RapidWeaver - 4.3.1

I've been using Rapidweaver for several years and highly recommend it. The ease of use is great for beginners and those who wish can take it further to create highly customized sites. Beginners should try the demo and see it they are comfortable with the software and watch the videos on the Rapidweaver site. There are other videos about using Rapidweaver on the internet as well. The Rapidweaver Forum is a gold mine of information - users, staff and developers are extremely helpful in figuring out just what you want to do if you have a problem or an idea. There is an amazing group of plugin, theme and add-on developers who extend the capabilities of Rapidweaver. This software has been around a long time and the staff and community are devoted to making it even better all the time. I moved to this software from Dreamweaver several years ago and never went back. I use it to develop customized sites for clients. Keep in mind that it is made to be used by one user at a time, though there are plugins and addons that can allow input from others. In other words, it is not a CMS system, but can be customized to allow CMS to work.
I use Dropbox to store my files so I can access the files from both my computers.

There is only one thing you can do to write better sites - do it by hand. Of course there is room for improvements - but it is the best app available for the moment…

I have used RW for a few months and found it easy to use and I was able to develop what I consider a very slick Web Site. I purchase it at a reduced price but think even at its current price it is a bargain when you consider what it would cost to have someone else build a site for you. I do agree that the templates that come with it are a bit lacking. The third party templates and plugins are very slick and in my opinion is what makes this software rock. I have had occasion to need tech support and received answers almost immediately. I feel the learning curve was fairly easy and I would recommend this software to anyone. One does not need to know any code to build a nice site but if you do you can really make your site even slicker.

RapidWeaver was once a top-notch Web creation program for beginners but it has failed to keep up with the competition (namely Apple's iWeb).

RapidWeaver's template feature works much the same way as iWeb's. However, iWeb templates have much more variety. RapidWeaver's templates all look quite different, but on closer inspection you realize that they all have a similar format, a column for the text and a sidebar for the links. (You can purchase third-party templates, but I'm talking about the ones that come with the program.)

The templates in iWeb have much more variety, with two, three or four columns, pictures, etc.

The advantage of RapidWeaver's approach is that you can change your mind about what theme you want to use at any time, and your website will reformat perfectly (or almost perfectly). If you make changes to an iWeb page, such as rearranging pictures or other elements, and then switch to a different theme, the new theme may look jumbled because the elements are no longer where the program expects them to be.

However, I think this is a minor advantage, because once you settle on a theme you're not likely to change your mind anyway, unless you're very indecisive.

RapidWeaver is modal; you edit in a word-processing-like screen and then you must click a button to see a preview. iWeb is more interactive and real-time.

RapidWeaver does support a large number of third-party add-ons to help overcome some of the program's own limitations, but then the complexity of the program goes up.

In addition, I have identified a number of bugs in the latest version of RapidWeaver that make it too annoying to work with. Therefore, I must give the nod to I Web.

I have tried to use and like this program for over a year but I give up. I bought RW 3 and paid for RW 4 in a bundle, bought numerous add-ons and still haven't been able to create anything that is useable. Granted I'm no web designer but I'm no idiot either. I created my tutorial site years ago with Dreamweaver and was looking to update my site with a tool which would make it easier to keep a consistent look and automate a sidebar. Well this ain't it.

The boilerplate templates may get you something useable but if you want to have a different look or feel, look elsewhere.