Introduction
Designing and building effective websites has become crucial for businesses of all sizes. While there are countless options available, here we evaluate 15 of the top-rated tools based on features, ease of use, pricing and other factors. We aim to help you choose the right solution for your needs, whether you are a beginner, seasoned pro or team.
Methods of Evaluation
To evaluate and rank these tools, we considered several key factors – features and functionality, ease of use, pricing & plans, customer support, popularity based on traffic & keyword trends, number of developer showcase sites and online communities. Higher weighting was given to tools that offer robust features for both designers and developers while still being intuitive for non-technical users. Positives like generous free trials and tiers were also considered along with customer satisfaction ratings.
1. Safari Development Tools
Safari Development Tools are the free web development tools built directly into the Safari browser on macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS. Safari provides a full set of debugging tools to inspect pages, edit CSS and HTML, debug JavaScript and test responsive design.
Pros: Built into Safari on macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Inspect elements, debug JavaScript, view assets sizes and more. Live page layouts and responsive design testing tools.
Cons: Since Safari Development Tools are built into Safari, developers are limited to macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS environments. Some advanced debugging features found in other tools may be missing.
Pricing: Safari Development Tools are free to use as they are included with the Safari browser for macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS. There are no additional costs or fees to take advantage of the integrated development tools.
Some key features of Safari Development Tools include the ability to inspect page elements, debug JavaScript, and view assets sizes right in the browser. Developers can also take advantage of live page layouts and responsive design testing tools to optimize websites for different screen sizes.
2. WordPress
WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) that can be used to easily create beautiful websites and blogs. With over 60 million websites using WordPress as their publishing platform, it is the most popular CMS in use today and is estimated to power around 37% of all websites.
Pros: Some key advantages of using WordPress include:
– Free and open source software with no licensing fees
– Easy to use interface that requires no coding knowledge
– Large community and support for help with any issues
– Over 55,000 free themes and plugins available for any customization needs
– Lightweight and fast with strong performance
Cons: A potential disadvantage of WordPress could be that as an open source project, it faces constant security threats from hackers targeting vulnerabilities. However, WordPress has a strong security record due to its large community continuously reviewing code and fixing issues.
Pricing: WordPress itself is completely free and open source software. However, for advanced features, customization and support, paid hosting is recommended starting at around $5-10 per month from web hosts like Bluehost, SiteGround etc. There are also premium WordPress themes and plugins available for a one-time fee.
Some key stats about WordPress include:
– Over 60 million websites use WordPress as their CMS
– Estimated to power around 37% of all websites worldwide
– Massive ecosystem of over 55,000 themes and plugins available for customization
3. Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It is the flagship product of Adobe’s Creative Cloud software suite. Photoshop is used by graphic designers, photographers, digital artists, web designers and developers to retouch, edit, and enhance photographs, illustrations and other images.
Pros: Key advantages of Adobe Photoshop include:
– Powerful tools for web design like slicing images, slice selections, image map creation, etc.
– Extensive layer support and masking features
– Wide range of selection tools like lasso, quick selection, etc.
– Advanced photo editing and compositing tools
Cons: One potential disadvantage of Adobe Photoshop is the high costs associated with a subscription to the Creative Cloud which provides access to Photoshop and other Adobe apps. Monthly costs can range from $20-$53 per month depending on the plan selected.
Pricing: Adobe Photoshop is only available through a Creative Cloud subscription. Pricing ranges from $19.99/month for the Photoshop single app plan to $52.99/month for the complete All Apps plan which includes over 20 Adobe apps.
Some key stats about Adobe Photoshop include:
– Used by millions of designers worldwide
– Industry-standard for photo editing and image manipulation
– Over 30 years of development and enhancements
4. Mozilla Firefox Developer Tools
Mozilla Firefox Developer Tools (previously called Firefox Developer Tools) is a set of web developer tools built directly into the popular Firefox web browser. The tools provide a powerful set of debugging instruments for web development, including inspection of DOM elements, CSS styles, JavaScript, network requests and more.
Pros: Some key advantages of Firefox Developer Tools include: – Powerful debugging tools built directly into the browser. – Inspect and edit DOM elements, CSS styles, JavaScript, cookies and more for any site. – Emulation modes to test responsive designs across breakpoints and devices. – Network monitoring to analyze network requests, file sizes and load performance.
