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  • Lensa AI App: A Step-By-Step Guide to Magic Avatars (2023)

    The Lensa AI App is a mobile application and AI art generator that uses AI to change your selfies into magical works of art. Lensa AI is a powerful photo editing app that gives you tools to create stunning works of art and content to share with friends and family on social media or the web.  In this post, we’ll review what you need to know about using the app, look at some of its features, and discuss the criticism surrounding this app for you to bear in mind when using it for your personal and professional life.

    What is the Lensa AI App?


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    Lensa AI is a photo editing app by Prisma Labs that uses AI to edit photos and generate Magic Avatars. The Magic Avator feature is its most popular feature because it is so easy to use and is able to generate stunning results using powerful AI photo editing features. That app uses Stable Diffusion, a popular AI deep learning model, to help create images. It supports both Apple and Android devices and boasts millions of users, including famous creators, influencers, and celebrities.

    Why Use the Lensa AI App

    In a world focused on sharing content, showing up as your “best self” has become paramount. When you combine the growth of photo-sharing apps like Instagram and Pinterest, ensuring that your photos look good is on everyone’s mind. Lensa can help you quickly edit photos without opening up heavy programs like Photoshop or Lightroom. You can easily use your mobile device to modify your image and share it online.

    Getting Started with the Lensa AI App in 2023

    Now that we have some history about the app, let’s walk through and take a deeper look at how AI and Lensa work together to create a fun mobile photo editing app. A vital feature of the Lensa app is Magic Avatars. AI-powered Magic Avatars allows you to upload photos and selfies and generate custom, out-of-this-world avatars to use online and offline.

    Magic Avatars by Lensa

    The feature works best with selfies and also works with animals for pet lovers out there. You have a range of styles that you can choose from that you can combine to make variations of the images that you’ve uploaded.

    Lensa's Magic Avatars

    It should be noted that while you can do quite a bit with the Lensa app’s free version, the Magic Avatars feature requires you to purchase a pack of credits or a subscription to generate your images.

    How to Use Lensa’s Magic Avatar Feature (Step by Step)

    Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your first set of Magic Avatars with Lensa.

    1. Download the Lensa AI Mobile App

    To download the Lensa Mobile App, visit your app store and search Lensa AI.

    Visit the Apple App Store or Google Play

    This is what their listing looks like in the Google Play Store. Download the app and open it. Follow your phone’s instructions on how to download and install an app.

    2. Open the Lensa App

    After the app is on your phone, you’ll be presented with a series of screens.

    The Lensa landing screen

    The first screen is the landing page for the editor. Notice that you need to check the privacy policy before using the app. Click Continue to be taken to the next screen.

    Lensa's many features

    The next screen talks about Lensa’s photo editing abilities. Though the app is famous for its Magic Avatars, it also functions as a solid photo editing app.

    Lensa's Magic Avatars

    The final screen talks about Magic Avatars. This is the main feature we’ll walk through in this post. Press the grey button that says Continue.

    3. Choose a Subscription Level

    Depending on how you intend to use Lensa, you can use the 7-day free trial or subscribe to the service.

    Subscribe to Lensa

    You get additional photo editing features, discounts on credits, and exclusive packs. For our tutorial, we will be using the free trial. Click on the 7-day Free Trial slider to begin your trial.

    Step 4: Begin Building Your Magic Avatar

    You’ll be presented with the following screen once you’ve subscribed or started your trial.

    The Lensa screen before creating avatars or photo edits

    Clicking on the grey box will open Lensa’s photo editor. However, we won’t be covering that today. Instead, click on the yellow button that says Magic Avatars.

    5. Create Your First Set of Magic Avatars

    Magic Avatars can be created for humans and your favorite furry friends.

    Select the Type of Avatar

    First, select whether your avatar will be an animal or a human. For our exercise, we’ll be selecting humans. Click the yellow button that says Create within the Humans box.

    Choose animal or human generation

    Select Gender

    Next, select your gender.Select your gender of choice

    Select Your Styles

    Using AI, Lensa combines your photos with filters, designs, and effects to create your Magic Avatar. There are no prompts or instructions that you need to send the app. This makes it an accessible and easy way to generate AI imagery. Even with tools like Midjourney, which do a fantastic job at generating AI art, the learning curve can be steep. With Lensa, a simple click or some styles and uploading your photos can generate cool selfies and avatars.

    This is an example of some of the styles under Fantasy.

    Various styles for generating your art

    Here, you’ll get a feel for what your selfie could look like with the Art style.

    Various styles for generating your art

    Finally, you can expect this when you use the Essential style.

    Various styles for generating your art

    Lensa has more than 30 graphic styles you can apply to your avatars. Lensa allows you to choose up to ten avatars when selecting your style. However, the number of styles you select will affect the number of images generated and the time it takes to generate said avatars. Select up to ten styles of your choice by clicking on the thumbnail for each style. Then, click the grey Continue button.

    Upload Your Photos

    Before you can upload your photos, Lensa provides a guideline on the types of photos you should upload.

    Lensa's preferred selfie postures

    Magic Avatars works best with close-up selfies, photos of the same person, adults, and different head poses and backgrounds. Next, select 10 – 20 selfies from your phone’s photo gallery.

    Select your photos from your camera roll or photo gallery

    You can click on the meatball menu in the top right to select photos outside your Cameara’s folder. Once you have selected your photos, click the yellow Import button.

    Select the number of credits to purchase

    Once you select your photos, you’ll be given a screen to purchase your avatars. The price and number of unique avatars will vary depending on the number of styles and photos you upload. Select the number of credits you’d like to purchase. Then, click on the yellow Purchase button. If you have a subscription, you may not come across this screen.

    Purchase your credits to use Lensa's Magic Avatars feature

    Please note that you must purchase credits through your mobile device’s app store cart. Your cart may look different than the one displayed above. Follow your mobile phone’s instructions to purchase your credits.

    Wait for Your Avatars to Generate

    After you’ve purchased your credits, you’ll need to wait some time for your avatars to be generated.

    Waiting for avatar's to generate

    Your time to wait may vary depending on the number of photos uploaded and styles selected. You can select whether to receive a notification once your avatars are ready. Click on the black Notify Me When It’s Done button to receive a push notification from Lensa once your avatars have finished generating. Alternatively, you can click the grey Hide This Screen button to continue to use the app while your avatars are generating.

    6. Preview Your Magic Avatars

    Once you receive your notification from Lensa, it’s time to look over your Magic Avatars.

    Lensa's list of avatar packs

    When you click on the notification, you’ll be directed to the Magic Avatars section of Lensa. Now notice that a new pack of Magic Avatars has been created. Click on the pack, and let’s see what’s inside!

    Each style you’ve selected will have an equal number of generations created for it.

    Another example of Lensa generated artwork

    This is an example of the five images that Lensa’s AI created with the Fairy Princess style.

    An example of Lensa generated artwork

    Here’s another example of another set of art that was generated with the Egypt style.

    An example of Lensa generated artwork

    You can then download each individual photo by clicking on it.

    8. Download Your Avatar Images from Lensa

    Once you’ve browsed through the images within your pack of generated avatars, you are presented with a few options. First, click on the image that you’d like to work with.

    Edit, share, download or print your AI generated art

    Once your selected image has opened, you are presented with three options. You can download the image in two resolutions and edit the image with Lensa’s photo editor. Sharing your photos on social media networks, Bluetooth, or email is also possible. Alternatively, you can purchase a physical print of the picture through the Pixels.com service.

    Select your image resolution after editing or before sharing outside of the Lensa AI app

    Before you download, save, or edit your selected photo, you must decide on its resolution. You can download your photo in either 4K or in a 1024 x 1024 JPG. Select the option that works best for you.

    Save all photos generated by the Lensa AI app

    Alternatively, you can download all the photos within the pack. To do this, navigate back to the generated list of photos. Then, click on the Save All link in the top right-hand corner. Finally, select the resolution you’d like your photos to be downloaded.

    That’s it!

    Is Lensa AI Trustworthy?

    While Lensa is a creative and user-friendly app, it has had its fair share of controversy. With so many looking deeper into the repercussions of using AI, Lensa has caught some flack for how it uses the data generated by its AI. Prisma Lab’s privacy policy seemingly leaves room for the company to use your data even after you are finished using the app. It also seems to allow your data to be used to retrain Lensa’s AI, test its AI for quality assurance, and more.

    Additionally, Lensa has had some conflict in how its avatars for people of color and women are generated. Some women had claimed that when they used the app, Lensa’s AI-generated images were sexual, even though the photos they uploaded were far from that. This can be alarming for some users. Also, some people of color have complained that Lensa cannot identify their features, leading to images that are improperly created to match their ethnicity.

    Final Thoughts on Lensa AI

    Although Lensa AI is a fun app for creating interesting images, it has its pitfalls stemming mainly from its Magic Avatars feature. While we cannot tell you whether or not you should use Lensa, we would advise you to exercise caution in using the app. As with any app, it is always a good idea to read the terms and conditions of Lensa AI to see how they manage your data. While this is an uphill task, if you feel unsafe using any AI app, reading how you and your data are in play could give you some peace of mind.

    If you are looking for some alternatives, check out our top AI art generators.

    Have you used Lensa before? How did you find it? Do you think the concerns surrounding the app are valid? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section down below!

    The post Lensa AI App: A Step-By-Step Guide to Magic Avatars (2023) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Get a FREE Marketing Layout Pack for Divi

    Hey Divi Nation! Thanks for joining us for the next installment of our weekly Divi Design Initiative; where each week, we give away a brand new Layout Pack for Divi.

    This time around, the design team has created a beautiful Marketing Layout Pack that’ll help you get your next marketing website up and running in no time!

    This layout pack includes:

    9 Premade page layouts strategically designed for any marketing website (including a footer design)
    – Original, royalty-free photos and graphics + customizable source file (see below)
    – Plus, a large collection of pre-designed website elements that are customizable and reusable anywhere.

    This layout pack is available right inside Divi for all Divi customers for FREE as the latest addition to our growing Divi library of hundreds of premade layout packs, thousands of page designs, and countless web design elements and resources.

    divi layout

    Check Out The Divi Marketing
    Layout Pack Below

    Get it for free today!

    Landing Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Home Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Portfolio Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Project Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Services Page Design

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Service Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    About Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Contact Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Blog Page Design

    Divi marketing layout pack

    View The Live Layout Demo

    Key Features

    If you’re looking to set up a website for your creative marketing business, you’ll want to check out the Marketing Layout Pack for Divi! This layout pack combines modern illustrations with professional page structures. This layout pack will help you, without a doubt, create the branding your company needs!

    Live Demos

    Click the links below to see a live demo for each of the layouts included in the pack.

    1. Marketing Landing Page (live demo)
    2. Marketing Home Page (live demo)
    3. Marketing Portfolio Page (live demo)
    4. Marketing Project Page (live demo)
    5. Marketing Services Page (live demo)
    6. Marketing Service Page (live demo)
    7. Marketing About Page (live demo)
    8. Marketing Contact Page (live demo)
    9. Marketing Blog Page (live demo)

    Access This Layout Right Now
    Directly from Your Divi Builder

    Since Version 3.0.99 of Divi, you can find and import any of the layouts included in this pack (along with ALL of Divi’s Premade Layout packs) directly from the Divi Builder. They are already waiting for you.

    To access your new layout, simply activate the Visual Builder when editing a page and look for the “Load From Library” icon in the page settings bar (it looks like a plus symbol). Click this icon to launch the Load From Library popup. Under the Premade Layouts tab, you can easily find the new layout by scrolling through the list of layout packs. Once you find the Marketing Layout Pack, click on it. You will see all the individual layouts included in the pack. Select the layout you want to use and then click the “Use This Layout” button.

    Divi marketing layout pack

    For more, check out this video to learn how you can get this layout pack up and running today.

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    Authentication Required

    Before you can download Premade Layouts from the Divi Library you must authenticate your Elegant Themes Subscription. You can do this by navigating to Divi > Theme Options > Updates. There you can enter your username and API key and save changes.

    Jewelry Artist Layout Pack for Divi

    You can find your API Key under your members area on the Elegant Themes site. After you enter the Username and API Key, you will gain immediate access to our library of hundreds of free layouts (including this one). If you haven’t done this, when you click to import a layout to your page, you will be prompted to enter your Elegant Themes Membership Username and API Key.

    Use Layout Images for FREE with No Licensing Restrictions

    Divi marketing layout pack

    The image assets included with these layouts (icons, illustrations, photos, etc.) have no licensing restrictions. This means you can use them in all of your commercial projects without having to worry about paying licensing fees or attributing the photographer. Use them in your commercial websites, sell them within your Divi child themes, include them in your own Divi layout packs or just use them on your blog. We know how challenging it can be to find good photos and how confusing and scary the licensing that governs those photos can be. We want to fix that problem for our users.

    Download the Full Res Image Assets

    New Layout Pack Every Week!

    We hope you enjoy this layout pack. We look forward to hearing your opinions in the comment section below. Make sure you check out next week’s layout pack as well!

    The post Get a FREE Marketing Layout Pack for Divi appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • How to Choose Your WordPress Hosting in 2023 (Complete Guide)

    When choosing a WordPress hosting provider, there are many things to consider, including speed, security, support, pricing, and hosting type. Your needs will vary depending on your business type, so it’s important to understand the differences. In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps to take in making your decision, the options available, and our recommendations for hosting partners based on type.

