For over two decades, Adobe Dreamweaver has been the go-to web design tool for creative professionals. With its robust feature set for both visual design and code editing, Dreamweaver makes it easy to build stunning websites.
However, the web landscape has changed dramatically since Dreamweaver first arrived on the scene. New tools have emerged that are more tailored to modern web design trends. Many designers are looking towards these Dreamweaver alternatives for an experience better suited to their creative needs.
In this guide, we‘ll explore some of the top reasons you may want to consider alternatives to Dreamweaver in 2023. We‘ll also highlight 18 of the best options to inspire your next web project.
Why Consider Dreamweaver Alternatives?
Here are some of the top reasons creative pros are exploring other options besides Adobe Dreamweaver:
Support for Modern Web Technologies
While Dreamweaver gets regular updates, some of its features are outdated compared to cutting-edge web design tools. For example, it lacks strong support for newer languages like JavaScript frameworks, Python, or PHP. Modern alternatives integrate these technologies for a more modern workflow.
Lower Cost
Dreamweaver is only available via paid Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. The monthly cost can limit access for freelancers, small teams, and organizations on a budget. Leading alternatives provide similar or better features for free or at a lower price point.
Streamlined for Modern Devices
Today‘s web is all about designing for mobile and responsive experiences across devices. Many Dreamweaver alternatives specifically optimize for these modern priorities through intuitive visual design systems and integrated mobile previews.
Collaborative Functionality
Dreamweaver‘s collaboration features are limited for sharing work-in-progress designs and gathering feedback. Forward-thinking competitors integrate collaboration, prototyping, and project management tools that support team workflow.
Fresh User Interfaces
Although Dreamweaver benefits from decades of refinement, its interface feels dated next to newer tools. For those who value more modern and intuitive experiences, contemporary alternatives provide welcome options.
fewer compatibility issues
Dreamweaver has some limitations working across operating systems and with certain sites/hosts. Alternatives reduce platform barriers and seamlessly publish to diverse web environments.
18 Top Dreamweaver Alternatives for Modern Web Design
Here are 18 capable alternatives to Dreamweaver that can empower your web projects:
1. Webflow
Webflow is a leading web design and development platform used by agencies and enterprises worldwide. The visual canvas and drag-and-drop system allow you to mock up responsive website designs with ease.
Popular for its robust CMS, commerce features, and versatility publishing dynamic sites. Integrates with databases, web apps, and various third-party services.
Key perks: Intuitive visual builder, CMS & ecommerce functionality, built-in SEO tools, polished HTML/CSS code output, animation tools.
2. Pinegrow
Pinegrow is feature-rich visual web editor for building professional websites without coding. It works with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, popular frameworks like Bootstrap, and CMS platforms such as WordPress.
The desktop app provides a unique design-to-code workflow. You can visually edit pages while tweaking front-end code directly. Collaboration tools also help teams work together.
Key perks: Real-time visual editor, integrated code editor, design components library, supports major frameworks, WordPress integration.
3. WebSite X5
WebSite X5 is a user-friendly website builder for designing custom sites. Using a straightforward drag & drop interface, anyone can craft professional designs without coding expertise.
Great selection of templates, content elements, and layout options. Handles responsive design and includes handy features like built-in image editor, SEO tools, mobile app, and ecommerce integrations.
Key perks: Extremely easy to use, 100+ templates, drag & drop builder, built-in image editor, mobiles apps, ecommerce integrations.
4. Squarespace
Squarespace empowers anyone to build beautiful, professional websites with no coding required. Using an intuitive drag & drop interface and varied selection of designer templates, it’s easy to create sites that stand out.
Popular for its exceptional content management tools. Includes integrated ecommerce functionality, powerful blogging features, and 24/7 award-winning support.
Key perks: Beautiful templates, intuitive builder, excellent CMS, ecommerce capabilities, great support.
5. Figma
Figma has quickly emerged as an essential web design platform for teams and organizations. It’s a cloud-based solution for UI and UX designers to collaborate on designs together in real-time.
Popular features like its vector graphics editor, prototype builder, developer hand-off tools provide a streamlined workflow from concept to production. Integrates with various apps & software engineering tools.
