Guide
Domain Hosting and Website Builder Companies: Best Website Builder and Hosting, Bundled or Separate?
What is domain hosting and a website builder? They are the three parts every website needs: a domain (your address, like yourbusiness.com), hosting (the computer that serves your site to visitors), and a website builder (the tool you make the pages with). Some companies sell all three as one bundle; others sell one part, and you connect them yourself. The bundle is simpler. Keeping the domain separate is safer. Here is how each part works, which companies sell what, and how to choose.
In short
- A domain is your address, rented yearly from a registrar. Hosting is the server that stores and serves your site. A website builder is the editor you build pages with.
- Website builder and hosting almost always come together: Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and most builders host what you build on them.
- The domain is the part worth keeping in your own name, at a registrar you control, so you can move your site later without losing your address.
- DNS is the link between them: a few records at your registrar point your domain at your host.
- Watch for renewal prices, transfer locks, privacy and who controls your DNS before you buy a bundle.
- Email on your domain is a fourth part, often sold separately.
Domain, hosting and builder: the three parts of a website
When people search for website domain hosting and builder options, they are usually buying three different things, often from one company without realizing it.
What is a domain?
A domain is your website's address: yourbusiness.com. You do not own it outright; you register it for a year or more at a time through a registrar, a company accredited to sell domains, such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, Porkbun or Cloudflare. Keep renewing and it stays yours. Let it lapse and someone else can register it.
What is web hosting?
Hosting is the computer, or share of a computer, that stores your site's files and sends them to visitors' browsers. With a builder like Wix or Squarespace, hosting is included and invisible. With WordPress.org, you rent hosting yourself and install WordPress on it.
What is a website builder?
A website builder is the editor: templates, drag-and-drop sections, forms, a blog. Most builders are also the host, which is why "website builder hosting" is one product at Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and the rest.
How the parts connect: DNS
DNS (the Domain Name System) is the internet's address book. When someone types your domain, DNS tells their browser which server to ask for the site. Connecting a domain to a builder usually means adding two or three DNS records at your registrar, or switching the domain's nameservers to the builder. Changes can take from minutes to a day or so to spread.
Website hosting with a website builder: how the bundle works
Website hosting with a website builder means the company that gives you the editor also runs the servers your site lives on. You never see the hosting: you press publish, and the site is live.
What comes with hosting with a website builder, at most companies:
- Security certificates (HTTPS), issued and renewed for you.
- Updates and security patches to the builder itself.
- Backups of some kind, though how far back they go varies.
- Speed through the company's servers and content delivery network.
What you give up: control. You cannot move the site's design to another host, install software the builder does not offer, or tune the server. For most small businesses that is a fair trade.
Website hosting with site builder tools from hosting companies
The other direction exists too. Many hosting companies, such as Hostinger, Bluehost and GoDaddy, sell hosting first and add a site builder on top, or include a one-click WordPress install with a page builder. This gives you more control, since it is your hosting account, but you look after more: updates, plugins and backups if the host does not.
Website builder for hosting companies
Hosting companies want their customers to be able to build a site without hiring someone, so most of them include a website builder for hosting customers in their control panel. Many cPanel hosts, for example, include a simple builder alongside WordPress installers. These are fine for a basic site, though usually less polished than a dedicated builder like Wix or Squarespace.
For agencies and hosting companies that want more than a builder, some platforms can be installed in your own hosting account and run under your own name. Linxi is one: a complete Linxi, with its website builder, forms, contacts, texting and email, installs in one click in your own hosting account with your brand, your colors and your domain, with updates you control. See Your own Linxi for how that works.
Website builder and hosting: bundled or separate?
Should you buy your website builder and hosting from one company, and the domain too? The honest answer: bundle the builder and the hosting, and think twice about the domain.
When a full bundle makes sense
- You want one login, one bill and one support line.
- You are not technical and do not want to touch DNS.
- The company's domain prices, at renewal, are reasonable.
When to keep the domain separate
- You may switch builders in a few years. With the domain at an independent registrar, you just repoint DNS.
- You want email on your domain from a separate provider, and full control of your DNS records.
- You want one place for all your domains, whatever they are used for.
A domain bought through a builder can usually be transferred out later, but it takes time, and for a period after a registration or transfer (commonly 60 days), registrars may refuse to move it. Separate from the start avoids the wait.
