Website builders are now officially a dime a dozen which means for all the choices available to users, they face a real problem when it comes to separating the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, customer reviews and expert opinion is easy to find online and you can analyze this information to make an informed decision. What about choosing between website builders that are already well respected? For example, Wix, Yola and Weebly all have positive reputations so which one do you pick? Read on to discover the differences between this trio of website builders and choose the product that provides the best fit for your needs.
Pros
Wix
• Each site looks professional and there are a host of stunning templates to choose from.
• Excellent drag and drop functionality.
• Easy to use and can be used with other website builders and blogs.
Yola
• High quality picture editing with cropping and correction of the dreaded ‘red-eye’.
• Allows you to edit raw HTML.
• Works seamlessly with PayPal.
• Nice selection of widgets such as YouTube and Google Maps.
Weebly
• Creating subpages and menus is simple.
• Unlimited bandwidth and pages.
Cons
Wix
• If you choose the free option, you have to put up with annoying Wix ads which are distracting.
• Once you choose a theme, it can’t be changed unless you delete the entire thing.
• Low portability.
Yola
• Does not offer What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editing as some elements of your website will look different when published.
• Limited page editor which means you need HTML and CSS knowledge to properly customize the templates.
• Yola link visible on free packages.
Weebly
• WYSIWYG editor is extremely limited so you need CSS and HTML knowledge in order to create a passable website.
• Template choices are not particularly appealing.
• If Weebly are not hosting the site, your blog will not work.
Extras
Wix
• Ecommerce packages which include a shopping cart
• Widget only plan.
• Free hosting.
Yola
• Premium styles.
• Yola Pro which removes the annoying ads.
• Free package enables you to create up to 5 sites with 1GB of storage.
Weebly
• Pro Account removes the Weebly link.
• Free hosting as long as your site has a Weebly link.
• Domain registration but this cost is added to the price of the packages
Which Is Best?
This depends entirely on what you are looking for. As you can see, all three website builders offer plenty of features but also have a number of limitations. Those with an existing template or are interested in getting an expert programmer to build one should probably choose Weebly since you can import it. If you have no CSS or HTML knowledge, Wix may be the best option.
Otherwise, there is not much difference between the three and it is worth noting that none of them offer a particularly good ‘free’ package as you are plagued with irritating ads regardless of the website builder you choose. All of these builders were once highly regarded but have been surpassed by a new and improved generation of web builders offering better features and more impressive looking websites.
Jason Kay is a website developer and marketer and enjoys sharing useful ways to help people promote their websites. He recommends using http://www.easywebsitebuilders.net to create your own professional looking website.
3 Comments
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Howard Steele
June 18, 2013 at 10:47 am
Hi Jason,
Nice review! I think that your post will be very helpful for those who’re hesitant about which platform to choose. I’m also engaged in comparing popular website builders and I know that selecting the optimal platfrom can be a rather burdensome task.
Ray
June 30, 2016 at 8:38 pm
This was a very interesting review and just as I’ve noticed, Weebly tends to be better in the lower spectrum (price wise) and Wix gets better the more you pay. The free and first plans from Weebly are better than Wix’s but once you want real tools you would be better off with Wix which offers more at a smaller price.
Madison Sanders
July 29, 2018 at 9:43 pm
It’s amazing seeing how far each of these site builders has come since you posted this 5 years ago. Take Weebly for instance, just go and look at how different (and better) it is now. It’s actually pretty incredible, especially considering they let you use it for free!