List of Possible Alternatives for Muse

[rayek.elfin]

Starting this thread for ex-Muse users here.

Pinegrow 4 - https://pinegrow.com/  visual desktop web editor that lets you build responsive websites faster with live multi-page editing, CSS & SASS styling and smart components for Bootstrap, Foundation and WordPress. Basic knowledge of html and css is preferable, but pages can be quickly built and styled with full visual controls, and the user doesn't have to touch a line of code.

Wordpress with page builder plugins:

https://elementor.com/

WordPress Page Builder Plugin | Beaver Builder

https://siteorigin.com/page-builder/

Web Design Software by Xara: Xara Web Designer - easy template based solution that gives you total page design freedom, no HTML skills required.

Please post in this thread for other alternatives.

[Nancy OShea]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/federico+florence  wrote

Is anyone aware of any problems or limits...

1) Sparkle is a non-starter for me because it's Mac only and I am on Windows. 

2) It uses a proprietary file type.  Like MU files that can only be opened in Muse,  Sparkle files can only be opened in Sparkle.   I prefer to work with native HTML, CSS and JS files that can be opened in ANY code editor if needed.

[Christo14]

Sparkle has come a long way since 2018, and recently Sparkle Themes were released.

Disclosure, I created Sparkle Themes. www.sparkle-themes.com. The entire website was built with Sparkle. 

Also, here is a real world example of a Muse site converted to Sparkle: 

Sparkle version www.fuelhotyoga.com

Muse version www.fuelhotyoga.com/old-site-muse/

[Günter Heißenbüttel]

So you obviously aren‘t using InDesign or all these other applications with a native file format, are you, Nancy?

[Nancy OShea]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/G%C3%BCnter+Hei%C3%9Fenb%C3%BCttel  wrote

So you obviously aren‘t using InDesign or all these other applications with a native file format, are you, Nancy?

Not for web development, no.  

I use InDesign for printed artwork that goes to an offsite print shop.  I can honestly say I have never used ID for the web.  

I also use Illustrator mainly for print but occasionally to export vectors to SVG which as you know is a native web file so it can opened in any code editor.

[rayek.elfin]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/G%C3%BCnter+Hei%C3%9Fenb%C3%BCttel  wrote

So you obviously aren‘t using InDesign or all these other applications with a native file format, are you, Nancy?

The web uses open formats, c.g., html, css, javascript, and others. That's all you need. No need for other file formats or "export" options.

Any web publishing tool using its own proprietary intermediate file format (like "Sparkle", Muse) and/or publish to their own server only (Design, Webflow) without the option to work directly and without conversion to and from aforementioned open standards using a human-readable approach, only serve their own commercial interests in that they require the user to be locked into their proprietary development/design/server ecosystem.

And any web tool doing this is a "Very Bad Investment Of Your Precious Time, Money, And Energy" in my book. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

[Günter Heißenbüttel]

You didn’t get, what I wanted to say. But never mind!

[rayek.elfin]

PS Pinegrow 4.91 is out. Nice gradient editor, improved SASS support (compilation to CSS is now built-in), and an improved CSS grid editor.

https://pinegrow.com/release_notes/release-4-91-28-august-2018/

And it works directly with those nice open standards in a human readable format. Unlike most other tools mentioned so far.

[atillahun]

Interestingly when Adobe announced the demise of Muse I decided it was time to move on. I had always had a concern about being tied into Adobe in case I wanted to discontinue my CC subscription some time in the future and find myself left with a load of redundant websites.

Before I used Muse I did code my own sites together with Dreamweaver, but after years of being lazy and using Muse forgot a lot of what I had learned in terms of coding.

After research I opted for Pinegrow and not looked back since. Yes you do need some coding but you can get by with some HTML and CSS. The great thing is that when you start coding you gain total control of development of the site in which ever way is required with no fear of future redundancy as you can easily update.

Pinegrow delivers what Muse could only dream of, clean code not loaded with superfluous scripts which are not there for the site but to enable Muse to work or CSS files with hundreds of lines of code when 100 would have done the job. You can build using Bootstrap,  SASS, CSS grids or plain old HTML.

In three days last week I built an HTML site using Bootstrap blocks as a foundation then using built in PHP compilers I converted it into a fully functioning Wordpress theme. And one delighted customer. Try doing that in Muse.

[Nancy OShea]

atillahun  wrote

The great thing is that when you start coding you gain total control of development of the site in which ever way is required with no fear of future redundancy as you can easily update.

Pinegrow delivers what Muse could only dream of...

I'm so pleased that you appreciate the freedom that a real code editor gives you.  I hope more people adopt your can-do  attitude and stop thinking of code as some kind of plague that must be avoided.   

[Beatriz Zivro]

I know DreamWeaver, but personally I think Muse was better. As a second option, it's not bad. I really think that if everyone chose Adobe Muse instead of Dreamweaver. I understand that it would be for some reason.

I'm looking for visual editors for WordPress. Elementor already tried it and I did not like anything. Pinegrow I have not tried, so I'll try to see how it works. Also, I would like to be able to provide another editor that I think is practical and has a simple visual dynamic. Perfect for both beginners and professionals. It's called Themes Generator and we can create very attractive themes. It allows to drag predetermined blocks and also to modify the CSS.

In addition to choosing as an alternative visual editor or page builder, we can choose the option to convert our designs from Adobe Muse to WordPress with this converter.

[rayek.elfin]

Elementor, PageBuilder, etcetera are WordPress plugins to enable visual page content and structure editing within an existing theme, and Pinegrow (WordPress edition) allows for visual WP theme development.

A huge difference, really, because with PineGrow the WordPress developer has full control over presentation and workings of a custom tailored theme, while Elementor is still dependent on an existing theme (which cannot be altered).

Pinegrow is great for quick WP Theme/site development, but still requires you to know how a theme is built and what role the various components serve within a custom theme setup. If you've never hand-coded a theme before, then you will find PInegrow's visual WP theme builder VERY tough to get into. There are tutorials, but you still need to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the official WordPress theme development documentation.

Elementor is super easy compared.

[samdevtools]

What about Mobirise Website Builder?
I think it's a good alternative to Muse worth a try

[Christo14]

Sparkle has come a long way since 2018, and recently Sparkle Themes were released.

Disclosure, I created Sparkle Themes. www.sparkle-themes.com. The entire website was built with Sparkle. 

Also, here is a real world example of a Muse site converted to Sparkle: 

Sparkle version www.fuelhotyoga.com

Muse version www.fuelhotyoga.com/old-site-muse/