If you're on the lookout for the best website builders to craft a captivating website for your entrepreneurial endeavor, Sitejet is a platform worth exploring. In this dynamic landscape, it has emerged as a robust platform catering to the needs of solo entrepreneurs and small business owners striving to establish a prominent online presence. So, If you're on the hunt for a website builder that strikes the right balance between functionality and simplicity, Sitejet could be the game-changer you've been looking for.

At TechRadar, we understand the challenges entrepreneurs face when choosing the right tools for their digital journey. Our commitment to providing tried-and-tested tips has earned the trust of our readers, and in this hands-on review, we'll unravel the intricacies of Sitejet to help you make a smart choice.

Throughout this exploration, we'll delve into Sitejet's core features, its usability for first-time website creators, and its potential to upgrade the online presence of small businesses. From design flexibility to ease of use, we'll guide you through our hands-on experience with Sitejet, ensuring you have the information and insights needed to make use of this powerful builder.

Whether you're stepping into the digital world for the first time or on the hunt for an improved solution for your current website, Sitejet could be the perfect platform for advancing your goals.

Is Sitejet the right website builder for me?

Choosing the perfect website builder is crucial for your online success. So, let's dissect who Sitejet caters to best and who might discover it to be a less fitting solution.

Sitejet is solid for solo entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers looking for a user-centric website builder that combines project management and client collaboration. The "Business Center" provides an excellent dashboard, offering a swift snapshot of various website projects, client input, and revenue insights presented in user-friendly graphics. So, if you want features like to-do lists and project management tools, Sitejet is your go-to solution.

Although Sitejet is designed for ease of use, those who appreciate in-depth guidance in using the dashboard might find it a bit less hand-holding compared to a simpler website builder. While powerful, the builder can sometimes feel like navigating a maze, with a lot of options and levels to explore. 

This level of complexity might be overwhelming for users who prefer a more straightforward setup. So, if you're on the lookout for a builder who holds your hand every step of the way, you might want to consider alternative choices such as Wix or Weebly.

Sitejet features and tools

Getting started with Sitejet is simple. You can kick off the registration process straight from the homepage by clicking on "Get Started" or "Free 14-Day Trial." Simply enter the email address you want to use for your Sitejet login, and you're on your way.

Within minutes, you'll receive a confirmation email at the provided address. Don't forget to check your spam folder if you don't see it. Click on the confirmation link in the email, and you'll be redirected to Sitejet to add some details about your business and set up your password. 

Once you’re all done, you’ll arrive at Sitejet’s dashboard.

Templates

Sitejet has a cool collection over 90 templates that come free with any plan you choose. While this number might not match the extensive libraries of some competitors, Sitejet promises more templates in the pipeline, so you can expect fresh choices now and then. 

Though you can't import third-party templates, we found that Sitejet's existing templates cover a wide variety of industries, including IT and media, travel, education, culture, art, and so forth. 

Customization is simple with Sitejet's drag-and-drop editor, allowing you to start from scratch or modify existing templates. While the designs may not stun with complexity, Sitejet prioritizes simplicity, making the templates easy to personalize. Each template captures distinct moods with high-quality demo content, adding animations, hover effects, and other design elements.

The customization process revolves around a straightforward grid layout, offering lots of options for playing around with text, images, animations, and sizes. And if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can even add custom code to spice things up. All templates are fully responsive to various mobile screen sizes, and users can preview designs on multiple Apple or Android display dimensions.

Sitejet website editor

Sitejet's drag-and-drop editor strikes a nice balance between simplicity and functionality. It allows you to modify designs and themes even after creating a website, offering access to a solid collection of customizable designs. The editor supports unlimited page creation and covers essential content elements like text, images, forms, and much more.

With robust SEO integration, each page's settings, including name and SEO details, can be customized for optimal search engine visibility. The platform also automates Google indexing, which will boost your online presence.

With mobile editor you can preview your website on various devices, adjusting it to look stunning in both landscape and portrait mode. Plus, there are presets and a plethora of customizable features, from headers and footers to forms, making the design process a joy.

Through your dashboard, you gain an overview of multiple websites, each with detailed status information. There, the customer view provides insights into customer interactions for simpler management.

However, while Sitejet's editor provides some powerful customization, it might pose a challenge for newcomers. The complexity of the builder, with all its features and choices, may require a learning curve for those new to website creation.

Sitejet's AI-powered text generator, currently in Beta, introduces a way to create content without a hitch. Accessible through the editor, this feature allows you to specify input and output language, provide a text description, and adjust additional settings such as word count, target group, author, and tone. With a simple click on "Generate text," ChatGPT will work its magic, crafting content shaped by your preferences.

Domains on Sitejet

With all Sitejet plans, you can connect external domains or register new ones directly through Sitejet. It's a worthwhile feature for web designers who want to showcase live websites to clients, allowing for quick feedback and collaboration.

For added convenience, domain management is centralized, meaning you’ll get an oversight of multiple websites. So, no need to worry about your domain name suddenly expiring.

The Team and Agency plans go a step further, allowing full branding of the Sitejet platform, including the customer portal, with your corporate identity. Moreover, you can operate the system under your custom domain for a more polished, professional touch.

To register a domain within Sitejet, access the domain manager, click "+ Domain," follow the simple steps to check availability and complete the registration process. The pricing is transparent, with options like .com at $8.99, .biz at $18.53, and .app at $31.20 per year. Should you need a specific top-level domain (TDL) not listed, Sitejet's support team will try to find a solution for you upon request.

Sitejet ecommerce

Sitejet simplifies the ecommerce experience by seamlessly integrating Ecwid, one of the top ecommerce solutions. This built-in store functionality enables you to effortlessly set up and manage your web stores directly within Sitejet's dashboard.

With Sitejet's integrated ecommerce solution, you can establish your online store and embed it into their website with ease. The platform supports a wide range of products and allows for external management through its robust backend. You can showcase up to five products for free, making it a solid choice for small businesses and startups.

To create an Ecwid shop, access the "Shop" category in Sitejet’s website editor and follow the step-by-step instructions provided in Sitejet's help articles. There are no setup or transaction fees associated with Ecwid, regardless of the plan chosen. This makes it an attractive choice for those looking to build an online store without any additional costs.

