As a web designer, you know the right tools can transform your workflow from frustrating to flawless. 

Yet, the journey to find these tools often feels like navigating a labyrinth—comparing prices, sifting through features, and watching endless tutorial videos.

GIF Source: Giphy

It's exhausting, to say the least.

That's exactly why we've stepped in.

This article does the heavy lifting for you, curating a list of the best web design software on the market. 

Now, you don’t have to waste hours in search; you can directly explore tools that enhance your creativity and efficiency, ensuring you find one that seamlessly integrates into your design process. 

Disclaimer: The information below is accurate as of August 09, 2024.

Website design software: Comparison table (with features & pricing)

In preparation for the journey ahead, we went above and beyond for you, creating the comparison table you see below. 

The idea was to give you a peek into the tools we’ll be chatting about later.  

It includes their major features and how much they cost. Take a look here:

For tools like this, you also want to look at what other designers like you use it for. 

More specifically, how do they describe it?

Let’s find out.

Best web design software by use case

So, can I use all the tools here to design websites?

That’s what you’ll find in this section. It’s an overview of what each software on this list can do. 

• Ceros — Best for interactive content creation.
• WordPress — Best for all-around use, web design, publishing, and content management.
• Wix — Best site builder with drag-and-drop simplicity.
• Squarespace — Best for stylish websites with built-in eCommerce tools.
• Webflow — Best for design-focused custom web development.
• Shopify — Best for building eCommerce businesses.
• Google Web Designer — Best for free, beginner-friendly designs.
• Figma — Best for design and prototyping in collaboration with teammates.
• Canva — Best for simple web design creations.
• Framer — Best for prototyping and user interaction design.
• Adobe Dreamweaver — Best for code editing and development.
• Sketch — Best for user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design.

Let’s take a deeper look at each of them.

1. Ceros

In the web development universe, there are two kinds of website designs.

The basic, the kind you see everywhere that businesses use to share important info online. 

And what we call ‘The Wowza’ 😎. It’s the kind of websites that make web visitors feel like they got teleported to another universe. 

That’s the kind of web design Ceros is known to create.   

Ceros is not just a content creation platform; it's a gateway to 'Wowza' websites that captivate and engage. With Studio, transform static pages into dynamic experiences with drag-and-drop ease—even if you're not a coder. 

From ready-to-use templates to a rich library of animations and interactive elements, Ceros empowers you to create from scratch or modify existing designs. Plus, with powerful analytics, track how visitors interact with your creations and continuously optimize for better results. 

Ceros features

Ceros has tons of features like:

• AI-powered templates to give you a headstart on your web design journey. 
• Preset library with interactive elements you can add to your websites. 
• Analytics to help you analyze how web users engage with the experiences. 
• Collaboration with team members and stakeholders gives you a streamlined review process. 
• Integration with content management systems so you can publish your designs and update them at will.

Ceros pricing

The Ceros paid plan is available on request. If you want to see how it works you can request a demo.

Ceros pros and cons

Pros:

• Ceros lets you present information in a very engaging way. 
• It has great customer support service. 
• It’s easy to use for non-design professionals. 

Cons:

• It might take a little while to learn the ropes. 
• Layering on Ceros can be challenging.

2. WordPress

If the web design industry was anything like high school, WordPress would be one of the cool kids. 

It’s quite popular in this space and for good reason. 

It’s a design software anyone can use. Whether you’re a seasoned web developer, an upcoming blogger, or a business owner, WordPress has something to offer. 

Image Source: WordPress

You can use it to design anything from portfolios to blogs and online stores. 

It offers thousands of pre-made templates you can leverage when designing a site, and a huge plugin database to help you add all sorts of features to it. 

That’s one of the things Enio Abraham, a senior programmer, loves about WordPress. 

He says, “Nowadays you can do practically everything in WordPress thanks to the immense number of plugins available. I've made professional sites on WordPress alone and have been impressed with how it has performed over the last year…”

Another thing people love about WordPress is how it doubles as a content management system (CMS). 

