Jimdo standout features | |
Support |
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Best for | Those looking for an easy-to-use, speedy web builder |
Strengths |
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Weaknesses |
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Promotion | Free domain for the first year on paid plans |
What Are the Pros and Cons of Jimdo?
Jimdo may not be as well known as some of its competitors, but it’s making a name for itself with its ease of use and speed.
Pros of Jimdo
- Speedy in many ways: You can create a website in minutes with Jimdo’s ADI-assisted site builder. Also, Jimdo page loads are faster than most other website builders.
- Easy to use: There’s no denying how easy it is to use Jimdo to create a website. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it’s a simple interface once you get used to it.
- Mobile-optimized sites: Between the speediness of page loads and the responsive template designs, Jimdo is one of the best site builders for mobile sites.
Cons of Jimdo
- Lots of limitations: Jimdo limits so much, from storage and bandwidth to the number of pages. These restrictions may help page load speed, but you’ll still have to deal with them.
- Support: If you have a free plan, expect zero support from the Jimdo team — you’ll only have access to the help center. But if you have a paid plan, you get faster support when paying for high-tier subscriptions.
- It can be buggy: The site builder didn’t save my changes multiple times, and the screen went white a few times.
Your choice of two site builders
Jimdo follows the trend of using artificial intelligence to help you create websites quickly with its site builder. You can choose either the no-code version or the flexible coding version.
Using the ADI shaved time off the building process for me, but the strict system doesn’t give you many choices. You can skip the AI-powered site creator help if you want more design flexibility.
The coding site builder lets you design your site how you want it — and you get more template options but not the built-in image picker or editor. With that said, you can add a blog.
Go through the “make it for me” ADI-style builder. You’ll get these options:
- Recommended styles, such as modern, minimal, fresh, dark, natural, or elegant, to name a few
- Color palettes for buttons, borders, and text
- Template preference
- Change your theme’s layout one “block” at a time
- As for what you can’t do, I couldn’t find a way to swap out my template easily. It makes little sense — Jimdo offers 40 templates to start, but you only get two options if you go the ADI builder route.
Honestly, the design process was a bit frustrating. Modularly creating your site feels too strict and risks frustrating people with minimal experience using no-code builders. I like that I can remove an element, and the site builder readjust the remaining elements to center the content and photos.
Adding the HTML/Widget element is only possible on the coding site editor. It will allow you to add third-party apps that aren’t on the Jimdo app marketplace.
Modern and clean templates
If you’re looking for well-designed templates (also known as themes), Jimdo has a handful. I found more than three dozen templates you can start with, but you can modify them in hundreds of ways. The designs themselves are on par with some of the top website builders known for sleek designs, such as Squarespace.
If you choose the coding version of Jimdo’s site editor, you get a few questions at the start meant to help narrow your choices. And if you want more choices, skip that step to see more templates.
The only way to get a real blog on Jimdo is to start with the coding site editor. There are workarounds to get a blog-like page on the other site editor, but it won’t have comments or meta descriptions.
I found the Jimdo blog easy to use, but outdated. As you add an element and content, you hit the save button after each one. That said, you get many more options to build with the coding editor.
Fast building and load times
Jimdo is the fastest site builder compared to 24 other content management systems (CMS) and site builders. That’s important when you consider Google gives better rankings to websites with quick page load times.
Despite my misgivings about the built-in image picker’s lack of a search function, all the other tools seem created with speed in mind. For example:
- Pages: You can add a pre-built privacy policy or terms of service page to your site. Change the content if you want, but they’re fairly complete.
- Layouts: You can modify the look of blocks (sections) of your site. All the layouts are prebuilt, so pick what you like most, add your content, and voila.
- Color palette: There are many suggested palettes with two colors from which you can choose, seemingly based on the images on your site. You can select the colors yourself, though.
These tools, including the handholding of the ADI-style site builder, are meant to help you get a website up and running quickly.
