The best AI website builders of 2024 reviewed

AI is becoming a big part of many tools today, including website builders like Wix or Shopify. These platforms now let AI help create websites for you. This sounds great because AI can make tasks easier, but are AI website builders really worth it? 

The answer is a bit tricky. While it’s exciting to think that you can just type in what you want and get a website, you still need to know what you’re doing. Plus, AI doesn’t always get it right, so you might end up fixing a lot of its mistakes. It’s a helpful tool but not a complete solution yet.

With our generative AI integration services, we have a foot in the door and know the ins and outs of AI solutions. Come check out our review of top AI website builders and if they are enough to build a beautifully designed and fully functional website for your needs.

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AI website builders - what and why

AI website builders are tools that use artificial intelligence to make building a website easier. Unlike regular website builders that require you to drag and drop elements or customize templates, AI website builders can create an entire website based on the information you provide.

How AI website builders work

It’s rather simple - you answer questions about your website’s purpose, style, and number of pages, and the AI does the rest. It uses a large database of design elements, trends, and user data to create a website that matches your needs.

Price-wise, as usual with software these days, there are either free AI website builders with limited functionality but a great opportunity to play a website “Lego game” and those with paid subscription plans and more advanced offerings.

Why use AI website builders?

While AI website builders won't completely replace the need for professional web designers and writers, they can be really helpful starter tools, especially for people with little website-building experience or budget. 

Community opinion

Reddit

We’ve searched the Internet for some community points of view. Here’s what our research showed.

Below are a few of the opinions that got us thinking and prompted us to make this article what it is.

"I love the potential for AI in general, but as it stands, AI is a yes-man. It never stops to do discovery or ask if this is really the best solution. It doesn't push back on a bad idea or consider non-specified aspects in the prompt. It's okay for simple brochure sites, but for anything more, it's lacking."

"If average at best is okay, then these builders are okay. From my experience, their code is basically unmaintainable. I wouldn't trust that the one I choose still exists in 3-5 years and is still compatible with what I do today. If you need anything more difficult at any point, you're most likely rebuilding everything."

If you have a more serious approach and realize the value a good website can bring your business, there is another, more classic but trusted approach. More on that later.

Best AI website builders of 2024

Here you go. An unbiased but slightly cautious overview of some of the best AI website builders of 2024. We checked the prices, nice features, and downsides, so you don’t have to.

10Web

10Web is an AI-driven website builder that was made for agencies and organizations with multiple websites. It costs $20 per month to start on the Personal plan, which does not come with a free option.

Among the key features are an AI site builder, AI web conversion, and AI migration services. Additionally, it is integrated with Elementor, a popular WordPress page builder. However, editing requires a paid plan, and these plans are rather expensive compared to other website builders. 

While the personal plan costs $20 per month, the premium plan costs $24 per month to manage three websites each. The Agency Plan has been made for larger companies or agencies dealing with up to 10 sites, charging $85 monthly.

Note that you must submit extensive preliminary information for the 10Web AI Website Builder to create your site; beginners may also find Elementor difficult to use.

Shopify

Shopify is an online store-building tool featuring AI-powered capabilities to smooth e-commerce. The platform's original price is $29 a month, and there's no free plan.

With the launch of Shopify Magic this April, it made available AI-driven tools that could do very complex tasks, such as generating product descriptions, blog posts related to them, email subject lines, and even FAQs - all of which hugely cut down on the amount of manual work involved. The Shopify Sidekick AI assistant also helped in live chat responses and content creation.

However, Shopify has limited features and poor built-in customization options. All of its extended functionality is purchased through additional apps. High transaction fees apply if not using Shopify Payments.  Overall, while powerful, Shopify's AI tools come at a cost, and the need for extra apps can add up.

Framer

Framer is another AI-powered website builder that makes website building easier. Its key selling point is creating entire pages from user prompts, which makes it great for quick prototyping and iteration. The interface is easy to use and clean, and it can offer side-by-side views of the website on desktop, mobile, and tablet.

Several sources say that its AI content is good for a rough draft but nothing more in terms of quality. Also, page templates are less advanced compared with other builders. It also gets overloaded if there are too many requests at once.

