Drag and drop website builder
With Mobirise you put a site together by pulling ready-made blocks into a page and typing over the sample content. It costs nothing, runs in a browser or as an installed app, and each block resizes itself for phones, so you never maintain a second layout.
Checked October 2026 · by the Mobirise team, who run mobirize.com
Our builder at a glance: blocks, price, phones, files
The short version for anyone weighing tools: what gets moved around, what it costs, how pages look on small screens and where the finished files end up.
- What you move
- Whole blocks: a header, a gallery, a price list, a contact section. You stack them from top to bottom, then change wording and pictures right on the page.
- Price
- Nothing to pay, whether the site is personal or for a business. The free edition ships a basic theme plus 200+ blocks; the 220+ premium themes and the extensions sit in KIT, BASE and GROW.
- Phones and tablets
- Each block is responsive, so a page reflows for narrow screens on its own. The editor shows each of the three screen sizes so you can check.
- What it does not do
- You get a single shared layout. There is no phone-only arrangement and no switch that hides or shifts an item for one device.
- Where it runs
- Online through a.mobirise.com, or as a program for Windows 7+, macOS 10.13+ and Debian-based Linux. One engine powers both.
- Your code
- The installed app writes HTML, CSS and JavaScript (Bootstrap 5) whatever plan you are on, free included. Exporting from the online builder is a BASE and GROW feature.
- AI start
- Describe the site briefly and receive four designs, then reorder their blocks yourself. Free accounts get 3 generations each month.
Two kinds of drag and drop editors
The phrase covers two quite different ways of working. If you have wondered what the term means in practice, this is the split that matters most, because it decides how long you will spend repairing the phone version later.
Free-position canvas
You grab a text box, an image or a button and let go at any spot, even over another element. Wix and WYSIWYG Web Builder work this way. You get exact control over a desktop composition, such as a picture that overlaps a heading. The cost appears on small screens: an arrangement made for a wide monitor does not shrink by itself, so these tools offer a mobile view where you move, resize or hide items a second time.
Block stacking
You pull complete sections into a vertical order and fill them in. Mobirise is built on this model, and Squarespace sections with Fluid Engine sit between the two: blocks snap to a grid inside each section. Alignment is taken care of, because every block already has its columns and spacing defined. The trade-off is less freedom: you cannot park an element at an arbitrary pixel, and unusual overlapping designs are hard to achieve.
A rough rule: if you picture the page as a poster, a canvas tool suits you; if you picture something people scroll, stacking blocks is quicker and brings fewer surprises on phones.
Best drag and drop website builder by use case
No single tool wins everywhere. These are the picks we would give a friend, depending on the project. Mobirise is our product, so treat its line here as the vendor speaking.
- Free, and you want the files
- Mobirise: stack blocks, preview at three screen sizes, then upload to your own server or keep the HTML. The free version never expires.
- Pixel-level layout online
- Wix: put anything anywhere and tune a separate mobile version. The site has to stay on Wix servers.
- Polished templates, grid inside sections
- Squarespace with Fluid Engine: arrange blocks on a grid and set the mobile layout on its own. You pay after a 14-day trial.
- Exact placement in a PC program
- WYSIWYG Web Builder sells a one-time licence, absolute and flexible layouts with breakpoints, and it imports existing HTML pages.
- Design control close to CSS
- Webflow: classes, breakpoints and a Style panel that maps to CSS properties. Expect a longer learning curve.
- The cheapest hosted start
- Hostinger Website Builder: a low price when you prepay several years, with per-device hide controls. It publishes only on Hostinger hosting.
- AI design with nothing installed
- 8B AI: you can design at no cost, but going live requires Pro. It has no desktop version.
