The Top 9 Mobile Website Builders

Ten years ago, you could build your website with HTML and a little CSS and it would likely look the same everywhere. Sure, there might be small differences between Internet Explorer’s presentation and Firefox’s but for the most part, a website was a website. But that was ten years ago.

Today, we access the internet via dozens of devices and browsers. Desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, even televisions are connected to the web. And that’s great – except for the fact that each of those devices has its own resolution and aspect ratio. So, what looks great on your desktop may be a total mess on your Android phone.

What makes this even more worrisome for e-commerce websites is the fact that, if your website doesn’t function correctly on a mobile device, you will lose customers. Let me say that one more time: If your website isn’t responsive – if it doesn’t reorient itself based on the device and browser that it’s being viewed in – you will lose customers. Consider the fact that a full one-third of e-commerce purchases were completed with a mobile device during the 2015 holiday season. And that was nearly three years ago. Imagine what it is today. Mobile purchases are a huge part of the e-commerce pie. Don’t lose your slice because of bad web design.

So how can you make sure that your website is accessible and easy to use, no matter what device or browser someone uses to view it? You could spend thousands of dollars hiring a developer who specializes in those things – or you could use one of the following mobile website builders to create a site that is both stylish and responsive.

So, take a seat and check out our top nine list of the best mobile website builders.

9. Yola

Yola is a website builder that’s focused on delivering an easy-to-use interface to small business owners. And though it is simple and includes a full e-commerce suite of features, it’s limited in a number of ways – especially when it comes to mobile options.

When you open a free account with Yola, you’ll be given the option of nine templates. This will help get your feet wet. If you decide to go the paid route, dozens of other options will open up to you.

Yola uses a simple WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor. You won’t need to know how to write HTML or CSS. And implementing certain SEO practices is intuitive enough. But Yola’s editor is not nearly as full-featured as the other website builders on this list.

Where Yola really falls behind the other options on this list is when it comes to responsiveness. If you don’t set your site to be responsive, it will attempt to display your full page, unchanged, in a mobile browser. As you can imagine, this is not good. But even if you ask it to create a mobile page, it doesn’t do nearly as good of a job as the other editors in this list.

If you’re looking for a site that looks as good in mobile as it does on desktop, stay away from Yola until they make some updates on this front.

Verdict…

If you want a site that is geared primarily toward desktop users, Yola may be a good option for you. Otherwise, stay away.

8. uKit

uKit is one of the newer website builders on the market and though it isn’t as fully-featured or easy to use as some of the others listed here, it’s worth considering for its ability to create mobile-friendly sites.

uKit is very easy to use and the interface is intuitive and simple. Once you’ve logged in, you’ll be given the option to choose from dozens of templates. You’ll be walked through a process of setting your site up in such a way that it will be easy for customers to find. And then, you’ll be given the option of editing the template and making the site your own.

As I’ve already mentioned, uKit excels at creating responsive websites. One of the drawbacks of this is that you are restricted on where you can place certain elements. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot of room to work with as you add all of the pieces of your site together. It’s worth noting that since uKit is creating a truly responsive experience, you cannot edit the mobile version of your site.

One of the things that really sets uKit apart from every other website building service is the way that it implements a level of gamification. As you build your site, you’ll earn badges that will collect on your dashboard. This doesn’t add anything significant to the process of building your website but it’s a nice addition that reminds you that you are accomplishing something as you put your site together.

Although uKit includes a number of integrations with sites such as MailChimp, there is no third-party widget store. This may hinder you from being able to do exactly what you want to do – so keep it in mind before you make a choice on which mobile website builder to use.

One of the biggest advantages that uKit has over most of the other builders on this list is its cost. At a mere $12 per month, it’s easily the most economical.

Verdict…

If you’re looking to pay a minimal amount for a well-designed site that transitions to mobile smoothly, uKit is a great option. Just remember that you’ll be limited on design and widget options.

7. Strikingly

If you’re looking for pure simplicity, Strikingly may be exactly what you want out of a mobile website builder. When you land on their homepage, you’ll be asked for your name, e-mail address, and password. In minutes you’ll have a free account that you can begin working on.

Like the other builders on this list, Strikingly offers templates to build your site from. Strikingly’s templates look great. They’re professional and responsive. But there aren’t many to choose from at all. In fact, there are slightly more than two dozen templates. And not only are the templates few, but there are more restrictions on exactly what you can do with these templates. Unlike Wix or Goshly, Strikingly doesn’t allow you to drag and drop items anywhere you want on the page.

