Have you tried BASE44? It could be amazing for her.

Even if you don’t host through them, you can create design samples or ideas.
I highly recommend giving it a try. You can set up a website in just a few minutes.

Since you already have experience with WordPress, why don't you stick to WordPress?

Many providers offer Softaculous, which includes a free WordPress plugin called SoftWP. It gives a much better experience of building a new WP site. If your hosting has Softaculous, give it a try.

Website builders have come quite a ways, but they aren't perfect. They still require tweaks and edits after the completion.

SiteJet Builder does a good job and has an AI to assist.

Even using AI though, it will need a lot of tweaking and critiquing. AI makes mistakes, doesn't always get seamless across pages, etc...

I've played with the SiteJet and the SoftWP Wordpress AI.

Neither AI will fully get a site right.

SoftWP didn't get consistency across the pages and left some of the original template content in place while replacing it on other pages.

That being said, SoftWP did put together a pretty decent layout and starter content that could be used to tweak and build a decent finished product.

I didnt't spend as much time on SiteJet AI. Not because of quality, I prefer easier to manage content using a CMS like WordPress.

As for pricing, on the less expensive hosting I would lean towards one with SiteJet AI. A basic template site will likely have better response times on less expensive shared hosting than a WordPress site.

If it’s just going to be a small photography site with a handful of pages, shared hosting is definitely the way to go.

Most shared hosting plans that come with cPanel also include SitePad, which is a really straightforward website builder. It’s drag-and-drop, easy to get a simple site up, and you can still connect your own domain without paying the kind of extra fees you see on some of the standalone builders. For something lightweight that won’t see heavy traffic, that combo keeps things affordable and simple to manage.

Skip Wix, overpriced for a tiny marketing site. Go cheap shared hosting (Hostinger, Namecheap, A2) + WordPress + a free page builder like Elementor.

For what you need, I'd go with Hostinger - it's like $3/month and their website builder is actually really good now. You get a free domain for the first year too.
The drag-and-drop editor is super clean, has great photography templates, and everything looks good on mobile. Since she's just doing marketing and not selling directly, it's perfect. Takes maybe an afternoon to set up. BUT, they do have a renewal price upcost, which can be a pain in the butt and your wallet.
If you want WordPress, WebHostMost is solid and beginner-friendly for around the same price. But honestly? For a simple photography portfolio site, the modern website builders are way easier and she can focus on her business instead of wrestling with WordPress plugins. But I can say that hustling with WordPress would be way more beneficial in the future.
Either way, you're looking at $3-4/month total vs whatever crazy amount Wix charges for custom domains. Much better use of that money!

As much as cpanel get a bad rep for their price increase, their bundled SiteJet does the job for simple website building.

Just look for a cpanel hosting package.