Key perks: Real-time collaboration, design, prototyping & developer tools, third-party integrations, free plan available.
6. Bootstrap Studio
Bootstrap Studio allows you to rapidly prototype and build responsive websites using the popular frontend framework. Using a selection of pre-built design components, you can visually assemble professional looking pages.
Handy features like real-time previews and auto-generated code allow you to transform mocking up concepts into production-ready sites. Publishing and hosting tools also help launch live sites.
Key perks: Drag & drop Bootstrap builder, auto code generation, collaboration features, site hosting & deployment.
7. Brackets
Brackets is a capable open-source code editor optimized for web design and front-end development. It streamlines coding HTML, CSS and JavaScript interfaces through handy visual tools and preprocessor support.
Standout features like Quick Edit, Live Preview, and Inline CSS editing enhance the coding workflow. Extendable architecture allows for expanded functionality via community extensions.
Key perks: Visual code editor, live web previews, inline CSS editing, open-source & extensible via extensions.
8. Coda
Panic Coda is a web editor focused on hand-coding sites using modern web standards. It combines an intuitive interface with time-saving tools for writing clean, semantic HTML/CSS/JavaScript.
Work efficiently across files with features like line numbers, code completion, 16+ language modes, and split screen. Integrates with various third-party dev tools and publishing platforms.
Key perks: Fast hand-coding editor, split screen interface, 16+ language modes, publishing & automation tools.
9. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a popular open source code editing tool tuned for modern web development. It offers deep support for common frontend technologies like JavaScript, TypeScript, and Node.js. An enormous extension library expands on base functionality.
VS Code shines for its streamlined yet infinitely customizable interface. It’s a top pick for both coding beginners and advanced developers. Lightweight architecture runs fast even for large, complex projects.
Key perks: Fast performance, huge extension library, JavaScript/TypeScript focus, customizable interface.
10. JetBrains WebStorm
WebStorm is a robust JavaScript IDE tuned for complex web projects using Node.js, React, Vue, and other modern stacks. It accelerates coding through smart autocompletion, instant error checking, and automated refactoring tools.
Integrated support for testing, debugging, version control systems, and publishing round out a complete dev environment. The IntelliJ platform also underpins responsive interfaces customizable to any workflow.
Key perks: Smart coding assistance, deep integration with JavaScript-based stacks, exceptional testing/debugging capabilities, interface customizability.
11. YouTube
YouTube offers a range of tutorials and crash courses for picking up web design basics across leading tools. It’s a helpful onboarding resource for getting started with HTML, CSS, popular apps like WordPress or learning the ropes of Dreamweaver itself.
With an enormous global community uploading new lessons daily, YouTube is free and often the fastest way to digest web design concepts from recognized experts.
Key perks: Free access, huge lesson library, recognizable teachers, quick learning on leading tools.
12. WordPress
The world‘s most popular content management system, WordPress powers over 40% of all sites on the web. For many, its unparalleled ease-of-use outpaces Dreamweaver for designing sites and launching web content quickly.
Leverage thousands of themes and plugins to create versatile blogs, portfolios and online stores without coding expertise. Host and deploy sites easily, even with basic technical skills. The built-in 5-minute installation and intuitive dashboard keep you focused on creating.
Key perks: Extreme ease of use, thousands of themes & plugins, content focused vs. design, scalable for blogs to enterprise sites.
13. WebMaker
Autodesk WebMaker streamlines website creation for everyone though a straightforward drag & drop builder. It provides hundreds of professionally designed templates covering different industries and aesthetics to start your online presence.
Key features like photo galleries, contact forms, HD video backgrounds, shape dividers and parallax scrolling quickly elevate ordinary sites into beautiful designs that engage visitors. No coding skills needed.
Key perks: Extremely easy builder interface, vast template library, visually compelling design elements for sites & blogs.
14. PageCloud
PageCloud removes the technical hurdles of getting online by providing an easy-to-use website builder tailored to small businesses. Simply choose a template, customize pages, and publish a responsive site live using a user-friendly drag & drop page editor.
