Choosing an AI website builder sounds simple until you actually try one: some create a beautiful first draft but give you little control afterward. In contrast, others can build surprisingly advanced applications but feel excessive for a basic business website. So which AI website builder is actually worth using? After comparing 10 popular options across AI generation, editing control, publishing, pricing, and the amount of manual work required after the first draft, I found that Wix is the best overall choice for most users; Hostinger offers strong value for beginners; and Squarespace stands out for design. At the same time, Lovable and v0 are better when your “website” is really a functional web application.
Quick Answer: Which AI Website Builder Should You Choose?
If you don’t want to read the entire comparison, start here:
- Best overall: Wix
- Best value for beginners: Hostinger Website Builder
- Best for design: Squarespace
- Best AI-first builder: Lovable
- Best for developers: v0 by Vercel
- Best for existing development teams: Builder.io
- Best for WordPress: 10Web AI Builder
- Best for speed: Durable
- Best for entrepreneurs: GoDaddy Airo
- Best for service businesses: B12
The important thing is that these platforms aren’t interchangeable. A freelancer building a five-page portfolio has very different needs from a startup building a functional web application. That’s why I wouldn’t choose based on the AI demo alone.
How I Tested These AI Website Builders
I looked at each platform from a practical website-building perspective rather than simply comparing feature checklists.
The main things I considered were:
- AI generation: How effectively does the tool turn a basic description into a usable starting point for a website?
- Editing control: Can you easily change the result without having to fight the builder?
- Functionality: Can it handle forms, ecommerce, integrations, or application-level features when needed?
- Pricing: What does the entry-level plan actually cost, and are there any promotional or credit-based pricing options?
- Post-generation work: How much cleanup is needed before the website is genuinely ready to publish?
- Best-fit scenario: Who gets the most value from the platform and who probably shouldn’t use it?
That last point matters. The best AI website builder isn’t necessarily the one with the longest feature list. It’s the one that creates the least friction for the type of website you’re trying to launch.
Best Overall AI Website Builders
1. Wix
Best for: Most businesses, freelancers, creators and beginners who want AI assistance without losing visual control.
Pricing: Wix offers a free starting option, while paid plans vary by market and plan. Paid plans add features such as a custom domain, increased storage and business functionality.
Wix is the easiest recommendation when you don’t have a highly specialized requirement. Its AI website builder can create an initial website from a description, after which you can continue editing the design and content visually. That combination is important because AI-generated websites rarely get every detail right on the first attempt.
The real advantage is what happens after generation. You aren’t forced to accept the AI’s decisions. You can continue adjusting pages, sections, layouts, content and business functionality.
Why I’d choose it: It provides one of the better balances between AI automation and traditional website editing.
Who should use it: Small businesses, freelancers, consultants, creators and anyone building a conventional business website.
Who shouldn’t use it: Developers who need complete control over the underlying application architecture.
Bottom line: If someone asks me, “What AI website builder should I try first?” Wix would be my starting point.
2. Hostinger Website Builder
Best for: Beginners who want an affordable all-in-one website setup.
Pricing: Hostinger’s current promotional pricing starts at $2.99/month for its Premium Website Builder plan. Its Unlimited plan starts at $3.99/month on the current 48-month promotional term, with a listed renewal price of $16.99/month.
Hostinger is interesting because the AI builder is bundled into a broader hosting experience. You don’t have to separately figure out where to host the website before you start building.
Describe the business, choose the general direction, and let the AI create the first version. You can then modify the content, layout, and other elements.
The low introductory price makes it attractive for people creating their first website, but don’t make the mistake of comparing the $2.99 promotional rate directly with a month-to-month competitor. The billing term and renewal price matter.
Why I’d choose it: Strong value when you need hosting and an AI website builder in the same package.
Who should use it: Startups, small businesses, bloggers, and beginners working with a limited budget.
Who shouldn’t use it: Teams that need highly specialized development workflows or advanced application architecture.
Bottom line: If cost is one of your biggest concerns, Hostinger deserves to be near the top of your shortlist.
3. Squarespace
Best for: Design-focused websites, portfolios and brands where presentation matters.
Pricing: Squarespace plans currently start at $16/month, and new websites can begin with a 14-day free trial. Pricing and available features can vary by billing cycle and region.
Squarespace takes a more design-led approach to AI website creation. Its Blueprint AI Builder helps generate a site structure and design direction based on your business information. Instead of giving you a completely blank canvas, it uses Squarespace’s established design system to produce a more cohesive starting point.
That’s useful when you care about how the website looks as much as how quickly it gets published.
Why I’d choose it: Strong visual consistency without requiring you to design everything from scratch.
Who should use it: Designers, photographers, consultants, creators, portfolios, and visually driven brands.
Who shouldn’t use it: Developers looking for extensive code-level control.
Bottom line: If your first question is “Will this website look polished?” rather than “Can I customize every technical detail?”, Squarespace is worth considering.
Best AI-First & Developer-Grade Builders
4. Lovable
Best for: Building functional websites and web applications from natural-language instructions.