Sitejet marketing integrations

While Sitejet lacks built-in marketing tools, it compensates with seamless integrations to boost your online presence and marketing efforts. For SEO enhancement, Sitejet provides essential integrations (Webflow, AgencyAnalytics, Wistia, and more) giving you the tools to optimize your websites for search engines.

In terms of email marketing, Sitejet supports integrations with popular platforms such as Campaign Monitor, MailChimp, ConvertKit, and AWeber. This lets you connect your email marketing campaigns with your Sitejet-powered websites, ensuring effective communication with your target audience.

Social media plays a crucial role in modern marketing and Sitejet acknowledges this by offering integrations with various social media platforms. You can easily link your X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media accounts.

Beyond email marketing and social media, Sitejet provides a wide variety of in-app integrations designed to elevate your business's visibility and popularity. So, while this platform may not have native marketing tools, its integrations can empower you to leverage third-party solutions to upgrade your marketing strategies.

Website security

Through our experience, we've found that incorporating SSL into your website with Sitejet is surprisingly straightforward. A simple click in the Domain Manager activates SSL, creating a secure HTTPS connection for your website. The SSL certificate is automatically generated for the website and extends to all connected subdomains.

Sitejet strengthens website performance and protection through the integration of a content delivery network (CDN) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) mitigation. These not only make your pages load faster but also provide a protective shield against potential cyber threats.

Sitejet takes the trouble out of website backups with an integrated snapshot feature. The system automatically saves backups of your websites, providing a safety net in case of unexpected troubles.

Sitejet pricing: Is Sitejet good value for money?

When it comes to Sitejet pricing, you'll discover a tiered system tailored to your needs. Let's dive into the details:

Ideal for individual users looking to publish a single website, the single-user plan comes at $15 per month (on annual billing). Keep in mind that this is the cost for each published site, and you can have multiple projects in the works.

If you're craving collaboration and additional features, the Team plan at $29 per month (on annual billing) is a step up. It's a solid choice for web designers managing multiple projects. 

Taking it to the next level, the Agency plan, priced at $69 per month (on annual billing), caters to agencies and teams. With it, you'll get extra perks like website export, multi-user permissions, white-label tools, and API access. However, it's a significant spike in price.

Thinking about adding additional websites? Solo users can add extra websites for $15 each month, Teams pay $8 monthly per additional website with an annual plan, and Agencies enjoy the most cost-effective solution at just $5 per month per additional website with an annual commitment. 

All Sitejet plans come with an array of features, covering essentials like web hosting, SSL encryption, CDN and DDoS protection, and automated backups. Benefit from continuous CMS updates, seamless domain connection or registration, unlimited email accounts, and generous allowances for website analytics and storage per project. 

To explore Sitejet's features, you can take advantage of the 14-day free trial which gives you access to the mid-tier "Team" plan's functionalities. When the trial runs out, you'll be downgraded to the Solo version, which you can continue to use for free. No credit card info is required, and you won't be charged until you decide to publish or export your website.

To delve deeper into Sitejet's pricing details and explore which plan matches your needs best, check out Sitejet's pricing page.

Sitejet help and support

Sitejet has got your back with a blend of email and live chat support, all aimed at making your experience smooth. While their support hours are a bit mysterious, they try to respond even beyond working hours. Also, online chat availability can be a bit elusive.

If you’re planning to send them an email, anticipate a reasonable two to three-hour response time, which isn’t that bad. The support team, although occasionally fashionably late, is known for being friendly and helpful. Convenient links to their help desk are sprinkled across the dashboard, and a chat widget pops up when the live chat stars align.

For those who prefer a hands-on approach, Sitejet offers an array of resources, including user-friendly step-by-step guides and straight-to-the-point video tutorials. Don't miss their comprehensive demo video - a crash course in mastering Sitejet. While live support may face occasional challenges due to popularity, Sitejet’s support team compensates with a Slack group for user-to-user support and the option to schedule a one-on-one demo whenever you like.

It's worth noting that the Solo package includes regular chat and email support, while the upper-tier plans feature priority email support. Additionally, Sitejet offers so-called “success support" for their partners, covering tech, sales, and web design.

Sitejet: What’s not included? What could be better?

While Sitejet offers an excellent website-building experience, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Firstly, there aren't built-in marketing tools, so if you're looking for an all-in-one solution for SEO, social media, and email marketing, you‘ll need to explore additional third-party tools.

Another consideration is the complexity of the drag-and-drop builder, especially for beginners. While powerful, the learning curve might be steeper compared to more beginner-friendly alternatives.

Also, while the template library is growing, it's not the largest out there. You've got some superb options, but it might not have the sheer variety you'd find with other builders.

Sitejet review: Final thoughts

To conclude, Sitejet offers a robust website-building platform tailored for web designers, agencies, and solo entrepreneurs. While it may not be the most intuitive for beginners, its drag-and-drop editor and extensive feature set make it a powerful tool for professionals. The collaboration features, like the customer portal, enable seamless interactions with clients, enhancing the overall workflow.

Although Sitejet isn’t the most budget-friendly choice, it provides superb value for money. If you’re also willing to invest time in mastering its features, Sitejet can be a powerful ally in crafting stunning and professional websites.

Sitejet website builder FAQs

In the dynamic realm of web development, where coding often stands as a barrier to entry, Hatch emerges as a game-changer. Although it positions itself alongside some of the best website builders, it differentiates itself by focusing on the empowerment of tech-curious creators, helping create their online projects without much effort or technical know-how.  

Hatch's ecosystem encompasses a user-friendly publishing platform, intuitive design tools, and a colorful community of creators exploring the realms of interactivity, animation, and generative AI. At the core of its philosophy is the belief that a webpage is not merely a digital canvas but a limitless creative medium that should be accessible to all. 

Since its creation in 2021, Hatch has been dedicated to making software for creative expression. Through drag-and-drop functionality, it opens doors for both casual and technical creators to craft websites, portfolios, interactive stories, and all sorts of creative experiments.

Enjoying the benefits of an account on Hatch, creators can set up and share pages publicly or opt for project privacy for a more intimate touch.

Hatch plans and pricing

With two plans, Hatch makes sure both casual creators and dedicated developers can find a suitable option. 