    Let’s dive in.

    What is WordPress Hosting?

    What is WordPress hosting

    WordPress hosting is a type of hosting that specializes in the WordPress content management system (CMS). It typically provides the server setup and resources required to run WordPress efficiently. The best WordPress hosting companies offer features such as automatic updates, excellent security, and optimized performance. WordPress hosts provide either cPanel or a proprietary admin dashboard to make managing websites and their settings user-friendly and intuitive. There are several types, including shared, managed, VPS, cloud, and others, which we’ll explore later in this post.

    Factors to Consider When Choosing WordPress Hosting

    When in the market for a WordPress host, there are a few things you need to consider, including how fast your site will load, the security measure in place, how easy it is to scale, the level of support you can expect, the learning curve, and most importantly, how much it will cost you. Let’s look at what you should think about when purchasing a new WordPress hosting plan.

    Speed and Performance

    In short, a fast website keeps your customers and Google happy. With much of Google’s core web vitals focused on performance, choosing a hosting provider that prioritizes speed is essential. Look for hosts that offer features such as object caching, a free CDN, support for the latest versions of MySQL and PHP, and other speed-boosting features that will help your site rank higher in the search engine ranking pages (SERPs).

    Security Features

    When researching hosting partners, ensure that they offer things like free SSL certificates, web application firewalls (WAF), malware scanning, distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, and the ability to back up and restore your site. Having good security measures in place keeps your website safe from nefarious actors, such as hackers, that would love nothing more than to gain control of your website.

    Scalability

    When choosing a hosting partner, consider the big picture rather than where you are right now. While your business is new, selecting the cheapest hosting provider you can find might be tempting, but it’s important to plan for future growth by ensuring your WordPress site is scalable. Choose a host that can easily alter your plan as your business grows. That way, you’ll avoid costly downtime or potential issues when transferring your site to another host.

    Ease of Use

    Whether you’re new to WordPress or a seasoned professional, finding a host with an intuitive dashboard is important. Most WordPress hosts offer cPanel or something similar to navigate the server’s settings. For example, SiteGround uses a proprietary Site Tools dashboard that allows you to access the file manager, manage FTP accounts, access MySQL and phpMyAdmin, and more. Regardless of the host you choose, research how you’ll manage your server’s settings to ensure you can navigate server-related tasks easily.

    Customer Support

    Server-related issues are one of the most frustrating aspects of being a site owner. When looking for your next hosting provider, evaluate the type of support they have. Pick hosts that offer round-the-clock assistance because you never know what time of day your site will experience a problem. Also, look for multiple ways to contact the host, whether live chat, phone, email, or a combination of all three. Good customer support can provide peace of mind knowing that help is there when needed.

    Pricing

    When researching hosting companies, weigh the features they provide and compare them with the cost. Ultimately, you want to find a hosting provider that balances features and value for your budget. This way, you can ensure you’re getting the most bang for your buck and making a wise investment for the future of your WordPress website.

    What Types of WordPress Hosting Are There?

    There are several different types of WordPress hosting, each with its features and benefits. The most common types are shared, managed, dedicated, VPS, cloud, and reseller hosting. We’ll explain each type and who they are best suited for.

    Shared WordPress Hosting

    The most affordable option for WordPress hosting is shared. Its name is based on the idea of a shared server that is divided into sections, then distributed amongst multiple clients. In addition to sharing server space, those with shared hosting also divide up server resources, such as ram, bandwidth, and disk space, which can result in less-than-stellar performance. One benefit of shared hosting is the ability to take a more hands-off approach. As a shared hosting customer, you won’t have to worry about maintaining the server’s security or updates. The downside is that shared hosting is slower, making it suited for those who have small informational websites or blogs.

    Managed WordPress Hosting

    For those looking for a more hands-off approach, managed WordPress hosting is an excellent solution. While all hosting types can be managed or unmanaged, a managed hosting provider handles all the heavy lifting, such as server security patches, maintenance, and updates. They also implement specialized server settings to enhance your WordPress website’s speed and performance.

    Managed hosting is great for site owners who want the best for their sites but lack the time or expertise to maintain them personally. However, there is a trade-off with managed hosting: the freedom to choose plugins may be limited, as managed providers often have a list of disallowed plugins. That said, these restrictions are usually in place because the host offers settings to control caching, image compression, and other performance-enhancing features.

    Dedicated WordPress Hosting

    This type of WordPress hosting is designed for larger sites, big web agencies, or freelancers who want a server they plan to maintain themselves. Dedicated hosting allows you to lease an entire server with dedicated resources exclusively for your websites. The main benefit of it is not having to share your server’s resources with other clients. You’ll generally get the highest-performing server with excellent security features. Still, you’ll be responsible for troubleshooting any errors that arise. We should also note that dedicated hosting is much more expensive than other types, such as shared, VPS, or managed.

    VPS WordPress Hosting

    VPS hosting is similar to shared hosting in that you share a server with other customers. That said, there are quite a few differences. With VPS, you share physical hardware with others but have your own resources, such as RAM, storage, and bandwidth. This gives you a server environment that functions more like a dedicated server. Because of this, you benefit from a private server without the added cost of dedicated hosting.

    Cloud WordPress Hosting

    With cloud hosting, multiple servers are utilized to distribute resources, resulting in much faster delivery of your site’s content to visitors. Because of this unique setup, websites hosted in the cloud have access to almost unlimited resources offering faster speeds, a platform that is easily scalable, and superior reliability than other hosting types. Cloud hosting providers often provide excellent uptime thanks to automatic failover protection, which allows your site’s files to be quickly swapped to a different server in case of a hardware failure.

    Reseller WordPress Hosting

    The last type of WordPress hosting is reseller hosting. Similar to dedicated hosting, reseller hosting allows you to lease an entire server (or a portion of one), then rent it out in pieces to your clients. You can usually white-label WordPress so it appears as a customized hosting plan offered by your company, rather than the company you purchase from. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for a managed hosting provider to offer reseller hosting, reducing the time you’ll need to spend maintaining client websites.

    WordPress Hosting Recommendations

    We realize that choosing a WordPress hosting provider can be a huge undertaking. That said, now that your brain is full of WordPress hosting knowledge, we have compiled an excellent option for each type of hosting. Whether you’re content with a shared budget option or a more robust dedicated solution, these hosting providers are at the top of their game.

    Best Managed WordPress Hosting: SiteGround

    best managed WordPress hosting

    SiteGround is widely known as being the best managed WordPress hosting provider you can get. With all of their features, it’s easy to see why. You’ll get a huge speed bump thanks to a cloud-based infrastructure, free website migrations, an SSL certificate, CDN, email, WP-CLI, SSH, and FTP access, excellent caching capabilities through the SG Optimizer plugin, and more.

    Key Features of SiteGround:

    • 10 GB storage
    • Free SSL, CDN, email, backups, and migration
    • 10,000 monthly visits
    • Unmetered traffic

    As previously mentioned, the site tools dashboard is packed full of features for managing your hosting plan. You can easily monitor your site’s traffic statistics, bandwidth, and disk space, access security features such as backups, SSL certificates, and a site scanner, make speed enhancements through caching and Cloudflare CDN, and more.

    Best For:

    SiteGround is an excellent choice for those looking for a stellar managed WordPress host. Customer support is stellar, the site tools dashboard is feature-rich, and the Google Cloud backbone provides lightning-fast speeds.

    If you’d like to learn more about SiteGround, check out our comprehensive review.

    Pricing: $14.95 per month.

    Get SiteGround

    Best Shared WordPress Hosting: Bluehost

    Bluehost best shared wordpress hosting

    If you are most concerned with finding a good budget hosting provider, then check out Bluehost. As one of the three hosting providers recommended by WordPress, Bluehost has plenty of bang for your buck. Even their most basic plan comes standard with freebies like a domain for one year, an SSL, CDN, and at least 10 GB of solid state drive (SSD) storage.

    Key Features of Bluehost:

    • Free domain for 1 year
    • 10GB SSD storage
    • Free CDN and SSL
    • Unmetered bandwidth
    • Free WordPress themes

    One of the best things about Bluehost is the dashboard. All tools are clearly marked, so they are easy to find. Additionally, there are a few attractive features for new business owners, such as free email accounts, marketing tools, and plenty of add-ons to upgrade your plan should the need arise.

    Best For:

    While Bluehost is a good budget host, there are some drawbacks. You must sign up for a one-year plan to take advantage of that low price. If you already have a website, you’ll need to migrate it yourself or employ Bluehost to do it for you. If that isn’t a dealbreaker for you, Bluehost might be a good fit.

    If you’d like to learn more about Bluehost, read our in-depth review.

    Pricing: $35.40 for one year of hosting.

    Get Bluehost

    Best Dedicated WordPress Hosting: DreamHost

    DreamHost dedicated hosting

    When considering dedicated WordPress hosting, you’ll find an excellent solution with DreamHost. You have the freedom to choose each aspect of your server, from the hard drive, down to what type of CPU you want. DreamHost offers a 100% uptime guarantee, excellent technical support, and the ability to configure your server however you’d like.

    Key Features of DreamHost:

    • DDoS protection
    • Reseller hosting available
    • 100% uptime guarantee
    • At least 1 TB of storage

    The best feature of DreamHost is the ability to set up your server by specifying how many CPU cores, storage, and memory you need, giving you the ultimate freedom to build a plan that meets your specific needs. All plans have a free dedicated IP address, full root and shell access (SSH), DDoS protection, and 24/7/365 expert-level support.

    Best For:

    Developers or tech-savvy business owners will love DreamHost for their affordable, dedicated hosting plans. You can white-label WordPress if you want to sell off pieces of your server to start a web hosting business and have a lightning-fast environment that ensures your websites will be fast, reliable, and make money in no time.

    Pricing: $149 per month (billed annually), or $169 per month without contract requirements.

    Get DreamHost

    Best VPS WordPress Hosting: Hostinger

    Hostinger WordPress VPS hosting

    We rated DreamHost as our top pick for VPS hosting, but Hostinger is a strong second because of its unbelievably low pricing and features. Plans start at an incredible $8.99 per month and come standard with at least 2 GB of RAM, 40 GB of SSD storage, and 2 TB of bandwidth, giving you plenty of bang for your buck.

    Key Features of Hostinger:

    • Dedicated IP address
    • Weekly backups
    • AI-powered firewall
    • Choose from CentOS, Ubuntu, or Debian OS

    With every VPS plan, you’ll get excellent features like weekly backups, a strong 100mb/s network, IP4V & IPV6 support, and a dedicated IP address. They also offer an AI-powered firewall that constantly scans network traffic to instantly identify and block any shenanigans. Additionally, a nice snapshot feature can be used to restore your site to a specific point should disaster strike. Besides those maintenance features, you’re on your own, so keep that in mind if you partner with Hostinger.

    Best For:

    Like a dedicated hosting plan, Hostinger VPS plans require at least some server maintenance knowledge because you’ll be responsible for important updates and security patches. Because of this, Hostinger is ideally suited for developers or site owners who know their way around a WordPress server and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. If you get in a pinch, their customer support can happily solve any issue.

    Pricing: $8.99 per month.

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    Best Cloud WordPress Hosting: Pressable

    best WordPress cloud hosting

    Pressable is an excellent option for cloud WordPress hosting, thanks to a simple interface and features such as automatic WordPress and plugin updates, free migrations, and staging. Pressable’s most notable feature is its blazing-fast cloud infrastructure, perfectly optimized for WordPress. This should be no surprise because Pressable was created by the same folks who made WordPress – Automattic.

    Key Features of Pressable:

    • Expert level support
    • Automatic failover system
    • 20 GB storage
    • 30,000 monthly visitors

    Another notable feature of Pressable is its advanced security features, which include staples such as automatic malware scanning and removal, DDoS attack protection, a proprietary firewall, and an automatic failover system. With features like this, you can rest assured your site is safe and sound.

    Best For:

    Pressable cloud hosting is the perfect solution for balancing speed, support, and features. You’ll get a lightning-fast website with superior security features at an attractive price. Plus, there’s room for growth. Should you need to update your plan, you can easily do so with Pressable’s one-click plan upgrade feature that allocates more resources without downtime.

    Do you want to learn more about Pressable? Check out our hands-on overview.

    Pricing: $25 per month.

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    Best Reseller WordPress Hosting: LiquidWeb

    best wordpress reseller hosting - liquidweb

    LiquidWeb is one of the best options for reseller hosting providers. However, they offer a unique approach compared to other reseller hosting providers. With LiquidWeb, you must first sign up for a hosting plan, then apply to be a part of their reseller program. Don’t let that deter you, though, as it’s been our experience that process takes little time.

    Key Features of LiquidWeb:

    • Choose between VPS and dedicated hosting plans
    • 250 GB of Acronis backups
    • Automate customer billing
    • Unlimited websites

    Perhaps the most useful feature of LiquidWeb’s reseller program is the WHMCS license that allows you to create custom hosting packages, services, and add-ons that you can brand, then sell to your customers. Additionally, a built-in invoicing system allows you to easily keep up with client invoices, payments, and renewals.