You can use it to design any kind of website and ship it out to the internet quickly. 

Word on Expert Street is that it’s one of the best CMSs for SEO. 

WordPress features

Take a look at some of its features: 

• Pre-made customizable themes help you start designing your website. 
• Block editor for rearranging your content and media. 
• Custom domain name to bag a personalized online address for your business. 
• Google Analytics gives you insights into why users visit your site.  

WordPress pricing

Getting started on WordPress is completely free but with limited features.  If you want more access, you’ll need to subscribe to one of the premium plans that start at $9 per month. 

WordPress pros and cons

Pros:

• Intuitive CMS for individuals, small businesses, and enterprises. 
• Active community and support. 
• A good option for people with no site-building knowledge. 

Cons:

• Too many updates sometimes. 
• There’s a learning curve for advanced customization. 
• The block editor can be tricky to get around to use.

3. Wix

Want to design websites with the snap of a finger?

Wix is the web design software that can help you pull that off.  

Image Source: Wix

One user and small business owner, Shreyas, describes it as a tool that’s easy to use.

He said, “It's easy to understand and fairly easy to use Wix! In addition, I adore how customizable everything is, especially the templates and pre-made components.”

With Wix, you can create any kind of website in four steps:

1. Pick a template you like.
2. Drag and drop design features you like so it’s to your taste. Text, galleries, art, interactive content, you get the idea.
3. If it’s a business site, add blogs, booking services, and store features. 
4. Hit the publish button.

It also has integrated marketing solutions to get the word out about your new digital baby.  

And if you’re a web developer, Wix has something for you too – it can help you fix and manage sites online. 

That’s what Barry Gold, a full-stack developer, liked about Wix. 

“Wix is the best tool to fix, build, or manage a site online. 

It can supercharge your website, customize functions with exceptional full-stack development, help you integrate with complementary technology, and seamlessly connect you to full blogging capabilities that enable you to grow your business. If you need to fix it, just Wix it.” 

Wix features

Here are some of Wix’s key features:

• Mobile site editor so you can customize templates from your smartphone. 
• Custom interactions and vector art to make your site engaging. 
• AI generator to help you generate text, edit images, and gain insights into your site's performance. 
• Wix Studio for a smooth developer handover and quick site deployment. 

Wix pricing

You can use Wix for free for 14 days to see how the tool works. Paid plans start at $4.50 per month.  

Wix pros and cons

Pros:

• Attractive templates anyone can use. 
• It allows you to connect your social media accounts with the Wix ecosystem.
• There’s an app market where you can add new features to your site. 

Cons:

• There are no external plugins available. 
• eCommerce features aren’t available for every plan. 
• Limited flexibility if you want to scale the business.

4. Squarespace

Squarespace is another design software that newbies love. 

It features thousands of templates you can leverage for creating clean websites. 

Ellenore K. describes it as a good website builder for small businesses. She said, “I love that I can easily customize my website to fit my needs. Even the editor on my phone works well!”

Image Source: Squarespace

So if you’re a budding professional thinking of a way to present your works in a classy way, Squarespace has your back.  

Got stuff you want to sell like online courses or physical products? 

It can do that for you too. 

Squarespace can also help you grow your brand by creating stunning social media content. There’s a built-in SEO tool for maximizing your presence online too.  

Squarespace features

You can find some of its features here:

• Squarespace AI to help you write web copy for your website. 
• Free templates for creating premium-looking websites. 
• Logo maker to create logos for the site. 
• Analytics to learn what pages visitors like the most or your best-selling product. 

Squarespace pricing

Squarespace offers new users a 14-day trial. You can then purchase their paid plans at $16 per month.

Squarespace pros and cons

Pros:

• Squarespace has a relatively short learning curve. 
• Simple and easy-to-use interface.
• It has a variety of templates for different use cases. 

Cons:

• Drag-and-drop interface sometimes malfunctions when in use. 
• Limited content management tool offering. 
• Restricted customization options for expert web designers.

