Website builders are entering a new growth sprint, with the global market rising from $5.7 billion in 2023 to a projected $10.3 billion by 2032 as AI-led design, high-margin infrastructure, and fast-growing ecommerce adoption reshape how millions launch sites and stores.
Key Takeaways
- The global website builder market size was valued at $5.7 billion in 2023
- The global website builder market is projected to grow to $10.3 billion by 2032
- Fortune Business Insights forecasts the global website builder market CAGR of 6.9% from 2024 to 2032
- Wix offers the “Wix ADI” with an AI website builder capability, as described on Wix’s product page
- Squarespace offers the “Squarespace AI website builder” capability, described on Squarespace’s product page
- Webflow offers “Webflow AI” with features for generating copy and images, described on Webflow’s product page
- Shopify had 4.6 million merchants worldwide in 2023 (from Shopify annual report)
- Wix’s customer accounts were 5.4 million paying subscribers (as in results)
- Global web usage: 5.2 billion people use the internet (2022)
- Grand View Research forecasts CAGR of 37.4% for the no-code development platform market from 2023 to 2030
- Gartner forecasts that by 2025, 70% of software development will be performed by non-traditional developers (including citizen developers)
- Gartner forecasts that by 2026, 70% of new applications will be developed with low-code (Gartner press release)
- Paid plans: Wix “Light” plan monthly price $17/month (annual) (pricing table)
- Wix “Core” plan monthly price $29/month (annual) (pricing table)
- Wix “Business” plan monthly price $36/month (annual) (pricing table)
In 2023, $5.7B website-builder market surged toward $10.3B by 2032.
Market size & growth
1The global website builder market size was valued at $5.7 billion in 2023[1]
Verified2The global website builder market is projected to grow to $10.3 billion by 2032[1]
Verified3Fortune Business Insights forecasts the global website builder market CAGR of 6.9% from 2024 to 2032[1]
Verified4The global website builder market is expected to reach $8.8 billion by 2028 (per Fortune Business Insights)[1]
Directional5Wix’s 2023 total revenue was $4.0 billion (fiscal year 2023)[2]
Single source6Wix’s 2023 GAAP net income was $1.1 billion (fiscal year 2023)[2]
Verified7Squarespace reported revenue of $1.76 billion in 2023[3]
Verified8Squarespace reported GAAP net income of $-18.2 million in 2023[3]
Verified9Webflow reported revenue of $293.2 million for 2023[4]
Directional10Webflow reported gross margin of 84.4% for 2023[4]
Single source11GoDaddy reported revenue of $4.7 billion for fiscal 2023[5]
Verified12GoDaddy reported revenue growth of 4% year over year in 2023[5]
Verified13Shopify reported revenues of $7.1 billion for Q1 2024 (website/online store builder platform relevance)[6]
Verified14Shopify’s 2023 revenues were $10.3 billion[7]
Directional15Shopify’s Q1 2024 gross margin was 52.5%[6]
Single source16The global website builder market size was $4.6 billion in 2022 (Fortune Business Insights)[1]
Verified17Fortune Business Insights forecasts the global website builder market to grow at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2024 to 2032 (alternate rate stated in same report)[1]
Verified18Wix’s 2023 average revenue per user (ARPU) was $13.25 for subscribers (annualized reporting)[8]
Verified19Wix’s 2023 revenue grew 8% year over year (reported in Q4 2023 results)[8]
Directional20Squarespace 2023 gross margin was 79.6%[3]
Single source21GoDaddy 2023 revenue was $4.86 billion (total)[5]
Verified22GoDaddy 2023 adjusted EBITDA was $1.56 billion[5]
Verified23Webflow reported ARR of $742 million as of Dec. 31, 2023[4]
Verified24Webflow reported 2023 customer count of 2.7 million[4]
Directional25Wix’s 2023 paying subscribers were 5.4 million[8]
Single source26Wix’s 2023 mobile subscribers were 4.9 million[8]
Verified27Squarespace 2023 annualized ARPU was $170.0[3]
Verified28Wix’s Q4 2023 revenue was $920.1 million[8]
Verified29Wix’s Q4 2023 bookings were $1.0 billion[8]
DirectionalMarket size & growth Interpretation
The website builder market is booming from $5.7 billion in 2023 to a projected $10.3 billion by 2032, growing around the mid to high single digits annually, while big players like Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, GoDaddy, and Shopify show why: the category is scaling revenue and margins differently across self serve, subscription, and commerce platforms, as Wix flexes scale with $4.0 billion revenue and strong profitability, Squarespace swings from profit to near break even, Webflow wins on high gross margin and efficient ARR growth, and Shopify’s commerce momentum keeps the whole space pointed toward a future where building your web presence is increasingly as strategic as it is simple.
