Blocs website builder windows

Blocs (current version 6.0.5) – is a software used to create websites in Mac OS, iPad and iPhone. This is a unique niche product, the major goal of which is to provide Mac users with a premium web building tool. There is no separate product version for Windows. The target audience is Mac users.

Blocs is a downloadable software used to create promo websites, landing pages and portfolios. Apple ideology is the basis of the product: according to the major idea, a user has to get aesthetic pleasure from working with the application. Quality and extensive functionality of the program contributes to this objective.

When it comes to Blocs positioning, user impressions and experience come first. The majority of users understand that if web designers have notably invested into the development of interface design, then the rest of the features will be also provided on a decent level.

Can this statement be applied to Blocs? That’s not quite clear yet. So, let’s do the detailed analysis now to find that out.

Pros and Cons

The major Blocs advantage is the unique design and presentation of the visual editor. Distinct definition of the target audience – Mac users – contributes to the benefits of the service. It is clear that the app was created from scratch, without any copying of external services. However, there are some advantages, which are more or less significant.

What Is It Good for?

The platform appears to be a powerful web design tool developed for users with no coding skills. In reality, it may take newbies some time to get used to the website builder. At first, it might seem quite complex and confusing.

The good news is that it really does not require technical skills, as all the coding takes place in the background, while users get a chance to focus mainly on visuals, site or page structure, content, and other baseline elements.

As for the project types, the platform leaves enough flexibility and freedom to create various types of websites. Here they go.

Business Websites

Blocs offers a sufficient set of features and options for polished business projects (learn how to build a business site). It will work out for cafes and restaurants, retail niche, freelancers, agencies etc. The system manages to combine professionally-designed layouts, customizable branding options, pre-made navigation elements and other solutions a business may need to boost their online credibility.

Portfolios

The website builder is perfect for creative minds who want to showcase their works in the most appealing and stylish way. Thi especially concerns photographers, artists, illustrators, writers and other creatives. Due to the availability of image galleries, photo and video integration, superb photography and special animated elements, users can highlight their projects to make them appealing to potential customers.

Online Stores

Even though Blocs is not a full-featured eCommerce software, it still offers enough tools to launch web stores and let online merchants establish a solid web presence. It seamlessly integrates with third-party platforms to let users set up and manage small online storefronts. What you can do here is embedding shopping carts, product listings, payment channels and other related eCommerce features. With Blocs, you can equally sell physical and digital products.

Ease of Use

The latest Blocs 6.0.5 version has received a couple of minor updates. Users will appreciate an updated Bootstrap 5 framework, improved translations to German, a language selector finally added, Js and CSS combined to be used as a single file when exporting, and some other slight refreshments.

The building process has become much easier if compared to previous software versions. An average user might need several days to create a ready-to-go website with all necessary features included. Blocs combine ready-made elements and block libraries to be adjusted to an empty website canvas.

Users will have access to a collection of page elements that include headers, forms, images, and more in addition to custom structure blocks that include empty columns, on-page spaces for images and text content, etc. Moreover, the new version comes with support for HTML5, reserving much space for professional coders and web designers to create unique site layouts.

Signing In

While Blocs is the website building app, it comes as downloadable software. To get access to its features you need either buy a full license or opt for a free trial version. In both cases, the system asks to provide some personal info. When the signing-in process is completed, you will be able to download and install a chosen software version.

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Dashboard

As soon as you are done with Blocs installation, you will gain access to the dashboard that comes as an intuitive canvas with drag-and-drop elements known as blocs. This is the place where you can arrange them directly on the web page layout based on the type of project you plan to set up. The blocs are available in multiple styles and functionalities, providing quite an extensive selection of elements to choose from.

Additionally, the dashboard grants access to global website settings and typography options to ensure the cohesive look of your project on all devices. Finally, you will be able to explore the set of panels and toolbars that make it possible to complete various tasks. These include quick browsing and insertion of content types, detailed customization controls for all elements as well as access to major project management capabilities.

Template Editing and Design Customization

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The system does not offer ready-made templates on default. However, users may opt for paid templates delivered by Blocs. There are over 36 layouts currently available in the templates section on the official website. They are sold as packages. The price will depend on the number of websites you want to create. Each theme has a preview mode and detailed description that contains the build date, framework used (currently Bootstrap 5), requirements, latest updates, version etc.

