Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pros and Cons
- Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pricing and Fees
- Core Features: Weebly vs BigCommerce
- Ease of Use and Customer Support
- Final Verdict
- FAQ Section
Introduction
Choosing the right ecommerce platform is crucial for the success of your online store. Whether you're a small business owner looking to establish an online presence or a large enterprise aiming to scale, the platform you choose could significantly impact your operations and profitability. This article provides an in-depth comparison of two popular platforms: Weebly and BigCommerce. We'll delve into their pricing, features, pros, and cons to help you make an informed decision.
Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pros and Cons
When deciding between Weebly and BigCommerce, understanding their strengths and weaknesses can guide your choice. Let’s break down the pros and cons of each platform to see which aligns better with your business needs.
Weebly Pros and Cons
Pros:
- User-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to set up their online store.
- Affordable pricing, including a "free forever" plan with basic ecommerce functionalities.
- Good design options and decent blogging capabilities.
- Comprehensive website builder with drag-and-drop features.
Cons:
- Limited scalability, making it less ideal for larger businesses.
- Advanced ecommerce features are only available on higher-tier plans.
- Restricted payment options unless you upgrade to a higher plan.
- Less versatile compared to more advanced platforms.
BigCommerce Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Robust ecommerce features suitable for larger businesses.
- No transaction fees on any plan, which can save money in the long run.
- Advanced inventory management tools and omnichannel selling options.
- Extensive range of integrations and apps for customization.
- Excellent customer support that provides extensive resources, including tutorials and a supportive online community.
Cons:
- More expensive overall, particularly for small businesses.
- Steeper learning curve due to advanced features.
- Sales limits on each plan, restricting the annual revenue you can generate before needing to upgrade.
- Slightly more complex theme customization compared to simpler platforms like Weebly.
Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pricing and Fees
Weebly Pricing
One of Weebly’s strongest selling points is its affordability. It offers a “free forever” plan that includes basic ecommerce functionalities such as a shopping basket and the ability to sell unlimited items. For those needing more advanced features, Weebly’s paid plans range from around $10 to $26 per month. The personal plan supports a custom domain and unlimited storage, while the performance plan includes features like abandoned cart emails and ecommerce insights.
BigCommerce Pricing
BigCommerce, on the other hand, does not offer a free plan, though you can trial the platform for 15 days at no cost. Paid plans start at $39 per month for the Standard plan and go up to $399 per month for the Pro plan. For larger enterprises, custom pricing is available. Unlike Weebly, BigCommerce does not impose transaction fees, but the platform is generally more costly. It also imposes annual sales limits on each plan (e.g., $50k per year on the Standard plan). However, you do get value for money with more advanced ecommerce tools included.
Core Features: Weebly vs BigCommerce
While Weebly and BigCommerce both serve as ecommerce solutions, they cater to different audiences. Let’s take a closer look at their core features.
Website Building and Design
Weebly and BigCommerce offer a variety of templates, but BigCommerce has a slight edge in ecommerce-centric themes. While both platforms offer professional, responsive templates, BigCommerce’s themes are more tailored for online stores. However, Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor makes customization more accessible, especially for beginners. Conversely, BigCommerce offers more granular control over the design if you're comfortable diving into CSS and HTML files.
Ecommerce and Selling Features
For its price, Weebly provides a solid suite of ecommerce features, including support for unlimited products, inventory management, automatic tax calculations, and various delivery options. However, more advanced features, like selling both physical and digital goods or abandoned cart emails, are locked behind the higher tiers.
BigCommerce excels in ecommerce functionalities, offering integrations with various payment systems, advanced inventory management, marketplace and social media integrations, real-time shipping quotes, and multi-currency support across all plans. Additionally, it supports B2B and wholesale sales, making it a comprehensive solution for larger operations.
Marketing Tools and Analytics
Weebly shines in content marketing with robust blogging features and tools such as popup notifications and Instagram feed customizations. However, it falls short in SEO capabilities compared to BigCommerce, which allows for more extensive website modifications for better search engine rankings.
Both platforms offer options for abandoned cart emails and basic email marketing, but BigCommerce’s reporting and analytics features are more in-depth. You can create custom dashboards, track a wide range of metrics, and monitor both new and repeat customers, providing a deeper understanding of your business performance.
AI Capabilities
AI is becoming an indispensable tool in ecommerce, and BigCommerce is stepping up with its “BigAI” toolkit, which includes AI content generation, predictive analytics, and personalized product recommendations. Weebly lacks native AI features, but third-party integrations are available through its marketplace.
Integrations and Apps
BigCommerce outshines Weebly in the range and depth of its integrations and apps, offering over 850 compared to Weebly's 100. These include tools for point of sale management, marketing, dropshipping, fulfillment, and analytics, which are neatly organized into collections like “Shipping Essentials”.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Ease of Use
Weebly is particularly user-friendly, with a straightforward interface that makes it ideal for those new to ecommerce. BigCommerce has become more intuitive over the years, largely thanks to integrated AI tools, but it still has a steeper learning curve due to its advanced features.
Customer Support
BigCommerce surpasses Weebly in customer support, offering chat, email, and phone support on all plans, as well as extensive learning resources. While both platforms claim to offer 24/7 support, Weebly limits its options to forum, chat, and email on its basic plans.
Final Verdict
Choosing between Weebly and BigCommerce ultimately boils down to your business needs. If you’re a small business owner prioritizing ease of use and affordability, Weebly is likely the better choice. However, for larger businesses or those expecting rapid growth, BigCommerce offers the advanced features and scalability required for long-term success.
FAQ Section
Which platform is better for small businesses?
Weebly is generally better suited for small businesses due to its user-friendly interface and lower cost.
Can I scale my business with Weebly?
Weebly is less ideal for scaling due to its limited advanced features. Larger businesses will likely find more value in BigCommerce.
Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?
No, BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any plan, which can be a significant cost-saving feature.
What are the critical differences in design capabilities?
While both platforms offer a range of themes, BigCommerce provides more ecommerce-specific themes and advanced customization options, whereas Weebly is easier for beginners to use.
Do both platforms offer customer support?
Yes, both platforms offer customer support, but BigCommerce provides more comprehensive options, including phone support on all plans.
