Which one is better? It depends on your specific purposes. For some individuals, Visual Composer is a reliable building platform with a history of success. However, the newer plugin Elementor is a popular alternative. Let's consider both plugins, their creation, their features, and how the two programs compare.

Overview of Visual Composer

Visual Composer is the “sequel” to the very successful WPBakery plugin developed by Michael Makijenko. Although at one time, WPBakery was the same thing as Visual Composer, when the enhanced premium service came out, Visual Composer became its own entity.

The Visual Composer company wanted to charge an annual fee for the new Visual Composer to cover expenses for the plugin's new features. However, the company had a lifetime agreement with another developer, called Envato, not to mention a large base of consumers who downloaded WPBakery with the agreement that one payment would cover indefinite service.

The new Visual Composer Website Builder launched with enhanced features, including a complete revamping of the old program. The new website builder doesn't use the same code of the original WPBakery, creating cleaner code with fewer errors.

Whereas the original program (still active and with a one-time fee for life) is still available, the new Visual Composer Website Builder changes the user's entire way they interact with WordPress. With VCWB, you build the site using the new program, not simply inserting WordPress code.

What Are Visual Composer's Best Features?

The best reason to use Visual Composer Website Builder is when you don't want to develop a website from the ground up but want to rely on existing templates to make it look professional and, yes, even a little bedazzling with modern effects.

Drag and Drop Website Builder

Visual Composer is very easy to use, with a front end and back end page builder, based on the drag and drop system. You can instantly see how the site will look as you add on widgets, text, and images/video using front-end, or get a bird's eye view of the site's elements with a bird's eye view.

There are over 100 unique content elements with attributes and options to customize. You design the site just as you see it, meaning you can replace text and image fields with your unique copy and testimonials. You can also integrate social media pages and develop enticing Call-to-Action buttons.

Create a header, footer, and sidebar for each page or a global template. Whether you want a new look or want to keep your previous layout, customizing your page piece by piece is easy. Developing content goes smoothly because of block templates and ready-made elements, which lets you develop unique layouts that are not as confined as the usual WordPress theme.

Design your rows and columns with a Row Layout Builder, built with multiple device responsiveness in mind. Resizing columns is easy, as is customizing the gap space in between columns. When you resize any section, the plugin software analyzes the mechanics according to popular layouts. You're given a choice of snap-to-grid options to make the site look clean.

Even if you have a bare-bones idea for a site, you can stock it with free high-quality images from Unsplash, directly accessible from the Visual Composer Hub.

Workflow and Performance

Assigning multiple administrators is easy, and you can move elements around the site just using the mouse. You can simplify the virtual work area by using the Tree view editor, which makes the site builder work similarly to Photoshop, or use a recycling bin to delete elements like an operating system.

Create a global header and footer, design custom archive pages, or put your site into maintenance mode with a default page. A pop-up builder lets you boost conversions and develop sales pages. You can replace elements and tabs for better brand consistency or assign a unique name or ID to an element to use it later on.

Suppose you have questions about site design or SEO optimization. In that case, you might not even have to contact customer service — the built-in qualitative analysis tool will give you automated advice on mistakes to avoid and what might help improve rankings. Visual Composer is also compatible with Yoast SEO.

If you want to insert extra CSS features or Javascript, that's no problem since Visual Computer works well with scripts and codes. Post grid elements to showcase certain content and always give your site the look of being active daily.

Speaking of performance, Visual Composer Website Builder also has the reputation of being one of the fastest editors on the market since it doesn't involve creating shortcodes like WP add-ons but generates clean code you build.

Fonts and Colors

Visiting a free cloud marketplace of content elements, you can customize fonts, icons, marquees, message boxes, separators, and the like. The templates and elements library is full of downloadable features and also updated every week.

You also get access to video, parallax, gradient backgrounds, and other visual effects to keep your site looking 2023fresh. Visual Composer Website Builder works with any WordPress theme and handles practically all integrations. You can replace static text sections with dynamic content text.

Amateur designers can count on professional touches like a filter library (Instagram quality filters) and lightboxes to direct users on where to click.

Themes and Forms

You can choose from over 100 templates and dozens of content elements, whether you want to install charts, forms, sliders, headers, footers, or entire sections. All elements are responsive (meaning they can display accurately on various devices), and you can choose different formats for landing pages, portfolio pages, product pages, and business or service descriptions.

Visual Composer integrates with other form plugins-in like Captain Form, WP Forms, Gravity Forms, and Ninja Forms, among others.

E-Commerce

Integrate with WooCommerce and build a store, display products, and store categories, and let customers click to buy. Not only can you count on price listings and add-to-cart and checkout options, but you can also use Gutenberg blocks anywhere on the page, even with the store.

Customer Support

Visual Composer offers customer service through a ticket system. With a yearly service fee, you get updates for life and a 24/7 technical support team. You also get updates whenever available, including new versions of Visual Composer.

Overview of Elementor

Based out of Israel and founded in 2006, Elementor is a website builder and just one product of Elementor Ltd.

Using a drag and drop interface and built-in responsive mode (meaning it displays accurately on all devices), Elementor is a powerhouse, with 700 add-ons, 50 available languages, and five million installations so far.

According to the company, Elementor is built for professionals at all stages, from freelancers to agencies. The all-in-one approach includes visual design, optimization, web development, and marketing. Its pixel-perfect design offers clean coding and open-source programming, making it easy for developers to develop add-ons.

You can create a website and e-store and customize them down to the last detail, all without knowing any sophisticated programming language.

Like Visual Composer, Elementor is a website builder plugin. Despite it being a WordPress add-on, there are few if any limitations. The plugin has numerous individual features spread across broad categories like a visual editor, workflow, marketing, layout, typography, e-commerce, theme builder, or theme content.

Drag and Drop Interface

Build a website by dragging and dropping the content you like and customizing your site from scratch or choosing one of 300 designer-quality templates.

In addition to an easy-to-use interface, you get nearly 100 widgets with Elementor that lets you customize headlines, buttons, and other important site content. Easily showcase images and videos in a carousel, or a slideshow, with activity effects.

Faster Workflow

The responsive editing keeps your site looking organized and professional, from PCs to mobile phones, TVs, or tablets. One of the best features beyond website building is creating standardized content on any page without any limitations.

Navigation is fluid, as you can quickly access multiple page elements or “layers” to maintain control. Designing your site from “one place” keeps things simple and yet customized to your liking.

You can also optimize your website building with hotkey shortcuts, a cheatsheet pop-up window, redo and undo, or even a “find” feature to navigate to any page or dashboard for easy customization. You can even search for revision history, just to make sure you don't get lost in all the features.

The building style is easy to manage using an in-line editing feature that lets you type directly into the tabs and create it as you write it. You can also streamline the process and use a global widget and save your settings for reuse on another page, once again, using a drag and drop system.

Elementor code is clean. Just to show you its reliability, you can run your website in Elementor “safe mode” to figure out other plugins that might be causing issues. Basic SEO services are also provided, such as replacing URLs automatically when you change domain names.

Fonts and Colors

Choose global fonts or customize different fonts for titles, paragraphs, and button text. Use drop-cap to increase the size of a beginning letter to give your site a magazine-like feel. Add your custom Typekit font and see how your fonts look in a live preview as you type.

You can also design a global color scheme or apply one system to just one element on your site. Customize background gradients for a sleek look or even add background videos/images to make it look more interactive. It's easy to put a slideshow in the background or use a Canvas template to design a landing page with a different look.

Add special effects with CSS filters, scrolling or mouse effects, or blending effects to give your site a more theatrical presence. Working with Elementor also gives you access to the little things that make sites look and run better, such as shape dividers for text, box shadows, an icon library, testimonial carousel, and even a count-down widget for those last-minute deals.

Themes and Forms

While various features are nice, one of the most significant advantages of Elementor is the control you get over layout, theme, and style. You can customize the header, footer, background and take advantage of text editor columns to maximize the space.

Choose between contact forms, subscription forms, logins, or another call-to-action. You can even auto-send an email when they submit a form.

Use absolute positioning to drag widgets precisely where you want them, even if they are not on a grid. Connect your audience to action links, or even set up forms to boost conversion rates.

Even better is the marketing assistance Elementor offers by integrating with the MailChimp, Active Campaign, ConvertKit, Campaign Monitor, Hubspot, Zapier, GetResponse, Drip, ReCaptcha V3, Facebook SDK, MailerLite, and Slack.

Customize your favorite theme with your text, or adapt an existing layout and theme to your specifications. You can even customize 404 pages or the search results page for a more personalized user experience. Integrate all social media accounts, and even embed your best quotes or social comments on your site.

If you want full control, you can set the width, height, and column width of every section. If you want two widgets side-by-side in just one column rather than the whole page, use in-line elements, fixed positions, or nested columns to tweak your presentation. Besides video sharing sites, you can also easily integrate your site with Google Maps.

Finally, give your call-to-action section some pizazz with boxes, animations, parallax viewing, mouse effects, and even some 3D elements.

E-Commerce

While visual design is the key advantage of Elementor, you can also benefit from e-commerce solutions, like a price table or list widget, specifying products and filters you want to display. Create a cart, as well as a checkout page, and set up your entire store onsite.

Customer Service

Elementor offers 24/7customer support via a ticket system.

Comparisons Between Visual Composer and Elementor

At first glance, it appears that the main difference between these two plugins is in price. Elementor has a less expensive agency plan. Elementor is also the newer software.

There are variations in the number of features, as Visual Composer offers 200 elements and 100 templates. Elementor offers only 90 widgets but 300 templates. For more designer options to base your site on (while also customizing to your own preferences), Elementor has a slight edge.

A closer look at the specifics, however, also reveals that Elementor lacks a back end builder. A back end builder lets you see all main settings at the same time, including all visible elements and page and post settings. To most users, however, it could be a minor issue.

Elementor offers slightly more options on its free plan (reviewed below).

Visual Composer Pros and Cons

Pros?

• Has more header options
• Better reviewed for professionals who design themes and know basic coding
• More total elements and widgets
• Lower prices for developer/agency customers

Cons

• May have extra requirements, such as Webpack 4.0+
• Slightly more complex to learn than Elementor
• Some complaints of compromising on web loading speed — however, you also have to consider the quality and quantity of your hosting web package

Elementor Pros and Cons

Pros?

• More layouts and themes to choose from
• Intuitive design makes it easier to use for newbies
• More customizable elements/widgets
• Complete “kits” for website builders that don't know how to design professional sites

Cons

• Newer company
• Some complaints about customer service

Payment Options

When it comes to payment options, you will find that both companies and plugins are comparable in free options and membership plans.

Visual Composer Payment Plans

The Premium edition of Visual Composer Website Builder comes in three paid plans:

• Single Website
• Three Websites
• Developers

For $49 a year, you get one website with full editing features, as well as 200 elements and 100 templates. You get full access to Woocommerce, pop-up builder, insights analytics, and even customer support. The only limitation is one site per plan/payment.

For $99 a year, you get three websites with full features and access to the same number of elements and templates.

For $349 a year, you can get a developer's access with “unlimited options,” an ideal choice for agencies. However, there is a limit of 1000 websites per developer plan.

Elementor Payment Plans

Elementor has three payment plans:

• Personal
• Plus
• Expert

You get one site for $49 a year and access to over 90 widgets and 300 templates. Included in every package deal is access to a theme builder, WooCommerce builder, pop-up builder, and updates and tech support for one year.

For $99 a year, you get the same features but for three websites.

For $199 a year, you get up to 1000 sites with the same features.

Free Options

Both free options are limited and do not contain the modern features previously mentioned. They are both, however, sufficient opportunities for sampling each respective product.

Upgrading to a paid subscription is as easy as clicking on the new plan button and making payment. If you upgrade to a premium level, you pick up where you left off without any interruptions or rebuilding.

Visual Composer

Visual Composer also has a free version, which is an ultimate page builder and membership to the Visual Composer Hub, the cloud-based marketplace of elements. Free members get access to 30 elements and ten templates, as well as updates, analytics, and API options.

Unlike WPBakery, which has no free option, Visual Composer Website Builder does let you create a site for free. Refunds are provided but must be within 15 days.

Elementor

Elementor comes in two options: a free version or Elementor Pro. However, there is no demo version of Elementor Pro. If you buy Elementor Pro and are unsatisfied, you can cancel the service and get a refund within 30 days.

If you stick to the free Elementor program, you only get the basic features with none of the sophisticated add-ons. However, access to the drag and drop editor, responsive editing, and 40 widgets and 30 templates may be enough to accommodate your site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use WordPress and a website builder, or invest in a competing CMS system similar to WordPress?

WordPress is liked in the web design community by amateurs and professionals alike. Namely, because it offers CMS-exclusive benefits like:

• A point and click, a graphics-based system of management
• The ability to enter and adjust your site from any web browser
• No HTML or FTP knowledge is required
• You get an SEO boost since internet search engines are comfortable with WordPress format
• Blogging is built-in and easy to direct attention to when designing
• Plugins can be installed with one click
• Site Management is scalable with your business
• You can easily assign multiple users and or administrators
• WordPress is free and has an active community

Some users find that competing website software, like Joomla or Wix, is not as fast-loading or as easy to learn as WordPress. That said, merely using WordPress does not necessarily make your site look professional or eye-pleasing.

Why do most web designers use website builders when there are free or low-cost themes?

Free themes can give you an attractive layout, as well as some widgets. However, most of these themes do not have customizable elements, nor do they have drag and drop flexibility since this is a premium-quality feature.

You cannot only move elements all over the screen, point and click style, but you can also rewrite text paragraphs or upload your photos to image holders. You can borrow an existing template (legally, of course) and make the site your own.

Free themes from WordPress users tend to be limited by comparison and have more rigid elements that cannot be moved, reshaped, or customized to personal specifications. With a website builder, you also get access to libraries of stock photos and elements and widgets that might not be offered with individual themes.

Most companies or individuals that create themes use a website builder. Using a site builder within WordPress lets the creator focus on the theme's aesthetics, rearranging widgets, and other elements according to what they think will sell.

The “blank sheet” approach of a website builder is precisely why both Elementor and Visual Composer come with templates and layouts so that you can work from an established formula, making your custom adjustments. All you have to do is add your unique graphics, content, and brand message.

Why do most web designers rely on website builders instead of just using WordPress plugins and widgets?

In theory, you could install individual widgets or use WordPress's block system to organize your site better and not spend the money on premium site builders. Or, as mentioned, you could buy a theme individually.

But one other significant advantage in plugins like Visual Composer and Elementor is that they come with many third-party applications pre-installed, making your job easier.

Downloading just one site builder (especially if it has a cloud-based marketplace to install additional elements that are guaranteed to work) eliminates the chore of downloading and installing multiple widgets and themes.

Website builders guarantee clean code, functional layouts and elements, and seamless integration with other competitive plugins, like forms, email lists, and social media embedding.

How do you install these plugins?

You can do it in a few different ways.

Option 1: Upload the plugin files/folders via ZIP file to your site’s file directory, or use an FTP program. WordPress will find them and then allow manual installation and activation.

Option 2: Look at your web hosting company’s apps (or even WordPress’s business hosting options) and then search for the automatic one-click installation option. Clicking “download and install” automatically installs the plugin and all you have to do is activate it.

Option 3: While on WordPress plugin-search, enter Elementor or Visual Composer and choose the plugins when they come up for a manual installation.

In the case of Elementor, visit their installation page for more information, or visit Visual Composer Help.

Conclusion

Our research has shown that Elementor and Visual Composer Website Builder are both excellent choices. These site builder plugins are particularly helpful for beginners and theme developers who need more control over multiple elements and settings.

Visual Composer had some advantages in freedom and complexity — a plus for developers but not necessarily for individuals starting their first or second website. Visual Composer also had seniority by a few years, first launched in 2011, though it had fewer overall downloads than Elementor.

Elementor, on the other hand, has received better reviews from users because of its intuitive design, which translates to “easier to use” than VCWB. The agency price for Elementor is also significantly less than that of Visual Composer.

While reviews for Elementor's customer service were mixed, overall, Elementor is the beginner's choice, and five million downloads and counting can't be wrong.

If you are building or updating a site, then sample one of these two programs and see the difference between professional and standardized layouts and elements. Both plugins are available with a money-back guarantee. You will immediately notice the difference in design and in results. Why not download a free version today?

The post Visual Composer vs. Elementor appeared first on WebMonkey.

But which one is better? Can you do the same things with both page builders? Keep reading to learn more about the features, performance, and prices of each.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Beaver Builder?

Here are the pros and cons of using Beaver Builder:

Pros:

• Optional theme available for use with the plugin: If you want to make sure Beaver Builder works with your site, you can use the Beaver Builder theme along with the plugin.
• Works with new and existing sites: You can use Beaver Builder with your current website without making huge changes, and you can use it with new sites.
• Drag and drop elements on the page: You don’t have to know how to code with Beaver Builder, so you can get started immediately.

Cons:

• Cheaper plans have limited features: Unless you get the most expensive plan, you won’t be able to take off the Beaver Builder branding. The Standard plan also only works on one site.
• More expensive than Divi: One year of the cheapest Beaver Builder plan is more expensive than Divi, and you don’t get as many features.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Divi?

Here are the pros and cons of using Divi:

Pros:

• Access to multiple WordPress products: When you sign up for Divi, you get access to a theme and plugin. But you also get access to plugins for email and social media management.
• Yearly and lifetime plans available: If you know you want to use Divi long-term, you can save money and buy a lifetime plan for less than three times the annual price.
• Regular product updates: You get access to regular product updates and support, no matter which plan you choose.

Cons:

• Has a steep learning curve: If you’re new to web design, you may find it takes a while to get the hang of using Divi. It can even be hard for some professionals.
• Hard to switch between themes: As your website grows and changes, you may want to use a new theme. But Divi can make it hard to switch things over from your old theme.

Beaver Builder Overview

Beaver Builder is a popular WordPress plugin that you can use to create pages with a visual editor. You don’t have to worry about knowing how to code or work with the text editor in WordPress.

They offer a variety of plans to fit your needs and budget, and they all have fantastic features. You can choose from their many modules and templates to make web design easy and quick. The higher tiers offer a theme to make your website look cohesive from top to bottom.

Divi Overview

Divi is part of Elegant Themes, and you get a suite of products to use on your WordPress website. The Divi page builder is a plugin, but there’s also a Divi theme, so it’s similar to Beaver Builder in that sense.

However, Divi also comes with plugins to help you manage your social media and email. It’s a great option if you have an online business that you want to run from a single place. Divi is a visual editor, so you can make almost any design come to life.

Who is Beaver Builder Best For?

Beaver Builder is best for people who have a WordPress website that they want to improve. You can use it with your existing website, and you don’t have to worry about switching to a new theme. You can maintain your basic site structure while converting to the Beaver Builder.

But you don’t have to have an existing website to use the page builder. The templates use professional designs, so you don’t have to hire a web designer. You can get a new site up and running in a day, and you can make sure you love the end result.

Beaver Builder has three price tiers, so you can choose the plan that’s best for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re designing your personal site or if you have web design clients. The page builder has an option for you.

Who is Divi Best For?

Divi is best for someone who wants limitless design potential for their website. It can replace the standard WordPress editor with an advanced visual editor, so you don’t need to code. You can drag and drop elements where you want them on the page.

However, if you prefer to use some CSS, you can use that with the CSS editor. You can also edit the text easily with the inline text editor. If you like the design of one page, you can save it and apply the format to new pages later.

Divi is also great for people who want to run an entire business with one platform. You can do more than create your website with the various products that come with a Divi subscription.

Reliability and Performance

Reliability and performance are essential when building a website. Here’s how the two page builders stack up:

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder uses the Bootstrap framework, so it’s lightweight and easy to use. In one test, a page with the Beaver Builder loaded faster than 94 percent of websites. It performs well among websites, so you don’t have to wait long for your website to load.

If the page builder ever does have an issue, you can contact support. All Beaver Builder plans come with customer support, so you can get the help you need. Then, you can keep working on and promoting your website.

You can use Beaver Builder with any website host that offers WordPress. That means you can find a host that fits your budget and needs. However, your site reliability and performance will depend on that of your chosen hosting company.

Divi

Compared to Beaver Builder, Divi loads slightly faster. It outperforms about 97 percent of websites in the same test. You can use the visual or backend editor, and you can still get fast results when loading the page.

Now, these results are for the Divi plugin, not the theme. If you decide to use the Divi theme, you may have different results. Results can also vary based on your website host, your location and other factors.

If you want to choose a reliable website host for Divi, they recommend SiteGround, FlyWheel or Pressable. SiteGround is the more affordable option, but the other two make it easy to set up your Divi site.

Tools & Features

Both page builders have some great tools and features. Here’s how they compare:

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder has a few excellent features.

Templates

Beaver Builder has dozens of premium templates that you can use to design your website. You can use templates for your regular content, such as your homepage or blog. But if you want to sell products or services, you can use the landing pages for that.

You can use both types of templates based on the page you want to create. That way, you can make sure your entire site looks how you want it to.

Responsive Design

With more people using their phones to browse the web, responsive sites are more important than ever. Luckily, you can use any template from Beaver Builder, and it will work on mobile devices. You can use the templates and make them look good on any screen size.

You won’t have to create one design for mobile browsers and another for desktop browsers. So you can save time when designing your site.

Customizable

No matter what theme you want to use, you can customize your Beaver Builder pages. You can drag and drop elements where you want them, and you don’t need to mess with coding. Even if you’ve never designed a website, you can still design a good looking site.

You can search through the various templates from Beaver Builder to find a template you like. Then, you can build off that to create a unique page that suits your needs.

Divi

Divi also has some useful features to help you create a fantastic site.

Responsive Design

Like Beaver Builder, you can use Divi to create a website that looks good on any screen. You don’t have to worry about if your pages will load on a smartphone. So you can focus more on the design.

Font & Text Styling

If you want to customize your website, being able to use your chosen fonts is important. You can use fonts that Divi already has, but you can also upload your own. That way, you can create a cohesive website that fits with your brand.

You can also control the look of lists, anchor text and block quotes. You can even change the size and style of your chosen font.

Advanced Coding

While visual editors can do a lot, sometimes, you need to use code to get your website to look how you want. Divi has an advanced code editor that you can use to work on the backend of your site.

You can add custom CSS to any element, and you can add custom code anywhere on the page. While writing code, you can take advantage of auto-complete, error reporting and find and replace.

