can act as the “admin” of the website and control different features. You can filter comments from strangers, set photo albums to visible for approved users only, and more.
DoodleKit offers a free plan that includes 100 MB of storage. To add more than one user to the site, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Free plan available?
Yes
Kid-friendly templates?
Yes, a dedicated website builder for kids
Simple editor?
Easy to use editor for children with limited features
Which Website Builder Should You Choose for Your Kids?
Every website builder on this list has its own set of advantages, and different kids have different preferences and abilities – so at the end of the day, what’s right for one kid might not be right for another.
But after much deliberation, Karen, Oliver, and I declared Wix “the ultimate-mega-magical-king of website builders for kids all over the world” (their choice of words, not mine).
It’s easy to get started with Wix for free, and it offers the best templates and the most customization options. Both kids couldn’t get enough of the drag-and-drop editor (in fact, they’re probably both still playing around with their websites as I write these words).
Here’s a quick breakdown of the standout features for each website builder:
Wix
Wix ADI creates a website “like magic”
The most design freedom to truly personalize a site
There are so many great website builders out there that it can be tough to choose!
If you’ve never built a website before and you want to be able to guide your kid through the process, I’d recommend SITE123 – it’s very easy to learn and your kid will never guess you have no idea what you’re doing.
If you’re just a bit more ambitious, though, Wix is also easy to learn and has some amazing features to offer.
Can a child build a website on their own?
These days, many website builders are so easy to use (especially the ones recommended above), that many kids will be able to figure them out without much assistance. Younger children may require some guidance through the process.
How can kids build a free website?
All the website builders on this list offer free plans that allow anyone to build and publish a fully functional website. Free plans do come with limitations, but in most cases, they will provide what a kid needs to get a basic site online.
Bethenny eats, sleeps, and breathes digital marketing. She helps clients take charge of brand awareness and create lead generation strategies via a number of marketing channels, including email, social media, SEO, and content. When not a marketing superwoman, you can find her playing with her three dogs on her five-acre property, or planting yummy treats in her vegetable garden. (She is also a bit of a Real Housewives junky, #guiltypleasure!)
I love the helper in SITE123 but my friend got on his bad side. Its a very help full website creator thats extremly fun to use.
Reply
Sharon Ozereko
4Reply
A question: I want to build a website that remains private for my family. I have 10 grandchildren, 8 of whom are 3,000 miles away. I created my own website as a teacher a decade ago, but have not been "in the game" for some years. I am looking for something that can remain private for safety, but which will be exciting for my kiddos to add to as they choose. The oldest is 14 and the youngest is 2. I imagine a place to blog, share pics, videos, games and chats. Is this posible. I dont mind a small monthly fee. Thanks for any help!
4Reply
Website Planet Team
Thanks for your question and congratulations on having such an amazing family!
For your particular project, I'd recommend one of two options.
Either 1) SITE123. This is a super simple website builder that kids can have a lot of fun with. It has a fairly generous free plan (if you don't mind not having your own, custom domain), and you can unlock all of its more 'premium' features for a very low monthly fee. It has built-in functions to add a photo gallery, a blog, and even a forum to your site - so you don't have to do any coding to get the results you're looking for. Plus, your kids can play around with all the customization options to make the site look better overall.
Alternatively, I'd go with 2) Wix. But only if your kids are extra creative and they'd appreciate the possibility to customize the website more in-depth. Wix is a bit more difficult to use compared with SITE123 - just because it has so many more options to personalize your site. Still, it's a good option if you want to give your kids more opportunities to be creative. Like SITE123, Wix has a free plan, so you can try it out first before you commit to anything.
Let us know how it goes!
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