Yes, you can host it almost anywhere. EverWeb publishes your website as ordinary web files (HTML pages, style sheets, pictures and scripts), so it runs on EverWeb Hosting or on most other web hosts, and it stays online whether or not you keep using EverWeb. To change the design or the words, you use EverWeb and your project file (the editable copy of your website, saved on your computer). EverWeb has no export to WordPress or another website builder.
Where you can publish
You choose this in File > Edit Publishing Settings, under Publish To:.
- EverWeb: your EverWeb + Hosting account. You publish from inside EverWeb after signing in, with no FTP details to set up.
- FTP Server: any web host that gives you FTP, FTPS or SFTP access, such as GoDaddy, Bluehost or IONOS. See How do I publish my EverWeb website to another web host with FTP, FTPS or SFTP?
- Folder: a complete copy of your published website on your computer. Keep it as an archive, or upload it to a host with any FTP app.
You can change where you publish at any time. Your project file stays the same: change the setting, choose File > Publish Entire Site, then point your domain to the new host.
What depends on your host
| Feature | EverWeb + Hosting | Another web host |
|---|---|---|
| Pages, pictures, menus, galleries, video, the search box | Yes | Yes |
| Contact forms and Membership Sites | Yes | Yes, if the host runs PHP (we recommend PHP 8.2 or later) |
| Simple Password, Website Stats, 301 redirects and 404 pages, Remove File Extensions From URLs | Yes | No |
If you stop using EverWeb
- Your website stays online for as long as you keep your hosting. The published files don't need EverWeb to work.
- Your EverWeb license never expires. You can keep using any version released while your Updates & Support plan was active. A newer version won't publish until you renew. See I bought EverWeb once. Why am I asked to renew, and what happens if I don't?
- If your EverWeb + Hosting account ends, your website and email go offline, so move them first. You get an EverWeb Standalone license that covers EverWeb up until the day your hosting ended, so you can keep using it and publish to another host.
- An older version can eventually stop running, for example after a macOS or Windows update or on a new computer, because old versions aren't updated for new systems.
Can I edit my website without EverWeb?
- Your project file opens only in EverWeb. Keep backups of it: see How Can I Backup my EverWeb Project File?
- Your published files can be opened in any code editor and uploaded again by hand, but EverWeb doesn't know about those changes. The next time it publishes that page, or every page with File > Publish Entire Site, it replaces your edited file with its own. So pick one: keep editing in EverWeb, or edit the files by hand from then on.
- Need some code of your own? You can add it inside EverWeb, so it's kept when you publish. See Add a booking calendar, Instagram feed or other outside code with the HTML Snippet widget.
- Editing on another computer means installing EverWeb there and opening your project file. One license covers your own computers: see Can I use EverWeb on my desktop and laptop computer or do I have to buy a license for each?
Moving to WordPress or another website builder
There's no export. WordPress themes and pages are built in a completely different way, so moving means building the website again in WordPress. You can copy your text and pictures across from EverWeb or from your live website. Your domain name is yours, so it can go with you.
EverWeb or WordPress?
EverWeb suits you if you want to:
- design your pages by dragging and dropping, without writing code
- keep the editable copy of your website on your own Mac or Windows computer, and work offline
- pay once with EverWeb Standalone, or once a year with EverWeb + Hosting
- avoid installing and updating software on your web server
WordPress may suit you better if several people need to edit the website from a web browser on any computer, or you rely on a particular WordPress plugin. WordPress runs on your web host, so someone also has to keep WordPress, its theme and its plugins up to date.
Not sure? Download the free trial and build a page or two, or ask us about your website.
Related articles
- EverWeb Standalone or EverWeb + Hosting: what's the difference, and which should I choose?
- I already have a web host. Can I publish my EverWeb website there?
- Where is my website? Your live site and your project file
- Can I use PHP on my EverWeb website?
- Move my website from Wix, Squarespace or Lovable to EverWeb and stop paying monthly fees