Watching my videos on Youtube I came across a strange advertisement talking about a guy named Duda, kicking his feet on WordPress. I liked the chicken with handsaw, but is Duda really all that promises?
For gentle clients who simply want to have a local website for their business, without making many updates, a DIY platform like Duda or Wix will suffice. But the comparison of Duda with WordPress is completely illogical.
Duda x WordPress
They are two completely different platforms; WordPress is an Open Source that you download and install on any hosting for free. Duda is a paid platform that is controlled by the company, and you do not have all the freedom you want.
If using WordPress is to cut a chicken with a hacksaw, using Duda is to cut a chicken with a small knife. If she wants to make a profit and succeed with a website, she must be aware that she will cut much more than a chicken or even an ox. A little knife won't do.
Platforms that promise countless things always miss something. I personally would not use WordPress to open an online store, nor to make a One-Page website. I use WordPress to manage a website with content and articles posted regularly.
I remember I wanted to quit WordPress, so I looked for a CMS called Ghost, which promised to kill WordPress and give freedom and speed with the node.js language. Unfortunately the lack of functions and support made me rethink this idea.
Anyway, Duda is not the worst of evils. In fact I think it is quite superior to Wix, but unfortunately I would not use anything that was not really mine.
Duda x Wix
Duda promises more resources and more freedom than the Wix platform, I will not disagree with this point. But for customers who want to have just one local or business website, Wix is more than enough to fill that.
Duda promises to be a middle ground between Wix and WordPress, but it looks more like a Blogger with an expensive price. Understandable for using AWS as hosting, but it ends up not being viable to pay a dollar amount, if you can get it much cheaper at Wix.
True Comparison Table - Duda x WordPress x Wix
Every website that offers a specific service, usually presents a table of advantages compared to other rivals. Of course, every company shows that its service is better than the others, even if it is not true.
Now we are going to present an honest comparison table between the Duda, WordPress and Wix website creation services. When marked with X, the platform offers a certain service, otherwise it will be a dash.
| Service available | Dudley | WP | Wix |
| Open Source | - | X | - |
| Free | - | X | - |
| Virtual store | X | X | X |
| Total Autonomy | +- | X | - |
| Layouts creation | - | X | - |
| Plugins Creation | - | X | - |
| Expensive | X | - | - |
| Ease for customers | X | - | - |
| Support | X | - | - |
| Community Support | - | X | - |
| Ease of Use | X | - | X |
| For starters | X | - | X |
I did it more for fun, because there is not much to compare. There's nothing WordPress can't do, Duda is expensive and Wix is better for beginners. That's all you need to know about these 3 platforms.
I can't be a professional Blogger for Wix and I always disgusted these drag and drop platforms where I don't have total control. But thinking in the eyes of those who want ease and do not know how to program, Wix is a success.
But the above comparison was not so fair, because I referred to WordPress Self-Hosted, there is a wordpress similar to Wix and Duda, where the WordPress company manages the services and hosting with limitations.
For a fairer comparison, I will leave below a table that compares Duda and Wix with website service on wordpress.com. Just don't forget, Self-hosted WordPress is completely open source and free of any limitations.
| Dudley | Wix | wordpress.com | |
| Free plan | Only available during the trial period | Subdomain in wixsite.com | Free option + Open Source |
| Available themes | ~ 150 | ~ 30 for the basic designer, more than 600 for the advanced | Infinite |
| SEO functionality | Embedded basic SEO | SEO assistant included | SEO tools only in business plans |
| Import options | Imports (some) site content | none | Import from WP, blogger and others |
| Export options | Available on some plans | none | Basic data export |
| Google AMP | Not supported | Not supported | Automatically supported, editable |
| No brand on the site | For all plans | Paid plans | For business plans only |
| Reporting, analysis functionality | Integrated basic analysis | Third-party application | Basic analysis incorporated via JetPack |
| Google Analytics | Fully supported | For business plans only | For business plans only |
| Social media integration | Automatically pull feeds and comments from FB, Twitter, Yelp etc. | Available via apps, dashboard tool | Post to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and more |
| Storage | Unlimited | 3 - 50 GB, depending on plan | 6-13 GB for personal plans, unlimited for business |
| Support, support | Email, chat, phone | Email, chat, phone | Email, live chat |
| Plugins | ~ 20 rules, 17 third party e-commerce plugins | Over 250 free and paid third party apps available | Several hundred plugins available; can upload additional |
| comments | It is necessary to use third parties (Facebook, Disqus) | Built | Full comments |
| Affiliation | Not available | Embedded, including registration, social networks, profiles, posts | Available via third-party plug-in |
| Project management or collaboration tools | Included in certain plans | Basic workflow tools included | Available via third-party plug-in |
| Reservation functionality | Scheduling via integrated vCita | Full-featured booking incorporated | Available via third-party plug-in |
| Marketing Tools | Can connect email service, embedded social media marketing | Integrated email marketing and social posts, more by plug-in | Available via third-party plug-in |
| Advertising | Facebook, Google Adwords supported | Google Adwords supported, Adsense available by plugin | Adwords available via third-party plug-in |
| GDPR compliance | Privacy page, cookie notifications, IP mask, form registration notification | Some GDPR tools available | Available cookies consent widget |
What is the Best Option for a Self-Hosting Blog?
Honestly, none of the mentioned options I recommend as an automatic hosting blog. If you are going to pay to have a website in the hands of a company, it is best to use Google's Blogger which is free and has a good community.
If you want to give the project a store or website look rather than a blogger, it is better to buy your hosting and use the installed WordPress. Sometimes it is much cheaper than any option like Wix or Duda.
Of course this will require some technical knowledge and quite a bit of dedication, but I believe it is much easier than learning all the tricks of the other platforms. Just take a course like the Formula Negócio Online or one on WordPress.
If you don't mind spending and want something TOP, you can take a look at the Ghost Blog CMS which has the self-hosted option and also the Open Source to install on servers running Node.JS.