Filters and Effects

Divi lets you adjust the position of your page elements across three axes.? You can skew the design and transform your site. If you want to bring out a photo, you can add a drop shadow behind it to help it stand out.

You can also add shadows behind the text, so you can emphasize a particular heading or sentence. Divi lets you animate the elements on your site with options like fade, zoom and bounce.

Layouts Library

If you want to get started but don’t have any design ideas, you can start with the layouts library. It contains over 100 websites and over 800 layouts. You can use the library for ideas, or you can use it to create your entire site.

Other Plugins

The Divi builder plugin is probably the most popular product from Elegant Themes. However, your subscription comes with a few other products. First, Extra is a theme that works well for online magazines and bloggers.

If you have an email list, you can connect it to Bloom, which is an email opt-in plugin. Monarch is a social media sharing plugin that makes it easy to share your website on social media platforms.

Pricing Summary

When deciding which page builder is best for you, you should consider your budget. The price isn’t the only important factor, but it can help to know your options.

Here are the prices for Beaver Builder and Divi:

Beaver Builder

The first plan from Beaver Builder is the Standard Plan, and it starts at about $100 per year. You can use it with as many sites as you want, but it’s not compatible with multisite WordPress installations. This plan comes with the Beaver Builder plugin and access to modules and templates.

Other features include world-class support and access to the full Beaver Builder plugin. However, this plan lacks access to the Beaver Builder theme, so you will need to use it with another WordPress theme.

Next up is the Pro Plan, which costs around $200 per year. You get all of the features available with the Standard Plan, but this one is compatible with multisite installations. That makes it easy to set up if you have multiple sites on the same hosting account. This plan also includes the Beaver Builder Theme.

The Agency Plan starts at around $400 per year, and it includes everything on the Pro Plan. However, you can also replace or change the core Beaver Builder Templates. You can also change the instances of Page Builder and Beaver Builder in your WordPress admin panel.

If you renew your subscription after a year, you can get a 40 percent discount. So if you end up liking the page builder, you can save money during your second year.

Cancellation

If you don’t end up liking Beaver Builder, you can cancel your subscription at any time. You can get a refund if you cancel within 30 days of purchasing your subscription. You can also change your plan any time during the year if you realize you need more or fewer features.

If you decide not to renew your subscription, you can cancel the automatic renewal so that you don’t have to pay for another year.

Divi

A Divi subscription also gets you various plugins to help grow your business. You don’t have to pay extra for them, but you do have a couple of payment options.

If you want to try Divi for a year, you can get yearly access for around $90 per year. Then, you can renew each year or switch to a different page builder.

However, if you know that you want to use Divi long-term, you can save money with the lifetime access plan. You pay for it once, and you can use Divi on as many websites as you want. Then, you won’t have to worry about renewals.

Cancellation

Like Beaver Builder, Divi has a 30-day refund policy if you don’t like the product. If you cancel the annual plan after that, your account will remain active until the year ends. However, you won’t get the money back on your purchase.

You also won’t get your money back after 30 days if you choose the lifetime plan. But you can stop using it and come back to it later and not have to pay again.

Which Is the Best Value?

When comparing features, access and overall price, Divi is the better value. The annual plan costs less than the cheapest Beaver Builder plan, and you get more than just the page builder. You also get plugins to help with social sharing and email marketing.

Comparing the page builders themselves, you also have more features and control with Divi. While Beaver Builder has some features, Divi has a more exhaustive list. You can use the builder to create pages no matter what your vision is.

Security

Running a website has its vulnerabilities, so you should consider the security behind anything you use on your site. Here’s how the Beaver Builder and Divi compare when it comes to security:

Beaver Builder

Older versions of the Beaver Builder plugin have some security issues. Hackers can get into the plugin and create or edit pages and more. Luckily, you can get rid of that vulnerability by updating to the most recent version of the plugin.

Beaver Builder updates the plugin frequently, so you should make a point to check your site at least weekly. Then, you can update any plugins that are available for updates.

You should also make sure you install an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate on your website. That way, you can protect sensitive information for you and your visitors. If you run an online store, it’s even more important to use a security certificate.

Your WordPress version can also affect your site security. Always update to the most recent WordPress version as soon as you can to protect your site from security breaches.

Divi

Divi is also fairly safe and secure, but older versions can be vulnerable to attacks. Wordfence released a report in August 2023about a critical vulnerability for Divi and some other products from Elegant Themes.

However, users could eliminate the risk by updating to the newest version of Divi. If you can’t always do that, you can use the Security Patcher Plugin as a short-term solution until you can update your Divi plugin.

Divi does update their plugin regularly, so you should stay on top of those updates. That way, you can always make sure your website is safe from hackers.

Customer Service

Good customer service can make a huge difference when using a new product. Consider the options you have for getting help with Beaver Builder and Divi:

Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder offers a contact us form that you can use for basic questions. You can use it to ask about refunds, report a bug or suggest a new feature. If you have a support-related question, you can use the support form. The support form is only for customers with an account.

Before contacting Beaver Builder, you can check out their knowledge base. It covers common questions about the builder, your account, upgrades and more.

If you can’t find the answer you need, you can also check out the community forum. Someone may have asked your question, and you can find the answer. But if not, you can ask it in the forums and get help from other users.

The general FAQ page on the Beaver Builder website is another great resource. If you have the most basic question, you can probably find the answer in the FAQs.

Divi

Divi has a contact form you can use to ask about billing and sales. For more advanced help, you can open a chat with someone on the Divi support team. However, you will need to have an active Divi account to use their chat feature.

If you want to learn more before you sign up or if you don’t want to wait for a chat agent, you have other options. You can browse the Elegant Themes documentation to learn more about Divi and the other products. You can search based on your issue to find a relevant article.

For specific questions, you can also ask the community or post your question in the Divi Facebook group. Then, you can get help from other users, which is useful if you have a particular issue.

The Divi blog is another place where you can learn more basic things about the program. IT’s great for learning and getting answers to some basic or more common questions and problems.

Final Thoughts

Beaver Builder is a feature-rich yet straightforward page builder for WordPress sites. You can use it for your site or clients, and it works well.

Divi is another excellent page builder with even more features that give you flexibility and control. You can use the builder for any number of sites.

Both page builders are great, so you should consider which features are more important to you. Then, you can choose the best page builder for you.

FAQs

Here are some common questions about Beaver Builder and Divi, along with their answers;

Which Page Builder Is Best for Beginners?

If you’re new to web design and page builders, you should start with Beaver Builder. While it is more expensive than Divi, it has just enough features to get you started. You don’t have to worry about all of the options available with Divi, so you can get your site up and running quickly.

Beaver Builder is also a good choice for beginners because you can try Beaver Builder Lite. It’s a free version of the plugin with more limited features. But it’s a good option if you want to try out Beaver Builder without getting a demo or having to pay.

Which Page Builder Is Best for Professionals?

Divi is an excellent option for professional web designers. You can use it with as many websites as you want, so it’s great for web design firms. It has all of the features you could want in a visual designer, but you can also use CSS and custom coding.

Divi is very flexible, and it’s cost-effective for individual designers and small firms. However, Beaver Builder can also be good for web designers with larger budgets or clients who want a Beaver Builder template.

What’s the Most Important Feature?

When looking at page builders, the choices can be overwhelming. It can help to focus on one or two features that stand out. However, those important features can vary from person to person or company to company.

An advanced web designer might prefer Divi’s flexibility, while a newer designer may want the simplicity of Beaver Builder. Consider what you’re looking for in a page builder. If you still can’t decide, do the demo option for both to see which you like better.

Can I Try Either Page Builder?

Speaking of trying page builders, you can try both Beaver Builder and Divi before you buy them. Both offer a demo, so you can see how it works on your site. You can get the full effect and use all of the features.

However, you can also try the free “l(fā)ite” version of Beaver Builder. You can use some of the more basic features, and you can test it over a longer period. Then, you can upgrade if you want more options for your site.

What If I Need Help?

Beaver Builder and Divi both offer fantastic customer support. You can contact support directly for individual help, or you can look at forums and documentation on the Beaver Builder or Divi website.

Sometimes, the documentation or blog will have a post that perfectly answers your question. The forums are also useful if you have a question on the weekend when customer support may not be as active.

The post Beaver Builder vs. Divi appeared first on WebMonkey.

The best drag-and-drop editors give you full control over the look and function of your WordPress site – all without writing a single line of code.

For full customization over your WordPress site’s layout, the following page builders just can’t be beaten.

Best WordPress Page Builders

Here are our top choices for the 11 best WordPress page builders:

• Divi
• Beaver Builder
• Elementor
• Genesis
• Thrive
• WP Bakery
• Visual Composer
• SiteOrigin
• Themify Builder
• Live Composer
• Brizy

We based our selections on their ease of use, compatibility with popular WordPress themes, useful features, the ability to see changes in real-time, and overall versatility.

Jump to the WordPress page builder you believe suits you best or continue reading our in-depth reviews below.

Why You Need a WordPress Page Builder

As a beginner with little to no knowledge of HTML or CSS, the thought of creating an eye-catching and unique WordPress site that still functions seamlessly can feel downright overwhelming.

That’s where WordPress page builders come into play – with the right plugin, you can drag and drop countless page elements to create your ideal layout in just minutes. You’ll be able to build sites that rival those of professionals without spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars or waiting weeks or months for them to be fine-tuned.

In the past, page builders have often been criticized for creating cookie-cutter websites. But, today, the best of these tools are powerful and versatile enough to create pretty much any site you wish with any look/layout you please with remarkably few exceptions.

Whether your old site needs a facelift or you want your brand-new to come out of the gates swinging, the best WordPress page builders will help you customize your website to perfection.

Divi – Best Overall

In our opinion, the Divi builder takes the title as the best WordPress page builder. Not only is this plugin incredibly intuitive with a user-friendly interface, but it also blends its drag-and-drop controls with front-end editing, a live visual editor, and numerous pre-designed content elements to round out your site. Best of all, this tool is offered by Elegant Themes, creators of some of the best WordPress themes available.

Pros

• Intuitive Interface
• Front-End Visual Editor
• Includes 46 Modules
• Over 300 Pre-Built Templates
• Built-In A/B Testing

Cons

• Shortcode-Based Builder
• Huge Number of Features Can Be Overwhelming

Ease of Use

All in all, Divi is an incredibly user-friendly page builder plugin. It boasts an intuitive interface that enables you to edit your site with a front-end visual editor (most popular) or a back-end editor for even more control. That said, the huge number of features and options that Divi offers can feel overwhelming at first.

Top Features

The Divi builder offers a huge number of modules to create the perfect layout. For example, these include an accordion, audio player, blog, contact form, countdown timer, map, shop, social media follow, video, and so much more.

In addition, there are a huge number of pre-built templates separated among 40 main layout packs for the utmost in personalization. Additional styling options give you yet more control – you can even add custom CSS for even further customization.

Because the Divi builder is offered by Elegant Themes, you can pair the plugin with the Divi theme for full control. However, the page builder works seamlessly with pretty much any theme available anywhere.

Another feature of note is the user access controls. These controls are perfect for group projects if others must use the page builder for your website but you don’t want to give them full control. You’re able to easily select who gets access to what.

Overall Value

The Divi builder costs $89 per year for unlimited sites as part of an Elegant Themes membership.

Elegant Themes also offers a lifetime membership for a $249 one-time payment, which grants you unlimited access to their themes, plugins, and other tools for all of your sites.

Because an annual membership grants you access not only to the Divi builder and all the powerful features it provides but also to the full range of themes and other plugins offered by Elegant Themes, this WordPress page builder is of excellent overall value.

Beaver Builder – Most User Friendly

You could argue that Beaver Builder is, in fact, the best WordPress page builder – and you might be right. However, we rank it slightly (and, we mean, slightly) behind Divi in our overall rankings. That said, this powerful plugin is notable for its incredible user-friendliness, especially its front-end live visual editor complete that allows you to see changes in real-time.

Pros

• Extremely User Friendly
• Live Front-End Visual Editor
• 30 Top-Quality Templates
• Huge Variety of Design Features
• Fully Mobile Responsive

Cons

• No Undo/Redo Function
• Lacks Some Features Others Page Builders Provide

Ease of Use

The top reason to choose Beaver Builder is its ease of use. It’s incredibly user friendly with an amazingly intuitive user interface.

The live front-end editor is perhaps the best available today and lets you see changes in real-time. Just drag and drop the ready-to-use modules to create or edit your site without breaking a sweat.

Thanks to the ability to add custom CSS, clean codes, and regular updates, the plugin is also a favorite among developers.

Top Features

With a drag-and-drop front-end editor, tons of content modules, and dozens of great templates, you can get your website up and running in just minutes with Beaver Builder.

Although it’s user friendly enough for beginners to use, the powerful features make it more than robust enough for more advanced users. This plugin supports the use of shortcodes and widgets for further customization.

Beaver Builder works seamlessly with almost every theme out there. You can even switch between themes without missing a step. Or, if you decide this page builder isn’t for you, any content created with it is ported back into the standard WordPress editor, so you don’t lose a thing.

Overall Value

Beaver Builder costs $99 per year for unlimited sites.

Repeat annual users receive a 40% discount upon renewal of their subscription. More advanced packages are also available, including “Pro” for $199 per year and “Agency” for $399 per year.

Beaver Builder provides much in the way of overall value thanks to its affordable pricing, powerful features, user-friendly interface, and world-class customer support.

Elementor – Best Free Version

Not only is Elementor high among the most popular WordPress page builders, but it’s also our choice for the best free page builder plugin. The drag-and-drop editor is highly intuitive with an extensive array of templates and blocks to customize your website at will. It even features a much-loved undo/redo function! Although the free version is powerful on its own, upgrade to the paid version for even more great features.

Pros

• Easy to Use
• Live Front-End Editor
• Undo/Redo Function
• Includes Templates
• Powerful Popup Builder

Cons

• Free Version Lacks Some Templates/Blocks
• Lacks Some Useful Features Competitors Provide

Ease of Use

It doesn’t get much easier to use than Elementor. This highly intuitive page builder was developed with beginners in mind. Pre-made templates, tons of content modules and blocks, and a unique right-click menu make creating your site easy.

Top Features

Elementor boasts somewhat basic features, although they’re all quite powerful. Both the free and paid version get the job done (and the free version makes quite nice layouts), but the paid version gives you access to more tools and features.

The popup builder is one of the top features. It’s robust and powerful with tons of useful tools to customize the look and function of your popups. The plugin is fully responsive, a must in the modern-day, so you can rest assured your site works just as seamlessly across all devices.

One nitpicky negative regarding Elementor’s features and the plugin as a whole is that the free and paid templates are mixed together in the library with no easy way to differentiate between the two.

Overall Value

The free version of Elementor is fantastic.

However, many users might find it useful to upgrade to “Personal” for $49 per year for a single site, “Plus” for $99 per year for three sites, and “Expert” for $199 per year for 1,000 sites.

The free version of Elementor is the best free WordPress page builder. The overall value of the paid versions is harder to quantify since, unlike other top plugins, they do not offer a low-cost version for use on unlimited sites. Needless to say, Elementor still brings a lot of value to the table no matter which version you select.

Genesis

Not convinced by our top three choices for the best WordPress page builders? Then Genesis Framework by StudioPress might be for you. Although not as popular as other plugins (but still quite popular all told), it will enable you to quickly and efficiently build a top-quality WordPress site with ease.

Pros

• Pre-Designed Templates
• Pair with a StudioPress Theme
• Lots of Content Elements
• Customizable Headers
• Mobile Responsive

Cons

• Lacks Some Useful Features
• Coding Knowledge Required for Certain Applications

Ease of Use

At its most basic, Genesis is easy enough to use. It incorporates drag-and-drop functions and a visual editor to appeal to beginners and pros alike. The majority of tools are intuitive and a variety of templates are available to further speed things up. That said, basic knowledge of CSS and PHP might be needed, especially if you hope to further customize child themes due to a lack of built-in formatting options.

Top Features

Genesis has an easy one-click theme setup to get you started. From there, the simple interface is quick to learn with a limited learning curve. Countless theme options can further be customized to your liking. Custom page templates and featured content widgets give you a lot of control over the final look and function of your websites.

Of course, this page builder plugin is completely mobile responsive. Your sites will look and function just as smoothly on all devices. Genesis is suitable for most types of websites. It’s compatible with the vast majority of WordPress themes, even if you don’t choose one from StudioPress.

Overall Value

A $59.95 one-time fee gets you Genesis Framework by StudioPress for life.

That said, StudioPress does suggest using a child theme alongside Genesis which will run you around $99.95 if you buy both together.

All in all, Genesis is a great value WordPress page builder that nets you an efficient website-building tool despite a few small hiccups.?

Thrive Architect

Another popular drag-and-drop WordPress page builder, Thrive Architect is a great choice for pretty much anyone, especially those that want a lot of templates to choose from.

Pros

• Over 300 Templates
• True Visual Editor
• Lots of Customizable Modules
• Fully Responsive
• Great for Business Sites

Cons

• Somewhat Complicated
• Some Features Must Be Bought Separately

Ease of Use

We’ll be honest, Thrive Architect isn’t the easiest page builder to use. The user interface is somewhat complicated and requires a bit of a learning curve. Although it’s slightly overwhelming at first, you’ll quickly figure things out if you stick at it.?

Top Features

The sheer number of templates is a key feature of Thrive Architect. Hundreds of page templates let you get started quickly and easily. A wide range of customizable elements further lets you finetune your site to your preferences.

Throw the visual editor into the mix and building pages becomes even quicker. In fact, speed is what Thrive Architect is known for. The page builder was built from the ground up to help you get your websites out as quickly as possible. In fact, it was specifically built with business websites in mind.

Overall Value

Thrive Architect costs $19 per month for use on up to 25 websites.

Other pricing options include $67 per year for use on a single website or $97 per year for use on up to five websites.

Thrive isn’t the cheapest nor is it the most expensive of WordPress page builders. For what it brings to the table, however, it is a great value purchase, especially if you plan to use this plugin for business websites.?

WP Bakery

WP Bakery is one of the most popular WordPress page builders around. The powerful plugin lets you customize your website with either a front-end or a back-end editor. The drag-and-drop design means that no coding knowledge is required.

Pros

• Intuitive Editor
• Front-End and Back-End Editing
• Use with Any WordPress Theme
• Drag-and-Drop Interface
• Mobile Responsive

Cons

• Content Stored as Shortcodes
• Some Plugins Can’t Be Edited

Ease of Use

WP Bakery is simple to use. Like most of the best WordPress page builders, it features a visual editor that lets you see changes in real-time. Combine this with tons of pre-made content modules and creating the perfect website layout can’t get much easier.?

Top Features

Both front-end and back-end content editing give you lots of options. Choose from countless templates and content modules to further speed up the creation process. For those with a bit of coding knowledge, most (but not all) widgets and plugins can be further customized.

This WordPress page builder plugin works well with almost all WordPress themes. Of course, it’s also fully responsive so your site will be completely accessible for desktop, tablet, and mobile users alike. Top-notch customer support is just the icing on the cake.

Overall Value

WP Bakery costs $45 for use on a single site and $245 for use in a single SaaS application. A free version is also available.

Thanks to the wide variety of features available, the easy-to-use interface, and the ability for developers to further customize their content, WP Bakery is undoubtedly a great value WordPress page builder.?

Visual Composer

Another top-rated WordPress page builder plugin, Visual Composer is so popular for a reason – it’s relatively easy to use to quickly create eye-catching websites with a lot in the way of customization features.

Pros

• Drag-and-Drop
• Live Visual Editor
• Front-End and Back-End Editing
• Powerful Design Options
• Compatible with Most Themes

Cons

• Clunkier Interface Than Others
• Some Features Sold Separately

Ease of Use

Visual Composer sits squarely in the middle of the competition in terms of ease of use. It’s not difficult to learn how to use effectively but it’s far from the most intuitive. The interface can be a little clunky at times, although you’ll quickly work out any kinks with the drag-and-drop visual editor.

Top Features

Visual Composer is compatible with the vast majority of WordPress themes. Its powerful design options make customization a cinch.

The plugin comes with front-end and back-end editing for increased control. The real-time live editor lets you visually see changes as soon as you make them. Countless design elements and content modules make developing the ideal site easier, although there are less pre-designed templates than some competitors.

Visual Composer is a good choice for beginners but it’s an effective page builder for those with some coding knowledge as well. You can create custom content elements and edit specific elements for even more flexibility over your designs.

Overall Value

Visual Composer costs $49 per year for a single website.

Or, upgrade to three websites for $99 per year or even 1,000 websites for $349 per year. A free version is also available.

To get down to brass tacks, Visual Composer boasts excellent overall value. You get most of the features you expect from a top-quality page builder at an affordable annual price.

SiteOrigin

Page Builder by SiteOrigin shouldn’t be overlooked. As a free WordPress page builder plugin, it’s very popular among users that don’t want to pay for a premium plugin. But the free cost isn’t the only thing to love about SiteOrigin. It’s also quite robust with powerful features paired with a simple user interface.

Pros

• Free
• Simple Interface
• Powerful Features
• Mobile Responsive
• Drag-and-Drop Editor

Cons

• Not Compatible with Some Widgets
• Lacks Some Features of Premium Plugins

Ease of Use

SiteOrigin is something of an enigma in the sense that it boasts an exceedingly simple interface yet it’s also somewhat complicated to use. In fact, its simplicity is actually what makes figuring out its features somewhat difficult. For example, the live editor doesn’t have as many features as most premium plugins which means it can take a little longer to create the layout you desire.

Top Features

The SiteOrigin Page Builder is grid-based with a drag-and-drop live editor. It works well with almost any WordPress theme. It’s compatible with the most popular widgets, although not all widgets are available/compatible. One really nice feature is the undo/redo function which we’re surprised not all premium page builders include.

Overall Value

Page Builder by SiteOrigin is free.

As a free plugin, it provides unmeasured value. However, as a completely free plugin, it does lack some of the top features that make premium paid plugins really shine.

Themify Builder

Themify Builder is a powerful plugin that is completely free (although a paid add-on bundle is available). The free WordPress page builder provides a drag-and-drop interface with countless useful features that let you create the perfect layout for your site in minutes.?

Pros

• Free
• Drag-and-Drop
• Pre-Designed Layouts
• Front-End and Back-End Editing
• Mobile Responsive

Cons

• Not Very Intuitive
• Lackluster Customer Support

Ease of Use

Themify Builder isn’t exactly difficult to use. But it’s not intuitive either. The basic user interface is somewhat clunky and takes some time to figure out. While it does the job for a free page builder, most premium plugins are far more user friendly.

