Shopify vs Weebly: Which Is Best for Your Business?
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In booming e-commerce, choosing the right platform for your online store is essential to long-term success. At this time, Shopify vs Weebly emerged as two "giants" possessing many outstanding strengths, but there are also points to note. In this article, let's learn about these two platforms with NextSky, the most optimal solution for your online business.
Shopify vs Weebly Overview
When comparing Shopify vs Weebly, you first need to determine the business goals and target audience each platform aims at. Both are tools to help users build websites, but each platform has its own strengths.
Shopify is a platform specializing in online sales, fully supporting features such as posting products, setting up payments, managing orders and shipping. Shopify is suitable for those who want to build a professional online store and develop their business in the long term.
Weebly, now part of Square, is an easy-to-use platform allowing users to drag and drop components without programming source code intervention. Weebly also has a sales feature, but at a basic level, suitable for individuals or small stores that do not require too much in-depth sales functionality.
=>> You might want to check out:Â Shopify vs. Square: Which Is Better for Your Business?
Shopify vs Weebly: Which Is Best for Your Business?
When deciding between Shopify and Weebly (Square Online) for your business, it boils down to several key factors:
Shopify is best for:
- Businesses need advanced e-commerce features, scalability, and extensive customization options.
- Medium to large-scale operations requiring robust support and security measures.
- Integration with multiple sales channels and extensive third-party apps.
Weebly (Square Online) is ideal for:
- Beginners and smaller businesses looking for a user-friendly interface with simple drag-and-drop tools.
- Integration with Square’s POS system, advantageous for businesses needing physical store integration.
- Budget-conscious businesses seeking competitive pricing and basic e-commerce functionality.
Ultimately, your choice should align with your business size, growth goals, technical requirements, and budget considerations.
Shopify vs Weebly: Quick Comparison
Factor |
Shopify |
Weebly |
Pricing and Value for Money (billed annually) |
Offers multiple pricing plans starting from $19/month |
Free plan available; Paid plans start at $10/month |
Ease of Use |
Robust features with steeper learning curve (Shopify Liquid) |
User-friendly with drag-and-drop interface |
Template Design & Customizability |
Extensive templates with high customizability |
Flexible templates with drag-and-drop customization |
Marketing Features |
Advanced marketing tools like abandoned cart recovery, discount codes |
Basic marketing features with email campaigns |
Ecommerce Features |
Unlimited products and robust inventory management |
Integrated ecommerce features; suitable for smaller stores |
Available Payment Gateways |
Stripe, Square, PayPal Express |
100+ payment gateways |
Apps and Integrations |
Over 6,000 apps available in the Shopify App Store |
Over 370 apps |
Shipping Discount |
Up to 88% |
Up to 40% |
Performance and Security |
High performance with scalable hosting |
Good performance; security features like SSL included |
Help and Support |
24/7 support via phone (Shopify Plus), email, and live chat Help center with tutorials, community forum |
Database, community forums, phone support during business hours, email and chat support 24/7 |
Security |
PCI DSS compliant; strong security measures |
SSL security included; adheres to industry standards |
Detailed review of 2 platforms between Shopify vs Weebly
Pricing and Value for Money
Feature |
Shopify |
Weebly |
Pricing Plan (billed annually) |
From $19 to $299/month |
$0 to $26/month |
Free plan |
3 free trial-days and $1 for the first month |
Free plan |
Included Domain |
Ranges from $10 to over $30 per year. |
A free domain name for Professional and Performance plan subscribers Range from $19.95 for standard .com domains to $49 for .store domains |
Transaction Fees |
|
Typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
Apps and Integrations |
from $3 to $300+ per month |
from $3 per month to $1,500 per month. |
Additional Costs |
Domain fees, transaction fees, app purchases |
Domain fees, transaction fees, premium features |
Shopify may be a suitable choice if you're looking for a platform with scalability and readiness to invest in advanced features and enhanced support. However, if you're starting out with a limited budget and need a cost-effective solution, Weebly can offer better value with its lower-priced service packages and basic free features.Â
Compare ease of use - Weebly Wins

Criteria |
Weebly |
Shopify |
Admin Interface |
Very intuitive and user-friendly for beginners. |
Modern, but may have many features that take some time to get used to. |
Drag & Drop Builder |
Available, easy to use, drag and drop content blocks into place. |
No full-page drag & drop editor; mostly edited through the theme editor. |
Store Setup |
Simple, just a few steps to get a basic online store up and running. |
Requires familiarization with the dashboard and setup for products, payments, shipping, etc. |
Theme Customization |
More limited, fewer templates, and deeper customization options. |
A wide range of professional themes allows deeper customization, but requires a basic understanding of Shopify’s structure. |
Product & Order Management |
Basic, easy to understand, and enough for a small store. |
Robust, with many features for managing inventory, orders, discounts, product categorization, etc. |
App Support |
Fewer apps, mostly basic features. |
Has an App Store with thousands of apps, but it can overwhelm beginners. |
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👉 In summary, Weebly is ideal for its simplicity and quick deployment, while Shopify offers superior customization and scalability for comprehensive eCommerce needs and business growth. Overall, Weebly is the superior platform for ease of use due to its intuitive interface and straightforward setup process.
Template Design & Customizability - Shopify Wins
Both Weebly and Shopify provide various templates and customization options for online stores.Â
Weebly offers over 60 modern, responsive templates with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder. Users can adjust layouts, colors, and fonts without coding skills, making it ideal for beginners. However, Weebly's customization is limited to editing text, adding elements, and changing images within predefined areas.

