Website templates and hosting used to feel like two separate jobs. 

I'd have design libraries open in one tab while trying to figure out DNS settings in another, hoping everything would somehow work together. 

After years of dealing with GoDaddy's confusing hosting tiers, Wix's overwhelming options, and Squarespace's steep learning curve, I found beehiiv. 

Everything changed when I realized templates and hosting could actually live in the same place without the headache.

The old way of building websites meant juggling multiple vendors and incompatible systems. I'd spend hours comparing hosting packages, then find out the template I loved wouldn't work with my hosting plan. Or I'd need extra plugins that cost more every month.

This fragmentation is exactly why the question "Do website builders include hosting?" gets such complicated answers depending on who you ask. 

For example, GoDaddy charges separately for templates and hosting unless you get their website builder at $9.99 per month, but then you're stuck with basic designs. 

Wix bundles them together but locks you in forever since you can't export your site. Hostinger has plans starting at $2.99 monthly, but their templates look like they're from 2015.

The real cost wasn't just money, though. It was all that time trying to make disconnected pieces work together. I wanted to create and host my own website without becoming a server administrator.

beehiiv does things differently. Templates and hosting aren't separate services that they upsell you on. They're just part of the platform. When I log into my dashboard, I don't see hosting packages or template marketplaces. I see tools that help me publish and grow.

The same infrastructure that powers their platform keeps websites running fast and reliably without any configuration on my end. For creators serious about growing newsletter subscribers, this unified approach eliminates the technical barriers that typically slow growth.

Everything happens in one unified dashboard. The Styles, Layout, and Settings tabs let me control how my site looks without writing code. 

I can preview changes on desktop and mobile before publishing. No staging servers or complicated deployment processes.

The preview and publish tools work great, and I haven't needed to contact support about hosting issues because there haven't been any.

You know what's annoying? Changing a button color on one page, then spending hours updating every other page to match. beehiiv's global styles fix this problem completely, as seen in the image above.

When I change fonts, buttons, or colors, those updates apply everywhere automatically. This keeps everything looking professional without stress. 

The design principles from this best email designs for 2025 guide work for web pages too, so my newsletter and website feel like they belong together.

How much does it cost to have a website built and hosted? With traditional providers, you're looking at shared hosting for $3 to $10 monthly, VPS hosting from $20 to $80, or dedicated servers over $100. 

Then add SSL certificates, CDN services, and backups. beehiiv skips all that complexity.

My site stays fast whether 10 people visit or 10,000. I don't configure DNS, set up CDNs, or worry about server locations. The platform handles it all and maintains 99.9% uptime like GoDaddy and Wix advertise, except I don't have to do any of the technical work.

Why Trust Me: With five years of marketing experience across copywriting, email marketing, and content writing. Moses has honed his ability to develop profitable marketing funnels and campaigns. And he shares some of his strategies for doing so in this article. Feel free to reach out to him on LinkedIn anytime!

beehiiv gets what creators actually need. Other platforms focus on selling add-ons and upgrades. beehiiv focuses on helping me grow my audience and make money from my content.

You might be a small creator reading this with no capital to invest in other alternatives, and you’re wondering, “Can I build and host a website for free?” I’ll tell you this: lots of platforms offer "free" plans that are basically useless. Limited storage, forced ads, no custom domain. 

But beehiiv has transparent pricing that includes everything you need for a professional site. No hidden transaction fees like Squarespace's 3% cut or surprise renewal prices like GoDaddy's pricing games.

Here’s what you get with beehiiv’s free plan

Most website builders make you pay extra for SEO and analytics. With beehiiv, they're standard features. The platform's AI email marketing tools help with content optimization too, improving search rankings without separate SEO plugins.

The analytics dashboard shows what actually matters for growing an audience, not just pageviews. Boosts let me monetize directly through the platform without setting up payment processors or dealing with transaction fees. 

Now compare that to Shopify taking 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. The value is obvious.

The mobile preview feature makes sure my site looks good on every device, which is harder than it should be with traditional builders. Theme Reset lets me try new designs without losing content, while the Example Site feature shows layout best practices.

Ready to go live? I hit publish. That's all. No FTP uploads, database migrations, or cache clearing. The platform handles the technical stuff while I can focus on creating multiple free or gated content landing pages that turn visitors into subscribers.

After testing dozens of website builders and hosting combinations, here's what actually matters when choosing.

beehiiv works best if you're a creator building an audience, tired of managing multiple tools, want predictable pricing, need to monetize without complex e-commerce, and care more about content than technical features.

Look elsewhere if you need extensive e-commerce for physical products, require custom code implementations, want to build a web application instead of a content site, or need multi-language support for international markets.

The real question is whether traditional website builders can match beehiiv's integrated approach to content, audience, and monetization.

My workflow completely changed after moving to beehiiv. Tasks that took hours now happen automatically. Updating plugins, checking server logs, optimizing images - the platform handles all of it. 

Their email marketing pricing stays predictable with no complications, site performance stays consistent, and I actually focus on growing my business instead of maintaining technology.

The same tools that build my email list also drive website engagement, creating steady growth.

How do I create and host my own website? The answer is simpler than the industry wants you to think. You don't need separate hosting, template marketplaces, SEO tools, analytics platforms, and email services. You need one platform that understands your goals and gives you the tools to reach them.

beehiiv reimagines what creators need to succeed online. The templates look modern without being overwhelming. The hosting stays reliable without being complicated. Everything is designed to help you grow, not to upsell features you'll never use.

Start with a template, customize it for your brand, and improve as you grow. This integrated approach means everything scales with you. From your first visitor to your thousandth subscriber, the platform grows alongside your success.

Want to stop juggling multiple tools and start focusing on what matters? Your audience is waiting. With beehiiv, you can reach them without the technical headaches that slow most creators down.