    Best For:

    LiquidWeb offers affordable solutions for reseller hosting plans, so it appeals to a large demographic. Whether you’re a small business owner, web agency, or freelancer looking to build a lucrative side hustle, LiquidWeb is an excellent choice for any budget.

    Pricing: $99 per month.

    Get LiquidWeb

    Final Thoughts on Choosing the Right WordPress Hosting

    Finding the best WordPress hosting platform for your business doesn’t have to be scary. Sure, there are many options out there, but when armed with the right information, you can make an informed decision about what’s best for your specific situation. In this post, we’ve given you all the tools you need to make a confident decision. If you’re still on the fence, opt for an excellent host such as SiteGround. You’ll likely find what you need with their shared, managed, cloud, and reseller offerings.

    Now that you’re up to speed on how to choose a WordPress host, you can start shopping for one. Check out some of our hosting reviews to research the best provider to use in WordPress:

    Featured Image via ranjith ravindran / Shutterstock.com

    The post How to Choose Your WordPress Hosting in 2023 (Complete Guide) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Divi Product Highlight: Divi Social Plus

    Are you looking for an easy way to display your Instagram and Twitter posts on your website? Divi Social Plus is a plugin that adds 5 new social media modules to the Divi Builder. With this plugin, you can connect your Instagram and Twitter accounts to display fully customizable social media feeds and carousels. The plugin also comes with a social media share module that can also be fully customized and added to your layouts. In this plugin highlight, we’ll take a look at Divi Social Plus to help you decide if it’s the right social media plugin for you.

    Let’s get started!

    Installing Divi Social Plus

    To install Divi Social Plus, navigate to the Plugin page in the WordPress dashboard and click Add New. Click Choose File and select the .ZIP plugin file, then click Install Now.

    Divi Social Plus Install

    Once the plugin is installed, click activate.

    Divi Social Plus Activate

    Get Instagram Access Token

    In order to connect an account and display images with the Instagram modules, you need to generate an Instagram Access Token. The plugin author has some documentation you can follow to set up everything and get the App ID and App Secret you need to generate the Instagram Access Token.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Access Token

    Divi Social Plus

    The plugin adds 5 new social media modules to the Divi Builder: Instagram Feed, Instagram Carousel, Social Share, Twitter Feed, and Twitter Carousel. Let’s take a look at each module.

    Divi Social Plus Modules

    Instagram Feed

    With this module, you can display your Instagram posts in a feed anywhere on your website. Let’s take a look at the settings.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed

    Content Settings

    Under the Instagram Feed settings, you can add your generated Access Token. Once added, your Instagram photos will appear in the Visual Builder and on your website.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Access Token

    Instagram Settings

    In the Instagram Settings section, you can set the data cache time and cache timeout time. You can also choose to show the icon and caption on hover and set the number of Instagram posts to display.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Instagram Settings

    Additionally, you can enable the image link, show the post caption, set a custom item height, and enable RTL support.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Instagram Settings

    Other Content Settings

    You can also set a link, background color, and admin label in the content tab settings.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Background

    Design Settings

    Let’s take a look at the design settings.

    Instagram

    Under the Instagram tab, you can select the layout, the number of columns, and the gap between items. In addition to the grid layout pictured above, you can also choose the masonry layout or the highlight layout. This is the masonry layout.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Masonry Layout

    This is the highlight layout. When this layout is selected, you can choose to highlight every few images, making them appear larger in the grid.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Instagram Settings

    Overlay

    In the overlay settings, you can set the Instagram icon color and icon size, the overlay background color, and fully customize the caption text styles.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Overlay

    Caption

    Here you can change the styling of the caption, if enabled. You can set the padding and caption background, and customize the caption text styles.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Caption

    Other Design Settings

    In addition to these unique design settings, you can also customize the sizing, spacing, border, box shadow, filters, transform, and animation options for the Instagram feed module.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Feed Design Settings

    Instagram Carousel

    With the Instagram carousel module, you can showcase Instagram photos on your website in an engaging carousel format. Let’s take a closer look.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel

    Content Settings

    First, you need to add the Access Token you generated to the field in the Instagram Feed settings. Then your images will appear in the carousel.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Access Token

    Instagram Settings

    Here you can set the data cache time and cache timeout type, show or hide the icon and caption on hover, set the number of Instagram posts to show, enable the image link, and show or hide the caption below the image.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Instagram Settings

    Carousel Settings

    There are two tabs in the carousel settings – general and advanced. First, let’s take a look at the general tab. Here you can set the animation speed, enable autoplay and set the autoplay speed, enable navigation, and enable pagination. You can also enable fixed width slide and set a width for each image.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Carousel Settings

    If fixed width slide is not enabled, you can specify the number of slides to show. In this section, you can also set the spacing between slides, choose whether to apply spacing on the first and last item, and enable infinite looping.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Carousel Settings

    In the advanced tab of the carousel settings, you can set the sliding CSS transition type. You can choose from linear, ease-in, or ease-in-out. You can also enable swipe navigation and set the number of items to scroll. Here, you can also enable vertical mode to display your Instagram photos in a vertical carousel.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Vertical Mode

    You can also enable center mode for the carousel. With this mode enabled, you can select from classic or highlighted. Here is what the highlighted center mode layout looks like, it features the center image larger than the surrounding images.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Center Mode

    Also in this section, you can enable the wait for animate setting, which ignores requests to advance the slide during animation, and you can enable a custom cursor that appears over the slider.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Custom Cursor

    Here is the grab cursor style.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Custom Cursor Example

    Finally, you can adjust the top and bottom wrapper spacing and enable RTL support.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Wrapper RTL Settings

    Other Content Settings

    You can also customize the module link, background styles, and admin label within the content tab.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Background

    Design Settings

    Many of the design settings for the Instagram Carousel module are similar to the settings for the Instagram Feed module. Let’s take a look.

    Instagram

    In this section, you can set the image height.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Image Height

    Overlay

    In the overlay section, you can customize the Instagram icon color and icon size, as well as the overlay background color and caption font styles. Here I have set a solid overlay color that appears on hover.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Overlay

    Caption

    Here is where you can customize the styling of the caption shown below the image, if enabled. You can set the padding, caption background, and font styles.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Caption

    Navigation

    There are three tabs of settings in the navigation section: Common, Prev, and Next. First, let’s take a look at the common tab. Here you can choose from navigation types A or B. Type A features an arrow on either side of the carousel. Type B features both arrows closer together, as pictured here. You can adjust the vertical and horizontal placement, the height and width, and icon size.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Navigation

    In this section, you can also set the icon color and background, skew the icons, adjust the spacing between icons, set the vertical position, enable horizontal position center, and adjust the border.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Navigation

    In the prev and next tabs, you can set the navigation icons and set the border radius.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Navigation

    Pagination

    In the pagination settings you can select from the dot type or number type of navigation. You can also select the alignment, the pagination background color, height and width, border width, vertical position, and spacing. Under the active tab you can set the active pagination background, text color, and width.

    Divi Social Plus Instagram Carousel Pagination

    Other Design Settings

    Also in the design tab you can customize the sizing, spacing, border, box shadow, filters, transform, and animation options.

    Social Share

    The social share module adds a social network share button to your page. Each social share item is added to the module individually under the content tab.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share

    Sharing Item Settings

    Each individual sharing item can be added under the Content tab and has its own settings page.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Settings

    Under the content tab of the settings window for the sharing item you can set the network type, specify the share text, change the background, and set the admin label. You can choose to display buttons for Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, Pinterest, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Viber, Tumblr, Reddit, Email, VK, and Telegram.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Networks

    Under the design tab you can customize the icon, text, border, box shadow, spacing, filters, and transform styles.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Design Settings

    Content Settings

    Now let’s take a look at the settings in the content tab of the social share module. Most settings are under the settings section, aside from the background styles and admin label.

    Under the settings section you can choose from a horizontal or vertical placement. Here is the vertical layout.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Placement

    You can also choose from the classic layout (pictured above) or the modern layout, pictured here. With the display type option you can choose from the block layout, which spans the length of your block, or an inline block layout like this. If the modern layout is selected, you can also show an icon arrow and change the icon placement.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Layout

    If the classic layout is selected you can set the content alignment. You can also show or enable the share text, set the button alignment, the button spacing gap, and enable RTL support.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Layout Classic

    Design Settings

    In the design tab, you can customize the design of all social share buttons.

    General

    Here you can set the button padding, button background, and button border styles.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Button Background

    Icon

    In the icon settings, you can change the icon spacing gap, arrow color, icon color, size, wrapper height and width, background color, padding, rounded corners, and border styles.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Icon

    Text

    In the text settings, you can style the button text.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Text

    Other Design Settings

    Also in the design tab, you can customize the border, box shadow, sizing, spacing, filters, transform, and animation styles for the social share buttons.

    Divi Social Plus Social Share Other Design Settings

    Twitter Feed

    With this module, you can add a Twitter feed to your website layout. Let’s take a closer look at the settings.

    Content Settings

    Twitter Feed

    Under the Twitter Feed options, add the username for the Twitter account you would like to display Tweets from.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Username

    Elements

    Here you can set how the feed is sorted: by recent posts, old posts, favorites, or retweets. You can also set the number of Tweets to show, and enable or disable the following elements: Twitter logo, user image, name, user name, date, favorite, retweet, and read more. You can also change the read more text.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Elements

    Grid Settings

    In the grid settings, you can set the number of columns, change the column gaps, and enable RTL support.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Grid Settings

    Other Content Settings

    In addition to these options, you can also set the module link, background, and admin label in the content tab.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Background

    Design Settings

    In the design tab, you can customize how the Twitter feed looks.

    Tweets Box

    Here, you can set the Tweet box alignment, Twitter icon alignment, padding, background, and border styles.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Tweets Background

    User Avatar

    In the user avatar settings you can change the profile image size, set the avatar spacing, add rounded corners, and modify the border styles.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed User Avatar

    User Text

    The user text settings are separated by the Name tab and the Username tab, so you can set different styles for each.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed User Text

    Content

    This is where you can customize the styling of the Tweet content. These options are also separated into three tabs for different styling: Description, Read More, and Date. You can customize the font styles and colors for each of these elements. You can also adjust the bottom spacing in the description settings.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Content

    Footer

    Here you can set the footer alignment and padding as well as the text and icon colors and sizes for the favorite and retweet indicators.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Footer

    Other Design Settings

    Additionally, you can customize the sizing, spacing, filters, transform, and animation styles for the Twitter feed module.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Design Settings

    Twitter Carousel

    This module allows you to add a carousel of Tweets to your website.

    Content Settings

    Twitter Feed

    Here you can add the username for the Twitter account you would like to display Tweets from.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Feed Username

    Twitter Settings

    Under the Twitter settings, you can select the sort type, the number of Tweets to show, and enable or disable the following: Twitter logo, user image, name, user name, date, favorite, retweet, and read more. You can customize the read more text here as well.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Twitter Settings

    Carousel Settings

    In the general tab you can set the animation speed, enable autoplay, set the autoplay speed, enable pagination, enable fixed width slides, select the number of slides to show, adjust the slide spacing, apply spacing on the first and last item, enable infinite looping, and equalize column heights.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Settings

    In the advanced tab, you can select the CSS transition type, enable swipe, set the number of items to scroll, enable vertical mode, enable center mode, wait for animate, enable custom cursor, adjust the wrapper spacing, and enable RTL support.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Advanced Carousel Settings

    Here is the carousel with center mode enabled and the highlight layout type selected.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Center Mode

    Other Content Settings

    You can also set a module link, change the background styles, and set an admin label in the content tab.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Content Settings

    Design Settings

    In the design tab, you can completely customize the styling of the Twitter carousel. Let’s take a closer look.

    Tweets Box

    Here you can set the content alignment, Twitter icon alignment, Twitter icon size, padding, background, and border styles for each Tweet.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Tweets Box

    User Avatar

    In the user avatar settings you can set the profile image size, avatar spacing, rounded corners, and border styles.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel User Avatar

    User Text

    In the user text settings, you can customize the font styles for the name and username.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel User Text

    Content

    Here you can customize the font styles for the Tweet content, the read more link, and the date.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Content

    Footer

    In the footer settings, you can set footer alignment and padding. You can also customize the text and icon colors and sizes for the favorite and retweet indicators.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Footer

    Navigation

    You can enable two types of navigation: Type A and Type B. This is type A, with the navigation on each side of the carousel module. Here you can also set the height and width of the navigation icons, set the icon size, color, and background, enable a skew effect, set the vertical and horizontal position, and set the border styles. In the Prev and Next tabs, you can set the icons and border radius for each button.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Navigation

    Pagination

    In the pagination settings, you can choose between number or dot style navigation. This is the number navigation style. You can customize the alignment, text color, text size, background, height, width, border radius, vertical position, and spacing.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Pagination

    In the active tab, you can set the styles for the active pagination item.

    Divi Social Plus Twitter Carousel Active Pagination

    Other Design Settings

    You can also customize the sizing, spacing, filters, transform, and animation options in the design tab.

