Did you know that 75% of brits look online before purchasing a product or service?
So if you don’t have a website in 2024 for your business/ blog or online store, it’s an absolute must. No questions asked!
Ok, so a website is important, but they cost a TON of money right? Well… not necessarily. If you stay tuned, I will share with you the cheapest website builders for new website makers in the UK.
This guide will also help you find the right website builder for your needs and budget without comprising on usability, support or speed. Let’s begin!
“Free” Website Builders (What You Should Know)
A widely popular model for website builders is to get new customers started on their “freemium” service. While this can be an attractive option in the beginning, there are many pitfalls to these free plans.
One of the biggest downside to freemium plans is that you won’t have control over your own website address.
Instead of owning your own domain like raysplumbing.co.uk, it would instead be something like raysplumbing.weebly[dot]com. For business websites or blogs, this is a big no-no.
Also with free plans, 99% of website builders will insert ads onto your website which allows them to offer the service for free.
In short, it is well worth investing a couple of pounds per month for a .co.uk domain address and full control!
Top 5 Cheapest Website Builders UK 2024
1. WordPress (Free + Bluehost Hosting At £2.33/mo)
First up on my list has definitely got to be WordPress which currently runs 34% of all websites online. Yup, 34%!
What makes this statistic even crazier is that WordPress is a completely free website builder (WordPress is kind of like the Wikipedia of website builders, completely open-source and community-driven).
On top of that, WordPress has 10,000’s of free plugins for SEO, caching, eCommerce, payment portals, tables, image sliders, and the list goes on and on.
To sweeten the deal even more, WordPress & Bluehost also has access to an even larger amount of 1-click themes from one-page websites, forums, small business websites, blogs, news websites, and TONS more.
There’s also many beginner-friendly free drag and drop page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Beaver to name a few.
Since WordPress boasts such a wide range of functionality, it is an attractive website builder for large websites (think BBC) and for blog owners (including this one) and small business websites.
Ok, so what’s the catch…
The only catch, if you could call it that, is that users will have to get their own web hosting. Now before you run away in terror. Web hosting is actually incredibly simple to set up and has many advantages!
Take BlueHost for example (which this website is hosted on). It allows users to literally get a WordPress website online in a couple of minutes. It’s simply a 1-click install and you’re done!
As for the price, it’s a cheap £2.33/mo which includes a free domain, SSL certificate, 50GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
So if you are after a cheap website builder that is also a great platform. You can’t pass WordPress and a hosting solution.
If you are still unsure about web hosting and BlueHost, you can see my how to make a WordPress website guide and my full BlueHost review for brits.
Get WordPress + BlueHost (£2.33/mo)
2. Wix (From £3/mo)
Next up on my roundup of cheap website builders is non-other than Wix.
Started in 2006, Wix has now become one of the goto website builders for those wanting a quick, responsive and beautiful website.
Wix has also widely become known for their beautiful and responsive templates that can be installed with just 1 click. This makes using Wix an absolute pleasure to use and is ideal for those wanting an easy and beginner-friendly experience.
For some examples of what Wix websites look like, this is a good list to see.
If you don’t want to take advantage of Wix’s pre-built templates, you can put your design hat on and tweak and adjust everything to your needs. There is also the ability to edit mobile and desktop views individually from one another.
As for the price, Wix plans start from £3/mo which includes everything you’ll need. When I say everything, I’m really not joking. All premium Wix plan includes themes, hosting, storage, bandwidth, domain name, and support.
Take the Wix Combo plan for example. This plan is £8/mo and includes 2GB bandwidth, 3GB storage, and a free domain for the first year. Not to mention access to all Wix templates. For more or fewer features, you can adjust accordingly.
I could see the combo plan being ideal for small business owners who might own a cafe, online store, restaurant, service business, portfolio, or personal website.
So if you can skip 1 pint per month down at the pub, you’ll be able to afford this cheap website builder that’s got it all! Highly recommend!
Activate Your 14 Day Free Wix Trial
3. Ukit (£3.20/mo)
Moving onto the next provider on my list is Ukit which is a beautiful and minimalist drag and drop website builder.