A highly-rated mobile app
Most website builders today offer proprietary mobile apps for blogging, design, and order fulfillment on your site when you can’t be at your desk. The only caveat is there is no app for the ADI-assisted site builder — the app only works for the coding version of Jimdo. I used a mobile browser to log in to my Jimdo account to modify my ADI site, though.
A logo creator for new businesses
If it seems like Jimdo is targeting a specific demographic, there’s a reason. A logo creation tool is most helpful for new businesses that don’t have branding yet. Established businesses and personal users likely won’t have much use for this free tool.
The tool is simple: you can choose from icons, fonts, borders, and colors. I don’t think it adds a ton of value because you could easily build a logo with any free online image editor, but logo creation tools are quickly becoming table stakes for website builders. The so-so execution of this feature feels a little “us too.”
That said, it could be useful for those new to websites or who plan to create multiple businesses and don’t mind cookie-cutter logo designs.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS, otherwise known as the Hypertext transfer protocol secure, is a pathway that allows web servers and web browsers to share information safely and securely in the cyber universe.
If you don’t feel like waiting for an agent to ping you back on your ticket, go for the Grow or Start paid plans. With the Start plan, customer service is guaranteed to connect with you within one to two workdays. However, you are promised support within four hours with the Grow plan.
As a free user, I was disappointed in the lack of available options, despite how easy the ticket system was to access. Comparable platforms generally offer 24/7 support aligned with customer service best practices, promoting availability through phone, chat, email, and ticket systems. If you plan to use Jimdo only on a free or “tester” basis, this is something to consider.
Once I submitted my support ticket, I was pretty unimpressed by what seems to be a strong site-building tool otherwise. It gave the generalized, expected response of high call volume, finishing off the email with redirection to help articles.
I was unimpressed When I compared the availability of previous site builders I’ve considered (such as Wix’s 24/7 callback system). The expertise of Jimdo’s customer service appears promising given the helpful technical articles and support it offers on independent avenues — but the human touch and true “soft product” of a concierge customer service experience was lacking.
Compare Jimdo Alternatives
As great as Jimdo is for beginners who have no desire to control their design, it might not be for everyone. If you’re looking for a more affordable website builder with more design flexibility, or better SEO features, consider an alternative to Jimdo. Opting for one of the best web hosting providers paired with a popular CMS might be better.
Here’s how Jimdo does against some of the top-ranking website builders:
Website builder | Starting price | Basic plan features |
Jimdo Overall rating: | Free |
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Hostinger Overall Rating: Read our full Hostinger review. Consider Hostinger for: Innovative free tools to help you build your brand and website. | $2.99 per month |
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Squarespace Overall rating: Read our full Squarespace review. Consider Squarespace for: Modern templates; easy template switching. | $16 per month |
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Wix Overall rating: Read our full Wix review. Consider Wix if: You need more design template options. Wix offers far more (and better) predesigned templates to get you started. | $16 per month |
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FAQs About Jimdo
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How I Rated Jimdo
At Digital.com, we know how important it is to test products thoroughly and compare how they measure against the industry leaders. I spent hours familiarizing myself with Jimdo’s dashboard, setup process, website builder, and all of its features. While my definition of “easy to use” may differ, I approached this as though I was new to website builders and compared it to my experience with some of the top site builders we’ve also reviewed.
This comprehensive overview of Jimdo can quickly answer whether it’s the right website builder for you. We also drilled down to specific features, so you can have a more detailed look at features or services. I gave more weight to some parameters, including features, security, support, pricing, ease of use, and how Jimdo has improved since our last review.
I test website builders based on the following factors:
- Customization options: Can you change the look and feel of a template or add your own code?
- Ease of use: Is the navigation intuitive with built-in tools, such as an in-app photo editor?
- Value: Can you get a free plan or trial to give the builder a test drive? Are there extensive features on paid plans that justify the cost?
- Security: What does the website builder do to keep your site and your customers’ data safe?
- Templates: Are the templates attractive, updated, and generally high quality? Can you find many to choose from?
- Support: Can you get help when needed, whether it’s from a human or support center articles?
- Recent improvements: Has the builder done anything lately to step up its offerings?
Learn more about our review methodology.