Building a website in 2022 is way easier than back in the day. You don’t even need to code, all you need is a good website builder.
However, one challenge you might face is to choose the right one for you. To help you with that, I’ve read through dozens of Reddit posts.
So, if you’re looking for the best website builder as of October 2022 and you’re also interested in Reddit’s opinion, you’re in the right place.
Best Website Builder - Table of Content
- What Exactly are Website Builders?
- What is the Best Website Builder According to Reddit?
- What is Webflow?
- WordPress
- Squarespace
- Squarespace vs WordPress According to Reddit
- Wix
- Weebly
Before we start, here are Reddit’s best website builders upfront.
Website Builder | Best for? | Price from |
---|---|---|
Webflow | Best Website Builder acc. Reddit | $15 per month |
Elementor | Best Website Builder for SEO | $49 per year |
Squarespace | Most Affordable Website Builder | $12 per month |
Wix | 4th Place Website Builder | $13 per month |
And now let’s explore them in detail.
What Exactly are Website Builders?
I’m sure you already know what website builders are, so I will keep this introduction very brief. The most important thing to be aware of is that there are essentially two different kinds of website builders. WYSIWYG editors and and non-WYSIWYG editors.
WYSIWYG Editors
WYSIWYG stands for “what you see is what you get”. These website builders are also referred to as drag-and-drop builders. The main factor here is that they offer everything you need for your website in one place.
A WYSIWYG editor usually includes:
- Hosting
- Domain
- Content management
- Themes
- Service
- Plugins
There is nothing you need to take care of. You don’t need to find another hosting provider or a 3rd party theme, which makes these editors pretty convenient. But there are some drawbacks to WYSIWYG editors. First, you’re bound to their service and second, usually the code isn’t really optimized. Especially not for SEO.
The good news?
If you still like to use WYSIWYG editors, there is a good alternative without these pitfalls which is called Webflow. But more on that later.
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Content Management Systems (Non-WYSIWYG)
Another way to build up a website is to use a content management system like WordPress. You can use WordPress in conjunction with a premium page-building plugin like Elementor. It’s pretty much the most-affordable way and it comes with lots of advantages.
Advantages of using WordPress:
- Open-source
- Huge community
- There is a plugin for everything
- Choose from hundreds of themes
- Usually clean code, perfect for SEO
However, in order to use WordPress, you’ll need some help in setting it up. It can be a bit challenging, depending on your skills.
Now that you know the difference between these WYSIWYG and non-WYSIWYG editors, let’s check out Reddit’s opinion.
What is the Best Website Builder According to Reddit?
After reading through dozens of Reddit posts, the best website builder according to Reddit, is without a doubt Webflow. Especially in 2022, Webflow takes website building to the next level.
What is Webflow?
Webflow is a true game changer. You might already have heard about it. In fact, it’s being recommended everywhere on Reddit (1), over every other service in 2022.
One user was asked about his experience from switching from WordPress to Webflow. Here’s what he says:
The funny thing is since this comment has been posted, Webflow already added e-commerce functionality.
Why is Webflow so Popular?
The main reason is that Webflow is not a classic WYSIWYG editor, so most of the WYSIWYG disadvantages do not apply to Webflow. However, it’s also not just a CMS. So, what is it?
Essentially it’s a visual coding tool.
In other words, it’s an incredibly easy-to-use website builder with clean-code. That’s the main difference to Wix, Squarespace and the other classic website builders. You’ll get clean code, a great design tool and tons of functions which position Webflow ahead of it’s competitors.
Webflow is also able to generate static sites. The content goes directly into the website instead of using a dynamic backend. This comes with one huge advantage: Site speed. Static sites are way faster then dynamic ones.
On the contrary, you need to have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. But before you worry about that, check out this comment:
It’s true. Webflow offers an incredibly good learning resource section, called the Webflow University.
And don’t forget, you don’t need to become a full-stack developer to master Webflow. It’s just a basic understanding and Webflow will do the rest! Usually most people will learn that along the way when using the software.
So, as you can see it’s really worth it to start using Webflow these days. The community is huge and really helpful as well.
How Much Does Webflow Cost?
A basic Webflow site, without a content management system costs $15 per month (assuming you choose monthly payment). With Webflow there are account plans and website plans. You can combine these two.
So, let’s create an example.
If you would like to build my website with Webflow, you would need a free account + the basic plan, which in total would add to $15 per month. 25,000 thousand monthly visits are included.
For more visitors, a content management system, or the exporting code option, you would need to either upgrade your account or your website.
You can read more about Webflows pricing here.
The easiest way to get started is to create an account with the basic plan. And if you have any questions, check out the Webflow community.
WordPress
WordPress is Reddit’s number two in terms of building a website.
WordPress is the content management system while Elementor is the actual page builder. The good news is that it’s one of the most-affordable ways to build a website in 2022, while still having a modern, clean looking site.(1,2)
The downside?
You need to get your WordPress themes and your hosting from 3rd party sources but other than that, you got everything you need.
Why is WordPress so Popular?
