8 Best Bluehost Website Builder Alternatives & Competitors in 2025

This guide reviews some top choices for 2025. It will help you find the right fit for your project, whether you are just starting or planning to expand. Let’s explore the alternatives available on the web.

Top 8 Bluehost Website Builder Alternatives in 2025

Finding the perfect tool depends on your specific needs. Bluehost’s builder is one possibility, but many others offer unique strengths. Some provide more control over design. Others excel at online sales. Some use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in clever ways. Let’s examine eight strong alternatives.

1. Elementor Website Builder: The Best Website Builder (For Beginners, Advanced Users, and Ecommerce Sites)

Elementor is not just another website builder; it is a powerful WordPress plugin. It changes the standard WordPress editor into an easy-to-use, visual, drag-and-drop interface. This core difference provides incredible flexibility. You are not limited by one platform’s constraints. Instead, you benefit from the power and growth potential of WordPress. WordPress is the world’s favorite Content Management System (CMS), powering over 43% of the web.

What truly makes Elementor stand out is its complete ecosystem. While the plugin is the main feature, Elementor also offers Elementor Hosting and Elementor AI. These work together to create a smooth, fast website-building experience. You get the best of both worlds: WordPress freedom plus the convenience of an all-in-one solution.

Elementor Hosting is specially built to run Elementor websites at top speed. It uses the reliable Google Cloud Platform. This means strong, scalable, and dependable hosting. Key features include:

• Managed WordPress Hosting: It handles technical jobs like updates, security, and backups for you.
• Optimized Performance: Includes features like built-in caching, a Content Delivery Network (CDN), and super-fast NVMe SSD storage for quick page loads.
• Top-Tier Security: Automatic daily backups, free SSL certificates, protection against DDoS attacks, and a Web Application Firewall (WAF) are standard.
• Elementor Core Pre-installed: The free version of the Elementor plugin is installed and ready to go. (Note: Elementor Pro is a separate purchase, letting users pick the advanced features they need).
• 24/7 Premium Support: Expert help is available any time you need it.

Elementor AI adds artificial intelligence right into the building process. This is not just a gimmick; it offers practical tools to make your work faster:

• AI Copilot: Get helpful ideas for layouts, text, code, and images right when you need them as you build.
• Content Generation: Create new text content or improve your existing writing easily.
• Image Generation: Make unique images simply by describing what you want.
• Code Creation: Generate custom CSS or HTML code without knowing how to write it yourself.
• Future AI Features: Elementor continues to add AI into more areas, like site planning and creating initial website layouts (wireframes).

Why Elementor Stands Out:

• Unmatched Design Flexibility: Elementor gives you total creative control. Use drag-and-drop editing, hundreds of design elements (widgets), tools for mobile design, and options to adjust every detail (fonts, colors, layouts, effects). Build truly unique sites without coding, or add custom code if you have the skills.
• Vast Ecosystem & Community: Over 18 million websites use Elementor. That is about 11% of the entire internet. This huge user base means a large support community, many extra tools from other developers, and countless tutorials. This scale far surpasses most competitors, showing broad trust and a solid platform.
• Scalability: Because it runs on WordPress, Elementor grows with your needs. It works great for simple blogs, complex business sites, or large online stores using WooCommerce (which connects perfectly).
• User-Friendliness: Despite its power, Elementor has an intuitive design. Beginners can start fast using pre-made templates and kits. Professionals appreciate the advanced controls and efficient workflow.
• SEO Ready: Elementor works well with popular WordPress SEO plugins. It also includes built-in tools to manage basic SEO settings directly within the editor.
• All-in-One Potential: Combining Elementor (Core or Pro) with Elementor Hosting and Elementor AI offers a complete, optimized, and easy-to-manage package for professional websites.

