Building a website for your small business?
You’ve probably heard of Weebly and Web.com—two website builders that can help you materialize your dream website. Both platforms are renowned for their user-friendly interfaces and robust features, making them popular choices among entrepreneurs.
But what makes them unique from one another? Explore more as you find out which builder best suits your needs.
Weebly vs Web.com: Overview
Web.com has been a go-to in the website-building industry for over 20 years, offering users a comprehensive approach to help you establish your online presence. They provide fully customizable templates and essential tools to help you build a functional website, plus extras like domains, SEO services, reliable hosting, security solutions, online store, and more. Web.com gives you more flexibility, making it a great choice, especially if you need extra support to grow your website over time.
Weebly, on the other hand, is famous for its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that makes website creation easy and quick. It’s perfect for beginners, especially those who want to set up a website or online store without any hassle. Like Web.com, Weebly has an intuitive platform, customizable templates, and built-in eCommerce features.
While Weebly.com is good for beginners who are building their site for the first time, it may not offer the same level of flexibility and advanced features that some users need as their websites grow. Web.com, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive platform with extra tools and support for those looking to expand their online presence.
Weebly vs Web.com: Ease of Use
When comparing the ease of use between Weebly and Web.com, both platforms provide features that make building a website seamless and straightforward.
Web.com features a drag-and-drop AI Website Builder that’s designed for ease of use. It simplifies the website-building process by asking you three questions about your site, then generates it based on your answers (you can still modify the site after it has been generated). The platform allows users to effortlessly customize their site by selecting and arranging elements with minimal effort. You also won’t need coding experience.
Web.com’s interface is intuitive, and it offers helpful guidance and prompts throughout the setup process, making it accessible, especially for beginners.
Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor is one of its standout features, allowing users to build their websites by simply dragging elements into place. This intuitive interface makes it easy for beginners to design a site without any coding knowledge. The platform’s layout is clean and user-friendly, which helps streamline the website creation process.
Both Weebly and Web.com excel at offering a user-friendly, drag-and-drop experience, allowing users to craft a website quickly without technical expertise. However, Web.com’s AI integration enhances the website-building experience, speeding up the website-making process.
Weebly vs Web.com: Website Builder
Web.com features a drag-and-drop interface but with a bit more flexibility. They offer customizable templates for every industry, from retail to real estate, so you can create a highly personalized site that fits your specific needs. This makes Web.com a great option for businesses looking for industry-specific designs and more customization options. Plus, their user-friendly interface and AI-driven design suggestions make the whole process even smoother.
Weebly, on the other hand, is all about simplicity and ease of use. With its drag-and-drop functionality, you can quickly add and arrange elements on your site without technical skills. Whether you’re creating a blog, portfolio, or online store, Weebly makes the process straightforward and ideal for beginners. It’s a great choice if you want a fast, simple, and intuitive way to build your website.
Both platforms are easy to use, but Web.com stands out with its industry-specific templates and greater customization options, making it a better choice if you need a more tailored website. Meanwhile, Weebly is perfect for those who want a simple and speedy website creation process.
Weebly vs Web.com: Pricing and Plans
Weebly and Web.com both offer various plans that cater to different business needs.
Note: Pricing for these providers can change without prior notice. Please check with their website directly for the most up-to-date pricing.
Web.com offers three plans:
- Website Plan ($5.99/mo, renews at $19.99/mo)
This plan offers a drag-and-drop builder, a free domain for the first year, SSL security, and all the basic features you need to get a simple website up and running. It’s perfect for starting a straightforward site.
- Website + Marketing ($8.99/mo, renews at $24.99/mo)
This plan includes everything in the Website Plan, plus social media and email marketing, Google My Business listing, and appointment scheduling. It’s a solid choice for small businesses looking to boost their online presence and engage with customers across different channels.
- eCommerce ($9.99/mo, renews at $29.99/mo)
This plan gets you all the features of the Website + Marketing Plan, along with powerful eCommerce tools like an online store, payment processing, and inventory management. This plan is ideal if you need to sell products online and manage transactions seamlessly.
Weebly offers four plans:
- Free ($0/mo)
This is perfect if you’re just starting out or want to test things. You get basic website building features, a Weebly subdomain, and SSL security. However, it doesn’t offer advanced customization and has limited eCommerce features.
- Personal ($10/mo billed annually or $13 billed month-to-month)
Individuals who want to use their own domain name will appreciate this plan. It includes basic website-building tools, SSL security, and a custom domain connection. It also includes some additional eCommerce features.
- Professional ($12/mo billed annually or $16 billed month-to-month)
Small business owners can get the most out of this plan. This plan includes everything in the Personal Plan, plus advanced site stats, free domain, square ads removal, and password protection. It also has additional eCommerce features not offered in the Personal Plan.
