Guide
WordPress vs website builders: which should you choose?
Choose a hosted website builder if you want the simplest path to a small, good looking site, and WordPress if you want control, flexibility and ownership of your site. Builders such as Wix and Squarespace bundle design tools and hosting into one subscription. WordPress is free software you run on your own hosting. Neither is always better; it depends on what you need.
At a glance
WordPress and website builders compared
| Factor | WordPress on your hosting | Hosted website builder |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay for | Hosting, domain and any paid themes or plugins | A subscription that includes hosting and the tools |
| Software | Free and open source | Proprietary, run by the provider |
| Setup | One-click install, then choose a theme | Sign up and pick a template |
| Design control | Very wide, with thousands of themes and page builders | Good within the provider's templates and tools |
| Extra features | Plugins add almost anything | App markets and built-in features |
| Moving away | You hold the files and database | Often limited export options, check before you commit |
| Maintenance | You manage updates, with backups and tools from your host | The provider handles updates for you |
| Learning curve | Moderate | Gentle |
The basic difference
Two different kinds of product
It helps to see that these are not quite like for like. A website builder is a service. You sign up, build in the provider's editor, and the provider hosts the site on its own platform. You are renting a complete package, and you work within what it offers. The advantage is simplicity: one bill, one login, nothing to install and nobody else to ask when something needs fixing.
WordPress is software. You install it on hosting you choose, which means you assemble the parts yourself: the domain, the hosting, the theme and the plugins. The reward is freedom. You can change host, change design, add a shop, a booking system or a membership area, and your site is your own files in your own account. The cost is a little more responsibility for keeping things up to date.
Neither approach is wrong. Plenty of small businesses are very happy on a builder, and plenty run big, successful sites on WordPress. The right question is which set of trade-offs suits you, your skills and the way your site is likely to grow.
Strengths
Where each option shines
WordPress is strong when
- You want full control of design and features
- You may add a shop, bookings or memberships later
- You care about being able to move host
- You want to publish a lot of content
- You are happy to learn a little as you go
A builder is strong when
- You want a small site live very quickly
- You prefer drag and drop with no setup
- You want one company responsible for everything
- Your needs are simple and unlikely to change
- You would rather not manage updates
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Cost
Comparing the real cost over time
Builder prices vary by provider, plan and feature set, and they change, so check each provider's current pricing page rather than relying on a figure in an article. What matters is the shape of the cost. With a builder, you typically pay a recurring subscription that covers hosting and the tools, and moving to a higher plan unlocks features such as extra storage, ecommerce or removing the provider's branding.
With WordPress, the software is free, so you pay for hosting and your domain. A UK .co.uk or .uk domain costs £9.99 a year with us, at registration and at renewal, and hosting starts from 84p a month (£10.03 billed yearly) on Very Small when billed yearly. Themes and plugins can be free or paid. A paid theme or a premium plugin might add an annual licence, but many excellent options are free. Our guide to hosting costs in the UK lists what is worth paying for.
The fair way to compare is to total up everything you need for your site over a year or three: domain, hosting, design, email, backups and any add-ons. Include your own time. A builder may save hours at the start, while WordPress may save money and hassle later if your site grows. Be honest about which of those matters more to you.
What to weigh
Six questions that decide it
How fast do you need to launch?
For a one-page site this week, a builder is hard to beat. For a site that will grow, WordPress pays off.
How much control do you want?
If you want to change anything, from page layout to how checkout works, WordPress offers more room.
Who looks after updates?
A builder does it for you. On WordPress it is you, with tools and backups from your host.
Could you want to move later?
Check how any builder lets you export content. With WordPress you hold the files and database.
What will you sell or publish?
Shops, courses, memberships and large blogs are well served by WordPress and its plugins.
Do you want business email?
Our plans include unlimited email accounts on your own domain, with every WordPress hosting plan.
Fair warning
What people get wrong about each option
A common myth is that WordPress is hard. It is not hard to start; the one-click install gets you a working site in minutes, and the editor is a visual block editor. It does take more learning than a builder to get a polished result, and it is true that you have to keep it updated.
The opposite myth is that builders are only for beginners and cannot make a professional site. Many builder sites look excellent. Their limits show up when you need something unusual: a custom workflow, a specific integration or a level of search tuning that the platform does not expose. Check the features you need before choosing, rather than assuming.
Be wary of any article, including this one, that declares a universal winner. Features, prices and policies of third party platforms change often. Use free trials, read the current terms, and confirm things such as data export, custom domain support, ecommerce fees and email options directly with the provider before you commit.
Decide
How to choose in four steps
Write down what the site must do
List pages, features and anything you may add in the next two years, such as online sales.
Rate your comfort with technology
Be honest. If updates and settings worry you, weigh the builder's simplicity.
Compare total yearly cost
Add domain, hosting, add-ons and email for each option, using current prices.
Test before you pay for long
Try a builder's trial and a WordPress install side by side. Our 15-day money-back guarantee covers your first hosting order.
Hosting angle
Why WordPress hosting matters if you choose WordPress
If you go the WordPress route, the quality of your hosting becomes part of the quality of your site. Speed, uptime, security tools and backups are all provided by the host. Our plans run on LiteSpeed with Redis object caching on UK servers in London, with Imunify360, a ModSecurity firewall, DDoS protection and weekly remote backups. See our WordPress hosting page for details.
Once your site is running, two guides will help you keep it healthy: how to secure a WordPress website and how to speed up a WordPress site. Between them they cover most of what a builder would otherwise do on your behalf.
Not sure which way to go?
Tell live chat what your site needs and we will give an honest view.
FAQ
Common questions
Is WordPress cheaper than a website builder?
It often is over time, but it depends on the plan, add-ons and your own time. Compare the total yearly cost of both.
Can I move from a builder to WordPress?
Usually yes, though content export options vary by provider. Check what your builder lets you export, and ask us about migration help.
Is WordPress good for online shops?
Yes, with a shop plugin. See our ecommerce hosting page.
Do I need to code to use WordPress?
No. Themes, the block editor and plugins cover most needs without code.
Does WordPress come with email?
WordPress does not, but every hosting plan includes unlimited email accounts on your domain.
Keep reading
Related pages
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