While Ukit is relatively lesser-known in the website builder landscape, it still keeps up with the bigger players like Wix and SquareSpace as far as features and usability is concerned.
Unfortunately, Ukit doesn’t have a large library of free themes when compared to Wix. Ukit has 200 themes as opposed to Wix which has 300 to choose from.
But as far as the drag and drop builder is concerned, it is incredibly easy to use. Plus it is fully responsive for mobile and tablets.
While the lack of themes is a bit of a bummer, Ukit makes up for it as they are one of the cheapest website builders on the market. Not to mention they include unlimited hosting and bandwidth for even their beginner plan.
When it comes to the pricing, Ukit is an uber-cheap £3.20/mo for their beginner plan which is a great starting point for a business/ portfolio website.
As mentioned above, Ukit’s plans come with unlimited disk space and traffic amounts. They also offer up free backups and 24/7 customer support.
Overall Ukit is a great website builder and one of the cheapest for those in the UK!
Start Your 14 Day Free Ukit Trial
4. Weebly (From £3.35/mo)
Up next on my list is Weebly which is now owned and operated by the payment portal Square.
While Weebly has been known for its clunky user interface and lacklustre features, this has changed as of 2018. Since being acquired by Square, their UI, templates and overlook and feel have drastically improved.
Even after a quick look at their new library of themes, you can see that the “new Weebly” has really put a strong emphasis on great looking templates (which there are hundreds of).
As for the rage of themes (which are all drag and drop). There are dozens to choose from for online stores, small businesses, portfolio websites, personal and even event websites.
When it comes to the pricing, it is a cheap £3.35/mo which has still stayed the same which is reassuring for existing and new customers.
While this is a very affordable price, there is, in my opinion, a lack of storage (500MB). But for smaller sites, this is more than enough. You’ll also have to fork out for your own domain name. If you are looking to pick up a domain, check out my guide on the top domain registrars.
All in all, Weebly is a great website builder with simple and easy to use drag and drop themes that are some of the best in the industry.
5. SquareSpace (From £10/mo)
Last but not least on my list has definitely got to SquareSpace.
Ok, I realise this isn’t a cheap website builder, but I feel like I had to add SquareSpace as their platform and service is second to none.
One of the standout features by far for SquareSpace has definitely got to be their beautiful templates. Seriously, these are some of the most beautiful templates I have seen and are leading the way for design and functionality.
While they are definitely more expensive (£10/mo for their beginner plan), they really do offer a lot for the price. Their beginner plan, for example, has an unlimited amount of storage and bandwidth plus a free custom domain name.
On top of that, SquareSpace also integrates seamlessly with YouTube, OpenTable, Twitter, Xero, DropBox, and Instagram to name a few.
So if you are in the mood for treating yourself, SquareSpace is a fantastic option!
How I Ranked The Cheapest UK Website Builders
When it came to creating this list, I didn’t just pull these providers out of thin air.
Instead, I researched and reviewed each one of these website builders in multiple areas from price, templates, service, and heaps more.
So to see how I reviewed each provider in more detail, you can see more from the drop-down menu below.
As this whole guide is on the cheapest website builders, the price was of course at the top of my list when comparing these providers.
Whether you are starting a new small business or a travel blog, we want to keep expenses to a minimum. Hence finding an affordable website builder for your new website.
But just because something is cheap, it doesn’t mean that it is good. For example, there are many website builders out there that charge £1/mo for the first year. Only to hike it up to £15/mo the next year.
There are also TONS of providers that offer a cheap service, but fall flat in hosting and uptime. So while there are cheaper providers out there. The ones in this list strike a balance between price, functionality, and dependability.
As this is likely the first time you are creating a website, having access to professionally made themes and templates is a must.
This means that new website makers can literally signup and get a website online with a finished product in a few hours. Having these themes allows users to focus more on their business/ content and not have to worry too much about the website sides of things.
Another thing I looked out for was the range of templates available also. WordPress is by far the best for themes, but for ready-made templates, Wix and Ukit were some of the best as they have templates for dentists, photographers, restaurant owners, online stores, plumbers and the list goes on.
So if you can think of it, there is likely a template for it. Even better is that there is no code or HTML needed to design and arranges the templates. Simply drag and drop.
