Using the modern technology we have available today, this list of best drag and drop website builders will show you how easy it is to create a website. The magic really sits behind how quickly this can be achieved; from blogs to portfolios, wedding websites to eCommerce stores.
Most drag and drop site builders don’t require any coding knowledge, making them a great source for absolutely anyone. We’ve certainly moved along in time from the days where HTML and CSS is a requirement to create a website!
1. Wix
The next option on my list (which should tell you a lot already) is Wix’s website builder. When you compare Wix to other drag and drop builders on the market, it really does excel – and it also tops our list of free website builders. Whether you’re creating a new business, personal, portfolio, or blog site, it’s quick and easy to achieve with Wix.
There’s a great selection of templates to choose from before you get started. Simply filter by category to find the perfect design to suit your needs! The beauty of this drag and drop website builder is that you can tailor each template to your website or business. If you like the design but don’t like the colour, it’s a simple and quick method to change it.
One of the main selling points of Wix is just how simple and easy to use it is. Whether you’re creating a blog, forum, website, or eCommerce shop, the process is very self-explanatory. Simply drag and drop existing or new components onto your web page, and within a matter of hours, you can achieve the perfect website.
Pros:
• Easy to use drag and drop functionality
• Templates sorted by category so you can find your perfect design
• Ability to switch between desktop and mobile views to ensure your site is mobile-friendly
• Affordable pricing and scalability dependent on needs
Cons:
• If you want adverts to be removed, you’ll need to pay a higher price
• Once you’ve selected a template and gone live, you can’t change your selection
2. Hostinger: Best Overall Drag & Drop Website Builder
I could switch between the desktop and mobile views using the “switch view” button on the top panel. I was also able to familiarise myself with the editor layout to find the “save”, “preview” and “go live” buttons at the top right of the editor. With the save button, I found it possible to make small updates and save them each time, and with the preview button, I could see what the website would like in a pre-live viewing.
One of the other most appealing things about Hostinger is the number of templates available. I could choose from 150 unique templates, each split into unique categories. Alongside these templates, the Hostinger website builder offers a full selection of drag-and-drop elements. From text and images, video and maps, contact forms and more, you can create a site that contains every feature you need, no matter which site you want to create.
You’ll be able to make eCommerce websites with 20 payment method features and the option to drag 500 products to the site, or business sites with blog features and the option to drag elements to the blog.
Now, as part of the elements, you’ll notice the option to modify buttons, embed code if you need more advanced customisation, manage the pages and navigation, and access AI tools. I especially liked the AI heatmap feature, which helped indicate the most clickable parts of my website and I could optimise the site using the information this option provided.
On the editor, you can realign, recentre or adjust the design after dragging each part to the page. Everything is customisable, so you’ll never need to worry about elements looking out of place. To ensure the elements are perfectly aligned, you can use the “snap-to-guide” feature under the section settings. For these reasons, Hostinger is an excellent drag-and-drop editor.
Pros:
• A range of template categories to choose from
• AI and customisable elements available
• Intuitive interface that is easy to use with optional coding feature
• SEO tools available straight from the drag-and-drop editor
Cons:
• It’s not possible to switch templates if your site is live already
• It might not be ideal for a very large website or moving several elements
Create a Website with Hostinger.co.uk
3. Site123
Site123 offers responsive web design with no coding required. Their intuitive website builder makes life easy, allowing beginners and experts to dive in. They offer free website hosting with all of their packages, meaning updates and security are all taken care of.
They claim you can get your online store published live in less than an hour. The thing is, you actually can! If you do get stuck though, they have 24/7 live support available. This is a real plus for me as it’s nice to know someone is always there if you have any issues.
Site123 have 2 pricing plans, including a free plan. Their premium plan is £10.16 per month and includes a free domain for one year. The free plan boasts 500MB storage, 1GB bandwidth, and a subdomain. This is great to get started but I wouldn’t recommend this if you’re serious about your website getting visitors. The premium plan will remove the branded Site123 details and also unlock their eCommerce content.