Top Features

As a free WordPress page builder, Themify Builder comes with all the basic features that you’d expect but not much more than that. It does offer front-end and back-end editing, an undo/redo function, and plenty of pre-made modules. Several pre-designed templates are also available.

Do note that many of the most popular widgets are not offered for free. For example, contact forms, Slider Pro, and WooCommerce all require you to pay for the premium add-on bundle.

Overall Value

Themify Builder is free.

However, most users will need to buy the premium add-on bundle for $35 to access all of the features required to create a functional website.

Themify Builder is decent value thanks to its lack of a price tag. And, while we’re not saying that it’s not the right choice for some people, its clunky interface and so-so customer support place it near the bottom of our list of the best WordPress page builders.

Live Composer

Live Composer is another free WordPress page builder. Although far from our favorite plugin, it’s certainly nothing to scoff at. In addition to its easy-to-use interface, it’s a completely open-source plugin.

Pros

• Free
• Easy to Use
• Drag-and-Drop Editor
• Over 40 Content Modules
• Responsive Design

Cons

• Somewhat Limited Customizability
• Payment Required for Additional Features

Ease of Use

Live Composer is simple and easy enough to use. You edit your site with a front-end live visual editor so you can see how the layout looks as you make changes. The interface is user friendly, although it’s somewhat lacking in features compared to premium plugins.?

Top Features

Live Composer has all the basic features you need without anything extra, at least in the free version. Notable free features are the easy-to-use front-end editing interface, over 40 pre-made content modules, and access to two free themes. For additional features like video, maps, contact forms, and sliders, you must upgrade to the paid “Official Extensions Pack.”

Overall Value

Page Builder: Live Composer is free.

However, most users will need to upgrade to the Official Extensions Pack for $49.00 for one site to access premium add-ons and extensions.

As for overall value, we rank Live Composer firmly in the middle. It’s a decent page builder with a simple interface and useful features but it lacks the powerful functions that the best WordPress page builders provide (especially when using the free version without the premium add-ons and extensions).

Brizy

If ease of use is your most important requirement, then Brizy is worth a look. This free WordPress page builder is about as intuitive as they get, although it lacks some of the necessary features to set it apart from the competition.

Pros

1. Intuitive
2. Streamlined Interface
3. Real-Time Visual Editing
4. Hundreds of Pre-Designed Templates
5. Robust Free Version

Cons

• New (Relatively Untested)
• Limited Customer Support

Ease of Use

Ease of use is where Brizy really shines. The intuitive user interface is incredibly simple – not to mention lightning fast. The drag-and-drop page builder is one of the best around. Real-time editing lets you see changes as you make them.

Top Features

The free version of Brizy is one of the best free WordPress page builder plugins (after Elementor) thanks to the number of premium features included. Sliders, tabs, animations, and pre-made modules are just a small sampling of the features this free plugin offers.

Overall Value

The Brizy page builder is free.

Or, upgrade to the “Pro” package for $49 per year to access even more premium designs and features for up to three websites. Take it one step further with a “Studio” account that works with unlimited websites for just $99 per year.

Brizy is a great value WordPress page builder whether you select the free or premium version of the plugin.

How to Choose the Best WordPress Page Builder

Despite the dozens of options available (the 11 above are just the tip of the iceberg), choosing the right WordPress page builder for your project doesn’t have to be difficult.

We suggest focusing on the same factors we did in our reviews above: ease of use, compatibility, features, the ability to see changes in real-time (i.e. a live visual editor), and versatility. Customer support and overall value are likewise important to consider.

Ease of Use

The whole point of using a page builder is to make customizing your WordPress site easy.

The best page builders allow you to quickly and easily design your envisioned site and make changes on the fly. Look for a page builder with an intuitive interface that utilizes drag-and-drop functions.

Additionally, the easiest to use page builders offer a variety of pre-designed content templates and content elements to make customization even more streamlined.?

Compatibility

The page builder plugin you select must be compatible with your existing WordPress theme.

Although most work well together, this is one reason we prefer plugins such as Divi. This tool is offered by Elegant Themes, allowing you to get your theme and visual page builder from the same place.

Your WordPress page builder should also support a variety of shortcodes and widgets. It must allow you to create mobile-friendly websites.

Of course, the page builder plugin you choose must also be compatible with the latest WordPress editors, such as Gutenberg.

Features

The availability of certain features helps set different page builders apart.

Look for a plugin that offers plenty of styling options, pre-built templates, and a variety of modules and other content elements.

Our favorite page builders give you the ability to edit within the front-end instead of solely in the settings panel and even allow you to add custom code to any element. A revision history with undo and redo functions is also useful.

Many page builders offer free live demos to help you get a feel for the plugin’s features when compared to the competition (this is also a great way to check out the interface and user experience yourself).

While many of our favorite WordPress page builders are offered in free versions, the paid versions boast far more powerful features.

Live Visual Editor

A live visual editor allows you to customize your site and see live edits in real-time with each change you make.

This is a hugely helpful feature for designing your website, especially as a beginner. Although live editors are pretty much standard for drag-and-drop plugins, you’ll still find a handful of page editors with lackluster live editing features.

We strongly prefer those with a comprehensive and well-developed live visual editor. More importantly, it’s essential to select a tool with a glitch-free interface.

Versatility

The best WordPress page builders boast versatile features.

In addition to maintaining a variety of features, those features are also flexible and can be customized to suit your needs.

Versatile templates with lots of different elements are especially important if you plan to use the same page editor to build several websites of different types or styles. Look for a page editor with official add-ons available for even more flexibility and control over your site’s layout and function.

Customer Support

Quick and reliable customer support is a must for any tool or service.

This is especially true for premium versions of page builder plugins, many of which cost upwards of $100 per year. When you pay that much for a plugin, you deserve solid support.

Although the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builders function so smoothly that problems are rare, readily available technical support is a godsend if problems do arise.

Furthermore, we always prefer those services which offer community-based support, often in the form of a community forum.

Overall Value

Is your page builder worth the money you spent on it?

Naturally, the answer is different for every individual and every website. But, it’s important to keep this question in the back of your mind when looking at different plugins and tools. Ensure that you’re getting enough bang for your buck with the page builder you select.

This is a big reason why we often pay a little extra for an annual subscription that allows use on unlimited websites.?

Which WordPress Page Builder is Right for You?

Although all 11 of the above WordPress page builders excel in their own ways, Divi stands above the rest.

Divi takes our top spot thanks to its user-friendliness and ease of use. It’s packed with useful features as well as two dozen pre-made templates and countless content elements for easy editing. Since it was created by Elegant Themes, it’s perfect for those that want a WordPress theme and page builder from the same place.

Not far behind Divi is Beaver Builder, our second choice overall, thanks to its top-notch live editor, compatibility with a huge variety of WordPress themes, and overall versatility.

For those not interested in dishing out a little dough for page builder (just $89 per year for Divi and $99 per year for Beaver Builder, both for unlimited sites), we recommend Elementor as the best free WordPress page builder. You can easily upgrade to the paid version ($49 per year for a single site) to unlock even more useful features.

WordPress Page Builder FAQ

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress page builders:

Q: What are the benefits of a WordPress page builder?

A: Nearly full control over the look/layout of your site without knowing how to code. Make as many changes as you like and see how they look in real-time. Pre-built modules and templates let you create a stunning and functional site in minutes.

Q: What are the disadvantages of a WordPress page builder?

A: Not enough flexibility for the most niche sites, although plenty of customizability for the majority of sites, including blogs, small business websites, and all but the largest online stores.

Q: Do I need coding experience to use a WordPress page builder?

A: No coding experience is required to use a drag-and-drop page builder for your WordPress site, although most plugins allow for further customization via HTML or CSS.

Q: What is the difference between a free and paid WordPress page builder?

A: The best free WordPress page builders are quite robust. Although powerful enough to quickly create high-quality websites, most paid plugins come with even more features and are even easier to use.

Q: Should I use a WordPress page builder for my site?

A: For very basic websites, you’ll likely be fine using WordPress’s built-in block editor, otherwise known as Gutenberg. Although this tool gets the job done, it doesn’t offer the flexibility and customizability of a page builder. On the other hand, some very large, very complex, and very niche sites require professional help. That said, a page builder is the best choice for the vast majority of WordPress sites.

The post What is the Best WordPress Page Builder? appeared first on WebMonkey.

WordPress is inarguably the industry-leading open-source content management software for building websites. But the basic editor that WordPress provides is difficult to navigate and leaves many users looking for a better solution. Two of the major solutions, Elementor and Divi, vie for top billing when it comes to naming the best WordPress page builder plugin.

What is Elementor?

Launched in June 2016, Elementor is a live WordPress editor plugin that replaces the basic WordPress editor. It features a user-friendly interface so that almost anyone can use the editor to build a website without much of a learning curve, one of the biggest downfalls of traditional web page editors. Many of the features are drag-and-drop.

The cost is reasonable, ranging from a super affordable $0 to $199 per year, depending on how many sites and features you want to invest in. The gang behind Elementor is committed to providing regular updates so that the editor continues to work as it should.

Design Features

Built to streamline the process of web design, you no longer have to know CSS to build a great website. Right from the editor, you can change fonts, colors, add custom CSS, add background gradients, videos, and overlays. You can take your designs to the next level with special blend modes, CSS filters, and Elementor’s shape divider tool, which allow you to manipulate your graphics without the need for advanced Photoshop skills.

Marketing Features

Whether you are trying to collect data on potential leads, attract attention, or move leads through sales funnels, Elementor has all of the tools that you need in one place. You can build stunning landing pages full of features like widgets, pop ups, testimonials, countdowns, ratings, custom forms, and call to action links.

Typography Features

You can do a lot more with Elementor than just simple text modifications. Standard changes like fonts, size, eight, decoration, line, and letter spacing are there. Plus, add HTML tags, drop caps, text shadows, and columns.

Layout Features

Take complete control of your pages' layout by easily manipulating sections, columns, spacing, margins, and padding.

Mobile Features

Optimize your web pages by device with independent changes. Set font size, layout, and individual elements by device type so that your pages are as responsive and usable on a smartphone as they are on a laptop.

Theme Builder Features

Manipulate your theme's individual features like visuals, content, headers, and footers, and more special theme editing features. For bloggers, create a blog post template to use over and over to streamline your posts. Create unique, 404 pages and search result pages. Easily set up a portfolio with a built-in portfolio widget or add custom menus.

ECommerce Features

Easily add e-commerce features to any website using the dynamic Woo Commerce platform. Individually manage WooCommerce elements, product descriptions, price lists, categories, and price tables right in elementor with no need to add additional WordPress plugins.

Form Features

Build any form that you need, from simple contact forms to confirmation emails and custom messages. Integrate tracking features in your forms with hidden fields and take advantage of Honeypot compatibility for security needs.

Social Media Features

Blend your current social media pages and activities with your website with full support for Facebook pages, comments, and embedding. Add social icons and share buttons to increase engagement and build your community.

Media Content Features

Display content on your pages in unique and attractive ways with carousels, slides, overlays, and embedding options.

Support Features

The majority of support for Elementor comes from an active community of designers and developers who use the products and are eager to help others. The company directly provides support by email, but the community resources are often quicker and more complex than the email support. The base module is free, but Elementor offers a satisfaction guarantee on those purchases if you pay for the professional versions.

Pros: What We Like About Elementor

Elementor bills itself as a live, drag-and-drop editor that is simply faster than the others. Speed is good, but their user-friendly design is even better.

• Elementor has familiar interface controls like copy/paste and drag & drop.
• The simplified design process allows users to design an entire website from one screen.
• Workflow is seamless with autosave, undo, redo, and revision history, keeping track of every detail.
• It has built-in Design Capabilities, including basic photo editing, backgrounds, animations, overlays, and fonts.
• Integrated marketing solutions include landing pages, a popup builder, a form builder, and easy integration for third-party marketing tools.
• Full integration with Woo-commerce builder at the pro level pairs perfectly with integrated marketing tools to build start-to-finish sales funnels.
• A full range of widgets for design elements replaces the need to install extra WordPress plugins.
• There is an excellent support network from a community of Elementor experts available to answer any question. While they don’t offer live chat support, their support community's sheer reach is more powerful than a contact center or chatbot could ever be.

Cons: What to Consider About Elementor

So far, this plugin sounds like a dream come true to anyone who has struggled to build a WordPress site. But there are two sides to every story; here are a few things you should know before you jump in feet first.

• Although we agree that the interface is easy to use, allowing free reign on creative control means that there are too many details to get lost in. If you choose this editor, rough out a plan before you get started, or you might spend hours getting lost in the details.
• While Elementor works with a long list of WordPress themes, it is not exhaustive. If you use a theme that does not recognize Elementor, then the plug-in has a nasty habit of overriding your color schemes and fonts.
• The pricing structure is subscription-based, and you have to keep the plugin installed, or you will lose your entire design. For users who don’t like the idea of paying monthly fees, this one may be a non-starter. The prices are very affordable now, but there is no guarantee for the future and no option to buy a lifetime update.
• For developers, things get a little bit more complicated. It can be difficult to design widgets to work with Elementor, and there is no option for back-end editing. Elementor is a front-end, the only editor.

What is Divi WordPress Page Builder?

Divi has been around just a little bit longer than Elementor, launched by Elegant Themes in 2015. It offers a user-friendly visual editor on the front-end with a developer-focused back-end editor. Most designers and DIYers will stick to the visual editor, but unlike Elementor, we just wanted to point out that backend editing is accessible with Divi.

Divi boasts easy drag-and-drop building tools with a ton of design options on a visual platform. Like others on the market, it is responsive and offers options for customizations.

Divi is more than a page builder or a theme. It is a community of designers and developers providing everything from support to third-party extensions, templates, and modules designed exclusively for Divi.

Building and Design Features

Divi works just like you would expect from a front-end visual editor, allowing anyone to set up robust websites quickly and easily. Access a layout library full of more than three hundred templates or go on your own with the ability to manipulate layout, design, effects, and interactions.

Marketing Features

Integrate your social media accounts and email marketing tools with your website using the Monarch social media plugin or Bloom email plugin. Each one has been designed by Elegant Themes to work seamlessly with Divi. Perform split testing to see how well ad campaigns or webpage changes perform with target audiences using Divi Leads to better utilize the traffic your site receives.

ECommerce Features

Add eCommerce functionality to your website using WooCommerce directly from the Divi editor. Did you know that Woo-Commerce currently supports almost half of all online shops? It is a pretty popular choice that you will find readily available.

Support Features

Divi by Elegant Themes, one of the most popular WordPress theme shops, is under a brand name users can trust. They provide live chat support, an active community of professionals and enthusiasts, and a satisfaction guarantee. Plus, they offer a simple pricing structure that works well for individuals and enterprises alike.

The Pros: What We Like Most About Divi

Divi is one of the most flexible front-end website builders available as a WordPress plugin. Divi is fully-supported with training, builder tools, and 24/7 live chat support. It is great for anyone who feels intimidated by website design as it provides easy-to-use, front-end tools with a graphical interface.

• Divi takes care of its customers well, and it shows with their excellent track record of satisfied customer ratings.
• They put in the work to keep the software up to date and moving forward to meet demands in the market.
• This builder is affordably priced and packed with quality templates so users can put up a nice looking website with minimal time and money invested.
• It features the option to do split testing so you can try out changes on your website and measure performance. This is an excellent tool for building landing pages.
• Divi considers itself to be 100% SEO-friendly. It has built-in features that include a native good site structure, ability to add meta titles and descriptions, a breadcrumb module that eliminates the need for the Yoast SEO plugin.
• The Divi Builder pairs perfectly with the Divi Theme for a seamless WordPress site.

The Cons: Where Divi Falls Short

Divi does some things well, but if you are looking for a feature that they don’t support then, Divi may fall flat of your expectations.

• Divi doesn’t do e-commerce well. It is a popular choice for creating landing pages but requires other tools to complete the sales funnel's actions.
• Divi doesn’t clean up after itself very well. It tends to leave behind shortcodes when the builder is deactivated. This leaves a lot of tedious manual work to do when redesigning a website.
• Divi is limited in its marketing functionality. On the upside, it can create landing pages, perform split testing, and integrate with WooCommerce. But without a popup builder, it is missing an important part of the sales funnel process.

Comparing Elementor and Divi Side-by-Side

There are many good (and some not-so-great) things to be said for each of these WordPress builder plugins. They are both front-end visual designers for WordPress sites with routine updates, affordable price tags, and a wealth of support. When you get into the nitty-gritty, how do the two measure up against one another?

Ease of Learning and Use

Both Elementor and Divi offer familiar drag and drop interfaces that are easy to work with. Neither plugin is particularly difficult to learn, making them suitable for beginners and non-designers alike. Divi offers a wealth of training materials and 24/7 live chat support. While Elementor doesn’t have a dedicated team to provide live chat support, it does have a loyal community of experts willing to lend a hand anytime you need them.

It is a little bit of a draw when it comes to ease of use. If you are a developer or have any interest in back-end programming, then Divi is the better choice for you. Suppose you strictly prefer to stay in the visual editor but want to complete freedom over your design. In that case, we like Elementor better for the wide range of customizable features in the visual editor.

Workflow Process

Both builder plugins feature autosave, undo, redo, revision history, and draft modes so that you can work confidently and test out ideas. Divi also includes A/B testing for trying out new changes. Both Elementor and Divi offer inline text editing, meaning that you can just click and type where you want the text to appear. Both allow you to save and manage your designs as unique templates to streamline your workflow process. And both offer global elements and styles so you can carry the same elements and settings to all of your websites.

Design Features

With Elementor, there is no shortage of design features built into the visual editor. All of the basics, like fonts, colors, and custom CSS, are available. Plus, get more leverage with your designs on backgrounds and images with gradients, background videos, overlays, slideshows, blend modes, and shape divider.

Pricing

Elementor has a tiered pricing structure ranging from free (our favorite) to $199 per year for the full-feature professional version and unlimited websites. While it is hard to beat free, some features are not available with the free version, specifically e-commerce integration.

Divi offers two ways to buy. For $89/year, you can support one website. Or, for a one-time fee of $249, you get lifetime support and unlimited websites. Plus, Divi includes a WordPress theme designed just for this plugin.

Strictly speaking of money, Divi has the advantage with the option to buy a lifetime license upfront for a reasonable price and no additional costs for themes. Elementor’s pricing is still very reasonable, but users will have to invest in a separate theme (be careful about compatibility) and maintain their subscription or risk losing their design.

Range of Design Elements

In a visual editor, the design element modules allow you to customize specific bits and pieces of your website like headings, images, text blocks, videos, carousels, menus, and more. If you are coming from the basic WordPress editor, you will be pleased to find a large selection of both plugins' basic elements.

Elementor has a wide range of modules. Even in the free version, which includes around 40 modules, there is plenty to choose from—upgrading to one of the professional versions, and your options double to more than 90 elements. Elementor has an ample and growing selection of just over 300 premade templates.

Divi is a little more limited, but still very capable, offering around 40 customizable elements. But where they fall short in elements, they make up for a larger selection of premade template designs.

Search Engine Optimization and Blogging

Search engine optimization (SEO) is intricately involved in all aspects of a website. How fast a web page loads and how responsive it is to user input affect search engine ranking as much as old standbys like keyword use, meta tags, and descriptions. It only makes sense that a visual web page builder would have integrated SEO tools.

If you plan to host a blog on your website, pay attention here. While these two plugins are competitive and offer many similar features, Divi is distinctly better for blogging. You can blog with Elementor, but it is a little bare-bones on its blogging-centric features.

Elementor lacks any and all native blog editing features. If you are using Elementor and want to add a blog to your website, your best bet is to do some research and find a blog-friendly WordPress theme that also plays well with Elementor, like OceanWP. Otherwise, it is back to the basic WordPress blog post editor.

We like Divi better for hosting blogs because they have included tools to make editing blog posts easy. Divi also takes care of a lot of the back-end SEO, which takes a lot of maintenance off your hands without needing another plugin.

Marketing Features

Modern websites are far more than a digital billboard. Complex sales funnels now walk users through an experience that starts with piquing interest, followed by building trust and nurturing a sale through closing the deal. This process or sales funnel takes a lot more than just a single web page with some crafty copy.

Elementor has all of the tools you need to build a sales funnel, including a visual editor to create landing pages, pop-ups, and forms. It also offers seamless integration with dozens of popular marketing tools like MailChimp, HubSpot, ConvertKit, Woo Commerce, LearnDash, Pods, Facebook, YouTube, and many more.

By comparison, Divi is also good for creating landing pages but lacks some of the features needed to get the most of your marketing and Woo-Commerce activities. Additional WordPress plugins can be used with the Divi theme to accomplish the same goal, but Elementor makes it a little easier to get there.

Which Page Builder Plug-In Is Best?

We are comparing two A+ options, making it more difficult to see a clear winner and a clear loser. Depending on what you are looking for, the best choice can be very debatable. Here is what we think:

Best for Small Budgets

If your budget is nil, Elementor offers a free version for one website with many features. While it ultimately has fewer features than the pro version, you might not even notice it because it has all of the right features in the free version.

Best for E-Commerce

Suppose you plan to incorporate e-commerce with your website. In that case, Elementor offers seamless integration with Woo E-commerce, plus integrated marketing tools like pop up builders, landing page templates, and forms. Although Divi also supports Woo Commerce and is set up for A/B testing, there is a case for both.

Best for Advanced Development and Complex Integrations

If your website requires a high level of customized content or you want a developer to create custom elements and widgets, choose Divi. Hands down, developers find the Divi platform easier to work with. Plus, Elementor simply does not allow back-end access, which may be necessary for complex integrations.

Best for Support

It is slightly a draw here with both Elementor and Divi offering excellent support networks in their ways. The main thing to know here is that Elementor does not have staffed live chat support. They do have email support, but it can be challenging to get the help you need this way. To make up for it, they have a well-developed community of pro users that are happy to let you lean on them for help.

Divi takes more control over their support, offering a staffed chat support feature that is available 24/7. Divi also has a pretty great resource community and a lot of training material available to learn as you go. Divi is slightly more difficult to learn as a tradeoff, so you probably need more resources.

Final Thoughts

Side-by-side, Elementor and Divi are the same. Both plugins are visual web page editors that work off a familiar drag/drop and copy/paste framework. Both plugins do their job well and have support teams committed to keeping the software updated.

