With so many choices of web design software, it can be hard to know which one is best for you. In this article, we’ll be looking at the seven most powerful, high-quality options on the market right now.
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Most Powerful Web Design Software
The very best web design software is essential to make your work run smoothly and efficiently. As such it’s worth taking the time to review your design toolkit once in a while, to make sure you’re not missing a trick. After all, if a new web design tool can make even a small improvement to the speed you complete your work, it could save you serious time and money in the long term.
In this article, we highlight the best web design software available today that range from website builders to Adobe design apps. All are best-in-class, and should boost your productivity. To see more, also read our longer list of best web design tools, and why not check out our guides to the best web hosting and best website builders too?
01. Wix
The best web design software if you’re starting out
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2006Developers: Avishai Abrahami, Nadav Abrahami, and Giora KaplanCost: Free to $18/monthPlatform: Windows, Mac OSTODAY’S BEST DEALSWix Connect Domain£3/mthWix Connect Domain£3/mth
REASONS TO BUY
+Easy to use+User-friendly +Loads of features
REASONS TO AVOID
-Empty List
This is our top pick of the web builders, and web design software in general – Wix is one of the most popular site makers in 2021, and for good reason. It offers a range of payment tiers (including ‘free’), with befitting features. With the entry level free version, you’ll have to negotiate Wix adverts and and a 500GB space cap, but pay as little as $6, and you’ll bypass the ads, have a free domain for a year, get 2GB bandwidth, and 3Gb storage space.
There’s up to 500 templates to choose from, and you can easily start personalising with animations, image editing, social media buttons and various backgrounds – with plenty of further options to change as well.
We love the intuitive design of this web builder, and with the abundance of customisations, and loads of beautiful straight-out-the-pack templates on offer, it’s a cracking website builder for all levels of ability.
02. Adobe XD
The best web design software for prototyping.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2016Developer: AdobeCost: Free to $9.99/monthPlatform: Windows, Mac OSTODAY’S BEST DEALSAdobe XD – Single App MonthlyUS$9.99/mthVISIT SITEat Adobe
REASONS TO BUY
+Feature-rich +Creative Cloud integration +Cross-platform
REASONS TO AVOID
-Full version requires subscription
The fight to become web design’s favourite UI design tool has been a close-fought one over the last decade, with Adobe XD, Sketch, Affinity Designer and others scrapping it out. But for our money, the amount of effort Adobe has put in to developing XD makes it essential web design software for creatives.
This vector-based tool is available for both Mac and (unlike Sketch) Windows. It plays nicely with other Adobe tools like Photoshop and Illustrator, and you can easily import assets like Adobe Fonts and Adobe Stock. So if you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber already, it’s kind of a slam dunk.
Even if you aren’t, though, we feel this is the best web design software for creating mockups, prototypes and wireframes. With a clean and intuitive interface, there are so many cool features including a ‘Repeat Grid’ for fast designing, auto-animation, voice triggers, good collaboration features, tons of storage for your design files, an array of plugins, and lots of integrations with other web services.
In short, XD is the complete package when it comes to prototyping, and there’s even a capable free version. The many different ways to get XD does get a bit complicated, though, so check out our guide on how to download Adobe XD to check out your options.
03. Weebly
The best web design software for e-com
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched : 2006Developer: Square, Inc.Cost: Free to $18/monthPlatform: Windows, Mac OSTODAY’S BEST DEALSWeebly Starter£4/mthWeebly Pro£9/mthWeebly Business£18/mthVISIT SITEat Weebly
REASONS TO BUY
+Looks great+Mobile-friendly +Loads of customisation
REASONS TO AVOID
Having been around for 15 years, Weebly does what it does very effectively. And that is provide user-friendly templates and e-commerce options for everyone.
If you’ve got little to no coding experience (let’s see a raise of hands!), then Weebly is a great web design option. There’s super easy drag-and-drop tools for site creation, and with its build framework options, you can also build online stores, should selling your wares be essential to the site.
Less is definitely more with Weebly, and although you get a limited number of templates and themes to select from, what there is are a good range of clean and clear options that have enough room for personalisation to keep creatives happy.
