Speaking as a professional WordPress dev (and thus both knowledgeable on this subject and, clearly, completely unbiased), I would strongly recommend using WordPress over any of the other options you listed. They really shouldn't even be considered in the same category. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS), which is a piece of software that can run anywhere, developed as an open platform by the community. Whatever you make in WordPress, you fully own it in every sense of the word. If you don't like your hosting company, you can pick up and move to a different one. If you don't like your theme, you can choose a different free one, buy one, make a custom one, or hire someone to make a custom one. If you're not satisfied with the features it includes, there's a huge ecosystem of plugins, developers who can customize it for you, etc. Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are all hosted commercial services that provide a closed platform. While you technically own your content, it's all locked into their proprietary systems. If you decide down the road you don't like their service, your only real option is to build a new website from scratch. If you don't like their themes, or the features they provide... I don't know the exact degree of customization each provides, but it's generally going to be pretty minimal. Hosted commercial services can't have customers mucking about in their code. Personally, I would never consider letting my content be locked into a closed commercial platform, so I'll always use and recommend an open CMS like WordPress. That said, if you don't like WordPress, it's certainly not the only CMS out there: Joomla, Drupal, and Typo3 are all reasonably popular options. However, WordPress is far and away the most popular — it runs ~30% of the Internet. That's not necessarily because it's the best option... But it is because it's one of the easiest CMS's to set up and use, and has the largest ecosystem. Answer from caesium23 on reddit.com
🌐
Reddit
reddit.com › r/selfpublish › is wordpress, wix, squarespace, or weebly better for authors?
r/selfpublish on Reddit: Is Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly better for authors?
June 1, 2022 -

I’m not good with the technical stuff. I plan on buying a template and input all the book info/purchase links into the default blocks.

I tried the free Wordpress and something about it just frustrates me lol. Maybe I’m that inept when it comes to tech things.

I only want an author website to keep my books, update/ add to it when a new book is released, and I don’t wanna worry about security and system updates if it can be avoided.

I feel squarespace best fits what I’m looking for. But I want to see what y’all have in mind.

If you’re okay with it, can you share what you’re using and your thoughts about it?

Thanks!

Top answer
1 of 10
12
Speaking as a professional WordPress dev (and thus both knowledgeable on this subject and, clearly, completely unbiased), I would strongly recommend using WordPress over any of the other options you listed. They really shouldn't even be considered in the same category. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS), which is a piece of software that can run anywhere, developed as an open platform by the community. Whatever you make in WordPress, you fully own it in every sense of the word. If you don't like your hosting company, you can pick up and move to a different one. If you don't like your theme, you can choose a different free one, buy one, make a custom one, or hire someone to make a custom one. If you're not satisfied with the features it includes, there's a huge ecosystem of plugins, developers who can customize it for you, etc. Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are all hosted commercial services that provide a closed platform. While you technically own your content, it's all locked into their proprietary systems. If you decide down the road you don't like their service, your only real option is to build a new website from scratch. If you don't like their themes, or the features they provide... I don't know the exact degree of customization each provides, but it's generally going to be pretty minimal. Hosted commercial services can't have customers mucking about in their code. Personally, I would never consider letting my content be locked into a closed commercial platform, so I'll always use and recommend an open CMS like WordPress. That said, if you don't like WordPress, it's certainly not the only CMS out there: Joomla, Drupal, and Typo3 are all reasonably popular options. However, WordPress is far and away the most popular — it runs ~30% of the Internet. That's not necessarily because it's the best option... But it is because it's one of the easiest CMS's to set up and use, and has the largest ecosystem.
2 of 10
6
I use WordPress. It's fairly easy to use, but I SUCK at everything web design and HATE messing with my website. As soon as I can afford it, I'm passing that job off to someone else lol.
🌐
Cybernews
cybernews.com › home › best website builders › weebly vs wordpress – similar goals, different approaches
Weebly vs WordPress (2025) – Which Is A Better Choice? | Cybernews
Weebly vs WordPress
Struggling to choose between Weebly and WordPress? We've analyzed their features to make it easier for you! Read all the details in our review. Weebly is a drag-and-drop website builder focused on eCommerce. WordPress is a content management system, allowing you to make websites of any kind. They’re so fundamentally different from one another that comparing Weebly vs WordPress is not a straightforward task. Weebly offers an intuitive drag-and-drop website building experience, which is restrictive but right off the bat seems suitable for beginners. It’s straightforward, and setting everything u
Rating: 4 ​
Discussions

