Wix vs WordPress: Which Is Best for Small Businesses in 2023

When you’re comparing Wix vs WordPress, there are a few factors to keep in mind. WordPress is a standalone content management system (CMS) with unlimited customization options—but a steep learning curve. Wix is an all-in-one hosting and CMS solution that makes it easy for anyone to build a full-featured website, which makes it the best choice for most small businesses.

The use cases for choosing either Wix or WordPress are:

• Wix: Best for most small businesses looking to build a custom website, blog, online store, or ecommerce site with zero code. It’s the more beginner-friendly option, and best for getting a site up and running quickly.
• WordPress.org: Best for experienced WordPress users or business websites needing advanced or niche features unavailable in all-in-one site builders.

Wix vs WordPress Compared

Most Affordable: WordPress Cost vs Wix

Basic site: $192 per year Ecommerce site: $324 per year Plus cost of domain after first year	Basic site: $35.40 first year, renews at about $132 Ecommerce: $120 first year, renews at about $300 Plus cost of theme and plugins, and cost of domain after the first year

You may have read somewhere that WordPress is free open source software, and technically, that’s correct. However, scratch the surface, and WordPress costs mount up quickly. For example, you need hosting, a domain, SSL security, and you may need to purchase a premium theme, WordPress page builder, and paid plugins. Costs can quickly run into the hundreds per year.

With Wix, it’s an all-in-one cost that incorporates everything you need to build a small business website. Plans include hosting, site builder, free SSL, and domain in the first year. For functionality like ecommerce, reservations, appointments, events, memberships, online ordering, or subscriptions, the base Business plan provides just about any tools you might need. Thus, when it comes to managing costs, Wix edges out WordPress.

Winner: Wix. The value of having an all-in-one website builder, host, and free templates at a fixed monthly cost offsets any savings you might see with a basic WordPress installation. Comparable features in WordPress can increase costs into the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a year. For this reason, we assert that Wix is more affordable than WordPress.

Ease of Use: Wix, Hands Down

Beginner-friendly 800-plus premade templates or AI-generated template (artificial intelligence) Premade content blocks Intuitive drag-and-drop editor Easily change site-wide settings, headers, footers, and embed code	Not beginner-friendly Prior experience or learning curve required Requires finding a compatible theme Premade content and customization limits vary by theme Default editor is not intuitive

Building even a basic website is complicated, and there are a lot of factors you have to consider. Wix strives to make it as easy as possible to create a full-featured website without hassle and headaches. Check out our video tutorial and step-by-step instructions for building a website on Wix.

In addition to offering more than 800 templates to get you started, Wix includes a page builder with a drag-and-drop interface. Pick an element, drag it to where you want it with the click of a mouse, and it’s there. Additional features like shopping carts and scheduling systems are built into the Wix system, whereas with WordPress, you’ll have to manage many plugins to get the functionality you want.

WordPress isn’t inherently intuitive or easy to use. That can be mitigated by buying and installing WordPress website builder plugins like Elementor or Beaver Builder, or with web hosting plans from companies like Bluehost and DreamHost. These providers include page builders in WordPress hosting plans.

But additional features still require the vetting, installation, and configuration of plugins, and maintaining all of them over time. The functionality is there, but you’ll have to learn to navigate the settings of each plugin you use. See what it takes to make a WordPress website.

Winner: Wix … by a mile. Wix is built from the ground up for user-friendliness. Hosting, SSL, setup, and software maintenance are handled by the Wix system, leaving you to focus on building a website and growing your business.

Best Site Design Tools: Wix Is Better Than WordPress

800-plus professionally designed templates Multiple prebuilt section layouts Intuitive drag-and-drop editor Easy to change design settings for colors, fonts, and elements New AI content writer built in	Thousands of themes to choose from (not vetted for quality or compatibility) Templates and customization vary by theme Gutenberg Editor is not easy to use and lacks drag-and-drop editing

Website design concerns how your site looks and feels to the user. Both WordPress and Wix are created with design in mind, but how they get there differs greatly.

Wix includes more than 800 professionally designed templates, making it easy for you to customize the look and feel of every page of your website. The templates provide section layouts, text blocks for content, and placeholder images for your photos. Other elements can be added easily by dragging and dropping them from the design sidebar.

WordPress doesn’t have a drag-and-drop editor. Its page builder does offer some design functionality, but to get the look you want for your site, you should plan on purchasing and installing a premium theme with page builder editing tools. Even then, themes are not always user-friendly and require extensive trial and error to master.

Winner: Wix. Wix makes design fun and simple. Hundreds of templates help you customize the look and feel of your site without having to learn the ins and outs of complicated themes.

Most Capabilities & Customization: WordPress

Virtually no limit to the amount of customization you can achieve with a WordPress site—but customization may require premium plugins or developer coding.	Extensive customization to build a custom website without writing a line of code, but may lack some niche capabilities only found in WordPress.

Templates are a great way to start adding content to a website, but for some uses, a template may not be the best solution. Customization of content is one of the areas in which WordPress outshines Wix. But it’s not without its costs.

WordPress customization options are nearly limitless. Thousands of themes offer many design options, and with the addition of custom-coded CSS and design, you can change just about every visual aspect of a site. WordPress even supports animation effects for text and other visual elements.

Wix provides plenty of visual options to build a unique site. However, page templates can be modified but not custom-coded. If Wix doesn’t offer it, there is no way for you to build it yourself from scratch. Also, once you’ve committed to a template, if you change your mind, you have to start from scratch with a new template on Wix, whereas some of your WordPress content may be easily repurposed into the templates of your new theme.

