GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress Comparison

Our content is reader-supported. If you click on our links, we may earn a commission. How we review.

GoDaddy vs WordPress is a matchup that always shows up whenever you search for Content Management Systems (CMS) or hosting providers on Google. Although these programs serve similar purposes, they take separate approaches to the website building process and have different pros and cons too.

GoDaddy Site Builder is a platform that began as a hosting company. It allows the storage of various online projects for your business within its system. 

With over two decades of reputable history, it is now a well-known hosting and website creation service provider to all kinds of users. 

Working with GoDaddy is simple for almost everyone because the website building tool does not require any coding knowledge.

Meanwhile, WordPress is the world’s most popular Content Management System (CMS). 

Because of its original focus on content-based projects, powerful plugin integration, and design customization capabilities, this CMS stands out from the crowd.

Given the open-source flexibility of WordPress, it’s challenging to compare it with another stand-out like GoDaddy web hosting service

For this reason, it is necessary to look at the basic features of both programs to determine which one has a better offer. 

Reddit is a great place to learn more about GoDaddy. Here are a few Reddit posts that I think you’ll find interesting. Check them out and join the discussion!

In this post, I will provide an extensive WordPress Vs GoDaddy website builder comparison and will highlight the benefits and main differences between the two platforms to assist you in selecting the best system to meet your needs and expectations.

GODADDYWORDPRESS
PricingFree plan available but with ads. For an ad-free plan, shared hosting prices range from $8.99-$24.99/month. The basic plan for WordPress hosting starts at $9.99/month.Free plan available but with ads. For an ad-free experience, premium plans are $4, $8, $25, and $49.95/ per month. After the initial term is over, regular rates will apply to start at $18/month.
Ease of UseDrop-and-drag option is available. Limited themes, images, and variations. Cannot make several changes at once.Not a simple drop-and-drag process. Quite technical but you have more control over the looks and functionality of your website. 
Design and FlexibilityLimited customization options.Offers more options for customization. 
eCommerceOffers basic eCommerce solutions built-in with the software.Offers more advanced eCommerce solutions. Some are built-in, but most powerful plugins are readily available for installation such as WooCommerce. 
SEOOffers basic SEO tools. Not as organized to be crawled by bots. Provides a systematic way for bots to find the website. Offers excellent SEO tools, even with the basic plan. 

WordPress vs GoDaddy website builder: Pricing

GODADDYWORDPRESS
PRICINGDomain Name = starting at $11.99/year (free domain name on the first year)

Hosting Service = $8.99 – $24.99/month

Pre-made themes = price varies

Plugins = $0-$1,000 one-time payment or continuous

Security = $69.99 up to $429.99

Developer Fess = Not available
Domain Name = starting at $12/year (free domain name on the first year)

Hosting Service = $2.95-49.95/month

Pre-made themes = $0-$200 a one off-charge

Plugins = $0-$1,000 one-time payment or continuous

Security = $50-$550 as one-time payment, $50+ for continuous payment

Developer Fess = $0-$1,000 as one-time payment

Looking at the table above, it is clear that GoDaddy is cheaper than WordPress in various categories.

GoDaddy Site Builder offers the $8.99/month rate for shared hosting plans. 

Within this category, there are other packages available: Deluxe ($11.99/month), Ultimate ($16.99/month), and Maximum ($24.99/month). 

Of course, each package offers a different set of services. The rule is as the prices go up, the features become more useful and advanced.

GoDaddy’s basic plan for WordPress hosting starts at $9.99, while the E-commerce plan reaches $24.99. For Business packages, Godaddy website builder pricing can reach up to $99.99.

The most expensive plan you can get with GoDaddy is $399.99, that is if you prefer a dedicated hosting service that will allow you to have complete control over all the elements of the website.

I covered the pricing details of WordPress in previous posts, so I don’t like to go over it again without repeating myself. But by comparison, GoDaddy is better if you are on a tight budget.

