Weebly vs WordPress are both top names in the website-building world. Weebly is ideal for beginners wanting a simple website, while WordPress offers great flexibility and customization for users needing more control and advanced features.
Are you on the fence about trying to decide on Weebly or WordPress? In this article, LitExtension will walk you through a detailed comparison between Weebly and WordPress to help you determine which one will be the best choice!
Here is our agenda:
- The latest updates of Weebly and WordPress;
- Detailed comparison between Weebly vs WordPress;
- And which platform will be your most optimal choice?
Weebly and WordPress Updates in 2024
In 2024, WordPress had notable updates, while Weebly did not introduce any significant changes.
Weebly
Honestly, I've felt uncertain about Weebly's future lately. They haven't announced any significant updates in 2024, and it seems like everything is pointing towards Square Online. Even the Weebly dashboard is starting to look and feel more like Square, which is a little confusing. It's like they're slowly phasing Weebly out.
I recently checked Weebly's support page and found they're shifting their focus to Square Online. They've even said that Weebly won't get any major updates after 2024 and that users should migrate to Square. They'll continue supporting Weebly until July 2025, but who knows what will happen after that? The whole situation feels very uncertain.
WordPress.org
In contrast to Weebly's uncertain future, WordPress is flourishing. They've released three major updates in 2024 alone: WordPress 6.5 in April, WordPress 6.6 in July and WordPress 6.7 in November. These updates bring many new features and enhancements that make WordPress even more powerful and user-friendly. Personally, I'm excited to see where WordPress is headed.
Weebly vs WordPress: Detailed Comparison
#1 Ease of use: Weebly wins
Weebly is a popular name for user-friendliness options for individuals and businesses. With drag-and-drop functionality, this platform eliminates the need for coding and allows for a truly visual building experience.
You can easily customize your page by dragging and dropping elements like text boxes, images, or entire galleries onto your page. Weebly indeed provides everything you need to get a website up and running quickly.
On the other hand, WordPress, while more powerful, has a slightly steeper learning curve. You'll need to handle tasks like selecting a hosting provider, installing themes and plugins, and managing updates, which can feel overwhelming for beginners.
If installing WordPress feels daunting, resources like our comprehensive WooCommerce tutorial can guide you through the setup process and beyond.
Verdict: Weebly is the winner for those seeking absolute simplicity and a quick setup.
However, if you're willing to invest a little time learning the ropes, WordPress offers unmatched power and flexibility
#2 Pricing: Weebly Wins
You may wonder, is Weebly free? The answer is yes!
This platform offers 4 Weebly pricing tiers including a free one and three affordable premium plans. Weebly free plan is ideal for basic websites and includes a Weebly subdomain, limited storage, and Weebly ads.
If the free option does not meet your business’s needs, you can opt for the paid option.
- Personal: At $10 per month (paid annually), you get a custom domain and free SSL security.
- Professional: For $12 per month (paid annually), you get unlimited storage, site search, membership features, and Weebly ads removal.
- Performance: At $26 per month (paid annually), you get advanced eCommerce features, including item badges, abandoned cart emails, and shipping discounts.
So, I love that Weebly has no hidden fees or unexpected costs; it's also budget-friendly.
Let's talk about WordPress.
People commonly ask, “Is WordPress free?” So, the answer is that WordPress is free for anyone to download and use. However, you have to pay for the domain name and web hosting to launch your site.
- Domain name: $12/year.
- Hosting: from $3.95/month.
- Plugins: $0 – $1,000 (ongoing or one-off charge).
- Security: from $50 (ongoing or one-off charge).
- Developer fees: $0 – $1,000 (one-off cost).
- Maintenance fees: From $99/month
The cost of creating and maintaining a WordPress site can vary widely based on hosting, domain registration, themes, and plugins. Your total expenses depend on your specific needs. Ultimately, you have full control over your costs as you decide on each package or subscription.
Tips: Keep your WordPress installation up-to-date to benefit from the latest performance enhancements and security improvements!
Verdict: Weebly offers a simpler, more transparent pricing structure with all-inclusive plans. It's a good option for beginners or those on a tight budget.
WordPress offers greater flexibility and control over your costs but requires more research and can potentially lead to higher expenses.
Seamlessly migrate your store to a more robust place!
LitExtension can safely transfer your products, customers, and orders to unlock more growth on the new platform.
