A Practical Software Directory for Solo Builders
Building a website on hosting you choose
Shape a website around your content, audience and business using WordPress and the tools that suit your project.
Tools in this category will help you to...
Build and customise a website using the free, open-source software available from WordPress.org. WordPress already includes an editor for creating posts and pages. A theme controls your site’s overall appearance, while plugins add editing tools and other features.
The tools below help you design layouts, organise repeatable information or try changes on your own computer before publishing. Choose a theme, then add the editing and content tools you need. Hosting, a domain name and any premium themes or plugins are separate costs to consider.
Astra is a WordPress theme for setting the overall appearance of a business website, blog or online shop. Its free version lets you customise colours, fonts, page layouts, headers and footers through WordPress’s controls. The optional Starter Templates plugin provides ready-made designs, with free and premium choices, and Astra works with the WordPress block editor and page builders such as Elementor. Paid Astra plans add more layout controls and other features, with some bundles including additional tools. Hosting and a domain are arranged separately. Check which templates and features belong to your chosen package before buying a paid upgrade.
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Elementor is a visual page-building plugin for WordPress. Arrange text, images, buttons and other elements on the page, adjust spacing and styling, and check layouts for desktop, tablet and mobile screens. Its ongoing free plugin includes core widgets and design controls, so you can build pages before considering an upgrade. Paid Editor plans add tools such as forms, theme templates and dynamic content, with features varying between plans. Elementor works with compatible WordPress themes, including Astra, and can be installed on your existing hosting. Optional hosting, AI services and third-party extensions may involve additional charges.
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Kadence provides a WordPress theme and a collection of blocks for designing pages within WordPress’s own editor. The theme controls site-wide details such as colours, typography, headers and footers, while Kadence Blocks adds layouts, galleries, buttons, forms and other content elements. Free versions of both are available, and the blocks can also work with many other WordPress themes. Starter templates provide predesigned pages to adapt to your business. Paid upgrades add premium designs, additional blocks and features such as dynamic content. Hosting is separate, and the theme, blocks and template packages have different feature sets to compare.
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Pods is a free, open-source WordPress plugin for organising information that needs its own consistent structure. Create content types such as team profiles, properties or directory listings, then add fields for details such as names, photographs, locations and contact information. It can also add fields to existing WordPress posts and pages, and connect related entries. Display the information using Pods blocks, shortcodes or templates within your site. The core plugin includes its field types and relationship tools without a subscription; optional premium add-ons are available. Allow time to plan your fields and configure how they appear in your chosen theme.
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WordPress Studio is a free, open-source tool for building WordPress sites on your own computer. Try themes, plugins, page layouts and content changes before publishing them on a live website. It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. Connecting a free WordPress.com account lets you share temporary preview sites for feedback; these expire seven days after their last update. You can export your work for hosting elsewhere, while direct synchronisation supports paid WordPress.com sites and Pressable sites with Jetpack enabled. Hosting is still needed for a permanent public website. Your chosen WordPress theme and editing tools handle the page design.
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