Wix Vs. Weebly

Choosing the right website builder is not an easy task, especially given that there are so many professional website builders and tools available at affordable prices. Two of the most popular such platforms, Wix website builder and Weebly offer a variety of features which enhance the user's experience when building a website, including user-friendly drag-and-drop interfaces that allow even the most novice webmaster to build a visually appealing website in no time. We have selected 5 of the most important features to compare when deciding between Wix and Weebly.

Wix and Weebly Compared

1. Design

If you are just starting to learn the ropes of building a website, you might be looking for a platform offering a sizable library of website design templates. From this point of view, Wix has each and every angle covered. Their templates are varied and stunning. However, before you sign up for the service, there are a few things you should know.

Once you build your website with Wix using a particular theme, it is not easy to migrate to a different theme. If you want to change themes, you will essentially have to rebuild your website from scratch. Weebly, on the other hand, allows its users to switch templates without having to rebuild their entire website. They are also more flexible when it comes to design customization, allowing you to tweak the source code and even to use a third-party template designed for Weebly.

Additionally, with Weebly, when you drag and drop elements to design and edit your site, they snap into place. While this may seem annoying to some, it is Weebly's way of ensuring that your website appears nicely organized. With Wix, on the other hand, you can essentially add elements anywhere, even if they overlap. Depending on your preferences for your final website appearance, this could be a good or bad thing.

2. Cost

A great advantage both Wix and Weebly platforms offer is the ability to test them out for free. Without paying a penny, you can create a gorgeous Wix website, but be aware: You will not be able to use your own domain name and it will have a rather ugly-looking, long URL because your site will be a subdomain of Wix under the free plan. Your free site will also display a big Wix ad right on top of the page. Free websites built using Weebly also display an ad, but this time it is barely noticeable, as it is inserted in the footer. Other limitations for Weebly free account holders include the number of pages, products, and the ability to have a custom domain name -- like Wix, you'll be stuck with a subdomain if you don't pay for a premium plan.

By paying for a subscription package you will have much more control over how your site appears. Wix’s most basic "Connect Domain" plan is available at a monthly fee of $4.50. You get 1 GB bandwidth and 500 MB storage capacity, but your website will continue to display the site builder’s ads unless you decide to upgrade to at least the Combo plan ($8.50 per month). Weebly takes down the ads even for their lowest plan subscribers ($12 per month), allowing users to build as many pages as they want, to use their own domain name, and to customize their footer.

3. e-Commerce

If you are looking into these two platforms for eCommerce purposes, you should know that Wix has dedicated subscription plans for building online shops, with monthly rates starting at $17. When using Wix eCommerce, you can choose from over 100 website design templates, and you have tons of royalty-free images available for use. Products are added manually, but, for a small monthly fee, you can add the Shopify app to your eCommerce website and make inventory management, order tracking, and shipping a lot easier.

All Weebly plans include eCommerce tools, but if you want to have full flexibility and freedom, you will have to opt for the Business plan. With monthly rates starting at $25, it allows you to sell as many products as you want, providing your customers with a seamless checkout experience on your own website. Another great advantage is that you won’t have to pay the 3% transaction fee, which can add up to significant amounts if you are running a successful online store.

4. Mobile Compatibility

As more and more internet users access the web via their smartphones, a website’s mobile compatibility becomes a crucial factor for its success. Both platforms allow you to build mobile-friendly websites without too investing extra efforts into this. If you need your mobile version to be slightly different than the desktop one, you should know that Wix has a built-in mobile editor that allows you to tweak certain elements, move them around, resize, or even hide them. Weebly, on the other hand, generates a mobile version of the site for you which is fixed – you can’t edit items just on your mobile site.

5. Blog

Both Wix and Weebly offer you the ability to blog on your website.  On Wix, it is easy to create a website that is simply a blog all on its own or simply add a blog page to your business website. There are numerous templates to choose from, including holiday recipe blog, lifestyle mom blog, food blog, traveler blog, and more. You can manage and write your blog straight from your desktop or mobile phone. Organize your posts with hashtags and categories, add photos (including from the Wix library), create a community of members, and share your ideas on social media.

Weebly offers blog templates for standalone blogs and as a part of other websites that you create. Developing your blog content is as simple as dragging and dropping. You can blog on the go via the Weebly app. Drive traffic to your blog by creating meta descriptions, title tags, and custom URLs. You can incorporate commenting systems from Disqus or Facebook.

Which One is Best for You?

The answer here is not clear cut. Both platforms are easy to use, and their pricing tiers are rather similar. If you know what you want from the beginning and you have found a good template that suits your needs, Wix is a great choice. If, on the other hand, you want to have the flexibility to customize your pages, Weebly sounds like a better option. Either way, they both have a money back guarantee, so you can take them for a spin and find out for yourself.