#3 Performance: WordPress Wins
With Weebly, you don't have to worry about optimizing your website because it takes care of everything. However, you're locked into Weebly's hosting infrastructure, which may not always be the fastest or most reliable option.
While Weebly offers some CDN functionality, it's often less robust and customizable than what you can achieve with WordPress and a dedicated CDN. With Weebly, scaling options are more limited, and performance can potentially suffer under heavy traffic loads.
What about WordPress?
In contrast, with WordPress, you'll need to choose a web host with a good performance track record and a hosting plan that meets your requirements. You will have more control over many manual actions that can help your site function even better.
You can easily integrate with popular CDNs like Cloudflare or StackPath. CDNs distribute your website's content across multiple servers globally, reducing server load and delivering content faster to users based on their location.
And now, the interesting part! Do you remember the latest WordPress update from 2024?
The April 2024 release of WordPress 6.5 elevated Core Web Vitals and implemented lazy-loading images, bolstering initial page load times. The subsequent July WordPress 6.6 update enhanced the Gutenberg block editor for improved performance. These updates strongly affirm WordPress's speed, stability, and scalability superiority over platforms like Weebly.
Verdict: WordPress offers far better performance than Weebly in this round of WordPress vs Weebly performance. The ability to optimize website performance as much as possible is still a big plus of WordPress.
#4 Control & Customization: WordPress Wins
A major advantage of Weebly is its hands-off approach to site maintenance. The platform handles software updates, security checks, and backups automatically, freeing you from technical tasks. However, this convenience comes at the cost of limited control over customization.
However, this convenience comes at the cost of limited customization control. While you can adjust settings like SSL, navigation, and app integrations, you're largely confined to the structure and design of your chosen template.
With WordPress, you gain control over every aspect of your website. From customizing the header and footer to individual page layouts and even the underlying code, the possibilities are endless. Plugins like Elementor or Beaver Builder provide intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces for building complex layouts and designs.
While WordPress requires manual updates and security checks, this also grants you greater control over your website's security and performance.
By using Tools, you can also perform essential tasks on your site. You may examine its health and import/export posts and comments from/to other platforms.
Verdict: For site control and customization, an open-source solution like WordPress is better than Weebly.
With WordPress, you can personalize practically every aspect of the site management experience.
#5 Themes & Templates: WordPress Wins
Both Weebly and WordPress offer a variety of themes and templates. However, their scope and flexibility differ significantly.
Weebly themes are clean, stylish, and mobile responsive. You can easily switch themes anytime, which is a great bonus and makes redesign effortless.
To me (and many other gurus), Weebly's themes are a haven for artistic expression! With over 50 themes categorized into Online Store, Business, Portfolio, Personal, Event, and Blog, you'll find a design that complements your artistic style and showcases your work.
In contrast, WordPress boasts a vast and ever-expanding library of templates. The WordPress library has over 12,000 free, appealing, feature-rich, and mobile-friendly themes. Aside from pre-made themes, you can create your own to make your website impressively unique.
Plus, WordPress offers more advanced customizability than Weebly. You have complete control over the source code, so you can use plugins to create your own theme using drag-and-drop tools or hire WordPress professionals to create a completely customized website.
WordPress 6.7, released in November 2024 and named “Rollins” in honor of jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins, features the new Twenty Twenty-Five theme. This update improves design flexibility and font management, allowing for better control of typography. It also introduces a Zoom Out feature for macro site design views, enhanced block customization options, and boosts performance with faster pattern loading and improved PHP support, all focused on enhancing user experience.
Verdict: WordPress has many more templates than Weebly. Thousands of free and premium WordPress themes offer various styles, functionalities, and customization options.
#6 eCommerce Features: It's a Tie!
Weebly is now fully integrated with Square Online and is a breeze for small to medium-sized businesses looking to get online. Even the Weebly free plan allows unlimited product listings, in-store pickup, and automatic tax calculation. Advanced features like product reviews and PayPal integration require a paid plan.
The integration with Square provides access to robust payment processing and a POS system, making it ideal for businesses seeking an integrated online and offline commerce experience.
However, one thing makes me feel uncomfortable. When I want to access some eCommerce settings, like order fulfillment or Online sales channels, Weebly redirects me to Square Online, which sometimes requires me to log in again and again.
