If you’re trying to build a website on a budget, you’ve probably heard of Wix — or maybe you’re already using it. Wix is a prevalent tool, powering 11.5 million websites.
Although Wix can be a great beginner’s platform, many users have encountered several problems. From lack of control over your website to a high price point, it leaves many current and future website owners searching for an alternative.
Whether you’re an active Wix user searching for something better or are just considering your options, we’ve collected 10 solid Wix competitors that might provide a better experience.
Let’s dive into the best Wix alternatives of 2024.
Why look for Wix alternatives?
You’re probably already familiar with Wix, the freemium website builder often used by beginners and small businesses.
There are many reasons people choose Wix: the primary one is that it’s simple, quick and easy. Signing up and creating a basic website is easy enough due to the beginner-friendly nature of the platform. Moreover, its website templates are appealing; you can tweak them to fit your design.
That said, many users quickly encounter several issues that make them seek better alternatives to Wix, including:
- Limited flexibility and control: Despite Wix’s editor working well in some areas, you often run up against walls, like being unable to switch to a new template without starting all over or having limited control over back-end code.
- Difficult learning curve: Some people have trouble learning Wix’s editor and would instead like to use something more straightforward.
- Platform lock-in: Wix is a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution that relies on Wix’s back-end infrastructure to function. Although you can export your website’s HTML, most functionality will no longer work. This makes switching to another platform down the line a major pain.
- Feature-locked price tiers: Wix might initially seem cheap, but you’ll soon find that critical features are locked behind expensive plans. Many users prefer platforms like WordPress that lack paywalls.
- Limited apps: Wix has a few hundred (mostly paid or freemium) apps, which is enough for some users. But compared to something like WordPress, with tens of thousands of plugins, most of them completely free, Wix pales in comparison.
- Limited eCommerce: Wix works fairly well for small businesses, but compared to eCommerce-focused tools like Squarespace, Shopify and WooCommerce, it struggles at higher levels.
In the end, many Wix users are dissatisfied with the platform. If you’re one of them, these alternatives might be able to help. And if you haven’t settled on Wix yet, it’s good to know your options.
Best Wix alternatives in 2024
Here are 10 of the top Wix competitors for your consideration. Each has something unique to offer and a few key advantages over Wix.
1. Bluehost
If you’re shopping for a more accessible and versatile alternative to Wix, start with Bluehost. We offer web hosting for everyone, from individual bloggers to massive enterprises — and we already host over 1% of the internet.
While WordPress is our main focus, we offer full support for any CMS, platform, technology or framework.
For WordPress users, Bluehost offers a website builder that allows you to design beautiful web pages with 300+ templates and granular control. This comes free with every plan, and you can use your preferred WordPress SEO tools and plugins alongside it with no coding knowledge required.
Advantages over Wix:
- Lower price: Bluehost plans run much cheaper, especially during the initial promotional period. Even Bluehost’s dedicated hosting costs less than Wix’s most expensive plan.
- No platform lock-in: You can host anything on Bluehost’s servers, from WordPress to Drupal to your own HTML and CSS.
- Easy setup, beginner-friendly: The AI-powered Wondersuite was built to help you set up a WordPress website quickly and efficiently. All Bluehost tools, from the back-end dashboard and beyond, were designed with beginners in mind.
- eCommerce features: Bluehost offers specially tailored WooCommerce hosting to get small businesses on their feet quickly, with plenty of add-ons for checkout customization.
- Great speed and uptime: Bluehost has very high uptime and fast response time in third-party measurements.
- Great support: Bluehost offers 24/7 support. Helpful agents are always on call.
Price: Starts at $1.95/month.
Best Wix alternative for: WordPress fans and businesses looking for a low-cost, versatile web host.
2. Web.com
Web.com is very similar to Wix in some ways: It’s a SaaS web builder with various pricing tiers and features.
However, there are two significant differences: Web.com is a bit easier to use and leans hard into AI-powered website building. This helps you get your website up faster and more efficiently.
Despite being simpler and more streamlined, Web.com offers a powerful online store builder to help you get your eCommerce business online without the hassle.
