Choosing the right website builder is one of the first big decisions for any Australian small business going online. The platform you pick shapes how your site looks, how it performs in search results and how easily you can update it yourself.
We compared the most popular website builders available in Australia, from well-known website creators like Wix and Squarespace to less obvious alternatives. Here is what stood out across ease of use, design quality, SEO tools and value for money.
What to Look for in a Website Builder
Not every website builder suits every business. Before committing to a platform, weigh up these factors:
- Ease of use: Can you build and update pages without writing code or reading documentation?
- Design flexibility: Will your site look like yours, or identical to thousands of others using the same template?
- SEO tools: Can you set page titles, meta descriptions, image alt text and generate a sitemap for Google?
- True cost: What do you actually pay per month once hosting, a domain and essential add-ons are included?
- Scalability: Will the platform still work when your business outgrows the starter plan?
- Support: When something breaks on a Friday evening, can you reach someone who can actually fix it?
The Best Website Builders for Australian Small Businesses
Wix
Best for: beginners who want creative control.
Wix pairs a drag-and-drop editor with hundreds of templates, making it one of the most approachable options for Australian small businesses getting started online. The app market adds booking systems, forms and email campaigns, and a built-in AI site generator creates a starting point from a few prompts.
Free plans carry Wix branding and lack a custom domain. Paid plans include hosting and solid web design tools out of the box.
Squarespace
Best for: creatives and design-focused businesses.
Squarespace produces some of the most polished templates on any platform. It suits photographers, restaurants, artists and anyone who values visual presentation above all else.
Built-in email campaigns, scheduling and analytics round out the feature set. Customisation is more constrained than Wix, but the trade-off is that it is genuinely harder to make a Squarespace site look amateur.
Shopify
Best for: businesses selling physical or digital products.
Shopify handles payments, shipping, inventory and tax calculations out of the box. Its app ecosystem and theme store extend functionality for larger operations.
If selling products is your primary goal, Shopify is the strongest dedicated option on this list. For a standard business website without a shopfront, other builders are a better fit.
IONOS
Best for: budget-conscious businesses wanting everything in one place.
IONOS (formerly 1&1) bundles hosting, domain registration and a website builder into one plan at competitive pricing. The editor is simple and gets a basic site live quickly, though the template range is smaller than Wix or Squarespace. Uptime and reliability are strong suits, which matters more than template variety for many small businesses.
Weebly
Best for: simple sites on a tight budget (but check its status first).
Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor makes basic site creation quick and painless. However, Square acquired Weebly in 2018 and has been migrating users to Square Online.
Check whether Weebly is still accepting new sign-ups before committing, as the platform’s long-term future is tied to Square’s product decisions. Existing Weebly sites continue to work, but ongoing development has slowed.
Webflow
Best for: designers who want code-level control without writing code.
Webflow gives you granular control over layout, animations and interactions that template-based builders cannot match. The learning curve is steep, so it is not ideal for beginners. For businesses that want professional-quality design at a competitive price point, Webflow bridges the gap between drag-and-drop builders and full custom development.
Framer
Best for: interactive and animation-heavy websites.
Framer evolved from a prototyping tool into a full website builder. It excels at motion design, micro-interactions and high-fidelity layouts that standard builders cannot produce. If your brand relies on visual storytelling, Framer is worth evaluating.
For standard business sites, it is likely overkill. If the complexity feels daunting, working with a web design agency that already uses these tools is often the faster path to results.
Jimdo
Best for: getting online fast with minimal effort.
Jimdo’s AI builder (Dolphin) asks a handful of questions and generates a working site in minutes. It suits small business owners and freelancers who want a presentable online presence without learning a new platform.
Customisation is more limited than Wix, but speed is the clear trade-off. Jimdo handles the basics of web design and development behind the scenes so you can focus on your content.
Duda
Best for: agencies building sites for multiple clients.
Duda is designed for web professionals who build and manage sites on behalf of clients. White-label tools, team collaboration and client billing integration set it apart from builders aimed at solo users. The design output is strong and the editor is fast. For a single business owner building one site, Duda’s feature set is more than most people need.
WordPress
Best for: long-term flexibility and full control.
WordPress.org powers over 40% of the web and remains the most flexible website builder available. Thousands of plugins let you add virtually any feature, from booking systems to membership areas.
The trade-off is that you need separate hosting, regular updates and security management. For businesses that want WordPress without the technical overhead, partnering with a developer or agency who handles ongoing website management is the usual approach.
