The Best Website Builder in Australia for 2024

Table of Contents

• Comparison Criteria for the Best Website Builder in 2024
• Wix:
• Webflow:
• WordPress.org:
• Verdict:
• Ready to Start with the Best Website Builder in 2024?

I’ll be upfront here: many of the top website builders for Australia you see in search results are actually paid promotions. They often don’t mention WordPress.org, which powers around 43% of websites on the internet, which is kind of surprising.

What’s worse is that the options you see are usually sponsoring affiliate links sponsored by different website builders. This not only feels unethical but also does a disservice to readers who deserve to know about the best and authentic website builder available.

That’s exactly why we’re writing this post—to set the record straight and give you the real scoop on why WordPress should be at the top of your list.

We will be comparing Wix, Webflow, and WordPress. I personally call them the 3 Ws in the website development platform arena. As you all know these are some of the most used website development platforms in the market, their comparison is ideal to find out the best platforms for businesses.

The comparison will tell us which of these is the best website builder of 2024 for businesses that are trying to create a website that they can market well, especially in Australia. 

Let’s get started.

Comparison Criteria for the Best Website Builder in 2024

We’ll be comparing all three platforms—Webflow, Wix, and WordPress—based on the following criteria:

• Ease of Use: How simple it is to build and manage your site.
• Design Flexibility: The level of creative freedom each platform offers.
• SEO Capabilities: How well each platform supports search engine optimization.
• Cost: The pricing structure and overall affordability.
• Support and Community: Availability of customer support and the size of the user community.
• Scalability: How well each platform can grow with your business.

Which is the Best Website Builder in 2024? Comparison Table

If you’re finding the article a bit lengthy, here’s a quick summary comparison table to help you grasp the differences between Wix, Webflow, and WordPress.org, and see which one stands out as the best website builder platform for 2024, especially for marketing.

Wix:

Wix is a popular website builder known for its simplicity and ease of use. It’s especially appealing to beginners or small businesses that need to get online quickly without having to dive deep into technical details.

Ease of Use:

Wix stands out for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. This makes it incredibly easy for anyone to create a website, even with no prior experience. You can choose from hundreds of pre-designed templates, and customizing them is as simple as clicking, dragging, and dropping elements onto your page. No coding knowledge is required, which is one of the key reasons Wix is so popular among non-technical users.

Design Flexibility:

While Wix offers many beautiful templates, there are limitations to how much you can customize. You get a decent amount of control, but you’re mostly confined to working within the constraints of the templates. Once you’ve chosen a template and added content, switching to a different template later on can be difficult. Often it is frustrating to see that Wix theme limitations don’t allow businesses to scale their websites as and how they want to.

SEO Capabilities:

Wix provides some basic SEO tools, which are good enough for most small businesses and personal sites. For beginners, it comes out as a good website platform but for advanced users, it lacks many basic functionalities that are required in on-page SEO. 

You can edit meta titles, descriptions, and alt text for images. However, advanced SEO features are somewhat limited compared to WordPress. 

Many SEO professionals criticize Wix for its SEO limitations and slower page loading speeds.

Cost:

In terms of cost, Wix has a subscription-based model, with different pricing tiers depending on the features you need. While the basic plan might seem affordable, the costs can add up quickly if you need advanced features like eCommerce, custom domains, or more storage. There’s also a free plan, but it includes Wix branding on your site, which doesn’t look professional for businesses.

Support and Community:

Wix offers solid support, not just from their own team but also from an active community. They provide tutorials, a knowledge base, and a YouTube channel that covers everything you need to know to get started with their website platform. Whether you’re new or experienced, these resources are designed to help you make the most of Wix.

Scalability:

Wix was created with the aim of helping people quickly set up websites and e-commerce stores without the need for expensive development resources. It’s perfect for those with limited time or budget. However, for growing companies or mid-sized businesses, scalability becomes a challenge. Think about it—Wix has limitations in both functionality and customization. Once you move to a higher-tier package, you’re locked into the platform and its constraints, making it difficult to scale as your business grows.

Read More: How much does it cost to hire a WordPress Developer?

Drawbacks of Using Wix

• Dependency on Software: You are dependent on the software, which may limit your flexibility.
• Limited SEO Features: SEO capabilities are restricted, and you cannot edit the source code or add custom scripts.
• High Cost: The overall cost can be quite high, typically ranging from $300 to $500 annually, just for managing and maintaining the website.