Includes handy marketing focused features like built SEO research tools, integrated email marketing, ecommerce functionality and strong mobile optimization to attract and convert site visitors.
Key perks: Intuitive small business site builder, drag & drop editor, built-in SEO and marketing tools, mobile responsive sites.
15. Google Sites
Google Sites offers free web hosting and a basic drag & drop site building experience for anyone with a Google account. It works exceptionally well for creating simple sites to share ideas online and bring small teams together.
Don‘t expect lots of design options or support. But for lightweight purposes like intranets, project pages or document sharing, Google Sites provides reliable utility that’s easy to manage.
Key perks: Free and unlimited hosting, easy collaboration, ideal for simple & text-heavy sites.
16. BoldGrid
BoldGrid is a WordPress site builder plugin for crafting modern designs without needing to code. It expands WordPress into an easy drag & drop visual editor for putting together pages and entire sites using pre-made sections and templates.
Created specifically for web design agencies and freelance professionals, BoldGrid accelerates delivering WordPress sites to clients with consistency and quality. More advanced users can still tap into raw HTML and PHP beneath.
Key perks: Transform WordPress into an easy visual site builder, pre-designed sections & templates, caters to web design agencies.
17. Grav
Grav is an open source flat-file CMS for launching fast, modern sites without needing complex databases. Designed for security, privacy and performance, it provides an admin panel and markdown syntax for quickly authoring content.
While coding skills allow endless customization, handy admin features like YAML-based configuration, plugin manager, and bundled admin themes means Grav is approachable for beginners too. You remain in full control over core Grav and site files.
Key perks: Easy content editing, blazing fast performance, built-in security, admin dashboard for non-coders, entirely customizable via code.
18. Editor X
Editor X is an easy yet capable website builder tuned for small business owners. Combining beautiful templates, integrated ecommerce and seamless website management tools, it empowers anyone to craft an effective online presence.
Well-designed interfaces allow you to visually build responsive page layouts, blog, add a store and customize your brand styling without coding expertise. Robust features even include a smart AI copywriting assistant.
Key perks: Beautiful templates optimized for small business sites, integrated ecommerce store & CMS tools, AI powered copywriting features.
Find Your Dreamweaver Alternative Based on Needs
Dreamweaver alternatives run the gamut from easy online site builders to advanced code editors. Finding your best match depends on individual needs and skill level.
Here’s how to narrow options based on must-have functionality:
Best for Easy Site Building
Tools like Webflow, Squarespace, WebSite X5, WordPress remove web complexities so anyone can design beautiful, responsive websites. Without coding expertise required, focus efforts on content, branding and aesthetics using intuitive drag and drop interfaces.
Best for Visual Designers
Solutions like Figma, Webflow, Pinegrow cater to UI and visual design professionals through robust prototyping canvases, component libraries and developer hand-off features to translate designs into end products.
Best for Learning Web Languages
YouTube, FreeCodeCamp provide interactive courses on HTML, CSS, JavaScript and popular libraries like React for absoring web dev basics across text and video lessons. Grasp concepts then apply hands-on through CodePen challenges.
Best for Team Collaboration
Real-time editing environments inside Figma, Webflow, Bootstrap Studio keep design teams on the same page through synchronized commenting, version histories and project status views.
Best for Developer Workflows
Advanced IDEs (integrated developer environments) like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains WebStorm maximize programming productivity via intelligent code completion, instant error checking, testing suites and deployment automation. Customize interfaces around personal workflows.
Most Affordable Options
Capable free web design solutions exist like Grav CMS, WordPress, Brackets editor so designers can experiment before upgrading to paid alternatives. WordPress in particular pioneers an enormous open source ecosystem.
Inspire Modern Website Designs with a Dreamweaver Alternative
While Dreamweaver retains devoted fans across its long history, limitations around modern priorities have inspired many creative professionals to explore alternatives better suited for contemporary projects.
As highlighted through 18 top options above, excellent competitors exist whether your focus is easy site building, visual design, coding education or seamless collaboration.
By aligning web efforts with a capable Dreamweaver alternative, it’s never been easier to craft beautiful online experiences that engage audiences and bring creative visions to life.
