The idea of building a website used to be very much outside of most ordinary people’s wheelhouse, requiring a great deal of expertise in coding and a whole lot of know-how in the software world.
These days, however, that’s simply not the case anymore. Not that website developers’ jobs are now null and void – of course not. However, it is possible for ordinary people without a knack for IT-related tasks to put together websites that are both functional and professional-looking.
Of course, serious web developers still exist and offer a super valuable service. Their websites have the capacity to be significantly more complex and efficient, with extended capabilities and nearly unlimited options for customisation.
However, the downside is that building a website from scratch requires resources and it’s expensive. So if you’re looking for a budget-friendly way to create a website for your business that still looks good and works well, then you’re probably going to be in the market for a website builder.
And, these days, while there are plenty of options out there, there are two that stand out from the crowd – WordPress and Wix.
WordPress Vs. Wix: Advanced Vs. Basic
WordPress and Wix have emerged as two of the leading options for website development that require the use of HTML ad CSS, and for good reason. However, they each offer different features that will provide varying types and levels of utility for people and businesses, depending on their needs ad capabilities.
For instance, Wix is generally seen as a more basic option in comparison to WordPress. In many ways, it’s easier to use, but in addition to that, its functions tend to be a little more basic too.
WordPress, in this sense, can be slightly tougher to figure out for those without much understanding of the web dev process (although it’s definitely not impossible). However, it also offers a little more in terms of development complexity and potential for customisation.
So, it’s not really possible – or fair – to classify one as neccesarily better than the other straight off the bat.
Top Points to Consider
The best way to properly compare Wix and WordPress is to look at all of their most important features and compare them directly based on each point. That way, you can identify the things that are most important to you and decide, based on that, whether Wix or WordPress best suits your needs.
The first, and most important, difference to be aware of is that despite the fact that both options provide the means to build a website, Wix is a website builder while WordPress is actually a consumer management system (CMS).
Indeed, plenty – if not most – of the differences between WordPress and Wix comes down to the differentiation between website builders and content management systems. They range from cost and ownership of the website to specific website features and capabilities including e-commerce and customisation options.
Subscription Plans
Various services offer different options in terms of paid plans, and the way in which WordPress and Wix approach subscriptions and payments is slightly different. For the most part, this difference can be accounted for by the fact that the former is a CMS and the latter is a website builder.
Wix offers a paid service that requires a monthly subscription fee. There are a few different options available at varying price points depending on the service you need, including options like Basic, Professional, Premium and more. The more you pay, the more features you have access to.
WordPress, on the other hand, is free for basic use, but you have to pay an additional fee for hosting services – so, for all intents and purposes, it’s not actually free. If you want additional plugins, a domain and premium themes, among other things, you’ll have to pay extra.
If you prefer, there are also more complex plans on offer that provide these above add-ons as part of the package, so if you know you’re going to need these features, you may as well pay extra for a more advanced plan.
Verdict: Wix is cheapest (free) for basic use, but if you need extended features, WordPress is better.
Ease of Use
The quick answer is that Wix is asier to use for beginners. If you’re not a web developer or a website building professional, you’ll find the interface significantly more user-friendly on Wix and it’ll be quicker and easier for you to create a great, professional looking website, albeit basic.
WordPress, on the other hand, is generally perceived as being tougher to use and work out if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing. Not everything is particularly intuitive, and if you’re not familiar with website building processes, it can end up taking a while to navigate and explore the website to find what you’re looking for.
The most basic explanation of how and why Wix is easier to use than WordPress comes down to the fact that the former provides automatic web hosting, a drag-and-drop editor and built-in security. On WordPress, you’ll need to organise your own web hosting, the editing process is far more complicated ad if you don’t properly organise and keep tabs on security, your website may become vulnerable.
These are just a few considerations that contribute to Wix being easier to use than WordPress, but they are, arguably, some of the most important.
Of course, if you’re a proper web developer, however, these issues aren’t going to be as relevant to you. You’ll be able to organise your own host and manage cybersecurity, and you’ll have no problem working on the backend and navigating the complexities of WordPress’s site design features. So, it all depends on the business, the individual and your skills and needs.
Verdict: Wix is way easier to use for beginners, but for web devs, it may be a bit basic. WordPress can be tough for novices to work with, but for professionals, it’s very manageable.
Customisation Options
WordPress is often viewed as way more complicated to use, because there’s just so much going on and so many options to work with. However, while this can make it tough to navigate, it provides a plethora of different options for customisation. Indeed, it’s not just complex for absolutely no reason.
Now, Wix certainly does have options for customisation. There are lots of different options to choose from when designing your website’s layout, colour schemes, pages, blog organisation and more. However, you’re always going to be working off templates, so there’s still a limit to customisation options.
Verdict: Both WordPress and Wix provide options for customisation, but the long and short of it is that WordPress offers way more potential for customisation – if you know how to use all the website’s features.
SEO and Marketing Capabilities
Both Wix and WordPress offer SEO features for businesses. However, the services provided by Wix are basic, while WordPress actually allows you to properly make use of all different aspects of SEO in a deeper and more long term way.
Wix allows users to quickly implement simple SEO principles that are sure to make a difference in terms of marketing, but it doesn’t let you go much further. It automatically implements general SEO techniques and uses a single template to do so, but there’s no potential for really getting into the nitty gritty using Wix or for doing other things like monitoring progress and more.
