Are Duda’s pricing and plans worth it for website building and management?

If you’re going to offer website services, a solid website building and management solution is non-negotiable. Gone are the days of building out client websites from scratch: today, even the most skilled programmers rely on these powerful visual tools to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to creating and maintaining attractive, functional websites. Duda is one of these solutions, offering a range of features designed to facilitate quick and easy website builds. But is it the right tool for your agency’s needs, and is Duda’s pricing going to leave enough room for you to consistently hit your target profit margin? 

Help your clients make the move to a SaaS software platform. Download “Lessons from the digital chasm” to learn data-backed tips for boosting small business tech adoption.

That’s exactly what we’ll cover in this article. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Duda pricing plans and features, the pros and cons of this website builder, and whether it stands up against other popular website building and management solutions on the market.

What is Duda?

Duda is a website builder that can be used by businesses, freelancers, designers, and agencies to build professional websites quickly. As a cloud solution, you don’t have to download any program to start using the builder. Instead, users work in an online interface to create, edit, and manage their websites.

As a drag-and-drop website builder, Duda is usable even by those who don’t have coding experience. It included a library of templates for users to choose from and customize as needed to meet the requirements of the brief. This means that even without much design experience, it’s possible to create an attractive website with Duda.

So, what is a Duda website, exactly? Duda supports many types of websites, including ecommerce sites and sites that require booking support, such as restaurant sites.

Duda’s main features

Before we take a deep dive into Duda website builder pricing, let’s get familiar with the features available on the platform.

Drag-and-drop editor

Duda’s drag-and-drop editor simplifies the process of editing templates to create a customized website. Users start by choosing a template from one of these categories:

  • Online store
  • Business
  • Events
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Portfolio
  • Restaurant
  • Services
  • Community
  • One-pager

A blank template is also available, which can be used to achieve a more original design.

Once a template is selected, Duda’s drag-and-drop editor can be used to move certain elements around and customize text, images, navigation items, and more.

It’s worth noting that Duda’s drag-and-drop editor interface isn’t quite as powerful as you might expect from other builders. You can’t use the builder to create a completely original design from scratch. Instead, you can use it to make changes without the parameters of each template. Still, it is a useful feature for people without coding or design experience to create customized, attractive websites easily and quickly.

Team collaboration tools

Duda’s collaboration tools can be used both for internal teams to collaborate on projects and for them to collaborate with clients.

Admins can set the permissions for everyone involved in a project, both internally and externally, ensuring that all users get the access they need while ensuring that unapproved changes aren’t accidentally made.

Clients can also leave site comments directly in the design interface, facilitating clear communication and making it easy for designers to make the exact edits that clients request.

Responsive website design

All websites created using Duda are fully responsive. This means that no matter which template you choose, your final projects will be fully functional and look good on any browser or device. Since a large portion of web traffic today is mobile, this is a valuable feature that ensures your client sites will still look attractive and convert if they are accessed on an iPhone, android, tablet, or desktop.

Ecommerce support

Duda’s cost includes native ecommerce support, so you don’t have to look for a third-party ecommerce platform to integrate with your Duda projects. It also includes many built-in tools that are useful when building online stores, such as the ability to create coupons and to automatically calculate the correct tax for different regions.

Hosting included

Duda includes cloud hosting through Amazon’s AWS. Cloud hosting is faster, more secure, and more reliable than traditional hosting, helping websites perform better for users and in search engines, where performance and speed are ranking factors.

Duda pricing plans

Duda pricing varies according to the plan you choose. Three plans are available: Basic, Team, and Agency. Here’s how they stack up.