    Purchase Divi Social Plus

    Divi Social Plus is available in the Divi Marketplace. It costs $49 for unlimited website usage and 1 year of support and updates. The price also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

    Purchase Divi Social Plus

    Final Thoughts

    Divi Social Plus adds five new social media modules to the Divi Builder, allowing you to integrate your social media content on your website. With Divi Social Plus, you can add Instagram and Twitter feeds and carousels as well as social sharing buttons to your website. Each module comes with many different configuration options and design settings that allow you to have full control over the design of the social media modules. If you’re looking for a way to integrate a social media feed on your Divi website, this plugin may be a great solution for you.

    We would love to hear from you! Have you tried Divi Social Plus? Let us know what you think about it in the comments!

    The post Divi Product Highlight: Divi Social Plus appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • How to Host Your WordPress Website Locally in 2023 (Tutorial)

    WordPress is one of the world’s most popular content management systems (CMS), powering close to 43% of the internet. As a web developer, there are times when you prefer to host WordPress locally. In this post, we’ll explain local hosting and its benefits and provide a few ways to do it. Let’s dive in.

    What is Local Hosting?

    Local hosting, often referred to as local development, is the process of creating a web server on your computer to build, test, and experiment with websites before hosting them on the internet. Local hosting is a great way to test your website’s design, functionality, and performance without needing a live connection.

    Let’s break down the requirements before we get into the programs you can use to host your WordPress websites locally.

    • A computer running either Windows, Linux, or MacOS
    • A web browser
    • Web server software
    • A text editor for writing code
    • A stable internet connection (for pushing your site live)

    What Are the Benefits of Hosting WordPress Locally?

    There are several reasons why you should host WordPress locally. It allows beginners to learn how WordPress works and how to develop websites without pressure. New users won’t have to worry about breaking a live website or paying for a hosting provider. Additionally, it allows developers to test a website before pushing it live. You can try out different themes and plugins, explore adding custom code and other functionalities, and determine how they affect your website’s performance.

    4 Ways to Install WordPress Locally

    There are multiple ways to install WordPress locally. The method you choose depends on the type of operating system you’re using and, in some cases, which host you plan to push your local sites to when they are ready to be deployed. Let’s walk through the methods you can use to install WordPress locally, so you can decide which way is best for your unique situation.

    Installing WordPress on Windows with WampServer

    host wordpress locally with WampServer

    WampServer is a software for Windows that allows you to set up a local environment for WordPress. It integrates Apache, MySQL, and PHP on a Windows computer, so you can create and test web applications locally before pushing them live. The setup process is quite easy, only taking a few minutes. If you’d like to learn more about WampServer and how to install it, check out our post on how to install WordPress.

    Installing WordPress on MacOS with MAMP

    host wordpress locally with MAMP

    If you’re an Apple user, MAMP is an excellent choice for building WordPress websites locally. You can add as many sites as you like, personalize its settings to suit your needs, and connect MAMP to your remote host to push your sites live easily. We won’t go into depth on how to configure MAMP’s settings here, as we have the ultimate guide to MAMP Pro for WordPress users on our blog.

    Using Local by Flywheel

    host wordpress locally with Local by Flywheel

    Another way to set up a local server for WordPress is by using a program provided by your hosting provider. One such program is Local by Flywheel. It easily allows you to set up a local environment and then effortlessly push your site live to Flywheel or WP Engine.

    If you’re a Flywheel or WP Engine customer, Local is a no-brainer. It allows you to add as many sites as you wish and provides a straightforward route to installing WordPress locally. To learn more about how Local works and how to install it, check out our post Local by Flywheel: An Excellent Tools for Local WordPress Development.

    Installing WordPress Locally with XAMPP

    host wordpress locally with XAMPP

    XAMPP is an open-source software platform that allows users to set up a local server environment. XAMPP, which is short for cross-platform (X), Apache (A), MySQL(M), PHP (P), and Perl (P), is available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux operating systems. It’s an incredible tool for developers to test websites or applications before deploying them to a live server. It’s easy to install and configure, allowing developers to mimic a server environment in a few minutes.

    This guide will walk you through the steps to install XAMPP on your machine and configure its settings. Let’s get started.

    Step 1: Downloading the Software

    To download XAMPP, navigate to the Apache Friends website and select the appropriate version for your operating system. You can choose between Windows, Linux, or MacOS. For this tutorial, we’ll be using the MacOS version. Once downloaded, run the application installer.

    Download XAMPP

    MacOS has a safety feature that prohibits software from unverified developers from being downloaded and installed. If you get this notification, press and hold the option button on your Mac to reveal the options window. From there, click open. This will override Apple’s security settings and allow you to install the software.

    Step 2: Download WordPress and Add it to XAMPP

    The next step is to download WordPress. Click the download WordPress 6.2.2 button to download WP to your computer.

    download WordPress

    Next, we need to add WP to XAMPP. To do this, click the open application folder button on the XAMPP welcome screen.

    open application folder

    When the folder opens, double-click the htdocs folder to open it.

    htdocs

    Then, you’ll right-click within the htdocs folder and click new folder to add a home for your WordPress files. Right-click on your new folder to rename it, then double-click to open it.

    install WordPress locally

    Finally, locate the WordPress zip file you downloaded from the WP repository. Double-click to unzip it, then drag the contents of the WordPress folder into the new folder you created within htdocs.

    drag files into hotdogs

    Step 3: Configuring the Settings

    Now that you have the WordPress files where they need to go, you’ll need to configure the settings for it to work. Navigate to xampp/htdocs/your WordPress folder, then locate the wp-config-sample.php file. Right-click on it, then click open. This will allow you to open and edit the file with your favorite text editor.

    edit wp config

    In the PHP file, locate the line that begins with // ** Database settings. Next, we’ll need to enter a database name on this line:

    define( 'DB_NAME', 'xx' );
    

    Swap xx with the database name of your choice. Write it down and keep it safe because you’ll need it in the next step. Next, we’ll need to specify a username and password for our database. Specify root for the database username. As for the password, you can leave it blank. Now, your wp-config file should look like this:

    define( 'DB_NAME', 'your-DB-name' );
    
    /** Database username **/
    define( 'DB_USER', 'root' );
    
    /** Database password **/
    define( 'DB_PASSWORD', '');
    

    edit wp-config

    Save the file and close it. Next, right-click on the wp-config-sample.php file to rename it wp-config.php.

    rename wp-config

    Step 4: Launching the Control Panel

    The next step is to start the XAMPP server. Start with opening XAMPP. Click the manage servers tab, then click Start to launch your server.

    start XAMPP servers

    Open your browser, type localhost/phpmyadmin into the search, then press enter. This will bring up the pmpMyAdmin panel so that we can create a database for our WordPress site.

    Step 5: Creating the Database

    Using the database name from the wp-config.php file in step 3, click on Databases in phpmyAdmin. Next, under the Create database header, type in your database name from the previous steps and click create. After creating your database, look for it in the database list.

    create database

    Step 6: Configuring WordPress

    The final step to host WordPress locally is to configure the WordPress settings. Type localhost/yourwebsite in your browser. Be sure to change yourwebsite to whatever you named your WordPress folder in htdocs. When the page loads, you’ll see the WordPress configuration screen. Give your site a title, create a username and password, add your email, tick the search engine visibility checkbox, and then click Install WordPress. Note your username and password; you’ll need it to log in to WordPress.

    Configure WordPress

    Finally, you can log in to your site by navigating to localhost/yourwebsite/wp-admin. That’s it! You’ve successfully installed WordPress on your local machine.

    Want to Host Your Website Online? Here Are Our Top Picks

    As previously mentioned, hosting WordPress locally is a great way to build your new site in a private environment. Eventually, you must push your site live to a web host. If you are looking for a new host, read on because we have a few recommendations.

    1. SiteGround

    SiteGround best WordPress hosting

    When we recommend hosting providers, SiteGround is usually at the top of our list. This is primarily due to the extensive security features that they offer, including daily backups, a free SSL certificate, and a web application firewall (WAF). Additionally, SiteGround’s servers are optimized for WordPress, resulting in lightning-fast loading times and improved web performance due to their cloud infrastructure. Because of this speedy setup, SiteGround is the fastest WordPress hosting company you can get.

    Key Features of SiteGround:

    • Free site migration, CDN, email, and SSL
    • Daily backups
    • Optimized for WordPress
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
    • Enhanced security features

    Another thing that makes SiteGround shine is its customer support. It offers a convenient 24-hour, 7-day-a-week live chat feature and a knowledgeable support staff that can easily solve any problem. Plus, SiteGround is one of the most affordable solutions on the market. Their plans start at $14.99 per month but usually are offered at a steep discount for your first month.

    Best For:

    Overall, SiteGround is one of the best WordPress hosting platforms out there. They are suited for beginners, small businesses, and large agencies due to the different plans they offer. If you’re looking for a fast, reliable host to partner with, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option.

    Pricing: Starting at $14.99 per month.

    Get SiteGround

    2. WP Engine

    wpengine hosting

    Another excellent option is WP Engine. Those hosting their websites locally through Local by Flywheel software can easily push their site live to WP Engine with one click. This is an excellent feature for those looking to build their websites behind closed doors before revealing them to the world. Some stellar features of WP Engine are its speed boost through cloud hosting, EverCache, a proprietary CDN, a staging environment for making large changes to your sites, and free migration.

    Key Features of WP Engine:

    • Free migration, SSL, staging, and CDN
    • Automatic WP and PHP updates
    • 60-day money-back guarantee
    • 10 Free WordPress themes

    WP Engine has features to make hosting your WordPress website a dream. Security is a non-issue thanks to a global CDN with over 200 data centers, 24/7 customer support, auto-renewing SSL, and SSH access, daily malware scans, and advanced direct denial of service (DDoS) attacks. Plus, you’ll get instant access to a wealth of site-building tools, including 10 WordPress themes built on the Genesis framework, a 1-click staging environment, and the ability to easily transfer sites in and out. This feature is useful for freelancers or agencies who build client websites and want to pass them off when finished.

    Best For:

    Combining Local by Flywheel with WP Engine is a perfect solution for those who want to build websites locally and push them live with little effort. Plus, freelancers and web agencies will love the ease with which they can transfer sites to their clients once completed. If you’re looking for a solid cloud hosting provider, then WordPress is worth a try.

    Pricing: Starting at $20 per month.

    Get WP Engine

    3. Flywheel

    Flywheel WordPress hosting

    Our last recommendation, Flywheel, is a WordPress-optimized host built on a speedy Google Cloud environment. With Flywheel, users can easily manage their WordPress sites with features such as automatic nightly backups, easy 1-click staging environments, and site cloning. They offer free SSL certificates, malware removal, and daily site scans, so you can rest assured your site will be safe for visitors. Because of these incredible features, Flywheel is one of the best managed WordPress hosting providers available.

    Key Features of Flywheel:

    Flywheel uses a blazing-fast Google Cloud infrastructure, which is constantly monitored for traffic spikes, then scales up instantly to allow maximum uptime. Combined with their custom caching solution, Flycache, your site will be one of the fastest. Flywheel’s server also employs auto-healing technology to fix itself in case of a hardware failure, giving you added peace of mind. Additionally, there’s no confusing cPanel to fool with, as Flywheel uses a custom interface, which is beginner-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate. They also offer the ability to white-label WordPress, which makes them one of the best reseller hosting providers out there.

    Best For:

    Flywheel is an excellent option for freelancers and small web agencies specializing in WordPress. Flywheel has perfected the hosting experience as a WordPress-only host to make green WordPress users feel right at home. With affordable pricing, a cloud infrastructure, and the ability to scale your plan with one click, you’re sites will be in good hands with Flywheel.

    Pricing: Starting at $13 per month (billed annually).

    Get Flywheel

    Final Thoughts on Hosting WordPress Locally

    Hosting your WordPress website locally is a great way to test your website before going live. You can explore different themes and plugins, learn the ins and outs of WordPress, and explore new functionalities without having to worry about breaking your live site. In this post, we’ve provided you with an easy-to-follow setup guide on different ways to host WordPress locally, so you’ll be confident to try it on your own. When you’re ready to push your site live, you can easily do so with XAMPP, WP Engine, or Flywheel.

    Want to read up on more how-to articles? Check out a few of our popular WordPress-related posts here:

    Which method do you use to host WordPress locally? Let us know in the comments section below.

    Featured Image via hasan as’ari / Shutterstock.com

    The post How to Host Your WordPress Website Locally in 2023 (Tutorial) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • What is WordPress Hosting? A Breakdown of Different Hosting Solutions

    Website hosting is one of the most important aspects of any online business. Making the wrong choice can result in a slow website with high bounce rates and lost revenue. In this post, we’ll dig deep into the specifics of WordPress hosting, discuss the types of hosting available, and provide you with some things to look for when selecting the perfect host. But first, what is WordPress hosting? Let’s dive in.

    What is Web Hosting?

    Web hosting involves storing your website’s files and data on a server, making it accessible to users on the internet. A server is a large computer that stores and processes data for your website. When someone types your domain name into their browser, the server sends the requested files to their device, allowing them to view your site.

    What is WordPress Hosting?