Is Wordpress, Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly better for authors?
Speaking as a professional WordPress dev (and thus both knowledgeable on this subject and, clearly, completely unbiased), I would strongly recommend using WordPress over any of the other options you listed. They really shouldn't even be considered in the same category. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS), which is a piece of software that can run anywhere, developed as an open platform by the community. Whatever you make in WordPress, you fully own it in every sense of the word. If you don't like your hosting company, you can pick up and move to a different one. If you don't like your theme, you can choose a different free one, buy one, make a custom one, or hire someone to make a custom one. If you're not satisfied with the features it includes, there's a huge ecosystem of plugins, developers who can customize it for you, etc. Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are all hosted commercial services that provide a closed platform. While you technically own your content, it's all locked into their proprietary systems. If you decide down the road you don't like their service, your only real option is to build a new website from scratch. If you don't like their themes, or the features they provide... I don't know the exact degree of customization each provides, but it's generally going to be pretty minimal. Hosted commercial services can't have customers mucking about in their code. Personally, I would never consider letting my content be locked into a closed commercial platform, so I'll always use and recommend an open CMS like WordPress. That said, if you don't like WordPress, it's certainly not the only CMS out there: Joomla, Drupal, and Typo3 are all reasonably popular options. However, WordPress is far and away the most popular — it runs ~30% of the Internet. That's not necessarily because it's the best option... But it is because it's one of the easiest CMS's to set up and use, and has the largest ecosystem. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/selfpublish
21
10
June 1, 2022
Are you trying to decide between WordPress vs. Weebly to create your site?
WordPress may be a popular choice and powers 39.5% of all websites on the web, but Weebly is another solution that permits you to create your website, blogs, and eCommerce stores. In this article, we’ll compare WordPress vs. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/a:t5_5mlpg6
1
1
June 18, 2021
What features or benefits keep you using WordPress over other website builders like Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly?
Freedom (different ways of doing: Gutenberg, Classic Editor, Custom Fields and Custom Post Types, third-party page builders like Elementor, Block builders, etc.) Open-source Huge helpful and competent community Great support for most plugins (free or paid) on the official forums WordPress is free You can do a lot with only free plugins if you really want to Paid plugins are often subscriptions BUT you mostly aren't forced to renew them (of course getting updates is better but if you really want to you still can continue to use the plugin without updates without paying) There are lifetime deals on some paid plugins sometimes, which is a blessing Extensible (build on top of WordPress yourself, create your own templates/blocks/plugins/themes, use it headless, etc.) Great free SEO plugins exist (with free Yoast SEO correctly configured you're already set for basic indexing without needing anything else really, it gives you everything you need: a sitemap.xml, seo tags, open-graph tags, cover images, etc.) You really OWN your website (self-hosting) and aren't depending on a builder (even if it's unlikely: what would you do if the company behind Wix disappeared tomorrow?) More on reddit.com
🌐 r/Wordpress
99
34
March 19, 2024
Has anyone done a side-by-side for WordPress vs Weebly vs Wix
Wordpress is superior not because search engines favor it, but because of plugins. On page SEO in Weebly (and I assume WIX, though I have no experience) means learning and editing the raw HTML. For wordpress, you let a plugin handle it. Want to add automatically add meta data to every page? Plugin. Want the site to load faster? Plugin. Automated caching? Plugin. Want to add google analytics? Plugin. Add social sharing links? Plugin. Need to remember to promote new content via social media? Plugin. Want to recycle and promote older content? Plugin. ... You get the idea. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/SEO
19
11
April 8, 2015
People also ask