We like the option to buy out a lifetime license upfront with Divi. Unfortunately, Elementor doesn’t have that option. But both are affordable, so it is not exactly a dealbreaker, especially since Elementor offers a free version.

Divi offers more customization if you are skilled and interested in getting into the backend, but that isn’t exactly the visual editor's point. In this area, Elementor takes the cake with a seemingly endless lineup of visual customizations.

Elementor is also a little more advanced when it comes to features and support for marketing activities like building sales funnels and e-commerce integration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What themes does Elementor work best with?

Elementor works with all themes that adhere to WP coding standards. But if you are looking for specific suggestions, we are partial to Hello Elementor, the official theme from the Elementor team. It is this most lightweight theme possible, literally designed to work with Elementor by Elementor. We also like Astra, a lightweight and customizable free theme that pairs well. And, GeneratePress which is a good performance option.

What if I sign up and don’t like it?

With Divi, you get simple pricing, around-the-clock support, and an active community. But like every new software, there is a learning curve and the possibility that the plugin won’t work the way you need it. Divi offers a risk-free trial period for 30 days.

Elementor has two options. The most obvious choice is to start with the free version and try it out. If you need more, you can upgrade at any time. The pro plans each come with a standard 30-day money-back guarantee if the plugin is not the right fit for you.

Which plugin builds faster pages?

There has been a long-standing assumption in the industry that Elementor builds faster pages than Divi. Perhaps that was true at one time, or there are many more variables to the equation, but some recent speed tests show that they are the same, if not slightly favoring Divi for faster page speeds.

What should I do if the builder plugin causes a conflict with another WordPress plug in?

Both Elementor and Divi are designed to work with current WordPress codes. Users should not experience issues with other plugins as long as those plugins also adhere to WordPress codes. If you encounter an issue, contact the developer of the third-party plug in causing the issue.

The post Elementor vs Divi – 2023 WordPress Page Builder Comparison appeared first on WebMonkey.

Should you use Elementor for your WordPress website? Is it worth downloading the plugin? Keep reading to learn more about the free and paid versions of Elementor:

What are the Pros and Cons of Elementor?

Here’s an overview of the benefits and drawbacks of both the free and paid version of Elementor:

Pros of the Free Version

• Drag and drop editor: Elementor’s drag and drop editor makes it easy for you to edit your website. You get most of the basic editing features for free.
• Basic templates and widgets: The free plan comes with over 40 basic widgets and 30 templates you can use to create your site.
• Use on multiple sites: You can use the free plan on one site or hundreds of sites, and the price stays the same.

Cons of the Free Version

• No support or updates: You may not have to pay cash, but you will have to spend time fixing things yourself if you don’t pay for Elementor.
• No theme or popup builders: You can’t design themes or popups for your website without paying for Elementor Pro.

Pros of the Paid Version

• More themes and widgets available: If you want to customize your site, you can access hundreds of themes and widgets with a Pro plan.
• Flexible prices for different needs: Elementor has different tiers based on how many sites you need to use with the builder.
• Ecommerce builder available: You can use Elementor Pro to build an online store, so you can turn a profit from your investment.

Cons of the Paid Version

• Steep price increases: The second level paid plan is twice as expensive as the first level, and you can only use Elementor on two more sites with the upgrade.
• Nothing new at higher tiers: Unless you need to use Elementor on more sites, higher-priced plans offer nothing extra.

Overview

Elementor is one of the most popular page builders for WordPress websites. Over 5 million people use Elementor to build part or all of their websites. You can control all elements of your web design from one place with the page builder.

Sites with Elementor run quickly, so you don’t have to worry about it bogging down your website. You also don’t need to worry about coding or dealing with the backend. All of the design is visual, and you can drag and drop elements where you want them.

Elementor has a free plan you can use to test it out. If you want more features, you can upgrade to Elementor Pro, and there are different tiers based on the number of websites you have.

• Personal (1 website)
• Plus (3 websites)
• Expert (1,000 websites)

Before moving forward, let’s look at what Elementor is:

What is a Page Builder?

Elementor is a page builder that functions as a drag and drop editor to use on your WordPress site. By default, you have to edit WordPress sites through their “backend” using text boxes and some coding.

Page builders like Elementor give your site the ability of other platforms, like SquareSpace. Instead of using code and text, you can design a website with just the visuals. Elementor is a WordPress plugin, but other page builders come as full themes you can download and install.

Who is Elementor Best For?

Elementor is an excellent option for anyone who needs to build a website with WordPress. You can use it to edit your personal site, or you can use it with web design clients. Here are a few uses for Elementor:

Personal

Do you want to start a blog or website without the limitations of other web design platforms? Elementor makes it easy to create a WordPress site. You can access popular plugins and features, but you don’t have to learn to use the WordPress editor. Just choose a web host that fits your budget and set up your site.

Business

If you want to become a web designer, you need to get some experience and build a portfolio. The Elementor Pro Plus plan lets you build three sites with one license. You can use Elementor to experiment with different sites, so you can show off your skills.

Once you have more sites to run, you can upgrade to the Expert plan for use with up to 1,000 sites.

Ecommerce Sites

No matter which Pro plan you choose, you can use the WooCommerce builder on Elementor. You can create an online store that looks beautiful and is easy to edit and navigate.

While the WooCommerce builder isn’t available with Elementor Free, it’s worth the upgrade if you want to build an online business.

Reliability and Performance

When choosing a website builder and page builder, you want it to be reliable and fast. Luckily, Elementor checks those boxes. If your page builder or website crashes, you won’t be able to access your content, and visitors will leave your site.

Elementor is fast both when you’re building pages and when loading your site. As you design your website, you can quickly drag and drop elements to fit your design idea. You can also edit your pages easily if you need to.

Elementor is open-source, which means anyone can edit the source code. Many developers can work on it to improve the builder. You can take advantage of these by updating your Elementor plugin whenever there’s a new version.

Updating will also make sure your website runs fast and secure. However, using Elementor won’t guarantee your site will run smoothly. You need to choose the right website host with reliable uptime so that your site won’t go down every day.

Look for hosts with higher than average uptimes, and try one that’s close to 99 percent. If your site has a low uptime, it won’t matter how well Elementor runs.

You can consider WordPress-recommended hosts because WordPress trusts those companies. Other hosts can work well, too, so compare a few hosts within your budget. Then, you can find the right host for you.

Tools and Features

Check out these tools and features you get when you use Elementor:

Types of Page Builders

Elementor is a page builder, and you can use it to build different parts of your website. Here are some examples:

Editor

You can use the Elementor Editor on existing or new pages on your WordPress site. If you click to edit a page, you can click on the Elementor icon to enter the drag and drop editor. Then, you can add text boxes, media files, widgets and more.

The editor makes it easy to create a page from scratch, or you can copy and paste existing content. You can use files already in your media library, or you can upload new files.

Elementor’s editor is available on both Elementor Free and Elementor Pro. You can use it on any WordPress site, and all you need is the Elementor plugin.

Theme Builder

If you want to design your entire site with Elementor, you can use the theme builder. WordPress sites run on themes, and you can use a premade theme from WordPress or a third-party designer. However, Elementor’s Theme Builder lets you create a unique theme.

You can access each part of your website and make changes within the editor. You won’t have to worry about messing with code or choosing the right website theme from what’s available. If you have a visual design in mind, you can bring it to life.

Unfortunately, the theme builder isn’t available with Elementor Free. However, you can use it with any of the Elementor Pro plans. Then, you can customize your entire site in one place.

Popup Builder

Adding popups in the right places and at the right time can help you grow your site. You can add a popup banner to the top of your site to promote your latest product or service. People can sign up with their email address, and you can contact them.

Popups also work over the body of a webpage, and you can choose when they show up. You can use a couple of popups, but don’t overdo it, or you might drive people away.

WooCommerce Builder

WooCommerce is one of the most popular online store plugins for WordPress. Luckily, you can use Elementor Pro to design pages for your store. Elementor Pro offers all of the widgets you need for your store, including product images and add to cart buttons.

Like other Elementor features, you can design the visual part of your store without having to code or edit the backend.

WordPress Integration

Because Elementor is a WordPress plugin, you know it will work on your WordPress site. It works seamlessly with WordPress, so you can create the website of your dreams.

Once you set up your WordPress site, you can go to the Plugins page, click Add New and search for Elementor. Then, you can install the plugin and head to edit a page on your site. Click the Elementor box near the top of the page editor, and you can open the visual editor.

Add-ons

You can use third-party add-ons to further customize your Elementor site. Popular add-ons include Prime Slider, which provides you with slider widgets to use on your site, and Rank Math, which can help you with search engine optimization (SEO).

You can view the available add-ons and choose the ones you want. Then, you can use them to add more capabilities to your website.

Full Site Editor

If you choose Elementor Pro, you can use the Full Site Editor to change everything about your site at once. You can change the body content like with the regular editor. But you can also edit your site’s header and footer.

That can help you save time when making changes to your website.

Revision History

If you’ve ever experimented with website design, you’ve probably done something you didn’t like. But you may also have not known how to fix it. Both Elementor Pro and Elementor Free let you access your revision history to find the version you want to go back to without manually editing everything.

Auto Save

Another issue that’s bound to happen if you work on websites a lot is to lose your work. If you spend a long time editing a webpage, you want to save those changes. Elementor will automatically save your changes, so you can access them even if your computer crashes.

And because of the revision history feature, you can get right back to work once you get your computer up and running.

Draft Mode

After you publish your website, you may decide to make changes. Perhaps you want to edit your bio or change your homepage. If you can’t edit and publish the changes at once, you can save the new version as a draft. Then, you can finish it and publish the new page later.

Copy Paste and Copy Style

As you build your website, you may design an element that you really like. Instead of recreating it, you can copy and paste the element to another part of the page or to a different page.

The copy style feature is similar, and it lets you duplicate a section or column. Then, you don’t have to redesign it for each page of your website.

Pricing Summary

If you want to test out the Elementor Pro features, you don’t need to start with the highest tier. You can start small and upgrade later if you want to use it on multiple websites.

Here’s an overview of the different plans from Elementor and their prices:

Free

As you might expect, Elementor Free doesn’t cost anything. You can use it on any number of websites without upgrading. However, you don’t have access to some of the more advanced features on Elementor Pro.

You can only work with a few widgets and themes, and you can only use it to build standard pages. The free version won’t let you create eCommerce pages, popups or themes.

Elementor Free does give you access to responsive editing, so you don’t have to mess with code. You can find Elementor in the Plugin library and install it to use it right away.

Personal

If you want more features with a page builder, you may want to upgrade to Elementor Personal. It’s one of the Pro plans, so you will have to pay about $50 per year. For that price, you get access to all of the Pro features, including updates, support, template kits and more.

You can use the Personal license on one website, so it’s great if you don’t want to hire a designer for your site. If you don’t have web design clients, you don’t need more than a single license.

Elementor Personal is also a great option if you want to test out the Pro features. You can’t get a demo of Elementor Pro, so you can use this as a paid demo of sorts. If you don’t like or need the advanced features, you can downgrade to Elementor Free at the end of the year.

Plus

Some people may need to use Elementor on a few websites. If you have a couple of websites for personal and business use, you may want to consider the Plus plan. You can use it on up to three websites, so you can test it out with a few designs.

This plan has all of the same features as the Personal plan, but it’s double the price at $100 per year. However, if you have a personal blog and a separate online store, the extra cost is worth it.

You can also take advantage of this plan if you just started a web design business. That way, you can use Elementor for a few clients, and you can upgrade later when your business grows.

Expert

Do you have a thriving web design business and want to use Elementor? You should get Elementor’s Expert plan, which is for up to 1,000 websites. Like the other paid plans, it has advanced page design features and widgets.

You can experiment with different designs to build your web design portfolio, or you can use it with real client websites. This plan costs about $200 per year, but you have a lot of flexibility with it.

You probably don’t need this plan if you aren’t a web designer. But if you do design websites often, you can stick with the same page builder to work more efficiently.

Cancellation

If you use Elementor free, you can stop using it at any time. You can go into a page that you created with Elementor and click “Back to WordPress Editor.” Once you move all pages back to the standard editor, you can uninstall and delete the Elementor plugin.

If you go with Elementor Pro, cancellation requires a few extra steps. For one, Elementor sets up your account to renew automatically each year. You will need to go into your Elementor account and click “Cancel Auto Renewal.”

That way, you won’t have to pay for another year of Elementor that you won’t use. However, you will only get your money back if you cancel within 30 days of signing up. If you cancel after that, you need to contact Elementor support about a refund.

Which Plan is the Best Value?

If you need a basic page builder, you can’t go wrong with the Free version of Elementor. However, some people may need more features. Professional web designers will benefit the most from Elementor Expert, but individuals should use the Personal plan.

Security

Elementor does its best to keep everything secure. Their developers write safe code when building and updating the plugin, and they check the software for potential security issues. Elementor also has community channels where users can report vulnerabilities, so you can help find problems.

They work quickly and efficiently to fix any problems that do show up, so you can keep your website safe. Be sure to check your WordPress dashboard regularly for any updates to Elementor and your other plugins.

You can also download a third-party security plugin to keep your site safe. But regularly updating your site is a good start to securing your site with or without Elementor.

Even if you don’t have to make changes to your site all of the time, check it each week to see if there are updates. Be sure to also update WordPress when new versions come out to protect your entire site.

Website security is essential to keeping your data safe. It can also help you bring in and retain visitors and customers. While Elementor can’t control every part of your site’s security, it is a secure and reliable plugin.

Customer Service

Elementor offers multiple options for getting the help you need. Anyone can access the knowledge base, where you can read about Elementor and its features. Their FAQ section has questions that others have had, so you can see if someone has an answer for your issue.

If you prefer to learn with videos, Elementor also offers some video tutorials to help you get started. You can also ask the community and connect with other web designers on Facebook and Github to learn more about Elementor.

Unfortunately, Elementor Free users don’t have access to one-on-one customer support. However, Pro users get 24/7 support through Elementor’s ticket system. You can log into your account and submit a support ticket.

Customer support reps can log into your WordPress dashboard or even your website control panel to help solve your problem. Then, you don’t have to waste time trying different solutions.

FAQs

Here are some common questions about Elementor and their answers:

Why Should I Use a Page Builder on WordPress?

WordPress is the most common website platform in the world, but it’s not the easiest one. You have to use the text editor and a bit of code to get the design you want. But if you aren’t that tech-savvy, it can be difficult to use WordPress.

Still, you have more control over your site than if you used another visual editor, like Wix or SquareSpace. Elementor is a plugin that you can add to your new or existing WordPress site, and you can get the benefits of a drag and drop editor.

You don’t have to worry about coding, and you can design with website visuals in mind. Plus, you can use other popular WordPress plugins, like WooCommerce or Yoast, to build a beautiful, functioning website.

Do I Need Elementor Pro?

If you just want a basic page builder for your website, you don’t need Elementor Pro. The free version has a decent number of features to get you started. However, you can only do so much with the free plan.

You should choose one of the Elementor Pro plans if you want more features and page building options. It’s also worth the upgrade if you think you may need individual customer support.

If you’re unsure about Free or Pro, start with free. You may find you don’t need any extra features or help from Elementor. However, if you need or want a widget or feature that doesn’t come on the Free version, you can upgrade.

Which Elementor Pro Plan Should I Get?

If you don’t plan on designing other websites, the Personal plan is more than enough. It’s relatively affordable, and you can take advantage of all the features. And if you have a web design business, you can use the Expert plan for all of your client websites.

Most people have one or maybe two websites. So you probably don’t need the Expert plan unless you have a growing design firm.

Consider how many sites you plan to use with Elementor and where you will need the Pro features. Even if you own a few sites, you may only need the Personal license. You can use the Pro features on one site, but you can get an Elementor Free plan for your other websites.

What If I’m Not a Web Designer?

Elementor makes it easy for web designers and non-designers to create gorgeous websites. If you’re new to web design, you can read through Elementor’s knowledge base or watch some video tutorials to learn the ropes.

You don’t have to worry about hiring a web designer to create or update your site. As long as you check your WordPress dashboard each week, you can stay on top of your website maintenance.

What If I Need Help?

If you have an Elementor Pro account, you can contact their in-house support team. But even if you have the free version, you can get help from the Elementor community. The plugin is one of the most popular WordPress page builders, and odds are someone can help you fix your issue.

Final Thoughts

Elementor is an excellent page builder for WordPress sites. You can get all of the freedom and creative benefits of WordPress without having to code or work with the backend. They have plans for every budget, and you don’t need to be a professional designer to use it.

Finally, you can use Elementor on as many WordPress websites as you need. You may need multiple licenses for Elementor Pro, but it doesn’t matter if you have one site or a dozen sites. If you want an easy way to create and edit pages, you should look at Elementor.

The post Elementor WordPress Page Builder Review : Free vs. Pro Version appeared first on WebMonkey.

When you think of a website builder, you may think of Wix or Squarespace. But they both face some tough competition from Site123. The company offers many similar services to other website builders, so it’s a surprise that it’s not as popular.

So is Site123 the right website builder for you? Keep reading to learn about the performance, features, and more.

What are the Pros & Cons of Site123?

Here’s a quick list:

Pros

Easy to set up and use: Site123 has a three-step setup process, and each step includes information to help you create your site. Once you set everything up, it’s easy to use and design a unique website.

Offers different plugins: You can choose from many product integrations, so you can connect to Facebook or Twitter. Some tools make it easy to manage your website, while others let you communicate with customers.

Hosting and website builder in one: You don’t have to worry about finding separate hosts and website builders, so you can get started immediately.

Cons

Design and technical limitations: While Site123 makes it easy to build a site, you can’t export it if you decide to move to a different host. You also can’t change the layout of your website template.

More expensive than the competition: The cheapest plan is over $12 per month, which is a lot more than other website builders and third-party web hosts.

Overview

Site123 is a website builder and hosting company in one, and it faces competition from Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. While it’s not as popular as others, Site123 offers plenty of features to get your website up and going.

They have data centers all over the world, so you and your visitors can easily view your site. The builder is easy to use, and you don’t need to be a designer or developer to make the most of it.

You can use Site123 to create a variety of sites, including:

• Personal Blogs
• Business Websites
• Online Stores

Before you decide if you should use Site123, consider how website builders work:

What is a Website Builder?

A website builder is a platform anyone can use to create a website. But don’t confuse it with website hosting, which is sometimes a different service. However, Site123 combines the two, so you don’t have to worry about connecting a host.

Using a website builder makes it easy to create a website without using a bunch of code. You can make small tweaks to make your site unique. In this review, you’ll learn about the various features, pricing, and flexibility. Consider if Site123 is the best platform to build your site:

Who is Site123 Best For?

Site123 offers a variety of plans and services for different needs. They may not be as well-known as other website builders, but you should consider it. Here are a few groups of people who can benefit from using Site123:

Personal

Do you want to create a personal blog or portfolio site? Does the idea of coding and HTML freak you out? Site123 doesn’t require any technical knowledge for you to build a site. You can create any site you want, so you can build your online presence today.

Business

If you have a small business, you may have other things to do besides build a website. In that case, Site123 makes it easy to build a website for your business. You can get it up and running in a few hours. That way, you can send customers to your site to learn more about you.

Ecommerce Sites

Running an online business requires the right website builder and hosting plan. Site123 offers two plans with ecommerce capabilities, so you can sell products and services.

You don’t need to set up a complicated website or design sales pages. Site123 helps you keep things simple, so you can make sales and grow your business.

Reliability and Performance

When considering a website builder, you should know about the platform’s uptime. Uptime refers to how often the site is up and accessible. If a site goes down, that affects the overall uptime.

Site123 doesn’t guarantee uptime on its website, but it’s very reliable when it comes to a site’s uptime. The average uptime is about 99.99%, which is better than some hosts and website builders.

Your site may go down a couple of times over the course of a few months. However, when the site is up, you can expect it to be pretty fast. If you keep your site relatively simple, it can load in under a second.

Site123 does offer a money-back guarantee, and you can use that if your site is frequently down. However, they may not offer your money back if your site goes down for maintenance or if you add certain third-party functions.

To get your money back, you’ll need to contact Site123 and cancel your subscription. You’ll need to fill out a specific form to start the refund and cancellation process.

While the small amount of downtime can add up over the course of a year, it’s usually not a big problem. You can expect your site to be up and running again within a few minutes.

But if you do have concerns, don’t be afraid to contact Site123 for help. They can move your site to a different server or find another way to solve your issue.

Tools & Features

Here are some of the important features and tools to consider from Site123:

Design

Site123 makes it super easy to design your site. You can choose a premade template and input your content immediately. There’s no need to mess with HTML or other coding languages, and you can add images and text.

However, changing the template you get or adjust the layout can be difficult. You can’t drag and drop different elements to make the site look exactly how you want it to. And if you do have coding knowledge, you can’t edit the HTML or CSS.

If you edit the menu, you’ll have to change it on each page, rather than all at once. This may not be a problem when you first create your website. But if you later decide you want more custom options, you’ll be out of luck.

Responsive Design

While there are some design limits, you also have to consider that Site123 offers responsive design. That means you can make your site look good on desktops, tablets, and phones.

You can preview the various layouts when you edit your site, so you can make sure everything looks good. As more people use their phones and tablets to browse the web, having a responsive website is more important than ever.

It doesn’t take long to review how your site looks on mobile. So take a couple of seconds to ensure all of your visitors can see the content on your site.

Technical

Because Site123 focuses a lot on ease of use and design, you don’t have a ton of technical capabilities. You can connect some plugins and apps to get more functionality. Some of the plugins let you market your website and connect to social media.

You can also add a meta description to each page, and you can create a slogan for your site. But that’s about it when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).

Site123 offers some control over the technical side of your site, but there are limits. You don’t have much control over the backend of your website, so it can be hard to scale your site.

And if you want more technical features, you’ll need to pay for a higher tier. But even then, you still have some limitations.

Product Integration

Site123 has an App Market where you can add various web apps to improve your site. You can connect to popular programs like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel. That way, you can track your website views and social ads.

The App Market has programs for everything from live support chat to payment gateways to online stores. If you know what kind of site you want, you can select the best products to integrate.

But keep in mind how much storage your website has. You could easily use up a portion of the 10GB from a Premium plan. Make sure you choose product integrations that you will use and consider upgrading if you need more apps.

