Uncovering the Best Xara Web Designer Alternatives for Your Next Project
Xara Web Designer is a well-known WYSIWYG web design tool for Windows, acclaimed for its ease of use in creating websites and web pages from scratch or using pre-designed templates. With features like drag-and-drop editing, automatic text flow, and integrated hosting, it makes web creation accessible. However, as with any software, users may seek different functionalities, broader platform support, or alternative pricing models. This article explores the top Xara Web Designer alternative options available today.
Top Xara Web Designer Alternatives
Whether you're a seasoned developer or a design enthusiast, finding the right web design software can significantly impact your workflow and the final product. Here are some of the best alternatives to Xara Web Designer, offering a range of features and philosophies to suit diverse needs.
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Dreamweaver is a powerful commercial tool for building websites and applications, favored by web designers and developers. Available on Mac and Windows, it offers robust WYSIWYG support, HTML/CSS/JS rendering, visual design capabilities, and extensive features like Bootstrap support, drag-and-drop editing, FTP/SFTP support, and live preview, making it a comprehensive Xara Web Designer alternative for professional web development.
Pinegrow Web Editor
Pinegrow Web Editor is a commercial, cross-platform solution for Mac, Windows, and Linux that accelerates responsive website development. It boasts live multi-page editing, advanced CSS & SASS styling, a CSS Grid editor, and seamless integration with Bootstrap and WordPress. Its drag-and-drop functionality and reusable content blocks make it an excellent Xara Web Designer alternative for those seeking a more code-centric yet visually-assisted workflow.
Coda
Coda is a brilliant, all-in-one commercial web editor exclusively for macOS, iPhone, and iPad. It provides everything necessary to write beautiful web code, featuring syntax highlighting, live CSS editing, a built-in file manager, and real-time and team collaboration. While not a WYSIWYG tool like Xara Web Designer, Coda is a top choice for Mac users who prioritize robust coding features and a streamlined development environment.
BlueGriffon
BlueGriffon is a freemium, open-source HTML editor available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, built on the Mozilla rendering engine. It offers WYSIWYG support, incorporates some CSS3 features, and includes a built-in SVG editor. Its foundation on the Firefox browser engine provides a reliable rendering experience, making it a strong Xara Web Designer alternative, especially for users looking for an open-source, feature-rich WYSIWYG editor.
KompoZer
KompoZer is a free and open-source web authoring system that combines web file management with an easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editor. Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, it's designed for extreme ease of use and features WYSIWYG support, multiple language options, and SFTP support. For users seeking a completely free and open-source Xara Web Designer alternative that prioritizes simplicity, KompoZer is an excellent choice.
openElement
openElement is a free Windows-only web development tool that enables faster website creation with its powerful and intuitive editor. It generates W3C-compliant HTML/CSS/PHP code and provides free website templates. Its drag-and-drop functionality, ad-free experience, and focus on clean code generation make it a compelling WYSIWYG Xara Web Designer alternative for Windows users.
Microsoft Expression Web
Microsoft Expression Web is a free, discontinued, but still available WYSIWYG web site editor/maker for Windows. Despite no longer being supported by Microsoft, it offers visual design capabilities and SFTP support for web development. For those accustomed to Microsoft interfaces and seeking a free Xara Web Designer alternative, particularly for legacy projects or simple site creation, it remains a viable option.
Adobe Muse
Adobe Muse, a commercial tool for Mac and Windows, empowers graphic designers to create and publish professional HTML websites without writing any code. It emphasizes animations, drag-and-drop design, and responsive design capabilities. While discontinued by Adobe, it's a powerful Xara Web Designer alternative for designers who prefer a purely visual approach to web creation, focusing on layout and aesthetics over code.
CodeLobster PHP Edition
CodeLobster PHP Edition is a freemium portable PHP IDE for Windows, offering robust support for various frameworks and languages like Drupal, Smarty, WordPress, Joomla, JQuery, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. While more code-focused than Xara Web Designer, its features like autocompletion, an embedded debugger, and extensibility make it a strong alternative for developers who need a comprehensive environment for PHP-driven web projects.
B4X
B4X is a commercial suite of cross-platform development tools for native iOS, Android, desktop, and server applications. Available on Windows, it's a Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool known for its code completion, multiplatform capabilities, and support for native Java Libraries. While a broader development suite, its RAD approach and multiplatform reach make it an interesting Xara Web Designer alternative for those looking to build more complex web-connected applications.
Choosing the best Xara Web Designer alternative depends entirely on your specific needs, skill level, and budget. Whether you prioritize a purely visual drag-and-drop experience, robust coding capabilities, multi-platform support, or open-source freedom, the options listed above provide excellent starting points for your next web design or development endeavor. Explore their features and find the perfect fit to bring your web projects to life.