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To keep with our theme of helping you find the perfect website builder for your small business — we’ve put both Wix and Weebly head-to-head in a comparison. We took a look at the main features offered by both builders, including pricing, support and templates.
Wix has 109 million users and Weebly has 40 million users worldwide, making them easily two of the most-used builders on the planet. This begs the question, what’s all the fuss about? Read our below review to discover the ins, outs and which builder reigns supreme.
Templates
Wix
Wix has a ton of templates, over 500 to be exact, all of which are professionally designed and highly-customizable. There are 15 main categories and over 50 sub-categories – making the process of finding the right template for your business simple. Check out Wix’s template categories, here:
Business | Online Store | Photography | Video | Music |
Design | Restaurants & Food | Accommodation | Events | Portfolio & CV |
Blog | Health & Wellness | Fashion & Beauty | Community & Education | Creative Arts |
Wix even has blank canvas templates for those who want to build their site from the ground up, making their site truly one of a kind.
The biggest drawback to Wix’s templates is the inability to change your template once you’ve started editing your website. Until recently, access to your Wix site’s code was also restricted. However, at the end of 2017, Wix released ‘Wix Code’ which offers full access to the HTML code of Wix websites.
Weebly
Weebly has over 100 artistically-designed themes, which are split into six categories:
- Business
- Portfolio
- Personal
- Event
- Blog
- Other
Weebly doesn’t offer blank canvas templates like Wix, but it does allow users to delete elements (minus the header and footer), to create a customizable template.You can even access code, similarly to Wix. In terms of look and feel of themes offered, both tend to be on the artistic side.
Wix or Weebly?
Based on the number of templates, and the fact that they are highly-customizable, Wix is the clear winner here. Wix also has a great mobile editor and comes with mobile-optimized themes for easy customization.
With Weebly, although you can access your site’s code, you need to have knowledge of HTML to make your sites mobile-optimized.
Overall, Weebly’s tools make customization more difficult compared to Wix — which offers full access to your site’s code and mobile-optimized templates.
Editor
Wix
Wix’s editor is simple to navigate and gives users the chance to add, edit, customize or remove elements from their site.
There’s even a separate editor for your mobile site.
This feature offers an inherent benefit — that is, it enables users to hide or show content they want on their mobile site. This can be done without changing the full design, layout and content structure of your site’s desktop version.
Weebly
Offering fewer tools than Wix, Weebly’s editor is straightforward, but still lets users take advantage of full code access to make modifications to templates. Similarly to Wix, Weebly offers a drag-and-drop solution, streamlining the web building process altogether.
Wix or Weebly?
Choosing a winner, in this case, was not simple. It would be easy to say that Wix was the winner, but in terms of editors, both platforms are almost evenly matched.
With the exception of a few minor features and limitations in Weebly’s editor, it boils down to personal preference.
For this reason, if you’re looking for a simple platform to navigate, Weebly is for you. If you’re looking to customize and optimize every element on your site, then Wix is the way to go.
Customer Support
Wix
Wix seems to have pulled out all of the stops when designing its support network, offering some of the best and most comprehensive in-editor support. You can access all of the following features from within the Wix editor:
- Editor Help Center: A popup that opens over your site with a list of help categories. Alternatively, you can start typing a question and related answers will be displayed.
- Keyboard Shortcuts for the Editor: Another popup, listing common keyboard shortcuts such as (Ctrl + V = Paste), and editor-specific shortcuts (such as Ctrl + J which allows you to switch between mobile/desktop views). These will no doubt speed up the editing process.
- Step-by-Step Videos: Short videos explaining how to customize each element of your Wix website.
- Connect a Domain: Covers all the topics related to connecting a custom domain to your website, including purchasing a new domain name from Wix or connecting your pre-purchased domain name.
- Getting Found Online (SEO): Another popup, you can watch a video or read about the website elements you can optimize through Wix to enhance your SEO.
In addition, further support can be found through Wix’s Support Center on their website – a support hub packed with articles covering the A-Z of Wix. In the end, if you want to talk to a real person, you can reach out to Wix’s phone support, open Monday- Thursday, 6am- 5pm PST.
