Modern artists need digital spaces to showcase their work online. For some, existing tools like Instagram, Behance, and Dribble are enough, but they’re no replacement for an eye-catching website when it comes to highlighting your creativity.
But there's a problem… a lot of website builders are tough for non-coders to learn—especially if you want any degree of design freedom.
The solution? A website builder with features that support your craft.
In this article, we'll introduce you to six website builders that—like Pineapple Builder—can help you create an eye-catching website to showcase your work.
What Is a Website Builder for Artists?
Artists need a minimal but very specific set of tools to build their online presence—things like:
hosting
design tools
social media integration
portfolio management
It's muuuch easier for non-technical artists to create unique, eye-catching websites if they use a website-building tool that offers most (or all) of these features. Not only does it cut down on the number of choices they need to make, but it also speeds up the building process and allows them to get back to creating!
6 Website Builders for Artists
Looking for the TLDR version? Here's an overview of the tools we'll be covering:
Pineapple Builder: Best for AI-Powered Web Design
Squarespace: Best for Artist-Focused Templates
Wix: Best for Mobile Website Management
Shopify: Best for Selling Online at Scale
GoDaddy: Best for Built-In Marketing Tools
SmugMug: Best for Photographers
Now, let's dive into the nitty-gritty details.
1. Pineapple Builder - Best for AI-Powered Web Design
Pineapple Builder is a website builder that harnesses the power of AI to create (and populate) stunning, unique websites for artists.
We give artists 7 customizable templates to start with and 10+ million variations to choose from, so finding the perfect look for your website is not an issue at all. Plus, Pineapple Buider's editor gives you total control over your website's content—fonts, colors, layouts, backgrounds… customize it all and get creative!
And last but not least, Pineapple Builder comes packaged with a powerful AI assistant that you can use to generate blog content, metadata, headlines, and more.
Key Features
Pineapple AI: Generates website, blog content, metadata, headlines, and more in minutes!
AI Website Generation
AI Templates: Customizable templates with 10+ million variations to choose from.
AI SEO Optimization: Optimize your website for better visibility with automatic sitemap updates, meta tags, and more.
Designer: Easily change your website's look with customizable fonts, colors, backgrounds, and more.
Pricing
Want to try out Pineapple Builder before committing? No problem—we have a free-forever plan that lets you host three live pages on a Pineapple Builder domain. Not to mention basic access to Pineapple AI!
Our paid plans include Basic ($12/month) and Grow ($24/month), providing unlimited pages, full accessibility to Pineapple AI, and memberships.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Dive right in with AI-powered templates.
Get automatic SEO suggestions to boost visibility.
Editor makes customizing fonts, colors, and layouts simple.
Free-forever plan allows users to have basic access to Pineapple AI.
Memberships can accommodate up to 5,000 members.
Cons
Free-forever plan is limited to 3 live pages.
2. Squarespace - Best for Artist-Focused Templates
Squarespace is a well-known website builder that really shines thanks to a selection of beautiful, artist-focused templates.
Whether you're a photographer, illustrator, poet, musician, or graphic designer, you should be able to find a template that fits your needs. And on the off chance you don't? Squarespace's simple, drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for people of all skill and experience levels to customize their sites.
Key Features
Template Library: An extensive library of templates specifically designed for artists and their work.
SEO Optimization: Optimize your site for search engine ranking and visibility with built-in SEO controls.
Designer: A simple, drag-and-drop designer makes it easy to create a unique website.
Pricing
Squarespace has four paid plans—Personal ($16/month), Business ($23/month), Commerce Basic ($26/month), and Commerce Advanced ($40/month).
Most artists will be set with Personal, although if you plan to sell products on your site, then the Commerce plans would probably be preferable.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Easy to use.
Artist-focused templates.
Built-in SEO tools.
Cons
Expensive pricing plans.
Difficult customization.
3. Wix - Best for Mobile Website Management
Wix is a solid all-around website builder with a fantastic app for business-oriented artists.
Available on iOS and Android, Wix Owner allows you to manage and customize your website from your mobile device. You can make design tweaks, message customers, manage orders, post updates, and more on the go—perfect for artists who are frequently in-studio or out and about.
Key Features
Portfolio Templates: Wix has a huge selection of templates specifically designed for artists.
