Uncovering the Best Microsoft SharePoint Designer Alternatives
Microsoft SharePoint Designer (SPD) was once a go-to specialized HTML editor and web design freeware for crafting and modifying Microsoft SharePoint sites and web pages. As part of the Microsoft SharePoint family of products, it offered powerful tools for attractive pages, data integration, and building time-efficient applications. However, with its declining relevance and lack of inclusion in newer Microsoft Office suites, many users are now searching for robust and modern Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative options to meet their web development and design needs.
Top Microsoft SharePoint Designer Alternatives
If you're looking to move beyond the limitations of SharePoint Designer, several excellent tools offer similar or enhanced functionalities. Whether you prioritize visual design, code-centric development, or platform flexibility, there's a perfect fit for your workflow.
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Dreamweaver is a powerful commercial tool for building websites and applications, widely used by web designers, developers, and visual designers. Available on Mac and Windows, it provides extensive features like WYSIWYG support, HTML/CSS/JS rendering, visual design tools, support for Bootstrap, drag-and-drop functionality, and robust FTP/SFTP support, making it a comprehensive alternative to Microsoft SharePoint Designer for professional web development.
Pinegrow Web Editor
Pinegrow Web Editor is a commercial, cross-platform solution available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, making it a versatile Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative. It excels in responsive web design with live multi-page editing, CSS & SASS styling, a CSS Grid editor, and deep integration with frameworks like Bootstrap and WordPress. Its drag-and-drop interface and reusable content blocks make website building efficient and intuitive.
Bluefish Editor
Bluefish Editor is a free and open-source powerful editor targeted towards programmers and web designers. Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, it offers extensive options for writing websites, scripts, and programming code, including PHP IDE support and SFTP integration, making it a solid, code-centric Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
Coda
Coda is a brilliant, all-in-one commercial macOS web editor, also available for iPhone and iPad. It provides everything needed to write beautiful web code, featuring syntax highlighting, live CSS editing, a built-in file manager, and real-time collaboration. For Mac users, Coda offers a highly integrated and efficient experience as a Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
BlueGriffon
BlueGriffon is a freemium and open-source HTML editor based on the Mozilla rendering engine, available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It boasts WYSIWYG support, includes a built-in SVG editor, and supports modern CSS3 features. As a browser-based editor, it provides a familiar and robust environment, making it an excellent Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative for visual web building.
KompoZer
KompoZer is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing. This free and open-source tool, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and PortableApps.com, is designed for extreme ease of use. With features like multi-language support, portability, and SFTP integration, KompoZer is a strong candidate for users seeking a straightforward and free Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
CSSEdit
CSSEdit is a commercial Mac-only application designed for creating beautiful, innovative, and fast-loading websites. It focuses on live CSS editing, syntax highlighting, and FTP support, providing a specialized yet highly efficient environment for styling web pages. For Mac users prioritizing CSS control, CSSEdit serves as an excellent niche Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
NVU
Nvu (pronounced N-view, for a "new view") is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing. This free and open-source solution is available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and PortableApps.com. Its portability and focus on WYSIWYG editing make Nvu a user-friendly and accessible Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
WYSIWYG Web Builder
WYSIWYG Web Builder is a commercial Windows program that allows users to create web pages using a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get approach. It generates HTML tags while you point and click on desired functions, offering content templates and a strong focus on visual web development and website building. For Windows users who prefer a visual and intuitive design process, this is a strong Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative.
Hadron
Hadron is a free web-based tool aimed at making designing through code visual, fast, and easy by working directly with the web platform. It features UI design capabilities and real-time collaboration, making it a modern and collaborative Microsoft SharePoint Designer alternative for teams working in a web-centric environment.
The landscape of web development tools has evolved significantly since Microsoft SharePoint Designer's peak. Exploring these alternatives will help you find a robust and feature-rich solution that aligns with your current project requirements and future aspirations in web design and development. Choose the best fit based on your platform, budget, and desired level of control over your code and design.