It’s a New Year, but one thing hasn’t changed. The number of web design resources and tools just keeps on increasing. That’s a good thing. But it does make it that much more difficult to find a theme, plugin, or resource you really have a need for if you are to stay abreast of or leapfrog the competition.
We are in a position to make your search easier. Much easier in fact. We reviewed and tested web design tools & resources we believe many users, designers, and developers have a genuine need for. The types we believe to be essential, and that you will see in our final list of 15 are:
- website builders for building landing pages and multiple-page websites quickly, easily, and without any need for coding.
- WordPress plugins that can incorporate potentially game-changing functionalities, that are challenging to design, into websites.
- WordPress themes for building complex and high-conversion rate websites and online stores.
- Vector illustrations that can give a website a whimsical or entertaining aspect.
- font identifiers to identify and provide access information to a “must have” font or fonts.
A majority of the web design resources and tools in the following list have a free or trial version:
What are a few of the important attributes these Excellent Web Design Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies share?
- They look premium. There is something about a top tool or resource that makes you wish you had acquired it a long time ago, e.g., how enjoyable it is to use.
- They are intuitive. From signing up, to downloading, using, cancelling, and anything in between, everything needed is placed precisely where it should be.
- They add real value. They facilitate getting more and higher paid assignments by helping you deliver web design projects faster, making your final deliverables more attractive, or both.
15 best web design Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies
To help you in your research, we’ve included top features, customer average grade on non-biased platforms such as Trustpilot, Capterra or WordPress.org, and client feedback.
Ready? Then let’s get started.
1. Brizy Builder™
Brizy is the best website builder for Agencies, Designers, and anyone else in need of a White Label solution.
Brizy’s top feature is without a doubt its 100% customizable White Label solution that allows its users to add their own branding, including the builder name, builder logo, domain URL, support link, about link, and project subdomain.
Brizy Builder’s library of demo/template/prebuilt websites is also highly popular with its users. Soulful and Cuisine is one of the 5 most downloaded pre-built websites. It is attractive and inspirational, and while it provides an ideal foundation for a restaurant or bistro, the layout can be used for other service-oriented website types as well.
There’s more to like as well. New users quickly become aware of Brizy’s intuitiveness, and their ability to edit any type of content in place. Many competing builders force their users to create their content in a disjointed sidebar. That’s not the case with Brizy.
Customer Average Grade: 4.6/5 on Trustpilot
Client Feedback: “I am amazed by my experience with Brizy. The tool is easy to use, and the support is one of the best I have ever experienced. Fast replies and my contact really went the extra mile in helping me solve my problem. I can only recommend Brizy to everyone who’s looking to build their own website”!
Instant Support Materials: Documentation, Brizy Academy, Useful Blog Posts and YouTube videos
2. Trafft – Booking Software
The Best Free Scheduling Online Software Solution for Business Owners.
Flexibility is always important when selecting a theme or plugin. The top feature of this software solution is the ability to operate in a wide range of languages because of its powerful Multilingual Notifications System.
This user favorite:
- facilitates the effective management of appointments and events using email, SMS and/or WhatsApp messages.
- keeps users informed about the status of appointments or events.
- offers custom notifications that enable users to tailor alerts for specific services or events.
The library of prebuilt websites also plays a significant role in making working with Trafft a pleasant experience. The Career Mastery Coaching prebuilt website illustrates what an effective event booking system might look like.
Key features users notice once they start using Trafft include easy backend and frontend interface navigation and the power the customization options bring to the table.
Web developers and digital design agencies can be expected to be more than pleased to discover that Trafft offers a White Label option.
Customer Average Grade: 5 stars on Capterra
Client Feedback: “ I love that Trafft has so much included – and that you can customize literally everything, including the email & SMS notification wording (which is a big deal for me since I like communications to be in my brand voice).”
Support Materials: Trafft’s ticketing system. Support manual, YouTube videos, social media, and email.
3. wpDataTables -The Best Tables & Charts WordPress Table Plugin
wpDataTables offers an ideal solution for businesses and individuals who need to create tables and charts.
The wpDataTable plugin’s top feature, its Multiple Database Connections capability, represents a data management breakthrough by empowering every table to become a data hub that can pull information from different databases or servers.
By simplifying data management tasks, wpDataTables allows its users to create custom, responsive, easily editable tables and charts with ease. A bookseller could probably put this Responsive Catalog Table with Books to good use.
Features new wpDataTables users will discover include:
- an abundance of useful functionality wrapped in an intuitive package.
- the ability to adroitly manage complicated data structures.
wpDataTables also supports separate connections for working with specialized database systems and features chart engines for displaying data for marketing, financial, and environmental uses.
Customer Average Grade: 4.5/5 pm WprdPress.org
Client Feedback: “WpDataTables is an excellent WordPress Plugin. What you are able to accomplish with this plugin is nothing short of amazing. Their support is even better! Highly, highly recommend using this product and supporting this company.
