Have you been given the task of developing a website for your church? This can be a difficult task if you aren’t a professional web designer or developer.

The good news is that there are numerous options for creating a church website that is both attractive and functional.

We’ll compare the best church website builders in this guide so you can create a church website without writing any code.

How to Choose the Right Church Website Builder

When deciding which church website builder to be using, look for attributes that would assist you in achieving key tasks.

Making a calendar: On your website, you’ll need to list your regular services, as well as possibly other activities.

Putting sermon recordings on your website: If you want to put sermon recordings on your website, you’ll need a simple way to do so.

Different user accounts as well as permissions: You would likely want to allow certain church members (volunteers) to keep updating the website as required, and not give them complete access.

Providing members with the ability to register and log in: Some content, such as the minutes of church meetings, may be restricted to registered church members.

Taking donations: If you want to accept donations through your website, make sure your church website software can handle it.

Design and Templates: Choose a website builder that offers a large selection of church website templates. You’ll also want it to have an easy design customizer that allows you to change the design, add images, change the colors, and more to create a church website that matches your church’s brand.

With that in mind, let’s look at the benefits and drawbacks of the most popular church website builders so you can pick the right software for your needs.

1. WordPress

WordPress.org is the most popular platform for creating church websites. It is the world’s most popular website builder, powering over 39% of all websites on the internet.

It’s important to note that WordPress.org, also known as “self-hosted WordPress,” is not the same as WordPress.com (mentioned later in the article). Take a look at our comparison of WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com if you are fascinated about the distinctions.

WordPress is a completely free website builder that gives you complete control over your website and all of the features you’ll need. However, because WordPress is self-hosted, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting to get started.

Pros:

  • You can choose from hundreds of free and paid church templates and layouts (themes) on WordPress. Here’s our expert pick for the best WordPress church themes.
  • There are plugins for every feature that your church website is likely to require. For your church website, you might want to use the Sermon Manager plugin as well as one of these donation and fundraising plugins.
  • WordPress has over 58,000 free WordPress plugins, which act as apps for your website, allowing you to add features such as contact forms, photo galleries, image sliders, and more.
  • You can create completely custom church websites without writing any code by using popular WordPress page builder plugins like Divi, Elementor, or Beaver Builder.
  • You can create as many user accounts as you want in WordPress. These can be set up with different roles and permissions, allowing you to give only one or two people full admin access.
  • You have complete control over your website when you are using WordPress. You won’t have to worry about ads popping up on your site like you might with other free or low-cost website builders.
  • WordPress has a large supportive community, making it simple to get help when you need it. We even have our own free Facebook group called Yourblogmaster Engage where you can get a lot of help and encouragement.

Cons:

  • You’ll have to manage your own updates, backups, and security. However, there are numerous WordPress plugins that can assist with this.
  • When you’re first getting started with WordPress, it can be intimidating. It’s possible that there will be a learning curve.

Pricing:

Although WordPress is free, you will have to pay for a domain name and web hosting. A domain name usually costs between $9 and $15 per year, and web hosting costs around $7.99 per month.

Fortunately, Bluehost, a well-known web hosting company, has agreed to provide Yourblogmaster readers with a free domain name and a generous 60% hosting discount. Basically, a church website can be set up for $2.75 per month.

Please see our guide on how to make a WordPress website once you’ve set up your domain and hosting (step by step).

Note that WordPress is compatible with all major hosting providers. If you need a different hosting provider for some reason, we recommend SiteGround or any of these top WordPress hosting companies.

2. Web.com

One of our top picks for an all-in-one website solution is Web.com. You don’t need to buy web hosting separately because they provide it.

Thousands of pre-designed templates are available on Web.com, as well as a powerful drag-and-drop builder for customizing any design. You’ll also have access to tens of thousands of stock photos. This makes creating a church website very simple and quick.