Pros:
• Straightforward sign-up process
• Intuitive website builder with no coding needed
• Free plan available
Cons:
• More expensive compared to competitors
• Cancellation policies are quite ambiguous
4. Shopify
Shopify is a versatile eCommerce drag and drop website builder. No matter what type of online store you’re looking to run, Shopify will give you the tools to achieve it. Shopify is designed to integrate with lots of other apps, including your social media channels. It’s drag and drop functionality makes it really simple to create the perfect online shop.
One of the main features that stand out for me is Shopify’s analytics. You can monitor your sales, shipping, customer information, etc. Allowing you to monitor every aspect of your website. Handy easy to use graphs are available so you can have an instant overview of how your eCommerce website is performing.
You can even add a blog section to your website to engage your customers. That’s right, it doesn’t just have to be a shop, there’s so much more you can do with Shopify, and that’s why I love it.
Pros:
• Tonnes of analytics to monitor website and eCommerce performance
• User-friendly UI even if you’ve never created an online shop before
• Plenty of templates and designs to choose from for inspiration
• Easy to integrate with other apps and social media platforms
Cons:
• Can be quite pricey depending on the plan you choose
• Transaction fees apply on sales
5. Squarespace
Squarespace is insanely easy to use, which is why it makes it’s way comfortably into our best drag and drop website builders. Because of how user friendly it is, Squarespace is a popular website builder among users all over the world (including celebrities)! No matter whether your website is a portfolio, blog, eCommerce store, or anything else, you can achieve it with Squarespace.
There are lots of professionally designed templates from you to choose from. Creating a wedding website, online food shop, or showing off your musical talents? It’s all really simple to do with this drag and drop builder. You can quite easily get a website live over the space of a couple of hours – I told you it was easy!
The beauty of Squarespace is that it’s not limited – you can fully customise any template to achieve the perfect design. What’s more, it’s an all-in-one package if you want it to be, offering a domain name, SSL certificate, and more.
Pros:
• Exquisite and professional templates
• Mobile responsive approach
• Style Editor gives you full drag and drop, and fully customisable control
Cons:
• Pricier than other comparative drag and drop builders
• No separate mobile builder
Create a Website with SquareSpace
6. Ukit
Russian based Ukit prides itself on it’s drag and drop technology. The beauty of this website builder is that you don’t need to know or understand an ounce of code to build your perfect website. There are several hundreds of templates to choose from, so you won’t be lost for inspiration – that’s for sure!
Once you’ve created an account, you’ll get to select a domain name and input your business details. Ukit is designed for businesses, so if you’re looking for a personal website, this wouldn’t be our recommended choice. Once you’ve got past the initial stages, your basic web pages will be set up for you (home, about, blog, and contact pages).
The only thing you really need to add is your own content, and you’re good to go! There’s easy to use widgets and blocks that you can drag and drop onto your site, placing things exactly where you want them. In my experience, you can get a website live with Ukit in just a couple of hours.
Pros:
• Free 14-day trial giving you premium access
• Stunning templates that rival the likes of Squarespace
• Your business and website will automatically be connected to Google Maps, Google Console and Google Analytics
Cons:
• Weekly-based backups as opposed to daily
• Domain names do not include WHOIS protection
7. Weebly
Weebly is a long-standing and professional drag and drop website builder. You can create any type of website with Weebly, whether it be for personal or business reasons. You’ll get to choose the type of style you want for your Weebly website straight away, where it’s technology will take over and do most of the work for you.
Weebly’s drag and drop editor is very intuitive, so if you’ve never used one before, it won’t be a scary experience. Getting a website live doesn’t take much time or effort, so you’ll be able to see your website on the internet in no time at all. There are lots of templates to choose from, so if you’re not feeling creative, there will be something for you.
What excites me the most about Weebly is its mobile app. So, if you’re not at the computer and you need to make some changes on the go, you can! Plus, you’ll get to see your website in ‘mobile’ view which is a bonus too!
Pros:
• Mobile app to access your website builder and make changes on the go
• Intuitive drag and drop software
• No experience required to get your website live the same day
Cons:
• Advanced marketing tools are hard or impossible to get working
• Migration to another CMS platform is very difficult
8. WordPress.org
Although by nature it’s not a drag and drop website builder, WordPress.org certainly deserves a mention on this list. Their self-hosted version of WordPress is absolutely free, all you need is your own web hosting. Once you have a WordPress account, you can browse thousands and thousands of themes and plugins.
