Weebly

What is Weebly

Weebly is a hosted website builder and ecommerce platform that lets users create websites, landing pages, blogs, and online stores without managing hosting or server infrastructure. Originally an independent site builder, Weebly is now part of Square and integrates tightly with Square’s payments and point-of-sale systems. The product targets small business owners, freelancers, and creators who need a straightforward way to publish a professional web presence and sell online with built-in payment processing.

Weebly offers drag-and-drop page editing, responsive templates, built-in SEO controls, and commerce tools such as product listings, inventory, coupon codes, and order management. Because it’s a hosted solution, users get an all-in-one stack (hosting, CMS, SSL) and optional domain registration. For sellers, Weebly includes integrated payment processing via Square, plus third-party payment options such as PayPal in certain configurations.

Weebly is positioned for users who prefer a low-configuration approach: templates and blocks accelerate site creation, while ecommerce features cover most needs for small online stores. Developers and agencies can extend Weebly with custom themes, embed code blocks, and the Weebly developer APIs for deeper integrations.

Weebly features

Weebly combines standard website builder elements with ecommerce and business-focused features. The core feature set includes:

• Drag-and-drop page editor with responsive content blocks and layout controls
• Mobile-responsive templates and theme customization
• Built-in blogging engine with post management, tags, and commenting
• Ecommerce tools: product pages, inventory tracking, shipping rules, tax settings, and discount codes
• Integrated payments with Square and support for PayPal
• SEO controls such as meta title/description editing, customizable URLs, and sitemap generation
• SSL certificates and hosting included with all plans
• Built-in analytics and reporting for site traffic and sales
• App integrations and embeddable code blocks for third-party widgets
• Form builder and lead capture tools for contact forms and newsletter signup

What does Weebly do?

Weebly provides a visual website building environment so users can create web pages and online stores without writing server-side code. It handles hosting, security (including SSL), and basic performance optimization while giving non-technical users access to templates and simple customization controls. For commerce users, Weebly acts as a storefront and order management system that handles product listings, collects payments, and tracks orders.

For business owners, Weebly simplifies online sales by combining an online store with inventory and order workflows and by syncing payments with Square’s merchant services. For content creators, the blogging tools and SEO settings allow publishing and discoverability without separate CMS setup. For developers and integrators, Weebly exposes developer tools and APIs for integrating external systems, creating custom themes, and automating workflows.

Weebly also supports publishing custom domain names, email integration via third-party providers, and embedding external scripts (analytics, marketing pixels) for tracking and marketing automation.

Weebly pricing

Weebly offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month with Weebly branding and limited ecommerce features
• Connect: $5/month (billed annually) for basic domain connection and removed limits
• Pro: $12/month (billed annually) with enhanced site features and no Weebly ads
• Business: $25/month (billed annually) for full ecommerce functionality and advanced store tools
• Business Plus: $38/month (billed annually) for expanded ecommerce capabilities and shipping/discount features

Check Weebly's current pricing for the latest rates and enterprise options.

Note: Prices above reflect common plan tiers and standard annual-billing breakout. Square’s regional pricing, promotional discounts, and bundled Square merchant plans may change effective monthly rates and available features.

How much is Weebly per month

Weebly starts at $0/month with the Free Plan. Paid monthly-equivalent rates for core plans commonly start around $5/month for entry-level plans and run to $38/month or more for advanced ecommerce plans when billed annually; month-to-month billing is typically higher.

How much is Weebly per year

Weebly costs $0/year for the Free Plan. Paid plans are commonly billed annually with examples such as $60/year for Connect, $144/year for Pro, $300/year for Business, and $456/year for Business Plus when billed annually. Exact annual amounts and promotional discounts vary by region and time.

How much is Weebly in general

Weebly pricing ranges from $0 (free) to $38+/month. The Free Plan is suitable for basic brochure sites and testing; paid plans remove platform ads, enable custom domains, and progressively add ecommerce, marketing, and advanced site features. Larger sellers or businesses with high-volume payment processing will want to factor Square payment processing fees into the total cost of ownership.