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the tools are specific to the Firefox browser only, so they may not be as useful for testing sites in other browsers like Chrome or Safari.
Pricing: Firefox Developer Tools is completely free to use. There are no costs, subscriptions or in-app purchases required to take advantage of all the debugging and development features included in the Firefox browser.
Some key stats and facts about Firefox Developer Tools include: – Used by over 10 million developers worldwide every month. – Built directly into the Firefox browser, no need for extensions or separate downloads. – Constantly updated and improved by Mozilla to add new features and fix issues.
5. Shopify
Shopify is a leading all-in-one ecommerce platform that allows merchants of all sizes to build beautiful online stores and sell their products across multiple channels. Founded in 2006, Shopify powers over 1 million businesses across 175 countries by providing a powerful yet easy to use platform for merchants.
Pros: Some of the key advantages of using Shopify include:
– All-in-one solution with robust features for store management, payments, marketing and more
– Intuitive drag-and-drop store builder makes it easy for anyone to create beautiful online shops
– Large selection of pre-built professional store themes and templates to choose from
– Integrated payments solution handles all major payment methods for flexible global sales
– Robust admin dashboard gives full control and insights into store sales and performance
Cons: Possible disadvantages of Shopify could include:
– Monthly subscription fees apply beyond the basic Free plan, so initial setup costs are required
– Less flexibility than self-hosted platforms for advanced customizations or integrations
– Reliant on Shopify servers so stores may be impacted if platform experiences downtime
Pricing: Shopify offers several subscription plans priced monthly:
– Shopify Lite ($9/month): Basic ecommerce for small businesses
– Shopify ($29/month): Mid-tier plan ideal for most small-to-medium online stores
– Shopify Advanced ($79/month): For established brands with advanced features
– Shopify Plus (Custom Pricing): Enterprise-level solution tailored for large companies
Some key stats about Shopify include:
– Over 1 million businesses globally use Shopify
– Processes over $175 billion in gross merchandise volume
– Supported on web, iOS, Android as well as integrated POS systems
– Offers 24/7/365 customer support through phone, email and live chat
– Consistently recognized as a leader in the ecommerce platforms industry
6. Wix
Wix is a leading web development platform that allows users to build fully customized websites without any coding experience. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wix has made it incredibly easy for business owners and individuals to create professional-looking websites. With over 200 million users worldwide, Wix provides everything needed to design, build, grow and manage a successful online presence.
Pros: Key advantages of using Wix include:
– Intuitive drag-and-drop website builder perfect for beginners
– Large selection of customizable templates and components
– Ecommerce and booking features built-in
– Strong SEO capabilities like personalized meta tags
– Responsive templates that look great on any device
– Free domain name for one year with paid plans
Cons: One potential disadvantage is limited customization options compared to coding a site from scratch. Premium plans are required for advanced features like 24/7 support.
Pricing: Wix offers three subscription plans: Basic at $0/month, Combo at $13/month, and Unlimited at $25/month. The Basic plan is limited while Combo and Unlimited offer more features, storage, and customization possibilities. All plans include a free domain name for one year.
Some key stats about Wix include:
– Over 200 million registered users worldwide
– Used by over 5% of websites globally
– More than 2,000 customizable templates to choose from
– Integrations with 300+ apps to extend website functionality
– Free and premium subscription plans starting at $13/month
7. Squarespace
Squarespace is a popular all-in-one website building and hosting platform. Founded in 2004, Squarespace allows anyone to build a professional-looking website or online store through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface without any coding knowledge required.
Pros: Main advantages of using Squarespace include:
– Beautifully designed templates for creative portfolios and blogs
– Commerce capabilities without additional fees
– Excellent customer support
Cons: The main disadvantage is that design customization options are more limited compared to other platforms like WordPress.
Pricing: Squarespace offers various pricing plans starting from $12 per month for an Individual plan to $40 per month for a Business plan. Custom domains are included in all plans and there is a 14-day free trial available.
