The big questions are how easy is Ucraft to use and how does the final product look. That’s what this review has set out to discover. Note: This is a sponsored article and was made possible by Ucraft. The actual contents and opinions are the sole views of the author who maintains editorial independence, even when a post is sponsored.
Ucraft Features
Ucraft is a multifunctional website builder. You can use it to create a standard website, an ecommerce site, a blog, or a combination. Obviously, the free plan does limit how much you can do, but I’ll cover more on the plans in just a moment. All websites are responsive to look great on mobile devices. Plus, the entire platform is drag and drop, so no coding experience is needed. The features are clearly laid out, so you know what to expect before starting. Some of the main features are mentioned below, but feel free to browse the full list:
Over 80 pre-made templatesOver 100 layouts to build your siteAdd custom codes to further customize your siteEcommerce with over 70 payment and shipping methodsPassword protect sites for membershipsCreate custom landing pagesCreate your own logoMultiple integrations with other services, such as Google Analytics, LiveChat, and DisqusCreate and assign layouts to specific locations, device types, groups of users, and moreOver 1 million royalty-free images for a more visually-appealing siteAdd animation effectsFree SSL encryptionMultilingual site supportSEO, analytics, and marketing tools24/7 customer supportHosting included with Google CloudFree domain name with premium plansOver 2 million vector icons
One thing I was immediately impressed by is the website created by Ucraft looks modern and professional. It’s also incredibly easy to navigate.
Plans and Pricing
Ucraft caters mainly to small and medium-sized brands. Their pricing reflects that with affordable options. You have four plans to choose from: All plans include:
SSL securityUnlimited bandwidthConnecting a domainGoogle Analytics24/7 supportBasic design elements/blocksVisibility settingsPassword protection
Free Website
As you may expect, the free plan is an extremely stripped-down offering. However, you can easily upgrade whenever you want. You can also connect an existing domain for free, which many free website builders don’t offer unless you upgrade to a premium plan or add-on. Since it’s free, your site will have the Ucraft branding logo but no ads. Many free plans also have at least some ads, so this is another perk. There’s a 15-page limit. For a basic site that’s not selling anything, this is perfect. The only thing I wish was included was a blogging element, but you have to upgrade to the Pro Website plan before you can access blogging. You can always add a newsletter sign-up and send short posts to your subscribers, though.
Premium Websites
If you’re mainly blogging without selling much, the Pro Website plan is a perfect fit. You’re limited to fifteen products, accepting payments only from Stripe and Paypal, and you don’t get the abandoned cart saver feature. Also, you don’t really get any of the ecommerce data management tools. If you’re planning more of an ecommerce site, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro Shop or Unlimited plans. The main differences are the Pro Shop plan limits you to 1,000 products, one-gigabyte digital file size limit, and no Square POS integration.
Try Before You Buy
The only downside is you can’t really downgrade. So, if you’re using features of a premium plan and decide it’s not for you, you’ll need to recreate your site under the free plan. Premium sites go offline if you don’t pay, though. Cancel the free trial and/or a paid subscription at any time. Disabling the auto-renewal option under Billing in your account stops your plan until you’re ready to re-subscribe.
Getting Started
Click “Get Started” on the home page to begin. The site I’m creating is a portfolio and resume site. This means I can use the free site without any issue. Choosing a template is next. The categories make it easy to pick the right type of template. I chose personal for my site, but I did scroll through some of the other categories and the templates look clean and professional. When you hover over a template, you can check out a preview to see how it all works. I opted for the Olivia Brooks template. The next step is to choose a sub-domain. The sub-domain is in the format “sitename.ucraft.site.” Change the name at any time or replace it with your own custom domain. Then, I just had to sign up for an account and verify my email address. That’s when I ran into a little bit of a problem. I couldn’t create a website without signing up for a free 14-day trial. Instead of being taken to my free site to get started, I kept getting prompted without any way to skip it. I did figure out that this is because I chose a premium template (at least I think so since there wasn’t an explanation), though there wasn’t any indication of that in the template selection tool. However, by going to the Pricing page and clicking “Get Started” under the Free Website plan, I was able to create a free website without any push to try the free trial. The free trial didn’t ask for a credit card, though. The free templates aren’t quite as feature-rich but are still professional. In my second attempt, I chose the David Yan template.
Building a Website
Building a website with Ucraft is surprisingly easy. Clicking on an element allows you to edit or delete it. You can also rearrange elements. The editor saves changes in real time. Plus, I could preview the entire site at any point. The toolbar to the left is easily accessible without being in the way. As a side note, I also tried out the free Logo Builder. You can use it without a site, but Logo is an element to add in the site builder. A PNG file is free, but the higher quality SVG file is $7. I need to work on the sizing, but otherwise, it’s not bad for free. Easily preview how your site will look on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
Final Thoughts
Ucraft’s an easy-to-use website builder. I’m still tweaking my site since there are so many options, even in the free version. However, once you’ve edited a few elements, the process works similarly for everything else. You can start quickly or take your time to really customize everything. My only complaints are the push to sign up for a free trial, even if you’re not ready yet, and premium features aren’t clearly marked when signing up or using the editor (unless you hover over them first). In the dashboard part of the editor, premium features are marked, though. Otherwise, it’s great for creating professional websites for personal and business sites. Try it yourself to create your own site using the Ucraft free website builder today.
