Having a website is essential for businesses today. However, many small and medium-sized enterprises may struggle with the high development costs of websites and the custom functionalities that they can require.

Additionally, building a website from scratch can be a very time-consuming process if you choose to learn how to do it yourself.

To address this challenge, various design and development platforms like Webflow and WordPress have emerged.

These platforms allow website developers to create versatile websites with less effort and in less time, thanks to their pre-built structures and ready-made plugins.

There can be very little, or often no coding involved in the process.

Many of the following sources have helped small businesses get their website with minimum costs.

Here, we are going to discuss five such platforms and find out which one is the best platform for business owners.

Webflow:

Webflow is a popular cloud-based platform by which one can design and develop a website without having to code.

Webflow offers a structured and user-friendly interface for designers by which they can create responsive webpages.

Webflow comes with integrations for creating an e-commerce structure, marketing automation and making it more SEO-friendly.

Webflow focuses on providing web designers greater control over the layout and design of websites, appealing to those who want a more hands-on approach to web design.

The awesome structure of Webflow makes it convenient for website developers to create a full-fledged website, with responsive pages, dynamic features, payment gateway integration, and much more.

Both new businesses and existing businesses can get a beautifully designed website at reasonable prices. The hosting platform offered by Webflow is indeed pretty high-performing and secure.

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface: Webflow offers a visual design interface that allows users to create websites without needing to write code, making it accessible for designers and non-developers alike.
  
• Responsive Design: Websites built on Webflow are automatically responsive, ensuring they look great on all devices without additional effort.
  
• Integrated Hosting and Security: Webflow provides high-performance hosting with built-in security features, reducing the need for third-party hosting solutions.
  

Cons:

• Learning Curve: While Webflow is user-friendly, it can still have a steep learning curve for complete beginners, especially those unfamiliar with web design concepts.
  
• Cost: Webflow can become expensive as businesses scale, particularly with e-commerce features and higher-tier plans.
  
• Limited Customization: Although it offers many design options, some users may find the customization capabilities less flexible compared to fully coding a website.

Webflow: When it comes to Webflow, we can see that there is a charge involved which is billed annually. The basic plan has a pretty low charge. But it is limited to very simple websites.

Moreover, the bandwidth is just 50GB. If a business wants to include a CMS or an e-commerce store, the prices are higher. It might be challenging for large-scale businesses.

WordPress:

Not to be confused with WordPress.com

WordPress.org is an open-source content management system (CMS) by which almost any type of website can be built.

WordPress powers approximately 43.3% of all websites on the internet as of 2024.
The majority of the website can be made using templates and plugins if you don't need custom work, and oftentimes coding is not needed.

The best part of WordPress is that it is an entirely free platform, making it the preferred choice of many businesses.

Even small businesses can create their e-commerce platform, online hotel-booking portal, blog, or internal management structure at a bare minimum cost. It is supported by almost any hosting platform, where you simply can install it with one click.

WordPress comes with arguably the largest number of themes and plugins- most of which are created by various contributors around the globe. Most of those themes and plugins are free.

There are, however, certain plugins that come with a premium version, and businesses need to pay if they require additional services.

For example, the Woocommerce plugin has helped many businesses create their own e-commerce platform for free, where they can receive online orders using payment gateways such as stripe which can be integrated easily for receiving online payments.

Pros:

• Flexibility and Customization: WordPress is highly customizable with thousands of themes and plugins available, allowing users to create virtually any type of website.
  
• Cost-Effective: The platform itself is free, and many themes and plugins are available at no cost, making it a budget-friendly option for small businesses.
  
• Strong Community Support: Being open-source, WordPress has a vast community of developers and users, providing extensive resources, forums, and tutorials for assistance.
  
• CMS Market Share: When focusing specifically on websites that utilize a recognized CMS, WordPress's share increases to 62.7%. This figure underscores WordPress's leading position in the CMS market, far surpassing its closest competitors, Shopify and Wix, which hold shares of 6.4% and 4%, respectively. Squarespace holds a share for about 4% of all websites, and Webflow is even less prevalent, with a market share of around 0.5%.