    What is WordPress hosting

    WordPress hosting is a type of web hosting specifically designed for hosting WordPress websites. A good WordPress hosting plan optimizes your WordPress site to meet all speed, security, and performance requirements, with features such as caching, backups, ample storage, and adequate bandwidth. Generally, WordPress hosting plans offer easy, one-click installation for WordPress, automatic updates, scalability, and good customer support.

    Types of WordPress Hosting?

    You have several options when choosing the best hosting type for your WordPress site. Each type has advantages and disadvantages, and the best choice for you will depend on your budget, technical expertise, and website requirements. Let’s explore the different types of WordPress hosting available.

    Shared WordPress Hosting

    As the most popular and affordable solution, shared hosting is favored by new, growing, and budget-conscious businesses. However, the lower price often comes at a cost, as shared hosting involves resources (and customers) sharing the same server. The downside to shared hosting is its low performance. It can be unstable because you’re sharing a portion of a server with other people. Sometimes, peak traffic will absorb the server’s resources, causing downtime or, at the very least, reduced speeds.

    Best Cheap WordPress Hosting

    However, there are a few good, cheap WordPress hosts out there that utilize shared hosting. The important thing to consider here is that the size of your website matters. You’ll likely be fine with shared hosting if you have a 3-5 page informational website with a few hits per month. On the other hand, if you have an ecommerce or high-traffic website, it might be smarter to go with a VPS host for better performance.

    Dedicated WordPress Hosting

    Dedicated hosting works very differently from shared hosting. Instead of dividing server resources amongst multiple customers, dedicated hosting provides a dedicated machine with its own resources for your website. It eliminates the shortcomings of shared hosting, gives you a solid performance boost, and offers a much more stable environment.

    Best Dedicated WordPress Hosting

    However, there are some cons to dedicated hosting. Maintenance can be quite challenging, as with most dedicated hosting providers, you are responsible for the upkeep of your server. You’ll either need to manage things yourself or hire a professional to monitor resources, deploy updates, install security patches, protect against hackers, and more. Another con is the cost. As a general rule, dedicated hosting is much more expensive than any other type of hosting, so it’s best suited for businesses with a healthy budget.

    VPS WordPress Hosting

    Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a compelling option for users seeking a blend of shared and dedicated hosting. With VPS hosting, users can enjoy their virtual server with dedicated resources where only the hard drive is shared. This hosting option provides administration capabilities and flexibility that resembles owning a dedicated server or at least operates similarly.

    Best WordPress VPS hosting featured image

    One notable advantage of VPS over a dedicated environment is the freedom from hardware maintenance concerns, as the hosting provider typically handles that for you. Additionally, the cost of VPS hosting providers is significantly lower than that of a dedicated plan, making it an ideal choice for businesses operating on a smaller budget, while still enjoying a superior hosting solution compared to shared hosting.

    Cloud WordPress Hosting

    WordPress Cloud hosting is a type of WordPress hosting similar to VPS hosting, except that it uses a series of virtual servers over a vast network hosted in the cloud. The main benefit of cloud hosting is that it usually allows the user to choose their ideal server location, allowing for faster delivery of your website to visitors.

    Best WordPress cloud hosting

    The best cloud hosting providers have considerable power. You can easily scale your plan to accommodate more bandwidth, storage, and RAM if needed. Providers such as Google and AWS offer their own cloud platforms, but they aren’t as beginner-friendly as other providers like Cloudways.

    Managed WordPress Hosting

    If you want fast speeds and server-side caching, you should opt for managed hosting. It offers improved hardware specifications and excellent security features, freeing your site from bugs, malware, and maintenance. Managed WordPress hosting is the improved version of shared hosting, as it offers everything shared offers, then tops it with added benefits.

    best managed wordpress hosting

    Going for a managed hosting provider can save time and effort on site and server maintenance issues and focus on other aspects of your business. It offers excellent performance and is optimized specifically for WordPress. It’s designed for small to medium-sized businesses, high-traffic blogs, and companies that want top-tier support at shared hosting prices. That said, managed hosting can still be a bit on the pricier side, so you’ll need to decide if the added cost is worth it. Plus, some managed hosting providers prohibit using some plugins, so you should research when choosing a provider to ensure it aligns with the plugins you are adamant about using.

    Things to Look For in a Hosting Provider

    When choosing a WordPress hosting plan, it’s essential to consider the features that are most important to your website’s needs. What’s most important to one business owner may be less important to another, so researching different providers and what they offer is key. Let’s look at some of the most important features you should consider when looking for a new home for your website.

    Performance

    One of the most important factors in WordPress hosting is performance. The fastest hosting providers offer to provide at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee, speed enhancements, and a content delivery network (CDN). Another factor to consider when speed is concerned is what type of server hardware is being used. For example, look for hosts that provide servers with a speed boost through LiteSpeed web server software or something similar.

    Security

    A secure hosting environment is the most important feature to consider. With hackers and other nefarious actors constantly looking for ways to infiltrate websites, scam customers, and cause problems, good security measures are essential. Look for features such as malware detection and removal, a web application firewall (WAF), bot protection, a free SSL certificate, and application isolation so you can have peace of mind knowing that your website is protected at all times.

    Scalability

    Server scalability is another factor that shouldn’t be ignored. After all, everyone wants their website’s content to go viral. Still, if you don’t have a good hosting provider that can handle the traffic, then it doesn’t matter. A solid hosting provider offers the ability to scale your server as your business grows. Providers such as Cloudways make it easy to scale your server as your business gets more popular, so you won’t have to worry about missing out on new customers.

    Uptime

    There are multiple ways hosting uptime can affect your website. The last thing you want is for your site to go offline or slow down when your site is receiving a lot of visitors. It can impact sales, delegitimize your business, and send potential customers running for the hills. Thankfully, a reputable host will provide at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee to ensure you don’t miss out on revenue.

    Caching

    When choosing a WordPress hosting provider, it is important to consider their caching infrastructure and capabilities. Look for hosting companies that offer excellent caching solutions, such as server-side caching, WordPress object caching, or WordPress-specific caching plugins, such as SiteGround’s SG Optimizer plugin. These features can greatly enhance your WordPress website’s speed, scalability, and overall performance.

    Backups

    If you are familiar with WordPress, you know the importance of having backup and restore points for your website. They protect against unforeseen circumstances like failed updates, hacks, and human error. A good WordPress hosting company provides this service to give you peace of mind. For example, if you decide to update WordPress, your theme, or plugins, errors during the update process can occur, causing site issues such as the white screen of death. When a host provides backups, you can easily restore your site from a previous version to avoid downtime.

    Free Migrations

    Site migration is the process of moving your site from one host to another. The process can be tricky if you try to tackle it alone, so it’s best to choose a host that offers free migrations. By doing so, you can avoid the need for migration plugins, save yourself time and potential for errors, and it is a fast and simple way to move your site.

    Staging

    Staging sites allow you to make changes to your website in a testing environment rather than a live one. This is important because changes to a live website can cause issues like accidentally overwriting pages, plugin conflicts, and failed updates. Thankfully, a staging environment can eliminate these issues, allowing you to safely make changes to your site without affecting the live version. Reputable hosting companies usually offer this service, so you can avoid figuring out how to create a staging site or push your staging site live on your own.

    Customer Support

    One of the most important features of a hosting company is having good customer support. After all, any time you work with WordPress websites, there’s a risk of problems arising. With good customer support, you can avoid many headaches and losing hours of your time by allowing a professional to diagnose your problem. Look for a company that offers several contact support methods, including live chat, phone, and email. Also, ensure you choose a company that provides support around the clock because you never know when disaster might strike.

    Budget

    Last but certainly not least, choosing a hosting company that aligns with your budget is important. Opt for a good shared hosting provider to host your site if you’re trying to keep costs down. However, remember that there are better options than shared hosting out there. Consider a managed hosting provider if you are more concerned with features rather than price. As previously mentioned, managed hosting generally handles all maintenance, security, and server-side configurations, so you can worry more about running your business, not maintaining a website.

    Recommended WordPress Hosting Providers

    Now that you have learned about the types of hosting available, you might be wondering which companies have the most to offer at a reasonable price. Well, you’re in luck. We’ve hand-picked three excellent choices for you.

    1. SiteGround

    SiteGround

    SiteGround is an excellent choice for WordPress hosting because of the immense amount of features you get for the price. With SiteGround, every plan comes with at least 10GB of storage, free migration, automatic updates for WordPress, a free SSL, daily backups, and a free CDN, to name a few. As one of three hosts recommended by WordPress itself, you can be sure that you’re making a solid choice.

    Key Features of SiteGround:

    • Free SSL, CDN, backups, and migration
    • Managed WordPress hosting
    • Excellent security features
    • WordPress pre-installed

    Additionally, SiteGround offers some of the best security features of any WordPress host. You’ll benefit from daily malware scans, a robust web application firewall, an AI-powered anti-bot that stops hackers in their tracks, and a proprietary security plugin.

    Best For:

    SiteGround offers three WordPress plans: StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek, that cater to freelancers, businesses, and everyone else. If you’re looking for a host packed with features, excellent support, and an affordable price point, you can’t do any better than SiteGround.

    Pricing: Starting at $14.99 per month.

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    2. Cloudways

    Cloudways

    Cloudways is another excellent option for WordPress. Built on cloud infrastructure, Cloudways offers a more modular approach to hosting. Rather than choosing a traditional hosting plan, users build the plan that best suits their needs. There are three cloud hosting providers: DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud. You can choose the provider and location of your server and specify the amount of storage and bandwidth you need. Plus, as your business grows, you can easily change your plan, making Cloudways easily scalable.

    Key Features of Cloudways:

    • Scalable hosting plans
    • Cloudflare CDN
    • Free SSL, migration, staging, and backups
    • 24/7 security monitoring

    What’s most impressive about Cloudways is the abundance of features it offers. Even the cheapest plan (coming in at $11 per month) gives you a free SSL, free migration, team collaboration tools, amazing security features, automated backups, staging and cloning, and 24/7 real-time monitoring.

    Best For:

    Cloudways is a great option for those who prefer a more hands-on approach to hosting. Don’t get us wrong, Cloudways hosting is managed, but it isn’t your typical managed hosting provider. You see, it provides the best of both worlds. You can leave the maintenance and configuration settings to Cloudways or handle everything yourself.

    Pricing: Starting at $11 per month.

    Get Cloudways

    3. Pressable

    Pressable

    Our last recommended host is Pressable. Thanks to a robust cloud infrastructure, it’s one of the few managed WordPress hosts that guarantee 100% uptime, so you never have to worry about your site going down. Plus, their customer support is stellar. With a two-minute average response time and 98% satisfaction rate, you can be sure your problem will be handled quickly and efficiently.

    Key Features of Pressable:

    • 100% uptime guarantee
    • Jetpack integration
    • Free migration, CDN, backups, and staging
    • Web application firewall, malware scanning, and threat monitoring

    Pressable’s hosting plans are optimized for WordPress, so site speed, uptime, and security are explicitly catered towards WordPress. Excellent features include one-click backups, Jetpack security suite integration, and a fully managed experience that takes care of updates, security, monitoring, and maintenance.

    Best For:

    Pressable is more expensive than our other two recommended hosts, so it’s geared more toward professionals with multiple websites. That said, they offer a one-site personal plan that provides enough storage and bandwidth to create any site you’d like. Furthermore, Pressable is a great choice for those with ecommerce websites because of the lighting-fast speeds, impressive security, and ability to scale as your business grows.

    Pricing: Starting at $25 per month.

    Get Pressable

    What is WordPress Hosting: Final Thoughts

    Understanding what WordPress hosting is and the different types is essential for anyone looking for a new hosting provider. As we’ve learned, there are five types: shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, and managed. Depending on your needs and budget, one of these hosting types may be more suitable than the others. Take time to research different hosting providers, such as SiteGround, and the features they provide. After all, choosing the right WordPress hosting partner can significantly impact your website’s performance and success.

    Looking for reliable, objective reviews about hosting providers? Check out some of our WordPress hosting reviews for popular providers:

    Featured Image via Shmai / Shutterstock.com

    The post What is WordPress Hosting? A Breakdown of Different Hosting Solutions appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Otter AI Review 2023 (Transcription Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons)

    Transcription services have become a necessity in today’s fast-paced, information-driven world. Among the various options available, Otter.ai stands out with its AI-powered voice-to-text transcription capabilities. But is it the right choice for you? This comprehensive review will explore everything you need to know about Otter AI, from its features and pricing to its best use cases.

    What is Otter AI?


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    Otter.ai is an AI-powered transcription service that uses advanced machine learning algorithms to convert spoken language into written text. Unlike AI voice generators and text-to-speech tools (TTS), Otter does the opposite by taking spoken voice in meetings and writing it down for high-quality meeting notes and summaries. Otter’s capabilities are accessible online and via Android or iOS apps and a Chrome browser extension.

    Otter AI Logo Mark

    What is Otter AI Used For?

    Otter is beneficial in various scenarios, such as recording notes for online lectures, business meetings, brainstorming sessions, and transcribing pre-recorded video/audio content. It is a convenient tool for jotting down notes during meetings and interviews, capturing thoughts while walking or driving, and transcribing existing recordings and podcasts. Otter shines in any situation where you may be multi-tasking yet need pristine text notes for yourself or your team.