That way, you can keep your site up and running, and visitors can access your content. If your site is for business, you can then make more sales to pay for the higher website plan.

Ecommerce Support

If you want to build an online store, Site123’s Premium plan is the best option. You can choose the type of ecommerce site to build, including an online store or a restaurant site. Then, you can name the site and create your account.

After you set up your website, you can go to the App Market and connect a payment gateway and other ecommerce tools, like bookings. If you sell products, you can list your products on your site and connect them to a cart.

No matter what type of business you have, creating an ecommerce site is essential. You can capture potential customers who visit your site even if you don’t sell anything online. Then, you can encourage those customers to visit your business.

Online Booking

If you offer appointments or reservations, you can connect a booking app to your site. An app makes it easy to book your services, and you don’t have to book through emails or calls manually.

You can set up your availability, and customers can book directly on your site. Whether you offer consultations or have a restaurant, online booking is useful.

For online appointments, you can use the booking tool to fill your schedule. And for restaurant reservations, you don’t have to spend time on the phone scheduling them.

You’ll have more free time to focus on your customers or other tasks. An online booking tool can help you grow your business without hiring any new employees, and Site123 makes it easy to connect one to your site.

Email Accounts

If you have a business, you want to have a professional email account with your business domain. Site123 offers email accounts for some of the paid plans, so you don’t need to use an email like yourbusiness@gmail.

You can use an email account with the higher paid tiers, including the advanced, professional, and gold plans. Site123 emails have encryption, so you can avoid online threats, and you can use your email safely.

The email doesn’t cost extra, so you can start using it when you set up your site. Then, you can contact customers manually, and you don’t have to clutter your personal email inbox.

Access to Images

One interesting feature of Site123 is the ability to access their library of images and videos. You can choose from the stock images in Site123’s library, and you can find images to fit your website’s niche.

They have images for everything, from food to education to medicine. The images are great if you aren’t a photographer and can’t afford to hire one. You can still add a visual appeal to your website, and you don’t have to pay for the images.

Site123 also offers free icons you can use when designing your site. So even if you have your own pictures, their icons can help users navigate your site.

Free Domain

When starting your website, you may not want to spend a ton of money. While you’ll have to pay for one of the premium plans, you can get a free website domain.

The free plan gives you a subdomain on Site123’s website. You don’t have to pay anything, and that subdomain will be free as long as you keep that site.

If you choose a premium plan, you will get a free second-level domain for one year. You can keep that domain free when you purchase an annual plan.

Storage

The free plan from Site123 offers 500MB of storage and 1GB of bandwidth. It’s a great option if you’re just getting started and want to build a simple website without spending money.

The premium plan has 10GB of storage and 5GB of bandwidth. If you upgrade to a higher premium tier, you can get up to 270GB of storage and 135GB of bandwidth.

Pricing Summary

If you’re building your first website, you don’t need a ton of features. You can start with the basics so that you can publish your site, and you can upgrade when you need more capabilities.

Here are the various plans from Site123 and their prices:

Free

The free plan is self-explanatory because you don’t have to pay anything to build your website. You can use a subdomain from Site123, so you also don’t have to pay for that.

With a free plan, you get 500MB of storage, which should be more than enough for a basic website. You’ll also get 1GB of bandwidth, and that can support a few visitors each day.

The free plan is excellent for testing out a website with little investment. If you find you need more features, you can upgrade, or you can stick with the free plan if you like it.

Premium

The premium tier offers four unique plans, so you can choose the one with the features you want. Here are the plans and their prices:

• Basic – $12.80 per month
• Advanced – $19.80 per month
• Professional – $28.80 per month
• Gold – $34.80 per month

With the basic plan, you get up to 10GB of storage and 5GB of bandwidth. You can get a free domain from Site123, or you can connect a domain you already own.

All of the paid plans let you remove the floating Site123 tag that appears on your site. They also all come with a free domain or a domain connection. However, none of the tiers offer unlimited storage or bandwidth.

The two features increase by three times between each tier, so you can get up to 270GB of storage and 135GB of bandwidth. You shouldn’t have any issues at first, but as you grow your site, you may not have enough room.

If you need to store a lot of videos or large files on your site, you’ll use up your storage faster. And if you have more people visit your site, it can crash if you run out of bandwidth. While you can upgrade, you may still max out the gold plan.

Cancellation

If you use Site123 but later decide to move your website and cancel your subscription, you should consider the cancellation policy. Site123 will give you your money back if you cancel within 14 days of signing up.

The policy only applies to your initial purchase, so you can’t use it for automatic renewals. If your plan is almost ready to renew, cancel the service before they charge you. However, you won’t get a partial refund for plans you cancel long before they expire.

You can cancel your plan through your account by going to Billing & Payments. But if you’re still in the 14-day window, you should contact customer support to get a refund. 

Which Plan is the Best Value?

The basic plan in Site123’s premium set of plans is the best option for a lot of people. It offers enough storage and bandwidth for you to get started, and you can use your own domain rather than a subdomain on Site123.

While the plan is more expensive than similar options from competitors, it gives you access to features like mailing lists and ecommerce options. Whether you’re looking to build a personal blog or an online store, the basic premium plan is a great place to start.

Security

No matter what type of website you have, you need to consider security. Even if you don’t sell products or services, having an unsecured website can leave you vulnerable to hackers and other issues.

Site123 offers a free Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, and you can use it with a subdomain or your domain. The certificate encrypts your website and its content, and Site123 will apply the certificate automatically.

Having an SSL certificate can help your visitors feel safer on your website. If you take online payments, your customers can trust that the certificate will protect their payment information. Google may also rank your site higher when you use an SSL, so you can get more visitors.

Customer Service

Site123 offers live support at all times and throughout the year, so you can get help with your site or account. Their live support team can answer any questions and work with you to solve issues.

However, you can also use the Support Center, which has answers to some common problems. The Support Center has sections for everything from the website editor to the app market. You can also get answers to questions about billing and payments or SEO.

Before contacting Site123 directly, check out the Support Center. The center may have the answers you need to build or redesign your website.

FAQs

Here are some answers to common questions about Site123:

Do I Need a Paid Version?

One of the benefits of Site123 is that you can start making your website for free. However, the free plan has many limitations that upgrading can solve.

You don’t need to pay for the gold plan, but the basic premium plan can double your website storage and bandwidth maximums. Upgrading will also get rid of the Site123 branding, so you can make your website look more professional.

However, the free version is plenty for building a personal blog.

Can I Use Site123 On X Operating System or Browser?

Site123 operates entirely through the web, so you can use it on any browser and operating system. Whether you have a Windows or Mac computer, you can use Site123 to create your website.

How Many Servers Does Site123 Have?

Site123 has a network of hundreds of servers all over the world. Because of that, they can store your website anywhere, and that can make it easier for visitors to access your site. The company keeps their servers up to date, so you can maintain a fast website.

Is Site123 Good for SEO?

When building a website for your business, you need people to find it. Luckily, Site123 has a few tools you can use to optimize your website for search engines.

You can create a slogan for your site, and you can include keywords relevant to your site topic. That way, you can have a better chance of Google selecting your site for the right keywords and phrases.

For individual pages, you can also add a meta description, which is what will show up under the link to your page on search results. You can use the description to entice people to click on your link and view your site.

Do You Need to Hire a Designer?

If you want to make the most of your site, you can hire a web designer. But Site123 makes it easy to design your website yourself. You don’t need to use any coding languages, so you can set up your website quickly.

Should I Get My Domain From Site123?

Because Site123 offers a free domain with your paid account, it can be a good deal. However, things get tricky if you decide to move to another website builder or host.

If you buy your domain through Site123, you’ll need to transfer it to another domain registrar. You can keep it with Site123, but you may have a hard time connecting it to your new website.

Getting your domain through Site123 is an excellent option if you plan to stick with the platform. You can get the domain for free when you renew your account each year. If you get a domain elsewhere, you’ll have to pay for the domain, and you’ll have to pay to connect it.

Connecting your domain costs about $10 per month, so be sure to consider that when budgeting for your website. However, the extra fee can be worth it if you think you may change hosts in the future.

Can I Take My Site to Another Platform?

While Site123 offers a lot of features, it does have about as many limitations. So if your site outgrows Site123, you may decide to move to another website builder or host.

Unfortunately, Site123 does not let you export your website content. If you decide to leave, you’ll need to copy and paste each page individually. You will also need to choose a new template and customize that once you set up your new platform.

Final Thoughts

Site123 is an excellent tool for designing a website cheaply and easily. You can start for free, and you can upgrade to a paid plan as your site grows. You’ll also get access to a bunch of apps and an SSL certificate to make your site even better.

Lastly, you don’t need any technical knowledge to create a site. The platform provides everything you need, so you can get started right away. No matter what site you want to build, consider Site123 for an easy option.

The post Site123 Website Builder Review – Our 2023 Review and Recommendation appeared first on WebMonkey.

Is Duda the right website builder for you? Read on to learn everything you need to know to make the right decision.

What are the Pros and Cons of Duda?

Let’s start with a rundown of Duda’s strengths and weaknesses.

Pros

• The user journey feature allows you to customize how different customers will experience your site, based on factors like their location or the number of times they’ve visited.
• Drag and drop set-up is very easy to use; while Duda often markets itself to professional web designers, amateurs looking to create their very first site should still be able to navigate without much trouble.
• Massive variety of templates: more than 90 templates from which to choose gives users a significant amount of flexibility.
• Top of the line page loading speeds.

Cons

• On the pricier side: there is no free option, and the least expensive pricing tier costs $14/mo, and only if you pay for the full year upfront.
• Their templates are heavily structured. While there is a significant amount of flexibility in choosing the template, your creativity within those templates will be limited.
• Small app store and very limited marketing features compared to some competing options.

Overview

Every 17 seconds, someone creates a new website using Duda Website Builder. Why? Duda bills itself as “the fastest website builder out there,” and has an array of impressive features and attractive design templates. It’s also easy to use, and while they often market themselves towards web designers, Duda should be accessible for anyone no matter your level of experience.

Before we dive into the details, though, let’s take a step back and look at the basics.

What are Website Builders?

Gone are the days where you have to be a coding expert to create a website. In recent years, many services have emerged to help anyone design a website and get it live. What was once a relatively small industry has blossomed into a large, competitive one.

That competition has pushed many of these site builders to occupy their own specific niches. The perfect option for one customer may not work for others. Where once upon a time, users may have been picking between just a few website builders, which all had much the same features, now you have to do considerable research to find which is the right option for you.

One of these top options is Duda Website Builder. It’s certainly not as simple as a roundup of pros and cons; let’s dive into each category, so you can make an informed decision as to whether Duda is the right website builder for you.

Ease of Use

Duda is a drag and drop website builder, with an intuitive set up that allows users of any level experience to navigate the site with ease. Duda offers a staggering number of templates, allowing for a significant amount of flexibility in design and appearance.

The structures are extremely structured, which has both benefits and drawbacks. Naturally, that hems you in a bit. Many site builders have significantly more flexibility within each template. That’s not the case with Duda. What you see is largely what you get, and each element will typically be contained to its original location.

However, much of that is countered by the high volume of templates. While you don’t have much creativity within individual templates, there is still plenty of overall variety within the design process.

And the structure can be a blessing in disguise. With some web design services, you can suffer from paralysis by analysis—the amount of choice you have can leave you on an endless quest for perfection. With Duda, though, you just choose one of the many templates, and many of those decisions are made for you.

Further, signing up for the service and the free trial is quick and easy as well. You can go from not having an account to creating a website in a matter of minutes. Overall, Duda grades very well on ease of use.

Design Quality

So we know that Duda is intuitive to use and beginner-friendly. But what is it, exactly, that these beginners can create? In the end, nothing else about a web designer matters if it doesn’t create high quality, professional sites. If your site looks poor, people will assume the same about you and your business.

Luckily, that’s not an issue with Duda. Far from it, in fact. Duda’s design templates are super-polished, with a clean appearance that conveys an air of professionalism. And, as we mentioned, there are upwards of 90 from which to choose. No matter what type of business you have, and what type of message you’re trying to convey with your site, odds are Duda has a polished, attractive template to match.

As we mentioned, Duda does not give you nearly as much flexibility to alter elements as many competitors. However, we don’t necessarily consider that a bad thing. While there are certainly drawbacks to this style, much of it is because Duda truly believes in what they’ve created.

The templates are all highly curated, and rather than focusing on creative freedom, Duda focuses on allowing the user to choose a template they already love and leaving the elements as they are.

Categories

If the number of templates feels a little overwhelming, never fear. Duda allows you to filter the templates by category. Choose one of their ten categories, including business, lifestyle, travel, and eCommerce, and you’ll only be shown the templates Duda believes are relevant to what you’re trying to create.

Preview Mode

It makes sense that you wouldn’t want to commit to a template before seeing what it looks like. Thankfully, Duda allows you to preview your template. Best of all, that’s not just on web browsers but also on phones and tablets.

A template will look different depending on the platform on which you’re viewing it, so it’s essential to be able to preview it on every device. You’re also able to customize certain aspects of the design for different platforms, so it will look excellent no matter how a user is viewing your site.

Reliability and Performance

Not all information about Duda’s infrastructure and networks is public, but based on what we do know, Duda scores quite well in this regard.

Hosting

All Duda websites are cloud hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), no matter what membership tier you choose, and more bandwidth-intensive files are all hosted by Duda’s Global Content Delivery Network (CDN).

Backups

Duda offers automatic backups, as well as manual backup options as well. You can revert back to one of 20 stored automatic backups, or one of ten stored manual backups.

Speed

Here is one of Duda’s greatest strengths. Duda has preferred status on Google PageSpeed, one of very few website builders to do so. That means Duda sites utilize Google’s best practices for optimizing page loading times.

There’s nothing you need to do in order to improve page speeds, as every Duda site is optimized for performance. And speed doesn’t just matter for speed itself; Google’s SEO algorithms favor faster-loading sites. Customers will enjoy the faster loading times, and they’ll also have an easier time finding your site in the first place because of them.

Duda also uses dynamic serving, which means your site’s performance will be tailored according to the type of device the user is accessing it from. That means mobile users will get to access the faster-loading mobile site, for example.

Security

Duda offers free SSL encryption certification by request.

Tools and Features

Duda is quite a mixed bag in terms of tools and features. It has some of the best and most unique features available on the market, but it also lacks several vital basics. Let’s take a look at a few of the most important features you need to know about.

App Store

Here’s an area where Duda falls a bit short. Most website builders have an app store that allows you to incorporate apps into your site seamlessly. For years, Duda didn’t have one at all. They’ve added one recently, but it’s still less extensive than that of many competitors.

Customization

Many users will want total control over their website's appearance, and this is an area where Duda is fairly strong. As we mentioned, the individual templates are quite structured and don’t offer much customization. However, users still have considerable control in this regard because of the sheer volume of templates.

The customization does not stop there either. Duda offers an excellent collection of over 100 styles of font. Further, there is a wide array of customizable widgets that you can deploy on your website. While this certainly doesn’t make up for the lack of an app store, it does help.

User Journey

Now we come to Duda’s calling card feature: the User Journey. This is a truly unique feature that gives users control over the way specific visitors experience your website based on myriad features, including their location and whether or not this is the first time they’ve visited the site.

For example, you can trigger specific pop-ups for someone’s first visit that won’t reappear on subsequent visits. Or, you can provide special offers for people visiting from an IP address close to your business. The user journey feature also gives you increased control over your data collection, which can be incredibly valuable.

Photo Editing

Duda also comes with a built-in photo editing feature. Users can upload images from your computer, from the included stock library, or from image-hosting sites like Dropbox or Flickr. You can also simply upload an image from the web. If you’re looking to add many images at once, that’s no problem with Duda.

Then, you can crop, resize, apply filters, or more using the embedded Aviary photo editor.

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is imperative to make sure users can find your site. SEO factors determine where different sites rank on search engines like Google. Duda does have some automatic SEO features, including:

• Support for 301 redirects
• Automatic integration with certain social media sites
• Customizable meta-data
• Automatic sitemaps

However, many website designers have SEO support services, and some even customize your SEO approach based on your specific goals or business plan. Duda does not have any such features.

Pricing Summary

Unfortunately, Duda does not have a free price tier. That is definitely a bit of a blow to the value you can get from the site, and will likely be a dealbreaker for many potential users. However, they do offer a 14-day free trial, with no credit card required.

Once your free trial is up, Duda offers three different pricing tiers. Let's take a look at them one by one:

Basic

As the name would suggest, the basic price tier is the simplest and least expensive Duda has to offer. It comes in at $14/mo if paid upfront annually, $19/mo if paid monthly, and provides bare bones features and support. It includes one website, hosted on AWS. And if you require customer support, you’ll only have access to their email support service.

That said, you’ll still have access to the rest of Duda’s full complement of website building features and templates. If you’re just looking to create a simple site without any bells and whistles, you might consider the Basic plan.

Team

The Team tier is the next level up, and costs just a bit more. It comes in at $22/mo on an annual payment plan, and $29/mo if you pay monthly. Like the Basic plan, it includes just one website but features far more support and a few bonus features.

Where basic members only have access to customer support via email, team members have access to email, phone, and chat support. Further, you can have your brand logo on each part of the site, on top of additional client interaction features and team access for up to four members.

If you just want to construct one site, we believe the Team plan offers the best value for your dollar.

Agency

Finally, the high-end price plan is the Agency tier. Agency is the perfect level for someone who plans on creating a larger number of websites, as it allows you to save on scale. While it comes in at a much pricier $74/mo on the yearly scale and $99/mo if you choose to pay monthly, you get a lot for your money.

That starts with eight websites per account. On the yearly plan, that comes out to $9.25/mo per site—substantially less per site than even the basic plan. Further, the Agency plan includes brand logos in every area of the site, access for up to ten team members, advanced client data capabilities, and priority customer support access.

As one would expect, the plan that costs a premium price comes with the most premium features. If you’re a larger organization or a freelance web designer who will be creating pages in bulk for your clients, the Agency plan is the way to go.

ECommerce Add-Ons

The above pricing plans were all for the basic website building features. However, that isn’t all Duda has to offer. If you’re looking to start an eCommerce site, Duda has add-ons to help you out… but they’ll cost you a bit more.

Pricing is determined by the number of products you plan on selling. If you’re a small business looking to sell 100 or fewer products, that will cost you $7.25/mo. For $19.25/mo, you can sell up to 2,500 products. And if that’s not quite enough, you can sell an unlimited number of products for an additional $39/mo.

Customer Service

As we briefly touched on earlier, Duda has several different customer support methods, access to which is determined by the price plan you choose.

Basic users only have access to email support—there are no live support options at this tier. That means if you want real time customer support from human staff you’ll have to invest in one of the higher tiers.

Team level members, on the other hand, have access to email support, phone support, and a live chat. Finally, at the Agency tier you’ll get access to all three types of support, along with priority email response.

Help Center and Resource Center

In addition to these three methods of contacting customer support representatives, there are a few other ways to get help. The Duda Help Center features an array of written resources on different subjects ranging from web design to billing. If you have a question and can’t access a live representative, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find the answer you need here.

Further, there’s a Resource Center that features marketing materials, product updates, and even live webinars. Finally, there’s also an AI chat bot that you can try, though it is typically quite limited. You’re unlikely to find much in the chat bot that you wouldn’t find faster in the help center.

FAQs

Now you know some of the details about Duda Website Builder, but there’s likely still a few more things you want to know. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Duda.

How Do I Cancel My Duda Account?

No one wants to invest in a paid service without knowing what will happen if they decide to cancel. Even with a high-quality service like Duda, some users will find that it’s not what they’re looking for. And others will merely have a change in plans. So what do you do in these situations?

Thankfully, Duda offers hassle-free cancellation. Simply go to the Payment Info section of your account, and switch off the auto-pay option. Your website will remain live until the end of the current pay period, and then it will be unpublished thereafter.

If, for whatever reason, you want your website to be taken down immediately, you can click the Unpublish button in your site editor.

Do I Get a Free Domain with Duda?

Many site providers offer a free domain along with an account. Duda, however, does not. While this may not be an issue for many, when you pair it with the fact that Duda already doesn’t have a free pricing tier, that could make it altogether unsuitable for users on a budget.

What is the Enterprise Plan?

Users who have already done some research may have noticed that there was an additional price plan that we hadn’t covered previously.

The Enterprise plan is a comprehensive subscription tier designed for large businesses that manage hundreds of websites. It includes unlimited team members, team training and onboarding, and many more premium features. Naturally, such a plan costs a pretty penny.

Odds are, if you’re reading this article, you’re likely looking to make a website for yourself, your small business, or for a client, so you likely won’t have any need for what makes the Enterprise plan stand out. But if you’re interested in learning more, check it out here.

Is Duda Suitable for Blogging?

Website users often want to include a blog on their site. Blogging can be an excellent way to connect with potential customers and promote your business. Accordingly, many users will prioritize website builders with strong blog integration.

Duda does have blogging capabilities, but they’re very limited, and it doesn’t have the same features (including a newsletter) as some more powerful alternatives. If blogging is something you’re interested in passively for your site, Duda will do the job. But if it’s a priority for you, we recommend you look elsewhere.

Can I Export My Duda Site?

Unfortunately, at this time, there is no way to export your Duda site to another host. Despite the fact that Duda uses a common cloud hosting service (AWS), Duda is an SaaS platform, which per Duda means your site can’t be ported to another host.

What Are Some Alternatives to Duda?

Duda Website Builder has a lot of strengths, but it doesn’t necessarily fit for everyone. If you think Duda might not be the best for you, there are a few other website builders that might fit you a bit better.

• Squarespace: likely the most well-known website builder, Squarespace is an ideal option for people who prioritize ease of use and SEO capabilities.
• Wix: an excellent overall option, Wix doesn’t have as much design versatility as Duda, but you do have more control within individual templates, and Wix offers more in the way of powerful features as well.
• WordPress: a fairly unique site builder, WordPress is an excellent option for users who prioritize blogging. However, you’ll have to be at least a bit familiar with coding in order to get the most out of WordPress.
• Weebly: Weebly has limited design flexibility and features, so if a top of the line site is what you’re looking for, Weebly isn’t your best bet. But it is a much cheaper and quicker option than Duda; if your goal is to get a website off the ground with as little fuss and financial investment as possible, you should consider Duda.

Each web designer has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, as you can see.

