When evaluating providers for this best-of list, we focused on website builders that offer an easy website design and management experience, an affordable monthly price for nonprofits, all-in-one website functionality, social media integrations and customer support at least during business hours. Here is a closer look at how we evaluated website builders for inclusion on this year’s best-of list.
Pricing
Given the nonprofit nature of churches, we looked for website builders that offer full-featured plans for $20 or less per month. We preferred those with free plans and first-tiered premium plans under $10 per month. This accounted for 10% of our weighted scoring.
Features
We looked for website builders that, at a minimum, offer a free domain, website hosting, a drag-and-drop builder and website templates in their most affordable premium plans. We preferred those that also offer social media and email marketing tools to help churches reach their audiences easily. Offering unlimited storage and bandwidth and providing mobile-responsive sites allowed a website builder to fare well in our ratings. Features amounted to 40% of our total score.
Third-party reviews
We preferred website builders with 24/7 live support. However, we ensured that every inclusion on this best-of list at least offered customer support during normal business hours. We got this information by looking at reviews left by real users on popular third-party review websites, ranking both the overall score from customers and the number of reviews for these scores to give a complete picture. Customer reviews accounted for 15% of the total score.
Expert analysis
Based on the categories listed above and our market research, we ranked additional criteria from customer reviews, putting emphasis on ease of use, stand-out features, popularity and value for the money. Altogether, these criteria make up 35% of the total score.
Featured Partners
Starting Price
$17 per month
E-commerce (low-priced plan)
Yes
Starting Price
$16 per month
E-commerce (low-priced plan)
Yes
Starting Price
$15 per month
Standout Features
AI Content Assistant, drag-and-drop editor, premium hosting, live chat
Starting price
$1.95 per month; code BUILD50 for 50% off annual purchase
Standout Features
Customizable templates, Easy drag-and-drop technology, SSL certificate