WordPress, on the other hand, requires the installation of an eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce, the most popular choice with a significant market share.
WooCommerce offers a vast library of extensions and integrations, allowing you to tailor your online store to your specific requirements. From managing inventory and shipping to integrating with various payment gateways and marketing platforms, WooCommerce provides the tools to create a highly customized and scalable eCommerce experience. However, this comes with managing updates, security, and compatibility for both WordPress and WooCommerce, along with any additional plugins.
Verdict: In eCommerce, Weebly and WordPress offer the same advantages.
Weebly's seamless integration with Square provides a user-friendly and streamlined experience. WordPress, powered by WooCommerce, offers unparalleled flexibility and customization, empowering users to create a highly tailored and scalable online store.
#7 Blogging Features: WordPress Wins
I've tried both Weebly and WordPress for blogging, and honestly, the difference is significant.
Weebly's blogging interface is straightforward, which is great for beginners. I could easily create posts using the drag-and-drop editor, organize them into categories and tags, and even schedule them in advance. But I quickly felt limited. The customization options were basic, and I couldn't find the advanced SEO tools I needed to optimize content for search engines.
That's where WordPress differs.
Built as a content management system (CMS), WordPress excels at organizing and managing blog posts.
With WordPress, I have complete control over the blog's layout, including the header, footer, sidebar, and individual post elements. In addition to standard blog posts, WordPress allows for creating custom post types and fields, making it possible to organize and display different types of content, such as portfolios, testimonials, or events.
WordPress's best features are the ability to customize meta descriptions, title tags, and permalinks for each post and page. This provides precise control over how content appears in search results. Moreover, plugins can expand the blog's functionality and add new features to the website.
Verdict: WordPress clearly outshines Weebly when it comes to blogging between Weebly vs WordPress. Weebly might be a good starting point for casual bloggers, but WordPress offers the tools and flexibility you need to build a truly professional and successful blog.
#8 SEO & Marketing: It's a Tie!
Weebly has featured a robust set of SEO capabilities, and all Weebly sites come with:
- A sitemap
- SEO-friendly HTML formatting
- Meta description
- Responsive design
You may also change URLs, edit meta titles and descriptions, and use more advanced SEO features like image alt text and page-specific descriptions.
Additionally, Weebly promotes email marketing as an effective way for retailers to drive sales. Weebly Promote is a complete email marketing service that simplifies the process with customizable templates. It seamlessly integrates with your Weebly website and provides reporting on email engagement.
Let's talk about WordPress…
In terms of SEO, WordPress gives you more options. The CMS is ideal for content-driven projects and various types of websites. You can utilize SEO plugins to create well-optimized content with excellent readability scores and speed up the site's code.
To change SEO settings for your project, you'll need to incorporate a relevant plugin. The best answer isYoast SEO, a WordPress plugin that helps you set up basic SEO parameters for all of your website pages, such as titles, descriptions, and keywords. You can also update the website code to make it more apparent to search engines.
Regarding marketing, WordPress easily connects to social media so you can link your social media accounts to your sites. Moreover, its Analytics and Tracking features can reveal the number of people visiting your site and their frequency.
Verdict: Both Weebly vs WordPress are tough opponents when it comes to SEO & Marketing.
#9 Apps & Plugins: WordPress Wins
Weebly's App Center offers a limited selection of apps with over 350 free and paid apps sorted into 5 categories: eCommerce, Communication, Marketing, Social or Site Tools, and Features.
However, I find that Weebly apps often have limited customization options and may not integrate as seamlessly with the platform's core features. What's more, Weebly is adding fewer new apps, leading to a slower pace of innovation and fewer cutting-edge features.
And WordPress is different!
The plugin library offers over 59,000 free and paid plugins and is at the heart of WordPress's success. Essentially, you can find best WordPress plugins to satisfy your logistical, technical, and marketing requirements.
Also, the active and passionate WordPress community constantly contributes to developing and improving plugins, ensuring a constant stream of new features, updates, and innovations.
Verdict: WordPress outnumbers Weebly in terms of sheer numbers! While Weebly's app offerings provide basic functionality extensions, WordPress's extensive plugin library offers a wide range of possibilities.
#10 Security: WordPress Wins
In 2024, Weebly and WordPress.org adopted different security measures.