5. Webflow

If you’re a web design guru with an eye for perfection, you know the importance of having tools that bring your ideas to life. 

That’s where Webflow comes in, a design software that makes your design process smooth.

Image Source: Webflow

Bruno Cardoso describes it as a tool that makes it “easy to create, deploy, and manage multiple sites and landing pages.”

It’s a no-code visual website builder that helps you design custom sites from scratch. In other words, you can create websites that look like a programmer wrote them in Javascript or HTML. 

Webflow is also a web hosting service, so you can finish designing a website and publish it fast. 

When talking about Webflow, here’s what Ajitesh Choudhary said about it:

“Webflow has simplified web design and made it accessible to designers like me. I think it's a great solution to launch a website quickly. Plus integration with apps makes automation easier.” 

Overall, Webflow not only lets you design custom responsive websites, you can also: 

• Add interactive experiences to make it more engaging. 
• Create online stores for your business. 
• Manage your content with ease. 
• Work alongside teammates to simplify your workflow. 

Webflow features

Here’s a sneak peek at some of Webflow’s features:

• Content management system to modify how the content structure of your site will look. 
• Edit mode where you can make changes to the site with your teammates. 
• Pre-built templates to help you start designing websites quickly.
• Interactive experience for adding animations and interactive elements to the site.

Webflow pricing

If designing websites is something you do for fun, you can use Webflow for free. 

But if you want to build more solid sites, you’ll have to go premium with paid plans starting at $18 per month. 

Webflow pros and cons

Pros:

• Allows users better control of their site’s design and functionality. 
• A community forum where tips are shared. 
• Offers designers an intuitive way to design. 

Cons:

• Pricing plans are pretty expensive. 
• Selecting multiple objects when designing can be a challenge. 
• It’s difficult for multiple people to make edits simultaneously.

6. Shopify

There’s a lot that goes into creating a store to sell online. 

You want to make the experience seamless so users don’t click the X button in frustration. 

Product photos have to be sharp and the site’s speed should be fast. You’ll also need a robust payment system… and an effective product catalog users can navigate through. 

It’s a lot. 

But that’s what Shopify specializes in. 

Image Source: Shopify

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that lets you create online stores. It has everything you need to get the store up and running from purchasing a domain name to managing an inventory and more. 

They help you manage the whole shopping experience for visitors, optimizing your store for search engines and letting you improve it with different features from their plugin database. 

That’s probably why Milan Sony describes it as the best eCommerce platform. 

He says, “The best thing about Shopify is that it solely relies on selling online and has everything you might need in an online store.”

Mylissa H. another user said, “I like how Shopify has the steps lined up for you to create your store. Even though I think a whole lot more detail should have been added to that list, it was a great idea.”

Shopify features

Some of Shopify’s features include:

• Customizable templates for creating responsive designs.
• Plugin database to add more features to your store and keep customers satisfied.
• Business management for monitoring all the sales and orders you get.
• Customer insights help you know your audience and how to retain them.  

Shopify pricing

You can try out Shopify for three days to see if it’s the right fit for you. After the free trial, the paid plans start at $25 per month. 

Shopify pros and cons

Pros:

• It has an intuitive interface. 
• Shopify can help you calculate your taxes automatically. 
• It features built-in analytics to track sales, traffic, and customer behavior.

Cons:

• It’s not always clear what a template can help you do from the onset.
• Image management isn’t always great on desktop. 
• Compared to other eCommerce platforms, its pricing is quite high.

7. Google Web Designer

You know, there was a time when Google was only known as a search engine.

Times have changed and big ol’ Google can help you with lots more – including website design. 

Image Source: Google Web Designer

The Google Web Designer helps you create HTML-5-based designs for different platforms and devices. 

This web design software works differently from other tools on our list as you have to install it on your device. 

Plus, it requires HTML knowledge to build your site from scratch. But if you don’t have any, you can leverage the templates available to start creating. 

