Final verdict
Blocs and Volusion cater to different niches within the website building and ecommerce platform market, each with its unique strengths.
-
Blocs (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)
excels in design functionalities and ease of use, particularly for Mac users, offering a user-friendly interface and a wide range of pre-designed blocks. It’s ideal for designers, developers, and anyone looking to create professional websites with minimal effort. However, it falls short in areas like ecommerce capabilities, hosting quality, and customer support, making it less suitable for users looking for an all-in-one ecommerce solution. -
Volusion (Overall Grade: 6.6/10)
stands out for its comprehensive ecommerce solution, offering customizable templates, secure payment processing, and tools for marketing and SEO. It provides better hosting quality, website speed optimization, and customer support compared to Blocs. However, it has a steeper learning curve and lacks the design flexibility and ease of use that Blocs offers. Volusion is best suited for businesses focused on building, managing, and expanding their online stores.
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Design functionalities & templates |
7.5 |
6.1 |
|
Ease of use |
8.7 |
6.9 |
|
Ecommerce |
7.0 |
7.1 |
|
Website Editors |
7.5 |
7.1 |
|
Product testing options |
7.0 |
7.6 |
|
Price |
9.0 |
7.6 |
|
Hosting quality |
0 |
7.0 |
|
Website speed optimization |
5.2 |
7.1 |
|
Plugins and integrations |
6.8 |
6.8 |
|
Marketing features |
6.9 |
6.9 |
|
Customer support |
5.1 |
7.0 |
|
Security |
0.0 |
8.7 |
|
AI capabilities |
5.4 |
0.0 |
|
User Management |
1.4 |
7.7 |
| Overall |
5.8 |
6.6 |
Best for ecommerce
7.0
7.1
Verdict
: With nearly identical scores in ecommerce capabilities, Volusion slightly edges out Blocs due to its more comprehensive payment processing and POS capabilities, making it slightly better suited for businesses looking for an all-in-one ecommerce solution.
-
Blocs
: Offers a user-friendly approach with a focus on design and integration with popular ecommerce platforms. It’s ideal for Mac users looking for a visually appealing online store without deep ecommerce functionalities. -
Volusion
: Provides a robust ecommerce platform with a slight advantage in payment processing and POS capabilities. It’s better suited for businesses that prioritize a comprehensive set of ecommerce tools over design flexibility.
Best for informational & business websites
7.5
7.2
Verdict
: Blocs slightly edges out Volusion for informational and business websites, thanks to its superior design capabilities and ease of use for Mac users.
-
Blocs
: Tailored for Mac users, Blocs offers an intuitive and visually appealing platform for creating informational websites. Its focus on design and user experience, coupled with a variety of pre-designed blocks, makes it an excellent choice for businesses and individuals looking to build professional, modern websites without extensive coding knowledge. -
Volusion
: While Volusion is a robust platform with strong e-commerce capabilities, it falls slightly behind Blocs for purely informational and business websites. Its strengths in hosting quality and security make it a solid choice for online stores, but for users prioritizing design and ease of use, Blocs may be more appealing.
Detailed comparison
Design functionalities & templates
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
7.5
6.1
🏆
Winner: Blocs.
If you’re looking for a platform that offers more creative control and a wide array of design features, Blocs is the preferred choice.
Blocs website builder offers a vast selection of design templates, boasting over 36 layouts for various website types, including business, e-commerce, personal portfolios, and photography, catering to a wide range of user needs. These templates are designed to be responsive, ensuring optimal display across different devices, from desktops to smartphones. Furthermore, the templates are available for purchase in packages, with pricing dependent on the number of websites intended for creation, and are crafted for easy customization, enabling users without coding expertise to quickly develop professional-looking websites.
Compared to Blocs, Volusion, as a website builder, offers a variety of design templates tailored to meet the diverse needs of online stores and businesses. The platform provides users with over 30 professionally designed, responsive templates. These templates are crafted to cater to a wide range of industries, ensuring that businesses of all types can find a design that aligns with their brand identity and goals. The selection includes both free and premium options, allowing users to choose based on their budget and specific requirements.
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Ease of use
Ease of useReflects the platform’s overall user-friendliness.Score
Components:
- Learning curve (40%): Quickness and ease of getting started.
- Interface design (30%): Simplicity and intuitiveness of layout.
- User guidance (20%): Quality of tutorials and support.
- Flexibility (10%): Adaptability to various user skills.