Best website builder and domain hosting companies
Here is what the main companies bundle. "Best" depends on the job; prices and offers change often, so check each one's current pricing, especially renewal prices.
All-in-one: builder, hosting and domain
- Wix: builder and hosting together, with domains sold in the same account. Often includes a free domain for the first year on annual plans; check the terms.
- Squarespace: builder and hosting with polished templates, and domains in the same account.
- Shopify: for online stores; hosting included, domains sold in the account.
- GoDaddy: one of the largest registrars, with a website builder and hosting on the side.
Hosting first, builder added
Here you buy hosting and website builder in the other order: the host comes first.
- Hostinger: low-cost hosting with an AI website builder and WordPress options.
- Bluehost: known for WordPress hosting, with a builder and domains.
- WordPress.com: hosted WordPress, with domains in the account.
Domain first
- Namecheap, Porkbun and Cloudflare Registrar focus on domains. Cloudflare sells domains at cost, without markup. You then point the domain at whatever builder or host you choose.
Builder, hosting and your customers
- Linxi hosts sites you build with its page builder, forms and Coms articles, and runs them on your own domain with secure HTTPS on Starter and up. You register the domain at the registrar of your choice and point it at Linxi. Email hosting on your own domain is $5 a month per 25 mailboxes. What makes it different is what sits behind the site: the same contacts power your texts, email campaigns and events. See the websites feature page and the plans page.
Best website builder and hosting: a checklist before you buy
The best website builder and hosting for you passes these checks:
- Renewal prices. First-year prices on domains and plans are often discounted. Find the renewal price.
- Domain in your name. You, not a developer or agency, should be the registrant of record.
- Domain privacy. Check whether privacy for your personal details in the public domain directory is included.
- DNS control. Can you add your own records, for email and verification?
- Exports. What can you take with you: pages, posts, products, form answers?
- Email. Is email on your domain included, extra, or not offered?
- Support. Who do you call when the site is down?
Never let the domain lapse
If a domain expires, your site and email stop working, and after a grace period anyone can register it. Turn on auto-renew, keep the card up to date, and use an email address you check as the domain contact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need hosting if I use a website builder?
Usually not separately. Builders such as Wix, Squarespace and Shopify host your site as part of the plan. You only buy hosting separately when you use self-hosted software, such as WordPress.org, or a builder that runs on your own server.
What is the difference between domain hosting and web hosting?
"Domain hosting" usually means the domain registration and its DNS: the address and the settings that point it somewhere. Web hosting is the server that holds your site. They can be at the same company or different ones, joined by DNS records.
Can I use a domain from one company with a website builder from another?
Yes. Buy the domain from any registrar, then follow the builder's instructions to connect it, usually by adding DNS records or changing nameservers. This is common and often the best arrangement, since you can switch builders later without moving the domain.
Is a free domain with a website builder really free?
Usually it is free for the first year on an annual plan, then renews at the normal price. Some offers require you to keep the plan. Read the terms, check the renewal price, and confirm the domain is registered in your name.
How long does it take to connect a domain to a website builder?
Adding the DNS records takes minutes. The change then spreads across the internet, which is often quick but can take up to a day or two. Most builders show a status and tell you when the connection is verified.
Can I move my website to another builder?
Your domain, words and images can move. The design and layout usually cannot, because each builder uses its own format, so expect to rebuild the pages on the new builder. Export what you can first, such as blog posts, products and contacts.
Do I need email hosting as well?
If you want email at your domain, like hello@yourbusiness.com, yes. Some builders include or sell it, and others connect to a separate email provider through DNS. Check the price per mailbox, and whether it works with your DNS setup.
What is the best web hosting with a website builder for WordPress?
Many hosts offer managed WordPress hosting with a page builder, one-click installs and automatic updates. Compare how they handle updates, backups, speed and support, and look at renewal prices. If you would rather not maintain WordPress at all, WordPress.com runs it for you.
Do website builders include HTTPS?
Almost all modern builders and hosts include a free certificate for HTTPS and renew it automatically. Your site should show the padlock once your domain is connected. If a host charges extra for a basic certificate, compare it with others.
Who owns my website if I use a builder?
You own your content, such as your words, images and brand, subject to the builder's terms. You rent the platform that displays it. The domain is yours as long as it is registered in your name and renewed.
A site that knows your customers
Linxi hosts your pages and forms on your own domain and keeps everyone who fills them in, ready to text or email. See what is included on the websites feature page.