Universe

What it is

Universe is a visual, no-code website builder. The company's site describes it as a tool you can use from any device: you drag and drop blocks to construct pages on a phone, a tablet or a computer. It is aimed at people who want to "create a unique new website, portfolio, or link in bio", and the pricing page says the plans suit personal sites, side hustles, landing pages, artists, creators and small businesses taking their first steps online. The home page lists an online store, a portfolio, an event page, a blog and a fan site as typical projects. It also states that Universe is a 2023 Apple Design Award winner. The pages name no headquarters or founding year.

What you build and how

The editor is called the Grid Editor, and the site calls it "the easiest way to lay out your website with no code". You arrange Blocks on a grid, and the features page says there is a Block for anything you need on a website. The sites are fully responsive: they resize to any screen, so you do not maintain a separate mobile site and a separate desktop site. There are no HTML or CSS steps. The home page puts it this way: "Just arrange your content on the Grid."

What sets Universe apart from most site builders is where you can run the editor. The features page lists an iPhone app ("create and manage your entire website from your iPhone"), an iPad app, a native Mac app (the company calls Universe "the only website builder with a native Mac app") and a web app for any browser. Each of those has its own download or launch link on the page.

You can start in three ways. The home page says there are hundreds of professionally designed templates, that you can start from scratch, and that you can use AI to generate website elements. The site gives no exact template count and does not detail what the AI generation covers beyond that one line. Collaboration is built in: you can invite friends, coworkers or strangers to manage your website with you.

Websites and portfolios

For a plain website, the builder covers the basics the pages list under hosting. Universe publishes your site and keeps it online, and the site says every Universe website is automatically optimized for search engines each time you publish. You can buy a custom domain such as yourbrand.com in a tap; the company says it handles domain registration and the server setup. Every site comes with a TLS certificate that encrypts data between the visitor and the site. The pages also say the servers adapt automatically to traffic, whether a site gets 10 visitors or 10 million.

Store tools

The features page has a Commerce section that opens with "Everything you need to start a store on your website is included." It lists these abilities:

• Sell products: choose a price and publish, and the site can accept orders.
• Print shipping labels: orders for physical goods can buy and print labels inside the app.
• Manage inventory: create unique SKUs for colors and sizes and track limited stock.
• Sell digital downloads: upload a file, pick a price, and the platform takes care of the rest, including emailing download links.
• Apple Pay on your website.

The home page adds that a sell block is enough to open for business, and mentions discounted shipping labels. Fees are covered in the plan section below.

Link in bio

Universe puts link-in-bio pages in the same product as websites. The membership quote for that category is the same line as the websites one: "Create a unique new website, portfolio, or link in bio." The pricing page names that line under its Free plan, and the guides page carries an article titled "How to build a link in bio website for free". You build a link-in-bio page with the same Grid Editor, blocks and publishing as any other Universe site, so there is no separate tool to learn.

Email, analytics and marketing

The features page lists several tools beyond the page itself. Email forwarding lets you use a custom email address on your own domain, and third-party email connects to Google Workspace, Fastmail or any provider you prefer. A mailing list can collect email addresses and send custom emails, which the page frames as a way to start a newsletter. For analytics there is built-in support for Simple Analytics, described as privacy-first with no cookies required. Google Analytics can be added "with just one tap", and the Meta Pixel for Facebook or Instagram advertising is "one click".

The evidence

The company's pricing page names four plans: Free, Base, Pro and Complete. The home page says "We have four plans" and calls its outline of them rough, so the plan breakdown page is the place for exact limits. What the pages state is below.

| Plan | Price | What the page lists | |---|---|---| | Free | $0.00 | Mailing list, unlimited blocks, SEO tools, a custom website using the Grid Editor, owning your brand and website, uploading original content | | Base | $12 per month or $72 per year | Mail tools, commerce, brand tools, removing Universe branding, more customization, larger storage and file size limits, 5% Universe fees, 5-day payouts | | Pro | $25 per month or $200 per year | Adds 4K uploads, advanced brand tools, analytics and custom code, 2% Universe fees, 2-day payouts, complete branding controls, larger storage | | Complete | $50 per month or $500 per year | 0% Universe fees, 2-day payouts, complete branding controls, the largest storage and file size limits |

The pricing page marks Base as "our most popular plan." Annual billing works out cheaper than monthly on every paid tier. The page also says Universe fees apply on orders, which is the practical difference between the tiers for a seller. It describes Free as good for personal sites, side hustles and landing pages.

Proof points on the home page are claims of the company: it says Universe has over 7K 5-star reviews and that over one million sites have been built. It names the 2023 Apple Design Award. The guides page, which says its collection will grow, lists two articles: one on starting a crochet small business and website, and the link-in-bio guide. The site also has a gallery of sites made on Universe and creator interviews in its navigation.

The pages do not list a security or compliance certification beyond the TLS certificate, and they do not publish record, page or storage numbers for each plan. They do not say whether a free trial of the paid plans exists.

Who it suits and who it does not

A solo creator, an artist or a person starting a side hustle fits the pitch the pages make. The Free plan costs $0 and still includes unlimited blocks and the Grid Editor, and the first paid step, Base at $12 per month, adds commerce and removes Universe branding. If you already live on an iPhone, an iPad or a Mac, the native apps are a real reason to look: you can build and manage the site where you already work.

A small shop that wants to sell physical goods and digital downloads from one page, with labels and inventory in the same app, can do that on the features the page lists. Someone who wants a link-in-bio page that grows into a store can stay in one product.

The caveats are about scale and detail. The pages give no integration count and name only a few connections, such as Google Workspace, Fastmail, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel and Apple Pay. They describe no team roles or permissions beyond inviting people to manage the site. A business needing a large integration catalog, a governed multi-user workflow or published compliance documents will have to ask the company directly. Seller fees of 5% on Base also deserve a look before you commit, and moving up a tier is how they fall.