Webflow:

Another great website development platform that recently became popular is Webflow. It is a powerful website builder that offers a blend of design flexibility and scalability, making it a strong choice for designers, developers, and businesses looking for more control over their websites.

Ease of Use:

Unlike Wix, Webflow offers more advanced features and flexibility, though it does have its own learning curve. Webflow provides a drag-and-drop interface but with far more customization options. You can modify code within the theme, add scripts, and create custom components, giving you a higher level of control over your website’s design and functionality. Webflow also supports reusable templates and components that can be sourced from other websites, both free and paid, making it easy to enhance your site.

Webflow is an excellent choice for those who need more than what Wix offers but still want a platform that allows them to manage their data effectively. 

Design Flexibility:

What I like most about Webflow is that it uses a module-based approach rather than a rigid template-based system. When designing a website, you’re not restricted to just one theme. Instead, you can mix and match modules from different themes, giving you much more flexibility. Unlike Wix, this makes Webflow more popular for customization, even for someone with little technical knowledge. You can simply add a new module to your page, customize it as needed, and your website is ready to go.

SEO Capabilities:

When it comes to SEO and on-page optimization, Webflow offers a much richer interface with all the necessary features built right in. You can easily manage meta descriptions, titles, canonical URLs, direct URLs, and keywords, all directly within the system. Another great feature is the ability to add page-level scripts without affecting the overall functionality of the website, giving you more control over individual pages.

These advanced SEO capabilities set Webflow apart from other managed website platforms. While some platforms like Wix offer basic SEO tools, Webflow provides a more robust and flexible system for users who want to optimize their sites for search engines. If you’re serious about using your website to market your brand through SEO, Webflow is a stronger option.

Cost:

To be honest, Webflow does come with a higher price tag compared to WordPress, but it’s still better than many other website development platforms because the cost is justified. For $29 per month, you get a CMS-based website development platform that allows you to publish up to 200 pages, which is great for small businesses or those just starting out.

However, Webflow does have its limitations when it comes to cost. Over time, these costs can add up, and you may find yourself dependent on the platform. While it’s a strong option for getting started, it’s essential to consider the long-term financial commitment as your website and business grow.

Support:

One problem I’ve noticed with Webflow is its lack of active customer support. You can’t always reach them through online chat, and even when chat is available, it’s only for limited hours. Opening a ticket can also be frustrating, as replies typically take 48 to 80 hours—sometimes three to four days. On the plus side, you don’t often need to rely on support because most issues can be resolved on your own, and I haven’t encountered any major problems when hosting websites with Webflow. The platform itself is quite stable.

Scalability:

As I mentioned earlier, scalability can be a challenge with Webflow, particularly for larger businesses, multi-chain companies, or enterprises managing over 1,000 pages. While it’s manageable for smaller websites with around 200 to 300 pages, it becomes problematic for larger sites. One of the main reasons is that you can’t make programmatic changes across all pages at once—this feature is only available for CMS or block pages. For all other pages, you have to update them manually, which is incredibly time-consuming. Even if you create components, they won’t apply to all pages simultaneously.

Another issue is that if you want to create a subdomain, you’ll need to purchase a separate plan. This means managing two websites instead of one, which isn’t ideal for big businesses that need to integrate multiple sites, like a separate knowledge base and the main site. Webflow just isn’t built for handling this kind of complexity efficiently.

Drawbacks of Webflow

• Migration Challenges: Moving from Webflow to another platform can be difficult due to the many elements tightly integrated with the system, making migration problematic in the long term.
• Limited Scalability: Webflow has scalability limitations. Managing a website with over 1,000 pages becomes problematic as you need to handle maintenance manually.
• Design Limitations: While Webflow’s site design is strong, it has constraints. You can’t make programmatic changes or design all pages at once. Instead, you need to manually replicate changes across all pages, which is time-consuming.

Read More: How to Improve WordPress Database Performance

WordPress.org:

Please note that when we use the term “WordPress,” we are specifically referring to WordPress.org, not WordPress.com.

Ease of use:

Because WordPress powers over 43.5% of the internet, it’s a very popular and reliable platform. Its interface is user-friendly and accessible even for beginners, which makes it a preferred choice for many. The flexibility and ease of use are key reasons why so many people choose WordPress for managing their websites. Whether you’re a novice or have some experience, WordPress offers a robust platform that can accommodate a wide range of needs.

