Not so long ago, building a website meant hiring and paying a professional for coding – an option that was both costly and time-consuming. Luckily, this is no longer the only route. Why? Behold the magic of website building tools! Platforms like Weebly and Wix can help you whip up a professional looking sleek website in hours by simply dragging and dropping 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.
Summary – Weebly Vs Wix
Below is the summary of features for quick reference:
| Feature | Weebly | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Free Site | Yes, with ads | Yes, with ads |
| Starting Price | $10 / month | $17 / month |
| AI Features | No | Yes, Editor, Elements and Tools |
| Free Domain | 1-year, only with higher plans | 1-year, with all premium plans |
| Templates | Less than 15 (possible to switch) | More than 1000 (not possible to switch) |
| Payment | Square, PayPal and Stripe | Wix Payments and other popular platforms |
| Analytics | Yes | Yes |
| App Market | Yes, but limited | Yes |
| SEO | Basic setup | Complete optimization possible |
| Ecommerce | Yes, with Performance plan | Yes, with Business plan |
1. 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 platforms.
Overview – Wix
Started 2006, Wix is a NASDAQ listed company (Ticker symbol: WIX) with over 250 million user base. In our experience, this is one of the best do it yourself (DIY) website building tools in the market for more than a decade. It is very important to pick a stable platform so that you can focus on your content instead of the distracted by the unstable setup. 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 apps to help you customize your website.
Overview – Weebly
Started 2007, Weebly supports more than 50 million websites and was acquired by the ecommerce giant Square in 2018. Unlike Wix, Weebly is super simple both in terms of offering as well as user interface. The simplicity made Weebly one of the most popular website building platforms especially for online stores. You will get limited apps / themes and integration with Square to build a custom website. Though it is easy to use, the platform is not stable and the apps are buggy with many user complaints on their marketplace.
Note: Square acquired Weebly to support their Square Online platform. Currently, Weebly is the backend for Square Online and the future is uncertain whether both platforms will be merged or continue to exist independently. You also need a Square account to login to Weebly and create a website. Check our article on Square Online Vs Weebly to learn more.
2. Dashboard Setup
Both platforms need an account to start creating your site. After logging in, you will land on dashboard where you can manage sites and products. Unless, you will have multiple sites and products to sell across sites, dashboard will be just an intermediate screen to access the editor.
Wix Dashboard
You need some time to get familiar with Wix dashboard as there are so many items packed in a single From the left sidebar, you can quickly navigate to blog section, payment setup, product management, app marketplace, etc. If you are new to website building, follow the step-by-step checklist to setup your first online store and connect a custom domain. There is also an AI Assistant to assist you in your tasks.
Weebly Dashboard
Though there are similar features available in Weebly dashboard, it will look super simple as you can see in the below screenshot, You can switch the sites, manage products and find a checklist for setting up your online store.
3. Editor Interface
Since you need to spend lot of time in front of the editor, it is important to check the elements, features and integrations offered to make sure it fulfills your needs.
Wix Editor
You can either start your site from scratch or use Wix AI editor to build the layout based on your inputs. We recommend starting from the scratch by choosing a template as you can use AI generators inside the editor to customize the colors, design and content. You can create pages, add elements / sections, customize the appearance using the available tools. AI can be used to create text for each element and then review to adjust as per your need. After creating the content, you can simply save to keep it offline, or preview and publish to make it online by connecting a domain.
Weebly Editor
You can view the available elements in the left sidebar and drag them to build your content quickly. It is much easier than Wix though you have very limited themes available to choose. As this is so easy, anyone new to web design can easily use this canvas to craft their unique website in an hour. Bloggers and small business owners can also take advantage of the simplicity and ease of use of Weebly. Only problem is that there are no AI assistant or tools to help you.
Note: Both platforms offer “Embed Code” element to insert custom HTML in your content. You can use this to insert third-party content like Soundcloud playlist.
4. Pricing Plans
Weebly and Wix both companies offer similar free and premium plans. The premium plans are applicable on per site basis.