Final Thoughts

A quality website is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity. Prospective customers are going to make a snap judgment about you or your company based on what they see on your website; an amateur website will give off the impression that you’re an amateur operation. Thankfully, it’s become easier than ever to create a high-quality, professional website thanks to the proliferation of website builders.

One of the top options is Duda. Duda Website Builder is near the best in the market in certain key areas. Duda’s variety of templates is unmatched, and each and every one of the nearly 100 templates that they offer is polished and professional. Duda also features lightning-quick loading speeds, as one of the only website builders preferred by Google PageSpeed; that doesn’t just enhance your user experience, it also helps boost your SEO.

Further, Duda offers its unique User Journey feature, which allows you to customize the experience of users on your site depending on specific factors like location.

But like any product, Duda isn’t perfect. They have limited features compared to some competitors, and aren’t the most wallet-friendly as they don’t offer a free option. Their templates are also heavily structured; users looking for maximum creative control will want to look elsewhere.

Overall, though, Duda is an excellent option. If you’re not shopping with a tight budget in mind, Duda Website Builder could be the perfect option for you.

The post Duda Website Builder Review – We Actually Tried It And… appeared first on WebMonkey.

We tested dozens of eCommerce website builders—ranging from the good to the borderline nonfunctional—and now we're ready to share our findings. Best of all, almost every single eCommerce website builder on this list offers a free plan or a free trial period, so you can launch the online shop of your dreams without breaking the bank.??

What Are the Best eCommerce Website Builders?

1. Shopify – Best for sales features
2. Wix – Best for beginners
3. Sellfy – Best for content creators
4. Squarespace – Best for creatives and startups
5. Weebly – Best for penny-pinchers
6. GoDaddy – Most intuitive interface
7. Big Cartel – Free sales available
8. Square Online – Best value for money
9. BigCommerce – Great for app integration
10. Volusion – Best for scalability
11. 3dcart – Most payment options available

Don't worry about the tech aspects of opening an eCommerce store. With most of our picks, you don't need to have any knowledge of coding whatsoever. However, there are a few questions to consider before choosing a website builder:

• What type of products do you want to sell? Physical products? Digital downloads? A skill or service?
• How many products do you want to sell?
• What's your budget?
• How much time can you dedicate to working on your website?
• Do you want total creative control? Or would you rather let an expert do most of the work?
• Do you want to scale your business, or are you planning to stay small?

Keeping those questions in mind, let's dive into each eCommerce website builder to find out which one is right for you.?

#1: Shopify

Shopify offers the most robust selection of sales features from any of the eCommerce website builders we reviewed. It also has a massive app market, more than 100 templates, and integrates seamlessly with Amazon and eBay. Shopify offers excellent value for money for those with massive sales volume, but it's not the best platform for small businesses.?

Shopify Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Advanced SEO features
• Unlimited bandwidth and storage space on all plans
• Large inventory system helps with organization
• Multichannel selling available

Cons:

• Transaction fee with every sale
• Content doesn't format itself if you switch templates
• Cost of additional apps quickly adds up

Ease of Use

Shopify has a fast, clean interface that makes designing your new website a breeze. While Shopify offers a multitude of features, it's easy to add elements to your site with a few clicks. Best of all, you have a live preview on the backend, so you can see what your finished website will look like and make changes before you hit publish. 

Design Flexibility

While Shopify offers more than 100 templates, not many of them are free. Despite the downside of potentially adding the cost of a template to building your website, Shopify nails it when it comes to template customization. Changing the style of your template is easy. You can change the font and colors, add social media buttons, and more. 

Website Features

Email marketing: Shopify supports several popular email marketing apps available in the app store, including Constant Contact, Privy, and Klaviyo. 

Blog option: Blogging isn't Shopify's primary focus, but it still provides you with a comments section to categorize posts by type, an RSS feed, and blog-specific SEO support. One significant drawback if you want to use your blog to drive traffic is that it doesn't have analytics.

Multilingual support: Shopify allows you to set up multilingual sites, but it does require a bit of coding skill. It's easier to use one of the translation apps available in the app store. 

SEO tools: While Shopify's SEO tools aren't as powerful as others, they're enough to cover most of your bases using best practices. One massive downside is the lack of keyword support. 

Customer Support

Shopify makes up for its shortcomings with incredible customer support. You can reach out to them and find help in lots of different ways:

• 24/7 phone support
• 24/7 live chat
• Email support
• Social media support
• Video tutorials
• Community forum 
• Help center
• Advanced specialist support

Value for Money

Shopify currently offers four paid packages, as well as a custom option. Because custom packages are designed for specific websites, we don't have a base price to list, but they tend to be very expensive. The paid plans are:

• Shopify Lite: $9/mo
• Basic Shopify: $39/mo
• Shopify: $105/mo
• Advanced Shopify: $399/mo
• Plus Shopify: $2,300/mo

Shopify Lite is designed to add eCommerce to a Facebook page or preexisting website, a great option if you already see a lot of traffic on your Facebook page or website. Basic Shopify is the least expensive plan that allows you to build a store from the ground up, perfect for new stores. Shopify and Advanced Shopify are cost-prohibitive unless business is booming.?

#2: Wix

We rated Wix as one of the top eCommerce website builders because of its powerful, intuitive design features. Wix relies on easy-to-use, drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to build a working eCommerce store in just a few hours.?

Wix Pros and Cons

Pros: 

• No coding knowledge required
• Robust app market
• Allows for creative control
• No sales transaction fees

Cons:

• Less scalable than other options
• No native multichannel integration
• Fewer analytics tools than other website builders

Ease of Use

When compiling this list, we considered the top three concerns eCommerce shop owners have: ease-of-use, design functionality, and value for money. Thanks to Wix's ADI ( Artificial Design Intelligence) builder, all you have to do is answer a few simple questions about the website you want to create. The ADI builder will generate a website tailored to your specifications. It doesn't get any easier than that.?

Design Flexibility

With more than 900 design templates to choose from, you'll create a stunning website that perfectly suits your branding. The only downside is that you can't change your template once your website goes live, so you need to make sure you're pleased with every aspect of your template before you hit that publish button. 

Website Features

Wix App Market: Wix's app market offers more than 200 apps and services to personalize your website. 

Wix Ascend: Ascend is a marketing package that enables you to send emails, post to Instagram, Facebook, and other social media profiles, and interact with your customers directly from Wix. 

Wix SEO Wiz: By entering target keywords, your location, and your industry, SEO Wiz helps your posts rank higher in search engines. A higher ranking leads to increased organic traffic and more sales. 

Customer Support

One of the reasons Wix is one of our top choices is its customer service. With its abundance of help buttons all over the website, Wix helps you find the answer to your question easily without waiting on hold for a representative to take your call. 

If you need additional help or prefer to communicate with someone directly, support is available through email and its 24/7 callback option. 

Value for Money

Wix offers a free plan with decent capabilities. You can build your online store and test out Wix's features without spending a dime, but you need to upgrade to one of their paid plans if you want to sell anything. Wix currently offers three paid eCommerce plans:

• Wix Core: $29/mo
• Wix Business: $36/mo
• Wix Business Elite: $159/mo

Wix also offers a fourth option, Wix Enterprise. Because the Wix Enterprise plan is bespoke, no base pricing information is available. All paid plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. Compared to rival eCommerce website builders, Wix is a powerful, affordable option well-deserving of its #2 spot on our list.?

#3: Sellfy

Sellfy is an eCommerce platform specifically geared toward content creators interested in selling merchandise, print-on-demand products, digital downloads, and subscriptions. It’s one of the most affordable, easy-to-use website builders on the market, allowing small businesses with limited resources or technical know-how to launch within just a few short minutes.

Sellfy Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Print on demand service integration
• Ability to sell physical goods and digital services
• No transaction fees
• Quick and easy setup
• Mobile friendly
• Affiliate program creation tools

Cons:

• Limited marketing analytics
• Very simple, which means it’s easy to outgrow
• Powered by Sellfy branding in footer of Starter Plan

Ease of Use

Sellfy is one of the easiest eCommerce platforms to setup. In fact, the company boasts that creators and online businesses can launch an online shop in as little as five minutes. But while this is an advantage, it can just as easily turn into a drawback. While the platform makes it easy to personalize your store and connect it to their built-in print on demand service, you’re limited to single web template and basic marketing analytics. This can pose a problem for those who want to add a blog component or review advance metrics to inform their marketing decisions.

Design Flexibility

Designing your online store with Sellfy is as easy as a few simple clicks. Simply go into your Store Settings and input your store name and URL. Then, click on the different components of your store’s landing page and customzie as needed. You can change the header background, font style, text size, page alignment, and more. Products can easily be rearranged by dragging and dropping them into place.

Website Features

Print on Demand: Sellfy offers its own print on demand services, allowing you to add your designs to their products. All you have to do is sell the product—they take care of the fulfillment for you.  

Subscriptions: Sellfy allows you to easily sell subscription access to tutorials, content libraries, and more. All you have to do is pick the billing cycle and pricing model that best fit your needs. You can also offer a trial period to allow potential customers to try your service with no commitment.

Digital Downloads: Easily sell access to digital files using Sellfy’s eCommerce platform. Every Sellfy subscription includes unlimited product bandwidth and large file support. Each product uses SSL encryption to protect buyer data, and gives you the ability to implement download limits and PDF stamping to prevent file piracy.

Email Marketing: Your Sellfy subscription also includes access to the platform’s built-in email marketing dashboard, allowing you to build email lists and send emails without connecting third-party tools.

Affiliate Program: Create your own affiliate program to grow your store by setting up Sellfy’s built in affiliate marketing tool. It allows potential affiliates to sign up for your program to promote your products and automatically tracks the commissions for you.

Customer Support

Sellfy has a robust help center with in-depth articles that troubleshoot the most common questions and problems, but for those who require more in-depth assistance can email the platform’s 24/7 email support team. You will typically receive a reply within a few hours. Premium customers will have their email response prioritized above other subscribers.   

Value for Money

Sellfy offers a free 14-day trial, so you can make sure their platform will meet all your needs before committing to a subscription. Once the 14 days is up, you will need to pick one of the following subscriptions:

• Starter: $19/mo
• Business: $49/mo
• Premium: $99/mo

Discounts are available to who are willing to pay up front for a yearly or two-year plan. Businesses that have more than $200k in sales per year will need to contact Sellfy directly to learn more about their plans for high-volume sellers.

#4: Squarespace

Squarespace doesn't feature as many templates as Wix, but the 110 templates it does have are some of the most visually stunning we reviewed. Squarespace's sleek, modern designs are immensely customizable and mobile optimized to improve user experience. 

Squarespace Pros and Cons

Pros:

• All plans offer unlimited bandwidth and storage
• Social media integration
• Built-in features
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

• Few payment options supported
• No app store if you want additional features
• Not as easy to use as other platforms

Ease of Use

Squarespace isn't quite as intuitive as some of the other platforms we've reviewed, but if you're familiar with using a computer, the learning curve won't be too steep. Squarespace uses a drag-and-drop system divided into sections, and each section adds something new to your page. There's a section for images, contact forms, and order buttons. 

If you run into trouble along the way, you can always check out the tutorials on Squarespace's YouTube channel. 

Design Flexibility

Perfect for startups and small eCommerce businesses, Squarespace's templates allow you to build a stylish, professional website without knowing a lick of code. Each template is mobile optimized, so your content will automatically be resized to fit any size screen without sacrificing image quality.?

Unlike Wix, which doesn't allow you to change templates, you can change your Squarespace template at any time in the event of a rebrand. 

Website Features

Blog feature: If you want to blog about the creative process behind your products, share case studies, or add user testimonials, a blog feature is a must-have for your eCommerce store.?

CSS edits: For those with a bit of coding experience, Squarespace allows you to access your template's CSS and make changes from within. 

Domain freedom: You can easily connect a pre existing domain to Squarespace if you've already purchased one, or if you sign up for one of their annual paid plans, your domain will be included for one year. 

Social media: Integrating your social media platforms is easy with Squarespace. Incorporating social media into your business helps you reach new potential customers, connect with current customers, and make your business appear more modern.

SEO capabilities: Squarespace's builder is optimized and frequently updated to keep your site current with SEO best practices without the use of a single app or plugin. SEO is vital for growing a startup or small business, and Squarespace makes it effortless.  

Customer Support

When it comes to customer support, Squarespace is at the top of its class. It offers numerous ways to get help when you need it:

• 24/7 email and Twitter support
• A YouTube channel
• A community forum
• A knowledge base
• Live chat Monday through Friday

Value for Money

Squarespace doesn't offer a free plan, but it does provide a 14-day free trial on all four of its plans. Squarespace currently offers two website plans and two eCommerce plans. The eCommerce plans they offer are:

• Basic Commerce: $28/mo
• Advanced Commerce: $52/mo

Squarespace's least expensive eCommerce plan costs roughly the same as Wix's least expensive eCommerce plan, but its top-tier plan is less costly than Wix's. Both are great platforms, but if you'd like the freedom to change your templates at any time, Squarespace may be the better option.

#5: Weebly

Feature-packed but easy to use, Weebly provides high value at a low price point. Weebly uses a drag-and-drop editor that allows you to build your eCommerce website in a snap, and its SEO features help increase your shop's organic traffic.?

Weebly Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Customizable, mobile-responsive templates
• Massive app market for added personalization
• Incredible value for money
• Live previews as you edit

Cons:

• No ADI, so you have to build from scratch
• Limited creative control over templates
• No personal restore option; if something goes wrong, Weebly has to fix it

Ease of Use

Weebly's ease of use is best described as being somewhere between Wix and Squarespace. It's not as intuitive as Wix or Sellfy, but it's easier for design novices than Squarespace. One major plus is the live preview function. 

Design Flexibility

Weebly has 45+ template options available, which isn't a lot, but there are beautiful designs available to suit any industry. If you want to showcase your products in a clean, straightforward manner, Weebly has you covered. For those who enjoy coding, you can make the most of Weebly's Code Editor to personalize your website.  

Website Features

App store: Weebly offers more than 300 apps, including marketing, eCommerce, and social media, which more than makes up for the lack of creative freedom when it comes to templates.

Email marketing: Weebly Promote makes email marketing remarkably simple. You can try Weebly Promote for free, and the most inexpensive plan, which start at $10/mo, will work for many websites.

Membership option: If you have a Professional or Performance plan, you can create a membership feature that allows members access to password-locked pages.   

SEO growth: With the ability to edit meta titles, customize your URLs, and add alt text, Weebly makes it incredibly easy to boost your site's visibility, leading to more sales. The app store also features a variety of SEO-specific apps. 

Customer Support

Weebly has a Support Center that's jam-packed with useful guides and a Community Forum where you can search for the help you need. You can also contact Weebly for support:

• Live chat (Monday through Friday from 6 am-6 pm, plus weekends from 8 am – 5 pm PST)
• Phone support: (6 am – 6 pm PST)
• 24/7 support tickets

Value for Money

Weebly offers a free plan, but you'll have to use a Weebly.com subdomain, which doesn't look professional. Their plans are the most affordable of any website builder we reviewed, so you can upgrade without breaking the bank. Their paid plans are:

• Staff: $10/mo
• Professional: $12/mo
• Performance: $26/mo

Weebly's most expensive plan is cheaper than most builders' least expensive plans, so Weebly is a fantastic choice for those who don't have a large budget. 

#6: GoDaddy

Thanks to its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence), GoDaddy allows you to build a stylish, functional website quicker and with less hassle than any other eCommerce website builder we reviewed.?

GoDaddy Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Builds functional websites quickly with ADI
• Advanced eCommerce features
• Over 200 themes
• Offers Google Analytics

Cons:

• GoDaddy SEO unavailable on cheapest plan
• Minimal creative control
• Some features are lackluster

Ease of Use

GoDaddy's GoCentral ADI makes building your website a no-brainer. You can have a fully-functional store online in just a few minutes, but you will have to give up some creative control. When it comes to getting a shop off the ground in the least amount of time, GoDaddy is the reigning champion. 

Design Flexibility

GoDaddy allows you to preview your website using a new theme without reformatting your content, something that can't be said for Wix or Shopify. That being said, some of GoDaddy's features leave much to be desired. GoDaddy doesn't offer much in the way of blogging features, and you can only add icon links to your social media platforms.

Website Features

Analytics support: Unlike many website builders, GoDaddy integrates with Google Analytics, allowing you to see what drives traffic to your website and what doesn't. 

Domain setup: As one of the primary domain registrars globally, GoDaddy makes it remarkably easy to purchase and set up your domain. GoDaddy's pricing is affordable, too, starting at $10.99/mo. 

SEO support: GoDaddy SEO optimizes your website, so it ranks higher in search engines. It's only available on one of their higher-tier paid plans, but the cost might be well worth it for the increased traffic. 

Customer Support

GoDaddy has several options available if you need to get in touch with them:

• 24/7 phone support
• Live chat (Monday through Friday from 5 am – 6 pm)
• Help Forum
• Large Knowledge Base

The forum and knowledgebase can provide answers to many of your questions, but you'll need to contact someone if you need specialized help with your account.

Value for Money

GoDaddy currently only has one eCommerce plan available, which costs $20/mo. They also offer a 30-day free trial, so you can give their builder a spin and see if it works for you.?

#7: Big Cartel

Big Cartel is one of the only eCommerce website builders that allows you to build your store and sell for free, but it's restrictive. Big Cartel might be a good option if you're looking to open a small store and don't plan on scaling anytime soon.?

Big Cartel Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Free setup and online sales
• Suitable for one-off pieces, like art
• Simple navigation with prompts to help you along the way
• App store

Cons: 

• Some knowledge of coding is required
• Basic templates with few customization options
• Light on features

Ease of Use

While Big Cartel is one of the only free eCommerce builders and has a simple onboarding process, using the builder is complicated. Setting up your store is easy thanks to the prompts and suggestions, but once you get into customizing your designs, you may run into trouble. You need to be able to code to get the most out of Big Cartel, which is a significant drawback for those who aren't tech-savvy.?

Design Flexibility

Big Cartel is a big bummer in terms of design flexibility. You only have a small number of basic template designs to choose from, there's no blogging feature, and you're limited to selling five products at a time unless you upgrade to a paid plan. You're also tied to a bigcartel.com subdomain without an upgrade.

Website Features

Unless you upgrade to a paid plan, the features are pretty sparse. As the old cliché says, “nothing good is free, and nothing free is ever good.” On the other hand, if you spring for one of their paid options, you will be able to sell more products. Paid plan features include:

Platinum:

• Inventory tracking
• Bulk editing
• Sell up to 50 products
• 5 images allowed per product, depending on plan
• Theme code editing available
• Use your own domain (which you have to purchase elsewhere)

Diamond: Everything in Platinum, plus you can sell up to 500 products and use 25 images per product

There is an app store with marketing, eCommerce, and analytics tools, but these add-on plugins can be costly depending on how many you want to connect with your website.?

Customer Support

Big Cartel isn't very big on support. The only options are email and phone support. Phone support is available seven days a week from 8 am – 6 pm EST. 

Value for Money

Big Cartel's main selling point is that it doesn't have to cost money to sell. However, the free plan only works for those who don't want to sell that much. If you plan on scaling your business, Big Cartel might not be your best choice. There are two paid plans available:

• Platinum: $12/mo
• Diamond: $24/mo

If you want the most basic website, only have a few products to sell, and know how to code, then Big Cartel might work for you. Those looking to sell a massive inventory will probably want to look elsewhere. 

#8: Square Online

Square has been a leader in payment processing technology for more than a decade, and its 2019 rebrand combines Square's secure payment processing with Weebly's website building platform. Square Online is fantastic for smaller businesses and offers great value for money. 

Square Online Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Artificial Design Intelligence makes setup easy
• No startup cost
• No monthly fees
• Great for small businesses

Cons:

• Some options only available on expensive plans
• Not the best if you have high sales volume

Ease of Use

Square Online uses Weebly's building software, so while you get a few extra features, you're working with a trusted website builder to get the job done. Unlike Weebly, Square Online uses ADI to tailor your website to your business, but many run into complicated issues with DNS settings after setting up a store.  

Design Flexibility

Like with Weebly, Square Online has limited options for customizing your template. There aren't many template designs to choose from, which isn't ideal for creative-minded shop owners who want to tweak a pre existing template or build one from scratch. On the other hand, if you want a basic website so your products stand out, Square Online might be a good option. 

Website Features

Square Online's strong suit is its sales features, which work particularly well if you already use Square in a physical location . Some of the best features include:

Adding products: Square Online makes the process of adding products effortless. You can also add item indicators for sales or an “only a few left!” label. 

Inventory management: Never wonder how many units of an item you have left with Square Online. It keeps track of all of that for you. 

Payment processing: One downside to Square Online is that the only payment processing option available (unless you upgrade to a Performance or Premium plan) is Square.  

Customer Support

Square Online offers an extensive knowledge center, which you're encouraged to consult first, but there are several additional ways to get help:

• Phone: Available even on free plans; Monday through Friday from 2 pm – 2 am GMT and weekends from 4 pm – 1 am GMT
• Email support
• Live chat support

Value for Money

Square Online offers a robust free plan with enough features to suit many small businesses and startups. Still, if you want to spring for a paid plan (which removes the .square.site from your domain and gives you access to accepting PayPal), they're very affordable. Square Online has two paid plans:

• Plus: $29/mo
• Premium: $79/mo

Despite the free plan's many perks, the Plus plan is their best offering. It allows you to create customer shopping accounts, add PayPal as a payment option, and manage product drops, which helps your business grow in the long run. 

#9: BigCommerce

BigCommerce is the name behind big brand websites like Paul Mitchell, GE, Toyota, and Kodak. BigCommerce focuses on the details behind eCommerce so you can focus on what matters most to you: building your brand and making sales.

BigCommerce Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Multichannel selling available
• Shipping quotes
• 99% guaranteed uptime
• No transaction fees

Cons:

• Expensive for startups and some small businesses
• Small selection of templates
• Apps are needed to accept payments

Ease of Use

BigCommerce has an easy-to-use Style Editor that makes it simple for even eCommerce novices to build a fully-functional online store without having to do any coding. The process can take a little time, but the intuitive interface means you can spend more time customizing a beautiful template and less time contacting customer support for guidance.?

Design Flexibility

BigCommerce currently offers 12 free templates and more than 140 paid templates, so you'll be able to find something that works perfectly for your industry. Each template is mobile-responsive and fully customizable, giving you the freedom to change things up so your website is reflective of your brand. 

Website Features

SEO support: BigCommerce stays current with SEO best practices, helping your website rank higher in the algorithm.

