Wix vs WordPress: Differences, pros and cons in 2024
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BLUEPRINT
Updated 4:36 p.m. UTC April 10, 2024
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Wix vs. WordPress: Overview
Wix and WordPress are website design and content management tools that enable small business owners to create websites like e-commerce stores and blogs. Wix is a paid platform where businesses pay for all-in-one website design and hosting, and WordPress comes with two versions: a hosted platform and a self-hosted version.
Here’s a closer look at Wix and WordPress to help you make the best decision for your small business.
| WIX | WORDPRESS.COM | WORDPRESS.ORG | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost per month
| $17 to $159
| $0 to $70; Cloud plan $65 per month paid annually
| $0
|
Hosting by
| Wix
| WordPress.com
| A hosting provider
|
Support
| Self-help tools, callback phone support, live chat, paid dedicated support, included basic support
| Community forums, email and chat support with paid plans
| Self-help and forums
|
Flexibility
| Highly flexible within Wix customization limits
| Customizable with supported themes and plugins
| Completely customizable with WordPress themes and plugins
|
Featured website builder offers
1
Wix
Monthly fee
$17
Free domain
For one year
24/7 live customer support
Yes
2
Web.com
Monthly fee
$19.99
Free domain
Only when paying annually
Drag-and-drop builder
Yes
3
Squarespace
Monthly fee
$23
Free domain
For one year
Drag-and-drop builder
Yes
What is Wix?
Wix is a website development and hosting platform offering an all-in-one resource to build and design websites. It is highly customizable, with tools for online stores, blogs, event ticket sales and a flexible drag-and-drop website builder. Plans start at $17 per month, and more expensive plans unlock additional features and options.
With Wix, website owners build a website using Wix tools, and Wix hosts the website on its platform. In addition, you can effectively build custom web applications and add nearly anything else you may want on your website.
When you use Wix, you’re tied to Wix’s development and hosting platform without the option to export your site to outside hosting. The design only works with the Wix platform and servers, so businesses should consider Wix a long-term commitment.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) available in two versions. WordPress.com is a commercial offering where your website is hosted by Automattic, the founder of WordPress. The same company owns the e-commerce platform WooCommerce and the WordPress plugins Jetpack and Akismet.
With WordPress.com, you get a website domain and hosting all in one place, with a single backend management dashboard. It’s the version of WordPress that’s best for people who consider themselves less tech-savvy and don’t need the open-source customization options offered by self-hosted WordPress.
Self-hosted WordPress is an open-source version of WordPress available at WordPress.org. This version of WordPress is free to download and use, and you or a knowledgeable developer can completely customize your WordPress experience, including building custom themes and plugins. Self-hosted WordPress requires additional technical knowledge and a hosting account with a trusted provider.
Wix vs. WordPress: Pricing
Winner: WordPress
Wix plans start at $17 per month when paid annually for its basic features. It recommends most businesses use the $36 per-month Business plan. As you upgrade through the four plans for small businesses, you can access additional:
- Analytics.
- Storage.
- Marketing tools.
- E-commerce features.
When paid annually, tiered plans cost $17, $29, $36 or $159 per month.
WordPress.com starts with a free plan where you can test out basic features and get an idea of how WordPress works. However, most businesses likely want their own domain name and an ad-free website for visitors, which requires a paid plan. WordPress’ $8-per-month Explorer plan has what many users will need to get started, though the most robust Entrepreneur plan that includes WooCommerce costs $45 monthly. WordPress.com plans cost $0, $4, $8, $25, $45 or $65 per month when paid annually.
WordPress.org offers WordPress for free, but you’ll need to pay for an outside web host for your site, with prices that can range from a couple of dollars per month to hundreds of dollars per month, depending on your website traffic and other needs. Premium themes and plugins also come with a cost, with some offering lifetime access for a flat fee and others requiring annual fees. However, there are over 70,000 free themes and plugins available.
Wix vs. WordPress: Custom design options
Winner: WordPress
Wix offers highly flexible design tools that allow everything to be built into one place. While upgrading your account can add more features, everything needed is provided directly on the Wix.com interface.
However, that also limits you to only what Wix offers — over 300 apps to customize features like your site’s store, groups and blog, along with more than 800 website themes. While some business owners may appreciate the option to build everything with a unified dashboard and provided templates, that ease of use can also be limiting.
WordPress.com gives you more options and flexibility with a vast library of themes and plugins, many of which you can customize using the visual WordPress Customizer. Automattic curates a list of well-supported themes and plugins compatible with the WordPress.com platform. Plugins and themes can open up additional dashboard options and tools, ranging from podcasting to search engine optimization (SEO) and custom form builders.
WordPress.org gives you complete control over your site. As an open-source platform, anyone with the proper knowledge can build custom themes and plugins. However, most users won’t need to, as the WordPress community offers over 11,000 free themes and nearly 60,000 plugins. While many themes and plugins are free, you could encounter technical or security issues with them if they’re not well built or maintained.
