What Is The Best Website Builder: Wix vs WordPress

Introduction to Website Builders

Website builders have revolutionised the way individuals and businesses create and manage websites. These platforms are designed to simplify website creation, allowing users to build professional-looking sites without needing to write code. Among the most popular website builders are Wix and WordPress, each catering to different needs and preferences.

This article will compare Wix and WordPress to help you determine which is the best website builder for your specific requirements, considering features, ease of use, and SEO capabilities.

Wix is a website builder platform that offers an all-in-one solution, combining website creation tools, hosting, and support in a single package. Its intuitive drag-and-drop editor makes it easy for anyone to design and manage websites, regardless of technical skill, greatly simplifying the website-building process. On the other hand, WordPress is a powerful content management system (CMS) that provides greater flexibility and control. With WordPress, users can choose their web hosting, install a wide range of themes and plugins, and customise their site’s functionality to suit their specific requirements, while also streamlining website building through its extensive resources and tools.

When comparing Wix and WordPress, it’s essential to consider factors such as ease of use, scalability, cost, and the level of control you want over your website. Both platforms are leading choices among website builders, but your decision will depend on your goals, technical comfort, and long-term plans for managing your website.

Wix Overview

Wix is a user-friendly website builder that lets anyone create a professional website without learning to code, with the Wix Editor as the primary tool for customising your site. With Wix, you can make a Wix website from scratch or choose from one of the many templates available.

You can also add your photos and videos, and make changes to your site at any time. Wix offers a wide range of features, plans, and services to suit different needs, including various pricing options, apps, plugins, and customer support. Plus, Wix is free to use!

WordPress Overview

WordPress is a content management system that enables you to create a website or blog from scratch or to improve an existing website.

To create a website with WordPress, you need to install the software on a web server and create pages and posts with the WordPress editor. This process is often referred to as ‘install WordPress’, which involves purchasing hosting and manually installing the WordPress platform before you begin customizing your site. WordPress is a self-hosted platform, which means you need to choose a web host and set up your domain name before installation. WordPress requires separate hosting, domain registration, and ongoing maintenance, including tasks such as plugin management, backups, and manual security updates. You can add other website features, such as menus, images, and widgets.

When you’re finished creating your website, you can publish it online by registering a domain name and hosting.

WordPress is a highly versatile platform that can be used for a wide range of websites and applications. It is an open source platform, allowing users to create and customize features through a vast ecosystem of plugins, making it highly flexible and developer-friendly. It can be used for simple websites, such as personal blogs, or more complex websites, including online stores and membership portals. Users can easily add eCommerce functionality with the free WooCommerce plugin. WordPress is also commonly used as a CMS for corporate and government websites.

Comparison of Wix vs WordPress

Wix and WordPress are user-friendly website builders that are popular among owners. This section will compare Wix and WordPress to help you decide which platform best suits your needs. They both offer a wide variety of templates and allow you to create a website without any coding experience. Let’s see a few key distinctions between the two platforms.

One key difference is that WordPress is open source software, while Wix is a closed platform. WordPress is free to use, while Wix has a monthly fee. With WordPress, you also have more flexibility to change the code to create custom designs and features, whereas with Wix, you are limited to the templates and features provided by the platform. Additionally, Wix hosts all content on Wix’s servers, which can limit data portability and your ability to move your site elsewhere. If you use the free version, several small Wix Ads will be visible on your website.

WordPress is also more extensible and can be used for a broader range of purposes than Wix. It can be used for everything from a simple blog or website to a powerful eCommerce store or membership site. WordPress provides you with full control over your website’s design, functionality, and SEO, enabling you to manage content transfer, SEO configurations, URL structures, and eCommerce features without restrictions.

When it comes to SEO capabilities, WordPress offers more advanced and granular SEO management features through plugins, giving you greater flexibility, while Wix provides more user-friendly but somewhat limited SEO tools.

Unlike Wix, you can add custom code, switch themes easily, and customise every aspect of your site. Advanced customization is possible with WordPress, especially when using page builder plugins—even if you don’t have coding skills, these tools allow for sophisticated and tailored design options. WordPress has a large community of developers and users who can help you with website design, development, and troubleshooting.

Pricing

Wix Pricing Plans

FREE

This plan includes a free domain name, 500MB storage, and a Wix site builder.

