The Definitive Guide to Strikingly in 2025

Introduction: The Easiest Editor Possible? Setting the Stage for Strikingly's Value Proposition

In the crowded landscape of website builders, Strikingly has carved out a distinct identity by relentlessly championing a core philosophy: simplicity and speed.1 The platform's central promise is to empower anyone, regardless of their technical skill or design background, to create a professional, mobile-optimized website in under 30 minutes.1 This is a compelling value proposition that targets a specific demographic: the entrepreneur, creative professional, or small business owner who requires an immediate online presence without the traditional complexities of coding or intricate design.2

By keeping the focus on single-page websites and a streamlined creation process, Strikingly aims to remove the barriers that often deter beginners. This report will explore the features that underpin this promise of simplicity, while also scrutinizing the trade-offs and potential limitations that accompany such a focused approach. The ultimate goal is to provide a comprehensive analysis of Strikingly in 2025, from its core functionality to the nuanced realities of its pricing and user experience, culminating in a direct comparison with its lightweight alternative, Slidde.co.

The Strikingly Experience: Core Features & Functionality

A Nuanced Look at the "Drag-and-Drop" Editor

Strikingly is frequently praised for its intuitive and user-friendly site-building tools, often described as a drag-and-drop editor.2 However, this characterization requires a closer look. Unlike free-form editors offered by platforms like Wix, where users can place elements anywhere on the page, Strikingly's editor operates on a more structured, section-based system.6 Instead of unrestricted movement, it provides a selection of pre-designed layouts for each section, allowing users to simply add or rearrange these content blocks.6

This is a fundamental design choice that sacrifices complete creative freedom for guaranteed design quality. A beginner, left with a blank canvas and total control, may struggle to create a visually coherent or responsive layout. By limiting design options and providing professional, pre-formatted sections, Strikingly ensures that every site, regardless of the user's skill level, maintains a clean, modern, and mobile-optimized aesthetic.1 This approach is an intentional and strategic feature of the platform, not a limitation. It protects beginners from making common layout mistakes and guarantees a polished final product that looks good on any device.8

Templates & Design: Quality, Quantity, and a Key Advantage

With a library of over 170 templates, Strikingly's collection is significantly smaller than those of its competitors, such as Wix, which offers more than 2,000 options.4 Nevertheless, the available templates are consistently described as attractive, modern, and well-designed.6 For many, the simplicity and lack of clutter in these designs contribute to a more professional look.6 The platform offers filters to help users find templates tailored for specific purposes like online stores, portfolios, blogs, or landing pages.6

A major differentiating feature for Strikingly is its flexibility in template management.5 Unlike some platforms where changing a template requires rebuilding the entire site and potentially losing content, Strikingly allows users to switch templates at any time without losing their work.5 This unique capability provides a layer of reassurance for users who might want to rebrand or refresh their site's look in the future without the hassle of starting from scratch.

Strikingly also offers an AI-powered site generator, which can quickly produce a basic layout based on a few prompts.3 However, the aesthetic quality of these AI-generated sites is not considered to be on par with those created by more advanced AI tools from competitors like Wix or Squarespace.5 This positions the AI feature as a useful starting point rather than a comprehensive solution.

E-commerce & Blogging: Simple and Limited

Every Strikingly plan, including the free tier, is equipped with a built-in "Simple Store" for e-commerce.1 The free plan allows users to sell a single product with a 5% transaction fee.8 The paid Pro plan increases the product limit to 300, and the VIP plan allows for up to 500.4 Despite this functionality, Strikingly's e-commerce tools are consistently reviewed as basic and "limited".7 They are suitable for selling a few items but are not designed for large, dynamic online stores with extensive product catalogs or complex inventory management.5

Similarly, the platform's blogging toolkit provides fundamental features for a simple blog or personal diary.4 It includes the ability to write and categorize posts, insert media, and view basic analytics.7 However, it lacks the advanced functionality needed for serious content marketing or SEO-driven blogging, and it is "no match for WordPress" for users with significant publishing plans.3

The Cost of Doing Business: Strikingly's Pricing & Value Proposition

Decoding the Price Tag: From Free to VIP

Strikingly offers a "forever-free" plan that includes unlimited sites on a Strikingly.com subdomain, 500 MB of storage per site, and the ability to sell a single product with a 5% transaction fee.4 This generous free tier allows users to build and test their site at no cost.5

For more advanced features, Strikingly provides two main paid plans: Pro and VIP.5 The pricing structure is designed to incentivize long-term commitment, with significant discounts for multi-year subscriptions.5

Strikingly 2025 Pricing Plans & Features

Note: Pricing for domains ($24.95/year) and custom email ($25/year) are additional surcharges.5

The significant discounts for multi-year plans, such as the Pro plan's price dropping from $20 to $11.20 per month when a five-year subscription is purchased, can be very appealing to budget-conscious users.12 However, this strategy appears to be a deliberate lock-in mechanism. A user might be drawn in by the low long-term cost, but if they become dissatisfied with the service after a few months, they could find themselves trapped in a multi-year contract for a service they no longer want.11 This potential for a long-term commitment, when combined with the reported issues regarding customer service and cancellations, suggests a hidden financial risk.