Each drag and drop web builder compared
Seven tools, judged on how they place elements, how they treat phones and whether you can walk away with the code. We left in the lines where Mobirise loses.
| Mobirise | Wix | Squarespace | 8B AI | WYSIWYG Web Builder | Webflow | Hostinger | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price to go live | $0 on a mobirisesite.com subdomain or your own server | $17 a month on Light, yearly billing | $19 a month on Basic, yearly billing ($25 month to month) | $9 a month on Pro, yearly billing | $59.95 paid once, before VAT | Basic site plan at $15 a month | $2.99 a month on Premium with a 48-month prepay; $10.99 on renewal |
| Free option | Free plan, never expires | Free plan with Wix ads | 14-day trial only | Design only, cannot publish | Fully working for 30 days | Free site on webflow.io, badge shown | Trial, cannot publish |
| How you place things | Stack whole blocks, edit in place | Free position anywhere, layers | Blocks on a grid inside sections | Generated design, changed by AI chat | Free position or flexible layouts | Elements styled with classes | Elements inside sections |
| Phone layout | Automatic, one shared layout | Separate mobile editor | Mobile layout set independently | Not published | Breakpoints per element | Breakpoints in the Style panel | Mobile view, hide per device |
| Hide an item on phones only | No | Yes | Layout set separately | Not published | Yes, with breakpoints | Yes, with breakpoints | Yes |
| Installable program | Yes, for Windows, macOS and Linux | None | None | None | Windows only | None | None |
| Move the code elsewhere | HTML export in the installed app, any plan | No, runs on Wix servers | Some content as .xml only | Full HTML export on Pro | Yes, to a folder or over FTP | Paid workspace plans | Not published |
Facts come from every vendor's official price list and support articles, which we read on 13–16 October 2026. Figures are US dollars excluding tax, on the billing basis given in each cell. Third-party reviews often carry outdated figures (Squarespace Basic is still quoted at $16 in many), and vendors change prices and run sales, so check the vendor's site before paying.
How a dragged layout behaves on a phone
For a small business site the mobile result is the real test of any editor. Here is what happens to a page arranged on a big screen, by editor type.
Columns fold into one
In Mobirise, a three-column block becomes a single column on a narrow screen, and the blocks keep their top-to-bottom order. Spacing and type scale along the Bootstrap 5 grid. Nothing overlaps, because nothing was placed by pixel in the first place.
A second pass by hand
On a canvas editor, items positioned for a wide page may land in odd places on a phone. Wix and Hostinger give you a mobile view to rearrange or hide items; Wix notes that changes there leave the desktop version untouched.
Rules per screen width
Webflow and WYSIWYG Web Builder let you set different values at chosen widths. This is the most precise approach and also the most work: each breakpoint is one more version to check. How these editors sit among the other kinds of tools is mapped in our guide to programs for building sites.
The honest limit of the block approach: you cannot tell Mobirise to show a picture on desktop but drop it on phones, or to lift a button higher only on mobile. If a phone-specific arrangement matters to you, Wix has a mobile editor built for that job. For most service sites, one layout that reflows is enough and spares you from keeping two versions in sync. Someone after a mobile website builder that keeps the small-screen version tidy without extra effort is exactly who this model serves.
- Preview three sizes. Flip between the phone, tablet and desktop views before publishing.
- Keep blocks short. A block with many columns turns into a long scroll on a phone.
- Check headings. A long title that fits one line on desktop may take four on a small screen.
- Test real devices. Open the live site on your own handset; a preview is close but not identical.
What you can drag and set in Mobirise
Everything below belongs to the block editor and behaves identically online and offline in the installed version. Paid items are marked.
Blocks
Pull ready-made blocks from the side panel into the page and reorder them. Clone Block duplicates one together with its settings, handy for repeated sections such as two price lists.
Text and images in place
Click the sample wording and type, click a photo and swap it. Pictures are turned into WebP automatically, and each title can get the H tag you pick; text can be justified.
Block parameters
Every block carries a panel for spacing, background, visible elements and column count. Most layout decisions happen here rather than by dragging single items.
Site style
Site-wide fonts and colours are set in one place, the Style Editor; recent releases added more typefaces to it. Keyboard users get a visible focus outline.
AI for single blocks
With a premium AI plan, "Generate Block with AI" and "Edit Block with AI" create or rewrite one section. A whole-site draft can also start from a short description of your business.