Elementor’s approach—a flexible plugin boosted by optional optimized hosting and built-in AI—makes it a compelling choice. It’s ideal for anyone wanting more power, control, and growth potential than typical all-in-one builders provide. It suits beginners needing ease of use, designers seeking creative freedom, and businesses needing a reliable, scalable web presence.

Summary: Elementor provides exceptional design flexibility and scalability as a WordPress plugin. Paired with its optimized hosting and integrated AI, it forms a comprehensive, powerful solution for diverse users, supported by a massive community. Its WordPress foundation ensures long-term growth potential.

2. Wix

Wix is a popular cloud-based website builder. It’s known for being easy to use, especially for beginners. It offers a drag-and-drop interface and many templates.

• Ease of Use: Wix uses a true drag-and-drop editor. You can place elements anywhere. This is simple but can sometimes create design issues on mobile if not checked carefully. Wix also has ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) which builds a site for you based on your answers to questions.
• Customization: Wix offers hundreds of templates for different fields. You can customize well within the template’s limits. However, you have less deep control compared to some platforms. Switching templates after your site is live is also hard.
• AI Capabilities: Wix ADI uses AI to generate the first version of your site. They are also adding AI for writing text and creating images inside the editor.
• Pricing: Wix provides a free plan (shows Wix ads and uses a Wix domain) and several paid plans. Costs can increase, particularly for e-commerce or advanced tools.
• E-Commerce: Wix offers solid built-in tools for selling online. They are suitable for small to medium-sized stores.
• Hosting: Hosting is included in all plans. Website speed is generally good, but you don’t control the hosting environment.

Summary: Wix is a strong option for beginners and small businesses wanting an easy all-in-one solution. It has good templates and AI help for setup. Its main weakness is platform lock-in and less deep customization than WordPress-based solutions.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is known for its visually appealing templates and strong focus on design quality. Creatives, photographers, and businesses that value looks often prefer it.

• Ease of Use: Squarespace uses a section-based editor. It is intuitive but more structured than Wix’s freeform approach. This structure helps keep designs looking consistent.
• Customization: Squarespace provides award-winning templates known for clean, modern designs. Customization options are good within the template frameworks. Higher plans allow access to CSS for deeper changes.
• AI Capabilities: Squarespace is adding AI tools for content creation (text and maybe image help). This helps users add content to their sites more quickly.
• Pricing: There is no free plan, but Squarespace offers a free trial period. Pricing tiers are generally clear, covering personal sites, business sites, and online stores.
• E-Commerce: Squarespace has strong built-in e-commerce features. They suit various business sizes and focus on presenting products attractively.
• Hosting: High-quality hosting comes with all plans. It’s known for being reliable and performing well.

Summary: Squarespace excels at providing beautiful, design-forward templates with a user-friendly, structured editor. It’s great for visually driven businesses and individuals. The compromise is less flexibility and platform lock-in compared to open-source options.

4. Shopify

Shopify is primarily an e-commerce platform, but it includes website building tools. It’s the leading choice for businesses focused mainly on selling products online.

• Ease of Use: Shopify’s interface is simple, especially for managing products, orders, and customers. The website editor uses themes and sections, making customization direct but within defined limits.
• Customization: Shopify offers a theme store with free and paid designs. You can customize through the theme editor. Advanced users can use Shopify’s Liquid code. Design freedom is generally less than dedicated builders but is highly focused on boosting sales.
• AI Capabilities: Shopify uses AI (called Shopify Magic) for tasks like writing product descriptions, creating marketing emails, and identifying customer groups.
• Pricing: Shopify has various price levels based on features and transaction fees. There is no free plan, but a free trial is available. Costs can go up as your store grows or you add apps.
• E-Commerce: This is Shopify’s greatest strength. It provides complete tools for inventory, payments, shipping, marketing, and reporting. It scales very effectively for online stores.
• Hosting: Strong, secure, and scalable hosting is included. It’s optimized for e-commerce speed and reliability.