As is the way, you can try out a free version of Weebly for restricted use of its features, which is perfect for seeing if this is the right choice for you. If you feel it is, there are further tiered options available, depending of what you want.
04. Webflow
Another great website builder for starters
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched : 2013Developer: WebflowCost: Free to $36/monthPlatform: Browser
REASONS TO BUY
+Cross-platform+Easy drag and drop
REASONS TO AVOID
-There are better interfaces
Yet another web-based option that is perfect for beginners wanting to create a quality website with minimal fuss. As is common with the best web design software, there’s a super-easy-to-use drag and drop approach to building a Webflow website, using many of their well-thought out templates. Advertisementhttps://4ab09c5bd883454520b757fd76eb3d41.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
You can start creating a website with Webflow with zero coding experience, but there’s room to move if you want to get to know a bit more about coding. There’s also a handy, free demonstration of all Webflow’s features at the click of a button, so you can head over to the site and see if what it has to offer is for you, without spending any money. From there you can create two sites for free to see the features in action, and then it’ll cost you to build more.
05. Pattern Lab
The best web design software for building design systems.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2013Developer: Dave OIsen and Brad FrostCost: FreePlatform: Browser
REASONS TO BUY
+Free +Clear focus +Intuitive interface
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not a website builder
Building a design system for your web work? Pattern Lab is a frontend workshop environment that can serve as your hub, and it helps you build, view, test, and showcase your UI components. And it’s totally free.Advertisementhttps://4ab09c5bd883454520b757fd76eb3d41.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
It’s all based on the concept of Atomic Design, which involves breaking a website down into its basic components and then working up from there to create a site. That mental model is baked into its interface and feature set, making it remarkably intuitive and easy to get started with.
Understand, though, that this is not a production-ready framework. You don’t actually build websites with Pattern Lab; you build components and design systems, which will in turn allow you to create prototypes and finished websites much more quickly and consistently.
06. Bootstrap
The best framework for web designers.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2010Developer: Open sourceCost: FreePlatform: Browser
REASONS TO BUY
+Excellent documentation+Responsive-first+Promotes best practice
REASONS TO AVOID
-Sites can look samey
The time when web designers were expected to write every piece of code, time after time, are now long behind us. There are countless frameworks out there helping you to avoid continuing reinventing the wheel, and instead build sites quickly and consistency. And one of the oldest and best is Bootstrap. Advertisement
Originally created by designers at Twitter to create consistency among their internal tools, Bootstrap is a free and open-source framework directed at responsive, mobile-first front-end web development.
Now maintained by a small team of developers on GitHub, Bootstrap allows you use HTML and CSS templates for web-based content such as forms, buttons, navigation and more. You can also use JavaScript plugins.
Bootstrap comes with excellent documentation, which is not all that surprising. Because ultimately, Bootstrap is not so much a framework as a methodology, and so is a great way to stay on course with best practices and accessibility. Check out our selection of the best Bootstrap themes.
07. Sublime Text 3
A super-strong web design software choice.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2008Developer: Sublime HQCost: $80Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
REASONS TO BUY
+Fast +Lightweight +Extendable
REASONS TO AVOID
-Not freeAdvertisementhttps://4ab09c5bd883454520b757fd76eb3d41.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
To write code, you need a decent code editor, and our pick of the bunch is Sublime Text 3. With a streamlined and easy to use interface, it’s fast, lightweight and responsive. And the lack of even tiny, fraction-of-a-second delays in its operation makes a difference when it comes to getting into the flow of programming.
Developed by a former Google engineer, Sublime Text 3 is very flexible too, with a huge range of plugins available. Which basically means it’s suitable for any kind of web design project and any level of web designer, from novice to veteran.
There’s a free trial, but beyond that you’ll have to pay an $80 licence. You may balk at that when there are so many free code editors available. But let’s be real: time is money, and if it makes you more productive, the best code editor will pay for itself many times over.
08. WordPress.org
The best content management system for web designers.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2003Developer: AutomatticCost: FreePlatform: Windows, Mac, LinuxTODAY’S BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+Free+Scalable +Extensible
REASONS TO AVOID
-Learning curve
Once you’ve built a website for a client, you don’t want them ringing you up every time they want to update the information on it. So you want it to be built on a flexible and customisable CMS (content management system), and WordPress is far and away the most popular of these, for good reason. Advertisementhttps://4ab09c5bd883454520b757fd76eb3d41.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
One of the best web builders around, WordPress.org is free, open source, well documented, and supported by an enthusiastic worldwide community. (Note that WordPress.org is separate and distinct from WordPress.com, which is a paid-for web builder service.)
