LEV  I'm not sure RapidWeaver is aimed at pro web designers like MACLOVER1.1. A BBEdit/Espresso/Coda/Whatever IDE is beyond the capability, or indeed the time-investment, of many thousands of people (I'm one of them) who use the web as a fairly basic communications tool. If you have all those hand-coding, Flash, Java etc. skills, I'm sure you'd find RW limiting or be annoyed by its insistence on its own way of doing things.

But for users like me, it, and its competition like Sandvox, are a godsend. I want to get stuff up quickly, whether it's support material for my students or stuff for my own websites. The difference is that MacLover knows what he wants and understandably gets frustrated if he can't do it; if I find I can't do it *easily*, then I'll just do something else.

I agree that buying plug-ins and themes can rapidly run up a hefty bill but for most owner-drivers, they're a luxury, albeit a fun luxury. You can get something presentable and effective with just the basic app. What you *can't* do with RW or Sandvox is generate something as fugly as a M$ Front Page standard horror. And for some reason RW & Sandvox seem less... well, less grandpa-with-pix-of-the-little-kiddies than iWeb.

In other words, I guess it's a sort of SOHO app for people who don't need (or can't afford) the services of a pro but don't want to look like berks with pix of Miss Pussy-Paws playing in the snow. And it does that very well, and pretty simply.

I suppose it would be like me recommending heavy-duty apps like Tinderbox or Screenwriter to people who just want to write the occasional letter. They'd rightly complain about the learning curve & wouldn't care about the power of the apps because they wouldn't have any use for that power. Do *you* care about being able to have character names on the same line as the dialogue? No, and why should you when you're typing up an invoice? But I do.

In the end the trick of reviewing, which we all tend to forget from time to time, is to make our first question: "What is the developer trying to do?" In this case, I guess the answer is to produce a reasonably WYSIWYG, reasonably simple but extensible web design app aimed at the small business or owner-driver. By those criteria I think RW does it well. By the criteria of a pro, it's probably a bit frustrating.

BTW, to the Flash guy: we all feel your pain but in a straw poll among friends I discovered that the message they least like to see is "Loading Flash..." and that most likely to cause cynical laughter and a click followed by a rapid exit is the "Skip Intro" box...  
(Version 4.3.1)

ESPIRIDION  Being critical of RapidWeaver will probably result in multiple "frowns" but here's my review.

I recently created a website, and used Freeway Pro, Sandvox, and RapidWeaver. RapidWeaver 3.5 was my first web design application, later on I purchased Freeway Pro. I may buy Sandvox but I'm not sure yet.

The best tool for the job -FOR ME- was Freeway, without a doubt.

Here are some of the issues I had trouble with while using RapidWeaver 4.3:

-Not very intuitive. This is not always a problem. I believe in reading manuals and watching tutorials. Still, there aren't many options under "Preferences." The "Page Inspector" yielded more options. "Setup" was another option that did not address what I was looking for. "Setup" does not have a Cancel button, so there's always some processing going on even without making any changes.

-Preview did not always work for me. I tried 3 times to Preview my site in Firefox, and RW took me to Firefox but there was no website to preview. It worked fine when I chose Safari. Still, it has a severe limitation; Preview seems to offer a single page preview, but it was impossible to actually preview the whole website and navigate through it. I just got the following when clicking on a page: "Safari can’t find the file."

Previewing in Freeway worked fine and allowed me to preview the whole website while navigating through it.

-I could not find a theme that worked for my simple needs. For example, I wanted a Menu which expands when the cursor is placed over it, and displays the submenu items. Modern Grunge, Tiger Pop, and other Themes have this functionality, but the finished product looked terrible, perhaps because of the narrow columns and long submenu text.

I'm sure I could do a lot of things if I spend more time using RapidWeaver, and spend some money on Themes and Addons. But why?

When I first got RW it was a $50 application, typically available for much less. Its price then increased to $79. Themes and addons are still extra.

For creating some websites quickly and easily it does work. For MY needs it was frustrating. More importantly, the finished product was not as professional as the one I got with Freeway.

RapidWeaver seems to be more comparable with Sandvox, and I preferred to use Sanvox.

The RW community is great, so it's relatively easy to find answers from other helpful users.  
(Version 4.3.0)

MACLOVER1.1  Hi, my situation is a bit different, I only do Flash websites (guess I'm one of those hybrids that likes design and code)... but need to provide alternate basic html content for those people still allergic to the idea of installing Flash, or those with possibly weak computer configurations or those who for whatever reason do not want Flash (though in my area and with my clients' target audience it is rarely an issue). So basically I needed something to quickly make pages for those unlucky few, so they still get the basic useful information and not feel completely left out. For some time I used RapidWeaver.. I had tried iWeb but found it too basic at the time. However over time I spent quite a little bit of money for various RW plugins, and the cheap app became less cheap... then iWeb grew into a more complete application... the point is that I much prefer iWeb now which I find more intuitive, more fun and which fits my needs without any additonal plugins. For more freedom in design I could also advise Flux (also developped in the U.K. btw... it is a different animal, and the learning curve is a bit steeper.. but still everyone who creates web pages should take a look at it too... really). Anyhow unless Rapidweaver morphs into something that somehow brings me more than iWeb.. who knows, but for now it sits on the shelf.  
(Version 4.3rc1)

IAMDORIAN  To set the record straight, I am an illustrator and designer who pioneered electronic publishing. I watched as BBs gave way to primitive (and horrible ugly) HTML web sites, and now to CSS, Flash animations and every kind of scripting language you can imagine. I don't write code. Period! Never cared to, even though I can understand logic statements. My strength is in design and all that goes along with that, and I don't want to 'code.' This holds no joy, nor interesting challenges for me. My lifetime (what's left of it) is too precious to spend typing. So, this is one application I understand.

How well do I understand it? Well . . .

The first time I sat down and began using it it required the usual 'learning curve' you'd expect from a unique GUI. However, in one long evening-into-morning session, I had a good looking preliminary web site up and running. This is the strength of RapidWeaver.

The plug-in developers (those whose products I am supporting) are responsive and clever, the themes base is constantly growing, and I cannot praise the concept behind this application enough. And yes, I have worked a tiny bit in early versions of GoLive a well as DreamWeaver. This approach is pretty intuitive, the pages are clean and load fast, and . . . work!

If you're trying to get real work done, and you don't think that coding is the 'cats' meow,' then I highly suggest that you give this inexpensive, (fairly) intuitive and creative little application a spin. I did. I think it was one of those great little (minimal) investments which have simplified my life. (If you want to see what I cranked out in one night – less additional copy – see my SpagyricArts dot com site).

Highly recommended. I'd give it six stars if I could.  
(Version 4.3rc1)

EDB  @ Kennedy ... "If you want to create a web site from a blank slate, you're out of luck. RapidWeaver forces you to use one of the included themes to which you can customize to your hearts desire. How hard would it have been it allow the user to use a blank page?"

I must be missing something but if I'm not mistaken you can choose to use an HTML page style and if you look in the Page Inspector and select the "page" (small icon top right) you can choose not to "Apply the Theme". Choosing this option leaves you with a Blank page that won't preview since it has no coding.

