Top 7 Quality Church Website Builders | 2024 Review

In this article, we explore the top website builders tailored for churches. Whether you’re tech-savvy or new to building sites, find the perfect fit for your church’s online platform.

7 Best Websites Builders For Churches

Wix

Overview

Wix is a popular website builder used by beginners, businesses, and celebrities, known for its user-friendly drag-and-drop system. It allows easy placement of elements like images, text, and videos on webpages.

Although not solely for churches, Wix provides specialized templates for churches and non-profits, featuring donation buttons, contact forms, and event pages, and allows for blog posts and sermon uploads.

Pricing

• Wix Pricing: Offers a free plan; paid plans start at $16/month for the Light plan.
• Recommended Plan: The Core plan at $27/month for better resources.
• Comparative Cost: Wix is slightly more expensive than some competitors.
• Features and Value: Despite the cost, Wix has excellent features, especially beneficial for building feature-rich church websites.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• High Popularity: Wix is widely favored among users, making it a top choice in user testing.
• Church-Specific Templates: Wix offers a selection of 12 templates tailored specifically for churches, catering to their unique needs.
• Strong Support: Wix provides a comprehensive knowledge base, ensuring reliable support for users.

CONS:

• Template Limitation: Once your website is live, you can’t switch to a different template, which could restrict design flexibility.
• Limited Storage: Wix offers less storage space than other alternatives, potentially affecting your ability to host extensive content.
• Higher Starter Plan Cost: Wix’s introductory plan is pricier than its competitors, impacting cost-effectiveness for beginners.

Who is it for?

Wix is well-suited for various churches and religious organizations:

• Small to Medium-Sized Churches: Wix’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and customizable templates are suitable for smaller to medium-sized churches that want to establish an online presence without requiring advanced technical skills.
• Non-Denominational Churches: Wix’s general templates and customization options make it adaptable for non-denominational churches with diverse needs and preferences.
• Community and Outreach-Focused Churches: Wix’s features, such as event pages, donation buttons, and blog posts, benefit churches that emphasize community engagement, events, and outreach efforts.
• Churches with Limited Resources: Wix’s affordability and ease of use make it a practical choice for churches with limited budgets or staff resources for website management.

Weebly

Overview

• Weebly for Church Websites: Offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop system, similar to Wix and Squarespace, suitable for simple church websites.
• Design Limitations: Weebly’s templates appear more outdated and offer less customization compared to Squarespace and Wix.
• Theme Selection: Finding the right theme can be difficult due to limited search functions and specific categories for community or non-profit websites.
• Flexibility in Theme Choice: Allows theme previews and switching even after website publication, adding some flexibility.

Pricing

• Weebly Plans: Offers a free plan and three paid plans ranging from $6 to $26 per month.
• Free Plan Limitations: Includes ads and doesn’t allow custom domain connections.
• Recommended Plan: The Professional plan at $12 per month, which removes ads, includes a free domain, and offers unlimited storage.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Scalable Features: Weebly offers features that can adapt and expand as your needs evolve over time, ensuring long-term viability.
• Affordable Pricing: Weebly provides cost-effective plans, accommodating various budgets without compromising functionality.
• Diverse App Store: Weebly boasts a more extensive selection of applications than Squarespace, allowing for greater customization and functionality.

CONS:

• Lack of Church-Specific Templates: Weebly does not offer tailored templates for churches, potentially requiring more effort to customize your website to fit your church’s identity.
• Limited Creative Control: While user-friendly, Weebly offers less creative freedom compared to platforms like Wix, potentially constraining the design and layout possibilities.
• Design Quality Comparison: Weebly’s design quality falls short of Squarespace’s, which may impact your church website’s visual appeal and professionalism.

Who is it for?

 Weebly can be a good fit for several types of churches and religious organizations:

• Budget-Conscious Churches: Weebly’s affordability and value for money can benefit churches with limited budgets that want to create a professional-looking website.
• Churches with Minimal Technical Skills: Weebly’s user-friendly platform is well-suited for churches without dedicated technical staff to manage the website.
• Churches Emphasizing Information: If your church’s primary goal is to provide information such as service times, location, contact details, and basic mission statements, Weebly can effectively serve this purpose.
• Churches Needing Basic Media Sharing: Weebly can accommodate basic media sharing needs, such as posting sermon recordings or sharing images and videos of church events.
• Churches with Limited Design Needs: Weebly’s templates could be suitable for churches less concerned with highly customized or elaborate design elements.

