For beginners who want to start a blog, WordPress and Wix are among the top choices. They have similar features, but the main difference is they’re built on different platforms.
Wix is an all-in-one website builder with pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop functionality, suitable for users who want a simple and user-friendly solution, while WordPress is a highly customizable and extensible CMS that offers greater flexibility and scalability for experienced users.
WordPress vs. Wix — An overview
Wix and WordPress are two of today’s most popular blogging platforms.
WordPress powers over 43% of the internet, translating to 63% of the CMS market share. Wix has over 200 million users worldwide, powering 2.5% of all websites. That equals a 3.7% market share.
Both Wix and WordPress enable you to start a blog and online store, have search engine optimization (SEO) functionality and are easy to use. But that’s where their similarities end.
Wix is a beginner-friendly website builder that provides users the tools they need to create blogs, websites and eCommerce stores. Plans include web hosting, custom domain names, eCommerce tools and CMS features.
WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS), which means it’s free to use and download. But to keep your WordPress site online, you need to pay for web hosting, domains and maintenance.
Comparing WordPress vs. Wix
In this comparison of Wix vs. WordPress, we’ll answer the following questions:
- Pricing:Which platform gives you more value for money?
- Ease of use: Which platform is more beginner-friendly?
- Design and customization: Which platform gives you more control over your website’s look and functionality?
- Blogging:Which platform is better for blogging?
- Data ownership:Who owns your data?
- Performance:Which platform performs better with regard to website speed and scalability?
- Security and maintenance:Which platform is more secure and easier to maintain?
- eCommerce:Which platform is better for starting an online store?
- Marketing and SEO:Which provides you with more tools for marketing and increasing organic traffic?
- Support:How does each platform address your questions?
Pricing comparison
To create a WordPress website, you can download and install the software for free, but you’ll need to pay for add-ons such as a web host, domain name and WordPress plugins.
Some WordPress costs include:
- Web hosting:Plans for popular WordPress hosting platforms start at $0.99/month and can go up to $1,500/month. Bluehost, one of WordPress’s recommended web hosting providers, has WordPress hosting plans starting at $2.95/month.
- Domain names:Other web hosting providers may require you to buy separate domains, but some web hosting companies, like Bluehost, have plans that come with free domains.
- Add-ons:WordPress has thousands of free plugins, but paid options can cost up to $200 each. There are also free and paid themes available on online marketplaces, but original custom-designed themes can cost up to $5,000.
- Website Plans
- Business and eCommerce Plans
- Enterprise Plans
- Unlimited products
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Subscriptions
- Social selling
- Dropshipping
- Add and edit page titles, meta descriptions, header tags, URLs and image alt tags
- Generate sitemaps
- Mobile-responsiveness
- Integrate with analytics tools
- Read WordPress documentation
- Ask questions on a WordPress support forum
- Look for blog or video tutorials
- Consult with web hosting companies knowledgeable about WordPress. Some, like Bluehost, offer WordPress support as a service.
As a SaaS, Wix plans come with everything you need to start a website — platform use, web hosting, domain name, SSL certificates and maintenance.
Wix offers three plan tiers:
Wix offers a limited free plan. Its lowest-tiered paid plan starts at $4.50/month when billed annually, but it comes with Wix branding and doesn’t include a free domain.
So, if you plan to use Wix for your small business website, the Unlimited plan at $12.50/month is your best bet.
Like WordPress, Wix also offers premium add-ons. They cost between $3 and $20 per app.
Pricing verdict
WordPress has more value for money.
At first glance, it seems like you save more on Wix plans, but its lower-tiered plans are limited. WordPress has higher upfront costs, but once you pay for those, it costs little to maintain the website.
Ease of use comparison
Both WordPress and Wix are beginner-friendly, but Wix makes it easier for users to build a website.
When you sign up for a Wix account, Wix asks a few questions about the type of website you want to create and suggests templates based on your answers.
After choosing a template, it takes you to the Wix Editor — a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor that lets you design your page using drag-and-drop elements.
