How much does a website cost in 2026: Builder, domain & plan prices: Heya ($0 or $3/mo), Carrd ($19/yr), Porkbun ($11.08/yr), WordPress.com ($48/yr), Wix ($204/yr), Squarespace ($19/mo)

The short answer

Lowest monthly full builder WordPress.com paid plans start at $4 per month when billed annually, or $2.75 per month when billed every 3 years, and include a free custom domain for the first year plus access to over 60,000 plugins.
Custom domain setup Heya Pro Standard costs $6 a month, for up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account, which you can pair with a Porkbun domain starting from $7.98 USD for the first year ($11.84 USD renewals) for .ORG or $11.08 USD per year for .COM.
Unbranded small site Heya Pro Lite costs $3 a month to remove builder branding on up to 3 sites of 20 pages each without custom domains.
Transparent domain renewals Cloudflare Registrar sells and renews over 430 domain extensions at registry and ICANN wholesale cost with no markup or hidden fees.

Website builder and domain prices compared

This table compares the stated starting prices, custom domain rules, and key billing details for each website builder and domain registrar.

Option	Free option	Starting paid price	Custom domain cost	Key limits or fees
Heya	$0 (up to 3 sites, 5 pages/site)	$3/mo (Pro Lite)	1 per account in Pro Standard ($6/mo, up to 5 sites)	5 pages on Free; custom domain from $6/mo
Carrd	Free Basic experience; 7-day Pro trial	$9/year (Pro Lite)	Supported on Pro Standard ($19/year)	Pro Lite has no custom domains
WordPress.com	$0 (1 GB storage, subdomain)	$4/month billed annually ($2.75/month per 3 yrs)	Free for first year on annual plans	0% WooCommerce fee on Business/Commerce
Hostinger Website Builder	14-day free trial	$2.49/month ($119.52 upfront for 48 mos)	Free for 1 year on yearly or longer plans	Renews at $10.99/month; excludes VAT
Wix	$0 on Wix domain with Wix branding	$17/month paid yearly (Light)	Free for 1 year on annual Premium plans	eCommerce starts on Core ($29/month)
Squarespace	14-day free trial (no credit card)	$19/month (Basic)	Free custom domain included on Basic	2% store fee on Basic; no store fee on Core ($29/month)
Google Sites	Not stated	Not stated	Connects up to five third-party domains	Requires www subdomain and DNS TXT check
Porkbun	Not stated	.COM from $11.08/year; .NET from $12.52/year	.ORG $7.98 first year ($11.84/year renewal)	Email hosting $3.00/month per inbox (annual)
Cloudflare Registrar	Start building for free	Wholesale registry and ICANN cost (no markup)	430+ extensions (.com, .net, .org, .ai, .app, .dev)	Free WHOIS redaction, DNS, CDN, and SSL

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Not stated means the price or limit is not provided in the source data for that product.

Cost breakdown by website builder and domain registrar

Heya

Free ($0); Pro Lite $3/mo; Pro Standard $6/mo; Pro Plus $15/mo

Heya Free is $0 with no credit card for up to 3 sites, 5 pages each, and 68 templates. Heya Pro Lite is $3 a month for up to 20 pages per site and no badge. Heya Pro Standard is $6 a month for up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account, and Pro Plus is $15 a month for up to 25 sites and up to 10 custom domains per account.

Better at: Building on a phone, 68 templates on every plan, or removing branding for $3 a month.
Watch out: Free sites show a small badge and allow 5 pages; a custom domain needs Pro Standard ($6/mo).

Carrd

Free Basic; Pro from $9/year to $49/year

Carrd has a free Basic tier and a 7-day Pro trial without a credit card. Paid plans drop the branding: Pro Lite is $9 per year (up to 3 sites), Pro Standard is $19 per year (10 sites, custom domains), and Pro Plus is $49 per year (25 sites, HTML downloads).

Better at: Connecting a custom domain on up to 10 sites for $19 per year.
Watch out: Pro Lite at $9 per year does not allow custom domains.

WordPress.com

Free ($0); paid from $4/month billed annually ($2.75/month per 3 years)

WordPress.com is $0 on the free plan with 1 GB storage, unlimited pages, and ads. Paid plans drop ads, add over 60,000 plugins, and start at $4 per month billed annually or $2.75 per month billed every 3 years, with a free domain for the first year.

Better at: Sites that need unlimited pages and posts, over 60,000 plugins, and a low annual starting rate.
Watch out: Monthly plans do not include the free first-year custom domain.

