Because I’m the kind of person who has way too much confidence and serious FOMO, I’m always volunteering to tackle projects that I have no business heading up. That’s why, to date, I’ve built several websites (two for former employers, one for my sister-in-law’s food blog, and one for my own freelance business)—even though I’ve never so much as taken an intro course in web design. And I used WordPress to build each of them.
WordPress is a powerhouse website building tool—so much so that it’s made several of Zapier’s best apps lists:
But as a non-professional in the web design field, I can understand why many tech newbies prefer website builders that are easier to use.
Zapier’s testers have spent hundreds of cumulative hours rigorously testing all the website builders out there—and based on those results, here are nine of the best WordPress alternatives to consider for your next web design project.
The best WordPress alternatives
What makes the best WordPress alternative?
How we evaluate and test apps
Our best apps roundups are written by humans who’ve spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it’s intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We’re never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog.
WordPress is powerful, but let’s face it—it can be a bit intimidating if you’re not tech-savvy. Configuring themes, plugins, and settings can take some patience. If you’re thinking about making the switch from WordPress, you probably have one of a few reasons:
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You want something more user-friendly
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You have a specific use case in mind (like blogging or eCommerce)
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You want a more affordable (read: free) option
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You’re a power user who’s ready to experiment with AI building features or advanced design freedom
In order to be considered as a viable alternative to WordPress, the website builder needs to offer an advantage in one of those areas—while still being comparable to WordPress in the basics. It should be affordable for most small businesses and creators who are just getting started, with bonus points for a free option. It should have reliable performance, be at least as intuitive and user-friendly as WordPress (but preferably more so), and offer at least one standout feature WordPress doesn’t have, like an AI site builder or advanced collaboration tools.
The best WordPress alternatives at a glance
Best for |
Standout features |
Pricing |
|
---|---|---|---|
Wix |
Overall website building |
AI site builder and best-in-class editor |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $17/month |
Squarespace |
Ease of use |
Pre-designed templates and built-in tutorial bot for step-by-step guidance |
From $16/month |
Ghost |
Blogging |
Built-in features for memberships and newsletters; simple and focused on content creators |
Free for self-hosted; Ghost Pro starts at $9/month |
Shopify |
eCommerce |
Built-in tools for selling on social media and marketplaces |
From $29/month |
Webflow |
Advanced designers |
Full control over design with drag-and-drop and class-based styling |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $14/month |
Framer |
AI-driven design |
Advanced AI site builder generates layouts from prompts |
Free with Framer branding; paid plans start at $5/month |
Yola |
Free website builder |
Easy template switching without losing content |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $6.95/month |
HubSpot CMS |
Growing businesses |
Strong focus on SEO and business growth with real-time recommendations |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $15/month |
WordPress.com |
WordPress without the fuss |
Fast and simple hosted setup with WordPress features |
Free plan available; paid plans start at $4/month |
Best WordPress alternative for overall website building
Wix
Wix pros:
Wix cons:
Since I write blog posts for a living, I firmly believe a website builder is only as good as its blogging features. But to my dismay, most website builders don’t share my perspective. They either hide the blog tools in some random corner or make the whole experience frustrating—or both.
Wix is the exception. Not only is it incredibly user-friendly for building a website, but it also makes setting up and managing a blog a breeze. Wix starts by asking you what kind of site you want to create. Mention the word “blog,” and the AI site builder will automatically include a blog for you. It’s that straightforward.
While I wouldn’t recommend relying on the AI tool for all of your blog content, features like AI-generated headlines or SEO metadata suggestions can be genuinely helpful. Set the AI aside, and Wix’s blog editor is solid—easy to use and capable of handling all the typical blogging tasks without any fuss.
Of course, there’s a trade-off. WordPress can be much cheaper. You can launch a WordPress blog with a custom domain for just a few dollars a month, whereas Wix’s plans with similar features start at $17/month. If you’re running a business, that might not be a big deal, but for a personal blog, the cost can add up.
That said, if you’re building more than just a blog—like an online store, booking system, or a robust business website—Wix really shines. It simplifies the process and spares you the learning curve of managed WordPress hosting. In the end, it’s all about what matters most to you: simplicity and ease, or budget and flexibility. If the former sounds like your speed, Wix might be just the tool you need.
