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Wix vs. WordPress – Which Is Better for Your Site {Everything You Need to Know}

Congratulations – you’ve decided to start a blog or website for your business! But wait, what now? Which platform should you choose to build your site on? With so many options today, chances are you will really have a hard time deciding which platform is best for YOU. After all, the last thing you want to do is spend time and energy building up your blog or business website, and then find out you need to rebuild everything, just because you chose the wrong platform.

Choosing the right tools for your blog is essential to your success, which is why I've decided to write this post – to simplify things and help you make a decision that is right for you 🙂

In this post I will compare the two most used platforms among bloggers and business owners – WordPress and Wix.

Before I begin the comparison, it is important to understand one thing  – both WordPress and Wix have free versions. Meaning, both web development tools offer the possibility to use their website builder completely free of charge. There is a catch though, which is why I DO NOT recommend to use the free version… I promise to expand on this later on 🙂

 

In order to understand the major difference between WordPress and Wix, you first need to understand the meaning of web hosting and what the difference is between the various types of hosting. I admit, this is not the most exciting subject, but, if you want to be sure you’re choosing the right platform that is best for you, this section should not be skipped.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS WEB HOSTING?

A website is composed of different computer files {text, images, videos, etc.}. In order for these files to be on the internet, you need  a server with high speed internet connection, where all of your website’s files will be saved. If this sounds a little complicated, try and think of it this way – web hosting is in fact like renting a home to keep your belongings safe and available at all times. {The good news is that unlike renting land, web hosting can actually be really cheap!}.

A hosting company is a company that provides you with everything you need to store your blog or website online. Your site’s hosting is done on their computer servers, and they make sure it is accessible to everyone on the internet.

There are lots of companies that provide web hosting, but they can all be divided into two categories – self-hosted platforms and hosted platforms…

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELF-HOSTED AND HOSTED PLATFORMS?

Web hosting can be quite a technical subject, but I will do my best to keep it as simple as possible.

Websites with hosted web platforms

Websites for which the hosting company supplies the platform on which you can build your website, the software with which you can build the site, AND the site’s host. Think of it an an “all-included” package deal.

Examples for hosted platforms are Blogger, Wix, and WordPress.com.

Sound perfect? Not exactly… Choosing this option comes with many limitations and restrictions.

Hosted platforms have full control over the platform you use, website-building software, your monetization options, and the index of your site in search engines {i.e the likelihood that it will appear at the beginning of the results in a Google search}. In a sense, even though it is your website, you are at the mercy of the hosting company and its terms of use. Reading the terms and conditions will expose the fact that most of these companies have the right to change, delete, or share your content, as they please.

Yep, you got that right. What you think is exactly the case – when your website is set up on a platform such as Wix, Blogger, or WordPress.com, your blog, rather than belonging to you, actually belongs to them! And so, if you’re unhappy with your hosting situation and would like to move on to another, this will require you to rebuild your website from scratch.

Although the content you’ve created still belongs to you {texts you have written and photos you have taken}, you are not the true owner of the website you have built and therefore, when you decide to move on to another hosting company you won’t be able to transfer the site as it is.

Websites with self-hosted platforms

An independant website is a site that can be structured independently using website building software (such as WordPress.org), and then stored by with an external hosting company. In this case, unlike hosted websites, the hosting company is the one that makes your site appear online but it can’t freely do what it wants with your website – the site itself belongs to you!

Yes, a self-hosted website is entirely yours. You can build it up any way you want, and you’re able to transfer it in the future to any other hosting company of your choice. Let’s just say, the sky’s the limit.

Ok, now that you’ve distinguished between the different types of hosting, I’m pretty sure that by now you’re convinced that a self-hosted website is the right choice for anyone looking to build a serious website – whether a business or a blog – that aspires to succeed and make profit. For your site, I highly recommend going for a self-hosted website with WordPress.org and Bluehost as your site hosting company. If you need step by step guidance, check out my guide accompanied by screenshots for each of the steps 🙂

Choosing a self-hosted website is absolutely the best way to design your website to match your needs, create profit, and expand your business in the future. You may start with hosted platforms, but you will most likely come to the conclusion that they are not good enough for your blog, and then you’ll have to deal with the hassle of transferring your content to a new platform and rethinking the site’s design.