As a result, you’ll probably have your website completed much faster but it won’t be nearly as personalized as a site built by some of the other builders we list. In addition to this, there are a number of paid features that are included in the free versions of some other sites listed here.

If you try Strikingly out and find that it suits your needs, you can subscribe to all of its e-commerce features for $20 per month.

Verdict…

If you need a website launched today and it doesn’t have to be deeply customized, Strikingly may be for you.

6. Weebly

Weebly is definitely one of the better-known site editors out there. Unfortunately, it has some restrictions that keep it from reaching its full potential.

Once you’ve signed up for a Weebly account, you’ll be given the option of building a website or an e-commerce site. Then, you’ll have to choose a template to begin working with. This is one of the areas where Weebly is weak since it only contains 67 templates to choose from. One of the other drawbacks is the fact that you cannot quickly see what your site will look like when viewed on a tablet or mobile device. You can re-size your browser and watch the site respond but there’s no button to click that will make it happen automatically.

In addition to this, the page editor is much more restrictive than some of the other sites that we’ll look at in a moment. You cannot drag and drop items just anywhere on the page. There are only certain areas where elements are allowed to go.

One of Weebly’s other restrictions is the way that it produces mobile sites. Rather than creating truly responsive websites, it creates a separate, mobile page. And unfortunately, this mobile page cannot be edited independently.

With all of that said, Weebly’s editor is easy to use and it includes robust e-commerce features as well as site analytics. And if you just want to give it a try, you can start with a free account and play around with the editor. If you decide to jump in, Weebly will cost you $25 per month (paid annually) for its full e-commerce package.

Verdict…

If you’d like an easy-to-use site editor that you can try for free, Weebly may be exactly what you’re looking for. With that said, if you’re looking for a more feature-rich experience, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

5. Simvoly

If you’ve never heard of Simvoly (or you’re wondering exactly how to pronounce it), don’t feel bad. Though it’s only been around for two years, it’s already been making a name for itself.

When you log in to Simvoly, you’ll be given two options. You can build your site via a template like most other sites on this list. Or, you can input some basic information, make a couple of choices about the kind of site you want, and watch as an automatically created site is spit back out. Wix has a similar feature that tends to work a little better but it’s nice to see the developers at Simvoly working on innovating features like this. Hopefully as time passes, the quality of the generated site will increase.

If you go the normal route, you’ll choose a template (and there are dozens of well-designed, professional templates to choose from). Once you have your template, you can make edits and changes to customize the site and make it yours. Unfortunately, Simvoly does not give you the option to edit the mobile version of your site independently. So, whatever you see is what you get.

With all of that said, Simvoly is incredibly intuitive and really easy to use. And it includes a number of helpful features such as easy-to-implement e-commerce functionality and onboard analytics.

The primary drawback to Simvoly is its lack of third-party widgets and inability to interface with any shipping services. Fortunately, you can try it free for 14 days and if it works for you, it will only run you $26 per month for a fully-featured e-commerce site.

Verdict…

If you’re looking for a site builder that is on the cheaper side of things - and you aren’t too concerned about advanced features – Simvoly may be right for you. If nothing else, you ought to try it for 14 days and see what you think.

4. Duda

Although Duda isn’t as well known as some of the other names at the top of this list, it’s still a great option if you’re looking for an easy-to-use, affordable solution for building a mobile website. In fact, Duda was created by a couple of programmers with the intention of helping people easily build responsive websites.

One of the great things about Duda is that it allows you to start building a site for free. You can check out the editor, play around with different templates, and explore Duda’s interface without having to shell out any money at all. This is a huge advantage over a site like Squarespace.

It’s worth noting that Duda does not technically create responsive websites. Instead, it creates a version of your site that will display correctly on desktop, on a tablet, and on mobile. It’s essentially creating three different versions of your site. So, when you choose a template, you can look at how it will appear in all three of its forms. In addition to viewing it in all three different forms, you can also edit it in all three forms which means you have a lot of control over how your site will appear – no matter where someone is looking at it.

Duda really excels with its mobile creation tool. And it includes a number of other handy features, including easy social media integration and simple-to-use analytics. And if that wasn’t enough, you can sell products from your website while you’re still using the free version. Unfortunately, there are no third-party widgets available for it and there’s no newsletter integration (which is a huge drawback).

Nevertheless, Duda is definitely worth checking out, and maybe even giving a test run. You can try it for free and if you like what you see, it will run you $13-$19 per month.

