Ucoz Review
A user-friendly control panel instead of a drag and drop editor
uCoz is a popular general purpose Software as a Service —includes hosting and CMS— that can be used for a variety of projects. It combines several excellent features, presents them well and makes them easy to use. Ucoz is a unique site builder that targets both end users and web professionals. They offer a choice of a DIY editor or a full-professional editor. Although not as simple as some of its competitors, the uCoz drag and drop editing requires some getting used to. It has its logic, which is fairly quick to learn.One can create satisfying projects of all types from personal page to blogging, from guestbook to forums, and from news site to online shopping site.
Feature
Website Editor: uCoz has a user-friendly control panel instead of a drag and drop editor that you’d expect to see in any modern-day site builder. The interface is easy to use and understand while it also provides tools that more advanced users can take advantage of. The text editor can be switched back and forth between WySiWyG, BB Codes, and plain HTML. Since uCoz is SaaS, webmasters do not have to worry about manual upgrading the CMS.
Flexibility: uCoz is a versatile website builder. It offers the power of a full-featured CMS. Each module comes with lots of settings to fine tune your site. The Blog module, for example, lets you create scheduled posts, automatically share them via connected social media, add multiple authors, and more.
Custom Domain: You can connect your own, previously purchased domain even when using their free plan, while with most site builders you have to upgrade your account to get this possibility. In addition to one free domain name got during registration, any other domain can be attached (it can be purchased from any registrar, e.g. www.godaddy.com).
Free Version: uCoz offers an absolutely free version that you can use to start building your website. This lets those that just want to see what uCoz is all about get an opportunity to try out some basic functions and features for making their website. As a free user of uCoz you will get access to all its modules (customizable construction blocks), except for the eCommerce features. The E-shop module comes with the Shop plan. In other words, you can build a professional-looking, ad-free website with a custom domain name and included hosting for about $5/mo. Or you can get the same website, but with adverts, without spending a dime.
HTML/CSS Editor: Unlike the competition that’s mostly intended for those of us who are HTML-illiterate, uCoz targets both end users and web professionals (designers, developers, and entire agencies), as its feature set includes both the DIY and ‘professional’ editors. uCoz finds strength in features including the ability for users to take full control in HTML and CSS if desired. Full code control lets you make pixel-accurate changes in your site design, as well as add your own scripts. On one hand, you get more control over your work, on the other hand you can easily mess up your site.
Customer Service and Support: When using uCoz, you will discover an excellent help menu and FAQ section. There are also many video tutorials and step-by-step guides covering all the stages of website building with uCoz.
Pros
Free
Endless features for eCommerce
HTML/CSS coding available
No installation
Unlimited hosting (with initial hosting space of 400Mb and it increases every second (similar to Gmail)) and bandwidth
250 offered themes
Variety of modules, tools, and features
Easy to use interface
Cheap plans
All websites can be accessed from one account
Supports 15 languages
Cons
There's a slight learning curve
Not the Easiest Interface
Forced ads in free version
No personal use of PHP, Perl, ASP etc. scripts
Not SEO friendly
Not 100% open source
Shared hosting
Limited Free Version
Conclusion
uCoz is one of the rare website builders that let you get under the hood. This platform is attractive to both novice and advanced users—since it offers both template-based and freeform design options. It supports about any type and scale of site anyone might need.
If you find uCoz too complicated or you don’t need the ability to directly change your site’s code, don’t hesitate to check out uKit. The builder lets you focus on the visual side of things where creativity rather than webmaster experience is needed. uKit has a sleek drag-and-drop editor that allows you to easily customize your template of choice. It smartly balances the power with ease-of-use.