WordPress

Overview

WordPress.org is a popular and free website platform, used by over 43% of websites worldwide. It is highly versatile, ideal for users who need to publish content on the go, and offers seamless integration with social media.

Compatible with various devices including Android, iOS, and desktop operating systems, WordPress also provides a wide range of user-friendly themes, suitable for beginners and those without IT skills.

Pricing

While WordPress does offer a free plan with a .wordpress URL, opting for a premium plan unlocks additional features, including the opportunity to have a unique domain name, enhancing your website’s professional appearance and credibility.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Abundant Church Templates: WordPress offers a wide array of church-specific templates (themes), both free and paid, catering to diverse design preferences. This empowers you to select a theme that resonates with your church’s identity.
• Versatile Plugins: The availability of plugins ensures that your church website can incorporate a comprehensive range of features. For instance, the Sermon Manager plugin facilitates the online publication of sermons, enhancing accessibility.
• Seamless Donations: WordPress allows effortless integration of online donation systems through various plugins. WPForms Lite, for example, enables the acceptance of Stripe payments directly from your church website.
• Vast Plugin Repository: With a repository of over 59,000 free WordPress plugins, your website’s functionality can be easily expanded. These plugins function as virtual applications, offering contact forms, photo galleries, image sliders.
• User-Friendly Page Building: Utilizing prominent page builder plugins like SeedProd, Divi, or Beaver Builder, you can create custom church websites without the necessity of coding expertise.
• Granular User Control: WordPress enables the creation of multiple user accounts with varying roles and permissions.
• Ownership and No Ads: Owning your website outright is a major advantage with WordPress. Unlike certain other builders, you don’t have to contend with the appearance of unwanted ads on your site.
• Supportive Community: WordPress boasts an extensive and supportive community, facilitating easy access to assistance when required. Resources like the WPBeginner Engage Facebook group offer encouragement and support.

CONS:

• Maintenance Responsibilities: WordPress requires independently managing updates, backups, and security measures. Although various plugins can aid in this aspect, the responsibility remains.
• Learning Curve: WordPress might pose a slight challenge for beginners, as the initial learning curve can be somewhat intimidating. However, ample resources are available to aid in overcoming this hurdle.

Who is it for?

WordPress is a versatile platform suitable for a wide range of churches and religious organizations:

• All Sizes of Churches: WordPress accommodates churches of various sizes, from small community churches to larger congregations, offering the flexibility to scale as needed.
• Tech-Savvy Churches: Churches with some technical expertise or willingness to learn can benefit from WordPress’s extensive customization options and wide range of features.
• Churches Needing Customization: If your church requires a highly customized website with specific features, plugins, and design elements, WordPress provides the tools to achieve your vision.
• Churches with Frequent Content Updates: WordPress’s user-friendly content management system suits churches that frequently update content, such as sermons, blog posts, events, and announcements.
• Media-Rich Churches: Churches that want to share multimedia content like sermon recordings, videos, podcasts, and photo galleries can leverage WordPress’s capabilities.

Squarespace

Overview

Squarespace is a comprehensive website builder tailored for church needs, offering blogging tools for sharing news, sermons, and events. It includes SEO tools for better online visibility and analytics to understand visitor behavior.

While lacking specific church themes, its “Community and Non-Profit” category, especially the Clarkson template, provides suitable designs with features like integrated donation and volunteer pages.

Pricing

Squarespace offers competitive pricing that delivers solid value for your investment, making it an attractive alternative if Wix’s pricing slightly exceeds your budget. The entry-level plan starts at $16 monthly, providing a foundation to create your online presence. 

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Exquisite Template Designs: Squarespace stands out with its visually stunning and high-quality template designs, allowing you to create an elegant and captivating website.
• Impressive Events Booking: Squarespace offers top-notch events booking features, enabling seamless management and registration for church events and gatherings.
• Content Restoration: Restoring deleted posts within a 30-day window ensures peace of mind and recovery options in case of accidental content removal.

