AI Website Builder – useful or just a gimmick?
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Miglė Šeikytė
Content Manager
Having AI implemented into your website builder means that there’s no need for coding or, in some cases, building your website from the ground up – you start making changes to the existing nice foundation, making your job easier and less time-consuming.
However, while helpful, AI website generators are not made equal. So throughout our testing, we build many different sites and evaluated both the smoothness of the process and the final result. And we did get many beautiful and responsive custom sites, while at the same time, discovering that design flexibility is not the strongest virtue of an AI website builder.
So based on all the information, we have shortlisted the 5 best AI website builders we could find.
AI Website Builder: overview
- Wix – easy to use AI website builder
- Hostinger Website Builder – experimental AI features
- SITE123 – quick and easy AI website builder
- Jimdo – simple AI website builder
- Websitebuilder.com – elemental AI features
📢 Limited offer: Get an additional 10% OFF Premium Wix plans using code 'CyberNews10!'
How to choose AI website builder?
There are no strict criteria for choosing the best AI website builder, and the choice will depend on your personal needs entirely. As for the general guidelines, you should pay particular attention to the AI features the builder offers, how simple the ease of use is, and how much can you edit the final result.
- AI features. Before you start your search for the perfect AI builder, consider what AI features you’re looking for. The main element most people look for is an AI website generator that can create a site personally for you. However, additional features like an AI writer, AI heatmap, and even a logo maker exist.
- Ease of use. While all AI builders are very easy to use, do consider not only the building but the site maintenance process too. Look for a provider that comes with a simplistic and clean editor that enables you to manage your billing and site settings from the same place.
- Design flexibility. An AI will generate a simplistic website template that can be further edited to suit your needs. However, some builders allow their users to make pretty extensive design edits, while others simply allow you to upload your content, and that’s it. So consider how much design freedom you’ll need.
Best AI website builders – our detailed list:
Are you looking for a smart website builder with numerous AI tools or simply looking to get an AI generated website? There are many options in the market, yet not all are equally good. So to help you make an informative decision, we’ve tested numerous AI website builders, build a site with them, and based on functionality, shortlisted only the best options.
1. Wix – renowned for its easy-to-use AI website editor
| Setup time: | 3 minutes |
| AI tools: | Generate a website + editing |
| Free version: | Yes |
| Best for: | Design and editing freedom |
| Current deal: | Get an additional 10% OFF Premium Wix plans using code 'CyberNews10!' |
Wix has been around for ages and is one of the most popular and functional website builders in the market. It has an entire AI-based editing interface (which designs your website in minutes!), over 800 templates, and lots of useful features.
AI tools. Wix is best known for its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) website generator. By opting for the provider's AI builder, you’ll get a custom site made just for you in less than 3 minutes.
Ease of use. Overall, Wix’s AI builder is very easy to use. All you’ll have to do is answer a few simple questions, like “What type of site do you want to create?” and “What do you need on your new website?” choose a few blocks that you’ll need on your site (contact form, blog, online store, etc.) and pick a theme. Wix will generate a site based on your choices in a few sec and you’ll be able to edit it further with Wix editor.
Features. All Wix plans come with a free domain, an SSL certificate, and storage of at least 2GB. Additionally, you’ll be able to alter your site's SEO and email marketing features to suit your needs. Now if you wish to sell online too, pricier plans offer eCommerce functionalities
Pricing. Wix offers 1 free, and while this might seem tempting, you won’t be able to connect your custom domain to your site, and the site will include Wix advertising. So the better choice liest with 7 providers paid plans. The prices start at $16.00/mo, and this can get even lower with our code 'CyberNews10!’. Lastly, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee in place.
To learn more, read our in-depth Wix review.
- Easy website building with AI
- Options for beginners and intermediate users
- Offers great business tools
- Deeper design changes have to be done in the regular editor
2. Hostinger Website Builder – looking for experimental AI features?
| Setup time: | 1 minute |
| AI tools: | Business oriented tools |
| Free version: | No |
| Best for: | Unique business AI tools |
| Current deal: | Get Hostinger Website Builder, now 75% OFF + 3 months FREE! |
Hostinger Website Builder, formerly known as Zyro, is yet another great AI website builder. The provider, while relatively new to the market, offers an impressive set of business AI features. Plus, the price is very affordable.
