• Masifa Bukhari
• WordPress
• 25 June, 2024

Have you been struggling to choose a platform to create a website for your business? If so, you’re definitely not alone!

You’ve done a little, if not intensive, research into the variety of platforms available for web development. During this research, you’ve likely come across both Wix and WordPress. WordPress holds 62.8% of the market, while Wix holds 2.6% of the total market. While Wix is known for its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, WordPress brings flexibility and customization to the table. So, which one should you choose, Wix or WordPress?

Depending on your business needs and requirements, both Wix and WordPress can be potentially suitable website options. In this blog, we’ll break down the key differences between both of these platforms and ultimately help you make an informed decision. 

What is WordPress, and who is it for?

• WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS). It’s easy to use and lets beginners create and manage websites even if they have no coding experience.
• While WordPress was initially a blogging platform, it has now become a powerful tool that all sorts of websites use to create their online presence. It is openly marketed to anyone and everyone. As an industry leader, this targeting strategy works wonders for them.
• Beginners can choose a theme and start off with their website quickly. Experienced developers can create their own features and designs to create and code their custom themes and plugins.

What is Wix, and who is it for?

• Wix is a cloud-based website creation platform. You can access and edit your website from any device at any time with an active internet connection.
• It is a fully hosted website platform, and you can use its page builder to make a professional-looking website from its pre-designed templates.
• Hence, it’s more beginner-friendly; people without much experience come to Wix because of its simplicity and ability to quickly get the website ready. Experienced web developers won’t get much out of Wix because they can’t edit the code.

7 Key Comparisons: Wix vs WordPress

In this section, we’ll dive into a detailed WordPress vs Wix analysis. But before that, let’s discuss the basic philosophy governing these solutions. Both of them cater to a different ideology. Where Wix creates simplicity and accessibility for beginners, WordPress offers flexibility and ease of customization.

Let’s explore the key differences between these two platforms:

1. Ease of Use

Wix offers simplicity and ease at a whole new level. It is an ideal platform to create your website if you have no technical knowledge. You start off by signing up. Then, you choose what type of website you want to create. Here are the categories you can choose from:

• Business
• Online Store
• Photography
• Music
• Designer
• Restaurants & Food
• Accommodation
• Events
• Blog
• Portfolio & CV
• Beauty & Wellness
• Others

Once you’ve chosen the desired category, choose a template from the variety of options available. After you’ve chosen a template, you’re dumped straight into the Wix Editor. Here, you can change the text and multimedia to complement your business. The entire process is simple and undeniably easy for beginners. After editing the theme to your liking, click Publish to make it live.

WordPress core features include posts and pages. You can use plug-ins to expand the platform’s capabilities. Before starting your website, you must sign up for web hosting and get your domain name. You can easily find a good host after a little research. Install WordPress and choose a theme to determine the look and feel of your website. Here, you can find both free and paid themes. It’s a little more complex than Wix; however, a non-developer can use it to create a functional and aesthetic website after using WordPress.

Security

Wix is a hosted platform. Hence, it doesn’t need any additional security software. Since users can’t really edit Wix’s core software, they can’t make it vulnerable. Moreover, Wix offers built-in protection against security threats.

WordPress’s development team releases security patches to fix problems in its core software. Users implement these patches on their websites to prevent cyberattacks. You can also use WordPress plugins like Wordfence Security and Security Ninja to enhance your site’s security and automate tasks. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Wix automates SEO elements for beginners. Your meta tags, sitemap, and images are optimized for faster page loading automatically via the website. Hence, if you’re new to SEO or prefer a hands-off approach, you can focus on creating content and managing your business. You can also use the Wix personalized SEO checklist to streamline the entire setup process. This will help you out if you don’t know where to start.

WordPress offers unparalleled flexibility and control over your website’s SEO. Here, you can customize permalinks, nesting your pages into subfolders and meta tags. It is essential to mention that you can’t change all the aspects of WordPress SEO without tweaking some code or using any plugins. You have the freedom to change codes here. There is a good variety of free and paid plug-ins you can choose from; these include Yoast and the like. These plugins add additional capabilities to your site and make it more functional in the long run.

Usability

Wix’s design interface is generally more user-friendly than WordPress’s block editor. It offers a straightforward interface that makes designing and managing a website so much easier. Hence, it is easier to use for beginners.

Wix offers 800+ templates and an intuitive drag-and-drop design system. You can choose a template and click Edit to start designing. You can add features like text, buttons, custom codes, media, apps, sections, etc. Moreover, Wix also offers 24/7 customer care to help you resolve any queries.

