GoDaddy vs WordPress Website Builder Comparison – Which To Choose?

In this article, I’m going to compare GoDaddy vs WordPress as well as briefly review their features to help you pick the right website builder for you!

Both GoDaddy and WordPress are quite big names in the web developing industry. Both platforms are popular. However, GoDaddy is popular due to being a powerful hosting provider, and WordPress is better known for being a free, open-source Content Management System.

However, in this WordPress vs GoDaddy comparison, I won’t talk about hosting providers or content management systems. The thing I’m going to compare is their website builders.

GoDaddy offers an in-house website builder and provides a subscription that includes hosting, site editor, and 24/7 support.

While WordPress has a separate product on WordPress.com – a website builder, it also offers subscriptions that includes hosting, site editor, and 24/7 support.

So that being said, here’s a brief overview of both providers and their features.

NOTE: I have also compared GoDaddy vs. Weebly, GoDaddy vs. Squarespace, WordPress vs. Wix, WordPress vs. Tilda, WordPress vs. Drupal, and WordPress vs. Shopify.

 

GoDaddy vs WordPress Comparison

So which is the best website builder when comparing these two? If we were to look at the pricing plans of GoDaddy and WordPress – both manage to offer relatively affordable entry-level subscriptions. Small personal websites definitely wouldn’t cost you much.

However, if you’re thinking of something online – things change quite a bit. WordPress.com’s pricing jumps drastically with its eCommerce plan, which costs $45/month. Meanwhile, the priciest subscription with eCommerce features in GoDaddy is €29.99  (around $34/month).

So I can definitely say that GoDaddy Website Builder’s premium plans are more affordable. Although, pricing is only one of the many aspects of comparing platforms like these.

Both GoDaddy and WordPress use templates for the core basis of their websites (although technically, WordPress refers to its templates as ‘themes’).

While GoDaddy does a decent job of competing, it’s clear that WordPress offers the best template range to its users. The platform is a veteran at providing template flexibility, intuitive designs, and modern aesthetics.

 

 

Regardless of which option you choose, ease-of-use will be a major benefit with both. You don’t need any web-building experience to use either platform. While I preferred WordPress’s design functions, GoDaddy Website Builder does make the setup process completely stress-free.

 

 

Both GoDaddy and WordPress offer excellent services to individuals who want a robust online web builder. Yet while GoDaddy’s SEO features and eCommerce capabilities make its platform the better option for online business owners, it’s clear that WordPress nudges ahead for blog creators.

Overall, both website building providers differentiate at what they are capable of. Let’s see all the fine details while moving deeper with this GoDaddy vs WordPress comparison.

 

Ease Of Use

If you want to build a website and don’t have any previous web building experience, both GoDaddy and WordPress offer intuitive solutions.

It only takes a matter of minutes to create a new website, and you can fully customize your design without any coding background. Like most web builders, ease-of-use is a key component of both platforms.

When you first start building a website on WordPress’s platform, you simply input the purpose of your website, and you’ll be given a relevant template.

I decided to change my template to something more aesthetically pleasing, and this was very simple to do using the ‘Design’ tab in WordPress’s main dashboard. The whole process takes a matter of seconds.

Once you get past the initial setup process, there’s even a ‘setup list’ on your WordPress.com dashboard that prompts you to make basic customizations.

 

 

The primary purpose of the WordPress.com platform is to simplify the process of creating websites with the WordPress engine. Instead of customizing the code of your website, WordPress.com offers you access to a full range of easy-to-use design tools.

‘Blocks’ are the primary customization components of any WordPress site. It ist very easy to input images, media players, and other critical site elements using WordPress’s different blocks.

 

 

That said, only specific site components can be dragged and dropped. While text and other minor elements are easy to move, this isn’t the best solution on the market if you want a real drag-and-drop editor.

Another WordPress usability feature to discuss is its content management system. The platform was created for bloggers, and it’s still regarded as one of the best content management tools in the industry. I found it easy to input text, customize blogs, categorize headings, and more.

 

 

Especially because the blog post editor is the same in both WordPress.com and WordPress.org, and believe me, I work with WordPress.org blog post editor every day.

Another exciting feature in WordPress.com is that you can also add a range of plugins for added capabilities.

 

 

Whether you want to integrate eCommerce platforms, Google Analytics, online forums, or any other type of third-party software, it’s extremely easy to install and activate the software via the ‘Plugins’ tab on your WordPress dashboard.

