Not so long ago building a website meant hiring and paying a professional for coding. This was expensive and time consuming. Luckily, this is no longer the only route. Why? Behold the magic of website building tools! Services such as Weebly and Wix can help you whip up a professional looking sleek website in hours. Simply drag and drop the design elements you need. People who don’t know HTML, CSS, or JavaScript can easily create their own website for free! But, which website building tool is the best? We compare two of the best tools out there to help you solve this dilemma. Both, Weebly and Wix have a lot to offer, so let’s get systematic about the comparison process.
Overview of Wix and Weebly
First, we will give you a short overview of Wix and Weebly. Then we move on to a detailed assessment of the user interface (UI), templates options, ease of use, and social media integration options for both.
Overview – Wix
Wix is one of the best DIY website building tools out there. It has a simple drag and drop interface that any non-technical person can use to create a stunning website in an hour or less! You’ll find beautifully designed templates and a ton of app to help you customize your website. This tool is easy to use and also offers hosting options. Create the website you want with the user-friendly features of Wix.
As per Wix site, there are 200+ million users created site with Wix site builder.
Overview – Weebly
Weebly has become one of the most popular DIY website tools because of its unique combination of stunning templates, smooth user experience, and tons of customization options. Weebly websites once set up work and look like they were designed by a professional. As per their site, Weebly claims to have 50 million user base.
The drag-and-drop interface is intuitive and easy to use. Anyone new to web design can easily use this canvas to craft their unique website. Weebly is the best option for anyone who is a beginner in the realm of website building and wants a simple interface. Bloggers and small business owners can also take advantage of the simplicity and ease of use of Weebly.
Pricing
Weebly and Wix both companies offer similar free and premium plans. The premium plan is applicable per site basis.
Wix Pricing
Wix offers five “Website Plans” – free, combo, unlimited, Pro and VIP. In addition, they have separate plans for eCommerce and enterprises. The price starts with $14 for combo plan to the maximum of $500 per month for custom enterprise plan.
Though Wix has lower pricing than Weebly, the features are also limited.
Weebly Pricing
Weebly offers four plans – free, personal, professional and performance. The price starts with $6 per month if paid annually for connect a domain plan. The performance plan is the highest plan costing $26 per month if paid annually having all features including Weebly promote email marketing.
Template Options
Templates are the crux of any great website building tool. The design and aesthetics are the first things that a visitor will notice. A sleek stunning design will attract more leads and help grow your business. Both Wix and Weebly offer a ton of template options for their users. However be careful when choosing a template because media-rich templates experience a slight lag on slower internet connectivity.
To use a template you can simply choose one and check out the detailed preview. If you like the overall look and the features suit your needs, follow the instructions and the customization dashboard will appear. Think of this as the main control room which allows you to make any changes you want.
Wix
Wix has more than 500+ templates divided into 10+ categories of Business, Online Store, Photography, Music, Design, Restaurants & Food, Accommodation, Events, Blog, Health & Wellness, Portfolio & CV, etc. Each of these categories is divided into sub-categories, giving you a wide variety of design options.
Wix has added a new feature called Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) that makes it easier to build a website. Simply answer a few questions about what type of business you have and the tool will choose a template and customize it according to your needs.
Weebly
Website layout often differs according to the type of business it represents. To make it easier for you to decide which template is right for you Weebly categorizes the templates into six major types: Online Store, Business, Portfolio, Personal, Event, Blog, and Other.
Ease of Use
Since website builders are often used by people who don’t have much coding experience, ease of use is a major factor when comparing two tools. Ease of use refers to how user-friendly the interface is.
Wix
Wix has two methods of setting up a website. One is through the Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence) and the other the traditional website editor. The ADI method is the easiest way to create a site in a few seconds. Answer a few questions about your business and this tool sets up your website in a few minutes. Using the ADI you can even integrate content from your social media profiles or current website directly into the Wix template.
The Wix template editor is powerful because it uses a pure drag-and-drop functionality. Simply place an element where you want and edit the content.
Weebly
Weebly is based on a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) approach. You can create an entire website by dragging different elements onto the page. Add photos, menus, text boxes, and more and move them around to the right location. These elements can be edited as well, for example, images can be resized, menus edited, etc. This is much quicker than switching back and forth between preview pane and editing mode that WordPress uses.
Social Media Integration Options
Social media platforms are an important part of your online brand presence. Today’s customer is social media savvy and will probably expect to find your business on multiple social media platforms.
Wix
Wix has lots of options when it comes to social media integrations. You can show your social media feeds directly on your website. This makes it easier to retain the visitor’s attention because you won’t redirecting them to your social media page. You can also display social media icons and link your Facebook and Twitter pages.
Weebly
All Weebly templates allow you display social media icons for major platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. Simply add the widget to your site to increase social shares and followers.
Lead Generation and Customer Engagement
Every business tries to increase awareness and find new customers. A professional website is an excellent way to accomplish these goals. However, a great looking website doesn’t do your business much good if it fails at generating quality leads. Keeping your visitors engaged is also a major issue for business owners. Most website building tools include an arsenal of tools that help you create engaging content and interact with customers in more creative ways.
Both Wix and Weebly include features that make online marketing easier for a typical business. You’ll be able to reach a wider audience in less time.
Wix
Wix helps you keep in touch with current customers with its customer engagement features. Most Wix templates include contact forms, live chat program and the ability to set up customized email marketing campaigns. Engage customers with polls, get quick feedback, and use any of the 200 plus email marketing apps to build your customer base.
Weebly
Weebly offers a powerful yet simple form builder that you can use to capture a visitor’s contact information for example, email address, phone number, interests, and more. Keep your visitors engaged with Weebly’s creative templates which include options to set up a blog, add images, and upload HD quality videos.
Other Common Features
Following are the features offered with both site builder tools:
- Blogging with limited capabilities
- Membership site for premium users
- Newsletter subscription service
- Code modification and integration of Analytics
- Multiple site editors
- Mobile apps for tracking and website building
Both Weebly and Wix offer support over emails, phone calls, forums and through knowledge articles for premium users.
Final Words
Overall Wix is the best choice in our opinion because of its flexible features and user-friendly interface. Google trends clearly show Wix is the winner compared to Weebly (Blue line is Wix and red is Weebly).
However, Weebly is easier to use if you are a non-technical person who wants an amazing website without dealing with the hassle of coding.
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