Once you’re done designing your website, click Publish to have it go live.
It’s a tie. While Wix might seem easier to use at first glance, web hosts like Bluehost make the WordPress experience a breeze.
Design and customization comparison
Besides ease of use, we also looked at customizability, or the ability to personalize your website’s look and functionality.
Wix holds its own on the customization front. It has a drag-and-drop editor, and users can get hundreds of professionally-designed templates and apps from the Wix App Market.
Its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) software, Editor X, can also suggest designs for your website based on the answers you give on its questionnaire.
But one thing going against Wix is once you’ve chosen a template, you can’t change it.
With WordPress, frequently changing your themes, templates or layouts is possible thanks to Gutenberg, a drag-and-drop, block-based editor.
The block-based editor makes it easier to make changes to your website. Plus, you can choose from thousands of free and paid WordPress themes and plugins. Themes give WordPress a new look, while plugins extend and enhance WordPress’s functionality.
Design and customization verdict
While Wix offers many customization options, some may find the selection limiting. WordPress offers more customization options than Wix does.
Blogging comparison
Both Wix and WordPress have blogging features that let you write posts, add media (like video, photo or audio) and edit the layout of your blog page.
What sets Wix apart from WordPress is it has pre-designed post templates you can use to start a blog post. However, Wix lacks a lot of the blogging functionality WordPress has.
For instance, Wix doesn’t allow private posts or backdating your entries. Plus, its built-in commenting system is hard to use.
In contrast, WordPress started as a blogging platform, so it has all the blogging features you need. That includes a better comment section and an easier way to change or create your blog layout.
Blogging verdict
When it comes to blogging, WordPress is unbeatable.
Data ownership and monetization comparison
In this age of GDPR and data privacy, it’s important to know who controls your data.
Some blogging websites consider themselves third-party platforms, meaning they have full control over your content. For example, if you post something that violates their terms of service, they can remove your content or shut down your account.
If you don’t own your website and data, you’ll always be at the mercy of these platforms. They also limit monetization opportunities.
According to Wix guidelines, you own your website data and content. It also has a few monetization options.
With WordPress, you own your content and can monetize it.
Data ownership and monetization verdict
Although Wix says you own your data and content, WordPress gives you more freedom over data and monetization.
Speed and performance comparison
There are many ways to measure website performance, including stability, speed and scalability.
Stability
A reliable platform is crucial to a business. IT downtime can cost companies up to $16,000 per minute.
WordPress and Wix are generally stable platforms with minimal downtime. They both undergo regular updates to address issues and ensure everything works well.
Speed
Page load speed is a critical performance metric that affects user experience and SEO.
According to a study by ToolTester, Wix outperforms WordPress in three out of four areas, except mobile performance, where WordPress performs slightly better.
Check Wix and WordPress’s performance scores in the table below. For context, a desktop or mobile performance score of 90 is good, 50-90 needs improvement and below 50 is poor.
Wix used to underperform before it improved its SEO features.
According to Search Engine Journal, Wix’s approach to managing its technology might be why it outperformed WordPress. As a website builder, Wix controls each element, so websites on the platform have a uniform standard.
In contrast, WordPress’s open-source nature could have contributed to its lackluster performance. Users can choose which themes and plugins they want to use — and not all of them can optimize for SEO as well as one would like.
Scalability
In terms of scalability, it’s much easier to grow on WordPress.
When you outgrow your current Wix plan, you have to sign up for the next tier until you reach the expensive enterprise plan.
But WordPress stays the same.
Proof of WordPress’s power: It’s the CMS behind some of the world’s biggest websites, such as Meta Newsroom and TechCrunch.
Verdict: WordPress vs. Wix — Performance
Performance depends on what you’re looking for. Both platforms are stable, but Wix is lighter and faster, while WordPress is more scalable.
WordPress vs. Wix – Security comparison
Sophos estimates 30,000 website attacks happen every day. There are multiple ways hackers can gain access to your website, but most are preventable.
One of those ways is choosing a platform that regularly updates its core software — which both Wix and WordPress do.
