Do you find the amount of available web design resources and tools overwhelming?
You’re not alone.
There’s a lot of noise out there, and much of what you read or hear about web design tools & resources is repetitive.
This list is designed to fix that problem. The really big names did not make the cut, as they have more than enough exposure.
What we did was to check out excellent free and premium web design tools and resources that you rarely hear about and settled on a listing of 15 web design tools & resources that can be divided into 5 categories:
- Tools for building websites and pages that include a very promising free AI website builder together with some excellent free and premium WordPress themes that will have everything you need.
- Tools for building ecommerce stores, including Shopify. As Shopify’s popularity is growing exponentially, we’ve included a first-rate Shopify theme. If WooCommerce is your thing, you’ll find several top selling WordPress themes in this list that have been developed for WooCommerce only.
- Tools for adding animations & special effects will help your website charm its visitors into buying whatever they are selling. Static and motionless pages can be good for page loading performance. But they rarely do a respectable job of converting visitors into clients.
- Tools that add popular website functionalities, and one of the most popular is booking. Clients across various industries want their website to be able to accept and manage bookings. Two easy to use tools that will do an excellent job are included.
- Resources for visually improving your website – the best way to differentiate comparable products or services is through visual elements. We have included unique illustrations and icons and a font identifier you can use to customize a website to year heart’s content.
And now for the best part: at least 50% of the following web design resources and tools are free for you to use.
What do most of all these Web Design Tools & Resources have in common?
- Most are free or have a free version. They save you money.
- They are of high quality. They are top tier web design tools and resources, both aesthetically and functionally.
- Your website projects will look better. Bland design is one of the top 5 reasons for which people are saying “maybe” to a product or service rather than buying it. These tools and resources can be used to make a so-so website or page appealing and exciting.
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TL;DR: The Best White Label Booking Software for agencies and developers.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
Trafft enables you to offer online appointment bookings, organize team schedules, accept payments, send reminders, and more. Its top feature is its White Label Option that enables you to reap the rewards when your clients see your branding when using the booking software.
There are a number of features you will quickly come to appreciate, and if you go with the White Label Option, your clients will experience as well, and thank you for it. They include ease of navigation and the depth of customization options. Trafft’s library of prebuilt websites also plays a significant role. The Divine Beauty and Spa pre-built website illustrates how to manage bookings for a range of different services.
Customer Rating: 5 stars on Capterra, 4.7 (Excellent) on Trustpilot.
Testimonial: Pros: “The simplicity of setting Trafft up is my favorite part. You don’t need to fumble with anything, it’s all very easy to set up and manage. It’s modern, very slick interface; love the dashboard, and virtually every feature is self-explained. They’ve done a fantastic job annotating things to make them easy to understand.”
Cons: “First, the inability to refund. This is a major issue. It’s been mentioned and requested for over a year, and they’ve not yet figured out a way to handle refunding. This absolutely needs to be addressed”.
Support Resources: Support manual, YouTube videos, email, social networks, and Customer Support via the Ticketing System
TL;DR: wpDataTables is the best WordPress plugin for businesses and individuals who want to create tables and charts.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
Best known for its ability to enable users to easily create tables/charts under challenging circumstances, wpDataTables’ top feature is a relatively new feature – Multiple Database Connections. Each table can establish an independent connection to MySQL, MS SQL, or PostgreSQL databases and become a virtual data hub that ensures a seamless integration of data from disparate sources.
Tables created with this plugin become in essence dynamic portals to a network of diverse data resources.
You will quickly discover the power this plugin has to offer. Workflow is streamlined with its intuitive user interface, data management becomes much less complex, and the ability to handle complex data structures with finesse is a given with the separate database connections, 4 chart building engines, single cell shortcodes, etc.
Templates also play useful roles. The Monthly Summary Report-Temperature template is obviously weather related, but the layout can easily be applied to a wide range of uses.
Customer rating: 4.5/5 on WordPress.org
Testimonial: “wpDataTables has a user-friendly interface, many customization options and integrated very well with my WP sites. wpDataTables works well on my sites and very good support. wpDataTables support helped me with some customizations and supported me until it worked. Thanks to the team for providing such a great tool! This plugin I have been waiting for a long time.”