The “Hatch Free” plan comes at no cost and includes hosting with a subdomain (yourname.hatch.one), a Hatch watermark, limits of three published projects, three pages per project, unlimited community projects, 2GB of media storage, and standard customer support. 

For those ready to take their creative journey a step further, the “Hatch Pro” plan, priced at $9 per month, offers an array of advanced features. This includes Hatch hosting, a free custom domain name (with the option to bring your own domain), a removable Hatch watermark, expanded project and page limits with 20 published projects and unlimited pages per project, unlimited community projects, 10GB media storage, and priority customer support.

Offering a cost-free option and a pocket-friendly paid plan, it is clear that Hatch strives to make its platform accessible and appealing to a broad audience. You can also opt for either monthly or yearly billing options, although unlike the majority of website builders, there appears to be no benefit (financial or otherwise) to paying annually. 

You can end your subscription whenever you want by logging into your account or reaching out to Hatch. Your cancellation will be effective after your current paid term. However, unfortunately, Hatch does not offer a money-back guarantee or a free trial for its paid plan.

As for payment methods, Hatch accepts credit/debit cards (including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express) and PayPal.

Hatch features and functionality

By combining a user-friendly approach with a dedicated web environment, Hatch can support the creation of diverse projects such as games, events, messaging platforms, maps, and various creative experiments, regardless of your technical abilities and prowess. 

Within Hatch’s creative haven, designers, whether casual or seasoned, can explore interactivity, animation, physics, and generative AI using intuitive drag-and-drop kits. As part of the creator community, you can make your projects “remixable”, which means your fellow members can duplicate and modify content in any way they want. 

At Hatch, kickstarting your website is as easy as it gets. You can start from one of Hatch’s pretty-looking templates or a completely blank canvas, offering you total freedom for your creative endeavor. You can also easily import your personal graphics or delve into the extensive library for inspiration. Once started, you’re free to manipulate, reposition, and modify elements effortlessly without the confines of a grid, which gives you the flexibility to design your webpage exactly how you envision it.

We must also mention Hatchbot AI, the star feature here. This generative web builder can transform your descriptions into webpage elements without any coding know-how. Perfect for AI enthusiasts, Hatchbot AI harnesses the power of GPT, allowing you to describe the design and functionality you want, and then brings it to life within your online project. The creative possibilities are impressive - you can experiment with various options like grabbing, bouncing, sinking, or floating elements across your webpage.

As the AI Hatchbot evolves, occasional unpredictability might arise in its output. While adept at fulfilling specific functional requests, Hatchbot can't craft entire web pages at once, requiring a step-by-step approach. To get the best results, you’ll have to be pretty specific, particularly when providing image sources such as Pixabay, Pexels, or Unsplash.

Additionally, Hatch enables the integration of diverse media, including thousands of gifs, stickers, photos, videos, animated text, emojis, and content from popular platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud, and Spotify. With the allowance of up to 20 published projects, unlimited pages per project, and the ability to contribute to the community with unlimited community projects, Hatch provides a playground for endless creative expression.

Taking everything into account, while Hatch can be a perfect pick for a beautiful personal blog or a small business site, it's important to note that its strengths may not extend to managing high-traffic business websites. 

Hatch offers only two pricing plans, both with rigorous restrictions, such as a 10GB cap on media storage. Notably absent from these plans is information on available resources or the type of hosting provided. Advanced e-commerce tools, performance enhancements like CDNs, SEO features, web analytics, robust security with SSL certificates, scalability options, server reliability details, and uptime guarantees are all missing with Hatch. 

While useful for business promotion - such as creating engaging storefronts to boost online sales - it falls short when it comes to building comprehensive business websites. Hatch caters to the tech-curious creative crowd, particularly artists, rather than targeting enterprise solutions.

Also, besides blank statements about caring about your security and privacy, Hatch’s official site doesn’t share any in-depth details about the security features it utilizes to keep your site and all its precious data on the safe side. This is concerning.  

Hatch interface and ease of use

To kick things off with Hatch, go to its official site and choose to sign up for a free plan or tap into the “get started for free” button, which will take you straight to the template gallery. To sign up you’ll be asked to surrender your email address and come up with a password - so, just the usual stuff.

Once you’re done, you’ll arrive at Hatch’s template gallery where you can choose from over 50 eye-catching templates (including the one Hatch’s official site is using). You can browse by category (personal, storefront, portfolio, business, surprise me, and so forth). If you find one you fancy, click on it. However, if you prefer to start from scratch, that's an option too. 

Whichever option you pick, you’ll land on Hatch’s easy-to-use dashboard where you can tweak the template to your heart’s content. On the left side, you can see all the things you can add to your site (such as elements, pictures, gifs, vectors, and videos), and even check out getting-started kits for curated content. If something catches your eye, just drag and drop it onto your page and adjust it on the right panel. Here, you can apply effects to enhance interactivity and make your site more fun for your audience.

At any point, you can effortlessly preview your work and share it with the Hatch community for feedback or to inspire others. However, if you’re the one who lacks inspiration, you can check out the sites created by the Hatch community and see if something lights your creative spark. 

Some of these online projects are “remixable”, which means you can duplicate and customize the content in any way you want. Likewise, you can make your own projects “remixable” for others. So, while Hatch’s builder isn’t open-source, it feels very much like it is.

Overall, Hatch’s no-code site builder is super simple to use and it’s a perfect pick for personal blogs and creative, community-centered online projects. 

Hatch web hosting and performance

Hatch site builder works as a one-in-all solution for small-scale, creative online projects, which means you get domain/subdomain hosting, web hosting, and site builder. With the free plan, you can create up to three published projects (and countless community projects), but you’ll be stuck with Hatch’s subdomain which gives it a less polished look. To get custom domain hosting, you’ll have to subscribe to a paid plan. 

We tested our Hatch site's performance with our trusted tool, GTmetrix, which helps us assess loading speed, page optimization, and other crucial performance metrics. The performance was rated with a rock-solid B (82%), which isn’t perfect but still a presentable performance. Although the site took some time to fully load (11 seconds in total), it didn't significantly impact our user experience.

