Looking for a Sandvox alternative? EverWeb is a drag-and-drop website builder for Mac and Windows, so you can keep updating your website without writing code. It can't open or import a whole Sandvox website, so either you rebuild it in EverWeb yourself, or we rebuild it by hand. Your current website stays online while this happens.
Is Sandvox discontinued?
Yes. Sandvox is discontinued and no longer being developed. If Sandvox won't run on your Mac, or you can't update your Sandvox site any more, EverWeb is a Sandvox replacement that's still being updated.
How do I update my old Sandvox site?
Your live Sandvox website can stay online, but to change it you need an editable copy, and you can't edit a published website directly. Rebuild it in EverWeb once, using either way below, and from then on you can update your site in EverWeb whenever you like.
Make your old website work on phones
Many older Sandvox websites weren't designed for phones. In EverWeb, you can update your site for mobile with responsive designs, while keeping a familiar drag-and-drop interface.
Tips for switching from Sandvox
Import your Sandvox photo galleries
- Open the gallery page on your live website and copy its address.
- In EverWeb, go to File > Import > Sandvox Photo Gallery From URL...
- Paste the address and follow the steps on screen.
In Sandvox, each enlarged photo loaded as a page of its own. In EverWeb, a photo opens larger on top of the same page, and closing it takes visitors back to where they were.
Bring across any code you added
If you added code in Sandvox, such as a booking form, a map or an analytics tag, copy it from Sandvox while you still can. In EverWeb, paste code for one spot on a page into an HTML Snippet widget, and code that every page needs into Head/Footer Code.
EverWeb's version of what you used in Sandvox
| If your Sandvox site has | In EverWeb, use |
|---|---|
| The same sidebar or footer on every page | A Master Page, so every page shares it |
| Photo album pages | The Image Gallery widget, or import them as above |
| A blog or news section | EverWeb's blog, and the RSS Feed widget if visitors subscribe |
| A contact form | The Contact Form or Contact Form Advanced widget |
| YouTube videos | A shape with its Fill set to Video, which plays YouTube or Vimeo videos, or your own video file |
| A map | A shape with its Fill set to Map, for a Google map |
To use a Fill, select the shape, go to Inspector > Shape Options and choose the Fill type.
Choose your page layout.
- To keep a fixed-width design: use a Centered Layout page. Then add a mobile page for phones. See My website looks wrong on a phone.
- To make your site responsive: use a Responsive page, which adapts to every screen size. Learn about Containers, and the Allow free dragging option for placing objects anywhere. See Why won't this go where I drag it?
Two ways to do it
| Rebuild it yourself | We rebuild it by hand | |
|---|---|---|
| Good if | You have time, or want to change the design anyway | You want it to stay close to how it looks now |
| What you need | EverWeb, and your old text and images | Your website address, and an EverWeb license or hosting plan |
| What you end up with | Your own project file (the editable copy of your website, saved on your computer) | The same: a project file you can edit and publish yourself |
| What it costs | An EverWeb license or hosting plan | The same, plus a quote for the rebuild |
Rebuild it yourself
- Download EverWeb and try it for free before you buy.
- Follow our Sandvox to EverWeb guide.
- Copy your text and images across, page by page. Set up your header and footer on a Master Page, so every page can share them.
- Import your photo galleries, as described in "Tips for switching from Sandvox" above.
We rebuild it by hand
- Ask for a quote to convert your Sandvox site. Use the Sandvox quote form, or contact us with your website address and roughly how many pages it has.
- Read the quote. We'll point out any differences we can already see. If one thing matters most to you, ask now, because it's far easier to answer before we start.
- Buy a license or hosting plan if you don't have one, and we'll get started.
- Leave your current website as it is. We build from your live website, so changes you make during the work could be missed.
- Review the preview. See "Can I test it before switching?" below.
What stays the same and what changes
Stays the same: your text, images, links and pages, and your domain name. We keep the design as close as we can.
