Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Weebly vs BigCommerce: An Overview
- Pricing and Fees
- Core Features
- Marketing Tools and Analytics
- AI Capabilities
- Integrations and Apps
- Ease of Use and Customer Support
- Conclusion: Which is Right for You?
- FAQs
Introduction
Choosing the right ecommerce platform is crucial for the success of your online business. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is the best fit for your needs. This article will compare two popular ecommerce platforms, Weebly and BigCommerce, to help you make an informed decision. We'll dive into their pricing structures, features, pros and cons, and overall usability, giving you a detailed comparison that will help you choose the right tool for your business, whether you are just starting out or looking to scale up.
Weebly vs BigCommerce: An Overview
Both Weebly and BigCommerce offer website building and ecommerce solutions, but they cater to different types of businesses. While Weebly is known for its user-friendly, affordable approach making it ideal for smaller businesses and individual entrepreneurs, BigCommerce is geared towards larger-scale operations with a need for advanced features and scalability.
Pricing and Fees
Weebly Pricing
Weebly is attractive for startups and small businesses due to its “free forever” plan. This entry-level plan includes a basic ecommerce store with a shopping cart and the ability to sell unlimited items. Upgrading to paid plans unlocks additional features:
- Personal Plan: $10/month. Includes support for a custom domain and unlimited storage.
- Professional Plan: $12/month. Introduces easier customization options and additional ecommerce tools.
- Performance Plan: $26/month. Offers advanced ecommerce insights, abandoned cart emails, and better payment options.
BigCommerce Pricing
Unlike Weebly, BigCommerce does not offer a free tier but provides a 15-day free trial.
- Standard Plan: $39/month. Offers essential ecommerce and website building tools but caps annual sales at $50,000.
- Plus Plan: $79/month. Allows up to $180,000 in annual sales and includes advanced customer groups and segmentation.
- Pro Plan: $399/month. Best for up to $400,000 in online sales annually, with advanced Google customer reviews and custom SSL.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, tailored for businesses with specific needs that go beyond the standard plans.
Core Features
Website Building and Design
Both platforms offer hundreds of templates, though BigCommerce’s designs are slightly more tailored to ecommerce needs. While Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor is simpler and requires no coding knowledge, BigCommerce allows for more granular changes through CSS and HTML, making it better for those looking to heavily customize their online store.
Ecommerce Capabilities
Both platforms provide robust ecommerce functionality, from inventory management to tax calculations. Weebly’s advanced features, however, are limited to higher-tier plans, whereas BigCommerce includes many advanced capabilities even at the lower-tier levels. These include:
- BigCommerce: Omnichannel selling, advanced inventory management, real-time shipping quotes, B2B and wholesale features.
- Weebly: User-friendly shopping cart, basic inventory management, and in-house tax calculations.
Payment Options
- Weebly: Basic plans lack PayPal support, reserved for higher tiers only.
- BigCommerce: Offers discounted transaction rates with PayPal, plus support for various other payment gateways.
Marketing Tools and Analytics
Weebly
Weebly excels with its user-friendly blogging capabilities and integrates well with tools like Instagram to help capture leads. However, it falls short on SEO flexibility compared to BigCommerce.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce outshines Weebly in analytics and SEO customization. It offers comprehensive dashboards, detailed sales reports, and customer insights, which can be finely tuned to help your business grow.
AI Capabilities
BigCommerce
An emerging leader in AI for ecommerce, BigCommerce has introduced “BigAI” tools that assist with content generation, predictive analytics, and product recommendations. These AI features help in optimizing the user experience and improving operational efficiency.
Weebly
Currently, Weebly lacks native AI functionality, although it allows integration with third-party AI tools through its marketplace.
Integrations and Apps
Weebly
Weebly provides about 100 apps mostly focused on enhancing basic ecommerce functionality. Its marketplace covers essentials but is not as extensive as some competitors.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers over 850 apps structured into various collections like "Shipping Essentials" and provides open API options for more customized integrations. This broad selection supports more complex business needs, from dropshipping to advanced marketing.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Weebly
Weebly stands out with its straightforward, intuitive interface making it ideal for beginners. Customer support, however, is more limited, especially for free users, with forums, email, and chat but no phone support.
BigCommerce
While initially more complex, BigCommerce’s user interface has improved with AI tools aiding usability. It offers extensive resources, tutorials, and 24/7 support across all plans, including chat, email, and phone, ensuring comprehensive customer assistance.
Conclusion: Which is Right for You?
Deciding between Weebly and BigCommerce boils down to your business size and specific needs.
- Weebly is ideal for small businesses or individuals looking for an affordable, user-friendly platform with all basic ecommerce functions and minimal learning curve.
- BigCommerce suits larger businesses aiming for growth, requiring advanced ecommerce features, superior analytics, and more extensive integration capabilities.
By evaluating your business scale, budget, and specific needs, you can choose the platform that aligns perfectly with your ecommerce goals.
FAQs
1. Can I switch from Weebly to BigCommerce later? Yes, both platforms support migration features, although switching involves some work in transferring data.
2. Does BigCommerce support international selling? Yes, BigCommerce includes multi-currency features, allowing you to sell products globally.
3. Is there a free plan available for BigCommerce? No, BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial but no permanent free plan. Weebly does offer a free tier with basic ecommerce tools.
4. Can I customize my site without coding on BigCommerce? While BigCommerce does offer advanced customization with coding, its platform has grown increasingly user-friendly and now offers AI tools to simplify the setup.
By comparing Weebly and BigCommerce thoroughly, this guide aims to provide a solid foundation for making an informed decision tailored to your specific business needs and future growth aspirations.