SEO Tool: Get your work noticed with 10+ SEO tools and features.
Mobile App: Wix Owner lets you manage and customize your website anytime, anywhere.
Pricing
Wix offers nine plans in total, ranging from free to enterprise (custom).
The free plan is pretty limited, so most artists will want to start with at least Combo ($16/month) or Unlimited ($22/month). These plans come with 3 GB and 10 GB of storage, respectively, as well as enough bandwidth to support your website needs.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Huge selection of templates specifically designed for artists.
10+ SEO tools and features.
Wix Owner mobile app lets you manage and customize your website on the go.
Cons
Can be difficult to migrate content from another platform.
Limited customization options.
4. Shopify - Best for Selling Online at Scale
Shopify is one of the world's leading e-commerce platforms… but you probably knew that already! And while it isn't really designed for artists, it might still be a good choice if your main goal is selling your work at scale.
Shopify helps no-code artists and entrepreneurs create beautiful, sales-focused online stores that integrate with popular payment gateways, marketing tools, fulfillment tools… pretty much any kind of tool you could think of.
Plus, you also get access to a great set of built-in analytics tools for optimizing your site for conversions.
Key Features
Powerful Integrations: Easily integrate with payment gateways, marketing tools, and more.
Store Builder: Create a custom, professional-looking online store in minutes.
Analytics: Track your sales and keep an eye on customer behavior with powerful analytics.
Pricing
Shopify has a few different plans to choose from, including Basic ($29/month), Shopify ($79/month), and Advanced ($299/month). These plans come with increasing amounts of features and support options.
For artists, we recommend starting with Basic and upgrading if necessary.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Easy to set up.
Robust feature set.
Comprehensive customer service.
Cons
Not designed for artists.
Limited customization options.
5. GoDaddy - Best for Built-In Marketing Tools
GoDaddy is a name you're probably familiar with. It's one of the most popular website builders and domain registrars around—and for good reason.
Not only is GoDaddy great for building a website, but it also comes with powerful built-in marketing tools. You can manage pretty much any marketing task from the Digital Marketing Dashboard—including SEO, email, and social media.
Key Features
Digital Marketing Dashboard: Manage your marketing from one dashboard with SEO tools, email campaigns, and more.
Template Library: Choose from hundreds of customizable templates for your website.
E-Commerce: Create an online store with GoDaddy's integrated e-commerce tools.
Pricing
GoDaddy has four paid plans—Basic ($6.99/month), Premium ($13.99/month), Commerce ($14.99/month), and Commerce Plus ($29.99/month).
Artists will probably want to start with the Basic plan as it includes everything they need to start their website, including the Digital Marketing Dashboard. They can always upgrade later if they want more features.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Easy-to-use website builder.
Comprehensive digital marketing dashboard.
Online store creation tools are available for e-commerce businesses.
Cons
Limited templates compared to competitors.
6. SmugMug - Best for Photographers
SmugMug is a great choice for photographers looking for quick, functional, magnetizable photo showcases.
SmugMug websites are basic—they’re essentially just sets of galleries, slideshows, and carousels that you can create to organize your work. That said, you do have room for customization - there’s a (limited) range of themes and layouts available—all designed to let your work speak for itself.
There are also some solid e-commerce features that make it easy for customers to order photos they see on your site.
Key Features
Photo Galleries: Quickly create functional galleries that show off your work and win sales.
Themes & Layouts: Customize your site with a range of themes and layouts specifically designed for photographers.
Lightroom Integration: Upload photos quickly with one-click Lightroom integration.
Pricing
SmugMug has three paid plans—Personal ($16/month), Portfolio ($34/month), and Pro ($54/month).
Trying to sell your photos? You’ll need to go with either Personal or Pro for access to e-commerce features.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Great security features.
Simple photo selling tools.
Affordable pricing.
Cons
Limited customization.
Only designed for photographers.
Conclusion
If you're an artist, a website is a must. The website builders on this list will help you create a stunning portfolio or online store with ease.
At Pineapple Builder, we see AI as a tool with the potential to democratize web development and make website building accessible to anyone, no matter their skill level. Our AI-powered platform will help you build a stunning website in minutes—just answer a few questions and watch your site build itself.
Try Pineapple Builder today!