🏆 GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress WINNER: GoDaddy!

GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress: Web Hosting Ease of Use

GoDaddy Website Builder ease of use

Using the GoDaddy website builder is pretty straightforward. Building your own functional and attractive website in less than an hour is possible.

GoDaddy’s drag-and-drop builder allows you to make real-time modifications. Since it has a transparent interface, you’ll know exactly what your website and its pages will look like after they’re published.

However, GoDaddy has certain limitations. The biggest disadvantage is that it does not allow various modifications at once. 

For that reason, GoDaddy’s website builder is ideal for beginners who don’t have the time to master a more complicated platform.

wordpress Website Builder  ease of use

WordPress is unquestionably more difficult to set up and manage than GoDaddy.

With WordPress, you’ll need to buy a domain name and a web hosting plan and install a copy of WordPress with your web host. 

Although some web providers, such as Bluehost, provide domain registration and web hosting packages and will even install WordPress for you, they are still no match with GoDaddy in terms of simplicity.

WordPress is not a drag-and-drop website builder. If you decide to develop your website using the WordPress platform, you’ll need to learn how to use its dashboard to build and maintain your site.

This will include using their free and paid themes and plugins or paying a developer to build out a website for you. 

🏆 GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress WINNER: GoDaddy!

WordPress Vs GoDaddy Website Builder: Design and Flexibility

GoDaddy Website Builder design flexibility

Web Design

With GoDaddy, you can manage the design of your site by selecting a theme from their  Website Builder. The downside to this is that the theme choices are limited, unlike in WordPress. 

For the “look” of the website, the Website Builder lets you modify the style of each page. 

The editor uses a section-based approach, and then you can select various prebuilt layouts and assemble them like Lego pieces to create a complete page. This is by far one of its most engaging web design features. 

You can even alter the content, colors, and font inside each layout. However, you can’t move each individual piece in the design around. In other words, you don’t have complete control over what your website will look like.

You can still customize the style of your site using WordPress by picking a theme. There are many distinct WordPress themes to choose from. Even with just a single theme, the choices are diverse.

Each theme offers various code-free customization possibilities.

If you want greater control, you can install a page builder plugin. These plugins provide a visual drag-and-drop editing experience. Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder are a few popular recommendations. 

For example, with Elementor, you have the ability to be more dynamic and have more control over your visual design experience. 

With GoDaddy’s Website Builder, you lack this direct design experience as you can only pick from a few high-level layouts. 

In contrast, Elementor allows you to alter content to give you the freedom to create a website that speaks the brand of your business.

When it comes to personalizing your site design, WordPress provides far more versatility than GoDaddy.

Importing/Creating Content

GoDaddy has a separate text editor for adding blog articles. Text can be added simply by typing and photos or videos can be added by clicking the plus symbol.

Unlike in WordPress, there is no way to add formatting, buttons, or other elements.

The WordPress editor is the default method for adding material to WordPress. The editor uses a straightforward block-based approach.

To add text, simply click and enter as if you are using Word. You can easily add media material, such as images or videos, by adding a block. 

Manipulating the blocks to create basic formatting like a multi-column layout, quotations, space, and dividers is also very simple to do.

Adding Features

Both GoDaddy and WordPress have built-in capabilities for all essential website functionalities. 

However, you could have special requirements and may want to add more functionality than the ones that are already provided.

GoDaddy limits you to the platform’s built-in functionality, but WordPress allows you to install your own plugins that you could find more useful when building your website.

GoDaddy does has some great features, like appointment scheduling, eCommerce capability, email marketing tools, social media integrations, live chat, and other helpful tools.

It also lets website visitors sign up for accounts to build a membership site.

However, WordPress just outperforms Godaddy with its collection of over 60,000 plugins. 

Because of this, WordPress is more adaptable than any website builder. GoDaddy just can’t compete in this department.