BASIC

This plan costs $4.5/month and includes 1GB storage, no custom domain name, and more.

VIP

This plan costs $24.5/month and includes 35GB of storage, a custom domain name, and other features such as an online store and email marketing.

WordPress Pricing Plans

IS WORDPRESS FREE?

Yes, it’s free. You don’t have to pay anything to download and set up WordPress. You can also make changes to your WordPress.org site without worrying about monthly or yearly fees.

FREE

WordPress offers a free hosting plan with 100 MB of storage and access to basic features.

PERSONAL

WordPress’ hosting plan costs $7 per month and includes 1GB of storage, access to all features, and support for 1 website.

PREMIUM

WordPress’s premium hosting plan costs $14/month and includes 10GB of storage, access to all features, and support for up to 5 websites.

Winner: WordPress

Themes & Plugins

WordPress is renowned for its extensive and continually expanding library of themes and plugins. There’s a theme or plugin for almost everything, from creating a simple website to developing an eCommerce store. WordPress’ theme library offers a wide variety of options to match any brand or style, while its plugin library has something for everyone, from beginners to experts. Site owners can choose from thousands of pre-made templates, paid themes for advanced features and support, or even create a custom theme for a unique look and branding. Premium themes stand out for their professional design, advanced customization options, and added value over free themes, making them a popular choice for businesses seeking a polished and flexible website.

• WordPress has more than 9,000 free WordPress themes pre-installed. It offers a broader range of WordPress plugins, including add-on plugins that extend your site’s functionality.
• You have almost complete control over how your WordPress sites look. Remember that we recommend using themes created by WordPress itself.
• You can create an online store by installing a WordPress plugin like WooCommerce. Better for sites that only sell online or for large-volume sales.

Site owners play a key role in selecting and customising themes and plugins to ensure the website matches their branding and functional needs.

Wix also offers a wide range of themes and plugins. Its theme library includes both free and premium options, while its plugin library provides a mix of free and paid plugins. However, compared to WordPress, Wix’s selection is significantly smaller. This can be a disadvantage if you can’t find the right theme or plugin for your needs.

• Wix offers more than 500 pre-made templates, a substantial number for a website builder.
• Customisation options are limited, but all features and functions are rigorously tested to guarantee they work as intended.

Winner: WordPress

Design Options

DESIGN FEATURES OF WIX:

• Wix is a user-friendly platform. You can create a website in minutes without prior experience or design knowledge.
• There are numerous templates to choose from, allowing you to find the perfect design for your website.
• Wix is mobile-friendly, so your website will look great on any device.
• You can add your photos and videos and customise the text and layout to make your website unique.
• Wix offers free support via phone, email, and chat, so you can get help whenever you need it.

Wix Design: 8/10

DESIGN FEATURES OF WORDPRESS

One of the things that makes WordPress so popular is its design features. These include:

• A customizable dashboard that allows you to manage your website’s content easily.
• You can use a wide range of WordPress themes and templates to create a unique look and feel for your website.
• A vast array of plugins allows you to add features and functionality to your website.
• A user-friendly interface makes it easy for anyone to create and manage a website.

WordPress Design: 10/10

Winner: WordPress

Blogging

The Wix blog platform is very user-friendly. You can create a blog in minutes and start publishing content right away. The Wix blog offers a wide range of templates to choose from, and you can customise your blog’s design to match your store’s branding.

One thing to note about the Wix blog is that it’s not as easy to customise your blog’s design as with other platforms, such as WordPress. If you’re looking for more control over your blog’s appearance, you might want to consider a WordPress blog. WordPress is widely recognised as a powerful blogging platform, offering advanced content management features, extensive blogging capabilities, and greater control through its block-based Gutenberg editor, making it a more powerful solution for blogging enthusiasts. However, if you’re starting and don’t want to spend too much time on design, Wix is a good option. These features include:

• A built-in SEO tool that helps you optimise your blog posts for Google search results
• A social media integration feature that enables you to share your blog posts on social media networks like Facebook and Twitter
• A stats dashboard that shows you how many people have viewed your blog posts and how they were found (via search engines or social media)

Wix Blogging Features: 7/10

The WordPress platform is popular among bloggers for several reasons. Some of the most essential things that WordPress has to offer bloggers are:

• An intuitive editor makes creating and formatting posts easy.
• The ability to backdate blog posts, which can help schedule content in advance.
• The ability to feature a single image across the top of a blog post.
• A native commenting system allows readers to leave comments directly on the blog post itself.
• Multi-language support enables publishing content in multiple languages.
• The ability to password-protect individual blog posts or entire categories of posts.
• The ability to add custom menus and navigation bars to help readers find the content they’re looking for.
• Adding custom widgets to your blog’s sidebar provides additional functionality and flexibility.

