I’m Kayla. I coach, and I build my own sites. I’ve tried a bunch of website builders for real coaching work—life coaching, career coaching, and a little fitness coaching on weekends. I care about three things: can people book me fast, can they pay without a mess, and does the site look like I mean business?
If you want the blow-by-blow of how those six builds went (screenshots, fails, and wins), you can peek at the full case study here: I built 6 coaching sites—here’s what actually worked.
You know what? Only a few tools nailed all three.
Here’s my straight take, with real examples from my own work.
Quick take (no fluff)
- Best all-in-one for coaching: Kajabi
- Prettiest and easiest: Squarespace
- Best on a budget: Wix
- Most control and SEO power: WordPress + Elementor
- Brand-forward, visual stunner: Showit (with WordPress blog)
- Simple all-in-one starter: Podia
For a speed-run on the very best builders tuned specifically for life coaches, I also put together a separate weekend test: I tested the best website builders for life coaches so you don’t lose your weekend.
You can also see how each of these compares to 30+ other platforms in the latest rankings over at Website Builder Awards.
Now, let me explain how each one felt in my hands.
How I tested (real projects, real money)
I built or rebuilt six coaching sites in the last 18 months:
- My own life coaching site (Kajabi)
- A career coach site for my cousin, Tasha (Squarespace)
- A fitness coaching one-pager for weekend sessions (Wix)
- A group coaching hub for a leadership cohort (WordPress + Elementor)
- A high-ticket brand site for a mindset coach (Showit + WordPress)
- A simple “mini course + sessions” bundle (Podia)
If you’re eyeing smooth platform-to-platform transitions, I logged every hiccup here: I tested website builders for smooth transitions—here’s what actually works.
I tracked setup time, bookings, and how many people dropped off at checkout. I also checked if clients could use it without pinging me at 10 p.m. for help.
My top pick: Kajabi (all-in-one that actually saves time)
I moved my own coaching site to Kajabi last spring. I wanted fewer moving parts—site, email, checkout, and offers in one place. I paid for the Basic plan (it was about $149/month when I signed up).
What I shipped in one weekend:
- A home page with a clear “Book a Clarity Call” button
- One sales page with a short video
- A lead magnet (a 7-minute values exercise)
- Email nurture for five days
- Checkout with Stripe for a 3-session package
- Zoom link auto-sent after purchase
- Calendar booking using a Calendly embed
My numbers: my call booking rate went from 3% to 6% on the same traffic. Fewer clicks. Fewer “Where do I pay?” emails. I could see which emails got replies and who clicked the buy button. That was gold.
What I love:
- Pages, email, and offers live together, so funnels feel smooth
- Pretty good templates; easy to tweak fonts and spacing
- Checkout feels safe and neat; no weird redirects
- Simple upsell bump on checkout (I add a workbook for $9)
What bugs me:
- The blog is basic; SEO tools are fine but not deep
- Price can sting if you’re new
- Design freedom is good, not wild
Who should choose it:
- You sell 1:1 or group sessions and plan to add courses or a program soon
- You want fewer tools and less tech fuss
Runner-up: Squarespace (clean, fast, and client-proof)
I built Tasha’s career coaching site on Squarespace in three days. She had zero tech patience. We used a clean template and the built-in forms. For bookings, we added Squarespace Scheduling (it used to be Acuity). She takes payments via Stripe. Done.
What worked:
- The design looks pro with almost no effort
- The blog is easy and friendly for SEO basics
- Scheduling is built in and stable; reschedules are smooth
- Mobile layout rarely breaks
Her results: she booked 8 paid sessions in her first two weeks after launch. Part of that was timing; part was the site. It just made it easy to say yes.
Curious how drag-and-drop stacks up across other “no-code” builders? I did a whole rundown here: I built real sites with WYSIWYG website builders—my honest take.
What’s tricky:
- Not great for advanced funnels or course bundles
- Memberships work, but I needed a third-party add-on
- Less control over odd page layouts
Who should choose it:
- You want a lovely, simple site with booking and blogging
- You don’t need fancy automations
Best on a budget: Wix (fast start, flexible, a bit heavy)
For my weekend fitness coaching, I built a one-page Wix site. I added Wix Bookings and took card payments. I wrote the whole thing in one night, drank cold brew, and called it done.
If you want to see how Wix stacks up next to other coaching-friendly platforms, the Wix team’s own rundown of the best website builders for coaches is a quick read.
What I liked:
- The drag-and-drop builder is very free; I can move stuff anywhere
- Wix Bookings is solid; text reminders helped no-shows
- Good for a quick landing page with a timer and a bold banner
If you’re open to other wallet-friendly options, I also tried Bookmark end-to-end: I built three real sites with Bookmark—here’s my honest take.
What I didn’t:
- It can feel slow if you add lots of scripts or heavy images
- Too much design freedom can lead to messy pages
- Wix email tools are okay, not great
Who should choose it:
- You need to be live by tomorrow and money is tight
- You want a one-pager with a calendar and checkout
Most control + SEO: WordPress + Elementor (power with a learning curve)
For a leadership group program, I built on WordPress with Elementor Pro. We needed complex layouts, a private resource area, and strong SEO. Hosting was on a managed plan. Bookings ran through a plugin (Amelia worked well), and payments ran with Stripe via WooCommerce.
What won me over:
- Full control over structure, metadata, and speed tweaks
- Deep blog features and strong SEO plugins
- Lots of plugin choices for bookings and memberships
What wore me out:
- Plugin updates can break stuff; I had one bad Tuesday
- You must care about caching, backups, and security
- Design takes longer; too many knobs to turn
Who should choose it:
- You want the most control and plan to publish a lot
- You don’t mind some tech chores (or you have a web person)
Brand-first beauty: Showit + WordPress blog (for vibe and visuals)
A mindset coach asked for luxury vibes. Showit gave us that. It’s a true canvas editor—you drag text and images right where you want them. The blog runs on WordPress, so posts still rank.
What I loved:
- Gorgeous control on desktop and mobile, almost like a poster
- Perfect for bold hero sections and custom typography
- The WordPress blog means real SEO
What slowed me down:
- No built-in bookings; we embedded Calendly and used Stripe checkout links
- Can feel slow if you go wild with large images
- Takes a bit to learn the mobile editor
If you like playing with newer builders, I also stress-tested Octane for three separate sites: I built three sites with Octane Website Builder—here’s what felt real.
Who should choose it:
- Your brand look matters a ton (think premium 1:1 offers)
- You don’t need heavy automations
Simple all-in-one starter: Podia (courses + sessions, easy checkout)
For a “mini course + coaching call” bundle, Podia was the fastest way through. I set a clean sales page, uploaded videos, and added a coaching add-on at checkout. The site design is simple, but the flow works.
What’s good:
- All-in-one with friendly checkout
- Quick to sell a bundle or a short program
- Built-in email and coupons
What’s not:
- Site layouts are limited; it can look same-ish
- Booking needs a third-party embed
- Fewer design knobs
Who should choose it:
- You want to sell a program right now and keep things light
- You’re okay with basic design