Weebly, arguably the world's leading online website builder, recently announced major updates to their eCommerce offering, that includes features like a coupon generator, product options, personalized emails, and more.
And while Weebly makes it quick and easy to build normal websites, how does it compare with leading, hosted shopping cart solutions like Bigcommerce?
This article looks at how powerful, flexible, and easy it is to start selling stuff online using Weebly, and uses Bigcommerce as a benchmark comparison to help you decide which is right for your online store.
Weebly eCommerce review
As with all our technical reviews, we try to provide a comprehensive overview of the product/service in question from the point of view of the value for money they provide.
You can take a look at our comparison review of Shopify, Volusion & Bigcommerce to see how the leading eCommerce site builders compare to each other, and how we arrive at the overall ratings awarded.
As you can see, Weebly has an exceptionally high value for money offering - by comparison Bigcommerce was awarded 89% (which is also excellent).
So is that the end of the story? Should we all migrate our stores to Weebly? Not just yet...
Comparing Weebly eCommerce to Bigcommerce
In terms of value for money, Weebly is really strong. But that doesn't mean they are the automatic choice for every startup or entrepreneur that needs an online store.
In fact, their offering should really be viewed as a lightweight, lean shopping cart solution. It doesn't have the depth, flexibility, or power of Bigcommerce (and by definition the other leading services - Shopify & Volusion).
Here's a quick comparison table:
Many of the features that come as standard in Bigcommerce are not even available on Weebly - or exist in a more basic form.
So, if you are starting a site with the intention of growing in scale and complexity then Bigcommerce is what you need.
If, however, you are after a quick and easy store that covers the basics right, then Weebly is the better option - it's cheaper and super easy to set up.
In terms of how easy it is to use each platform, I think they are both on an equal footing. They both have excellent graphical interfaces to configure and customize your store, but Bigcommerce has more flexibility and power and is therefore more complex overall.
How to get started
Creating an online store is really easy on either platform, and you can check out our step-by-step guides to get setup within minutes.
Bigcommerce
You don't need anything other than a name and email address to start a free trial with Bigcommerce, but there is a little bit of configuration work to do.
Click here to go through the steps...
I should also point out that for $50 it is possible to have your Bigcommerce site setup for you, complete with integrated email marketing and starter guide.
Weebly eCommerce
To begin with, you'll need to create a free site, and then add the store to that site.
Click below to get started...
Once your site is up and running, it's a simple matter of clicking on the Store tab along the top of the admin console, like this:
![Weebly eCommerce administration interface]()
This dialog page provides everything you need to create and integrate the store into your site.
Remember that you may need to upgrade your account to access some of the features, and in particular, you must have a business account in order for the checkout procedure to occur on your site's domain.
Hopefully this comparison review has helped you make a decision about which eCommerce platform is right for you.
Are you already using either one to run your own store? What do you like or dislike about it?
Share your tip and experiences in the comments.