Code, if you want it
Code Editor, a paid extension bundled with every paid plan, lets you rewrite the HTML and CSS under any block or page. Without it you never touch code, which is the whole idea of visual building without markup.
Paid extensions such as Form Builder, Popup Builder and Smart Cart (PayPal and Stripe) add their own draggable blocks. They are sold only as part of KIT, BASE or GROW; see the Mobirise pricing page.
A drag and drop HTML builder with code export
Plenty of people want a builder that hands over real files, so no single host owns their site.
What you get
Publishing to a folder on your disk from the installed app produces HTML, CSS and JavaScript built on Bootstrap 5, free plan included. The same app can also send the site by FTP or FTPES, or push it to GitHub Pages.
What it cannot do
Mobirise only reads projects created in Mobirise. A purchased HTML template or pages made with other software cannot be brought in and edited by dragging; for that job, a visual editor that works on existing HTML fits better.
Working offline
Away from Wi-Fi, the installed app still edits and previews. AI drafts, uploading and fetching new themes resume once a network returns; building without a connection covers the details.
Where to get the app
Installers for each system are listed on the Mobirise download page: about 105 MB on Windows, about 134 MB per macOS package.
When block-based editing fits, and when to pick another tool
Works well for
- Service firms, clinics, agencies and small shops that need a clear scrolling site
- People who want the phone version right without a second round of edits
- Anyone who wants hosting freedom and the HTML files
- Freelancers producing similar sites for several clients
Choose another tool if
- You want elements at exact pixel positions: Wix or WYSIWYG Web Builder
- You need a different arrangement on phones: Wix's mobile editor or Squarespace's mobile layout
- You must keep working on pages made elsewhere: Mobirise cannot load them
- You think in CSS and want full control at each breakpoint: Webflow
- You expect a catalogue of hundreds of products: a dedicated commerce platform
Questions about building by dragging blocks
What does drag and drop website builder mean?
It is a tool where you assemble pages by moving things with the pointer rather than typing code. Some tools let you set single items anywhere on a canvas; others, Mobirise among them, have you arrange whole ready-made blocks and then edit them in place.
Can a free drag and drop website builder stay free forever?
Yes. Mobirise costs nothing for personal or commercial sites and has no trial period. On that plan you build as many sites as you like for your own server, and up to three more can live on mobirisesite.com carrying a small credit line.
Which tool suits beginners best?
Block-based tools are usually easier to start with, because alignment and the phone version are handled for you. Canvas tools such as Wix give more freedom but ask for a second pass on mobile.
Will my site look right on phones?
Yes, as long as one shared arrangement suits you: Mobirise blocks rearrange themselves for narrow, medium and wide screens, and you can preview each size before going live. What you cannot do is give phones their own arrangement or hide an item for mobile only.
Is there a phone website builder app?
Android users can install the AI Website Builder: Mobirise app from Google Play, which generates and publishes sites with AI. It lacks the full block editor of the desktop version. Nothing exists for iOS; on iPhone or iPad, the browser version is the way in.
Can I get the source code of my site?
Yes. The installed Mobirise app saves HTML, CSS and JavaScript whichever plan you use. Wix sites have to run on Wix servers, and Webflow allows code export only on paid workspace plans.
Is click and drag website building the same thing?
Yes, both names describe pressing on an element or block, holding the button and moving it into position. Tools differ in what you move: a single item or a full section.
Does Hostinger offer drag and drop editing?
Yes. Its website builder has a manual mode for editing elements inside sections, and a mobile view where items can be hidden per device. Sites can be published only on Hostinger hosting.
Can I start from AI and then arrange blocks myself?
Yes. Write a short description and Mobirise AI returns four designs; choose one, then reorder or edit its blocks in the visual editor or refine it by chat. Generation runs online, and the free allowance is 3 per month.
Is coding knowledge required?
No. You deal only with blocks, wording, pictures and settings panels. Should you later want to adjust markup, the paid Code Editor extension opens it for each block.
Arrange your first page
Open the builder online with an AI draft or a blank page and pull blocks into place. Would you rather work on your own computer, with or without Wi-Fi? Install the free app.