WebWave Review: Creative Freedom in a Website Builder
Nowadays, the market is full of website builders that offer customers various ways to build their own website, but these tools can be divided into two groups:
First, the no-code website builders that aims to create websites as quickly as possible using templates, and…
Second, advanced website builders that require a higher level of technical skills in HTML, CSS, and Javascript.
And then there’s WebWave. – A modern website builder that works more like a graphic design tool rather than traditional website builders. But as exciting as it may sound, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In this review, we’ll check out what WebWave has to offer for people who might be looking to create their next website efficiently.
What is WebWave?
In a nutshell, WebWave is a website builder that allows you to create websites without the need of coding nor configuring servers. You just design your website in a graphic interface (similar to Adobe Photoshop’s UI), click a button, and the website goes live. Nothing fancy just yet.
With WebWave, you can build both one-pagers and more extensive websites, like an online store or a blog. WebWave also offers a great Content Management System (CMS).
Creating websites with this tool is FREE. You have immediate access to all the features that this website builder has to offer, and you pay only when you want to connect the website that you built to your own domain.
Inside WebWave’s Builder
Now, with all this basic info, let’s take a look at the builder itself.
The biggest promise that the team behind WebWave seems to give is creative freedom, manifested in total control over your design. Meaning, you can place elements wherever you want, and design it however you like.
I was very curious if they managed to stick to their commitment. Most website builders promise you freedom that eventually can be expressed only between rigid grid lines.
Once you sign up, you can start working on your first project. You can either start with a blank page or choose a free template that you can fully customize and edit.
❗ One thing to note: WebWave’s templates collection is not as diverse and robust when it comes to different types of websites or professions.
For the sake of this review, I’ve decided to start from scratch.
Onboarding in WebWave
When you open the website builder for the first time, you get the quick 4-step tour.
They guide you through the most important elements of the interface, giving you a brief idea how to navigate the website builder.
Then, you are invited to watch their 5-minute tutorial series.
In 5 short videos, you get a rundown of the most important features. It’s quick and straight to the point, so it’ll be worth your time.
Some people might find the tempo to be too fast to actually learn how to create a website from start to finish, but it’s a nice overview of what WebWave has to offer. You get familiar with the builder’s environment and actually know where to start.
What I especially like is the fact that you can return to the videos whenever you need. You can access them through the “Help” tab on the top menu bar or, as I found out later, on their YouTube channel.
As you start creating and placing different elements on the workspace, you will get additional pop-ups explaining how to use them.
Interface
WebWave’s interface was designed to resemble graphic design programs. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator immediately come to mind. If you have any previous experience working with graphic design tools, you will get a head start. However, the layout is intuitive, so the experience is not a must.
On the left side, there are different types of elements that you build your website out of. They are logically categorized and set – going from the most basic ones (rectangle shape) at the top to more complex (contact forms) at the bottom.
There is also the “composition” section, where you can find premade groups of elements like text or image compositions. You can treat them as customizable blocks to speed up building a website. A nice touch is that you can save your own compositions and use them from one project to another.
On the right side, there are the “layers” and “settings” panel. This is where you manage all the elements from the left that you used in your design.
Overall, the interface is clean and well-structured. The important part is that even if you want to change placements of some sections – let’s say, you would rather the layers’ panel to be on the right, you can do this. WebWave’s interface is fully customizable.
Ease of use
At first, I was really impressed with WebWave. They kept their promise – you really can place the element wherever you want on the workspace. No grids, no boxes, a true drag and drop. It truly feels like a graphic design tool and gives you a sense of creative freedom.
Unfortunately, for those with less experience in graphic and web design, this freedom can be overwhelming. However, there are rulers helping you align the elements as you wish.
But I’ll give you a tip. If you really are a total rookie, the best way to get into WebWave is to start with a template.
If you don’t really care about the most original design, you can actually stop there. Pick the template, edit it how you want (because you really can) and launch your website. A piece of cake. You can be done in a few minutes.
But even if you’re not an experienced designer, once you spend some time just playing with the tool, getting to know how it actually works, you will be pleasantly surprised how much you can achieve.
To be honest, I’m glad the WebWave’s team was inspired by graphic design programs. Layers and workspace with no limits allow you to really recreate your vision and effortlessly design an amazing website.
Features
To present you WebWave’s features, I will use the categories from their website as a guide. I think it will allow me to go through all of them easily.
Design
In comparison with the competition, WebWave offers quite advanced design features.
It is obviously possible thanks to the interface – which I have covered before, so I’m not going to repeat myself.
