If you want the broadest toolkit and don’t mind living on one platform, Wix is the safe pick. Hostinger is the budget choice if you’ll commit for years, Squarespace is the polished one for service businesses and small stores, Framer is for design-led marketing sites, and Durable gets a simple service business online fast. The biggest differences aren’t the AI features. They’re price after the first term, ecommerce support and whether you can take your site with you if you leave.
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Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Main advantage | Biggest drawback | Pricing reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Owners who want the widest feature set | Yes, on a Wix subdomain | Stores, bookings and marketing tools in one place | Site stays on Wix’s servers | See Wix plans |
| Hostinger | Budget-minded, long-term buyers | No free plan | Low intro price, 0% transaction fees stated | Renewal costs several times the intro rate | From $2.99/mo intro |
| Squarespace | Service businesses and small stores that want polish | 14-day trial | Strong design and built-in AI Blueprint | Partial export, 2% fee on Basic stores | See Squarespace pricing |
| Framer | Startups and portfolios where design matters | Yes, on a framer subdomain | Designer-grade control with AI generation | Ecommerce not confirmed, metered limits | From $10/mo |
| Durable | Solo service businesses | Yes, private preview | Fast site plus a simple CRM | Not built for ecommerce, no confirmed site export | $25/mo Launch |
What AI website builders actually do
Most of them ask a few questions, then generate a first draft: page layout, copy, colors and stock or generated images. After that you edit by hand or by prompt. That first draft saves time, but it’s rarely something you can publish unedited, since generic copy hurts both trust and search performance. Treat the AI as a starting point and plan an hour or two to rewrite the text in your own voice. For more on writing the copy, see our guide to AI writing tools for small business.
The builders, reviewed
1. Wix: the broadest toolkit
Wix has a free plan with no card required, with 500MB of storage and 1GB of bandwidth on a Wix subdomain. A custom domain needs a paid plan. Its AI builder, Aria, creates a site from a text description or template and edits layout and styling by prompt. Wix warns the results may be inaccurate, and an AI-generated site can’t be switched to a regular template later.
Paid plans run from Light up through Business Elite, and only the upper three accept payments. The plan page we saw showed prices with tax notes that contradicted each other and may have been a non-US version, so we’re not quoting dollar figures. Check the current plans for your country. Paid plans include a first-year domain voucher for a new Wix-bought domain, and there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee on the first Premium upgrade.
The catch: Wix says your site needs to be hosted and run on its servers. You own your content, but you can’t move the site itself to another host.
Pick it if you want bookings, a store and marketing tools in one place and you’re okay staying put.
2. Hostinger Website Builder: cheapest, with a steep renewal
Hostinger’s builder has no free plan. Its page shows three plans on a 48-month prepaid term (prices exclude VAT): Premium at $2.99 a month intro, Unlimited at $3.99 and Cloud Startup at $7.99. The renewal prices it lists are $10.99, $16.99 and $25.99 a month, so the first term is a bargain and the second one isn’t. Always compare renewal rates, not intro rates. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The AI builds a full site from one prompt, then lets you edit by chat. It also writes blog posts and product descriptions and generates logos. Premium includes only 5 one-time AI credits, with 15 on Unlimited and Cloud Startup. Ecommerce is on Unlimited and Cloud Startup, not Premium, and Hostinger states 0% transaction fees. Domain is free for the first year.
Portability: code export is available on paid plans, but only for sites built in the agentic AI mode. For classic builder sites, the help article describes copying content over manually.
Pick it if you want the lowest long-run cost, you’re fine with a multi-year commitment, and you don’t need a huge feature set.
3. Squarespace: polished and consistent
Squarespace offers a 14-day trial with no card, and trial sites can’t be exported. Its Blueprint AI asks about your goals, industry and brand personality, then suggests a structure, palette and fonts and fills in AI-written copy and images. You refine it in the Fluid Engine editor.
