21 Excellent Tools & Services for Web Professionals

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21 Excellent Tools & Services for Web Professionals

21 Excellent Tools & Services for Web Professionals

This article was sponsored by Mekanism. Thank you for supporting the partners who make SitePoint possible.

Web designers, developers, and freelancers have hundreds of web tools at their service. They want to be more efficient, getting the same results they’re used to while spending less money… regardless of how complicated their development process is.

Well, that’s why we’re here. We’ve put together a list of the best web tools and services as rated by industry experts. And we’re not just adding a bunch of random names here. We personally asked our network of designers and developers to test and analyze, and this is the final result.

This list of tools and services includes themes, website builders, and WordPress plugins that will help you easily sign documents, or even complete development tasks like logo designs. Enjoy.

1. ApproveMe

ApproveMe

For anyone that wants to sign online documents straight from their WordPress site, this is the most powerful solution on the market. WPEsignature by ApproveMe is a complete solution that lets you build and sign contracts easily and with complete security. Their contract builder lets you create beautiful (and legally binding) contracts in just a few minutes, directly from your website.

The Easy Digital Downloads integrations adds security by requiring customers to sign your contract before being able to access their downloads. And the integrations are endless. Dropbox, WooCommerce, Sprout Invoices, Gravity, Ninja, Formidable, WP Forms and even Contact Form 7… WPEsignature is compatible with them all!

Most importantly, this app is 100% UETA and ESIGN compliant. That means that if ever the validity of your contracts comes into question, you can have peace of mind knowing it was signed on a compliant platform. The price of this app starts at $177 per year and comes with a load of free add-ons, updates, and email support. One license, unlimited users. Check out their demo to see what you can do with WPEsign!

Pricing: Starting from $177/year – unlimited users

2. Zedity

Zedity

Zedity is one of the most appreciated and innovative WordPress plugin editors for creating multimedia content for blogs or sites. You can create your posts and pages easily and quickly, with unlimited design possibilities, 100% visually. With Zedity, technical skills aren’t required and you don’t need to get your hands into the code: you just drag and drop the content boxes according to your design, style them with few clicks, save and voila! Zedity generates pure HTML5, CSS and Javascript code, no dependency on third party plugins. 

It is available both as a free version, which you can download right now, and as a premium version, which includes support for touchscreen devices, a draw box (you can sign your articles with your real signature or highlight important parts or enrich your pages with lines, arrows and shapes), a multiple layout responsive design, Google web fonts, and many more great features. The premium version starts from $39 for a lifetime license, i.e. you pay only once and use it forever, including one year of free updates, and prompt technical assistance. Last but not least, for those into signage, a dedicated Signage version is also being launched! With Zedity here to stay, download it now and make your WordPress experience much easier and more productive!

Pricing: Free. If needed, Zedity has premium plans that start from $39/lifetime.

3. Xfive

Xfive

Xfive is one of the most trusted web development agencies in the world. There are at least six great reasons why you should work with them. First one is the experience they are having on the market. They have been delivering outstanding results since 2006, the same team with minor changes. Having a united team that works like a machine is mandatory within web development projects because they will deliver fast and with high quality.

Xfive is a bunch of friendly, transparent and flexible developers that care about you and your projects. You will never have a project with them that is not as you wished. The process is very easy and it is completed in 3 steps. You start by receiving a free quote based on their thorough discovery of your project. After you approve the quote and complete the payment, it is sent to production. The next step is to review the production and finally, you enjoy the result and a two-week warranty. Get a free quote for your projects — Xfive can do everything you need related to web development.

Pricing: Custom projects need custom quotes.

4. UptimeRobot

UptimeRobot

UptimeRobot has more than seven years of experience providing website monitoring services and it has more than 400,000 happy users. It is super easy to set up and use. Be notified from 50 monitors if your website is down, via e-mail, SMS, Twitter, push, Slack, HipChat, web-hooks and more. The system checks every five minutes and they have a free plan that will keep your logs for two months. It can be integrated with Slack, HipChat, Boxcar and others.

If needed, UptimeRobot has a pro plan that can be customized to your needs by increasing the number of monitors and lowering the checking interval from five minutes to one minute. The basic pro plan starts from $5.50/month.

Pricing: They have a free forever plan and a custom pro plan that can be adapted to your needs.

5. Themify

Themify

Themify’s Ultra theme is one of the most powerful and flexible WordPress themes on the market. Created by Themify, a company with an excellent track record, the theme is ultra-fast, comes with beautiful design skins and pre-made demo sites. A real website can be set up in a couple of minutes. Check the demo.

Pricing: Starts from $49 for the standard license.

6. WPForms

WPForms

With WPForms, an excellent drag & drop WordPress form builder, you can easily create an amazing form in just a few minutes without writing any code. It’s as simple as it sounds and they put several templates at your disposal. WPForms is fully responsive and mobile-friendly, having the latest technology inside.

Pricing: Starts from $39 / year.

7. Codester

Codester

Codester is a platform where you can buy and sell PHP scripts, app templates, themes and plugins and create amazing websites and apps. You can have your own store and earn some good money by selling your creations via Codester. Codester doesn’t require seller exclusivity, so you can sell your items on other platforms.

Pricing: Depends on the items you want to buy.

8. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights makes analytics easy for WordPress. See how visitors find and use your website, so you can keep them coming back. Simply put, get stats that matter. It is rated as the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress and it has excellent features like quick & easy setup, real-time stats and many others. Watch the video on MonsterInsights’ site, where you can see how it works.