On the other hand, GoDaddy has made considerable effort to create a platform that’s easy to use from start to finish.

 

 

When I first signed up for an account, I was asked about my website’s title and purpose. GoDaddy then created a custom template that was built specifically for my niche.

But don’t worry if you don’t like the template you’re assigned as you can change your template to any of GoDaddy’s options.

 

GoDaddy website builder offers good amount of features and customization options.

 

You can also add sections or site elements via the ‘Add Section’ tab on the left-hand side of the setup page. I enjoyed this feature because it meant that I didn’t have to wait to customize the other components of my site.

 

 

Unfortunately, GoDaddy slightly overstates its drag-and-drop capabilities. Like with WordPress, you’re only able to move certain components of your template. While I still found it very easy to customize my test site, I could only move large portions of the template around, which made it feel slightly rigid.

 

WINNER: Overall, while WordPress.com has made huge strides in helping simplify the WordPress.org platform, GoDaddy’s design features are slightly more intuitive. The setup process is also extremely straightforward, and you can fully customize your site’s sections before you hit ‘publish.’ If ease-of-use is your primary concern, though, GoDaddy Website Builder pushes slightly ahead.

 

Design & Templates

Both GoDaddy and WordPress offer modern and intuitive web designs. While the WordPress.com platform doesn’t provide the same extensive theme list that you find at WordPress.org, it still beats GoDaddy’s offering.

That’s especially if you choose to purchase the Business or eCommerce plan since it gives you access to an unlimited number of premium themes.

GoDaddy’s templates are surprisingly sleek. While there are different templates for various website purposes, your options aren’t extensive.

 

 

Still, if your focus is on finding a professional template, there are some very aesthetically pleasing choices on this list.

Unsurprisingly, WordPress offers a full range of high-end templates to choose from. WordPress’s basic subscriptions include access to over 100 unique designs.

 

 

And when you include the additional themes that WordPress offers to its Business and Ecommerce subscribers, there are over 270 total themes available.

While WordPress templates traditionally focus on blog content, premium templates are much more suitable for businesses or eCommerce stores.

 

WINNER: I’m impressed by GoDaddy’s current template offering, but it can’t match up to WordPress’s themes. Overall, WordPress.com offers more themes to its users than GoDaddy Website Builder does.

 

Business Features

Both GoDaddy and WordPress offer specific subscriptions for business owners and eCommerce stores. It’s easy to communicate with customers and sell products via both platforms. Also, users of GoDaddy or WordPress have in-built SEO tools that can help optimize online businesses for leading search engines.

If the primary purpose of your new website is to build an online business, it’s essential to consider the core business features that GoDaddy and WordPress offer. Below, let’s take a closer look at each service’s features.

 

eCommerce

I was very impressed with how easy it is to set up an online store using GoDaddy’s platform. You can opt to add an ‘Online Store’ section to your website during the setup processor via your main editing hub.

Next, use the ‘Add Product’ button to add digital or physical products to your website. You can input prices, photos, videos, and a range of other product elements via this portal.

 

 

WordPress partners with popular eCommerce platform WooCommerce to help its users build online stores.

While WooCommerce is certainly a top eCommerce tool, it’s annoying that you need to integrate with an external provider to build an online store. This is especially true when you consider the high price of the WordPress eCommerce plan.

You’ll need to install WooCommerce via the ‘Plugins’ tab on your WordPress dashboard. You can then access it directly via the left-hand side of your main editing menu.

Overall, I enjoyed using the GoDaddy eCommerce platform much more than WordPress’s offering. The in-house tools at GoDaddy mean that you won’t have to worry about using an external platform or relying on third-party tools.

 

SEO

Whether you’re building an online store or a blog, your website must perform well in search engines. By optimizing your website to respond well to Google and other search engines, you can increase your organic traffic. Both GoDaddy and WordPress have in-house tools that can help you streamline this process.

WordPress templates are known for being SEO friendly, but the web builder also offers access to plugins such as Yoast, an SEO tool that helps you optimize blog posts.

 

 

Yoast automatically scans content for readability, keywords, subheading content length, and more. This is an excellent way to gauge if your content is search engine friendly.

GoDaddy’s SEO features are second-to-none. If you access the ‘marketing’ button on the design homepage, GoDaddy will prompt you to build an SEO plan.

GoDaddy will then ask you a series of questions, including information on your target market, product types, and others.

