Two common ways to create a website are using a builder platform or manually coding it. While you can create a functional website with either method, each suits different users and use cases.
For instance, using a website builder is faster and requires less effort than writing the code from scratch. However, website builder platforms are more limiting than coding from scratch, which makes many web developers prefer the latter.
This article will compare the pros and cons of using a website builder vs coding. We will explore their differences in difficulty, cost, flexibility, and maintenance to help you determine which suits you best.
Website Builder vs Coding: What’s the Difference?
A builder platform lets you create a website without writing a single code. Users can simply drag and drop elements with its visual editor to build an interactive and dynamic website.
But coding, To create a single page, you may need to write thousands of CSS and HTML lines which can take hours. A manually-coded website is also more likely to encounter errors as you may make minor mistakes like typos.
Moreover, HTML and CSS only let you create a static website with limited use cases. You must understand JavaScript and a server-side coding language like PHP to make a dynamic, interactive website.
Pros and Cons of Using a Website Builder
This section will provide several pros and cons of a website builder to help you determine if it suits your needs.
Benefits of Using a Website Builder
Since various website builders offer different features, they may have different advantages. Generally, most of the common ones include:
- Time saving: Most website builders offer templates and assets to speed up the development process. They also include a domain and hosting plan, allowing the site to get up and running immediately.
- Beginner friendly: A website builder has a user-friendly graphical interface suitable for beginners. Users can customize and add features to their sites without any coding.
- Cost effective: Website builders typically include free marketing, security, and search engine optimization (SEO) tools.
- Easy update and maintenance: Easily update your site through the visual editor and deploy updates with a single button click. Website builders also have a support team to help you quickly resolve issues and developers who handle back-end maintenance.
Website Builder: Best For
Website builders are ideal for beginners or learners wanting to build their first webpage. They don’t require coding skills and include all the essential features, eliminating the need to purchase and set websites up manually.
These platforms are ideal for websites, such as a portfolio website, a personal blog, a business website, or a small online store. The included marketing and SEO tools can help drive traffic to your website.
Pros and Cons of Creating a Website with Coding
Downsides of coding your website: Hand-coding your website has some major drawbacks:
- Time consuming: For experienced programmers, building a website from scratch can take four to six weeks. In addition to manually writing the code, you will spend time detecting and fixing errors.
- High cost: Due to the complexity of the task, you may need to hire a website designer and developer to help create your site from scratch. Also, you must purchase hosting and domain separately, increasing your website costs.
- Higher difficulty: To build a functional website from scratch, you may need to learn multiple programming languages. In addition to HTML and CSS, you must understand JavaScript, Python and PHP.
- Hard maintenance: You must write the code manually to update or add new functionality to your website. This is especially difficult for complex sites with many page files.
Coding: Best For
Making a website from scratch is a viable option for a professional web developer familiar with coding languages. It is also ideal if you prioritize flexibility and performance over simplicity.We recommend manually coding your site if you work as a team and have many resources. And despite the inconvenience, this method is a great way for an aspiring developer to learn how to code a website.
How to Choose Between Website Builder vs Coding
Choosing the right method ensures your website runs smoothly and meets its goal. When deciding between using a builder platform or coding, consider the following factors:
- Technical skills: Building your own website from scratch requires expertise in various web development and server-side scripting languages. Website builders are easier to learn and suitable for users with limited coding knowledge.
- Website goals: A builder platform is ideal for a generic online store or business site. However, consider coding if your site has niche goals for its customizability and integrations.
- Time frame: Creating a functional and interactive website with a builder tool is always quicker than hand-coding.
- Budget: Some website builders include free features, a domain and a hosting plan, making them suitable for projects with limited budgets. For hand-coded sites, you must purchase them separately.
- Update and maintenance: A builder platform is more suitable for frequently-updated websites. You can perform the update yourself and contact the customer support team for help.
Similarly, since there are many website builders, consider their features, prices and customer support. One of the options is the IG Apps website builder, which starts from GBP 1.50/month.
