Weebly vs WordPress: Which One is Better For Your Website?

Are you trying to decide between Weebly vs WordPress to build your site?

When it comes to creating a website, there are many popular platforms available to choose from. Two of them are Weebly, a hosted website builder, and WordPress, a self-hosted CMS.

However, Weebly and WordPress offer different user experiences. So before making your choice, it’s essential to compare them and choose the one that can fit your budget, skill level, and expectations the best.

Further, the main difference between Weebly and WordPress is that Weebly is a much easier-to-use website builder but a lot more limited. While WordPress is open-source and offers a great deal of flexibility and scalability.

In this article, we’ll compare WordPress vs Weebly on the basis of several key factors, so you can decide which one is better for you.

Let’s get started!

Weebly vs WordPress: Overview

First of all, let’s talk about Weebly and WordPress.

Weebly

Weebly is a free online website builder that uses a simple widget-based site builder. It is hosted on Weebly’s own server, so you don’t need to install it on your PC; you can work online instead.

All of the site elements are simple drag-and-drop, and it instantly generates a mobile version of each website.

However, with a free Weebly plan, you can use a free Weebly subdomain. As a result, your site URL will end with .weebly.com, such as this: example.weebly.com. However, if you purchase a paid plan, you can select a custom domain name that does not include .weebly.com.

WordPress

WordPress is an open-source website creation software that makes it simple to create a website.

It is licensed under GPLv2, which means that anybody can use or change the WordPress software for free.

WordPress is well-known as a content management system (CMS). It refers to a tool that makes it simple to develop, publish, and manage online content, such as without any programming knowledge.

However, to make a website with WordPress, you need a web hosting account and domain name. You can buy them both from hosting companies like Hostinger and Bluehost. After that, you should install WordPress on your hosting account, and you’re ready to start designing your site.

See our detailed guide on how to create a WordPress website and how to start a WordPress blog.

WordPress vs Weebly: Detailed Comparison

In this section, we’ll compare Weebly versus WordPress head-to-head through different categories. Then, we’ll offer our verdict for each category.

1. Ease of Use

Creating a website can be time-consuming, especially if this is your first time. As a result, selecting a website platform that provides a user-friendly experience is important.

Weebly Ease of Use

Weebly is easier to use for most users because getting started is simple with Weebly sign-in.

You don’t need any HTML skills to start with Weebly because it’s a drag-and-drop website builder. You simply just pick a theme and start building:

Plus, you may easily add images, text boxes, and other elements to your website by dragging and dropping them. Editing, resizing, and moving your elements is also simple. In addition, you can set up an account and start working in less than 10 minutes.

WordPress Ease of Use

WordPress.org, on the other hand, requires some setup before you can start building.

To start, you need to purchase website hosting and a domain name and install WordPress. That may sound daunting, but because WordPress is so popular, most WordPress hosts make it extremely simple. In fact, most quality hosts will allow you to install WordPress with just a few mouse clicks.

To develop a great website, you’ll then need to choose a theme and a few WordPress plugins. In a nutshell, plugins allow you to expand the functionality of your website. There are plugins for everything from a basic popup plugin to setting up an eCommerce store.

The core WordPress editor, unlike Weebly, is not a visual, drag-and-drop editor. However, there are several quality page builder plugins available that allow you to create your content using simple drag-and-drop.

Verdict

Although WordPress is not overly complex, there is a learning curve. Weebly, on the other hand, is designed for beginners. So when it comes to ease of use with Weebly or WordPress, the winner is Weebly.

2. Customization Options

Here, we’ll discuss how much easier, flexible, and more customizable these two solutions are. Also, which one gives you more customization options?

Weebly

Weebly allows you to customize your web design by selecting a theme and then tweaking it further with the drag-and-drop editor. If you know little about HTML and CSS, you can use the Weebly code editor to make modifications.

There are more than 50 themes available on Weebly in their library. This is quite limited in comparison to what other builders offer.

Fortunately, you have the option of using a third-party theme. You can purchase premium Weebly templates from companies like Luminous Themes, Webfire Themes, and Baamboo Studio.

When it comes to extending the functionality of your Weebly site, you may do so by adding add-ons from the Weebly App Center.

Furthermore, there are over 600 free and paid apps available. These apps can be used to add features such as live chat, email marketing, and social buttons to your Weebly site.

WordPress

WordPress, as an open-source platform, offers several customization options. Its vast community of users and developers actively creates themes and plugins, making your choices look endless.

WordPress’s library has over 10,900 free themes. They can be installed and activated from your WordPress dashboard.

Additionally, thousands of premium WordPress themes are available from third-party sources and marketplaces such as ThemeForest and TemplateMonster.

Astra, Divi, GeneratePress, Blossom Coach Pro, etc., are some best premium WordPress themes.

Additionally, over 60,600 free plugins are available in the WordPress plugin directory. You can use these plugins to extend the functionality of your WordPress site. You can also purchase third-party plugins from sources like CodeCanyon.

Here are some essential plugins for WordPress.

Verdict

When it comes to customization, WordPress easily comes out on top.

