Blog

A great web design software is like a magic wand, transforming ideas into visually stunning, user-friendly masterpieces with just a few clicks.

With 2024 bringing new advancements and trends, staying updated on the best web design software is essential to create beautiful and functional websites. But with a lot of web designing platforms available, how do you pick the right one?

Whether you're a web design pro, a beginner, a business owner, or just someone interested in web design - the struggle is real. That's why we're spilling the beans on the best software for web design for different types of creators.

Find your perfect match through our exhaustive recommendations of web design platforms, tailored for your design needs. Hope you find yours here.

What’s Inside? 

• Best Web Design Software for Beginners
• Best Web Design Software for Professionals
• Best Web Design Software for UI/UX Designers
• Best Web Design Software for eCommerce
• Best Web Design Software for Non Coders
• Best Open Source Web Design Software
• Web Design Made Better With Us!

Best Web Design Software for Beginners

Venturing into the exciting world of website creation as a beginner? These options prioritise ease of use, drag-and-drop functionality, and pre-built elements to make your web design journey easier.

Wix

Wix remains one of the most popular web design tools for beginners with its user-friendly interface and customisable templates. The drag-and-drop editor makes building a website feel intuitive, and Wix offers plenty of tutorials and support resources to get you started.

Weebly

Another excellent choice for beginners, Weebly boasts a user-friendly interface and a strong focus on drag-and-drop functionality. It integrates well with other tools, so you can expand your website's capabilities as you learn and grow.  Weebly also offers various pricing plans, allowing you to find one that suits your needs.

Canva

While not strictly a professional web designer, Canva's popularity with beginners makes it a worthy contender. Canva excels at creating high-quality graphics and social media content.  

Beginner web designers can leverage Canva to design stunning website elements like banners, social media icons, and infographics. Canva's free plan offers a collection of budget-friendly design elements and templates.

Best Web Design Software for Professionals

Suppose you're a professional web designer in 2024 and still searching for the best professional platform. In that case, these options balance strong design capabilities and powerful features for crafting modern websites. 

Figma

This cloud-based software is a champion for collaboration and boasts exceptional design tools. Figma allows for easy prototyping, creating a seamless workflow from initial sketches to interactive prototypes. Its collaborative features make it perfect for teams working together on real-time projects.

Adobe Photoshop

While not strictly a web design editor, Photoshop's image editing prowess is undeniable. Professional web designers like you can rely on Photoshop to create high-quality graphics, icons, and other visual elements that elevate website aesthetics.

Webflow

Webflow's professional web design software bridges the gap between design and development. It lets designers create stunning and responsive websites visually, without needing to write tons of code. It offers a great deal of design freedom while still allowing for clean, exportable code.

Best Web Design Software for UI/UX Designers

UI/UX designers can also enjoy these choices, where prototyping and team workflows can be supported. A website's ROI is guaranteed up to 100% when you implement great UI/UX techniques.

Figma

This cloud-based champion reigns supreme for many UI/UX designers. Figma offers a comprehensive suite of design tools, allowing for user interface creation, prototyping with interactive elements, and user flow mapping – all within the same platform.  Its collaborative features like real-time editing make it a dream for design teams.

Sketch

This industry-standard software is popular among Mac users for UI design. Sketch boasts a clean interface and powerful vector editing tools, perfect for crafting pixel-perfect user interfaces. While it has prototyping limitations compared to Figma, some designers still prefer its design-centric approach.

Adobe XD

For those entrenched in the Adobe ecosystem, Adobe XD offers a strong contender specifically built for UI/UX design.  It provides a smooth workflow from design to prototyping, allowing designers to create interactive prototypes and user flows.  XD integrates well with other Adobe products, making it a good choice for teams already using the Adobe suite.

Best Web Design Software for eCommerce

Are you an eCommerce business? You might need more from software than just pure design. About 60% of your consumers believe that if your website is useful, they will trust your brand.

Thankfully, these three eCommerce-friendly web design software cover your needs. 

Shopify

This isn't just your typical web designer; it's a comprehensive eCommerce platform. Shopify offers a user-friendly interface with a focus on building online stores.  It includes built-in features for product management, shopping carts, secure payment gateways, and even marketing tools.  

While design flexibility might be limited compared to some options, Shopify excels in creating functional and successful online stores.

WooCommerce

This powerful plugin for WordPress allows you to transform your existing website into a full-fledged online store. WooCommerce offers customisation and design freedom,  letting you use WordPress themes to create a unique look for your store.  

The downside?  WooCommerce requires some technical knowledge to set up and maintain, making it less beginner-friendly than Shopify.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a robust e-commerce platform that caters to businesses with high sales volume or complex product needs. It offers a scalable solution with advanced features like product variations, B2B functionality, and built-in SEO tools.  

The design interface is user-friendly, with a good selection of themes, but again, it might not be as beginner-friendly as Shopify for those just starting.

Best Web Design Software for Non Coders

Want to design a website but hate the coding part? These top web design options have everything you need except the coding, from user-friendliness, drag-and-drop functionality, and pre-built elements. 

Wix

Wix has appeared many times on our lists, and it remains a crowd favourite for non-coders with its exceptionally user-friendly interface and a collection of beautiful, customisable templates.  

The drag-and-drop editor makes building a website feel intuitive,  and Wix offers plenty of tutorials and support resources to get you started. It also has a free plan, so you can experiment before committing.

Weebly

Another excellent choice for non-coders, Weebly boasts a clean interface with a strong focus on drag-and-drop functionality. Similar to Wix, Weebly offers a collection of pre-built themes and elements, making it easy to design a website without needing coding knowledge.  

Additionally, Weebly integrates well with other tools, allowing you to expand your website's capabilities as you learn and grow.

Squarespace

Renowned for its beautiful design templates, Squarespace is a great option for non-coders who prioritise aesthetics.  This web design software offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to build a visually appealing website with minimal coding knowledge. 

While it might have slightly less design flexibility compared to Wix or Weebly, Squarespace excels in creating polished and professional-looking websites.

Best Open Source Web Design Software

While these open-source online web design spaces offer flexibility and cost-effectiveness, they often require more technical knowledge than user-friendly website builders. 

Bootstrap

This isn't exactly software, but a powerful open-source framework for front-end web development. Bootstrap offers a collection of pre-built components like buttons, forms, and navigation bars, along with a grid system for responsive design. 

While it requires some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript knowledge to use effectively, Bootstrap can jumpstart your website development and ensure a mobile-friendly layout.

BlueGriffon

This WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor bridges the gap between code and design. BlueGriffon allows you to visually edit your website layout while automatically generating the underlying code.  

It's a good option for those who want visual control but also want to learn basic HTML and CSS.  However, BlueGriffon has a steeper learning curve compared to drag-and-drop website builders.

CMS (Content Management System) Frameworks

For those comfortable with coding, open-source CMS frameworks like Drupal and Joomla! offer a powerful foundation for building complex websites.  They provide a user interface for managing content (text, images, etc.) while giving you full control over the website's design and functionality through coding.  

Drupal and Joomla! have large communities and extensive resources available, but they require significant development expertise to use effectively.

Web Design Made Better With Us!

So, what's the verdict, legends?

We hope we've helped you navigate the wild world of web design software! Remember, the best choice depends on your skills and what you want to achieve.  

But hey, if you're still feeling lost in the digital outback, don't sweat it! Elephant in the Boardroom is here to answer your website design needs. Let's help you choose the perfect software, and design a website that gets it done, whatever your web design goals are.

Contact us today here for a free consultation, and let's build a website that truly shines among the rest!