WordPress has always been primarily about blogging, which is why it comes with all the features you need, such as tags, categories, and RSS.

WordPress Blogging Features: 10/10

Winner: WordPress

SEO

Both platforms offer many extensions to optimise your website for SEO and track user behaviour via Google Analytics. In addition, both Wix and WordPress provide basic SEO features such as editing page titles, meta descriptions, and image alt tags, which are essential for improving search engine visibility. Website speed is also a crucial factor in SEO, as slower loading times, especially on mobile devices, can negatively impact your search rankings.

Wix SEO Features

• Has a built-in SEO manager that helps users optimise their website for the search engines.
• Provides social media posts to market the website across various platforms.
• Contains email marketing tools to help users market their website through emails.

Features: 8/10

WordPress SEO Features:

• Offer a variety of SEO plugins that help with optimising the website for search engines.
• Themes often incorporate SEO features such as schema markup, breadcrumb navigation, Open Graph data, and more.
• WordPress offers a bit more with its excellent SEO plugins.

Let’s use Yoast SEO as an example. It’s a great, free tool that’s very useful. This plugin is being used on over 5 million sites and has an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Yoast SEO is one of the best WordPress plugins. Overall, WordPress is better suited to search engine optimisation than Wix.

Features: 9/10

Winner: WordPress

Support

The Wix customer support system includes phone support, live chat, and helpful forums. Their support staff is knowledgeable and can help with the most common questions or issues.

On the other hand, WordPress does not offer official support, but you can find what you need on the community forums. The answers can be hit-or-miss and sometimes buried in comments, so it may take some time to find what you’re looking for. If you have a budget, consider a web hosting company specialising in WordPress (E.g., SiteGround, Kinsta). You’ll also receive basic support with common WordPress issues there. There are cheaper WordPress hosting options available, but you’ll get even less support.

Ease of Use: Is WordPress Easier to Use Than Wix

WordPress is renowned for its ease of use, making it accessible even to first-time website builders. Its user-friendly interface allows you to create and customise your website without learning complex coding. WordPress comes with numerous features and plugins that give you greater flexibility in what you can do with your website.

On the other hand, Wix is very easy to use but offers a limited set of features. This platform is designed specifically for beginners, so you may be able to learn how to use it more quickly than WordPress. By the way, the content you place in Wix is how it will appear once you publish it. However, since you are limited to the designs available on the platform, your website may look like other Wix websites.

Security: Wix Vs WordPress

WIX SECURITY

The Wix Security team has a program based on international best practices that continually updates to stay ahead of new threats. They use HTTPS, TLS 1.2 and higher, and SSL to protect data.

Wix holds the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Level 1 certification, the highest level. Wix regularly checks its systems for weaknesses and attacks and looks for new third-party services to help keep its platform safe and users’ data private.

WORDPRESS SECURITY

There are several ways to keep your WordPress site secure. One of the most important is to keep your site up to date. WordPress will notify you when updates are available, and installing these as soon as possible is important.

Another critical step is to use a strong password. This means using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols and ensuring it is not something someone could easily guess. Again, a WordPress website will be secure if you update the plugins & themes regularly.

You can also protect your site with a plugin. Several plugins are available to help protect your site from hackers. One of the most popular is called WordFence. This plugin provides several features, including:

• Firewall protection
• Real-time scanning
• IP blocking
• Anti-virus scanning

WordFence is free for personal websites, and a paid version is also available with additional features.

Winner: WordPress

Ecommerce and Online Store

Ecommerce capabilities are a key consideration for anyone looking to sell products or services online. Both Wix and WordPress offer robust ecommerce features, but they approach online store creation in different ways, catering to a variety of business needs.