What is Weebly used for

Weebly is used for building a variety of public-facing websites and online stores: simple business sites, portfolios, blogs, event landing pages, and small- to medium-sized ecommerce stores. Typical use cases include:

• Small business websites: Create a branded homepage, service pages, contact forms, and scheduling or booking integrations.
• Ecommerce storefronts: List products, manage inventory, accept payments, calculate shipping and taxes, and fulfill orders from the Weebly dashboard.
• Creator portfolios and blogs: Publish articles, image galleries, and project showcases with built-in SEO controls to help discovery.
• Event landing pages: Collect RSVPs and payments for tickets, plus embed maps and forms.
• Microstores and pop-up shops: Rapidly set up a sales channel with Square payment sync for in-person and online sales.

Benefits for these uses include a low setup overhead, integrated payments, a unified admin console for content and commerce, and access to Square’s merchant features.

Pros and cons of Weebly

Pros:

• Simple visual editor that reduces the learning curve for non-technical users
• Hosted platform removes the need to manage hosting, SSL, and server maintenance
• Integrated Square payments and POS synchronization for in-person and online sales
• Built-in ecommerce features (inventory, coupons, shipping, tax rules) adequate for many small stores
• Mobile-responsive templates and built-in SEO basics

Cons:

• Less flexible than headless or self-hosted platforms (limited deep customization without developer work)
• Advanced ecommerce and scaling features are more limited compared with dedicated ecommerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce
• Template and theme system is not as extensible as open frameworks; exporting a Weebly site to another host is limited
• Third-party app ecosystem is smaller than competitors, which can limit niche integrations

Weebly free trial

Weebly effectively provides a perpetual free tier (the Free Plan) rather than a limited-time trial. The Free Plan allows testing the builder, using templates, creating content, and publishing to a Weebly subdomain. For paid-plan features, Weebly typically allows account upgrades on demand so you can start on the Free Plan and switch to a paid plan when you need custom domains, advanced ecommerce, or marketing features.

Upgrading unlocks features immediately and retains your existing content; you do not need to rebuild the site when moving between plans. For larger sellers, testing store setup on the Free Plan or low-tier plan then upgrading before going live is a common workflow.

Is Weebly free

Yes, Weebly offers a Free Plan. The Free Plan includes hosting, SSL, and core page-building tools but applies Weebly branding to published sites, uses a Weebly subdomain, and limits or restricts ecommerce features. Paid tiers remove branding, allow custom domains, and add commerce and marketing capabilities.

Weebly API

Weebly provides developer resources and APIs for integrations, theme customization, and certain automation tasks. The platform offers a REST-style API and developer documentation covering endpoints for site content, ecommerce objects (products, orders, customers), and publishing workflows. Authentication typically uses OAuth or API keys depending on the integration type.

Developers can build custom themes using Weebly’s theme framework, add embedded scripts and widgets, and integrate external services such as CRM systems, email marketing tools, or inventory systems through the API. Because Weebly is now part of Square, many merchants also rely on Square’s APIs for payment and point-of-sale synchronization; check the Weebly developer documentation and Square developer resources for technical reference and available endpoints.

API capabilities commonly include:

• Create, update, and delete product listings and collections
• Retrieve orders, transactions, and customer records
• Manage site pages and published content programmatically
• Webhooks for order and site event notifications
• Theme templating and custom component support for front-end customization

10 Weebly alternatives

• Wix — Hosted website builder with a large template library, app marketplace, and flexible design options. Good for creative sites and small stores.
• Squarespace — Design-focused builder with strong templates and integrated commerce; often chosen by creatives and portfolios.
• Shopify — Ecommerce-first platform with extensive sales features, app ecosystem, and scalability for larger merchants.
• BigCommerce — Hosted ecommerce platform aimed at growing online stores with advanced commerce capabilities.
• WordPress — Self-hosted CMS (with WordPress.com hosted option) offering extreme flexibility via plugins like WooCommerce for ecommerce use.
• Webflow — Visual design and CMS platform with precise design control and developer-friendly output; steeper learning curve but greater flexibility.
• GoDaddy Website Builder — Simple hosted builder with fast setup and domain/bundled services targeting very small businesses.
• Shopify Lite — Lightweight sales tools for selling on social channels and existing sites if deep storefront features aren’t needed.
• Zyro — Budget-focused site builder with templates and basic ecommerce features for low-cost sites.
• Square Online — Square’s broader web commerce product set that overlaps with Weebly’s commerce capabilities for merchants using Square payments.

