Weebly vs Squarespace – take your pick
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Building a website is easier than ever, but choosing the right platform can make all the difference. Weebly and Squarespace both offer eCommerce, marketing, and blogging features, making them solid options for various needs.
Weebly stands out for its beginner-friendly eCommerce tools, making it a great choice for online stores. Squarespace, on the other hand, is known for its stunning, design-focused templates, perfect for visually appealing websites.
In this comparison, I’ll walk you through their pricing, ease of use, templates, business features, and overall performance to help you decide which fits your needs best.
However, if you’re looking for the best mix of AI-driven tools, flexibility, and ease of use, I recommend checking out Wix. It offers more advanced features than both Weebly and Squarespace.
| Top Choice | |||
| Wix | Squarespace | Weebly | |
| ⭐ Rating: | |||
| 🥇 Overall rank: | #1 out of #33 | #6 out of #33 | #18 out of #33 |
| 💵 Price: | From $10.50/month | From $16.00/month | From $10.00/month |
| 🪄 Ease of use: | Powerful interface, pretty easy to use | Perfect for beginners | Very simple to use |
| 🎨 Templates: | 2000 | 186 | 70 |
| 🏢 Business features: | Massive array of various business features | Solid in-house eCommerce and marketing | Good in-house eCommerce |
| 👨💻 24/7 live support: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ✂️ Free domain (first year): | Yes | Yes | Yes (with Professional / Performance plans) |
| 🔒 Free SSL certificate: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 🔥 Coupons: | Wix coupon 50% OFF | Squarespace coupon 36% OFF | Cybernews Website Builder Coupons |
| Try Wix Website Builder |
Weebly vs Squarespace for different websites
While website builders might be perfect for one type of site, they can be useless when building others. So, let’s take a look at how Weebly and Squarespace tackle some of the main challenges.
| Website type | Weebly | Squarespace |
| Blog | An unintuitive editor, which doesn’t allow you to add headings to your texts – bad for SEO | Very easy to set up and start blogging; however, the blog editor could be more content-forward |
| Portfolio site | A limited number of themes suited for portfolios, editor suited mostly for beginners | Curated visual-centered templates for portfolios, intuitive editor |
| Business site | Has most core elements needed for business | Great marketing tools as well as solid in-house analytics |
| eCommerce site | Best for an eCommerce site because of the add-ons and tools offered | Simple to set up an eCommerce site, very beginner-focused |
Weebly vs Squarespace: pricing
Weebly and Squarespace have comparable pricing and features, but one offers more affordable entry-level plans and even a free version.
| Weebly | Squarespace | |
| Free plan | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Starting price | $10.00/month | $16.00/month |
| Most expensive plan | $72.00/month | $99.00/month |
Weebly and Squarespace both offer 4 paid plans that cater to personal, business, and eCommerce needs. While Weebly leans more toward simplicity and budget-friendliness, Squarespace puts a stronger focus on design and all-in-one professional features. The one standout difference between these two providers is that Weebly includes a completely free version and has cheaper entry-level plans, making it a solid choice for beginners or small projects.
In contrast, Squarespace offers a free 7-day trial to test the provider before committing. Squarespace also offers unlimited storage across all plans and places more emphasis on visuals and branding. While Weebly’s higher-tier plans include advanced eCommerce tools like abandoned cart recovery and real-time shipping, Squarespace builds its eCommerce strength gradually across the Business and Commerce plans, offering smooth inventory management, sleek storefronts, and integrated marketing tools.
If you're looking for more detailed comparisons of pricing and features, it’s worth checking out the full breakdowns of Squarespace plans and Weebly pricing options.
Weebly vs Squarespace: ease of use
To test out how Weebly vs Squarespace works, I created test sites on both platforms. While setting up the websites, I tried to evaluate their ease of use, explore the editing tools and business features, and review the available templates.
With minimal input and by selecting simple templates, I created a basic website using Weebly.
Additionally, using the same approach and a simple template, I created a website with Squarespace.
The process was quick and easy, and there was nothing that could complicate things when using pre-made templates. Here are my key takeaways from the process:
- Both Squarespace and Weebly are beginner-friendly, providing simple and straightforward solutions to get online in minutes.
- Comparing Squarespace and Weebly, Squarespace stands out with a broader range of design tools, such as Blueprint AI, which helps you generate various content: from text to images.
- Weebly is cheaper than Squarespace. Thus, it offers more affordable eCommerce with easy setup and basic tools. However, for better product visuals, Squarespace is the better choice.
One key method of finding the best website builder is checking how easy it is to use. To make it easier for you, I’ll break down the website-creating process in more detail.
Using Weebly
Starting with Weebly is simple and straightforward. You are greeted with a question about what kind of website you would like to create. Depending on your needs, you can choose between a simple website and a website with an online store.
If you’re thinking of running a blog, a simple website is more than enough. However, if you wish to start a small eCommerce business, opt for a website with an online store. This option will guide you through questions like your store's name, whether you're currently selling, and what products you offer.