Another thing users love about this tool is its user interface, which makes it easy to glide through your design process.

Turan A. an information technologist said, “First of all, after a simple and easy installation, you start using it quickly. The screen structure has been designed and prepared with the users in mind. Nothing unnecessary is added to the screen.

It makes the best use of time and resources and outputs it to the user. The results are 100% compatible with your website.”

Google Web Designer features

Here are some of this tool’s features: 

• Template gallery gives you an easy starting point. 
• Content creation tools for creating your designs and polishing some elements.
• 3D animations to give your site a more engaging look. 
• Google integration so you can maximize other Google products in your design process. 

Google Web Designer pricing

Like many Google products, this web design tool is free for anyone to use.

Google Web Designer pros and cons

Pros:

• For devs, it allows you to create XML, Javascript, and CSS files. 
• It’s compatible with Windows and MacOS PCs. 

Cons:

• The app slows down when multiple projects are open. 
• Exporting from the app can be challenging. 

8. Figma

Figma is a tool many professional designers call on when designing websites.

Image Source: Figma

Users have called it all sorts of cool names like “three-in-one design tool” and “design powerhouse.”

Why? 

It’s a tool that wears many hats. 

You can use it for product design, designing websites or mobile apps, wireframing, concept mapping, etc., all in collaboration with your team. 

Another benefit Figma offers is how you can branch off to work on design ideas and merge them into the original design if you like it. 

It’s also a high-quality prototyping tool that lets you test the final design to see if you’re on track.

Julius Kevin, a business owner, said “It's a go-to choice for web design and wireframing thanks to its user-friendly approach.” 

Figma features

You can see some of its key features here: 

• Design systems, a library storing your brand assets (like fonts, icons, or logos) to keep the web design consistent. 
• UI kit and templates to speed up your web design workflow. 
• Dev mode to help your developers translate the design into code. 
• Integration with third-party tools like Asana, Gitlab, Dropbox, etc. 

Figma pricing

Figma has a free version that’s open to everyone. But if you need additional features to get more work done, their Professional plan is available at $15 per editor per month.

Figma pros and cons

Pros:

• It has advanced editing capabilities. 
• You can use it in creating mockups before designing a site.   
• It has a vibrant and fun community of users. 

Cons:

• It’s not an easy software tool for non-designers. 
• It’s only available to use online. 
• You may have to switch to desktop mode to edit some text.

9. Canva

You’re a graphic designer new to web design?

Canva is the kind of software you need to kick things off. 

It has a minimal learning curve that makes getting started in web design a breeze compared to tools like Figma or Webflow. 

Image Source: Canva

A template-based design tool, Canva helps you create attractive websites in the blink of an eye. 

With a huge template database, all you have to do is pick a theme you like, and then customize it using Canva’s drag-and-drop editor. 

It also has a library of icons, graphics, illustrations, social media elements, animation, etc. that you can drag and drop into your site.

Essentially, if you don’t have a lot of experience under your belt, it can help you set up a website quickly. 

You can add links, images, and text, and play around with colors until you get what you need. 

Canva features

Here are some of its features:

• Drag-and-drop website editor to easily add design elements to your page. 
• Custom domain so you can publish the site when you’re done. 
• Web insights for tracking traffic and engagements on your website. 
• Magic writer for creating content from keywords, brainstorming ideas or outlines for a blog, or summarizing long texts. 

Canva pricing

You can use Canva for free on Mac and Windows devices and any smartphone. Paid versions start at $12.99 per month. 

Canva pros and cons

Pros:

• Real-time collaboration with colleagues.
• Templates database.
• Intuitive interface.

Cons:

• Free design elements are very limited. 
• It only supports one-pagers, no multi-page design. 
• No third-party SEO integrations like WordPress’s Yoast to help the site rank.

10. Framer

Framer is the kind of tool pros pull out when they want to create responsive websites. 

Image Source: Framer

One user, Leo, called it an amazing tool for no-code modern web design and publishing. 

Framer is an advanced website builder for creating sites that look like they were designed by da Vinci. 

