: Focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness. Its drag-and-drop editor is highly intuitive, making it accessible for those without technical expertise. The platform offers templates suitable for various purposes, from blogs to portfolios and online stores.

: Offers more advanced design capabilities tailored specifically for ecommerce. While its editor has a steeper learning curve, it allows deeper customization via CSS and HTML. Themes are optimized for online stores, enhancing user experience.

: Offers essential ecommerce features such as support for unlimited products, inventory management, automatic tax calculation, and an integrated shopping cart. However, higher-tier plans are required for features like abandoned cart emails and PayPal integration.

: Excels with comprehensive ecommerce and selling tools. It supports a wide array of payment methods, including discounted PayPal transaction rates, and offers omnichannel selling through integrations with marketplaces and social media. Additionally, BigCommerce provides real-time shipping quotes, product reviews, and multi-currency support across its plans.

: Offers solid blogging features for content marketing, alongside tools like pop-up notifications and lead capture forms. However, SEO capabilities are somewhat limited. It does support basic email marketing and abandoned cart emails on higher plans.

: Delivers superior SEO tools, customized dashboards, and detailed analytics, allowing for a more in-depth understanding of business performance. The platform’s marketing integrations and advanced email marketing capabilities make it the better choice for scaling operations.

: Does not offer built-in AI features. Users can integrate third-party AI tools to enhance their website functionality.

: Leads in AI capabilities, offering tools for AI-driven content generation, predictive analytics, and personalized product recommendations through its BigAI toolkit. These features contribute to more personalized and efficient customer experiences.

: Features an App Center with about 100 apps, facilitating various enhancements. It's sufficient for small to medium-sized businesses but limited compared to BigCommerce.

: Boasts over 850 apps, covering everything from marketing and dropshipping to analytics and fulfillment. The platform’s open API also allows for custom integrations and automated workflows, giving it an edge in versatility.

Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Introduction
Pricing: Weebly vs. BigCommerce
Features: Weebly vs. BigCommerce
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Final Verdict
FAQ

Introduction

In the rapidly evolving world of ecommerce, selecting the right platform to build and manage your online store is a crucial decision. The choice between Weebly and BigCommerce often boils down to the specific needs and scale of your business. Weebly touts itself as an accessible, budget-friendly option for small businesses, while BigCommerce positions itself as the go-to platform for larger companies aiming to scale up significantly.

This blog post delves into an in-depth comparison of Weebly and BigCommerce, analyzing their pricing structures, key features, ease of use, and overall value propositions. By the end, you will have a clear understanding of which platform best aligns with your business needs.

Pricing: Weebly vs. BigCommerce

Weebly Pricing

Weebly offers a more budget-friendly range of pricing plans, including a free forever option, which encompasses access to basic ecommerce functionalities. Here’s a breakdown of Weebly’s paid plans:

Personal Plan: $10/month, includes support for a custom domain and unlimited storage.
Professional Plan: $12/month, adds advanced site functionality and removes Weebly branding.
Performance Plan: $26/month, provides abandoned cart emails and comprehensive ecommerce insights.

BigCommerce Pricing

BigCommerce does not offer a free plan but provides a 15-day free trial to new users. Here’s the pricing structure:

Standard Plan: $39/month, suitable for smaller businesses but with a $50k annual sales limit.
Plus Plan: $79/month, includes advanced marketing tools and a higher sales threshold.
Pro Plan: $399/month, tailored for growing businesses with more robust features.
Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing based on specific business requirements.

In summary, while Weebly’s pricing is more appealing for small-scale operations, BigCommerce delivers expansive capabilities that justify its higher cost for businesses looking to scale.

Features: Weebly vs. BigCommerce

Website Building and Design

Both Weebly and BigCommerce provide a variety of templates, but the approaches differ significantly:

Weebly: Focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness. Its drag-and-drop editor is highly intuitive, making it accessible for those without technical expertise. The platform offers templates suitable for various purposes, from blogs to portfolios and online stores.
BigCommerce: Offers more advanced design capabilities tailored specifically for ecommerce. While its editor has a steeper learning curve, it allows deeper customization via CSS and HTML. Themes are optimized for online stores, enhancing user experience.