Experienced coders will appreciate the ability to create a site from the blank using a set of dedicated programming tools we have discussed earlier. The dashboard has an innovative preview workflow that allows checking your site design on multiple screen sizes faster than before.

Moreover, the system has CSS styling options to change elements’ dimensions and let them meet mobile users’ demands. The class editor is able to adjust the same palette colors across different elements to make them look well on different devices as well. The navigation bar will be automatically generated in accordance with the screen dimensions.

Website Editing Process

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As we have mentioned earlier, the software offers ready-made canvases that are easy to modify and change. Users may add empty columns as well as spaces for images and texts. Another way is to use blocks and element libraries. Here you will find collections of page elements and sections to be added with a click. Blocs 6 features drag-and-drop functionality making it easy to change the element’s positioning.

The great news about the new software version is that now you have the entire website hierarchy indicated in the left sidebar. You may reach any section or element with ease instead of switching between different screens as it was in the previous version. The same is with dropping new bricks to the page. Simply pick the one and drag it to the space needed. Here we have tabbed content boxes, image galleries, audio players, headers, contact forms, social media buttons, etc.

The platform comes with the CSS class editor. Users are free to modify blocks and elements styling ensuring they look and run great on different devices despite the screen size. In addition, the system delivers total control over page source code, to support HTML5. Experienced coders will appreciate programming flexibility while newbies can benefit from features like ScrollFX controls. We will discuss both a bit further in our review.

Going Live

The Blocs 6.0.5 app was developed as a website and page builder. It does not provide hosting facilities. You will need to take care of it yourself. The good news is that the new version is supported by some simple and yet popular CMS platforms. They include Cushy, Pulse, October, and some others. It ensures seamless integration of the website files with the content management system as well as its database.

eCommerce

As mentioned above, Blocs is not a solely eCommerce platform yet it allows setting up web stores due to the opportunity of extra add-on integration. It is possible to sell online with payment integrations offered by the leading eCommerce providers.

When working on their projects, users can customize their web store design and functionality settings by arranging product elements, adjusting color schemes, uploading images and product parameters, modifying layout options etc. Additionally, it is possible to adjust order/product/inventory management tools, payment and shipping options and other related eCommerce parameters. This is enough to create a small online store (read more).

Built on Bootstrap 5

Programmers and coders would be happy to learn that the new Blocs version was developed on Bootstrap 5. The framework comes with support for different devices including smartphones and tablets. Users are free to implement various dimensions to each element or section making it look good on different types of devices despite the display sizes, carriers, etc. All your website pages will run well despite the breakpoints.

Support for HTML5

The software was modified to support HTML5 attributes. It makes it possible to create info layers without actually dealing with databases. All you need is to choose a block or element and add necessary attributes using the Inspector pane. While most page and website builders never guarantee flawless site running in case you implement your own attributes, Blocs 6 has a preview mode to check how your HTML, PHP or JavaScript creations will look lie when going live.

ScrollFX Controls

We have already said a few words about this feature. It was designed for beginners who want to make their websites look a bit cooler. The idea is to add different effects to some of the website elements when scrolling the page down. They may include fading-in or animation effects. The control panel lets you implement each of them with ease. Simply pick the element you need and choose the way it will look like when scrolling down.

Checkbox Styling

This particular brick helps advanced users to input the piece of the HTML code. From now, Blocs 6 users will have a chance to change the way the checkbox looks like. Apart from a traditional version, there is also a mobile mode that results in a modern look. In addition, you may set either vertical or horizontal checkbox stacking.

Local Network Preview

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A great feature for all Mac users who benefit from a local network connection. It lets you preview the way your site looks like in different devices connected to the same network as your laptop powered by Mac. Not only will you be able to preview all pages, but also edit some of their elements right in the browser.

Icon Manager

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The updated Icon Manager brings the dedicated SVG icon support and comes with a range of game-changing features. Users get full control over the icons with a chance to change them thanks to a newly developed Icon brick. First of all, you need to choose from a selection of ready-made icon blocks. Then you may replace the pre-set icon with your own as well as adjust 5 of the available fonts to make it look more catchy.