Cons:

• Maintenance Required: Users need to regularly update themes, plugins, and the WordPress core to ensure security and functionality, which can be time-consuming for those unfamiliar with managing practices.
  
• Potential for Bloat: With many plugins, websites can become bloated, leading to slower load times and potential performance issues.
  
• Security Vulnerabilities: Being the most popular CMS, WordPress sites are often targeted by hackers, requiring additional security measures.

WordPress: When it comes to WordPress, we see that it offers an entirely free CMS. There are a good number of free themes by which one can create a full-fledged website.

This is the only platform among all where you can set up an e-commerce store via the Woocommerce plugin for free.

On top of this, a myriad of different types of businesses such as travel, tourism, real estate, car rental services, appointment-based businesses, etc. can create a WordPress website and find a free plugin (or relatively cheap premium plugin) that could serve most of their purposes.

Though there are premium plugins that are necessary for some functionalities you may want as your business evolves, the prices are usually reasonable. A free plugin can serve your required purposes oftentimes.

Wix:

Just like Webflow, Wix is another cloud-based platform by which websites can be created. However, its workflow is comparatively easier.

Because of this, it is a choice among many small-scale businesses. You can easily build a website on Wix without having any prior coding knowledge.

Hence, it has often been seen that business owners with basic computer knowledge created their websites on Wix just by going through sources from the internet.

Other than this, its extensive support community helps in easy troubleshooting often without having to be dependant on any professional website developer.

However, Wix has its limitations. The e-commerce solution provided by Wix is not as versatile as what one gets via Webflow, WordPress, or Shopify.

It is a good choice for new businesses or ones with low budgets, but if one needs a highly scalable website that needs to operate on a large scale, it would be better to look for alternatives.

Pros:

• User-Friendly Interface: Wix offers a drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for beginners to create websites without any coding experience
• Extensive Template Library: With over 900 designer-made templates, users can find a suitable design for various business needs.
• Strong Community Support: Wix has a large support community, providing resources and troubleshooting assistance, which is beneficial for users who may need help.

Cons:

• Limited E-commerce Features: The e-commerce capabilities of Wix are not as robust as those offered by platforms like Shopify or Webflow, which may hinder growth for larger businesses.
• Content Export Limitations: Users may find it challenging to export their content easily if they decide to switch platforms in the future.
• Performance Issues with High Traffic: Some users report that Wix websites can experience performance issues when traffic levels are high, which could affect user experience.

Wix: When it comes to Wix, we see that it has a free plan as well, and one can create a basic, informative website with it.

If you want a website with different features, you have many plans available and can choose the best plan for your needs.

However, it might not be suited for small businesses with low budgets that want to operate on a large scale.

Shopify:

Shopify is another great choice among e-commerce businesses. It is a cloud-based platform built mainly for e-commerce.

It has an online store-builder allowing you to create a cool and attractive online store according to your business requirements.

Shopify also has built-in tools by which businesses can market and promote their products easily. The analytics and reporting sections of Shopify help in tracking the business performance regularly.

There are many more awesome features that Shopify has to offer for e-commerce businesses and Shopify has a hosting platform that is well-known for its speed and security.

Despite having immense features, Shopify still has some limitations. It is mostly limited to e-commerce businesses, and might not be a good choice for any other business types.

Moreover, many businesses complain that this platform is not much ideal for multilingual stores.

Pros:

• Comprehensive E-commerce Tools: Shopify provides a wide range of built-in tools for managing inventory, processing payments, and marketing products, making it ideal for e-commerce.
• Robust Security Features: The platform is known for its strong security measures, ensuring that customer data is protected.
• Scalability: Shopify can easily scale with your business, accommodating growth without significant changes to the platform.