AI tools. While Hostinger Website Builder is still in its early stages, the provider already has an amazing feature planned – an AI website generator that will automatically generate an authentic website based on your preference. Despite that, currently, you can make use of providers' business AI features like a logo maker, an AI writer, and an AI heatmap.
Ease of use. Hostinger Website Builder makes it very easy to create a website and integrate its AI features into it. All you have to do is pick a pre-build template, edit it with a functional drag-and-drop editor, and make use of the builder's AI writer to generate the site some new content. Plus, an AI logo maker, where you can build and download a professional logo, and the AI heatmap, which scans the site and finds the onscreen areas that attract the user's attention, will help you take your business to the next level.
Features. Hostinger Website Builder's single plan comes with a free domain, name, an SSL, 100GB of storage, up to 100 email accounts, and, best of all, an eCommerce functionality with a 3% transaction fee is already included. Plus, SEO and Marketing tools are also included.
Pricing. Hostinger Website Builder currently offers a single plan priced at $2.99/month. If you’re not convinced, you can try out the builder's demo version before making the commitment. Plus, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee too.
To learn more, read our in-depth Hostinger Website Builder review.
- Quick and easy website building
- Advanced AI tools
- Very inexpensive
- Quite limited design flexibility
3. SITE123 – when you want a quick and easy AI website builder
| Setup time: | 2 minutes |
| AI tools: | Generate a website + limited customization |
| Free version: | Yes |
| Best for: | Simple website building |
| Current deal: | SITE123 coupon 40% OFF! |
SITE123 has always been an AI website builder known for its ease of use and simplistic approach. It focuses on the client experience by utilizing an AI website generator, which gives a well-rounded website that you'll only need to do some minor edits to.
AI tools. The main Site123 Artificial Intelligence feature is its automated site generator. It’s the first thing you’ll be faced with when starting your journey with Site123. The tool simply asks you a series of questions and, as a result, presents you with a simplistic yet responsive site for further editing.
Ease of use. SITE123 focuses on ease of use by shifting its focus from extensive customization to a simplified website-building process. Once you sign-up, you’ll be taken to a grid-style page asking which website type you’ll create. Then you’ll be asked to name your site and choose its language. And that’s it; you have a custom site you can further edit.
Features. Site123’s plans come with a custom domain, at least 10GB of storage, and very basic online store functionalities that allows you to sell up to 10 orders per month. Regardless, SEO features such as Adviser and Page audit, as well as an email marketing tool, are also included.
Pricing. SITE123 is neither cheap nor expensive; it’s very middle of the road. The host offers 1 free plan and 5 paid plans, with the Basic plan retailing for $12.80/mo. The tricky thing is that to get any of the premium plans, you first need to have the host's free plan. Now if you end up not enjoying the services, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee.
To learn more, read our in-depth SITE123 review.
- Quick and easy website building
- Suitable for beginners
- Quite limited design flexibility
4. Jimdo – simple AI website builder... that's all
| Setup time: | 4 minutes |
| AI tools: | Generate a website + editing + some content |
| Free version: | Yes |
| Best for: | Building an online presence |
One of the main features that Jimdo talks about is its ease of use. With the help of its AI editor, Jimdo removes all the fluff and extra stuff from the equation. To put the customer front and center Jimdo adds specific questions to give a personalized building experience and fills the website with pre-made content.
AI tools. Similarly to Wix, Jimdo also offers an ADI website builder called Dolphin. This is a functional website generator that in under 4 minutes can create beautiful websites of your choice.
Ease of use. Like most AI website builders, Jumbo is just as easy to use. By choosing the Delphine AI, you’ll be asked if the website is going to be managed just by you, or by a group of people. After, you’ll have to answer numerous questions, like ‘Who are you creating the site for?’ and ‘What are the goals of your website?’, then name the site and pick the color scheme. And in under 4 minutes, you’ll get a custom website that can be further edited with a drag-and-drop editor.
Features. Despite which plan you choose, you can expect to get at least 5GB of storage and 10GB of bandwidth for up to 10 sites, plus a free custom domain and HTTPS security. Other nice features include responsive designs, search engine optimizations, and image library integration.
Pricing. Jimdo comes forward with 1 free and 4 paid plans (2 for personal sites and 2 for eCommerce), where prices start at $9.00/mo. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the provider offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
- Easy website building with Dolphin AI
- Simple customization
- Very limited design flexibility
5. WebsiteBuilder.com – all the key AI features
| Setup time: | 3 minutes 30 seconds |
| Customization: | Generate a website + simple editing |
| Free version: | Yes |
| Best for: | Personalized experience |
| Current deal: | Get up to 60% OFF Websitebuilder! |
WebsiteBuilder.com pretty much does what it says on the tin. It offers a minimalistic building process, giving its users functionality and AI tools that ask questions and make sure you like what you’re building every step of the way.