WordPress offers more flexibility in design and functionality and is more beneficial as you scale your business. With the right technical Expertise, you can customize almost every aspect of your website on WordPress.org. However, if you are a beginner, this level of customization can become complex and overwhelming.

WordPress.com offers a more managed experience and simplifies the setup and maintenance. However, many users still find it more difficult than Wix. WordPress gives you a checklist for setting up your site.

You can choose between a pre-designed theme or start from scratch. Then, you’ll have to choose a homepage design from a list of free or paid themes. However, the only drawback is that the WordPress design interface can be cluttered and overwhelming.

Pricing

See our latest relevant exploration WordPress to Shopify Migration

If you’re using Wix, you can create and host a website without any cost. However, you will have certain limitations; for example, your domain will be a branded Wix web address, “accountname.wixsite.com/siteaddress,” for a lot of consumers, this would probably feel a little unprofessional and unreliable. 

Moreover, your Wix free package only entails 500MB of cloud storage and 500MB of bandwidth. Hence, there isn’t much space for any images, videos, and files. The Wix free plan also doesn’t add any payment gateways. With a free account, you can’t sell products and services, so you must invest in a paid plan. 

Here’s a detail of Wix pricing:

Business Plan	Monthly Fee
Light	$17
Core	$29
Business	$36
Business Elite	$159

Tip: If you plan on using Wix for an e-commerce site, you should at least choose the Core plan. 

• With WordPress, you have two options: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.org is free to use. However, you will need your own domain and web hosting to install it. Because you’ll be choosing third-party providers, the costs may vary.

If you’re new to building websites, it can be tricky. However, this will provide additional flexibility and customization as compared to Wix. If you’re going for WordPress.com, your pricing structure will be much easier and straightforward. It will handle hosting for you.

Here’s a brief overview of WordPress.com premium subscriptions:

Business Plan	Monthly Fee	Annual Fee
Starter	$4	$48
Explorer	$8	$96
Creator	$25	$300
Entrepreneur	$45	$540
Cloud	$65	–
Enterprise	–	Starting at $25000

WordPress starter is ideal for bloggers, small businesses, as well as personal website owners who want a more professional look.

Mobile-Friendliness

With Wix, you must adjust some design elements to ensure that they display correctly on mobile devices. Wix’s templates are not fully responsive; Wix automatically creates a separate mobile view for your website, but not all elements of the pages automatically optimize for smaller screens. Here, you’ll have to use the Wix mobile editor to ensure everything looks good and is optimized. You can access this mobile editor by clicking the mobile icon in the top bar of the Wix editor interface. However, Wix doesn’t offer mobile-specific apps or plugins to improve mobile site functionality; you also can’t edit your Wix site for tablets like you can on WordPress.

Moreover, many of WordPress’s themes are designed in a manner that is mobile-friendly and responsive. However, if you choose a theme from someone else, you’ll have to readjust it. You can enhance your site’s mobile-friendliness via plug-ins. You can change how menus, images, and text boxes resize and reposition themselves to see if everything adjusts correctly on smaller screens. Many themes can’t be edited to fit your site’s mobile and desktop views separately. Hence, take the plunge by taking into account all the risks.

E-Commerce

Wix has Wix eCommerce. It’s a great option for small business and start-up owners. It doesn’t require you to install additional plugins like WordPress usually does. If you want to access basic e-commerce functions on Wix, you must upgrade to at least the Core plan, i.e., $29/month.

With this plan, you can manage basic e-commerce functions like payment acceptance, subscriptions, and site analytics tracking. For example, Wix e-commerce supports integration with over 50 payment gateways. This makes it a lot more convenient for consumers. Wix also offers a unified dashboard to help you sell on multiple marketplaces simultaneously. But Wix isn’t as scalable as WordPress.

WordPress isn’t inherently an e-commerce platform. It is basically a CMS. You will have to use an e-commerce plugin like WooCommerce here. If you’re using WordPress.org, you can add WooCommerce for free to your online store. However, on WordPress.com, you must upgrade to at least the Creator plan. This would incur an additional $25/month in costs. Then, you’ll be able to install WooCommerce.

You must pay a commission fee of 2% on the Creator’s plan. However, if you invest in the Entrepreneur plan, the platform won’t take any commission.  One more benefit of WordPress is that you can accept payments in more than 135 currencies here, while Wix only lets you accept payments in one currency. WooCommerce also lets you accept many major credit card payments, direct bank transfers, and checks.

