Jimdo – is a platform created by a team of dedicated developers who managed to implement above average commerce features. However, it is far from being perfect whenever you need to create a blog or a business card website from scratch. Jimdo obviously lacks well-designed templates. Although the platform offers a free plan, it includes only a limited number of templates. Once you crave for more professionally designed layouts, prepare to pay.
Styling also looks pretty average with a lack of editing tools unless you are aware of how to code. The last but not the least is that Jimdo is not actually a drag-and-drop website builder. For this reason, you might need a better alternative offering a wider range of features, eCommerce tools, and customization options.
How to Choose The Best Jimdo Alternative For You
With such an extensive selection of web design systems, it’s no problem to pick the one that comes up to your special needs. When making the choice, you should initially focus on the specialization of the platform as well as on its pros, cons and individual parameters. There are all-in-one website builders that are used for the development of all kinds of websites and specialized platforms, which focus on separate niches. Define your priorities and website type prior to starting your search.
The next issue to keep in mind is your web design expertise rate. The web abounds in systems created with the needs and skills of non-techies in mind as well as in those that target professional web developers. Explore their integrated functionality and proceed to the selection process then.
Pricing aspect matters a lot as well. Pricing policies of diverse web design platforms differ a lot with regard to the type of the system, its features, tools and services included. It’s only up to you to pick the system that fits your budget most.
The Different Types of Jimdo Alternatives
When you start looking for a web design platform, you will come across myriads of options. The services differ with regard to their type, nature and integrated functionality. The most popular of them currently include:
- Online website builders – cloud-based platforms, which cover a broad range of commercial and non-commercial web design needs;
- Offline website builders – downloadable systems, which require preliminary installation prior to web design application;
- CMS (Content Management Systems) – functional and feature-laden systems, which are applicable for the development and customization of powerful web projects.
Irrespective of the reasons you have to select a Jimdo substitute, you will be interested to explore the reviews of the most popular systems that can be used instead of the website builder. Go ahead to read more about them below.
1. Wix – The Best Jimdo Alternative
| Product Name: | WIX |
| Official Website: | https://wix.com |
| Founded: | 2006 |
| Number of Websites: | 4,565,423 |
| Complexity: | Very easy |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $13/mo |
Wix – is the best Jimdo alternative, which is fully packed with advanced website building technologies. Unlike Jimdo, Wix can be used to create different types of sites including not only digital shops but also blogs, business cards, professional portfolios, etc.
The multi-purpose platform comes with a beginner-friendly editing and customization technology that lets newbies create a stylish and responsive site in minutes. You will appreciate a selection of web design instruments in addition to the platform’s flexibility and relatively low pricing.
The website builder boasts one of the most extensive collections of mobile-ready templates. It currently encompasses more than 550 designs. They refer to various niches, which lets you pick the design that comes up to your business specialization most. The templates are free and completely-customizable. From online shops and event sites to real estate, portfolios, and landing pages – all templates come with built-in elements and blocks that can be edited on the fly.
The key Wix features are as follows:
- Endless Editing Capabilities. Wix offers two website editing options – Wix ADI based on the AI technology for automated website creation and Standard Wix Editor for deeper website customization.
- Wix Corvid. This is the environment to create custom functions and website elements, which allows creating a new design from scratch by adding new blocks and sections.
- Wix Stores and Product Management. Apart from eCommerce templates, Wix has an integrated product management system as well as multiple payment methods.
- Promotions. The platform delivers a set of promotion tools to launch special deals and personalized offers.
- App Market. Wix subscribers have free access to the app market, where they can choose and integrate any widget/application with regard to their type and niche focus.
- Blogging Engine. Wix includes a blogging platform that lets you connect and customize a full-feature blog.
- Wix SEO Wiz. The website builder offers an enhanced SEO algorithm, which lets you develop a unique SEO strategy for more effective website promotion.
- Multilingual Support. Wix now makes it possible to build several language versions of your website to reach international audience.
The website builder has a free plan that may work fine to test the editor and see how everything works from the inside. If you need a fully-featured blog, portfolio, web store or business card with a unique domain, you may upgrade to one of the premium plans. Wix offers two types of subscriptions – Standard and Business/eCommerce to come up to various web design needs. Their cost starts from $13/mo.
2. WordPress – Self-Hosted Jimdo Alternative
| Product Name: | WordPress |
| Official Website: | https://wordpress.org |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Number of Websites: | 28,183,568 |
| Complexity: | Complex |
| Free plan: | Completely free |
| Paid plan: | Paid themes and hosting |
WordPress – is a self-hosted Jimdo alternative with endless web design and customization opportunities. The open-source CMS might be not as easy to get started, but it definitely beats Jimdo in terms of flexibility.