Advantages over Wix:
- Accessible editor: If you find Wix’s editor overwhelming, you’ll like this simpler, straightforward take. It’s a great introduction if you’ve never tried a website builder.
- AI-powered: Web.com leverages the power of AI to help you get your website up fast with automation. From the actual design to the writing of copy, AI can get tedious tasks out of the way.
- Straightforward eCommerce: Creating an online store with Web.com is very easy. You can sell and ship online without artificial products or inventory limits.
Price: Starts at $4.95/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Beginners seeking a simple but powerful (and more cost-efficient) Wix alternative.
3. Domain.com
Domain.com is an all-in-one platform where you can purchase a custom domain name, get web hosting and use a website builder to create your website. If you’re looking for a one-stop shop to get a website online fast, Domain.com is the place to go.
One big difference between this and other web hosts is that it offers only shared hosting. For many small businesses, this will be more than enough power for a long time. You can switch to something like Bluehost’s VPS hosting once you need more scaling power.
Hosting with Domain.com grants access to the website builder from Web.com. You get all the features listed above in your website builder, including AI-powered website designs and eCommerce tools.
Advantages over Wix:
- All in one: Domain.com cuts out having to hunt for web hosting or domain registrars. Everything is ready to go.
- Inexpensive: Domain.com is very affordable. Purchasing hosting allows you to get a domain and website builder for free.
- Easy to use: Starting a website can be overwhelming if it’s your first time. Domain.com makes it easy thanks to its focus on beginner web admins.
Price: Starts at $3.75/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Beginners and small business owners looking for a simple all-in-one solution.
4. HostGator
If you’ve looked into web hosting at all, you’ve almost definitely heard of HostGator. This extremely popular web host is a common choice for brand-new web admins.
Besides web hosting, HostGator also offers a website builder tailored towards beginners. More than 100 templates give you a good foundation for setting up a website, and you’ll have no trouble getting the hang of the drag-and-drop functionality.
Advantages over Wix:
- Affordable: HostGator’s entry point is low, so you can get online on a budget.
- Easy website creation: HostGator’s drag-and-drop website builder is easy to use. Even if you’ve never tried a website builder, you’ll have no trouble with this one.
- eCommerce extras: Advanced website builder pricing plans grant access to complete, unlimited features for setting up eCommerce stores like inventory management and payment gateways.
Price: Starts at $3.75/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Beginners looking for affordable hosting with a user-friendly way to build an online presence.
5. WordPress
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that rivals or surpasses Wix in versatility.
Although WordPress was made for blogging, and its robust CMS capabilities reflect this, the platform is versatile in every aspect. On top of having a large community, WordPress offers thousands of plugins for things like analytics tools, backups, email marketing and social media.
WordPress is less design-focused than Wix, and its block-based Gutenberg editor is very different from other website editors. That said, the CMS still boasts thousands of themes and many web design tools to choose from.
WordPress itself is a free website builder, but you’ll need to purchase WordPress hosting.
Advantages over Wix:
- Infinite extendability: WordPress is immensely popular and powers 43% of the internet. This has led to a thriving community and tens of thousands of plugins to extend its functionality.
- Block editor: If you can’t get the hang of Wix’s editor, you may find the Gutenberg block editor more intuitive. Or, you can install a website builder plugin and try something new entirely.
- Easy to learn: There is more of a learning curve than Wix, but WordPress’s interface is intuitive once you get the hang of it.
- Free: WordPress is free, open-source software. You just need to combine it with a web host like Bluehost.
Price: Free.
Best Wix alternative for: Bloggers, businesses and entrepreneurs looking for maximum versatility and control.
6. Shopify
If you’re trying to start up a store, Shopify is at the top of many recommendations. Shopify has the tools to host everything from small businesses to multi-million-dollar empires. And their popular website builder is pretty good, too.
Shopify lacks some versatility and extendability compared to WordPress, but there’s a decent range of apps available and some helpful built-in functions.
The focus on eCommerce is a big pro for many, though compared to Wix, Shopify can get much more pricey – especially with its added transaction fees. Overall, Shopify is a solid eCommerce solution.
Advantages over Wix:
- Great website builder: Shopify’s website builder has more advanced features than Wix’s, allowing you to design a beautiful website easily.