Customization

As discussed earlier, Wix offers over 800 templates to help you find the right look for your website. This wide range helps you choose designs for online shops, non-profit initiatives, online forums, blogs, creative CVs and portfolios, landing pages, hotels, schools, universities, and courses. The Wix app market also offers over 500 apps to boost your site’s ability. Moreover, developers can also make their own apps on Wix. Hence, you’re not limited to just what’s currently available.

WordPress offers over 12000 free themes. Some are owned by WordPress, while others are from third-party contributors. You can always find updated options because these themes are consistently added. You can also change your theme on WordPress without losing any content. If you don’t find a good enough theme, you can collaborate with a developer to create a custom theme for your business.

There are over 60000 plugins on WordPress; some of them are developed by WordPress, and third-party developers create others. If you don’t mind a learning curve, there’s essentially no limit to customization. A WordPress website is also highly scalable, and you can change it as you grow your business.  

See our latest relevant exploration Migrate Wix to Shopify

Summary Of Wix Vs. WordPress Comparison:

Point of Difference	Wix	WordPress
Ease of Use	– Ideal for beginners with no technical knowledge	– Slightly more complex but manageable for beginners
	– User-friendly drag-and-drop interface	– Requires sign-up for web hosting and domain
	– Simple website creation process	– Offers free and paid themes for customization
	– Pre-designed templates for various categories	– Can be overwhelming for beginners, especially with
SEO	– Automated SEO elements for beginners	– Unparalleled flexibility and control over SEO
	– Personalized SEO checklist for setup	– Ability to customize permalinks, meta tags, etc.
		– Variety of SEO plugins available, like Yoast
Usability	– More user-friendly design interface	– Offers drag-and-drop features for ease of use
	– Intuitive drag-and-drop design system	– Can be cluttered and overwhelming for some users
	– 24/7 customer care support	– Offers a checklist for setting up your site
Pricing	– Free plan available with limitations	– Free to use with own domain and web hosting
	– Paid plans start at $17/month	– Premium plans start at $4/month (WordPress.com)
		– Costs may vary with third-party hosting (WordPress.org)
Mobile-Friendliness	– Requires adjustment for mobile optimization	– Many themes are mobile-friendly and responsive
	– Mobile editor available for adjustments	– Plugins available for enhancing mobile-friendliness
	– No tablet editing capabilities	– Themes may require adjustment for mobile optimization
E-Commerce	– Wix eCommerce for basic e-commerce functions	– Requires WooCommerce plugin for e-commerce (WordPress)
	– Basic e-commerce functions available from the Core plan	– Free with WordPress.org, or upgrade for WordPress.com
	– Supports integration with over 50 payment gateways	– Additional cost for premium plans on WordPress.com
	– Unified dashboard for selling on multiple marketplaces	– No commission fee on higher-tier plans (WordPress.com)
Customization	– Over 800 templates available for various categories	– Over 12000 free themes available
	– Over 500 apps in the Wix app market	– Can collaborate with developers for custom themes
	– Developers can create custom apps on Wix	– Over 60000 plugins available for customization
		– Highly scalable and customizable as a business grows

So, which platform should you choose: Wix or WordPress?

As an entrepreneur, the million-dollar question is: Which is the best CMS Platform for your business, Wix or WordPress?

Given our research and the insights of experts, WordPress is a much stronger platform than Wix in almost every way. 

• While Wix offers easy functionality, good UI, and a cool drag-and-drop editor, this platform isn’t scalable or growth-friendly. The Wix market itself offers a free website, but its free version has many limitations. While you can build a free website with Wix, you need to pay a considerable sum to use it.
• WordPress, however, can be a little complicated for beginners. However, it offers a much more stable experience than Wix.
• WordPress offers a wide variety of plugins and themes. Moreover, Wix offers more options when it comes to hosting than Wix does. You can accomplish a lot more with WordPress over the long run.

We can help you build a scalable and functional website for your business. See our WordPress Development Services

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Wix better than WordPress?

No, there isn’t any evidence that indicates that Wix is better than WordPress. Both of these platforms hold their own merits and shortcomings. If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly and easy-to-use platform with limited customizability, then Wix might be the right choice for you.

Is Wix cheaper than WordPress?

Wix has a higher price point than WordPress.com. However, WordPress.org is more cost-effective in the long run because it doesn’t charge monthly fees for hosting and design elements. You’ll have to pay for hosting, but that’s usually less than $10/month.

Can you switch from Wix to WordPress?

Yes, you can switch from Wix to WordPress. You can use an RSS feed and manually migrate your pages and images from one platform to another. Or you can use a plugin for an automated migration.