The short answer
Every builder here can make a decent small business website. Apart from Shopify, which is built for online stores, their basic paid plans list at roughly $10 to $30 a month once any introductory deal ends. The differences that matter are smaller than the marketing suggests: whether there is a free plan, what the price renews at, whether you can take your site with you, and how much of the work you are willing to do yourself.
| Builder | Free plan | Paid plans, as listed | Free domain | If you leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Yes, with Wix ads and a wixsite.com address | From AU$21 a month, billed yearly, inc. GST | First year, new domains only | The site can't be moved off Wix; your domain can |
| Squarespace | No, a 14-day free trial | A$18.70 a month yearly or A$26.40 monthly, inc. estimated GST | First year, on annual plans | Some content exports, in WordPress format |
| Shopify (online stores) | No, a 3-day trial then $1 a month for 3 months | From $50 a month yearly or $56 monthly | No, you add your own | Products export to a spreadsheet, without images |
| GoDaddy (Airo) | Yes, with limited AI credits | From $14.95 a month, billed annually | First year, with an annual plan | Paid plans can download the site's code |
| Webador | Yes, with ads and no domain | Standard prices from AUD 10 a month, billed annually | First year, then AUD 30 a year | No site export documented |
| Hostinger | No, a 14-day free trial | A$2.99 a month for a 48-month term paid upfront, renewing at A$15.89 a month | First year, with yearly plans | Not checked |
Wix, Webador and Hostinger were running time-limited discounts when we checked, so the price you see may differ. Shopify and GoDaddy don't say whether their prices include GST. Always check the renewal price, not only the first-year price.
Wix
The best-known builder, with a free plan that shows Wix ads and gives you a wixsite.com address. Paying removes the ads and lets you connect your own domain. When we checked, paid plans started at AU$21 a month billed yearly, including GST, with the Core plan discounted from AU$42 to AU$21 under a 50% offer for the first term. Wix offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.
The catch is leaving. Wix's own help centre says: "Since Wix is a SaaS solution, your site must run on Wix's servers." You can move your domain, but not the site itself.
Squarespace
Known for polished templates. There is no free plan, but every site starts with a 14-day free trial. The Basic plan is A$18.70 a month billed annually or A$26.40 billed monthly, and the Core plan A$30.80 or A$42.90, all including estimated GST. Annual plans include a free domain for the first year.
Squarespace lets you export some content to a WordPress-format file, but notes that "some content doesn't export", including style settings and store pages.
Shopify
Built for selling online rather than for a brochure site. The Basic plan is $50 a month paid yearly or $56 monthly, after a 3-day trial and $1 a month for the first three months. Shopify Payments charges 1.7% + 30c per online card sale on Basic, and using another payment provider adds a 2% fee. You can export your products to a spreadsheet, though the images aren't included.
GoDaddy (Airo)
GoDaddy's builder is now built around AI: you describe your business and it drafts the site. You can start free, and paid plans start at $14.95 a month billed annually, with a free domain for the first year. Paid plans can download the site's files and code.
Webador
A simpler, cheaper builder with an Australian site. The free plan shows ads and has no domain name. Standard prices are AUD 10, 19 and 38 a month on annual billing, and when we checked the first 12 months were half price until 31 October 2026. A domain is free for the first year, then AUD 30 a year. Webador says you never pay commission on store sales. We found no documented way to export your site if you leave.
Hostinger
The cheapest headline price, because it is a long prepaid term: A$2.99 a month means A$143.52 paid upfront for 48 months, then the plan renews at A$15.89 a month. There is no free plan, but there is a 14-day free trial, and a free domain for the first year on yearly plans.
Which builder is easiest?
The builders all claim you can make a site in minutes, and the first draft is quick, especially with AI. What takes the time is everything after the draft: deciding which pages you need, writing words customers will actually read, finding good photos, setting up your Google Business Profile, connecting your domain and email, and keeping it all up to date as your prices, hours and services change. That work is the same on every builder.
If you enjoy that kind of thing and have the time, any of these will do the job, and a free plan is a good way to try before you pay. Pick Shopify if selling online is the main point of the site.
Or have it built for you
If you would rather spend that time on your business, a monthly website service does the building and the upkeep for you. Ours starts at $20 a month: we build the site, write the pages, host it, keep it backed up and make your changes by email. You see a free preview before you pay anything, there is no lock-in, and if you leave you get a full copy of your site, free.