Once you’ve completed these basic setup questions, you’ll be redirected to the Weebly dashboard. Here, you'll find all the tools for your business website, along with a simple guide to help you start selling.
However, if your goal is a very simple blog-style website or portfolio, start with the I just need a website option to choose your preferred template.
After choosing a template, Weebly redirects you to the editor.
When reviewing Weebly, with its editor, I could easily add text, buttons, links, and media by mixing and matching the elements on the left. The drag-and-drop feature let me place them almost anywhere on the site – though I still had to stick to a set grid.
Or, if you don't feel like combining little elements to make a website, you can pick from one of the few completed sections. They're already pre-made, eliminating a lot of work you'd have to do.
Weebly's editor is easy to use, but it lacks functionality. Dragging and dropping elements is simple, but options are limited, and sections don’t always match the site's color scheme. The dashboard does include a simple setup guide, though.
Overall, Weebly is pretty easy to use; however, I liked Squarespace more.
Using Squarespace
Squarespace follows a similar startup pattern to Weebly. You can answer a few questions about your website's purpose and get your site generated. However, you can skip the questions and start with a template or AI.
Once you pick a template, Squarespace takes you straight to the editor to start building.
Squarespace's editor features drag-and-drop functionality, mainly through the Fluid Engine, but it's not entirely freeform. It follows a grid system to keep block placement structured and organized.
The sections automatically match your selected website style, with colors and fonts tailored to your preferences. Plus, there are several layouts for each option.
And in case the sections don't include all that is needed, there's also a feature to add additional elements to them.
The dashboard is simple and has everything needed to run an online business. I could switch from editing my site to managing my shop with just one click.
Overall, Squarespace was easy to use, and the design options felt flexible and well balanced.
Templates – modern looks vs a classic approach
When comparing Weebly and Squarespace templates, Squarespace definitely has the edge in terms of design:
- Weebly’s templates are simpler and great for easy site-building with minimal customization. However, the limited design options may feel restrictive if you're after something more unique or advanced.
- Squarespace offers over 186 options, divided into 19 niches. They have a more modern look compared to Weebly.
- Both platforms offer responsive templates, perfect for viewing on all types of devices.
Squarespace offers over 186 templates – and for the most part, they look excellent.
These templates are split into 19 categories, including Photography, Events, and Weddings. There is also a section for My Favorites, allowing the user to find a template they’ve used before very quickly.
I have no real complaints about Squarespace’s templates. They’re well organized, and the favorites feature is a nice touch. Customization is great too – you can rearrange elements, resize sections, and tweak colors and fonts in detail.
Weebly’s templates didn’t impress me as much. There are about 70 options across different categories, including Business, Events, and Blogs.
Weebly’s templates are decent – modern, simple, and functional. However, customization is limited, and the designs aren’t very bold.
Business features
Both Weebly and Squarespace tailor their products to small businesses. This is important, especially if you're an aspiring entrepreneur looking for a business platform to use:
- Weebly focuses its efforts on an eCommerce platform. It offers a simple way to build and manage your online store.
- Squarespace offers well-rounded options for selling, marketing, SEO, and blogging.
- Both options are good when it comes to selling. For everything els, Squarespace has the edge.
eCommerce
Squarespace is not an entirely eCommerce solution – it's a website builder that introduced eCommerce features in 2013. And yet, the setup is simple and heavily tailored toward beginner users.
To set everything up, you're asked a few questions regarding the products you wish to sell and your general eCommerce goals.
And just like that, the online shop is ready. I selected tableware as my product category, even though it wasn’t on the preset list. After setup, a test shop with preloaded items appeared.
You can use the built-in Products & Services section to do some of the basic tasks like setting up shipping and discounts and see your orders.
Or, if you're looking to take things a step further – like creating customer surveys or launching print-on-demand services – there's an integration library packed with various third-party tools you can explore and use.
Overall, Squarespace isn’t just about good looks – it’s also a strong eCommerce platform, great for small businesses or solo creators who want a stylish store without the tech hassle.
While Squarespace is often praised for its beautiful blogs and portfolios, Weebly positions itself more as an eCommerce-first platform. And it shows – one glance at the main dashboard reveals quick access to all the key eCommerce features, from product listings to shipping and payment tools.
Similarly to Squarespace, Weebly also has a third-party integration store. This is where you can find dropshipping, print-on-demand, and other features not offered by Weebly's stock suite.
When you add products, Weebly drops some of its drag-and-drop flexibility and gives you only a few basic layout choices.
Both platforms offer virtually identical payment gateways. You can use Stripe, Square, and PayPal on both of them, with a standard rate of 2.9% + $0.3 for each transaction.
Marketing
Weebly’s marketing tools mainly revolve around email campaigns. Personally, I liked using their Promote feature – it suggests which emails to send to my subscribers, making it easier to stay connected.
It also offers an intuitive email builder tool, which is very similar to its website builder. Actually, I found Weebly's email editor more flexible than the website builder.
