Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Pricing and Fees
- Core Features: A Closer Look
- Ease of Use and Customer Support
- Final Verdict
- FAQ
Introduction
Ever wondered whether Weebly or BigCommerce is the right fit for your ecommerce venture? While Weebly offers a user-friendly and affordable platform suitable for budding entrepreneurs, BigCommerce emerges as a robust solution catering to larger businesses aiming for rapid growth.
In this comprehensive comparison, we'll delve into each platform's core features, pricing, pros and cons, helping you make an informed choice based on your business needs. Whether you're a small business owner looking for simplicity or a large enterprise seeking advanced ecommerce solutions, this guide is here to streamline your decision.
Pricing and Fees
One of the most obvious differentiators between Weebly and BigCommerce is their approach to pricing.
Weebly Pricing
Weebly is lauded for its affordable plans, including a “free forever” option. Here’s a breakdown of the paid plans:
- Personal Plan: $10/month. Includes support for a custom domain, and unlimited storage.
- Professional Plan: $12/month. Adds more advanced features like site analytics.
- Performance Plan: $26/month. Offers advanced ecommerce, including abandoned cart emails and ecommerce insights.
These plans make Weebly a cost-effective choice for entrepreneurs starting out with limited budgets. The free plan even includes a shopping basket, allowing you to sell unlimited items without immediate financial commitment.
BigCommerce Pricing
BigCommerce, on the other hand, does not offer a free plan. Their pricing is as follows:
- Standard Plan: $39/month. Supports up to $50k in sales per year.
- Plus Plan: $79/month. Ideal for businesses scaling up.
- Pro Plan: $299/month. For businesses with higher sales volumes.
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing, tailored for large enterprises.
Despite its higher cost, BigCommerce offers no transaction fees and several features that provide robust value, especially for businesses eyeing significant growth.
Core Features: A Closer Look
Both Weebly and BigCommerce provide essential ecommerce tools but cater to different business scales and needs.
Website Building and Design
Weebly
Weebly shines with its simplicity and ease-of-use. The platform offers hundreds of templates tailored to various industries, not limited to ecommerce alone. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive, requiring no prior coding knowledge, making it ideal for solo entrepreneurs and small businesses.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers a more extensive selection of professional-looking templates designed specifically for ecommerce. Though the learning curve is steeper, the platform compensates with deeper customization options including CSS and HTML file access, global widgets, and unique product category sections. These tools are invaluable for businesses needing detailed control over their store's design and functionality.
Ecommerce and Selling Features
Weebly
Weebly offers several robust ecommerce features considering its affordability. These include:
- Unlimited product listings
- Inventory management
- Automatic tax calculation
- Delivery options like in-store pickup
However, more advanced features such as abandoned cart emails and PayPal payment acceptance are reserved for higher-tier plans.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce takes ecommerce capabilities to the next level with:
- Discount transaction rates through PayPal
- Extensive payment system integrations
- Marketplace and social media integration for omnichannel selling
- Real-time shipping quotes
- Multi-currency selling capabilities
Additionally, BigCommerce supports detailed product variants, custom fields, and unique shipping rules, catering to complex ecommerce needs. This platform also allows selling physical products, digital products, and services, making it versatile for various business models.
Marketing Tools and Analytics
Weebly
Weebly offers commendable tools for content marketing, including effective blogging features. It supports SEO, pop-up notifications, and customizable Instagram feeds. However, its SEO capabilities are relatively limited compared to BigCommerce.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce excels in SEO and comprehensive analytics. The platform allows detailed customization of SEO settings, promoting higher search engine rankings. The analytics tools are powerful, featuring customized dashboards and in-depth tracking of sales, inventory, and customer behaviors, making it suitable for data-driven marketing strategies.
AI Capabilities
Weebly
Weebly lacks native AI tools, although third-party integrations are available. This might limit businesses looking for advanced, AI-powered customizations.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is integrating AI aggressively. The “BigAI” toolkit includes:
- AI content generation
- Predictive analytics
- Personalized product recommendations
- AI-powered search
These tools help in enhancing customer experiences and driving sales through intelligent insights and automation.
Integrations and Apps
Weebly
Weebly’s App Center offers around 100 apps, covering essential functionalities. However, its selection pales in comparison to BigCommerce.
BigCommerce
Boasting over 850 apps, BigCommerce’s marketplace is comprehensive. It organizes apps into collections for easy navigation, covering:
- Point of sale management
- Marketing
- Dropshipping
- Fulfillment
- Analytics
Open API options further extend the platform’s flexibility, allowing customized automated workflows.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Weebly
Weebly is known for its straightforward approach. The user-friendly design and drag-and-drop interface make it accessible for beginners. However, customer support, while available 24/7, is limited to chat and email for free and personal plan users.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is steadily becoming more intuitive, but it retains a complex range of tools suited to advanced users. On the support front, BigCommerce excels with comprehensive resources including an active online community, extensive tutorials, and 24/7 support available through chat, email, and phone on all plans.
Final Verdict
Choosing between Weebly and BigCommerce comes down to your business needs and scale.
- Choose Weebly if: You're a small business or solo entrepreneur needing an affordable, easy-to-use platform to kickstart your online presence.
- Choose BigCommerce if: You're aiming for rapid scale-up with advanced ecommerce capabilities, robust SEO tools, and AI integration.
FAQ
1. Is Weebly suitable for large businesses?
Weebly is best suited for small to medium-sized businesses. Its simplicity and affordability are great for starting out, but for extensive growth and advanced features, migrating to a more robust platform like BigCommerce might be necessary.
2. Does BigCommerce offer a free plan?
No, BigCommerce does not offer a free plan but provides a 15-day free trial. Post-trial, the Standard plan starts at $39/month, scaling up based on the plan's features.
3. Can I use my custom domain with Weebly?
Yes, even Weebly’s cheapest paid plan supports the use of a custom domain, alongside offering unlimited storage.
4. Are there transaction fees on BigCommerce plans?
BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees on any of its plans, which can be a significant cost-saving feature for high-volume sellers.
Choosing the right platform is crucial for your ecommerce success. Evaluate your business needs, consider the pricing, features, and the level of support you require, and make an informed decision.