So your above quoted complaint isn't correct.  
(Version 4.3rc1)

MILESLONG  Again kennedy, i don't have a clue what your comment means about you CAn design a website from scratch but you CANT design one without downloading their developer tools and learning their software.

Well, I hate to be the one to break this to you but you have to learn somekind of software before designing and coding a website. I don't care if it's dreamweaver or textedit, you have to use software to design and implement a website.

When referring to developer tools you mean Theme SDK, that is for designer who wish to build their own templates and sell them as themes usually. I can take a nice RW template or any other for that matter I purchased for around $10 and then transform it into something that doesn't even resemble the original template (in a good way sometimes).

There are also blank templates that have no theme at all and you just code away, this isn't the developer SDK (which is free by the way).  
(Version 4.3rc1)

CHELSEL  I've been coding raw HTML and JavaScript since 1996. I've coded probably a few hundred thousand lines or more by hand. I come from a family of artists but I wasn't gifted with the same skills in visual design and creating an attractive website has always been a challenge for me. I can say however that RapidWeaver is perfect for me. It lets me whip up a beautiful site design quickly and easily. If I need to go in and tweak things then I have full access to the code. The people who said you can't change the themes don't know what they're talking about. This is a great piece of software.  
(Version 4.2.3)

MILESLONG  I think the two guys below me need to at least really try the software before writing such inane comments. You CAN build pages from scratch, there at least three different themes which come to you blank and you simply design away to your hearts content, yes, a blank canvas.

Secondly, every single theme available is modifiable. If you guys know so much about coding then you would have figured this out by now. The themes simply allow a nice looking quick template for those who aren't coders. If you are handy with code, the great themes available save you tons of hours in design and writing lines of code.

They have the best support for any software I have ever tried and if you want an answer to a problem, just go to the forums and you will have experts answer it for you within minutes usually. The only negative about Rapidweaver is that sometimes it does act buggy on my sites during design but I use an insane amount of javascript. Most people won't ever even notice this issue. Doesn't affect the way the site performs on the web either.

Again, you need to try a product before slamming it, really inaccurate posts, probably competitors or something.... Here are links to just some of the blank themes available, several are FREE as well...

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/addons/themes/blocksbox/

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/addons/themes/notheme/  
(Version 4.2.3)

EIFFEL  OK for amateurs, but buggy, as long as you're happy with your stock design layouts (you will not be able to change them by the way).

Pointless for web designers - too restrictive/difficult to get inside. Bugs hurt too, and add ons/upgrades all cost money.

One last thing: Come on - if you claim to be a web designer and use this product for clients be honest: you're a hack and they should be doing the website for themselves for 1/10 the price.  
(Version 4.2.2)

BDKENNEDY1  Raise your hands if you are sick and tired of evaluating WYSIWYG web software and coming up empty-handed.

If you want to create a web site from a blank slate, you're out of luck. RapidWeaver forces you to use one of the included themes to which you can customize to your hearts desire. How hard would it have been it allow the user to use a blank page?

Many of the cool plugins cost money on top of the cost of RW and still don't allow me to do what I want.

I am extremely frustrated...

Goldfish Pro: Has WYSIWYG down pat, excellent user interface but no support from the developer.

Freeway Pro: Most developed but buggy and clunky, overly-complicated interface.

RapidWeaver: Best most professional user interface but can't create a site from scratch.

Will someone please buy these 3 companies, combine the software and give us a single, excellent WYSIWYG program without having to install 1700 plugins? For god's sake why is this so difficult?  
(Version 4.2.1)

DENNY DOUBLEPLUS MARKETING  This is easily one of my favorite programs on the Mac! The speed and ease with which you build webpages is amazing! Plus, you can work “under the hood” to ease into high level coding! I’ll warn you though, once you start working with it, and you start building it up with some of the many 3rd party plugins and themes, you’ll be completely addicted! It’s a lot of fun to work with. One final note, if you want to learn quickly, then go to Rapidweaver Classroom for online tutorials and don’t forget to get all of the YourHead Software’s fantastic plugins too!  
(Version 4.2.1)

TESZERACT  I've moved on from Rapidweaver. I'm now using the free http://www.skybluecanvas.com

I know a bit of html + CSS, and always found Rapidweaver starts off great, but then to theme a site, you've got to jump though hoops to develop the theme. That means get into a package file, edit plists (I seem to remember), and jump between the CSS editor, the html editor, rapidweaver and browser.

3 star rating because its a good product if you're not demanding, but a poor one if you are.  
(Version 4.2.1)

KRIS251069  Excellent program. I was able to make and publish two good looking websites with a lot of features in a couple of hours without knowing anything about writing html. The best program in it's class!  
(Version 4.2.1)

NATHAN FLEISCHER  This is absolutely, hands down, one of the coolest web publishing products anywhere. RapidWeaver is very easy to use, yet powerful enough to satisfy almost anyone's needs. The application is stable and well supported.  
(Version 4.2.1)

SAPIENTUM  Amazing product. If you have never built a website before you must try this product to see how easy it is to build something which looks (and makes you look) professional.

Just as they claim I had built and published my first multi-page website within a couple of hours. I also needed a few things which the basic product doesn't do but soon found examples and ready-to-go Snippets and AddOns available.

Very easy and intuitive to use. I am a convert!  
(Version 4.2.1)

WEBKARNAGE  This will produce commercial websites (I have done plenty) and is for the majority of users very stable (3 crashes since February, run pretty much every day) and is an extensible app. It will do a lot as it stands, without being too hard, and there are many free plugins and themes to get you achieving more too. Add other plugins, and it's hard to outgrow

The core app and workflow are much improved from 3.6, speeding up working significantly. I mix using code and drag and drop with great success. As for cost, what on earth is there at this price point that comes close? Nothing that I've found.

The people that struggle most often, are the WYSIWYG lot. If this statement ever translated to what you see is what everyone gets, it might be worth something, but even in Dreamweaver it doesn't, so it isn't. It is for me, the emperor's new clothes. My sites behave better across browser variations now that I admit this is the case, and work with relative positioning more than absolute. Try the RapidWeaver way, and it will work for you.  
(Version 4.2.1)

PXL  True... RapidWeaver no longer hangs on quit. Thanks for that! But it does hang while open. I had to do several Force Quits already.

There were several request(s) in your forum that should have been released in this version.

- View Older Posts... link when post count is checked

- Option to change archive date format in sidebar

- Option for drop down style for blog archive dates

C'mon!  
(Version 4.2)

MITCH BICQUET  Very happy new user (2 months) impressed by power and flexibility, have been using for personal and some small scale commercial websites - the rapid result process is unparalleled.

Excellent plugins community, very easy and powerful rapid editing and publishing.

I understand the concerns about data migration though, the project files being proprietary, and hope this won't disappoint me in the future.

It's true that it can do much more than iweb, but what iweb can do it does better and especially without the concern for extreme rigidity and lack of flexibility that iweb offers so if you are using iweb for personal sites- definitely check it out if you want to play with an extended ste of elegant features.  
(Version 4.1.3)

PAULNOJUSTPAUL  After using apps like Dreamweaver and (the excellent) NVU as well as specialised apps like iBlog (R.I.P.), happening upon RapidWeaver was both a puzzlement and a breath of fresh air.