You can do a lot more with self-hosted WordPress, but you’ll likely need more tech support, which may not be available. However, due to the flexibility of the WordPress platform and dashboard — and its vast theme and plugin offerings — it’s our top choice for design and user interface.
Wix vs. WordPress: Features
Winner: WordPress
Wix features include over 800 website templates and a freeform drag-and-drop website editor, giving you flexibility in designing your website. It also comes with tools for SEO and an app marketplace with free and paid apps to upgrade your website. Plans include additional features for:
- Blogs.
- Restaurant orders and reservations.
- Service business appointments.
- E-commerce sales.
While Wix does a lot, WordPress allows you to do much more. With third-party themes and plugins — many offered for free — you can customize your site with few limitations on the WordPress.com platform and no limitations when using WordPress.org.
Built-in tools allow you to create pages and blog posts, manage users, moderate comments and design your website with a default theme. However, most users will want to use the customizations added through themes and plugins.
WordPress also comes with export features, which allow you to move your site to different hosting, including away from WordPress.com.
Wix vs. WordPress: E-commerce options
Winner: WordPress
Wix e-commerce lets you quickly build an online store, including essential features to manage:
- Shipping.
- Inventory.
- Sales tax.
- Social media ads.
- Payments.
- Marketing.
You can integrate with over 80 payment providers and tap into dropshipping networks and print-on-demand product production.
WordPress allows more e-commerce capabilities and customizations but takes more work to set up and maintain. The owner of WordPress.com also developed WooCommerce, a popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress.com and WordPress.org websites. WooCommerce is a paid upgrade for WordPress.com.
With WordPress.org, you can start building your website for free but will have to add additional needed features with specialized WordPress plugins known as extensions. Over 800 WooCommerce extensions are available. Example extensions include the ability to:
- Add product videos.
- Recover abandoned carts.
- Add wishlist capabilities.
- Collect user feedback.
- Add custom pricing.
- Manage customer support tickets.
- Track shipments.
Wix vs. WordPress: Customer support
Winner: Wix
If you need help with your website, Wix is the standout choice. Wix subscriptions include 24/7 customer support. It also offers a callback service, where you request a call and Wix customer support calls you back. In addition, foreign language support is available with more limited hours. If you want professional help building or updating your website, Wix partners are available for an added fee.
WordPress support is free using dedicated public forums, though responses may not be timely. With the lowest-cost WordPress.com paid plan, you get email-based support. Plans costing $8 per month or more offer live chat support.
With self-hosted WordPress, getting help is much more complex. Some hosting providers offer limited support for WordPress issues, though they typically won’t fix everything you may run into or charge extra for support. You can get free help using WordPress forums, but response quality and timeliness can be hit or miss. You’ll often have to dig into the WordPress documentation and figure out fixes yourself.
Which is best for your business?
Winner: WordPress
Wix is a better option for someone who wants extensive help and support and doesn’t mind paying more for the Wix platform. Wix’s built-in tools and all-in-one website management dashboard will likely feel the most comfortable if you want a website but don’t feel confident in your website-building skills. But you’re also locked into Wix for as long as you use the website you designed through its platform.
If you want more flexibility and lower costs with limited support and included hosting, WordPress.com is a good choice. The WordPress.com platform lets you start for a lower cost, and you can always export your website to a self-hosting platform if you outgrow WordPress.com offerings.
For tech-savvy business owners and anyone who wants the most flexibility, self-hosted WordPress is the right choice. However, costs and support vary widely depending on your hosting company, theme and plugin choices.
Due to options for lower costs and more flexibility in the long term, WordPress is the best choice for the typical business.
Featured website builder offers
1
Wix
Monthly fee
$17
Free domain
For one year
24/7 live customer support
Yes
2
Web.com
Monthly fee
$19.99
Free domain
Only when paying annually
Drag-and-drop builder
Yes
3
Squarespace
Monthly fee
$23
Free domain
For one year
Drag-and-drop builder
Yes
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
If you find the technical features of WordPress too challenging to manage, you may consider moving to Wix. With Wix, you’ll get a higher level of support and all-in-one features, but you’ll have to pay more and your site is tied to the Wix platform.
WordPress is better for the typical small business. WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress from WordPress.org give you lower costs and more freedom to add any feature to your website and customize it down to every detail.
Self-hosted WordPress from WordPress.org is harder to use for business owners with fewer technical skills. WordPress.com and Wix offer similar dashboards where you can manage everything without worrying about the additional technical challenges of website hosting. With robust customer support and straightforward all-in-one tools, Wix may be easier for many businesses than WordPress.
With Wix, you’re provided a license to use its tools to build and maintain your website. You own the content, but Wix owns the platform. You also can’t export your website to use elsewhere. With Wix, you’re locked into the Wix platform unless you want to start a website from scratch elsewhere.
Blueprint is an independent publisher and comparison service, not an investment advisor. The information provided is for educational purposes only and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific financial decisions. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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