An independent US guide
Know what you’re buyingbefore you build.
Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Webflow, Framer, Shopify and the new AI builders: what each one really costs over three years, and what you can take with you when you leave.
Find your builderNew to this? Start with the glossary
Start here
What are you trying to do?
“Web building” covers a lot of ground. Pick the one that sounds like you and we will take you to the right page.
Start from scratch
Not sure where to begin? Answer five questions and get a short list with reasons.
Know what it will really cost
Plan, domain, email, apps and sales fees over three years, not the headline price.
Hire someone to build it
What a designer or agency costs, and the questions to ask before you sign.
The real choice
There aren’t three ways to build a website. There are two questions.
Most guides sort you into a builder, WordPress or an agency. But an agency builds on a builder or WordPress anyway, and AI tools now write the code itself. What decides how your site turns out is simpler: who keeps it running, and whether you can take it with you when you leave. Answer those two and you land on one of four routes.
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01
Rent it
Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, Square Online, Framer, GoDaddy, Hostinger. One bill covers the software, hosting and templates. You edit; they run it.
- Who runs it
- The platform. You never touch hosting or updates.
- What it costs
- $10 to $49 a month billed yearly for most business plans. Stores and monthly billing cost more.
- When you leave
- Exit scores 2 to 5 out of 10. Some content comes with you; the design never does.
- Fits
- First sites, brochure sites and small stores, for people who never want to think about hosting.
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02
Rent it, keep a door open
WordPress.com, Webflow, Duda and Carrd. Still hosted for you, but your content leaves in a standard format, and on some plans the code does too.
- Who runs it
- The platform hosts it. You or a designer build and edit.
- What it costs
- From under $2 to $25 a month billed yearly. Webflow adds a workspace bill if you want to export code.
- When you leave
- Exit scores 6 to 8 out of 10. Content exports cleanly; the design only on some plans.
- Fits
- Teams who want hosting handled today and a way out later.
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03
Own it
Self-hosted WordPress, the software behind about two in five websites, with WooCommerce if you sell. Or Ghost if you publish. You pick the host, the theme and the plugins, and all of it is yours.
- Who runs it
- You, or someone you pay: updates, backups, security.
- What it costs
- The software is free. Hosting starts at $2.99 a month on intro deals and renews at $9.99 to $17.99.
- When you leave
- 9 to 10 out of 10. Files and database move to any host.
- Fits
- Businesses that publish often, care about search, or want the site to be an asset.
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04
Generate it
Lovable, Bolt and v0. You describe what you want and AI writes real code, which you own and can run anywhere.
- Who runs it
- You and the AI at first, then a developer once it matters.
- What it costs
- $25 to $30 a month to start, plus credits while you build and hosting once it’s live.
- When you leave
- 9 to 10 out of 10 on paper. You own the code, but someone technical has to run it elsewhere.
- Fits
- Apps and tools more than brochure sites. Founders testing an idea.
And hiring a designer? That isn’t a fifth route. A designer builds on one of these four, so ask which one, and who will own the accounts, before you sign. Not sure which route is yours? Answer five questions or see every exit score. Prices and scores checked October 2026.
The library
Everything about building a website, in one place.
Seventeen platforms reviewed, twenty-two head-to-head comparisons, a 150-term glossary and the guides that connect them. Every price comes from the platform’s own pricing page, checked October 2026.
Exit scores
Can you leave? Most people never ask.
Every builder is easy to join. We score what you can take with you when you go: content, design, code, store data and your domain, out of 10.
Head to head
The comparisons people actually search for.
Same structure every time: the quick verdict, a side-by-side table, the cost over three years and what happens when you leave.
By industry
The right builder depends on what you sell.
A restaurant needs online ordering, a contractor needs calls and quotes, a therapist needs forms that can handle health information. Each list starts from what that business actually needs.
Free tools
Do the maths before you sign up.
Guides