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Website Builder Comparisons

Explore website builder comparisons including strengths, weaknesses and key differences between popular website builders.

How To Choose The Best Website Builder for Videographers

Nate Shivar Updated September 11, 2020 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

How To Choose The Best Website Builder for Videographers

Building your website can be a tough but fulfilling part of growing your videography business. Website builders make building & maintaining a website much more accessible and convenient. But they all have tradeoffs, and videographers usually have very specific requirements.

[Read more…] about How To Choose The Best Website Builder for Videographers

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Weebly vs. WordPress (Self-hosted .org & WordPress.com)

Nate Shivar Updated September 9, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Weebly vs WordPress (Self-hosted org & WordPress-com)

Weebly and WordPress are two of the most well-known brands in the website building industry. They are both excellent choices in general. But if you are comparing Weebly vs. WordPress – which is the best fit for your project?

[Read more…] about Weebly vs. WordPress (Self-hosted .org & WordPress.com)

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Squarespace vs. WordPress (Self-hosted .org & WordPress.com)

Nate Shivar Updated September 9, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Squarespace vs WordPress (Self-hosted org & WordPress-com)

Squarespace and WordPress are two of the most recognizable brands in the website building industry. They are both excellent choices in general.

But if you are comparing Squarespace vs. WordPress – which is the best fit for your project?

[Read more…] about Squarespace vs. WordPress (Self-hosted .org & WordPress.com)

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

How to Choose the Best Free Website Builder for Your Website

Nate Shivar Updated August 28, 2020 By ShivarWeb Staff

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

How to Choose the Best Free Website Builder

Thanks to free website builders, creating a webpage has become something that almost anyone can do. Because there are so many options out there when it comes to finding a website builder, though, it can be challenging to know which one is the best choice for your future website.

[Read more…] about How to Choose the Best Free Website Builder for Your Website

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Squarespace vs. Weebly vs. Wix: Website Builder Comparison

Nate Shivar Updated April 4, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Squarespace vs Weebly vs Wix

Squarespace vs. Weebly vs. Wix – they are the three most well-known website builders. I’ve written about them individually here, here and here. But how do they compare to each other?

See Squarespace Current Plans
See Wix Current Plans
See Weebly Current Plans

First, a bit of background. Over just the past few years, website costs have plummeted and the technology to get a website from idea to reality has blossomed. Whether you are using a text editor and uploading to the Amazon cloud; hosting your own site powered by WordPress or using a drag and drop website builder, there’s never been an easier time to create a website.

All-inclusive website builders have been particularly interesting. Companies like Squarespace, Weebly and Wix have brought websites to everyone regardless of coding knowledge or skills.

On the wide spectrum of website building solutions, they live on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your website. This is in contrast to solutions where you buy, install and manage all the “pieces” of your website separately. That’s not a good or bad thing. But it is something to be aware of when you’re choosing one of them as a solution…since it affects your website both long and short term.

In the long-term, it affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short-term, it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches. That said, just like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

Using a website builder is sort of like leasing and customizing an apartment in a really classy development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is key because there’s usually a direct tradeoff between convenience and control.

Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix as a group compete with options like WordPress (which provides the free software to build a website that you own & control – see my WordPress setup guide here) all the way down to options like typing actual HTML code into a text file. Make sense? Awesome, let’s dive into the comparison.

Side note – if you want this comparison in a BuzzFeed-style quiz, you can take my website builder quiz here…

You can also look at my posts on –

  • Squarespace vs. WordPress
  • Wix vs. WordPress
  • Weebly vs. WordPress

Otherwise, we’ll look specifically at pricing, onboarding/user experience, design features, technical features, marketing features, and customer support.

[Read more…] about Squarespace vs. Weebly vs. Wix: Website Builder Comparison

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Wix vs. WordPress (WordPress.com & Self-hosted)

Nate Shivar Updated March 2, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Wix vs. WordPress (Self-hosted .org & WordPress.com)

Wix and WordPress are two of the most well-known brands (and oldest) in the website building industry. They are both useful in their own ways. But if you are comparing Wix vs. WordPress – which is the best fit for your project?

Wix
See Wix.com Current Plans
WordPress.com
See WordPress.com Current Plans
WordPress
See Self-Hosted WordPress Guide

Before we look at different tradeoffs between Wix and WordPress, we have to define exactly what Wix and WordPress are.

[Read more…] about Wix vs. WordPress (WordPress.com & Self-hosted)

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

GoDaddy Website Builder vs. Wix vs. Weebly: Website Builders Compared

Nate Shivar Updated February 8, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

GoDaddy Website Builder vs Wix vs Weebly Website Builders Compared

GoDaddy Website Builder vs. Weebly vs. Wix – they are the three most well-known website builders. I’ve written about them individually here, here and here. But how do they compare directly to each other?

