Wix is a popular, beginner-friendly website builder. It offers a wide range of built-in and third-party features, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and offers the most design customization of any site builder. Intuitive tools, design freedom, and built-in AI sets Wix apart and, as our Wix website builder review establishes, it is the best website builder for small businesses.
Pros
- 900+ premade templates
- Extensive design freedom with intuitive drag-and-drop editing
- Built-in AI content writer
- Robust base ecommerce plan with general and niche tools
- No transaction fees apart from payment processor
- Free version and affordable plans
Cons
- Plans are slightly more expensive than competitors
- Low-tier plans have minimal storage and bandwidth
- Can’t change templates without starting over
Based on our expert Wix review, we recommend it for nearly any type of business website, including:
- Beginners
- Custom site design
- Online stores
- Freelancers
- Fitness pros and gyms
- Restaurants
- Service providers
- Bloggers
If you find Wix doesn’t have what you’re looking for, check out the best Wix alternatives:
Wix Alternatives |  |  |  |
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Key Features vs Wix |
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Free Plan | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
Starting Cost per Month* | $16 | $12 | $2.99** |
Starting Ecommerce Cost per Month* | $23 | Free | $2.99** |
Learn More | |||
Try It Out |
*With annual billing; monthly billing is also available at a higher cost
**Cost with annual billing; renews at $8.99 per month after the first year
For those asking, “Is Wix a good website builder?” the short answer is: yes. The Wix website builder has more than 900 templates, a true drag-and-drop editor, and hundreds of premade content blocks. Even beginners can quickly build a great site, and more experienced users can build a highly custom web design without needing a line of code. See how easy it is to build a Wix website by watching the video tutorial below.
When to Use Wix
- You are a beginner with no design experience: True beginners can avoid mistakes by using the Wix ADI (artificial design intelligence) to create a template. Plus, the drag-and-drop site builder is intuitive and easy to use.
- You need a custom website: Wix is the best option for those who want to make a small business website that looks custom without dabbling with code or learning a complex system like WordPress. There are 900-plus templates, each with dozens of premade content blocks and page variations to choose from.
- You’re building an ecommerce business: Wix’s base ecommerce plan has a great mix of robust essential and niche ecommerce features. This includes digital products and subscriptions as well as abandoned cart recovery and social media selling, which cost a lot more with Shopify. It also includes a slew of niche tools for appointments, reservations, restaurants, event venues, service businesses, and artists, among others.
- You’re a fitness pro or business: The base ecommerce plan includes Wix Fit, which is a native fitness management software complete with streaming services, an online store, membership and subscription packages, an appointment booking system, and even a branded mobile app.
- Your restaurant needs a website: Wix’s Restaurant Reservations app offers a straightforward way to handle reservations for a small to mid-sized restaurant. Wix is one of the best restaurant site builders, and its first ecommerce tier includes restaurant features for reservations, online ordering, and custom menus.
- You’re building a service-based business: Wix Bookings comes with all business plans. This easy-to-use app integrates seamlessly with your website and payment system, offers multi-calendar syncing, and is one of the easiest booking apps we’ve ever come across in any site builder.
- You want to blog: Wix is one of the best blogging platforms. It has a built-in AI content writer as well as marketing features to help your blog grow, like a site booster and the ability to monetize your blog with Google AdSense.
- You need a free website: We don’t recommend using free plans since free sites are hosted on subdomains and display ads—it takes away from your brand’s legitimacy. However, Wix tops our list of the best free website builders for those wanting a free site or who need to start with a free plan. You can build a Wix website for free, access all its templates and design tools, and even integrate third-party apps at no cost.
When to Use an Alternative
Wix tops our list of the best website builders for small businesses, but that doesn’t make it the best choice for everyone, based on our expert Wix website builder review. Storage limitations in lower-tier plans aren’t ideal for content-heavy sites like image-based portfolios. And even though it offers a free version, Wix’s plans are slightly more expensive than its competitors.