I can understand other reviewers rating this app lower, but I think that's because they were expecting it to be something it's not. It's not Dreamweaver, GoLive, or any of those "pro level" apps where you get to micro-manage everything. Instead it takes a refreshing approach of being as simple as you like, but retaining a veritable Alice in Wonderland rabbit-hole extensibility.

I know (at a basic level) how to write HTML/CSS/XML in a text editor. Thing is I don't want to have to do that. I want to just pick a good, usable interface for my (paltry ;-) website, a basic layout, and just let the app worry about the details while I just add the content.

RapidWeaver does this beautifully.

They have a great support forum and are really pleasant/responsive to deal with too. That speaks worlds to me.

Highly recommend taking a look.  
(Version 4.1.3)

RGILBREATH  Ok, before looking at the 2 star rating at writing off RW completely you should understand that I've been trying to use it for a commercial website and doing all of the coding by hand. For this purpose, it stinks. Sorry RealMac, but it's true. That being said, if I was doing a personal website or a friends/family photo sharing site I'm sure it would be just fine. It would probably be easier than most as it handles all of the complicated file sharing and blogging code for you. But if your going to be hand coding your pages and you need them to exact specs then this is not the product for you. So far I've experienced things like: nested div's disappearing when assigning more than 3 CSS attributes to them, RW assigning the attributes of child div's to its parent, built in options for choosing theme variations within different pages not working correctly (or at all sometimes) and other such application bugs that simply make it unusable for commercial web sites (at least in my opinion).

I purchased it with the built in options like different page styles that are already coded and set up for QT movies, file sharing, blog pages, contact pages, etc. I figured it would be nice to be able to focus on the content and let the application handle the longer code for me. And as I'm sure it does handle those codes well, it unfortunately is extremely buggy when it comes to the actual content (if you're planning on hand coding). And yes, as many others have mentioned, having to switch between is preview and edit is a huge pain in the rear.

Again, if you're doing some personal web pages and don't want to learn HTML, CSS, PHP, etc., then this may be a perfectly fine product for you that offers a more robust feature set than iWeb. But if you're hand coding anything remotely complicated, or if you're managing a commercial site, I would have to recommend an application that is actually designed for HTML editing program like DreamWeaver.  
(Version 4.1.3)

MACLOVER1.1  After using RW for a few years, I have yet again experienced file losses, files that will not upgrade from version 3 to 4 and so on. Just read the forums here and there and you'll see this apperas to be common amongst RW users. Have now decided to trash this application completely. An unstable application is scary in a work environment. Am turning to FLUX.  
(Version 4.1.3)

DIEM  I have been using Rapidweaver for nearly three years now, and it is my primary tool for developing sites. It feature base is HUGE, and more importantly the community for development of plug-ins and themes is huge as well.

I find it odd to have it compared to iWeb, as that is for beginners, and this is not. Although user friendly, it does have a small learning curve, and should be placed in the pro-sumer categry, firmly between iweb and Dreamweaver. Spend the time learning, and you will see you can do most of the things discussed as downsides.  
(Version 4.1.2)

PCHARLES67  I've tried this application on and off for a while now and still find it incredibly clunky to use. I think the problem I have is that this is not a WYSIWYG editor in the same way that most modern editors in this category are (iWeb, Goldfish, Sandvox). The need to switch back and forth between the edit and preview modes is incredibly annoying.

I also found myself extremely frustrated by the way changing a theme applied the theme to my whole site. In iWeb and Sandvox the theme was associated with the site, but you could select pages from different themes if you wanted to give different parts of your site a different feel. It may be present in RW, but over the various tests I have still not found it. I was also frustrated by the way I am locked into a themes layout with RW when applications such as iWeb allow me to move content around much more freely.

I understand from many reviews that the code for RW is considered superior to that produced by iWeb, but as a general user I am more interested in ease of development than geeking out on clean code since most readers will be interested in the content and not the code.

Finally, I am not sure why this product is so much more expensive than the competition and often requires costly plugins to make it do interesting things.  
(Version 4.1)

MACTALKER  RW works pretty well. It's a bit clunky but when it comes to producing the xml documents for feeds this is where it goes belly up unfortunately. The resulting xml does not comply to iTunes requirements so if you have a podcast don't expect iTunes to find it.  
(Version 4.1)

22DUKE  Hm it says ...web design application to help you easily create professional looking web sites in minutes.

That might be in theory correct but in practice even simple pages need a lot of tweaking to get a desired outcome.

Yes you can drag pictures from iPhoto however they are not re-sized and end up in original size, the resizing in RW then distorts the picture and is very cumbersome anyway.

Dare you to move a picture in your library RW will come up with an unspecific error message that the picture is missing (no mention where or on which page) and there is no way to re assign the new correct path or what would be even better that RW actually starts looking for it on the computer.

Still nice piece of software just don't expect to get anywhere quick. As previous poster I would have appreciated if dev team would have concentrated on important features and stability instead of gimmicks like animated upload screens.  
(Version 4.1)

WALT9500  Finding a proper rating is pretty hard for RapidWeaver, actually.

While it does work as advertised, and gets the job done, it has quite a lot of little issues (the multiple documents bugs, and more).

Also, instead of adding needless eye candy for RapidWeaver 4, the developers should have improved reliability and speed. I really hate to see the stupid progress animation while I sit there waiting for RapidWeaver to just save my document!!!!!

And some things are plain missing, such as proper table support, and even a Find feature that really works (and not just for the main text of the one current page!!!!!)

But again, it can do a lot, and for me, the main reason I have chosen it was the large number of visual attractive themes available, and the ability to handle meta tags properly (important for search engines...).  
(Version 4.0.1)

SMALLBUSINESSMAN  4.1 seems to freeze consistently as reported all over the Internet. The question is why is RealMac not responding?  
(Version 4.0.1)

CHATELP  I've been a regular and happy user of RapidWeaver for a couple of years and have never seen so many bugs as in the latest 4.0 release :

- It may forget to publish some of your modified pages (even if you force mark them as modified)

- The WYSIWYG editor doesn't necessarily output the correct visual styles.

- If you have 2 modified projects opened and publish one, it will mark both as published.

- and so on ...

Also, but this is a matter of taste, there is waaay to much visual fuss in the GUI. I usually don't mind a few over the top animations, but in this case it is a real usability setback (e.g the coverflow like animation when opening and publishing files). I guess they had to follow this "delicious" trend, IMHO it's more gratuitous than delicious...

I hope the most impairing bugs will be corrected really soon cause now I'm considering reverting to the pre-4.0 release and getting my update reimbursed.  
(Version 4.0)

MAESTROJAL  I've tested beta versions of RW4. These bugs have been around for all the versions I tested. I sent a copy of my files before and after conversion to RealMac. Hopefully a fix is in the works.  
(Version 4.0)

MACLOVER1.1  Same here, unable to save my old files under new format, RW hangs and I need to Force Quit it.. apart from that yes it does look much better... so I guess the bug fixes are just around the corner.. I'll wait.. but not too long LoL  
(Version 4.0)

DALESKI  Just upgraded to version 4.0 and somewhat impressed, it definitely looks better and has a lot of work done to it but it just seems less stable then 3.7 which I was running.

These are some of the problems so far.

