Start your search to find the best website builder to create your new site, and chances are you’ll be inundated with both sales pitches and independent reviews from the big players. Sure, companies like Wix, Weebly and Squarespace have a lot to offer, but they’re not the only options out there. A number of smaller, less well-known platforms are setting out to prove that they can offer the same, if not better, service than they’re popular rivals.
So, if you’re tired of always having the same old companies to choose from, here’s our look at four little known products we think you should try.
MadeFreshly
MadeFreshly’s key selling point is its eCommerce support. Created specifically to support online store owners with setting up shop, it provides an incredibly smooth ride from the minute you register to the moment you hit publish.
Probably one of the best website builders online that doesn’t enjoy the same reputation as Wix and Co., it’s interface is clear, simple and very easy to get the hang of, which six main options opening up to reveal a world of possibilities for building your own online store.
With support for up to 500 products, this one really works well for small and medium sized businesses, especially those who want all the benefits of a powerful eCommerce platform without shelling out megabucks.
Webydo
Webydo was originally created by designers, for designers. The solution to an existing web design agency’s problem of using outdated, time consuming processes to put their websites together, the company came up with a rich, dynamic platform that allowed them to build websites easily, without sacrificing the kind of quality and complexity their customers expected of them.
As a result, whilst Webydo may involve a steeper learning curve than other platforms, it more than makes up for it be being among the most powerful website builders out there, all whilst adhering to that old design mantra, ‘Keep it Simple.’
Format
Format courted a fair amount of controversy when it announced that it was stopping support for Internet Explorer, not that the move seems to have done them any harm.
Though you’ll have a hard time getting to grips with the platform on IE, use another browser and you’ve got a very solid, very powerful sitebuilder which combines the ease of use so welcomed by novice designers with the kind of behind-the-scenes access favoured by more hardened web veterans.
Sadly, these more high-level features are only available in the paid option, and before that, you’re only entitled to a 15 day free trial, meaning this may not be ideal for those looking for a freebie.
If you don’t mind the cost, and want a visually-orientated website with lots to offer, Format is well worth checking out.
Adobe Muse
Adobe have done some wonderful things for designers in recent years, so it’s no surprise to find them coming up with their own website builder, a smart and flexible platform which empowers graphic designers to put their skills to work on creating a site without the need to learn code.
Laid out much like Adobe’s other design products, Muse does feature a handy drag and drop element, though where it greatly differs from other site builders is in its lack of pre-made templates.
Here, you’ll start everything from scratch, a task which may be overwhelming for some, but is perhaps just what a good graphic designer is looking for.
The various features and the UI as a whole isn’t always intuitive to figure out for those not familiar with Adobe’s way of doing things, though again, those who use tools like PhotoShop and Illustrator on a regular basis will likely have no problem with a platform which does, for all its flaws, create really impressive websites.