Don’t waste your time. Independent site may not be free of charge, but it’ll save you a lot in the future.

 

STILL DEBATING WHETHER TO GO WITH WORDPRESS OR WIX?

While so many people are using Wix, you may not be 100% sure that you want to build your site on WordPress. Besides, you haven’t really figured out the difference between Woerdpress.com and WordPress.org, after wall they are both named Worpdress!

So, before we proceed to comparing between WordPress and Wix, let’s try and understand, once and for all, what are the differences  between the two types of WordPress.

WORDPRESS .COM VS WORDPRESS .ORG

It’s actually quite simple, WordPress.org is a platform that provides free software for website building. To build an independent website on it you would need to pay to use the services of an external hosting company. WordPress.com is a hosted platform that actually uses the same WordPress.org website builder software, but also stores your site on their servers for free.

“Did somebody say ‘free’?..”

Don’t get too excited, in this case, there are many disadvantages to free…

✖ The domain for any website built for free on WordPress.com ends with wordpress.com {and that is so unprofessional…}.

✖ WordPress.com’s free package doesn’t allow you to use personalized templates purchased online.

✖ WordPress.com does not use plug-ins, which makes it very limited.

✖ WordPress.com uses built-in advertisements on websites built for free, and there is no option for you to benefit from them, as the entire profit goes directly to WordPress.com.

✖ WordPress.com doesn’t allow you to make a change in the site’s source code. This can be a major limitation if you ever want to personalize your template.

The bad news is, that even if you decide to upgrade your WordPress.com website to a paid premium version, the platform is still limited in terms of what can be created and also happens to cost more than the the WordPress.org option combined with self-hosted hosting. It is more expensive, more restrictive, and doesn’t belong to you.

Bottom line, WordPress.com is ok as a free platform if you’re looking to start a blog as a hobby, don’t really intend to personalize your site, and don’t plan for it to become profitable in the future. But most of us want more than a simple blog for hobby purposes – we want to create blogs that are real businesses that make a lot of money,  or, create a website for an existing business. If this is your goal, you need to be using the right tools to make it happen. If you want to run a successful business online, and manage a profitable blog, you should choose the best option for your website from the very beginning.

Ok, so if your goal is not to start a blog as a hobby only, you must have already realized that WordPress.com is not the direction for you… But what about Wix?

I’ve decided that the best way to really help you understand which platform suits your site best – Wix or WordPress.org – is to compare the two platforms based on the most important criteria: cost, user interface, content mobility, design, plugins and applications, and SEO. I've also compared the two platforms from the perspective of business owners {focusing on online trading} and from a blogger's perspective {focusing on adapting the platform to the blog}.

 

COST

WIX

As I wrote in the introduction to this post, Wix, like WordPress, has a free website building option. With that being said, it is a very basic website and shares many of the mentioned disadvantages with the free WordPress.com site – a non-personalized domain {username.wix.com/sitename}, built-in advertisements on the top and bottom of the webpage {profit automatically goes to Wix}, a limited selection of plugins {applications}, and more.

In this case, too, to remove ads and get more features, you'll need to upgrade to one of the premium programs they offer.

The most recommended program on Wix for blogs and average websites is the Unlimited Program {$12.50 a month}, but if you’re interested in selling products or services on your site, you’ll need to upgrade to the eCommerce Program {$16.50 a month}. The cost of course does not include paid apps from the Wix app store.

 

WORDPRESS

Using WordPress.org is free and available for all. However, as I’ve already mentioned, to make sure your site is visible online you’ll have to pay an external hosting company and pay for your domain as well.

I highly recommend choosing Bluehost's basic program {and through my link you can purchase Bluehost hosting at a special discount of only $2.95 per month!!}. If you need step-by-step guidance, here is my guide where I explain how to start a WordPress blog with Bluehost, step by step, in under 15 minutes.

This cost does not include upgraded themes and premium extensions. However, there are thousands of free WordPress themes and templates that you can use to reduce costs {more on this topic below}.

 

THE VERDICT

In terms of costs, WordPress beats Wix.  While Wix doesn’t have many website hosting options, on a independent WordPress website you can choose from a wide selection of hosting plans, available to purchase from various web hosting companies.