One that gets largely overlooked with website builders is speed and uptime. This is usually because they are a closed ecosystem where they have their own page builder and hosting in one package.
While it can have its advantages, the major downside is that you don’t really have control over the hosting situation. So if your website builder host is slow and bugger, tough luck, you are stuck with that provider.
However, there are exceptions to the rule with say a WordPress and web host solution where you are not tied to one particular web host. But rather can migrate your website if you need to.
So as speed and uptime is so important (even Google has said slow websites can detriment your rankings), I have only picked websites builders that have a strong focus in this area.
Another important thing I ranked on this cheap UK web builder guide was, of course, the amount of storage and bandwidth that is allocated to each plan.
This is a very important consideration as if your website doesn’t have SSD storage or an ample amount of bandwidth, your website can be slow and only handle a certain amount of traffic.
While this isn’t a must-have, it definitely is a bonus if there is a domain name included like a .co.uk, .uk, .com or .net. Many providers will actually provide a domain with the first year of registration being free and with a renewal fee (which is typically around £10 year.
If your website builder of choice doesn’t provide a free domain, you can see my guide on the best UK domain providers that have .co.uk domains from only £0.01!.
While on domains, another thing that comes hand in hand are SSL certificates which is an absolute must-have. Having an SSL certificate will give the padlock in the address bar while also giving an encrypted connection.
Websites without one will start to receive a non-secure notification just like this one.
Another thing I considered was whether or not the website builder had a drag and drop functionality for creating a website upon.
Having this drag and drop functionality is a must-have as it makes the whole design and website building process extremely easy and fluid.
I have also included web hosts (for those that use WordPress) that have 1-click WordPress installs.
WordPress Vs Wix
When it comes to creating a website, there are endless amounts of website builders, platforms and web hosts to choose from. So where does one start?
Well, for many people, some of the most notable website builders are WordPress and Wix. So which one is best?
I hate to be that person, but it kid of depends on your needs.
WordPress gives users a LOT of control over every aspect of a website and is typically cheaper as users do their own web hosting. But in saying that, there is a longer and steeper learning curve for the ins and outs.
Wix on the other hand (which is very similar to SquareSpace and Jimdo) offer a seamless closed ecosystem where everything is handled by just the one company.
This has advantages such as ease of use, can get a website online faster, is easier for visual editing and has included widgets. However, these services usually come as a steeper cost and users are at the whims of their servers and hosting.
In short, WordPress is great for those who want full control over design, hosting, SEO, analytics and the list goes on. For a uber beginner-friendly experience, Wix might be the best bet. To learn more, check out my guide on the fastest web hosting picks to take your website to the next level!
How Much Should It Cost For a Website?
Another common question that pops up when people are starting to make a website is how much will the damn thing cost?
Also, what are the recurring expenses that are associated with making a website?
Well, if you are to make a website yourself, you can expect to pay between £50-£150 upfront for the website builder/ hosting costs.
In saying that, this upfront cost usually covers the price for the first 2-3 years depending on the length of the plan. As for the recurring costs, they range from £30-£100 a year. Again, this depends on who you pick and the renewal price as well.
For more information on this topic, you can see my how much does a website cost guide.
Can You Make a Free Website?
In short, yes you can. But would you want to share that website to friends, customers or visitors. Well, maybe not.
As I touched on briefly at the top of this guide, users can make a free site with a website builder. However. There are severe limitations to the style, functionality, brand control and speed of the website.
For page builders like Wix and SquareSpace, you can create a website for no charge. But if you do, you’ll have to use a subdomain like mywesbite.wix.com. Also, there will be a lot of ads throughout the website as well which makes it look quite unprofessional.
So while you can make a website free of charge, it is much better to invest in a cheap website builder that has these limitations removed.
For more information, you can also see my guide on the best cheap web hosting picks for those in the UK!
Final Thoughts
That’s all folks! Hopefully this guide has helped you find a cheap and highly effective UK website builder for your budget and needs.
For myself personally, I have found using WordPress and a great web host to be the most economical way to make a website. But, if WordPress is not for you, there are dozens of other affordable website builders out there.