Support resources: Support Manual, YouTube videos, Facebook Community
TL;DR: Amelia is the best WordPress plugin for Agencies and services-based businesses in need of a beautiful and intuitive booking website.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
The automated notifications system, favored by more than 70% of its users, is Amelia’s standout feature. Users can seamlessly confirm or reject appointments directly from their email and can make payments using the payment link.
This multilingual feature keeps you informed about the status of appointments or events, fostering efficient communication between customers and employees. The system offers custom notifications, allowing you to tailor alerts for specific services or events. Whether triggered by specific actions or scheduled alerts, our Notifications elevate the user experience, ensuring timely and hassle-free management of appointments and events.
Templates can help you set up websites that attract potential clients and make booking easier for established clients. Barbershop is a widely used example.
Amelia users quickly become attuned to its ease of navigation, user friendly design, transparent pricing, and depth of customization options.
Customer Rating: 4.8 on Capterra.
Testimonial: Pros: “I’ve been hunting for the best booking tools over the years as a WordPress developer and finally stopped after finding out about Amelia. I love how intuitive it is. It has such a clean, modern, & intuitive backend and frontend.”
Cons: “There are so many features and customizations that I feel a bit lost sometimes.”
Support resources: Support Manual, YouTube Videos, Discord Group
TL;DR: Uncode is the best multiuse WordPress and WooCommerce theme if you are in need of a go-to solution.
Click the video to see this multiuse theme in action.
Uncode users almost without exception point to the theme’s WooCommerce demo library as its top feature. Pick any demo and you will quickly note its exceptional attention to detail not to mention its inspirational qualities.
Which demo is the best one of all? That would be impossible to say, as it would depend on the needs of the individual Uncode user. Popularity is easier to address. The Creative Software demo can be customized to fit a variety of uses and is one of the five most widely used. What could you do with it?
As an Uncode user, you will quickly become aware of the substantial level of customization open to you, the value the demos and wireframes can provide, and the first-class customer support.
If you are a shop creator, you can put Uncode’s advanced WooCommerce features to effective use.
If you are a freelancer or represent an agency you can take advantage of Uncode’s advanced customization options to effectively address the needs of your clients.
Customer rating: 4.89/5
Testimonial: “This is the perfect purchase in my 10 years of experience as a web designer. Already have 3 licenses and will buy more.
I am using Uncode as the basis for all of my creations for clients. It is impressive coding, a fantastic look, and a reactive support team!”
Support: Support manual, YouTube videos, Facebook Group
TL;DR: Your top tool for generating and downloading full page websites using prompt commands only.
Click the video to see Mobirise AI usages in action.
Any feature that enables you to accomplish a lot by doing a little is a good one, and the Mobirise AI Website Builder’s top feature is the ability to create an awesome website, or a significant portion of one, with a single prompt.
The secret is its innovative use of AI. Give Mobirise the “specs” for your website, and it will transform your initial prompt into a full-fledged, content-rich website. You will still have to do some fine tuning to attain perfection, but AI does most of the work for you.
Mobirise AI’s extensive template library can help you get started. Instead of submitting an extensive list of requirements you can focus on customizing through the use of prompts.
AI not only saves you time, but ensures your content is engaging, is tailored to fit the site’s overall message, and is optimized for SEO.
You will quickly discover the builder’s ability to respond to prompts typed in any language, download the generated website as a ZIP file, and edit content without any need for code.
Testimonial: “WOW, this is not the first AI website builder that I have tried that claims to be AI… It is definitely the best!’
Support Resources: Support manual, User Forum, and YouTube Videos
TL;DR: LayerSlider is the best WordPress plugin if you are looking to boost your website with great visuals.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
LayerSlider is the only WordPress plugin you’ll ever need to create anything from sliders and slideshows to popups and animated rich web content. LayerSlider is a versatile tool that boasts several remarkable features.
The most important of these is the seamless integration of spectacular animations, never-seen effects and graphics into your website, creating a live connection between the visitor and your content. An added advantage is the pre-made, downloadable professional templates that are not only visually stunning but also provide an excellent foundation. You can easily customize and fill them with your own content.
Among all of these features is LayerSlider’s scroll effect, which is certainly one of the most impressive effects and can be found in the newer templates. See what happens as you scroll down the LSVR Tech whole web page.