Zyro (Now Part of Hostinger)
Zyro was a budget-friendly builder with AI-powered content and design tools. Hostinger acquired Zyro in 2023 and merged its features into the Hostinger Website Builder. If Zyro is what brought you here, see the Hostinger section below.
Friday Website Builder
Best for: straightforward shops and portfolios.
Friday Website Builder targets users who want a professional-looking site without overthinking the process. The interface is clean and setup is quick for online shops, portfolios and blogs. Template variety is smaller than the major platforms, but the learning resources are solid and the price-to-feature ratio is fair for smaller projects.
Hostinger Website Builder
Best for: the tightest budgets.
Hostinger Website Builder is one of the most affordable options available, bundling hosting, a domain and an AI-powered editor into competitively priced plans. It now includes features from the former Zyro platform, which Hostinger acquired in 2023. The drag-and-drop editor is beginner-friendly, though it lacks the depth of Wix or Squarespace for more involved sites.
Bluehost Website Builder
Best for: WordPress with a simpler starting experience.
Bluehost is primarily a hosting provider, and its website builder adds a drag-and-drop layer on top of WordPress. This gives you WordPress’s plugin ecosystem with a guided initial setup. Plans include a free domain for the first year and one-click WordPress installation. It suits users who want WordPress without configuring hosting and security from scratch.
DreamHost Website Builder
Best for: existing DreamHost hosting customers.
DreamHost’s builder (formerly known as Remixer) is a basic tool bundled with DreamHost hosting plans. It works for putting together a simple site if you already use DreamHost, but it lacks the polish and feature depth of dedicated builders like Wix or Squarespace. If you are not already a DreamHost customer, there is little reason to choose it over the other options on this list.
GoDaddy Websites + Marketing
Best for: getting a domain, hosting and basic marketing in one place.
GoDaddy bundles domain registration, hosting, a website builder and basic marketing tools into a single subscription. The builder is beginner-friendly and includes email marketing, social media posting and appointment booking. Customisation is limited compared to Wix or WordPress, but for small businesses that want everything under one roof without comparing providers, it is a practical starting point.
Should You Use a DIY Website Builder or Hire a Professional?
DIY website builders work well for personal projects, side ventures and simple brochure sites where budget matters more than performance. You can get a presentable site online in a weekend without any technical background.
For businesses that depend on their website to generate enquiries, rank in search results and convert visitors into paying customers, working with a professional web designer delivers results that templates cannot match. A professional builds around your customers’ actual search behaviour, optimises for speed and accessibility, and provides ongoing support as your business grows. Those are the things that compound over time and separate a site that sits there from one that actively brings in work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free website builder in Australia?
Wix and Weebly both offer free plans, but they come with platform branding, limited storage and no custom domain. WordPress.org is free to install, though you pay separately for hosting. For any business that relies on its website, a paid plan is worth the investment.
Do I need to know how to code to build a website?
No. Every builder on this list uses a visual editor. Webflow and WordPress offer more control for people comfortable with code, but neither requires it to get started.
Which website builder is best for SEO?
WordPress offers the most SEO control through plugins like Rank Math and Yoast. Wix, Squarespace and Webflow all include solid built-in SEO tools. The builder you choose matters less than actually using its SEO features: writing proper page titles, adding alt text to images, keeping URLs clean and publishing genuinely useful content.
Can I switch from one website builder to another?
Switching usually means rebuilding from scratch, since each platform uses its own proprietary system. WordPress sites are more portable because content sits in a standard database. Choose for the long term, because migrating costs real time and money.
Is Wix better than Squarespace?
They suit different priorities. Wix gives you more creative freedom and a bigger app ecosystem. Squarespace delivers more polished, design-forward templates with less room for error.
Both handle SEO, blogging and online selling well. Try both free trials before deciding.
Are there hidden costs with website builders?
Often. Premium templates, third-party apps, email marketing add-ons, transaction fees and removing platform branding can all push the price well above the advertised base rate. Before choosing a plan, list what you actually need and check whether it is included or costs extra.
Final Thoughts
Every builder on this list can produce a working website. The real question is what you need that website to do. For a quick online presence, Wix or Squarespace will get you there. For full control and long-term flexibility, WordPress is hard to beat.
If you are not sure which direction fits your business, get in touch for a straightforward recommendation based on your goals and budget.
