Developer-centric tools like WordPress and Joomla provide a high level of flexibility, but they’re often code-based or use a CMS (Content Management System) that’s less visual. If you want to avoid dealing with themes and plugins, a WYSIWYG web builder is a code-free, user-friendly alternative to traditional site builders.
However, not all WYSIWYG website builders offer a smooth experience. If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to choose one that has plenty of well-designed templates and an easy-to-use interface. You’ll also want to have a great degree of creative control so you can personalize your design and create a unique site.
Luckily for you, I’ve put together a list of the best beginner-friendly WYSIWYG website builders that have just those features – and the best part is, you can try their editor for free, either through a free plan or a free trial.
Wix tops my list because it’s beginner-friendly and affordable, while giving you complete creative freedom to build the website you want. You can try Wix for free, or read on to learn more about my other recommendations.
Short on Time? These Are the Best WYSIWYG Website Builders
What We Look For in the Best WYSIWYG Website Builders
To narrow down my list of WYSIWYG website builders, I focused on these user-friendly features:
- Ease of use. The purpose of WYSIWYG platforms is to make website building accessible, so I looked for interfaces that even complete beginners can navigate with ease. Many of these builders feature drag-and-drop editors, which allow you to place your various site elements virtually anywhere you want.
- AI tools. Most of the WYSIWYG web builders on my list offer AI-powered features. These can enhance your site design, support your site content, and help you get online quickly.
- Attractive (and functional) templates. I looked for builders that offer well-designed templates for various website categories. I also checked whether the builders have mobile-responsive templates and useful features such as galleries and social media apps already built in. This can save you a lot of time, especially if you’re a beginner.
- Customization options. A great template will do most of the work for you, but you also want your website to have a unique look. I looked at WYSIWYG builders that offer numerous opportunities to experiment with fonts, colors, and layouts, allowing you to personalize your site.
- Customer support. No matter how user-friendly the platform is, chances are you may run into a bump in the road – especially if you’re new to building websites. You’ll want help to respond as quickly as possible, so my list includes website builders with efficient customer support that’s always available and ready to help.
WYSIWYG Website Builders vs. Content Editors
A WYSIWYG web builder lets you design an entire site, including layout, navigation, pages, and styling. It often comes with features such as built-in hosting, a drag-and-drop layout editor, templates, SEO tools, and more. It allows you to create a comprehensive, fully functional website.
On the other hand, content editors are used to create content (e.g., a blog post or a page) inside an existing site or CMS. Some popular choices include WordPress Gutenberg editor, TinyMCE, and Medium’s editor. With these tools, you can format text, images, tables, or media within a web page or post.
Wix is the best WYSIWYG editor if you’re looking to let your creativity go crazy. Its flexible drag-and-drop editor, selection of 2500+ templates, and AI-powered design tools can help you create virtually any kind of site from the get go. Just keep in mind you can’t switch templates after you’ve started editing, so have a good look around before you settle on your decision.
Over 50% of all online traffic happens on mobile devices these days, so the visual identity of your mobile site matters just as much. Wix is one of the few editors that allow complete customization for phones, tablets, and custom screen sizes, giving you even more flexibility.
Wix also offers a completely-free plan which includes access to all of its design tools, 500 MB of storage, and useful tools for SEO (search engine optimization) and content management. If you’re looking to establish a professional presence online, I’d seriously recommend upgrading to a premium plan, which removes Wix branding from your site and allows you to connect a custom domain so you really look the part. Plus, it gives you access to more storage and marketing tools which you’ll need to help your business grow.
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Features
- AI website builder. Wix AI can create and populate a custom template just for you. You can also use its advanced AI tools to write content, generate images, and more.
- Wix Harmony. A new tool that makes it easy to build custom features for your website, even if you’ve never written a line of code. It works by combining Wix’s existing AI tools with a “vibe-coding” approach, which means you can describe what you want in plain language, and the tool helps create the functionality for you.
- Built-in SEO tools. Wix offers a personalized SEO checklist for your site so you know exactly what to do to improve your positioning on search engine results. It can also increase your chances of appearing in AI searches which is what we’re all aiming for these days!