And as a SaaS, Wix has built-in security features, such as DDoS protection, free SSL certificates, website monitoring tools and automatic updates. Users don’t need to worry since Wix provides these features out of the box.
With WordPress, users are responsible for security updates. It can be overwhelming because WordPress, being the most popular CMS in the world, is more prone to vulnerabilities and attacks.
Security verdict
It’s a tie. As a managed platform, Wix users enjoy automatic updates and maintenance. But WordPress offers frequent updates that are automatically installed for Bluehost customers.
eCommerce comparison
Both Wix and WordPress offer eCommerce functionality, but which platform is better for selling products?
Wix has three plans under its eCommerce tier.
Starting at $17/month, Wix gives you tools to accept payments and sell online. It also offers features like:
But we wouldn’t recommend Wix for online stores looking to grow their business. It’s better suited to bloggers or creators who want to offer their audiences digital products.
On the other hand, WordPress’s eCommerce features aren’t built in. You must install the WooCommerce plugin to add eCommerce functionality to WordPress.
If you can’t configure WooCommerce yourself, some web hosting companies like Bluehost offer WooCommerce hosting. These plans include optimized hosting for your online store. They’ll also automatically install the software.
eCommerce verdict
It’s much easier and less expensive to set up an eCommerce store on WordPress.
Marketing and SEO comparison
Marketing and SEO are essential features in a blogging platform since these help bring visitors to your website.
Both Wix and WordPress rely on apps and tools for SEO functionality and have similar on-page SEO features:
WordPress relies on the Yoast SEO plugin to improve its all-around SEO performance.
Wix used to be known for bad SEO but worked hard to improve that functionality. It now has a built-in suite of advanced SEO tools and an SEO checklist to use when building your website.
While Wix has a set of advanced SEO tools, WordPress’s toolset is more powerful and gives you more control over SEO and marketing functions.
Support comparison
Another important factor to consider when choosing a platform is its level of customer support.
Although you might not need it, it’s reassuring to know there’s a dedicated team that can answer questions related to technical or billing problems.
Wix offers 24/7 customer service regardless of the plan you choose.
The WixBot chatbot is available when you log in to your account. You can also talk to Wix agents via live chat, email or phone support.
If you prefer self-service options, you can check the Wix Help Center for answers to your questions.
Unlike Wix, WordPress doesn’t have an in-house support team. However, it does have a large community of passionate users ready to lend a hand should you need it.
Here are some ways to resolve WordPress technical issues:
Support verdict
Wix offers better customer support.
Final thoughts: WordPress vs. Wix — Which platform should you choose?
WordPress and Wix are two of today’s most popular blogging platforms.
They have similar functions but operate with different business models and features. For instance, WordPress is known for its flexibility and customization, but some users might prefer Wix for its simplicity.
They’re both great platforms, but choosing between them ultimately boils down to your needs.
But, based on our criteria, we recommend WordPress, as it outperforms Wix in most of our guide’s categories.
For a better WordPress experience, sign up for a Bluehost WordPress hosting plan.
FAQs for comparing WordPress to Wix
Wix is an all-in-one website builder with pre-designed templates and drag-and-drop functionality, suitable for users who want a simple and user-friendly solution, while WordPress is a highly customizable and extensible CMS that requires technical knowledge, but offers greater flexibility and scalability for experienced users.
Wix is a beginner-friendly website builder. Its plans come with web hosting, domain names, SSL certificates and maintenance. Those features make it easy for users to start building and designing a website. But note that you can get all those features with WordPress by signing up for a Bluehost WordPress hosting plan.
WordPress gives users more control over their website. It’s scalable, offers more customization opportunities and costs less than Wix.
Yes, but the procedure can be complicated as both platforms have different website architectures. Some Wix elements may not be transferred. The best option is to use a migration plugin or manually export your Wix data and import it to WordPress.
WordPress powers 43% of the internet. If Wix has over 200 million users worldwide and powers 2.5% of all websites, that means WordPress has approximately 3.5 billion websites.