8.7
6.9
🏆 Winner: Blocs
. Scoring a solid 8.7, Blocs stands out for its user-friendly interface, making it exceptionally easy for Mac users to create and manage their websites. Volusion, with a score of 6.9, offers a robust platform but with a steeper learning curve, especially for those new to ecommerce. If ease of use is a priority, Blocs is the clear winner in this category.
Learning Resources
🏆 Winner: Blocs
. While both platforms offer solid learning resources, Blocs goes a step further with its wide array of detailed tutorials and active community forums, making it easier for users to learn and adapt.
For ecommerce
EcommerceMeasures the platform’s effectiveness in supporting online business activities.Score Components:
- Ecommerce themes and templates (20%): Variety and design of templates.
- Product management (25%): Ease of managing and organizing products.
- Payment options (25%): Variety and convenience of payment methods.
- Ecommerce features (20%): Features for managing an ecommerce store.
- Integration (10%): Compatibility with external e-commerce tools and services.
7.0
7.1
When it comes to ecommerce, both Blocs and Volusion offer a range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores. However, their approaches and offerings differ significantly.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Ecommerce themes and templates |
7.8 |
6.5 |
|
Product page customization |
6.5 |
7.0 |
|
Payment processing and commissions |
7.0 |
7.5 |
|
POS capabilities |
0.0 |
7.0 |
|
Payment gateways |
7.5 |
7.5 |
|
Product numbers |
6.0 |
6.0 |
|
Additional ecommerce features |
7.2 |
7.0 |
Blocs ecommerce features:
- Stripe integration
- Snipcart shopping cart integration
- Gumroad integration
- Ecwid integration
Volusion ecommerce features:
- Ecommerce Product listings
- Payment Gateways
- Multiple Currencies support
- Shipping options
- SEO tools
- Social Media Integration
Ecommerce themes & templates
Blocs provides a range of ecommerce-specific templates, allowing users to quickly launch optimized online stores or business platforms. These premium templates are designed to be fast, visually appealing, and SEO-friendly, ensuring websites look great on all devices and load quickly.
On the other hand, Volusion offers a selection of ecommerce-specific templates designed to cater to various store aesthetics and needs. They provide 14 free themes and 38 paid themes, each costing $180. These templates are mobile responsive, ensuring that your online store is accessible and user-friendly across all devices.
Product page customization
Blocs primarily offers ecommerce features through third-party ecommerce platforms such as Ecwid, so the product page customization possibilities vary depending on which platform is integrated.
Volusion offers a range of ecommerce product page customization options to enhance the shopping experience. Users can modify product descriptions, images, and videos to showcase their items effectively. The platform allows for the customization of options and variants, such as size and color, to provide a more detailed and user-friendly product selection process.
Payment processing
The Blocs website builder supports ecommerce through integrations with third-party ecommerce providers, suggesting flexibility in the use of various payment gateways without directly listing them. Blocs does not charge transaction fees or commissions, however such fees may be charged by the payment gateways or e-commerce platforms themselves.
Volusion offers a comprehensive eCommerce platform that supports various payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and its own solution, Volusion Payments, tailored for U.S.-based merchants. The platform is distinctive for its low transaction fees, which vary based on the subscription plan. Additionally, Volusion provides POS capabilities, enabling seamless sales both online and in physical locations.
Website Editors
Website EditorsEvaluates the platforms’ website building and editing capabilities.Score Components:
- Customization tools (40%): Range and power of editing features.
- Editor usability (30%): User experience within the editor.
- Design flexibility (20%): Freedom in layout and design changes.
- Update and maintenance ease (10%): Simplicity of updating and maintaining the site.
7.5
7.1
🏆
Winner: Blocs
. With a score of 7.5, Blocs offers a user-friendly web design tool that enables the creation of modern, responsive websites without needing to code. It utilizes a block-based interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making web design accessible to designers and creatives without technical backgrounds. The app offers a variety of pre-designed blocks, integration options, and SEO tools to streamline the website creation process.
Volusion’s website builder editor, scoring 7.1, is designed for ease of use, catering to both beginners and experienced users. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to easily add, remove, or modify elements on their website without needing to code. Users can customize their site’s layout, adjust colors, fonts, and images, and even integrate various functionalities like social media links, shopping carts, and payment gateways.
Mobile editor/app
8.5
4.5
🏆
Winner: Blocs
. Both Blocs and Volusion offer mobile capabilities for managing your website, but they cater to different needs and skill levels. Blocs has a dedicated mobile editor app specifically designed for the iPad. This app provides a touch-first interface and includes all the essential features needed to create various types of websites, offering a flexible and efficient solution for building professional and beautiful websites on an iPad.
