Website Comparison Between WordPress and Strikingly – Which One Should You Use?
If you’re in the market for a new website platform, then you’ve probably considered WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal. While there’s plenty to like about all 3, your choice should ultimately come down to personal preferences. In this article, we’ll take a look at the key differences between WordPress and Strikingly, two of the most popular platforms for creating websites.
Key Takeaways
Before you decide which one to use, consider these key takeaways.
User Experience
We all love a clean, neat, and well-designed site, but what if I told you there was a way to have a gorgeous layout and user experience without all the technical know-how? That’s the beauty of WordPress. While it is absolutely possible to create a completely custom-made website with WordPress, the platform offers a lot of flexibility in terms of aesthetics and user experience. Whether you’re an experienced tech-savvy designer or an average person who just wants to point and click their way to a beautiful site, WordPress makes it exceptionally easy to create a user-friendly, attractive platform for web surfers to visit and engage with your content.
Cost Effective
Did you know that the average cost for building a simple WordPress site is just $297 per year? That’s not including the cost of a domain name, nor the cost of WordPress itself (which ranges from $67 to $347 per year depending on the plan you choose). For comparison, the average cost of a Drupal site is $1328 per year, plus you’ll need to purchase a theme and plugins individually.
Features
WordPress features three distinct components:
- CMS (Content Management System) – This is where you’ll manage all your content, including the blog posts, pages, and galleries. You’ll also be able to engage with your audience via social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
- WP API (WordPress Application Programming Interface) – This is a set of tools that allow you to connect external applications and devices to your WordPress site. For example, you could use the API to integrate your email marketing with your site so that when a new user signs up for your email list, you can automatically send them content related to what they’ve signed up for. Or you could use the API to add a product catalog to your eCommerce store.
- Theme – This is like the overall look and feel of your site. When someone visits your site and doesn’t know anything about it, they’ll see the theme’s design, which will largely determine how they perceive and experience your content.
So, what exactly is Strikingly? Strikingly is a content building tool designed to make creating websites simpler and more fun. Much like WordPress, Strikingly provides users with the flexibility to create attractive and engaging websites with little to no technical knowledge. While Strikingly does offer a lot of flexibility in terms of design and functionality, it lacks a few key features that some users may find desirable.
Key Takeaways
Before you decide which one to use, consider these key takeaways.
- Design – WordPress themes come with a fully functional design that can be customized, while Strikingly themes only offer a basic look with no design capabilities. This is a major plus for WordPress users who want to fully control the design of their website.
- Functionality – WordPress offers a huge range of functionalities, from contact forms, RSS feeds, and galleries to advanced options such as memberships and shopping carts. With Strikingly, you’ll only get the most basic functionalities, such as the typical blog options.
- Interface – Due to WordPress’ popularity, there are hundreds of thousands of plugins available for the platform. This, coupled with their open-source nature, makes it incredibly easy for developers to create unique functionalities for WordPress websites. For comparison, the Strikingly community is much smaller, and plugin development is much more restricted.
- Cost Effective – Did you know that the cost of the average WordPress site is $297 per year? For comparison, the average cost of a Drupal site is $1328 per year, plus you’ll need to purchase a theme and plugins individually.
- Features – WordPress offers an almost endless array of features, from SEO to security to performance and much more. Strikingly offers just a few, including a site migration tool, drag and drop website builder, and a free domain for one year.
At this point, you may be wondering which one you should use. It depends entirely on your own preferences. If you want a clean, simple, and functional WordPress website, then go with the default option. If you want a more custom-made design and want all the extra features that WordPress offers, then choose Strikingly.