And Wix integrates with Zapier, so you’ll be able to connect it to the other apps you use most. Learn more about how to automate Wix, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Wix price: Free plan available; paid plans start at $17/month.
Best WordPress alternative for ease of use
Squarespace
Squarespace pros:
Squarespace cons:
If you’re looking for a simple, stress-free way to build a website, Squarespace is hard to beat—especially compared to WordPress. Squarespace is designed for people who want a polished site without the hassle of learning to code or tinkering with plugins. It’s an all-in-one platform that lets you get up and running in no time.
Setting up a site on Squarespace is almost unbelievably fast. You pick your website’s category, choose a template, and name your site—it’s that easy. Within minutes, you’ll have a professional-looking website that’s ready to customize. The interface is intuitive, and if you ever feel stuck, Squarespace’s built-in tutorial bot walks you through the features step by step. Compared to WordPress, which requires setting up hosting, managing installations, and sorting through plugins just to get started, Squarespace feels like cheating.
Customization on Squarespace is also dead simple. Instead of starting from scratch, you can select from a variety of pre-designed templates and layouts, making it easy to create something that looks great. Want to add an image? Upload it, and Squarespace even offers built-in editing tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, or adding filters. On WordPress, these tasks often require plugins or extra steps, which can slow down your progress.
Squarespace also has plenty of useful built-in features. Marketing tools, analytics, and eCommerce functionality are already integrated, saving you the trouble of hunting for and configuring third-party plugins. While WordPress offers similar capabilities through plugins like WooCommerce and Google Analytics, getting them set up often requires more time and know-how.
Squarespace also integrates with Zapier, which makes it easy to automate your website. Do things like sending automatic email confirmations for form submissions, adding leads to your CRM, and sending subscribers to your email list. Learn more about how to automate Squarespace, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Squarespace pricing: From $16/month for a custom domain, Squarespace AI, and basic website design features. The Core plan starts at $23/month for advanced analytics, complete CSS and Javascript customization, and a professional Google Workspace email.
Best WordPress alternative for blogging
Ghost
Ghost pros:
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Great for blogging and building an audience
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Lots of built-in features, like memberships and newsletter subscriptions
Ghost cons:
Ghost was created by John O’Nolan, a former WordPress developer who wanted a simpler, more focused platform for bloggers. Unlike WordPress, which can feel bloated with features and options meant for all kinds of websites, Ghost is designed specifically for content creators. It’s especially great if you’re interested in subscription-based publishing—think newsletters, membership sites, and premium content.
The platform is free and open source, so if you have the technical know-how, you can set it up on your own server for free. But if you’d prefer a hassle-free experience, Ghost offers a hosted version called Ghost Pro, starting at $9/month. Unlike WordPress, Ghost is run by a non-profit, which means all the subscription revenue goes right back into improving the platform.
Ghost’s simplicity is one of its biggest strengths. Everything you need to publish and manage your blog is built in, from SEO tools to membership and subscription features. If you’re planning to charge for premium posts or newsletters, Ghost makes it easy to set up. Even if you’re not interested in paid memberships, the platform offers a clean and intuitive experience for running a blog without the extra noise of features you don’t need.
Ghost also integrates with Zapier, so you can do things like share your new blog posts to Buffer or send Google Docs drafts straight into Ghost. Here are some examples to get you started.
Ghost price: Free for self-hosted; from $9/month for Ghost Pro.
Best WordPress alternative for eCommerce
Shopify
Shopify pros:
Shopify cons:
WordPress is versatile and can power all kinds of websites, but that flexibility comes with complexity—especially when you’re trying to set up a store. Shopify, on the other hand, is built from the ground up to make selling online as easy as possible. If you want to build an online store without a steep learning curve, you can’t go wrong with Shopify.
From the moment you sign up, the platform guides you through creating products, managing inventory, and tracking orders. It even has built-in tools for selling on social media or through marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. It doesn’t try to be a jack-of-all-trades—it’s all about helping you sell, and it does that really well.