On the other hand, Volusion does not have a dedicated mobile editor app. While it is possible to edit on a mobile browser, the experience might not be optimal due to the smaller screen size, and navigating through the admin dashboard could be difficult.
In summary, Blocs receives a higher rating due to its dedicated mobile app and user-friendly interface, while Volusion’s lack of a dedicated mobile app and potentially challenging mobile browser experience puts it at a disadvantage.
Product testing options
Product Testing OptionsAssesses the options for trying out platform features before commitment.Score Components:
- Trial quality (40%): Extent and usefulness of the trial or free version.
- Feature accessibility (30%): How many features are available to test.
- Trial duration (20%): Length of the trial period.
- Ease of transition (10%): Smoothness of moving from trial to paid plans.
7.0
7.6
Overall Result
:
Volusion wins
. Volusion scores 7.6 in product testing options, slightly higher than Blocs’ 7.0. Both platforms offer a trial version, with Blocs providing some premium features for testing and Volusion offering all premium features during the trial. However, Blocs has a 14-day money-back guarantee, while Volusion does not offer a money-back guarantee.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Free Plan |
No | No |
|
Trial Duration |
Yes | 14 days |
|
Testing Premium Features |
Limited during trial |
All features during free trial |
|
Money Back Guarantee |
14-day money back guarantee |
No |
Price
PriceLooks at the cost-effectiveness and value for money of each platform.Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
9.0
7.6
Blocs offers a one-time payment plan, making it a cost-effective choice for long-term use, while Volusion provides more scalable options with its monthly subscription plans.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
$30-$50 |
Blocs Plus (+$49.99): An add-on to the Blocs 5 plan, providing additional features such as the ability to build custom WordPress themes without writing code, extract typography, assets, and color schemes from any website, a productivity-boosting image editor, a class styles library manager, and an SEO helper. Value for price: 8.5 |
Personal ($35/month): Suitable for small businesses, allowing up to 100 products, 1 staff account, and offers support via live chat and email. Supports stores with up to $50K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for price: 6.5 |
|
$70-$100 |
Blocs 5 ($99.99): This plan offers a native Mac app with no subscription required. It allows building unlimited websites, works offline, includes animations & scroll FX, powerful interactions, no page limit, font manager, writer mode, auto backup, all V5 updates, and email support. A Blocs license can be used on one Mac and all future Blocs V5 updates come for free. Value for price: 8.0 |
Professional ($79/month): Targets growing businesses with up to 5,000 products, 5 staff accounts, and additional features like newsletters, abandoned cart reports, and phone orders. Supports up to $100K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for price: 7.5 |
|
$200+ |
No offering at this amount. |
Business ($299/month): Designed for large stores, offering unlimited products, 15 staff accounts, priority support, and integrations with Amazon and eBay. Supports stores with up to $500K in GMV/year. This plan allows to manage 1 website and there is no limitation of number of pages offered. Value for Price: 8.0 |
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.
Hosting quality
Hosting
qualityExamines the reliability and performance of the hosting solutions.Score Components:
- Uptime (40%): Consistency and reliability of website availability.
- Speed (30%): Loading times and performance.
- Bandwidth and storage (20%): Sufficiency of resources provided.
- Data centers (10%): Quality and distribution of hosting infrastructure.
0
7.0
Winner: Volusion
. Volusion offers managed cloud hosting with unlimited storage and bandwidth across its plans, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Blocs, on the other hand, does not offer hosting, which is why it has a lower hosting quality score.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Do they offer hosting? |
No | Yes |
|
Type of hosting: |
– | Managed Cloud Hosting |
|
Uptime: |
– | 99.9% |
|
Uptime Guarantee: |
– | Yes, 99.9% |
|
Data Centers: |
– | Not publicly disclosed |
Website Speed Optimization
Website Speed OptimizationEvaluates optimization of website loading timesScore Components:
- PageSpeed Score (30%): Google’s score indicating performance optimization.
- Loading Time (30%): The average time until a website is fully interactive.
- Mobile Optimization (15%): Optimization effectiveness for mobile devices.
- Resource Optimization (15%): Optimizing images, scripts, and other heavy resources.
- CDN Usage (10%): Use of CDN to enhance speed across geolocations.
5.2
7.1
🏆 Winner: Volusion
Both Blocs and Volusion prioritize website performance and page speed, but Volusion’s comprehensive approach to speed optimization gives it an edge over Blocs.
