Wix vs Wordpress Comparison

While the two platforms are vastly different, if you're looking for a quick way to start, we recommend starting with Wix.

Updated on October 15, 2019
Between the two builders, our preference is Wix
Wix Overall rating: 9.7 / 10
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Reviewing the differences of Wix and WordPress

TL;DR: Wix and WordPress are two of the best website creation platforms currently available. And while both are targeted to different markets, their pricing, level of customization, and ease of use are the main factors that will help you decide which one to pick for yourself.

  • Overview of Wix
    • Pros
    • Cons
  • Overview of WordPress
    • Pros
    • Cons
  • Major Differences
    • Price
    • Customization
    • Ease of Use
    • Customer Service
    • Control over Site
  • Conclusion

Wix and WordPress have become titans of the website creation software market. While Wix is still relatively new to the market, it has easily become one of the most popular websites creates currently available on the internet; second only to the veteran WordPress.

The presence of Wix has spawned various debates over which platform is better, Wix, or WordPress. Has the newer and younger platform taken the upper hand over the veteran of the market, or does the king still hold his crown? Let’s do a side by side comparison of both websites to settle the debate Wix vs WordPress once and for all. Read our in-depth review of Wix here.

Overview of Wix

Wix is one of the biggest website creation softwares currently available in the market that specifically targets an audience of smaller businesses. These small business owners don’t have to spend too much money to make their own websites. However, Wix is not limited to smaller companies and start-ups, its tools and features have compelled mid-tier, or even top tier businesses to use it for their websites.

Wix offers various pricing plans that give you different features depending on the package that you select. The price ranges from $5 and goes all the way to $35, with increases in storage capacity, video hours, bandwidth, and much more. It is a great place for new companies to come and lay their foundation, seeing how the drag and drop Wix editor makes the process of changing and updating your website just that much more seamless.

Pros

  • No need for prior web development experience
  • Integrated eCommerce for online businesses
  • Support is always available
  • Drag and drop features for site building
  • Everything available in Wix depending on your Plan – no need for plug-ins

Cons

  • While some great, not all the designs live up to the expectations of the rest of the site
  • Can’t change site design once live
  • Limited customization possibilities
  • Wix can take your website down for any reason they see fit

Overview of WordPress

WordPress is currently one of the largest website creation softwares on the internet as of now. But its major selling point isn’t a drag and drop website editor, but absolute freedom in terms of customization.

WordPress is an open source creation website, which means that people from the community can add plugins and templates of their own. WordPress’ open source nature is possibly the biggest reason why it is still the biggest website creation software on the market. The sheer volume of content on offer on WordPress is dizzying, to say the least, and is why people tend to go through its steep learning curve.

WordPress is quite tricky to use and even harder to learn, but it comes with a very impressive amount of customization options that make your website feel like it is truly yours. It is also completely free to use, but you will have to pay for a domain, web server, as well as extensions and themes. Without them, it is not possible for you to make the website.

Pros

  • More customization options with plug-ins and community themes
  • Open source and free
  • Lively community and frequently posting helpful content
  • Amazing content management tools

Cons

  • Although free, wordpress will require additional costs for domain and hosting
  • Community themes can be very different in design from each other
  • Not very intuitive interface
  • No support from wordpress itself

Major Differences between Wix and WordPress

Now that you know what Wix and WordPress are and some of their key factors, we can move onto to discussing their major differences. That said, if you have been vigilant, you might have picked up on some of the differences between the two. That said, here are some of the major differences:

  • Price

    One of the biggest factors in the WordPress vs Wix debate is easily the price of both the software. Where Wix has a standard monthly payment procedure for features, WordPress itself is free and only requires that you buy and pay for the services that you want. This is easily the most divisive factor of the two, as you can either pay less for the harder website or pay more for, the easier one. Read our in-depth Wix pricing guide.

  • Customization

    Customization is in many ways a major selling point for both of these customization software, but one clearly has the upper hand. While Wix truly has a wide array of built-in themes, features, and plug-ins, they pale in comparison to the amount of customization that WordPress offers with its open source community. With over 11,000 different styles and templates, WordPress is clearly the better choice.

  • Ease of Use

    Although WordPress might have the upper hand when it comes to sheer volume of customization options, this customization comes at the cost of accessibility. Designing a website on WordPress is quite a difficult task, and the immense choice in features and templates can be very overwhelming. However, designing your website on Wix is as simple as dragging and dropping what you like and want on your desired webpage. This reduces the barrier to entry immensely for anyone who wants to design their website.

  • Customer Service

    One of the major disadvantages of being an open source software is that there is no traditional customer service per se. If you encounter any problems while crafting your website, you might have to take it up with the plug-in creator, and not the WordPress itself. On the other hand, if you have a problem with your Wix website, you have dedicated customer support determined to help through every turn. And if you have the VIP package, you can also get answers from Wix customer support.

  • Control Over Site

    The most pressing matter in the WordPress vs Wix debate is control over the website. Thanks to its open-source nature, WordPress doesn’t have full control over its users; hence the immense customization. Wix, on the other hand, has full control over your website, and can essentially take it down whenever they want without having to give you an explanation. This, in turn, takes a lot of control away from the developer, which is not always a good thing.

Conclusion

The WordPress Wix debate is quite an interesting debate, seeing how both of them are very two very different platforms. One is a platform for experienced developers to stretch their creative muscles without the restrictions of other most software. While the other is a platform that allows newcomers to design the website of their choice with a wide range of tools, but very simple methods of use, the other is a platform that allows web developers to spread their creative wings.

In conclusion, Wix and wordpress are for very unique markets, but that doesn’t mean you should have a problem with either. If you don’t mind going through the somewhat steep learning curve for wordpress, you too can unleash your fullest potential.