1. crashed on me 4 times so far,

2. hangs when doing an export

3. publishing does not publish all files and/or folders

I have also deleted all preference files, created a new website from scratch and same problems.

Is anyone else having problems?  
(Version 4.0)

AMPLIFYFITNESS  A major upgrade to the previous version of 3.7, the new 4.0 version takes advantage of Leopard features like Quick Look. The interface layout is much cleaner and now has TRUE one-touch publishing.

What has made a big difference to me is how the folks at Rapidweaver coordinated with the major theme and plug-in authors to be sure the transition for the users is as smooth as possible.   
(Version 4.0)

FVDG  In version 3.6 you could mark all pages as changed or as UNchanged. The latter was very useful to upload only changed pages after working a while with RW. In Version 4 this option is gone! Why oh Why?!  
(Version 4.0)

DSPEERS  I have been using Rapidweaver for a couple of years and must say that it is a very easy to use, full program. Years ago I started learning HTML and started to develop a website, but just never got around to putting the finishing touches on it.

I put up a website in about a day and a half. (which included gathering photos etc)

The extras available for this program, things like Rapid Ideas themes et al, all help to enable this program to produce great looking websites without taking a lifetime. Are there more powerful programs? Yes! But then again, if that is what you want, if you want to be able to do all of the coding etc, don't waste your time looking at this program. However, if what you want to make is a good looking website with some great features, again, especially as one begins to look at themes etc, you will find an excellent product with a good support community to help you on your way.

Again, for the money, this is a great program which is able to produce a great product.  
(Version 3.6.7)

IBULLDOG  Sorry, I forgot to give it a rating!  
(Version 3.6.7)

IBULLDOG  This is an outstanding program on so many levels. Without reading the manual, I was able to complete an entire web site of over 80 pages for the courses I teach in a matter of a few hours a day over three days. Additonally, I've added three separate blogs on the site.

I can now easily send students to the site for additonal information, to review, notes, etc., and I'm more than confident moving forward and seeing how the site will evolve.

Keep up the great work folks!  
(Version 3.6.7)

ORION MK. V  3.6.6 installed and is working fine with all my RW plugins and themes.  
(Version 3.6.6)

ESPIRIDION  I’ve been trying to justify purchasing the current MU Bundle, which includes RapidWeaver.

Oddly enough, the fact that RapidWeaver is included was enough for me not to make my purchase. About a month after I purchased RapidWeaver they were already asking for an upgrade fee.

I’m sure my point of view will not be very popular, but even though the MU Bundle represents substantial savings, out of principle I‘m not buying it.

By the way, I don’t think that my ratings are affected by my disappointment with RapidWeaver. Sure, it’s easier to read that RapidWeaver “stomps” other applications -as GREGG_W/_3GS wrote- but that means absolutely nothing, especially coming from someone who has not posted any other reviews.

I ended up purchasing Freeway 4 Pro with a significant discount thanks to the GiveGoodFood2YourMac offer and I believe it’s a far superior program. According to Macworld it is worthy of 4.5 mice, for those who like their reviews :-)  
(Version 3.6.5)

MICHAEL CEO  This a truly great piece of software. Websites that took me weeks to complete now takes hours.

You've saved time, money and a lot of headache -- thank you!  
(Version 3.6.5)

MAC-KIWI  The new 3.4.6 works great! Thanks to Realmac Software!

:-)  
(Version 3.6.4)

AMANDACREAM  RapidWeaver 3.6 makes creating professional (client) websites the easiest and fastest of any software on the market. However, I've discovered the key is only one part RapidWeaver.

I've purchased and used Adobe Go Live, iWeb (iLife), Shutterbug and have tested Sandvox, Freeway Pro among others. RapidWeaver 3.6 stomps all of them.

RapidWeaver 3.6 combined with templates (such as Elixir Graphics and Josh Lockhart) and the YourHead plugins makes creating a professional, cutting edge website, the easiest imaginable.

The total investment made is still less than iWeb (iLife) and far far far cheaper than the others mentioned above. However, even if price is not the issue I'd still choose RapidWeaver. Clients expects the best. RapidWeaver with it's open architecture for themes and plugins does the job.... superbly.  
(Version 3.6.2)

MAC-KIWI  3.6.x not working(not uploading) with the Leopard 9A499 Developer-Preview. The App crashes and quit if you press the "Publish"-Button.

3.5.1 is working with the Developer-Preview.  
(Version 3.6.2)

MACLOVER1.1  Check this out:

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/25386/flux  
(Version 3.6.2)

PCHARLES67  I am not sure what it is about this software, but I cannot get into it. While it seems to have many features, I feel restricted by the themes and the need to type in that ugly textbox, rather than laying out the text nicely. I like iWeb and I like Sandvox, both of which seem to offer more sophisticated text layout options. The problem with these is that iWeb lacks many of the features, including embedded HTML, and nested pages, while Sandvox (and RW) seem to limit you to one theme per site, and it charges extra for HTML embedding. I really hate that RW requires I switch back and forth between the code and preview modes, among other things.

The term Rapidweaver is a little miss leading because you can get up and running much quicker with iWeb or Sandvox. Both are more like page layout programs, which means you can drop pages in and start typing, but not so with RW. The interesting thing about iWeb and its themes is that they are all totally customizable, which means you can change them to suit a particular page. On top of that, you are not stuck with one theme per site, which is really nice.

RW's does seem to generate much tighter code than iWeb or Sandvox, but to me the difference is not significant when compared to useability. However, I am sure that people who are familiar with the program are happy with the program, but I feel that if I need to learn a program requiring code (versus iWeb) I should just use Dreamweaver.

Anyone considering this application should probably wait and see what the new iWeb has to offer.  
(Version 3.6.2)

RICHPAT108  Can't believe there is no instruction manual. I have found a 3.5 manual but it.s very different from 3.6.

Anyone know where I can get my hands on one?  
(Version 3.6.1)

GEROBUCH  Amazing -- Dan & co. are not kidding when they declare it the best update ever.

I am a hard man to please but the new interfact is MUCH more user friendly and the price is justified, no doubt about it.

It is simple to use, has gotten a lot faster, a brilliant FTP upload, and more logical options/setup areas

***** 5 Stars, no doubt about it.  
(Version 3.6)

ADMIRAL  This is the best software I have used for website creation. Sure it might not be suited for massive corporate sites, but it is great if you want to start developing a website in true WYSIWYG fashion. Worth every penny!  
(Version 3.6)

MRELCEE  They have kind of alienated me with this paid 3.6 update. I'm a relatively new user. Yes I bought it through MacZot. I had been checking the app out for a while but was sitting on the fence over buying it. I did jump on it when it was discounted through the maczot website - then proceeded to buy more stuff from their web store..

I kind of feel like they were wringing the last money they could out of 3.5 before releasing 3.6 and do not really value me as a customer. I've read conflicting upgrade policies - the head guy made a post that anyone within 3 months is covered for a free upgrade then stated in his blog that April 1st is the cutoff and that sadly, maczot sales do not qualify for free upgrades. Only full price purchasers.

Then the icing on top is that shortly after discounting it via maczot, they were actually giving away licenses to Macuser readers.

Fair? I suppose they don't really owe me anything - I got exactly what I paid for - a license for V3.5.1.

