There will be an alternative for Adobe Muse

[LexTD]

I think there will be an alternative for Adobe Muse.

The business modell just fails. Everything is about money.

A lot of other companies make good widgets, only Adobe had to make that in the software. The software by itself had not much potentional, the widgets filled the gap.

So i think, and hope more, they will be come with something new soon.

[Wolfram999]

Hi Ankush,

when is the new spark release coming? You said this year? It isn't very long any more. 🙂

best,

Wolfram

[David Streeten]

Spark looks absolutely basic and nothing like Muse in terms of being a professional option. HELP!!!!!!!!

[Nancy OShea]

Spark is for one page stories or newsletters.  It's not a replacement for Muse.  Nothing really is.   Professionals must be able to adapt to different situations.  That requires good coding skills and familiarity with lots of different tools for different tasks. 

[Artguy39]

Ok I found it "Without Code" sound interesting

https://www.wocode.com/

[qwise]

Without code looks like a ramped up Wix.

[marks64544299]

We recently put an article together recently comparing some alternatives to Adobe Muse for both simple and more complex sites.  Simplest alternative to Adobe Muse? PageCloud vs Webflow 

[Robotfist]

Muse had PLENTY of users. Just look at all the Muse-based services across the web selling Muse code, widgets and templates. It was a thriving community. Adobe simply saw the success of generic template sites like Squarespace and Wix and said, “Hey, THAT’S where the REAL money is!”

Adobe as well as a handful of people on this forum want you to believe that Muse wasn’t capable of keeping up with modern web standards or that there weren’t enough users. It’s not true. Adobe is a business. Their board of directors decided to follow the Squarespace/Wix business model which is what is coming to Spark very soon (they spell it out for you in the press release announcing Muse’s demise). The Muse product would be in direct conflict with the new features they are adding to Spark. THAT is the REAL STORY here. Muse being axed has everything to do with developing new ways to squeeze more money from people and absolutely nothing to do future web standards.

Adobe will make Spark into a Squarespace/Wix type of service. If you have an Adobe CC account you may get it for “free“ or at a reduced rate. And it will be open to non-CC members to purchase monthly or annual subscriptions, which is something Muse could not do. Adobe will make more money going after Squarespace and Wix by signing up non-CC members to this service.

Just pray they don’t force CC members to host these new Spark based sites on Adobe‘s own servers and then charge extra for it. I can see Adobe doing that.

Bottom line... don’t trust Adobe with ANY of their new products. They will f@$* you in the end!

[TanaSP]

Yes, Robo, I totally agree. This move by Adobe has nothing to do with any weaknesses in Muse or the needs of the designers who use it, but with Adobe trying to improve their profits even if it comes at the expense of a segment of their customer base. Again, I think this is a downside of the subscription model and a problem with having one company be a giant in the graphic design industry. Adobe will not be hurt by dropping Muse, unlike if the app itself were making money directly as opposed to being bundled in a suite. I use four Adobe products daily, it's not like I'm going to drop my subscription because one of those apps disappears, even if I need it.

I'm still trying to get over the shock that Adobe would treat its customers like this.

I have no intention of using Spark, even for customers who may want such a thing. I have no confidence Adobe will stand by that product/service either. For something like that, if a client wanted it, I would go to Wordpress.

Muse was fully capable of keeping up with modern web standards. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with Muse that would have prevented that. In fact, the app was developing nicely, in my opinion, both in its support by Adobe and its extensibility by third party developers. For the small designer with a skill set focused on actual design and practicality, and making custom websites for clients without many backend needs, Muse was perfect and unique.

It's unfortunate they did this, but it's reality, so we have to deal. I'm still eyeing Pinegrow as my best jump to option. I probably won't know what works best in the long run for another few months after more usage. I should send Adobe a bill for all the time it's taking me to adjust my business to what they decided to do.

[caseyearlm]

You guys ever used flexi from extend studio... a plugin for dreamweaver... alot like muse

[Nancy OShea]

Is Extend Studio around anymore?  They haven't released a Flexi Layouts extension since 2015.

http://www.extendstudio.com/product/flexi-layouts-3-for-dreamweaver.html

[caseyearlm]

Yes it is still around... though they have not made a new release... but I still use there software quite effectively hand in hand with dream weaver... and the visual interfase is easy to use and understand if you don't know a great deal about code... but if you do know a good deal of how css and html work it is quite effective... I know how to code if need be... I am just pressed for time and like a program to do it for me where and when possible

Im still up in the air on whether I like Flexi Layouts Pro 2.5 or the newer version 3.0

[NickParsons]

I've been a very happy and satisfied Muse user for some years.  As one who, years ago wanted to create a professional looking website, I thought Dreamweaver would have been a viable option.  A few years later, after conversing with a DW Professional, she told me I needed coding skills.  I was not happy to hear this, and, as a result decided to switch website making programs. 

