Why go cross-eyed at lines of seemingly indecipherable code when you can quickly turn to a top-notch WYSIWYG web builder?
People just getting started making websites already know that HTML and CSS coding can be hard — and don’t even get us started on PHP or JavaScript. WYSIWYG is another intimidating set of letters that magically results in a beautiful website. The acronym, however, should be a welcome sight: WYSIWYG stands for “what you see is what you get.”
Put simply, a WYSIWYG web builder means what you see on your computer screen as you’re editing your website is exactly what you’ll see when you visit your website in a browser window once it’s published. You can add all sorts of content without messing with any code.
1. Wix Web Builder
PROS
- Top-notch templates
- Lets you animate text and other elements
- Support through website, phone, or email
CONS
- No access to source code
- Can’t switch templates later
- No way to export your website
While many site builders offer templates tailored to specific industries, Wix takes those websites a step further with programs that help hotels book rooms, musicians sell songs, and restaurants take online orders.
- No coding skills needed with drag-and-drop builder
- 100s of templates with niche-specific designs
- Add features via the App Market and Wix Events
- Easily create ecommerce functionality easily
- Great way to build small sites on a budget
- Get started on Wix now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $0.00 |
Money Back Guarantee | 14-day FREE trial |
Disk Space | 2 GB - Unlimited |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
Website building is where Wix shines. The thousands of templates, the intuitive editor, the industry-leading designs that cater to a variety of specific fields and use cases — all these facets represent a platform that excels at facilitating easy web design for the non-tech-savvy user.
Go to full review »2. Weebly Web Builder
Like all WYSIWYG builders, Weebly features a drag-and-drop interface.
PROS
- Responsive templates
- Integrated eCommerce (with paid plan)
- Mobile app lets you edit on the go
CONS
- Limited storage and domains in free plan
- Basic template designs and customization
- Not ideal for blogging
With the limited offerings of Weebly’s free plan, you’ll be better served in the long term by investing in a paid plan — or better yet, a hosting account that includes the Weebly design environment. Our experts took the Weebly interface for a test run, and you can browse our findings in our Weebly review below.
- Online web builder lets you design with ease
- Hundreds of FREE professional-grade themes
- Sell unlimited products for your online store
- FREE tools for SEO, stats, and capturing leads
- Support via phone, chat, and email
- Get started on Weebly now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $0.00 |
Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Disk Space | 500 MB - Unlimited |
Domain Name | FREE (w/ paid plans) |
If you're new to the world of web design and site creation, Weebly is just the thing to ease you into establishing your personal or professional web presence. Best-known for the browser-based, drag-and-drop website editor available for free online, the Weebly software is now available as a value-add on some of the web's leading hosting plans.
Go to full review »3. WordPress Web Builder: BoldGrid
The open-source software was created by a community of hundreds of volunteers. As they say on their website, WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.
One of the few free platforms with all the resources you could ever need, WordPress is not technically a website builder. You can choose from a seemingly infinite number of free or paid themes and further customize your website with a variety of plugins, but the content management system alone is not as intuitive as true WYSIWYG builders.
BoldGrid solves all that with a mission to make WordPress competitive with the top web builders. Originally an in-house product at InMotion Hosting, BoldGrid works as a suite of plugins that seamlessly integrates with WordPress and transforms it into a fantastic website builder.
The team at InMotion is so proud of BoldGrid that they are offering it to other hosting providers. Given their dedication to a one-of-a-kind product, InMotion Hosting is far and away our favorite WordPress website builder host.
- One-of-a-kind WordPress builder
- Good for beginners or professionals
- Drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG editing
- Built-in staging environment
- 200+ FREE themes
- Get started on BoldGrid now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $2.99 |
Money Back Guarantee | 90 days |
Disk Space | 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
No matter how simple website builders are made, people still flock to content management systems — especially WordPress — by the millions. BoldGrid, an innovative platform created by InMotion Hosting, seeks to merge the two popular systems into one incredibly easy-to-use tool for producing vibrant, professional websites.