Summary: Shopify is the leader for dedicated online businesses. Its website builder works well for sales but is less flexible for other site types. If you are serious about e-commerce, Shopify is a top choice.

5. GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy’s Website Builder is made for simplicity and speed. It helps users get online quickly, often connecting with GoDaddy’s other services like domain names and marketing tools.

• Ease of Use: Extremely easy for beginners. It uses pre-made content blocks and AI (GoDaddy Studio) to help create a basic site rapidly based on your industry type.
• Customization: Simpler than many alternatives. You choose a theme and customize within pre-set sections. Control over fine details is limited.
• AI Capabilities: Uses AI mainly for the first website setup and suggesting content (GoDaddy Studio).
• Pricing: Offers a free plan and affordable paid levels. Often included in bundles with other GoDaddy products.
• E-Commerce: Basic e-commerce features are on higher plans. Suitable for simple online shops selling a few items.
• Hosting: Hosting is included. Performance is generally adequate for small websites.

Summary: GoDaddy Website Builder is a good choice for absolute beginners or small businesses needing a simple website quickly, especially if already using GoDaddy domains. Its simplicity results in fewer advanced features and less design control.

6. Webflow

Webflow is aimed at designers and developers wanting detailed design control, often without writing code manually. It bridges the gap between simple builders and full custom development.

• Ease of Use: It takes longer to learn than Wix or Squarespace. The interface resembles design software (like Photoshop). It offers deep visual control over website code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). It is powerful but requires more learning time.
• Customization: Provides outstanding visual design control. You can build complex layouts, interactive elements, and animations. You can start with a blank slate or use templates.
• AI Capabilities: Webflow is exploring AI features, possibly for layout help, content ideas, and automating website logic. Specific details are still emerging.
• Pricing: Offers a free plan for small projects or learning. Paid plans are based on site type (general or e-commerce). It can be more costly than simpler builders.
• E-Commerce: Provides e-commerce tools, good for design-focused brands. Might have fewer built-in features than Shopify for very complex stores.
• Hosting: High-performance hosting (using AWS) is part of the service. Higher plans let you export your site’s code to host it somewhere else. This offers more flexibility than fully closed platforms.

Summary: Webflow is excellent for designers and agencies needing deep visual control and custom interactions without extensive coding. Its flexibility is a major benefit, but mastering it takes more time than simpler tools.

7. Jimdo

Jimdo offers two editors: Jimdo Creator (a classic editor) and Jimdo Dolphin (an AI-powered builder). Dolphin aims to create websites in just minutes by asking you questions.

• Ease of Use: Jimdo Dolphin is incredibly easy and fast for making a basic website. Answer a few questions, and the AI generates a site with text and images. The Creator editor provides more traditional block-style editing.
• Customization: Dolphin allows limited customization after the AI creates the site. You can change colors, fonts, and sections, but choices are restricted to keep it simple. The Creator editor offers more control.
• AI Capabilities: Dolphin is built entirely around AI for creating the initial site and adding content.
• Pricing: Offers a free plan (with ads and a Jimdo subdomain) and affordable paid plans for both Dolphin and Creator.
• E-Commerce: Basic e-commerce features are available, suitable for small shops or selling just a few products.
• Hosting: Hosting is included. Performance is generally geared towards small to medium websites.

Summary: Jimdo Dolphin is ideal for users who need speed and simplicity above all else for a basic website. Jimdo Creator gives slightly more control. Both are limited in advanced features and design freedom.

8. Duda

Duda is a professional website builder known for strong performance. Digital agencies, hosting companies, and SaaS platforms often choose it to build websites efficiently for their clients.