That cuts both ways, I don't owe them anything - an upgrade fee or loyalty as a customer and positive word of mouth..

Not a very good customer relations move.   
(Version 3.6)

TOMRAKEWELL  This is lame, now I know why this software was included in the MacZOT Friday the 13th bundle just over a month ago ... they expect more revenue from people who got frustrated with the 3.5 release by now charging for a 0.1 update. I'm not gonna take this ...  
(Version 3.6)

FILIPP  I think it should be emphasized that this is not a free upgrade for current 3.5.x users! So please don't just overwrite your old install (like I did).

Here's a link the previous version for anyone who did the same mistake:

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/downloads/rapidweaver_351.dmg

I was pleasently surprised when the 3.2 - 3.5 transition was free but must admit that that 3.5 also brought along quite a few problems. Nothing show-stopping but I was kinda hoping for a final free bugfix release and automatically assumed this was it.  
(Version 3.6)

MJHARPER  Just to give a different perspective to the last poster: the new inspector is not just a little bigger with new icons. It's actually integrated like the one in Pages (for example) so that rather than having different inspectors for theme, page, site - as in RW 3.5 - they are all included in the one inspector, and you switch between them using those new icons. And there are a good deal more options than before.

As for commenting, yes, RW still uses Haloscan. But Haloscan provides an excellent service for free, with an option to upgrade, so unless you have a problem with Haloscan per se, it isn't really an issue. And, new to RW 3.6, you have the option to have inline comments on the post's permalink page, rather than having to have comments in a separate window. New feature, anyone?  
(Version 3.6)

RPPHOTO  Amazing upgrade for an already amazing app, lots of under-the-hood fixes, and an even easier ability to implement advanced features. Plus the RW forums are some of the friendliest and most helpful on the internet, a real community of friends. I love it!  
(Version 3.6)

MJHARPER  Just to add a rating - 4 stars because although the upgrade is awesome, and despite the fact that there IS a free upgrade, eight weeks isn't really THAT long (in comparison, I bought Mellel yesterday for the same price as RW, and Mellel comes with two years of free upgrades.)  
(Version 3.6)

MJHARPER  You can still get a free upgrade for RW if you bought it on or since 1 April 2007. The contact form on the site is broken at the moment, but the email to write to is: support dot ninjas at realmacsoftware dot com.

Don't forget they're in the UK though, as well as being inundated with support requests at the moment.

As for bugs, I've been using RW for a month (so thankfully I qualify for the upgrade) and the only problem I've had is with a 3rd-party theme. RW itself has been rock solid.

And to be honest, I have no idea why they didn't call this version 4.0 anyway, it's so full of awesome features.  
(Version 3.6)

GRYPHONENT  This is outrageous. I purchased RW 3.5 early January at version 3.5. It had its quirks and bugs, but I trusted they would be resolved with the next version. Now I'm asked to pay for an upgrade from version 3.5 to version 3.6??? And while the intro screen announces a substantial discount my fee is still $25 for an upgrade. The new app is $49!!! I cannot see enough new features in this minor update to justify this fee. Sorry, but the folks at RealMacSoftware have just lost my trust.  
(Version 3.6)

/USR/BIN/PAUL  Even though the update is from 3.5 to 3.6, this is a monumental update. For one, everything is organized much much better! Second, the speed is very noticeably better! And third and my favorite is the Theme variations. I was very glad to pay my 25 bucks for an upgrade. It's worth the upgrade price and is to support great developers! Awesome job, keep it up.  
(Version 3.6)

SILVERDR  If you've paid for earlier version like 3.5 f.e. - beware! You may wish to keep 3.5 around for a while when you discover that you have to pay for the 3.6 upgrade. I very much like the app but I don't feel like paying again for the upgrade that IMHO doesn't count as MAJOR update to the app.  
(Version 3.6)

MARKOH  If you are a MacUser reader (and you've just read the words MacUser twice now, so you qualify!) you can get a FREE RapidWeaver serial here:

RealMac MacUser promo signup thingie:

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/macuser/

Download RapidWeaver here:

http://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/mirrors.php  
(Version 3.5.1)

AMERGIN  A nice product that's doing the necessary for me. My site is now getting quite large and needs to be broken up into smaller sub-sites to keep RapidWeaver from slowing down too much, but that's acceptable. This really is an easy app to get going on and is surprisingly flexible when you have used it for a while (I've now used it intensively for about 6 months). It is very stable (version 3.5.0) but as mentioned above, it gets sluggish when your site gets bigger. I use it with PhotoShop (to crop, adjust, compress pics) and CyberDuck (free ftp client) and my site is fine (www.kilkennytocapetown.com).  
(Version 3.5.1)

NORAA  Hmm, now that Aperture's Photo Library is iLife friendly, I'd like to say RapidWeaver also be able to read the Aperture Library. Doesn't seem like it should be impossible.  
(Version 3.5.1)

MACLOVER1.1  Great today a whole bunch of images in a RW site decided to become tiny for no apparent reason (n changes were made by me on these pages at all.. this is the weirdest part... so bascially I had to redo a whole bunch of pages from scratch as the fie itslef seemed to be corrupted.. by what ? why ? how ? whne ?.. this is way odd and way aggravating !!!!!!!!! I had to let someone know so here it is. I mean when a piece of software give you differentt results depending on "the phase of th moon" you know you've got to move away from it. So I'll say it again if you nedd to make a personal blog.. RW is cute but if you are working for professional clients I would definitely NOT recommend it.  
(Version 3.5.1)

MACLOVER1.1  The main issue I have with this product is the lack of stylesheets for typography. I think it could really benefit from paragraph and type styles like any good layout app (look at InDesign, XPress and so on). Sure HTML does not handle font sizes in desktop publishing manner but rather the whole + or - deal... which for a graphic designer is a bit silly. I'm sure RW could use rweal point sizes and then generate the code that is needed. A lot of the times in RW one needs to just take eyeball measurements for "point sizes" and hope his eyes are well calibrated. Then a little + or a little - and we're all set.. I hate working that way !!!! When I say 1 2 points I want 12 points and if I want 8,5 I want 8,5 not + or - !!! So if you're gonna be a wysiwyg kinda product then try to look as much like a true page layout app as possible.  
(Version 3.5.1)

MACLOVER1.1  Cute but not extremely robust. I would not trust it for a complex site... I lost themes I made that became somehow unusable giving me strange errors...Duplicating a theme usually (well make that "always" on my system) crashes RW. But hey that is what you get for being lazy and using a do-it-for-me type of software. SO make it more stable and it'll already be quite cute ;-)  
(Version 3.5.1)

BEN_MARKO  This is a good app for people ready to move onto the next level in web site design, but the interface is not very friendly to newbies. iWeb trumps Rapidwever in this category simply on the basic of a more intuitive interface.   
(Version 3.5.1)

ORION MK. V  pb2 seems to be working fine and the iMedia Browser addition is a huge productivity boost. Good work RMS.  
(Version 3.5pb2)

JCRAIG  I've used this software for over a year. I love the program, but if I could go back to version 3.1 I would. I do weekly webcasts/podcasts for an internet radio station and store them in the Public folder of my .Mac account, necessitating the use of the Custom RSS tag feature, which has never worked. This version is still extremely buggy, be sure to back up your old project file, and don't rely on it for important site projects...yet.  
(Version 3.5pb2)

JOHNNY5W  Grr.... Still can't get stfp publishing to work.  
(Version 3.5pb2)

SHERMAN  Woohoo! SFTP publishing will make this an important upgrade. The interface is improved too. Some nice new themes. All looks very very good!  
(Version 3.5pb1)

153957PHOTOGRAPHY  I think I wont be upgrading to 3.5

nothing new for me, most of my pages are HTML pages, and my themes are already available in 3.2.1..

