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6 Canva Alternatives for Website Building

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Canva is well-known as a user-friendly graphic design platform, but it also offers tools for building websites, like one-page sites geared toward link-in-bio pages, portfolios, resumes, and personal brands. While Canva can be a good option to design and publish a site, especially if you’re familiar with its editor, other website builders may offer more of the functionality that you need long-term.

If you're looking for broad customization features, ecommerce and service selling tools, or a more all-in-one platform to scale with your brand, you may want to consider other website builders. The best Canva alternative for you will depend on your design needs, technical comfort level, and long-term goals for your website.

Top Canva alternatives 

  • Squarespace

  • Wix

  • WordPress

  • GoDaddy

  • Hostinger

  • Webflow

This list includes some of the most commonly referenced website building platforms across the web and covers a spectrum of features and design complexity. Below, we’ll walk through each alternative, highlighting key features that might influence your choice, like design and AI features, monthly subscription starting prices for 12-month plans, and ecommerce options.

1. Squarespace

Pricing starts at: $16 per month

Squarespace is an all-in-one platform that lets you build a beautifully designed website and run your brand or business from a single account. With tools for blogging, selling products or services, scheduling appointments, and marketing your content, it goes well beyond basic website capabilities but is still beginner-friendly.

Squarespace vs. Canva

While Canva’s website builder is a good option for lightweight websites, Squarespace supports a broad range of site types. Squarespace includes built-in features for everything from personal portfolios and landing pages to online stores and full-scale business websites. Squarespace users get access to professionally designed templates, an AI website builder for extra customization, drag-and-drop editing, and robust ecommerce and marketing tools.

Whether you start with a predesigned template or the AI-powered builder, Blueprint AI, Squarespace gives you creative control over your site’s layout, content, and functionality. Once launched, you have access to AI copywriting support, AI SEO, expert-designed layouts, and an ever-growing list of features to expand your business or audience.

Key features

  • Professional website templates with design guidance

  • AI website builder and copywriting tools

  • Online stores, bookings, and digital content paywalls

  • Built-in email and social marketing

  • SEO features and custom domains

  • Invoicing, proposals, and client management tools

Pros of Squarespace

  • All-in-one platform 

  • Flexible website design options

  • Ease of use

  • Affordable subscription plans

  • Built-in marketing tools

  • 24/7 customer support

Squarespace plans

  • Basic: Includes website design and hosting, free domain, and tools for ecommerce, invoicing and taking payments

  • Core: Basic plan features plus lower fees, more advanced analytics, custom code, and shipping and tax services

  • Plus: Core plan features and lower fees on credit card transactions and digital content and memberships sales

  • Advanced: Plus plan features and the lowest fees on credit card transactions and digital content and memberships sales

Note: Plan features and pricing vary by location. For Squarespace, see the pricing page for the most up-to-date details in your location. 

2. Wix

Pricing starts at: $17 per month or limited free plan

Wix is a website builder that offers drag-and-drop editing and hundreds of website templates, as well as an AI website builder. It’s designed to be beginner-friendly, much like Canva, and has additional capabilities for scaling a website.

Wix vs. Canva

Both platforms are designed to be visually intuitive and easy to use. Wix goes a step further with its full-featured website editor, design controls, and access to features like ecommerce (on higher-priced plans), blogging, and third-party apps for added functionality. Canva is more straightforward in structure. Its templates allow you to add pages to a website, but predesigned layouts are often focused on single-page sites offering basic functionality.

Key features

  • Template library and website editor

  • AI website builder

  • App market with add-ons for customization

  • Blogging and SEO tools

3. WordPress

Pricing starts at: $4 per month or limited free plan

WordPress is a widely used content management system (CMS), on which you can build a website. It’s open source, meaning it’s highly customizable and flexible, especially for users who are comfortable with plugins or working with code.

WordPress vs. Canva

Canva’s website builder is straightforward to use, while WordPress is focused on offering a high level of flexibility on its websites. WordPress.com offers a large library of website themes and plugins to create anything from a blog to a full ecommerce store. While it allows you to have a more complex website with more added features, WordPress may feel more complex if you have limited website experience or want more built-in platform features.

Key features

  • Open-source customization

  • Extensive plugin options

  • Ecommerce on higher-tier plans

4. GoDaddy

Pricing starts at: $9.99 per month or limited free plan

GoDaddy’s website builder is part of its broader suite of website hosting and domain registration services. It includes ready-to-use templates, an AI website builder, and basic built-in marketing tools.

GoDaddy vs. Canva

Both Canva and GoDaddy offer simple tools for creating a simple online presence. GoDaddy also includes ecommerce and appointment scheduling on higher-tier plans, which may be appealing if you anticipate using your site for a business in the future. Both platforms also offer AI generation tools, though Canva doesn’t have a standalone AI website builder.

Key features

  • Drag-and-drop website builder

  • Ecommerce tools and payment processing

  • AI-assisted site generation

  • Social media and email marketing

5. Hostinger

Pricing starts at: $3.99 per month

Hostinger combines hosting, domain registration, and a website builder into one platform. It includes AI tools to streamline website creation and content writing, as well as marketing features. 

Hostinger vs. Canva

While Canva has AI generation built into its platform, it doesn’t have a standalone AI website building tool. Hostinger offers an AI-driven, no-code website builder. However, both platforms offer website templates, and you can use Canva’s AI tool to help you generate code or other designs for a website. Hostinger also offers ecommerce features on its higher-priced plans. 

Key features

  • AI website builder and writing assistant

  • Ecommerce support with checkout and shipping

  • Marketing and analytics integrations

  • SEO tools and custom domains

6. Webflow

Pricing starts at: $14 per month or limited free plan

Webflow is a no-code, design-centric platform that blends visual editing with additional design control. It’s well-suited to users who want extra precision and flexibility in their page layouts. Webflow focuses its starter platform and tools on design customization, but can be used for ecommerce on higher-priced plans.

Webflow vs. Canva

Canva may be more appealing if you’re looking for simplicity and don’t anticipate needing extra features offered by other platforms. Meanwhile, Webflow is sometimes preferred by designers and developers who want to build more complex sites. Webflow may have a steeper learning curve, but can offer more control over the final website design. 

Key features

  • Visual CMS and layout editor

  • Advanced design tools

  • Ecommerce on higher-tier plans

  • Custom code options

  • AI design tools

Compare more brands and website builders

How to choose a website platform

The website builder that’s right for you depends on your specific circumstances and needs. To make your choice, decide what matters most to you: price, advanced features, design quality, specific ecommerce or service selling features, the ability to grow, or something else. Weigh the pros and cons of each option, keeping your highest priorities in mind.

If you’re planning to switch from Canva or another platform, consider your main reasons for switching and what you like about what you’re using now. For example, if you want beautiful, professional design that’s still beginner-friendly, Squarespace is a great option that might offer more of the features you’re looking for.

It’s also worth considering the transition process. Make sure your chosen platform offers a guide or tools for helping you migrate your website content or transfer your domain. Something that simplifies this process will save you time and headaches.

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