Another honorable mention goes to Coda, a super cool text editor for Mac users. It’s pixel-perfect and beautiful, but it does cost $99 to use it. I’ll stick with Atom for now! Now the rest of the article 1. NicEdit is an alternative to some of the larger, more complex WYSIWYG editors out there, with its small. TinyMCE is a platform independent web based Javascript HTML WYSIWYG editor control released as Open Source under LGPL. TinyMCE has the ability to convert HTML TEXTAREA fields or other HTML elements to editor instances. The most-used free ASP.NET WYSIWYG HTML editor featured in open source and commerical projects. KompoZer is a wysiwyg HTML editor using the Mozilla Composer codebase. As Nvu's development has been stopped in 2005, KompoZer fixes many bugs and adds a few useful features. Some of the best HTML editors for Mac OS X are free or available as an evaluation version with no enforced time limit.
Formerly owned by Macromedia, but now part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, millions of developers have used Dreamweaver to develop basic sites, while others have used it to create some of the most complex sites known to the Internet.
While Dreamweaver used to be accessible to everyone - the hobbyist right up to the web design professional - right now, it is not the cheapest of solutions. To get access to the single app, an annual plan (paid monthly) costs $19.99 per month, while a standard monthly plan costs $29.99. The cheapest it gets is an annual fee of US$239.88 per year.
While Dreamweaver has all the bells and whistles you could possibly need, the cost makes it prohibitively expensive for many. And as most designers only use a fraction of its capabilities, some might not be able to justify the expense.
But never fear… If Dreamweaver is beyond your reach there are still some great free WYSIWYG alternatives available for you to use.
To make sure you have the latest information, we’re going to revisit the five solutions we looked at back in 2013 to see what has happened to them over the last few years.
We are also going to add some more solutions that we think are also worthy of note.
1. Microsoft's Expression Web 4.0
Expression 4.0 has been pulled into Microsoft Visual Studio 2013 and the last update of the standalone solution (4.0.1460.0) was on December 20, 2012.
While a free download is still available, it seems this project has gone as far as it is likely to go. That said, it’s still free and still an excellent Dreamweaver alternative.
Expression 4.0 is very reminiscent of some of the earlier Dreamweaver versions so if you’ve been using Dreamweaver for a long time, it might prove pretty intuitive. It provides customizable toolbars and offers design and code views. Like Dreamweaver it allows you to look design and code at the same time when required.
With HTML 5 capability Expression caters for the latest design options and with a CSS Properties Palette, CSS management is relatively straightforward. Likewise, it makes light work of positioning graphics.
Currently there is no support for this free download and the tutorials that were available on the Microsoft site seem to have been removed. However, a good selection of tutorials are still available on the Internet.
2. KOMPOZER
A Mozilla project, the last stable update of KompoZer (0.7.10) was in 2007, suggesting like Expression 4.0, this project has run its course. However, also like Expression, KompoZer is still free as a download.
A fully WYSIWYG editor, KompoZer is Windows compatible and comparable to Dreamweaver except that it doesn’t allow server-side scripting. Like Dreamweaver, KompoZer allows you to create templates. And also like Dreamweaver, it’s possible to open any number of pages simultaneously.
KompoZer offers a CSS editor and an HTML validator and as a result, the sites it creates are compatible with modern browsers.
If you want a Dreamweaver alternative without all the bells and whistles, this might be an option.
3. BlueGriffon
The last update of BlueGriffon was released in February 2017 and so this project is still alive and kicking. Powered by Gecko, it is an Open Source solution billed as an “an intuitive, modern and robust application”.
The project website also describes BlueGriffon as a “next-gen Web and EPUB Editor based on the rendering engine of Firefox” with elements inherited from “famous ancestors” such as Netscape, Composer and Nvu. So, as you can see, it has a very solid pedigree.
Native standalone versions are available for Windows, MacOS X and Linux with HTML 4 and HTML 5 supported. It supports CSS 3 including 2D and 3D transformations, transitions, shadows, columns, and font features. However, some features of the latest update (BlueGriffon 2.3.1) are only available after purchasing a license, and that can cost 69.99 euros ($75) or 195 euros ($206) so you need to look carefully at what’s on offer. However, the free version is still likely to meet most people’s needs.
4. Aloha Editor
While the original version is still available, since we first looked at it Aloha Editor has morphed into Aloha Editor 2. The developers called it a day with Aloha Editor 2, but “Aloha Editor 1 is not affected by this decision and will continue to be supported and developed”.
The last stable Aloha Editor 1 release was 1.4.27 which happened 21 March 2017, so it remains pretty current.