- eCommerce focus: Shopify is all about eCommerce, so it’s a good platform for starting an online shop.
- Extend with apps: Shopify’s app store might not be comparable to WordPress’s plugin repository, but it will be enough for many users.
- Customization: Shopify’s advanced website builder and 100+ themes let you create a unique and beautiful website.
Price: Starts at $29/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Businesses of any size looking for an advanced Wix alternative.
7. Squarespace
Squarespace is a design-focused website builder with many creative tools to help you make unique and beautiful websites. It’s more versatile than Wix’s website builder, though also much harder to get the hang of.
Although not quite as eCommerce-focused as Shopify, Squarespace still hosts powerful features to help you build an online store, including built-in marketing tools.
Squarespace offers a great degree of customization, but get ready for a steeper learning curve.
Advantages over Wix:
- Advanced website builder: Squarespace’s builder is very powerful but requires more technical skills than Wix’s.
- Great templates: 150+ customizable templates are featured on Squarespace, which can be fully customized in its editor.
- eCommerce support: Squarespace allows you to create any online store and sell quickly and efficiently.
Price: Starts at $17/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Businesses and designers searching for an advanced Wix alternative.
8. Weebly
Weebly and Wix are often compared to each other. While Weebly isn’t quite as popular as its counterpart, it boasts similar features: A website builder, eCommerce support and a free plan.
There are a few differences, however. Weebly is more straightforward in design, which makes it less feature-rich but a little easier to use.
Generally, if you’re looking for something quite similar to Wix but just a bit simpler, Weebly is a good choice. It also costs much less.
Advantages over Wix:
- Simpler design: While Weebly lacks some features compared to Wix, it’s smaller and simpler in scope, which makes it easier for some users to handle.
- Inexpensive: Weebly costs much less than Wix while offering similar features, so it’s good if you’re on a budget.
- Very beginner-friendly: The beginner-focused design of Weebly keeps things simple and easy to learn.
Price: Starts at $10/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Beginners looking for a simpler Wix alternative to create a professional website.
9. Webflow
Targeted primarily at designers, you’ll feel at home in Webflow if you’ve used tools like Adobe Dreamweaver in the past.
While this makes learning extremely difficult compared to Wix, it’s the perfect choice if you’ve found yourself frustrated with how restrictive other website builders often are.
There are plenty of other features here, like web hosting and eCommerce support, and a free plan to test it out first. But there’s not much in the way of customer support here, especially for free users, so be prepared to work independently.
Advantages over Wix:
- Design focus: Webflow’s primary goal is to provide an advanced design interface, which is great if other website builders have felt restrictive to you.
- Free plan: Try Webflow for free before you commit.
- Versatility: Webflow is a highly versatile platform with many features. You can export your work and host it on premium plans on another platform.
Price: Starts at $14/month.
Best Wix alternative for: Independent designers looking for an advanced and powerful website builder.
10. Google Sites
Are you looking for something free and super simple? Google Sites is the perfect fit. While the platform has limited features, there are no fees or paywalled aspects. This is the place to go if you just want a simple website up right now.
Google Sites uses a simple drag-and-drop builder with minimal customization options. Getting your website to look how you want can be frustrating, but you get collaboration features and hosting on Google’s servers for free.
Advantages over Wix:
- Extremely simple: Google Sites’ editor is very easy to use due to its simplicity.
- No cost: Building and hosting your website on Google’s servers costs nothing.
- Collaborate: Build with others in real time.
Price: Free.
Best Wix alternative for: Freelancers or anyone who wants a straightforward website for free.
Final thoughts: Top Wix alternatives to try in 2024
Wix might be a decent website builder for beginners, but it’s not without its faults. If you’ve fallen out with Wix, one of these 10 alternatives surely has what you’re looking for, whether it’s a low price or a higher degree of control.
If you’re looking for something similar to Wix but a lot more flexible, a CMS like WordPress is often a great choice. But you’ll need a web host to put it on — and why not choose one like Bluehost, which comes with one of the best website builders and extra design features?
Bluehost can help you build a website or online store at a much lower price than Wix. Thanks to Wondersuite, getting used to WordPress is a cinch, and you’ll have your beautiful website up and running in no time.
