Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued) vs. WebWave

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Adobe Business Catalyst was a cloud-hosted system for building and managing web content and online stores with a built-in CRM framework in addition to sales, service, and marketing features including eCommerce and Email Marketing tools. It has been end of life (EOL) since 2020.N/A
WebWave
Score 9.5 out of 10
N/A
WebWave — an alternative for agencies and freelancers for creating custom websites for clients with the support of CMS. Using CMS with no sacrifices WebWave is a CMS platform that gives a designer precision up to 1 px in every single detail just like in more sophisticated graphic programs such as Photoshop while remaining a drag and drop software. This is to make creating websites much faster without loosing on details. Spend less time talking WebWave…N/A
Pricing
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup fee$7 per month
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Considered Both Products
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
We use Adobe Muse and this was our introduction to BC, we did not have a choice in this topic. But we have a good experiance with Adobe products generally as we also use most products within Adobe CC
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Adobe Business Catalyst has Web Apps which makes all the difference between them and competitors. Without that, BC would be behind many of the other CMS systems out there. Being a hosted system without any maintenance needs also puts it ahead of others. LightCMS is easier for …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
I would say that all things considered Adobe Business Catalyst is an excellent product. It does have some short-comings, but it is fantastic all around. It has a nice way of tying everything in your digital presence together nicely. If you do not have a ton of money to spend on …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
The largest competitor in my portfolio is GoDaddy. I tend to use them for larger products or for all inclusive domain registration and web presence. I prefer using BC for most everything due to its simplistic nature. It is a very streamlined product and is easy to add users …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
As far as the CMS for BC goes, there is none out there that compares. In the past we have utilized Joomla, Wordpress, Mambo, Drupal, Concrete 5 and others. None of them were as easy to use and train on that Adobe's Business Catalyst. Our alternative to BC is WordPress when our …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
We prefer Adobe Business Catalyst over WordPress. Adobe Business Catalyst websites are more secure and you don't have to update plug-ins. Saving our clients in cost over time.
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
I have worked with BigCommerce, ExpressionEngine, WordPress and other custom content management systems. The speed of the setup and ease of use are the primary reasons I choose BusinessCatalyst over other systems. While the CRM and Email platform are not as extensive as others, …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
I use Wordpress along with Adobe Business Catalyst for CMS but I strongly prefer BC, mainly because of constant Wordpress updates that I have to manage.
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Business Catalyst is extremely easier to use and navigate than most other options. In comparison to other CMS systems, the setup time is minimal and very straight forward.
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
I prefer Adobe Business Catalyst to the open source competitors because they require a bit of upkeep to keep versions and plug-ins updated; BC does the versioning and updating for you.
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
All-in-one solution, no need to worry about compatibility
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Adobe Business Catalyst is our favorite web content management system - it has everything built in and, being in the cloud, never needs manual updating like the open source stuff out there. It's contact database isn't as robust as SalesForce or Sugar, but it works and is …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
BC may not be as customizable as these two, but it is a much more of a secure option.
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
Business Catalyst outperforms other CMS systems out there. Because it's a hosted content management system maintained by Adobe we have to spend less time worrying about server setup, maintenance, and security and more time building better websites. We also don't have to worry …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
We didn't really used many products before deciding to use Business Catalyst. When we started we developed sites using an old product (GoLive) and then created a few sites in Wordpress. We didn't like that fact that Wordpress needed an add-on every time we wanted additional …
Chose Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
WordPress, out of the box, is a very powerful platform. It, however, might need a lot of third-party plugins to make it do exactly what a client needs. In contract, Business Catalyst, out of the box, has many more features. For certain clients, a solution like BC is the perfect …
WebWave
Chose WebWave
Fast load times: WebWave's websites have fast load times, which is critical for ensuring a positive user experience and better SEO performance.
Responsive design: WebWave's websites are optimized for mobile devices, ensuring that they look great and function well on any screen …
Chose WebWave
price, ease of use, and using a notes system with the client over the top of the page are all improvements against WebFlow
Chose WebWave
It is compatible with many WordPress plugins and offers many more possibilities than google sites, Wix, or similar builders. It is a WordPress as easy to use as Microsoft Word.