Which is best, WordPress or Weebly?
Both WordPress and Weebly have strengths. WordPress offers great customization and flexibility but may have a steep learning curve. Weebly is user-friendly and great for quick e-commerce setup but lacks extensive customization. The choice depends on your specific needs and tech comfort level.
🌐
elegantthemes.com
elegantthemes.com › blog › wordpress › wordpress vs weebly (2025) — which is better?
WordPress vs Weebly (2025) — Which Is Better?
Can I switch between Weebly and WordPress and between WordPress and Weebly?
It is possible to migrate a Weebly website to a WordPress one, however, it might be a bumpy ride. In short, you’ll have to manually move all your content and redirect site users as well as set up permalinks. If you want to migrate your WordPress site to Weebly, you'll have to deal with the same problems, except you won't have to worry about permalinks.
🌐
cybernews.com
cybernews.com › home › best website builders › weebly vs wordpress – similar goals, different approaches
Weebly vs WordPress (2025) – Which Is A Better Choice? | Cybernews
Which is faster, WordPress or Weebly?
Website speed depends on hosting, site design, and content optimization. While WordPress offers plugins to optimize speed, a poorly configured site could still be slow. Being a hosted solution, Weebly generally provides consistent performance. Ultimately, both can be fast with proper setup.
🌐
elegantthemes.com
elegantthemes.com › blog › wordpress › wordpress vs weebly (2025) — which is better?
WordPress vs Weebly (2025) — Which Is Better?
🌐
Website Builder Expert
websitebuilderexpert.com › home › website builders › comparisons › wix vs weebly vs wordpress: comparing costs, key features and more in 2025
Wix vs Weebly vs WordPress: Which One Is Best in 2025?
September 23, 2025 - Overall, WordPress is best for businesses that want to add custom code to their website, since you’re able to add HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, and other coding languages yourself. In comparison, Wix and Weebly are better for business owners that want to easily create a website without code.
🌐
Elegant Themes
elegantthemes.com › blog › wordpress › wordpress vs weebly (2025) — which is better?
WordPress vs Weebly (2025) — Which Is Better?
January 7, 2025 - But if you can dream it, WordPress can do it. There is room for beginners and coders in the WP space. Weebly, on the other hand, started as a quick-and-easy builder that gave users fast access to static/informational sites, and it has since been acquired by Square and become an incredibly robust e-commerce platform.
🌐
Liquid Web
liquidweb.com › home › what is wordpress guide › compare wordpress hosting › weebly vs wordpress: 9 key differences and how to choose
Weebly vs WordPress: 9 key differences and how to choose
March 24, 2025 - Weebly is designed for beginners, offering a visual drag-and-drop editor that requires no coding knowledge. Users can create pages, add elements, and customize layouts in just a few clicks.
Find elsewhere
🌐
Lit Extension
litextension.com › home › ecommerce platforms › wordpress vs weebly 2025 comparison: which is better?
Weebly vs WordPress (2025): In‑Depth Comparison & Which Platform Wins?
July 15, 2025 - In our view, Weebly is the better choice if you want something quick, simple, and easy to use. WordPress has a lot more power under the hood, but it definitely requires more time and a steeper learning curve to get it right.
🌐
Forbes Advisor
forbes.com › advisor › business › software › weebly-vs-wordpress
Weebly vs. WordPress.org (2025 Comparison) – Forbes Advisor
September 5, 2025 - Overall, if you want a simple drag-and-drop builder for a personal website Weebly is a great place to start. If you prefer full control over your site’s design, features and functionality, WordPress.org is likely the better fit.
🌐
InstaWP
instawp.com › weebly-vs-wordpress
Weebly vs. WordPress: Which Platform Should You Choose?
March 6, 2025 - Unlike Weebly, it is a content management system (CMS) offering unmatched flexibility and control. It is a self-hosted platform with limitless customization options. What makes WordPress so popular is its open-source nature.
🌐
Hostinger
hostinger.com › home › weebly vs wordpress: which platform you should use to build your website in 2025
Weebly vs WordPress: which platform you should use to build your website in 2025
April 27, 2025 - Weebly offers four website plans – Free, Personal, Professional, and Performance. However, the free version has limited site features and lacks customization options. To enjoy more perks and advanced tools like a free domain name and password protection, you need to purchase its higher plans, starting at $12/month. WordPress is an open-source platform for creating websites and one of the best CMS on the market.
🌐
Quora
quora.com › Im-starting-my-own-website-Should-I-go-for-Weebly-or-WordPress
