WordPress is, undoubtedly, one of the most popular free web building platforms that enjoys utmost popularity with millions of web designers across the globe. This CMS is convenient, flexible and simple. It comes with a rich selection of options and features users may choose from to develop projects of diverse complexity levels. When it comes to analyzing the functionality of the system, though, it initially makes sense to focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the platform to understand what makes it so popular these days.

What Makes WordPress Popular

WordPress has lots of benefits, the number of which prevails over the available demerits. Listed below are some of them:

  • Customization Options. WordPress makes it possible to customize websites created with it in quite a short period of time based on the current needs and requirements of a user. You can change the design of your website by installing different plugins and customizing them as needed.
  • The system is understandable and easy to manage, although, some coding skills and knowledge may be required to do that properly. Newbies may find it a bit difficult to work with WordPress right from the start, while professional web developers appreciate the convenience of the system.
  • WordPress is quite affordable as compared to lots of other web building platforms out there. Technically, the system is free, but you will not go without buying hosting and domain name to get your website online. Some plugins and themes available on the web are also paid.
  • Open Source Structure. WordPress comes with an open source structure. To customize a website, a user will need specific coding skills to be able to change the code with regard to the selected theme. Newbies, who lack this knowledge and expertise, may face problems here, but this is still a benefit for users, who wish to give their websites unique and personalized look. 

The advantages mentioned above contribute to the popularity of the system. Just like any other platform, though, WordPress comes with specific demerits you should also be aware of. Let’s have a closer look at some of them now.

Installation. To use WordPress, you have to install it first. This takes time and effort many users don’t have at their disposal. What’s more, newbies may find it a bit complicated to install the system on their own, which may also trigger problems.

  • Safety Issues. The system implies installation of plugins and the safety of some of them is under the question. Each time you download and install an unchecked plugin, you can potentially give access to your website to scammers, thus, posing it at risk.
  • Lack of Support. WordPress has been around for a long time already. It’s obvious that there are many communities, forums and tutorials that make it possible to find answers to all the questions you might have, but the service still lacks official customer support.

These are some disadvantages to using WordPress, which don’t prevail over the benefits of the system, of course. There are situations, however, when you have to make a quality website in quite a short period of time. This is when the use of website builders can prove to be a smart solution.

What Makes Website Builders Convenient

Web design doesn’t remain static. With lots of trends that emerge in the niche, it’s not easy for users to keep up with the time in order to create full-fledged websites. This is where website builders can be of great help. They have much in common, but there are also specific features that differ them from each other. Prior to deciding whether it is better for you to use a website builder or you still wish to create a website with WordPress, it’s crucial to understand the pros and cons of using these platforms.

It goes without saying that the number of merits overwhelms that of demerits of these web building systems. And it’s no wonder, because a website builder makes it possible to create and customize any website with ease and minimum investment of time and effort. No coding skills and programming knowledge are required to create a functional and appealing website today. With such a stunning selection of pre-designed templates and website customization options, the process becomes a real pleasure even for newbies. It is you, who has full control over the process of your website creation, which is intuitive and simple.

What’s more, the majority of contemporary website builders offer free trial periods that make it possible to test the features of a system prior to upgrading to the paid plans. The latter differ a lot as well depending upon the needs of users, but you can create a powerful website even with a cheap plan today – so versatile the available offers are!

When it comes to choosing a website builder, most people initially think about the renowned services like Wix or Squarespace, for example. What you should know is that the selection of powerful web building platforms is not limited to those we’ve just mentioned. There are various services, the functionality of which allows to create stunning websites in the easiest way and they offer numerous benefits that are worth the attention. These are SITE123, uKit, Mobirise and Ucraft. Let’s focus on these alternatives right now.

Top WordPress Alternatives for Simple Website Creation

SITE123

This website builder is simple and convenient. It is a nice choice to launch portfolios, landing pages, corporate websites, personal and business blogs, but you can also use it when developing an eCommerce website, for example. So, if you need a small or a medium-sized online store, consider using this platform. The result will be worth that.

SITE123 comes with a rich selection of responsive templates. For the ease of use, they are subdivided into categories. It is you, who has full control over the web design process by adding and managing the modules you’d like to see at your website. Apart from that, you can choose plugins here, which are well-optimized for further promotion of your website. SITE123 offers both free and paid packages.

All in all, SITE123 is meant for the non-techies as well as for people, who just don’t have time or desire to work with complicated web building platforms. Minimum effort and skills are required here to get a full-fledged website for personal or business use.

uKit

If you are looking for the most suitable website builder to create a business site, then uKit is a nice solution. Whether you need an online store, a landing page, a promo website or any other project, you will get a functional and appealing site with uKit.

The website builder comes with a handy WYSIWYG-editor, which does not only allow for full control over the stages of the web building process, but also enables you to add and manage versatile widgets to make your website more functional. Apart from that, you can add scrolling animations, change the fonts, convert the Facebook content to your website pages and make use of other features that can diversify the design of your project.

uKit can also boast a rich collection of customizable and responsive templates. To customize your website, you can experiment with color combinations and positions of elements on each page. Another feature that makes this webiste builder interesting is the ability to design the 404 page just as you want it to be seen by your users. With uKit, you can also create small online stores by choosing one of the available options, namely an integrated Ecwid plugin or the incorporated eCommerce feature set of the system. uKit is simple and powerful at the same time and you won’t be disappointed having chosen it for your web building needs.

Mobirise

The major feature that differs Mobirise from the majority of cloud website builders is that it is downloadable and requires installation. The system is free and can be effectively used to launch landing pages and promo websites. However, if you need to get the most out of its functionality, you won’t go without paying for the advanced options. Hosting is also required here, which is also an extra money investment. Consider this nuance when making the choice.

The fact that Mobirise is the desktop software doesn’t mean that it is difficult to master. The system is block-based, which makes it possible to add, replace and manage the required blocks in any order you need to get the desired look. Having placed the blocks, you can fill them with content and adjust the design. With Mobirise, you can add background videos, parallax effect, experiment with colors and Google fonts to get the most out of your content presentation.

Actually, building an appealing website is quite easy with Mobirise. The availability of more than 400 blocks, thousands of free high-resolution images and icons contributes to great result.

Ucraft

Ucraft is a decent cloud website builder that is mainly used to launch landing pages, blogs, portfolio sites and other projects. Creating a site with this system won’t take much effort and time – so user-friendly and understandable it is.

All websites created with the platform have a block-based structure and you need to set up the design and modules required to manage and promote a website. Ucraft has another option that worth to be mentioned – an Articles App feature, using of which you can create a blog in much easier way than with WordPress. With Articles App you can format and post blogs and news articles, add social sharing icons, and optimize titles, meta descriptions, snippets and images for social sharing. It’s also possible to add the list of people, who will have access to the dashboard settings to be able to make the required changes when needed. This eventually results in more effective work on the project development and promotion.

Ucraft has a collection of quality responsive templates, customization of which does not require any coding skills and knowledge. Newbies can also gain access to the informative tutorials. The system works well when it comes to creating small websites for individual and business use.

Bottom Line

Being the best choice for newbies, website builders are definitely convenient and easy to use. You don’t have to be a web design pro to create a full-fledged website that will become the best representation of your business. These platforms come with the in-built set of web design and SEO tools that eventually contribute to the efficacy of the web development process. They are affordable and can comply with all your web design needs and preferences. The services reviewed above are the best samples of modern website builders that can be a nice alternative to WordPress, when you need to create an appealing and functional website in a quick way. Take your time to explore them well and make sure yourself.


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