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Xara Web Designer+

Features
Ease of use
Ease of management
Quality of support
Affordability
Market presence
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Pricing from
$12.00 per user per month
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
Small
Medium
Large
User industry
  1. Arts, entertainment, and recreation
  2. Accommodation and food services
  3. Retail and wholesale

What is Xara Web Designer+

Xara Web Designer+ is a desktop website builder and web design application used to create responsive websites with a drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG editing model. It targets small businesses, freelancers, and non-developers who want to design pages visually and publish to a web host without working directly in code. The product emphasizes template-based design, page layout control, and exporting/publishing site files rather than operating as a hosted, all-in-one marketing platform. It is typically used for brochure sites, landing pages, and small business websites where local design control is preferred.

pros

Desktop WYSIWYG page control

The product provides a desktop, visual design workflow that lets users position elements directly on the page and see results as they build. This can reduce reliance on web development skills for common site layouts. It suits users who prefer local project files and offline editing rather than a browser-only editor. For teams that already manage their own hosting, the export/publish approach can fit existing processes.

Template-driven site creation

Xara Web Designer+ includes templates and design assets intended to accelerate creation of common small-business site structures. Templates help standardize navigation, page sections, and styling across a site. This can shorten time-to-first-draft for users who do not have a dedicated designer. It is practical for brochure sites and simple landing pages where speed and consistency matter.

File-based publishing flexibility

Because it is not primarily a hosted service, the tool can publish/export website files for deployment to a user-selected web host. This can be useful for organizations that must keep control of hosting, domains, and file ownership. It also supports workflows where sites are delivered to clients as project outputs. The model can reduce dependency on a single hosted platform for runtime availability.

cons

Not an all-in-one platform

Xara Web Designer+ focuses on building and publishing websites rather than providing a unified suite for CRM, marketing automation, payments, or multi-channel campaign management. Users often need separate tools for lead capture management, email marketing, and customer lifecycle workflows. This can increase integration and operational overhead compared with broader business platforms. It may be less suitable for teams seeking a single system of record for marketing and sales activity.

Collaboration and governance limits

Desktop, file-based design tools typically provide fewer native capabilities for multi-user collaboration, role-based approvals, and audit trails than cloud-first platforms. Teams may rely on external versioning practices (file sharing, naming conventions) to coordinate changes. This can create friction for agencies or distributed teams working concurrently on the same site. Governance requirements (review workflows, change history) may require additional process or tooling.

Ecosystem and extensibility constraints

Compared with platforms built around app marketplaces and extensive integrations, a desktop website builder generally offers a narrower ecosystem for add-ons and third-party connectors. Advanced requirements (complex forms, personalization, analytics pipelines, or custom components) may require custom development or external services. This can limit scalability for organizations that expect to expand into more sophisticated digital experiences. Buyers should validate integration needs (forms, analytics, ecommerce) before standardizing on the tool.

Plan & Pricing

Plan Price Key features & notes
Web Designer+ (annual subscription) $12.00 per user/month (billed annually — one payment of $144) Unlimited websites; WYSIWYG drag-and-drop editor; responsive design; live prototyping; built-in graphics editor & optimization; SEO, marketing & e-commerce tools; Xara Elements (templates/stock) included while subscription is active; prices exclude VAT.
Web Designer+ (monthly subscription) $17.00 per user/month (billed monthly) Same features as annual subscription; prices exclude VAT.
Web Designer v20 (one-time purchase) One-time purchase option (v20) — price not listed on the Web Designer+ buy page Vendor offers a perpetual (v20) license as an alternative to the Plus subscription; the buy page references this option but does not show the one-time price.

Seller details

Xara Group Ltd.
Unsure
1981
Private
https://www.xara.com/
https://x.com/xara
https://www.linkedin.com/company/xara/

Tools by Xara Group Ltd.

Xara Online
Xara Cloud
Xara Web Designer+
Xara Designer Pro +
Xara Page & Layout Designer 11
Xara Photo & Graphic Designer+

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