Quick outline:
- What I needed as a life coach
- Squarespace: where I started
- Wix: fast and flexible, but a bit wild
- Showit: stunning design for brand-first coaches
- WordPress + Elementor: power and control
- Kajabi: all-in-one when you sell programs
- Podia and Carrd: simple and cheap
- Clear picks by coaching style
- Final thoughts and tiny lessons
Here’s the thing: I coach real humans, and I build my own sites. I’ve also helped three other coaches set up theirs. I care about clean design, easy booking, and not crying over tech on a Sunday night. I’ll share what worked, what didn’t, and some small wins I didn’t see coming.
If you’re still comparing platforms, this side-by-side roundup of the best website builders for life coaches highlights the pros, cons, and pricing of each tool in one quick scan.
What did I need? Simple:
- A site I can update fast
- A “Book a Call” button that people see
- A place for a lead magnet (mine is a short “Morning Reset” guide)
- Clean blog posts for SEO
- Payments that don’t feel sketchy
For an outside benchmark on which platforms load fastest and convert best, I scanned the data at Website Builder Awards and used it to sanity-check my own impressions.
If you want to zoom straight into the numbers for our niche, their full field report on the best website builders for life coaches is gold.
Now the real talk.
Squarespace: My Starter Home (and Still My Favorite)
I built my first coaching site on Squarespace. Two weekends. Coffee. Rain. It was calm. I used a clean template with a big hero photo and one strong CTA: “Book a Clarity Call.”
Real stuff I set up:
- Scheduling: I used Squarespace Scheduling (Acuity) and added a 30-minute intro call. People booked without emailing me first. That alone felt huge.
- Payments: I sold a 3-session package using checkout links. No fuss.
- Blog: I posted once a week for six weeks. Google started to notice. Slow, but steady.
- Lead magnet: I used a form + “thank you” page. The PDF sent automatically.
What I loved:
- It looks polished without much work. My site felt “grown-up.”
- The editor didn’t fight me. I could fix typos from my phone.
- Built-in SEO basics were enough when I kept titles clear.
What bugged me:
- Fancy funnels? Not here. You can do some, but it’s basic.
- Design freedom is fine, not wild. That’s also why it’s less messy.
Results? My calls went from 2 a week to 5–6 once I added the clear button on top and a simple headline: “Let’s make a plan you can keep.”
Best for: Most life coaches who want a clean site, good booking, and low stress.
Cost range I paid: about $20–30/month.
Wix: Fast Wins, But Careful With the Chaos
I used Wix for a career coach client who needed a site in a day. Yes, one day. We picked the “Coach” template, swapped colors, and set up Wix Bookings with Zoom links.
What I loved:
- So many blocks. You can place almost anything anywhere.
- Wix Bookings was easy. The Zoom auto-send email saved time.
- You can move fast. It’s great when you need something up now.
What bugged me:
- It’s easy to make a messy layout. Too many styles at once.
- Pages felt slower than my Squarespace site.
- SEO is fine, but you need to be tidy with headings and slugs.
Best for: Coaches who want to launch this week and don’t mind a bit of tinkering.
Cost range I used: about $16–30/month.
Fun side note: Wix is also a solid pick for property owners—it topped the list in this breakdown of the best website builders for vacation rentals.
Showit: Wow Design for a Brand-First Coach
I built a site on Showit for a confidence coach who loves big, bold visuals. Think magazine cover vibes. Showit gave me total freedom with placement. The blog runs on WordPress, so posts still get great SEO tools.
Real example:
- We built a homepage with stacked wins and a big testimonial slider. The mobile layout needed extra care. In Showit, you design desktop and mobile almost like two canvases.
What I loved:
- The design freedom is real. Your site can look like you, not like a template.
- Blog on WordPress = strong SEO tools.
What bugged me:
- Learning curve. It took me a couple days to feel safe.
- Mobile design takes extra time because you place things twice.
- Higher cost than some builders.
Best for: Brand-heavy coaches who want a custom look and don’t mind more setup.
Cost range I paid: about $24–39/month, plus WordPress blog hosting.
WordPress + Elementor: Power, Control, and… Updates
I rebuilt my site on WordPress when I got serious about blogging. I used the Astra theme and Elementor for drag-and-drop. I added Rank Math for SEO, WPForms for my lead magnet, and Calendly embeds for booking.
Earlier I’d gone deep on the platform by rebuilding a cleaning business website six different ways, so I already knew how flexible WordPress could be.
What I loved:
- I could do anything. Custom sections, fancy landing pages, member areas later on.
- SEO tools were top tier. My posts started to rank for local terms like “life coach for moms [my city].”
What bugged me:
- Updates. Plugins and themes need care. I broke a page once and had to roll back.
- Security. I added backups and a firewall plugin. It’s fine, but it’s work.
- Steeper learning curve.
Best for: Coaches who plan to blog hard, care about SEO, or need custom flows.
Cost range I paid: hosting $8–20/month + some plugin costs.
Kajabi: The All-in-One When You Sell Programs
When I launched my group program, I moved my sales pages and course into Kajabi. I kept a small Squarespace homepage for brand and SEO, but Kajabi ran the show: checkout, emails, lessons, and a simple community space.
Real setup:
- “Clarity Sprint” 6-week program with weekly modules and replays.
- One checkout, upsell for a 1:1 add-on, and a simple welcome email sequence.
What I loved:
- Everything lives together: pages, email, offers, video.
- Checkouts felt smooth. Less friction, more sign-ups.
- I built a full launch in a week without extra plugins.
What bugged me:
- Design is a bit boxy. You can tweak, but not like Showit.
- It’s pricey if you’re new and not selling yet.
- Blog is basic. I wouldn’t blog there as my main home.
Best for: Coaches selling courses, paid groups, or bundles who want less tech juggling.
Cost range I paid: around $149+/month.
Podia and Carrd: Simple and Cheap Can Work
Podia
- I used Podia for a one-page “Reset Weekend” mini-offer. Sales page + checkout + simple emails. It just worked.
- Best for: small offers, starter coaching packages, and quick launches.
- Downsides: site design is very simple; blog tools are light.
Carrd
- I made a one-page site for a test niche: “30-day habit coach.” Hero line, 3 wins, one CTA to Calendly, and a Stripe button. It looked clean and loaded fast.
- Best for: a fast MVP or a simple authority page.
- Downsides: no blog, limited SEO, not ideal long-term.
Costs:
- Podia: free to paid tiers up to around $89/month.
- Carrd: I paid under $20/year for Pro.
For an even deeper dive into budget-friendly options, WP-Tonic’s guide to the best affordable website builders for life coaches breaks down costs, templates, and support in detail.
Which One Should You Use? My Plain Picks
- Most life coaches (1:1, clean brand, steady booking): Squarespace
- Brand-heavy coaches who want a custom look: Showit
- Coaches who blog hard and need full control: WordPress + Elementor
- Coaches selling programs or groups: Kajabi
- Need a site by Friday and don’t mind tinkering: Wix
- Testing an idea or on a tight budget: Carrd or Podia
Tiny Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
- One clear CTA beats four clever ones. “Book a Call” wins.
- Use real photos. My messy desk shot got more clicks than a stock image. Go figure.
- Keep your menu short. Home, About, Work With Me, Blog, Contact. That’s it.
- Write simple headlines. Mine that worked: “You’re busy. Let