    By connecting with your calendars (for finding events and meeting links), Otter knows each meeting you have and can join along. You’ll never have to forgo an appointment without a trusty scribe following you around.

    Otter.ai Home User Dashboard

    If Otter seems like a niche tool, wait to see all the possibilities that are unlocked with all its features.

    Otter AI Features Breakdown

    Otter.ai comes packed with various features designed to make audio transcription easy and efficient in any digital setting.

    Live Meeting and Media Transcription

    Otter.ai can transcribe meetings in real-time. This is its primary goal and feature, but the more you use it, the more you depend on it. It can transcribe audio from Zoom meetings, Google Meets, and other recorded audio and video files. Since Otter is taking notes for you, there is no need to assign a team member or volunteer to take meeting notes for those who missed the meeting. Otter transcribes with high accuracy and even adds a few extra features.

    It has a speaker identification feature that automatically identifies different speakers in a recording and labels them accordingly. This prevents documents from covering topic notes without mentioning who said what. Each block of transcribed text also comes with timestamps to quickly reference what happened and when.

    Automated Summary with Playback and Transcription

    Otter also allows you to upload audio and video files in various formats and have it transcribe them. This feature is perfect for transcribing pre-recorded content.

    Otter.ai can transcribe up to four hours of a meeting or other audio source, making it ideal for long meetings or interviews. And on top of transcribing every meeting, Otter records each meeting as well and lets users come back to the discussion and play it back. So if meeting notes aren’t going to cut it, full meetings are stored with Otter too. Meeting notes, transcriptions, and playback can be shared across your organization if you use Otter AI as part of your team.

    Otter Assistant

    The Otter Assistant feature is a game-changer for those instances when you can’t attend a meeting due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness or scheduling conflicts. With Otter’s ability to access your calendars, it can deploy the Otter Assistant to attend meetings on your behalf. Acting as a standalone assistant, Otter Assistant diligently transcribes the sessions you’re unable to participate in, ensuring you don’t miss out on any crucial information.

    In essence, Otter Assistant acts as your personal note-taker, ensuring you’re always in the loop, even when you can’t be physically present. It’s something that sets Otter.ai apart in the realm of transcription services.

    Custom Vocabulary and Name Recognition

    Otter.ai can recognize and learn custom vocabulary, including names, jargon, and acronyms. Just because it is AI doesn’t mean it automatically understands your industry or insider jargon. Name pronunciations can be difficult as well. For those who run into frequent transcription issues, Otter has a section for adding custom vocabulary and names with which it may otherwise have trouble. This can make your notes more readable, inclusive, and accurate.

    Add Custom Vocab and Names for Transcription

    Outline Summary and Otter Assistant

    One of Otter.ai’s most valuable features is the Outline panel, which curates a meeting summary in an accessible and visual format. Outlines can also be automatically (or manually) shared with others with email summaries.

    Otter.ai Meeting Summary Email Notes

    With various file permissions, Otter meeting transcriptions and notes are searchable, so past meeting content can be indexed and quickly found.

    File Synchronization

    Otter.ai has integrations that automatically sync files from Dropbox and Zoom Cloud, keeping your transcriptions organized and up-to-date without requiring manual transfers.

    Connect Calendar Apps and File Sharing Services

    Integration works both ways, allowing data to come into Otter and allows for saving transcriptions in Dropbox (if that is preferable).

    Otter Mobile App + Chrome Extension

    Otter.ai supports Android and iOS apps with a clean, professional, and modern interface, allowing you to use the service on your phone or tablet. This brings Otter everywhere and every way you do meetings.

    The Chrome extension also adds more functionality around the web. For instance, Otter’s Chrome extension adds “Add Otter meeting notes” to Google Calendar events with Meet or Zoom meetings attached.

    Otter.ai Chrome Extension - Google Calendar invite

    Otter AI Pricing and Plans Review

    Otter AI offers a range of pricing options to suit different needs and budgets. Best of all, it has a free plan, so you can dip your toes in and try out the service before fully committing.

     

    Otter Pricing Page - June 2023

    Annual pricing is shown here. Monthly pricing is found below.

    The Basic Plan is free and provides users with 300 minutes of transcription per month, with a limit of 30 minutes per conversation. Users can also import and transcribe up to three audio or video files.

    The Pro Plan costs $16.99 per month. The Pro plan offers everything in the Basic plan plus additional features. Users get 1,200 minutes of transcription per month, with a limit of 90 minutes per conversation. They can also import and transcribe ten audio or video files per month.

    The Business Plan costs $30 per month. It includes everything in the Pro plan plus team and admin features. Users get 6,000 total minutes of transcription per month, with a limit of 4 hours per conversation. They can also import and transcribe unlimited audio or video files.

    For large organizations that need additional security, control, and support, Otter.ai offers the Enterprise Plan. This plan includes everything in the Business plan plus advanced features like Single Sign-On (SSO), organization-wide deployment, domain capture, and advanced security and compliance controls. The pricing for the Enterprise plan is available upon contacting Otter.ai’s sales team.

    How to Use Otter to Manage Meetings

    Otter brings collaboration and time-management tools into one unified platform, starting with the dashboard. With team members and connected calendars, the dashboard comes alive with insights and tasks based on previous and upcoming meetings.

    By being added to “Groups,” users will be notified when there is a new meeting summary to look over when a group-shared meeting transcription is tagged with recent activity. Some of these items will make it into the center of the dashboard under priority items. Otter AI transcription can easily be toggled On/Off for meetings with the right sidebar, showing you all your meetings for a particular day. Otter also makes it easy to transcribe quick thoughts or upload video/audio content that you need to have transcribed for you or your team (with summaries provided).

    How to use Otter AI Dashboard

    Users can make Otter’s transcription come alive when inside an active meeting. Select transcribed text, highlight it, add additional notes (text/images), and jot down takeaways/action items to make meetings productive. Individuals could be @ tagged, so specific takeaways are sent to the user even if they weren’t present in the meeting.

    Otter AI Transcription Takeaways and Custom Notes

    Otter revolutionizes the utility of meetings. Even by recording your own thoughts and having Otter transcribe, summarize, and share with team members, Otter can reduce the number of meetings your team has. Inside of meetings and outside of them, Otter is helping you become more efficient.

    The best part of using Otter is that it centralizes all meetings and meeting notes so that they are searchable. Even if someone wasn’t at an important meeting, they can find what they need and get back on track in short order. Its collaboration tools mean no more knowledge silos or gaps across an organization because of who is invited to meetings. Otter shares more data and reduces the time it takes to find it.

    Pros and Cons of Otter AI

    Choosing software for your podcast or business is an important job. It’s important to see what others have experienced so you can make the most informed decision possible. Below is an aggregated Pros and Cons list of customer feedback (across review platforms) for Otter.ai in 2023.

    Pros of Using Otter AI

    • Good support for Calendar Integrations
    • Has quality transcription that’s on par with other services, even without custom vocabulary entry
    • Allows users to be more present-minded at meetings
    • Easy to use across devices

    Cons of Using Otter AI

    • Downgrading from Business to Pro turns sub-accounts into separate, standalone accounts
    • Doesn’t remove filler words like “umm”
    • No Live Chat support, but thorough documentation
    • Per-user pricing for Business and Enterprise plans are high compared to other AI business tools

    Is Otter AI Worth It?

    Otter.ai is a powerful tool offering a range of features designed to make transcription easy for working teams and individuals. Its pricing plans cater to various needs and budgets so that no one is priced out of using it. All of this and its unique mix of tools make Otter well worth your consideration.

    AI tools are finding usefulness in every nook and cranny. They are reducing time spent on repetitive work and helping teams discover deeper insights and more efficient ways to collaborate. Otter AI is no different.

    Have you tried Otter or some other meeting AI assistant? How have they changed the way your business does meetings?

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Is Otter ai Legitimate?

    Yes, Otter.ai is a legitimate company based in the United States. It has a large user base, including individuals, businesses, and educational institutions. The company uses advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to provide accurate and efficient transcription services. It’s recognized for its innovative approach to speech-to-text transcription and has received positive user reviews.

    Can I Use Otter AI for Free?

    Yes! Otter.ai offers a Basic plan that is free to use. This plan provides users with 300 minutes of transcription per month and allows for importing and transcribing three audio or video files in the free account’s lifetime. It’s an excellent option for individuals who need transcription services on a smaller scale or want to test the software before committing to a paid plan.

    Is Otter AI better than Zoom transcription?

    Many users have reported that they prefer Otter.ai’s transcription services over Zoom’s built-in transcription feature. Otter.ai is praised for its accuracy, user-friendly interface, and additional features such as speaker identification and custom vocabulary.

    It’s also worth noting that Otter.ai can be integrated with Zoom, allowing for automatic transcription of Zoom meetings. Users interested in comparing the two can sign up for Otter.ai’s free plan and try it out for themselves.

    Does Otter.ai keep recordings?

    Yes, Otter.ai stores past meetings along with their transcripts and notes. This feature lets users easily playback important meetings and keep them in a centralized location. It’s a valuable tool for reviewing past discussions, studying material, or referencing past meetings. The recordings are stored securely where users can access them anytime through their Otter.ai account.

    The post Otter AI Review 2023 (Transcription Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 7 Best AI Photo Enhancers in 2023 (Compared & Ranked)

    In the digital age, the demand for high-quality images is ever-increasing. Whether it’s for professional photography, graphic design, or simply enhancing personal photos for social media, the need for tools that can improve image quality is undeniable.

    While many new AI art generators are on the market, there are also AI tools for enhancing or editing images you already have. AI image enhancers can effortlessly remove blemishes, add vibrant colors, and even change the background of an image, all while preserving the original quality. They are capable of transforming ordinary images into extraordinary works of art. But with many options available, choosing the right AI photo enhancer can be daunting.

    In this article, we’ve curated a list of the best AI photo enhancers that will help you elevate your images to the next level.

    The Best AI Photo Enhancers

    We’ve looked around and found some of the best photo enhancers on the market. We have big names and new players on this list. You will also notice a fair mix between SaaS AI enhancers and desktop options. Starting with Adobe Photoshop, here are the top picks:

    1. Adobe Photoshop (Firefly)

    Adobe Homepage June 2023

    Adobe Photoshop is a renowned name in the world of digitally created art.  Recently, Adobe released a powerful generative AI engine called Adobe Firefly that is now integrated into Photoshop. With the power of AI, Photoshop’s capabilities extend to features like automatic subject selection, generative fill, and neural filters, which can drastically change the style and mood of any image. This exciting AI integration will undoubtedly enhance all the Photoshop tools designers and photographers have used for years, like blending modes, image scaling, and making GIFs.

    Neural Filters and Generative Fill

    Photoshop has had Neural Filters for a while now. They can be used to create contextual but new elements in an image. Instead of relying on the original pixels of an image, Photoshop can use a neural network to generate new material/pixels that are contextually relevant to the original image. This takes photo editing to a whole different place. Here’s an example from Adobe where a Neural Filter was used to reduce JPG artifacts in an image (before is on the left and after on the right).

    "</p

    Abobe brings numerous types of Neural Filters to its user base. Some of them can recognize human faces and transform critical features. The below image showcases a user changing the position of a person’s eyes and lips to be arranged in a very different pose.

    Photoshop AI Smart Portrait Neural Filter

    Adobe’s AI Generative Fill takes all of this to new heights. Generative fill lets users select a portion of an image and type in a text-based prompt that transforms that aspect of the image. Below is a side-by-side comparison of a 1920s cartoon (original on the left) with the same cartoon edited with generative fill. The chair was replaced with a stylistically similar lamp, and the rug was replaced entirely. These changes were all based on two prompts (less than six words)!

    Photoshop Generative Fill Example

    Original: Shoshone Journal. Volume 41. June 8th, 1923

    Key Features:

    • Integrated generative AI with Adobe Firefly
    • AI-powered subject selection
    • Generative Fill for editing images with AI using prompts
    • AI neural filters for making stylistic transformations to images

    Best For:

    Adobe Photoshop is best for professionals and enthusiasts who want to take photo editing to the next level. It’s ideal for photographers, graphic designers, and digital artists who need advanced editing tools and AI-powered features to enhance their work. Photoshop is a mainstay in digital creative work and should be a tool that is well-utilized among most professionals.

    Pricing: An Adobe subscription is $20.99/mo

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    2. HitPaw Photo Enhancer

    Hitpaw - Homepage June 2023

    HitPaw Photo Enhancer is an AI-powered desktop app that enhances the quality and boosts image resolution. It offers five AI models, including the General, Denoise, Face, Color Calibration, and Colorize models, each designed to cater to different enhancement needs. It’s a versatile tool that can make pictures less blurry, remove noise, and upscale images without losing quality.

    Key Features:

    • Five unique AI models for different image optimization
    • Ability to make pictures less blurry and remove noise
    • Upscale images without quality loss

    HitPaw Photo Enhancer Batch Bulk

    Best For:

    HitPaw Photo Enhancer is best for individuals needing a versatile photo quality enhancement tool. It’s perfect for photographers who need to upscale images, remove noise, and improve the overall quality of their photos.