LayerSlider is designed to work at your fingertips, everything you need is there where it should be, and its highly customizable interface will make you feel right at home. LayerSlider can in fact be used on any website, irrespective of its content.
Client Feedback: “I have tried plenty of other slider plugins. Nothing compares.”
Support resources: Support Ticket System, response to bug reports and feedback via email, and answers to pre-purchase questions.
TL;DR: Slider Revolution is the best WordPress plugin if you are looking to create jaw-dropping animated sliders.
Click the video to see this plugin’s Wow effects in action.
Slider Revolution’s top feature is the ability it gives you to easily design Wow-inducing content sections, whether you do so on a home page, use it to highlight a special product, or anything else. In addition to creating your own designs you can borrow from other sources or your favorite content inventories.
At one time Slider Revolution limited its users to the simple creation of sliders. That’s no longer the case. With Slider Revolution in your toolkit, you can:
- create home pages that grab and hold a viewer’s attention.
- create eye-catching portfolios that refuse to be unseen.
- design jaw-dropping sections anywhere on any website page.
Imagine the fun you could have with this Spotlight Hero Header template.
Slider Revolution is tailored for web shops, small agencies, and individual web designers.
Customer Rating: 4.65/5 on Trustpilot
Testimonial: “Slider Revolution Responsive WordPress Plugin completely blew me away! Its functionality is top-notch offering seamless integration with my WordPress site. The array of beautifully designed templates offered made it effortless to handle and gave my website an instant professional uplift. Absolutely amazing product!”
Support: Support Manual and YouTube Videos
TL;DR: The most accurate font identifier available for free.
Click the video to see this font identifier in action.
This font identifier has many popular features. Its top feature is simply that it’s the best at what it has been designed to do: correctly, and accurately identify font images that have been submitted. It is in fact the only system that can claim to have a font identification accuracy of 90%+ irrespective of whether the font is free or commercially licensed.
Hits and misses are most often attributed to substandard image submittals.
How it works:
1. WhatFontis has a database of 990K+ free and commercially licensed fonts. This is nearly 5 times greater than the database size of its nearest competitor.
2. An efficient, AI-powered search engine provides you with quick answers to your queries.
3. In addition to identifying a submitted font image, WhatFontis you with up to 60 close relatives. The system also lets you know where you can download a free font or who to contact to purchase a licensed one.
Testimonial: “I use this site amongst others to match fonts for my clients’ websites. I just upgraded to show results from Google Fonts, and it worked perfectly. It saves a lot of time and searching around. Happy to recommend.”
Support: Font Identifier Forum
TL;DR: Essential Grid is the best WordPress Gallery Plugin if you want to capture visitors’ attention with breathtaking galleries.
Click the video to see this plugin in action.
Essential Grid’s top feature is its library of 50+ unique grid skins. That should not come as a surprise because that is what this #1 gallery plugin is all about.
Check out the Essential Grid gallery skins and you’ll eventually, in not immediately, come across a grid format you’ve never seen before.
Team Grid for WordPress, a new template, is designed to highlight team members ( the example highlights an exceptionally capable team). What attracts people to this grid is its straightforward layout and hover effect that offers a new take on what a gallery layout might look like.
Its users can tell you how much of a time saver Essential Grid is, and how effective it has been in helping them organize their content streams.
Customer rating: 4.7/5 on Trustpilot
Testimonial: “Essential Grid, similar to Slider Revolution has its very own interface and idiosyncrasies that can be frustrating when you are used to working within WordPress and whatever builder you are using.
Having said that, I am a self-taught idiot, and by no means a developer. The support you get with a license is spot-on, and as long as you go through the trouble of creating the ticket, support will hook you up where possible.”
Support: Support Manual, YouTube Videos
TL;DR: Blocksy is the best free WordPress theme for you in 2024 for building beautiful, lightweight websites.
Click the video to see this WordPress theme in action.
Ask its users what Blocksy’s top feature is, and you will end up with a list. It really comes down to what’s most important to you. Is it the Advanced WooCommerce integration capability? Maybe it’s Blocksy’s White Label module. The Custom Blocks Module has many fans, as does the way in which this theme supports Custom Post Types and Dynamic Data.