Offering HTML5 editing it is compatible with current browsers and it features a 'floating' toolbar that alters depending on which part of your site you are working on.
It is an extremely viable Dreamweaver alternative.
5. Amaya Home Page
The last stable release of Amaya Home Page was version 11.4.4 in January 2012 so here’s another project that has reached the end of the road.
It supports HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0, XHTML Basic, XHTML 1.1, HTTP 1.1, MathML 2.0, many CSS 2 features, and SVG, but these might be a bit dated if you need a site with a really modern design.
Amaya does though offer HTML, CSS and XML validators, validating HTML as you create your site. A tree structure is also available, as is a 'Page Preview' function.
Of all the solutions we looked at, this might now be a little dated for modern needs.
As promised here are five more great free WYSIWYG alternatives to Dreamweaver:
6. Seamonkey
Initially released in 2005, the SeaMonkey Project was around well before our original article was written, but with version 2.46 released on December 22, 2016, it has grown from strength to strength over the years.
An Open Source solution, SeaMonkey originated as a Mozilla project – that’s right, the Firefox people. It was ultimately taken over as a “community continuation” and the suite you download now includes ‘Composer’ – the tool that you use for website design.
Although Composer will be not be developed any further, it receives maintenance updates and is still a good choice, especially for anyone learning HTML for the first time.
SeaMonkey addresses areas like HTML5 and is available in 26 languages on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
Certainly not as sophisticated as Dreamweaver, but it delivers and represents a viable option.
7. Trellian WebPage 4.2
Initially released in 2006, Trellian Webpage is another solution that remains supported and much loved.
For a free software, it is quite powerful, offering a ‘drag & drop’ interface and support for current Internet technologies.
With a user-friendly interface, Trellian Webpage boasts a built-in spellchecker. It also features easy-to-use resampling tools and allows users to easily “create search engine friendly pages”.
Another good alternative for anyone who thinks Dreamweaver might be beyond their website’s requirements.
8. openElement
While the last stable release of openElement (version 1.47.3) was release January 21, 2014, this remains fully supported and a powerful tool.
This WYSIWYG software offers a very intuitive interface and caters for technologies like HTML5 and CSS3.
openElement is important because it focuses on enabling users to create websites with the responsive designs that look good on any device (PC, mobile, or tablet) and are vital for good SEO.
Powered by Chromium, it caters for multilingual websites and offers reusable styles and element packs.
9. Google Web Designer
Technically still in Beta (you know how Google does things), Google Web Designer is a genuinely good solution that gives you everything you want from a WYSIWYG HTML editor.
While the last release date was November 2015, it is still fully supported, and being a Google product could potentially offer an SEO edge.
Totally freeware, it offers a number of work spaces: Design View, Code View, and a Preview space that lets you look at what you have created through Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer.
Another benefit of Google Web Designer is it allows you to craft Google Ads and create and edit CSS, JavaScript and XML files.
It probably offers as much as you need for your website and is therefore worth considering.
10. TOWeb
While the last version of TOWeb (version 5.29) was released late 2015, this software is still supported and maintained, and it packs a punch as far as free WYSIWYG software is concerned.
Like other solutions TOWeb has HTML 5 and CSS 3 covered, but more importantly, it also has a strong leaning towards enabling users to create ‘responsive’ website designs.
TOWeb provides a number of templates which users edit and revamp to design the responsive website they need.
While TOWeb has paid ‘premium’, ‘ecommerce’ and ‘studio’ packages available, the free version is powerful enough for most people’s needs.
Over 6 billion webpages hosted across over 1.5 billion registered websites on the internet today. It is expected to increase as the global market size for content will grow by about to $217 billion between 2017 and 2021. Whether you are creating a website for a client or a humble blog for yourself, a good HTML editor can save countless of hours.
These reasons, therefore, creates the need for elegant WYSIWYG online editors to take away the grunt and inefficiency from content creation. Thanks to some folks, there are a handful of great WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editors available online.
In this article, we’ll talk about seven great online WYSIWYG editors for your content creation needs.
1. HTML Editor Online
This tool is a user-friendly, powerful online WYSIWYG editor for HTML. The tool is available for free for users to create stunning HTML pages without coding.
If you have used the WordPress editor, then you'll feel at home with this tool. It sports most of the features on the Wordpress editor, including spell check and numerous text styles.Its support for graphics content is limited to images. So if you need a tool to embed audio or video content, this may not work for you.
You can toggle between the editor tool and the source code tool by clicking on the source button on the editor.This tool lets you copy the source code for use on your website, or other HTML supported applications.