- Pre-installed apps. Many Wix templates include built-in apps that give you additional functionality for particular website categories. For example, restaurant templates come with online reservation apps, while photography templates come with Wix Pro Gallery to showcase your work. If you need more, you can browse through 800+ apps in the Wix App Market.
Learn more in our expert Wix review.
| Templates | 2500+ |
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| Type of editor | Drag-and-drop |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $17.00 |
SITE123 is the best option if you need to get a simple site online now. Its point-and-click editor, uncluttered dashboard, and focused selection of tools can help anyone – regardless of experience – get online in minutes. The whole name is supposed to imply that you can get a site as easy as counting to three…
SITE123 is especially good for single-page, information-heavy websites. You just select which content blocks you want to use, move them to your homepage, and SITE123 will make all the changes right away. Just keep in mind that it is not as customizable as other builders like Wix.
You get 250 MB of storage and bandwidth with a free plan, as well as access to essential design tools like changing fonts and colors. If you want to improve your resources, access more advanced design features, or connect a custom domain, you can get the Basic plan for as low as $12.80 per month. That includes a free domain for a year, 10 GB of storage, and access to basic e-commerce tools so I would highly recommend upgrading.
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Features
- Advanced language tools. If you want to reach an international audience, SITE123 lets you display your site in up to five languages. Plus, you get built-in multilingual SEO features to help you rank higher for search engines in your chosen languages.
- Guided tour. If you need help getting started, you can take SITE123’s guided tour of the interface. Helpful pop-up windows containing tips and tutorials will walk you through the building process.
- Custom form builder. SITE123’s built-in (and easy to use) form tool lets you choose from various form layouts, customize fields, create auto-reply messages, and more.
- Quick, multilingual support. SITE123 is incredibly easy to use but if you get stuck, live chat support is available in English (24/7) and in 16 other languages (at various times), including French, German, Italian, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Spanish.
Read our in-depth SITE123 review for more details.
| Templates | 80+ |
|---|---|
| Type of editor | Point-and-click |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $12.80 |
Webador is designed to work like an old-school WYSIWYG builder, with more limited, but extremely intuitive design options. Every element you want to place on your page automatically snaps into a grid, which makes it easy to navigate.
If you’re interested in blogging for audience engagement, Webador offers a flexible yet beginner-friendly blog editor. You can integrate media like photo albums and videos, categorize your posts, manage comments, and share your posts on social media.
Webador’s free plan includes unlimited storage and access to blogging tools, AI features, and free stock images. However, if you want to remove Webador branding and ads from your site, you’ll have to upgrade to the Pro plan. Still, you’ll get great value with features such as unlimited photo albums and access to Webador’s app store.
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Features
- Easy SEO settings. You can easily update page titles and meta descriptions within the editor. You can also control whether a page is indexed by Google.
- Free stock images. If you don’t have your own images ready, Webador gives you free access to its library of over 100,000 professional stock photos to enhance your site.
- Rating system and comments. You can add a five-star rating system and a comment box anywhere on your site, making it easy to interact with your audience – especially if you sell products or services online and want to showcase your reviews.
- Built-in media tools. Webador offers useful built-in widgets for media streaming, such as audio and video players.
Read our in-depth Webador review to learn more about the platform.
| Templates | 50+ |
|---|---|
| Type of editor | Drag-and-drop |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $3.00 |
Squarespace is best for a sleek, elegant website. Its drag-and-drop grid system gives you creative freedom while also providing helpful structure – so your site looks professional even if you’ve never built a website before.
You can build your layout using pre-made sections, content blocks (such as image galleries, forms, or testimonials), or individual elements placed anywhere on the grid. Squarespace also offers over 30 animation effects – like fade, scale, and spin – that you can add to any part of your page without slowing down your loading times.
I particularly like Squarespace’s Unfold app that lets you design Instagram Stories and posts using ready-made templates, branded graphics, and easy-to-use fonts. It’ll save you so much time without compromising on design or quality. I also like the built-in email marketing editor that allows you to create and send newsletters directly from your Squarespace dashboard, with subscriber lists and basic analytics included.
Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, and its plans are slightly pricier compared to some other web building options, but that shouldn’t put you off. Sometimes you get what you pay for and so I’d recommend using Squarespace’s 14-day free trial to test the builder out before making a long-term commitment.
Features
- Squarespace AI Blueprint. You can build your own template with this feature. AI Blueprint lets you choose pages, sections, colors, and fonts one at a time to build your own template so you can quickly add pages to your site. Plus, you get expert tips to guide you through the process.
- Incorporate posts easily. If you want to enhance your story through blogging, Squarespace has an intuitive (also WYSIWYG) blog editor to help you create compelling posts. Like its website editor, you’ll be able to customize your fonts, colors, and layout to fit your brand.
- AI visibility tool. There are many builders that help you improve your ranking on search engines, but Squarespace’s AI visibility tool is one of the few that helps you track your appearances on ChatGPT searches.
- Squarespace Extensions. You can easily integrate third-party apps for additional functionality. Some of the popular apps include Weglot for site translation and Printful for print-on-demand merchandise.
Curious to learn more? Read our expert Squarespace review.
| Templates | 180+ |
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| Type of editor | Semi drag-and-drop |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $16.00 |
5. Hostinger Website Builder: Affordable and Versatile AI Tools
Hostinger provides a good middle ground between complete customizability like Wix, and more structured design like Webador. You can customize any of its 180 templates or use its AI builder to help you create a site quickly.
Hostinger also offers AI tools for writing content and SEO tools. This means you can improve your site’s copy with AI, generate or enhance photos, and use the AI SEO assistant to help you create effective titles, meta descriptions, and keywords for your pages.
Hostinger lacks an app store, so it’s somewhat limited in terms of extra functionality. Still, it offers useful marketing integrations, like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel. There’s no free plan, but I suggest testing out the Business Website Builder with a 14-day free trial. You get all the AI tools and e-commerce features, with prices starting from $3.99 per month.
Features
- Mobile editing. Hostinger lets you create your entire site on your smartphone or tablet. The mobile editor is also WYSIWYG, so you can easily make changes on the go.
- Cheap e-commerce. On the Business Website Builder plan, you can sell up to 600 products, manage inventory and orders, and schedule appointments. Hostinger doesn’t charge additional transaction fees, so it doesn’t take a cut of your profit.
- AI email marketing. With this built-in tool, you can create, send, and track email campaigns with AI. You can use it for one year for free and send up to 200 monthly emails to 100 subscribers.
- Built-in analytics. On all plans, you can access Hostinger’s analytics tool from the editor. It displays the number of visitors, their location, and the device they are using, allowing you to tailor your content to better suit your audience.
Our updated Hostinger Website Builder review has more on its features.
| Templates | 180 |
|---|---|
| Type of editor | Drag-and-drop |
| Customer support |
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| Starting Price | $2.99 |
6. IONOS Website Builder: Two Levels of Editors To Suit Different Needs
Compared to the website builders on this list, IONOS has fewer templates, but all its designs are professional-looking and mobile-responsive. The degree of customization, however, depends on the plan you choose. For example, you’ll get prebuilt page sections and custom color palettes on the Starter plan. You can change colors and fonts and add your own text, images, and videos.
On the other hand, the Plus and Pro plans provide a more flexible editor that lets you customize your layout. You can do this by not only adding content but also rearranging it as you see fit. Additionally, you get a wider selection of elements to choose from, such as animations, image sliders, an online scheduling widget, and more.
IONOS has fairly affordable prices, making it a good option to get online quickly without skimping on quality. You can test all plans risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Features
- AI website building. If you’re in a hurry, IONOS’s set of AI tools can create images and SEO-optimized text for your website based on your input.
- Built-in image editing. IONOS allows you to crop, resize, or add overlays to your images directly in the integrated and easy-to-use photo editor.
- Free business email. IONOS offers a professional email address for free on all plans. That way, your email address can match your domain, helping you market your brand.
- Performance checker. With IONOS’s performance-checking tool, you can stay informed on your site’s responsiveness, loading speed, and security.