• Ease of Use: Duda offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. It balances simplicity with powerful controls, making it suitable for professionals who build and manage multiple websites.
• Customization: Provides solid design flexibility through many widgets, pre-designed sections, and good layout control. Professionals can also create custom widgets and templates, which helps maintain brand consistency across client sites.
• AI Capabilities: Includes AI assistance. This AI can help with tasks like suggesting content, aiming to speed up the website building process, especially useful when working on multiple client projects.
• Pricing: Duda uses a subscription-based model. Plans are typically tiered for individuals, teams, and larger agencies managing many sites. Pricing generally reflects its focus on professional users needing scalable tools.
• E-Commerce: Offers capable built-in e-commerce features. These tools are suitable for many small to medium-sized client businesses and integrate smoothly within the Duda platform.
• Hosting: High-performance website hosting is included and fully managed by Duda. The platform is known for reliability and building sites optimized for speed, including Google’s Core Web Vitals.
• Unique Features: Duda stands out with its excellent team collaboration tools, specific client management features (like feedback and billing integration), and white-label options allowing agencies to brand the builder as their own. Its focus on site speed is also a key strength.

Summary: Duda excels for agencies and professionals who need an efficient, high-performance builder with strong team and client management tools. Its primary trade-off is being a closed platform, which limits ecosystem flexibility compared to open-source solutions.

Criteria for Selecting the Best Alternatives

Choosing the right website builder involves looking at several key points. What works for one project might not be best for another. Here’s a guide to important criteria when comparing alternatives:

Ease of Use

How quickly can you learn and use the platform?

• Intuitive Interfaces: Look for clean dashboards and logical tools. Does the builder feel easy to use, especially if you’re not tech-savvy?
• Onboarding & Support: Are there helpful tutorials, guides, or help centers? Some platforms use AI to guide setup. Elementor provides many guides and video tutorials.

Customization and Design Flexibility

Can you make the website look exactly how you want?

• Templates & Themes: Check the quality and variety of starting designs. Are they modern and work well on mobile? Squarespace is known for good templates. Elementor offers professional Kits and lets you build themes from the ground up.
• Layout & Styling Control: Can you easily change fonts, colors, spacing, and element positions? Is it rigid, or does it offer fine control like Elementor’s drag-and-drop?
• Advanced Tools: Does the builder allow custom CSS, motion effects, or unique interactions for specific branding needs?

AI Capabilities

How does the platform use AI to help you?

• Content Generation: Can AI help write text like headlines or descriptions? Tools like Elementor AI or Zyro AI Writer assist with this.
• Design Assistance: Does AI suggest layouts, colors, or fonts? Wix ADI and Jimdo Dolphin use AI for initial site building. Elementor AI Copilot gives suggestions while you build.
• Wireframing/Planning: New AI tools might help plan site structure or create basic layouts based on your goals.

Pricing and Value for Money

Does the cost match the features provided?

• Free Options/Trials: Can you test the platform before paying? Many offer free plans (often with limits like ads) or timed trials. The Elementor Core plugin is free.
• Transparent Tiers: Are pricing plans clear about included features? Avoid hidden fees.
• Affordability: Find options fitting your budget, especially for small businesses. Balance cost against the features you actually need.

SEO Capabilities

Can search engines easily find and rank your site?

• Built-in Tools: Does the builder allow easy editing of page titles, descriptions, image alt text? Does it provide sitemaps and control over robots.txt? Most builders cover these basics.
• Advanced Features: Look for support for schema markup (structured data), page speed tools, and compatibility with advanced SEO plugins (a major plus for WordPress/Elementor).

E-Commerce Features

If you plan to sell online, does the builder support this?

• Core Functionality: Check for support for product lists, secure payment methods (Stripe, PayPal), inventory tracking, and order handling.
• Scalability: Can the platform handle growth? Consider features for larger stores, like abandoned cart emails, discounts, and marketing tools. Shopify excels here. Elementor’s connection with WooCommerce offers huge scalability on WordPress.

Performance and Reliability

Will your site load quickly and stay online reliably?

• Speed: Fast loading is crucial for users and SEO. Look for builders optimized for speed using modern tech. Elementor Hosting uses Google Cloud and NVMe SSDs.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure the builder creates sites that look and work great on all devices (phones, tablets). Elementor offers detailed responsive controls.
• Uptime: Choose platforms promising high uptime (ideally 99.9%+) with dependable hosting.