WordPress is the most flexible platform for non-technical users to develop websites. This is one of the reasons why almost 40% of websites now use WordPress.

design flexibility wordpress

🏆 GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress WINNER: WordPress!

GoDaddy WebsiteBuilder vs WordPress Site: Ecommerce

GoDaddy WebsiteBuilder ecommerce store

Both GoDaddy and WordPress have eCommerce capability.

However, the eCommerce feature is only available in the highest tier plan in GoDaddy.

You may add eCommerce capabilities to WordPress by installing the WooCommerce plugin. 

WooCommerce is the most popular way to build an eCommerce store and includes all of the essential features. 

WooCommerce may also be extended with plugins, giving you far more freedom than GoDaddy.

When it comes to marketing and advertising, GoDaddy has a lot to offer. 

The website builder released its Website+Marketing function, which provides access to a collection of marketing tools. They are accessible from the same dashboard, saving the user time and effort.

The system also includes email marketing and social media promotion tools, Google My Company, Yelp Business Listing, GoDaddy In Sight tool, and other valuable features for business optimization. 

The platform also provides a proprietary Contact Form builder that contains a collection of pre-designed blocks and capabilities for customizing them to assist users in creating web forms.

WordPress does not come with marketing tools, although several third-party plugins are available for this purpose. 

The plugins are free and premium, and you may filter them according to their importance. These plugins must be manually integrated, which may require considerable time, expertise, and effort. 

Among the plugins available, Qeryz, ManyContacts, and  WP Migrate DB are some of the more popular ones.

🏆 GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress WINNER: WordPress!

GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress: SEO

godaddy vs wordpress seo

However, it’s good to know that GoDaddy has an SEO Wizard which gives you access to meta titles and descriptions. It also offers tips to help you optimize the content. 

The program also allows you to integrate Google Analytics on your own to track project data. With that said, no built-in statistics tracking tools are accessible.

WordPress hosting works better in creating SEO-friendly websites that often rank well in search engine results. 

Users can choose from hundreds of plugins that help create SEO-optimized content. This is beneficial to both search engines and the customer experience.

The plugins also give sufficient capabilities for users to promote their content on social media, manage complex SEO settings, modify custom URLs, assign target keywords, change website descriptions, and much more.

Smartly, WordPress hosting allows you to modify your website’s code. 

This provides an excellent chance to improve the specifications of website layouts and incorporate high-end features to promote user engagement.

🏆 GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress WINNER: WordPress!

Summary

GODADDYWORDPRESS
Ease of UseWINNERRUNNER UP
PricingWINNERRUNNER UP
Design and FlexibilityRUNNER UPWINNER
eCommerceRUNNER UPWINNER
SEORUNNER UPWINNER

WordPress is more flexible regarding usage and editing, albeit there may be a small learning curve at first. The system considers its customers’ convenience by providing various online assistance.

GoDaddy is a simpler website builder. However, users cannot make significant changes to various processes, including design.

When it comes to eCommerce, WordPress provides more flexibility and shop administration tools. 

This capability is realized by integrating third-party eCommerce plugins into the CMS. GoDaddy, on the other hand, provides a built-in eCommerce platform that works well for launching basic online businesses selling popular items.

When it comes to SEO,  WordPress is certainly better. Thus, WordPress websites have a greater chance of ranking higher in the long run. 

After a thorough GoDaddy website builder review, it turns out that it lacks several basic SEO tools, which could be detrimental to your business

For this matchup, it’s obvious why we unanimously choose WordPress!

FAQs

GoDaddy Website Builder

1. What does “unlimited hosting” mean?

Although shared plans have unlimited storage, you are restricted to 250,000 files/folders (each email counts as a file).

Also, there are some “soft” limits on other resources; if your usage exceeds these limits, GoDaddy may restrict the resources available to your website and, in a worse scenario, may even block your use of the resources, resulting in a site outage.

2. Can I automatically install WordPress?

WordPress installation is manual, but GoDaddy includes a WordPress management tool package that automates backups and software upgrades for your WordPress site.