Verdict…

If you only want a bare-bones e-commerce site, Duda may be the option for you since you can use it for free. Unfortunately, if you’d like true responsiveness or need more flexible features, then you’ll probably want to check out one of the following sites.

3. Squarespace

Over the past few years, Squarespace has become one of the premiere website builders – and for good reason. It creates responsive sites that work great no matter how you’re viewing them. In addition, you can integrate dozens of apps and sites quickly and easily – including MailChimp, Apple Pay, and PayPal.

Squarespace has an advantage when it comes to its selling features. It’s built to do business from and, as a result, they’ve made doing business very easy. Creating product pages is a snap and you can easily add downloadable sales items in a minimum amount of time.

But Squarespace also has some drawbacks. It includes fewer templates than most of its competitors and the ability to edit those templates is more restricted. Likewise, it’s editor is not as intuitive as Wix’s or Goshly’s. On top of this, the mobile version of your site can’t be edited or changed as freely. So if you were hoping to really tailor your mobile experience, you’re largely out of luck if you go with Squarespace.

On top of this, Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan. And if you go with a paid plan, you’ll be paying more than you would with some of the other mobile website builders. Personal websites will run you $16-$26 per month ($144-$216 if paid annually) while business websites cost between $30-$46 per month ($312-$480 if paid annually).

Verdict…

If you’re wanting well-designed templates that include genuine responsiveness and you aren’t interested in editing them too much, Squarespace may be the option for you.

2. Wix

Wix is one of the most popular website builders out there – and for good reason. It’s affordable, easy to use, and will leave you with a website that you’ll be proud to call your own. There are dozens of themes available to use. And once you’ve chosen a theme, you can edit it easily enough with the Wix site editor.

Unfortunately, Wix doesn’t actually make your sites responsive. Instead, it creates a version of your website to show on mobile and tablet devices. You can look at and edit this mobile version of your site separately from the version created for desktops. It’s worth noting though, that the mobile version of your site should pass Google’s test for mobile-friendliness. This is vital for your search rankings so that’s a plus in Wix’s favor even if it doesn’t produce true responsiveness.

The thing that really sets Wix apart is ‘Wix Code’ which allows users to implement more complex features on their sites without having to program. This is especially helpful if you’re creating an e-commerce site with a lot of products which are stored in a database. Wix Code will help you populate your site with product pages without having to create them manually, one by one.

You can try Wix out by getting a free account. Unfortunately, it’s limited in just about every way. In order to really take advantage of its features (including the ability to conduct e-commerce) you’ll need to upgrade to a paid site. Premium plans range from $5 per month up to $25 per month.

Verdict…

Wix is a great choice if you’re on a tight budget or just want to try things out before jumping in. Their site editor is easy to use and can produce some nice pages. Unfortunately, it does not create truly responsive websites.

1. Goshly

One of the things that sets Goshly above all of the other mobile website builders that we’ve looked at is the fact that it is built specifically to create responsive websites. In fact, if you visit their site, you’ll quickly realize that they’ve done everything humanly possible to make your site as responsive as possible. This includes text and image resizing, logo resizing and placement, banner reorientation, and more.

In addition to this, they have dozens of themes that you can start building your site with. Though with that said, you’re not restricted by the theme that you choose. Once you’ve chosen a theme as a base, you can edit and customize your site to your heart’s content. And performing that customization is as easy as dragging and dropping since Goshly uses an intuitive WYSISWYG editor.

Yet another thing that sets Goshly apart is the fact that its built for e-commerce. With Goshly you’ll have access to several different payment gateways, secure transactions, and reliable hosting. Many of the above options are great if you’re looking for nothing more than a mobile website builder. But if you’re specifically looking to build an e-commerce site, you could do a whole lot worse than using Goshly.

And what really makes it a no-brainer is the fact that you can get a free 14-day trial. If you don’t like what you see, you can cancel and never pay a dime. And if you find that Goshly’s integrations and interface are exactly what you need, you’ll only pay $15 per month for a vanilla website or $30 per month for an ecommerce site.

The primary drawbacks that you’ll find with Goshly are the fact that it’s a fairly new business that doesn’t have the history of some of the others in this list. As a result, there aren’t as many reviews for it floating around on the web. But that shouldn’t deter you. With a 14-day trial period and no long-term commitment, you have no reason not to give Goshly a try. In fact, you’d be doing yourself – and your business – a disservice in not at least testing it out.

Verdict…

If you’re looking to build an e-commerce site, Goshly is your best bet. It’s affordable, simple, and comprehensive. Plus, you can try it out for 14 days at no charge and you don’t have to sign a contract or lock-in for any set period of time.