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
Focus |
WebP Generation |
CDN, Image optimization, Code minification, Regular Monitoring and Updates, SEO optimization |
|
Performance Tools |
Not specified |
Not specified |
|
Key Strategies |
WebP Generation |
CDN, Image optimization, Code minification, Regular Monitoring and Updates, SEO optimization |
|
Load Times |
Varies depending on optimization and website complexity |
Varies depending on the optimization, website complexity |
|
Page Speed Scores Range |
Not specified |
Not specified |
|
Core Web Vitals Improvement |
Not disclosed |
Implementing various performance optimization techniques |
Volusion’s approach to enhancing site speed includes a comprehensive set of strategies such as CDN, image optimization, code minification, regular monitoring and updates, and SEO optimization. These strategies, combined with their focus on implementing various performance optimization techniques, have helped Volusion improve their Core Web Vitals. However, specific load times and PageSpeed scores are not disclosed and are said to vary widely depending on the optimization and website complexity.
On the other hand, Blocs focuses on WebP Generation for speed optimization. However, Blocs does not disclose any information about its Core Web Vitals improvements. Similar to Volusion, Blocs’ load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on optimization and website complexity.
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Plugins and integrations
Plugins and integrationsMeasures the range and effectiveness of additional plugins and integrations.Score Components:
- Variety of options (40%): Range of available add-ons.
- Integration smoothness (30%): Ease of integrating plugins into the site.
- Quality of plugins (20%): Functionality and reliability of the options.
- Custom integration capabilities (10%): Support for custom or third-party integrations.
6.8
6.8
🏆 Winner: It’s a tie.
Both Blocs and Volusion score 6.8 in plugins and integrations. Blocs offers a variety of custom-made add-ons and extensions that enhance web design capabilities, while Volusion provides a marketplace with a variety of integrations to enhance its ecommerce platform.
Blocs’ extensions unlock advanced functionalities beyond its core features, allowing for the addition of sophisticated e-commerce systems, dynamic content via CMS integration, and enhanced SEO tools. On the other hand, Volusion’s integrations extend its base functionalities, enabling advanced marketing, enhanced analytics, and superior customer service capabilities not available through Volusion alone.
In terms of top integrations, Blocs offers tools for advanced design, content management, and user interaction through platforms like Blochead and Blocs Builder. Volusion integrates with a wide variety of tools and services through its marketplace and Zapier, covering categories like payment processing, shipping, marketing, and customer relationship management.
Marketing Features
Design FunctionalitiesRepresents how well each platform allows for creative design and customization of websites.Score Components:
- Template Variety (30%): Range and quality of design templates.
- Customization (30%): Flexibility and options for design alterations.
- User Interface (20%): Ease and intuitiveness of the design process.
- Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Innovation (10%): Unique design features and tools.
6.9
6.9
🏆
Overall Winner: Tie
. Both Blocs and Volusion offer a similar range of marketing features, with Blocs offering blogging capabilities and Volusion offering limited ads and promotions features.
| Marketing Features |
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SEO Tools |
|
|
|
Email Marketing |
✓ (via Mailchimp integration) |
✓ (via third-party integrations) |
|
Blogging |
|
|
|
Social Media Integration |
|
|
|
Analytics and Reporting |
✓ (via Google Analytics integration) |
|
|
Ads and Promotions |
|
✓ (limited) |
Customer Support
Customer supportEvaluates the quality and availability of support options.Score Components:
- Response time (40%): Speed of support responses.
- Support quality (30%): Effectiveness and helpfulness of the support.
- Availability (20%): Range of support channels (phone, chat, email).
- Resource richness (10%): Quality of self-help and educational materials.
5.1
7.0
🏆 Winner: Volusion
. With a customer support score of 7.0, Volusion outperforms Blocs, which has a score of 5.1. Volusion provides customer support via phone during business hours and 24/7 chat support through the Merchant Center dashboard for all users. For enterprise-level customers, Volusion offers priority phone and live chat support during working hours, 24/7 mail support, and a dedicated client success manager.
On the other hand, Blocs leans towards self-service, relying predominantly on articles and a community forum for user assistance. This setup may leave some users feeling unsupported, particularly when they encounter complex issues that require direct, personalized support. Furthermore, Blocs does not offer enterprise-level support.
Security
SecurityLooks at the platforms’ security measures and data protection.Score Components:
- Data protection (40%): Safeguards for user and customer data.
- SSL and encryption (30%): Implementation of secure connections.