3. Performance

The platform on which you create your website must be stable in terms of performance. A well-performing website allows your website’s pages to load quickly, offering a seamless experience for your end-users. Let’s see what Weebly or WordPress offers in terms of performance.

Weebly Performance

You don’t have to worry about optimizing your website with Weebly because it takes care of everything for you. Weebly site speeds are often quite fast. However, the lack of customization can be disappointing.

WordPress Performance

WordPress, on the other hand, is a self-hosted platform. This means you’ll need to select a good web hosting for performance and a hosting plan that meets your needs.

This is especially vital if you intend to use your site to store large files or perform resource-intensive tasks.

With WordPress, you have more freedom to administer various manual modifications to boost your site’s performance even further.

For more details, you can go through our detailed guide to speed up a WordPress website.

Verdict

Overall, WordPress performs far better than Weebly while requiring more work. Having the option to optimize website performance as much as possible is still a significant bonus. In general, WordPress outperforms Weebly in this round of WordPress vs Weebly performance.

4. Site Management

Site management refers to all the day-to-day tasks involved in running a website.

Weebly

Weebly’s platform handles almost all maintenance tasks, which is a big benefit of using it to create a website. You don’t have to worry about software updates or scan your website for security vulnerabilities. Weebly handles both of these tasks for you.

However, you can change different website settings via the site editor.

WordPress

While WordPress allows you to customize nearly every aspect of the site management experience.

You may visit the Settings tab from your dashboard, where you’ll find most of your website’s settings. You can change various site settings here, such as changing the permalinks for your pages and posts and enabling or disabling comments.

Further, you can use the Tools option to perform essential tasks on your site. Here, you can check your Site Health as well as Import or Export posts and comments from another platform.

However, unlike Weebly, many maintenance tasks on WordPress, like software upgrades, security scans, and backups, are not done automatically. In some circumstances, you’ll need to install plugins to get the job done.

Verdict

Overall, site maintenance is easier with Weebly. However, it has a lack of options. WordPress, on the other hand, allows you to do almost anything. In the Weebly vs. WordPress site management category, WordPress is the winner.

5. SEO

SEO is one thing that no one can afford to overlook; ensure that the platform you choose allows for this. Let’s look at what Weebly vs. WordPress offers in terms of SEO.

Weebly SEO

With Weebly, you can perform the most basic SEO tasks. You can customize each element, like page title, Meta Description, custom URLs, etc., and optimize them for search.

You’ll have limited access to headings (H1 and H2 only). If you want to edit these, you have to install a third-party app from the Weebly store.

You may also change the alt tags for your images, set up 301 redirects, and view some of your site’s underlying codes. Plus, you can also add SSL security and Google Analytics Code.

WordPress SEO

WordPress offers a slew of built-in and third-party SEO tools. In Addition to having all the basic configurations like custom URLs, alt text, and meta descriptions, you’re free to access the site code and make any changes you need to optimize your site.

The wide range of available best SEO WordPress plugins makes WordPress an excellent platform for applying the best WordPress SEO practices.

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin is one such plugin with over 3+ million active installs. The plugin helps you easily optimize your article title, meta description, and many more related elements.

Furthermore, It also gives suggestions on which key phrases to focus on and their overall readability and scores your content accordingly. This feature can help beginners learn and practice the basics of SEO writing.

For more details, check out how to optimize blog posts for SEO.

Verdict

Based on a large number of SEO tools available, WordPress wins this Weebly versus WordPress category.

6. eCommerce

Here, we’ll discuss the types of eCommerce options you’ll get with both platforms so you can decide which is best for your eCommerce website.

Weebly eCommerce

Weebly allows you to create your own online store. However, their features are very basic. There isn’t much you can do to customize your store.

Plus, Weebly charges a 3% transaction fee in addition to the fees charged by payment processors such as Stripe and PayPal. As a result, you are paying double transaction fees.

However, you can remove the additional transaction fee by upgrading to their Business plan for $25 per month.

WordPress eCommerce

WordPress includes various powerful eCommerce plugins that allow you to build your own online stores, such as WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.

WooCommerce is a WordPress-based, open-source eCommerce platform. You can use this WordPress plugin to start a business, transform an already-existing physical store into an online store, or even build websites for clients. WooCommerce allows you to get started quickly and build the eCommerce store of your dreams.

Additionally, many WooCommerce plugins are available that let you add new features to your online store.

Check our guide on how to start an online store with WordPress + WooCommerce.

Verdict

Weebly and WordPress are both excellent solutions for eCommerce. Weebly gives many features at a low cost, whereas WordPress with WooCommerce delivers greater flexibility and scalability. This one is a tie.

7. Security

If you have an online presence, you must prioritize security. Let’s look at what Weebly and WordPress offer in terms of security.

Weebly Security

Weebly is a hosted platform, which means that the company is liable for the security of your site. When it comes to security settings, you don’t have much control.

However, you can enable or disable your SSL from the Settings menu.

WordPress Security

While WordPress is a popular platform, making it one of the most common targets for attackers that continuously look for vulnerabilities in the platform. However, WordPress core software is very secure, and its security updates are installed automatically by default.