See GoDaddy Current Plans
See Wix Current Plans
See Weebly Current Plans

First, a bit of background. The process of building a website has changed radically since the early days of the Internet. Even though the core job of a website – HTML rendered in a browser – has not changed, the technology used to produce the HTML has. While you can still produce a website with nothing but a text-editor – most people choose a technology that makes the process of building and managing the website much easier and more accessible.

All-inclusive website builders have been particularly interesting. Companies like GoDaddy’s Website Builder, Weebly, and Wix have brought websites to everyone regardless of coding skills with their drag & drop and/or customizable templates.

There is a wide variety of website building solutions, and they all live on a spectrum with a tradeoff between control & convenience. I’ve written a full explainer on website builders here, but here’s how I think about it –

On the 100% control, but 0% convenience end – you have solutions like a text editor and server space that you purchase separately. It’s a bit akin to buying raw land to build your house for shelter.

On the 0% control, but 100% convenience end – you have solutions like Facebook and Twitter that provide no control (not even domain name control), but are highly convenient.

In the 50/50 middle – you have solutions like WordPress that live on your own server, but help you manage & build your website. It’s akin to buying a house that you own – you are responsible if anything breaks, but you can do really whatever you want.

Towards the convenience end, but with more control all live “hosted” website builders like Weebly, Wix, and GoDaddy’s Website Builder. They offer more convenience by bundling hosting, design, etc, but trade some control.

Using a website builder is sort of like leasing and customizing an apartment in a really classy development instead of buying and owning your own house. You’re still in control of decor, cleaning, and everything living-wise – but you leave the construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner. That point is key because there’s usually a direct tradeoff between convenience and control.

In the long-term, it affects your versatility, functionality, and, of course, your brand. In the short term, it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches. That said, just like choosing a physical house or office, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only such a thing as the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

GoDaddy Website Builder, Weebly, and Wix as a group compete with options like WordPress (which provides the free software to build a website that you own & control on your own hosting – see my WordPress setup guide here) all the way to options like typing actual HTML code into a text file.

*confusingly, GoDaddy also offers hosting, where you can install website software like WordPress. This comparison will focus on GoDaddy’s Website Builder that bundles hosting. You can find GoDaddy hosting alternatives here.

Make sense? Awesome, let’s dive into the comparison.

Side note – if you want this comparison in a BuzzFeed-style quiz, you can take my website builder quiz here…

Otherwise, we’ll look specifically at pricing, onboarding/user experience, design features, technical features, marketing features, customer support & company structure.

[Read more…] about GoDaddy Website Builder vs. Wix vs. Weebly: Website Builders Compared

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

What’s The Best Website Builder for Your Website?

Nate Shivar Updated January 2, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Best Website Builder

Figuring out how to choose the best website builder for your website is a tough and often all too confusing process. It’s tough to do a simple comparison because there is no such thing as an absolute “best website builder.” There is only the website builder that is right for you considering all the pros & cons.

[Read more…] about What’s The Best Website Builder for Your Website?

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

Nate Shivar Updated March 10, 2018 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WordPress-com vs WordPress-org Which Should You Use

So you’re exploring starting a website. And you’ve chosen WordPress as your software of choice. It powers more than 25% of the Internet. It’s famous for its versatility and ease of use.

But for anyone unfamiliar with the WordPress world – there’s a point of confusion. WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – which should you use? What’s the difference? What’s the best fit for your website?

Here’s a concise overview of what you should think about before getting started. [Read more…] about WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Self-hosted WordPress Alternatives for a CMS & Building a Website

Nate Shivar Updated March 17, 2017 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There has never been so many options for starting a website or blog. Hosting WordPress on your own server is not only the most popular ways – it has been completely revolutionary. As a free, open-source, community-maintained content management system – WordPress software has allowed millions of people to start & fully control their own website.

[Read more…] about Self-hosted WordPress Alternatives for a CMS & Building a Website

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

Best Squarespace Alternatives & Competitors for Building a Website

Nate Shivar Updated March 17, 2017 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Squarespace Alternatives

There has never been so many options for starting a website or blog. Squarespace was one of the companies to take website builders to the “next level” – ie, beyond simple drag & drop templates. Squarespace really focused on getting design elements along with certain technical website elements right. They have been a go-to solution for a while, but have really built brand recognition with massive podcast & TV ad spend.

[Read more…] about Best Squarespace Alternatives & Competitors for Building a Website

Read More Posts in This Topic! Filed Under: Website Builder Comparisons

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