Customer Support

Can you get help when you need it?

• Availability: Is support available 24/7? Through which methods (chat, email, phone)? How fast do they respond? Elementor Hosting offers 24/7 premium support.
• Resources: Check for good documentation, community forums, and video guides. A large user community (like Elementor’s) is often very helpful.

Integration Capabilities

Does the builder connect well with other tools you use?

• Third-Party Tools: Can you easily link email marketing services (like Mailchimp), CRMs, or analytics tools (like Google Analytics)?
• App Marketplaces: Some platforms (Wix, Shopify, WordPress) have app stores or plugin lists for extra features. Elementor benefits from the huge WordPress plugin library.

Unique Features or Standout Tools

Does the platform offer something special or unique?

• AI Assistants: Consider unique AI tools like Elementor AI Copilot’s help during building or Jimdo Dolphin’s fast site creation.
• Specialized Tools: Look for specific features if needed, like built-in booking systems, tools for multiple languages, or advanced animation options (like Webflow).

Migration Options and Scalability

Can you move your site easily? Can the platform grow with you?

• Migration: How easy is it to move to this platform? More importantly, how easy is it to move away if your needs change? Closed platforms (Wix, Squarespace) make leaving very difficult. WordPress/Elementor gives you full ownership and makes moving easier.
• Scalability: Ensure the platform can handle more traffic, content, or sales as your site grows.

Security Features

Is your website protected against online threats?

• SSL Certificates: Free SSL (HTTPS) should be standard for secure connections between your site and visitors.
• Infrastructure Security: Look for firewalls (WAF), protection against DDoS attacks, malware scanning, and regular security updates. Managed hosting like Elementor Hosting often includes these protections.
• Backup Options: Does the platform offer automatic backups and easy ways to restore your site if needed?

User Reviews and Reputation

What do other users think about the platform?

• Feedback: Check reviews on sites like G2 or Capterra. Look for comments on ease of use, features, and the quality of customer support.
• Track Record: Consider the platform’s history of updates, adding new features, and overall stability. A large, active user base often points to a healthy platform. Elementor’s 18 million+ sites strongly indicate this.

Section Summary: Selecting the best Bluehost Website Builder alternative means weighing many factors. Prioritize ease of use, design options, needed features (AI, e-commerce), speed, support, growth potential, and security based on your project’s specific needs and future goals.

Hosting Considerations for Website Builders

Your website builder choice is key, but the hosting it runs on is just as crucial. Hosting affects your site’s speed, uptime, security, and ability to grow. Some builders include hosting (like Wix). Others, like the Elementor plugin, let you choose. Elementor Hosting provides a solution tightly matched to the builder itself.

Optimization for Speed

• Server Hardware: Modern hosts use fast SSDs. NVMe SSDs, used by providers like Elementor Hosting, are even faster, leading to quicker load times.
• Caching: Caching saves copies of site files to deliver them faster. This reduces server load. Look for built-in server caching and options for site caching.
• CDN (Content Delivery Network): A CDN stores copies of site content (images, code) on servers worldwide. Visitors load content from the nearest server, greatly improving speed everywhere. Many quality hosts include a CDN.

Assessing Your Website Needs

• Type of Site: A simple blog needs different hosting than a busy online store or a portfolio with many large images.
• Traffic Volume: Estimate your expected visitors. Basic shared hosting may work for low traffic. You will need stronger solutions (like Cloud hosting, often managed by providers like Elementor Hosting) as you grow.

Considering Future Growth

• Scalability: Choose hosting that lets you easily upgrade resources (processing power, memory, storage) as traffic increases. Cloud hosting platforms (like Google Cloud, used by Elementor Hosting) handle this well. Avoid plans with no easy upgrade path.

