The answer depends on what you are building. For a brochure site, portfolio, blog or small shop, use a website builder with AI on top: Wix, Framer or Hostinger. For a site that needs logins, a database, payments or custom logic, use a prompt-to-code builder: Lovable, Bolt.new, v0 or Base44. Search results for “best AI website builder” are mostly the first group. Zapier’s roundup, for one, calls prompt-to-code tools “overkill for building a website”. For plain sites that is fair, and this page says so.
Every tool below hosts your site inside its plan. A custom domain is an optional upgrade on all of them; you can launch on the builder’s own subdomain.
What the plans cost
Prices are from each vendor’s pricing page. Website-builder prices were read on 29 September 2026; prompt-to-code prices come from our pricing index, checked 28 September 2026. Annual-billing rates are shown as the vendors display them. The two groups are not like-for-like: one buys a fixed site, the other buys credits of AI work.
| Tool | Type | Entry paid plan | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix | Website builder | $17.77 a month, billed yearly (Light) | Custom domain and removal of Wix branding need a paid plan; Free has hosting |
| Framer | Website builder | $10 a month (Basic), $30 (Pro) | Basic has 30 pages and 2 CMS collections; Free has no custom domain |
| Hostinger | Website builder | $2.99 a month intro (Premium) | Intro price needs a 48-month term; renews at $10.99 a month |
| Lovable | Prompt to code | $25 a month, $21 billed yearly (Pro) | Credits, not a flat site fee; hosting use draws on credits |
| Bolt.new | Prompt to code | $25 a month (Pro) | Free plan puts Bolt branding on the site |
| v0 | Prompt to code | $30 per user a month (Plus; v0’s page shows a struck-through $90) | $30 in monthly credits; deploys to Vercel |
| Base44 | Prompt to code | $16 a month, billed yearly (Starter) | 100 message credits; separate integration credits |
The Hostinger row matters most for comparison shopping. The headline $2.99 is a 48-month promotional rate with a $143.52 total; the renewal rate is 3.7 times higher. Compare renewal prices, not intro prices.
Pick by need
| You want… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A simple business or portfolio site, done this week | Wix or Hostinger | Templates, hosting, editor and support in one plan; no credits to run out |
| A site with strong visual design and a CMS, edited by a designer | Framer | Design-first editor; page and CMS limits are on the price page |
| A public site plus signup, dashboard or payments | Lovable | Adds a real backend; see the Lovable review |
| A polished front end you or a developer will extend | v0 | UI generation with Vercel deployment; read the v0 review |
| Full control of the code in a browser editor | Bolt.new | See the Bolt.new review |
| An internal portal or tool with no backend setup | Base44 | Managed backend; see Base44 vs Lovable |
| The lowest possible cost for a one-page site | Website builder free tier, or any free tier below | Lovable’s free tier gives 5 daily credits; Base44’s gives 25 message credits a month |
If you choose a prompt-to-code builder and want search traffic, read the Lovable SEO guide first, since generated single-page apps need extra care. For functional software rather than sites, the best AI app builder roundup covers that group. If you later want your own address, the custom domain guide explains it as an optional step.
Where the categories overlap
Prompt-to-code builders can make a marketing page, and they are more flexible than a template. The trade is that you own the credits, the fixes and the maintenance. When a prompt breaks something, you spend credits to repair it. A website builder gives you a fixed monthly price and an editor that does not rewrite your page. If you would rather not think about either, that is the reason to choose the website builder.
Base44 is one of our approved partners; its partner link costs you nothing extra. It is one option in the table, not our default for a brochure site.
If you are building an app rather than a site, the ranked-by-job hub is best AI app builder.
Method
Researched from vendor pricing pages and public documentation, read 28 and 29 September 2026. We have not built the same site on each tool and do not score design quality or speed; the table compares plan prices and stated limits only. Prices, limits and promotional rates change often, so check the vendor page before buying.
Common questions
What is the difference between an AI website builder and an AI app builder?
A website builder produces pages from templates and an editor, with AI helping to draft layout and copy. An app builder writes code from your prompts and can produce logins, databases and workflows.
Do I need to buy a domain separately?
No. Every tool here hosts your site and gives you a subdomain on launch. A custom domain is optional; some plans include one free for the first year, others charge for it.
Which is the cheapest way to get a small site online?
A free tier on a website builder is cheapest to start, but Wix’s free plan cannot use a custom domain. Hostinger’s intro price is lowest per month but requires a long commitment and renews higher.