Have you been searching for the best web design tools to suit your needs involve only to find that each “promising” tool or resource you come across turns out to be little different from one or more of its competitors? Do the results of your efforts leave you with a feeling of déjà vu, a mild sense of disappointment like you’ve felt in past searches?
We published this list to offer you some relief. The big players have plenty of exposure and did not make the cut.
Instead, we want to present you with a collection of true gems. 15 top-of-the-line free and premium web design resources and tools you are less likely to have heard about. Our list of 15 consists of:
- Tools for building websites and pages – an intriguing free AI website builder is included in the mix together with several free and premium WordPress themes.
- Tools for building ecommerce stores – including a first-class Shopify theme together with top selling WordPress themes that have been developed specifically for WooCommerce fans and followers.
- Tools for adding animations & special effects – static and motionless pages seldom do an adequate job of converting visitors into clients. The tools we’ve selected will help your newly jazzed-up website charm its visitors into opening their purses and wallets.
- Tools that add popular website functionalities – there are plenty of business managers that want a website that can take and effectively manage bookings. We have included two tools that do so to near perfection.
- Resources for visually improving your website – we have included a resource for illustrations and icons together with a font identifier.
At least 50% of the following web design resources and tools that we picked are free for you to use:
What do these Web Design Tools & Resources share?
- Most are free or have a free version. Either way, they will help you save money.
- They are best-in-class aesthetically and functionally.
- Your website projects will look better. These awesome tools & resources are designed to replace “ok” with “WOW”.
1. Trafft – Booking Software System with White Label Option
In a nutshell: Trafft offers an excellent a White Label Booking solution.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Trafft’s most popular usage.
Trafft provides service-oriented businesses that need to improve their existing operations with an excellent appointment booking solution. Trafft accepts appointment requests online and sends reminders and accepts payments online as well.
The Trafft booking software’s White Label Option is a top feature that web developers or digital agencies can use when working with their clients. If you fall into either category, this option gives you an opportunity to replace the Trafft name and branding with your own and reap the subsequent rewards.
If you are a Trafft user, you’ll quickly learn to love the ease of navigation and depth of customization you’ll experience in addition to the library of prebuilt websites. You can also schedule virtual meetings with your clientele using Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.
The Trafft Barbershop pre-built website for example, offers a good example of how to manage bookings for a range of different services.
Product Rating: 5 stars on Capterra, 4.7 (Excellent) on Trustpilot.
Client experience: “Excellent product! Super straightforward to use, with powerful tools to engage our clients. Trafft has saved us heaps of time and been integrated nicely onto our website, Google calendar and overall workflow. Thank you! We love it! “
Immediate help via: the Support Manual, YouTube videos, and social networks.
2. wpDataTables -The Preeminent WordPress Table and Chart Plugin
In a nutshell: The wpDataTables plugin makes working with tables, charts, and data management much easier for you.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of wpDataTable’s most popular usage.
wpDataTables is probably best-known for its ability to enable users to easily create responsive and informative tables/charts under challenging data managing circumstances.
Its relatively new top feature, Multiple Database Connections, enables any table to establish an independent connection to MySQL, MS SQL, or PostgreSQL databases, which makes it a virtual data hub that can seamlessly integrate data from disparate sources. Any table you create with wpDataTables becomes a portal to a network of diverse data resources.
You will quickly discover other advantages wpDataTables gives you. Its intuitive user interface will help to streamline your data management tasks and you will be able to handle complex data structures with finesse.
Templates can also be helpful. The Amazon Product Table for example, can be customized to address a wide range of uses.
Table and Chart Plugin rating: 4.5/5 on WordPress.org
Client experience: “The plugin “as is” is already a great tool to show data from database tables, and “light” management of the data. It has some limitations to do “deep” management of data in database, but for me has been enough. — The tech support is amazing. Absolutely satisfied. Worth the money 100%.”
Immediate help via: Support Manual, YouTube videos, Facebook Community
Check Out the Table and Chart Plugin
3.Amelia – Booking Plugin for Appointments and Events
In a nutshell: Amelia is an ideal solution if your agency/business needs an automated booking system.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Amelias’s most popular usage.