CONS:

• Slower Site Speed: Squarespace’s site speed may be comparatively slower, potentially affecting visitors’ overall loading and browsing experience.

• Limited App Selection: Squarespace offers fewer apps than platforms like Wix, which could limit the integration of specific functionalities into your church website.
• No Autosave Functionality: Squarespace lacks an autosave feature, meaning your work may not be automatically saved, necessitating manual saving and potentially leading to data loss in case of unexpected interruptions.

Who is it for?

 Squarespace is a suitable website builder for various churches and religious organizations:

• Design-Focused Churches: Squarespace’s emphasis on beautiful and sophisticated template designs makes it an ideal choice for churches seeking an aesthetically pleasing and visually captivating online presence.
• Churches Hosting Events: Squarespace’s quality event booking features are advantageous for churches that frequently host events, gatherings, workshops, and seminars.
• Churches with Content Management Needs: The ability to restore deleted posts within a 30-day window is beneficial for churches that frequently update content and wish to have a safety net in case of accidental deletions.
• Churches Willing to Trade Speed for Design: Squarespace’s exquisite templates could be a good match if your church prioritizes exceptional design and aesthetics over site speed.

GoDaddy

Overview

GoDaddy is an effective option for quickly launching a professional website, thanks to its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) builder that simplifies setup. It offers modern designs, though not as captivating as Squarespace, and clean layouts that allow for personal touches.

While its customization options are more limited compared to Wix or Squarespace and lack drag-and-drop flexibility, adding sections like donations or forms is straightforward.

Pricing

• GoDaddy’s Entry-Level Plan: Starts at $6.99 per month, offering a budget-friendly way to begin your online presence.
• Limitations of Free Plan: Can’t use a custom domain and displays GoDaddy branding.
• Recommended Upgrade: The $13.99 Premium Plan for a more professional look, including better SEO tools, custom domain connection, and ad removal.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Quick Website Setup: GoDaddy is fast at getting your website up and running. It’s the quickest way to create your online space, especially with its competent builder.
• Simple for Non-Tech People: GoDaddy is great if you’re uncomfortable with technology. It’s easy to use and doesn’t require technical skills.
• Useful Marketing Tools: GoDaddy offers tools to help you promote your church online and connect with your congregation. It’s handy for getting the word out and engaging people.

CONS:

• Not Super Customizable: While GoDaddy is fast, it doesn’t give you many options to make your website look unique. You might have some limits on how creative you can get.

• Similar-Looking Websites: Since GoDaddy’s builder does a lot of the work, many websites might look similar. Your site could lack a distinct look that represents your church.
• Limited Advanced SEO: If you choose a cheaper plan on GoDaddy, you might not have all the tools you need to ensure your website shows up well on search engines. This could affect how easily people find your church online.

Who is it for?

GoDaddy is a good fit for:

• Churches in a Hurry: If you want a website quickly without much technical fuss, GoDaddy’s fast setup can help you get online fast.
• People who aren’t Tech Experts: If you’re uncomfortable with computers, GoDaddy’s simple setup is easy to use and doesn’t need a lot of tech know-how.
• Churches Wanting to Promote: If you’re keen on reaching out to your congregation and sharing church news easily, GoDaddy’s marketing tools can be beneficial.

Sharefaith

Overview

Sharefaith is a platform specifically designed for church websites, already used by over 8,000 ministries. It includes features like sermon uploads and offers church-focused themes for creating websites that reflect your church’s identity.

While the designs are attractive and tailored for churches, they may not reach the sophistication level of platforms like Squarespace.