Pros

  • Web.com has a low monthly fee of $1.95, which includes a free domain. This is a fantastic option for small congregations or those on a shoestring budget.
  • Creating a church website is simple and quick. Simply type in “church” as the site type, and you’ll be directed to stock images that are appropriate for your needs. After that, you can finish building your website by selecting a few options.
  • Assistance is available at all times. You can reach out to them via email or through a live chat window. The live chat team was extremely helpful and responsive.
  • You can change the look and feel of your site in almost any way you want. There are a lot of images to choose from on Web.com. You can, of course, add your own images as well.
  • Despite the lack of a specific donation feature, you can easily create and sell products. You could make a product called “Donation” and sell it in various amounts.
    All plans include a free domain, business email address, free backups, security features, and analytics, among other things.

Cons

  • Even if you’re on one of the paid plans, you won’t be able to create multiple users for your site. You’ll need to share your login with others if you want them to be able to edit the site. This could result in security breaches or the deletion of pages from the site by accident.
  • Web.com has most of the tools you’ll need to build a basic church website, but still it lacks WordPress’s more advanced and powerful customization features. The blog, for example, has a very limited set of features.
  • Switching from Web.com to another platform is difficult because it is a proprietary website builder. You’d have to start over with your website.

Pricing

Web.com has a low monthly fee of $1.95.

Their eCommerce plan starts at $3.95 per month and it can be valuable if your church decides to sell products, tickets, and everything else on the internet.

3. Gator by HostGator

Gator is yet another all-in-one website builder that is ideal for those who want to keep things as simple as possible. To create your site, you could also select from a wide range of website templates.

HostGator, one of the largest web hosting platforms in the world, is hosting it for you.

Pros

  • Your site will have an unlimited number of pages, storage space, and bandwidth. This means that if your site receives a lot of traffic, you won’t have to worry about running out of space or being charged.
  • Regardless of which plan you choose, a domain name is included for free (for a period of 12 months). You can also connect a domain name you already own to your site if you purchased it from a different domain name registrar.
  • Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via live chat, phone, and email.
  • There are more than 200 different templates to choose from. These can be customized, but you won’t be able to switch templates completely later.

Cons

  • Unlike Wix or WordPress, Gator does not offer any free plans, nor does it offer a free trial.
  • Unless you pay for the eCommerce plan, there is no easy way to accept donations through your website.
  • The pricing is not very clear. As time passes, your site may end up costing you a lot more than you anticipated.

Pricing

The cheapest Gator plan starts at $3.84 per month and requires a two-year commitment. It costs $4.99 per month if you pay on a monthly basis.

Please keep in mind that the prices listed are only for the “first term” of your site. If you choose the $4.99/month option, you’ll start paying $9.99 after the second month.

4. Sharefaith

Sharefaith is a popular website builder that caters to churches. It’s a dedicated platform with a support team to assist you in getting started.

Pros

  • There are numerous church website templates to choose from. You won’t find yourself skipping through a lot of irrelevant ones because they’re all specifically designed for churches.
  • Without paying anything, you can view and try out the website builder. Simply select a template to demonstrate.
  • Your old site will be migrated for free by Sharefaith (so long as you pay for a yearly plan).
  • There are many different images to choose from, such as website banners. You can also use your own images on your website by uploading them.
  • You can easily embed audio or video sermon recordings on your website. You can choose who preached the sermon and what series it was in with these.
  • You can use the built-in calendar to keep track of services and other events.
  • Sharefaith Giving is included with your website. This makes accepting donations and tithes through your website a breeze.
  • Access to the entire Sharefaith media library, which includes over 90,000 graphics, images, videos, and other assets, is included with membership.
  • Using the ‘Advanced’ tools, you can add more users to your Sharefaith website.

Cons

  • Sharefaith isn’t the cheapest website builder available, and it’s unlikely to suit churches on a shoestring budget.
  • You’re limited to the features available in Sharefaith. You don’t have access to the same level of plugins or extensions as you do with WordPress.