Unlimited sales: You can sell as many items as you want with BigCommerce.

Payment gateways: You can accept payments from over 40 payment gateways in over 100 countries.

Email marketing: BigCommerce integrates with several email marketing providers like MailChimp, Constant Contact, and iContact. 

Customer Support

BigCommerce takes customer support seriously, a major plus if you run into any problems along the way. You can reach out to them 24/7 via email, phone, or live chat. 

Value for Money

BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial to test out their builder, and then you can choose from one of three paid eCommerce plans.?

• Standard: $39/mo
• Plus: $105/mo
• Pro: $399/mo

You can save up to 25% when you sign up for annual instead of monthly billing. The Standard and Plus plans have a similar price point to many other eCommerce website builders, but the Pro plan is expensive for all but big online shops.?

#10: Volusion

With 25 years of experience, Volusion offers an all-in-one solution that can help you get your website up and running. Volusion has fantastic design features, but it's a bit lacking in terms of creative freedom. Volusion is excellent for those who just want to sell with the ability to scale up in the future, no muss, no fuss.  

Volusion Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Accepts many payment methods
• Fantastic for analytics
• Mobile app available
• Priced comparably to other builders

Cons:

• No blog option
• SSL certificates are an additional cost
• Phone support only available on more expensive plans

Ease of Use

Volusion can be a bit tricky to use if you're a novice at creating websites. It does offer a design wizard to help you along the way, but even something as simple as editing text requires locating a small, blue button on the right-hand side of the screen. Fortunately, Volusion gives you video tutorials during the onboarding process. We recommend watching them closely.

Design Flexibility

As we've already mentioned, Volusion isn't the easiest website builder to use. If you know coding, you'll have much more freedom to edit the templates. There are currently 11 free templates and only 34 paid templates for you to choose from. It's not the most extensive selection available, but it's also not the worst. 

Website Features

Mobile app: Volusion allows you to make your store with their mobile app. You can check your inventory and upload product photos directly from your phone, which is great for those who are always on the go. 

App store: There isn't much wiggle room for adjusting your template, but the app store offers more than 1,000 apps and plugins so that you can customize your website that way.

Payment options: Volusion supports Stripe and PayPal as well as Amazon and Apple Pay. You can also integrate Square payments into your site, so there's an option for everyone. 

Customer Support

Their support has a couple of points against it: there's no social media, email, or live chat support, and your contact options are even more limited if you have a personal plan. You can reach them from 7 am – 10 pm CST. With Volusion, 24/7 phone support is only available if you have one of the top-tier plans. 

Value for Money

Volusion offers a 14-day free trial and the ability to create a customized plan. There is no base price information available on Prime plans. Available plans are:

• Personal: $35/mo
• Professional: $79/mo
• Business: $299/mo

Similarly priced to other website builders but lacking on design features, Volusion is a website builder for those who are more business-minded and don't care as much about aesthetics. If that sounds like you, Volusion might be perfect. 

#11: 3dcart

While Squarespace's primary focus is on aesthetics, 3dcart's focus is on offering built-in features and a multitude of payment options. Despite the payment options, you should consider a few drawbacks before choosing 3dcart as your website builder. 

3dcart Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Change your template at any time
• More than 160 payment gateways
• SEO-friendly
• Over 200 built-in features

Cons:

• Steep learning curve
• No mobile app available
• Can be costly

Ease of Use

Despite the video tutorials and visual cues, 3dcart is one of the most challenging builders to use. There's no undo button, so you'll have to start all over again if you make a mistake. Design inconsistencies are prevalent, and filling in your product listings can be a time-consuming and complicated process. 

Design Flexibility

3dcart has 112 design templates available for free, more than most website builders. You can change your template at any time, and best of all, your content migrates seamlessly. You also have access to more than 1,000 apps to customize your website. 

Website Features

Payment options: You can accept payments from over 160 gateways, more than any other website builder. 

SEO support: 3dcart features SEO functions throughout their website and useful prompts reminding you to sprinkle SEO-friendly content throughout your product listings. 

Abandoned cart alert: 3dcart notifies shoppers through email that they've abandoned their cart, which boosts sales in the long term. 

Customer Support

Support is one of 3dcart's strongest selling points. 24/7 support is available via live chat, email, or phone. You also have the option of submitting a ticket or contacting them on social media. 

Value for Money

3dcart offers a 15-day free trial. You do not have to pay if you process more than $500 per month, though if you're not quite to the point, most new customers only pay $29 per month. This includes zero transaction fees, unlimited orders, and a Facebook Store, so you'll get excellent value no matter what pricing tier you fall into.

The post Best eCommerce Website Builders 2023 – Top 10 Options for Selling Products and Making Sales appeared first on WebMonkey.

We've put together a list of the easiest website builders, designed to help you create and launch a website? more efficiently. Plus, we've answered some of the most common questions we receive about website builders. It's everything you need to get started.

What is the Easiest Website Builder to Use?

These options provide simple website design and management solutions. You'll get a professional look and a functional user interface, even if you’ve never designed a web website before.

Wix—Best All-Around Free Choice

Wix provides a simple, straightforward solution for building a website. It provides a free option, as well as upgrades for higher capacity storage and bandwidth. If you've never built a website before, this is a great place to get started.

Website Building

Wix makes it simple to get your website up and running. You can drag and drop various elements around your design, building a single page or a more complex website. The elements look professional, and they work well to create a user-friendly experience.

Wix recently unveiled an artificial intelligence-driven website builder designed to make it even easier to build the website you need. It takes out all the guesswork, scraping your social media sites and LinkedIn profile for photos and relevant information.

Wix also gives you the option to preview mobile navigation, giving you the ability to make simple changes that only apply to the mobile version of your website.

Extra Features

Wix does offer photo editing tools and plenty of stock photography designed to help get you started. You also have access to a wide range of templates, available for a variety of different website needs.

Wix only provides limited storage and uploads. If you plan to upload your entire photography portfolio, you may need to upgrade from a free plan. You can also purchase and manage domains directly through the website builder while integrating mailbox solutions as well.

The paid tiers offer analytics and custom SEO plans to ensure your website can be found. You also the option to integrate music and video features, as well as distinctive template designs for restaurants or chefs to showcase their menus.

Cost And Trial

Wix offers several different plans, starting with a free option. You'll have the Wix branding in your domain name, but it covers the basics for you. The next tier is a $17 per month combo option that provides basic website functionality with more robust storage.

$29 provides you with more storage and even more features designed for solo entrepreneurs or freelancers. From there, $36 gets you a business plan with some robust business solutions, and $159 ensures you have enterprise-level features with priority customer care.

There are three tiers of specific business plans that integrate with robust eCommerce features and provide even more support. For true enterprise-level needs, Wix offers a custom call for pricing and design.

You can try any of these options for 14 days and receive your money back if you aren't satisfied before the trial period is up. They accept most common payment methods.

Wix Pros:

• Ready-made templates
• Free version
• Multiple tiers, including an always free option

Wix Cons:

• Storage may be limited
• Templates aren't easily customizable
• Loading speed is on the slower side

Squarespace—Best For Small Business

Squarespace boasts about its high design capabilities through customized templates, and it's true. Businesses that want the look of a custom website without the hassle of hiring a design team or learning code will be pleased.

It has plenty of add-on features and simplified pricing to make choosing a package easy. While it's not quite as intuitive to design as some options on the list, once you get the hang of the interface, you'll have a professional-quality website in no time.

Website Building

The biggest appeal of Squarespace is the prepackaged templates you can use. Search based on the recommended options for your particular industry—restaurants or photography, for example—and go from there.

The drag and drop features have a learning curve, but with a little experimentation, you'll have your website in no time. And if you find a template that you like better after you're done designing, you can private-demo it with all the information you've already entered.

Squarespace offers automatic mobile conversion designed to make your mobile experience straightforward. You don't have the option to apply changes or settings specifically to mobile, but Squarespace does an excellent job of converting things neatly.

Extra Features

Squarespace has a robust SEO program to help optimize your site, as well as payment integrations with common eCommerce software. Their online store option is slightly more expensive than others, but without transaction fees, your store could potentially save big.

If you're blogging, this is the platform to start on. They have blogging features and integrations like no other website builder on the market right now. Their designs are flexible and feature top-level SEO customization choices.

Cost and Trial

Squarespace is slightly more expensive than some of the options on the market, with their cheapest choice coming in at $25 per month. However, their upgraded tiers do offer a lot of functionality, and you get a 14-day trial without a credit card to demo your site.

$36 per month gets you a more robust business plan, while their dedicated business and store options run between $40 and $72 per month. This is a good option for small businesses that want options for blogging in addition to eCommerce and need the SEO support to boost traffic.

Squarespace Pros:

• Robust templates that look custom
• Extensive resources for blogging
• Automatic mobile conversion

Squarespace Cons:

• Load speed is slower than some options
• Templates have a learning curve
• Slightly more expensive

Weebly—Best Free Option

Weebly is an excellent website builder, but it's the design features offered in their free option that catch our eye. Weebly has one of the most generous free options available, allowing you to get started for the first time without any investment upfront.

Weebly is smaller than Wix or Squarespace, but don't let that fool you. It offers dynamic solutions for those who need complex websites. It provides unlimited storage at most tiers, as well as solid eCommerce integrations.

One great thing about Weebly is that you can download your site files. If you decide to move to another host, you don't need to scrap your entire website just to do so.

Website Building

The template designs are straightforward and professional, allowing you to customize the elements you need for your site—whether you're blogging, running a restaurant, or managing a shop.

The editor itself is a little limited. However, unless you're doing high-level edits, you probably won't find it constraining at all. Instead, the boundaries make it easier to get your website up and running without spending endless amounts of time tweaking.

Extra Features

Weebly's higher tiers give you eCommerce capabilities, such as tax calculators and shipping calculators. You can manage inventory and discount options. And with the useful analytics and SEO tools, you'll be able to track and analyze your website traffic and performance.

The website editor does limit you in terms of specific tools, but it does ensure that you have a bit of customization.

Cost and Trial

There are a few different option levels, including a robust free edition. For around $10 per month, you can have your own domain name, but it will include Weebly ads. Upgrading to the $12 per month plan will give you an ad-free experience.

For the full experience, $26 will allow you to take advantage of their entire suite of eCommerce features. This gives you a wide range of tools, and ensures you're up and running quickly.

Weebly offers a 14-day free trial for their paid features. This is a simple way to figure out which tier you might need.

Weebly Pros:

• Really robust free edition
• Generous storage
• Good free trial

Weekly Cons:

• Limited full-service features
• Not as much mobile integration
• Limited language options

Duda—Best Language Customization

Duda isn't as well known as other players in the field, but it provides simple customization and solid? language options. It's emerged as a multilingual option with great support and analytics, considering the size.

Duda has several pricing tiers, including agency options. With differentiated plans and stylish templates, you're sure to find a solution that you can get you up and running.

Website Building

The platform features provide a simple template system for website building. There aren't many add-ons in the basic tiers, but more enterprise options exist as you upgrade.

As far as multilingual support, there are few website builders out there with more capability. In fact, it's become a go-to for those building websites outside the English language. They take care of the basics.

Extra Features

One of the best features is the ability to customize your user experience based on markers like location or time of day. You can segment your audience and provide new solutions to reach them.

Smaller tiers don't have the option of domain names or email integration, but Duda makes these accessible as you upgrade. The agency options give you the ability to control and create websites in batches.

The free eCommerce add-ons allow you to sell up to 10 products at a time, making it perfect for small shops.

Cost and Trial

Pricing starts at $25 per month for the basic tier. You'll get some basic blogging features and template customization. The plans go up to $199 for the white label option. This gives you the capability to build websites for other clients and manage the back office for businesses with your own branding.

You can save 25% if you take advantage of annual billing. You can try any of the tiers for at least two weeks to see if you like it. No credit card is needed to get started. They even have an enterprise option designed to pull out all the stops.

Duda Pros:

• Multilingual support
• Free eCommerce add-on
• Audience segmentation tools

Duda Cons:

• It's a bit expensive
• There's no app store
• No free options

GoDaddy—Best Basic Websites With Domain

GoDaddy is best known for domain hosting, but they do offer a simple solution for websites too. They have no-frills designs for those who just want a simple website. It's not very robust, but it will allow you to build a website and get it live in a few hours.

It's not too expensive, but it doesn't have a lot of customization. However, it is simple and straightforward, designed to ensure that you can create your own customized website. Some of the paid tiers have social media integration and email capability.

Website Building

GoDaddy doesn't offer a ton of customization, but it gets the job done. Its primary approach is a simple fill-in-the-blank method that ensures your information is correct and gives you a website in just a few hours.

It features drag-and-drop blocks that allow you to customize templates and ensure all your information is easy to find. It's responsive and has a mobile browsing version for many templates.

Extra Features

The abandoned cart recovery and inventory management with the top tiers is a wonderful option for business owners. It ensures you can set up your website without much fuss. However, it doesn't include a domain in any of the packages.

GoDaddy's real niche is selling domains, so their websites aren't quite as robust. However, for an all-in-one option once you've got your domain, it is easy to jump over and customize your website.

Cost and Trial

The $10.99 plan is a simple solution for a basic website, but you can go all the way up to the $20.99 eCommerce plan. At that tier, you do have a few more choices, including robust tracking and analytics features, to help get your business off the ground.

You can try out some of the features for free without a credit card. It's a simple and straightforward website solution. The pricing structure includes a few different options , whether you want essential blogging or something more robust.

GoDaddy Pros:

• The pricing structure is straightforward
• Drag-and-drop website design gets you up and running quickly
• Solid eCommerce add-ons

GoDaddy Cons:

• No domains included
• Website templates are restrictive
• The basic option doesn't have many features

Jimdo—The Fastest Choice

Another one that typically falls outside people's radar is Jimdo. This is a German platform that promises to set up a website for you in three minutes or less using their “no-code” builder. It's easy to use, and allows you to create a simple website with an online store.

This one doesn't have a lot of frills, but if you're looking to get in the game quickly, it works. It does have features designed for multiple types of stores and businesses. It also has some useful language integrations.

Website Building

The website builder is simple to use and helps you get your site up and running quickly. The elements are esay to manipulate, thanks to the Jimdo Creator that helps facilitate the process.

The site takes your information that's already online and pulls it into a cohesive site without you having to repeat yourself. The process is straightforward, and works well to capture the details without losing important information.

It's one of the fastest ways to build a website. Choose a well-designed layout, coordinating colors, and import the information you already have online, and your site will be up and running within minutes.

Extra Features

The site offers a few eCommerce options, but there's no external app store or add-on features. The templates convert well for mobile browsing options, and the page load speed is decent. They offer domains with the paid sites, but it's easy to integrate a domain you already have with the simple features you need.

The most significant feature is the speed at which you're able to get a website built, but that's where it mostly ends. For those who need a quick, speedy website though, this is a good option.

Cost and Trial

They offer a completely free version with all the basic sub-features and Jimdo's branded domain as your address. The next tier starts at just $11 per month and from there $17. You get more features and your own branded domain name.

For businesses and enterprise options, the $28 tier offers everything you need to set up shop. With this option, you'll get unlimited and priority support, unlimited storage, and in-depth professional analysis. You also have the opportunity to add business listings to get more customers.

Jimdo Pros:

• Ultra-fast set up
• Automatic information from internet crawling
• Includes domain with paid tiers

Jimdo Cons:

• Not many features
• The eCommerce option is limited
• The editor has a learning curve

Strikingly—Best For Landing Pages

If you don't want a full-fledged website, this option allows you to create something quick and straightforward. For one-pagers, Strikingly includes simple templates that make things easy. They're responsive and offer automatic mobile conversion.

The support features are useful, and if you need nothing more than a landing page for an event or simple product launch, this is a great option.

Website Building

“Website” is a bit of a stretch since these are simple, one-pagers. However, you could have your event page up and running in just a few minutes.

The load speeds are decent, and with automatic mobile conversions, you get a responsive user interface. The templates are simple, but may take some time getting used to. However, that learning curve is small, and you should only need a little experimentation to get it right.

Extra Features

There aren't a lot of extra features here, but the top tier plan includes up to five different landing pages. The single-page option doesn't always rank well with Google, so you'll need to understand how to leverage it.

In order to get the simple features available on most free sites, you need to upgrade. This? niche type of site is a simple way to make a side page or to make sure that you have a companion landing page set up for a special event.

Cost and Trial

There is a free version, but to get all the features, you'll need to sign up for a higher tier. They cost $12 to $59 per month—or you can go for yearly or multi-year contracts to save money. They offer up to five years commitments, allowing you to lock in your price for years to come.

While you may not be interested in those multi-year plans, annual billing can save you money while you figure out how long you want to keep it. You can also get a custom email address for $25 per year.

Strikingly Pros:

• Landing pages are simple to build
• Fast set up with automatic web scraping
• Responsive mobile conversion

Strikingly Cons:

• Only single pages available
• Tiers can be pricey
• Not a lot of integrated features available

Shopify—Best For eCommerce

If you want to focus more on selling products than something like blogging, Shopify can help you set up your eCommerce website. It provides you with user-friendly options for setting up an online store, and its eCommerce integrations keep things convenient for customers.

It guides you through the website creation and shopping process, helping you track inventory and tax rates, among other things. It has an active community forum and robust customer service.

Website Building

Shopify makes it easy to get your storefront set up. It guides you through the process, helping you make decisions based on your product and location. Even if you don't have a ton of experience in retail or setting up an online store, you'll get a website going.

It's fairly limited in terms of what you can put on your site, but Shopify's primary purpose is selling products. For example, you won't want this option if you're a blogger that's only selling one or two products, but if your primary goal is to sell products, Shopify is the platform for you.

Extra Features

The ability to quickly calculate taxes, shipping, and other essential aspects of online retail is critical to eCommerce success. You'll get inventory management and the ability to gather valuable customer information.

Upgrading to one of the bigger plans unlocks features like gift cards and accounts for more than one staff member. It also helps reduce transaction fees, and includes several additional apps to support specific types of stores and customers.

Cost and Trial

The downside of Shopify is the cost. Basic plans give you coverage for basic stores. At $39 per month, it starts off on the expensive side. The bigger option is $105 per month for multiple accounts and increased features—a big jump for many small businesses.

They do have an advanced choice at $399 per month, with robust features and excellent customer support. Each tier offers the same guidance, and allows you to build something with no coding experience.

You can try Shopify's plans for 14 days without entering a credit card, giving you enough time to set up and get going. You'll quickly see if what you need is covered in the basics or if you'll have to get something bigger.

Shopify Pros:

• Full retail guidance for online store setup
• Convenient eCommerce features, like tax calculations
• Offers enterprise choices

Shopify Cons:

• More expensive than most competitors
• Fewer features for standard websites
• A big jump from the basic plan to the next tier

BigCommerce—Best For Large Store Operations

BigCommerce picks up Shopify's slack and offers robust eCommerce options for stores that move a lot more product. It's not as intuitive, so you'll need some experience building a site. The trade-off is more features for less.

BigCommerce specializes in larger stores with more employees and staff. You also have the option to link your store to other eCommerce sites, like Amazon or eBay. The storage is excellent, and you'll have enough bandwidth to support whatever you need.

Website Building

BigCommerce does offer guidance as you're setting up, but it has a small learning curve as far as the web editor goes. However, with some experimentation, you'll set up your site and get it going fairly quickly.

It comes with unlimited bandwidth and storage, as well as account settings for different staff. You'll incorporate all this into your website with no middle man, giving you the power to change your website as your needs require.

Extra Features

BigCommerce offers plenty to large stores that need to pivot quickly. It integrates with many third-party apps, and provides comprehensive analytics to help you drive sales. It has features specifically designed for different industries, including fashion and food.

The platform allows you to differentiate, driving higher conversions. It automatically optimizes mobile browsing and fully integrates with WordPress if you've already set up there. Open APIs allow you to customize your checkout experience.

Cost and Trial

The cost is the same as Shopify, but you get unlimited bandwidth and storage starting at the lowest tier of $29 per month. The bigger tiers unlock options like launch coaching and data migration.

You get a lot more with the Big Commerce tiers, but the transaction fees can add up depending on your yearly sales numbers. It can also get expensive to add on features and apps. Do the math and take advantage of the 15-day free trial to determine which tier serves you best.

BigCommerce Pros:

• Unlimited storage and bandwidth
• Differentiation options
• eCommerce guidance

BigCommerce Cons:

• Web editor has a learning curve
• Transaction fees are tricky
• The standard plan only supports a small annual revenue

HostGator Website Builder

HostGator is a web host with a huge following. If you've purchased a domain there, it makes sense to use their web builder. It is straightforward, and helps guide you through the setup process without coding.

Those of you without HostGator can take advantage of it as well. These are two different components with separate logins so that you can bring your hosting from anywhere. This makes it convenient and flexible.

Website Building

The templates are easy to navigate, and look highly professional with little effort on your part. They require no coding, and a step-by-step tour helps you get all your information onto the site.

HostGator gives you a lot of customization options through its progressive drop-down tools. You can drag and drop different elements, or you can use the plus icon to add your own elements manually. It offers social media options, and lower levels of hosting allow you to add certain eCommerce add-ons.

Extra Features

There are a few eCommerce options, as well as analytics and traffic tracking. You also get robust analytics tools to help you customize, pivot, and make better decisions overall. It converts to mobile browsing, and even allows you to separate traffic stats between desktop and mobile visitors.

It has a small app section, but excellent customer service options for working through challenges. The customer service hours vary between the hosting tiers, but are overall very responsive.

Cost and Trial

The tiers are highly affordable, especially if you pay annually rather than month to month. Starter plans begin at around $3.76 per month billed annually, and include a free domain, SSL security, and customizable templates.

There is a premium plan and an eCommerce plan available for more significant operations, and those are highly affordable as well. After the introductory term, your subscription price will go up. However, you're still looking at significantly lower hosting prices than other platforms.

HostGator pros:

• Yearly plans come with domain and SSL
• Modern, easy-to-use templates
• Highly affordable monthly and yearly rates

Hostgator cons:

• Doesn't offer a free plan
• No email marketing plan associated with the site
• Limited apps and add-ons

Why Choose A Website Builder

A website builder ensures that you can get your site up and running quickly—but it's so much more than just that. Websites can be complicated; they require security, mobile optimization, and correct linking for analytics. Miss any one of those markers, and your website goes down.

