The Best Website Builders in 2026 (What to Use and When)
Entry 011
2025-01-30
There are more website builders than ever in 2026.
Webflow. Framer. Wix. WordPress. Shopify. AI builders.
It can feel overwhelming, but most tools fall into a few clear categories. Once you understand this, choosing the right platform and not overbuilding gets a lot easier.
Shopify → eCommerce websites
(~5% of all websites on the internet)
If you’re building an online store, Shopify is still the best website builder for eCommerce.
It’s built for:
product pages
checkout optimization
payments and shipping
scaling revenue
You’re not stitching together plugins or worrying about infrastructure.
You’re focusing on:
the product
the offer
the customer experience
integrating essential apps to scale
From early-stage brands to companies earning multiple six-figure amounts per month, Shopify holds up.
Even though Shopify powers roughly 5% of all websites, it accounts for a large share of serious eCommerce brands. It punches way above its weight.
Squarespace / Wix → Simple business brochure sites
(~6–7% combined of all websites on the internet)
For service businesses, local companies, and personal brands, this is the sweet spot.
Think:
restaurants
agencies
consultants
contractors
portfolios
These platforms are:
fast to launch
easy to edit
simple for clients to manage
Most businesses don’t need anything more than:
clear messaging
strong visuals
a clean conversion path
Squarespace powers roughly 2–3% of websites, and Wix around 4–5%, together representing a meaningful share of modern small-business sites. But don’t be fooled by their simplicity; Pixar is actually built on Squarespace.
Webflow / Framer → Design-heavy and marketing websites
(~1% or less of all websites on the internet)
If your priority is design, animation, and high-end marketing pages, this is where Webflow and Framer come in.
Best for:
startups
landing pages
brand-forward websites
custom interactive experiences
less “template” feel
They offer:
more design control
better animation capabilities
more flexibility than basic builders
The tradeoff is time and complexity.
Webflow sits at roughly ~1% of all websites, with Framer still smaller but growing fast in design-focused circles.
WordPress → Content-driven websites and legacy systems
(~40%+ of all websites on the internet)
WordPress still powers a massive portion of the internet.
Roughly 40%+ of all websites run on WordPress.
It’s commonly used for:
blogs
SEO-heavy websites
large content libraries
legacy or long-standing systems
It’s flexible, but comes with tradeoffs:
plugin reliance
ongoing maintenance
inconsistent performance depending on setup
It works well for content, but it’s rarely the simplest option anymore.
Custom builds (React, Next.js, etc.) → Real software
(~30%+ untracked/custom)
At a certain point, a website becomes something more, and brands outgrow website builders. Before platforms like WordPress, developers built everything from scratch using HTML, CSS, and vanilla JavaScript. That approach is much less common today.
You might need:
custom dashboards
internal tools
client portals
unique user flows
data-driven applications
That’s when you move beyond builders and start writing your own software, or integrating a custom SASS into your own project.
A large portion of the internet, roughly 30% or more, runs on custom or untracked stacks that don’t show up cleanly in CMS market share data.
Common modern stack:
React / Next.js (frontend)
Node.js (backend)
PostgreSQL or Supabase (database)
Vercel (hosting)
Auth, APIs, and integrations as needed
This gives you full control, but also adds complexity, cost, and development time.
Most businesses jump to complexity too early.
They assume they need:
a custom build
a complex stack
something “unique”
In reality, most of what they need already exists in these platforms.
The better approach:
start with the simplest tool that works
layer in custom CSS and JavaScript where needed
only go fully custom when there’s a real reason
The takeaway
Choosing the best website builder isn’t about what’s trending.
It’s about using the right tool for the stage you’re in:
- Selling products → Shopify
- Simple business site → Squarespace or Wix
- High-end design → Webflow or Framer
- Content + SEO → WordPress
- Custom functionality → build your own
Keep it simple for as long as possible.
That’s how you move faster, spend less, and still build something that scales.