However you cut it or sort it out, there’s a lot to like. You’ll quickly discover that Blocksy is fast, simple to use, and has granular controls designed to give you access control over various aspects of your design or finished product.
Not to forget: Blocksy is free!
Blocksy’s stunning demos can serve as valuable website building aids. The Smart Home demo, one of the 5 most commonly used, will give you a head start if you have a smart home website solution in mind, although the layout lends itself to a variety of uses.
Customer rating: 5/5 on WordPress.org
Testimonial: “For anyone seeking a WordPress theme with both robust features and exceptional support, look no further than Blocksy. I was blown away by their fast, friendly, and proactive support team who even helped me with issues beyond the theme’s scope.”
Support: Support manual, YouTube videos, documentation section, and Facebook Group
TL;DR: Hongo is a creative conversion optimized Shopify theme with unique demos.
Click the video to see this multipurpose Shopify theme in action.
Hongo advertises design quality as its top feature. That alone may not tell you much, but when that quality is passed on to the Shopify-type websites you can create, the meaning becomes clear. Just as important is the money you save by using Hongo’s custom eCommerce features instead of Shopify apps, in addition to Hongo’s customization options.
You’ll quickly discover that Hongo is built for speed, with excellent performance on mobile, and even better on desktops.
Hongo has carefully crafted 19 demo stores (with more to come) that address a variety of popular eCommerce niches, together with 150+ sections, and 100+ pre-built pages to work with. The Décor demo could serve admirably as a starter site. Demos can also be mixed and matched.
Customer rating: 4.87/5
Testimonial: “I’ve been working on developing stores on Shopify for a year now. I have already worked with 14 themes, but HONGO theme is the best of them all. I like it very much! Design, variety of sections, speed, support. Now I recommend this theme to everyone and make new projects only on it!
Thank you for a great product.”
Support: Support Manual, YouTube Videos, and 150+ online articles
TL;DR: Litho is a creative, modern, highly customizable, responsive and multi-purpose Elementor WordPress theme.
Click the video to see this Elementor WordPress theme in action.
Litho’s top feature may well be its close ties with Elementor that gives it remarkable page building options and capabilities. Litho serves a variety of client types ranging from freelancers and artists, to shop owners, digital agencies, bloggers, and writers.
Startup companies can make excellent use of Litho’s capabilities, not only because of what the demos have to offer (they can be imported individually or en masse and mixed and matched. Home Branding Agency is one of the most popular demos. Its eye-catching yet straightforward layout.
In addition, you can customize most of the page items using Elementor like header, footer, mini header, archive page / post template, page title and promo popup.
Customer rating: 4.94/5
Testimonial: “I’m absolutely thrilled with Litho. Its flexibility and customization options allowed me to create a unique and visually stunning website that perfectly fits my vision. The remarkable customer support provided by the team is incredibly responsive, genuinely friendly, and exceptionally helpful. Their swift assistance reflects their dedication to ensuring a seamless user experience.”
Support: Support manual, YouTube videos, One to one support ticket system, and the Litho support portal
TL;DR: The best place for designers who are looking for top quality illustrations with terrific attention to detail.
Click the video to see this illustrations resource in action.
GetIllustrations’ top feature is three things in one; 21,500+ vector illustrations, free updates for one year, and new illustrations added every week. Once you get started, good things keep coming at you!
There are 40+ nicely arranged categories to select from, most of which have several hundred illustrations; a few have more than 1,000. The Fintech Illustrations pack for example caters to the financial technology sector. Each of its 160 illustration elements presented in delightful monochromatic pastel shades and a customizable accent color.
Testimonial: “Get Illustrations is tremendous. Their customer service is world-class, like their design. I love having the ability to work with them on adding to an existing kit, specific to what we need at Distro. I look forward to working with Ramy and their team far into the future.”
Support: vector stock illustrations are in .Ai .SVG .PNG and .Figma formats
TL;DR: XStore is the best WooCommerce theme if you are looking to build high-converting online stores.
Click the video to see this theme in action.
The XStore theme is well known for its selection of pre-built online stores. A relatively new feature has replaced the online store selection as XStore’s top feature, and that is the selection of sales booster features. XStore has the highest number of these features on the marketplace.