The pricing page shows two prices for each plan (Basic $25 and $19, Core $39 and $29, Plus $65 and $49, Advanced $139 and $99) without labelling which is annual, though the 20% discount tag suggests the lower figure is. Basic charges a 2% fee on store sales, while Core and above charge none beyond card processing. Core and higher include a Google Workspace account free for the first year.
The catch: export is partial. Squarespace’s WordPress-format file covers only some pages and blocks, and excludes store pages, products and styles.
Pick it if you run a service business, portfolio or small store and care about design out of the box.
4. Framer: for design-led marketing sites
Framer has a free plan on a framer subdomain with 1GB bandwidth and 500 AI credits to try. Basic is $10 a month and Pro is $30 a month on its pricing page, though the page doesn’t make clear which billing cycle those figures reflect. Extra editors cost $20 each, and add-ons such as localization are priced separately.
We couldn’t confirm ecommerce, SEO tools or transaction fees on the pricing page. Portability is also contested: one Framer help article says every site can be downloaded as standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript, while another says Framer doesn’t offer HTML export for self-hosting. Until Framer clears that up, treat exports as unconfirmed.
Pick it if you want a sharp-looking startup, product or portfolio site and don’t need a store.
5. Durable: fast, simple, limited
Durable builds a whole site with AI, plus a small CRM. The free plan gives a private preview on a durable.site subdomain, 300 AI credits and a CRM for up to 10 customers, with Durable branding you can’t remove. Launch is $25 a month with 1,000 credits, and Grow is $49 a month with 5,000, though the table shows lower figures ($22 and $41) without explaining which applies to which billing cycle.
Durable says on its pricing page that it isn’t designed for ecommerce, and its terms don’t give an export right. Credits are metered, and the terms say credit costs per action can change without notice.
Pick it if you’re a solo tradesperson or consultant who needs a live site and a basic customer list this week.
Choose by situation
| If you… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Need a store, bookings and marketing in one tool | Wix | Widest feature set |
| Want the lowest long-run cost | Hostinger | Cheap even at renewal |
| Care most about design polish | Squarespace | Consistent templates and Blueprint AI |
| Build a startup or portfolio site | Framer | Design control with AI |
| Run a one-person service business | Durable | Fast launch with a basic CRM |
Can you take your site with you?
This is the question most buyers skip. Wix says no: the site has to stay on its servers. Squarespace exports only part of a site. Hostinger exports code for AI-agent sites but not for classic ones. Framer’s own help pages disagree. Durable doesn’t promise anything. If portability matters, consider a WordPress site instead, or keep your content in a document you control, and pick the builder whose limits you can live with.
Hidden costs and mistakes
- Choosing on the intro price and ignoring renewal. Hostinger’s is the clearest example.
- Forgetting that a custom domain, email and ecommerce often sit on higher plans.
- Publishing AI copy without editing it.
- Ignoring transaction fees, such as Squarespace’s 2% on Basic.
- Picking a builder that doesn’t support your store and migrating later.
FAQs
What is the best AI website builder for a small business?
Wix suits most small businesses because of its range of built-in tools. Hostinger is better if price is the main concern.
Is there a free AI website builder?
Wix, Framer and Durable offer free plans, but with a branded subdomain and limits. Hostinger has no free plan, and Squarespace has a 14-day trial.
Can I sell products with these builders?
Wix, Hostinger and Squarespace support stores, with plan restrictions. Durable says it isn’t designed for ecommerce, and we couldn’t confirm Framer’s.
Will AI-generated sites rank in search?
They can, but generic AI copy rarely does well. Rewrite it with real details about your business, then see our guide to SEO tools for small business.
Can I move my site to another platform later?
It depends. Wix says no, Squarespace exports part of a site, and Hostinger offers code export only for some sites. Check before you commit.
Final verdict
Go with Wix if you want everything in one place, Hostinger if cost over several years matters most, and Squarespace if appearance does. Choose Framer for a design-led marketing site and Durable for the quickest possible launch. Before you pay, read the renewal price, the export policy and the ecommerce limits for your plan, because those are where these tools differ most.
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