  Basic Team Agency
Duda pricing per month, billed monthly $19 USD $29 USD $59 USD
Duda pricing per month, billed annually $14 USD $22 USD $44 USD
Websites included in plan 1 1 4
Duda pricing for every additional website at same plan, billed monthly $19 USD $14.99 USD $12.99 USD
Duda pricing for every additional website at same plan, billed annually $171 USD $144 USD $119 USD
AWS hosting Yes Yes Yes
Support  Email-only Email-only Priority email, chat, and phone
Drag-and-drop page builder Yes Yes Yes
SSL certificate  Yes Yes Yes
Access to App Store, Duda’s plugin marketplace (Note: Individual apps may require payment) Yes Yes Yes
Use of Content Libary, Duda’s content management system (CMS) Limited Yes Yes
Ability to add custom HTML or CSS code No Yes Yes
In-app client billing No Yes Yes
Custom domains through Duda No No No
Maximum team members 1 4 10
Team permissions  N/A Yes Yes
Access to Duda Experts to help create projects faster No Yes Yes
Client permissions No Yes Yes
Site comments for quick client feedback No Maximum 100 clients Max 100 clients
Compatibility with Zapier to create custom integrations No Limited Limited
Create custom widgets using widget builder No No Yes
Ability to create dynamic pages with external collections  No No Limited

 

While the basic Duda pricing plan does include some important features, such as ecommerce compatibility, most agencies will likely need the higher-tiered Duda pricing to access more customization options, such as the ability to add HTML and CSS.

Duda white label pricing is also available at a fourth, custom tier, but this isn’t available online. You’ll have to contact Duda directly for a quote.

Comparing three top website builders: Duda, Vendasta Website Pro, Wix

Duda isn’t the only website builder on the market, and it’s critical to familiarize yourself with several options before committing to one. Different builders are often created with different audiences in mind, so what’s great for a small one-person business wanting to get online quickly may not be ideal for an agency managing multiple websites.

Vendasta’s Website Pro and Wix are two popular website builders with some overlap with Duda in terms of features:

What is Website Pro?

Website Pro is an all-in-one cloud website solution created with the needs of agencies in mind. It includes features both for web design and development as well as for the management of websites after they are delivered.

The drag-and-drop website builder is feature-rich, flexible, and can be used to create complex WordPress websites without the need to write any code. Since the sites created using Website Pro are on WordPress, the vast library of plugins available to all WordPress sites can be used. Users can begin with a vertical-specific, responsive template, or they can build a stie completely from scratch if total control over a design is preferred.

In terms of website management, Website Pro also includes solutions for agencies to see all of their website projects at a glance. This makes updates easier with a single click, letting you navigate to specific client WordPress dashboards without needing to log in and out of accounts.

What is Wix?

Wix is a cloud-based website builder that can be used to create professional-looking websites without technical know-how. Similarly to other builders, it includes a range of templates for different verticals and styles. These can be customized with drag-and-drop elements, and can incorporate important features such as blogging, basic SEO, and ecommerce. Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) can also be used as an alternative to starting completely from scratch or using a pre-designed template. With this option, users input design references and requirements, and Wix will generate a starting template that can be further edited.

Wix is a user-friendly solution for creating a professional-looking online presence relatively easily and quickly.

Comparing features, pricing, and ease of use

Let’s take a closer look at how these three website builders stack up in terms of features, pricing, and ease of use.

  Duda Website Pro Wix
Price per month Duda website pricing on number of sites included, starts at $14/month billed annually for basic site with limited features Depends on which Vendasta tier you subscribe to, better wholesale pricing available at higher tiers Depends on number of sites included, starts at $16/month for basic site with no ecommerce functionality and limited features
Hosting included Yes Yes Yes
HTTPS encryption Yes Yes Yes
Drag and drop page builder Yes, limited Yes, advanced Yes, advanced
Degree of customization possible Limited Advanced Advanced
Ecommerce support Yes Yes Yes
Blog support  Yes Yes Yes
Built-in analytics Yes, limited Yes, built-in Google Analytics Yes, intermediate
Free plan available 14 day trial Yes: Website Express, limited version of Website Pro, is free forever Yes: limited version of Wix is available for free
Multi-site management tools No Yes; Website Admin Dashboard No
24/7 support  No Yes Yes
WordPress CMS No Yes No
Staging environment No Yes No
Integration with other resellable marketing solutions No Yes No

Which website builder is best for marketing agencies?