Im a bit disappointed in this update.. they just made it a bit smaller...  
(Version 3.5pb1)

ORION MK. V  So far so good with pb1. Nice refinements, including some new themes. It's would be great if they licensed some of Your Head's plug-ins to expand the base functionality.  
(Version 3.5pb1)

EDOUARD ROGER  Such a great app. Really better than iWeb !  
(Version 3.5pb1)

HIHIHOHO  ... unfortunately i can't open file created with previous version in public beta.

telling me "opening document" and nothing happens, after 20 minutes waiting i killed the process.

hmmmm.....

hihihoho  
(Version 3.5pb1)

KNESKADE  This looks very promising for Rapidweaver! This new beta seems years ahead of what iWeb wants to be. It has very nice new themes. A code-viewer wich is practical when you want to write custom css or other things. And a greatly improved user interface.  
(Version 3.5pb1)

VANQUISHED  I just downloaded the trial version from the website and have been playing around with it for a few hours. I have been very impressed with the quality of the program, it really sums up the Mac experience! To someone who has spent days researching the best web design applications, and countless more trying out downloads and different solutions, its a relief to finally come across such a User-Centric WYSIWIG program that truly simplifies the web design experience.

Now all that's left for me to do is to buy a Serial Code and get to work on redesigning my site!  
(Version 3.2.1)

MK STUDIOS  I am a 12 year old kid in Japan, and I came across Rapidweaver a little while ago, and I absolutely love it, because it is so easy to create stunning websites in a couple minutes.  
(Version 3.2.1)

MIN_MAX9000  I have used RapidWeaver since version 3.1.x, and there is truly no other software of it's kind out there. If you want a web page in minutes, this is your software. The support forum is absolutely unparalleled too.  
(Version 3.2.1)

MACD  Very nice software, and I like it very much, BUT it slows down to crawl on my PB G4 1.25 with 1Gb RAM when I open or save file. And overall speed is something I would like to see LOTS of improvements in the future.

Other than that, nice software for painless publishing your stuff to the web :)  
(Version 3.2)

ANDREW BRUCE  I use Rapid Weaver to develop sites for my clients. It is the best piece of new software (except OS X) I've come across in a very long time. I'd highly recommend it. There is also an active and helpful user forum which answers any questions that crop up.  
(Version 3.2)

ANDYAU  Disk Image doesn't mount.  
(Version 3.2)

ANONYMOUS  I love RapidWeaver. It's easy to use and is flexible enough to do build professional sites.  
(Version 3.2)

RON  Unable to mount the disk image. I've used the public beta program and it's been fantastic.   
(Version 3.2)

DAN T.  I have been using RapidWeaver since version 1. Let me stress that I can use Dreamweaver and GoLive, and can even write html in a text editor if I have to. However, when I start any web project, I do it in RapidWeaver first, and only use other tools if I have to. Its just easier and faster.

A wide variety of nice looking themes is included, and if that's not enough, you can get other themes from sites like rapidweaverthemes.com, benchdesigns.com and more. You can also very easily learn to customize the included themes yourself, although it might be a little scary the first time you try it (work on a copy of an original theme so you don't mess up the original).

A word has to be said about the support offered on the realmacsoftware.com website. It's great! You get rapid responses in the forums, and can even put the head programmer on your buddy llist and ask questions. The dedication of the RapidWeaver community to this product is nothing short of amazing!

The integration with .mac is great, and the easy of uploading to other servers is better than the alternatives.

At $35, the decision to buy this program is a no-brainer.  
(Version 3.2)

KMACK  I have no html experience whatsoever, yet here I am publishing a web site, making changes, posting pictures and text, etc. This is one great little appliation. Many might want tons of control, but that app is called Dreamweaver...let the revolution begin for those with no time or energy to start using Rapidweaver!  
(Version 3.2)

ANONYMOUS  Nice app. Has some quirks and rough edges, but you can get a site online in minutes that doesn't look like a joke.  
(Version 3.2)

RAVENG4  From Novice to Advanced this app is great a quickly creating a professional looking website. The Price is reasonable and the developers respond quicly and are open to suggestions. Great Bunch of Guys for this Great Application. Know nothing about coding? don't worry, RapidWeaver is just that. It allows you to rapidly weave a website so you can quickly have a presense on the internet. It's Easy to use yet powerful enough for even the more advanced Designer.  
(Version 3.2)

DJ  love this s.w and registered for it straight away after using it for just a few hours. Sure it needs some features and some improvements here and there, wot s/w doesn't...? So join their forums and express your problems, desires and and bugs.

Great s/w that's getting better all the time imho. And no i don't work for them! :p

9/10 from me  
(Version 3.2pb1)

SEVUR  On version 3.1.2, everytime I added a new blog entry, the font changed it's style from the rest of the entries. Obvious bug? Is the font issue(s) fixed in this latest version?  
(Version 3.2pb1)

ANONYMOUS  In my previous post I typed in the damn tags I was complaining about having to type in, and MU picked them up. But you can see what I meant...  
(Version 3.2pb1)

ANONYMOUS  All very nice and slick but some major stumbles still:

(1) FTP upload still broken. Hangs and you have to force-quit. Okay, you can export to disk and upload via Transmit but it rather demolishes the one-stop-shopping idea behind RW.

(2) Still no lists, and typing in and tags by hand gets very old very fast.

(3) Graphics placement still sketchy.

(4) Sometimes it's nice to see the HTML. RW won't let you.

(5) The HTML page type (where you manually enter tagged text) could do with context highlighting.

(6) No way to automate anchors, whether URL, #name or id

Otherwise, fast, slick and useful.  
(Version 3.2pb1)

YOGI  cool, but I want the old themes too!! >:(  
(Version 3.2pb1)

ANONYMOUS  You think it's that good? Well try the new version 3.2. It's INCREDIBLY good. This is what Mac software should be. OUTSTANDING update!  
(Version 3.2pb1)

ADAM THE MACHEAD  UNF#@%INGBELIEVABLE! This app rocks! I have been a pure html coder for years (tacosw.com lives on forever, peace out Raj), and never thought I would use wysiwyg creator, until I tried this app (found it when I was looking for a simple button maker, which rocks too). I can now pump out 4 to 5 basic* site a day. Chaching!

Complaints: not fussy on the forced filesystem architecture, and not crazy about the excessive use of java... but, chaching! I can live with that if my client base can.

* five page content wonders  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

DOM MOONEY  I was getting fed up of GoLive (which I've used since CyberStudio days) for some of the simpler sites I do, and found a review of RapidWeaver. Got the limited demo and bought the full version less than an hour later. A couple of hours later and I'd completely rebuilt one of the sites from the ground up.

