Our Expert Opinion
While most AI builders are clunky and often restrict modifications, Hostingerβs builder is more of a starting point with guided edits that help you through the process in a logical manner. For example, when writing your prompt for the AI, it will suggest extra sections and features to add, such as an e-commerce store. Instead of trying to be a one-button creation tool, Hostingerβs website builder helps you work through the process.
Featured Partners
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Wix
$17 per month
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2
Shopify
$29 per month
3 days free + First Month for $1
Drag & drop editor, AI Tools, Customize with 8k+ apps, Sell everywhere
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Bluehost
$1 per month
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IONOS
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Squarespace
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Typical AI Folliables
Hostingerβs AI sometimes misses the mark, like confusing a Christmas ornament for a real set of books and shelving.
In spite of being better than many AI website creators out there, itβs still AI. Text can be generic, automatic image selection often misses the mark and the AI can completely misunderstand what your product actually is. Admittedly, it was a bit of a letdown compared to Hostingerβs help bot, Kodee, which has a more nuanced understanding of language prompts. Still, overall, Hostingerβs AI builder requires far fewer adjustments than other AI builders Iβve tried, and it gives you the freedom to make necessary changes fairly easily.
Thoughtful Style Adjustments
Some of the quick style adjustments in Hostigerβs website builder include animations, button styles and colors.
Hostinger has carefully walked the line between not enough and too much control over style adjustments. For the intended beginner audience, Hostinger gives just enough adjustments and control over colors, text and design elements, such as button styles, to create custom-looking websites without users getting lost in the possibilities. The end result is a much more cohesive website while still presenting a custom look.
SEO Jumpstart With AI Assistant
Hostingerβs AI SEO assistant will likely need editing, but it reduces the mind-numbing repetitive work of much of SEO.
SEO is important, but it mostly feels like a chore. For many non-e-commerce businesses, Googleβs Business Profiles provide more power than any website without strong domain authority and lots of quality backlinks could ever offer. Even for those building e-commerce websites, where search engine optimization is vital, a lot of SEO is repetition.
Itβs a lot of brain-numbing work to create short blocks of text in page and product descriptions that hit keywords and follow basic formulas to tell search engines and humans what a product or page is about. Hostingerβs AI SEO assistant takes much of the grunt work out of the equation. Of course, youβll still need to adjust the AI text, but it does a great job of reducing the amount of work needed to populate all the SEO fields for your website.
WordPress and Website Builder Hosting
Hostingerβs shared plans include the website builder, WordPress hosting and direct HTML uploads.
One of my favorite things about Hostinger is that the shared hosting plans include both the website builder and WordPress hosting, as well as direct HTML uploads if you prefer. That, combined with generous website limits, means you can start out with the website builder and then start learning WordPress under the same plan. That way, if you ever outgrow what the website builder can do, you donβt have to swap hosts or plans; you can create a WordPress site on the same account and point your domain to the new website quickly and easily.
That flexibility is part of what makes Hostinger a great alternative to other megahosts like GoDaddy.
What Sets Hostinger Website Builder Apart?
Hostingerβs website builder is often unfairly overlooked, partially because the free trial isnβt widely publicized, and there isnβt a perpetually free plan. However, while the manual template website creation method is fairly average as a website builder, the deep AI tool integration and AI-site generation are what really set Hostingerβs website builder apart and helped it land a spot on my most recent best website builders list.
Hostinger Website Builder Key Features
While you can still manually build your site from a template, Hostingerβs website builder is heavily built around AI, and accessing other features like blogs and e-commerce are often easier by going the AI route. As such, Hostinger has a deep set of AI tools for tasks such as SEO, image generation, text generation and product creation that pulls from an image you upload.
AI Powered
Hostingerβs AI website builder gives you plenty of text space to work with in creating your prompt.
Hostinger is leaning heavily into AI tools, such as the new Hostinger Horizons AI-app builder. The website builder, although manually customizable in many ways, is heavily AI as well. While itβs possible to use a traditional pick-a-template method, the processes are very similar to using the AI system, and with a limited template library (just under 80 by my count), AI often returns better results, even if you have to spend a bit more time on cleanup later.
