Weebly vs Wix: Two Beginner-Friendly Builders Compared

Weebly and Wix are both popular website builders marketed toward beginners, but they have taken very different paths in recent years. Weebly was acquired by Square and has shifted focus toward e-commerce, while Wix has expanded into a broad, feature-rich platform. Here is how they compare for different use cases.

Current State of Each Platform

Wix has been actively adding features, improving its editor, and expanding its app marketplace. The platform feels modern and receives regular updates. Wix supports a wide range of site types from simple landing pages to complex online stores.

Weebly development has slowed significantly since the Square acquisition. The platform still works and existing sites continue to function, but new feature development has largely shifted to Square Online. If you are starting a new project today, this trajectory matters.

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Editor and Design

Wix’s editor gives you full drag-and-drop freedom. You can place elements anywhere on the page with pixel-level control. This flexibility is powerful but can lead to messy layouts if you are not careful with alignment.

Weebly uses a more structured, grid-based editor. Elements snap into predefined positions. This makes it harder to create a messy layout but also limits your creative control. For beginners who want guardrails, Weebly’s approach can be reassuring.

Templates

Wix offers over 800 templates across dozens of categories. Quality varies but the best Wix templates are modern and well-designed. Remember that you cannot switch Wix templates after building your site.

Weebly’s template selection is smaller and many designs feel dated compared to Wix or Squarespace. Template customization is more limited than Wix, though the results tend to look cleaner because the structured editor prevents layout errors.

Features and Functionality

Wix has a clear advantage in features. The Wix App Market offers booking, events, forums, membership areas, live chat, and hundreds of other integrations. Wix has also added AI-powered design assistance and advanced SEO tools.

Weebly includes basic features like contact forms, image galleries, and simple e-commerce. The feature set is adequate for basic websites but cannot match Wix’s breadth or the expanding Wix App Market.

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E-Commerce

This is where the comparison gets interesting. Weebly’s e-commerce, now powered by Square, offers solid point-of-sale integration for businesses that sell both online and in person. If you already use Square for in-person payments, Weebly/Square Online integration is seamless.

Wix’s e-commerce handles online stores well with product management, shipping, taxes, and multiple payment processors. Wix is stronger for online-only stores, while Weebly/Square is stronger for businesses bridging online and in-person sales.

SEO Capabilities

Wix offers more SEO tools: custom meta tags, structured data, the SEO Wiz tool, and automatic sitemaps. Weebly covers basic SEO with page titles, descriptions, and alt text, but lacks the depth that Wix provides.

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Pricing

Both offer free plans with platform branding. Wix’s paid plans range from basic personal sites to full-featured business and e-commerce tiers. Weebly’s paid plans are generally less expensive, but the feature limitations may push you toward upgrading or switching platforms sooner.

The Verdict

For new projects, Wix is the stronger choice in almost every category except in-person sales integration. Wix is actively developed, feature-rich, and flexible. Weebly is adequate for simple sites but its development trajectory suggests Wix is a safer long-term investment.

If your business uses Square for in-person payments and you want tight integration between online and offline sales, Weebly/Square Online deserves consideration.

Key Takeaways

Wix is more actively developed and feature-rich than Weebly
Wix offers more design flexibility; Weebly offers more structure and simplicity
Weebly’s Square integration is strong for businesses bridging online and in-person sales
Wix’s App Market provides significantly more functionality
For most new projects, Wix is the safer long-term choice
Weebly’s reduced development activity is a consideration for new site builders

This content is for informational purposes only and reflects independently researched guidance. Platform features and pricing change frequently — verify current details with providers.