Do you have a website to build? Are you wondering if Wix or WordPress is the better platform to achieve that goal? If so, keep reading, as we’ll compare the two to help you make an informed decision as to which one better fits your needs.
Wix vs WordPress: User-Friendliness
If you’re trying to decide between Wix Website Builder and WordPress Content Management System (CMS) for building a website, it’s probably because you intend to build that site yourself versus hiring someone else. As such, the user-friendly nature of the content management platform you choose may be its most important factor.
Both Wix and WordPress CMS are solid picks for beginners looking to get their feet wet with website design. You can create a website without any coding experience on either platform, although such experience would give you a leg-up when it comes to advanced customization.
Wix gives you a WYSIWYG (What You See is What You Get) interface that lets you drag and drop elements to edit with ease. Whether it’s writing text, adding media, or rearranging items on a page, you can do so with little difficulty using Wix.
WordPress uses a block editor that lets you build an attractive layout by adding blocks for elements such as background images, headings, text, galleries, buttons, etc. For quicker building, you can use one of WordPress’ templates or themes that number in the thousands. While these themes offer a done-for-you product, you can customize them to your liking. WordPress also has plenty of plugins to build pages using simple drag and drop functionality to take things a step further without having to write any code.
Anyone – from novice webmaster to professional web developers – can use either Wix or WordPress to build a site with ease, as both are user-friendly. But if you’re looking for more advanced site design features as you build your skills (or to implement your HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or PHP skillset), WordPress is the winner.
WordPress and Wix Extensibility: Apps and Plugins
You can load up your site with many bells and whistles thanks to Wix apps and WordPress plugins. Wix offers over 200 apps that can help you integrate email marketing, add contact forms, galleries, and more. Some apps are free, while others have a monthly fee.
WordPress, meanwhile, boasts over 50,000 plugins under its umbrella, and that number grows when you include premium plugins from third-part CMS vendors and other marketplaces. Whether free or paid, you can use plugins to install Google Analytics, create contact forms, build your own social media platform, and more.
Read WordPress Plugins for Developers.
Just by looking at the numbers and the sheer amount of functionality you can add to the CMS, WordPress easily beats Wix here.
WordPress CMS Plugins Dashboard
Design and User Experience Comparison for Wix and WordPress
You can choose from nearly 1,000 pre-made templates on Wix that are written in HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript that are quite responsive. The templates can be tweaked in terms of layout, design, etc., with built-in tools, and they can serve any purpose, such as hobby websites, eCommerce, resumes, and more. The main drawback with Wix’s design is that once you pick a template for a site, you are stuck with it.
WordPress also has its fair share of themes that are either free or paid. By taking the paid route, you get the added benefit of support and continued updates. Like Wix, WordPress’s themes can serve various site purposes and be tweaked to your liking. You can also “buy-out” a WordPress theme, meaning it will be unique to your website, albeit at a higher price.
Read The Best WordPress Themes for 2021.
Since WordPress themes can be changed after the fact and it has more selection, it wins the design department over Wix.
Wix Website Template Gallery
Data Portability in WordPress CMS and Wix Website Builder
You may get to the point where you want to move your content to another platform. Wix makes this difficult since your content is hosted on its servers. And while there are workarounds to this, WordPress makes it much easier to export content with a one-click exporter and some third-party tools.
Price and Cost Structure for Wix and WordPress
Your total cost for using Wix or WordPress to build a website will depend on various factors. Here’s a basic look at the costs you could be looking at.
With Wix, you can use the website builder at no cost. Doing so will come with two significant drawbacks, though. First, you won’t be able to use a custom domain name, and you will be stuck with something clunky like: username.wix.com/sitename. Second, the top and bottom of your site will be filled with advertisements.
To push past those limitations, you will need a Wix premium plan that varies in price according to storage, bandwidth, etc. To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll be looking at $18 per month for the Wix Unlimited plan. If you need an eCommerce site that can accept online payments, a Wix Business Unlimited plan will set you back $27 per month. And if you want to upgrade functionality on your site, the Wix app market can help you do so with apps that will have their own separate costs.
Like Wix, you can use WordPress to build a site for free. It’s open-source, and anyone can use it. However, you will have to pay for a domain name and hosting. A company like Bluehost can offer a domain name and hosting for under $3 per month for basic users, while WP Engine can run nearly $30 for added functionality. Any premium themes or apps will cost extra, but you can find tons of free ones that may fit your needs.
Wix and WordPress are both affordable options for building a site. But since WordPress offers flexible plans from several hosting companies and, specifically, WordPress dedicated hosting, it wins in the pricing department.
Conclusion: Which is Better – WordPress CMS or Wix
Although both Wix and WordPress have their pros and cons, WordPress wins hands-down if you’re looking for a long-term solution to build and grow a website over time. Wix makes it easy to build a site as “practice” so you can get familiar with the task, but WordPress’ impressive plugins, data portability, and flexibility with themes put it over the top.