Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Weebly vs BigCommerce: Quick Verdict
- Weebly: Pros and Cons
- BigCommerce: Pros and Cons
- Pricing and Fees
- Website Building and Design
- Ecommerce and Selling Features
- Marketing Tools and Analytics
- AI Capabilities
- Integrations and Apps
- Ease of Use and Customer Support
- Final Verdict
- FAQs
Introduction
In today’s digital age, the right ecommerce platform can make or break your online business. Choosing between Weebly and BigCommerce depends largely on your business needs, budget, and growth expectations. This detailed comparison will highlight the strengths and challenges of each platform, helping you determine which is best for your specific requirements. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which platform aligns best with your business goals.
Weebly vs BigCommerce: Quick Verdict
Weebly and BigCommerce cater to different types of users. BigCommerce shines for larger companies poised for growth, offering advanced tools and features. Weebly, on the other hand, offers a user-friendly and affordable solution, making it ideal for small businesses and beginners. Let’s dive into the specifics to see how each platform measures up.
Weebly: Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-Friendly Interface: Weebly’s drag-and-drop builder is intuitive and easy to use, even for individuals with no coding experience.
- Affordable Pricing: Offers a “free forever” plan and affordable paid plans starting from $10 to $26 per month.
- Decent Ecommerce Tools: Supports unlimited products and includes inventory management, automatic tax calculation, and delivery options.
- Great for Blogging: Robust blog features that make content marketing straightforward.
- Custom Domain Support: Available even on the most affordable plans.
Cons
- Limited Scalability: Not the best option for large or rapidly growing businesses.
- Fewer Advanced Ecommerce Features: Compared to BigCommerce, Weebly lacks some advanced ecommerce and customization options.
- PayPal Restriction: PayPal payments require an upgrade to the Performance plan.
- Limited AI Capabilities: Lacks native AI tools for enhancing store functionality.
BigCommerce: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Advanced Ecommerce Tools: Offers advanced inventory management, omnichannel selling options, and powerful integrations.
- Scalability: Great for businesses aiming to scale up, with options tailored for both B2C and B2B sales.
- No Transaction Fees: Unlike some competitors, BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any plan.
- Robust Reporting and Analytics: Detailed insights into sales, inventory, and customer behavior.
- AI Capabilities: Emerging as a leader in AI with tools for content generation, predictive analytics, and personalized product recommendations.
Cons
- Higher Pricing: Monthly plans range from $39 to $399, which is considerable compared to Weebly.
- Complex Interface: Steeper learning curve, even though its intuitive tools have improved over time.
- Annual Sales Limits: Each plan limits the annual amount your store can sell.
Pricing and Fees
Pricing is a critical factor when choosing an ecommerce platform. Here, Weebly has an edge with its free plan and lower-cost paid options.
Weebly
Weebly’s plans range from $10 to $26 per month. The Personal plan even supports custom domains and offers unlimited storage, making it a cost-effective choice for small-scale operations. However, to unlock full ecommerce capabilities like selling digital goods and abandoned cart emails, you’ll need the Performance plan at $26 per month.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce, while more expensive, offers robust features with its plans ranging from $39 to $399 per month. The absence of transaction fees is a big plus, though the $50k annual sales limit on the Standard plan may be restrictive for growing businesses. The higher-tier plans provide more advanced tools necessary for scaling.
Website Building and Design
Weebly
Weebly’s simplicity is its biggest strength. Its drag-and-drop editor requires no technical skills, making it accessible for anyone to build a professional-looking website. Weebly also offers a variety of responsive templates suitable for different types of websites, from ecommerce to personal blogs.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce provides more in-depth customization options. While its editor might be less intuitive, it allows for meticulous adjustments through CSS and HTML. This flexibility is crucial for businesses wanting to tailor their sites specifically to their branding and functional needs. BigCommerce themes, though many look similar, are fine-tuned for ecommerce, providing a professional storefront right out of the box.
Ecommerce and Selling Features
When it comes to ecommerce capabilities, the platforms diverge significantly.
Weebly
Weebly offers an integrated shopping cart and several essential ecommerce features. However, a paid plan is necessary to fully leverage its capabilities, including selling both physical and digital goods. Features like filtered search and in-store pickup enhance the shopping experience, but PayPal integration and advanced features require the highest-tier plan.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce excels in providing comprehensive ecommerce tools right from its standard plan. Small details, such as product variants, custom fields, and detailed shipping rules, are built to accommodate sophisticated ecommerce operations. It also facilitates omnichannel sales, integrating with marketplaces and social media, and offers multi-currency support—a significant advantage for international sellers.
Marketing Tools and Analytics
Weebly
For content marketing, Weebly’s blogging tools are robust, offering functionalities like pop-up notifications and Instagram feed integrations. However, SEO capabilities are limited compared to BigCommerce. Basic analytics and email marketing are available, but for more advanced features, integrations with external tools are recommended.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce’s marketing and analytical tools are far more advanced. Custom dashboards, detailed reports, and robust SEO options help businesses optimize their performance. Enhanced features like personalized product recommendations and AI-powered tools further augment its marketing capabilities.
AI Capabilities
Weebly
Weebly falls short in this area, lacking in-built AI tools. While it’s possible to integrate third-party AI tools, this requires additional effort and possibly cost.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce emerges as a frontrunner in the ecommerce AI space. Its toolkit includes AI-driven content generation, predictive analytics, and personalized product recommendations. These features help in delivering a tailored shopping experience and optimizing business operations.
Integrations and Apps
Weebly
Weebly’s App Center offers around 100 apps, covering essential needs from marketing to analytics. While adequate for small businesses, it doesn’t stack up against BigCommerce’s extensive ecosystem.
BigCommerce
With over 850 apps, BigCommerce’s marketplace covers a vast array of functionalities. Grouped into collections like “Shipping Essentials,” finding the right tool is streamlined. Open API options further expand integration capabilities, automating workflows across your business systems.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Weebly
Weebly’s user-friendly nature makes it a favorite among beginners. Its simplicity allows for quick setup and easy management. Customer support is solid but limited to chat and email for lower-tier plans.
BigCommerce
While BigCommerce requires a bit more time to learn, its customer support infrastructure is impressive. 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone is available on all plans, supplemented by an extensive library of resources and a supportive online community.
Final Verdict
Choosing between Weebly and BigCommerce comes down to your business size and needs. For small enterprises or startups looking for an affordable, user-friendly solution, Weebly is the way to go. However, if your business demands advanced features, scalability, and superior ecommerce tools, BigCommerce stands out as the better investment.
FAQs
What type of business should choose Weebly?
Weebly is ideal for small businesses or individuals seeking an affordable, user-friendly platform with basic ecommerce features and robust blogging tools.
Is BigCommerce suitable for small businesses?
While BigCommerce can be used by small businesses, its full potential is realized by larger enterprises or those planning significant growth due to its advanced features and higher cost.
Are there any transaction fees with these platforms?
BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans. Weebly, depending on the plan, may include transactions fees unless you're on higher-tier options.
Which platform offers better SEO tools?
BigCommerce offers more comprehensive SEO capabilities compared to Weebly, making it a stronger option for businesses focused on search engine rankings.
Can I switch from Weebly to BigCommerce if my business grows?
Yes, both platforms provide options for data migration. However, transitioning may require time and potentially professional assistance to ensure a smooth process.
Through this detailed comparison, you can now better evaluate whether Weebly or BigCommerce aligns with your ecommerce objectives and make an informed decision to support your business growth.