Want to learn more? Check out our expert IONOS review.
| Templates | 40+ |
|---|---|
| Type of editor | Drag-and-drop |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $1.00 |
7. Shopify: An Intuitive WYSIWYG Web Builder for Online Stores
Shopify’s theme library is full of modern designs for online stores, but the best-looking options can be costly. Still, even the free themes include attractive features, such as sticky headers for easy navigation and social media apps for staying in touch with your followers.
Even if you’re a beginner, Shopify’s simple interface makes it easy to create your store, from adding products to setting up payment methods. Shopify doesn’t offer advanced customization options, but you can still enhance your site’s design with elements like collages and slideshows – it’s all about keeping your products in the spotlight.
Shopify’s pricing varies, making it a viable option for both new and established businesses. Though there’s no free version, you can use Shopify’s free trial to see if it’s right for you.
Features
- In-app guidance. As soon as you sign up, Shopify introduces you to the store setup guide, with steps for customizing your store, adding a custom domain, configuring sales channels, and more.
- Design your emails. Shopify’s in-house email marketing tool lets you create branded emails that match your store’s design. You can choose from prebuilt email templates and customize them with a drag-and-drop editor.
- Third-party integrations galore. Shopify’s huge app store has over 8,000 free and paid apps you can connect to your site in just a few clicks. You’ll find useful integrations for inventory management, shipping, SEO, and much more.
- AI product writer. Shopify Magic is an AI tool that can help you create compelling product descriptions and email subject lines for your mailing list.
Find out more in our comprehensive Shopify review.
| Templates | 900+ |
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| Type of editor | Drag-and-drop |
| Customer support channels |
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| Starting price | $29.00 |
Other Notable WYSIWYG Website Builders
If you’re still unsure which WYSIWYG web builder is right for you, here are a couple more options worth considering.
8. Webflow
Webflow offers 7000+ website templates you can customize using the intuitive drag-and-drop editor. It also lets you edit HTML and CSS, making it a good option for more advanced users who want precise control over their site’s design and layout.
However, Webflow has a steeper learning curve compared to WYSIWYG website builders like Wix. While the visual editor is powerful, the interface can feel overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with design concepts such as flexbox or responsive breakpoints.
9. Divi
Divi is a WordPress theme and a visual page builder that allows you to edit your site without code. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, thousands of templates (which Divi calls “layout packs”), and AI tools to help you get online quickly.
While Divi works well for WordPress users, switching to a different theme or builder later on can be challenging. Additionally, Divi can cause your pages to load slowly, so it’s essential to optimize your site’s performance to ensure fast loading times. This makes it less ideal for beginners seeking a straightforward, all-in-one solution.
These Are the Best WYSIWYG Website Builders
All the WYSIWYG website builders listed above provide quick and easy ways for you to build a website by yourself. Each one offers different benefits to help you successfully launch your site, so the right choice for you will depend on your specific requirements.
If you want a balance between ease of use and creative freedom, Wix is my top choice for a WYSIWYG web builder. Wix offers 2500+ templates to choose from, which you can tweak as much as you like using its powerful yet beginner-friendly editor.
On the other hand, if speed and simplicity are your top priorities, SITE123’s easy-to-use editor has what you need. SITE123 is an excellent choice for single-page websites, with fast customer support in 16 languages.
If you want to cut costs considerably while still keeping things straightforward, Webador’s suite of tools is worth considering. Webador’s free plan includes unlimited storage, but paid plans offer extra perks like integrations while staying fairly affordable.
If you’re still deciding which platform is best for you, here’s a quick comparison of the different builders I tested.
| Free Plan | Best Feature | Best For | Starting Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | ✔ | Intuitive editor with tons of customization options | Beginners who want plenty of creative freedom | $17.00 | |
| SITE123 | ✔ | Incredibly user-friendly dashboard | Getting a simple website online quickly | $12.80 | |
| Webador | ✔ | Flexible blog editor | Engaging with your audience | $3.00 | |
| Squarespace | ✘ | Professionally designed templates | Creatives with a focus on marketing or social media | $16.00 | |
| Hostinger Website Builder | ✘ | AI design and content tools | Small online stores | $2.99 | |
| IONOS Website Builder | ✘ | Ready-made layouts | Professional-looking sites on a budget | $1.00 |