It’s a useful feature, but unfortunately, it’s not fully free. The free plan lets you create just 2 campaigns and send up to 500 emails a month. If you want more, you’ll need a paid plan, which costs between $8 and $75 a month.
Squarespace supports both social media and email marketing. It even has a tool called Unfold that helps you create visual stories for your brand. However, Unfold is no longer available via browser and has to be accessed via app on Android/iOS.
You can use designer-crafted templates, fonts, and effects to build the visual presence of your dreams. Then, the newly created content can automatically be shared across social media from Squarespace. It has a limited free version, but if you need more tools, a premium version is available for only $2.99 a month.
The Squarespace email marketing follows a very similar design pattern.
There are many great templates to choose from, so you're sure to find one that fits your style perfectly.
Same as Weebly, you'll need to pay for the premium features. There is no free plan, and the premium ones range from $7 to $68 a month.
SEO and blogging
If you want your website to rank on search engines, you need two things: a platform with strong search engine optimization and high-quality content that can be optimized.
Squarespace, for instance, does a decent job with both. Starting a blog on the platform is virtually effortless. Just choose to add a page and select Blog.
The blog writing and editing interface isn't anything special, but it gets the job done. It's simple, clear, and works quickly, even with a ton of Chrome tabs open. Overall, Squarespace has a solid blogging platform.
You can edit the SEO settings for a specific post in the post settings.
The SEO section in the Marketing menu handles site-wide settings and also offers some useful tools to help get everything set up.
Weebly, on the other hand, feels less polished. The blog editor is clunky, and you'll need to use a system similar to the website editor to drag and drop elements.
The SEO isn’t all bad, though – you can edit several things for each page, like page title, meta description, and meta keywords.
If you want to edit the general SEO for your entire website, you can find the SEO section in Settings. Here, you can adjust the site description and meta keywords and add things like Google Analytics code to the header or footer.
It’s easy to use, especially for advanced users. But for someone who doesn’t do SEO professionally, Squarespace’s approach will be easier and more effective in the long run.
Performance
Both Weebly and Squarespace deliver decent performance, with sites loading in under 3 seconds. However, Squarespace performs slightly better when it comes to loading key content, though the overall differences are minimal.
Together with the research team, I tested the performance of both providers by submitting their test sites to GTMetrix, a platform that measures the platform's optimization and the site's overall speed.
Weebly's Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) takes 1.5 seconds; however, Fully Loaded Time is 2.1 seconds. It’s not a bad result, as LCP should be under 2.5 seconds, and Fully Loaded Time is ideally kept under 3 seconds.
Squarespace, on the other hand, showcases better results than Weebly, with an LCP of 573 milliseconds and Fully Loaded Time of under 2 seconds.
Overall, both platforms performed well and are more than enough for simple websites that don’t require heavy content loads.
Weebly vs Squarespace: conclusion
The main difference between Weebly and Squarespace is in how much they offer. Weebly is simpler, more affordable, and beginner-friendly – great for basic sites or small stores on a budget. But it lacks the finesse and advanced features that Squarespace offers.
Squarespace, while pricier, delivers a more refined experience with beautiful templates, stronger blogging and marketing tools, and better overall design flexibility.
| Squarespace | Weebly | |
| Rating | ||
| Pricing | No free plan, plans start at $16.00/month | Free plan available, eCommerce plans start at $12.00/month |
| Ease of use | A business-centered interface, focused on ease of use | Pretty easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor |
| Templates | Over 186 modern-looking templates | 70 free templates, covering 7 main niches |
| Business features | Solid eCommerce and marketing features | Pretty good eCommerce features |
| Performance | Similarly solid real-life performance | Solid real-life performance |
| Website | Squarespace.com | Weebly.com |
Both platforms are solid, but for a more professional-looking site with room to grow, in my opinion, Squarespace takes the lead. This provider is especially good for eCommerce – it has clean product pages, built-in tools for inventory and shipping, and helpful marketing features like email and social media templates. Additionally, when it comes to blogs and visually stunning portfolios, Squarespace has perfect templates, an Unfold app for social presence, and flexible marketing tools.
FAQ
Is Weebly or Squarespace better?
Comparing Squarespace vs Weebly, Squarespace is better. It has stronger tools for marketing, SEO, and design and also did better in our performance tests.
Weebly or Squarespace for eCommerce – which to choose?
Squarespace is better for eCommerce. If you're looking for an affordable, easy-to-use option, Weebly can be great for small stores. However, for a more professional eCommerce experience with advanced features, Squarespace is the better choice.
Can you transfer a Weebly site to Squarespace?
You can transfer your domain and online store contents. However, you can't transfer your website design.
Is Weebly or Squarespace better for bloggers?
Squarespace offers a better blogging platform. It has a better editor – so writing and editing content on Squarespace is a lot easier.
Which has better pricing – Weebly or Squarespace?
Both platforms offer very similar pricing. The recommended website plans start at $12 a month, while the eCommerce plans cost either $26.00 or $39.00 a month.