Amelia’s standout feature is a Multilingual Notifications System that will keep you up to date on appointment/event status as well as foster effective communication between your clients and your employees.
If you add Amelia’s features to your service-oriented company’s website, your clients can make appointments online 24/7, receive reminders, and make payments using the payment link.
Templates can help you set up a customized website that will make booking a pleasant experience for established clients as well as help to attract new ones. Criminal Defense Lawyers is a frequently used and easy to customize template.
As a user, you will quickly come to appreciate the user-friendly design, transparent pricing, ease of navigation and depth of customization options this plugin has to offer, and it is only through direct usage that you will come to realize the true value of Amelia’s transparent pricing.
Product Rating: 4.8 on Capterra.
Client experience: “Amelia fully lives up to expectations. Whenever we have been in doubt about something, their support has always had an answer that was helpful. We definitely recommend Amelia.”
Immediate help via: the support manual, the Discord Group, and YouTube videos.
4. Mobirise AI Free Website Builder
In a nutshell: An easy-to-use free AI-powered website builder you can use to build a page, small website, or blog.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one Mobirise AI’s most popular usage.
A system that enables you to accomplish a lot by doing very little is worth a second look. It’s called leveraging. The Mobirise AI Website Builder’s top feature does exactly that for you with its ability to create a page or small website with but a single prompt.
The innovative use of AI is what lies behind the curtain. Give Mobirise the requirements for your website followed with a prompt, and it will return a content-rich website. You will still have to make some adjustments to attain perfection, but AI will do the bulk of the work.
Rather than submitting an initial list of requirements you can go to Mobirise AI’s extensive template library to help get a project underway and focus on customization through the use of prompts.
AI can save you time, ensure your content is engaging, can be tailored to address your site’s overall message, and is optimized for SEO. Mobirise AI will respond to prompts typed in any language, it will download your new website as a ZIP file and can edit content without any need for code.
Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube Videos, and the User Forum.
Check out the AI builder here.
5. LayerSlider- Premium WordPress Slider Plugin
In a nutshell: LayerSlider is your premier WordPress plugin for making stunning graphics and sliders.
Click on the video for a firsthand look at one of LayerSlider’s most popular usage.
The advantage you’ll find in using LayerSlider is you can use it on any website to create a richly animated slider, slideshow, popup, or other type of engaging web content.
The most important of LayerSlider’s many features is the way it can seamlessly integrate stunning animations, effects, and graphics into a website to create a strong connection between your content and your website’s visitors.
LayerSlider’s pre-made, downloadable, and visually stunning professional templates offer yet another advantage, as you can easily customize them using your own content. The Sculptor premium pre-made template introduces an engaging package of special effects that can be customized to fit almost any purpose.
What else are you certain to like? The Project Editor will make you feel right at home to design and create as the mood strikes you, and then there are the popups and banners for marketing purposes.
Client experience: “It’s unbelievable how easy to create stunning scrolling effects!”
Immediate help via: ticket system, email, and the editor’s guided product tour.
6.Uncode – Creative Multiuse & WooCommerce WordPress Theme
In a nutshell: With Uncode, you can create a stunning WooCommerce website with no need for coding knowledge.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Uncode’s most popular template.
Uncode’s users don’t hesitate one bit to point to the theme’s WooCommerce demo library as their favorite feature. Pick any demo and you’ll understand the reason behind their choice. It’s the demos’ exceptional attention to detail and inspirational attributes.
It would be nonsensical to claim an absolute favorite as it depends on the needs of the individual Uncode user. The Software as a Service demo is one of the five most widely used.
You will quickly become aware of the substantial level of customization Uncode offers along with the value of its demos and wireframes and the first-class customer support.
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- Are you a shop creator? If so, you could easily put Uncode’s advanced WooCommerce features to effective use.
- If you are a freelancer or represent an agency, Uncode’s advanced customization options will prove valuable.
