# Weebly

> Beginner-friendly drag-and-drop website builder with a free tier and basic ecommerce — but in maintenance mode since Square's 2018 acquisition.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/author-websites/weebly
Website: https://www.weebly.com
Category: Author Websites (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/author-websites)
Pricing: freemium — $0–$32/monthly
AI-powered: no
Tags: beginner-friendly, drag-and-drop, blogging, free-tier, simple, legacy, square
Last verified: 2026-05-14
Best For: Authors with simple, static needs on the tightest budget — note: platform is in maintenance mode with no new development since 2018
Custom Domain: yes
Ecommerce: yes
Platform Type: hosted-builder

Weebly is a drag-and-drop website builder known for its clean interface and low barrier to entry. It was acquired by Square in 2018 and has seen minimal new development since. The platform covers the basic author site needs — homepage, about, book pages, blog, and contact — with a free tier to evaluate before committing.

**Platform status warning:** Square discontinued the Weebly mobile app on December 1, 2025, and is directing new users to Square Online instead. Square has publicly committed to maintaining Weebly support through at least July 2026, but long-term development is effectively frozen. Authors beginning a new site should weigh this uncertainty seriously.

## What You Get

- **Drag-and-drop editor:** Drop elements into a grid-based layout — text, images, buttons, galleries, forms — without touching code. Interface is genuinely easy for beginners.
- **Built-in blog:** Basic blog with scheduled posts, SEO fields, categories, and Disqus/Facebook comment integration. Multiple blog authors supported on paid plans.
- **Free tier:** A Weebly subdomain (username.weebly.com), basic pages, and limited ecommerce product listings at no cost.
- **Basic ecommerce:** Product listings, cart, and checkout via Square Payments. Includes coupons and digital gift certificates on paid plans. Suitable for a small number of products.
- **App Center:** Third-party integrations, though many are dated and the App Center has not been actively maintained since the Square acquisition.

## Who It's For

- **Budget-conscious authors who need something today:** The free tier is functional enough to test the platform. Personal plan at $13/month annual is one of the lower-cost custom-domain options in this category.
- **Authors with simple, static needs:** A homepage, bio, book list, and contact form — if that's all you need and you're not planning to grow, Weebly handles it without friction.

**Pricing (verified May 2026):** Free tier (weebly.com subdomain, no custom domain). Paid plans (annual billing): Personal $13/month (custom domain), Professional $15/month (more customization, free domain, ad removal), Performance $32/month (advanced ecommerce, inventory management, phone support). Monthly billing: $16, $20, $36 respectively. The Performance plan removes the 3% platform transaction fee.

## Strengths

- **Lowest learning curve in the category:** Genuinely beginner-accessible — most users can publish a basic site within an hour.
- **Free tier available:** Unlike most competitors, a working public site (on a Weebly subdomain) is free with no trial expiry.
- **Basic blog works:** For authors who just want a simple blog alongside static pages, Weebly's blog functionality covers the essentials.

## Limitations

- **Maintenance mode:** No meaningful product development since 2018. The App Center is largely abandoned with broken links, unsupported languages, and no integrations with modern tools (Zapier, AI chat, HubSpot, BookFunnel, StoryOrigin).
- **Mobile app discontinued:** As of December 1, 2025, Weebly can only be managed from a desktop browser.
- **Uncertain future:** Square maintains it "at this time" but actively redirects new users to Square Online. Platform risk is real for authors planning a long-term site.
- **Weak SEO:** Basic meta fields only. URL structure, schema markup, and advanced SEO controls are limited compared to WordPress or Webflow.
- **No AI features:** No AI content generation, AI design tools, or AI site builder on any plan.

## Alternatives

Wix offers a substantially better feature set at similar pricing with an active development roadmap. Squarespace provides more design quality and reliability. For authors specifically, Tertulia ($9.99/month) is purpose-built and more likely to receive long-term development investment. If you already have a Weebly site, migration to Wix or Squarespace is worth considering given the platform's stagnation.