Here is when to use an alternative:
- You’re on a tight budget: Although Wix won’t exactly break the bank, there are cheaper website builders out there. For an affordable, beginner-friendly website builder, we recommend Hostinger. For $2.99 per month for the first year, you get a domain, SSL, and business email as well as access to the Hostinger website builder, which is highly intuitive and also comes powered with AI tools and features.
- For small ecommerce stores: Though robust, Wix’s cheapest ecommerce plan costs $27 per month, which could be too steep for a small online seller. For a more affordable alternative, try Weebly. You get robust ecommerce starting in the free version or ad-free paid plans that include a free custom domain from $12 per month. Want more options? Take a look at the best free ecommerce website builders.
- You need a portfolio website: Limited storage in Wix’s fee and base plans means it’s not a good choice for content-heavy websites, like digital portfolios. For sites with heavy visual content, use one of our top portfolio site builders like Squarespace—a great Wix alternative with visually striking templates and unlimited storage and bandwidth on all of its plans.
- You’re a real estate agency: Limited storage in lower-tier plans also restricts your ability to post high-quality images of listings. Wix also doesn’t currently support native Internet Data Exchange (IDX) integration. You do have the option to add it through Wix Velo, its coding feature. Agents looking for easier ways to get online should use GoDaddy or another of our top recommended real estate website builders.
How Much Wix Costs
Wix offers a free-forever plan that displays Wix advertising and branding. To remove Wix branding and ads, you need to step up to the Combo plan. Wix pricing for non-commerce websites starts at $16 per month when paid annually. This is somewhat pricier than its competitors, especially as storage and bandwidth are extremely limited on the entry-tier plan.
Most small businesses will find that Wix’s Business Basic plan offers the best value for the money, including tools for ecommerce, appointments, reservations, and more. Below you’ll find Wix plans and pricing based on annual subscriptions, though month-to-month plans are available.
Click the tabs to see what’s included with each plan:
Wix Features & Capabilities
By testing the platform, our Wix website builder review confidently recommends it for nearly any business website need. It’s feature-packed, boasting a wide range of native features that allow small to mid-sized businesses to grow and scale.
Click the drop-downs below to learn more about the features that make Wix perfect for your small business site.
When getting started, you’ll have a decision to make: Do you choose a template yourself, or do you let Wix choose one for you? Whichever route you choose, you’ll first answer a few basic questions about your business. Then, you’ll be given the option to begin with a template or to get a custom-built site.
Choosing the template option takes you to Wix’s selection of hundreds of templates. Select a template by hovering over the template and clicking the edit button. From there, you can begin designing your site. The premade templates span a range of industries, like blogs, restaurants, services, and online stores.
Wix’s extremely large selection of beautiful templates (not available on Wix ADI)
On the other hand, if you use Wix ADI (which stands for artificial design intelligence), it’s even easier to get started and build a website quickly. When prompted, choose the option to get a custom-built site. Wix will ask you a single question about the style you are looking for. Then it will provide you with three options for a home page. After choosing one, you’ll select which pages you want on your website.
Both the template system and custom-built site options end with your draft site, where you can easily edit your site’s design by customizing your template in just about any way you envision. Simply click on an element and drag it anywhere on the page. Site design is intuitive and made even more manageable as any time you want to add a new content block to a page, there are multiple premade variations to plug and play.
Bear in mind that once you have selected a template and start editing, you won’t be able to choose another template without starting over. So choose wisely.
Wix is leaning into artificial intelligence (AI) in serious ways. You can build your template using its ADI and once built, you can generate content with the built-in AI writing assistant. Simply click on any type of text box, choose “Create AI Text” and offer a few simple instructions, and Wix’s AI writing assistant will offer several alternatives you can insert and edit to make it your own. Recently Wix added a fully featured AI website builder, which has earned it a spot on our list of best AI website builders.
An example of text generated by Wix’s AI content writer
AI is also part of optimizing your site. Answer three questions and Wix will generate a custom search engine optimization (SEO) checklist to walk you through the process to make your site as search engine-friendly as possible. Tech is also at your fingertips to find the best keywords to rank for. Simply create a free account on Semrush, then connect it in the Wix dashboard to find the best keywords to use on your web pages, blog posts, and more.