It can help you design complex layouts that are well-optimized for SEO. You can begin your Framer journey with high-end templates, FramerAI, or start from scratch on a free-form canvas. 

And if you get confused about how to start, they have tutorial videos and a vibrant community to set you on track. 

Framer features

This design software has features such as:

• Stack and grid to organize your design elements. 
• Breakpoints to ensure visual designs can adapt to any size. 
• Figma copy-paste for copying designs from Figma to Framer.
• AI-powered tools for generating web copy and new pages with advanced localization. 

Framer pricing

Framer has a free plan for creating basic sites. 

For more advanced features, paid subscriptions start at $5 per site per month.

Framer pros and cons

Pros:

• Excels in creating interactive designs.
• Custom domain for free publishing. 
• Real-time collaboration.

Cons:

• It has a steep learning curve. 
• Premium features on Framer are pricey.
• Limited exporting options.

11. Adobe Dreamweaver

Almost everyone in the creative space has heard about Adobe. 

But have you heard of Dreamweaver? It’s a website design tool for creating responsive websites.   

Image Source: Adobe Dreamweaver

It comes with a coding engine where you can create any kind of website even if you don’t have a lot of coding knowledge – it gives you code hints to help you learn and start editing in HTML, Javascript, and CSS. 

There are also visual aids that help you avoid errors when you start building. 

Even though there are templates that can get you started quickly, this tool is ideal for people with some idea of programming.

Speaking about Adobe Dreamweaver, John said, “For 20 years it has been my preferred software choice for web development and editing. It is irreplaceable for its webpage editing capabilities… It makes it easy to edit the coding of any webpage, be it HTML or PHP.” 

Adobe Dreamweaver features

This web design tool offers features such as: 

• Live view editing lets you edit the site and preview changes simultaneously. 
• Pre-built templates you can customize to give you a headstart.
• Adobe suite integration so you can import design assets from Creative Cloud to improve your site.
• File management for organizing your design files. 

Adobe Dreamweaver pricing

With Dreamweaver, you get a 7-day free trial and a subscription plan of $22.99 per month.

Adobe Dreamweaver pros and cons

Pros:

• If you have some coding knowledge, it makes coding look simple. 
• New features are added regularly.

Cons:

• Not an ideal tool for beginners and non-programming experts. 
• It has a steep learning curve.

12. Sketch

Are you a die-hard Mac user? Then Sketch is a tool that’s built for you.

It’s a design app used to design websites and build prototypes. 

Image Source: Sketch

Shubham describes Sketch as the best design tool for Mac Users. 

He said, “The best thing is how efficient it is. Whether it comes to designing websites, making wireframes & even sometimes illustrations, Sketch comes in handy all the time.”

The good part is how you can collaborate with others on the same project. You can even share files together without leaving the app.

What about us Windows and Linux users? 

Well… you can only use it to share feedback, inspect, and hand it to developers.  Sorry. 

Sketch features

Here are some of the standout features Sketch offers:

• Artboard templates you can edit to start the design journey quickly.
• Design systems so you don’t have to create certain elements from scratch. 
• Prototyping tools to help you test the sites you’re building. 
• Integration with apps like Zeplin, Notion, etc. to streamline your workflow. 

Sketch pricing

Want to try it out? Sketch is free for 30 days.  If you like what you see, you can opt for a paid subscription starting at $12 per editor per month.

Sketch pros and cons

Pros:

• Extensive plugin support. 
• Intuitive interface. 
• Short learning curve. 

Cons:

• Available for Mac users alone.
• Can be buggy when working on large files.

It’s up to you now!

Still deciding on the right design software? 

Why not consider Ceros? 

Beyond being user-friendly, Ceros gives you the ability to create dynamic, interactive content that truly engages audiences. 

It offers a slew of cool templates and an intuitive Editor for those who prefer to build from pre-existing content.

Interested in trying out Ceros for yourself? Schedule a free demo today and see how it transforms your web design process.