As a brand web design agency, we often get asked what the difference is between Showit vs WordPress, along with which one is right for me and my business.
We design on both Showit and WordPress and recommend both to our clients, but for varying reasons, as every business is truly different. WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms and one that has been around for a long time, and while Showit is relatively new, it’s making a name for itself in the world of web design.
Also, this post contains affiliate links. That means I get a small kick-back if you purchase the products linked below. You can read my privacy policy for more info. Keep reading to learn all about the difference between Showit vs WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a website builder and platform that can be custom-coded or built using a tool like Elementor (which we specialize in), Kadence, etc. It’s also a self-hosted platform. WordPress will let you do almost anything you need, all in one place.
You can have your website, a shop, a blog, and more altogether, and it integrates with everything. With WordPress, you won’t feel like you are juggling multiple different tools and platforms to do everything you need in your business!
What are the pros of WordPress?
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You don’t have to build your website from scratch
WordPress has a plethora of stunning builders and themes to choose from if you know you don’t want to start building your website from scratch. A WordPress website can be built from a theme that you can purchase online from other website designers or on marketplace websites.
The other option is to choose from a basic free theme and then use a builder like Elementor to design each individual page.
Using a WordPress theme is pretty intuitive and user-friendly, especially with the Astra theme and Elementor builder, which is what we love. I mean, you will still need to learn some basic skills, but we provide all clients with video tutorials so it’s easy to update your website afterwards.
They also have lots of incredible plugins that will enhance your website and help your overall website functionality and performance. Furthermore, their plugins will seamlessly connect various platforms for smooth integration.
Price
When comparing cost, with WordPress you’ll be considering your Host, your domain, and any additional plugins that you may need in the paid version.
For example, we love Siteground, and their Grow Big plan is $4.99 a month*. We also like to buy domains from Siteground or from NameCheap, and the domain’s initial cost and renewal can vary.
WordPress is ideal for service-based businesses as hosting and domains are typically a bit cheaper than Showit.
Editing and coding
With WordPress, you are also able to edit the mobile version of your site; however, take note that some limitations depend on your WordPress theme and builder.
If you’re using Elementor with your WordPress site, the Elementor Editor allows you to customize your design for different devices. (One of the many reasons we love it!)
It’s also possible to build an entire website on WordPress without any coding necessary; however, in some instances, coding may be needed to achieve the exact look and feel you’re wanting.
Incredible for blogging
WordPress takes the crown when it comes to being the go-to blogging platform, out-ranking Wix, Squarespace, and others. If blogging is a main part of your content marketing strategy (which it should be for SEO!), WordPress is the best content management system, and it is super easy to use on the backend.
What are the cons of WordPress?
Here are some of the downsides of using WordPress to build your website:
Customer service
With WordPress, you could have one point of customer support with your hosting, you may have another for your domain name, and then you may even have one for your theme, too, so it can be difficult to know where you need to go to get your questions answered.
Slower loading times (if it’s not optimized)
The more plugins you use on WordPress, the more it can significantly slow down your site’s loading speed. This is important to know because website speed is an important factor in Google’s algorithm, and if your website has a slower site speed, it can rank lower.
You can mitigate this by limiting the number of plugins you use on your site. While there are an endless number of options to choose from, usually only a handful are actually necessary to use on your site to make it look amazing. We always recommend having a pro (like us) build the site, so it’s set up for success, then you can manage and edit it as your business grows.
Not ideal for e-commerce
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Honestly, we don’t love WooCommerce. It’s clunky and hard to use. If you have a full-on shop, we will always point you to Shopify.
ShowIt and WordPress can actually integrate with Shopify Lite if you just have a few products – this is what we do for our own merch.
What is Showit?
Showit is a drag-and-drop website builder that gives creatives full design freedom, and it integrates with WordPress for blogging. Designing in Showit is almost like designing in Canva.
Although most platforms claim to be drag-and-drop, Showit is truly drag-and-drop. There are no grids that limit where you can put elements, and everything can be moved and sized however you would like.
The benefit of this is that you can make something truly custom. It also allows us to have full creative freedom when designing your website without any boundaries.
What are the pros of Showit?
Flexibility with design
Basically, anything you could want to do on your site is possible with Showit. It easily adds features like video, Instagram grids, galleries, and so much more. Also, they have a great layout option for desktop and mobile optimization, so you can definitely be more creative in Showit with your layout!
I will also say, if you’re a photographer, designer, or any type of business posting massive amounts of photos, then this is a much better option than WordPress, as the platform can always handle the load!
No need for code
You can design a stunning Showit site with absolutely no code at all. While there are a few really cool features you can add in with some basic code, in general, you will not run into the need for code at all, making it extremely user-friendly.
WordPress for blogging
Showit uses WordPress for blogging, so you are able to have a solid blog backing up your beautiful design. That means SEO efforts can be strengthened with consistent and strategic content beyond your main pages.
One thing to keep in mind here is that Showit will migrate your blog from your old Wordpress site to your new Wordpress/Showit dashboard. However, there can be some formatting issues that need to be edited during this migration.
For example, if you are using something like Flothemes and have Flothemes blocks on your blog posts, the formatting will not migrate over correctly and you will have to update your blog posts so that your content shows up correctly.
However, if you are just using the inherent blocks on Wordpress for your blog, all of your content should migrate without any issues!
What are the cons of Showit?
Here are some of the cons of Showit:
Not optimal for selling products
You can integrate different checkout options with Showit, like Shopify, Thrivecart, Woocommerce, etc, but it can be a bit tedious if you have a lot of products.
In general, a handful of products that you sell alongside your main service offers is totally okay, but if you have more than 15 or so products, having your site on Showit can become a bit tedious.
The main reason for this is that you will have to individually create product pages for each of the products and individually add them to your main shop pages. Everything on Showit is manual when it comes to products.
Price
Compared to other website platforms like Squarespace, Showit can feel a bit pricier. However, with that being said, they do have tiered pricing options, so you can choose the price that works best for you and your business needs.
Custom process can take a while
If you’re looking to design your Showit website from scratch, completing your website will take longer, as once the desktop version of your website is done, you’ll still need to go in and tweak the mobile site.
Which Is a Better Fit for You? Showit vs WordPress
When it comes to Showit or WordPress, both are great for different reasons – Showit is going to work perfectly for some people, and for others, WordPress may be best.
If you are looking for a flexible design that is easy to update and looks amazing, a custom Showit website design may be perfect for you. On the other hand, if you want to add a plethora of functionalities and customizations to your website and you’re really focused on SEO and blogging, then WordPress is the way to go.
Originally built for photographers, Showit is a great platform for creative industries, and it gives you so much freedom in the design while being quick and easy to update. For other service providers or in-person businesses, WordPress may be the better option, offering you more features that are important to make sure your clients and customers have everything they need!
Both Showit and WordPress offer competitive features; however, you’ll find that they are very different from each other, and not all websites built on them are created equal.
Ready to Get Started With Showit or WordPress?
If you are ready to take the next step and get started building your dream website on either Showit or WordPress, we would love to chat. You can learn more about our brand and web design services here, or you can get in touch to talk about it 1:1 here! We can’t wait to work with you!
