Imagine you’re a sculptor, but instead of chiseling away at stone, your material is as malleable as air and responds to your every command, shaping itself to your vision. That’s what it feels like to use an AI builder to create a new website.
AI website builders are user-friendly tools that seamlessly generate the elements of a website according to your ideas and needs. Here's how AI-generated website builders work, along with some of the best options on the market.
How do AI website builders work?
An AI website builder starts by gathering information about your website’s purpose, target audience, and visual style. Providing this information might involve answering questions, selecting keywords, or providing examples of similar websites.
The AI site generator then uses algorithms to craft a website framework that includes your requested content, design, and functionality. For example, an AI website builder might generate a page layout and suggest design themes with relevant color schemes, fonts, and images. Depending on your AI builder’s capabilities, it might also recommend features like contact forms, photo galleries, or an ecommerce checkout.
When you use an AI website builder, artificial intelligence generates the initial framework, but you’re not stuck with its suggestions. Most builders let you customize the design and layout, add features, and edit content.
Best AI website builders
Here are some of the best AI-enabled website builders, according to customer reviews:
Shopify
Shopify Magic helps you get the most from Shopify’s website builder. Create a beautiful, functional online store from a template or custom code, then let Shopify Magic generate on-brand images and persuasive descriptions for your products. It also automates customer service by providing instant chat responses and managing email communications.
Shopify’s AI features support you across your business, offering guidance on everything from setting up shipping to generating reports to plan your next move.
All Shopify users can access Shopify Magic for free, plus hosting, a subdomain, SSL encryption, and ecommerce tools. Try Shopify’s AI website builder with a free trial.
Appy Pie
Appy Pie is a cloud-based platform with various AI tools for app development, website creation, and business solution development. It has a free AI website builder with basic features, limited storage space, and an Appy Pie subdomain.
Bookipi
Bookipi uses AI to simplify site creation for small businesses, freelancers, and solopreneurs who need a basic portfolio website. It starts by gathering information about your business through a questionnaire, asking for details about your industry, target audience, and desired website features.
Bookipi then drafts a general website framework, generating text for various sections of your website and suggesting color schemes, fonts, and stock images.
Bookipi offers a free plan with essential tools and pricing tiers with additional features.
Duda
Duda caters to agencies and web design professionals. Its AI assistant generates content for various website sections, including page titles and descriptions, saving time and ensuring SEO best practices. It can also translate website content into multiple languages, making it easier to reach international markets.
Duda offers various pricing plans based on available features and the number of websites you need to manage.
Jimdo
Jimdo personalizes the website building process based on your input, with tools for mobile and SEO optimization, as well as online store features. Jimdo has a free AI website builder plan with limited tools, while paid plans offer more storage, bandwidth, and a custom domain name.
Hostinger
Hostinger focuses on usability and offers AI tools like a heat map and a logo maker. The AI heat map tool identifies areas where visitors spend time on your website, so you can optimize your layout for better engagement.
The AI-powered logo maker lets you generate logo concepts based on inputs like your company name and industry keywords.
Hostinger offers a free AI website builder plan with limited features and branding. Paid plans provide more storage, bandwidth, and the ability to connect your own domain name.
SITE123
SITE123 has all the tools for basic SEO optimization and integrates with popular business apps. Its TextAI app can generate product descriptions and add features or services to your website.
SITE123 offers a free AI website builder plan with limited features or paid plans with more storage, bandwidth, and custom domain names.
Squarespace
Squarespace’s user-friendly interface offers tools for mobile and SEO optimization, plus ecommerce features for online selling. Its AI tool suggests designs based on your preferences.
Squarespace offers a free trial of its AI website builder, with paid plans providing various levels of features, storage, and bandwidth.
Webflow
Webflow offers a blend of a visual design interface and code export capabilities, allowing for greater design flexibility and customization than other AI website builders. Webflow’s search functionality uses AI to help you find website elements, assets, or tutorials quickly. It includes a built-in content management system and ecommerce features.
Webflow has a free generator plan with limited features and projects. Paid plans provide more features, website projects, and CMS collections.
Wix
Wix’s AI web builder creates a customized website based on your answers to a brief questionnaire and offers a simple drag-and-drop editor for easy customization. It includes all the tools for SEO optimization, ecommerce functionalities, and built-in marketing apps.
Wix offers a free AI-assisted website plan with limited features (although your website will display Wix branding). Paid plans offer more storage, bandwidth, and custom domain names.
WordPress
WordPress’s user-friendly platform includes some AI-powered features in its free plan, like theme suggestions. There is a large plug-in and theme library, allowing for extensive customization and functionality.
WordPress offers a free plan with limited features, storage, and customization options. Paid plans include custom themes and plug-ins.
AI website builder FAQ
Can you use AI to build websites?
AI website builders use artificial intelligence to simplify the website creation process. They work via user-friendly prompts that allow anyone to create a website or online store. While AI website generators suggest a page design and foundational features, users can customize their website using the tools found in most website builders.
Is there a free AI website builder?
There are several free AI website builders, including Bookipi and WordPress. Shopify’s AI store building features are free for all subscribers. Free standalone website generators offer basic layout and content generation, but may restrict access to more advanced features.
Can ChatGPT design a website?
ChatGPT can generate parts of a website, like snippets of code, website ideas, blog posts, or product descriptions. But it can’t generate a full website. To design and create a real website using AI, you’ll need to use an AI website builder like Shopify.