I have tried different utilities for creating charts out of a series of CSV files I use for weather data, but it has been a hassle until I discovered wpDataTables which does exactly what I need. Very user friendly and versatile. And it also understands that there are other standards for date, decimal, and time apart from the Americas.”
Instant Support Materials: Support manual, the Facebook community, and YouTube videos
4. Uncode – Creative & WooCommerce WordPress Theme
Uncode is the #1 WordPress and WooCommerce theme for creatives, professional designers, and agencies looking for an ideal solution for any project.
While Uncode’s ensemble of website building tools and options would seem to more than justify its popularity, most of its users say the demo library is its #1 feature. The demos not only exhibit exceptional attention to detail but have proven to be excellent sources of inspiration as well.
Uncode’s classic Web Experiences is one of the 5 most downloaded demos. Just imagine what you could do with it.
New users are impressed with the value inherent in Uncode’s demos and wireframes, the level of customization, and the top-notch customer support.
Uncode’s principal users are:
- Agencies and Freelancers, because of the multitude of options that cover the needs of every customer or client.
- Shop creators, who can easily make effective use of Uncode’s advanced WooCommerce features.
Customer Average Grade: 4.89/5
Client Feedback: “I have used Uncode on 6+ websites now, and it’s absolutely my go-to theme! The features, quality, and customer support are outstanding. The developers do an incredible job of keeping the theme up to date and stable, constantly implementing new features and optimizing the theme. A solid product with great documentation and responsive support team. Kudos!”
Instant Support Materials: Support manual, Facebook groups, YouTube videos
5. LayerSlider – Best WordPress Slider Builder Plugin
LayerSlider, the top-rated WordPress slider plugin, empowers web designers to effortlessly enhance websites and make them truly shine.
LayerSlider’s scroll effect has emerged as its top feature. You can find it prominently displayed in the recent batch of full-size hero scene and whole website templates. Scroll through the Flavor Factory pre-built web page and see how easy it can be to use LayerSlider to help capture and engage visitors.
LayerSlider easily accommodates a range of uses, from creating simple sliders or slideshows to sprucing up your site with captivating animated content.
Newer users appreciate:
- LayerSlider’s customizable interface that suggests the plugin was created specifically for their use only.
- easy access to millions of stock photos and videos plus other integrated online services.
- the Project Editor that ensures that what you need is right where you need it.
LayerSlider also really shines when there is a need to create content for marketing purposes. Marketers are impressed with the mind-blowing effects that can be incorporated into their popups and banners.
Client Feedback: “A fantastic slider plugin with regular updates to make sure compatibility is never a problem. Keep up the amazing work!”
Support Materials: Product manual, In-editor help, support tickets, and email.
6. Amelia – WordPress Booking Plugin for Appointments and Events
Amelia is the best WordPress plugin for Agencies and Businesses in need of a streamlined booking solution.
The automated notifications system is Amelia’s top feature. Users could tell you how easy it was to categorize and position appointments as pending, approved, cancelled, rejected, or rescheduled. Special notices such as upcoming events or birthday congratulations can also be forwarded via the notifications system to assist clients and enhance their loyalty.
Amelia offers a number of templates that can be customized to help businesses grow. Yoga Studio is a notable example of how a template can be put to use to advertise a business.
Those new to Amelia could tell you about:
- the ease of navigation they discovered, the innovativeness exhibited in the backend and frontend interfaces, and its functionality and user-friendly design.
- the value its transparent pricing policy offers.
- the extent of the customization options.
The Amelia plugin offers an ideal booking solution for service-oriented businesses including those specializing in ticket sales and/or events. Programming agencies and developers could also profit from having Amelia in their design toolkits.
Customer Average Grade: 4.8 on Capterra
Client Feedback: “Great plugin, I have tested similar, but Amelia seems to be the best for my site, I have many customers through the site, and everybody is satisfied with this appointment system. Sometimes there are a few bugs but quickly corrected through regular updates. Globally very good notation.”
Instant Support Materials: YouTube videos, Discord Group, and Support Manual
7. WhatFontIs
The most powerful and accurate free font identifier.
This tool’s top feature is its accuracy. WhatFontis users have a 90%+ chance of finding whatever free or licensed font they want identified.
No other system can claim that accuracy, and most of them charge a fee for whatever service they provide. It is worth noting that the ability of WhatFontis to identify a given font correctly can be compromised if the quality of the submitted image is subpar, and that is what accounts for some of the roughly 10% of missed identifications.
WhatFontis can do what it does best in part because of its database of 990K+ free and commercial fonts. This is nearly 5 times as many fonts as that attributed to the nearest competitor.
Whether the goal is to identify a specific font sent by a client, or simply because it is attractive, a customer wants to know what it is and where to find it. A search can be conducted for a font regardless of its publisher, producer, or foundry.
The process is as easy as can be.
- Upload a clean font image.
- In response, an…