I had heard about Adobe and wanted to give it a shot.  I learned Muse through tutorials and such, and quickly had my website up and running.  For one page, I needed to download and install a widget, to which I did with minimal effort.  I an a musician by trade and find Muse quite easy to understand, navigate and work with.  I don't need code to build my Muse site, which for me is a big plus. 

This year, I am setting up e-commerce and integrating it with Muse and my music program, Sibelius.  I have no intent and purpose of relearning another program when Muse is easy to use and clearly has a non-coding designer in mind.  The day I am not able to log in at all and use Muse, is the day my music career will end. 

Having read the pages of comments in this thread, I agree with Muse users.  Why should we have to learn coding in order to create a simple to use and manage website?  I have no intention of creating a website with professional options when I really don't need to use any of them.  I have other things I could do rather than spend days upon days, being frustrated learning other solutions for which I would never need to use all the features, and likely yet still have to learn.

[NickParsons]

Rather than, now create a professional looking website, I have decided against it.  I thought it would be better in the long run, but really, do I really need a flashy and fancy website to please myself, not just others?

[Nancy OShea]

@NickParsons,

Keep in mind that your website is the first impression people have of you and your service.  You don't get a 2nd chance at a good first impression.  

1. You need a safe, secure and reliable website for e-commerce transactions with appropriate SSL/TLS server certificates.  Otherwise nobody will trust you enough to part with their money.  Also your shopping cart must be PCI compliant to protect cardholders and their data.  And whichever payment gateway you use must be compatible with your merchant bank account so you can get paid.

2.  Google penalizes sites that are not mobile and touch screen-friendly.  Your site must be responsive to perform well on ALL devices -- mobile, tablet, laptop and desktop. 

3. Your site should have good accessibility for vision and hearing impaired humans.  Likewise it will require optimization for search engines and robot language translators.  In other words, you will need to write or hire a copywriter to create plenty of relevant keyword-rich content that's well-organized inside good HTML5 semantic structure. 

If you're unsure what all that means, hire an experienced professional to help you because what you don't know really can hurt you.  Remember, tools don't build great websites, people do.

Read chapters, do code exercises and take quizzes at the end.
- https://www.w3schools.com/html/
- https://www.w3schools.com/css/
- https://www.w3schools.com/js/

MUSE ALTERNATIVES:
-- Adobe Behance (free) - https://help.behance.net/hc/en-us/articles/204483894-Guide-Intro-to-Behance
-- Adobe Brackets (open source) - http://brackets.io/
-- Adobe Dreamweaver CC - https://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver.html
-- Adobe Portfolio (free with a paid Creative Cloud Plan) - https://portfolio.adobe.com/
-- Bootstrap Studio - https://bootstrapstudio.io/
-- Pinegrow - https://pinegrow.com/
-- Squarespace - https://www.squarespace.com/
-- Visual Studio Code (open source) - https://code.visualstudio.com/
-- Webflow - https://webflow.com/
-- Wix - https://www.wix.com/
-- WordPress (open source) - https://wordpress.org/

Good luck!

[ChrisLauritzen]

Two things that make it tough to change my CMS from Muse to anything else:

1~ Most alternatives have a very 'bootstrap' grid feel to them. Columns and rows. Maybe they're doing this to accommodate responsiveness. But, as a designer, I like a more organic feel. I like it when components overlap. I feel this creates more continuity which is what Muse allowed me to do.

2~The learning curve. If it's drag-and-drop there is virtually no learning curve (ie.- WordPress). Not much creativity either. Web Flow looks to be a possibility but it is definitely not drag-and-drop. Before you sell a Web Flow site, you better spend a few months developing some skills (at your own expense).

So until Adobe sells Muse and someone with deep pockets resurrects it (don't bet your career on it), Us Musers are in for a bumpy ride.

[Nancy OShea]

If you're in this for the long term, put your time and energies into native web apps that browsers support.  Don't fall victim to apps that rely on proprietary file types like MU that can only be opened in Muse.  Work with native HTML, CSS and JS files so if the app you're using falls off the rails you have immediate options you can switch to. 

Start learning CSS Flexbox and CSS Grids for responsive layouts.   This is not rocket science.