Pricing

Sharefaith’s “media + web” plan costs $45 per month if paid annually or $50 per month if paid monthly. If you want to create a website, that plan is the bare minimum you can get.

If you want to use a lot of the advanced features, such as the ability to upload sermons, this could be well worth it.

5. Ministry Designs

Another website that specializes in creating websites for churches is Ministry Designs.

Pros

  • There are a lot of beautiful templates to choose from, and they’re all fully responsive. That means they’ll look great on both mobile and desktop devices.
  • There is no limit to your training, and your assigned “Ministry Success Representative” will show you how to build your website using screen-sharing technology.
  • You’ll get an hour-long initial phone call, as well as as much help as you need to build your site after that.
  • Ministry Designs is designed specifically for churches, with features such as sermon uploads, a calendar, and even the ability to create and manage an email list.
  • For your site, you can create multiple user accounts. You can have up to three users for free, or more for a fee.
    The customer service team was extremely helpful and pleasant. You can contact them via the website’s live chat without having to create an account.

Cons

  • You’ll have to pay a large deposit up front. The ongoing hosting isn’t exactly cheap.
  • The templates aren’t necessarily more advanced or better than those available on other (much less expensive) website builders.
  • Ministry Designs will not build or design your website for you. They simply walk you through how to use their templates.

Pricing

Ministry Designs’ software and support costs $1,000 up front. After that, you’ll have to pay $20 per month for hosting.

It’s a hefty price to pay. If your church needs a website but doesn’t have a volunteer with the technical skills to build one without a lot of hands-on help, it might be worth it.

6. Nucleus

Nucleus is just a fully featured church website builder with several useful features such as sermon uploading as well as email list creation.

Pros

  • There is a 30-day free trial that does not require credit card information. If you need more time to evaluate the website builder, simply contact Nucleus and they will accommodate you.
  • Smaller churches and startups can apply for “scholarships” from Nucleus. If your church would struggle to afford the regular Nucleus payment plans, it’s worth inquiring about these.
  • There’s a wealth of information available, as well as live chat support.
  • Nucleus is intended to serve as your church’s “central hub.” Signup forms are given special attention so that you can direct people to a single location.
  • You can join a Facebook group to discuss church website design with other Nucleus users.
  • When you sign up for Nucleus, you gain access to their video footage clip library. It’s worth noting that only a few of these are available during your free trial.
  • You can use a variety of pre-written social media posts on your social media channels. All of these images have text overlayed on top of them, along with suggested captions.

Cons

  • The support team is only available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, which means you may have to wait a long time for a response at times.
  • If you want to accept donations, you must pay RebelGive a flat fee for this service. However, if you receive a lot of donations through your website, it might be worthwhile.
  • You can’t have multiple users on your website right now. When we asked about it, the support team said it would be added in the future.

Pricing

Nucleus costs $125 per month if paid monthly, or $99 per month if paid in advance for a year.

If your website grows, you won’t have to pay more. It’s a one-time fee that grants you access to all of their services.

7. WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a hosted platform that uses the same code as WordPress.org.

The distinction between WordPress.org and WordPress.com is often misunderstood. The most important distinction to make is that WordPress.com is a for-profit service, whereas WordPress.org is free and open-source software.

Because there are limitations to what you can do with WordPress.com, and the free plan is quite limited, we usually recommend WordPress.org instead. In some cases, however, WordPress.com may be the best option.

Pros

  • You don’t have to worry about backups, updates, or security because WordPress.com is hosted for you. It’s all taken care of for you.
  • For your website, there are hundreds of different themes (designs) to choose from. This includes a variety of free and premium options that are appropriate for churches.
  • If you’re on a tight budget, the paid plans are reasonably priced.
  • Moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org is relatively simple in the future. This would allow you to keep your options open.

Cons

  • You won’t be able to customize your site as much as you can with many other website builders.
  • Because WordPress lacks a drag-and-drop interface like some other website builders, it can be more difficult to master.
  • The free plan is extremely limited and offers no support.

