Universe, the website builder people run from an iPhone, is closing. Its notice says: "We have made the difficult decision to shut down Universe." It also says: "Your website will stay online and working until December 31, 2026."
That day is your deadline for getting everything out. Below: what stops first, what Universe's export tools save, what you have to copy by hand, how to keep your domain, and where to rebuild. If your site has already gone, skip to the last section: a short description of your business is enough to start again.
The dates, and what stops first
The notice says: "We plan to wind down the service over the remainder of 2026 and expect to continue operating through December." Three things happen along the way.
- New things stop first. "In the coming weeks we will begin blocking new site creation, new subscriptions, and new domain registrations."
- Your site stays editable. "You will still be able to manage and update your existing websites until December 31, 2026."
- Subscriptions end on their own. "We will automatically cancel all existing subscriptions before December 31, 2026." You can cancel sooner through Apple or at web.univer.se/subscriptions.
The notice does not name a replacement, so where you go next is your choice.
What the export tools save, and what they leave out
The tools are live at web.univer.se/export. The notice describes them this way: "We have built tools to help you download images and videos, export mailing lists and order histories, and transfer your domain to another provider."
Run them now, then open each file to check it worked. Your mailing list matters most, because you cannot rebuild it from memory. Keep a copy somewhere that is yours.
Look at what is missing from that list: your pages. The notice does not list a way to export a whole site, its layout or its text, so plan to rebuild the pages rather than move them.
Copy what the tools leave behind
Go through your site page by page while it is still up.
- Your words. The text of every page, pasted into a document: what you do, your about text, your prices, the answers to questions customers ask.
- How people reach you. Phone, email, address, hours, booking links and social accounts, exactly as the site shows them today.
- Anything you sell. Each product or service with its description and price. An order history lists what sold, which may not be everything you offer.
- A screenshot of each page. Once the site is gone, this is your only record of how it looked.
Keep your domain
If customers know your site by its own address, keep that address through the move. Which steps you need depends on where it lives.
- A domain you bought through Universe. Use the transfer tool at web.univer.se/export to move it to a registrar you choose. Start early, because a transfer can take days and you want it finished before the site goes.
- A domain you bought elsewhere. It stays where it is. When your new site is ready, change the records that point it at Universe and leave the rest alone.
- Email on that domain. Write down the current records before you change anything. If your email uses this domain, those records have to stay as they are when the website moves.
- A free address on Universe's own domain. Plan for it to stop working with the service. Update the places people find it: your Instagram bio, your Google listing, your business cards.
If you sell through Universe
A store is a separate decision from the website. FyneSite does not take online orders. When you edit a FyneSite site, you can add a link to whichever shop or booking service you choose, so customers can still buy there while the site tells them who you are.
Rebuild the website on FyneSite
Describe your business in the box at the top of this page, with what you do and the town you do it in, and FyneSite shows you a draft website built from that description. Save it, then add the words, photos and links you kept.
Looking at the draft is free, and nothing is saved to an account or published until you choose to keep it. Publishing on a fynesite.com address is free; your own domain is a paid plan, with current prices on the pricing page.
FyneSite does not copy a Universe site for you, so you bring the words and photos across yourself. FyneSite is not affiliated with Universe.