Hostinger Website Builder

14-day trial; from $2.49/month ($119.52 upfront for 48 months)

Hostinger Website Builder requires upfront payment and lists prices without VAT. On a 48-month term, Premium is $2.49 per month ($119.52 upfront, renewing at $10.99 per month), Unlimited is $3.49 per month ($167.52 upfront, renewing at $16.99 per month), and Cloud Startup is $7.99 per month ($383.52 upfront, renewing at $25.99 per month).

Better at: Locking in a low monthly rate for 48 months with 0% ecommerce transaction fees.
Watch out: Requires paying for 48 months upfront to get the $2.49/month rate, plus VAT.

Wix

Free ($0); paid from $17/month to $159/month (billed yearly)

Wix has a $0 Free plan with Wix branding. Paid plans are billed yearly in full and include a 1-year free domain voucher: Light is $17 per month, Core is $29 per month (with basic eCommerce), Business is $39 per month, and Business Elite is $159 per month.

Better at: All-in-one business sites needing built-in scheduling, events, courses, and CRM.
Watch out: Displayed monthly rates require paying for a full year upfront, and eCommerce starts at $29/month.

Squarespace

14-day trial; paid from $19/month to $99/month

Squarespace offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card and saves up to 36% on annual billing. Every paid plan lets you sell: Basic is $19 per month, Core is $29 per month (no store transaction fees), Plus is $49 per month, and Advanced is $99 per month.

Better at: Online stores, blogs with paywalls, and sites wanting no store fees from $29/month.
Watch out: No permanent free plan, and the $19/month Basic plan charges a 2% online store fee.

Google Sites

Not stated

Google Sites is a drag-and-drop builder that works with Google Workspace, Docs, Sheets, and Presentations. You can connect up to five custom domains from a third-party registrar using a subdomain like www and DNS TXT verification in Google Search Console, with a limit of 20 mappings per week.

Better at: Teams already using Google Docs, Sheets, and Google Workspace permissions.
Watch out: Custom domains may stop working if moved to a Team Drive and require administrator help on work accounts.

Porkbun

.COM from $11.08/year; .NET from $12.52/year; .ORG from $7.98 first year

Porkbun sells single-year domains in USD with ICANN fees included: .COM starts at $11.08 per year, .NET at $12.52 per year, and .ORG at $7.98 for the first year (renewing at $11.84 per year). You get free WHOIS privacy, Let's Encrypt SSL, URL forwarding, up to 20 free email forwards, and Cloudflare-powered DNS.

Better at: Buying standalone domains with free WHOIS privacy and up to 20 free email forwards.
Watch out: Recovering an expired domain in the Redemption Grace Period costs a $200 restoration fee plus renewal.

Cloudflare Registrar

Registry and ICANN wholesale cost (no markup)

Cloudflare Registrar supports over 430 top-level domains (.com, .net, .org, .ai, .app, .dev) and charges prices at or below what registries and ICANN charge, with no markup and no inflated renewal costs. Every domain includes free WHOIS redaction, DNS, CDN, SSL, and one-click DNSSEC.

Better at: Registering or transferring domains with zero markup on initial registration or renewal.
Watch out: Exact dollar prices per TLD are not stated in the provided data.

The website builder plan

Your biggest recurring cost is the builder subscription. For small sites, Heya Pro Lite ($3 a month) and Carrd Pro Lite ($9 per year) give you up to 3 unbranded sites. Carrd also has Pro Standard at $19 per year (10 sites) and Pro Plus at $49 per year (25 sites), while Heya has Pro Standard at $6 a month (up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account) and Pro Plus at $15 a month (up to 25 sites and up to 10 custom domains per account).

For bigger multi-page builders, WordPress.com starts at $4 per month billed annually ($2.75 per month billed every 3 years). Hostinger Website Builder's Premium plan is $2.49 per month ($119.52 upfront for 48 months excluding VAT, renewing at $10.99 per month). Wix starts at $17 per month billed yearly, and Squarespace starts at $19 per month.

The custom domain name

You can get a custom domain bundled for the first year on annual plans from Wix, WordPress.com (from $2.75 per month billed every 3 years), and Hostinger Website Builder, while Squarespace includes a free custom domain on the $19 per month Basic plan. Wix's 1-year voucher only works for buying a new domain.

With Heya Pro Standard ($6 a month), Carrd Pro Standard ($19 / year), or Google Sites, you buy your domain separately; Heya Pro Standard includes 1 custom domain per account and lets you build up to 5 sites. Porkbun starts at $11.08 per year for .COM, $12.52 per year for .NET, and $7.98 for the first year of .ORG ($11.84 per year renewal), while Cloudflare Registrar sells over 430 extensions at wholesale cost. Both include free WHOIS privacy and SSL. Heya Free ($0), Heya Pro Lite ($3 a month), and Carrd Pro Lite ($9 / year) don't support custom domains.