Budget Constraints

• Cost vs. Value: Very cheap hosting might look good initially. But poor speed or downtime can cost you visitors and sales. Balance price with reliability and the features you require. Managed hosting might cost more but saves time and effort.

Importance of Reliability and Uptime

• Uptime Guarantee: Look for providers promising high uptime (at least 99.9%). Downtime means lost opportunities. Established cloud platforms generally offer great reliability.
• Monitoring: Good hosts watch their servers constantly to address issues quickly.

Importance of 24/7 Expert Support

• Accessibility: When issues arise, you need fast access to knowledgeable support. Look for 24/7 availability via chat, phone, or email.
• Expertise: Support staff should understand the specific platform (like WordPress and Elementor, for Elementor Hosting). This helps them solve problems beyond basic hosting issues.

User-Friendly Interface

• Control Panel: A clear control panel (like cPanel, Plesk, or a custom dashboard) simplifies managing your hosting account, domains, email, and backups.

Section Summary: Hosting is your website’s engine. Focus on speed (NVMe, caching, CDN), reliability (uptime), scalability, security, and expert support. Integrated options like Elementor Hosting are optimized for the builder, simplifying management and maximizing performance.

Migration Considerations

Switching website builders or hosts means moving your website’s data. Planning this carefully reduces disruption.

Data Transfer Process

• Content Export/Import: How easily can you move content (pages, posts, images) from your old platform to the new one? WordPress/Elementor offers good import/export tools. Closed platforms often make this very hard, sometimes requiring manual rebuilding.
• Database Migration: For sites using databases (like WordPress), moving the database correctly is vital. Tools can assist, but it requires care. Managed migration services can be valuable.
• File Transfer: Moving themes, plugins, and media usually involves using FTP/SFTP or a file manager.

Domain Name Management

• Pointing Your Domain: After setting up the new site, you must update your domain’s DNS settings. These tell the internet where your website is now hosted (the new server’s address).
• Domain Transfer (Optional): You might choose to move your domain name registration to the new provider. This keeps billing and management together, but it is not required.

Email Hosting Options

• Check Compatibility: If your email is hosted with your old provider, decide whether to move it to the new host or use a separate email service (like Google Workspace). Changing website hosts does not automatically move email accounts. Make sure your new plan supports email or arrange it separately.

Avoiding Downtime During Migration

• Prepare the New Site First: Build and thoroughly test your website on the new builder/host before changing your domain’s DNS records. You can often use a temporary web address or test offline.
• Schedule DNS Changes: DNS changes take time to update across the internet (minutes to sometimes 48 hours). Plan the switch during a low-traffic time if possible.
• Minimize Propagation Time: Lowering the TTL (Time To Live) on your DNS records before migrating can speed up the switch. Consult your host or domain registrar about this.

Section Summary: Moving a website requires careful planning for data transfer, domain settings, and email. Open platforms like WordPress/Elementor usually provide more flexibility and control over migration compared to closed systems.

Optimizing Your Website on a Website Builder

After building your site, continuous optimization keeps it fast, reliable, and effective.

Performance Tuning Tips

• Image Optimization: Reduce image file sizes before uploading. Use modern formats like WebP. Set image dimensions to prevent page layout shifts during loading. Many builders and tools help optimize images.
• Minimize Code: Remove unused CSS or JavaScript code. Use tools to make code files smaller. Well-coded themes and builders assist with this.
• Limit External Scripts: Too many scripts from third-party services (analytics, ads, widgets) can slow down your site. Evaluate if you truly need them all.
• Database Optimization (WordPress): Regularly clean your WordPress database. Remove old post revisions, temporary data, and spam comments using optimization plugins.

Leveraging Caching and CDN

• Caching: Ensure caching is active (server-side, site-level/plugin, browser). This dramatically speeds up loading for returning visitors and reduces server strain. Elementor Hosting includes robust built-in caching.
• CDN: Use a Content Delivery Network. It delivers static files (like images) quickly to users worldwide from servers near them. Many quality hosts integrate a CDN.