WordPress, on the other hand, provides a variety of options for improving SEO and the tools it offers tend to be way more advanced. Of course, more advanced means far more potential for success and improvement.
Ultimately, WordPress provides way more options for advanced SEO and marketing by means of built-in tools and loads of different plugins. So, if SEO is a priority for you and you’re willing to put in some extra time and effort, you’ll get more out of WordPress.
Verdict: Wix offers basic SEO functionality for beginners, but WordPress can provide extensive, advanced SEO features for those who know how to implement them.
Blogging Potential
Both WordPress and Wix are great for blogging purposes, so deciding between the two is really going to come down to the purpose of your blog and the extent of the complexity of the blog’s functions that you’re going to need.
Wix is perfect for beginner bloggers, whether it’s for a personal blog or your first blog for a small business. If you’re looking for something fairly basic that’s easy to use, has a variety of templates and can easily be updated, Wix will be great for you. Its built-in drag-and-drop editor is super easy to send makes content and page editing really quick and simple.
WordPress, on the other hand, is normally preferred for larger, more professional businesses who are looking to work with more complex features. WordPress has far wider range of templates and options for customisation, so it’s easier to make a really unique looking blog via WordPress than it is on Wix.
However, Wix is generally is just easier to use for those who don’t really have much professional experience in website building.
Verdict: Wix is great for amateur bloggers who need something basic, while WordPress is better suited to professionals and businesses.
E-Commerce
WordPress and Wix can both be used for e-commerce purposes, and ultimately, the question of which is better comes down to how extensive you need the service to be and how capable you are at dealing with web dev.
Wix has a built-in e-commerce platform that allows users to very easily upload and manage products. It’s also pretty basic in terms of processing orders, taking payments and tracking inventory, as well as customising things like shipping, discount codes, tax options and even integrating payment gateways.
WordPress, on the other hand, is more difficult to use, in some ways, but if you know what you’re doing, there’s a lot more potential to take advantage of some more advanced features. Also, because WordPress has a bigger community with plenty of active web developers, there are lots of plugins available that can be used to improve e-commerce offerings.
Verdict: WordPress is generally a more flexible, customisable and powerful e-commerce platform for those who really want to optimise their online sales capabilities, while Wix offers a great, basic e-commerce service for beginners or small businesses.
Time for Setup
Both options can be set up fairly easily, but Wix includes a web host while with WordPress you’ll have to organise one separately and set it all up yourself. Now, that’s not necessarily a very difficult process, but it does take a little more time and it’s more complex than just using the pre-existing Wix web host.
Other than that, it’s generally quicker and easier to get all functions going on Wix, meaning that you’ll probably be able to get it live more quickly than WordPress (although this isn’t necessarily true).
The reason for that, however, is because that’s pretty much where Wix’s capabilities end. WordPress may take longer to set up but you’ll be able to do way more with it once it’s going.
Verdict: Wix is quicker to set up in terms of basic features, while WordPress will take longer to establish but it’ll be able to provide you with more features and it’ll be more customised.
User Experience (UX)
User experience can be tough to judge because it’s subjective, but the general consensus is Wix is easier to use from the business’s perspective, but WordPress offers a better experience for those actually using the website.
That’s because, with WordPress, those developing the site can customise it in any way they like, ensuring that it’s completely optimised in the ways in which they know their customers will appreciate and enjoy.
Verdict: Both WordPress and Wix are considered user-friendly, but WordPress provides a better UX, because developers can tailor every aspect of the website to suit customers and ensure that it serves their every need and preference.
Ownership of Site
One of the core differences between WordPress and Wix is that with the former, the website you create and develop is yours while with the latter, it’s not.
Ultimately, if you develop a website via Wix, they own the platform upon which it’s been built, and they also provide the web host.
With WordPress, it’s a bit more complicated to set up, but your website is completely yours – it’ll be set up on an independent domain, unlike with Wix. You’ll own every aspect of it, from content and files to your domain. Wix allows you to own your content but they will always be the host and they also control the domain, to a certain extent.
This means that if you end your Wix subscription, your website will cease to exist. Naturally, the scalability of your website is affected by this.
Verdict: WordPress provides you with complete ownership over your website, while Wix maintains control over hosting rights, your domain and more.
The Verdict: WordPress or Wix?
So, with all these different considerations in mind, from cost and general ease of use to various features including SEO, e-commerce and blogging, it’s time to make a call – WordPress or Wix?
If we have to give a straightforward answer, WordPress always comes out on top. But, that still doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best option for everyone, it just has the potential to do the most for a large variety of people and businesses.
Ultimately, Wix is ideal if you’re looking for a basic tool with which to build a website. It’s easy to use and provides pretty much everything you need already built into the platform, from e-commerce capabilities to SEO. However, while it has everything you may need, it’s all very simple – you can do a lot, but you’ll be doing a lot in a very basic way.
WordPress, on the other hand, isn’t exactly as easy to use and figure out straight off the bat. It can be a bit more complicated to set up and navigate, but that’s because it’s giving users access to more features and functions. For this reason, WordPress is best for people and web devs who know what they’re doing in terms of website building, as well as for individuals wanting to take advantage of extended features.
