Hosting & Site Builders

What does an AI website builder cost once the intro price ends?

Published 2026-11-03 · Researched and price-checked on official sources

Hostinger's AI website builder advertises $2.49 a month and renews at $10.99, a 4.4x jump. Wix lists $17 a month but bills the year in full, Squarespace charges $19 annually against $25 month to month, and Framer's Basic plan runs $10 a month on yearly billing. Year two costs more than the ads suggest.

Key facts

What matters

Hostinger's Premium plan is $2.49/mo only on a 48-month prepay of $119.52, then renews at $10.99/mo, per its pricing page on November 3, 2026.
Wix shows yearly prices only: Light is $17/mo, Core $29, Business $39 and Business Elite $159, paid in full when you buy.
Squarespace's Basic plan is $19/mo on annual billing and $25/mo monthly, so paying month to month costs about 32% more.
Framer's Basic plan is $10/mo on yearly billing and includes 1,000 AI credits a month; the free plan gives 500 credits and 1 GB of bandwidth.
None of the four prints a year-two estimate next to its headline price, which is why the renewal line matters more than the discount badge.

What counts as an AI website builder now?

An AI website builder is a hosted site tool that generates pages, copy and layout from a prompt, then lets you edit the result visually. None of the four vendors here prices that capability as a separate line item. Wix, Squarespace and Hostinger bundle AI features into their regular site plans, and Framer meters AI work as credits on top of a site subscription.

The bundling is why the prices are hard to compare. Wix advertises an AI website builder that creates a site from a single prompt, and lists AI creation tools among the features its plans include. Squarespace lists built-in AI tools on Basic and keeps a separate AI Website Builder entry in its navigation. Hostinger attaches AI credits to its builder plans plus an AI assistant for online stores on Premium. Framer counts AI in credits: 1,000 a month on Basic, 500 to try on the free plan.

The four cheapest paid plans, priced side by side

Entry-level plans are the right comparison for most buyers, because the AI features stay the same across tiers at Wix and Squarespace. Every number below comes from the vendor's own pricing page on November 3, 2026.

Two patterns stand out. Hostinger is cheapest by sticker and most expensive by renewal: $119.52 up front for 48 months, then $10.99 a month. Wix's $17 is a yearly figure, so it sits close to Squarespace's $19 annual price, and both run well above Framer's $10 yearly-billing rate.

What the first year actually totals

Headline rates hide very different cash outlays, so multiply each plan by its term and the ranking changes:

Framer Basic: $120 for 12 months at $10/mo.
Hostinger Premium: $119.52 for the first 48 months, which works out to $2.49/mo across that term.
Wix Light: $204 for 12 months at the yearly rate.
Squarespace Basic: $228 on the annual plan, or $300 if you pay monthly.

Run the same sum over four years and the order flips. Hostinger's second 48-month term bills $527.52 at $10.99/mo, while Framer at $10/mo would bill $480 over the same period and Squarespace's annual plan $912.

Where the price changes after the intro term

Hostinger states the terms on the plan card: you pay $119.52 for 48 months today, and the plan renews at $10.99/mo for the same term. Unlimited follows the same shape, $3.49/mo now ($167.52 for 48 months) against a $16.99/mo renewal. Those are 4.4x and 4.9x step-ups. Hostinger also includes a domain free for one year and 250 AI credits on Premium, doubled to 500 during its current Black Friday promotion.

Squarespace publishes both billing modes. Basic is $19/mo paid annually or $25/mo month to month, and its page says annual billing saves up to 36% across the range. An annual term also carries a free domain for the first year. Wix's plans page says plainly that displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions paid in full, and no monthly figure appears there. Framer shows a Yearly billing control by default and prices Basic at $10/mo; the monthly rate is not on the page as rendered.

What each plan's AI credits and limits actually buy

Wix Light: 2 GB storage, 2 site collaborators, AI creation tools at every tier including the free plan.
Squarespace Basic: unlimited bandwidth, 2 contributors, built-in AI tools, and a 2% transaction fee on store sales (Core and above take 0%).
Framer Basic: 1,000 AI credits per month, 30 pages, 2 CMS collections, 50 GB of bandwidth.
Hostinger Premium: 3 websites, 400+ templates, 250 AI credits (500 during the promotion), free domain for a year.

Credits are the limit to watch. Framer's allowance resets monthly and the free tier stops at 500, so a few rounds of page generation can consume a month's credits. Hostinger's page lists 250 credits as the normal allowance, which makes the doubled 500 a promotion rather than the plan.

Who should pick which

If the lowest first-year total matters more than flexibility, Hostinger's Premium plan costs $119.52 up front and covers three sites. That is the cheapest way to get four years of hosting plus a builder, and the trade is a long commitment with a $10.99 renewal.

If a four-year prepay is out of the question, Framer's Basic plan is the lowest yearly-billing price here at $10/mo, with AI metered in credits. Squarespace is the one vendor that sells a true month-to-month plan at $25/mo, which drops to $19 when you commit to a year; that flexibility is what the extra $6 buys. Wix's yearly-only display makes it a poor fit for anyone testing a builder for two months.

Buyers who expect to move hosts later should price the renewal, not the badge. Hostinger's $2.49 headline becomes $10.99 in year five, a $408 difference across the same 48-month term.

The catches to check before you pay

Term length: Hostinger's headline rate requires 48 months up front, and no monthly price appears on the page.
Renewal: Hostinger publishes $10.99/mo for Premium and $16.99/mo for Unlimited on the following term. The other three show no renewal figure beside the plan price.
Domain: free for the first year at Hostinger, on Squarespace's annual plans, and on paid Wix plans.
Fees: Squarespace Basic takes 2% of store sales; Core and above take 0%.
Storage: Wix's Light plan caps at 2 GB, which is thin once you upload product photos.

At a glance

Vendor	Cheapest paid plan	Headline price	Billing term	What happens next
Hostinger	Premium (3 websites)	$2.49/mo	48 months prepaid, $119.52 today	Renews at $10.99/mo (4.4x)
Wix	Light (2 GB storage)	$17/mo	Yearly, paid in full	No monthly price listed
Squarespace	Basic	$19/mo annual	Annual, or $25/mo monthly	Monthly costs about 32% more
Framer	Basic	$10/mo	Yearly billing shown by default	Monthly rate not published on the page

Entry-level paid plans, checked on vendor pricing pages November 3, 2026

FAQ

Is there a free AI website builder?

Wix has a $0 plan that needs no card and includes its drag-and-drop editor. Framer's free plan includes 500 AI credits, a Framer subdomain and 1 GB of bandwidth. Neither gives you the storage or credit allowance of the paid tiers.

Which AI website builder is cheapest?

Hostinger has the lowest advertised price at $2.49/mo, but it requires $119.52 up front for 48 months and renews at $10.99/mo. On a one-year commitment, Framer Basic at $10/mo is the lowest yearly-billing price of the four.

Do AI website builders charge monthly or yearly?

All four show yearly prices by default. Squarespace is the only one that listed both on the same page, $19/mo annual against $25/mo monthly. Hostinger's advertised rate assumes 48 months paid in full, and Wix's plans page shows yearly prices only.