Pricing: Starts from $39.

9. OptinMonster

OptinMonster

With over 300,000 happy customers, OptinMonster is the leading software that helps you convert visitors into subscribers and customers. Their professional drag & drop builder allows you to create beautiful forms that are optimized for the highest conversion rates. They offer multiple types of forms such as lightbox popups, floating bars, slide-ins, sidebar forms, and more, and you have built-in analytics.

Pricing: Starts from $9/month – billed annually.

10. Colorlib Newspaper X

Colorlib

Newspaper X is a simple yet brilliant magazine WordPress theme suitable for any sort of magazine website covering things such as fashion, technology, food, lifestyle, news, cars, gaming and much more. Newspaper X is a free theme that you can use for private and commercial use without any restrictions.

Pricing: Free.

11. Logo123

Logo123

Logo123 is a new kind of affordable logo service. By utilizing logo crowdsourcing, a speedy process, and an innovative business model, they built a custom logo generator powered by real freelance logo designers. With $19, you can obtain a brilliant logo design in 60 minutes or less! For this amount, you will get 3 designers that will create 6 custom logo concepts.

Pricing: Starts from $19/logo.

12. Meridian Themes

Meridian Themes

Meridian Themes is one of the new WordPress theme creators doing a great job. You will find premium themes that can suit almost any need, from personal blogs to beautiful corporate themes. These themes are responsive and mobile friendly. Check out their portfolio and the demos.

Pricing: Starts from $49.

13. Super Website Builders

Website Builder Comparisons

SuperbWebsiteBuilders.com is a trusted resource that focuses on testing, reviewing and comparing the best website builders available. The chief editor of the website, Howard Steele, has rich experience in the web building niche and firsthand knowledge of the merits and demerits of the most popular website builders. As a result, the resource contains articles with valuable tips and recommendations on the right choice of website builder to meet the needs of various users.

14. RumbleTalk

RumbleTalk

Using RumbleTalk you can easily embed a stylish hosted chatroom for your website, attach files and make live video calls. You’ll be able to engage your online community (public or private room) and increase the number of loyal, active consumers who return to your brand time and time again. It works perfectly on mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers. Check all the features on their website.

Pricing: Starts from $14/month.

15. SiteGround

SiteGround

There are a lot of different host providers out there today and it’s terribly hard to choose one. Which one is secure and fast? Nobody wants to have a slow-loading (or worse, offline) website. SiteGround uses a high-class hosting architecture with WordPress and performance in mind. Via Wpkube, you can get up to 60% off the normal price.

Pricing: Starting from $4.95/month with 60% off.

16. WP Engine

WP Engine

WP Engine is one of the top contenders when it comes to managed WordPress hosting. Whether you are running a personal food blog or overlooking a complex multi-site installation, WP Engine has all the right features to cater to your site’s every hosting need. The latest caching technology paired with page performance data helps you stay on top of things from a speed optimization standpoint.

Pricing: Starts from $29/month with a 30% discount.

17. 40 Dollar Logo

40 Dollar Logo

40 Dollar Logo is one of the most professional and affordable custom logo design services. They offer an unlimited number of revisions on any mockup until you are fully satisfied. Note that you can ask for unlimited revisions for 14 days from the day you have received all your concepts.

Pricing: Starts from US$40/logo, which includes two custom logo concepts with unlimited revisions.

18. InvoiceBerry

InvoiceBerry

InvoiceBerry is among the best online invoicing platforms for small and medium companies. Using it is simple, pleasant, and it takes you no more than 60 seconds to send a fully customized invoice that will represent your company well.

Pricing: Free, with premium plans starting from $15/month.

19. EvergreenFeed

EvergreenFeed

EvergreenFeed is a new social media automation tool specifically built for Twitter. The signup and setup only takes a few minutes and it automatically starts tweeting your best blog post according to your schedule. The free plan is okay for personal Twitter accounts and paid accounts for multiple Twitter accounts and agencies start at $9.99/month.

Pricing: Starts from $9.99/month.

20. Host Tracker

Host Tracker

Host Tracker is a top-rated website monitoring service, highly appreciated on the market by web designers, web developers and the average guy who needs this kind of service. Its main features are:

  • Checking the availability and monitoring the response time of websites, and informing you by SMS, email, Skype, Hangouts, Viber, etc. 
  • Checking whether your domain/IP is listed in blacklists.
  • Monitoring your database, CPU, RAM, and HDD load.
  • Monitoring your domain and SSL certificate expiry dates.
  • Error snapshotting.

Pricing: Starts from $3.25/month for personal use.

21. SnapPages

SnapPages

SnapPages makes it easy to create a website. It is an excellent drag-and-drop website builder that is simple and powerful. You do not need any previous experience or knowledge to create a beautiful working website with SnapPages. You start by selecting a template and then customize it for your needs.

Pricing: Starts from $4/month for personal use.

Conclusion

Finding the best web tools and services can be really rewarding. You’ll find out on your own how a great web tool can save you time and money, or can help you win new projects and money. Many times, the differences between popular web tools and services can be huge.

Most of these proposed solutions have demos or free trials — find out if they’re right for you before you spend your money.

Alex is a web design & developer with more than 10 years experience on the market. He enjoys writing reviews for important publications from all over the world, writing the code for web tools with great teams and building websites that are awarded.

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