How we rank

A verdict without its workings is only an opinion delivered with confidence. This page holds the workings for WebsiteShortlist: the inputs each ranking is built from, the sources those inputs are taken from, how often they are re-read, and the boundaries we hold ourselves to. Should any recommendation on the site fail to trace back to what is described here, it is opinion rather than method, and we would like to be told, because it means the process has slipped.

The inputs, weighted

Only measurable inputs move a builder up or down, and they count in the order listed below. There are no decimal scores on this site, because a builder scored “73.5%” becomes wrong the moment a promotion ends or a plan is repriced. The sequence is the part we stand behind; how wide the gap is between two builders sitting next to each other is a judgement, and the review states it.

• Figures published by someone neutral. Wherever an independent source has already measured what matters, that measurement outranks anything else. For website builders that means material such as Google’s SEO starter guide, and never the numbers in a builder's own marketing.
• The renewal price, not the launch offer. What we log is the amount a site owner keeps paying after the introductory term runs out. Where that renewal figure differs from the sign-up figure, both are printed. The whole series is held in the Price Index, a benchmark of our own making.
• What the builder can actually put online. The editor, the templates, the hosting that comes bundled, the shop tools and the export options are weighed against what someone building a real site needs, rather than against a long list of extras that stay switched off.
• Whether paying is necessary at all. Where a free plan, a trial or a tool you already have covers what most people need, we say that outright.

Constraints, not slogans

Read the points below as rules the ranking process has to obey, not as marketing lines.

• Matched to your project. A portfolio, a store, and a blog need different builders. We sort by what you are making, not by who pays most.
• Lock-in flagged. Most builders cannot export your site. We tell you upfront which doors close behind you, before you decorate the room.
• AI claims tested. Every builder bolted "AI" onto its homepage in 2026. We separate the genuinely useful from the rebranded template picker.
• No sponsored rankings. The site earns from affiliate links, yet the order is settled before any commission is looked at. A free plan lands wherever the data puts it.

When the numbers are re-read

Out-of-date figures cost a site its credibility faster than anything else, so currency here rests on automation rather than on good intentions. Each time the site is built, the prices are fetched afresh and the Price Index is worked out again, and an automated monthly measurement is being introduced so that a series accumulates over time. Hardly anyone else publishes that kind of month-on-month record, and it is precisely why this site is built to be cited instead of going around asking for links. Each data page carries a visible last updated date together with a machine-readable feed, so the checking is yours to do.

Off limits

• No position on the list is for sale; a builder cannot buy a better spot with a larger affiliate budget.
• Sentiment, brand affection and a good-looking logo count for nothing. Without a data point behind it, no builder changes place.
• The renewal price, the small-print catch and the cheaper rival stay visible, even when hiding one of them would sell a commission.
• Ratings are never conjured up. A star score appears only where genuine evidence supports it.

Who pays for the site, and why that leaves the order alone

WebsiteShortlist is free to read and paid for by affiliate links: buy a plan after clicking one and a commission may come our way, without changing what you pay. The order is fixed by the inputs above before commission enters the picture. The full terms are in our disclaimer, and the people behind the site are introduced on the about page.

Test the method against the result

Publishing a method only means something if the outcome can be checked against it. Where a position on this site disagrees with the data, or a price no longer matches what the builder charges, that is a fault we want reported and fixed. For that reason nothing in the underlying data is hidden: the Price Index ships with a free, machine-readable feed under CC BY 4.0, so that anyone, human or machine, can verify each number and build on it, credit given.