The best website builder for small business owners in the UK depends on what the site has to do. WordPress, Squarespace, Wix and Shopify cover almost every small business, and each is the right answer for someone. Here is how they compare and a simple way to choose.
The short answer
- Simple service or brochure site, no upkeep: Squarespace or Wix.
- A site you own, can grow and keep cheap to run: WordPress.
- Mainly an online shop: Shopify (or WordPress with WooCommerce).
- Portfolio that must look beautiful: Squarespace.
The four at a glance
| WordPress (self-hosted) | Squarespace | Wix | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Growing sites, blogs, flexibility | Good-looking simple sites | DIY drag and drop | Online shops |
| Starting price | Hosting + domain | £12 a month, yearly | Free plan; £9 a month, yearly | £19 a month, yearly |
| Upkeep | You (or a care plan) | Done for you | Done for you | Done for you |
| Ease to start | Medium | Easy | Easiest | Easy for a shop |
| Selling online | WooCommerce plugin | Core plan and up | Core plan and up | What it is built for |
| Payment fees | Your payment provider’s fees | Card from 2.0% + £0.25, plus 2% on Basic | Your payment provider’s fees | Card from 2% + 25p, plus 2% / 1% / 0.6% without Shopify Payments |
| Own your site | Yes | No | No | No |
Share of all websites
W3Techs, which tracks the software behind millions of sites, puts WordPress on 39.2% of all websites in November 2026, Shopify on 5.4%, Wix on 4.2% and Squarespace on 2.4%. Popular is not the same as right for you, but it does mean help and developers are easy to find.
Yearly cost of a small site
| Platform | Cheapest plan for your own domain, per year |
|---|---|
| WordPress (self-hosted) | Basic hosting plus a domain; for a small site usually less than a builder plan |
| Squarespace Basic | £144 (£12 a month, paid yearly) |
| Wix Light | £108 plus VAT (£9 a month, paid yearly) |
| Shopify Basic | £228 (£19 a month, paid yearly) |
These are the cheapest plans. Most businesses that take payments or bookings need a higher plan, and extras such as premium apps, themes or email add to all four. Our website cost estimator gives a rough figure for a WordPress site built for you.
A simple way to choose
- Will you sell products online as the main thing? Shopify is built for it. WordPress with WooCommerce is the alternative if you want lower platform fees and full control.
- Do you want to never think about updates? Squarespace or Wix.
- Do you want to own the site and add features later? WordPress.
- Is the look everything (photography, design, art)? Squarespace.
- Do you want to build it yourself with drag and drop, quickly? Wix.
Shopify in a sentence
Shopify is the strongest of the four for shops: stock, checkout, shipping and payments are all built in. Basic is £19 a month paid yearly, card rates start at 2% + 25p, and if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments there is an extra fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. For a service business with no products, it is more than you need.
More detail on each
- Read WordPress pros and cons for the honest view of WordPress.
- Read WordPress vs Squarespace and WordPress vs Wix for the head-to-head comparisons.
- Read WordPress.com vs WordPress.org if the two WordPress names confuse you.
- Use the small business website checklist to check whatever site you end up with.
Sources
Prices were read on each provider’s UK pricing page on 13 November 2026. They change often, may not include VAT and can include first-year offers, so check the provider’s page before you buy. We build and look after WordPress sites, so we have tried hard to be fair to the other platforms.
Want a hand with hosting or your website?
Get in touch and we will help, in plain English.