Hatch customer support

Hatch's customer support primarily revolves around self-help guides. Of course, this isn’t bad news if you’re a do-it-yourself type of person. However, it doesn't provide direct support channels like phone lines or live chat, which is bad news for beginners who prefer real-time support options. 

So, as far as support goes, there's an array of short yet handy YouTube video tutorials designed to guide you through Hatch's main features and functionalities. While there aren’t many tutorials (as we write, there are 20 of them), we find these guides great for visual learners who prefer step-by-step instructions.

If you have a question or need some basic guidance, there's a short FAQ section available on the website, covering common queries and offering quick solutions. To get more in-depth insight, you can seek advice and answers to your questions on Hatch’s community forum. This is also a superb place for creators to connect, share experiences, and exchange ideas.

The only way you can get in touch directly with Hatch's customer support staff is via contact form. There, you can choose a reason for contact (billing, sign-in, account, publishing, sharing, etc.) and add details about the questions or problems you’re having. After you submit the form, you should expect a response within a day.

It's important to note that the level of support you receive depends on your subscription plan. With the free plan, you'll have access to standard support. However, if you've opted for a paid subscription, you'll benefit from priority support, ensuring quicker assistance.

Hatch competition & alternatives

Wix, one of Hatch’s strongest competitors, stands out for its extensive customization options and user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, catering to beginners and veteran webmasters alike. 

It also boasts a wider array of website templates tailored to diverse industries, which surpasses Hatch's offerings. On top of this, Wix provides multiple support channels, including live chat, phone, and email, a feature that Hatch doesn't currently offer. 

However, if you're a creative spirit wanting to break out of the confines of a traditional website builder, Hatch's innovative AI-driven features could spark your creativity in unique ways.

Similarly, Weebly, another strong competitor, excels in user-friendliness, making it an excellent choice for beginners and those seeking a balanced feature set. 

Similar to Hatch, Weebly presents a free website builder plan but extends slightly more advanced functionalities in its paid subscriptions, serving as an ideal platform for scaling up. 

While Weebly offers a more robust feature set than Hatch, it doesn't include the unique Hatchbot AI feature, which can be so much fun. For individuals looking for a departure from standard website creation methods, Hatch's AI-driven builder offers a unique creative avenue.

Squarespace boasts beautiful and customizable templates akin to Hatch, catering to all sorts of creative individuals. In fact, it boasts over 100 templates, a more extensive collection compared to Hatch. 

It also stands out with stronger e-commerce capabilities, especially suited for small to medium-sized enterprises. Unlike Hatch's forever-free plan, Squarespace opts for a 14-day trial, aiming for a more professional site-building approach. Yet, if you're seeking a creative escape from conventional designs, Hatch's AI tools are a fresh alternative.

Hatch website builder review: Summary

In summary, Hatch seems like a fantastic choice for aspiring creators eager to explore web development without breaking the bank. With a solid collection of customizable templates, a charming (and helpful) Hatchbot AI, and a forever-free plan, it's an ideal starting point for those venturing into site-building. 

Yet, its limitations for high-traffic sites and the absence of real-time support might not suit larger-scale businesses seeking robust performance and advanced features. For personal projects and small businesses seeking an accessible and creative platform, Hatch could be the perfect match.

Our Zenfolio review delivers all the information, insight, pros and cons you need to make an informed decision on whether this is the right portfolio website builder for you. 

Finding the best website builder for your portfolio is a crucial step in showcasing your work, demonstrating your talent, and getting in front of a new and potentially profitable audience. Which is best for you will depend on several factors ranging from your technical skills to how you want to represent yourself online. 

Zenfolio is one of the best portfolio website builders on the market, offering a host of tools built specifically to help photographers get their work online and grow their photography businesses. 

Our experts have tested the Zenfolio portfolio website builder, assessing areas including ease of use, tools, and features to help you make an informed decision on whether it might be the best option for you. 

Plans and pricing

Zenfolio offers three paid plans with both monthly and annual payment options. There’s also a 14-day free trial that you can use to test the platform and get a feel for its features and tools 

Portfolio plan

At the cheaper end of the spectrum sits the Portfolio plan. This plan includes a great selection of templates, 15GB of photo storage, and the ability to connect your own domain name. 

PortfolioPlus plan

Upgrading to the PortfolioPlus plan and you will have access to everything in the Portfolio plan, along with a more powerful site editor, 150GB of photo storage, and the ability to sell directly from your website. 

ProSuite plan

Finally, the ProSuite plan gives you everything in the PortfolioPlus plan, plus you will gain access to a suite of powerful features designed for professional photographers, including automated client campaigns and an all-in-one booking, invoicing, and payment solution.

Zenfolio features

Zenfolio’s photography portfolio website builder is backed by a suite of advanced features to help you get the most out of your site. Below we list some of the most noteworthy.

When you sign up for a new Zenfolio account, you will have access to a suite of free photography website templates, mobile-friendly themes, a drag-and-drop editor, and more. 

Showcase your work through public galleries to help you gain more clients. Then, you can create custom photo galleries complete with password protection to help you share work with existing clients. Alternatively, set up a simple online store to sell photos, videos, or other content. 

You will also have access to a suite of advanced marketing tools, with a focus on helping you grow your social followings. Integrations are available for all major social media platforms, and there’s even a range of SEO tools to help you increase your organic search traffic. 

Zenfolio also offers BookMe, an advanced tool that automates booking, scheduling, gallery creation, and commerce for professional photographers.

BookMe streamlines and simplifies a photographer’s daily workflow by automating a multitude of functions that traditionally added hours to a photographer’s workday. The BookMe feature comes as standard on the ProSuite plan or can be added at an additional cost to other plans. 

Interface and in use

To get started with Zenfolio, you can either sign up for a premium plan or take advantage of the 14-day free trial. No credit card information is required to begin the free trial, and the only things you need to provide are a name and email address. 

Once you’re signed up, you will be guided through a simple four-step setup process. Here, you will be able to specify the type of site you want, select an initial design, upload a few photos, and add SEO information. 

The website editor itself is quite simplistic, but it does come with enough tools for you to customize your design. Change color schemes, rearrange or re-order design elements, and add your own content for a truly personalized portfolio. 

Finally, there’s an impressive media management area that lets you upload and organize your photos and videos. Create custom galleries on different pages, add password-protected client galleries, and showcase your work for prospective customers. 