Chose WebWave
WebWave is easy, the sites are stunning, and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it. Usually, there is a drop in customizability using WordPress. But WebWave allows a great site and an incredible price. For that reason, I'm leaving a great platform in WordPress and jumping …
Chose WebWave
Due to WebWave's innovative and intuitive layer-based design system, it is infinitely more user-friendly than both Webflow and WordPress. Webflow's websites feel lighter and faster, but I'm sure WebWave will address this as they mature. Webflow's animation features are also …
Chose WebWave
Simply easy to use, all in one solution (management portal, design, development and email solution)
Chose WebWave
Only the traditional ones like WordPress with Elementor or WPBakery page builder. It's not an easy comparison. WordPress is the big boss but you have to buy a bunch of services, plugins, other embedded SAAS and such tools to make it work. WebWave, on the other hand, is making …
Chose WebWave
Easy to use and user-friendly. Nice interface.
Chose WebWave
In terms of flexibility and functionalities, WebWave falls behind Webflow. However, practically anyone with a basic understanding of web development or who can use a word processor will be able to teach themselves how to utilize WebWave. Webflow, on the other hand, is far more …
Chose WebWave
It's an easier, super complete option and cheaper Instead of paying everything separately like Wix, this option gives you all for a good price. And is the same with Elementor, you need to pay their license, the hosting, the domain, and connect everything manually, but this …
Chose WebWave
Most Wix and WebWave have the same features as well as their distinctions. They are pretty good on their own functionality. They have their own functionality. From the pricing perspective, WebWave is slightly ahead of Wix. The pricing of Wix is a bit more than WebWave. So, if I …
Chose WebWave
WordPress is a great product but I need to figure out hosting myself, also I need to make sure the theme I am using is mobile friendly.
We WebWave, I don't need to worry about any of those and the drag and drop builder is very easy to get familiar with.
Chose WebWave
With WebWave, the builder and hosting are in one platform. No more efforts to update the plugins and themes as in WordPress.
Chose WebWave
Wordpress is a more flexible and adaptive content management system than Webwave. In addition to the functionalities that are already built-in, I am unable to add any customizable plugins or add-ons. However, in the majority of cases, the inherent features of Webwave are …
Chose WebWave
WebWave is fairly easy to use. For novice users, it is easier to use than WordPress or Shopify. I think WebWave will be more SEO friendly than Wix. The price is affordable for small businesses/clients as well. The template system is much easier and takes less time than …
Chose WebWave
web starts, Convertri Pro, and other alternatives Webstarts has a lot of issues with mobile view. U have to rearrange almost everything again. WebWave on the other hand lets u group and save so that don't have this problem. Also, animations work as they should same with …
Chose WebWave
WebWave stacks up well with other website builders. Especially the all-in-one types. It does things well and things make sense when it comes to editing. There are a lot of options to help you get things the way you want. I like how it can grow with the users. I feel the …
Chose WebWave
To each their own of course but I'll say this: ClickFunnels is too narrow. Webflow is ok. WordPress has too many security issues. WebWave just works.
Features
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)
6.6
Ratings
14% below category average
WebWave
-
Ratings
API7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
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Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
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User Ratings
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.7
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.6
(0 ratings)
5.3
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)WebWave
Likelihood to Recommend
The service provision is good the accounts customer service is poor so I would struggle to give BC a better than average review, if only they could offer customers a better accounts service then the value would be much higher.
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The WYSIWYG web builder marketspace is saturated, but there
are not many solutions out there that eschew table-based design in favor of letting
creators build sites where anything goes wherever you want. You’ll likely want
to skip this product if you need a plug-and-play solution where everything is
automatically responsively. However, if you have an eye for design, love
creative control, and like to sweat the details until you have made the perfect
website, WebWave is a must buy.
Read full review
Pros
  • The Web Apps element of Business Catalyst is unique among hosted CMS systems. It helps us solve unique challenges without involving heavy-duty programmers.
  • As a Hosted CMS, it has a lot of great features without a ton of cost or liability being taken on which is important to us.
  • BC has a growing developer community and has made significant upgrades over the past few years, which don't end up costing us more, and would be very expensive or time consuming in a traditional CMS
  • Our client's like that it is from "Adobe" and that it has Dreamweaver integration. This provides them with a level of comfort that helps us sell the project.
Read full review
  • WebWave's site builder is the platform's truly innovative feature. I've never come across another service that deploys a layer-based approach in web design, as most of them usually deploy a grid-based system. This is an incredible alteration that ensures WebWave behaves much like a traditional graphic design tool, thereby resulting in an experience that is a lot more intuitive and instinctive. I believe this has the potential to radically change the way people approach no-code web design.
  • WebWave provides automatic, daily backups and a free SSL certificate for every website. This results in excellent security.
  • WebWave's support team is first-class! I had some teething-issues in the beginning, but the support team quickly got me back on track.