Product Rating: 4.89/5
Client experience: “We bought the first Uncode license for a customer project in 2016, and since then – we have bought another 20 Uncode licenses. Although we use a few other themes as frameworks for our customers’ web projects, Uncode has become an indispensable multi-tool for solving most types of large and small web projects for our customers.”
Immediate help via: Support manual, YouTube videos, Facebook Group
7. Blocksy – Free WordPress Theme
In a nutshell: Blocksy’s free WordPress theme is your perfect choice for building beautiful, lightweight websites.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one Blocksy’s most popular template.
Ask users what Blocksy’s top feature is, and you get a list. The Powerful Header and Builder has many fans, as does the Custom Blocks Module. Others really like the way in which Blocksy supports Custom Post Types.
What might your favorite be? The Advanced WooCommerce integration capability? The Mega-menu extension? Or, if you are a developer, it might be Blocksy’s White Label Module.
There’s definitely plenty about Blocksy to like. It’s fast, simple to use, and its granular controls give you excellent control over most aspects of your design.
And it’s free!
Blocksy’s superb demo collection will also impress you. The Cleaning Service demo is one of the 5 most commonly used. There are plenty of others to choose from that will give you a head start in building the website you have in mind.
Product Rating: 5/5 on WordPress.org
Client experience: “I’ve been using the Blocksy theme for over a year now and every time I’ve had questions or needed help, they’ve always been professional and responsive. They take a true interest in helping me solve any issues I might have. The theme itself is great and I don’t have any plans on changing.”
Immediate help via: the Support Manual and the documentation section.
Check Out Blocksy here
8. Slider Revolution Responsive WordPress Plugin
In a nutshell: You can use this versatile WordPress plugin to create stunning visuals.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Slider Revolution’s most popular usage.
Slider Revolution’s top feature is the ability it gives you to easily design stunning sliders, website content sections, home pages, and more. You can create your own designs or borrow from other sources or your favorite content inventories.
Slider Revolution plugin was at one time limited to the simple creation of sliders. That’s no longer the case. With this plugin in your design toolkit, you can design jaw-dropping sections on any website page you choose.
Templates can also be helpful. Imagine what you could do with the Extravaganza Ecommerce Product Carousel template.
Slider Revolution is especially well tailored for web shops, small agencies, and individual web designers.
Product Rating: 4.65/5 on Trustpilot
Client experience: “I had a small technical issue and contacted the support. Abid helped me super fast and sent me a instruction video. So I was able to fix the bug by myself quickly. Thank you!”
Immediate help via: Support Manual and YouTube Videos
9. WhatFontis Free Font Finder
In a nutshell: With WhatFontis you have the most consistently accurate font identifier on the market.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of WhatFontis’ most popular usage.
WhatFontis does what it was designed to do, it does it well, and it does it better than anyone else. That would be its top feature.
WhatFontis correctly identifies font images that have been submitted to it and does so with an accuracy of 90%+, regardless of whether the font is free or commercially licensed.
Hits and misses can generally be attributed to the submittals of substandard images.
How WhatFontis works:
- This font identifier has a database of 990K+ free and commercially licensed fonts (nearly 5 times greater than the database size of its nearest competitor).
- Its AI-powered search engine provides quick answers to your queries.
- In addition to identifying a submitted font image, WhatFontis provides up to 60 close matches and lets you know where you can download a free font or where you can purchase a licensed one.
Other features include Search by Price, Fonts from Multiple Vendors, and Image Editor to Adjust Brightness.
Immediate help via: The Font Identifier Forum
Start identifying fonts for free
10. Essential Grid Gallery WordPress Plugin
In a nutshell: With Essential Grid, if you can envision a gallery design, you can create it.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Essential Grid’s most popular usage.
It’s no surprise that Essential Grid’s top feature is its library of 50+ unique grid skins, simply because that is what this extraordinary gallery-building plugin is all about.
Check them out and you’ll more than likely come across a grid format you’ve never seen before, and wish you had.
