Are you researching different content management platforms for the website you’re going to build?
Your options are not limited by any means, but only a small number of content management systems are reliable and user-friendly.
It’s hard to know which is the best overall website builder when you don’t have the time to test everything out.
This article will help you learn about the advantages and disadvantages of using Weebly, BigCommerce, and Webflow.
If you’re looking for information on other website builders, check out these articles:
A Comparison Between WordPress, Squarespace, and Wix
A Comparison Between WordPress and Shopify
Here’s what you need to know about Weebly, BigCommerce, and Webflow.
Weebly is well known, but has maintained a market share of 0.5% for a reason. It’s not ideal for most websites. However, Weebly does have some benefits, which will be discussed below.
Should you use Weebly for your ecommerce website? Weigh the pros and cons to decide.
1. Weebly is a simple solution for ecommerce. If you just need a simple, quick website to sell a product or service, Weebly is the best website builder. The user interface offers drag-and-drop editing so you never need to know code.
2. Weebly is a hosted website. As a hosted website, you don’t need to get a separate hosting account. You can also purchase a custom domain through Weebly, which makes it a one-stop shop.
3. Weebly has updated its marketing tools. If you don’t use a separate email marketing application, you can now use Weebly’s built-in marketing tools to send automatic emails based on goals you set. Best of all, emails can now be created with a drag-and-drop interface.
Contacts are easier to organize, CSV files are easier to upload, and you can attach a discount code to your web forms used to generate leads.
4. Integrations. Weebly offers many integrations, including LiveAgent, Stripe, Leadpages, Shippo, Mailchimp, Facebook, Constant Contact, AWeber, PayPal, Twitter, Indeed, Hotjar, Eventbrite, and more.
5. There’s an auto save website functionality. Your work won’t disappear if you go offline or accidentally close your browser.
1. The mobile app is difficult. Many users say using the mobile app is frustrating. They don't have mobile friendly templates to choose from. You’ll want to use a desktop or laptop to build and edit a Weebly site.
2. Theme selection is lacking. If you don’t want a basic looking theme, Weebly isn’t a good choice for you. Theme selection is lacking and customization can only go so far.
3. Integrations come with a monthly fee. Most integrations available for Weebly cost money. The cost ranges from $10 to $1,200 per month, depending on the integration. If you require multiple integrations just to make your website work at a basic level, consider using a platform with more built-in functionality.
4. Limited customization. Weebly customization options have limits. For example, some formatting and element positions cannot be changed without HTML knowledge. While the drag-and-drop editor customizations are limited, you can still hire a developer to build your site with custom HTML and CSS.
People and online stores with simple needs and those who don’t mind basic website design are a good match for Weebly. This platform is also wonderful for simple portfolios and one-page online resumes.
However, if you need a full-scale ecommerce site builder with hundreds or thousands of product and plenty of functionality, you’re better off choosing a different platform.
The market share for Webflow rose from 0.4% to 0.6% from 2020-2021. This platform has some great potential that people are just starting to realize.
Should you use Webflow for your ecommerce website? Weigh the pros and cons to decide.
1. Live prototyping. Clients struggle to see mockups as they would be on a live site, but Webflow eliminates that issue with live prototypes. Having a built-in live staging area for clients will be a game-changer.
2. Visual design. You won’t have to struggle with a text-based back-end editing system with Webflow. You’ll be able to build your design visually from the ground up.
3. A user-friendly editing system. Whether you’re building your own site or you’re building websites for a client, Webflow makes it easy to edit content without the risk of destroying the site.
Webflow allows editing in a controlled environment through the front-end of the website itself.
4. No coding required. Webflow is a 100% code-free editor (unless you choose to edit your code). You can even create custom animations without code. Professional designers have always wanted the ability to edit every detail without dealing with code, and now Webflow makes that possible.
5. Highly customizable templates. Webflow has some of the most customizable templates around. Every detail is customizable, which is something you won’t find with other CMS templates.