 

 

Next, you’ll receive custom suggestions for site titles, keywords, and other core SEO elements. GoDaddy will also automatically direct you to create your site descriptions. It’s hard to find another web builder that makes it so easy to optimize your site for search engines.

 

Business Email

Connecting with customers in a professional capacity is necessary for any form of business. Using a business email with your company’s domain name is the perfect way to connect with clients.

GoDaddy offers professional email for €0.99 per user/month and professional email with Microsoft 365 for €2.49 per user/month.

WordPress.com offers an email plan for $3.5/month (first three months free).

 

Customer Support

If you’re using a web builder to create your website, there’s a chance you don’t have extensive technical experience with web design.

A strong customer support team can help put your mind at ease, as you need to be able to contact a technical expert if something goes wrong.

After comparing GoDaddy and WordPress’s customer support teams, WordPress.com was a clear winner: WordPress.com. GoDaddy’s online knowledge center offers extensive resources, but its customer support team is well-known for its lack of client focus.

The only downside to WordPress’s customer support is that you must sign in to your account to get in contact with the company’s team.

 

WINNER: Both GoDaddy and WordPress offer great features for businesses. However, there’s a critical difference between sorting out these features. GoDaddy mostly offers everything in-house, while WordPress.com has a third-party solution for any kind of purpose.

 

Pricing

GoDaddy’s web builder starts at €3.99 per month to €9.99/month for personal sites, and the eCommerce plans from €19.99/month to €29.99/month. On the other hand, WordPress pricing goes from $4 to $45 per month. 

You can begin building a website for just €3.99 at GoDaddy. If you’re looking to build a simple site, the ‘Basic’ plan will easily suffice.

You’ll get access to GoDaddy’s intuitive Website Builder as well as other basic features – an ability to connect a custom domain, mobile-responsive templates, an SSL certificate, and 24/7 support.

However, the entry-level GoDaddy Website Builder’s subscription excludes Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features. This is quite an issue if you’re thinking of ranking high.

That’s why I would offer this plan for personal use only and small-scale projects that don’t need to gather heavy traffic.

This issue gets solved quickly if you opt for a higher-tier plan from this provider. Not only SEO tools get added, but more advanced marketing features as well.

For online sellers – the Ecommerce plan even offers in-depth inventory tracking and online store integrations.

Now, onto WordPress.com and its plans.

WordPress also has extremely affordable entry points. Even more affordable than GoDaddy’s entry plan. You can also build a website for free, but you won’t be able to take /wordpress.com out of your domain name, and your template will be littered with advertisements.

WordPress’s $4 ‘Personal’ plan offers a free domain name for the first year, 6 GB of storage, WordPress ad removal, and Jetpack plugin essential features that optimize your website.

If you want to experience WordPress.com at its best capacity but aren’t interested in selling goods online – the Business plan is a great choice. This subscription allows you to fully use WordPress’s plugin library, where you can find nearly any integration possible.

For people who want to sell online, WordPress.com offers an eCommerce plan for $45/month. In this case, GoDaddy offers a better deal for eCommerce with its Ecommerce plan.

Considering the cost of developing your own website, GoDaddy and WordPress offer very affordable price points. Both providers have low entry prices, with WordPress nudging ahead via its free and $4 per month plans.

If you want to try building a website for free, GoDaddy allows you to try its service free for a month without having to input any credit card information. After the trial period ends, users are responsible for the full cost of the service.

 

WINNER: All in all, while WordPress offers the cheapest entry points, GoDaddy is the more affordable service if you want to build an online store. The value of each platform will depend on your website’s requirements.

 

WordPress vs GoDaddy Conclusion

Now that you’ve read my GoDaddy website builder vs WordPress builder comparison, it’s time to decide which is best for you or your business. Both providers help simplify the process of building a robust online website. GoDaddy and WordPress offer excellent performance, affordable price points, and attractive designs.

WordPress.com is an excellent tool for various purposes and niches with a comprehensive content management system. Users also benefit from a wide range of external plugins and access to a massive theme library.

While WordPress’s template options will always take the cake, GoDaddy has a lot to offer its eCommerce users. It provides exceptional performance and extremely intuitive eCommerce tools. Best of all, its SEO functions allow you to increase organic traffic without any previous SEO skills or knowledge.

It’s important to remember that advanced web developers might find both platforms fairly restrictive. As with most web builders, you’re restrained by the parameters of the designs and features that you’re provided. Still, if you’re looking for a simple, intuitive way to build your next website, both platforms offer robust tools.