Support

Zenfolio offers numerous support services, including live support and a range of self-help resources. Reach out to the customer service team via live chat, online ticket submission, or email, and expect an answer quite quickly.

You can also book a free one-on-one setup session to get connected with a Zenfolio expert who can help you get your site started. 

Or, take advantage of the great range of self-help resources, which include detailed guides, full webinars, and more.

Zenfolio competition

As far as portfolio website builders go, Zenfolio certainly isn’t a bad option. However, there are some alternatives that are certainly worth considering. 

For example, Wix is known as the world’s most powerful website builder. Take advantage of the platform’s power to build a highly functional, personalized portfolio. It’s similarly priced to Zenfolio, and there are numerous add-ons available through the Wix App Market that you can use to add extra portfolio functionality to your site. 

Squarespace is another decent option, particularly for those who value high-quality designs over all else. It’s known for its excellent portfolio templates, highly attractive designs, and impressive editing tools. And while Squarespace certainly isn’t the easiest website builder to use, its section-based editor allows a passable amount of design flexibility. 

Zenfolio review: Summary

At the end of the day, there’s a reason why Zenfolio is one of the world’s top-rated portfolio website builders. It offers an array of tools to help you showcase photo and video content, along with eCommerce features to help you sell your work, a beginner-friendly editor, and more. 

On top of this, Zenfolio is very competitively priced, has great customer support, and boasts a noteworthy media organization portal. 

The bottom line: If you’re looking for an affordable, highly functional portfolio website builder, Zenfolio should certainly be among your top options. 

Our DreamHost review dives into the features, tools, and usability of this popular website builder from one of the top web hosting companies. Offering everything you need to know to decide whether DreamHost is the best website builder for you. 

The DreamHost website builder is widely considered as one of the best WordPress website builders, offering you all the tools you need to build a powerful website, whilst benefiting from the user-friendly WordPress CMS. 

If you are looking for an affordable, easy-to-use website builder DreamHost might just be the one for you. Simply read on to find all the insight and information you need to make an informed decision. 

Dreamhost website builder plans and pricing

Decoding DreamHost pricing

As you can see from the table above DreamHost offers an introductory offer on each of its plans. This offer lasts for as long as the initial term of the plan, such as 1 month on the monthly plan or 12 months on the annual plan. Once this initial term is over your plan will automatically renew at the standard rate. 

We recommend carefully considering which plan is right for you, as simply going for the ‘best deal’ may see you needlessly out of pocket in the future. 

For example, when paid annually the introductory rate for the Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited plans are the same price ($2.95/mo). In this case, the Shared Unlimited plan may seem more appealing, giving you more for the same price. However, if you don’t need the additional tools and functionality, after the introductory rate you will be paying $72 more a year for the extras that you don’t need. 

DreamHost plans explained 

DreamHost’s website builder services come in three flavors. The first one is Shared Starter. It offers DreamHost’s building tools to ease the creation process and will host your site for you. Like the other two options, if you go for one of the yearly plans, DreamHost will give you a domain name of your choice free for the first year.

Shared Unlimited, the next plan up,  allows you to run an unlimited number of websites, as opposed to only one. This is a great deal if you’re planning on creating more than a single site obviously. It also includes an email address. Similar to other plans, the longer you sign up for, the more you save.

Finally, there’s Managed WordPress - which is advertised as offering a “high-performance and hassle-free” service. This is only valid for a single website and offers you unlimited email addresses, making it ideal for large and growing businesses that want a hassle-free website. 

Plus, as long as you pay by card, you will also benefit from a money-back guarantee.

Getting started with DreamHost website builder

Once you’ve chosen your preferred plan, and after having made your first payment, you’ll be taken to your account’s dashboard (you don’t need to choose a domain name right away if you’re not sure what to get - DreamHost will give you a temporary one until you’re ready). It will take a few minutes for everything to be finalised (way longer than some other competing services, but any excuse to walk away from your computer and take a break, eh?).

When you’re ready to carry on, you’ll start the creation process by clicking on ‘Open Website Editor’ from the Home page. This is where you’ll get to select a template you’d like to work with. There are hundreds available, broken down by category such as General, Photography, or Real Estate.  Clicking on one brings up a bigger thumbnail image to give you a rough idea of what to expect. If you’re happy with the style, click on ‘Select’.

In an unusual step, you’re then asked to further define what you’d like to create: either a ‘Base’ template, ‘Five Page’, or ‘Kitchen Sink’. The more you add, the more complex your template becomes, but it also makes it easier for you to replace the placeholder text and images with your own content without you having to do anything else. If you want a blog, don’t forget to tick its box.

This section offers you greater preview options. You can click on links, and check how the site would look like on various devices.

DreamHost website builder WordPress alterations

The next step takes you to the traditional WordPress interface, and if you have experience with it, then you’ll absolutely feel right at home. Hit the customiser though, and that’s where DreamHost’s own interface kicks in. It’s based around blocks, which you can drag to reorder them on the page, remove them, and insert new ones.

You can’t drag any objects anywhere on the page though, but you have some control over the layout, like moving columns around, and increasing the border between specific blocks, for instance.

When it comes to text editing, the options are quite extensive and go beyond what you’d expect from the traditional WordPress interface, with all controls easily accessible from a floating window.

DreamHost website builder blogging

As DreamHost piggybacks off of WordPress, you gain access to that platform’s excellent blogging experience, which includes comments, categories, tags, scheduling, video embedding, you name it, it’s got it. But as a big plus if you’re into layout customisation, all the options offered to you in the page layout can be used just as well when blogging. There’s even an ‘easy SEO’ section to help you get used to creating search engine-friendly posts.

DreamHost website builder support

If you get lost, getting help is always top right of DreamHost’s Web Panel. The knowledge base is filled with well written and clearly illustrated articles which makes it a cinch to find a solution to most tasks. However, if you need more in-depth advice, there’s a ‘contact support’ at the bottom of each of these pages. The system will insist on finding an answer in the knowledge base, but after a couple of tries you can chat to a technical adviser, or submit a ticket for someone to get back to you at a later date.

