Writer: Sean Garrity
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
The best website design and hosting services are like two halves of a brain: combining the creative, artistic right side of the brain with the technology and science of the left side. With both working in tandem, you produce a vibrant, thriving organism — the perfect environment in which your business website or online store can mature.
Without both components, however, getting online can become overwhelming. And without a website, your business risks sinking into obscurity.
Most of the hosting industry’s top providers offer easy-to-use tools that make website creation intuitive. Here, we’ll take a look at the hosts that offer the industry’s best tools for building a professional website.
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1. Best Personal Websites
Speaking of first impressions, having a personal website to house your résumé or CV can go a long way to impress prospective employers. Only 15% of millennials and just 7% of the general population have personal sites, so creating one may be the boost you need to land at the top of an employer’s list.
If you don’t have much web development experience, don’t worry. The host below leads our list of providers that make personal website design intuitive. With tons of templates to choose from, job seekers can quickly get a personal site online that looks professional and displays their skill sets.
Once a template is chosen, site owners can use the visual what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor to customize and build out their sites. And, since most of the template layouts are responsive, your interviewers can access your résumé directly from their mobile devices and see just how qualified you are. Check out our complete review below to learn how to build your future online.
Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.24
- Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
- FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
- FREE daily or weekly backups
- Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
- SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
- Get started on Hostinger now.
As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average. Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – 200 GB NVMe | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
2. Best Mobile Site Design & Hosting
Around 2 billion — that’s the number of people who complete mobile transactions each year. It’s also the number that has merchants lining up to grab their piece of the eCommerce market share. To ensure positive user experiences across devices, it’s essential site owners employ responsive layouts. And Bluehost offers one of the industry’s best mobile website builders. Click the review below to discover everything Bluehost can do to help grow your mobile storefront.
Bluehost offers a site builder that allows users to customize sites in a drag-and-drop environment. The host also offers one-click WordPress installations with access to the CMS’s many responsive themes. And, if you’re looking to make sales on mobile devices, Bluehost’s servers are lightning-fast with high uptime guarantees, so customers will always be able to access your storefront.
Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- 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.
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 »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
3. Best Design & Hosting for Beginners
Design plays a huge role in how successful a small business is online. The whole point of broadcasting your brand on the web is to get your audience to take certain actions, whether that be buying a product, subscribing to a service, or simply reading an article.
Website builder platforms make this step easy by providing simple website creation tools to set you up for success. To start, users can select a website template built by a graphic designer and add customizations to make it their own.
Wix, our top-rated web host, helps beginners quickly craft stunning sites with broad functionality. The review below provides a comprehensive overview of how the host’s intuitive web builder and professionally designed templates can turn even the least technically proficient among us into a competent web designer. Be sure to give it a read.
Wix.com
Monthly Starting Price $0.00
- 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.
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 »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-day FREE trial | 2 GB – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Starting at just $0.00 per month, Wix’s hosting plans come with hundreds of themes perfect for just about any business purpose. Site owners with zero coding knowledge can employ the host’s drag-and-drop site design tool to customize their pages according to their brand’s needs.
All of Wix’s hosting packages include the ability to connect a custom domain name, access to Google Analytics, and between 500MB and 20GB of storage, depending on the pricing tier chosen. And, if you run into any snags along the way, Wix’s customer support center houses a vast self-service knowledge bank that beginning webmasters can turn to for help.
4. Best Cheap Website Design & Hosting
Small businesses usually operate with tight budget constraints where every penny counts. The overhead of costly hosting plans is sometimes the last thing on the minds of small business owners. But, considering that more than 50% of Americans now prefer to purchase goods over the internet, it’s imperative for small and medium businesses to get online.
Don’t let the price fool you. The low-cost hosting plans come with an array of value-adds that will have you double-checking your billing statement. The reasonably priced plan gets users unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and emails. And the host’s free web builder included in the plan makes site creation as easy as pie. Take a look at our full review below to learn how our favorite budget-minded host is saving businesses money with its feature-rich site builder.
SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE Weebly site builder or WordPress setup
- Worry-free, automated webiste migrations
- User-friendly Site Tools interface and staging area
- Custom ticket and chat systems for 24/7 support
- SuperCacher with static and dynamic caching
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Do you know you need to build a website but don’t know where to begin. Well, SiteGround will give you not one, but two extremely popular and user-friendly options to create the online presence of your dream. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 5 minutes |
5. Best Cloud Hosting for Website Design
As one of the hottest technologies in the hosting industry, cloud hosting represents a tremendous opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking for a little more oomph in their computing power.
By leveraging a wide network of servers, cloud service providers can quickly scale up or scale down your available resources. That ensures your site will remain available during traffic spikes while shrinking to more affordable configurations during slower times.
Cloud hosting can be a bit more cumbersome to configure and maintain, but Cloudways does a tremendous job at supporting its customers with high-touch managed services and 24/7 support.
