are there when I pay for it?
I’m not convinced yet .
Been looking at several apps.
Can any pros’ using Sparkle tell me what is missing from the app that they would like to be able to
do but can’t?
Can you Build Blogs?
I am not a pro and need to rebuild 2 websites. Any of you observations as to why I should buy it would be appreciated.
Thank you
Hi @jfmusic, mostly everything that you see in the free version is what’s in the paid versions.
Our store page has a good summary of the differences between the different license tiers.
Please do hold out if you’re not convinced. We are improving Sparkle daily (with major versions every few months), but it’s not worth it if you are not entirely happy with what you can achieve with Sparkle.
Sparkle is not a blogger app.
Suggest you use Sparkle to build the main website and link to an external blog.
I’m a content creator and contract Creative Director. Yes you can build blogs with Sparkle. You have to approach the app from the perspective of what it can do, not what it can’t do. Sparkle is not a blog app any more than it is a website app. It is a design app that outputs high-performance web code for websites/blogs (which by the way are one in the same) limited only by your imagination and workflow.
Sparkle isn’t a do it for you app, it’s a let you do it your way app. Sparkle is the center of your web workflow with other design tools doing what they do best and feeding in objects, audio, video, photos, drawings, and text.
I’m nomadic so what’s missing for me in Sparkle is the ability to design with it on mobile, specifically iPad and iPhone.
@jfmusic, Like has been mentioned if you are not convinced it might not be the right time. for you…
As Duncan mentioned, Sparkle is constantly being tweaked and updated and I don’t see that changing in the near future and as @thetravelhikelife mentioned it is an app that allows for the expression of individuality and isn’t a cookie-cutter template builder… and with a bit of ingenuity and imagination a blog can be maintained like what I have done here for a client - https://financialstreams.com.au/blog.html
The best way I can describe Sparkle is that you have a box of leggo blocks… here… see what you can do with it! 
As someone who recently went through the same arduous, “which one is best?” quest I can tell you Sparkle easily won me over. It’s somewhere between the code-heavy CSS builders like Dreamweaver and the simplicity of the web-based creators like WiX etc.
The only other app that came close was Blocs, but despite the claims about being easy and fast to use it’s anything but. After trying the demo I was pulling my hair out for over an hour trying to do the most basic of things and stopped. Conversely I was able to achieve the same task in under 5 minutes with Sparkle - a knockout punch to Blocs for ease of use and flexibility.
There are some “advanced” things Sparkle can’t do - yet, but version 3 is going to be released this fall to coincide with Big Sur, and this update is likely to be a paradigm shift for Sparkle as Duncan has shared many of the laundry-list of the items they’re working on.
I’m not a blogger/vlogger so I can’t comment on using Sparkle for that setup, but if you’re looking for a totally logical/fast/easy/cost-effective website creator/publisher I have no other option for you to consider.
If you need to get up and running now, get a license. V3 will be offered as a discount to people like yourself who purchase now.
Trust me you’ll enjoy it. Now, get to work…
It really depends on what you want to do. If you want to build a website visually without dabbling at all with code, then Sparkle (personally speaking) is the way to go. I found it after searching desperately for an iWeb replacement. I had originally converted to Mac from Windows purely for iWeb (having been a former Front-page user), only to find it had gone with the wind the year I bought my Mac. I tried another supposed iWeb replacement, only to find it utterly incomprehensible and a big waste of money.
Throughout this time, I was using Wordpress for my blogs etc, but found over the years it has become more difficult to use to the point I find it hard to make changes without the help of Fiverr. I still use WP for my personal blog but am planning to convert it over to Sparkle. I also hate the cookie-cutter look of WP websites.
Anyway, I found Sparkle after promising my church I’d build a website for them, thinking I’d just use Wordpress, but I found it so cumbersome for something that should have been very easy to design as it does not require any bells or whistles. I used a WP template but it was a pain to change basic things like the images, background, headers etc. That’s when I chanced upon Sparkle. Within one night, and without any assistance, I was able to make the website and upload it to my host. I had no experience using Sparkle and I did it by feel as opposed to reading the documentation (it’s that easy!). I’m working on it again now that I have more time and I am now reading the documentation and asking for advice from the very helpful folks here
I’m also learning quite a bit from downloading some of the sample websites Sparkle have. Although they don’t consider them templates as such, they are great learning tools.
To me, Sparkle is the best thing to happen for people who love making websites but do not have the inclination or interest to learn coding. I honestly don’t believe there is anything on the market that equals it (and I’ve gone through them all).But again, it’s what you’re looking for and what your plans are.
Welcome @jfmusic to the Sparkle forum!
Like @producerguyaz I too looked at several alternatives before settling on Sparkle (Muse, Pinegrow, CoffeCup, Blocs). For me, Sparkle was just so much easier to use. The interesting thing I’ve found is that where you can’t do something in Sparkle there is often a good reason why Sparkle doesn’t do it. The result of this is that you often end up with a better design!
There are many ex-Muse and ex-Wordpress people now using Sparkle and they seem very happy. To see what other people have done also take a look through the sites in the Made with Sparkle category.
Meanwhile, all of us Sparkler’s are eagerly awaiting to see what Sparkle 3 will have in it!
Thanks for all the input, I gave in and purchased. Am looking forward to the update, to see what gets added.
I just wish the discount applied to the purchase also ws applied to the monthly bought yearly with updates.