The refunding side of things is pretty much as effortless as you’d wish it to be. No need to contact anyone by email or via an online text-based chat, or worse still by forcing you to talk to someone by phone to beg to have your money back. DreamHost does it all via their account closure system. After just a few clicks, you account is closed and any refund is automatically processed. Can’t really do better to be frank.

DreamHost website builder review: Summary

DreamHost offers an excellent website building service. Built on top of WordPress, which is one of the most popular platforms out there, their block-based system makes creating and customising a site quick and easy. Shame about the lack of image editing tools.

In our Network Solutions website builder review, we give you all the information, insight, pros, and cons you need to understand whether this is the best website builder for you.

With Network Solutions you can easily build a website on your own, with any knowledge of coding. Alternatively, if you want a professional at hand you can sign up for the professional website design service. This is a great option if you don’t feel ready to build a website by yourself. Using such assistance will save you time and energy. 

If you already have a registered domain somewhere else, Network Solutions includes options for domain transfer. All you need to do is enter your domain name on the main website, complete your purchase, then authorise the transfer.Or if you’re trying to transfer your domain to a new registrar to save money, then Network Solutions likely has a more affordable option. 

Our experts have put the Network Solutions website builder through its paces. Read on to discover what this website builder has to offer. 

Network Solutions website builder pricing and plans

When it comes to website builder services, Network Solutions offers you three plans. They all come with an introductory price for the first month. But if you want to find out how much you will be paying after this period, you have to add the plan to your cart. This isn’t the most transparent approach, and price increases are significant.

The first plan, just called ‘Website’ will cost you $2.95 for the first month, jumping up to $11.94/mo if you pay annually. This comes with a free domain name for the first year (you’re also able to use one you already own), and access to over 150 templates so you don’t have to start creating a site from scratch.

The next plan, ‘Marketing’ offers the same as the ‘Website’ plan, but also adds ‘Local Search’ that submits your business listing to over 100 local online directories and search engines. It costs $3.95 for the first month, but will cost you $19.63/mo after that if you pay annually. 

The third plan ‘Ecommerce’ costs $4.95 (although it is also confusingly advertised at $74.80) for the first month and is a little tricky to understand. 

It appears to come with the same website features as the ‘Website’ package, but this will cost you more ($28.53/mo, when paid annually). You may assume that it costs more because it allows you to sell online. But you actually need to pay extra ($16.58/mo paid annually) in order to sell up to 25 products, get 1GB disk space, and 5GB data transfer. This package also adds the ‘Local Search’ extra on top ($7.68/mo when paid annually). Plus, a set-up fee of $49 is added, although it isn’t clear what this covers. All in, you will pay a total of $682.59 ($56.88/mo) for your first year when paid annually. 

Considering that the ecommerce plan only allows you to sell a measly 25 products (although also advertised elsewhere at 500 products) and costs a significant amount, you would likely be better off going with a cheaper and more powerful alternative such as Shopify that starts at $29/mo, BigCommerce that starts at $39/mo, or Square Online that offers a free plan.

Network Solutions website builder interface

The interface is one of the drawbacks to Network Solutions. Unlike other website builders, like Yahoo, GoDaddy, or Zyro, the interface looks more outdated which might make someone question their templates and services.

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find out how you can view the templates available on their website. You have to go to “renew services” in order to even see what the template packages are. There also isn’t an obvious list of features on their main website which makes them harder to find. 

Network Solutions website builder features

The best feature about Network Solutions is how it gets the job done. You can build your own website easily once you get started and there are plenty of drag-and-drop options to help you save time. Everything is straightforward in terms of actually creating your website. However, when it comes to viewing the features, Network Solutions could make some improvements. The design of the interface is the hardest part to navigate. There’s not a clear list of features that’s easy to access. Similar to how templates are hidden, you need to go to the “renew services” tab in order to find a list of service features. 

Network Solutions website builder alternatives

Network Solutions offers add-ons like CodeGuard and SiteLock that not all competitors provide. GoDaddy, Bluehost, and SiteGround are slightly different from Network Solutions. If you want to build an affordable website and get it up and running quickly, then Network Solutions is a good option. However, if you’re more concerned with how your website looks, then you might want to choose something with a more updated interface.

Network Solutions website builder review: Summary

Network Solutions is a more affordable website builder designed to get the job done quickly. If you’d rather not build everything by yourself, you can always use their professional website design service.

Overall, Network Solutions is a great place to save money on web hosting, especially if you’re looking to transfer your domain name. They provide a variety of services and make building your website simple. You can easily host your website on the cloud or on WordPress. Since you can easily change plans, you can always start with something smaller and build your way up as your website grows.

Our main concern though lies with their terms of services, their lack of transparency about their non-introductory prices, and a deliberately complex way of requesting a refund. All this leads us to wonder just how easy it would actually be for you to cancel your agreement with them, while retaining your data and domain name.

Bandzoogle is a website builder with a difference. Unlike the majority of the best website builders on the market, which are built for a wide range of users, Bandzoogle was created specifically to help musicians get themselves and their music online. 

The platform includes many features that make it easy to showcase your talents, with professional-looking templates designed for artists, along with an easy set up process, including font and colour options, giving users the ability to create a truly unique online presence.

Bandzoogle also allows users to make unlimited sales without charging any commission, which is great for musicians who anticipate making large sales in the future. So if you’re looking for the best website builder for musicians, Bandzoogle is certainly worth considering. 

Bandzoogle pricing and plans

It’s unfortunate that Bandzoogle doesn’t include a pared down free plan you can use for an unlimited time, so if you want to give it a shot, you’ll have to sign up for the 30 day free trial (on the plus side, no credit card details are needed - just your email address and a password, and you’re good to go). You’ll still have the opportunity to cancel your trial at any time, should you decide it’s not the right platform for you. 

Bandzoogle has 4 plans available: EPK, Lite, Standard, and Pro. They can all be tried free for 30 days. You have the option of paying annually or monthly - forking out the lump sum each year essentially gets you two months free.

EPK (Electronic Press Kit) plan

EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is the most basic plan and it is still in beta. This provides you with the ability to create a single page press kit. It comes with hosting and all the basic tools you need such as a music player, tour calendar, contact form, and support. 