Pricing

The paid plans are reasonably priced, with a custom domain name and 24/7 support starting at just $4/month (billed annually).

The Premium plan is $8/month if you want more features (billed annually).

8. Weebly

Another all-in-one website builder is Weebly. Most people find it to be very user-friendly, and it comes with a variety of designs to choose from as a starting point for your website.

Pros

  • The drag-and-drop interface allows you to fully customize any of Weebly’s designs. Even if you’ve never created a website before, it’s very user-friendly and simple to use.
  • You can use the built-in eCommerce support to accept donations. Weebly, on the other hand, charges a 3% transaction fee on sales made through your website.
  • You can use the App Center to add extra features to your website. If you want to put sermons on your site, for example, there are a variety of audio players you could use.
  • The support team is available via email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and live chat during extended business hours (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST). You can also call them on the phone if you’re on the Pro plan or higher.
  • You can create a membership area for your site if you’re on the Pro plan or higher. This allows you to secure information that you only want church members to see.

Cons

  • There is no AI creation process on Weebly. This means that building your website may take a little longer.
  • You won’t be able to get as many relevant features as you would with other website builders because the apps you can install are limited. For example, there isn’t a dedicated “sermon” app.

Pricing

Their paid plans start at $6 per month (billed annually), but you won’t be able to remove advertisements. If you want to remove ads and have unlimited storage, you’ll need to upgrade to the $12/month Professional plan.

9. Squarespace

Squarespace is a well-known website builder that, like Wix, provides an all-in-one platform.

It’s simple to use and supports multiple users, which could come in handy if you want multiple people to work on your church’s website.

Pros

  • Using Squarespace’s block editor, you can easily add images, videos, and audio files. This could be especially useful if you want to post sermons on your website.
  • Squarespace has a large number of different templates to choose from.
  • You can sign up for a free trial without giving your credit card information.
  • Squarespace offers a large number of fonts, which can be useful if you want to match your website fonts to those used in printed materials.
  • You can invite contributors (other users) to your website, and you have some control over their permissions. The Personal plan allows for only two contributors, whereas the other plans allow for an unlimited number of contributors.
  • Squarespace is adept at handling images, making it simple for your images to look great on a variety of devices. Within Squarespace, you can browse and download free images from Unsplash.
  • You can accept donations through your website if you’re on the Business plan or higher, by using the ‘Donations’ block on any of your pages.

Cons

  • There are no Squarespace templates designed specifically for churches. The “Community & Non-Profits” templates are a good place to start, but you’ll probably want to make a lot of changes.
  • There are a few third-party extensions for Squarespace, but not nearly as many as there are for a different platform like WordPress.
  • Squarespace charges a 3% donation fee if you’re on the Business plan rather than the eCommerce plan. This is in addition to the payment processor’s charges.

Pricing

The monthly fee for the Personal Website plan is $12. (if you pay annually).

We recommend the Business plan, which costs $18 per month (also billed annually). You’ll gain access to premium blocks and extensions, as well as the ability to accept donations, as a result of this.

Which Church Website Builder is the Best, According to Experts?

The best website builder for churches is without a doubt WordPress. There’s a reason it’s the most popular website builder on the internet, powering more than 35% of all websites.

It comes with dozens of church templates and design customizer options that you can use to create a website for your church without having to write any code.

It’s the most affordable from a financial standpoint, thanks to the Bluehost web hosting offer, which includes a free domain and free SSL.

With popular WordPress plugins, you can quickly add features like donations, sermons, contact forms, photo galleries, membership, email marketing, and much more.

You can use our step-by-step guide on how to make a website with WordPress to build your church website (video included).

If you’re looking for a WordPress alternative, we recommend Web.com’s website builder. Even if you’re on a shoestring budget, the starter plan allows you to create a full website for your church. Even if you’re not technically inclined, it’s very simple to use.

We hope you learned something new about the best church website builders from this article. You might also be interested in our comparison of the best business phone services for non-profits.

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