For those wanting to build their own website, it can be hard to know which platform is the best for you. But the big question that usually comes to mind is; ‘which would the best tool to build my website, Wix or WordPress?’
No one wants to commit a lot of time and energy building a website only to find out that you have to go through the stress again because you picked the wrong website builder. While both WordPress and Wix are popular and well-appreciated content management systems (CMS), we will quickly analyze these two solutions based on their ease of use, pricing, performance, SEO and more. In the end, you should be able to logically and confidently determine which platform is right for you. But first, it would be proper to understand what each of these website builders actually is, there pros and cons.
What is Wix?
Wix is an all-in-one website building platform that allows users to build a website from scratch. It’s designed for beginners, hence, doesn’t require any coding. You can get your site completed by dragging and dropping any select theme out of the many available.
- Website building and hosting can be done on a single platform
- You easily drag and drop elements to until site design is complete
- It contains enough features to build a quick and simple website
- Technical tasks are done by a support team, not your job
- You don’t have full control of your site
- eCommerce functionality is available but you have to purchase an additional package
- You’re limited to the customization options and template choices and so you can’t have your own unique design
- It’s difficult to manage and also create large volumes of website content
- It could become difficult to manage your site when traffic increases
- You’re limited to your earlier choice of design, themes can’t be switched.
What is Wordpress?
WordPress is an open source Content Management System that offers you plenty of options to build a wide range of websites. So far, over 30 percent of the internet runs on WordPress.
- It’s totally free and open source
- WordPress has an almost unlimited supply of options for theme selection and choice of plugin
- It is easier to manage a content-heavy site
- The WordPress is regularly updated to improve security
- You have control over all aspect of your website
- There is a learning curve, however once you learn the way Wordpress works it becomes easier. Additionally there are many resources on line to learn how to create & manage a wordpress website.
- You will have to separately manage your hosting and domain name (Bluehost is our preferred service provider for this, and makes this an all in one easy way to manage everything)
- You may spend time looking out for high-quality plugins and themes. We suggest using WPMUDev which is an amazing package of 150+ quality plugins!
- You will configure and set up your own theme (Divi is what we use among all client websites as it’s the most functional site.)
Price Comparison
Wordpress
WordPress provides you with ultimate flexibility to build a site very cheaply. Increase in price will depend on the additional functions your site requires. You can get a WordPress site online no matter your budget.
Hosting will depend on the provider you use, but with Bluehost their hosting is roughly $70/year (introductory rates) when not electing any additional up-sells they offer.
Wix
Using the free version of Wix tool for a big project isn’t recommended due to the basic functions, and ad placement that Wix places on your website.
However for more features into a website you’ll be paying a set price every month. It could amount to about $156 per year.
Hosting & Domains
Wordpress
WordPress is a self-hosted Content Management System, this implies that you have the whole choice of hosting environment to make. Again, on WordPress, you can always change or upgrade your hosting when your traffic increases or your project needs to evolve. This is one of the great benefits of WordPress. You stay in complete control of your site.
WordPress site requires you to choose and subscribe to a domain name. It is also possible to reserve a domain name from one provider and host from another. However with the use of platforms like Cloudways, Bluehost (that we prefer) all of this is included.
Wix
Wix allows you to choose a free subdomain which ends with “.wixsite.com”. Though suitable for a small personal blog, it is not an ideal solution for big projects. Again, if you opt for a stand-alone domain name (without .wix.com) on Wix, or want to transfer a pre-existing domain name to their home, you will need to opt for a premium plan.
Ease vs Control
Wordpress
WordPress takes longer time to set up and will require more learning if you have no experience in site creation. However, you maintain full control over any site developed on this open source platform.
Wix
At first glance, Wix seems to override WordPress. It is a simple solution for beginners as it provides clear step-by-step instructions, pre-built templates, and a very easy-to-use blogging interface. However, this ease of access is necessarily accompanied by a more limited control.
Apps, Extensions & Plugins
Wordpress
WordPress offers you thousands of plugins that you can install on your site. It also comes with a large number of extensions to choose from, all offering a version of what you’re looking for. WordPress extensions are very easy to install.
Wix
While Wix provides a large number of apps to add functionality to your site, those you need to build your business or project will only be available in paid versions. Therefore, with Wix, you can end up spending a lot more money in the long run to create a site that perfectly meets your needs and those of your users.
Maintenance, Security & Support
Wordpress
However, if you go for WordPress, you are sure to take responsibility for the security and regular maintenance of your site. In this way, you maintain control of your site instead of blindly trusting a third party. All of our websites created through Wild Spirit have WPMUDev Defender Installed, and Wordfence.
Wix
Wix is a cloud-based solution that includes the hosting, maintenance and security of your site. If you don’t want to worry about security and updates to your site at all then this is the ideal solution. But, this implies a lot of trusts to give Wix the full security of your site and your data.
SEO || Search Engine Optimization
Wordpress
WordPress is ideal in terms of SEO flexibility though you have to learn some little skills. Plugins also need to be added to improve the functions most SEOs require. Many SEO consultants will recommend that you build your site using WordPress.
Wix
With the free version of Wix, you won’t have much control over your URLs and could end up with one that’s not SEARCH ENGINE friendly. This implies that you have to be careful with your title and also ensure that your first words reflect the page’s content.
Logically, it appears that Wordpress is the best option for anyone who wants to create a serious site for their business or to lead an ambitious project. Even as a blogger, if you are looking to create a successful site with a large audience, WordPress will often be a better choice. Although a WordPress site will take a little longer to configure, the end result (including appearance and features) may far exceed that of a Wix site.