The team behind WebWave treats responsive web design (RWD) very seriously, as they should. It’s one of the most important elements of modern web design. A website that is not mobile-friendly, affects user experience, conversion rates and SEO to name a few.
Since it’s a crucial part of every design, I’m glad they made it easier for everyone to get it done. You can preview how your website looks on any screen type. Unlike in different website builders, you change screen size with rulers, not just switch between two predefined types.
Every template is adjusted for mobile devices. When you’re designing a website from scratch, the builder can even set its RWD automatically. It is possible thanks to the dynamic sizing and positioning of elements. If you set it right at the beginning, you will save yourself so much time later.
WebWave also offers a lot of animations and interactions. They are modern and eye-catching.
With all those features, you can actually create an interesting and unique design. I think they managed to find a perfect middle ground between an extremely advanced tool that requires coding that will be useful only for professionals and effective solutions for those who just simply want to have a nice looking website.
Business
In this category, the online store feature can become one of their biggest assets.
You can set it up quickly and sell both physical and digital products. For now, the only payment method they offer is via Stripe but as I’ve read in their roadmap for next months, they plan on adding PayPal. What’s also worth noting is the fact that they don’t charge any commission from your sales.
WebWave’s online store might not be as developed as in other website builders, but from what I’ve read, they’re going to expand it. For now, there is a solid base, for sure.
Another important part is SEO. WebWave automatically links your website with Google and has an in-build SEO analyzer. You can also edit meta titles and descriptions for each page.
In addition, they provide you with website traffic statistics. Your website will also get free SSL encryption, 24/7 monitoring and 99.9% SLA. WebWave has all the features that a SEO-friendly website builder should have.
Freelancers and Agencies
If you are a web designer and want to create websites for your own clients, you can do it with WebWave too.
With their Agency Account and white label feature, you can create websites for your clients under your own brand. Thanks to the CMS, you can work with your team. You can grant your CMS users permission on different levels and to different pages. It’s a very useful feature that allows you to have everything under control.
With Agency Account you also get discounts on Premium Plans for websites you create. You can bill your clients by yourself or directly through WebWave if you set the commission rate.
You manage all your projects and billings from one place – a Webmaster’s Panel. It’s pretty convenient.
Who is WebWave For?
As you might have already noticed, WebWave positions itself to be for both professional web designers who want to create websites for their clients and non-specialists, like small business owners, who need the well functioning website to get their business going.
Do they manage to achieve their goal? In my opinion, thanks to the unique approach to designing a website and true drag and drop feature, yes, they do.
First, the website builder is a well-thought-out tool with really impressive features. It’s complex enough for creative masterminds to do their outstanding work, and intuitive enough for non-designers to manage.
And no matter the level of your skills, if you ever need help, you can reach out to the support team via chat or email and get answers really quickly. My experience with the WebWave support team was very pleasing. Their online chat usually responds in less than 60 seconds! Unlike in Wix or other builders, I had a chance to talk to a real human, not a robot. They send me short tutorial videos explaining my case, which was very useful and actually impressive.
You can also connect with their welcoming community of web designers through the WebWave Facebook Group. What I like about the group, in particular, is the fact that the WebWave team really uses it to talk to us. They ask what features we need the most or inform about upcoming changes and answer any questions.
In general, they seem to be really interested in user feedback. You can vote on the features you want to see next, or even suggest one yourself also on their website. It builds the sense of community and makes you feel like you’re part of WebWave with actual influence.
Pricing and Value For Money
They have 3 paid Premium Plans – Starter, Pro and Business.
With Premium Plans you get custom domain, unlimited bandwidth, mailboxes and ecommerce to name a few. When compared to other website builders on the market, WebWave’s offer comes out as very competitive. It’s budget friendly. You know exactly what you’re paying for. The billing is very transparent with no hidden or additional, last-minute fees.
You create a website for free, then pay for a Premium Plan of your choice when you’re done. Pick a starter for a one-pager, Pro for a blog, or Business for an online store. It’s a simple, fair deal. To be honest, I don’t think I can find a better offer on the market right now.
Verdict
Thanks to a true drag and drop feature, WebWave resembles a graphic design tool, like Canva, Figma or Photoshop, more than other website builders. This is the main reason why WebWave really stands out from its competitors.
What’s more, for a reasonable price, you get a solid website builder with advanced design features that is at the same time rather easy to use.
I’m pretty sure that the flaws that I saw like not that many templates will be gone soon. The team behind WebWave is actively developing the tool, making sure that everyone is satisfied with their software.
With all that said, I think WebWave is a great choice, simple as that. And since it’s actually free, you can find out by yourself at any minute.
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