Wondering what the difference between Showit and WordPress is? It's huge! I had created WordPress websites before I found Showit. After that, I never looked back again. So I am a Showit fan, but I will give you my honest opinion and advice. As if we were two friends sipping wine, talking business and sharing experiences. This is what I would say:
Ease-of-use
Showit is an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop online website editor. Of course, you need to find your way when you are new to the platform, but it’s very intuitively setup. You can click and drag any and every element to wherever you want. There is nothing fixed in blocks or rows. You can duplicate every element, section, and page and mix and match everything easily together without any code. This is how creative freedom helps you build a website that’s truly unique and on brand.
WordPress, on the other hand, is fixed. Super fixed. This makes it technically challenging and time-consuming. Unless you keep it simple. Super simple. Anything custom requires a code wizard or scouting through forums to find a fix. It’s smart to use the Elementor drag-and-drop builder, because this plugin makes customizing your WordPress website much easier. However, everything is still fixed in a block editor. You can turn on custom positioning, but it’s not considered best practice for responsive web design, and it should not be used too frequently. So you really only have true creative freedom with Showit. Also, hackers love WordPress, so you need to stay on top of the technical backend of your website and keep plugins and backups updated. Tricky stuff, really!
Responsive
In Showit you edit the mobile version and the desktop version of your website separately, side-by-side. The benefit here is that you have total control over the mobile version. But you need to keep an eye on the mobile version while you make changes and make sure everything looks good. The desktop version automatically looks good on iPads, and you don’t have any control over this. In my opinion this is a good thing, because otherwise you would have to do more customizing.
WordPress/Elementor gives you the ability to easily design the mobile, desktop, and iPad versions of your website. WordPress generates the desktop version automatically into a mobile and iPad version that you can edit as much or as little as you like. Personally, I find it much more work to click through every device to check and tweak the design. But WordPress is definitely more flexible and customizable when it comes to different devices.
Function
There are a million plugins available for WordPress, so WordPress seems like a better fit for when you want a website with lots of functionality, like a big shop, podcast, booking system, membership, etc. But there are ways to integrate all this within Showit too. Awesome female bosses like Jasmine Star, Jenna Kutcher, and Katrina Scott are all on Showit. And their website isn’t just pretty, no no, it’s built to connect and convert. So it’s all possible, but it’s wise to make a list of the things you’d like to integrate into Showit and see which apps/tools work best. Keep in mind that you might need me (yep, you can hire me) or another Showit designer to help you set something up.
E-commerce
E-commerce can be done successfully on Showit with the Shopify buy button, like in my shop! Read how this works here. You can also link your Showit website to an Etsy shop or a Shopify store. It’s important to keep in mind that Showit isn’t an e-commerce platform, so if your business is primarily a shop with lots of products (30 or more), then it’s best to build your shop with WordPress and Woocommerce or create a stand-alone Etsy or Shopify store.
Search Engine Optimization (What’s that?)
The SEO tools in Showit are so easy and perfect to make friends with Google. You can’t access the source code of your website to improve SEO, but who wants to do that anyway? I never ever ranked high in Google with my WordPress websites in the past, even though I did all the SEO things. I've been landing on the first or second Google page without much effort since I switched to Showit. I simply added the common things like keywords, meta descriptions, alt tags, and headings. I sometimes think I can do way more optimizing, but I rather spend my time creating for and connecting with you! ;-)
Of course, you can optimize your SEO ranking when you have a WordPress website. There are many plugins and tools available, but it’s quite a maze to be honest. So I would recommend the plugin Yoast and stick to their tips and advice to avoid SEO overwhelm. When you have a Showit website, you’ll blog with WordPress. What?! Yes! Originally, WordPress is a content management system, and the most powerful one there is. That’s why Showit migrates a WordPress blog into your Showit design, so you have the best of both worlds: powerful content and amazing design. See exactly how this works here.
Support
When you go for a WordPress website without Elementor, then you can use Google, YouTube, and countless forums for support. When you go for a WordPress with Elementor website, then you’ll also have a support team that you can reach via email. But when you go for a Showit website, my goodness, there is support in every way you can think of. The Showit support team is known for outstanding support, and you can reach them via live chat directly in the app or via email. They even have an emergency email address, which I have never needed to use by the way! Showit experts take care of everything technical in super fast and professional ways. You can also join a Facebook group and there are lots of (video) help documents and trainings available. Of course, I and other Showit designers are also happy to help you!
Template
One quick thing that definitely makes a big difference between WordPress and Showit. You upload a Showit template into your own account exactly like the demo. Like, one on one, down to the last detail. When you add your content and change as little as possible, you can literally go live within a week. When you upload a WordPress template, it has some familiarity with the demo, but you’ll have much more work to do both on the front and back end of your website.
Pricing
WordPress is free. A WordPress template is free or costs anywhere from 50 to a couple hundred euros. Elementor is 50 euros a year. A Showit subscription costs between $19 and $34 per month when paid annually. A Showit template is free, or when you buy mine it’s 295 euros excl. taxes. Basically, Showit is more expensive, but the value it offers is priceless.
A Showit subscription is not a cost, it’s an investment. Your website is your most powerful marketing tool. Your time is your most valuable asset. Your talents are your most important job. Your energy is what attracts so the benefits of investing in Showit each year pay back in the form of a unique, super flexible website that you can easily, dare I say, happily, edit and manage. It’s a website that frees up your time and energy that you’d otherwise spend on technical stuff and limited templates, so you can fully focus on your work and do what you love!
Decision
Of course, I can’t look into your wallet. And I totally understand if Showit simply doesn’t fit your budget at the moment. If that’s the case, then I would highly recommend using WordPress with Elementor, choosing a template that you really like, and keeping everything very simple. Don’t try to customize too much; save your time and launch that website fast. Make money, save up, and come on over to Showit!
If Showit does fit your budget, great! I am so happy for you! You can shop for your favorite template or download my free template and give Showit a try during a 14-day free trial period. Either way, feel free to get in touch with me if you have questions. It’s my absolute pleasure to hear about your website plans and dreams and help you figure out what works best for you.