Shopify provides over 190 professionally designed themes, including 13 free and over 177 premium ones priced between $100 and $180. Shopify's extensive customization options allow for HTML, CSS, and Liquid modifications. Themes come with customizable content sections, mobile-friendly design, SEO, and more, offering deeper design flexibility.

Performance and SEO - Shopify Wins
 |
Weebly |
Shopify |
Page Load Speed |
Page load speed is around 2.6 seconds, meeting Google's standard (under 3 seconds). |
Page load speed is around 3.7 seconds, but the main content displays faster (1.5 seconds). |
Performance |
Suitable for simple websites or small stores. Provides stable performance for less complex pages. |
Strong performance, optimized for large stores, handling high traffic, and many products. |
Security and Hosting |
It offers free SSL and basic security for all websites. |
Free SSL for all stores, high-level security, and robust hosting features. |
Basic SEO Tools (On-page SEO) |
Offers basic SEO tools like title, meta description, and URL optimization. Integrated with Google Analytics. |
More powerful SEO tools support keyword optimization, automatic sitemap generation, and integration with advanced SEO apps. |
Advanced SEO (Off-page SEO) |
Limited tools for advanced SEO, fewer options for optimizing backlinks, and deep analysis. |
Advanced SEO support with strong integration for optimizing backlinks, structured data, and in-depth analytics tools. |
Mobile Optimization |
All themes are mobile-friendly, but performance may drop if the store has many products. |
All themes are highly optimized for mobile, providing fast speed and an excellent user experience. |
External SEO Tool Support |
Basic integration with Google Analytics, but few external SEO tool integrations. |
Supports integration with many powerful SEO apps and external tools like Google Analytics, SEO Manager, etc |
👉 In short, if you want to break through the rankings and conquer customers on Google, Shopify is the leading e-commerce platform you shouldn’t ignore.
Marketing Features - Shopify Wins
Weebly and Shopify offer effective marketing tools for online businesses. Weebly's built-in email marketing tools let users create and send newsletters, promotions, and updates. It also provides basic SEO tools, social media integration, and promotional pop-ups.
Shopify offers more advanced tools, including customizable email marketing, robust SEO features, social media advertising, and marketing automation like abandoned cart recovery and personalized product recommendations.
Weebly is great for beginners with its user-friendly email marketing, SEO, and blogging tools. Shopify, however, provides a comprehensive set of features for scaling businesses. Its advanced tools and integrations make it superior for businesses seeking robust marketing capabilities.
E-commerce Features - Shopify Wins
Feature |
Shopify |
Weebly (Square Online) |
Product Management |
Advanced product management, CSV import/export, user-friendly dashboard. |
Basic product management, good integration with Square POS, supports order collection and text alerts. |
Abandoned Cart Emails |
Integrated by default across all plans, helps recover abandoned carts based on Shopify payment history. |
Available on top premium plan only, supports automated reminder emails to customers who abandon carts after a certain period. |
Payment Options |
Supports over 100 payment gateways including Stripe, PayPal, 2Checkout, and more. |
Limited to 3 popular payment gateways: Stripe, PayPal, and Square, with flexible shipping options. |
Reporting and Analytics |
Comprehensive reporting tools, customizable based on plan, integrates with Google Analytics. |
Provides basic insights on visitor statistics and product views, integrates with Google Analytics for easier store management. |
Shopify emerges as the superior platform for e-commerce features due to its extensive capabilities in product management, payment options, abandoned cart recovery, and robust reporting tools. It supports a wide range of payment gateways, advanced inventory management, and scalable solutions suitable for businesses of all sizes.Â
Weebly (Square Online), while effective for basic needs and integration with Square POS, lacks the depth and scalability offered by Shopify's comprehensive e-commerce toolkit.Â
Apps and Integrations - Shopify Wins
Shopify excels in app and integration offerings with its vast App Store, providing extensive options for enhancing online store functionality. With over 6,000 apps available, Shopify covers various needs from marketing and sales to customer service and inventory management. It integrates smoothly with a wide array of third-party tools such as Mailchimp and QuickBooks, supporting scalable business operations.

In contrast, Weebly's App Center offers a more limited selection, focusing primarily on essential functionalities like marketing and SEO, alongside integration with Square’s POS system. This simplicity may benefit smaller businesses seeking straightforward solutions.

Security - Shopify Wins
Both Weebly and Shopify prioritize security for online businesses.Â
Weebly ensures safety through SSL certificates and DDoS mitigation across all plans, alongside password protection options for restricting site access.Â
In comparison, Shopify offers SSL encryption on all plans, PCI DSS compliance for secure credit card transactions, and advanced fraud prevention tools. Shopify's adherence to SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3 standards further enhances its security credentials, making it a preferred choice for businesses needing robust e-commerce security measures.
Help and Support - Tie
Both Shopify and Weebly (Square Online) provide robust support systems for their users. Weebly offers assistance primarily through its Help Center, featuring articles and tutorials, along with email support for free plans and 24/7 chat and email support for paid plans. It also benefits from integration with Square's support infrastructure.
In contrast, Shopify excels with a comprehensive Help Center offering detailed documentation and community forums. It provides 24/7 support via live chat, email, and phone, ensuring users receive immediate assistance globally. Shopify's extensive resources and constant availability make it the preferred choice for businesses needing responsive and comprehensive support.
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