Wix also has an integrated AI logo maker that uses your input to instantly create logos and icons you can use on your site and download to use in all your marketing materials. And if these native AI features aren’t enough, there are also third-party AI apps in the marketplace, including:
- Several AI content writers, including Bettertext, ChatGPT, and AI Content Generator
- Goodcall AI Phone Service
- Facebook and Google Ads AI app
- Code with AI to write Velo code (e.g., to connect third-party apps such as a real estate IDX)
- SEO with AI optimizer
- Pic with AI to create custom art
Wix website builder reviews show that it consistently ranks high in comparison to other apps because of the amount of customization it provides. Intuitive design tools and native functionality are just a part of Wix. The Wix app marketplace has hundreds of integrations to help add functionality to your site. Here are just a few of the kinds of businesses that can tap into the app marketplace for functionality:
- Restaurants: DoorDash, Wix Restaurants Orders
- Blogging: Wix Blog, Comments, Site Search
- Travel: Vacation Rental Booking
- Ecommerce: Wix Stores, Wix eCommerce
- Dropshipping: Modalyst, Sprocket, Printful, Printify
- Marketing: 123 Form Builder & Payments, Mailchimp
- Gyms and fitness professionals: Wix Fit
- Service-based businesses: Wix Bookings
Wix’s huge app market filled with over 300 popular third-party apps
In addition to the apps in the Wix marketplace, you can also embed custom code to your Wix website through its coding feature Velo. This allows you to embed widgets and other custom elements in your website. This functionality brings you close to the level of customization you can achieve with WordPress without having the learning curve or the hassle of maintenance and upkeep.
Wix has solid SEO features, making it one of the best site builders for SEO. Basic SEO tools are built in to all Wix websites without the hassle of coding or plugins. With the Unlimited or Basic Business plan and above, you get advanced SEO features and site boosters to help your site rank higher in Google.
Access an individual page’s SEO settings in the Wix website builder
Additionally, the Wix SEO Wiz provides step-by-step tips to help you optimize your website even further. This includes everything from setting your homepage’s title to connecting Google Analytics to your account. Also, you can easily access the SEO settings of any page on your website from the site editor.
Finally, Wix offers a host of individual SEO tools to help you rank as high as possible on Google and Bing. These tools include:
- Semrush keyword research built into the dashboard
- Automatic image compression to reduce load times
- Content delivery network (CDN) to speed up site loading
- Automatically added schema markup for more accurate site indexing
- Connect Google Analytics, Search Console, Ads, AdSense, and your Google Business Profile
- Embed custom code in pages for third-party tracking and integrations
- Built-in AI writer to help with search-optimized copy, titles, and meta descriptions
Even if you’re not a local SEO expert, Wix’s offerings are more than enough for your website to rank in search results. It’s easy to modify page tags, meta descriptions, page slugs, and more through the Wix interface.
A handy and informative SEO wizard will guide you through optimizing your website for search. Before you launch your site, use our website basics checklist to make sure it’s fully set up for success.
Ecommerce on Wix is, bar none, the best value for your money. Ecommerce plans start with Business Basic at $27 per month, and that plan includes a bevy of features that most other providers reserve for higher tiers—if the provider offers them at all. With Business Basic, you get a robust ecommerce experience plus abandoned cart recovery, social media integration, unlimited numbers of products, and dropshipping via integrations in the Wix App market.
Build a sleek-looking store with Wix.
Comparable features with Squarespace, for example, would cost $49 or more per month. In addition, the Business Basic plan includes niche features requiring you to purchase an add-on with Squarespace or subscribe to higher ecommerce plan tiers with Weebly or GoDaddy. Paired with Wix’s web design capabilities and other integrations, you’ll have all of the features you need for small to mid-sized ecommerce, service-based businesses, online ordering, subscriptions and memberships, and more.
Aside from being able to sell online, upgrading to a Wix Business plan opens you up to nifty tools. Among these is an appointment booking system that integrates seamlessly with Wix Payments, and Wix Fit, with business tools for fitness professionals or gyms, to name just two. These are all native features that can help a variety of businesses grow.