- Compliance (20%): Adherence to industry security standards.
- Regular updates (10%): Frequency of security updates and patches.
0.0
8.7
🏆
Winner: Volusion
. Volusion takes the lead in security with a comprehensive suite of measures designed to protect sensitive data. These include data encryption, two-factor authentication, SSL certificates, PCI DSS compliance, firewalls, regular security audits, and DDoS protection. This makes Volusion a reliable choice for businesses that prioritize data security.
On the other hand, Blocs does not disclose any information about their private data storage and protection measures. As Blocs does not offer hosting, security measures can vary widely depending on the hosting provider users choose. This lack of transparency and dependence on third-party hosting providers puts Blocs at a disadvantage in terms of security.
AI Capabilities
AI capabilitiesMeasures the effectiveness of AI-driven features and tools.Score Components:
- Automation efficiency (40%): Impact of AI on streamlining processes.
- Personalization (30%): AI-driven customization for users or customers.
- AI-Assisted design (20%): Role of AI in website design and functionality.
- Data analysis (10%): Use of AI in interpreting user data and analytics.
5.4
0.0
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
AI Builder |
|
Blocs does not have an AI builder |
|
AI Ecommerce features |
Blocs does not have any AI ecommerce features |
Volusion does not have any AI ecommerce features |
|
AI Content Generation |
Blocs incorporates an AI Assistant for content generation |
|
|
Additional AI features |
Blocs AI Assistant introduces advanced AI capabilities |
|
🏆 Winner: Blocs
. Despite not having an AI builder or AI ecommerce features, Blocs scores a 5.4 in AI capabilities due to its innovative AI Assistant. This tool enhances the user experience by allowing for the generation and editing of content directly within a Blocs project. It also introduces advanced AI capabilities to the design environment, enabling users to enhance their projects with intelligent features.
On the other hand, Volusion, with a score of 0.0, does not have any AI capabilities. It lacks built-in AI content generation tools and does not offer third-party integrations with AI capabilities. It also lacks any additional AI features.
User Management
User ManagementAssesses the platforms’ capabilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility.Score Components:
- Role Customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of Management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access Control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
1.4
7.7
🏆 Winner: Volusion
. The user management capabilities of Blocs and Volusion are quite different.
- Blocs allows only one user to build and edit a website. This might be sufficient for individual users or small projects, but it can be a limitation for larger teams or projects that require collaboration.
- Volusion, on the other hand, offers customizable user account management with various roles and permissions tailored for efficient online store operation. These roles, including Administrator, Editor/Manager, Customer Service, and Marketing, provide different access levels for tasks like site design, order processing, and analytics. Subscription plans determine the number of staff accounts available: 1 in the Personal Plan, 5 in the Professional Plan, 15 in the Business Plan, and unlimited in the Prime Plan. This range ensures scalability and flexibility to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, enabling effective management and operation of eCommerce teams across different business scales.
Given these differences, Volusion is the clear winner in terms of user management capabilities.
Additional Features
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
|
SSL Certificate |
|
|
|
Custom Domain |
|
|
|
Free Custom Domain Included |
|
|
|
International Domains |
|
|
|
Mobile Responsive |
|
|
|
Page Speed |
|
|
|
Website Builder Mobile App |
|
|
|
Convert a Website To An App |
|
|
|
Website Analytics |
|
|
|
Multilingual Sites |
|
|
|
Multiple Users |
|
|
User Feedback
Blocs website builder is praised for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of web development expertise. Its extensive library of templates and customization options, including the ability to add custom CSS and JavaScript, facilitates the rapid creation of diverse and visually appealing websites. However, users report encountering bugs and express a desire for more sophisticated customization features, indicating room for improvement. Overall, Blocs is valued for significantly streamlining the web design process, supported by a strong community and educational resources, despite its learning curve and occasional technical glitches.
Users generally appreciate Volusion’s affordability compared to competitors like Shopify, finding its simplified user interface suitable for non-tech users. However, there are concerns about its limited integrations and frequent technical issues, such as crashes and slow support responses. Some users feel that Volusion lacks the advanced features and customization options offered by competitors like Shopify, making it less competitive in the market. Despite these drawbacks, Volusion remains a feasible option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a budget-friendly solution for establishing an online store.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
FAQ
Which platform is better for Mac users, Blocs or Volusion?
Can I use Blocs for creating an online store?
Is Volusion only suitable for ecommerce websites?
Which platform offers better customer support, Blocs or Volusion?
How do Blocs and Volusion compare in terms of pricing?
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