WordPress sites are SEO friendly, and well protected against security vulnerabilities. You can speed up website creation by using either free or paid-for themes. And there are thousands of plugins to help you add virtually anything to your sites that you want. No wonder WordPress powers almost 40 per cent of the internet in 2021.
09. PageSpeed Insights
The best web design software for testing performance.
SPECIFICATIONS
Launched: 2013Developer: GoogleCost: FreePlatform: Chrome browserTODAY’S BEST DEALS
REASONS TO BUY
+Detailed reports+Easy to understand+Useful suggestions
REASONS TO AVOID
-Sometimes a little vague
It doesn’t matter how fancy your website is: if it doesn’t load quickly, visitors will go elsewhere, particularly if they’re on smartphones running on slow or dodgy connections. So every web designer in 2021 needs to have website speed test tool in their armory, and our favourite has to be PageSpeed Insights.Advertisementhttps://4ab09c5bd883454520b757fd76eb3d41.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
PageSpeed Insights was created by Google, which has a direct interest in making sites run faster, so they’ve put a lot of effort into making this useful and efficent. Built into the Chrome browser’s developer tools, It basically analyses your web page for you, provides a detailed report on how it performs on different platforms, and makes suggestions about how to make it run faster.
You just type in the appropriate URL and the software does the rest. These suggestions can occasionally be a little vague, but even then they at least send you in the right direction.
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website software for windows
Bitrix24
VISIT WEBSITE
By Bitrix
4.1 (508)
Bitrix24 is the leading free website builder for small businesses. Free unlimited pages, hosting, bandwidth, CRM and your own domain included. Used by over 8 million companies worldwide. Learn more about Bitrix24
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SAVE
Web.com
VISIT WEBSITE
By Web.com
3.0 (11)
With Web.com, you get an easy to use website builder that gives you what you need at a price that is designed to fit your budget. No hidden fees, no advertisements or aggressive sales techniques, just quality tools to help you get started. Whether you’re an aspiring small business or just looking to bring your idea to the web for the first time, our drag & drop editing experience makes it simple to create your website and personalize it to meet your specific needs. Learn more about Web.com
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WordPress
VIEW PROFILE
By Automattic
4.6 (13855)
TOP PERFORMER / 2021
View the Capterra Shortlist
World’s most popular software for creating blogs and websites. It is open source software that is free to use. Learn more about WordPress
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SimplePractice
VIEW PROFILE
By SimplePractice
4.6 (2512)
Switch to SimplePractice to streamline your marketing efforts with the Professional Website. Learn more about SimplePractice
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Weebly
VIEW PROFILE
By Square
4.3 (1659)
TOP PERFORMER / 2021
View the Capterra Shortlist
Weebly helps you create your own unique website with step-by-step guidance, beautiful templates, marketing tools and more. Learn more about Weebly
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GoDaddy Website Builder
VIEW PROFILE
By GoDaddy
4.1 (981)
ESTABLISHED PLAYER / 2021
View the Capterra Shortlist
Just pick a template, then customize fonts, colors, and content to match your style. Learn more about GoDaddy Website Builder
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Microsoft Azure
VIEW PROFILE
By Microsoft
4.6 (948)
Cloud computing platform for VM creation, building and running web-based applications, smart client applications, and XML web services. Learn more about Microsoft Azure
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Odoo
VIEW PROFILE
By Odoo
4.1 (439)
ESTABLISHED PLAYER / 2021
View the Capterra Shortlist
Create a professional website quickly and easily, with absolutely no coding knowledge, thanks to Odoo’s Website Builder! Learn more about Odoo
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Zyro
VIEW PROFILE
By Zyro
4.7 (295)
EMERGING FAVORITE / 2021
View the Capterra Shortlist
Easy Drag-and-Drop interface lets you add, rearrange and change different elements struggle-free, thanks to the WYSIWYG design system
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