Initially developed for content-based projects, WordPress is a comprehensive tool that lets users create small business sites and fully-featured online shops no matter how many products you want to sell. As a self-hosted platform, WordPress unveils more freedom in terms of picking the best-matching server solution.
The main WordPress benefits include:
- Design & Customization. The term “open-source” means that you have access to the source code. Users have access to the source code and are free to modify the website’s HTML/CSS as well as do some programming, create custom page elements, blocks, and functions.
- Themes for any Taste. The selection of WordPress themes is overwhelming – you can choose from hundreds of integrated and third-party designs that can be both free and paid.
- Integration & Flexibility. Endless plugins will help you create SEO-friendly content, manage website assets, track analytics, implement user acquisition tools, promote your project via multiple channels, and more.
- eCommerce Functionality. You can use a free WooCommerce plugin to create a full-cycle shop featuring editable product page, management tools, integrated payment options, and more.
The CMS is free to use. There are no subscriptions or other fees. However, users will have to pay for premium templates, some plugins, and third-party services. Besides, you will need a trusted hosting solution designed specially for WP needs such as Bluehost. The basic package costs $2.95 per month featuring WordPress integration, plugin and system updates, template installation, security means, and more.
3. uKit – Cheaper Alternative to Jimdo
| Product Name: | uKit |
| Official Website: | https://ukit.com |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| Number of Websites: | 25,388 |
| Complexity: | Very easy |
| Free plan: | Free 14-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $4/mo |
uKit – is a cheaper alternative to Jimdo and one of the easiest website building platforms in the niche. It is perfect for newbies eager to create stylish and responsive small business sites, portfolios, landing pages, and tiny online shops in minutes. The system comes with an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, ready-made templates with integrated features, and baseline eCommerce options.
The DIY website builder grants access to an extensive collection of templates, which encompasses over 400 themes. All of them are stylish and responsive. They display great on all types of desktop and mobile devices, letting you preview the result in a separate mode.
Due to the convenient and intuitive interface, uKit makes it possible to launch feature-laden web projects without any coding required. The integrated WYSIWYG editor makes the service application handy for beginners and web design experts.
What to look for in uKit:
- Ready-to-Go Sites without Coding. You do not have to learn how to code when building a website with uKit – a simple drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to arrange elements, edit them, or move around the page.
- All-in-One Solution. The software is available as a fully-featured website builder with domain and hosting included in the plan.
- uKit Alt. The feature lets users convert their Facebook pages into ready-to-go websites via the use of the integrated API tool.
- Blogging Engine. The system lets you connect and customize a blog to be able to publish posts for better user attraction.
- eCommerce Platform. uKit provides two web store editing options – Ecwid plugin integration and eCommerce widget connection.
- Powerful Integrations. The website builder makes it possible to choose and integrate multiple applications and extensions to achieve the required project functionality, namely: widgets of social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest etc.), Media Widgets (SoundCloud, SlideShare, Video, News, Timer, Steps etc.), Contacts (MailChimp, LiveAgent, Callback Forms, LiveChat, Jivo, Cost Calculator – uCalc) etc.
As to the cost aspect, you may start creating a website with the platform for only $4/mo. The Minimal plan provides access to all major features and it is much cheaper than Jimdo’s entry package. There are three more plans that include Basic, eCommerce, and Pro costing $10, $13, and $15 respectively. Each plan comes with a 14-day free trial.
4. SITE123 – Absolutely Free Alternative to Jimdo
| Product Name: | SITE123 |
| Official Website: | https://site123.com |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| Number of Websites: | 27,209 |
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | From $10.80/mo |
SITE123 – is an absolutely free alternative to Jimdo and one of the best web design platforms for beginners. The system can be used to start an extensive variety of web projects used for personal and business purposes. It does not require coding awareness, granting access to a simple and intuitive interface. This is where users may create and customize their projects, following the guidelines the system generates by default.
The website builder is the all-in-one system, which means that you can find multiple templates to match various niches. Whatever design you will go for, it will be responsive, free and customizable right from the start.
The major SITE123 advantages are as follows:
- Blogging Platform. The system lets you connect a blog to your website and to update it when required.
- Widget Integration. The DIY website builder has a rich collection of applications and widgets (Booking, Online Forms, Live Chat, Galleries, Social Widgets etc.) you can integrate into your web project for various purposes.
- Multilingual Support. SITE123 supports an opportunity to create websites in various languages with regard to your objectives and web design requirements.