- Performance ($26/mo billed annually or $29 billed month-to-month)
This plan is for those who need enhanced eCommerce features. It includes abandoned cart recovery, eCommerce analytics, and priority customer support. Perfect for small businesses looking to grow their online store.
Weebly vs Web.com: Features and Customization
When it comes to features and customization, Weebly and Web.com both have their strengths, but there are some key differences to consider.
Web.com offers a flexible platform with a focus on customization. Its eCommerce features are robust, including online store management, payment processing, inventory management, and more, making it ideal for businesses that want to sell products online.
Web.com also provides mobile-responsive designs and integrates with various third-party services like Google services (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Site Verification, and Google reCaptcha). The customization options are more extensive, with personalized templates for different industries and more design tweaks available. Add a video background, change the color palette, adjust the fonts, add sections, and more.
On the other hand, Weebly is easy to use and offers a range of eCommerce tools like shopping carts, product management, and basic inventory tracking. It’s mobile-responsive, so your site will look great on any device.
Weebly also has built-in SEO tools to help your site rank better on search engines, and it integrates smoothly with services like Google Analytics and social media platforms. It also has an App Center where you can download apps and services to add to your site.
Weebly vs Web.com: Customer Support
Reliable customer support is important for small business owners who might run into technical issues or need some guidance while setting up and maintaining their site. Quick and effective support can really make a difference by minimizing downtime and ensuring everything runs smoothly. Both Weebly and Web.com offer various support options, but there are some differences in their availability.
Web.com provides extensive support options, including phone support, chat (24/7), and email. Their 24/7 chat support is a big plus, especially if you need help outside of regular working hours.
Web.com’s response times are often quick. They also offer a knowledge base and video tutorials to help you troubleshoot common issues. Overall, Web.com’s customer support is more accessible due to the variety of contact methods and extended hours.
Weebly, on the other hand, mainly offers support through chat and email, with customer service reps usually available during business hours. Response times can vary, but users generally find chat support to be responsive and helpful for common issues.
Weebly also has a solid knowledge base and community forums where you can find answers to frequently asked questions and explore self-help resources. However, if you need phone support and priority support, you’ll have to go for their higher-tier plans.
In a nutshell, Web.com offers a more comprehensive support system across all plan levels, making it a great choice if you need quick assistance. While Weebly’s chat and email support are effective, they might not be as accessible outside of business hours compared to Web.com’s extended availability.
Weebly vs Web.com: Pro Services
Web.com offers professional services like Professional SEO Services and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising. These services can boost your online visibility, making it easier for potential customers to find you through search engines and targeted ads.
Web.com also offers Professional Website Design Services. Their experts can help you create a customized, user-friendly website that reflects your brand and meets your specific goals. Whether you’re starting a new business or looking to refresh an established brand, Web.com’s team works closely with you to make sure your website not only looks amazing but also functions effectively to attract and engage your target audience.
On the flip side, Weebly doesn’t offer professional services. So, if you’re looking for extra support to scale your online presence, Web.com might be the better fit.
Weebly vs Web.com: Performance and Uptime
Web.com delivers strong performance, focusing on high availability and uptime. Their reliable infrastructure ensures that websites stay live and load quickly. Web.com even emphasizes a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which is a standard in the industry. This gives users peace of mind that their website will remain accessible with minimal downtime. Plus, Web.com offers scalable hosting, ensuring consistent performance as your website grows.
Users recognize Weebly for its solid performance and high uptime. It’s built on secure, scalable infrastructure, ensuring fast loading speeds and minimal downtime. This makes it a reliable choice for businesses that need a smooth website experience for their visitors. While Weebly doesn’t provide exact uptime guarantees, it’s generally stable and performs well, with most users reporting minimal disruptions.
In summary, both platforms offer good performance and uptime, but Web.com stands out with its 99.9% uptime guarantee, providing a bit more assurance for businesses that need high availability and consistent website performance.
Weebly vs Web.com: Security
When it comes to building and maintaining a website, having robust security is important to protecting your data and ensuring a safe experience for visitors. Both Web.com and Weebly offer solid security features, but they differ in what they provide. Here’s a breakdown to help you choose the right platform for your business:
Web.com Security Features:
- SSL certificates: Included in all plans to encrypt website data, protecting personal and payment information.
- Automatic malware detection and removal: Actively monitors and cleans up harmful software to keep your site secure.
- Continuous network monitoring: Keeps 24/7 vigilance to protect your site from emerging threats.
- Automated and manual backups: Creates backups an hour after any change and immediately after publishing. You also get three manual backups for quick recovery.
- Robust hosting infrastructure: Supports enhanced stability and security, helping maintain the integrity of your website.
Weebly Security Features:
- SSL certificates: Free SSL certificates across all plans that ensure basic encryption for your site.