GoDaddy also improves the functionality of your WordPress website and provides specialist tech assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. What if I wish to cancel my GoDaddy hosting package?

GoDaddy has a money-back guarantee, but it depends on the length of your web hosting package. You will have a 45-day money-back guarantee if you have an annual plan. There are also some really good GoDaddy alternatives to choose from if you aren’t entirely convinced.

4. How many categories and subcategories am I allowed to use?

In your store, you may use up to 100 categories and subcategories.
For example, if you have 10 categories, each of which has 50 subcategories, only two will be displayed, each with 50 subcategories.

What is the GoDaddy website builder cost?

The GoDaddy website cost depends on the plan that the user selects. The Basic plan starts at $10 per month and provides essential features such as website hosting, easy-to-use templates, and built-in marketing tools. For individuals or small businesses seeking more advanced features, the cost of Godaddy website builder is a little bit higher. It offers the Standard plan at $15 per month, providing additional functionalities like social media integration and SSL security. Lastly, the Premium plan, costing $20 per month, offers unlimited social media and email marketing and advanced eCommerce capabilities.

Is there a GoDaddy free website builder?

GoDaddy is a renowned web hosting and domain registration company that offers a range of services, including a free website builder. With its user-friendly interface and customizable templates, GoDaddy’s free website builder allows users to create their own professional-looking websites without any coding or design skills. 

WordPress Website Builder

1. I recently installed a plugin but I don’t see it. What’s going on?

You might be using WordPress.com, a blog hosting service. Although WordPress.com is a reliable blog hosting provider, it does have certain limits. One of them cannot install plugins. You can always switch to WordPress.org.

2. What plugins can I install?

The free WordPress plugins directory alone has over 49,000 plugins. Not all of them are great, of course. You have to read reviews of them from other users to know if they do the job. What kind of plugins depends on what you need and the purpose of your website.

3. How do I install a theme?

Installing a theme is simple. On the interface, go to the Appearance » Themes page in the WordPress admin area, then click the ‘Add New’ option at the top.

Create a new theme. On the next page, you may search the WordPress.org theme directory for a free theme. If you already have your theme as a zip file, click the upload button to choose and install it.

 4. How do I embed videos on my blog?

You can add videos straight to your WordPress site, but we don’t recommend it. Using video hosting sites such as YouTube or Vimeo will be better. Simply submit your video to one of these providers and capture the URL.

Return to your WordPress site and enter the video URL into the post editor. WordPress will retrieve the embed code and show the video. You can also install a plugin to embed video streams, galleries, and other content.

Mathias Ahlgren is the CEO and founder of Website Rating, steering a global team of editors and writers. He holds a master's in information science and management. His career pivoted to SEO after early web development experiences during university. With over 15 years in SEO, digital marketing, and web developmens. His focus also includes website security, evidenced by a certificate in Cyber Security. This diverse expertise underpins his leadership at Website Rating.

The "WSR Team" is the collective group of expert editors and writers specializing in technology, internet security, digital marketing, and web development. Passionate about the digital realm, they produce well-researched, insightful, and accessible content. Their commitment to accuracy and clarity makes Website Rating a trusted resource for staying informed in the dynamic digital world.

Stay informed! Join our newsletter
Subscribe now and get free access to subscriber-only guides, tools, and resources.
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your data is safe.
Stay informed! Join our newsletter
Subscribe now and get free access to subscriber-only guides, tools, and resources.
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your data is safe.
Stay informed! Join our newsletter!
Subscribe now and get free access to subscriber-only guides, tools, and resources.
Stay Up-to Date! Join our Newsletter
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your data is safe.
My Company
Stay Up-to Date! Join our Newsletter
🙌 You are (almost) subscribed!
Head over to your email inbox, and open the email I sent you to confirm your email address.
My Company
You are Subscribed!
Thank You for your subscription. We send out newsletter with insightful data every Monday.
Share to...