The Bernie Federko 2 Portfolio Grid for WordPress couples a straightforward layout with a hover effect that presents a different take on what a gallery layout might look like.
You will quickly find out how much of a time saver Essential Grid is, and how effective it is in helping you organize your content streams, and that how it excels in any website project you may have that requires a sortable/filterable/searchable grid listing of items.
Product Rating: 4.7/5 on Trustpilot
Client experience: “I have to say that the level of support I received is definitely one of the best I have ever experienced. The support team is very knowledgeable and helps even in situations when other plugins are causing issues.”
Immediate help via: Support Manual &YouTube Videos
11. Hongo – Shopify Theme
In a nutshell: With Hongo you have a conversion optimized Shopify theme featuring unique customer-centric demos.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Hongo’s most popular template.
The quality of Hongo’s design is its top feature. And when that design quality is passed on to the Shopify-type websites you can create, its meaning becomes clear. It accounts for the money you can save when you use Hongo’s custom eCommerce features instead of Shopify apps, and/or what you can save if you take advantage of Hongo’s customization options.
Hongo is built for speed and adapts beautifully to all devices to provide a seamless experience for your users. Hongo has carefully crafted 19 demo stores (with more on the way) that address a variety of popular eCommerce niches, together with 150+ sections, 100+ pre-built pages, and a wealth of customization options. Hongo’s Grocery Shopify theme demo would serve admirably as a starter site. These demos can be mixed and matched.
Product Rating: 4.87/5
Client experience: “The is wonderful for desktop and mobile, unlimited customization options. Also the quality of the support is awesome. I can 100% recommend the theme!!”
Immediate help via: The Support Manual, 150+ online articles, and YouTube Videos
12. Litho – the Multipurpose Elementor WordPress Theme
In a nutshell: Give Litho a try if a multipurpose Elementor WordPress theme is on your wishlist.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of Litho’s most popular template.
Litho’s top feature is its close ties with Elementor, a close-knit relationship that gives this theme its remarkable page building options and capabilities. Litho effectively serves a range of user types that includes everything from freelancers and artists, to shop owners and digital agencies.
You will have no trouble at all finding effective uses for Litho’s website-building capabilities. You can, for example, customize most of your page items using Elementor-like header, footer, mini header, page title, and promo popups. You can also make effective use of Litho’s demos. You can import them individually or en masse and mix and match them if you choose.
Litho’s Home Yoga Meditation demo is one of its most popular. It features a straightforward layout with a special effects twist that you can use for just about any reason you choose!
Product Rating: 4.94/5
Client experience: “I’ve been working with the Litho WordPress theme for many years now on several client websites. Their theme templates have a modern and spacious design aesthetic whilst integrating perfectly with Elementor and therefore are fully customizable. …. And if I need any help, their tech support is first-class and always prompt in getting back to me with assistance.”
Readily accessible support materials: Support manual, YouTube videos, and the Litho support portal
13. GetIllustrations- Comprehensive Stock Illustrations Library
In a nutshell: GetIllustrations is the best place for designers who are looking for top quality illustrations and icons with terrific attention to detail
GetIllustrations.com is a designer’s paradise, offering a vast library of over 23,000 premium vector illustrations and icons across 43 diverse themes. From doodles and scribbles to full scale complex scenes, this is your day to day library!
Introducing the ilcons Collection – Chapter 1 to 8 – a curated set of over 1,500 adaptable icons and spot illustrations. These trendsetting assets seamlessly integrate with any brand’s visual identity, bridging the gap between traditional icons and illustrations for a cohesive, professional aesthetic across web and app interfaces.
What sets GetIllustrations apart? Lifelong ownership with every purchase through a standard commercial license, empowering you to unleash your creativity without boundaries. Crafted to meet the exacting standards of corporations, UI designers, and systems analysts, these illustrations are a testament to excellence, elevating both commercial and personal projects. With regular additions and free updates for subscribers, ensuring your designs remain fresh and current.
Need something truly unique? GetIllustrations offers Custom design services, promising quick quotes and responses within 24 hours, catering to your specific requirements.