Cloud-Based Infrastructure Benefits

• Scalability: Cloud hosting (like Google Cloud, used by Elementor Hosting) easily adjusts resources based on traffic needs. It handles sudden visitor surges smoothly.
• Reliability: Cloud platforms usually have more backup systems (redundancy) and are less prone to failure than single traditional servers.
• Global Reach: Infrastructure like Google’s network offers fast connections worldwide, often working together with CDNs.

Regular Maintenance Best Practices

• Updates: Keep your website builder, theme, and plugins (if using WordPress) updated. This fixes security holes and adds features. Managed hosting often handles server updates.
• Backups: Ensure regular, automatic backups are made and stored securely somewhere else. Test restoring from a backup occasionally.
• Monitoring: Use services to alert you if your site goes down. Check site speed regularly with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
• Link Checking: Periodically find and fix broken links on your website.

Section Summary: Website optimization is an ongoing task. Focus on speed tuning (images, code), use caching and CDNs effectively, rely on strong cloud hosting, and maintain a regular schedule for updates, backups, and checks.

Security Best Practices for Website Builders

Website security is essential. Protecting your site and visitor data is vital. Many modern website builders and hosting providers include strong security measures.

• SSL Certificates and HTTPS: Encrypts data sent between your site and visitors. Builds trust and helps SEO. Most reputable builders/hosts provide free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates. Ensure HTTPS is active everywhere on your site.
• Firewall Configuration (WAF): A Web Application Firewall blocks harmful traffic before it reaches your site. It protects against common attacks. Managed hosting like Elementor Hosting often includes a WAF.
• Regular Security Audits: Use security tools or plugins to scan your site for vulnerabilities sometimes. Fix any identified issues quickly.
• Backup and Disaster Recovery Plans: Regular, automatic, off-site backups are your safety net. Have a clear plan to restore your site if something goes wrong.
• WAF, DDoS & BotNet Protection: Beyond a basic WAF, look for protection against DDoS attacks (which flood your server with traffic) and malicious bot networks. Robust hosting providers offer these extra security layers.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Secure your logins by requiring more than just a password (e.g., a code from an app). Use MFA wherever possible (builder account, hosting account, WordPress login).
• 24/7 Monitoring: Continuous security checks by the hosting provider help detect and respond to threats in real-time.
• Auto Security Updates: Set up automatic updates for the core platform, themes, and plugins (especially security fixes) where appropriate. Managed hosting often handles core system and server updates.
• DB/SFTP Access Control: Limit direct database (DB) and file transfer (SFTP) access only to trusted users. Use strong, unique passwords for access.
• Automatic Updates: Ensure the underlying platform and server software receive timely security patches. This is a key advantage of managed hosting.
• Dev, Stage, Prod Environments: Using separate areas for building (dev), testing (stage), and your live site (prod) is safer. It prevents testing risky changes on your actual website. Some hosting plans offer staging environments.
• Zero Handshake TLS: An advanced security feature speeding up secure connections (TLS 1.3) for returning visitors. It enhances both security and performance.

Section Summary: Use layered security: SSL, WAF, DDoS protection, regular updates, strong access controls (MFA), automated backups, and continuous monitoring. Choosing a builder and host prioritizing security (like Elementor with Elementor Hosting) simplifies this greatly.

The Future of Website Builders

The website building field is always changing. Knowing the trends helps you make choices that will last.

Emerging Technologies in Website Builders

• Headless CMS Integration: Separating the visual part (front-end) from content management (back-end). This allows easier delivery of content to websites, apps, and other devices. Some builders are exploring this.
• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Technologies letting websites act more like native mobile apps (e.g., work offline, send notifications). Expect more builders to simplify creating PWAs.
• Increased Personalization: Using data and AI to automatically tailor website experiences for individual visitors in real time.

