My first website built with Etch

Etch is still in beta. And yet, I decided to build my personal website with it.

This article is about why I did that, how the experience felt, and why Etch already stands out in a page builder ecosystem that has felt stagnant for far too long.

Discovering Etch

Etch is a relatively new WordPress page builder, and from the very beginning it was clear that it wasn’t trying to be “just another builder.” Its goal is much bigger: to rethink how we build websites in WordPress, from structure to styling, from content to media.

Despite still being in beta, Etch already feels surprisingly robust. Robust enough that I felt confident using it for something important to me: my own personal website, pv21design.pt.

And honestly? It exceeded my expectations.

Why Etch Feels Different

From the moment you open Etch, you can tell it’s built by professionals, for professionals.

One of the first things that truly blew my mind was the ability to see and interact with real HTML directly inside the builder. This isn’t abstracted away. It’s not hidden. You touch the real structure of your website.

Even more impressive: everything you build in Etch translates 1:1 to Gutenberg.

That alone feels magical.

On top of that, Etch’s components and loops system is incredibly powerful. You can build virtually anything (dynamic layouts, reusable systems, advanced conditional logic, etc) without fighting the tool.

At this point, the only real limitation is your imagination.

A Builder That Teaches You While You Build

One of the most innovative decisions Etch made was how it handles styling.

At first, style inputs were directly connected to custom CSS, 1:1. Change something in CSS, and you’d see it reflected in the UI. Change it in the UI, and the CSS updated accordingly.

That alone was impressive. But then the team went even further. They completely ditched traditional style inputs.

That takes courage.

Instead, they introduced something called the Mini GUI, a small, elegant interface that lives right next to the CSS panel. With just a few clicks, you’re writing real CSS and seeing it happen live.

This does something no other builder really does:

• You learn CSS while building
• You understand HTML better because you see it
• You grow as a developer just by using the tool

Etch doesn’t hide the web from you. It invites you to understand it.

Building My Website with Etch

Building my website with Etch + Automatic CSS, was not just enjoyable, it was fast.

In just a couple of days, I had an advanced website up and running, featuring:

• Light and dark modes
• Components and loops
• Conditional logic
• Custom post types and custom fields
• A clean, modern structure

All the things you’d expect from a professional, modern WordPress build, without friction.

What started as “I’ll keep it simple” quickly turned into “Okay, let’s add just one more thing.”
Etch made experimentation feel effortless and fun.

Why I Chose Etch for My Personal Website

Because Etch is still in beta, I’m not using it on client websites yet. But I couldn’t wait any longer to really get my hands dirty.

My old personal website was built with Oxygen. It had served me well, but Oxygen has been sunset, and I didn’t want my personal space tied to an abandoned tool.

More importantly, my personal website is my playground.

No client expectations. No constraints. 100% creative freedom.

It’s where I experiment, learn, and push myself creatively. Etch was the perfect choice for that.

And looking back now, it was absolutely the right decision.

Final Thoughts

Watching Etch evolve over the past year has been incredible.

The team communicates constantly, listens to feedback, and ships improvements at an impressive pace. Their private community feels alive, collaborative, and genuinely invested in shaping the future of the builder.

Etch isn’t finished yet, but its vision is bold:

• A new way to manage content
• A new way to manage media
• Native loops, filters, CPTs, and custom fields
• Fewer plugins, less bloat, more cohesion

If Etch delivers on that vision, it won’t just be another page builder.

It will be a complete, modern website-building platform for WordPress.

And I’m genuinely excited to be building with it this early.