While WordPress requires choosing a hosting provider, installing plugins like WooCommerce, and learning how to configure your site, Shopify lets you dive right in. With a few clicks, you can have a fully functional store ready to go. And if you hit any snags, Shopify’s 24/7 chat support is there to help—a stark contrast to WordPress, where support often involves searching forums or hiring developers.
Yes, Shopify is more expensive than WordPress, starting at $29/month compared to WordPress’s lower hosting costs. But what you’re paying for is convenience and a platform designed specifically for eCommerce.
Shopify also has a Zapier integration, which lets you connect your eCommerce store to the rest of your most-used tools. Learn more about how to automate Shopify, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Shopify pricing: Starts at $29/month for basic eCommerce features; Shopify for small teams starts at $79/month for reduced credit card fees, shipping discounts, and more staff accounts.
Best WordPress alternative for advanced designers
Webflow
Webflow pros:
Webflow cons:
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No AI builder
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Steep learning curve
Webflow offers something that’s hard to find anywhere else: complete design freedom, without the need for heavy coding. If you’re an advanced designer (or just serious about creative freedom, Webflow is an excellent alternative to WordPress. Just keep in mind that it’s not an easy website builder for newbies—but if you’re familiar with how WordPress works, you should be fine switching to Webflow.
The tool is built for visual thinkers who want to create highly customized websites without being limited by templates or relying on a developer. Its drag-and-drop interface uses “containers” and “classes” that make designing intuitive while still giving you full control over layout, typography, and spacing. Need to tweak a specific style across your site? Just update the class, and it applies automatically everywhere. It’s as close as you can get to coding without actually writing the code—and if you want to dig into the code, Webflow gives you access to that, too.
Another great thing about Webflow is how seamlessly it supports collaboration with external designers or agencies. You can invite freelancers or agencies to work on your site with full access—without paying for additional seats—and even allow clients and teammates to leave comments directly on the design.
You can also connect your Webflow site to your other apps using Zapier, which makes it even easier to collaborate, back up website information, and automate notifications even after your website is up and running. Learn more about how to automate Webflow, or get started with one of these templates.
Webflow pricing: Free plan available with a webflow.io domain; paid plans start at $14/month for a custom domain, 150 pages, and unlimited form submissions.
Best WordPress alternative for AI
Framer
Framer pros:
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It’s a super impressive and fun AI
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The rest of the app is great, so you can build a real site
Framer cons:
Most AI-powered website builders promise they can build you a complete website based on a prompt, but most still fall laughably short—with one notable exception. Framer’s AI is advanced compared to the other AI features on this list, and it’s a refreshing glimpse into how AI might shape web design in the future.
Start by giving a detailed prompt, and the tool generates a rough website based on your description. For example, you could ask it to design a portfolio site for a dog portrait photographer, and it’ll whip up a layout with a gallery and some placeholder copy. Sure, it’s not a perfect, ready-to-launch site—links and buttons might need some manual tweaking—but it’s impressive how far it takes your idea right out of the gate.
Once your AI-generated site is ready, Framer’s robust site builder kicks in, letting you fully customize everything. The editor is more technical than drag-and-drop builders like Wix, but it’s also more flexible, giving you plenty of control over the final look and feel. And if the AI isn’t quite your style, Framer also has a library of polished templates to work from, so you can skip the AI entirely and dive straight into designing.
While Framer AI isn’t a perfect replacement for traditional website building, it’s exciting to see a tool that delivers on the promise of AI-driven design without feeling gimmicky.
Framer pricing: Free with Framer branding for hobby projects; from $5/month for the Mini plan, with 2 pages and 10GB bandwidth.
Best free WordPress alternative
Yola
Yola pros:
Yola cons:
While WordPress can be overwhelming—especially for beginners—Yola is all about simplicity. It offers a streamlined experience that helps you create a polished website without breaking a sweat. And best of all, you can get most of the features you’ll need for free (you’ll just need to be ok with Yola branding).
The setup process guides you through selecting the type of site you want—whether it’s personal, business, or even an online store—and you can choose between the AI website builder or a range of DIY templates. If you’re not sure which template works best, Yola lets you switch templates later without losing any of your content, which is a small but very useful feature.
