Strikingly Review

Wednesday, March 3rd

2021 Website Builder Reviews

Strikingly

• Cost: From $0 to $12 per month

With Strikingly, you can build a new website in minutes using an interface where everything is clickable and editable.

ECommerce Built In

eCommerce capabilities are built into the system and you can add a store that takes payments via PayPal or Stripe. You can add shipping and coupons as well as membership capabilities.

Newsletter Signup, Live Chat, And Blogging Included

To keep your site audience returning, Strikingly allows you to create forms for signup, information gathering, and contact. You can add live chat and newsletters as well as a basic blog and social feed for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Choose Your Domain Name

You can register a new domain name and use it with Strikingly. On the free plan you can use a subdomain of Strikingly.com to host your site.

Getting Started

To get started, simply register for a new account, then select a template to begin your design with. There are well over 100 templates for stores, businesses, startups, creatives, personal sites, and blogs. If you change your mind, you can change your template and add to or remove anything from the template. There's a "View Example" feature if the single small screenshot doesn't quite give you a feel for what a template looks like before you select it.

Guided Tour Of The Interface

The first time we began editing the template, the main editor panel didn't display anything. If this happens, just click the left-pointing arrow to close the panel and then the right-pointing arrow to reopen it and the controls should appear. There's a "Take Tour" button at the bottom just below the "Publish" button in case you want to take a guided tour of the interface.

Sparse Editing Controls

The editing controls in the free version are rather sparse and limited in flexibility and functionality. You can change styles, add a store, set up forms and live chat, and change general settings. But as far as dragging and dropping and resizing elements and blocks (like other editors allow you to do), there isn't much you can do.

Free Version Limited To One Page

You're also limited in the free version to a single page containing multiple sections rather than having the option to break out that page into multiple pages. If you upgrade to a paid "Pro" plan, you'll be able to add up to 20 pages per site. But there's no indication of drag and drop or resizing of individual elements or sections in the Pro version.

Confusing Payment Option Setup

To add a store, just connect a payment gateway. Confusingly, on one store payment setup intro screen Strikingly shows that it supports Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, or regular credit cards. But on the main setup screen it limits you to PayPal, Strip, or offline payments.

Disppointing Limitations

Most of the other services and capabilities are unlocked only when you pay for a Pro subscription. If you don't mind the very limited free version, it should work fine for your needs. But steer clear of Strikingly if you have a limited budget for a builder and hosting plan.