For the sake of comparison, If you were to start a blog on Wix, your monthly fee or the recommended program would be $12.50 {$16.50 if you open an online store}, while if you go for WordPress via Bluehost, your monthly fee for the recommended program would be $2.95 for the first year {because you get a free domain for one year on Bluehost hosting} and starting from the second  year the price goes up to $4.20 a month {I’ve calculated hosting + the domain, together costs $15 for a whole year}. Simple math 🙂

 

USER INTERFACE

WIX

Wix's biggest advantage is its convenient design interface, which makes it easy to build websites in a short time. Wix users build their site by using the drag & drop tool. By choosing Wix, you can drag and drop different design elements anywhere on your site to get the look you want, by simply dragging and dropping.

 

WORDPRESS

WordPress uses a Customizer Interface that allows you to edit certain features within the theme you have installed on the site {change of fonts, colors, adding and removing design elements, etc.). In addition, WordPress has recently revamped an innovative writing interface called Gutenberg that makes it easy to create beautiful page layouts for your blog. Unlike Wix, WordPress does not have a built in Drag and Drop tool.

Using WordPress requires a small learning curve for beginners, however there are thousands of different design themes and templates that make the site’s appearance easy to customize.

 

THE VERDICT

When it comes to user interface, Wix has a relative advantage since you don’t have to spend a lot of time learning the platform before you begin building your site. However, WordPress is a lot more flexible in terms of formatting and features, and the learning curve is relatively small {you do not need to learn a code language}. If you still don’t want to skip the drag & drop tool, you can use a  plugin called ‘Elementor’ to design your website on WordPress.org.

 

CONTENT MOBILITY

WIX

As I have already explained in comparison to the different types of web hosting, Wix offers very limited options for transferring content to another platform. While you can export your site's text records {XML format only}, your website’s content {pages, images, and videos} can only be transferred manually. So if you build your site on Wix, and decide to move to another platform in the future, it will be pretty difficult to do so.

 

WORDPRESS

WordPress.org makes it really easy to export your website’s content. Since it is a platform for self-hosted websites, it is possible to create full backups of the site with various plugins, quickly and easily.

 

THE VERDICT

No question here, WordPress easily wins. This is the reason why if you’re thinking about building your site on Wix, although more intuitive, think again. If you want your business / blog website to be successful, at some point you will feel that Wix is not good enough for you, and you’ll want to change to a different platform, and by then it will be quite challenging.

 

DESIGN

WIX

On Wix you can find more than 500 pre-designed templates. All of Wix’s templates are designed to be responsive and fit to mobile. As I explained under the previous criterion, by using the simple drag & drop tool, you can personalize your website’s look according to your needs. However, one of the biggest disadvantages with Wiz, is that once you’ve selected a design template, there’s no going back. If you’ll want to facelift your site with a new design template you’ll have to do it manually.

 

WORDPRESS

With WordPress.org, you can use thousands of free and premium {paid} themes and templates. The free options come with limited support {if any}, while premium ones have a more professional look an include a premium support option.

Most WordPress themes come with their own customization options, and can be upgraded with thousands of different plugins.

Another thing unique to WordPress.org is the ability to hire a developer or learn to create a completely customized design for your site {this might seem irrelevant right now, but from experience – as your business grows, you will want this option!}

 

THE VERDICT

WordPress is completely a winner in this criterion. WordPress has a much larger range of themes than Wix. In addition, WordPress site owners can replace templates and alter them fully without any restrictions.

 

PLUGINS & APPLICATIONS

WIX

Wix offers over 200 apps, including contact forms, social media buttons, galleries, and more, all can be added to upgrade your site. Some apps are free while others charge a monthly fee at variable prices. One of WordPress’s most favored plugins, Yoast SEO, is unavailable on Wix, but they do have an alternative for $4.90 a month.

 

WORDPRESS

Tens of thousands {!!!} plugins can be found on WordPress.org, for every conceivable use, from special fonts, adding forms, Google Analytics, social media extensions, design supplements, store, maps, and more. And the good news is – most of them are free.

 

THE VERDICT

WordPress takes this round as well. Despite Wix’s growing library of applications, it is still very limited in comparison to the enormous selection on WordPress, which will take time to catch up with.

 

SEO

WIX

While in recent years Wix has advanced more than ever in SEO, SEO is still one of the platform’s drawbacks. This is especially true when it comes to promoting Google search engine {and hey, after all it's the number one search engine in the world, so I'd say it's a pretty big problem}.

