Use of website builder is one of the easiest and the most popular ways for creating a web presentation. Still, you should know from the start that this option offers insufficient customization options and the minimal amount of support and maintenance. That is why we always advise people to hire a professional web development agency or learn a thing or two about creating websites and build their web page from scratch.
If you don’t have time to learn the basics of web design and development, and you think that professional development services are too expensive, using a website maker might be your only option. One of the most difficult tasks, when running development projects on these apps, is finding the right program with features and customization options that will be useful for building the desired functionalities.
That is why we have decided to list the most popular website builder apps and help you to find the adequate package. There are several ways how we can rate website maker apps. Each one comes with a unique list of functionalities, prices and payment plans. If you are making a website for your business, you shouldn't only focus on the price. Remember that web development is a relatively costly niche that can create a very high ROI. Investing money in your website will help you to improve marketing, sales, cash flow and speed up the development of your business.
Squarespace is the best website building app in terms of user experience. It is very polished and gives you the chance to be very detailed while customizing your pages. For example, while other website maker apps crop images automatically, Squarespace incorporates an easy to use image editor.
Like most builders, it has a drag and drop feature, with many finally polished content blocks to choose from. Squarespace's simple markup language also allows you to create stylish menus. Squarespace's long list of features includes blog functionality, e-commerce, which is powered by the Commerce tool, retina ready images, form builder and app suite that allows you to use both iOS and Android apps.
Ease of use is Weebly’s most important trait. It perfectly balances simple interface and powerful website maker that stands behind it.
Drag and drop functionality allows you to drop website elements into body or the footer, which you can also rearrange with the use of columns and rows. Recently Weebly has also introduced a Sections functionality. Now the body of the page is separated into sections, which allows you to design each part of the page individually, which is very useful for Home and other longer pages.
Weebly's App Store, helps you to find apps that can add more functionalities to your website and it is similar as the WordPress plugin directory. Apart from the standard blog, e-commerce, form builder, retina ready and newsletter, Weebly also offers membership system that allows you to build a membership website that lets users register and login.
Wix is different from the previous two website builders because it is a blank canvas editor. This allows you to drag and drop any element to any place on the screen. With this functionality, Wix offers much more customization opportunities than ordinary website makers. Creating a website in this web builder is similar to creating a Power Point presentation.
This feature can also be viewed as a disadvantage because the websites created by web development rookies often look trashy and completely disorganized. Unlike other web building tools where elements can overlap, Wix puts one next, or below each other, which limits the overall customization. The central philosophy of this website builder is to give users' as much features and customization opportunities as possible and allow them to make sense of it.
Wix has a wide variety of useful features. Drag and drop functionality contains dozens of widgets including audio players, contact forms, text, icons, images, etc. You can also use the Wix's App Market to integrate additional apps and functionalities on your website. Standard package includes blog functionality, e-commerce, audio player, retina ready, newsletter, restaurant menu builder and many other features and functionalities.
Strikingly is limited to the creation of one-page websites. If we compare it with other builders, it offers limited package, but since one-page websites have been trendy in the last couple of years, it can be handy for small business owners and people who want to build personal and event websites.
Strikingly has the best one-page website interface. The websites are built by adding sections. These are large content blocks that can include various types of content and functionalities.
When it comes to features, Strikingly offers a standard package that includes: blog, e-commerce functionality, with a pretty basic coupon editor. There are also around 25 themes you can choose from. Most themes are designed for startups, freelancers, and small businesses. They are fresh and contemporary, and each theme comes with responsive design.
These are just some of the best web builder apps you can find online. Weebly, Wix and Squarespace can be used for creating regular company websites, while Strikingly is the best for building one-page platforms. Still, web builders can’t replace the services of professional web developers. That is why at one point or another you will need to move your website content from the platform created by the web builder to the regular internet site. If you don't want to deal with these challenges, later on, contact Virtual Spirit right away and receive the quote that can easily compete with the most affordable web builder plans.