Pricing: Lovable has a free starting plan. Its paid plans use a credit-based model, with the Pro plan currently listed at $25/month.
Lovable is where the definition of an “AI website builder” starts to change.
Instead of focusing primarily on pages, layouts, and visual editing, Lovable can help create functional applications with frontend interfaces, backend functionality, authentication, databases, and integrations.
That makes it much more interesting for founders and product teams than someone who wants a company homepage.
For example, if you’re building a customer portal, internal tool, or early-stage SaaS product, Lovable is closer to what you actually need than a conventional drag-and-drop website builder.
Why I’d choose it: It can take an idea beyond a collection of static pages.
Who should use it: Founders, startups, product teams, and technical users validating application ideas.
Who shouldn’t use it: Someone who only needs a simple five-page business website.
Bottom line: Don’t choose Lovable because it’s “more advanced.” Choose it when your project actually requires application-level functionality.
5. v0 by Vercel
Best for: Developers and teams building modern web applications.
Pricing:
- Free: $0/month
- Premium: $20/month
- Plus: $30/user/month
- Business: $100/user/month
v0 sits even closer to the development side of the spectrum.
Rather than treating AI as a replacement for the entire development process, it helps generate interfaces and application experiences that can fit into a modern development workflow.
That distinction matters.
If you’re a developer who wants to describe a UI and rapidly generate working code, v0 makes more sense than a traditional website builder. If you’re a nontechnical user trying to launch a local-business website, the opposite is probably true.
Why I’d choose it: It bridges natural-language generation and a real developer workflow.
Who should use it: Developers, technical founders, and product teams.
Who shouldn’t use it: Beginners who don’t want to deal with development concepts.
Bottom line: v0 is less “build me a website” and more “help me build this web experience.”
6. Builder.io
Best for: Teams with an existing codebase, design system or development workflow.
Pricing: Builder.io offers a free plan, while paid options vary by product and team requirements. Pro, Team and Enterprise options are available, with Enterprise pricing handled through sales.
Builder.io becomes more useful when you’re not starting from zero.
Its AI capabilities can work with existing development environments, design systems and code components. That makes it particularly relevant to organizations where designers, marketers and developers need to collaborate without creating disconnected versions of the same experience.
This is a fundamentally different use case from generating a standalone website.
Why I’d choose it: It can bring AI into an existing design-and-development system instead of forcing a team to start over.
Who should use it: Product teams, developers, enterprise teams, and organizations with established design systems.
Who shouldn’t use it: Individuals building a basic personal website.
Bottom line: Builder.io makes the most sense when you already have a technical foundation to build on.
Best for WordPress & Migrations
7. 10Web AI Builder
Best for: WordPress users creating new sites or rebuilding existing websites.
Pricing: The AI Starter plan currently starts at $10/month, with an annual option listed at $120 for 12 months under the current offer.
10Web is one of the more obvious choices if WordPress is already part of your workflow.
Instead of asking you to abandon WordPress for a proprietary website platform, it combines AI website creation with a WordPress-based environment.
That can be useful when migrating, rebuilding, or creating multiple WordPress websites and you want AI to accelerate the initial work.
Why I’d choose it: You can use AI assistance without moving away from WordPress.
Who should use it: WordPress users, agencies, and businesses already invested in the WordPress ecosystem.
Who shouldn’t use it: Someone who has no reason to use WordPress and wants the easiest possible website builder.
Bottom line: If WordPress is non-negotiable, 10Web should be on your shortlist.
Best for Small Businesses & Service Providers
8. Durable
Best for: Small businesses that want a website quickly.
Pricing: Durable offers a free starting option, while paid plans currently start at $22/month.
Durable’s biggest strength is simplicity.
You describe your business, and the platform creates a website around that information. For someone who doesn’t want to spend a weekend choosing templates, arranging sections, and writing every piece of website copy, that speed can be valuable.
The trade-off is customization. A simple business website doesn’t necessarily need hundreds of design controls, but a highly branded or technically unusual site may eventually need more flexibility.
Why I’d choose it: Speed and simplicity.
Who should use it: Local businesses, contractors, freelancers, and entrepreneurs who need a basic online presence.
Who shouldn’t use it: Businesses that need highly customized digital experiences.
Bottom line: Durable is about getting online quickly, not turning website creation into a design project.
9. GoDaddy Airo
Best for: Entrepreneurs and local businesses that want AI-assisted websites and business setup.
Pricing: GoDaddy Airo offers a free plan with 50 AI credits per month. Its Starter plan is currently listed at $9.99/month when billed annually.
Airo is interesting because its AI capabilities extend beyond simply generating website pages.
The platform is designed around helping entrepreneurs start and manage online business activities, and its AI Builder can also create more functional web experiences.
That makes it a useful option for someone starting with a business idea rather than a detailed technical specification.
Why I’d choose it: It connects website creation with the broader process of starting an online business.
Who should use it: Entrepreneurs, local businesses, and people starting from scratch.
Who shouldn’t use it: Development teams that already have their own technical stack.
Bottom line: Airo makes more sense when the website is part of a broader business setup.
10. B12
Best for: Professional service businesses that need their website to support customer acquisition.