 

WORDPRESS

When it comes to search engines, WordPress.org is a favorite. WordPress sites are optimized, and of course, there are promotion and optimization supplements, the most famous of which is Yoast, which allows to promote the site easily and for free.

 

THE VERDICT

Search engine promotion and optimization is most significant to the success of your website, {I say this from experience – 85% of my site’s traffic is organically rooted in search engines!}. Therefore, here too, WordPress is the winning platform.

 

WIX VS WORDPRESS FROM A BUSINESS OWNER’S PERSPECTIVE –
WHICH ONE IS BETTER FOR ONLINE TRADING SITES?

WIX

Included in their price, Wix offers online trading with the eCommerce premium program {at $ 16.50$ a month}. Meaning, it is not possible to open an online store on the free version of Wix.

 

WORDPRESS

There are several ways to integrate an online store on WordPress.org, but the most common and popular way is with a plug-in named WooCommerce, which accounts for more than 40% of all e-commerce sites in the world. The plugin itself is free, but can be paid to be upgraded for more features. With this plugin you can easily open a small or large online store.

 

THE VERDICT

If you want to build an online store and plan on increasing the activity of your online trading site in the future, then WordPress is better for you in the long run.

 

WIX VS WORDPRESS FROM A BLOGGER’S PERSPECTIVE –
WHICH ONE IS BETTER SUITED FOR A BLOG?

WIX

On Wix you can easily start a blog or add a blog category to a static site. All of the most basic blogging features can be found on the platform – such as categories, pages, tags, images, archives, but the biggest drawback is that people need to sign up if they want to to leave a comment on your blog. You can imagine what that means – almost no one has the patience to deal with unnecessary things like registering for that kind of thing… so chances are you'll get far fewer responses. Another problem is that these comments will not be available again in the future {i.e, if you decide to switch to another platform, all comments on your blog will be deleted}.

There are additional disadvantages to Wix blogs, such as the post writer interface, which is very limited in terms of design options, and the inability to create private posts or schedule posts, and more.

 

WORDPRESS

WordPress has started as a platform for blogging, so it probably has all the features a blog needs – like a built-in feedback system and other advanced features that Wix is missing.

In terms of the blogging interface, WordPress has recently revamped an innovative writing interface called Gutenberg, which makes it easy to create beautiful page layouts for your blog. Most importantly, you can expand your blog using countless plugins and add any feature you can think of.

 

THE VERDICT

Yet again WordPress surpasses Wix. Yes, the possibility to build beautiful blogs on Wix does exists, but if you want to take your blog seriously, it is worth your while to start your blog on WordPress. Even if it means it will take you a little longer to understand how everything works.

 

 

I hope this post helped you understand the differences between the different platforms, and decide what will make the right home for your new website. If you’re ready to build your website, for your business or blog, on WordPress.org, don’t miss the step-by-step guide I've written to walk you through it in less than 15 minutes.

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What platform is better for your blog or business site? WordPress or Wix? Choosing the right tools for your blog is essential to your success, That is why I've decided to write this post that will simplify things for you and help you make the right decision for your site.

 

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30 Responses

  1. My votes go to WordPress. Because there are too many readymade things we can use them free. and in wix, we need to pay for the same things. So I would Like to recommend WordPress if you are starting a blog.

  2. I prefer wordpress compared to wix because I have used wordpress for years and there has never been a problem that means wordpress. and about wordpress statistics is very good.
    thank you for this very useful article.
     

  3. Keep sharing good knowledge with us. Thanks
    Very interesting and informative post, special thanks for the links,
    I hope that your article will be helpful.

  4. Nice post. Can i ask you something. What would you recommend of using Wix or WordPress? Waiting for your reply 🙂

  5. Thanks Tamar, wonderful post, loved reading it. Currently my website is in Shopify, but we are not selling it. We are changing it to wordpress, so that we get more flexibility and save some bucks as well. If you are not selling online, there is no point using shopify, as monthly charges are very high.

    1. I agree. I heard that Shopify is a great platform for online stores, but WordPress.org is much more flexible and using the Woocomenrce plugin is perfect for setting up stores too!

  6. I loved this post very informative and useful! Thanks for sharing such kind of useful stuff. Online pdf scanner and well described article. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

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