- Resilient infrastructure: Weebly designed an infrastructure to withstand DDoS attacks, with continuous network monitoring for suspicious activity.
- Automatic backups: Peace of mind knowing your website content is backed up and can be restored if needed.
Summary of Features
Choosing the right platform for your website can be challenging with so many options out there. To make it easier, here’s a quick summary comparing Weebly and Web.com:
Section | Web.com | Weebly | |
1 | Ease of Use | AI-powered drag-and-drop builder for quick setup. Customizable templates and intuitive interface. Offers additional design flexibility and marketing tools. | Simple drag-and-drop editor, easy for beginners with a clean and user-friendly layout. Great for building a site quickly without coding. |
2 | Website Builder | Customizable templates for various industries, industry-specific designs, AI-driven design suggestions, mobile-responsive designs, eCommerce features. | Drag-and-drop functionality, eCommerce tools like shopping carts and product management, mobile-responsive designs, and built-in SEO tools. |
3 | Pricing and Plans | Three plans: Website ($5.99/mo) Website + Marketing ($8.99/mo) eCommerce ($9.99/mo) Comprehensive features with flexibility for business growth. | Four plans: Free ($0) Personal ($10/mo) Professional ($12/mo) Performance ($26/mo) Affordable and great for small businesses or personal websites. |
4 | Features and Customization | Flexible platform with strong eCommerce tools, mobile responsiveness, and integrations with Google services. More customization options compared to Weebly. | Easy-to-use with essential eCommerce tools, mobile responsiveness, and built-in SEO. |
5 | Customer Support | 24/7 chat support, phone support, email, knowledge base, and video tutorials. Responsive with quick response times and comprehensive support options. | Chat and email support with business hours availability. Knowledge base and community forums for self-help. Phone support available on higher-tier plans. |
6 | Pro Services | Offers SEO, PPC, and Professional Website Design services to boost online presence and tailor websites to specific business goals. | No professional services like SEO or PPC. Focuses on simplicity for small business websites and online stores. |
7 | Performance and Uptime | 99.9% uptime guarantee, scalable hosting, fast load speeds, and reliable infrastructure ensuring consistent performance. | Solid performance with high uptime, but no exact uptime guarantee. Generally stable with minimal disruptions. |
8 | Security | SSL certificates, automatic malware detection, 24/7 network monitoring, automated and manual backups, and robust hosting infrastructure. | Free SSL certificates, resilient infrastructure for DDoS protection, continuous network monitoring, and automatic backups. |
Addressing Common Pain Points
Weebly’s Challenges:
- Limited customer support: They offer chat and email support during business hours, but they don’t provide 24/7 phone support or immediate assistance outside of those hours. If you need phone support, you’ll have to avail yourself of the higher-tier plan.
- Limited theme customization: Weebly’s templates offer a user-friendly design, but users who want a unique or highly customized look may find the theme customization options too restrictive,
- Fewer professional services: Weebly doesn’t offer professional services like SEO, PPC, or custom web design. So, if you’re looking for extra support to grow your online presence, you might find Weebly a bit lacking in that area.
How Web.com Addresses Weebly’s Pain Points:
- Enhanced customization options: Web.com gives you more flexibility with design options, including customizable templates and advanced tweaks. This allows you to create a highly personalized site.
- Extended availability of customer support: You get 24/7 chat support, phone, and email with Web.com. This means you can get help whenever you need it.
- Scalable growth solutions: Web.com offers a flexible platform with a wide range of integrations and marketing tools. This helps businesses grow and scale without hitting limitations.
- Professional services: Web.com provides professional SEO, PPC advertising, and website design services. This means you can get expert help to optimize your online presence and attract more customers.
Select a Reliable Provider Today!
Weebly and Web.com are solid choices depending on what your business needs. Weebly is perfect if you’re just getting started and want something simple and user-friendly.
But if you’re after more flexibility and advanced features, our partner Web.com’s AI Website Builder is a fantastic option. It offers a more tailored experience with enhanced customization, industry-specific templates, and professional services.
Whether you’re just launching your site or planning to scale, Web.com’s tools can help you grow your online presence easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both platforms are great, but Web.com is a better choice if you’re looking for more flexibility and scalability. It offers advanced customization options, professional services like SEO and PPC, and customer support (phone, 24/7 chat support, and email). Weebly is ideal for beginners and small businesses that need an easy-to-use, budget-friendly solution to get a website up quickly.
Weebly offers phone support only on its higher-tier plans. For basic plans, you can get support through chat and email during business hours. In contrast, Web.com provides 24/7 chat support, phone assistance, and email support on all plans.
Yes, both Weebly and Web.com allow you to use your own domain name. Weebly offers a custom domain connection with its paid plans, while Web.com includes a free domain for the first year in all plans.