Most attacks on WordPress sites are caused by outdated themes and plugins. To avoid this, use themes and plugins that receive regular updates and have high overall ratings. You may also enable auto-updates for your themes and plugins from the WordPress dashboard.

Furthermore, there are various security plugins for WordPress available to better secure your site.

For more details, see our tips on how to secure a WordPress website.

Verdict

With Weebly, the company handles security measures for you. On the other hand, WordPress requires more effort from its users while giving more options. This round of WordPress or Weebly is a tie.

8. Blogging: WordPress vs Weebly

Whatever type of website you want to create, it will almost always benefit from a dependable blogging feature. Regularly posting relevant content can help drive traffic to your website.

Weebly

Weebly offers built-in and basic blogging features. These include:

• Drag-and-drop Editor: create unlimited content.
• Categories, tags, and sidebar customization: customize the categories and tags under which your posts will be filed and change the sidebar’s content.
• Comments management: moderate your comments section and integrate it with Disqus or Facebook.
• Blog SEO: adjust your posts’ custom URLs, title tags, and meta descriptions.
• Posts scheduling and sharing: schedule and share your posts on social media.

WordPress

Since WordPress was originally designed for blogging, its functionality has improved and polished over time. In addition to basic functionality that will suit casual bloggers, WordPress’s key strengths are advanced features and extensions.

All of the blogging options found on Weebly are also available on WordPress. However, with WordPress, you have more control over your blog.

Verdict

When it comes to blogging, Weebly vs WordPress both has a lot to offer because both platforms were designed with blog creation in mind. It takes more time to learn how to use the CMS, but WordPress is the way to go if you need a higher-quality site.

9. Data Portability

Let’s take a look at what WordPress vs Weebly has to offer.

Weebly

Weebly allows you to download your site as a zip file, which will just contain your HTML pages and images.

If you had a blog, it would not be exported. If you have slideshows or other features, they will not run on the exported site. Basically, moving a site away from Weebly is really difficult.

WordPress

On the other side, WordPress makes it simple to export your data into various formats. You can export your WordPress website as an XML file, export your database, and download your files and content.

You can effortlessly move your WordPress site to another platform. This flexibility allows you complete control over your website, which provides peace of mind to many site owners.

Verdict

WordPress wins this category.

10. Pricing: Weebly vs WordPress

Here, we’ll discuss the pricing of both solutions. It’ll give you a complete idea of which one you should invest in and which will fit your budget.

Weebly Pricing

Weebly offers three premium pricing plans ranging from $5 to $25 per month. You will receive free SSL certificates, a custom domain, and 500MB of storage space. It also gives a $100 Google Ads credit, a shopping cart, online payments through Square and third-party providers, and other services.

Weebly also offers a free plan with 500MB of storage and free SSL security. However, the domain name will contain Weebly branding.

WordPress Cost

WordPress, on the other hand, is a free and open-source platform. To get started, you only need a web hosting service and a domain name. However, the overall cost of creating a website with WordPress depends on your needs.

For example, you can obtain domain hosting for as little as $2.75 per month, which includes a free domain and SSL certificate. Furthermore, there are many free WordPress themes and plugins to use, bringing the total cost to under $10 per year. However, if you need more features and use premium plugins, it might cost you more than $500 each year.

Verdict

WordPress is much more affordable than Weebly. However, depending on your needs, it may cost you more.

11. Customer Support

Let’s look at Weebly versus WordPress in terms of customer support.

Weebly Customer Support

First, Weebly offers a help center with various help guides. They also offer 24/7 email support and live chat or phone support during working hours.

If you have any questions, they will most likely be answered quickly.

WordPress Customer Support

While WordPress has a community forum where users can ask questions, these postings are moderated by volunteers rather than support staff.

These volunteers do their best to help new users, but there is no guarantee that you will get an answer or solution.

Aside from the community forum, there is no option to contact a support representative to ask a question.

Hiring a WordPress coder to help you is one option, but this will certainly affect your budget.

Verdict

WordPress has a wealth of knowledge as well as useful support forums. On the other hand, Weebly has direct, in-house expert support agents to answer your problems, which is highly handy for beginners. Weebly wins this Weebly versus WordPress category.

WordPress vs Weebly: Which One is Better For Your Website?

WordPress is considerably superior in the long run as an open-source platform for any type of website. Weebly, on the other hand, helps users easily create websites. Actually, it all depends on what you need the site for and your level of website-building skills.

You should choose Weebly if you have no prior experience creating a portfolio or a blog. It’s much easier to use right out of the box, and you can have your site set up and running in minutes. Weebly will help you from start to finish.

Click here to get started with Weebly today!

WordPress is great for anyone who wants to gain control of their website and learn how it works. It gives you total control over your website. You can add or remove any plugins you like and even edit the underlying code by hand in any way you want.

We hope this article helped you decide which is better for your site, Weebly or WordPress.

For more, check out these other WordPress comparisons:

• Wix vs WordPress
• Blogger vs WordPress
• Wix vs Squarespace vs WordPress
• Shopify vs WordPress
• Drupal vs WordPress
• Squarespace vs WordPress

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