Layer Tree Options

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As we have mentioned earlier, Blocs 6 depicts the page hierarchy with all the elements and sections in the same window with no need to switch between modes. At the same time, a layer tree ensures a fast overview of all elements you have on the selected page. From now, you may also access different options to process layers. They include deleting, collapsing, duplicating, and other operations to assign color keys and other points to arrange all layers in the most effective way.

Apple Intelligence

The updated Blocs 6 version uses the innovative Apple intelligence with the advanced AI Writing Tools. These are helpful when it comes to editing texts inside of Blocs, offering suitable texts based on your project specialization.

Add-Ons

Blocs stands out from the crowd due to its extensive integration capabilities. There are multiple add-ons available for integration.They are developed and built exclusively for Blocs. Just access the Blocs store to browse and pick them.

SEO Helper

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The software allows improving your website search engine metrics due to its built-in SEO Helper. This maximizes the chances of higher ranking for target keywords and makes it possible to improve your project positions in the search engine bots.

WordPress Theme Builder

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With Blocs, you have the opportunity to build custom WordPress (read review) themes with no dependency on extra plugins. No coding proficiency is needed here as well – everyone can cope with the task.

Generally, Blocs functionality is on the medium level. Its major advantages are interesting design and original presentation of standard features. They are enough to design appealing business websites, even those that don’t accept online payments. The app requires hosting and sometimes CMS that will be compatible with it. Blocs itself is not an individual working unit. The key downside is that the software is available only for Mac users.

Customer Support

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Blocs provides users with a sufficient number of customer support options, including forum, Vimeo channel and Knowledge Center. All of them feature decent quality, especially FAQ and video tutorials. You can contact the developers via the online support desk, while the recent news are available in the official blog or Twitter channel.

Users can also browse the Blocs Academy with access to the library of free video tutorials and opportunity to learn the basics of website development. All the tutorials allow using the search filter option. They are detailed and structured into categories.

The quality of tech support is ok. To get in touch with it, you should be a registered Blocs user. By the way, there is no live chat and email communication option here. There is only the ticket system you can make use of.

Plans & Pricing

Here you will not find traditional subscriptions or plans. The system offers its own pricing approach. The lifetime ownership for everyone who decides to purchase the license. Fortunately, there is a free package here that makes it possible to test some of the baseline features and make up your mind if the platform is worth buying.

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As for the prices, the latest standard Blocs 6.0.5 version will cost you $131.99 (including taxes) with the native Mac app, different editing modes and content managers included in the pack. However, the package is only good in terms of the building process. It does not let you launch a fully-feared website with optimized content or instruments to sell online.

At this point, you might want to have some extensions and buy a Blocs Plus package ($215.99 including taxes) with SEO, Store, Image Editor, integrated custom WP themes, Class Library management and some other great features. It all makes Blocs 6 a bit expensive.

Conclusion

Blocs is a good niche product. It works well for launching business websites with a small number of pages, such as promo websites, portfolios and landing pages. If you approach the web development process wisely, the websites will be appealing and functional. Regardless of the pleasant interface and general positive impressions from the working process, this application is not the best choice for an average user.

Blocs can be considered a stylish HTML web page editor, which requires extra tools to publish a website. It is inconvenient to use it independently. When working with CMS, the situation changes for the better, even though it’s not possible to call this scheme convenient and cheap. You will have to master the FTP manager, hosting set up and CMS itself. This is quite overwhelming for a person willing to create the first website, isn’t it?

Here arises the question: why use Blocs, if this is so complicated? Maybe, it makes sense to choose a more suitable website builder and stop making simple things difficult? Anyway, it is much simpler and more affordable to use a quality cloud website builder with a WYSIWYG editor. You will get hosting, templates, bonuses (like a free domain name or something like that) and, what really matters, a single interface for the entire web building process. It’s also more convenient to make the payments here – everything is found in the same interface.

Just like any other desktop web building application, Blocs cannot compete with renowned cloud website builders. It is not about the quality of the product. It’s about its type: the app requires more technical skills to be used to the advantage as compared to website builders and it also ensures similar results. So, why make things complicated? Unfortunately, Blocs is initially a lost case for the prevailing amount of users.