Best website builder for authors (2026 comparison)
Compiled by an automated, AI-assisted process from official vendor pricing pages. Last checked: 2026-10-13. This site currently contains no affiliate links; if that changes, each one will be labelled. See the methodology, privacy notice and disclosure.
Plans and prices
| Vendor | Price per month, billed annually | Other prices as the vendor states them | Free plan or trial |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | Listed price per month: Basic $10 or $14, Core $14 or $20, Advanced $23 or $32 (billing period not labelled on the vendor page) | 14-day free trial | |
| Wix | Light $17.77, Core $29.77, Business $39.77, Business Elite $159.77 | Not stated on the vendor page | Free plan, no credit card required |
| Hostinger Website Builder | Not stated on the vendor page | 48-month prepaid, paid upfront, price per month: Premium $2.99, Unlimited $3.99, Cloud Startup $7.99. Renewal per month: $10.99, $16.99, $25.99. | 14-day free trial of the editor |
| Format | Basic $10, Pro $12, Pro Plus $15 (annual discount applies to the first year only) | "Normally" $14 per month (Basic), $24 (Pro), $36 (Pro Plus) | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
Squarespace's page shows two prices per plan and labels neither as annual or monthly, so this page shows them as one listed price with no billing period assigned. Wix states that its displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions. Hostinger's page lists only 48-month prepaid prices. Pixpa is covered in the feature table below; its page text showed no plan prices, so none are given (15-day free trial, no credit card).
Features authors need, and why
An author's site is a home for the books, a bio, and a way for readers to buy or sign up. Authors who sell directly need payments or a store; those who send readers to retailers mostly need a clean page under their own name, which is the custom domain column. Storage matters only for large downloads such as audio or sample chapters.
| Vendor | Payments or store | Custom domain | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | Online store fee 2% on Basic, 0% on Core and Advanced | Free domain for one year with annual plans; additional domains can be attached to any plan | No caps on bandwidth or storage stated; video hosting 30 minutes (Basic), 5 hours (Core), unlimited (Advanced) |
| Wix | Accept payments listed on Core, Business and Business Elite; not listed on Light | Free domain for 1 year listed on the paid plans | 2 GB (Light), 50 GB (Core), 100 GB (Business), unlimited (Business Elite) |
| Hostinger Website Builder | Ecommerce available on Unlimited and Cloud Startup; not listed on Premium | Custom domain free for 1 year | Not stated on the vendor page |
| Format | No online store on Basic; 15 products on Pro, 1,000 on Pro Plus, commission free | Not included on Basic; free for the first year on Pro and Pro Plus | Image storage: none on Basic, 100 GB on Pro, 1 TB on Pro Plus |
| Pixpa | Store products: up to 3, 10, 100, unlimited (Basic to Advanced); payment forms on Professional and Advanced | Custom domain stated on all plans; free domain for year 1 on Creator and above | Original-file storage: 3 GB, 5 GB, 25 GB, 100 GB (Basic to Advanced) |
Which fits which case
- Selling a few titles directly: Pixpa's Basic (up to 3 store products) and Format Pro (15 products, commission free) match a short catalogue.
- Digital goods and memberships: Squarespace's page states separate fees for digital content and memberships (7% on Basic, 5% on Core, 0% on Advanced), a figure worth weighing for e-book sales.
- Only a landing page and retailer links: payments drop out, and the free plan (Wix) or free trials decide the cost. Hostinger lists the lowest prices, on a 48-month prepaid term.
Other professions
See also artists, musicians, tutors, or return to the home page.