The world of web design is more dynamic than ever, with tools evolving at lightning speed. For web designers, entrepreneurs, and business owners alike, the right tools can make all the difference in bringing a stunning and functional website to life.
Whether you're creating your first website or enhancing a well-established online presence, these 18 top web design tools will help you design, build, and optimize your site with ease.
By the end of this blog, you’ll know exactly which tools for website creation match your needs and how to harness their power to create a website that stands out.
Figma reigns supreme in 2025 as one of the industry’s leading collaborative design tools—it’s a must-have for web and UX designers. This web-based platform allows real-time collaboration between team members, making prototyping and interface design seamless and efficient.
Why choose Figma? Its shareability and responsive designs ensure your projects stay aligned with client and user expectations. Plus, it’s beginner-friendly without sacrificing advanced features for experts.
Adobe XD continues to be a favorite for prototyping and UI/UX work. With its intuitive interface and robust integration with other Adobe tools, this software provides exceptional design precision.
Best for: Those who are already part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, as XD works seamlessly alongside tools like Photoshop and Illustrator.
For entrepreneurs and business owners looking for website building tools, Wix’s Editor X offers advanced design capabilities with the simplicity of drag-and-drop functionality. With fully responsive templates and an intuitive interface, it’s ideal for creating professional-grade websites quickly.
Pro Tip: Use the smart grid feature to maintain perfect layouts across all screen sizes.
Webflow bridges the gap between developers and designers with its no-code platform. Offering full design flexibility with drag-and-drop elements, it also gives you the option to export clean, production-ready code.
Why Webflow? Its ability to combine design, CMS, and hosting in one place makes it a favorite among designers and developers.
While Canva is traditionally associated with graphic design, its website-making feature has disrupted the industry. Creating visually stunning websites with Canva is perfect for startups and small business owners who want speed and simplicity.
Standout Feature: Beautiful pre-designed website templates with easy customization.
Perfect for Mac users, Sketch remains a powerful vector-based tool for creating user interfaces and web components. Its customizable plugins and integrations keep it incredibly versatile.
Best use case: Designing unique visual elements that can enhance your site's branding.
For content-rich and scalable sites, WordPress continues to dominate as the best website-making software. With a vast ecosystem of plugins and templates, it’s a versatile web design tool for beginners and seasoned developers.
Pro Tip: Boost your site's performance with plugins like Elementor for drag-and-drop page building.
Squarespace is celebrated for its sleek and modern templates, making it a favorite among creatives and small businesses alike. Its aesthetics-focused design tools are easy to use while delivering high-impact visual outcomes.
Why Squarespace? It's an all-in-one platform that simplifies hosting, domain registration, and web design.
New on the scene but rapidly gaining traction, Framer is a prototyping tool that allows you to create interactive, high-fidelity designs.
Who should use it? Designers focusing on visually immersive websites with dynamic features.
For technical designers seeking the best web editor software, Bootstrap Studio is an excellent choice. It uses the powerful Bootstrap framework to create responsive websites with stunning grid layouts.
Best for: Developers who appreciate customizable code and lightning-fast design workflows.
Zeplin makes collaboration between designers and developers a breeze by providing detailed specs, guidelines, and assets for web projects.
Perfect match for: Teams working in hybrid design-development environments.
While primarily a productivity tool, Notion has become popular among creative professionals for planning website content and designs. Organize your ideas and ensure your projects stay on track.
Creative use case: Build a visual mood board to craft your website’s design strategy.
Affinity Designer offers features similar to Adobe Illustrator but at a one-time cost—perfect for designers budget-conscious about their tools for website creation.
Why it’s loved: Professional-grade features without the recurring subscription fee.
Creating engaging content is a critical component of web design. Jasper, an AI-powered writing assistant, helps generate high-quality copy tailored for web audiences.
Best use case: Writing attention-grabbing headlines, SEO-optimized blogs, and compelling CTAs.
Hotjar lets you see how real users interact with your website through heatmaps and session recordings. This data enables you to identify pain points and improve user experience.
Who needs it? Businesses looking to optimize conversions and website performance.
Similar to Hotjar, Crazy Egg provides tools for understanding user behavior, focusing on A/B testing and scroll maps.
Perfect for: Marketing professionals aiming to improve website engagement.
If your goal is e-commerce, Shopify is hands-down one of the best website design tools for building and managing an online store.
Highlight feature: Customizable storefronts with integrated payment and shipping solutions.
Visual Studio Code is a developer's dream when creating custom websites. Lightweight but powerful, it’s packed with features to write, debug, and run your site’s code with ease.
Best for: Advanced developers seeking a customizable and fast code editor.
When choosing among these tools for building a website, consider your needs and skill level. Beginners might opt for drag-and-drop platforms like Wix Editor X or Squarespace. Meanwhile, developers may gravitate toward tools like Webflow or Visual Studio Code for full customization.
Looking to integrate striking visuals? Start with Figma or Adobe XD. If customer journeys and analytics are your focus, tools like Hotjar or Crazy Egg will give you the insight you need.
Experiment with different tools until you find the ones that align with your workflow and project goals.
What are the best web creation tools for beginners?
Wix Editor X, Squarespace, and Canva are excellent options for beginners. These platforms are user-friendly and offer drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to create visually appealing websites without needing technical skills. Despite their simplicity, they come with professional-grade features, such as customizable templates and integrations for blogs, portfolios, or small business sites.
What tools for website creation work well for advanced users?
For those with coding knowledge, Webflow, Visual Studio Code, and Bootstrap Studio are standout choices. Webflow combines the freedom of coding with a visual editor, offering a bridge between design and development. Visual Studio Code is a powerful text editor for developers comfortable with coding from scratch, while Bootstrap Studio simplifies responsive design with pre-built components tailored for experienced users.
Which website-making tools are best for e-commerce?
Shopify and WordPress (with the WooCommerce plugin) are among the top platforms for creating e-commerce stores. Shopify is an all-in-one solution that handles inventory, payments, and shipping efficiently, ideal for businesses of all sizes. WordPress, combined with WooCommerce, offers higher customization options, giving you control over both your design and functionality for an online shop.
Do I need to know how to code to use website design tools?
No, coding knowledge isn't necessary for many modern website design tools. Platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow enable you to create professional-looking websites using intuitive, drag-and-drop editors. These tools are designed to accommodate users with no prior technical experience while still offering advanced features for those who want more control.
The future of web design lies in leveraging the right tools—and now you have 18 of the best at your fingertips.
Want Darwin to help you see how they transform your workflow? Talk to us today.