In an ever-changing market, the top website builders enable nearly anyone, regardless of experience, to create their own website. With so many website builders to choose from, some are stylish and functional, while others aren’t worth considering at all. How do free website builders compare to their paid alternatives? That is the question we are attempting to address.
In order to make an informed decision, let’s compare certain factors and aspects of both paid and free website builders:
Comparing paid vs free website builders:
Features
Paid website builders, as one might anticipate, include far more advanced features than free ones. Free website builders normally come with a number of restrictions, such as the size of your site, the amount of storage and bandwidth you have access to, and the ability to use complex website-building tools.
When using a free website builder, you will almost always be unable to connect to a custom domain name. Wix’s free builder, for example, restricts you to a wixsite.com subdomain, which may appear unprofessional for a commercial website. Upgrade to a paid plan, on the other hand, and you’ll be able to use a custom domain.
Support
The support services you have access to will, in the end, be primarily determined by the website builder you use. However, we can fairly claim that free builders (as well as free plans from paying platforms) provide significantly lower customer service than paid options.
Free users will typically have access to a comprehensive knowledge base, community forums, and, in some circumstances, email or phone assistance. However, live support is typically reserved for paying clients, making it difficult to seek assistance if you’re utilizing a free option.
Design options
You don’t want your website to seem like a million others. It is important to be aware that most free website builders only offer a limited number of design templates to choose from. You might want to look at the premium choices if you want to personalize your website’s style as well as its other features. Otherwise, you can end up paying for a web designer individually, which will cost you more money in the long run.
Marketing tools
Premium packages frequently contain marketing tools that can help you with your marketing efforts and increase the exposure of your website online. These tools should not be overlooked, particularly if you are new to website development and promotion. It is also more cost-effective to purchase the entire package. Search engine optimization (SEO) tools, email campaigns, social media integration, and other options are available. These tools have significant price tags when purchased separately. With a more premium plan, there’s also a strong chance you’ll get better assistance and account management. If you are new to website development, these are the specialists who can assist you in growing your site.
Mobile friendly
The majority of consumers no longer visit websites from their desktop computers. Because smartphones and tablets make browsing websites on the go simple and handy, it’s critical to have a mobile-friendly website. Some website builders, on the other hand, only provide a mobile site if you subscribe to their service. When looking for a website builder, check to see if mobile optimization is included in the free plan, and if it isn’t, how much it will cost to add it.
Paid vs free website builders: Final verdict
Everything that is offered for free is not necessarily completely free. Make sure you do your homework on the best website builders on the market, as well as the features they offer, both free and paid, and pick a package that meets your demands. You’ll save money in the long run if you have a clear notion of what you need and buy it straight away.
