Why I prefer WordPress

WordPress (self-hosted installation):

Highly flexible and powerful.
Complete control over site design (with a custom theme).
Over 50,000 plugins to extend functionality and incorporate third-party applications.
The most widely used CMS in the world, with 60% of the CMS market–more than 27 million websites are WordPress sites (including sites on WordPress.com).
Tons of online articles, support, and experienced designers to help you.
Choice of content layout methods: drag-and-drop, classic editor, or layout plugin.
Your site or content cannot be used to “market” the hosting company.
Numerous web-host providers to choose from, many of which offer free SSL certificates and tech support for a low yearly hosting fee (e.g., at Bluehost.com, you can purchase a three-year basic plan that includes hosting, domain name, domain privacy, and SSL certificate for $39.36 per year).
Are there any disadvantages to a self-hosted WordPress site?
- If you want a custom designed site, you will need to hire a designer to code a custom theme (although if you are tech-savvy and know CSS, you can create a semi-custom site from an existing WordPress theme).
- Because your self-hosted WordPress site is akin to a house (and not a condo), you are responsible for security. Install a limit logins plugin, a security plugin such as JetPack or Wordfence, and an anti-spam plugin if you allow comments on your site or have a contact form.
- You must regularly log into your site and run any updates of the core WordPress program and plugins.

WordPress.com (website builder—includes hosting):

$96 per year for Premium plan includes domain, SSL certificate, premium themes, CSS customization, and several built-in plugins.
$300 per year for Business plan allows installation of custom themes and most third-party WordPress plugins.
Highly flexible and powerful (with Business plan, which allows complete customization).
Premium plan ideal for owners of smaller sites who want little to no maintenance of their website and don’t need a custom-designed site.

Squarespace (website builder—includes hosting):

$144 per year for Personal plan (includes domain and SSL certificate)
$216 per year for Business plan allows for more than two contributors, premium design blocks, and CSS customization.
$312 per year for Ecommerce plan.
Less control over site design (unless you know CSS and have at least the Business plan).
Templates rely heavily on professional images (actual sites can end up looking amateurish or even unreadable on smaller devices).
Only one sub-navigation level on menus.
Limited SEO and marketing features.
Lack of integration for third-party apps and extensions.
No phone support.
Cannot easily export site (export limited to blog posts and basic pages, but not event or product pages, audio/video blocks, or custom styles).
Squarespace can use your content for their marketing and promotional activities.
Only 2.8% of the CMS market.

Wix (website builder—includes hosting):

$156 per year for Combo plan (limited bandwidth and storage).
$204 per year for Unlimited plan allows for unlimited bandwidth.
$264 per year for Pro plan includes events calendar.
Cannot change design template once you have started your site. If you decide a different template would look better, you would have to create a new site.
Custom coding not allowed—cannot modify design template, only the content.
No FTP access to files or server.
Drag and drop functionality can lead to overlapping elements.
Uses iframes (not responsive on smaller devices) to implement third-party applications.
Cannot migrate site to a different platform (no ability to export content).
Wix can use your content for their marketing and promotional activities.
Only 1.9% of the CMS market.

Weebly (website builder—includes hosting):

$144 per year for Pro plan to remove Wix ads (includes domain and SSL certificate).
$300 per year for Business plan (ecommerce).
Little control over site design, and no control over blog design.
Limited apps for expanded functionality.
No FTP access to files or server.
Poor management of pages and images; particularly difficult to organize larger sites.
Cannot restore site from an archive (site backup).
Export of site contains only pages, not blog posts or ecommerce product pages. A Weebly => WordPress converter has recently been made by wpbeginner.com (however, this requires several manual steps to fully convert Weebly pages and posts to WordPress).
Weebly can use your content for their marketing and promotional activities.
Only 0.7% of the CMS market.

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