Lite plan

The Lite plan is the next up and unlocks the ability to create full websites with up to 10 pages, 10 tracks, and 100 photos. It also adds on the EPK plan with some promotional tools, ability to sell music, and visitor analytics. 

Standard plan 

Step up again to the Standard plan and you get everything from the Lite plan plus an additional 10 pages (20 total), 40 tracks (50 total), and 400 photos (500 total). You also get the ability to sell merchandise through your store. 

Pro plan

The final ‘Pro’ is a great option for serious musicians. You get everything from the standard plan, but now you have unlimited pages, tracks, and photos. Advanced selling and analytical tools are also included alongside the added ability to sell tickets to your shows. 

Getting started with Bandzoogle

Once you start the free trial, you’ll immediately have access to all of the pre-designed themes. Browse through them, check their large previews, and select the one that best reflects your band and its style (they’re broken down into categories such as Rock, Classical, Urban, etc to help narrow down your search).

During the creation process, you can add your own header image and band logo if you have one, but there’s no pressure: you can add this at any time later on. The same applies for all other initial steps: you can skip them all (adding content, setting up a blog, creating a photo gallery, etc), and insert them at a later time.

Bandzoogle features

Populating your website with content is a very straightforward affair. Click on ‘Add a section’ to choose from the list of options displayed during the creation process.

You have the ability to add as many sections as you need, across multiple pages, thereby creating an enticing resource for your fans, and if you have experience of other more traditional website builders, you’ll find Bandzoogle very easy to get to grips with.

Even the blog section offers all the basics you’d expect, including categories, comments, and being able to schedule your posts.

Unsurprisingly, the features that stand out the most are options for selling music, merchandise, and tickets. Everything you need as an artist is easily available, so if you’re looking for a template that’s ready to go, you can customise the colours, fonts, and photos to create a website that highlights your style. SEO options are generated automatically from the content on your page, making it easy for Google to pick up the right keywords. 

Bandzoogle competition

The largest competitors to Bandzoogle are Wix, Bandvista, and Mymusicstream. Bandvista has very similar pricing to Bandzoogle, and also doesn’t include a free plan. Bandvista also includes a music player and options to sell merchandise, but its templates aren’t quite as professional looking and modern as Bandzoogle's. 

Is Bandzoogle right for you? Summary

Bandzoogle is a great website builder for anyone in the music industry who wants to sell albums, merch, and tickets to shows on a personalised website.

Instead of building your website from scratch, this easy to customise web host makes building a website a breeze. You won’t need to spend time learning HTML or other programming languages. All of the templates are creative and built for music-enthusiasts. It’s also easy to transfer your domain over to Bandzoogle if you already own one. Bandzoogle promises fast page loading, so music fans won’t get stuck while waiting to download a soundtrack. Because it’s music-specific, the built-in SEO will help Google recognise key terms from your website, making it easier for people to find your band online. 

Overall, Bandzoogle is a helpful tool for anyone in the music industry looking to create their own website. 

Better known for its other services, you may be surprised to learn that GoDaddy also offers one of the best website builders on the market. 

GoDaddy’s website builder boasts a simple to use interface and reasonably priced packages. In fact, it even offers one of the best free website builder plans. So, if you already use GoDaddy for your web hosting or as your domain registrar, or if you are just looking for a great stand alone option, its website builder is well worth considering.

Our expert reviewers have gotten hands on with the GoDaddy website builder, including all the features and tools it has to offer. Now we have created this review to give you all the information and insight you need to make an informed decision on whether GoDaddy is the right website builder for you. 

Getting started with GoDaddy website builder

After having answered a handful of simple questions, GoDaddy creates a few sample pages for you, which can all be seen in the sidebar to the right.

The interface is very simple to use and understand: to edit a page, simply mouse over a section. As it highlights, click on it. The tools you need either appear in the sidebar, or hover near the highlighted section itself. This makes it one of the easiest website builder platforms around, and provides the tools you’ll need to quickly build your website.

There are chevrons to reorder your pages’ sections, and a big plus between sections to add another. You’re offered a list of different types of sections to add to your page, such as Introduction, Photo Gallery or Livestream, with most offering you various layouts to choose from.

Adding a gallery is a very easy affair: choose it from the ‘Sections’ menu, select the look you prefer, and GoDaddy automatically populates it with stock media based on the business description you typed in when you first set up your site.

Obviously you can customise this, either by adding your own photos or choosing different stock images. Each one can be individually captioned. The only image processing you have at your disposal is to set photos to black and white, and crop them. If you need to edit them more extensively, this has to be done outside of this service.

It’s basic, but is works and it looks good.

The ‘+’ top right of the Sidebar not only allows you to create new pages for your site (there doesn’t appear to be a limit to how many you can have), you’re also given a choice how the information is presented in the navigation menu, and even have the ability to add a URL or even create a drop down menu.

Placing links to pages in the Footer is another option, and so it making a page private - this means that only specific people which you invite can see those pages.

Blogging on GoDaddy website builder

The blogging section is quite nice, and if your needs are simple, you’ll be very happy with this feature.

Everything you need to create a blog is right there: adding headings, URLs, bold, italicise, bullet points or numbered list, you’ve got it.

We quite liked the fact you can add images within your post and even choose how to align them - to the left or right of a paragraph, or on its own. You also have the option to add a caption and crop the image (by zooming into it). Sadly there doesn’t appear to be a way to resize the image so it sits better within your page.

Videos can also be inserted just as easily. You can upload them just as you would an image, or paste the video’s URL (this works for most sites we tried).

Once written, you have the option to publish your post immediately, or schedule it, which isn’t something we see in many free website builder plans.

Ecommerce features on GoDaddy website builder

Activating the Shopping section is done differently than any other, by clicking on its button, bottom of the sidebar. For such a complex addition to any site, it looks pretty simple to use. If you’ve got a Square account, you can import your inventory from there, which would be an excellent time saver. CSV files are also supported.

Adding a new product manually is very straightforward, be it physical or digital. There’s a place for photos and videos, a description, category, inventory, variations, shipping cost, and even additional extras like engraving or gift wrapping.

When it comes to accepting payments, GoDaddy offers you three options: PayPal, Stripe or Square, with very clear descriptions as to which service offers what. PayPal is selected by default when you create a store. There’s also an ‘offline payment’ option (cash/check/bank transfers), should you prefer.