Winner: WordPress, for sheer scale. To say WordPress is endlessly customizable is not an overstatement. With enough effort and knowledge, you can control essentially everything in your site’s design. For this reason, WordPress wins overall capabilities and customization.

Best Customer Support: Wix

Wix users enjoy 24/7/365 support backed by a knowledge base, video tutorials, and an engaged community forum.	WordPress doesn’t have a support team to answer questions or help build your site, and support for themes and plugins depends entirely on the third-party creator.

When questions arise, how will you get the answers you need? WordPress support is limited mostly to Google searches of knowledge bases and community user forums. Wix offers robust support via its knowledge base, but it also has a 24/7 callback service, so you can speak to someone if needed.

With Wix, you get access to an extensive, curated knowledge base. They also have email support and telephone support via callback service. The support staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Support staff have the knowledge to answer your questions and provide solutions to your issue.

WordPress lacks centralized user support, but that’s not to say answers can’t be found. You can search hundreds of user forums and knowledge bases for answers. Those answers may not be the best answer for your unique situation, though, and in some cases, the answer may be hiring a developer to fix issues that arise.

Additionally, some web hosting providers offer limited basic support for WordPress via email, knowledge base, or phone. Your theme and plugins may each have support forums and channels as well.

Winner: Wix. Wix is a much better choice for customer support because it offers direct customer support and help 24/7/365.

Best for Overall Functionality: Wix (for Most)

Robust plan features and native tools 300-plus third-party integrations All the functionality most small business websites need	WordPress native functions are limited to pages, posts, and basic widgets All other functionality requires use and management of plugins

One of the first decisions you’ll have to make while building a website is the list of functions your site needs. Online stores, email sign-up forms, software integrations, and blogs are just the tip of the iceberg regarding functionality. Restaurants might need menus and reservations online, while a fitness trainer needs scheduling and a counselor needs online appointment booking.

All of this is easy with Wix. Plans include robust functionality for blogging, appointments, and ecommerce. And if something is lacking, you’ll likely find it in the more than 300 apps in the Wix Marketplace. Wix apps are easy to use and even easier to install.

Here are just a few of the kinds of apps you can find:

• Bookings, reservations, or appointments
• Blog
• Chat
• Online store
• Online courses
• Events
• Portfolio
• Social feeds
• Groups, forum
• Email marketing
• Restaurant menus and food orders
• Video, music, file sharing, and more

Conversely, WordPress doesn’t come with a lot of native functionality. It’s essentially a blog engine until you start installing plugins. There are thousands of plugins of varying quality, and installing plugins for WordPress isn’t always easy. Vetting plugins can also be a challenge.

When choosing a WordPress plugin, be sure to look at factors such as:

• Reviews and ratings
• Whether the developer provides support
• If updates are included
• That it’s being actively maintained (evidenced by recent updates)
• Whether it’s compatible with your version of WordPress, your theme, and other plugins

Wix apps are guaranteed to work seamlessly with its platform. WordPress is an open-source platform, so anyone can create a plugin, and it may or may not work with your theme or other plugins. Before making your final decisions, however, consider some specifics by opening the tabs below.

Best for Ecommerce

Wix vs WordPress SEO

Best for Website Maintenance

Wix vs WordPress Security

Winner for overall functionality: Wix. Wix is the winner of functionality because its apps cover the vast majority of functions you’ll most likely need with an ease of use that’s simply missing from WordPress.

Best Alternatives to WordPress or Wix

WordPress and Wix are two of the most popular content management systems available. For some users, though, Wix and WordPress may not be the best choice. Here are the three top alternatives we recommend if you want something other than Wix or WordPress:

Platform
Best For	Appointment-based businesses	Visually impactful websites	Ecommerce websites and restaurants
Free Plan	✓	✕	✓
Starting Cost/Month	$9.99 (first year)	$16	$12
Learn More	How to build a GoDaddy website	How to build a Squarespace website	How to build a Weebly website

If you’re still undecided, you can read our best WordPress alternatives for small businesses for more insights and ideas. If you’re set on an all-in-one site builder but wonder which is better than Wix, read our list of the best Wix alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Wix good for SEO?

Wix provides plenty of industry-standard SEO functionality, from page and site-level settings to automated schema markup, image compression, and SEO guides and checklists. To further improve your knowledge, Wix offers a free learning hub where you can gain the insights you need to rank on Google and Bing. Moreover, the dashboard integrates easily with Google Analytics and Search Console.

Is Wix better than WordPress?

In most cases, Wix is better for building a website than WordPress. It is easier to use and master, offers robust functionality through native and one-click third-party integrations, and is more secure and easily maintained than WordPress. Templates and content blocks make building a website with Wix much easier as well, and the drag-and-drop editor provides infinite design possibilities.

Is Wix.com completely free?

Yes—Wix has a completely free plan you can use forever. The free version is hosted on a Wix subdomain with SSL security and displays Wix branding. Weebly and GoDaddy are two Wix alternatives that also offer a free version.

Bottom Line

In a comparison of Wix vs WordPress.org, both are leading platforms for business websites, but each works very differently. The key difference between Wix and WordPress is the level of control you will have over your website. For complete control over the design and functionality of your site, you might need WordPress. However, Wix is easier to use, more affordable, has solid SEO to get your site found online, and includes templates and easy-to-integrate features and functionality you need to get your site up quickly.

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