Weebly
Weebly offers 24/7 live chat support, phone and email support. You can access its community forum which features questions on using Weebly, your business and give feedback.
You can access Weebly’s help center from the platform’s main editor, but it can be found with a simple Google search as well. There, you can ask questions you’re hoping to have answered to reduce the time spent on the phone or chatting with a live agent via the web.
Wix or Weebly?
And the winner is… drum roll, please… Weebly — you just can’t beat 24/7 live support. Wix is lacking in this department, as it is important to have access to support around the clock — just in case.
Weebly even has longer customer service hours for phone support.
They are available Monday – Friday from 6 am to 6 pm Pacific Time (9 am to 9 pm Eastern) and Saturday/Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm Pacific Time (11 am to 8 pm Eastern).
SEO
In terms of the SEO features offered by Wix and Weebly, here’s how Wix and Weebly compare side by side:
Feature | Wix | Weebly |
Custom Domain | ✓ | ✓ |
SEO-Friendly URLs | ✓ | ✓ |
Manual Override for URLs | ✓ | ✓ |
Canonical links | ✓ | ✓ |
Breadcrumbs | ✓ | ✓ |
H1 Heading Tag | ✓ | ✓ |
Subheader Control | ✓ | ✓ |
Meta Title Tags by URL | ✓ | ✓ |
Meta Descriptions by URL | ✓ | ✓ |
No Index, No Follow per URL | ✓ | ✓ |
Image ALT Text | ✓ | ✓ |
Integrated Blogging | ✓ | ✓ |
Blog Categories | ✓ | ✓ |
Blog Tags | ✓ | ✓ |
Blog Post Commenting | ✓ | ✓ |
RSS Feeds | X | ✓ |
Podcast Support and Embeds | ✓ | ✓ |
Video Support and Embeds | ✓ | ✓ |
Online Stores | ✓ | ✓ |
Mailing Lists | ✓ | ✓ |
Template Switching | X | ✓ |
Custom CSS | X | ✓ |
Mobile Responsive | ✓ | ✓ |
XML Sitemap | ✓ | ✓ |
Robot.txt files | ✓ | ✓ |
301 Redirects | ✓ | ✓ |
CDN Option | ✓ | ✓ |
SSL Certificates | ✓ | ✓ |
Wix or Weebly?
In terms of SEO related tools, Weebly takes the cake this time, checking off 28/28 of the elements on our SEO Checklist.
- Weebly = 28/28
- Wix = 25/28
Apps & Integrations
Integration | Wix | Details | Weebly | Details |
Google Analytics | Yes | Available on premium plans with own domain | Yes | Simply copy and paste your tracking code into the web pages you wish to track. |
Social Media Profile | Yes | Links to profiles, embedded social feeds on site | Yes | You can add Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and email. |
Social Media Share Buttons | Yes | Share, like and follow buttons | Yes | Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter & more. |
Mailbox | Yes | Can Purchase & integrate G Suite Through Wix. Also Supported: Yahoo! Small Business Email, GoDaddy Email, Office 365 not directly supported (but possible) | Yes | Users can purchase & integrate G Suite. |
CRM | Yes | Accepting requests for HubSpot app
3rd party CRM apps available |
Yes | Bontact, Fyrebox and MailMunch. |
MailChimp | No | Wix offers its own email marketing platform: ShoutOut | Yes | This is available through MailChimp code directly into your site. |
Chat | Yes | 3rd party chat apps available. Some only available on premium plan. | Yes | There are several chat apps available such as: Pure Chat,ContactGate Chat and more. |
Third Party Reviews | No | No to Trustpilot
In editor testimonials element & 3rd Party review apps available |
Yes | Through Reviews, Social Reviews, Instagram Reviews, Heyoya and a number of other review platforms, website visitors can provide unique insight for other prospective customers. |
Tracking Tools | No | (Crazy Egg, HotJar) | No | StoreMetrics, stats & marketing, ranking coach and localizer are all available for tracking purposes. |
Music | Yes | SoundCloud, Spotify | Yes | Add nearly any music player via code embed. |
Video | Yes | YouTube, Vimeo | Yes | You can add videos to your Weebly site by embedding the code in the toolbar and takes |
Paypal | Yes | Paypal Buy & Paypal Donate | Yes | Users can add a purchase button to their site. |
Wix or Weebly?
