Weebly Is Shutting Down. Here's What Open Source Offers Instead.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you just found out that your website is on borrowed time. Weebly, the platform you trusted to keep your business or portfolio online, is being phased out. Square, which acquired Weebly back in 2018, stopped accepting new signups months ago, pulled the mobile app, and placed the entire service in maintenance mode. No new features. No roadmap. Just a countdown. (source)

That is a stressful place to be. You built something real on Weebly — pages, blog posts, maybe an online store — and now you need to move it somewhere else, on someone else's timeline.

Here is the problem: every "best Weebly alternatives" article recommends the same names — Wix, Squarespace, Shopify. All closed-source, all subscription-based. None mention that open source website builders exist.

The elephant in the room: Square Online

When Weebly shuts down, Square will funnel users toward Square Online. For e-commerce sites using Square payments, this may be the simplest move. But Square Online is more limited than Weebly — focused on e-commerce tied to Square's ecosystem. If your site was a blog, portfolio, or brochure site, Square Online may not serve you well. And moving from one Square product to another does not solve the vendor lock-in problem.

The pattern: why this keeps happening

Weebly is not the first to disappear. Apple killed iWeb in 2011. Adobe discontinued Muse in 2020. AppDrag shut down in 2025. Each time, work locked in a proprietary format.

There is a counter-example. BlueGriffon, a desktop HTML editor, shut down in 2024. But because it was open source and produced standard HTML files, its users kept their work and websites. Nobody lost a site. That is a fundamentally different outcome.

What "open source" means for a website builder

You own your output. Standard HTML/CSS. Host anywhere.

You can self-host. The software does not depend on one company.

The code is auditable. No black boxes.

The trade-off is real: more technical setup, less polished onboarding, smaller support teams. But if the Weebly shutdown has you rethinking vendor lock-in, here are three directions.

Three open source alternatives to Weebly

Silex

Silex is a visual website builder maintained since 2003. It produces standard HTML and CSS, stores projects on GitLab (with built-in hosting via GitLab Pages), and can be used as an online SaaS, a Desktop app, or a fully self-hosted instance. Over 22,000 accounts. 100% free and open source (AGPL). No paid tiers, no premium features.

Ease of use vs. Weebly: Silex is not as easy as Weebly was. It follows web standards closely, so you will benefit from knowing HTML and CSS basics. Not for complete beginners. But if you are comfortable learning some fundamentals, Silex rewards that with full control over your output.

E-commerce: Via integrations like Snipcart and headless CMS connections (WordPress headless, Directus, Strapi).

Templates: A growing template library with free and paid options under Creative Commons license.

Export: Standard HTML/CSS/JS files. No proprietary format. Open in any code editor, upload to any host.

Webstudio

Webstudio positions itself as an open alternative to Webflow. Sophisticated visual editor with CSS Grid support.

Important: Webstudio is not 100% open source. It follows an open-core model and is VC-funded. The core editor is open source, but some features and hosted infrastructure are commercial.

Ease of use: More powerful but more complex than Weebly. Closer to a professional design tool.

WordPress + Elementor

WordPress powers ~40% of the web. With Elementor, drag-and-drop on the most established open source CMS.

Pricing: WordPress free. Elementor Pro ~$59/year. Hosting $3-30/month. Total ~$50-150/year.

E-commerce: WooCommerce — the strongest match if your Weebly site had a store.

Trade-offs: Heavier than static site builders. Requires managing updates, security, plugins.

Comparison table

SilexWebstudioWordPress + ElementorLicense100% open source (AGPL)Open-core (VC-funded)GPL + Elementor Pro proprietaryPriceFreeFree tier + paid plansFree core + ~$50-150/yrEase of useModerate (HTML/CSS basics help)Moderate-advancedModerate (CMS overhead)OutputStatic HTML/CSS filesOptimized HTML/CSSDynamic (PHP/MySQL)Self-hostableYes — full appYes — DockerYes — PHP/MySQLE-commerceSnipcart / headlessIntegrationsWooCommerceBest forFile ownership, standard outputWebflow-level designCMS + plugins + e-commerce

Who should choose what

Choose Square Online if you have a Weebly store tied to Square payments and want the least disruptive transition.

Choose Silex if you want complete file ownership, you value that no single company controls your web presence, and you are comfortable learning some HTML/CSS. Good for freelancers, designers, and anyone burned by platform shutdowns before.

Choose Webstudio if you come from Webflow or want advanced visual design. Evaluate whether the open-core portions meet your needs.

Choose WordPress + Elementor if you need a full CMS with blogging, e-commerce, and plugins.

How to migrate from Weebly

What exports

Pages as HTML files and uploaded media. Blog posts exportable. Download everything now — do not wait until shutdown day.

What breaks

Exported HTML contains Weebly-specific code. Forms, slideshows, embedded apps will not work. E-commerce data does not transfer cleanly — product listings and order history are tied to Square's backend.

Domain transfer

If you registered your domain through Weebly, you own it and can transfer it to any registrar. Start early — transfers take up to a week.

The process

1. Export your content now. Download all media separately. Screenshot your layout.

2. Inventory your site. List what is Weebly-specific vs. standard content.

3. Rebuild rather than convert. Weebly's exported code is not clean enough for any editor.

4. Start with a template.

5. Test before switching DNS.

Not migrating? Looking for an alternative for your next project?

You do not need to be a current Weebly user to benefit from open source. If you are a freelancer, web designer, or small business owner evaluating website builders for a new project, these tools offer something the mainstream options do not: ownership.

With open source, you own your files, your design, and your hosting. No monthly fees that increase over time, no surprise feature removals, no platform shutdowns. You invest in learning a tool that cannot be taken away from you.

If you have basic HTML and CSS knowledge, Silex lets you design visually and publish to any hosting provider. If you want something closer to Webflow, Webstudio is worth evaluating. And if you need e-commerce or blogging, WordPress with a page builder remains the most versatile option.

FAQ

When is Weebly shutting down?

There is no official shutdown date. Weebly is in maintenance mode — no new features, the app has been removed from stores, and users are being pushed toward Square Online. Third-party sources estimate support may end around mid-2026 (source). Begin planning your transition now.

Can I just move to Square Online?

For e-commerce using Square payments, maybe. But Square Online is more limited for blogs, portfolios, brochure sites. Evaluate alongside other options.

Is an open source alternative harder to use?

Yes. Weebly was designed for zero technical knowledge. Open source options assume some web familiarity. The trade-off: you gain ownership and skills that transfer to any project.

Will my SEO rankings survive?

Keep the same domain, set up 301 redirects, and most rankings transfer. Plan URL mapping before you switch.

Closing thought

The lesson of Weebly — and iWeb, and Muse, and AppDrag — is not that commercial tools are bad. It is that depending entirely on a single vendor carries a risk most people ignore until it is too late.

When BlueGriffon's development stopped, every site its users had built kept working. That is the difference open source makes.

Try Silex: v3.silex.me · Templates · Community · AlternativeTo

Whatever you choose, export your Weebly site now. The transition will happen faster than you think.