GoDaddy website builder appointment features

There’s a very clever feature to GoDaddy’s Website Builder and that’s Appointments. This allows you to set up and schedule client meetings, one-off classes and recurring courses. Everything can be done online, even payment.

Clients are sent email reminders automatically, and you can set up when you’d like those reminders to be sent. Additionally, text messages can also be used - but this feature could incur a cost.

GoDaddy website builder publishing

When it’s time to publish, your free options continue since GoDaddy will host your site for you and give you a [yourbusinessname].godaddysites.com URL. If you want to connect your site to a specific domain name however, you have to pay for the privilege.

GoDaddy website builder pricing and plans

Note: If you pay for 1, 2, or 3 years upfront GoDaddy offers a discount that lasts for the duration of the period you have signed up for. This saving, along with the renewal rate (once the initial sign up period is over) are illustrated below.

GoDaddy allows you to explore its website building service free for 30 days. When you’re ready to upgrade, four plans are open to you:

The first one is called ‘Basic’. This plan includes all the basic website features you would expect such as an SSL certificate, ability to connect a custom domain, and access to customer support. You also get other benefits including up to 100 email marketing sends a month, 5 social posts, 1 social media platform support, and free professional email (for one year). 

‘Standard’ provides more flexibility and space to grow your website, offering increased limits for email and social media, as well as built-in SEO options.

‘Premium’ supports unlimited social media platforms and posts, as well as up to 25,000 email sends a month. There are also additional features, such as recurring appointments, one-time group events, payments for appointments, as well as reminders. 

Finally, ‘Ecommerce’ expands on the above by offering a range of ecommerce features, such as product listings, flexible payments and shipping, promotional features, as well as marketplace selling.

GoDaddy website builder review: Summary

If you’re on the lookout of a service that allows you the flexibility and creativity to design your own web presence, with a flexible layout that will look good on any screen, you should definitely take a look at GoDaddy’s web builder offering.

• We've featured the best small business website builder

Strikingly is an unusual competitor when it comes to the best website builder platforms. Unlike most, Strikingly targets those who are looking for a powerful single-page website builder. This means the tools on offer are specialized to these types of websites. 

However, within the realms of single page websites, Strikingly provides a surprising broad range of features and tools such as image galleries, blogs, custom forms, even a simple web store (with no transaction fees). There are many useful supporting features, too: responsive templates, video backgrounds, password protection, social media feed integration, and more.

Plans are competitively priced and the platform even offers one of the best free website builder plans on the market. 

Our experts have taken the time to test the features, tools, and ease of use of Strikingly. Now we have created this guide, highlighting our findings and giving you all the information you need to decide whether Strikingly is the right website builder for you. 

Strikingly plans and pricing

Strikingly has three main plans on their website. Because of the organized interface, it’s really easy to find prices. Each plan is cheaper if you sign up for the annual plan. Strikingly does offer a free plan so you can test out the website builder before pulling out your credit card. Here’s a summary of the paid plans: 

The Limited plan includes your own domain name, 50 GB of bandwidth, and 1 GB of storage per website (up to 2). This plan is great for entrepreneurs or small business owners who want to get their ideas or products online. 

The Pro plan includes up to three pro sites and unlimited bandwidth. You’ll also have 20 GB of storage and access to all the pro features like pop-ups, HTML, and JavaScript. 

The VIP plan includes everything in the Pro version except a lot more storage - up to 100 GB. You can include multiple members with this plan to help manage your site. 

If you want a custom email address for your website (e.g. example@yourwebsite.com) you will need to pay an extra $25/year on top of plan options. 

Strikingly interface

The interface is very easy to navigate. There are also a few apps to integrate your site with other services. These don't offer anything like the range of services seen in Wix and Weebly, but they cover many of the basics: Google Maps, SoundCloud, Google Calendar, PayPal, Wufoo forms, Ecwid stores, Facebook and Disqus comments, and a general Embed box for adding tweets, Giphys, and more.

The settings dialog reveals some interesting advanced tweaks. Pro account holders can define custom actions which might be visible to users on a mobile device (calling, texting, finding directions). You're able to use a custom Favicon (the icon for your site in a browser tab), and set the icon used when your site is shared on social media. A collaboration feature allows inviting colleagues or friends to help develop the site. Everyone gets their own login, which means there's no need to share your password with others.

Strikingly features

The Strikingly editor groups most of its controls and options in a well-designed sidebar. A navigation map shows you the content sections in the current page. You can reorder them, delete them, and add new elements. You can adjust site-level details including fonts, colors and animations.

The right-hand side of the screen is reserved for a view of the current page. The editor overlays some buttons on this, allowing you to change layouts, provide a new background (including video support), and more. But otherwise the page looks much as it will in your browser, and a few elements work in the same way (clicking the menu buttons will scroll to their page sections).

Editing in Strikingly is more about working with prebuilt components than going your own way. For example, one section in our template contained two images, the first with text to the right, and the other underneath with text to the left. The editor allowed us to replace and edit the images, enter and reformat text, customize the layout (alignment, whether we preferred columns or rows, should the media be on the left or right) and more. But we couldn't add a new element which didn't fit the section format, like a button, or tweak existing elements by resizing or dragging them.

Strikingly alternatives

There are many website builders out there - Wix, Squarespace, and Jimdo are just a few. What makes Strikingly different is how it automatically saves your work. Whatever you add or tweak, Strikingly does a good job of protecting you from accidents and mistakes. This ensures that whatever happens, you'll never lose too much if something goes wrong. And even after saving, you can keep tapping Undo to reverse all your recent changes.

Site previews are another highlight. Buttons to preview your work in desktop, phone and tablet views enable you to check that your pages work across all devices. Another option allows viewing the live site, which means if you've noticed a problem and gone back to the editor to change something, you can view the results immediately. It's a thoughtful touch which will save you time and hassle when tuning your website.

Strikingly review: Summary

The Strikingly website builder isn't as powerful or customizable as the top competition, but it's very user-friendly. You might even say it notices the things you need to add to your website. With Strikingly, you can easily build a good-looking site that’s complete with a blog. You can set everything up within a few minutes. If simplicity is key, add Strikingly to your shortlist.