Wix
The flexible drag-and-drop all-rounder
- True drag-and-drop — no coding needed
- Huge template library covering every industry
- Hosting, SSL and updates all included
- Wix ADI: AI builds a first version automatically
- Good app marketplace (booking, shop, blog)
- Free trial available, no credit card required
- Can't switch templates after publishing
- Page load times often slower than competitors
- SEO capabilities limited (heavy JavaScript code)
- Free plan displays Wix branding
- Complex projects can get messy quickly
- No way to export your website
Our verdict: Wix is ideal if you want to get online fast with no technical know-how. Great for local businesses, freelancers and simple portfolio sites. Once you need to scale or customise heavily, Wix starts to show its limits.
Squarespace
Design perfection for creative minds
- Exceptionally beautiful, professional templates
- Outstanding for portfolios, photographers & creatives
- Built-in shop (Fluid Engine)
- Solid integrated blogging platform
- Reliable, fast hosting included
- Decent out-of-the-box SEO tools
- Less design freedom than Wix (restricted editor)
- Comparatively expensive, no permanent free plan
- App ecosystem far smaller than WordPress
- Advanced customisation often requires CSS/code
- Not the best choice for complex e-commerce
- No export of website content
Our verdict: Squarespace is the top pick when how your site looks really matters — for photographers, designers, coaches and restaurants. If you need more functionality or lower prices, look elsewhere.
WordPress
The powerful heavyweight — unlimited possibilities
- Powers 43% of all websites worldwide
- Completely unlimited customisation possibilities
- Best SEO ecosystem (Yoast, RankMath etc.)
- You own all your data — no lock-in
- Massive developer community & support
- Ideal for blogs, magazines and complex projects
- Steep learning curve for non-technical users
- Hosting, domain and SSL need to be set up separately
- Updates (core, plugins) need ongoing maintenance
- Security requires attention and vigilance
- Plugin conflicts can take your site down
- Premium themes/plugins often cost extra
Our verdict: WordPress is the right choice for anyone who wants to scale long-term, maintain full control and make the most of SEO. For non-technical beginners without support it can feel overwhelming — which is exactly where aNewSite comes in.
IONOS MyWebsite
The straightforward option — affordable and uncomplicated
- Very affordable, especially in the first year
- Good phone & chat support
- Domain & hosting often bundled together
- AI assistant available for a quick start
- WordPress hosting also available via IONOS
- Simple enough for complete beginners
- Much less design freedom than Wix or Squarespace
- Templates can look generic and dated
- Introductory prices rise sharply after year one
- Very limited app ecosystem
- Full SEO features only in higher-priced plans
- Quickly becomes too limiting for ambitious projects
Our verdict: IONOS is a solid pick for small businesses that need a simple, affordable online presence and value good support. For growing or design-conscious projects, you're better off with WordPress or Squarespace.
Free AI Builders
Durable, 10Web, Jimdo AI & Co. — the future or just hype?
- Website generated from a description in minutes
- No technical knowledge required whatsoever
- Great as a first draft & source of inspiration
- Free plans available for basic use
- Copy & images suggested automatically
- Rapid concept testing with zero effort
- Generic, interchangeable results — little personality
- Very limited customisation options
- AI-generated copy often needs significant editing
- SEO capabilities mostly rudimentary
- Free plans show ads or use a subdomain
- Long-term reliability of providers is uncertain
Our verdict: AI builders are fascinating for a first draft or if you want to start with zero budget. For a professional, long-term online presence they're not quite there yet — but the technology is moving fast. We're keeping a close eye on them for you.