Pricing

For ShareFaith’s pricing, you’ll need to ask them directly, as it’s based on what you need. They also offer a free demo of their website builder.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Tailored Church Templates: Sharefaith offers a variety of church-specific website templates. These templates are created for churches, so you won’t have to sift through irrelevant options.
• Free Demo: You can explore and test the website builder without cost. Simply choose a template you want to try out before committing.
• Free Website Migration: Sharefaith will move your old website to their platform for free (with a yearly plan subscription), saving you the hassle of doing it yourself.
• Rich Image Selection: You can access various images, including website banners. You can even upload your own images to customize your site.
• Easy Sermon Integration: Adding sermons to your church website is straightforward, whether audio or video recordings. You can also specify the preacher and series details.
• Built-In Calendar: Sharefaith provides a built-in calendar feature, allowing you to showcase services and events on your website.
• Sharefaith Giving: Your website comes with Sharefaith Giving, a convenient tool for accepting donations and tithes online.
• Media Library Access: Membership includes full access to the Sharefaith media library, which boasts over 90,000 graphics, images, videos, and more.
• User Management: You can expand your Sharefaith website by adding additional users using the ‘Advanced’ tools.

CONS:

• Higher Cost: Sharefaith is not the most budget-friendly option available, which might not be suitable for churches with tight finances.
• Limited Functionality: Unlike platforms like WordPress, Sharefaith’s functionality is restricted to what it offers. You won’t have access to the same level of plugins or extensions for customization.

Who is it for?

Sharefaith is best suited for:

• Churches Needing Centralization: Sharefaith is ideal for churches looking to gather all essential information in one place for their members. It offers tools to create a centralized hub for church activities.
• Churches with Active Events: If your church frequently hosts events and activities, Sharefaith’s built-in form builder for event registrations and sign-ups can be very beneficial.
• Churches Sharing Media: Sharefaith is great for churches that want to upload and share various media types like sermons, music, videos, and podcasts with their members.
• Churches Focusing on SEO: If attracting new visitors through search engines is a priority, Sharefaith’s on-page SEO tool can help improve your website’s visibility.

Nucleus

Overview

Nucleus is a church-focused website builder that centralizes church information, making it easily accessible to members. It features a form builder for events, a library for sermons, music, videos, and podcasts, and an on-page SEO tool to enhance search engine visibility.

Serving as a hub for church activities, Nucleus aims to increase member engagement and involvement through guided “Next Steps.”

Pricing

• Nucleus Pricing: The full feature set is priced at $199 monthly; website builder alone at $99 monthly.
• 30-Day Free Trial: Offers a trial to explore features before committing to a paid subscription.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

• Generous Free Trial: Nucleus offers a 30-day free trial without needing your credit card details. You can even request an extension from Nucleus if you need more time.
• Scholarships for Smaller Churches: Nucleus provides “scholarships” for smaller churches and startups, making it more accessible for those with budget constraints.
• Helpful Documentation and Support: Nucleus offers extensive documentation and live chat support to assist you in using their platform effectively.
• Central Hub Focus: Nucleus is designed as a central hub for your church. It emphasizes signup forms, offering a single reference point for church activities.
• Community Engagement: Join Nucleus’ Facebook group to connect with other users, sharing insights and tips on church website building.
• Video Footage Library: Subscribing to Nucleus grants you access to their library of video footage clips, enhancing your content options.
• Pre-Created Social Media Posts: Nucleus provides ready-to-use social media posts with text overlays and suggested captions for easy sharing.

CONS:

• Limited Support Availability: Nucleus’ support team is available from 9 am to 5 pm EST, which could lead to waiting for responses during certain hours.
• Additional Fee for Donations: Enabling donations through your website requires a flat fee from RebelGive. This might be worthwhile if you receive substantial online donations.
• Single User Limitation: Nucleus doesn’t support multiple users for your website, although their support team has indicated this feature will be added in the future.

Who is it for?

Nucleus is a good choice for:

• Churches Wanting a Central Hub: Nucleus is well-suited for churches aiming to create a central place where members can access important information, events, and resources.
• Churches Emphasizing Engagement: If your church wants to keep members engaged and active through “Next Steps,” Nucleus can help guide them in their involvement.
• Churches Seeking Simplicity: Nucleus is a fit for churches looking for an easy-to-use website builder with drag-and-drop tools and app integrations.
• Churches Willing to Invest: Nucleus suits churches willing to invest in a website builder that offers convenience and features, even if it comes at a higher cost.

Website Builders For Churches FAQs

To sum up

Whether you’re a tech-savvy individual or more focused on the spiritual aspects of your church, we’ve identified the 10 most ideal website builders for your church-related business. It’s your choice to pick the appropriate one.