6. No plugins. Although this might seem like a disadvantage at first, it’s actually a major advantage. Plugins don’t work forever, and the minute one plugin stops working, you lose that functionality.
When your entire site depends on a plugin for important functionality, the result is a disaster. Plugins are also a major security risk when they aren’t updated or patched, or when they’re no longer supported.
7. Amazing customer support. Customer support is included in all plans and is exceptional.
1. Webflow has a monthly fee. Like other site builders, Webflow comes with a monthly fee. However, this is only a true disadvantage when you need a free website builder. The monthly fee is actually much cheaper than what you’d pay for a hosting account and a website developer.
2. Page limits. With Webflow, you’re limited to 100 pages. If you need more than 100 pages, you’ll need to upgrade to an enterprise plan.
3. Some features require a more expensive plan. If you need advanced features like high bandwidth, more than 500,000 visitors or more than 2,000 form submissions per month, you’ll need to contact Webflow to get an enterprise plan. They don’t publish the prices for enterprise plans on their website, but it’s going to be higher than their $36/month plan.
4. Limited customizations. While you can create your design visually, you’re actually limited in terms of how you can customize your code. This is the inverse of other CMSs where code is fully customizable and visual editing is not.
5. Steep learning curve. Webflow takes time to learn because it has so many features.
Individuals, agencies, and businesses with basic needs will all benefit from the web builder, Webflow platform. Webflow makes it possible to create beautiful sites quickly, while reducing the risks associated with clients editing their own sites.
Agencies will especially benefit from using Webflow, not just because it’s incredibly easy to use, but because there’s a white label option that makes it possible to brand the administrative areas with a client’s logo or your company logo.
There are several reasons Webflow wouldn’t be a match for your project. For example, Webflow won’t work for you if you need more than 100 pages, unlimited bandwidth, or you’re not willing to pay higher fees for advanced features like site search, custom SSL, more than 2,000 form submissions per month, or more than 500,000 visitors per month.
The market share for BigCommerce rose from 0.4% to 0.5% in 2020, but then went back down to 0.4% in 2021.
Should you use BigCommerce for your ecommerce website? Weigh the pros and cons to decide.
1. You can sign up for a free trial. If you want to test the system out before committing, you can get a free trial from BigCommerce.
2. Great support. Customers love support from BigCommerce.
3. DIY ecommerce is simple. You don’t need a designer to create a beautiful ecommerce store.
4. High value for the monthly fee. Since BigCommerce is a hosted platform, you’ll pay a monthly fee. If you need advanced ecommerce features, you can expect to pay more than other CMS platforms. As of 2021, the Pro plan is $269.96 per month.
5. Unlimited product variations. This is a huge advantage over other CMS platforms like Shopify.
6. No transaction fees. Running an ecommerce site without having to pay transaction fees is a blessing.
7. Search engine optimization (SEO) is easy. You can easily implement SEO with a BigCommerce website.
1. No live preview options. You’ll need to publish your changes before viewing the results.
2. Yearly sales limits. There are limits to the number of sales you can generate in a year, and if you go over that limit you’ll be forced to upgrade your plan.
Most small-to-medium sized businesses will benefit from using BigCommerce to run an online store. BigCommerce is ideal for online stores with simple design needs and complex ecommerce needs. For example, if you have numerous product variations, BigCommerce will support your needs.
Obviously, if you don’t need an ecommerce store, you’re better off with a different platform. However, if you don’t like using visual editors, BigCommerce is a great choice.
The best platform for individuals and businesses with extremely simple needs is Weebly.
The best platform for people, businesses, and agencies who don’t want to deal with code is Webflow.
The best platform for businesses and individuals who need a large online store is BigCommerce.
If you’re ready to build professional websites, our designers are ready to help! The Dev.co team can build you a custom website design on Weebly, Webflow, or BigCommerce. If you’re not sure which CMS is best, we’ll help you choose based on your needs.
While these platforms are made to be user-friendly, there will be a learning curve involved. If you just want your website and you don’t want to do the work yourself, contact us for a free quote.
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