Pricing:
- Free: Available with a B12 subdomain
- Website: $49/month
- Website + Client Engagement: $78/month
- New-user promotion: $1/month for the first three months
B12 takes a different approach from inexpensive AI website generators.
It focuses heavily on service businesses and combines website creation with tools for managing customer interactions, forms, payments, marketing, and other business processes.
That means the price shouldn’t be compared directly with a basic $3-per-month website builder.
You’re paying for a broader business-oriented platform.
Why I’d choose it: The website can become part of the business workflow rather than remain a standalone brochure.
Who should use it: Consultants, professional services, agencies, and other service-based businesses.
Who shouldn’t use it: Someone who only needs a basic portfolio or personal homepage.
Bottom line: B12 is more compelling when lead generation and client management matter as much as the website itself.
AI Website Builder Pricing: What You Should Actually Compare
The lowest advertised price isn’t necessarily the cheapest option.
Before choosing an AI website builder, look at these five things:
- Introductory price: Is the advertised price temporary?
- Renewal price: What will you pay after the promotional period?
- Billing term: Does the low price require an annual or multi-year commitment?
- AI credits: Does heavy AI usage cost extra?
- Included features: Are hosting, domains, ecommerce, forms, and business tools included?
For example, Hostinger’s low introductory price looks very different once you consider its long-term billing requirement and renewal rate. B12 costs considerably more, but it also targets a different customer and offers broader client engagement capabilities.
In other words, don’t compare $3/month with $49/month until you know what you’re actually getting for that money.
Which AI Website Builder Is Best for You?
Here’s the simplest way I’d make the decision:
- Choose Wix if: You want a flexible general-purpose website builder with AI assistance and visual control.
- Choose Hostinger if: You want an affordable all-in-one website setup.
- Choose Squarespace if: Design quality and visual consistency are your top priorities.
- Choose Lovable if: You’re turning an idea into a functional web application.
- Choose v0 if: You’re a developer who wants AI-assisted code and interface generation.
- Choose Builder.io if: You already have a development system, design system, or codebase.
- Choose 10Web if: You want to stay within WordPress.
- Choose Durable if: You need a straightforward small-business website quickly.
- Choose GoDaddy Airo if: You’re an entrepreneur looking for an AI-assisted business setup.
- Choose B12 if: You’re a service business that needs integrated website and client engagement functionality.
What I Learned From Comparing These Tools
The biggest difference isn’t actually AI quality.
It’s how much control you need after AI finishes the first draft.
That’s the part many AI website builder comparisons miss.
Generating a website is now relatively easy. The harder question is what happens when you tell the builder:
- “This headline is wrong.”
- “I need another landing page.”
- “Change this section without breaking the layout.”
- “Add a booking workflow.”
- “Connect this to my existing system.”
- “I want to change the design without rebuilding everything.”
- “I need this website to become an actual application.”
A simple AI website builder may handle the first request beautifully and struggle with the fifth. A developer-grade tool may handle the fifth but be unnecessarily complicated for the first.
That’s why I wouldn’t call one platform the universal winner.
The right level of AI matters more than the maximum amount of AI.
Conclusion
After comparing these 10 AI website builders, my overall pick for most people is Wix because it offers a practical middle ground between AI automation and hands-on editing. Hostinger Website Builder is especially appealing when keeping the initial cost low matters, while Squarespace is the better fit for design-focused websites.
Once you move beyond conventional websites, the shortlist changes. Lovable and v0 by Vercel make more sense for functional web applications and developer-led projects. Builder.io is better suited to teams with an existing technical system, while 10Web is the natural choice for WordPress users.
For entrepreneurs and service businesses, Durable, GoDaddy Airo, and B12 each take slightly different approaches to getting a business online.
The main lesson from testing these platforms is simple: don’t choose an AI website builder because it produces the fastest first draft. Choose the one that will still work for you after the first draft is finished. That’s where the real difference between these tools becomes clear.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best AI website builder in 2026?
Wix is the best overall AI website builder for most users because it combines AI website generation, visual editing, and business features. Hostinger is a strong lower-cost alternative, while Squarespace is better suited to design-focused websites.
2. What is the cheapest AI website builder?
Hostinger currently has one of the lowest advertised starting prices, with its Premium Website Builder starting at $2.99/month on the current promotional term. However, the billing period and renewal price should be considered before comparing it with other platforms.
3. Can AI really build a complete website?
Yes. AI website builders can generate website structures, pages, text, images, and basic functionality from natural-language instructions. AI-first platforms such as Lovable and v0 can go further by helping create functional web applications. However, human review is still needed for content accuracy, branding, SEO, accessibility, and final quality.
4. Which AI website builder is best for beginners?
Wix and Hostinger Website Builder are strong choices for beginners because they combine AI generation with visual editing and require little or no coding. Squarespace is another good option for users who prioritize design.
5. What is the best AI website builder for developers?
v0 by Vercel and Lovable are strong options for developers and technical teams. v0 is particularly useful for AI-assisted code and modern web development workflows, while Lovable is better suited to turning natural-language ideas into functional applications.