Extras: email, online stores, and transaction fees

Email and store fees can add up fast. Porkbun gives you up to 20 free email forwards per domain, or full Email Hosting at $3.00 per month per inbox billed annually. Hostinger Website Builder includes 2 free 1 GB mailboxes per site for 1 year on Premium ($2.49 per month) and unlimited on Unlimited ($3.49 per month), renewing at $0.59 per month, while Squarespace Core ($29 per month) includes a free year of Google Workspace email.

To sell online, Hostinger's $3.49 per month Unlimited plan and WordPress.com's Business and Commerce plans charge 0% transaction fees. Squarespace Basic ($19 per month) charges a 2% store fee plus 2.9% + $0.30 card rates, dropping the 2% fee on Core ($29 per month). Wix adds eCommerce on Core ($29 per month billed yearly). Carrd Pro Plus ($49 per year) has Stripe Checkout, while Heya lets you link a button to your checkout or store page.

The cheapest way to start a website

If your budget is $0, you can launch for free with no credit card on Heya Free (up to 3 sites, 5 pages per site at yourname.heya.bio), Wix Free, WordPress.com Free (1 GB storage at yoursite.wordpress.com with ads), or Carrd's Basic experience.

To drop builder branding without a custom domain, Heya Pro Lite ($3 a month) and Carrd Pro Lite ($9 / year) both cover up to 3 sites. For a custom domain setup, pair Heya Pro Standard ($6 a month, for up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account), Carrd Pro Standard ($19 / year for up to 10 sites), or Google Sites with a Porkbun .ORG ($7.98 USD for the first year, $11.84 USD renewals) or .COM ($11.08 USD per year).

How we checked

We compared the stated plan prices, billing terms, domain registration rates, and add-on fees directly from the official pricing and feature specifications of each website builder and domain registrar. We broke costs down into the base builder plan, the custom domain, and optional extras without adding external agency or designer estimates. The facts come from carrd.co/docs/pro/plans, carrd.co/pro, cloudflare.com/domains, support.google.com/sites/answer/9068867, workspace.google.com/products/sites, hostinger.com/website-builder, porkbun.com/products/domains, squarespace.com/pricing, squarespace.com/websites, wix.com/plans, wix.com, wordpress.com/pricing, heya.page/pricing, heya.page/docs.

Plans change often. If a number here is out of date, email hello@heya.page and we'll fix it.

FAQ

Can I build and publish a website for $0?

Yes, you can build and publish a site for $0 with no credit card on Heya, Wix, and WordPress.com, or use Carrd's free Basic experience. Your site will use a provider subdomain like yourname.heya.bio or yoursite.wordpress.com and show builder branding or ads.

How much does a domain name cost per year?

At Porkbun, domains with ICANN fees and WHOIS privacy start at $11.08 per year for .COM, $12.52 per year for .NET, and $7.98 for year one of .ORG ($11.84 per year renewal), while Cloudflare Registrar charges wholesale cost with zero markup across 430+ extensions. Wix, WordPress.com, and Hostinger include a free first-year domain on annual plans, and Squarespace includes a free custom domain on its Basic plan.

How much does a paid website builder plan cost?

Heya Pro Lite costs $3 a month for up to 3 unbranded sites of 20 pages each without custom domains. If you need a custom domain, Heya Pro Standard costs $6 a month and includes up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account.

How much does it cost to add an online store to a website?

Hostinger Website Builder includes ecommerce on the Unlimited plan at $3.49/mo ($167.52 upfront for 48 months, renewing at $16.99/mo for the same term) with 0% transaction fees. You can also use Carrd Pro Standard ($19 / year) for Stripe, PayPal, or Gumroad widgets, Carrd Pro Plus ($49 / year) for Stripe Checkout forms, Squarespace Basic ($19 per month), or Wix Core ($29 per month for a yearly subscription paid in full at purchase).

How much does custom domain email cost?

Porkbun gives you up to 20 free email forwards with every domain, or full Email Hosting for $3.00 per month per inbox billed annually. Hostinger includes 2 free 1 GB mailboxes per site for 1 year on its $2.49 per month Premium plan (renewing at $0.59 per month), and Squarespace includes a free year of Google Workspace on its $29 per month Core plan.

What is the difference between Heya and Carrd pricing?

Both have a free tier. Heya Free ($0) includes up to 3 sites of 5 pages each and 68 templates. Heya Pro Lite costs $3 a month for up to 3 unbranded sites without custom domains, Pro Standard costs $6 a month for up to 5 sites and 1 custom domain, and Pro Plus ($15 a month) adds up to 25 sites and HTML ZIP downloads.

How much does a website cost to build and run in 2026