Paid alternatives to Weebly

• Wix — Offers paid plans from basic business listings to business and ecommerce tiers with apps and custom domain support.
• Squarespace — Paid tiers include commerce-enabled plans with transaction and checkout customization.
• Shopify — Subscription-based ecommerce with extensive store management, multi-channel selling, and shipping integrations.
• BigCommerce — Enterprise-grade ecommerce plans for scaling merchants with advanced selling features.
• Webflow — Paid site and ecommerce plans that separate CMS and ecommerce billing for agencies and designers.

Open source alternatives to Weebly

• WordPress — Open-source CMS with a large plugin ecosystem (e.g., WooCommerce for ecommerce) for full control and extensibility.
• Joomla — Flexible open-source CMS with extensions for ecommerce and multi-site management.
• Drupal — Highly extensible open-source CMS suited to complex, custom sites with strong access control and multisite capabilities.
• Grav — Flat-file CMS option for developers wanting speed and lightweight deployments with theme-driven site generation.
• Hugo — Static site generator for developers who prefer repository-driven deployment and full control over hosting and performance.

Frequently asked questions about Weebly

What is Weebly used for?

Weebly is used for building websites and online stores. Individuals and small businesses use it to create branded websites, blogs, and ecommerce storefronts without managing hosting or server infrastructure. It pairs site content tools with commerce features so merchants can publish product catalogs, accept payments, and manage orders from a single admin.

Does Weebly integrate with Square?

Yes, Weebly integrates with Square for payments and POS synchronization. The integration syncs transactions, inventory, and payments between an online store and Square’s point-of-sale systems, simplifying in-person and online sales for merchants who use Square services.

How much does Weebly cost per user?

Weebly starts at $0/month with a Free Plan. Paid plans are licensed per site (not per user) and commonly start around $5/month for entry-level plans and scale upward to $38/month for advanced ecommerce plans when billed annually.

Is there a free version of Weebly?

Yes, Weebly offers a Free Plan. The Free Plan includes hosting, SSL, and the site builder but places Weebly branding on published sites and limits ecommerce and domain features compared with paid tiers.

Can I use Weebly for ecommerce?

Yes, Weebly supports ecommerce functionality. Paid commerce plans include product catalogs, inventory tracking, shipping and tax settings, coupon codes, and checkout processing. Payment processing through Square or PayPal is available depending on plan and region.

Can I export my Weebly site?

You can export some content but full site export is limited. Weebly allows export of basic pages and blog content in certain formats, but complete theme and site portability to another host is constrained. For full control or migration, consider building on a self-hosted platform like WordPress where you control hosting and exports.

Does Weebly support custom domains?

Yes, Weebly supports custom domains on paid plans. Upgrading from the Free Plan removes the Weebly subdomain and enables connecting or registering a custom domain directly through the Weebly dashboard.

How secure is Weebly?

Weebly provides HTTPS/SSL and hosted security measures. Sites include SSL certificates and platform-level security; for payment processing, Weebly relies on Square and other payment providers’ compliance and fraud protections. Businesses with strict compliance needs should review Square’s and Weebly’s security documentation for specifics.

Does Weebly have an API for integrations?

Yes, Weebly provides developer APIs and theme tools. Developers can use REST-style endpoints, webhooks, and the theme framework to automate product and order operations, customize site templates, and connect external systems. Refer to the Weebly developer documentation for technical specifics.

What support resources does Weebly offer?

Weebly offers help center articles and email/live support for paid plans. Documentation covers setup, ecommerce, domain management, and troubleshooting; paid plans typically receive priority support and sometimes phone or chat assistance depending on the region and plan level.

Weebly careers

Weebly is part of Square, so job openings and company roles are listed through Square’s careers pages and hiring portals. Roles related to Weebly typically include product management, engineering, design, and merchant support, often coordinated with Square’s broader ecommerce and payments teams. Check Square’s careers site for current openings and role details.

Weebly affiliate

Weebly historically ran referral programs and affiliate opportunities through partner and affiliate networks. Affiliates typically promote Weebly plans and receive commission on qualifying sign-ups. For current affiliate terms, program availability, and affiliate signup, consult Square’s partner and affiliate pages or the Weebly partner documentation.

Where to find Weebly reviews

Independent reviews and user feedback are available on product review sites, developer forums, and ecommerce comparison platforms. For current user reviews, check major software review sites and merchant forums to compare real-world experiences with Weebly’s editor, templates, and ecommerce features. For official feature lists and plan comparisons, view Weebly’s pricing and feature pages.