These features include Frequently Bought Together, a Free Shipping progress bar, a sticky ad to cart bar, Cross sells after “Add to Cart”, and more; each guaranteed to make shopping quicker and increase a store’s conversion rate.
XStore also features a Single Product Builder, an Archive Products Builder, a Checkout Builder, and a Cart Builder for shop owners.
You will find the XStore Control Panel and XStore Builders Panel easy to work with and the aforementioned Booster Sales will be fun to incorporate as well. The online stores (demos) are designed to get your project off to a rapid start. The Web Agency store is one of the most widely used.
Customer rating: 4.88/5
Testimonial: “I have to say that I have rarely seen such good support. Every concern is clarified down to the smallest detail. You don’t wait longer than 1-2 hours for an answer. That’s very good. The theme is geared towards stores and offers the most modern functions. All important aspects such as sales promotions, Elementor widgets etc. are available. I can only recommend XStore.”
Support: Support Manual, YouTube Videos
TL;DR: WoodMart is the best WooCommerce theme for your niche ecommerce designs.
Click the video to see this theme in action.
A glance at the WoodMart website is enough to make its top feature (its realism) jump right out at you. That feature is its realism, it’s invitation to start shopping, right now!
You’ll first have to put WoodMart to work building your store for you. Which should not take all that long once you have your content in place.
As you proceed, you will find plenty to like about this WordPress theme, including:
- the ease in layout customizing.
- the Theme Settings Search capability and Theme Settings performance optimization features.
- popular customer-centric features such as “Frequently Bought Together,” “Dynamic Discounts,” and the social integrations options.
WoodMart also offers a White Label option that is worth giving some serious thought to if you are a developer, while marketers will find the social integrations feature useful.
Picking out the most popular demo can be a challenge since so many of them enjoy plenty of usage. WoodMart’s Retail 2 is one of the most popular demos. You can easily see the possibilities it offers.
Customer rating: 4.93/5
Testimonial: “I already use WoodMart on more than 10 websites with my clients. Only compliments, I highly recommend!”
Support: Support Manual, YouTube Videos
Summary
Our goal was to create a list of lesser-known web design resources and tools of top quality that you can use to deliver:
- Website projects that persuade visitors through aesthetically superior design and visuals.
- Ecommerce stores that convert visitors into clients with the help of back-end theme features that were developed specifically for this.
- Website functionalities that are now in high demand – such as booking forms.
We believe that goal has been met and have provided you with key info, so you can make an informed decision to either try a tool or resource or to skip it.
Now, let’s take a quick final review of for what or for whom each product/resource is good for and what its standout feature is:
| WordPress Plugin | Summary | Standout Feature |
| Trafft | The Best White Label Booking Software for agencies and developers | Trafft’s White Label |
| WpDataTables | The best WordPress plugin for creating tables and charts. | Multiple Database Connections |
| Amelia | The best WordPress plugin for beautiful and intuitive booking websites | Multilingual Notifications system |
| Uncode | The best multiuse WordPress and WooCommerce theme with go-to solution for any project. | The design of demos |
| Mobirise AI Website Builder | Generate full page websites using prompt commands only | Prompt command |
| LayerSlider | The best WordPress plugin for making simple sliders. | Seamless integration of spectacular animations |
| Slider Revolution | The best WordPress plugin for creating jaw-dropping animated sliders. | WOW-effects for WordPress |
| WhatFontIs | The best free font identifier | Identify any font from any image |
| Essential Grid | The best WordPress Gallery Plugin for businesses. | 50+ unique grid skins |
| Blocksy | The best free WordPress theme in 2024 for building beautiful, lightweight websites. | Advanced WooCommerce integration |
| Hongo Shopify | Hongo is a creative conversion optimized Shopify theme with unique demos. | Brilliant design quality |
| Litho | Creative, modern, highly customizable, responsive and multi-purpose Elementor WordPress theme | Remarkable page building options and capabilities |
| GetIllustrations | The best place for top quality illustrations with terrific attention to detail | 21,500+ vector illustrations |
| XStore | The best WooCommerce theme for building high-converting online stores | Sales Booster |
| Woodmart | The best WooCommerce theme for niche ecommerce design. | Custom layouts builder |