Totally different approach - this is more content than code focussed and great if you want to do quick and simple sites. Just starting to play with modifying the themes to get something more unique than the stock versions. Sure, I could hand code or use GoLive as before, but the time saving, and ease of use wins,  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

RHON FITZWATER  RapidWeaver continues to improve with each update. I have been using this program for a while now and am very pleased with what it can do. I have created many websites that look amazing with RW. Using this program simplifies the all phases of creating a website. From designing it to updating it. Everything can be done right in RW. If you need want a website but are familiar with the other complex programs or just don't want to waste the time using them (and their skimpy templates), RapidWeaver is worth the money.  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

CALVIN CARL  I am a graphic designer that was just looking for an easy was to update my personal website, and normally I am weary of template driven programs, but Rapidweaver is fantastic. You can just tear down one of their templates and recreate your own. Then add an RSS feed and Comment feed. All of this done just by pressing usually a single button. Granted it is no Dreamweaver or GoLive, but it is definitely a fun little program to use just simply for it's ease of use.

www.calvincarl.com  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

LARS HEDEMANN  Comment to anonymous: Sorry, Lars Hedemann is my real name, and I am in no way associated with the guys who make Rapidweaver. I just use it professionally, and I am a huge fan of it. It really is that good.  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

ANONYMOUS  I think the developers are padding these reviews. *ahem* Lars?  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

NON-USER  Serializing this program illegitimately results in your IP address being sent to the developers. Promptly thereafter your internet line is spoof attacked to the point that it is clogged, no longer accessible, and unusable until you change IP's. If you use a router you can check the logs and find the offending IP that is initiating these attacks. Other than that, it is good to know that it is pretty easy to learn html (it isn't even a programming language) and just as easy to design good looking sites that kick the pants off of all the boring apple aqua rip-off templates you'll find in this truly crappy program.   
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

LARS HEDEMANN  Terrific program. One of a kind. Unparalleled ease of use, with great features. If you're a designer looking to create websites, buy it. It will be your best investment.

Forget Sbox's comment, my guess is that he has never really used it...  
(Version 3.1.2 (1.1))

SBOX  Some interesting/sketchy code lurking within... be careful using this product. I sure as hell won't...  
(Version 3.1.2)

LUXURYLUKE  This version is worthy of a full dot upgrade... and actually, this program should be version 5.0 at least!

The developers are brilliant, kind, responsive, and innovative, and (finally) applies the AQUA program design-style with verve and panache!

Highly recommended for the price!  
(Version 3.1.2)

SAM  Really excellent software. I currently use it to update my family website to an FTP server and found RW to be almost flawless. I also use it for file sharing on business projects.

Quick and easy to design and update site; handles very large photo and media pages. Sub-pages a delight. Highly recommended.  
(Version 3.1.2)

MR. PRIEST  Absolutely excellent software which is very easy to use - I was making excellent looking websites in minutes. It is also very cheap and well worth the money. There are many features for creating blogs, photography sections of your website, movie sections of your website, great contact pages etc.

Product is very stable and hasn't crashed.

Another good feature is that you an upload directly from the program to your server.

Look at my website (a work in progress) create with this program: http://www.martinplanttransport.co.uk  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  Damn fine program.

Really impressed with the simplicity, and the professional look.

It has the best default templates of any web-editing software.  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  Get the RapidWeaver themes at http://www.med-designs.com/   
(Version 3.1.1)

FRIðRIK MáR JóNSSON  I accidentally ran into this application one day and decided to try it out. That day it was far from what it is now. Yet, it was the best application I had found for the Mac so far.

RapidWeaver is feature-rich, providing you with a blog feature, contact form, file sharing utility, movie album pages, photo album pages, QuickTime pages and more.

Similar products were either too expensive or buggy or too complicated. When I say anybody can use this product I am fully serious. No matter how old you are, no matter how much computer experience you have, you can use RapidWeaver.

I have made a few websites with it and always ended up with a professional looking website that is easily upgraded.

In addition to a magnificent application, their support team is helpful and is active on the website community, listening to what users say and developing by the requests of the users. The forum also has great members that assist you with anything concerning RapidWeaver.

The application is worth it's every penny. And I do not often write reviews for applications, but for this one it is definately worth it.

It gets my best possible ratings.  
(Version 3.1.1)

YOGI  simply amazing (G3+Panther)! I've trashed all the rest.... excellent support  
(Version 3.1.1)

ANONYMOUS  I've been using RapidWeaver since Version 1.0. I've seen it grow and it's gotten better with every release. The devs are responsive to problems. I've been looking for something to make my life easier with creating a nice website. I don't have the time to code this stuff and RapidWeaver makes it simple. The way it should be.  
(Version 3.1.1)

FRANZ  Today i update my system to OSX 10.3.9... and RapidWeaver dont look so fine... some themes have bad appareance and others have some troubles with text and images. Maybe 10.3.9 is the real problem or RapidWeaver's dudes need to fix some "bugs".

Anyway... RapidWeaver its really great software, so easy, so fine and in constant improvement. THANX

(im using RapidWeaver 3.0.3 because is compatible with a lot of my "old" themes)  
(Version 3.1)

LARS HEDEMANN  Rapidweaver is the FUTURE ! With this release, a lot of its shortcomings has been adressed. I have been using Dreamweaver for years, but I am fed up. It doesn't seem to get any easier to use, and it is just a matter of time before apps like Rapidweaver takes over. Combined with a good css editor, Rapidweaver has very few quirks, and I for one is now convinced. No more Dreamweaver for me.  
(Version 3.1)

ANONYMOUS  I've been using this since 3.0. Great new features with this release!  
(Version 3.1)

MIKE  ever since 3.0 version the export of pics still does NOT work right. When i click on a pic on my site i keep getting a parsing error. Maybe they should fix this?? I emailed them and they still haven't emailed me back... oh that was about 2 months ago.. hmm. Otherwise though it is a very cool app. especially if you make your own templates and have it put info in for you.  
(Version 3.0.3)

TERA PATRICKS - MAC360.COM  I find Rapidweaver to be an elegant solution for creating simple, straightfoward, yet attractive web pages. It's not Dreamweaver. It's "Rapid" weaver, which means it creates sites and pages VERY quickly compared to text editors or WYSIWYG editors like GoLive or Dreamweaver. It's also intuitive so you don't need to know much about HTML or CSS to create sites, add pages to sites, etc.

I can't say much about the politics of a riff between the folks at Rapidweaver and Site Studio (dotsw.com) but insinuating that Rapidweaver's folks stole code and features indicates an immature view how development works. It takes time. Features are easily copied and improved. I bought Rapidweaver and followed progress from early versions. It's been a developing, iterative process with improvements and new features, not quantum jumps.

Rather than ragging on "what might have been" or tossing out public accusations in this forum, how about building a better product, and let the buying public decide.  
(Version 3.0.3)

ANONYMOUS  Anybody to comment the following quotation?

Maybe someone of RealMac?

