Guides
The best AI website builders for small businesses
We make ContentMetric. It’s our pick for most small businesses, and we say plainly where it isn’t the right choice.
The short answer
- Best for small businesses that don’t want to do the work: ContentMetric. On Pro, a design specialist designs your site and handles your updates; or change it yourself by asking.
- For an AI start plus drag-and-drop control: Wix
- For design control: Framer
- To sell products online: Squarespace or Wix
- To build an app, not a website: Lovable
Our pick for small businesses
Why ContentMetric
- A specialist designs it and keeps it updatedOn Pro and above, a design specialist builds your site and handles your changes. You tell us what you need.
- Or change it yourself, just by askingType what you want changed in the editor, or ask from your own ChatGPT or Claude.
- Built to be found by Google and AIEvery page arrives with its words in the HTML and schema markup built in, so search engines and AI assistants can read it.
1,022%
growth in search visits, year on year, after the rebuild
“Our old site was slowly disappearing from search and I could not see why. Six weeks after the rebuild we were getting more visits from search than at any point in the past year, and the people who enquire now already know what we do.”
Regina Kwok, Founder, Artwill Interior Design
Compared side by side
| Builder | Specialist designs and updates your site | Free plan | Builds a site from a description | Edit by chatting with AI | Use your own ChatGPT or Claude | Blog or content collections | Online store with checkout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ContentMetricOur pick for small businesses | Yes, included on Pro and up | Yes, 30 credits a month | Yes | Yes | Yes, Pro and up | Yes | No |
| WixAI start, then drag and drop | — | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| SquarespaceDesign-led sites and simple shops | — | No, 14-day trial | Yes | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| FramerDesigners who want full visual control | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| WebflowTeams with a web designer | — | Yes, Starter | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GoDaddy AiroA quick site next to a GoDaddy domain | Separate paid service | Yes, 50 AI credits a month | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| HostingerA low-cost site with hosting in one bill | — | No, 14-day trial | Yes | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| DurableA fast first site for a service business | — | Free to start | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | — |
| 10WebWordPress underneath | — | No, 7-day trial | Yes | Yes | — | Yes | Yes |
| LovableBuilding web apps, not just websites | — | Yes, 5 credits a day | Yes | Yes | — | — | — |
ContentMetric
Our pick for small businesses
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- Yes, included on Pro and up
- Free plan
- Yes, 30 credits a month
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- Yes, Pro and up
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- No
Wix
AI start, then drag and drop
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- —
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
Squarespace
Design-led sites and simple shops
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- —
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
Framer
Designers who want full visual control
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- Yes
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- Yes
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- —
Webflow
Teams with a web designer
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- Yes, Starter
- Builds a site from a description
- —
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- Yes
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
GoDaddy Airo
A quick site next to a GoDaddy domain
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- Separate paid service
- Free plan
- Yes, 50 AI credits a month
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- —
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
Hostinger
A low-cost site with hosting in one bill
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- No, 14-day trial
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- —
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
Durable
A fast first site for a service business
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- Free to start
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- —
10Web
WordPress underneath
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- No, 7-day trial
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- Yes
- Online store with checkout
- Yes
Lovable
Building web apps, not just websites
- Specialist designs and updates your site
- —
- Free plan
- Yes, 5 credits a day
- Builds a site from a description
- Yes
- Edit by chatting with AI
- Yes
- Use your own ChatGPT or Claude
- —
- Blog or content collections
- —
- Online store with checkout
- —
— not stated on the builder’s own site when we checked. Builder names link to the page we checked.
Want it done for you? On Pro, a specialist designs your site and handles every update.
How we compared
We read each builder’s AI product page and plans page on 17 September 2026 and only marked a feature Yes when their own site says it. We did not sign up for paid plans or rate design quality. If something has changed, tell us and we will update this page.
The builders
ContentMetric
Our pick · we make itDescribe your business and it builds and publishes the site. On Pro and above, a design specialist designs the site and handles your updates. You can also change it yourself by asking, in the editor or from your own ChatGPT or Claude. Every page arrives with its words already in the HTML and schema markup built in, so search engines and AI assistants can read it.
Best for
Small businesses that want a well-designed site kept up to date without doing the work themselves.
Think twice if
You sell products online: there is no checkout. Use Shopify, Wix or Squarespace for a store.
Wix
Wix creates a site from a single prompt, then lets you move between AI generation and drag-and-drop editing. It has a free plan and a full online store.
Best for
Owners who want an AI start and hands-on control of every block.
Think twice if
You want someone else to design and update it: you do the building and editing yourself.
Squarespace
Blueprint AI sets up a site from your answers, inside Squarespace’s design templates. Online stores are built in; the Basic plan charges a 2% transaction fee.
Best for
Design-led sites and small shops.
Think twice if
You want a free plan: there isn’t one, only a 14-day trial.
Framer
Framer’s AI builds from a prompt, and you keep refining in the conversation or on the canvas. It can connect Claude Code and Codex in ChatGPT, and has a CMS for collections. Free plan available.
Best for
Designers and startups who want pixel-level control.
Think twice if
You don’t want to touch a design tool at all.
Webflow
Webflow’s AI Assistant works inside its designer, and its MCP server connects Webflow to AI tools like Claude and Cursor. It has a strong CMS, ecommerce and a free Starter plan.
Best for
Teams with a web designer who want a powerful, flexible platform.
Think twice if
You want a site without learning a professional design tool.
GoDaddy Airo
Airo builds a site from your prompts and lets you edit it through chat. The free plan includes 50 AI credits a month with no card, and online stores are available. GoDaddy also offers expert-built sites as a separate paid service.
Best for
A quick site alongside a GoDaddy domain.
Think twice if
You want a specialist included in your plan rather than paid for separately.
Hostinger
Hostinger’s AI website builder creates a site and includes an AI assistant that can build or manage your store. There is no free plan; you can try it free for 14 days.
Best for
A low-cost site with hosting and domain in one bill.
Think twice if
You want to start on a free plan.
Durable
Durable builds a site fast, includes AI chat that knows your business, and has an AI blog generator. You can start for free.
Best for
A fast first website for a service business.
Think twice if
You need an online store: their site does not state one.
10Web
10Web builds a WordPress site with AI and lets you adjust the design by chatting with AI. It includes an ecommerce builder and a one-week free trial.
Best for
People who want WordPress underneath.
Think twice if
You don’t want to manage a WordPress site at all.
Lovable
Lovable builds websites and web apps by chat, using credits. The free plan includes 5 build credits a day.
Best for
Founders building an app or tool, not just a business site.
Think twice if
You want a ready business website with no technical decisions.
Questions people ask
Can someone design and update my website for me?
With ContentMetric Pro and above, a design specialist designs your site and handles your updates. GoDaddy offers expert-built sites as a separate paid service. The other builders here are do-it-yourself.
Can an AI website builder make a site for free?
Yes. ContentMetric, Wix, Framer, Webflow, GoDaddy Airo and Lovable all have free plans. Squarespace, Hostinger and 10Web offer free trials instead.
Are AI-built websites good for SEO?
They can be. What matters is that the words are in the page when it loads, each page has its own title and description, and schema markup describes the business. Check this before you choose.
Can I use ChatGPT or Claude to edit my website?
On some builders. ContentMetric (Pro and up), Framer and Webflow say you can connect external AI tools; the others did not state it on their sites when we checked.
Which AI website builder is best for an online store?
Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, GoDaddy Airo, Hostinger and 10Web include online stores. ContentMetric does not take payments.
Get your site designed and kept up to date
Start free and see your business as a website. Move to Pro when you want a specialist to design it and handle your updates. See how it works.