May change:
| What | How it changes |
|---|---|
| Photo galleries | In EverWeb, a photo opens larger on top of the same page, and closing it takes visitors back to where they were. |
| Fine design details | EverWeb and Sandvox build pages differently, so some spacing or layout will differ. Some differences only show up during the work. |
| Menus and special effects | A menu with several columns or levels, or a moving background, may not carry across as it is. |
| Page addresses | We try to keep them, but can't promise that every address or your position on Google stays the same. |
| Phones | A rebuild doesn't automatically make your old design responsive. If you want it updated for mobile, ask for this when you ask for a quote. |
Your design is set up on a Master Page, so a change there updates every page that uses it.
Do I have to change my host, domain or email?
No.
| Do you have to change it? | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | No | You keep your address. |
| Host | No | You can publish to your current host, as long as it accepts FTP, FTP with SSL/TLS or FTP with SSH. Or you can move to EverWeb Hosting. |
| No | If you stay with your host, your email doesn't change. |
If you move to EverWeb Hosting: you change your domain's nameservers, and your email moves with them. Your addresses aren't moved for you, and your old messages stay on the old server, so back them up first. Here are the steps in order. Keep your old hosting until your new website and email are working.
What does it cost?
The rebuild: it's affordable. We quote each website separately, because it depends on how many pages it has and how complex they are. You'll see the price before you agree to anything.
To edit and publish it, you also need one of these:
| Cost | Includes | |
|---|---|---|
| EverWeb Standalone | $89.95 USD once | The software and one year of updates and support. After that, you can keep using your version. Another year of updates and support is optional, at $59.95 USD. Publish to your own host. |
| EverWeb + Hosting | From $99.95 USD a year | The software, updates, support and hosting. |
If you buy Standalone and move to hosting later, you pay only the difference. See the pricing page for current prices.
How long does it take?
We do it quickly, and we'll tell you what to expect with your quote.
Can I test it before switching?
Yes. Nothing replaces your live website until you're ready.
- We send you a preview link so you can look through the whole website online.
- Tell us if anything needs adjusting, and we'll take care of it.
- You get your project file, and can practise editing it in EverWeb. This doesn't touch your live website.
- When you're ready, you publish it.
You can also try EverWeb for free first.
After you get your project file
- Download the file we send you and open the archive.
- Open EverWeb and drag the project file into Recent Projects in the Welcome to EverWeb window.
- Preview it to check it looks right.
- Go to File > Edit Publishing Settings and choose where to publish. If you publish to another host, ask them for your FTP details first.
- Go to File > Publish Entire Site.
Check your old pages. Publishing never removes files that are already online, so some of your old pages may still be reachable. Here's what publishing does and doesn't replace. On EverWeb Hosting we can remove them for you. On another host, ask them or use their file manager.
Keep your project file safe. It's the only editable copy, and we don't hold one for you. How to protect it.
From now on, you make changes yourself in EverWeb. If you'd like someone to walk you through it, ask us about a coaching session.
What if I don't have my old files?
That's usually fine. You don't need Sandvox or your old project.
| Your situation | What we need |
|---|---|
| Your website is still online | Your website address. We build from what we can see. |
| Your website isn't online, but you have a copy of the published files | A ZIP of that folder, sent through our upload page. |
| Your website isn't online and you have no files | Ask your old host whether they still have a copy. If nobody has one, we have nothing to rebuild from, and you'd start again from a template. |
Moving from another website builder?
- Convert your website to EverWeb: move any website and get a no-obligation quote
- iWeb replacement: how to update your old iWeb website with EverWeb
- Adobe Muse alternative: how to update your old Muse website with EverWeb
- Softpress Freeway alternative: how to update your old Freeway website with EverWeb
- GoldFish website builder alternative: how to update your old GoldFish website with EverWeb
- Move my website from Wix, Squarespace or Lovable to EverWeb and stop paying monthly fees