How to choose a website builder: the price after year one comes first

Website builders advertise a monthly price, but the one you should compare is what the plan costs once any introductory offer ends, for a site on your own domain without the builder's branding. This guide explains what we weigh, the price range, and the traps we found on the ten builders in our website builder ranking, all read from their own pages on Sep 27, 2026.

What we weigh, and why

We score each builder on its entry plan: the cheapest plan that connects your own domain without the builder's ads or badge. The full method shows each formula.

• Price after any intro offer (35%). A small-business site runs for years, so the ongoing price matters more than the first term. Annual prepay counts.
• Introductory jump (10%). How far the price rises after the first term. A builder with no intro price scores full marks here.
• Included (25%). Five basics: connecting your own domain, no builder ads, a free domain for the first year, an SSL certificate and contact forms.
• Free plan (15%). A free plan scores more than a free trial, since you can build and publish before paying.
• Support (15%). Phone and chat, or 24/7 chat, score highest; email or a help centre alone score lowest.

The price range you'll see

After any introductory offer, entry plans run from $19 a year to about $20 a month:

• Under $12 a month: Carrd Pro Standard at $19 a year; Hostinger Premium, renewing at $10.99 a month; Jimdo Start at $11 a month on a 12-month term.
• $12 to $17: SITE123 Premium at $12.80 a month; IONOS Starter at $14 after the first year; Webflow Basic at $15 billed yearly; Strikingly Pro at $16 billed yearly; Wix Light at $17 on a yearly plan.
• $19 and up: Squarespace Basic at $19 billed annually; GoDaddy Starter at $19.99 month to month, since its annual price after year one isn't published.

Monthly billing costs more almost everywhere: $25 for Squarespace Basic and Webflow Basic, $20 for Strikingly Pro.

Traps our research found

Introductory prices. Hostinger shows $2.99 a month, but only on a 48-month term paid upfront, $143.52; it renews at $10.99. IONOS is $6 a month for the first 1-year term, then $14. GoDaddy gives an extra first-year discount on annual plans but doesn't publish what follows.

Struck-through prices above the renewal. IONOS shows Starter's $18 crossed out, above its $14 renewal. Hostinger's "regular price" works out to $11.99 a month, above its $10.99 renewal. Budget on the renewal line.

Prices you can't see. SITE123 shows one Premium price; its real packages and renewal prices appear only in the dashboard after sign-up. Jimdo says prices for terms other than 12 months "may vary" and doesn't show them. Wix publishes yearly prices only.

Branding that stays. GoDaddy lists "Remove Airo branding" as coming soon, on higher plans only, so no plan removes it today. Hostinger's pages don't say either way.

Free domains with conditions. The free first-year domain usually needs a yearly or longer plan: Strikingly drops it on monthly billing, and Squarespace, Wix, SITE123 and Hostinger tie it to annual terms. Carrd and Webflow include no domain; you register it elsewhere.

Support that isn't live. Webflow offers email, aiming to reply within 48 hours. Carrd uses a contact form, usually answered within 24 hours. Jimdo Start's tickets are answered within 1-2 workdays. Squarespace has weekday live chat and 24/7 email, but no phone. Hostinger's Premium card offers an AI chatbot first. By contrast, IONOS and GoDaddy list 24/7 phone and chat on their entry plans, and SITE123 and Strikingly list 24/7 chat.

Per-site pricing and store fees. Webflow prices each site separately. Strikingly Pro charges a 2% transaction fee on store sales.

Checklist before you pick

1. Find the price after any intro offer and the term it applies to. Multiply it out over three years.
2. Check the entry plan connects your own domain and removes the builder's branding.
3. Read the free-domain terms: yearly plan only? New domain only? What does it cost in year two?
4. Decide what support you need. If you'll want a person at 9 pm, check for 24/7 chat or phone.
5. Build on a free plan or trial first, and check whether you can publish during it.
6. If you'll sell, check store fees and which plan takes payments.
7. For a restaurant, check menus, reservations and ordering on the plan you'll buy.

Where to go next

See the website builder ranking, our list of website builders for restaurants, and how we score builders. If you mainly want to sell online, see the ecommerce platform ranking.