How we score Website builders
Rubric v1, published Sep 27, 2026 · See the ranking
We score each website builder on its entry plan, the cheapest plan that connects your own domain without the builder's ads: the price after any introductory offer, how much that price jumps, what the plan includes, whether there is a free plan, and support. using only what the company publishes on its own website. Every score is worked out by the formula shown for its criterion, and every fact behind it links to the page it came from, with the date we read it.
A fact the company does not publish counts as absent. We have not used these products ourselves; when we do, the method will say so and the rubric version will change.
The criteria
| Criterion | Weight | What a 10 and a 0 look like |
|---|---|---|
| Price after any intro offer | 35% | The entry plan's monthly price after any introductory offer, annual prepay included. 10 at $5 or less, 0 at $40 or more, straight line between; 0 if not published. |
| Included on the entry plan | 25% | Which of five the entry plan includes: connecting your own domain, no builder ads, a free domain for the first year, an SSL certificate, and contact forms. 2 points each. |
| Free plan | 15% | 10 for a free plan, 6 for a free trial, 0 for neither. |
| Support | 15% | Support on the entry plan: phone and chat (or 24/7 chat) 10; one live channel 6; email or help centre only 3; not published 0. |
| Introductory jump | 10% | 10 if there is no introductory price (the price never jumps); otherwise 10 x (3 - renewal/intro) / 2, so a renewal three times the intro scores 0; 0 if the renewal is not published. |
The overall score is 10 × the sum of weight × criterion score, from 0 to 100, shown as 0-10 with one decimal.
Version history
- v1, published Sep 27, 2026: Price after any intro offer 35%, Included on the entry plan 25%, Free plan 15%, Support 15%, Introductory jump 10%