The needs of marketing agencies are different from those of individual businesses or even freelancers.

For an individual business looking for a website-building solution, ease of use is likely more valuable than customizability and complexity. Freelancers may prefer a solution that makes it easy to collaborate with their clients but won’t necessarily have numerous websites on the go. Marketing agencies require a balance between ease of use, customizability, and crucially, website management solutions.

The unique challenge faced by marketing agencies is that, unlike other potential users of website builders, they require a solution that will facilitate managing a long list of client sites long after an initial website design is delivered.

For DIY small business website building and management, Wix may be a good option. Freelancers, who need more tools for collaborating with clients, might appreciate the client comment feature built into Duda. But for marketing agencies, Website Pro stands out as an all-in-one solution that makes it possible to scale website building and management services effortlessly.

Pros and cons of Duda as a website builder

While Duda isn’t necessarily the best website builder for marketing agencies, it is an effective and useful tool for the right user. Determine if Duda is right for you by checking out the pros and cons of this website-building solution.

Duda Pros

  • Responsive design: All websites created with Duda have to use one of the built-in templates. Even the blank templates have a pre-determined structure that determines the basic layout options of a website. While this may limit the customizability of Duda websites for people without a knowledge of coding, it also means that every website created on this platform will be responsive. Since mobile-friendliness is an important element of UX and SEO, this is a valuable feature for SMBs.
  • Easy-to-use editor: Duda’s editor has a more limited number of options compared to some of its competitors, but for people with limited design and coding experience, that is a benefit rather than a drawback. It’s intuitive, easy to use, and creates attractive websites without too many useless features that most people never touch.
  • Team collaboration tools: Duda has some great built-in tools for collaborating with internal teams, making it easier for different designers and other people involved in a project to collaborate and keep track of their conversations.

Duda Cons

  • Limited customization options: Duda’s limited options for customization make it difficult to create pixel-perfect designs that exactly conform to the client brief. Delivering websites that feel truly custom, rather than like templates, is challenging when using Duda unless you have extensive coding experience. However, that defeats the purpose of the ease of use of a page builder.
  • No built-in CRM: Managing your list of prospects and active customers using a built-in CRM ensures that no opportunity falls through the cracks, and unfortunately, Duda doesn’t come with a built-in CRM to help agencies stay on top of their client list.
  • Limited 3rd-party integrations: Since Duda sites aren’t built using a popular open-source CMS like WordPress, there is no access to useful 3rd-party integrations or plugins. These can be useful when it comes to adding features and functionality to a website without needing to reinvent the wheel by designing them from scratch.
  • Limited SEO features: Duda’s SEO features are limited compared to other website builders, potentially hampering the discoverability of websites created using this platform.

Website Pro: Best solution for website building and management for multiple clients

Marketing agencies require website solutions that cover the whole client life cycle, from the initial design build through to ongoing website management. One website builder stand out above the rest when it comes to meeting the unique needs of agencies, and that’s Vendasta’s Website Pro.

Website building and management with Website Pro

Website Pro is Vendasta’s answer to agencies’ need for a powerful website builder that integrates with other tools like CRM, sales and marketing tools, SEO tools and services, and other digital marketing solutions.

Website Pro users can choose from hundreds of beautiful, responsive websites that are purpose-built to meet the requirements of different verticals, from ecommerce stores and restaurants to booking-based businesses and beyond. These can be edited using the powerful drag-and-drop page builder included in the platform, or users can build their site from scratch using drag-and-drop elements.

All websites are hosted on the Google Cloud Platform, giving users the peace of mind that comes from being backed by Google’s world-class secure infrastructure. Sites are also Google-fast, and the hosting solution can easily scale with the evolving needs of your clients.

Managing multiple websites using Website Pro is made possible through the Website Admin Dashboard, which provides a birds-eye view of all of your managed hosting clients. From here, you can update plugins, WordPress versions, and theme versions without ever leaving the dashboard. This alone can save your agency many hours that would have otherwise been spent logging in and out of each client's WordPress account.

From building to managing, it can all be done with Website Pro.