Sometimes results are still basic, so to stand out, youβll find yourself tweaking AI website layouts, styles, colors and text. Even then, for beginners in website design, having that AI starting point is often a huge help and timesaver over staring at a blank screen or template filled with unrelated content.
AI Image Generator
Hostingerβs AI image generation does surprisingly well with inanimate objects, but no information is available about copyright safety in the training models.
I admit that saying Iβm not fond of AI image generators is like saying the surface of the sun is warm. However, there are times it can be a big help to small businesses, and Hostingerβs AI image generator returns decent results, at least for inanimate objects. However, I was unable to get details from Hostinger on what materials the engine is using for training and if there are any copyright concerns, so use with caution.
E-Commerce
While Hostinger doesnβt offer as many features as dedicated e-commerce platforms, it is quite serviceable for many smaller stores.
Solid and basic sums up Hostingerβs website builder e-commerce. Itβs a solid option for basic stores, but you wonβt find the deep well of third-party integrations or advanced features you will with the best e-commerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce. Product catalogs, basic payment gateway integration like Stripe and direct payment options, a store manager, and available marketing integrations with Google Analytics are all present. There are some great features for beginners and new shops as well, such as the AI product information generation; however, you can easily outgrow the platform if you need custom features.
Hostinger Website Builder Pricing and Value
| Website Builder Plans | Premium | Business | Cloud Startup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Pricing (plus an initial $4.99 setup fee) | $11.99 | $13.99 | $27.99 |
| New Customer Offer Per Month (paid 48 months upfront) | $2.99 | $3.99 | $9.99 |
| Number of Websites | 25 | 50 | 100 |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Backups | Weekly | Daily plus on-demand | Daily plus on-demand |
Hostingerβs pricing is middle of the road for a website builder on the surface. However, being able to build multiple websites on one plan makes it a much more attractive offer for both builder and website hosting costs, especially since some e-commerce is available even on the cheapest plan. Thatβs rare for website builders, such as Wixβs pricing plans, that only offer e-commerce after several plan level upgrades.
Is Hostinger Website Builder Right for Your Business?
No single builder is right for every business. Itβs a delicate mix of ease of use, features (such as e-commerce and blogging), pricing and reputation that combine to make a builder right for a specific business. Hostinger, with its long track record and reasonable pricing for the features it offers, along with beginner-friendly ease of use, has a lot to offer SMBs.
We recommend Hostinger Website Builder for:
- Informational websites and blogs
- Hosting multiple websites under one plan, such as if you have several niche product sites
- Simple e-commerce stores that donβt need custom features
We do not recommend Hostinger Website Builder for:
- Deep customization. Builders such as Duda, Simvoly and Webflow are better in that case.
- E-commerce beyond small stores. Dedicated e-commerce builders such as Squarespace or even Square Online (if you also have in-person sales) would likely serve you better.
- Scalability. While I am a big fan of website builders, they often limit your hosting choices to shared hosting. For stronger scalability, building with one of the best CMS platforms, like WordPress, gives you the ability to choose from more hosts and hosting types to get the best web hosting for your small business or upgrades to the best VPS hosting or even dedicated hosting.
Featured Partners
1
Wix
$17 per month
Yes
Yes
2
Shopify
$29 per month
3 days free + First Month for $1
Drag & drop editor, AI Tools, Customize with 8k+ apps, Sell everywhere
3
Bluehost
$1 per month
Yes
Yes
4
IONOS
$1 per month
Yes
Yes
5
Squarespace
$16 per month
Yes
Yes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Hostinger good for small business?
While not as responsive as more expensive boutique hosts, Hostinger is a good option for small businesses on a budget for hosting and a website builder.
Is the Hostinger website builder free?
Hostinger has a seven-day free trial of its website builder, but does not have a forever-free plan. However, it does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee that mitigates your cost risks.
Does Hostingerβs website builder have e-commerce?
Yes, Hostingerβs website builder includes e-commerce capabilities. However, product limits and other features vary by plan.