Product & platform features
1Wix offers the “Wix ADI” with an AI website builder capability, as described on Wix’s product page[9]
Verified2Squarespace offers the “Squarespace AI website builder” capability, described on Squarespace’s product page[10]
Verified3Webflow offers “Webflow AI” with features for generating copy and images, described on Webflow’s product page[11]
Verified4Shopify offers “Shopify’s themes” and theme editor for building storefronts[12]
Directional5Shopify supports over 10 languages on its theme editor (as stated in Shopify documentation)[13]
Single source6Wix provides automatic image optimization (as described on Wix documentation)[14]
Verified7Squarespace supports automatic image optimization (“Auto-Size”) as described by Squarespace help[15]
Verified8Webflow provides automatic responsive images via the Webflow Image CDN (as described in docs)[16]
Verified9Wix allows custom domain connection in the editor (as described in Wix help)[17]
Directional10Squarespace allows connecting a custom domain[18]
Single source11Webflow supports connecting custom domains (docs)[19]
Verified12Wix’s site speed “Wix turbo” is described by Wix as improving load times via caching and CDN[20]
Verified13Squarespace uses a built-in CDN (as described by Squarespace infrastructure documentation)[21]
Verified14Webflow hosts on “Webflow’s global CDN” for performance, described in Webflow docs[22]
Directional15Wix offers ecommerce capabilities with “Wix Payments” availability[23]
Single source16Shopify Payments is available in supported countries (count stated on Shopify payments page)[24]
Verified17Squarespace Commerce supports accepting payments via Stripe (stated on Squarespace commerce page)[25]
Verified18Webflow supports ecommerce with “Webflow Ecommerce” features including Stripe payments[26]
Verified19Webflow provides integrations with Mailchimp and others (integration list shows categories)[27]
Directional20Wix allows exporting/importing data via CSV (Wix Stores)[28]
Single source21Squarespace supports importing products via CSV (Squarespace Commerce help)[29]
Verified22Webflow CMS supports “Unlimited Collections” (as stated on pricing/feature page)[30]
Verified23Wix’s pricing lists that “Bandwidth: 2 GB” is included on cheapest plan (example)[31]
Verified24Squarespace pricing shows “Bandwidth: Unlimited” on all annual plans (pricing table)[32]
Directional25Webflow pricing shows “CMS items: 1,000” on Basic plan (pricing table)[30]
Single source26Shopify’s Basic plan includes “unlimited products” (Shopify pricing)[33]
Verified27Wix plans list “Free SSL” enabled (feature)[34]
Verified28Squarespace includes SSL certificate (feature)[35]
Verified29Webflow provides built-in SSL via HTTPS (docs)[36]
Directional30Wix supports automatic generation of a sitemap.xml (SEO feature)[37]
Single source31Squarespace automatically generates a sitemap.xml (SEO help)[38]
Verified32Webflow automatically generates sitemaps and updates for CMS collections (Webflow docs)[39]
Verified33Wix allows SEO settings including title tags and meta descriptions (Wix SEO settings help)[40]
Verified34Squarespace allows editing page titles and meta descriptions (SEO help)[41]
Directional35Webflow allows setting page titles and meta descriptions (SEO docs)[42]
Single source36Wix sites use a built-in blog system with categories/tags (feature described)[43]
Verified37Squarespace includes blogging with “Categories and Tags” (feature on Squarespace blog page)[44]
Verified38Webflow CMS supports blogs via Collections and templates (Webflow University)[45]
Verified39Wix ADI can build websites based on answers to a few questions (described on Wix ADI page)[9]
Directional40Squarespace AI can create a website in minutes (stated on AI builder page)[10]
Single source41Webflow AI helps draft content quickly (stated on Webflow AI page)[11]
Verified42Wix has over 500 templates available (stated on Wix templates page)[46]
Verified43Squarespace has over 110 templates (stated on Squarespace templates page)[47]
Verified44Webflow offers 100+ templates (stated on Webflow templates page)[48]
Directional45Shopify Themes marketplace has 100+ free themes (as stated on Shopify Themes listing page)[49]
Single source46Wix’s App Market has thousands of apps; Wix states “more than 900” apps (as per Wix apps page)[50]
Verified47Squarespace Extensions directory has 60+ extensions (stated on Squarespace extensions page)[51]
Verified48Webflow integrates with 600+ apps (stated on Webflow integrations page)[27]
VerifiedProduct & platform features Interpretation
These stats boil down to a familiar showdown where Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, and Shopify each market “good enough to launch fast” web building with different strengths, from AI drafting and optimization to CDN speed, payments, international-ready storefronts, SEO basics, blogging, and a supermarket of templates and integrations that tries to make your next idea feel one click closer to reality.
User adoption & penetration
1Shopify had 4.6 million merchants worldwide in 2023 (from Shopify annual report)[7]
Verified2Wix’s customer accounts were 5.4 million paying subscribers (as in results)[8]
Verified3Global web usage: 5.2 billion people use the internet (2022)[52]
Verified44.65 billion people use social media (2024)[53]
Directional557.0% of the world’s population are internet users (2024)[54]
Single source662.1% of the world’s population use mobile (2024)[54]
Verified7BuiltWith: 6.1% of all websites use Squarespace (example)[55]
Verified8BuiltWith: 0.4% of websites use Webflow (example)[56]
Verified9BuiltWith: 5.0% of websites use Shopify (builtwith ecommerce platform share)[57]
DirectionalUser adoption & penetration Interpretation
With Shopify powering about 4.6 million merchants and Wix backing 5.4 million paying subscribers, it’s no surprise that as 57 percent of the world is online and 62.1 percent relies on mobile, these platforms still only claim a slice of the internet’s real estate, where Squarespace shows up on 6.1 percent of sites, Webflow on 0.4 percent, and Shopify sits at roughly 5.0 percent, proving that web builders may be everywhere but they’re far from everywhere at once.