Ecommerce and Selling Features

When it comes to ecommerce functionalities, BigCommerce stands out:

Weebly: Offers essential ecommerce features such as support for unlimited products, inventory management, automatic tax calculation, and an integrated shopping cart. However, higher-tier plans are required for features like abandoned cart emails and PayPal integration.
BigCommerce: Excels with comprehensive ecommerce and selling tools. It supports a wide array of payment methods, including discounted PayPal transaction rates, and offers omnichannel selling through integrations with marketplaces and social media. Additionally, BigCommerce provides real-time shipping quotes, product reviews, and multi-currency support across its plans.

Marketing Tools and Analytics

Marketing and analytics are vital for ecommerce success, and here’s how the two platforms compare:

Weebly: Offers solid blogging features for content marketing, alongside tools like pop-up notifications and lead capture forms. However, SEO capabilities are somewhat limited. It does support basic email marketing and abandoned cart emails on higher plans.
BigCommerce: Delivers superior SEO tools, customized dashboards, and detailed analytics, allowing for a more in-depth understanding of business performance. The platform’s marketing integrations and advanced email marketing capabilities make it the better choice for scaling operations.

AI Capabilities

AI is becoming an integral part of ecommerce platforms:

Weebly: Does not offer built-in AI features. Users can integrate third-party AI tools to enhance their website functionality.
BigCommerce: Leads in AI capabilities, offering tools for AI-driven content generation, predictive analytics, and personalized product recommendations through its BigAI toolkit. These features contribute to more personalized and efficient customer experiences.

Integrations and Apps

Both platforms offer a variety of third-party integrations to expand their functionalities:

Weebly: Features an App Center with about 100 apps, facilitating various enhancements. It's sufficient for small to medium-sized businesses but limited compared to BigCommerce.
BigCommerce: Boasts over 850 apps, covering everything from marketing and dropshipping to analytics and fulfillment. The platform’s open API also allows for custom integrations and automated workflows, giving it an edge in versatility.

Ease of Use and Customer Support

Weebly

Weebly is known for its straightforward user interface and ease of use. It’s designed for users who want to quickly set up a store without dealing with complicated tools:

Customer Support: Weebly offers decent customer support, including tutorials and guides, but is limited to chat and email support on lower plans.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce, while initially more complex, offers powerful tools and support options:

Customer Support: Provides comprehensive support, including chat, email, and phone support on all plans. The platform also features extensive learning resources and a vibrant online community.

Final Verdict

Who Should Choose Weebly?

Weebly is best suited for small businesses or solo entrepreneurs who need a simple, cost-effective solution. Its user-friendly interface and essential ecommerce features make it ideal for beginners or those prioritizing straightforward management over advanced functionalities.

Who Should Choose BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is the go-to platform for businesses aiming to scale. With robust ecommerce features, extensive marketing tools, and advanced AI capabilities, it is perfect for larger companies that need a flexible, powerful platform capable of supporting growth and complex operations.

FAQ

What are the main differences between Weebly and BigCommerce?

Weebly is better for small businesses seeking an easy-to-use and affordable platform, whereas BigCommerce offers advanced ecommerce tools and scalability for larger enterprises.

Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?

No, BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans.

Can I use PayPal with Weebly?

Yes, but only if you upgrade to the Performance plan.

Which platform offers better design flexibility?

BigCommerce offers more design flexibility, especially for those familiar with CSS and HTML. Weebly provides a simpler drag-and-drop interface suited for beginners.

How do the marketing tools compare between Weebly and BigCommerce?

Weebly offers basic marketing tools suitable for content marketing and simple email campaigns. BigCommerce provides more advanced marketing features, better SEO tools, and comprehensive analytics.

Choosing between Weebly and BigCommerce ultimately comes down to your business needs and goals. Weebly is excellent for small-scale operations looking for ease of use, while BigCommerce is designed for larger businesses aiming for extensive growth and advanced functionality.

Weebly vs BigCommerce: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Table of Contents

Introduction