Go to full review »4. MotoCMS Web Builder
MotoCMS has been a major player in the website builder space since it hit the scene in 2008. The company’s responsive site creation tool and designer-built templates offer users a drag-and-drop environment to develop stunning, professional-grade websites.
Users have access to a number of easy-to-install widgets, including audio and video players, maps, forms, and menus, among others, to develop interactive online interfaces to welcome visitors. And integrations with marketing tools, such as MailChimp and other plugins, allow for seamless communication with your audience.
PROS
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Fast page load speeds
CONS
- Hosting sold separately
MotoCMS’s lightning-fast content management system is designed for high performance and optimizes page load speeds, which keeps visitors engaged and moving toward conversion. Learn more about all the benefits of leveraging MotoCMS’s tools and templates by reading the full review in the table below.
- Custom templates for 60 industries
- FREE 14-day trial for online store
- Easy dashboard for managing order, customers, and products
- Unlimited products with built-in searches and filters
- Multiple payment options and widgets
- Get started on MotoCMS now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $2.95 |
Money Back Guarantee | N/A |
Disk Space | 50 GB - Unlimited SSD |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
Despite the impression that website builders are solely for technology-averse beginners, MotoCMS excels by appealing to developers and businesses looking for the ability to whip up impressive, fully functioning websites with stellar designs in a fraction of the time needed to code it from scratch. Out of the box, the MotoCMS platform includes a modern, streamlined blogging interface with basic search engine optimization tools and the same comfortable drag-and-drop design interface.
Go to full review »5. Other Free WYSIWYG Web Builders
Although the website builders themselves are free, you tend to get what you pay for. Free plans are a great way to test out a builder’s features and usability, but you will probably need the additional features that come with a paid hosting plan. The vast majority of hosting plans remove restrictions on your domain name and storage and often include add-ons such as eCommerce stores, marketing tools, and WYSIWYG builders for free with a paid hosting plan.
These hosts below use Weebly or other easy-to-use builders we haven’t mentioned above. They’re free with hosting plans, and give your site plenty of room to grow. As you can see below, you don’t have to break the bank for good hosting plans or suffer with the limited features of free website builders.
- Choice of Weebly or WebsiteBuilder by iPage
- Mobile-optimized and easy-to-use setup wizards
- 100s of professionally designed themes
- FREE online store, shopping cart, and blogging
- Get 38% off your first month
- Get started on iPage now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $4.99 |
Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Disk Space | Unlimited |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
Do you want your website built today. If you answered "yes," you should look no further than iPage.
Go to full review »- Drag-and-drop design with the Gator™ site builder
- Hundreds of mobile-friendly templates
- FREE hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate
- Easily add a blog, store, and social media
- Analytics portal helps gauge site performance
- Get started on HostGator now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $2.64 |
Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Disk Space | 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
Setting itself apart from the scores of competitors that rely on white-labeled website builder solutions, HostGator spent the time to painstakingly craft its own platform. Gator provides a frustration-free experience that pairs the simplicity of drag-and-drop design with the company’s powerful and respected web hosting services.
Go to full review »- FREE website builder (powered by WordPress)
- Custom themes and easy integration with ecommerce tools
- Expert support 24/7 via live chat, phone, and email
- Longest-running WordPress.org recommendation
- Pro services to design, build, and market your site
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Starting Price/Mo. | $1.99 |
Money Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Disk Space | 10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD |
Domain Name | FREE (1 year) |
With Bluehost, new site owners have the drag-and-drop simplicity of the WordPress website builder at their fingertips. This makes launching a new online brand, store, or personal site from scratch relatively painless.
Go to full review »More WYSIWYG website builders »
Ready to See What You Get?
Whether or not you want to mess with the code behind your website, WYSIWYG builders will help you get the job done in a fraction of the time.
Take your time with exploring all your options to make sure the website builder you choose will be a great fit for the long haul. Check out the user interface, customer support, and selection of templates to see which excites you the most.
WYSIWYG doesn’t have to be yet another scary acronym in web design — go forth and use it to your advantage. Pick up that old writing passion and start a blog. See if you could turn a hobby into a thriving online business.
Whatever your web-building itch, let a WYSIWYG builder help you scratch it.
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