- Logo Maker. This is a free tool, which lets you create, customize and add a logo to your project or to upload the existing one in order to increase brand recognition.
- Online Form Builder. Whatever type of project you run, there is an opportunity to make it a better communication tool for users by means of integrating various online forms.
- App Market. To make your website more functional and engaging for visitors, you can browse a set of add-ons and widgets (both free and paid) to integrate the required extensions.
SITE123 stands out from the crowd due to its affordable pricing policy. The system has a free subscription for easy and hassle-free website exploration along with several premium plans for professional website creation. Their price starts from $10.80 per month.
5. Shopify – The Best Alternative for eCommerce
| Product Name: | Shopify |
| Official Website: | https://shopify.com |
| Founded: | 2004 |
| Number of Websites: | 1,597,099 |
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Free plan: | No, free 14-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $9/mo |
Shopify – is the best alternative for eCommerce that helps users create, launch, manage, and promote their online shops. The software is one of the best in its niche whenever you want to launch a tiny store or create a global marketplace with sounds of products to sell online.
While Jimdo lacks eCommerce functionality, Shopify delivers a bunch of features to brand and customize the future store, set shopping cart, deal with the store management as well as Marketing, SEO, and promotion. The software offers a custom collection of professional templates for eCommerce needs that are mobile-friendly and have a separate blogging feature. A simple editor lets you make necessary changes or even access HTML/CSS code to handle major improvements.
Another Shopify advantage over Jimdo is its high end Point-Of-Sale (POS) software. It makes it possible to sell products both online and offline to attract more customers and drive higher profits.
The core Shopify functions include:
- Advanced eCommerce Functionality. With Shopify, you get a ready-to-go online store with a set shopping cart, integrated payment options, SSL certificate, product management tools, and more.
- Multiple Payment Gateways. Get a chance to connect more than 100 different payment gateways to process transactions not only in major global currencies but also in Bitcoin.
- Digital Store Management. The platform offers a comprehensive management system to keep control over customers’ profiles, order fulfillment, dropshipping, user accounts, refunds, and more.
- SEO & Marketing. Users will have a chance to implement baseline SEO practices and manage meta tags, SEO titles, and descriptions on their own.
- Augmented Reality. When launching a web store, you get an impressive opportunity to display your products in the 3D mode to make a special impact upon the target audience.
- Powerful Integrations. The software has its own App Market, where you can browse and choose widgets/extensions to increase your web store performance.
- Analytic Tools. Shopify allows tracking your web store statistics in a separate dashboard and with the use of special tools.
- Advanced Synchronization Options. The software allows synchronizing your web store account with those you have in global marketplaces and accounting programs (Amazon, Quickbooks and Xero are only some of the samples).
Considering all the features, Shopify plans look pretty affordable. The 14-day free trial lets you explore the system’s functionality before deciding on the premium plan you’d like to upgrade to. Paid subscriptions include 4 options, with their cost starting from $9/mo.
6. Webflow – Professional Web Design Software
| Product Name: | Webflow |
| Official Website: | https://webflow.com |
| Founded: | 2013 |
| Number of Websites: | 169,567 |
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Free plan: | Yes |
| Paid plan: | $12/mo |
Webflow – is a professional web design software and a powerful platform to build advanced and fully functional business sites. It promises an easy editing process without coding skills. And it’s true. But, to make the most of the platform, you are supposed to have at least basic technical background.
The software delivers built-in SEO tools, integration capabilities, content updates, and other features that make Webflow a more flexible alternative to Jimdo. The platform also has its own content management system featuring Open Graph and SEO settings to optimize pages and create SEO-friendly content. A CMS API is to make the platform open for business and customers you collaborate with. In this respect, Webflow can be compared to popular CMS and even to Adobe products.
The main Webflow capabilities are as follows:
- Advanced Web Design Technologies. Webflow offers an opportunity to access and edit the source code or make the most of layouts with the built-in CSS grid.
- Animation Effects. The system lets you add 3D animations and complex visual effects without coding skills.
- Component Adding. The building process takes place using custom forms that contain all necessary elements you may need to have on the page (tabs, dropdown menus, social sharing buttons, carousels, sliders, navigation components, and more.).
- Integrations. Feel free to connect major tracking and analytic services by Google, Zapier platform to deliver access to multiple third-party services, Lottie/After Effects/Lightbox Gallery and messengers like Slack, Asana, MailChimp, etc.
The website builder has an extensive pricing policy, offering two categories of plans. These are website and account subscriptions. Website plans are available in three options. Their cost currently starts from $12/mo.