AI tools. The builder comes with two AI features such as the AI website generator, which will produce a custom site in minutes, and a functional AI logo maker. In terms of the site generator, it’s very straightforward and takes just up to 4 minutes to build a site. As for the logo maker, it streamlines the process of logo creation for people who aren’t very design-savvy.
Ease of use. The setup process is really easy, in fact, so much so that you don’t even need to create an account to start making a website. When all the choices are made, that’s when you’ll be asked to create a free account. The first question asks what kind of site you’re planning to create and the AI will use that to create a new web page. Next up, you’ll have to pick between color schemes, font pairs, and navigation style options.
Features. All paid plans come with unlimited storage, a custom domain, an SSL, a CDN, and unlimited email accounts. Plus, eCommerce functionality is included too, as well as other perks like analytics & campaign reporting, a blogging platform, and automated email scheduling.
Pricing. WebsiteBuilder offers you 1 free and 3 paid plans. The price for premium options starts at a pretty affordable $7.58/mo. Now if you don’t think that the builder is for you, you can get your money back within 14 days of the purchase.
Read more about the builder in our WebsiteBuilder.com review.
- Very personalized website building experience
- Suitable for beginners
- Intuitive editing
- The builder is quite cluttered
Do you need an AI website builder?
In short: it depends. The main selling point of AI is automation; i.e. making our lives easier. As such, it comes with pros and cons when building a website.
AI website builder pros:
- Ease of use. An AI website is primarily meant to make users' life more simple by streamlining the website-building process. With an AI website, generator users are simply asked a few questions and in just under 5 min they get a custom-made website.
- Innovative tools. Some AI features might significantly improve your site creation, content production, and even branding processes. Hostinger Website Builder is a good example of that since the builder offers an AI writer, which can generate new content on the guidelines you provide. Plus, there’s a functional and free logo maker that enables you to create a professional-looking logo.
AI website builder cons:
- Design and editing limitations. While AI is an ever-changing technology that is getting more advanced daily, currently it has its imitations. These can be seen either in the slightly basic design of generated websites or in the editor itself which allows you to make fairly minimal design customizations.
- AI functionality isn't extensive. AI is primarily meant to help you get online fast. The drawback of that is that there are very few base things that you get to choose from; no extensive features or elements in sight.
Best AI website builders compared
| Wix | Hostinger Website Builder | SITE123 | Jimdo | WebsiteBuilder.com | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | ||||
| AI tools | ADI website generator | AI writer, AI heatmap, AI logo maker | AI website generator | Dolphin ADI website generator | AI website generator and AI logo maker |
| Best for | Design and editing freedom | Unique business AI tools | Simple website building | Building an online presence | Personalized experience |
| Free plan | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free domain name | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Ecommerce | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Price starts from | $16.00/month | $2.99/month | $11.88/month | $9.00/month | $7.58/month |
Best free AI website builder
While we do not suggest a free website of any sort, if you're looking to build a professional website, there are still a couple of good and functional free AI website builders that you can test out before committing to one.
Our top free AI website builder options include Wix and Site123. Both providers are entirely free for as long as you need them. And best of all, their AI site generator is available on the free version too. So you can use it as your playground and see whether you like the builder, before making a purchase.
Bottom line
As a whole, with AI popularity rising daily, the selection of AI website builders in the market is getting larger and larger. However, not all builders are equally good at what they do.
So if you’re looking for a flexible, customizable, and highly visual AI website generator our top #1 suggestion would be Wix. The builder comes with a beautiful ADI website generator that in just a couple of minutes will present you with a responsive website that showcases your chosen design style and further allows you to apply even more customization options.
FAQs
What is the best AI website builder?
The best AI website builder is Wix. The provider is flexible, and comes with many business and personal use-oriented features, as well as a very functional ADI site generator.
What is the best free AI website builder?
The best free AI website builder is Wix. The builder allows you to play around with its powerful ADI website generator even before you make a commitment and decide to build a professional website.
Should I use an AI website builder?
You don’t have to use an AI website builder. However, if you're a beginner looking for some help when creating a website, it will make site creation much easier for both beginners and experienced users alike.
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