    Pricing: macOS or Windows app for $39.99 and $35.99, respectively

    Get HitPaw Photo Enhancer

    3. Luminar Neo

    Skylum Luminar Neo - Homepage June 2023

    Luminar Neo is a photo editing software that leverages AI to help users enhance their photos. It offers a range of features, including Portrait Bokeh AI, Relight AI, Sunrays AI, Sky AI, and Enhance AI. These features allow users to create out-of-focus background effects, light up dark photos, add rays of sunshine, replace dull skies, and control shadows, highlights, contrast, and tone.

    Ascent and AI Color Correction with Luminar Neo

    Key Features:

    • AI-powered features for comprehensive photo enhancement
    • Ability to create out-of-focus background effects with Portrait Bokeh AI
    • Recognize and replace skys to better match the image subject
    • Relight AI for lighting up dark photos

    Contrast and Sky AI with Luminar Neo

    Best For:

    Luminar Neo is best for photographers and digital artists who want to leverage AI for creative photo enhancement. It’s ideal for individuals who wish to add unique effects to their photos and control various aspects of their images. Each enhancement can be controlled individually, so the creator retains the ability to see their vision come to life. This makes it a valuable tool for novice photographers and professionals alike.

    Pricing: Available for $9.95/mo or as an LTD at $199 (lifetime deal)

    Get Luminar Neo

    4. Remove.bg

    Remove.bg - Homepage June 2023

    Remove.bg is a specialized AI tool that removes backgrounds from images and does it about as well as any service out there. Sometimes a photo doesn’t need to be touched up as much as it needs to be repurposed. That’s the case for eCommerce shops, car dealerships, and various marketing functions. Remove.bg is a time-saving solution for all who frequently need to isolate objects in their photos. With just one image upload, you can get a transparent background for any image, making it a perfect tool for many types of photographers.

    Key Features:

    • AI-powered automatic background removal
    • High-quality image output
    • API and Integrations to edit images at scale

    Uploading an image automatically starts the AI background removal. Remove.bg allows users to blur the background or replace it with another photo or color. If portions of the photo need to be still removed (or added back), the “Erase / Restore” option lets users select areas of the image to retouch.

    Remove.bg Car Example - Steps 1-4

    Photo Credit: “Cars in Cuba, Cuba” by Nouhailler and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

    Best For:

    Remove.bg is best for photographers who frequently remove backgrounds from images. It’s ideal for eCommerce businesses, designers, and social media marketers who want to streamline their workflow.

    Pricing: Can be used for free, but higher-resolution images have usage-based pricing starting at $0.90 per image (and lower if purchasing a subscription)

    Get Remove.bg

    5. Fotor

    Fotor - Homepage June 2023

    Fotor is an online photo editing tool that offers a wide range of features, including an AI image upscaler (making images bigger while retaining image clarity). It’s designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for anyone to enhance their images. Fotor provides other tools to perfect photos, such as enhancing photos, retouching portraits, removing backgrounds, and applying styling effects.

    Key Features:

    • AI-powered photo enhancement (unblurs photos with AI)
    • Intelligent background removal and replacement
    • Batch edit photos and apply one change to assets in bulk
    • Online editor with more image editing options than Canva

    Fotor UI AI Enhance

    Best For:

    Fotor is best for individuals who want a simple tool for photo editing. It’s perfect for social media enthusiasts, bloggers, and anyone who needs to edit photos and create eye-catching designs regularly. Especially when an image needs a single change, Fotor is a sinch for applying that change with little effort.

    Pricing: Free plan with paid plans starting at $8.99/mo

    Get Fotor

    6. Topaz Photo AI

    Topazlabs - Homepage June 2023

    Topaz Photo AI is a tool that maximizes your image quality on autopilot. It uses deep learning to sharpen, remove noise, and increase the resolution of your photos. This tool is designed to supercharge your image quality, allowing you to focus on the creative part of photography. It’s certainly a contender for the best AI photo enhancer and deserves your attention.

    Key Features:

    • AI-powered noise reduction and sharpening
    • Upscaling of images for increased resolution
    • Face recovery feature for enhancing image resolution with authentic detail

    Topaz Photo AI Enhance and Upscale

    Best For:

    Topaz Photo AI is best for photographers who want to focus on their creativity and leave the technical aspects to AI. It’s perfect for sharpening images, removing noise, and upscale photos for better resolution.

    Pricing: An LTD of $199 (lifetime deal) with one year of product updates

    Get Topaz Photo AI

    7. VanceAI

    VanceAI Homepage June 2023

    VanceAI, an AI-powered image editor, packs in a multitude of handy tools. Its standout feature, an upscaler, enlarges images up to 800% without sacrificing quality. Other useful tools include AI image compression, photo restoration, and image enhancement. You can access many of these tools for free on their website or use the complete suite of tools through their desktop app.

    Key Features:

    • AI-powered upscaling of up to 800%
    • Data safety guarantee with processed images deleted in 24 hours
    • AI background remover
    • Online or desktop application for convenient workflows
    • API for image touchups

    The image below shows VanceAI decreasing image noise, increasing image size, and improving the overall quality of the image simultaneously.

    VanceAI Photo Enhancer Example Result

    Photo Credit: “Cars in Cuba, Cuba” by Nouhailler and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

    Best For:

    VanceAI is best for individuals who need to improve images with various tools. It’s ideal for photographers, digital artists, and anyone who needs to upscale images for prints, eCommerce, presentations, and more. People looking to restore old photos or who need help making their photos look more professional for passports or resumes also flock to Vance.

    Pricing: Usage-based pricing starting at $0.049/credit (1 credit = 1 image), or $39.90 per month for their desktop app (with lifetime pricing available)

    Get VanceAI

    Best AI Image Enhancers: Price Comparison

    AI photo enhancers come in many different packages. Some of them are freemium SaaS, while others are premium applications. Here’s a comparison of our best AI image touch-up tools based on their price and pricing model.

    Rank AI Photo Enhancers Starting Price Free Option
    🥇 Adobe Photoshop $20.99/mo ❌ Get
    🥈 HitPaw $39.99/mo ❌ Get
    🥉 Luminar Neo $9.95/mo ❌ Get
    4 Remove.bg $0.90/img ✔️ Get
    5 Fotor $8.99/mo ✔️ Get
    6 Topaz Photo AI $199 LTD ❌ Get
    7 VanceAI $39.90/mo ❌ Get

    What are the Best AI Image Enhancers?

    To sum up, AI photo enhancers are filled with powerful tools, but Adobe Photoshop stands out as the best all-around tool. Its advanced editing capabilities and AI-powered features make it a go-to choice for professionals and enthusiasts.

    HitPaw, a downloadable AI tool with a wide range of user-friendly features, is another top contender, providing an excellent solution for photo enhancement. It has an attractive monthly price point and solid features. Luminar Neo, with its unique AI-powered effects, offers tons of creativity for photo editing.

    Each of the tools on our list shines in its own way, offering unique capabilities that make them stand out in the world of photo enhancement. Whatever you choose, you will enjoy this new world of AI graphic design and photo editing.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is the best photo enhancer AI?

    The best and most widely used photo enhancer AI is Adobe Photoshop. This comprehensive tool offers advanced editing capabilities and AI-powered features, making it a top choice for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Another popular option is HitPaw, a downloadable app for desktop and mobile devices with many helpful features, including an AI image upscaler. Both Photoshop and HitPaw offer a robust set of enhancement tools that can significantly improve the quality of your images.

    Do AI photo enhancers work?

    Absolutely, AI photo enhancers have proven to be highly effective. The field of AI image editing has made significant strides in recent years, leading to the development of tools that can save time, improve image quality, and offer a host of other benefits.

    These tools use advanced algorithms to perform tasks such as removing blemishes, enhancing colors, and changing image backgrounds, all while maintaining the image’s original quality. Whether you’re a professional photographer or a casual user, AI photo enhancers can greatly simplify and improve your photo editing process.

    Is there a free AI to enhance picture quality?

    Yes, there are several AI tools that offer free options for enhancing picture quality. Fotor, for instance, provides a variety of free features, including an AI image upscaler. Remove.bg offers a free option for its AI-powered background removal tool. Vance AI also provides free access to many of its tools on its website.

    While these free options may have some limitations, they can still be a great way to try AI photo enhancement and see the benefits yourself.

    Featured Image by Favebrush / shutterstock.com

    The post 7 Best AI Photo Enhancers in 2023 (Compared & Ranked) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • Download a FREE Header & Footer for Divi’s Wedding Invitation Layout Pack

    Hey Divi Nation! Thanks for joining us for the next installment of our weekly Divi Design Initiative where each week, we give away brand new freebies. We recently shared a brand new Wedding Invitation Layout Pack. To help you get your website up and running as soon as possible, we’re sharing a global header & footer template that matches this layout pack perfectly as well! Hope you enjoy it.

    divi layout

    Check Out The Wedding Invitation
    Global Header & Footer Template Below

    Get it for free today!

    Header Design

    Desktop View

    Divi Wedding Invitation Header Layout for desktop

    Tablet and Mobile View

    Divi Wedding Invitation Header Layout for desktop

    Footer Design

    Desktop View

    Divi Wedding Invitation Footer Layout for desktop

    Tablet and Mobile View

    Divi Wedding Invitation Footer Layout for tablet and mobile

    Download The Global Header & Footer Template For The Wedding Invitation Layout Pack

    To lay your hands on the free global header & footer template, you will first need to download it using the button below. To gain access to the download you will need to subscribe to our Divi Daily email list by using the form below. As a new subscriber, you will receive even more Divi goodness and a free Divi Layout pack every Monday! If you’re already on the list, simply enter your email address below and click download. You will not be “resubscribed” or receive extra emails.

    How to Upload The Header & Footer for the Divi Wedding Invitation Template

    Go to Divi Theme Builder

    To upload the template, navigate to the Divi Theme Builder in the backend of your WordPress website.

    Open Divi Theme Builder

    Upload Global Default Website Template

    Then, in the top right corner, you’ll see an icon with two arrows. Click on the icon.

    Import the template into the Divi Theme Builder

    Navigate to the import tab, upload the JSON file which you were able to download in this post, and click on ‘Import Divi Theme Builder Templates’.

    Finish importing the template into the Divi Theme Builder

    Save Divi Theme Builder Changes

    Once you’ve uploaded the file, you’ll notice a new global header and footer in your default website template. Save the Divi Theme Builder changes as soon as you want the template to be activated.

    Save Divi Theme Builder Changes

    How to Modify The Header for the Dvi Wedding Invitation Template

    Open Header Template

    To modify the global header template’s elements, start by opening the template.

    Open Header Template

    Upload Your Logo

    Switch the image within the Image Module with your own logo or monogram.

    Upload your own logo or wedding monogram to the Divi wedding invitation template's header

    Select Menu of Choice for Desktop

    This template has a different header for desktop and mobile devices. We’ll be working through the desktop header template first. Select your desktop menu in the Menu Module.

    Select your desktop menu

    Update CTA Button

    This header has a Button Module in the top right. Open the settings of the button and update the text and URL to the destination of your choice.

    Update RSVP button text and link

    Set Your Countdown Timer Date

    Update the Countdown Timer Module with your due date of choice.

    Update date on Countdown Timer Module

    Change View from Desktop to Tablet

    Switch your view from desktop to tablet so that we can update the mobile version of the header.

    Switch from desktop to tablet view within the Divi wedding invitation template

    Select Mobile Menu

    From the Menu Module, select your menu.

    Select menu for the mobile menu

    Upload Logo to Menu

    We use the logo feature within the Menu Module to upload our logo. Upload your logo or monogram to the Menu Module.

    Change mobile menu logo

    Change Link on Mobile Button CTA

    Update the link as well as the text on the button that appears in the mobile menu area.

    Update mobile CTA button

    Change Date in Mobile Countdown Timer

    The final module that needs updating in this header is the Countdown Timer Module.

    Update Mobile Countdown Timer

    Open Footer Freebie of the Divi Wedding Invitation Template

    Continue by opening the global footer inside the default website template.

    Open Footer Template

    Change Footer Logos

    The footer template has two Image Modules that need to be updated with your logo.

    Update footer image modules

    Select Footer Menu

    Update your Menu Module in the footer with your selected footer menu.

    Update footer menu module

    Choose Your Date

    Update the footer Countdown Timer Module with your chosen date. You should also update the title to match what your needs are.

    Update Countdown Timer Module title and date

    Update Blurb Modules in Footer

    This footer has three Blurb Modules. Update the title and text of each module to your suiting.

    Update footer blurb modules

    You can go a step further and also change the icons used in each module.

    Change blurb module icons

    New Freebies Every Week!

    We hope you’ve enjoyed the Wedding Invitation Layout Pack and the Header & Footer freebie that goes along with it. We look forward to hearing your opinions in the comment section below. Make sure you check back next week for more freebies!

    The post Download a FREE Header & Footer for Divi’s Wedding Invitation Layout Pack appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

  • 7 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2023 (Free and Paid)

    Mailchimp alternatives abound, and each specializes in a unique use case. Mailchimp has outstanding market saturation among small and medium-sized businesses, and in the mind of many people, they are the service to beat. Millions of customers use and love their email and digital marketing suite. This article will cover details about Mailchimp and the best email marketing services you can use to replace Mailchimp if you are looking elsewhere. You’ll probably find something you’ll be able to use for years.

