How to compare website builders
Seven questions, our plain answers, and the cases where another builder is the better pick.
Compare
Short answer
Most website builders are editors: you get a template and a canvas and you do the building. Website Builder Studio is a builder in the literal sense: it writes the site from a conversation and checks every page before it publishes. If you want to place every pixel yourself, an editor fits better. If you want a real business site written and kept in shape, this fits better.
Seven questions to ask any builder
- Who writes the pages, you or the product? And from what: a template, or what you said about your business?
- What checks a page before it goes live, and what happens when a page fails?
- Where do form submissions go? To the tool you already use, or to a dashboard you have to remember to open?
- How are visits counted? With a script and a cookie banner, or on the server?
- What does connecting your own domain take, and who handles the certificate?
- What is the trial really: is a card required, and what happens on the last day?
- Can you leave with your files and your leads?
Our answers, plainly
- The product writes the pages, from a conversation about your business.
- Every page passes a check validated against Google Search Essentials and modern web standards; a page that fails does not publish.
- Leads go to HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel, Slack, Microsoft Teams, SMS, email or any webhook.
- Visits and conversions are counted on the server, with no cookie added to your site.
- One DNS record; the SSL certificate is issued for you.
- 15-day trial with a card; cancel before day 15 and you pay nothing; we say so under every plan button.
- You can export leads to a spreadsheet at any time and download your site files after your first payment.
Where an editor is the better choice
Pixel-level design control, online store checkout, blogging today, and languages other than English. We say this here so you do not find it out after a trial.
Named comparisons
We publish a head-to-head page only after we have used the other product ourselves, with the method written on the page and the places the other builder is better stated first. Those pages appear here as they pass that bar.
Pages in this section
- A freelancer versus a product you talk to
A person you brief versus a product you talk to. Where a freelancer is better, who keeps the files and the leads, and what happens when they are busy.
- A web design agency versus a builder you talk to
People, strategy and custom design versus software and a conversation. Where an agency is better, what its clients get here, and how both can work together.
- Do-it-yourself, self-hosted websites versus a hosted builder
Self-hosting, themes, plugins and security versus a hosted builder that writes and checks pages. Where doing it yourself wins, and what you give up and get.
- Editor-style website builders versus a builder that writes the pages
Who writes the pages and what checks them is the real difference. Where an editor is the better choice, and where a builder that writes and checks pages fits.
- Template websites versus pages written from your answers
A template with your words pasted in versus pages written from your answers. Why a town swap fails the uniqueness check, and when a template is perfectly fine.
- What drag-and-drop editing is, and what this builder does instead
What drag-and-drop editing is, why this builder does not offer it, what you do instead, and who should choose a drag-and-drop editor. Plain answers, no pitch.
- What to ask when a website builder says free
What to ask about any free offer: what is included, what the card is for, what happens on the last day. Our answer: a 15-day free trial and no plan at no cost.
Questions people ask
Are you cheaper than the big builders?
Plans start at $99 a month, which is more than most editor-style builders' entry tiers, because the product writes and checks the site rather than handing you a canvas. Compare what you get, not only the number.
Can I move my existing site over?
The assistant can read your existing website during the interview and build the new site from what it finds plus your answers. It does not import the old pages as they are.
Do you rank sites better than other builders?
No one can promise that, and we do not. What we promise is what the product does: every page is built to pass a check against Google Search Essentials and modern web standards.
Why are there no head-to-head pages yet?
Because we publish one only after using the other product ourselves and writing the method on the page. They appear here as they pass that bar.
Keep reading
See your website built from a conversation
15-day free trial. Card required. Cancel before day 15 and you pay nothing.