The editor itself is intuitive and beginner-friendly, with a wide selection of blocks to help you build your site. Customization options aren’t limitless (like they are in WordPress)—but this limitation is intentional. Instead of spending hours tweaking individual elements, Yola offers carefully curated color palettes, fonts, and styles that keep your site looking cohesive and professional.
Even on Yola’s free plan, you get plenty of value—it’s perfect for launching a basic site quickly. Plus, it’s a lot more beginner-friendly than WordPress while still delivering a professional, polished final product.
Yola pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $6.95/month for 5 websites, a custom domain, and 2GB of storage.
Best WordPress alternative for growing businesses
HubSpot CMS Hub
HubSpot pros:
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Quick, easy-to-use AI builder
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Step-by-step plan to get started
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Focus on SEO and business growth
HubSpot cons:
HubSpot is known for its business tools, and its website builder (HubSpot CMS) follows the same playbook—streamlined, smart, and built with business goals in mind.
One of the best things about HubSpot CMS is how easy it makes the website-building process. From the start, it guides you step-by-step, showing your progress with percentages (so satisfying). You can choose a theme from HubSpot’s marketplace—there are hundreds of free and premium options—or use the AI builder to generate a site draft based on your design preferences, like “modern” or “minimalistic.” Either way, you’ll end up with a site that looks professional and fits your brand.
Customization is straightforward, too. You can tweak the theme’s settings—adjust colors, fonts, layouts—and then start building your core pages (home, about, contact) using the drag-and-drop editor. With 45+ modules, including CTAs, accordions, and image blocks, you have plenty of flexibility to create a polished, functional site. Plus, HubSpot provides tutorials to help you make the most of these features, so there’s no need to stress if you’re not a web design pro.
Where HubSpot really shines, though, is its focus on growth and SEO. It walks you through setting up a blog, optimizing your pages for search engines, and even gives you real-time SEO recommendations as you add content. For businesses focused on inbound marketing, HubSpot feels like a natural fit—it’s designed to help you attract and engage your audience right from the start. Just make sure to upgrade to a custom domain to ditch the default “hubspotpagebuilder.com” URL.
If you use HubSpot for more than just building a website, you can automate all your workflows by connecting it to Zapier. Learn more about how to automate HubSpot, or get started with one of these pre-built workflows.
HubSpot CMS pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $15/month (billed annually).
Best alternative for WordPress without the fuss
WordPress.com
WordPress.com pros:
WordPress.com cons:
I have a love-hate relationship with WordPress—but that doesn’t mean you do. Maybe you love using WordPress, but you just don’t want the hassle of self-hosting. In that case, WordPress.com is just what the doctor ordered: it offers the powerful blogging and content management features WordPress is known for, combined with a simpler, hosted setup. You don’t need to worry about finding a hosting provider, downloading WordPress, or handling updates and security—it’s all taken care of.
Getting started with WordPress.com couldn’t be easier. You can sign up for a free account, pick a theme, and have a basic website live in minutes. While the free plan is limited (you’ll have a wordpress.com domain, ads, and fewer design options), it’s a great way to test the waters. Once you’re ready to scale up, paid plans like the $4/month Personal plan let you use your own domain and remove ads. For even more customization, the $40/month Business plan opens the door to third-party plugins and themes—without the stress of managing hosting or server updates.
If you’re familiar with self-hosted WordPress, you’ll notice that WordPress.com has fewer customization options out of the box. But for many businesses, that trade-off is worth it. It’s a much faster way to get a professional-looking site online, and upgrading plans gives you access to plenty of tools to expand as you grow.
WordPress.com price: Free plan available; Personal plan starts at $4/month for a custom domain, 6GB storage, and no ads.
Which WordPress alternative should you choose?
There’s a reason WordPress is king in the web design space—but like any other app, it comes with strengths and weaknesses. If WordPress’s learning curve is too steep for you, try Wix or Squarespace. If it doesn’t have enough of an eCommerce focus for you, try Shopify. Or if you want to see where the future of AI web builders is heading, go with Framer. It’s all about finding your key pain point and choosing the WordPress alternative that solves it.
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