iWeb is dead - the best alternatives for Apple's website kit

I think I used iWeb and MobileMe before ... very briefly. But it didn't really convince me and at some point I ended up with Dreamweaver, which by the way, I've now turned my back on.

But there are still some people among my readers who have worked with iWeb and maintained their website with it. Until Apple released macOS Catalina, which gave Apple's website builder its own fatal blow.

If you want to call up iWeb under Catalina, this is acknowledged with an error message, because the iWeb app was last revised sometime in 2011 and, of course, does not meet the requirements that Apple now sets for apps (32-bit greetings). As far as I know, MobileMe was discontinued sometime in 2012 and the iWeb user community has certainly also been severely restricted.

Alternatives to iWeb

For people who would like to continue to maintain their website, the question naturally arises as to how one can get by now. Apple itself has withdrawn from the web design app market and is not giving iWeb users their own alternative. So it means to look for a suitable alternative yourself - which of course also runs under macOS Catalina.

With the help of my readers Ricci and Adrian, I have identified two interesting candidates that I would like to introduce to you briefly. Both apps run natively on the Mac, look chic and are very good in terms of the user interface - real recommendations for Mac users who like chic Klicki-Bunti programs.

Sparkle - with website import function

The App Sparkle stands out due to two features: On the one hand, you can import an existing website into Sparkle and then process it there. I can't say how well this works in practice with iWeb pages, but at least the developers know the iWeb clientele and they respond specifically to peoplewho previously used the Apple program.

On the other hand, an FTP client is integrated in Sparkle so that the finished website can be published directly from Sparkle at the push of a button. This makes the work manageable with frequent changes.

Under the menu item "designs“ you can look at almost 30 templates that you can use in Sparkle. Some of them are too playful for me, but there are also a number of pretty and elegant templates among them. By the way, you can use them all for free in Sparkle.

I have not yet worked with Sparkle myself and can say little about its practical use. If anyone of you uses the program, I would be very happy to receive a comment with an assessment.

Blocs - visual website builder

Pads has brought me my reader Ricci after we both talked about longer my article on WYSIWYG HTML editors had emailed. Once again I was frustrated with Dreamweaver and he was also looking for a simple tool for creating websites.

In between we were briefly at Pinegrow landed, which doesn't make a bad impression, but Blocs did it to both of us. You can't import websites and you don't have an integrated FTP client, but the program is easy to understand on the one hand and very powerful on the other. If you like, you can even integrate PHP programming into the pages.

The nice thing about Blocs is that you have a very helpful and dedicated community. In the forum you get quick help with questions and the tutorials are also very easy to understand. Blocs even offers the possibility for other people to contribute plugins, extensions and templates that can then be used in the software.

With Blocs, I have found my new favorite tool for websites and I can only recommend the editor to others.

What are your recommendations as an iWeb alternative?

Have you used iWeb before? Do you now use a visual homepage tool to edit your website? I would be happy if you leave me your recommendation as a comment here.

Update 13.07.2020/XNUMX/XNUMX: Adrian's experiences

My regular reader Adrian briefly described his experiences with Sparkle, which were all positive:

• Very pleasant, intuitive program
• Very easy to use for Apple users (cf. Pages and keynote), good feeling :-)
• Good help with inserting pictures (feedback including bar chart about the quality)
• Publication well prepared and updates possible very quickly
• Good documentation (preferably Sparkleapp.de start and look online)
• The authors are very interested in reports from the users (they obviously have motivation)
• Update to version 3.0 soon (as mentioned: free of charge for recently acquired licenses)
• Upgrades are possible at any time, only the difference has to be paid.
• Functions etc. are clearly limited, but consistent: for modest demands, but very attractive and recommendable.

Jen Kleinholz( Founder & Sir Apfelot )

Jens has been running the blog since 2012. He appears as Sir Apfelot for his readers and helps them with problems of a technical nature. In his free time he drives electric unicycles, takes photos (preferably with his iPhone, of course), climbs around in the Hessian mountains or hikes with the family. His articles deal with Apple products, news from the world of drones or solutions for current bugs.