If you fall into one of these categories, you’ll get access to very useful tools by upgrading to Wix’s Business Basic plan:
- Service businesses: Wix Bookings is a native, integrated booking system that lets your customers book and pay for appointments online. You can also create services for one or multiple providers, or extend classes, memberships, or subscriptions.
- Gyms and fitness professionals: Wix Fit is an online fitness management software complete with streaming services, scheduling tools, staff management features, an online store, and the ability to sell memberships and packages.
- Restaurants: Wix Restaurants is a tool that helps you create your own menus, take online orders and reservations, and receive payments.
- Events: Wix Events is ideal for businesses needing tools for event RSVPs, ticket selling, event promotion and management, and check-ins.
- Hotels: Wix Hotels is an all-in-one booking system for hospitality businesses that helps you manage your guests and your rooms, take reservations, and accept online and offline payments. It’s terrific for managing vacation rentals as well.
- Artists: Aside from building membership-only pages and selling subscriptions, Wix allows you to sell digital products, like your artwork, or stream music and videos.
Only WordPress offers more functionality or customization than Wix, but at a much greater cost. See how each stacks up side-by-side in our Wix vs WordPress comparison. For most small businesses, Wix offers more than enough to allow you to build a scalable, professional website, and it is one of the easiest website builder platforms we’ve tested.
Wix Website Builder Review for Ease of Use
Wix provides a true drag-and-drop editor that makes building your brand presence online easy. It’s way ahead of offerings from competitors in terms of flexibility and functionality, and it provides near-100% design freedom.
One of the more novel design features of the Wix editor is the ability to add animations and effects to text and images without touching a line of code. Simply select the image or text you wish to animate, right-click on it, and select animation to access a range of effects. These animations can bring your website to life for visitors while adding an element of custom design.
It’s possible that Wix might provide too much freedom for complete beginners, who could feel overwhelmed by the features. For those users, we recommend leaning into the templates and content blocks to help avoid design mistakes. Using template and content blocks doesn’t mean sacrificing functionality, though. Wix makes it easy to add functions like image galleries and blogs, even to content blocks–which is probably why it ranked so highly on our guide to best blogging tools.
Customer Support
Browse through Wix’s Help Center and post questions.
All premium Wix plans get 24/7 customer support via live chat and its exhaustive knowledge base. Accessing support is easy, and a support wizard helps ensure you are routed to the correct support representative. Additionally, users in higher-tier plans get access to priority support. This adds a priority support channel that you can reach by phone and priority tickets that automatically get bumped up the backlog.
If all else fails, you can directly contact Wix through social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), as the support team is usually quite responsive, especially on Facebook.
Is Wix a Good Website Builder From User Reviews?
Although Wix ranks highly in our list of beginner-friendly website builders based on our firsthand experience, the most compelling Wix reviews come from the users themselves. According to Wix reviews from users all around the web, it’s one of the world’s best site builders.
The beauty of Wix is that you can build a website for small businesses in almost any industry that will look good with great functionality to boot. There are definitely simpler website builders out there like GoDaddy and Strikingly, but Wix website builder reviews prove that it has a great mix of beginner-friendliness and customizability users love.
To learn more about what users say, read Wix reviews on top evaluation sites:
Expert Wix Website Builder Review: Evaluation Criteria
We examined Wix based on a host of criteria, including ease of use, features and functionality, template selection, design, and more. These objective criteria were used to rank Wix relative to other website builders, as well as to evaluate Wix on its own. Wix scored 4.7 out of 5 against our scoring rubric of more than 25 data points, making it the best overall website builder we reviewed.
Bottom Line
When you consider the aggregate of expert and user Wix reviews, it’s proven to be an advanced all-in-one site builder and one of the best for building small business websites. Its tools for SEO, ecommerce and marketing are solid, and the sheer extent to which you can create a custom website with Wix is remarkable.
To build a professional website that looks custom and performs reliably, Wix is arguably the best site builder you can go with. Try the free version with no risk to see if it’s right for your business.