Tommy Pavlicek - developer of Site Studio:

"I have to say that there is a rather interesting story between the new rapid weaver plus and Site Studio. About a week, week and a half before release I started advertising Site Studio in my iChat name. Unknown to me, Mark Davis had me in his iChat list, well I knew, but I thought he abandonded that name and didn't think he could do anything. Well, he saw it and snooped through my beta folder and found a beta. He and that Daniel guy at Realmac Software threw the Rapidweaver plus beta together and release it on the Thursday before I released mine and claimed that they have been working on it for six months and that I was a back stabbing beta tester. Interestingly enough dotsw.com was hacked on tuesday and thus my release went from wednesday to friday. But anyways, enough about that. "

Found at www.dotsw.com  
(Version 3.0.3)

ANONYMOUS  Amazing application!

BTW, I need subfolders pages (for my gallery), blog calendar and 80*60 thumbnails.  
(Version 3.0.2)

THEONEANDONLY  Some jackhole has hacked this site at the moment, which is sad. The developer is a nice guy who's trying to do something great for the Mac community. RW may not be the be and all and end all of quick site creation, but there's no need for jackholes either. I'm p!ssed because the developer must waste time fixing his site instead of his product.

:-(  
(Version 3.0.1)

ANONYMOUS  This program doesn't allow you to change the font? Alignment? Color of font?  
(Version 3.0)

MARKFLO  Looks like it has potential... Exactly the kind of app my wife needs to make a simple family web site...

These things need to be fixed/added, though:

1. Make it more stable -- it quit on me after about 10 minutes of use to try it out.

2. Allow FTP or WebDAV publishing -- why limit direct uploading to just .Mac?

3. Cache the resized photo thumbnails so they don't have to be recreated EVERY SINGLE TIME it's previewed. The thumbnails should only be regenerated if the thumbnail options are changed.  
(Version 3.0)

FRANK GIORDANO  One day I saw a really nice looking website, but it had minimal content. I wondered what was going on, so I emailed the author of the website and asked why they had paid so much to get such a nice website design, yet used it for practically nothing. The webmaster kindly replied and told me that he had actually used RapidWeaver from Realmac Software, so it only costed him about 30 bucks. This got me pretty curious, as I myself would have some fun having a bit of a personal website.

I went to RealmacSoftware.com, and I checked out what Realmac had to offer. I went straight to downloading RapidWeaver (it wasn't the lite version at the time though -- maybe I will upgrade to pro one of these days, but I have been hearing about a lot of bugs in the public beta). The demo astounded me. They had literally about 20 themes, all professionally crafted and easy-to-use for non designers and programmers just like me. I rushed to the Realmac Shop WebSite to pay for my copy, and I got my serial code instantly. While I was at it, I asked a question about using pictures in RapidWeaver, and Daniel from their support service quickly and kindly responded, telling me I could just paste in an image and RapidWeaver would automatically have keep it there in both the preview and export.

I built a modest website with a "journal" and some photos of holidays with my family. It was so easy! I exported to my Idisk directly from inside RapidWeaver. Lo and behold, my website was perfect, just as I had seen it in RapidWeaver. My website was very nice and complete in content!!!

I must say, thank you so much Realmac. I do have one gripe, however, I wish this thing was a bit more cheaper than the pro version. Right now there is a $10 difference, and I believe there should be a $20 difference and have RapidWeaver Lite cost $20...maybe $30 was a tiny bit too much. Oh well, it'd be great for new users buying RapidWeaver. I really want to evangelize this thing! :-) But overall it has been a great pleasure using this website creation utility!  
(Version 2.2.1)

RAY BARBER  A couple of days ago, I posted a question on RealMacs support forum, which both the moderators and users alike had replied to. My original post had references about why RealMac chose to release two versions of RapidWeaver.

A particular response from one of the developers to a user who replied to my thread essentially berated them for fussing about the price, aside from the fact it was 'beta' software. This got an immediate reply from me, stating they should be careful about making comments to their userbase like that.

Of course, my post was replied to by another moderator defending the person in question, re-casting all the various reasons they chose to release RapidWeaver as a Pro version.

The following day, my post, complete with all the other threads with it, were deleted from the forum entirely. When I posted yet another note asking why - that too was deleted by this morning. I again wrote one more time - and banned from their support forum entirely!

Bear in mind, I have always championed RapidWeaver. I believed in their product enough that I sponsored an "Official RapidWeaver Themes" website when approached by one of the developers there.

If this is what I get for supporting their software as I have in the past, I would hate to see how they treat people who casually ask simple questions, regardless if good or bad. This ends my support for RapidWeaver, their developers, and especially my money. I would urge people to seek similar products elsewhere.  
(Version 2.2.1)

ANONYMOUS  Wayyy overpriced.

Other themes cost money.

Learning HTML is free, and easy. Or use Mozilla Composer, which is 110% free.  
(Version 2.2)

KRC  The first time I encountered the use of this program was at a local Mac User Group meeting. The leader of the group displayed how RapidWeaver worked and how easy it was to get a website up in a matter of minutes.

I guess if I was lazy enough that I can't spend time to design my own website or if I'm in a hurry to get something on the web, I would probably use this program to throw up a quick website. It's really good at doing that spiced up with buttons and roll-overs from different 'themes' to choose out of. I can simply choose a theme, add some content using the Content button and then export. Yay! Instant Website!

One of the things that bugs me is the stock themes with this program. Out of all the themes that come bundled with this program, there's only one that has a menu that displays on the left instead of the top; I wish there were more because I'm one of those people that aren't too keen in having some menu buttons on the top just yet. However, a Theme SDK set is included with this program so there's some room for me to make my own themes. SDK's are always cool.

If you're looking to make a quick website but don't have any skills in HTML, I would recommend buying it!  
(Version 2.1.2)

G4 IN FLIGHT  Piece of crap. Not even replying my email on important questions. I'll use Netscape composer or Claris Home than using this piece of trash. $24.95 for it? Why not pay me that to use it. Waste of time any energy to deal with dinky software developers.  
(Version 2.1.1)

LISA SWANSON  RapidWeaver is one of the best shareware apps I have ever used for OS X. The code is tightly written, takes up very little space and uses a minimum amount of RAM. It's ability to quickly design and publish a website is simply incredible. The templates that come with the app are professionally designed and are among the best I've seen. The SDK kit for designing your own templates is simple to use and allows you to add your favorite layouts with a minimum of fuss.

For the beginner RapidWeaver is all you need to put together clean and great looking web pages, for the pro is a great tool for throwing together comps for clients or for trying out different themes quickly. Used with a commercial app like GoLive or Dreamweaver it is possible to experiment and see your results before proceeding to build an entire site.

I can see an entire community of RapidWeaver users banding together to creating hundreds of free templates for other users.

I'm a web developer with years of experience and this dandy little app had allowed me to try on various themes and "looks" fast and easy. Honestly, this app has given me a leg up on the competition because I can throw together site designs much more quickly than the local designers competing for the same job.

If you ever design web pages, from a single page to an entire site, this is an app that will make you life easier and your pages cleaner.   
(Version 2.0)

LE CACTUS  RapidWeaver is an amazing application.Very easy of use,very stable,cool themes like Apple's Panther menu bar,Metal theme,OSX menu bar...Matrix theme. This software offers you a lot of features to design a professionnal or amateur website.

I recommand it.

As usual,it's a good work.

Thank you Dan and the RealMac software's team. :)  
(Version 2.0)