Choose a hosting package from the world’s leading cloud providers: Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Digital Ocean, Vultr, or Linode. From there, you’ll enjoy free site migration and SSL certificates, along with caching solutions, content delivery networks, backups, and other automated tools.
Take a look at our full review to learn more about what Cloudways has to offer:
Kamatera.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.00
- Ultimate scalability with limitless customizations
- Create and deploy servers in 60 seconds
- Easily add load balancers and firewalls
- Stellar 99.95% uptime guarantee
- Sign up today for a 30-day FREE trial
- Get started on Kamatera now.
Starting with more than 60 operating system images to choose from, Kamatera is a strong option for developers who know exactly what environment works best for their project. Customize your cloud server as needed and deploy in less than a minute. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | 1 – 32 cores | 1 GB – 128 GB |
6. Best eCommerce Design & Hosting
There aren’t many places where first impressions matter more than in the eCommerce space. Almost 95% of web surfers note that design dictates how they view a brand. And, if these potential customers have a negative take on your online storefront from the get-go, they’re not likely to convert to a sale.
The best eCommerce hosts offer compatibility with some of the web’s most effective eCommerce platforms, including Magento, Prestashop, and OpenCart. So, it’s important you choose a provider that offers one of these options. Our highest-ranked host for eCommerce design below gives entrepreneurs an easy way to craft compelling landing pages that will guarantee the most optimal user experiences.
If you’re just starting out in the online retailer space, be sure to look at eCommerce functionality, including secure shopping carts, domain registration services, and customer support, before deciding on a host.
Click on the full review below to read about all of the plugins and applications compatible with our top eCommerce host’s platform, and your customers and bottom line with give you a high five.
A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- 20 times faster performance that boosts sales
- 80+ software options: Magento, OpenCart, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and others
- Fully managed WordPress and server environments
- Worry-free migration and 24/7 support
- DDoS protection and layered security measures
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
For those who understand the importance of page load speed and sales, look no further than A2 Hosting. The company boasts premium storage, optimized security, and one of the most diverse portfolios of one-click software installations we’ve seen. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
7. Best Design & Hosting for a WordPress Blog
To say WordPress is popular would be a gross understatement. The content management system now powers more than 30% of the internet — that’s hundreds of millions of websites! If you’re part of this vast ecosystem of WP site owners, I have good news: There’s a way to make WordPress even easier to use.
InMotion Hosting built a platform that works on top of WordPress, enabling users to quickly build out blogs without the need to code. BoldGrid software introduces a simple drag-and-drop environment within the WordPress platform that allows site owners to move site elements into place.
You don’t need to hire a graphic designer to build beautiful pages that can be customized to fit your brand and message. And, since BoldGrid was built with WordPress specifically in mind, BoldGrid-powered sites are compatible with all the latest WordPress plugins, allowing site owners to build anything from contact forms and image galleries to PayPal and eCommerce integrations.
Since BoldGrid’s initial launch in 2016, the software has been incorporated into several hosts’ offerings. InMotion, Web Hosting Hub, and A2 Hosting now support BoldGrid WordPress hosting, and more providers are sure to follow their lead. If the idea of drag-and-drop WordPress web design has you intrigued, check out our top choice for WordPress website building below:
BoldGrid.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE drag-and-drop WordPress website builder
- WordPress pre-installed by InMotion Hosting
- Pre-built and customizable content with GridBlocks
- FREE WordPress themes with mobile/tablet editing
- PayPal integration and shopping carts available
- Get started on BoldGrid now.
InMotion Hosting leads in shared, VPS, dedicated, and WordPress hosting, so it’s only fitting the team would craft one of the web’s first drag-and-drop site-building interface to sit atop WordPress. BoldGrid is a revolutionary platform that welcomes beginners and impresses professional developers. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | FREE (1 year) | 7 minutes |
8. Best Drag-and-Drop Website Design
Legendary American graphic designer and creator of the famous “I Heart NY” logo, Milton Glaser once said, “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”
Milton sets the design bar high, and so should you when it comes to your website. If you’re new to the site creation game and aren’t sure where to start, there’s no need to fret. HostGator’s revamped drag-and-drop website creator will help you build a stunning site sure to wow your visitors.
Included in HostGator’s plans are polished templates created by some of the industry’s top designers. Once a website template is chosen, site owners can employ the company’s design tool to fully customize their sites. The templates offer an array of dynamic functionalities, including advanced animation effects such as parallax and reveal. An image editor, video backgrounds, and custom fonts, among many other features, are also included in the deal.
Check out our complete review below of all the solutions HostGator offers site owners, in addition to its top-rated builder.
HostGator.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.29
- 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.
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 »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
9. Best Professional Website Hosting
If you’re a budding entrepreneur looking to set up shop online, it’s imperative your brand is presented professionally. If you don’t have much experience in web development, you’re going to find that hiring graphic designers can get expensive very fast. And, unless you’re ready to spend the average tuition of $40,000 for a four-year degree in web design, you’re going to need to find a more cost-effective solution.