Some key facts about Squarespace include:
– Over 2 million websites built on the platform
– Used by businesses in 150+ countries worldwide
– Won numerous awards including Webby Awards and SXSW award
– Templates designed by Squarespace in-house designers
8. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a leading email marketing automation platform. Founded in 2001, Mailchimp currently has over 12 million users on its platform. It provides solutions for email marketing, automation workflows, landing pages, and analytics.
Pros: Some key advantages of Mailchimp include:
– Free basic tier which is good for getting started
– Intuitive drag-and-drop interface for creating and customizing emails
– Robust segmentation and automation capabilities
– Detailed analytics and reporting on campaign performance
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the paid plans can be more expensive compared to some other email marketing providers for more advanced features and higher subscriber limits.
Pricing: Mailchimp offers a free basic plan for under 2000 subscribers as well as standard and premium paid plans starting at $10-199/month depending on the number of subscribers and features needed.
Some key stats about Mailchimp include:
– Over 12 million active users on the platform
– Processes over 15 billion emails each month
– Free tier allows up to 2000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month
9. Calendly
Calendly is an online appointment scheduling tool that allows users to book times in their calendars through a simple web interface. Founded in 2012, Calendly has grown to support over 10 million meeting requests per month and integrates with calendars like Google Calendar and Outlook. The platform aims to make scheduling meetings and appointments fast, simple and collaborative for teams.
Pros: Some key advantages of Calendly include:
– Intuitive and easy to use calendar booking interface
– Tight calendar integrations make scheduling seamless
– Support for video, phone and chat meetings directly in Calendly
– Powerful automation and customization options for complex workflows
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the free plan only allows for 1 calendar connection and has limited customization options. For advanced features, companies would need to upgrade to a paid plan starting at $8/user per month.
Pricing: Calendly offers the following paid plans:
– Professional: $8/user per month – Allows unlimited calendar connections and booking pages, advanced customization
– Business: $12/user per month – Includes all Professional features plus SSO, multi-user access control and dedicated support
– Enterprise: Custom pricing – For large enterprises with additional customization and support needs
Some key stats about Calendly include:
– Used by over 10 million users worldwide
– Supports fully custom scheduling pages and automated workflows
– Integrates with over 150 apps including Zoom, Slack, Hubspot and more
– Handles over 10 million meeting requests per month
10. Android Studio
Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app development. Developed by Google, it is designed specifically for Android development with advanced features like emulation, debugging, profiling and more built right into the IDE.
Pros: Some key advantages of using Android Studio include:
– Official IDE from Google with direct support from the Android team
– Emulation allows testing apps on virtual Android devices
– Debugging tools make it easy to find and fix bugs
– Profiling helps optimize app performance
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that as a large, fully-featured IDE there is a learning curve to get comfortable with all of its capabilities compared to simpler code editors.
Pricing: Android Studio is free to download and use. There are no licensing fees or costs to develop and publish Android applications commercially.
Some key stats about Android Studio:
– Used by millions of developers worldwide to build Android apps
– Over 3 billion active Android devices as of 2022
– Supports building apps for all Android versions from 1.5 (API level 3) and up
11. Drupal
Drupal is an open source content management system (CMS) built on PHP and MySQL. Originally released in 2001, Drupal is one of the oldest and most popular open source CMS platforms. According to W3Techs, Drupal currently powers around 2.3% of all websites on the internet, including WhiteHouse.gov.
Pros: Key advantages of using Drupal include:
– Extremely flexible and customizable open-source platform ideal for complex sites
– Large library of over 50,000 contributed modules to customize and extend functionality
– Strong developer community and excellent documentation
– Great for sites that require custom development beyond basic content publishing
– Highly scalable and effective for building large, complex websites
Cons: Some potential disadvantages of Drupal include:
– Steeper learning curve than simpler CMS platforms
– Requires technical skills to customize and manage
– Not as easy for non-technical users to build and manage sites
– More resources needed for site maintenance and updates compared to simpler CMS options
Pricing: Drupal is open source and completely free to download and use. There are also numerous premium Drupal hosting, support and services available for a fee from various vendors and consulting agencies. Typical starting prices range from $100-$500 per month depending on level of support, hosting and other services included.