Benefits of using Vendasta’s Website Pro

The perks of Website Pro extend well beyond its website builder. Let’s take a look at what you can accomplish with this powerful solution.

White-label platform

Website Pro is a white-label platform, meaning that you can remove the Vendasta branding and rebrand it with your agency’s logo, colors, and layout. This gives you the option to resell Website Pro to clients who are looking for a DIY website builder.

If you’re looking for support with anything from building to managing your client websites, you can also access Vendasta’s team of white-label experts who will work under your agency’s brand to deliver stunning websites or ongoing website management. Avoid hiring in-house, and instead, scale your agency by tapping into the power of white-label expertise.

Multi-site management

Managing a few sites manually may be doable. However, as your agency’s client roster grows, it’s important to have a tool that makes it easy to manage a long list of websites at once. That’s exactly what Website Pro can do. The Website Admin Dashboard can be used to see which websites require attention and to make significant routine updates. Plus, if you need to navigate into a specific website’s WordPress dashboard, you can do so from your Admin Dashboard with one click—no login credentials required.

Integrated sales and marketing tools

Website Pro doesn’t exist as a standalone product. Instead, it’s part of an ecosystem of solutions designed specifically with digital agencies in mind. This means that Vendasta’s range of sales and marketing tools, including the needs assessment tool Snapshot Report, all integrate seamlessly with Website Pro.

One-click ecommerce setup

Setting up ecommerce websites with Website Pro just takes one click, thanks to built-in WooCommerce integration. Whether you’re setting up an online store with a vast, complex catalog, or your clients just want to sell an ebook, it can all be done quickly and easily through WooCommerce.

Most up-to-date hosting infrastructure in the world

Google Cloud Platform’s global infrastructure is world-class, making your job easier by ensuring fast, well-performing client websites, no downtime, and excellent security features that can help protect your client’s business data from cyberattacks.

Global 24/7 support

The last thing you want if there is an issue with a client's website is to have to wait hours, or days, to hear back from support. With Website Pro, you have access to Vendasta’s 24/7 customer service. This means that no matter what happens, you can have peace of mind that a team of pros is just a call, live chat, or email away, ready to resolve a small issue before it becomes a big one.

Save time and increase revenue with Vendasta and Website Pro

Website Pro is purpose-built to help agencies save their precious time while boosting revenues.

  • Build websites faster: Between Website Pro’s range of templates and the built-in drag-and-drop website builder, you can get your client websites up and running in hours rather than weeks.
  • Manage a growing list of clients effortlessly: Website Admin Dashboard can empower you to confidently scale your business without compromising quality by dramatically cutting down on the time it takes to manage and maintain multiple sites.
  • Outsource web design to trusted white-label experts: There’s no ceiling limiting how much you can grow by tapping into the power of white-label website design, building, and management through Vendasta.
  • Resell a rebranded website builder to clients looking for a DIY solution: Don’t turn away smaller clients who want a DIY solution: instead, make profits as a website builder reseller by rebranding Website Pro.
  • Have better sales conversations and boost conversions with Vendasta’s sales and marketing tools: Vendasta has tools to help you identify and close more opportunities, including local businesses, fast tracking your business growth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Duda a good website platform?

Duda is a good website platform, but it isn’t the best option for all users. While some freelancers may enjoy its features, there are more robust solutions on the market for businesses that want a DIY website solution and for agencies that require more tools for managing multiple websites.

How does Duda work?

Duda is a website builder that enables users to create websites even if they don’t have design or coding experience. You start by choosing a template. Then, you can move around select elements, add your own image and custom font, and make other customizations to make the website your own.

Turn your digital agency into a scalable power house with Vendasta

About the Author

Solange Messier is the Content Strategy Manager at Vendasta. Solange has spent the majority of her career in content marketing helping companies improve how they connect with their prospects and customers. Her diverse background includes magazine publishing, book publishing, marketing agencies, payment processing, and tech. When she's not working, Solange can be found spending time with her family, running, and volunteering.

Shares
Share This