Design Flexibility:

By default, WordPress’s Gutenberg editor offers a block based editing experience that reduces server load, improving website performance and making it easy for anyone to create a website without needing page builders. However, if you want more design flexibility, you can use page builders like Elementor and others. These can be added as plugins and offer extensive customization options. They’re user-friendly and come with their own set of tools, allowing you to easily set up and tailor your pages. Plus, you have access to theme core functional files and source code, giving you even more control over your website’s design and functionality.

SEO Features:

We all know that WordPress excels when it comes to adding on-page SEO customizations and functionalities. One of the reasons WordPress is so favoured for SEO is that it has built-in features for on-page SEO available with any page or blog. But what really makes it stand out are the SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, All in One SEO, and Rank Math. These plugins provide powerful tools for making extensive SEO changes, addressing both on-page and technical SEO issues.

For example, with these plugins, you can easily add canonical URLs, set up redirections, and generate sitemaps. You can also insert code snippets like Google Tag Manager, Google Analytics, and Search Console directly through the plugins without needing to dive into the theme’s code. This ease of use and the extensive SEO capabilities provided by these plugins make WordPress a top choice for anyone looking to optimize their site effectively.

Cost:

The best part about building a website with WordPress website builder is that there are no licensing fees or hidden costs. You can download the WordPress.org version for free or install it directly through your hosting provider. All you need is a domain and good hosting, and you’re set to go. There’s no need to pay extra for the software itself; it’s completely free to use, which makes setting up your website both cost-effective and straightforward.

Support:

Since WordPress is completely free, there’s no direct support from the organization behind it. However, you typically don’t need support from WordPress.org itself because there are numerous online forums and communities where you can find help. Additionally, you can hire freelancers or agencies specializing in WordPress to address any issues you encounter. There are plenty of resources available, including real-time support channels and forums, ensuring that help is always accessible whenever you need it.

Scalability

You might be surprised to learn that many major websites, like the Washington Post, The Guardian and various others use WordPress as their CMS platform. WordPress can handle hundreds of thousands of pages efficiently without any major issues. This is because it is highly scalable; even large e-commerce sites with millions of products rely on it as their core platform. The isolated nature of WordPress’s core system from the theme means that if something goes wrong, you can easily revert to the original downloadable version and start afresh. This makes WordPress a reliable and scalable choice for both content-heavy sites and extensive e-commerce operations.

Drawbacks of WordPress

May Require Coding: Although you can create a WordPress.org website without getting deep into code. However, if you don’t know how to code, you may encounter problems you can’t manage on your own. This could lead to spending time searching for solutions online or hiring a freelance WordPress developer or agency, which can be costly.

Security Risks: Using plugins or templates from unauthorized or unverified sources can expose your site to security risks, including viruses. Without premium WordPress security plugins, protecting your WordPress site can be challenging.

Read More: Difference between free hosted WP.com & self-hosted WP.org

Verdict:

When it comes to picking the right website builder, the choice boils down to your needs and experience level.

Wix is an excellent starting point for beginners who are new to website creation. It’s straightforward, user-friendly, and doesn’t require any technical know-how. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, you can get your site up and running with minimal hassle. It’s perfect if you want a simple, no-fuss setup and don’t plan on extensive customizations or scaling your site significantly.

Webflow caters well to small businesses or users who want a more flexible design without needing to scale dramatically. It provides a good balance of customization and ease of use, though it comes with a learning curve. It’s a solid option if you need a visually appealing site and are willing to invest time in understanding the platform.

WordPress, on the other hand, stands out as the all-encompassing solution for everyone from beginners to enterprise-level users. It offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability, handling everything from a small local business to a massive e-commerce operation with millions of pages. The extensive range of plugins, design options, and SEO capabilities make it a powerhouse for any level of website development. Yes, it requires some learning and might need customizations, but the freedom it provides is worth the effort. Plus, it’s free of licensing fees, giving you complete control over your website and its data.

Ultimately, for its comprehensive features, ease of use, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, WordPress is the best website builder of 2024. It supports everything from the most basic to the most advanced needs, ensuring you can build, manage, and grow your site effectively—whether you’re just starting out or running a large-scale enterprise.

Ready to Start with the Best Website Builder in 2024?

WP Creative is here to help you master WordPress and WooCommerce. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, our team supports marketers and businesses in Australia by enhancing user experience, site functionality, and marketing effectiveness.

Transform your website into a powerful asset with our expertise. Let WP Creative guide you through WordPress to ensure your site excels in today’s digital landscape.

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