Website Platform Costs Compared: 24 Platforms Broken Down
Building a website in 2026 costs anywhere from $0 to $5,000+ per year depending on the platform you choose. A basic drag-and-drop website builder runs $16 to $45 per month. A self-hosted CMS like WordPress costs $3 to $30 per month for hosting alone, plus $0 to $200+ for themes and plugins. Ecommerce platforms start at $29 per month and climb quickly once you add apps, payment processing fees, and premium features.
Here's the complete breakdown of what every major platform actually costs, so you can pick the right one for your budget.
Quick Comparison: All 24 Platforms at a Glance
| Platform | Starting Price (per month) | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Wix | $17 | Beginners wanting drag-and-drop flexibility |
| Squarespace | $16 | Design-focused portfolios and small businesses |
| Weebly | Free–$12 | Simple, budget-friendly sites |
| Webflow | $14 | Designers who want code-level control without coding |
| GoDaddy | $10 | Getting online fast with minimal setup |
| Strikingly | Free–$16 | One-page websites and landing pages |
| Jimdo | Free–$15 | European small businesses, AI-assisted setup |
| Zyro | $3 | Budget builders who want AI tools |
| Site123 | Free–$12.80 | Absolute beginners, simple sites |
| Carrd | Free–$19/yr | Single-page sites and landing pages |
| Duda | $19 | Agencies building client sites at scale |
| WordPress | $3–$30 (hosting) | Full control and unlimited customization |
| Joomla | $3–$30 (hosting) | Complex sites needing advanced user management |
| Drupal | $10–$50 (hosting) | Enterprise and government websites |
| Ghost | $9–$25 | Professional bloggers and newsletter publishers |
| Blogger | Free | Hobby bloggers on zero budget |
| Medium | Free | Writers focused on audience, not website management |
| Shopify | $39 | Dedicated online stores of any size |
| WooCommerce | $3–$30 (hosting) | WordPress users adding ecommerce |
| BigCommerce | $39 | Growing stores that need built-in features |
| Magento | $10–$100 (hosting) | Large-scale enterprise ecommerce |
| Hostinger | $3 | Budget hosting with a built-in builder |
| Bluehost | $3 | WordPress beginners wanting an all-in-one package |
| SiteGround | $3 | Performance-focused WordPress hosting |
Website Builders
Website builders are the fastest way to get online without touching code. You pick a template, drag elements into place, and publish. Monthly costs typically range from $0 to $45, with most users landing in the $12 to $30 range once they remove ads and connect a custom domain. The tradeoff is less flexibility compared to a full CMS, but for most small businesses and personal sites, builders deliver everything you need.
Wix
Wix is one of the most popular website builders with over 200 million users. Paid plans start at $17 per month, but most businesses need the $32/month Business plan for payment processing and analytics. Factor in premium apps from the Wix App Market and your real cost sits between $25 and $50 per month.
See the full Wix cost breakdown
Squarespace
Squarespace starts at $16 per month on an annual plan and is known for polished, design-forward templates. The Business plan at $33 per month unlocks advanced analytics and custom CSS. If you're selling products, you'll need a Commerce plan starting at $27 per month to avoid the 3% transaction fee.
See the full Squarespace cost breakdown
Weebly
Weebly offers a genuinely usable free plan, and paid plans start at just $12 per month. Now owned by Square, it integrates tightly with Square's payment processing. It's one of the most affordable builders for small businesses that don't need advanced design customization.
See the full Weebly cost breakdown
Webflow
Webflow bridges the gap between website builders and hand-coded sites. Plans start at $14 per month for basic sites, but the CMS plan at $23 per month is where most users land. Ecommerce plans start at $29 per month. Webflow's learning curve is steeper than Wix or Squarespace, but the design control rivals custom web design.
See the full Webflow cost breakdown
GoDaddy
GoDaddy's website builder starts at $10 per month and is designed for speed over sophistication. You can have a basic site live in under an hour. It's limited on design flexibility, but the bundled marketing tools and domain management make it convenient for users already on GoDaddy's ecosystem.