A website builder helps you get a professional-looking site with all the security needs in place while making sure that your user flow is correct. You don't need to know a single bit of code, and you won't need to pay someone else to manage it for you.

The ability to handle changes in real-time on your site is a massive plus with website builders. You don't need to wait for someone to make changes for you, giving you complete control over your site's look and feel without sacrificing professional design.

How To Choose A Website Builder

There are a few different things you need to consider when choosing a website builder. Here are some features and components to look out for:

Free Trial Options

A free trial provides you with the biggest benefit because you get to go in and actually work with the building elements. Free trials aren't a deal-breaker, but if you don't have experience with websites, you may like being able to experiment for free.

Free trials offer a few different options. The best ones don't even require you to enter a credit card, making it low stakes and low effort. Others require credit card details that you later cancel before the trial period is over.

Whichever one you choose, a free trial could be an important factor in deciding which builder to use. You'll see which ones operate in a way that makes sense to your brain and work process.

Templates

The availability of templates is a large part of why you use a website builder in the first place. Templates should be professional, modern, and easy to use. If you don't like the look of your website builder's templates, then that's not the one for you.

The first thing to do is check for templates that match your own design style. The next step is to ensure that those templates offer logical arrangements for your online presence. If you blog, you need comprehensive blogging tools. If you sell physical products, you need reliable eCommerce features.

Templates should also have automatic mobile conversions because the majority of users now browse using their mobile device. Even better if you can make customizations to the mobile option separate from the regular site.

Other Features

Templates should have a security-first design, ensuring that your audience and customers are safe. Security measures also protect your site from hacking or other interruptions in service. Make sure your website builder is transparent about security features.

You'll also need analytics built into the site to make sure you know how to reach your audience. In-depth analytics and SEO tools give you what you need to attract your audience without needing a deep understanding of Google algorithms.

Some website builders have more apps and add-ons than others, but not all of these will fit your unique situation. Take a look at what features and apps are available to see if you will be able to use them.

Choosing A Website Builder

You can make it easier on yourself by asking these questions to narrow down your website builder options and make a final decision:

• What is your site's purpose?—You won't like Shopify if your dream is blogging. Align your website builder and template with your site's primary goal. Plenty of site builders can do both, but make sure your primary purpose is covered.
• How fast do you need to move?—If you have time to experiment, you may enjoy sites with more features, like Wix or Squarespace. If you want to get up and running in minutes, a feature like Jimdo's AI-driven website builder can help with that.
• How much customization do you need?—Website builders don't offer complete control, but they do vary in how much flexibility you have within templates. Free trials are a great way to find out if the flexibility serves your purpose.
• What's your traffic?—Different builders offer different levels of bandwidth and storage. Consider your audience and your growth when you make your choice. Also look at how easy it is to scale up.
• Are you selling products? How much is your revenue?—If you plan to sell something, look at the platform's eCommerce features. If you have one product, that's very different from a full-fledged online retail setup.
• What's your hosting option?—If you've already got a web host, you'll need a compatible website builder. If you don't have a domain, finding a website builder that provides one could be convenient. Choose accordingly.

Launch Your Site With a Website Builder

Building a website doesn't have to take forever. A good website builder can provide you with a professional-looking site with excellent navigation—all without knowing a single bit of code. This flexibility and professionalism is key in today's online economy.

Our 10 choices can get you started no matter what your industry or purpose. They're simple to use, but look great. You'll get your website running and get back to what you do best—working in your industry and making a difference. Make sure your website is right there with you.

The post Easiest Website Builders 2023 – 10 Easy Website Builders For The Technology Challenged appeared first on WebMonkey.

There are several free eCommerce website builders that can help you expand your business without creating an extra headache. We checked out several options and narrowed the list to nine top choices.

What Are the Best Free eCommerce Website Builders?

1. Weebly – Best overall free eCommerce website builder
2. Strikingly – Best for single product sales
3. Freewebstore – Best free eCommerce website builder for products with age limits
4. Webstarts – Best free eCommerce website builder for small stores
5. Mozello – Best multilingual free eCommerce website builder
6. Adobe Commerce – Best free eCommerce website builder for start-ups
7. Squareup – Best free eCommerce website builder for brick and mortar stores
8. WooCommerce – Best free eCommerce option for WordPress users
9. Ecwid – Best free eCommerce plug-in for any website

Weebly is the best overall free eCommerce website builder because it’s easy to use with convenient drag and drop features, and there are no limits to how many products you can post with the free plan.

Strikingly offers exceptional customer service and works well for single product sales. Webstarts is an excellent choice for smaller stores, and Magento caters to start-ups.

Free eCommerce Website Builder Comparison

Let’s dig a little deeper on each platform. Read on to learn more about each free eCommerce website builder to see which could work best for you.

Weebly

4.5/5 Best Overall Free eCommerce Website Builder

With more than 50 million websites using Weebly, it’s arguably the most popular eCommerce website builders. It’s easy to use and has several features available with the free package.

Pros

• Build your site with drag-and-drop editing.
• There’s no limit to the number of products you can list with the free plan.
• Includes a blog feature that complements your store and allows you to add a personal touch.
• Weebly grows with your store and continues to meet your needs no matter how large you get.
• SSL included for safe payments.
• You can upgrade to paid plans if you want access to more tools and features.

Cons

• You can’t offer offline payments.
• There is no free plan outside the United States.
• Can't sell digital products with free plan.

Ease of Use: 5/5

It’s tough to find a website builder that’s easier to use. Weebly is intuitive and easy to learn, even for beginners. Choose a template and customize it to meet your store’s needs.

Design Flexibility: 4/5

Even though you choose a template, there are plenty to pick from and a lot of room to customize designs to your tastes. Some users may want a little more control over their design because they are simplistic. However, they look appealing, and you can easily add your own personal flair.

It’s not a bad alternative to building a custom site from the ground up. Who has the time, knowledge, and funds for that?

Website Features:  5/5

Have we mentioned that there’s no limit to the number of products you can list with the free plan? If that’s not enough to win you over on Weebly, they also include a shopping cart, quick shop feature, in-store pickup option, and inventory management.

Help and Support:  4/5

They offer a lot of support in the help center, including SEO guides, to help you improve your Google ranking and keywords. You also have access to community forums, live chat, and email support.

However, Weebly’s customer service leaves a little to be desired. They don’t offer phone support unless you upgrade to a paid plan, and the live chat is not available 24/7 for users.

Strikingly

4/5 Best Free eCommerce Website Builder for Single Product Sales

Strikingly’s free option allows you to sell one product with five pages per site. It’s clean, efficient, and works wonders for people with one product or service seeking a minimal eCommerce site.

Pros

• More than 200 modern, responsive, appealing designs to choose from.
• It’s quick and easy to set up a free site and start selling.
• You can only have one product per site, but you can have unlimited sites.
• Invite collaborators to help you operate the store.
• You can purchase a custom email to go with your site for $25/year.

Cons

• Since your pages are limited, your SEO may suffer.
• You have to use a Strikingly.com domain with the free plan.

Ease of Use: 5/5

Strikingly is exceptionally easy to use, and they claim you can create a store in minutes. Since your store is limited to five pages and one product, there’s not much to set up. The layout is easy to navigate and makes for a customer-friendly experience.

Design Flexibility: 4/5

With more than 200 fantastic designs to choose from, there's bound to be something for everyone. The designs are modern and mobile responsive, so you don’t have to worry about taking extra steps on your own.

Website Features:  3/5

Though Strikingly offers a lot of cool features, like pop-ups and reviews, you can't access them with the free plan. You can access site stats, and you can choose from plenty of payment options.

Help and Support:  4/5

Strikingly offers 24/7 support through live chat and email. The company’s page also provides an extensive help feature known as “knowledge base” with more than a dozen categories and loads of information to help you with your store.

Freewebstore

4/5 Best Free eCommerce Website Builder for Products with Age Limits

With a tag line of “free eCommerce for everyone,” it’s tough to pass up Freewebstore. You don’t even have to use a credit card to get started because it’s free until you reach a set level of sales.

Pros

• Your site is fully hosted by Freewebstore, so you don’t have to pay for a third-party host.
• There are no transaction fees involved.
• Several payment options to choose from, including Paypal and Skrill.
• Free SSL is included.
• You can set age limits for purchasing products.

Cons

• You can only sell physical goods, no digital products or services.
• Some features only apply to paid plans.

Ease of Use: 4/5

The system is a little out-of-date, but not over-complicated to use. It’s not quite as user-friendly as some of the other options, and you have to find plug-ins for certain features, like printing labels and social media sales.

Design Flexibility: 4/5

Choose from more than 160 different designs that you can customize and make your own. Fortunately, the templates don’t look cheap or dated, and they are mobile responsive. You can edit images and include customized logos and banners.

Website Features:  4/5

For a free platform, Freewebstore offers a lot, including an age verification option for products with age limits. The management features include low stock alerts and automatic stock management.

You also have a selection of marketing features to improve your sales, including a newsletter and Google analytics data. There is plenty of room to engage with your customers on social media.

Help and Support:  4/5

Freewebstore boasts about their commitment to customer service, and they answer more than 99% of all support tickets within 24 hours. The company offers support for DIYers with video tutorials and help guides.

Webstarts

4/5 Best Free eCommerce Website Builder for Small Stores

Webstarts made a name as a website builder, but now you can add a store for free.

Pros

• Smooth, easy-to-use platform works for beginners.
• You get 1Gb of space with the free plan.
• The advertisement for the paid plan is small and placed in the footer.
• Several payment options, including Stripe, WePay, and PayPal.
• You can upgrade to paid plans if you want access to more tools and features.

Cons

• You can’t include a SKU of any kind for inventory tracking.
• There are no SEO options, like title tags and personalized URLs.
• Mobile responsiveness is only available with paid plans.

Ease of Use: 5/5

Create your store by dragging and dropping features. It’s simple to set up and even easier to use on a day-to-day basis. You don’t have to code, but you can if you want to customize your site further.

Design Flexibility: 4/5

Choose from more than 160 templates, then go to town customizing the design to fit your brand and store’s needs. You can tweak almost any element of the design, including font style, font color, and background images.

Website Features:  3/5

The free plan doesn’t include enough features to make Webstarts work for every business. There are some neat features with the free plan, but it may not be enough to meet your needs.

Help and Support:  4/5

One of the things Webstarts does well is customer service. You don’t have to resort to email just because you use the free plan—they offer live chat for immediate assistance. They also have an extensive FAQ section and video tutorials to guide you along the way.

Mozello

4/5 Best Multilingual Free eCommerce Website Builder

For a free platform, Mozello offers a lot, including multilingual options. Most companies don’t offer the option to sell in multiple languages, but this Latvian company chose to do just that.

Pros

• You can sell your goods in fifteen different languages.
• Inventory tracking includes alerts, so you know when to restock.
• You can offer variations of products, including colors, sizes, and materials.
• It’s quick and easy to set up your store and start selling.

Cons

• The free plan is basic and only accepts PayPal
• You can only sell physical goods.
• You have to add SSL yourself.

Ease of Use: 4/5

Thankfully this platform is easy to use. Setting up your store is an intuitive process and takes minutes. However, the set-up is basic and may look too simplistic for some owners.

Design Flexibility: 5/5

Choose from 50 templates that you can fully customize. You can alter fonts, major elements, and adjust general layouts to achieve the look you desire. Of course, most templates have a chic, modern appearance to begin.

Website Features:  4/5

Though Mozello could use some improvement, the multilingual feature and inventory tracking options bring a lot to the table. Larger businesses may not see the appeal, but smaller companies should appreciate the options and convenience.

Help and Support:  3/5

Customer support relies solely on basic tutorials and FAQs or email correspondence. There is almost no troubleshooting help available, especially regarding store creation and function.

Adobe Commerce

3.75/5 Best Free eCommerce Website Builder for Start-ups

Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento, is one of the best-known eCommerce options. It’s an excellent option for start-ups because it works with your business as it grows.

Pros

• You can self-host on any PHP web hosting.
• There are numerous ways to customize your store, and many developers know how to handle the tech side.
• Works well for a single store or companies with multiple locations.
• Choose from tons of extensions and plug-ins to make your site work for you.
• Easy integration with other Adobe products.

Cons

• You have to purchase some necessary features, like the SSL certificate.
• There’s a learning curve involved with the program, especially as you add extensions and plug-ins.

Ease of Use: 4/5

The basic builder is easy to use with drag-and-drop features. It’s easy to track inventory and create product recommendations.

One of the biggest benefits of Adobe Commerce is the day-to-day use. Once you manage the set-up of your store, it’s easy to use each day. Plus, Magento created one of the smoothest shopping and transaction experiences for your customers.

Design Flexibility: 2/5

Adobe Commerce doesn’t offer custom designs, but you can go to a third party to find themes or build one yourself. Of note, the base designs are not much to look at, so you definitely want to find something better.

Website Features:  5/5

Adobe thrives because they offer so many features. You can create and set up coupons, manage multiple sales channels, and create product bundles.

Help and Support:  4/5

Now that Adobe owns Magento, you can expect about the same level of customer service as you get with any of their products, including 24/7 support.

Squareup

3.75/5 Best Free eCommerce Website Builder for Brick and Mortar Stores

You may already be familiar with Square, the famous point of sale system for smartphones, desktops, and tablets. The company expanded its offerings to include eCommerce so that you can sell in-person and online.

Pros

• Seamlessly merges point of sale business with online selling.
• You can sell tickets to future events at your store.
• Tracking your physical inventory is easier.
• You can sell unlimited products for pickup or local delivery.
• SSL included for safe payments.
• You can upgrade to paid plans if you want access to more tools and features.

Cons

• It’s free to create the store, and there are no monthly fees, but they do take 3% of every transaction.
• Unless you have a physical store, there are better options.
• Limited SEO opportunities detract from the efficiency.

Ease of Use: 4/5

Fast and easy set-up is a major selling point, but that’s not all you have to look forward to with Squareup. You can offer product subscriptions and easily manage inventory to make your life easier.

Design Flexibility: 4/5

There are dozens of designs to choose from and customize to meet your needs. You can customize your store to fit your needs and even integrate with Pinterest and Instagram.

Website Features:  3/5

For physical businesses seeking to expand their offerings and reach more customers, there are plenty of features you want (and need). Squareup offers incredible marketing features and SEO tools, but the focus is local.

Help and Support:  4/5

The good news is, Squareup offers more support than Square has historically. Unfortunately, it is not available 24/7 unless you pay for it and meet the criteria of a “l(fā)arger company.” The website does, however, provide several resources to help users navigate common issues.

WooCommerce

3.5/5 Best Free eCommerce Option for WordPress Users

If you already have a WordPress site and want to add a store, WooCommerce may be the best free plug-in available. WooCommerce is a powerful store for WordPress sites, and it works for stores of all sizes, so scalability is not an issue.

Pros

• This plug-in can do almost anything as far as eCommerce is concerned.
• Integrates a shop with your existing website design.
• You can easily integrate SSL.
• Product presentation is topnotch with carousels, galleries, and more.
• It helps your SEO and Google ranking.

Cons

• WooCommerce may be a bit tech-heavy for beginners, and you need to know WordPress well.
• Support is non-existent through WooCommerce, you need to reach out to Google and tech forums for answers.

Ease of Use: 2/5

WordPress is a monster in terms of website building, and WooCommerce can turn your site into an eCommerce giant. However, it is highly technical and requires you to know WordPress well before you even start with WooCommerce.

Design Flexibility: 5/5

The only limits to design are your creativity and what you can accomplish with WordPress. There are loads of options for product presentation and several opportunities to customize your shop.

Features:  4/5

From browser extensions to flexible payment options, WooCommerce does it all. You can easily manage orders from your phone and upgrade your store with extensions (like Google Analytics and Facebook) to help you grow.

Help and Support:  3/5

As mentioned, there’s not a lot of support beyond a public forum and Google. Even the WooCommerce webpage explaining their support policies is confusing and difficult to work through. However, you can hire a developer to improve or correct your design.

Ecwid

3.5/5 Best Free eCommerce Plug-in for Any Website

When you have an existing website and want to add a store, Ecwid is an excellent option. Unlike WooCommerce, Ecwid works with any site. It’s a versatile plug-in available in 50 languages.

Pros

• The plug-in works with any website for easy integration.
• If you don't already have a store, you can create one using Ecwid's platform.
• You can sell 5 items with the free plan.
• SSL integration is easy.
• You can work with more than 20 payment processors, including PayPal.
• There are some stylish options for displaying your products.

Cons

• You can't sell digital products with the free plan
• The free plan customer support options leave something to be desired.

Ease of Use: 3/5

The plug-in is easy enough to use, though it may be a little tricky to initially set it up and learn the interface. However, once it's done, you're set for an easy, user-friendly experience. You also have to integrate some aspects, like SSL.

Design Flexibility: 3/5

The designs are pretty basic when you use Ecwid's website builder. If you’re looking for more templates or special customizations, it may be better to use another platform and use the Ecwid plugin.

Website Features:  5/5

Ecwid has more than a million users because of the phenomenal features. Even the free plan offers a lot, including setting taxes, mobile responsiveness, and point of sale options. You can set up carousels and galleries to showcase your products.

Help and Support:  35

The quality of support depends heavily on the plan you choose. That means the free plan offers the least amount of support and only by email. You could be waiting a bit to get your answer.

How to Choose a Free eCommerce Website Builder

Choosing an eCommerce website builder isn’t something to rush into. You need to take into account what your business needs to succeed.

Small businesses have different needs than larger businesses. Some eCommerce platforms don’t allow the sale of digital goods, so if you only sell digital products you don’t want to sign up for those options.

Understanding your team’s strengths and limitations is a good place to start, but make sure you know what you hope to accomplish. We created a list of considerations to help you create a proper eCommerce website builder wish list.

Ease of Use

Ask yourself (and your team) how tech-savvy you truly are. If coding is your hobby and you know how to rework some HTML, you may be able to go with a more technical platform. However, if you need something simple to set up and navigate, you may want to look for a drag-and-drop platform.

Templates and Design Options

Design matters. From incorporating your branding to creating a visually appealing virtual storefront, you want a platform that provides plenty of room for customization. You also probably want an eCommerce website that looks unique.

Features

What do you need your store to do for you? Think about inventory management, coupons, and blogs. Remember to look at the difference between features that come with free plans and those you need to pay extra to access.

Scalability

Do you want to grow your business? Maybe you have half a dozen products now, but hope to expand to a few dozen over the next few years. Unless you want to swap sites and re-build your store in a year or two, you probably want to choose a platform that can accommodate your growth.

Pricing

Even if you start out with a free plan, you may want to upgrade at some point. You may also need to pay for plug-ins or upgrades to improve your platform. Some eCommerce website builders set sales limits on their free plans, which means you may not have a choice as your company grows.

Help and Support

When things go wrong, you need help troubleshooting. If sending an email and waiting 24 hours (or more) for an answer sounds miserable, you may want to pay attention to customer support options.

Even if you don’t require 24/7 support, you might want access to a live chat or phone call. Not every company allows people on the free plans to access all customer support options. You may have to pay extra for more troubleshooting assistance.

Should You Try a Free eCommerce Website Builder?

If you’re thinking about eCommerce for your business, but you’re not quite sure it’s right for you, you probably don’t want to enter a long-term agreement. Free eCommerce website builders allow you to dip a toe in the water and test things out.

Free plans save you money and give you a sample of what to expect going forward, but there are limitations. Whether you accept a short-term free trial or stick with a long-term free plan, you may eventually need to upgrade your account to access all the features you desire.

Also, some platforms set limits on how much you can make before you need to upgrade. Others set limits on the number of sales you can have each day. If you don’t want to restrict your maximum sales for a day, you won't want to choose an eCommerce website builder that limits you.

Best Free eCommerce Website Builders: Roundup

Making a choice comes down to personal preference. No matter what platform you choose, you can start selling your products and grow your business.

We suggest using Weebly as a free eCommerce website builder, but it’s not the only option. Here’s a reminder of our top nine website buidlers and what makes each one stand out.

1. Weebly – Best overall
2. Strikingly – Best for single product sales
3. Freewebstore – Best for products that require age verification
4. Webstarts – Best for small stores
5. Mozello – Best multilingual platform
6. Adobe Commerce – Best for start-ups
7. Squareup – Best for physical stores
8. WooCommerce – Best plug-in for WordPress users
9. Ecwid – Best plug-in for any website

If you want a store that stands out from the rest, go with Strikingly, but be prepared to upgrade as you grow. For businesses seeking a platform to grow with them, Adobe Commerce is tough to beat.

FAQs

Is SSL important for an eCommerce store?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is important for eCommerce because it protects you and your customers. SSL certificates protect sensitive data, like credit card information and login credentials.

Many of the platforms we listed offer SSL certification with free plans, while others allow you to integrate them on your own. Whichever platform you choose, you definitely want to have SSL certification before you start selling.

Is it important to choose a platform that is mobile responsive?

How many times have made a purchase from your phone? The truth is, mobile commerce is a massive market, and it’s expected to account for 7.4% of all retail sales. Can you afford to miss out on that kind of traffic?

Remember, not all platforms include mobile responsiveness in their free plans. If it’s not clear that a platform is mobile responsive, you may want to reach out to customer service before building a store.

Is it better to add a plug-in to an existing site or create a dedicated eCommerce website?

Again, this situation comes down to personal preference. If you have an existing website that you love, it may be worth integrating a plug-in, like Ecwid, to keep everything in one place.

New businesses or people introducing an eCommerce option may prefer to use a dedicated eCommerce platform. When you choose an eCommerce platform, you may want to consider whether you want to do a blog or how much effort you want to put into SEO.

Which free eCommerce website builder has the best templates?

It all comes down to personal preference, however, some platforms offer more options. Strikingly has the best personalization options because your choices are almost endless. Weebly has more than 50 templates to choose from, and a few others have more than 40 available.

Which free eCommerce website builder offers the cheapest paid option?

Mozello has the cheapest paid plans with a Premium Plus account at $16 per month. If you’re willing to go just a little more, Weebly offers a little bit more by way of features and usability for $29 per month or less.

How long will it take to start selling on my eCommerce website?

It may take a few minutes to start a store, but it takes a little more time to customize and populate it. Consider how easy it is to use the platform and how many products you have to set up. If you only have a few products, you could be up and running in an hour or two.

Remember, there is a difference between setting up a store and actually selling your products. Once you set up the store, you need to attract visitors and convert them to customers. That may require a little more work on your part!

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