WordPress plugins span a whole array of categories including drag and drop page builders. For example, Divi and Beaver Builder. Due to its open-source nature, there’s pretty much something for everyone on WordPress. Whether you’re looking for a form builder, carousel or eCommerce add on, you’re sure to find it.
WordPress is the most popular CMS platform around, powering millions of the world’s websites. It’s easy to use, versatile, and above all free. You’ll be able to explore loads of powerful features to enhance your website and make it just how you want it. You can also learn how to implement SEO effectively onto your site using plugins like Yoast.
Pros:
• Most popular and well known CMS platform
• Thousands of themes, plugins, and features
• Free account if self-hosted
Cons:
• You’ll have to manage your own site including security and updates
• You’re required to find your own reliable web hosting for your website to run well
Create a Website with WordPress.org
9. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is known for being an awesome email marketing service. However, it’s landed the world with an AI-based website builder too. They’ve taken small business concerns and created the world’s first artificial intelligence website builder. The idea is that you can create a website within a few minutes.
They have various options when building a website. You can link your existing business social media profile from your Facebook page, for example. Alternatively, you can use their AI wizard which will generate a site within minutes. You can customise your site to your heart’s content, but also receive suggestions along the way.
Their drag and drop website builder is really simple to use. They have a library of over half a million free images you can use on your own website. Keeping up with the latest technologies, any website you build, or any template you use, will be mobile friendly and responsive. Above all else, their website builder is free! You can even use their generous free plan to create your own online store. Their paid plans start from £7.94 per month but in this case, I’d suggest using their free plan first.
Pros:
• 24/7 live chat and customer support
• Great features including website analytics
• Generous free website builder plan
Cons:
• No third-party extensions available
• Paid plan required to connect a domain
Create a Website with Constant Contact
10. BigCommerce
Are you looking for a scalable eCommerce drag and drop site builder? If you are, BigCommerce is a great choice to consider. It’s a self-hosted platform so you won’t have to worry about managing your hosting, security, and updates. It has a wide range of features, so you should find everything you need to create an online store in one place. Thus, saving you time and money down the line.
BigCommerce has native integration with WordPress. This combination is incredibly powerful so definitely take advantage of it! Other handy aspects include payment gateway integrations with no transaction fee (unlike Shopify). Whether you want to use PayPal, Visa checkout, Apple Pay, or something else, you can.
There’s plenty of premade templates to get you started. These are professional and a great way to gain some inspiration for your online store. If you’re feeling confident enough to do it yourself, their drag and drop website builder is pretty seamless and easy to use. Once your online store is up and running you can enjoy plenty of features and tools including abandoned cart recovery, analytics and more.
Pros:
• Integrations with WordPress and payment gateways
• No transaction fees
Cons:
• Pricing plans are slightly more expensive to start out with
• Migrating from BigCommerce to another platform can be difficult
Create a Website with BigCommerce
11. Gator (by HostGator)
Gator is a website builder created by HostGator. If you want an all in one solution, Gator covers your web hosting and website builder, meaning you’ve got more time (and money) to develop your site even further. The easy to use drag and drop website builder has hundreds of templates too, so you won’t be lacking inspiration.
Starting from just £3.05 per month, you’ll get free hosting, a domain name, website builder, analytics, a free SSL certificate, and 24/7 customer support. If you want priority support, you’ll need to pay £4.75 per month (I’d recommend this if you’re running your own business). From just £7.32 per month, you can set up your own online store with Gator’s eCommerce features.
The drag and drop functionality itself is really simple to use. You can edit any item on your web page or template with point and click actions. If you want to add photos, carousels, etc. you can do so by dragging them onto your site builder. Similar to some other website builders, Gator gives you access to loads of free stock photos that you can use on your website.
Pros:
• All plans include a free domain name and SSL
• Easy drag and drop functionality
Cons:
• No free plan or free trial
• Cannot use third party apps or integration