Hi Sparkbuddies!
Every single business, side hustle, nonprofit, or passion project needs a website. But here's the thing: you don't need to be some coding wizard to make it happen. We're about to spill all the tea on the best website building tools that'll get you online without writing a single line of code.
Ready to turn your vision into reality? Let's dive in!
What We're Covering
We're breaking this down into 3 sections:
Pre-requisites: Getting your ducks in a row with domains, logos, and color schemes that actually slap.
No-Code Platforms: The powerhouses that'll build your site while you sip your coffee.
AI Magic: Next-level tools that literally build websites from your thoughts (okay, maybe not literally, but close!)
Pre-requisites
Before you start dragging and dropping your way to website glory, you need these essentials locked down.
Grab your domain name
First things first: snag your web domain! For us, that’s sparkbuddies.ai.
Your domain is basically your digital real estate, so choose wisely. We've got a whole tutorial on domains that'll save you from making rookie mistakes (link).
Create a visual identity that pops
Time to make your brand look fire! This means:
Logo creation: Many founders hire freelance designers on fiverr.com. The total cost depends on how many designers you hire to come up with different ideas, and how many iterations they need to get to a final product. You can usually obtain a strong logo for under 100 USD, including the font choice. Alternatively, you can use an AI-powered image generation tool such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini. We also recommend checking out Playground for inspiration!
Color schemes: Coolors and Color Hunt are great sources of inspiration on color palettes. Trust us on this one.
Font: Pick something that screams "you" but stays readable. When in doubt, be conservative. On Canva.com, you can play with many font options.
For example, for Sparkbuddies, we came up with this logo and font:
Logo and font example
Map out your website
Before you start building, think about what you want: What pages do you absolutely need for launch? Newsletter signup? Contact forms? Booking widgets? Any special features?
Having this roadmap will help greatly when it comes to tool selection.
No-code platforms
These platforms let you build stunning websites just by clicking, dragging, and looking fabulous while doing it.
But first: Is your site mainly for blogging, selling stuff, or showcasing your business? Your answer determines your perfect platform.
Let’s review each option in more detail.
Blogging platforms
Blogging platforms are for content creators. They let you publish posts and manage your email distribution list.
Building that email list is everything. Social media algorithms can change overnight, but your subscriber list? That's YOURS forever.
Blog example
Substack
Substack is \where all the cool kids are publishing right now, and for good reason. It is our #1 choice if you are building a free blog or newsletter that does not require other functionalities.
Why we love it
Completely free to start (yes, really!).
So easy your grandma could use it.
You own your subscriber list, period.
Limitations
Limited customization options
They take 13-15% of paid subscriptions (ouch for big earners)
Beehiiv
Beehiiv is a very popular Substack challenger, perfect for authors seeking to monetize their newsletter.
Why we love it
Way more customization than Substack.
Built-in referral system to grow your audience. You can essentially pay to grow your subscriber list, at a cost of around 2-3 USD per subscriber.
Ad features to make even more money.
Limitations
Although Beehiiv is free to start, you need to pay a monthly subscription fee to access advanced features. Subscriptions start at 49 USD/month and grow with the number of subscribers. They can become pricey if you have tens of thousands of free subscribers.
Other options
The following alternatives are not our first choices:
Medium. The paywall is too clunky.
Mirror. Too focused on cryptocurrency-native users.
Blogger. Not modern enough.
Any platform based on PHP (Drupal, WordPress, etc.). Not modern enough. PHP is robust but is very mature, meaning that most companies in this ecosystem have stopped innovating and now focus on producing cash.
Online stores
If you’re serious about selling online, Shopify is for you. But consider peer-to-peer marketplaces like eBay if you are just selling a few items.
Online store example
Shopify
Shopify is the e-commerce queen. While it’s been around for a while, it keeps improving through third-party integrations and modern features (such as crypto payments).
Why we love it
Every e-commerce tool you could dream of: multiple payment options, multiple currencies, order and shipping management…
Tons of YouTube tutorials.
Constantly adding cool new features.
Limitations
Starts at 39 USD/month, or 105 USD/month if you need team accounts, plus a payment commission (around 3%).
Your store lives on its own island, compared with the alternatives below.
