It’s never been so important to have some kind of online facade that is exclusive to you or your business. Numerous platforms have sprung up, allowing consumers who do not have a degree in network development or work experience to easily create market demands for their own platforms. All you need is a little bit of time, a small budget and 21st-century computer skills.
However, not all website builders are the same. Some will be easier to set up, some will take more time to learn, some will have more flexibility, and some will be more expensive than others. In this article, we will show you our five personal collections, hoping to help you choose the product that best suits your needs.
Wix
Wix’s ease of use and quick start process is one of its main selling points. It is one of the first platforms to reach its prevailing status and currently has more than 100 million users.
You only need to provide basic information and conduct a short survey, choose a template and start designing your website. You can even have their AI web designer ADI pick templates and applications for you based on your answers.
When it comes to templates, Wix has the most collections, with over 450 very diverse themes to choose from. However, not all products are of super high quality, but you can still find the products you want.
In the beginning, you need to spend some time learning Wix’s drag-and-drop page builder and design tools. However, once you get started, it gives you a lot of flexibility.
Regarding its customer support, Wix is great for beginners and offers a wealth of tips and video tutorials throughout the interface to help you learn to use specific features.
Site123
Site123 has not been widely used; however, it is an excellent product worthy of more attention, and we believe it will receive significant attention in the near future. This is not difficult to see from the beginning, because the entire platform is designed to allow users to create websites and put them on the shelves.
The quick registration process only requires some basic information (you can also link to your Facebook or Google account). Then, you can choose your website type and let them choose a theme for that category for you, or choose one for yourself.
Their library of over 100 themes is not extensive and the design is fairly simple. However, there is nothing to complain about in terms of quality. As such, its designer/page builder is very intuitive and very similar to the slightly popular Weebly. However, like Weebly, this also means that you have limited work on customizing your website. But you can extend your website with free or advanced plugins.
Site123’s pricing plan is also very simple, with a free and an advanced plan. The Premium program brings more resources to e-commerce and free domain names and does not reveal the trademark of Site123.
Weebly
Weebly has about 50 million users and is entering the top of the popular web development platform. Like Site123, Weebly focuses on making it as easy as possible for users to develop and design websites. In fact, the two are very similar, but Weebly offers a more powerful performance.
Weebly’s easy registration process is worth mentioning. Simply sign up for basic information (or your Facebook / Google account), select a template, and start customizing right away. On the subject, Weebly is one of the most restrictive creators, with only 35 options to choose from. These templates are very similar to the ones in Site123: there are no amazing factors, but there is still a lot of modernity and appeal.
When it comes to the breadth of the number and functionality of applications/plugins, Weebly’s application market is located between Site123 and Wix. Its page builder looks almost identical to Site123’s page builder, but provides true drag and drop functionality. Its templates and page layouts are very fixed, and you can usually control the content, color, and size.
Its pricing plan is mainly divided into personal/non-e-commerce-based websites or online stores. Pricing is very similar to Wix, but it usually costs a few dollars.
Volusion
If you’re completely new to web development, but need a platform that’s focused on helping you create an online store, you can breathe a sigh of relief now. Volusion is almost entirely suitable for any individual or business that wants to own a store. Therefore, all of its pricing plans offer certain e-commerce features.
Unfortunately, it has no free plans. Your only choice is a 14-day trial period during which you can test its basic functions. After signing up, it can take up to 48 hours to set up your e-commerce store.
Volusion has only about 50 templates; however, since they are all made for online stores, you can choose from a wide range of products. The look and feel of the template are great, and there are some exciting design insinuations or some of the amazing elements missing from the Site123 or Weebly’s gallery.
When you’ve just created a site, its step-by-step process is a great way to guide beginners in designing and setting up key aspects of the store. Its customizer is very easy to master, but like Weebly and Site123, there are limits to what the designer can do.
WordPress
Last but not least is WordPress.com. For now, it is by far the largest web development platform for the foreseeable future, accounting for about 25% of all websites. WordPress.com offers similar services to other platforms in this list, and we will focus on why we recommend it to beginners.
The WordPress registration process takes longer than other platforms because they try to sell you some “upgrades” and ask for personal information about your site. These upgrades are usually free, depending on the offer you choose. They have one of the most lenient free programs.
With less than 300 templates for WordPress, the diversity is closest to Wix. However, its quality is less stable. Its strict requirements for the quality of new themes mean that the newer the better the quality.
The focus of the platform is still the blogger, and if you write and publish content often, it is the most simplified platform choice. Overall, there are not enough customization options compared to most other platforms, but this will vary depending on the template you use.
However, it’s business plan opens up a whole new world of third-party plug-ins and integration with other services.
Keep the network in your hands
As you can see, your goals and needs will play an important role in choosing which platform is best for you. In terms of ease of use and accessibility, there is no better choice than Weebly and Site123. Both platforms require little learning. Volusion is also quite similar but is more suitable for online store owners.
Starting with very basic features and limited scalability, WordPress gradually adds functionality and scalability as the planned price increases. Finally, it remains one of the best platform choices for bloggers. Once you unlock a third-party plugin, the possibilities are almost endless. Of all these options, Wix is in the middle and strikes a balance between functionality and ease of use.
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