Wix Pricing
Wix simplified their offerings and currently there are five pricing plans – Free, Light, Core, Business and Business Lite. The basic Core plan starts with $14 per month with limited features like 2 GB storage. For getting complete ecommerce features, you need to go to the Business or Business Lite plan which will cost $36 and $159 per month respectively. You have 14 days money back guarantee to test the features and get refund if you are not satisfied.
Weebly Pricing
Weebly offers four plans – Free, Personal, Professional and Performance. The price starts with $10 per month if paid annually for connecting a custom domain. However, you will not get a free 1 year domain and the site will still show Square ads which is unacceptable for a premium user. So, you need to go for a Professional plan paying $12 per month to remove ads and get unlimited storage space. The Performance plan is the highest plan costing $26 per month if paid annually having all features including PayPal payment, ecommerce insights and product reviews.
5. Template or Theme 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.
Wix Templates
Wix has more than 1000 templates divided into multiple categories like Business, Online Store, Photography, Music, Design, Restaurants & Food, Accommodation, Events, Blog, Health & Wellness, Portfolio & CV, etc. This gives wide variety of design options for any type of business.
If you have problem in choosing a theme, you can go for the AI chat option when creating a site. Simply answer a few questions in a chat about what type of business you have and the tool will choose a template and customize it according to your needs. Remember, you will not be able to switch the template once chosen which is the biggest drawback with Wix.
Weebly Themes
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. Simply choose one of your favorite themes and start building your site. Good thing is that, you can change the theme anytime by retaining all the elements and contents.
Unfortunately, Weebly offers less than 15 responsive themes which is unacceptable for any premium website building platform. As mentioned, Square is now focusing on their Online sales platform and you will not get any improvements or new themes for Weebly.
6. 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 Wix AI chat mode and another is through manually setting up. The AI 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 AI you can even integrate content from your social media profiles or current website directly into the Wix template.
Only problem is that there are too many menu items and features stuffed (both in editor and dashboard) and you may feel exhausted when dealing with them.
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, sections can be moved, etc. You can be much quicker compared to finishing tasks in Wix editor or dashboard. However, you may need to live with the limited features Weebly offers with no AI features that can save your time.
7. Social Media Integration
Social media platforms are an important part of your online brand presence. Today’s customers are social media savvy and will probably expect to find your business on multiple social media platforms.
Wix Social Integration
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 bar and buttons with various design to showcase icons of popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter (X), LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
Weebly Social Integration
Weebly also offers “Social Icons” element with simplified design. You do not have options to change the colors or shapes, though you can adjust the space and reorder them. Some Weebly themes also allow you display social media icons on top navigation to access them easily for users.
8. App Market
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. Both Wix and Weebly offer third-party and their own apps in a separate marketplace which you can integrate with your site to make online marketing easier.
Wix App Marketplace
By default, all Wix templates include contact forms and the ability to set up customized email marketing campaigns. In addition, Wix has a large and dedicated App Marketplace which offers varieties of third-party services. You can engage customers with polls, get quick feedback, and use any of the 200 plus email marketing apps to build your customer base. Note that you may need to pay additional for purchasing the apps from marketplace.
Weebly Marketing
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. There is a separate App Center with limited apps to get additional features. As mentioned, Weebly apps are not professional like Wix apps and may not work properly with your theme.
9. Other Common Features
Following are the features offered with both site builder tools:
- Blogging with limited capabilities, though you will have additional features like paywall with Wix.
- Membership site for premium users.
- Newsletter subscription service.
- Code modification and integration of Analytics.
- 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. Check the complete review of Weebly and Wix site builders to learn more.
Final Words
If you are a non-technical person who wants an amazing website without dealing with any other hassle, then Weebly should be your choice. You can switch the template anytime and avoid congested interface like Wix stuffed with features. However, running a business website needs long term focus and integration with many other features (for example – special setup for your restaurant). If you are ready to pay more and have time to manage different stuffs like SEO, app integration and AI tools, then Wix is the best choice. Though you can’t switch the template once selected, Wix editor gives complete flexibility and stable interface for building professional sites. You can also make use of the AI tools to save huge amount of time.
