When Apple ended the MobileMe website hosting feature and stopped updating iWeb in June of 2012, I knew I needed to find new options for hosting and updating my website. Initially, I simply moved the files from MobileMe to Bluehost, but that didn’t help me if I needed to make changes to the site.

iWeb was outstanding for its ease of use and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) interface, and there weren’t a lot of comparable options out there to replace it. Many of the other web development platforms either had a steep learning curve or required coding knowledge.

Over the past couple of years, I tried EverWeb (also known as EasyWeb), WordPress, and even toyed with Sandvox and Freeway Express (Publisher Softpress closed on July 4, 2016), but none matched the ease of use and integration of publishing a site of the iWeb/MobileMe combination. Then I found Wix. It seemed to answer all of the visual design and integrated publishing questions I had. Today I have a beautiful new site that took less than a week to create, including writing all the copy.

I’ve found Wix to be a worthy replacement. While it has a few drawbacks, overall, it made creating a replacement of my old site so easy and fast that I decided I can live with them.

Pros:

• Many different templates available.
• So easy that you can have a full website up and running in an afternoon.
• Zero coding or technical knowledge required.
• Drag and drop editing.
• One-click publishing to your website.
• Plugins for popular services like MailChimp, Google Analytics, and many more are easily available.
• Advanced features like blogs and shopping carts are available.

Cons:

• Oddly formatted web addresses (i.e. example.com/#!mypage/cftp instead of example.com/mypage).
• Slightly slower page loading times than other options.
• Template and design are tied to the hosting subscription, so you can’t take the files to another hosting provider and still expect the forms to work.

Overall, I think Wix is a viable replacement for the iWeb/MobileMe combination. Its ease of use and integration make it a smart choice for someone who wants a professional looking site that they can get up in running in no time.