Some key stats about Drupal include:
– Over 1 million sites running Drupal globally
– Used by thousands of large enterprises and small businesses
– Over 50,000 community-developed modules available for customization
– Completely customizable and flexible – can be used to build any type of website
– Updated regularly with new features and security fixes
12. Joomla
Joomla is an open-source content management system (CMS) that enables website owners to easily create, manage, and maintain dynamic websites and applications. Founded in 2005, Joomla has grown to become one of the most popular CMS platforms in use today powering over a million websites globally.
Pros: Some key advantages of using Joomla include:
– Robust open-source CMS best for complex websites
– Extensive library of extensions and support available from over 15,000 developers
– User and permission management features allow complex control over site access
Cons: The main potential disadvantage is that Joomla requires more technical skills and server requirements compared to simpler CMS platforms.
Pricing: Joomla is open-source and free to download and use. Additional premium extensions, templates, and services are available for purchase through third-party developers and vendors.
Some key stats about Joomla include:
– Used on over 1 million websites
– Community of over 15,000 developers building plugins/templates
– Translated into over 60 languages
– Robust security tracking and update process
Joomla.orgThe Flexible Platform Empowering Website Creatorsjoomla.org
13. Microsoft Visual Studio Code
Microsoft Visual Studio Code is a free and open-source lightweight code editor developed by Microsoft. It aims to provide a robust but lightweight code editing experience for coding languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, HTML, and more. VS Code is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Pros: Some key advantages of Visual Studio Code include:
– Free and open source code editor
– Lightweight yet powerful with extensions
– IntelliSense autocompletion and debugging tools built-in
– Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS and Linux
– Rich Git and GitHub integration for managing code projects
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that as an editor it does not have the same level of built-in frameworks and tools as a full-fledged IDE. Some advanced functionality may require additional extensions to be installed.
Pricing: Visual Studio Code is completely free to download and use. All features are available without any licensing fees or costs to the user. The open source nature also allows anyone to contribute to its ongoing development.
Some key stats about Visual Studio Code include:
– Used by over 20 million developers worldwide
– Supports over 100 programming languages out of the box via extensions
– Over 3,000 extensions available to extend VS Code with additional functionality
– Lightweight at under 100 MB installation size
14. Node JS
Node JS is an open-source and cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment that allows JavaScript to be run outside of a web browser. Node.js lets developers use JavaScript to write command line tools and for server-side scripting—running scripts server-side to produce dynamic web page content before the page is sent to the user’s web browser.
Pros: Key advantages of Node JS include:
– JavaScript runtime to build scalable network applications
– Real-time through async I/O and non-blocking code patterns
– Large ecosystem of packages for any requirement
Cons: The main disadvantage of Node JS is that not all third party modules are optimized for asynchronous programming which can cause performance issues with blocking code.
Pricing: Node JS is an open source project and completely free to download, use and develop applications. However, companies offering Node hosting and support may charge a fee for their services.
Some key stats about Node JS include:
– Large ecosystem with over 1 million packages available on npm
– Used by companies like LinkedIn, Netflix, PayPal, Uber etc
– Active contributor community with ongoing new releases and enhancements
Node.jsNode.js® is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine.nodejs.org
15. SmugMug
SmugMug is a popular online photo gallery and ecommerce website builder founded in 2002. With over 20 years of experience, SmugMug provides photographers and visual creators with everything they need to share, sell, and store their photos online.
Pros: Some key advantages of SmugMug include:
– Professional photo galleries and online photo prints
– Built-in editing tools and templates
– Ecommerce and SEO optimized designs
– Large community of photographers
Cons: One potential disadvantage is that the paid plans can be more expensive compared to other photo hosting and website builder options.
Pricing: SmugMug offers both free and paid plans. The free plan provides 1GB of storage. Paid plans range from $50-$400 per year and provide unlimited storage as well as additional features like custom domains and ecommerce.
Some key stats about SmugMug include:
– Hosts over 40 million user uploaded photos
– Has over 1 million paying subscribers
– Provides up to 1TB of free cloud photo storage
– Has professional gallery templates and designs
Conclusion
While there is no single tool that works best for everyone, this guide should help you narrow down options based on your specific needs and budget. The top platforms provide powerful yet accessible solutions for all skill levels and business types. Be sure to test multiple options during free trials to ensure a great fit. With the right tool, creating effective and successful websites is within reach of anyone.