• A Complete Guide to Flexbox | CSS-Tricks
• CSS Flexbox (Flexible Box)
• A Complete Guide to Grid | CSS-Tricks
• CSS Grid Layout
• CSS Grid Layout - CSS: Cascading Style Sheets | MDN

Supporting tools:

• Dreamweaver
• Wappler
• Brackets
• Pinegrow
• Bootstrap Studio
• VS Code

[STAPPS Creations]

For all you designers who have created websites for their clients by using Adobe Muse.

I also was disappointed when I heard the news and started to look for alternatives.

Finally, I decided to start using Webflow, if fairly easy to learn, has lot's of possibilities and you have a lot of learning material and help.

But my question now is the following.

No matter what alternative you go for, you will have to rebuild your clients website with your program of choice.

This will take time.

Now, would you charge your client for the time you have to put in for rebuilding his website in the new program? It is not your client's fault that Adobe Muse isn't supported anymore, so I personally would find it hard to do so.

What er your thoughts on this?

[fotoroeder]

With the same thoughts, I stay with the sites, I have done as long as possible (OS/Browser/and so on, …).

I inform my clients, that there´s something going on and finally, I try to build one website with one app and see, how it is running - on my own expenses. As soon as I know how it works, and as soon as I made a choice what to use, I decide client by client, how I proceed.

Some clients may need a new website anyway in about 2 years (remember: muse is EOL by 2020) or even later.

Webstandards is one thing, a beautiful created website is another thing (in my opinion). I guess that social media gets more and more important, printing is important as well, so maybe websites are not that important as a standalone but should fit into a complete overall presentation. I try not to panic, inform clients and see what happens. Finally it´s, of course, a question of money from the clients if they are willing to pay for a new website. It´s a matter of communication, I guess. You, as a designer, might be dropped, though.

Kind Regards,

Uwe

[Nancy OShea]

I think that's a very good question.  Most websites are only good for about 5-7 years before they require a rebuild anyway.  With that in mind,  let's say you had built your client's project with a code editor like Dreamweaver instead of a code generator like Muse. Would you  need to rebuild the site now or could it be maintained a while longer?

If the only reason for a site rebuild now is so you can switch to another non-coder's ecosystem like WebFlow, then you must absorb the entire cost.  Afterall, it's for your benefit.   However, if the site is old and needs a rebuild for other reasons,  then the client should pay.

[ekiamedia]

There is no doubt, Adobe invited us for a cup of tea only to send us to hell. It is disgusting!

[jlperkinsatx]

here it is almost a year and a half after the original post and all I see on Spark is web pages. not web sites. not helpful at all. Wix and their ilk were completely tacky, requiring their logo to be present unless you pay. well, I paid for Muse with CC, and like it better than the tacky, limited, generic, drag and drop crap. publishing via html export worked beautifully. still don't understand the change and wonder what Adobe is going to do to actually fix this. and don't say Dreamweaver. it's much more complicated and time consuming that Muse.

[Nancy OShea]

Adobe's  bread & butter is Enterprise level sites and cloud experiences.  That's not your typical Muse user.  

Depending on what you require, look at Adobe Portfolio.   It ties in with your Lightroom Albums/Collections and Behance, another creative venue for showcasing your talents.

• Adobe Portfolio | Build your own personalized website
• Portfolio FAQ (Read Me)

[jlperkinsatx]

appreciate the info. if it's intended for creative work only, it won't meet my needs. I'll keep searching. thanks.

[Nancy OShea]

Portfolio can be used for whatever you like.  But Behance is mainly for showcasing creative content online.

[fotoroeder]

jlperkinsatx  schrieb

appreciate the info. if it's intended for creative work only, it won't meet my needs. I'll keep searching. thanks.

You could throw an eye on pinegrow, quite a learning curve but the main advantage: muse sites or better the html from exported muse files can be viewed and edited with pinegrow quite well (in my case 100%) - it is a learning curve indeed, in future you may need some understanding of code but not too deep (it is more a understanding than to write a single line of code in pinegrows case), I guess. 3rd party widgets from muse may not look exactly in pinegrow how they appeared in muse however.

For absolutly no code: have a look at blocs, unfortuantely for mac only. Webflow and Without Code are for my purposes nono, Please no additional subscription anymore. Learned from Adobe the hard way. PS will be dropped (by me), LR is already dropped, Muse will be dropped anyway, Id might be dropped as well and so is Ai – all with no subscription plans. Bread and Butter for Adobe had been the designers for quite a long time - well, times are changing, nothing to worry about. FORGET DREAMWEAVER Spark and Portfolio is simply not for buiding websites, it´s more a nice to have for some who need something for themselves - nothing for clients at all.

So, enough so far …

Kind Regards,

Uwe