I'm starting my own website. Should I go for Weebly or WordPress? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): I just helped a friend switch from Weebly to Wordpress. Weebly is a nice, simple to use DIY platform, but it provides very limited capability to optimize for SEO or make major changes to the site. Wordpress, on the other hand, has tons of useful plugins that allows you to add ...
🌐
ThemeIsle
themeisle.com › blog › weebly vs wordpress: key differences and which one to choose
Weebly vs WordPress: Key Differences and Which One to Choose
November 10, 2023 - On one hand, WordPress.org is the platform where folks host their sites. The numbers speak for themselves – WordPress powers over 43.2% of all the websites on the Internet. On the other hand, Weebly has been around for 14 years and they’ve gotten a lot of updates over the years.
🌐
Making That Website
makingthatwebsite.com › wix-vs-weebly-vs-squarespace-vs-wordpress
[Detailed comparison]: Wordpress vs Weebly, Wix, Squarespace
October 30, 2025 - In short, you're paying $5/month to get a full-fledged, website with unlimited traffic, custom branding and URL on Wordpress. In contrast, getting similar features from website builders would cost you $12/month at a minimum. Squarespace's basic plan ($16/month) gets you a custom domain and unlimited storage. Wix' light plan ($17/month) gets you a custom domain, unlimited bandwidth, and 10GB storage. Weebly's personal plan ($120/year) gets you custom domain, your own branding, with unlimited storage and bandwidth.
🌐
Milk & Tweed
milkandtweed.com › home › weebly vs wordpress – wonderous websites or wobbly workings?
Weebly Vs WordPress – Wonderous Websites or Wobbly Workings? - Milk & Tweed
January 16, 2023 - Weebly: That ease of use win? Turns out the price you pay is flexibility. If you want to change the look of your website, by changing one of the templates, then be prepared for the result to be a mess. Equally, things that should be simple, like changing the position of titles, or the width of display, is far more challenging. It’s the price you pay for simple. WordPress: The open-source nature of WordPress means that if you want to do it, you almost certainly can.
🌐
Durable
durable.co › blog › wordpress-vs-weebly-vs-wix-vs-durable
Wix vs WordPress vs Weebly vs Durable: Which Is Right For You?
With its drag-and-drop functionality, Weebly is ideal for beginners, small business owners, and those looking for a straightforward platform to get their website live without coding skills. While it lacks the deep customization options of other platforms like WordPress and the AI tools and features like Durable and Wix, it provides a solid set of tools for those who prioritize simplicity.
🌐
Blog Marketing Academy
blogmarketingacademy.com › why-wordpress-not-wix-weebly-squarespace
Why Wordpress? Why Not Wix, Weebly or Squarespace? - Blog Marketing Academy
Just as with Wix or Squarespace, however, Weebly is a self-contained software service that provides some flexibility, but you’re stuck with the same kinds of limitations. Their App Center (for add-ons) has 355 options, compared with multiple thousands of options for WordPress.
🌐
HostGator
hostgator.com › help › article › weebly-vs-wordpress
Weebly vs. WordPress
One of the advantages of using Weebly is that it doesn't require any coding knowledge. Still, for more advanced users, it does allow you to embed HTML coding into your website if a widget is not readily available. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that powers over 33% of the websites ...
🌐
Chetaru
chetaru.com › home › wordpress vs weebly: comparing two top cms platforms for your website
WordPress vs. Weebly - A Guide To Comparing Best CMS
June 25, 2024 - If you are looking for a website builder with plenty of customization options, Weebly is a great choice. It would help to consider your specific needs and goals when deciding between Weebly and WordPress.
🌐
Weebly
weebly.com
Free Website Builder: Build a Free Website or Online Store | Weebly
Weebly’s free website builder makes it easy to create a website, blog, or online store. Find customizable templates, domains, and easy-to-use tools for any type of business website.
🌐
LearnWoo
learnwoo.com › weebly-vs-wordpress-full-comparison
Weebly vs WordPress: Which is Best For Your Website? (2024 Full Comparison) - LearnWoo
January 20, 2024 - Although the difference in numbers for WordPress and Weebly is huge, it is important to understand how they differ as platforms. Weebly is solely a website building platform whereas, WordPress is an open source platform which makes them quite ...
🌐
Technologydidit
technologydidit.com › home › blog › squarespace, weebly, or wix vs wordpress
Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix vs Wordpress - Technology Did It, Inc
January 3, 2023 - Weebly, Wix, or Squarespace are WYSIWIG (What You See Is What You Get) drag and drop website builders; meaning if you can work a mouse you can build a website. Elements like picture location, text blocks, font styling & colors, payment processing, and more are just a click away. WYSIWIG is literally that easy. Originally designed for bloggers, WordPress is a free software referred to as open source.