Wix Ecommerce Capabilities

Wix makes it easy to launch an online store with its built-in ecommerce platform. Users can quickly set up an online store, add products, and manage orders directly from the Wix dashboard. The platform supports multiple payment gateways, offers flexible shipping options, and includes inventory management tools to help you keep track of your stock. Wix also provides a selection of professionally designed ecommerce templates, so you can create a visually appealing online store without hiring a designer.

One of Wix’s standout features is its App Market, which offers a variety of ecommerce apps to enhance your store’s functionality. For example, the Wix Stores app enables you to add advanced e-commerce features, such as product reviews, wish lists, and customer accounts. With these tools, even beginners can create a fully functional online store and start accepting payments quickly.

WordPress Ecommerce Capabilities

WordPress takes a different approach to ecommerce by leveraging powerful plugins like WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a free plugin that transforms any WordPress site into a customizable online store, offering advanced features such as multiple payment gateways, flexible shipping options, and comprehensive inventory management. With WooCommerce, you can further extend your store’s capabilities by adding premium extensions for subscriptions, bookings, and more.

WordPress also provides access to a wide range of e-commerce themes and page builders, enabling you to design a unique storefront that aligns with your brand. The open-source nature of WordPress means you have complete control over your online store’s functionality, and developers can add custom code or build bespoke solutions to meet your specific needs. This makes WordPress an excellent choice for businesses that require advanced features or plan to scale their ecommerce operations.

Winner: [Wix/WordPress]

Web Hosting and Services

When it comes to web hosting and services, the differences between Wix and WordPress are significant and can impact your website’s performance, scalability, and control. Wix offers an all-in-one solution where web hosting is fully managed for you—meaning you don’t need to worry about server setup, security patches, or technical maintenance. This is ideal for users who want a hands-off experience and value convenience over customization.

However, WordPress stands out for those who want more flexibility and advanced features. With WordPress, you have the freedom to choose your own hosting provider, whether that’s a budget-friendly shared host or a premium managed WordPress hosting service like SiteGround or Kinsta. Managed WordPress hosting providers offer advanced features such as automatic updates, daily backups, staging environments, and enhanced security—all tailored specifically for WordPress sites. You can also install SSL certificates, configure caching plugins, and use performance optimization tools to ensure your website runs smoothly and securely.

WordPress hosting options often include features like malware scanning, uptime monitoring, and scalable resources, making them suitable for everything from simple blogs to high-traffic business sites. This level of control is especially valuable for businesses that anticipate growth or require custom solutions. In summary, while Wix’s web hosting is simple and reliable for most users, WordPress offers a broader range of hosting services and advanced features for those who want to take their website to the next level.

Custom Domain and Online Presence

A custom domain is essential for building a credible and memorable online presence, and both Wix and WordPress make it possible to secure your own domain name. With Wix, registering a custom domain is straightforward and can be done directly through the platform. Most of Wix’s paid plans include a free domain for the first year, making it easy for beginners to get started without extra steps.

WordPress, on the other hand, typically requires you to purchase hosting and register your domain through a third-party provider such as Namecheap or GoDaddy. However, many WordPress hosting providers, such as Bluehost, offer a free domain name and SSL certificate with their hosting packages, which can be a cost-effective solution for new businesses. This approach gives you more flexibility to manage your domain and hosting independently, which can be beneficial if you ever want to switch providers or expand your website’s capabilities.

When it comes to boosting your online presence, WordPress offers a suite of advanced SEO tools and features that help your site perform better in search engine rankings. You can easily customize meta tags, alt text, and create XML sitemaps to improve your site’s visibility. While both Wix and WordPress allow you to connect a custom domain, WordPress’s robust SEO tools and integration options give you a stronger foundation for long-term growth and discoverability online.

Simple Website and Basic Features

If your goal is to launch a simple website with basic features, Wix is often the go-to choice for its ease of use and quick setup. The platform provides a wide selection of professionally designed templates and a drag-and-drop editor, allowing you to build a website in minutes—no coding or technical skills required. Wix offers essential features like contact forms, image galleries, and social media integration right out of the box, making it ideal for personal sites, portfolios, or small business pages.