Sustainability in Data Centers

• Green Energy: Growing demand for hosting providers using renewable energy for their data centers. Look for providers committed to sustainability. Google Cloud, for instance, has strong commitments here.
• Energy Efficiency: Improving server hardware and cooling systems to reduce the environmental impact of running data centers.

AI and Automation

• Deeper Integration: AI will do more than write content. It will become more involved in design (adjusting layouts), SEO (predicting best strategies), user experience (testing designs automatically), and even site maintenance (predicting potential issues). Elementor AI’s development shows this trend.
• No-Code/Low-Code Expansion: Tools will become even more powerful. They will let users build complex web applications and processes with little or no coding. This makes web development accessible to more people.

Section Summary: The future points to website builders becoming more intelligent (AI-driven), flexible (headless options), sustainable, and user-friendly. Platforms actively investing in AI and modern infrastructure, like Elementor, are well-prepared for these changes.

Conclusion

Exploring alternatives to Bluehost Website Builder opens up many possibilities. Consider Elementor on WordPress for outstanding flexibility and growth potential, especially when combined with its optimized Elementor Hosting and helpful Elementor AI. Alternatively, look at Wix for ease of use, Squarespace for design focus, or Shopify for strong e-commerce features. The best platform truly depends on your specific needs and project goals.

Think about the criteria discussed: ease of use, design control, AI features, performance, security, support, and scalability. Consider your technical comfort, budget, and future ambitions. Remember that open-source platforms like WordPress (which Elementor uses) often provide greater long-term flexibility and data ownership than closed systems.

With over 18 million websites trusting Elementor, its large community, extensive features, and ongoing innovation (particularly in AI) make it a powerful choice for anyone serious about building a professional, scalable, and unique website. Evaluate your options carefully, try free versions or trials, and select the builder that empowers you to bring your vision online effectively in 2025 and the years ahead.

FAQs

What’s the main difference between Elementor and builders like Wix or Squarespace?

Elementor is primarily a WordPress plugin. This gives you deep design control within the flexible WordPress system. You fully own your site data and can choose any compatible host (though Elementor Hosting is optimized). Wix and Squarespace are all-in-one, closed platforms (SaaS). They bundle hosting and the builder together. This offers simplicity but less flexibility, control, and freedom to move your site later.

Is Elementor suitable for beginners?

Yes. Although very powerful, Elementor has an easy-to-understand drag-and-drop interface. Beginners can use the free Elementor Core plugin, start with pre-designed templates, and access many tutorials. The visual editor makes building pages much simpler than coding. Elementor Hosting also makes setup easier by providing an optimized environment with Elementor ready to use.

What hosting works best with the Elementor plugin? 

Elementor works well on most quality WordPress hosts. However, Elementor Hosting is specifically designed and optimized for Elementor. Built on Google Cloud, it includes speed features (NVMe SSDs, caching, CDN), top security measures, automatic updates, and 24/7 expert support familiar with Elementor. This package ensures the best performance and ease of use.

How important are AI features like Elementor AI in a website builder? 

AI features are quickly becoming valuable tools that save time and boost creativity. Elementor AI (with its Copilot, text/image/code generation) fits right into the building workflow. It can help overcome creative blocks, speed up content creation, handle technical code tasks, and improve layouts. While not essential for every single user, integrated AI significantly improves efficiency and capability.

Can I easily switch from a builder like Bluehost Website Builder or Wix to Elementor?

Moving from a closed platform (like Bluehost Builder, Wix, Squarespace) to WordPress/Elementor usually requires rebuilding your site. Direct migration tools generally don’t exist because the platforms work very differently. You would need to get WordPress hosting (like Elementor Hosting), install Elementor, and recreate your pages and content. While this takes effort, the move provides much greater flexibility, control over your data, and access to the vast WordPress ecosystem for future growth. Moving between WordPress sites is typically much easier.