7. Squarespace – Similar to Jimdo Website Builder
| Product Name: | Squarespace |
| Official Website: | https://squarespace.com |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Number of Websites: | 2,536,744 |
| Complexity: | Medium |
| Free plan: | No, free 14-day trial |
| Paid plan: | From $12/mo |
Squarespace – is similar to Jimdo website builder, which is flexible and up-to-date enough builder to let you create different types of websites. Users may choose to form a list of customizable templates and edit them with no coding skills to launch a blog, photographer’s portfolio, business card, restaurant site, or online store.
The platform has made a name for itself thanks to stylish layouts, a range of design tools, affordable prices, and creative web design approach. One of the unspeakable advantages of the website builder is its collection of quality professional templates. Each layout is thoroughly developed by a custom Squarespace design team.
Unlike Jimdo, the software lets you use multiple templates for a single website to work on various designs simultaneously. Additional Squarespace template options include an intuitive style editor to change configurations and styling settings, integrated Typekits and Google fonts, custom CSS editing, and more.
The key Squarespace features encompass:
- Powerful eCommerce Platform. The website builder allows starting small-to-large web stores, using a variety of integrated tools and layouts.
- eCommerce Extensions. The software can serve online selling needs with the help of its third-party integrations for shipping and fulfillment, payment gateways and bookkeeping, inventory and product management instruments, marketing, and promotion options.
- Cover Page Builder. It can be added to an existing Squarespace project with 10 additional templates with grid galleries and clear CTA blocks to create landing pages that work in minutes.
- Advanced Blogging Feature. Create blog posts, connect RSS feed, publish articles with multiple author entries, improve post search engine ranks with the help of a built-in Google Author Rank feature, and more.
- Shared Project Access. Squarespace allows for effective team collaboration, letting you assign shared access rights to your colleagues working on a project.
- Social Widget Integration. The software makes it possible to share and update your website info in social networks (SoundCloud, Behance, Twitch, Yelp, Tumblr, Instagram, Dribbble, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, Pinterest, Dropbox, etc.).
- Unfold Storytelling Tool. The app lets you design and share stories/posts in social networks to drive user attention.
- Acuity Scheduling Platform. A useful business tool allows starting and managing business websites via the use of high end business tools.
The platform offers 4 different plans to choose from. If you need a content-based site, a business card, or portfolio, you may opt for a Personal or Business plan costing $12 and $18 per month respectively. Users who want to start selling online will require either Basic ($26 per month) or Advanced Commerce ($40 per month) package. A free 14-day trial will let you pick the best subscription to go for.
8. Mobirise – Offline Website Builder Software
| Product Name: | Mobirise |
| Official Website: | mobirise.com |
| Founded: | 2003 |
| Number of Websites: | 293, 247 |
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Free plan: | Free Software |
| Paid plan: | Hosting and extensions |
Mobirise – is a free offline builder software, which requires preliminary download and installation before starting the website design process. The system was initially created for beginners, being a simple DIY solution for personal and business projects. With Mobirise, you can start almost any type of web project yet the system works best for blogs, portfolios, promo websites, landing pages and business projects.
The most impressive Mobirise benefit is its simplicity. No special programming or web design expertise are required to start projects with the website builder. It delivers an intuitive web design approach, providing guidelines understandable to everyone.
Some of the major Mobirise highlights are listed below:
- Block-Based Structure. The software encompasses multiple content blocks (there are more than 800 elements here) you can select and adjust on a page to form its layout.
- AMP Website Builder. Mobirise has an integrated Accelerated Mobile Page builder, which makes it possible to launch and manage projects, which both load fast on all the devices and are optimized for mobile use.
- Advanced Design Customization. The platform provides a range of advanced design customization tools by default to ensure unique website development.
- Hosting/Domain Selection. As an offline software, Mobirise does not offer hosting/domain by default, which triggers the need to pick a hosting provider independently.
Mobirise is a free software by default. This means that users should download and install the program before proceeding to website development. To go live with your project, you will still need to invest into hosting and domain name. Additionally, the system allows buying third-party integrations and templates. There is also an opportunity to opt for a Premium Pack, the cost of which constitutes $129.
Bottom Line
Jimdo – is a trusted website building platform with some good features. However, it obviously lacks flexibility when it comes to editing web pages. It is rather expensive and lacks a selection of FREE professional themes and templates. Jimdo is less versatile and mainly focused on e-commerce websites.
On the other hand, we have good alternatives reviewed earlier. They look more flexible whenever you need to create any type of website. They offer advanced SEO features in addition to blogging tools. They provide free access to a wide range of free templates despite the plan you choose.
