In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, Crushing Cones is featured as one of the Top Web Development Agencies in Canada. Check out their profile!
In this post, we will explore the difference between two of the most popular website builders available online: Wix and WordPress. Both offer free plans as well as paid options with extra features and are viable options for most web projects. Let’s break down where each platform shines and help you decide which one is best for your needs.
Wix At a Glance
At a glance, Wix is for someone who needs an all-in-one website builder. Getting you from a blank page to a website that’s up and running — all on one platform, in one account. Wix websites feature a straightforward and intuitive drag-and-drop editor. The Wix editor includes a wide array of templates and functionality that allow users to create professional websites without any coding knowledge. It is the perfect choice for beginners looking for a user-friendly solution.
WordPress At a Glance
WordPress, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve and generally requires more technical experience. WordPress was originally designed as a blogging platform but has evolved to be used as a full content management system and website builder. Through thousands of open-source WordPress plugins, widgets,and templates, it now offers its users complete control and creative freedom over their website — allowing users to create anything from an e-commerce shop to a custom forum or discussion board.
At this point, it is important to note there are two versions of WordPress available. A self-hosted open-source WordPress (through wordpress.org) and a managed hosting version (accessible through wordpress.com). The latter is an all-in-one website-building platform, like Wix, created and operated by the corporate team behind WordPress. For the purpose of this article, we will focus our comparison on the self-hosted version of WordPress to showcase the differences between two fundamentally different approaches to building websites.
The Key Differences
From a bird’s eye perspective, we can already see some of the differences between these two platforms. WordPress is the ideal option for tech-savvy users who value flexibility and customizability. Whereas those who value ease of use and don’t require complex functionality would prefer Wix. Ultimately, the choice depends on the project’s needs and requirements. Portfolios, e-commerce sites, small business web pages, and blogs all require different features. Both platforms offer customizable templates and functionality that can provide solutions for most projects. Let’s dig deeper into how these platforms can work for different project needs.
Templates and Themes
Many online web design projects start with templates, essentially giving structure to any website. Both Wix and WordPress offer a variety of templates and themes that can kick-start any web design project.
Wix offers 800+ theme-specific templates covering most website categories — ranging from personal blogs to online stores with e-commerce functionality. Wix templates are built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which give even beginners the ability to customize their websites on their drag-and-drop editor. More advanced users can also add custom code directly to their Wix site, adding even more flexibility.
WordPress sites, however, are built on top of themes. WordPress themes serve as the foundation of the website, they control the appearance and dictate every design element of the site. Because of its flexible open-source platform, WordPress has attracted a large community of developers and users who contribute code, improve on existing features, and of course — create themes. With both free themes and paid themes, WordPress offers pre-made themes suitable for most web design projects.
So what’s the catch? Unlike Wix’s all-in-one solution, getting started with WordPress is not as easy as selecting a template. From your domain name to the hosting provider, users who choose to self-host WordPress have to sort this out by themselves. The good news, however, there is no shortage of resources that can guide you through this process. We would recommend starting off with the support documentation directly from WordPress.
From a designer’s perspective, Wix templates offer you a box that gives you creative freedom within it. Images, text, and additional add-ons (through the Wix App Market) all sit neatly inside this already-made box. With WordPress, you can change the material, and dimensions and tweak the box. You are still working within the framework of a box, but given the ability to customize it. So don’t think about which platform is better or worst, instead, figure out your needs and decide on the solution that can satisfy that goal better.
Hear From Industry Experts
Read the latest tips, research, best practices, and insights from our community of expert B2B service providers.
Pricing
So you have an idea of how each website builder operates, what about pricing? How much should one expect to spend on Wix vs WordPress?
Wix pricing comes in four tiers for general-purpose website plans, from $7.50/month (CAD) to $44/month (CAD). Plans are offered in subscription billing cycles of monthly, yearly, or 2 years terms — users can choose to lock in longer terms for lower monthly payments.
The most basic plan comes with Wix ads, so we would recommend against this option for professionally branded web design projects. Higher tiers offer increasing amounts of storage space, bandwidth, and extra features such as analytics, ad vouchers, and even priority customer support. Websites with fewer images and content can opt for the middle tiers and upgrade if necessary, be aware Wix does not allow for switching to lower-tier plans or shorter subscription cycles when changing paid plans.
Wix also offers a free plan, which comes with ads and no custom domain name (meaning Wix will be in the domain). We would not recommend this option for those looking to grow their brand, but it’s an excellent option for beginners looking to test the hosted platform and for websites that don’t need professional credibility — for example, student projects and community-based websites come to mind.
For businesses and e-commerce websites that require processing online payments, Wix offers three pricing tiers from $28/month (CAD) to $49/month (CAD). Higher tiers offer extra storage space and additional features such as multiple currencies, automated sales tax calculations, and access to Wix’s marketplaces.
WordPress’ pricing model is simpler; there are no plans or tiers like Wix as WordPress’ core open-source software is completely free. Costs for developing WordPress websites go towards web hosting and any additional plugins and widgets. Popular plugins include SEO plugins such as Yoast, which we will get to in the next section, and e-commerce plugins such as WooCommerce.
As you can see, flexibility, customization options, and functionality are what WordPress offers. There are thousands of plugins, free and paid, that give WordPress the edge in a heads-on pricing comparison with Wix. For those without tech know how, however, the cost of hiring a WordPress developer should also be factored in — pricing for such will vary from country to country, developer to developer.
SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a must-have for any website looking to rank higher on search engines such as Google or Bing. Wix and WordPress both offer tools that can help websites improve organic visibility.
Wix offers SEO tools natively on its website builder and through its own Wix app market. WordPress offers SEO tools through its expansive plugin selection, with far more options than Wix. Popular SEO plugins such as Yoast and All In One SEO offer free versions as well as paid premium versions that give additional functionality. Beginners may choose to try free versions, as they offer adequate functionality, and upgrade for more customization and complex SEO features if needed.
In terms of flexibility and selection of offerings, we would recommend WordPress, but, much like many factors between Wix vs WordPress, ease of use in setting up and implementing SEO tools favors Wix. With resources that include SEO tutorials and video guides, Wix SEO support documentation triumphs over WordPress’ community-based approach. On top of that, Wix offers customer support via email, live chat, and phone.
Wix vs WordPress: Final Thoughts
Overall, Wix and WordPress are both viable website builders for most users. They cater to different audiences and can solve problems in different ways. Both platforms are tools that should be considered for any web design project. For example, a company may choose to use Wix for a landing page they build internally and hire a developer to develop an e-commerce platform using WordPress and WooCommerce.
The biggest takeaway here is that Wix is best suited for people who need a simple and intuitive drag-and-drop website builder with tons of features and functionality, while WordPress is better suited to those who want full control over their website. If you’re looking for something in between these two website builders, there are plenty of options on the web. Other popular options to consider include Squarespace and Weebly for all-in-one website builders, and Shopify for e-commerce websites.