Bootstrap has already made responsive web development a lot easier. But what if you didn’t have to write out all that code by hand? What if you could select the Bootstrap components you want to work with, and drag them onto your canvas?
Well, that’s where a Bootstrap editor comes in.
Bootstrap editors and builders make it easier to prototype, test and build responsive websites. Although each editor is different, they all feature some form of drag and drop functionality using Bootstrap’s huge library of components.
In this post, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best Bootstrap editors and builders currently on the market. Each editor has its own unique feature set and pricing structure (some of which are free) so the best option for you will depend on your own unique situation.
Bootply
Bootply is known as the playground for Bootstrap. It’s not only a Bootstrap editor and builder, but it’s also home to a pretty extensive code repository. The editor enables you to drag and drop Bootstrap components then edit the code as you please.
Bootply is also integrated with other popular Bootstrap plugins, micro-libraries and frameworks. Some of the tools you can leverage are Font Awesome, jQuery + jQuery UI, Bootstrap Select, FuelUX, AngularJS, Google Maps, and much more.
Pricing: Free or $4/month to download source code.
Brix.io
Brix is a powerful and sleek looking online Bootstrap builder that enables you to create responsive interfaces & websites faster than ever. Brix produces easily readable, smooth and well-formatted HTML, CSS & JS for use with any hosting service or other editor.
Brix also enables you to create projects simultaneously with team members no matter where they are. Concurrent editing and commenting makes collaboration easy, convenient and efficient.
Pricing: $14.90 – $49.90 per month.
Jetstrap
Jetstrap is a premium web-based interface building tool for Bootstrap 3 that helps developers and designers get websites up and running fast. Develop for all devices and access your work from anywhere.
Jetstrap allows you to drag and drop Bootstrap components into the builder then edit the code further. Instead of digging through docs, grab snippets of clean markup and quickly use complicated components.
Divshot
Divshot is not only a visual Bootstrap editor, but also an application-grade hosting environment built for developers.
The Bootstrap builder (known as Architect) enables you to create production quality code that’s properly nested with every new component. It also supports all other popular CSS frameworks like Foundation and Racthet, with new ones being added regularly.
Pricing: Free – $100/month (with hosting).
Pinegrow
Pinegrow is a desktop app for Mac, Windows & Linux that lets you mockup & design webpages faster with multi-page editing, CSS & LESS styling and smart components for Bootstrap, Foundation and other frameworks. The stylesheet editor lets you attach, detach, duplicate and reorder stylesheets.
Pinegrow doesn’t try to take over your workflow. Rather, it is a tool that can be used to save effort and time, where it makes sense.
Pricing: $49.95 for a one-time personal license.
LayouIt
LayoutIt is a simple but effective Bootstrap interface builder to make your front-end coding easier. You can start from scratch or use one of the base templates.
Simply drag and drop the Bootstrap elements onto the canvas and download the HTML. From there, you can add your own styling and integrate it with any programming language.
Pricing: Free
Pingendo
Pingendo is a visual desktop application that helps you to prototype responsive web pages based on Bootstrap.
Like most Bootstrap builders, you can add content from a rich collection of ready to use Bootstrap elements. You can start with a blank canvas or start your pages from a collection of ready to use layouts. From there you can drag, re-size, and customize your contents.
Pricing: Free
Conclusion
You’re now equipped with 7 Bootstrap editors for quickly developing responsive websites built off Bootstrap.
If you’re currently using one of these editors, or if we left one off the list, let us know in the comments below.