Peer-to-peer marketplaces (eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace…)
Peer-to-peer marketplaces enable anyone to sell almost anything with minimal setup effort. They are a great way to start generating revenue with zero investment, especially if your keywords are distinctive enough that your product shows up in search results.
Besides the big global platforms like eBay, Etsy and Facebook Marketplace, there are plenty of country-specific marketplaces that you can mix and match.
Why we love it
Zero setup hassle.
Take advantage of the platform’s existing traffic, if your keywords are distinctive enough that you show up in the search results.
You can try out multiple marketplaces to see what works.
Limitations
Higher commission rate (typically 10-15%).
Limited control over your brand.
You don’t “own” the audience.
Other options
The following alternative is not our first choice:
WooCommerce: like other PHP-based platforms, it’s a bit outdated.
Landing pages
A landing page is a website that introduces your business or project to the world, while optionally including other functionalities as well, such as a blog and/or an online store.
Here’s an example of a landing page:
Landing page example
Wix
Wix is the most versatile and user-friendly no-code website builder. It is our first choice whenever the website does not fall squarely in the blog or online store category.
Why we love it
Handles landing pages, blogs, AND stores.
Easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface, with plenty of YouTube tutorials.
Gorgeous templates that don't look cookie-cutter.
Core plan (at 29 USD/month) offers a wide range of functionalities.
Limitations
Offers less customization than platforms where you can edit the code directly (if you wish to do so).
Won't build complex web apps
Hostinger
Hostinger is the no-frills alternative. it’s much cheaper and focused on more basic functionalities. It’s a great choice if all you need is a landing page.
Why we love it
Great value for money: you can host up to 25 websites for 12 USD/month.
Simple and straightforward.
Limitations
Pretty basic customization options.
Webflow
Webflow is suitable for founders looking for pixel-perfect control over their website’s design, particularly if they are working directly with a graphic designer.
Why we love it
Highly customizable, ideal if you are working with a graphic designer who wants everything just as they envisioned it.
Good value for money: starts at 18 USD/month.
Limitations
Steeper learning curve
Overkill for simple sites
Other options
The following alternatives are not our first choices:
Bubble. It used to be the go-to choice for founders who needed to create not just a website but a web app. Its no-code functionalities are very robust with respect to user login management, online workflows, and conditional page displays. However, in today’s era of AI-powered app development, you are better off reading the next section (“AI-powered platforms”) if your goal is to create a web app.
GoDaddy. While we recommend GoDaddy for web domain purchases, in our view their website hosting platform is too clunky to be usable.
AI magic
Since ChatGPT dropped in 2022, everything changed. Now you can literally describe your dream app in your own words and watch it come to life.
Does it mean that anyone can create the next Facebook with no coding skills?
In our view, we’re not there yet. Just because you can code in natural language does not mean that you can create a great app without understanding how the code works. Chatbots require specific instructions regarding the app’s architecture, the database tables to be created, and the user workflows.
Still, if you have a strong product and design mindset but rudimentary coding skills, you can achieve mind-blowing results with these AI-powered tools.
AI code generation platform example
Lovable
Lovable is ridiculously good at turning your ideas into actual working apps.
Why we love it
Free to start, but you’ll need the Pro plan at 25 USD/month for serious work.
Supabase integration makes it super easy to create backend services and databases.
Tons of tutorials to get you started
Actually fun to use (rare for dev tools!)
Limitations
You can quickly reach a dead end if your instructions to the chatbot are not specific enough.
There are a few alternative platforms:
Bolt. Great for backend-heavy projects. The user experience is not as pleasant as with Lovable, but Bolt is more versatile for backend services.
Vercel’s v0. Run by the Next.js creators, it is a great choice if you know that you are going to write some code yourself and you really want to use the Next.js framework for that.
Replit. It has been around for a few years, but we’ve been burned a few times by bugs in their platform, so we’re mostly staying away for live apps.
What you’ve learned
You now have the complete playbook for building your online presence without touching a single line of code. Whether you're team Wix, Substack, or ready to dive into AI-powered development, you've got options that actually work.
But don’t overthink it. Pick a platform, and now go build something amazing! 🔥
You've got this!