The Unseen Costs: Navigating Customer Service and Security

While professional reviews often highlight Strikingly's ease of use and attractive templates, a closer look at user-generated reviews reveals a starkly different picture. A significant number of former customers report recurring and serious issues with the platform's backend operations. On the third-party review site Trustpilot, a notable 76% of reviewers have given the company a one-star rating.11

The most common complaints from these users revolve around three key issues:

1. Spamming: Customers report receiving a high volume of unwanted emails from Strikingly with no clear option to unsubscribe.11 Some reviewers have described it as "nonstop spamming" that continues despite attempts to opt out.11
2. Poor Customer Service: Strikingly markets its support team as "Happiness Officers," and while they are reportedly available 24/7 via live chat 11, a growing number of complaints claim that they are often unhelpful.11 Customers have struggled to get even minor issues resolved, particularly those related to billing errors.
3. Difficulty Canceling & Unauthorized Charges: This is perhaps the most serious issue raised by users. Strikingly reportedly has no refund policy.11 A number of reviewers claim that the company has continued to charge them year after year, even after they have canceled their contracts, and has refused to issue refunds.11

This disparity between the company's public image and the reported user experience points to a critical disconnect. The promise of "happiness" appears to be limited to the initial, seamless website creation process. The long-term customer relationship, particularly when issues arise, is reportedly fraught with frustration. The actual cost of using Strikingly may not be the advertised subscription fee, but the potential time and effort required to resolve back-end and billing-related issues.

Furthermore, while Strikingly advertises that "All websites get HTTPS automatically, for free," which is crucial for security and user trust, user reviews raise concerns that many of the company's websites do not have this feature.1 An unsecured website is a major liability, as it puts any personal information entered by visitors at risk.

The Lightweight Challenger: Strikingly vs. Slidde.co

For users seeking an even more lightweight and affordable alternative, Slidde.co presents itself as a compelling option. Described as an easy, free, and responsive website builder, its core philosophy is captured by the tagline, "If you can build a slide, you can build a website!".14

While both platforms are geared toward simplicity, a direct comparison reveals key differences that will influence a user's choice.

Strikingly vs. Slidde.co: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Slidde.co's primary advantage is its extreme affordability. Its Plus plan costs just $19 per year 14, making it a fraction of the cost of Strikingly's Pro plan ($192/year).12 However, this affordability comes with significant trade-offs. While Strikingly's paid plans unlock more robust features like e-commerce functionality, membership sites, and custom code, Slidde.co's Plus plan simply provides a custom domain, forms, and Google Analytics.14 It is not equipped for any kind of commercial or complex use.

Slidde.co is best suited for individuals who need a basic online presence on an absolute shoestring budget, such as a personal bio link, a quick waitlist page for a side project, or a simple online resume.14 Strikingly, while more expensive, offers a more comprehensive toolkit for a user who wants to sell a few products or create a more sophisticated, multi-page business site.6

Final Verdict: Who Is Strikingly for in 2025?

Based on a comprehensive analysis of its features, pricing, and user consensus, Strikingly remains an effective tool for a specific type of user: the individual or small business owner who prioritizes speed and simplicity above all else. The platform is an excellent choice for creating a professional, mobile-optimized, single-page portfolio for a freelancer or creative.7 It is also suitable for small businesses that need a clean, easy-to-manage landing site to showcase their services or sell a handful of products.11

However, the analysis also reveals that Strikingly is not a one-size-fits-all solution, particularly for those with long-term growth ambitions. Users who plan to build a large e-commerce store, develop a serious content marketing strategy with a blog, or require deep design customization are better served by more robust platforms like Wix or Squarespace.3

Ultimately, the decision to use Strikingly in 2025 requires a careful weighing of its promised ease of use against the documented back-end risks. While the platform excels at getting a user started quickly and painlessly, the reported issues with spamming, customer service, and difficulty canceling long-term contracts are significant liabilities that must be considered. The user who chooses Strikingly must understand they are investing in simplicity and speed, but may be doing so at the expense of a reliable, long-term customer relationship. For those whose needs are even more minimal—a basic bio page or a simple project showcase—Slidde.co offers a more straightforward and significantly cheaper alternative without the reported customer service baggage.

Works cited

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12. Price/Cost for Subscription - Strikingly Help Center, accessed September 3, 2025, https://support.strikingly.com/hc/en-us/articles/25179807880859-Price-Cost-for-Subscription
13. Submit a request - Strikingly Help Center, accessed September 3, 2025, https://support.strikingly.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
14. slidde is a lightweight website builder., accessed September 3, 2025, https://slidde.co/
15. Wix vs Squarespace: Which Website Builder Wins in 2025? - TechnologyAdvice, accessed September 3, 2025, https://technologyadvice.com/blog/information-technology/wix-vs-squarespace/