We Put Weebly vs Squarespace to the Test: See Our Winner
Is your website getting slow and outdated? If so, it might be time to move to a brand-new platform!
However, which platform do you choose?
We’ve been reviewing some of the platforms that are currently available and comparing them to our platform of choice – Squarespace.
Today, we’re looking at Weebly, a platform that’s been around since 2006 and is responsible for about 1.6 million websites worldwide.
Squarespace vs Weebly: which is best?
1. Weebly has a free plan
Weebly’s key selling point is that it offers a free plan. This makes it a great option if you don’t have a marketing budget or if you want to see if Weebly is right for you before you commit.
However, this free plan has a lot of limitations. You can’t use your own custom domain, and you have to serve Square ads on your website. This can make your site look cheap.
Alongside the free plan, Weebly offers three paid-for plans, ranging from $10 to $29 a month. The more expensive plans offer unlimited storage, password-protected pages, and advanced analytics.
Squarespace doesn’t offer a free plan, although you can take advantage of a free 14-day trial before you buy. There are four different tiers on offer, with prices ranging from $16 to $72 a month.
While Squarespace is the more expensive option, you get exceptional value for money and access to many nifty features. For example, you get a year’s free custom domain and a professional email if you sign up for an annual subscription.
(Plus, there are lots of ways to save money on your Squarespace subscription if you need to!)
2. Both offer eCommerce functionality
Not all online platforms let you sell products and services online. Both Squarespace and Weebly provide eCommerce functionality.
Weebly offers eCommerce across all its packages, while Squarespace offers it across its Business and Commerce tiers.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. Weebly’s eCommerce features are provided by payment platform Square, which bought Weebly in 2018. As a result, you may get pushed into using Square’s eCommerce-focused website builder instead.
(Although you can still use eCommerce functionality with Weebly.)
To be fair, Square is pretty good when it comes to eCommerce. The transaction fees are fair and easy to understand, and Square is great for point-of-sale purchases, ideal if you own a brick-and-mortar business.
Squarespace is also fantastic for selling online.
You can choose from a suite of online store templates (more about Squarespace’s range of templates later), use Squarespace AI to write product descriptions, and even sell courses and online memberships.
3. Squarespace gives you more control over your page design
Both Squarespace and Weebly provide drag-and-drop editors to help you edit your pages. Bear in mind though, not all drag-and-drop editors are the same.
Squarespace gives you more creative control over how your pages look with Fluid Engine, meaning a crisper website that offers a richer user experience.
Alternatively, you can use Squarespace’s block editor to add and arrange content blocks on the different pages of your site.
While Weebly’s offering is easy to use, it doesn’t offer as much functionality. Ideal if you want to build a simple site, but not so much if you want a wider range of features.
Both platforms also let you upload custom code, meaning that if you know CSS or JavaScript, you can add bespoke functionality to your site.
However, Squarespace offers something Weebly doesn’t – Spark Plugin!
With over 100 code-free customizations, you can transform how your Squarespace site looks and make it stand out from the crowd.
4. Squarespace has more design options
Weebly offers just over 50 templates to get you started when you sign up. You can also buy custom themes and upload them yourself.
Squarespace ups the ante by offering over 150 professionally designed, fully mobile-responsive templates for your website.
You can also create your own using Squarespace Blueprint, which uses AI to help you build your perfect site.
Alternatively, you can purchase a premium template or hire a web developer to create a bespoke theme for you.
5. Both provide customer support
If you get stuck or have a question about your website package, Weebly and Squarespace are ready to help.
Both platforms offer comprehensive customer service, including knowledge bases, live chat, and email support.
Weebly offers more communication channels. If you pay for the Performance or Professional Package, you also get phone support, which isn’t an option with Squarespace.
However, some Weebly users have commented that since the Square acquisition, a lot of content in the Weebly knowledge base isn’t updated as often as it used to be.
Which brings us neatly to the final point…
6. Weebly’s future isn’t 100% certain
Weebly is now part of Square. Weebly has advised that as a result of this, it will only guarantee support for its site builder until July 2025.
This means that if you sign up for Weebly and it discontinues its website builder, you may get moved to Square’s website builder.
Square’s website builder is decent, if not harder to use than Weebly or Squarespace. But this might not be what you signed up for.
Squarespace vs Weebly: which should you choose?
If you’re looking for a free or low-cost website that offers eCommerce functionality and is easy to use, Weebly could be a solid and reliable option.
However, it may not be the best choice if you want something that looks professional and scales with your business. Plus, you also need to take the fact that Weebly may close into consideration.
While Squarespace is a bit more expensive, it’s easy to customize and offers a suite of professionally designed, aesthetically pleasing templates.
(We think Squarespace is the best platform around but as you can appreciate, we might be biased!)
As we always say at the end of our comparison articles though– give each platform a try and see which is right for your specific needs.
Weebly vs Squarespace: frequently asked questions
Do Weebly and Squarespace offer free plans?
Weebly offers a free plan with basic functionality.
While Squarespace doesn’t have a free plan, you do get a free 14-day trial.
What’s the relationship between Square and Weebly?
Square (no relation to Squarespace) is a payment processing platform. In 2018, it acquired Weebly.
As a result of this acquisition, Weebly now uses Square to power its eCommerce functionality. Square also uses Weebly to power its own website builder – Square Online.
While nothing has been definitively said, we think Weebly will eventually be phased out in favor of Square Online.
Is Weebly available in all countries?
Weebly uses geo-blocking, meaning visitors in some countries can’t access its websites. This may affect you if your business sells to an international audience.
While Weebly hasn’t provided a definitive list of countries it blocks, customers in Russia and Ukraine say they have been affected.
Squarespace is available in all countries, although the payment provider you opt for may not be supported in all countries.
We hope you enjoyed this guide to Weebly vs Squarespace!
If you’re not sure which platform is right for you, why not check out some of our other comparison articles?