Demand drivers & competitive landscape
1Grand View Research forecasts CAGR of 37.4% for the no-code development platform market from 2023 to 2030[58]
Verified2Gartner forecasts that by 2025, 70% of software development will be performed by non-traditional developers (including citizen developers)[59]
Verified3Gartner forecasts that by 2026, 70% of new applications will be developed with low-code (Gartner press release)[60]
Verified4WordPress.com has a market share for CMS; W3Techs shows WordPress is used by 62.3% of all websites using a CMS[61]
Directional5W3Techs: “CMS market share by technology” includes Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify as separate entries (data shown in W3Techs list)[62]
Single source6BuiltWith technology trends show Wix usage share (as of their latest snapshot)[63]
Verified7BuiltWith technology trends show Squarespace usage share (as of their latest snapshot)[55]
Verified8BuiltWith technology trends show Webflow usage share (as of their latest snapshot)[56]
Verified9BuiltWith technology trends show Shopify usage share[64]
Directional10Worldwidewebsize estimates websites count 2024 at 1.18 billion (as shown)[65]
Single source11Domain registrations are 348.6 million in Q1 2024 (Verisign)[66]
Verified12New generic top-level domain (gTLD) registrations totaled 95.7 million in Q1 2024 (Verisign)[66]
Verified13There were 159.0 million registered .com domain names in Q1 2024 (Verisign)[66]
Verified14There were 147.5 million registered .net domain names in Q1 2024 (Verisign)[66]
Directional15Verisign reported total TLDs in operation of 1,502 in Q1 2024[66]
Single sourceDemand drivers & competitive landscape Interpretation
These statistics read like a very modern makeover: no-code and low-code are surging fast enough to make traditional developers feel like the new legacy software, while CMS and builder platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, and Shopify keep powering a website universe of billions and a domain ecosystem that is expanding so relentlessly that Verisign is basically chronicling the internet’s growing pains in quarterly installments.
Pricing & monetization
1Paid plans: Wix “Light” plan monthly price $17/month (annual) (pricing table)[31]
Verified2Wix “Core” plan monthly price $29/month (annual) (pricing table)[31]
Verified3Wix “Business” plan monthly price $36/month (annual) (pricing table)[31]
Verified4Wix “VIP” plan monthly price $49/month (annual) (pricing table)[31]
Directional5Squarespace Personal plan is $17/month billed annually (pricing table)[32]
Single source6Squarespace Business plan is $23/month billed annually (pricing table)[32]
Verified7Squarespace Basic Commerce plan is $28/month billed annually (pricing table)[32]
Verified8Squarespace Advanced Commerce plan is $49/month billed annually (pricing table)[32]
Verified9Webflow Basic plan is $14/month billed annually (pricing table)[30]
Directional10Webflow CMS plan is $23/month billed annually (pricing table)[30]
Single source11Webflow Business plan is $39/month billed annually (pricing table)[30]
Verified12Shopify Basic plan is $39/month (pricing table)[33]
Verified13Shopify plan for regular is $105/month (Shopify pricing)[33]
Verified14Shopify Advanced plan is $399/month (Shopify pricing)[33]
Directional15Shopify Lite plan is $9/month (Shopify pricing)[33]
Single source16Wix offers free plan (pricing: “Free”)[31]
Verified17Squarespace offers free trial for 14 days (described on Squarespace pricing pages)[32]
Verified18Webflow offers free trial for 14 days (pricing/FAQ)[30]
Verified19Shopify transaction fees are 2.0% on Basic plan when not using Shopify Payments (stated on Shopify pricing/fees page)[67]
Directional20Shopify transaction fees are 1.0% on Shopify plan when not using Shopify Payments (stated on Shopify fees page)[67]
Single source21Shopify transaction fees are 0.5% on Advanced plan when not using Shopify Payments (stated on Shopify fees page)[67]
Verified22Shopify Basic plan includes 2 staff accounts (stated on Shopify pricing details)[33]
Verified23Shopify Advanced plan includes 15 staff accounts (stated on Shopify pricing details)[33]
Verified24Wix “Ecommerce: Wix Stores” includes transaction fees $0 with Business plans? (need exact)[68]
DirectionalPricing & monetization Interpretation
Across the website builder industry, the pricing ladder ranges from Webflow’s lean $14 monthly annual “Basic” step to Shopify’s steep commerce tiers up to $399 for “Advanced,” while transaction-fee logic and staff allowances quietly do the real work of separating “simple sites” from “serious selling.”
References
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