  • WebWave's community/forum is an excellent place to vote and request new features. This proves the development team is committed to making WebWave better by listening to their users.
Read full review
Cons
  • I love web apps but it can be time consuming to get the bulk import file just right the first time
  • Support is good, but the effort to research can be massive for unusual issues
  • Metadata on blog posts and pages can require lots of content editing at a slow pace
Read full review
  • Some scope for improvement in UX (colors are not very appealing). It is simple to use but design is a little dated. Especially in the builder section, I'd like to see modern design for buttons and maybe gradients also: as this is where visual motivation is also important
  • Some edits take effect only after pressing OK. That should be eliminated as it's an unnecessary addition. It's also kind of annoying to do that again and again, which can add up to a lot as we do so many small tweaks while building the website.
  • Few things (maybe glitches) in design. The rectangle below the footer was uneditable for me. I spent quite some time trying to figure it out so I'm convinced it's a glitch.
  • Website speed should be increased.
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Likelihood to Renew
Actually with Business Catalyst there is no renewal; once you are a partner, you are a partner for as long as you like. It is an investment in your business not simply a product you purchase...and as an investment in partnership with Adobe, both are committed to each other's success.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
Overall it is a "plug and play" interface. The majority of the work is done in other software interfaces. Managing billing, user roles and custom reports are all that you need to manage in the actual BC user interface. For my business this is an incredible benefit as I have to leave my preferred software less.
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Very easy to use, intuitive, has many options and plug-ins, and is cheap.
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Reliability and Availability
very few issues with availability
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Very few issues
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
The support provided by Adobe is excellent. Though the knowledge base, forums, blogs and online chat questions most all answers can be found. In the event that you are unable to find an answer or you have a unique situation simply post a question to the forums. These forums are regularly monitored by Adobe and its users.
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1. The support person does not seem to understand the issues, and seems like they go off to talk to somebody and revert back every 5 to 10 minutes. It takes up a lot of time. 2. There is a lack of reading material to address simple issues like changing the website name in the dashboard, pasting a code, etc.
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Online Training
bcgurus.com kiyuco
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Pretty easy to do
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
I would say that all things considered Adobe Business Catalyst is an excellent product. It does have some short-comings, but it is fantastic all around. It has a nice way of tying everything in your digital presence together nicely. If you do not have a ton of money to spend on a company website, and want things like e-mail marketing, analytics, a reliable web-site, then this is probably a very real option that should be considered. If you want a website that can grow with your company, this is also a great possibility. For smaller companies with less technical resources, I don't know if you could ask for a much better all in one solution. If you want something that can be completely customized, then there are better options out there, but they will be more expensive and require more technical knowledge to use well.
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Fast load times: WebWave's websites have fast load times, which is critical for ensuring a positive user experience and better SEO performance. Responsive design: WebWave's websites are optimized for mobile devices, ensuring that they look great and function well on any screen size. Wix simply just doesn't have that and I was really struggling with this issue. Cost-effective: WebWave's pricing plans are affordable and provide excellent value for money, making it a cost-effective option for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Scalability
It's easy to build small sites or large sites and there is lots of templating.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Surprisingly enough and despite having a second, less expensive hosting solution, a majority of our clients prefer to use the Adobe Business Catalyst solution. We are then able to enjoy the commissions that are returned as we sign up new customers for annual contracts.
  • Being able to store and utilize data that comes from web form submissions has been very helpful in customer retention since we became a partner in 2011. Since that time, we have only lost two clients. That's 3 times better than our other hosting solution.
  • Our largest negative impact has come from having only one choice in SSLs. For example, we had a great client in a local and growing bank. We spent 2 months getting the web site built to their specifications and we were very clear on the SSL situation. However, once the site went live, problems arose. In the past they had submitted their site to search engines with their secure URL and that was all that was indexed. Then when their customers searched for their site and clicked on the secure URL, it either showed that the site could not be found OR it said that they were entering to a site with an unverified SSL. People would then call the bank and complain. We then had to quickly move their site to another solution costing us days of re-development time and resources.
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  • saved 30 hours per year per site (previously I had to manually run updates and check if everything is fine)
  • earns money for me without a touch (thanks to automatic billing of my customers for hosting and support) - additional (ca.) 120 USD per year per site
  • no negatives so far
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ScreenShots

WebWave Screenshots

Screenshot of Customize the interfaceScreenshot of Edit desktop websiteScreenshot of Edit mobile websiteScreenshot of Free stock imagesScreenshot of InterfaceScreenshot of Layers panel