See the full GoDaddy cost breakdown
Strikingly
Strikingly specializes in single-page websites and starts with a functional free tier. Paid plans run from $16 per month for the Limited plan. It's ideal for personal portfolios, event pages, and landing pages where you don't need multi-page navigation.
See the full Strikingly cost breakdown
Jimdo
Jimdo offers an AI-powered builder that generates a site from your answers to a few questions. Free sites include Jimdo branding; paid plans start at $15 per month. It's popular in Europe and works well for local businesses that want to get online without design decisions.
See the full Jimdo cost breakdown
Zyro
Zyro (now part of Hostinger's ecosystem) is one of the cheapest builders available, with plans starting around $3 per month on longer billing cycles. It includes AI content generation tools and a straightforward editor. The feature set is basic compared to Wix or Squarespace, but the price is hard to beat.
See the full Zyro cost breakdown
Site123
Site123 lives up to its name with one of the simplest setup processes available. The free plan is workable for personal pages, and the Premium plan at $12.80 per month adds a custom domain and removes ads. Don't expect advanced features, but for a basic online presence, it delivers.
See the full Site123 cost breakdown
Carrd
Carrd is the most affordable option on this list. Free sites are limited to one page with basic features. The Pro plan costs just $19 per year (not per month), making it by far the cheapest paid option. It's purpose-built for single-page sites, landing pages, and link-in-bio pages.
See the full Carrd cost breakdown
Duda
Duda is built for agencies and freelancers who manage multiple client websites. Plans start at $19 per month for a single site. The platform includes white-label options, client management tools, and team collaboration features that justify the higher price point compared to consumer builders.
See the full Duda cost breakdown
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Content management systems give you more control than website builders but require more hands-on setup. Open-source CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal are free to download, but you'll pay for hosting, a domain, themes, and plugins. Hosted CMS platforms like Ghost and Medium handle the server management for you. Total first-year costs range from $0 (Blogger, Medium) to $500+ for a fully customized WordPress or Drupal site.
WordPress
WordPress powers over 40% of the web, and the software itself is free. Your costs come from hosting ($3 to $30+ per month), a premium theme ($0 to $80), and plugins ($0 to $200+ per year). A typical small business WordPress site costs $50 to $200 in the first year. Hiring a developer for custom web design pushes that to $500 to $5,000+.
See the full WordPress cost breakdown
Joomla
Joomla is a free, open-source CMS with stronger built-in user management than WordPress. Hosting runs $3 to $30 per month, and you'll likely need a premium template ($30 to $70) and extensions. It's a solid middle ground between WordPress's ease of use and Drupal's complexity.
See the full Joomla cost breakdown
Drupal
Drupal is free software, but it's the most technically demanding CMS on this list. Hosting costs $10 to $50 per month for adequate performance, and most organizations hire a developer ($50 to $150 per hour). It's overkill for small sites but the standard choice for government, university, and large enterprise projects.
See the full Drupal cost breakdown
Ghost
Ghost is a modern publishing platform built for bloggers and newsletter creators. The managed hosting (Ghost Pro) costs $9 to $25 per month. Self-hosting Ghost on your own server starts around $5 per month. It's stripped-down compared to WordPress, which is the point: fast performance, clean writing interface, built-in email newsletters.
See the full Ghost cost breakdown
Blogger
Blogger is Google's free blogging platform. The only cost is a custom domain ($10 to $15 per year) if you want one. You get free hosting with no traffic limits. The templates are dated and customization is limited, but for a hobby blog or personal journal, it's genuinely free.
See the full Blogger cost breakdown
Medium
Medium costs nothing to publish on. You don't pay for hosting, a domain, or design. The tradeoff is significant: you don't own your audience, your URL lives on medium.com, and you have virtually no design control. Medium works best as a distribution channel alongside your own website, not as a replacement for one.
See the full Medium cost breakdown
Ecommerce Platforms
If you're selling products online, your platform costs go beyond a monthly subscription. You'll pay transaction fees (0% to 2% per sale on top of credit card processing), plus apps, themes, and potentially developer time. A basic online store costs $30 to $80 per month. A mid-size store with premium apps and a custom theme runs $100 to $500 per month. Enterprise ecommerce on platforms like Magento can exceed $1,000 per month in hosting and development costs alone.