Cons:

• Limited to E-commerce: Shopify is primarily focused on e-commerce, which may not suit businesses that require a broader range of website functionalities.
• Multilingual Limitations: Users have reported challenges in setting up multilingual stores, which can be a drawback for businesses targeting diverse markets.
• Fees: Depending on the payment gateway used, Shopify may charge transaction fees, which can add to overall costs. Furthermore, certain plugins and features that are often desired by businesses looking to scale can dramaitcally increase overall costs.

Shopify: When it comes to Shopify, we see that it is indeed pretty costly compared to most other platforms.

In this context however, Shopify provides a good number of features in return to the price users have to pay. Thus, many businesses find Shopify favorable, especially for e-commerce.

Squarespace:

Squarespace is yet another cloud-based website development platform. It is popular among many businesses because of its awesome templates and user-friendly interface.

Just like Shopify, Squarespace also has analytics and reporting tools by which one can view their website performance.

Its pricing plans are pretty flexible compared to many other platforms, and businesses can afford the most suitable plan going by their needs and budget. It is also liked by many because of its awesome blogging platform.

Just like Webflow Integrations, Squarespace comes with extensions that help in various aspects such as setting up e-commerce stores, email marketing, and advanced SEO features. There have also been complaints that Squarespace websites show reduced performance when the traffic is high.

Pros:

• Beautiful Templates: Squarespace is known for its stunning, professionally designed templates that are visually appealing and customizable.
• Integrated E-commerce Features: The platform offers built-in e-commerce capabilities, making it easy to set up an online store.
• Flexible Pricing Plans: Squarespace provides various pricing options, allowing businesses to choose a plan that fits their budget and needs.

Cons:

• Performance Issues: Some users have reported that Squarespace websites can slow down during high traffic periods, which may affect user experience.
• Limited Third-Party Integrations: Compared to other platforms, Squarespace has fewer third-party integrations, which may limit functionality.
• Learning Curve: While user-friendly, some users may still find a learning curve when navigating the platform's features and settings.

Squarespace: When it comes to Squarespace, we see that it has a good number of pricing plans.

Though the personal plan is reasonable, the business plan and the e-commerce plan are pretty high. Hence, it might not be very affordable for all businesses.

Which one is the best for businesses?

Our Pick = WordPress

Overall, WordPress emerges as the most advantageous website platform for businesses, both in the short and long term. It's user-friendly and versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of business needs.

Pricing is a crucial consideration that determines whether a business can afford a particular platform. WordPress typically offers a more cost-effective solution, allowing businesses to allocate resources more efficiently.

The ongoing costs are generally lower too unless you choose a paid theme or premium versions of plugins— and even those expenses are relatively minimal compared to platforms like Webflow or Wix.

Availability of plugins, functionalities, and themes - WordPress boasts the largest library of plugins compared to its competitors. This advantage stems from its significant market share, large community, and the open nature of the platform that allows any developer to create plugins.

If one plugin doesn’t meet your needs, there’s likely another that will. As your business evolves, you can continuously enhance your website by adding new features through plugins.

The availability of website developers is another vital factor to consider. While platforms like Wix and WordPress enable users to create websites independently, hiring a professional website designer and developer is often advisable for achieving optimal results.

The pool of designers and developers specializing in platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow is relatively limited. Typically, businesses must rely on freelancers who may be self-taught for these ones.

In contrast, there is a larger number of web designers and developers proficient in Shopify and WordPress. This accessibility makes it easier to find reputable professionals for these two platforms, ensuring that your website can be developed and maintained effectively.

Market share, future-proofing, ongoing development, community size, and participation are also essential elements to consider when choosing a platform. WordPress leads in these areas, fostering a vibrant ecosystem that encourages growth and innovation.

This has solidified WordPress as a preferred choice for organizations of all sizes around the globe.

In conclusion, for businesses looking for a robust, flexible, and cost-effective website solution, WordPress stands out as the most ideal platform.

Its extensive features, strong community support, and ongoing development make it a wise choice for both new and established businesses alike.