Client experience: “The diversity in styles has truly impressed me. I’ve enhanced my blog posts with these illustrations, and the vector files make it easy to align with my brand’s identity”
Embark on a journey of unparalleled creativity with GetIllustrations.com, where top-quality illustrations and icons with terrific attention to detail await to breathe new life into your designs.
Immediate help via: Connect with the GetIllustrations team on X (Twitter) by reaching out to @RamyWafaa
14. XStore – The Most Complete WooCommerce WordPress Theme
In a nutshell: With XStore you can build online stores that rock with no trouble at all!
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of XStore’s most popular template.
While XStore is perhaps best known for its selection of pre-built online stores, a relatively new feature has replaced the pre-built online store selection as XStore’s top feature.
That is its selection of Sales Booster Features, each of which was selected to make shopping quicker and increase a store’s conversion rate. They include, among others, Frequently Bought Together, a Free Shipping progress bar, Cross sells after “Add to Cart,” a sticky ad to cart bar, and more.
The easy to work with XStore Control Panel and XStore Builders Panel are other popular features. The easy-to-customize online stores (demos) still offer the best way to get a project off to a rapid start. The XStore Jewelry Store demo is one of the most widely used and can be put to a wide variety of uses by substituting your own content.
Product Rating: 4.87/5
Client experience: “ I recently encountered a technical issue with my WordPress website and reached out to the 8theme customer service team for assistance. Their response was prompt, and they quickly delved into investigating the problem. …Thanks to their expertise and commitment, the issue was swiftly resolved, allowing me to continue managing my website seamlessly.”
Immediate help via: Support Manual, YouTube Videos
Check Out the WooCommerce Theme
15. WoodMart – Popular WordPress WooCommerce Theme
In a nutshell: WoodMart is your #1 WooCommerce theme for creating niche ecommerce website designs.
Click on the video for a firsthand look of one of WoodMart’s most popular template.
It takes but a glance for the WoodMart website’s top feature, its realism, to jump right out at you with its implied invitation to do some shopping – now!
Realistically, you’ll first have to put WoodMart to work building a store for you, which will not take long once you have your content in place, and wait for its visitors to start shopping – which should not take long.
You will find much more to like about WoodMart, including:
- popular customer-centric features such as “Frequently Bought Together” and “Dynamic Discounts.”
- the ease in layout customizing.
- Its Theme Settings’ Search capability and performance optimization features.
If you are a marketer, you’ll find the social integrations feature useful, and if you are a developer, WoodMart’s White Label option could be your cup of tea.
Picking out the most popular demo can be a challenge since they all enjoy their full share of usage. WoodMart’s Coffee demo is one of the most popular. (Instead of shopping you can settle for an espresso.)
Product Rating: 4.93/5
Client experience: “WoodMart” exceeds expectations with its impeccable design, seamless performance, and unparalleled customization options. As a seasoned web developer, I’ve found its intuitive interface and lightning-fast responsiveness invaluable.”
Immediate help via: The Support Manual and YouTube videos
We wanted to create a list of lesser-known web design resources and tools of top quality you could use to help you deliver websites that will be fully capable of engaging visitors by means of:
- aesthetically superior designs and visuals,
- features that effectively convert visitors into clients, and
- high demand website functionalities.
We believe that has been achieved and have provided you with key information to help you make an informed decision to either try a tool or resource or to skip it.
Among this listing of web design resources and tools you will find:
- tools for building ecommerce stores, including a Shopify theme and a selection of WooCommerce-oriented themes.
- two appointment booking plugins that are easy to use and will do an excellent job. And another plugin that makes managing complex data less stressful.
- dynamic animation tools to help your website charm its visitors into making purchases and are fun to work with
- a promising free AI page and website builder
- several excellent free and premium WordPress themes.
Most are either free or have a free version. Each is of the highest quality, and a few are designed to help you to turn a so-so website or page into one that is truly attention getting.
The post 15 Awesome Tools & Resources for Designers and Agencies for 2024 first appeared on Designbeep.