    Why You Should Consider Mailchimp Alternatives

    Email and digital marketing have grown up. Niche providers are stepping up to offer small businesses appealing and valuable solutions in ways that Mailchimp may lag in because of their status as a “general” service provider. Just because it is the industry giant doesn’t mean you have to feel stuck with it. It offers a lot of great tools but may not be the best for your situation based on price and features.

    About Mailchimp

    Mailchimp got its start in 2001. Known for its popular marketing campaigns in the mid-2010s and generous free tier for new customers, Mailchimp quickly grew to hold the most market share among email marketing platforms.

    Intuit Mailchimp Logo

    In 2021, Intuit, the personal and business financial mega-corporation, purchased Mailchimp for ~$12 billion—demonstrating the value Mailchimp brings to its customers and the vast amount of small business data that Mailchimp brings to the table for Intuit.

    Some have felt that Mailchimp’s gotten too generic and does too much for too many people. Others are uncomfortable with the new ownership and prefer a different provider instead. Whatever the reason or rationale, there are alternatives to Mailchimp worth looking into.

    In this article, we’re exploring all the best Mailchimp alternatives. This means we’ll be focusing on email marketing a lot. But Mailchimp offers more than just email marketing, so there will be other digital marketing tools that are handy replacements for Mailchimp. If you have any questions about the services listed here, leave and comment and come back later for helpful thoughts and answers.

    Best Mailchimp Alternatives

    Lots of businesses use email marketing services differently, so there isn’t just one de facto alternative for Mailchimp. Here are 7 of the best:

    1. Mailpoet

    MailPoet WordPress Email Marketing

    If you love WordPress, then you know why it’s unique. Having an infinitely extendable platform has its perks. And with MailPoet, WordPress just got a lot more power.

    Competitively priced and as powerful as you’d expect your WordPress site to be, MailPoet is a genuine contender for your email marketing attention, especially if you like to keep things in-house as much as possible.

    With MailPoet, you can manage your lists, craft beautiful emails, and set up segmentation—all on your WordPress installation. We love WordPress, so we love recommending MailPoet. It’s the best email marketing for WordPress websites.

    Key Features:

    • Option for SMTP mail service or from your server on the creator level
    • Send emails when you publish new blog articles
    • 50+ pre-designed templates
    • WooCommerce integration to handle Woo emails
    • Include dynamic content within your emails
    • GDPR compliant

    MailPoet Campaign Types in WP Dashboard

    Best For:

    If you are searching for an email marketing solution that operates within your WordPress installation, MailPoet is the ideal option. WordPress gives you the flexibility to create the solution you need and Mailpoet performs well.

    Price: Plans start free for 1000 contacts, with paid plans starting at $10 a month

    Get Mailpoet

    2. ActiveCampaign

    Active Campaign - Homepage April 2023

    ActiveCampaign is a “Customer Experience Automation” (CXA) platform and software company. The company empowers businesses of all sizes to automate their customer experience through marketing automation, sales automation, and CRM. ActiveCampaign is often mentioned because of its powerful automation capabilities. And that automation extends beyond email marketing—while certainly including it. ActiveCampaign rightfully is named one of the best email marketing services out there.

    The “Customer Experience” part of their description comes from the fact that ActiveCampaign’s tools are built for more than marketing. Its tools also empower sales with sale pipeline, lead scoring, and lead automation workflows. ActiveCampaing also helps support teams through CRM automation that helps keep tabs on customers and their needs. Automation plays a huge role in marketing where ActiveCampaign’s automations power email, SMS, website chat, and website personalization.

    ActiveCampaign gives you a full-fledged CRM + Automation suite to power your business. If your head is spinning—it should be. It is big, and it is powerful. Startups and inexperienced marketers might have a long road ahead if they start with ActiveCampaign and are expected to utilize the full potential beyond the login portal.

    See our full review of ActiveCampaign if you’re interested.

    Key Features:

    • Powerful integrations to unite your tech stack
    • Website and behavior automation
    • Automations and A/B tests
    • Leverage an email builder with hundreds of free templates
    • CRM and Sales Tools

    ActiveCampaign Workflow Automation Builder

    Best For:

    ActiveCampaign is a great option for businesses needing an all-in-one email marketing solution with excellent integration capabilities. It’s marketing automation, and CRM components are ideal for creating personalized campaigns and building strong customer relationships.

    Price: Marketing plans start at $49 a month

    Get ActiveCampaign

    3. Constant Contact

    Constant Contact Email Marketing Homepage

    Constant Contact is a worthy alternative to Mailchimp. They’ve been rivals since the beginning, and both command a lot of brand recognition. Constant Contact is a great platform for email marketing, offering pre-made templates, campaign reporting, and automation features. It integrates with WooCommerce and can segment customers based on purchase activity.

    Using Constant Contact, you can send abandoned cart emails, collect online donations, and manage contacts with an ultra-simple UI. The service also includes ad functionality for multiple platforms, including Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram.

    Although their Core plan lacks some functionality, such as automated emails, those features are available in Plus. Constant Contact starts at only $9.99 per month after a free trial.

    Key Features:

    • Integrates with WooCommerce and other eCommerce solutions
    • Enables you to send emails based on customer behavior
    • Integrates with tons of website platforms, including a Divi integration
    • Integrates with Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram
    • Generative AI writing for email copy and subject lines
    • Phone support for all customers

    Constant Contact Email Reporting

    Best For:

    Constant Contact is an excellent email marketing platform for businesses seeking a user-friendly and straightforward solution that provides phone support from customer service agents. If you’re unsure which email marketing platform to use, Constant Contact is worth considering and is used by hundreds of thousands of small businesses.

    Check out our dedicated article comparing Constant Contact vs Mailchimp.

    Price: Plans start at $12 a month

    Get Constant Contact

    4. ConvertKit

    ConvertKit Email Marketing for Creators

    ConvertKit stands as an excellent alternative to Mailchimp for Creators and Solopreneurs. The toolset within is perfect for a one-person band with its hands in many things.

    With ConvertKit, you can create landing pages, sell digital products, and sign up users to your email list. The platform provides all the tools for someone trying to make cash with a side hustle or one-person business. Its free account includes landing pages, forms, broadcasts (email campaigns), segmentation, and eCommerce (digital downloads). Paid tiers introduce 3rd party integrations, automations (including a visual builder), and customer support.

    Although ConvertKit offers a free tier, you won’t get the most out of the service unless you opt for the Creator plan or higher. That option starts at $9 a month (paid yearly) for up to 300 subscribers.

    Key Features:

    • Create landing pages that can include eCommerce functionality
    • Create email signup forms and send campaigns to your subscribers
    • Design intricate automation workflows using flowcharts

    ConvertKit Automations

    Best For:

    ConvertKit is a top choice for businesses that want an all-in-one solution for increasing conversions, including email marketing and a variety of other tools. With ConvertKit, you can build landing pages, create automated sequences, and segment your audience, all designed to help improve your overall conversion rates.

    Price: Free and premium options are available, with the latter starting at $15 a month

    Get ConvertKit

    5. Emma

    Emma Easiest Email Marketing

    This platform holds no punches back and doesn’t try to go the budget service provider route. Emma is built for medium to enterprise-sized businesses that have teams of email marketers. The cheapest plan starts at $99/mo for basic email marketing.

    For that price, you get up to 10,000 contacts on your list and unlimited emails per month. Emma is particularly appealing to teams because of its built-in approval system. Users can be assigned various roles to create a hierarchal approval process. That means no emails are sent without the proper checks and balances.

    With Emma, you get real-time reporting and analytics, segmentation, A/B testing, and dynamic content, all using its “Essentials” plan ($159/mo). They aren’t going after brand-new businesses or email marketers. But, for established brands with up to 10,000 contacts, Emme offers an exciting option.

    Key Features:

    • Easy form builder
    • Monitor your campaigns with analytics
    • Email approval workflows
    • Segment and Automate email campaigns
    • Include dynamic content within your emails
    • Email and Phone Support for all customers

    Emma Form Builder

    Best For:

    Emma might be the perfect fit for you if you want an email marketing solution that is both premium and packed with features but still easy to use. It’s not the cheapest starting price, so smaller businesses and freelancers should look below for other services.

    Price: Plans start at $99 a month

    Get Emma

    6. Buffer

    Buffer Social Media Management

    Mailchimp provides impressive social media management, given that most people only associate email marketing with them. But, Buffer stands as a better all-around experience with social media management stands as a true alternative to Mailchimp in its own right.

    With Buffer, business owners can connect their social profiles to their accounts and reap massive benefits for having everything “under one roof.” Buffer allows social managers to schedule and post to their various accounts. They can save time using the same content but tailoring it to specific platforms in a simple workflow. Buffer handles the posting.

    More than posting, Buffer pulls back social data into your account for robust reporting and analytics. This shows you what channels are performing and what types of content. The beauty is that you also get cross-channel reporting to see your combined stats—giving you a picture of the whole enchilada, as they say.

    If Buffer didn’t do enough for you yet, it handles engagement for all your channels. Reply to customers and fans that have commented on your posts. Buffer’s ML can categorize and prioritize incoming comments based on negative sentiment, questions, and purchase intent.

    Key Features:

    • Create “link in bio” web pages
    • Publish, Engage, and Report on all social efforts
    • Work in one place while working on Google My Business, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and more

    Buffer Post Calendar

    Best For:

    Buffer is a great option for businesses looking for an all-in-one tool to manage their social media presence. While it doesn’t offer email marketing features, it excels at social media management, allowing you to easily schedule posts, track analytics, and engage with your followers across multiple platforms. With Buffer, you can streamline your social media strategy and save time by managing all of your accounts in one place.

    Price: Free option available with the paid plans starting at $5 a month per channel

    Get Buffer

    7. Omnisend

    Omnisend Omnichannel eCommerce Marketing

    Omnisend is one of the best email marketing automation platforms for eCommerce businesses. It allows companies to send omnichannel marketing campaigns and segment their customers. What does that mean? Well, Omnisend’s automation works across email, SMS, push notifications, and ads. Omnisend’s segmentation works across the board to power a true omnichannel marketing initiative.

    The best part is that it is an eCommerce data machine. It can pull all your product and store data and create dynamic customer segments that can be used across these various channels. Gone are the days of manually building lists and hoping you get them right.

    Key Features:

    • Omnichannel eCommerce campaigns
    • Powerful forms
    • Detailed cross-channel reporting
    • Detailed segmentation options

    Omnisend Segmentation Options

    Best For:

    Omnisend is an ideal solution for businesses running large eCommerce stores that want to increase their conversion rates and average order value. With its powerful automation features, including abandoned cart recovery and product recommendations, Omnisend helps to drive sales and improve customer engagement. Omnisend’s advanced segmentation capabilities also allow you to create highly targeted campaigns and deliver personalized messaging to your audience. Overall, if you want to optimize your eCommerce store for success, Omnisend is an excellent choice.

    Price: Free and premium options are available, with paid plans starting at $16 a month

    Get Omnisend

    Best Mailchimp Alternatives: Price Comparison

    Mailchimp is a robust tool, but it can’t be for everybody. Many people are searching for true replacements and alternatives to Mailchimp that better suits them and their businesses. Many platforms on this list have specialties that Mailchimp can’t match. Here’s our list of the best replacements for Mailchimp and how they compare in price.

    Rank Mailchimp Alternatives Starting Price Free Option
    🥇 Mailpoet $10/mo ✔️ Get
    🥈 ActiveCampaign $49/mo ❌ Get
    🥉 Constant Contact $12/mo ❌ Get
    4 ConvertKit $15/mo ✔️ Get
    5 Emma $99/mo ❌ Get
    6 Buffer $6/mo ✔️ Get
    7 Omnisend $16/mo ✔️ Get

    What is The Best Mailchimp Alternative?

    For avid WordPress users, we heartily recommend Mailpoet as being an excellent email marketing service and alternative to Mailchimp.

    For anyone looking at SaaS email marketing services, we’d have you look at ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, and ConvertKit. Anyone running a large eCommerce operation would also do well to consider Omnisend.

    Want to grow your email list like a pro? Check out these top email opt-in plugins that work with all the popular email marketing platforms.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Is there something similar to Mailchimp?

    Yes, there are several alternatives to Mailchimp that offer similar email marketing features and functionalities. Some popular options include ConvertKit and Constant Contact.

    Is there a cheaper option than Mailchimp?

    Mailpoet, ConvertKit, Buffer, and Omnisend offer more budget-friendly options than Mailchimp. These services provide affordable plans, with some even offering free plans for users to get started.

    What are cheaper alternatives to Mailchimp?

    If you’re looking for more affordable alternatives to Mailchimp, you can consider Mailpoet and ConvertKit. These platforms offer cost-effective email marketing solutions, with some even providing free plans.

    Do people still use Mailchimp?

    Yes, Mailchimp remains a widely used email marketing service, and many businesses and individuals continue to utilize its features. However, with the availability of various alternatives, such as Mailpoet, ActiveCampaign, Constant Contact, ConvertKit, Buffer, and Omnisend, users now have more options to choose from based on their specific needs and preferences.

    Featured Image via Nikolai V Titov / shutterstock.com

    The post 7 Best Mailchimp Alternatives in 2023 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.