Framer offers a free plan with Framer branding, as well as paid plans starting from $10 per month per site. Overall, it may be a compelling option for users looking to quickly create a basic website, especially those on a tight budget. But it may not be the best solution for more complex website needs.

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Wix

Next is the Wix AI website builder, a versatile tool with decent AI features and the addition of ChatGPT integration. It offers a free plan, with paid plans starting at $17 per month. Key features include the Wix Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), which generates three website templates, and various AI tools for text, images, and SEO improvements. 

However, Wix has some downsides. Its paid plans are pricier than many competitors', there’s no AI logo generator, and it doesn’t generate text during the initial ADI setup. The AI capabilities, while strong, may not feel as modern as those of other AI website builders. Users also need to replace AI-generated stock content with their own, but at least Wix’s drag-and-drop builder makes this a bit easier. 

Overall, Wix is good for post-setup design, balancing speed with customization in creating blogs, eCommerce sites, and more. Some premium features, like the AI meta tag creator, however, are, as usual, available only to Premium users.

Jimdo

Jimdo is an all-in-one website builder with versatile features and different pricing plans. Among its singular AI-powered functions is a website builder called Jimdo Dolphin, walking users through an extensive set up to create a personalized site. You can basically generate an individual color palette and import your content from social media.

While integration with AI works well for initial site creation in Jimdo, it offers fewer tools for further customization and continuous management than other website builders. The main drawbacks are the lack of advanced blogging functionality and few internal marketing features.

On the pricing side, Jimdo holds up pretty well, offering a free plan and paid plans starting at $9 per month. Overall, Jimdo provides a well-rounded website creation experience, especially for users seeking a detailed, AI-assisted setup process, though its ongoing site management tools are more basic.

CodeWP

Finally, the last one on our list is CodeWP, a tool that helps primarily very technically inclined individuals create custom WordPress websites. It can generate complex WordPress code, like code for a slider with recent post headers and summaries. This can be useful for those who understand WordPress but don't have strong coding skills, so a bit like a WordPress AI website builder in and of itself.

However, using CodeWP does have some downsides. You need to know how WordPress works to properly add and use the code it generates. The code it produces could also have problems or even security issues, so you'll need to test and troubleshoot it.

CodeWP has a free plan with 20 code generations per month. Paid plans start at $28 per month for 10,000 generations and access to more code modes. Overall, it's a good tool, but it's best suited for power users who are willing to put in the time to understand how to use it effectively with their WordPress projects.

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Do you need an AI website builder?

AI website builders promise quick and easy solutions for creating websites, but they come with significant limitations. Here's a closer look at why you might want to think twice before relying solely on AI for your website needs.

Limited creativity and customization

One of the key drawbacks of AI website builders is the lack of truly unique, creative thinking. While the algorithms can analyze data and provide suggestions, they lack the spark of human creativity needed to craft a website that truly reflects your brand. If your goal is to stand out with a one-of-a-kind website, professional designers are irreplaceable.

Code quality

AI-generated website code can also be problematic. Although it may be produced faster than manual coding, the accuracy and flexibility often suffer. You could end up with a site that's difficult to customize or scale as your business grows. AI also struggles to account for the broader context and emotional impact that effective web design requires, resulting in pages that fail to engage your audience.

Issues with imagery

Another major issue with AI website builders is the subpar quality of the imagery they produce. While tools like Midjourney can generate images quickly, they frequently miss the mark in terms of aesthetic appeal and brand alignment. Achieving the right look and feel for your website is challenging when relying solely on AI.

A different approach

So what's the alternative? Consider working with professional web designers and developers. Here's why it might be better:

1. Personalized approach. They take time to understand your business and goals.
2. Unique design. You get a website that is different from the competition and even outshines it.
3. Advanced functionality. They can build complex features that AI struggles with.
4. SEO optimization. Professionals know how to make your site search-engine friendly.
5. Contextual understanding. They also create designs that consider user experience, cultural significance, and brand identity.

For example, at Merge, we can create a custom website using platforms like Webflow. This combines the ease of a builder with professional design skills. 

Reach out to us, and let's build something amazing together.

The human advantage

Working with professionals gives you access to creativity and strategic thinking that AI can't match. This human touch can make a big difference in creating a website that helps your business grow.

While AI builders have their place, for many businesses, the expertise of human designers is still the best way to create a truly effective website.