Asides the limitation on the media support, it is an excellent tool overall for editing and exporting rich HTML pages.
Pros
- Intuitive user interface
- Available for free with many robust features
- Almost as flexible as a good word processor
- Very few ads on the interface
Cons
- No support for video and GIF content
2. Quackit
This editor is an open-source pure WYSIWYG tool for editing documents and HTML files.
The editor is hosted for free on the Qauckit website with tons of tutorials and helpful content on HTML formatting.
The highlight of the tool is the feature that allows you to switch between a simple interface with few features and a full-featured editor with plenty of tools and options.
The tool supports the insertion of custom HTML buttons, tables, and images. It, however, doesn't let you embed audio or video content directly.
As soon as you complete editing with the software, you can copy out your source code and use them on any platform of your choice.
Pros
- Hosted online
- Helpful content on the sidebar to help power users create more complex designs
- Ability to toggle between simple and full-featured mode
Cons
- No support for GIFs and video content
3. Online HTML Editor
This editor is a bare-bones, functional WYSIWYG editor online for drafting and formatting documents.
Unlike the others on the list, it comes with just about all the features you’ll need for document processing and no more.But it is just as powerful too.The tool supports media upload and attachment.
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As you edit your document, you can view the source HTML code in real-time on the right side of the screen.It lets you export the codes without any restrictions. Even on the HTML page, there are a handful of features such as font size and color picker, among others.
Pros
- Completely free
- Hosted online for anybody to use
- Real-time HTML code update
Cons
- Cannot be used on personal websites
- The ads can be distracting
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Read More4. HTML ed.it
This editor is another excellent WYSIWYG tool. If you have used the medium WYSIWYG editor, then you’ll find HTML-edit quite familiar. It is a bare, full-featured editor that is both fast and accurate. The editor sports a source-code converter that lets you convert your document to pure HTML.
It also features a media embedding tool to embed images, videos, GIFs, etc. in your document.In addition to sporting a pretty neat and efficient user interface, it features a powerful real-time HTML source viewer. The viewer supports the color-coding of the HTML tags. That lets you differentiate between the HTML code and your content.
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It supports plenty of features that you can find in word processors such as tables, buttons, and content formatting.
Pros
- The excellent support for multiple media types
- Distraction-free user interface
- A robust color-coded preview pane
Cons
- The user interface is quite outdated
- The toolbar may take a while to master
5. HTML Editor Tools
This online editor features a robust set of tools to help you create dynamic and responsive HTML pages. The editor updates a live preview panel on the right.There, all the HTML code you create from the WYSIWYG editor gets generated in real-time. You can view, edit, and copy them for use on your website or for other purposes.
A remarkable feature of the preview panel is the use of color codes to differentiate between the HTML code and the content.This feature makes it easier for you to modify the code without having to worry about changing the wrong tag.
Once you finish editing, you can copy out the generated file or download it using the save icon on the preview toolbar.
Pros
- Advanced review and editing features
- Extensive editing features
- Robust preview toolset to let you view and modify HTML code directly
Cons
- Lots of ads on the screen makes it difficult to navigate the screen
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Read More6. WordHTML
WordHTML is a simple online document editor. Its WYSIWYG features are quite functional and neatly organized on the toolbar section.This tool prioritizes the user experience and tries to support only the most used features of a regular WYSIWYG editor.
One remarkable feature, however, is the neat and well-designed user interface. You can use the tool with minimal distractions as the ads are on the far right.The application supports the embedding of images, videos, and gifs on the site.
You can view your code as you create your document by clicking on the HTML tab. When you finish, you can copy the Html source code for use on your website or applications.
Pros
- Distraction-free writing
- Neat and intuitive user interface
- Print feature is included
Cons
- Contains ads
7. HTML-5 Editor
This tool is another WYSIWYG editor that's available online only. It sports all the important live editing tools for full-featured document and content creation.
Like many others on this list, this editor supports media content. It also sports a live editing tool that lets you see the HTML code as it gets generated in real-time.
After creating your content, you can copy the HTML file and use them on your website or as an email template.
Pros
- Available online
- No need for any download
- Completely free
Cons
- The ads can be distracting
- Not the best user experience and interface
Choose an Editor Based On Your Needs
So there you have it. You don’t have to pay an arm and a leg to get a full-featured functional WYSIWYG editor for your custom website. With a little effort, you can integrate some of these powerful online editors with your website. Your choice of editor, however, should be according to your needs.
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Next up: If you're thinking of boosting your coding skills, read the next post on four free and interactive sites where you can learn to code.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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