You can see that both website builders are filled with apps and integrations, so there’s no clear winner. It is once more left up to personal preference for this category.
Pricing & Plans
Wix Pricing & Plans
Starting at just $4.50 a month and maxing out at $24.50 a month, Wix offers some of the most affordable and best-value plans on the market. Wix’s most popular plan is called ‘Unlimited’ and costs $12.50 a month with an annual subscription. You’ll receive the following:
- Unlimited Bandwidth and 10GB Storage (Free Hosting)
- Free Domain (first year) and Domain Connection
- Customized Favicon
- $75 in Ad Vouchers
- Form Builder App & Site Booster App (valued at $48 and $60 respectively)
- Premium Support
- Google Analytics integration
The below image is an overview of all annual plans – prices shown are per month.
Each plan that is not renewed on an annual basis, is more expensive. This is consistent across most website builders. In the case of Wix, you’ll save about 20% – 30% each year by subscribing to an annual or two-year plan.
Connect Domain | Combo | Unlimited | eCommerce | VIP | |
Monthly | $7 | $12 | $16 | $20 | $30 |
One Year Plan | $4.50 | $8.50 | $12.50 | $16.50 | $24.50 |
Two Year Plan | $4.00 | $8 | $11.50 | $15 | $23 |
In the end, the exceptional part is, all plans include a 14-day money back guarantee. Regarding payments, users can make payments with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover.
Weebly Pricing & Plans
Weebly has four plans and a separate set of packages for eCommerce stores. Starting at $8.00/mo with a one year plan, its hosting plans at their highest, are $25.00. Each one comes with a free domain and $100 in Google Ad credits.
Starter | Pro | Business | Performance | |
Monthly | $14 | $18 | $35 | $46 |
1-year Plan | $8 | $12 | $25 | $23 |
2-year Plan | $5 | $9 | $21 | $25 |
Weebly actually has some great perks to its plans, so we’ll quickly explore its Pro plan.
Starting at $18.00/mo, Weebly Pro includes a ton features which come standard with purchase:
- Drag & Drop Builder
- No Weebly Ads
- Unlimited Storage
- Connect Your Domain
- SSL Security
- Advanced Site Stats
- Site Search
- Password Protection
- Video Backgrounds
- HD Video & Audio
- Up to 100 Members
Wix or Weebly?
We must first acknowledge that both platforms have fairly competitive pricing. In the end, however, it is not only about pricing. So, we will not be making our decision based solely on affordability, but we’ll factor it in.
A monthly ‘Business Plan’ with Weebly costs $25/mo and Wix’s ‘VIP Plan’ is $30/mo. For the money, it is actually worth it to go with Wix’s VIP Plan, as you’ll simply gain access to a higher percentage of more valuable optimization tools, even though it is more expensive.
In the end, Wix also offers more in cash vouchers for apps and integrations.
Bottom Line
In the end, we’ll have to say that Wix is the overall winner. There are a number of factors that led to our decision of Wix coming in first place.
First of all, Wix’s sheer number of templates (with over 500), full access to code and its user-friendliness play major roles.
Second, you have the security factor, and although its customer service hours are not quite up-to-par with that of Weebly’s, that’s an easy sacrifice for overall freer access to managing your website. Additionally, UI of the builder’s editor is very well-designed and simple to navigate.
Lastly, Wix has made building a website as easy as answering a few qualifying questions using Wix ADI. This feature uses Artificial Intelligence to build a website with just the press of a few buttons to start the process.
Why Choose Wix?
- Templates
- Full access to code
- Speed and Security
- Onboarding and education
- High level of customer support
- Best dollar-value plans
- Extensions
Why Choose Weebly?
- Tons of optimization tools
- Total control over editing code
- 24/7 live support
- Free Domain
- Extensions
- Speed and Security
- Education