WordPress has one of the largest communities to help you guide you through the process of building and managing a WordPress site. I myself wrote some tips on how to find the best WordPress themes and WordPress hosting according to Reddit.
But there’s more. When you use WordPress as your page-building tool, your front-end code usually comes out really clean. I say usually, because there are some bad WordPress themes out there, that can mess up your code. However, if you stick to the bigger names, you should be fine.
If you’re building a website and search engine optimization is something you care for, WordPress is a really good option.
With WordPress plugins, there is no feature you can’t get. But be careful, to many plugins can slow down your website and make it harder for you to spot an error.
Why Elementor?
Elementor is the plugin that will turn your WordPress site into a fully functional page-builder. Redditor’s love Elementor and they recommend using the premium version.
However, as of October 2022, Webflow is also good alternative if you’re looking for a full service provider.
What’s the Difference Between Webflow and WordPress Then?
There’s one thing you should know. Webflow is a service, WordPress on the other hand is an open-source content management system. Even if Webflow is not a classic WYSIWYG editor, you’re still bound to their service. Although their service is really good.
Let me clarify that with a good example.
Let’s say you want to take your website and upload it on another platform. Since WordPress is open-source, you can take your WordPress site and simply move it wherever you like. It’s not possible to do that with most of the classic WYSIWYG editors or website builders.
With Webflow, it is possible. That’s why I say it’s a game-changer. Although to be fair, you need to upgrade your account to do that. But that shouldn’t come as a surprise. But still, technically with WordPress you can do that for free.
That’s the main difference here. Webflow does way more than usual WYSIWYG editors, but it’s not the same as WordPress.
Webflow offers a variety of design resources and options and it’s a really powerful tool. Redditor’s report that in terms of design and functionality, it’s hard to beat Webflow. One thing a lot of users were mentioning is that working with Webflow is really smooth. The code that comes out is outstanding and Webflow websites are really modern looking beasts.
Even if you’re not into design, with Webflow you can create amazing good-looking sites.
Squarespace
The next website builder on our list is Squarespace. Squarespace is a classic WYSISWYG drag and drop service which means they take care of hosting, your domain and customer service.
Squarespace was also being recommended a lot by Reddit which is the reason I’ve added it as number three on my list.
What I like about Squarespace is that you’re able to create your website for free, and then if you want to pursue your idea further, you can buy the membership. Squarespace offers monthly and yearly payments and every user gets a domain name, SSL and Squarespace support. The monthly membership starts around $15. They offer modern designs, great functionality and building webpages is generally pretty easy.
Squarespace vs WordPress According to Reddit
Now, let’s answer this question, what is the better option for you? Squarespace or WordPress. Well, it depends on your needs. Here’s a good comment I’ve found on Reddit:
If you need a quick solution for your business with basic SEO, using Squarespace, according to Reddit, will be easier. If you want to go deep into SEO, use WordPress since it gives your more control. But it’s more work as well.
Technically both WordPress and Webflow are the better choices for optimizing pages for search engines. But you’ll still be able to get good rankings with your Squarespace website. So, what is more important to you? The overall business or search engine optimization.
Another thing is: control. With Squarespace you’re stuck with their services and what they offer. But that doesn’t have to be necessarily a bad thing, since you get all the support you need from one end. Squarespace offers a great range of themes and functions. Redditors also have said that, in comparison to WordPress, it’s way faster creating a website with Squarespace.
However, in case you want to move your website somewhere else, or choose a different hosting provider, remember that you can’t do that with Squarespace. With WordPress you can, but you may need the help of a programmer.
But that’s pretty much the case for every other WYSIWYG website builder except Webflow. That’s why I recommend using it for a lot of new projects. Although you need to pay to move your page somewhere else, but at least it’s possible.
But still, Squarespace is a great choice. If you don’t want to spend your time taking care of hosting and setting up WordPress, make sure to check it out. According to Reddit, it can be the better choice.
Wix
Next on our list is Wix. Wix is also a drag-and-drop editor which offers everything you need to get started with your website. Some Redditor’s were especially recommending it to designers, although it seems like it was the last favourite website builder on Reddit.
The general consensus was that Redditor’s enjoy using Squarespace more than Wix. Although everyone said you need to try it first and then decide. Since it’s free to try you won’t lose anything. If you decide to use Wix, premium plans start from $10/month. Here’s on comment on Reddit about Wix vs. Squarespace.
Weebly
I couldn’t find a lot about Weebly on Reddit. From what I see it’s a similar website builder as Squarespace and Wix, a classic WYSIWYG editor. However, reading through all the posts, I would say Weebly is also a rather low mentioned website builder on Reddit. In the Weebly subreddit, you’ll only find approximately 500 Redditor’s, whereas the Squarespace subreddit has over 8000 users.
WordPress goes even further, currently there are over 150.000 users in the WordPress Subreddit but thatÄs also because of the complexity. But still, Weebly is a well-known website builder. If you like what they offer, go for it. If you choose the monthly payment, which I always recommend, you pay around $10 and Weebly also offers online shops.
That’s It
These are Reddit’s tips on the best website builders as of 2022. If I forgot anything please send me a message.
Happy building.
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