Weebly has struggled with phishing attacks, particularly in early 2024 when attackers used its platform to host fake login pages. This issue stems from Weebly's user-friendly design, which can be exploited to create convincing phishing sites that blend in with legitimate ones. Although Weebly offers basic security features like SSL certificates, its overall security is compromised by these vulnerabilities and the potential misuse of its services.
In comparison, WordPress.org has introduced mandatory two-factor authentication (2FA) for all plugin and theme authors starting October 2024. The platform also provides regular security updates and patches to address issues like cross-site scripting (XSS) and remote code execution (RCE). These proactive measures reflect WordPress's commitment to user security.
Verdict: Overall, while both platforms are improving their security, WordPress.org's comprehensive approach and regular updates offer stronger protection than Weebly's more reactive measures.
#11 Support: WordPress Wins
Weebly continues to offer reliable support options in 2024, including email, chat, and phone support during business hours. Their community forum and support center remain valuable resources for finding answers and connecting with other Weebly users.
However, with the shift towards Square Online, there's some uncertainty about the long-term future of Weebly's dedicated support. It's unclear how this transition will impact the availability and quality of support for Weebly users in the coming years.
In contrast, WordPress.org doesn't offer direct customer support but has a large, active community that provides knowledge and tutorials. What's more, your hosting providers and third-party developers offer support.
In 2024, the WordPress community continues to thrive, ensuring that help is always available, no matter your skill level.
Verdict: WordPress wins with its community-driven support and expertise from hosting providers and developers. Weebly's direct support helps beginners, but uncertainty about its future confuses users' decisions.
Weebly vs WordPress: Which is Better?
At first glance, deciding between Weebly vs WordPress may appear to be a daunting task. When developing a new website from the ground up, newbies with zero coding expertise will appreciate Weebly's quickness and ease of use. Meanwhile, WordPress is popular with experienced users because of its various customization options.
Weebly excels if you:
- Prioritize ease of use and a quick setup;
- Need a simple website with basic features;
- Have a tight budget;
- Prefer a hassle-free experience.
WordPress excels if you:
- Desire extensive customization and control;
- Need advanced features and scalability;
- Are comfortable with a slight learning curve;
- Plan to grow your website significantly.
I understand that choosing the right platform for your website can be daunting. If it helps, I can recommend Weebly and WordPress for four main types of websites you may want to consider.
Website Type | Weebly | WordPress |
Blog | Good: Easy to set up and manage, built-in blogging features. | Better: More customization options, extensive plugin library for advanced features, better SEO control. |
Small Business | Good: Affordable plans, simple interface, easy to create basic pages. | Better: More professional look, greater flexibility for growth and customization, better for long-term scalability. |
Ecommerce | Okay: Basic eCommerce features, limited product options, transaction fees on lower plans. | Okay: Powerful eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce, extensive customization, scalable for large product catalogs. |
Portfolio | Good: Easy to create visually appealing layouts, drag-and-drop interface for image galleries. | Better: More control over design and layout, wider range of themes and plugins for showcasing work. |
Weebly vs WordPress: FAQs
What's better, WordPress or Weebly?
The answer depends. Weebly is easier to use and great for beginners, while WordPress offers more customization and control for advanced users. Your needs and technical skills will determine the best choice between Weebly vs WordPress.
What are the disadvantages of Weebly?
Weebly has several disadvantages, such as limited customization, outdated templates, and a lack of innovative features. It also struggles to scale for larger businesses and may not adequately support users seeking strong blogging or eCommerce functionalities.
Is Weebly no longer free?
Weebly offers a free plan for basic website creation, but it includes limitations like Weebly branding and restricted features. To access advanced functionalities and remove ads, users must upgrade to a paid plan.
Do people still use WordPress for websites?
Absolutely, yes, people are still using WordPress! WordPress is the most popular platform globally, powering 33 million websites (source: BuiltWith).
Can I switch from Weebly to WordPress?
Yes, absolutely. If you find your existing website no longer compatible with online business and want to migrate from Weebly to WordPress, LitExtension is always at the top of your mind.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this Weebly vs WordPress comparison can help you better understand the critical differences between these two website-building heavyweights.
If you want to switch to WordPress, LitExtension is always happy to help. For more insights about eCommerce tactics, selling tips/tricks, and marketing strategies, you can join our Facebook Community or visit our eCommerce platform blog.
Thanks for reading, and I wish you the best on your eCommerce journey!