Fortunately, SiteGround offers an answer. The provider offers hosting for the web’s most popular content management systems, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, and has developed dozens of professional-grade templates for both platforms. SiteGround also employs solid state drives (SSDs) in all of its shared and cloud packages, which work to optimize site speed and user experiences.
As your site begins to attract more traffic, SiteGround gives businesses the ability to scale through easy migration to upgraded service tiers. To learn how this host can help your business succeed online, read our comprehensive review below.
SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE Weebly site builder or WordPress setup
- Worry-free, automated webiste migrations
- User-friendly Site Tools interface and staging area
- Custom ticket and chat systems for 24/7 support
- SuperCacher with static and dynamic caching
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Do you know you need to build a website but don’t know where to begin. Well, SiteGround will give you not one, but two extremely popular and user-friendly options to create the online presence of your dream. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 5 minutes |
10. Best Design & Hosting for Photography Portfolios
As the 2016 National Geographic Photographer of the Year, John Rollins knows photography. He also knows how important it is for professional photographers to have an effective web presence.
“A website gives you legitimacy,” he said in an interview. “Would you hire a lawyer, a plumber, or a real estate agent that did not have a website but only a Facebook page? Probably not. Why would it be any different for photography?”
Numerous hosts offer photography-specific themes, but not many come close to the below host’s carefully crafted templates. This provider can help creatives showcase their work with the help of themes specially tailored to the needs of professional photographers. The compelling, artistic sites that result will make it easy to promote and sell your photography. Click the link below and see how the affordable hosting packages can get your shots in front of a new client base.
Wix.com
Monthly Starting Price $0.00
- 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.
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 »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-day FREE trial | 2 GB – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
11. Best Free Website Builder
Pricing affects people’s perceptions of the products they buy. In some cases, products offered at discounted rates are often seen as inferior or less effective than their more expensive counterparts. But, in the hosting world, Wix is changing this basic aspect of human psychology.
Wix’s free plan includes all the features necessary to create compelling sites customizable to pretty much any purpose. The host’s drag-and-drop editor and professionally developed templates offer the perfect starting point to begin the design-build process. And, with 500MB of storage, a Wix.com subdomain, and a secure hosting environment, it’s easy to get going.
If you’re looking for a bit more functionality out of your site, Wix’s premium plans start at just $0.00 per month and include an array of additional features. These plans all allow site owners to attach custom domain names to their sites. As you move up the pricing tiers, storage increases and tools for eCommerce and marketing become available. Check out our complete review below to see all Wix can do for your online property.
Wix.com
Monthly Starting Price $0.00
- Start designing for FREE
- FREE domain with most plans
- Drag-and-drop templates, specific to industry
- Exhaustive knowledgebase of articles
- Huge app market available
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix is known as a web-leading site builder service that’s one of the most affordable — because getting started is absolutely free and about as easy as processes get. You can log in via Facebook or your Gmail account and be editing your new web property within minutes. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14-day FREE trial | 2 GB – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Best Website Design & Hosting Services Compared
Now that you’ve reviewed all your options for a website design and hosting service, it’s time to compare them. Use this chart to help you make a decision:
| Host | Price | Domain Name | Disk Space |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | $0.00/month | Free (1 year) | 2 GB – Unlimited |
| SiteGround | $2.99/month | Free (1 year) | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD |
| Kamatera | $4.00/month | New or transfer | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD |
| IONOS | $1.00/month | Free (1 year) | Unlimited SSD |
| BoldGrid | $2.99/month | Free (1 year) | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD |
| HostGator | $2.29/month | Free (1 year) | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD |
| Hostinger | $2.24/month | Free (1 year) | 100 GB SSD – 200 GB NVMe |
| Bluehost | $1.99/month | Free (1 year) | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD |
It’s tough to beat Wix’s starting price of $0.00/month, but if you want to pay slightly more for greater disk space, you may be swayed by Kamatera. Still, Hostinger offers a nice balance of affordability and resources. The choice is yours!
The Right Web Builder Service Will Simplify Design & Handle the Hosting
With the exponentially increasing number of consumers turning to the web to find the products and services for which they’re looking, it’s more important than ever for businesses to build a solid online presence.
Getting online exposes your brand to more potential customers and immediately gives your company more credibility and trustworthiness. Plus, you can increase your brand’s organic search ranking by practicing good search engine optimization techniques.
By finding you online, visitors can make more informed decisions about which products to buy or services to inquire about.
There are no longer valid excuses not to be on the web. The hosts presented here offer web builders and templates to ease the site design process and the affordability to protect bottom lines.
The best website builder platforms and hosts may even toss in additional perks, such as 24/7 live chat support, a free domain name, marketing tools, and email marketing to draw prospective customers to their hosting plans.
Now is the best time to take the leap from a social media page to a full-fledged web presence with one of the best website design and hosting platforms on the market.
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