Shopify
Shopify's Basic plan costs $39 per month, plus 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for credit card processing. Most stores spend an additional $50 to $200 per month on apps for reviews, email marketing, and SEO. A premium theme costs $180 to $400 one-time. Shopify is the most popular dedicated ecommerce platform for a reason: it handles inventory, shipping, and payments out of the box.
See the full Shopify cost breakdown
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin, but your total costs include hosting ($3 to $30 per month), a WooCommerce-compatible theme ($0 to $80), and premium extensions ($0 to $300+ per year). First-year costs typically land between $100 and $500. It's the best option if you already run a WordPress site and want to add a store without switching platforms.
See the full WooCommerce cost breakdown
BigCommerce
BigCommerce starts at $39 per month and includes more built-in features than Shopify at the same price point, including zero transaction fees on all plans. The tradeoff is fewer third-party apps and themes. The platform enforces annual sales thresholds that push you to higher plans as you grow, so factor in plan upgrades as your revenue increases.
See the full BigCommerce cost breakdown
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
Magento Open Source is free to download, but running it requires serious infrastructure. Hosting costs $10 to $100+ per month for adequate performance, and you'll almost certainly need a developer ($75 to $200 per hour). Adobe Commerce (the paid version) starts at $22,000 per year. Magento is built for large catalogs and complex B2B commerce, not for small stores.
See the full Magento cost breakdown
Hosting Providers with Website Builders
Several web hosting companies now bundle their own website builders or one-click WordPress installers with their hosting plans. This approach typically costs less than a standalone builder because you're paying hosting-level prices ($3 to $15 per month) while getting basic site-building tools included. The builders themselves are more limited than Wix or Squarespace, but for WordPress sites, these hosts offer the best value.
Hostinger
Hostinger's plans start at around $3 per month on a four-year commitment, and include a built-in website builder plus free domain for the first year. The builder is simple but functional. Where Hostinger really shines is value-priced WordPress hosting with solid performance that punches above its price point.
See the full Hostinger cost breakdown
Bluehost
Bluehost starts at about $3 per month (promotional pricing for 36-month terms) and is officially recommended by WordPress.org. Plans include a free domain for the first year, free SSL, and one-click WordPress installation. Renewal prices jump to $11 to $20 per month, so calculate your second-year costs before committing.
See the full Bluehost cost breakdown
SiteGround
SiteGround's hosting starts at $3 per month (promotional) and renews at $18 per month. It's widely regarded as one of the best-performing shared hosts for WordPress, with built-in caching, daily backups, and strong customer support. The higher renewal price is the main drawback, but the performance often justifies it compared to cheaper alternatives.
See the full SiteGround cost breakdown
How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Budget
Your ideal platform depends on what you're building and how much you're willing to spend. Here's exactly what you'll pay in most scenarios:
| Project Type | Recommended Platform | Estimated Year 1 Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Simple one-page site | Carrd | $0–$19 |
| Personal blog (free) | Blogger or Medium | $0–$15 |
| Small business site (easy) | Squarespace or Wix | $192–$396 |
| Small business site (flexible) | WordPress + Bluehost | $36–$150 |
| Professional blog/newsletter | Ghost | $108–$300 |
| Online store (starting out) | Shopify | $468–$1,200 |
| Online store (WordPress-based) | WooCommerce | $100–$500 |
| Enterprise ecommerce | Magento or BigCommerce | $2,000–$25,000+ |
| Agency/multi-site management | Duda or Webflow | $228–$600 |
Every platform comes with visible costs (the subscription) and hidden costs (premium themes, apps, transaction fees, and developer time). Before choosing, add up the full first-year cost including every add-on you'll actually need. The cheapest monthly plan rarely reflects what you'll actually spend. For a deeper look at total website costs beyond the platform, see our guides on hosting costs, web design pricing, and ongoing maintenance costs.