WordPress, while slightly more complex to set up, opens the door to a world of advanced features and customization options. Even for a simple website, WordPress offers a vast plugin ecosystem, including popular tools like Yoast SEO for search engine optimization, Jetpack for security and performance, and Elementor for drag-and-drop page building. These plugins allow you to enhance your site’s functionality as your needs evolve, giving you the flexibility to start simple and scale up over time.

Wix is a great solution for users who want a straightforward, no-fuss website builder with all the basics included. However, if you anticipate needing more advanced features, custom layouts, or integration with third-party services, WordPress offers unmatched flexibility and a robust plugin ecosystem to support your growth. Whether you’re building a simple website or planning for future expansion, both Wix and WordPress have something to offer—choose the platform that best aligns with your current needs and long-term goals.

Pros and Cons of Wix and WordPress

When using Wix and WordPress, several key considerations arise. Both have their pros and cons, which are worth taking into account before making your decision:

Compared to other website builders, Wix and WordPress generally offer greater flexibility, more advanced features, and broader customization options, making them popular choices for businesses seeking more control over their website’s design and functionality.

WIX PROS

• User-friendly drag-and-drop editor.
• Wide selection of templates.
• Hosting is included.
• The Wix App Market provides additional features and integrations, though with some limitations compared to other platforms.

WIX CONS

• Limited customisation compared to open-source platforms.
• Less control over site structure and code.
• Some features require higher-tier plans.

WORDPRESS PROS

• Highly customizable with thousands of plugins and themes.
• Complete control over your website’s code and structure.
• Ability to use your domain, which enhances branding and professionalism.
• Large community and extensive documentation.

WORDPRESS CONS

• Steeper learning curve for beginners.
• Requires separate hosting and domain registration.
• Maintenance and security are your responsibility.

WIX PROS:

• User-friendly, drag-and-drop interface
• No coding is required
• Hundreds of templates to choose from
• Free plan available

WIX CONS:

• Less flexibility – you’re limited to the templates provided.
• No custom domains – all sites must be hosted on Wix.com subdomains.
• Less control over SEO – Wix does a lot of the work for you, but this can also mean less control over how well your site ranks in search engines.

WORDPRESS PROS:

• Very flexible – can be customised to do almost anything you want
• Can use your domain name and hosting provider
• More control over SEO – you have to do more of the work yourself, but this gives you more control over how well your WordPress site ranks in search engines.
• Thousands of plugins and themes are available, allowing for almost infinite customization.

WORDPRESS CONS:

• Requires some technical knowledge – if you don’t know how to code, you’ll need to hire someone who does
• It can be more expensive – although there are free plugins and free themes available, you may need to hire a developer to get the most out of WordPress.

Which Platform is More Popular Among Users?

WordPress is more popular among users. Wix is a closed-source platform, and users are limited in their ability to customise their sites. There are over 200 million Wix sites, making it a popular choice for small businesses and individuals looking for user-friendly website solutions.

• WordPress is a content management system (CMS) released in 2003.
• WordPress is free and open-source software released under the GPL.
• More than 409 million people view over 20 billion pages each month.
• WordPress is used on more than 455 million websites built with WordPress.
• WordPress is a highly versatile platform that can be utilised for a wide range of websites and applications.
• WordPress is highly customizable, and thousands of plugins and themes are available to enhance its functionality.
• WordPress is SEO friendly and has built-in features that help with website optimisation.

Which One is Better For Me?

Both Wix and WordPress are website builders that let you create a website without coding. They are both excellent options for individuals who want to build a website independently.

However, when it comes to pricing, blogging, SEO, and support, WordPress is the better option. In terms of ease of use, WordPress is slightly easier to use than Wix.

And finally, WordPress is the clear winner in terms of security. WordPress wins overall due to its flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and customization options. WordPress is your best option if you are looking for a perfect website builder that offers all of these features. We highly recommend using WordPress for your site.

Final Verdict: Wix vs WordPress

So, what is the verdict? In our opinion, WordPress is the clear winner. It’s more user-friendly and offers greater design and functionality flexibility. If you want to create a website that looks great and truly represents your brand, then we recommend using WordPress.

Are you ready to make the switch? We can help! As experienced WordPress users, we know this platform’s ins and outs – from setting up your site to optimising it for search engines. Let us show you how easy and fun website creation can be!