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WordPress VS WIX: The Ultimate Comparison

Est. Reading: 5 minutes
Updated: March 27, 2024

There are a lot of website builders to choose from these days. This blog post will compare two of the most popular options: WordPress and WIX. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each platform, so you can decide which one is the best fit for your business. Let's get started!

If you're looking to build a website, you'll likely come across the terms "WordPress" and "Wix". Both are popular site-building platforms, but which one should you choose?

WordPress

  • WordPress is a free and open-source content management system
  • It's the most popular website platform in use on the internet today
  • Over 33,194,818 live websites are running on WordPress as of February 2022 source: builtwith.com, including major news sites like CNN and Time Magazine
  • The WordPress Community has created more than 59,453 free plugins to extend your site with features

WIX

  • You'll be able to build your site in minutes
  • It's easy and intuitive
  • No coding skills are needed
  • Your website will look professional, not amateurish.
  • You won't have to worry about any technical issues with your site
  • Over 7,088,909 live websites are running on the Wix platform as of February 2022 source: builtwith.com

WordPress is a free content management system that can be used to build a website. There are thousands of plugins or add-ons available on WordPress.org. 

Plugins allow you to add specific features and functionality to your website without changing any code on your site itself. This gives you great flexibility when it comes to customizing your site. WordPress.com has over 100,000 templates that you can choose from to fit any industry or business theme.

Wix is also a website builder with thousands of templates, but it's considered a "do-it-yourself" platform because there aren't any site-building tools available for Wix. Once you choose a template, you have to edit it on your own by changing the background image, text, and other design elements as needed. This is very easy to do through Wix's drag-and-drop functionality that is built into their editor. In addition to having more templates than WordPress, you can also create a Wix website without choosing a template. This allows you to build your site with custom code and features from scratch.

Both platforms offer customer support and online guides if you need help building your website. However, WordPress offers more in-depth guides and tutorials on their official blog. So if you need to find help, you might want to start there.

WordPress is free, and Wix offers a 30-day trial period, but after that, it costs $5/month (or $14/month if you pay upfront for the year). If you're starting and need a website right away, then this cost can be a deal-breaker.

WordPress might be the better choice if you are looking for a free site builder with more flexibility and customization options. However, if you are looking for a more streamlined, user-friendly website builder that doesn't require any code or design experience, then Wix might be your best option.

Ultimately these site builders offer different features and functionality depending on what type of online presence you need. Hopefully, this article has helped give you a better idea of which platform will work best for you.

Advantages of WordPress

There are many advantages to using WordPress as your website builder. Here are some notable benefits:

1) Customizable - With WordPress, there are thousands of different plugins, themes, and templates that you can choose from. This helps businesses build their site in the style they want and take full advantage of the different customization features available.

2) Widely Supported - Millions of people use WordPress to power their website or blog, so this means there are plenty of tutorials or step-by-step guides for almost anything you might need assistance with. The community is very supportive, and there are also tons of different support forums to get your questions answered 24/7.

3) Free - WordPress is completely free to use, making it more popular than similar options like Wix. You can't beat the price when running a business site or blog.

4) Custom Plugins - WordPress allows for free plugins that can be used with your site. This gives you more options than Wix, although these do require some extra time to install and configure correctly.

5) SEO Tools And Analytics - You have full control over your site's SEO (search engine optimization) with WordPress. You can easily add custom meta descriptions and titles to your site, change your permalink structure, create different variations of keywords, and more. This is essential for ranking in search engines like Google and bing.

6) Active And Growing Community - it has an active and growing community on WordPress.org where users can share their own website templates plugins and contribute to others by offering advice or support. Several quality blogs about WordPress provide helpful content for beginners looking to learn more about the platform.

Disadvantages of WordPress

As discussed by many users, bloggers and webmasters worldwide. Here are some of the reasons why some people don't like using WordPress to host their website:

1) Security risks - one major disadvantage with WordPress is that it takes a lot of time to apply security measures for your blog. This is because there are lots of plugins (add-ons) for this CMS, and although these plugins make the basic functionality faster to execute, they also increase instances of malware attacks.

2) Too many distractions - due to its popularity, WordPress has become a favourite target site for hackers creating fake blogs with the aim of attacking visitors who click on the links and banners. These fake blogs often contain malware and viruses, making it a daunting task to safeguard your blog.

3) Difficulty of customization – WordPress simply cannot be customized with the same ease as WIX, but they are updating a lot on this area with their latest release on version 5.9. Their main aim is to ease the customization options like Wix and other drag and drop website builder platforms. It takes a bit of time to set up menus, headers, footers and other parts on your website that require some sort of design for setting up on WordPress.

Advantages of Wix

1) Maintainance - With Wix, there are no hosting fees or expensive upgrade costs that businesses have to pay. However, their monthly plan starts from $14/monthly, and it can go up to $50/monthly with their higher plan. You get a free platform to build your site.

2) Free Design Templates - With Wix, you have access to hundreds of different designs and templates that you can use. These can be customized as much as possible to get the look you want. Even the premium templates are very affordable, so this is something that many businesses prefer.

3) No Software To Download - When using WordPress, it's necessary to download a program or plugin every time you want to make an update or edit your website. Wix doesn't require this type of download because the platform is already designed and ready to use when you sign up for an account. Though many hosting companies now offer 1 click free WordPress installation, it can still be a hassle for some users.

4) Works On Any Device - The mobile app offered by Wix makes it easier for users to make edits or updates from their phone or tablet if they choose.

5) Security - you don't have to worry about security issues like brute force attacks on WordPress sites.

Disadvantages of WIX

1) Subscription-based system.

2) Closed source code.

3) You will be forced to use their domain name if you choose the free plan.

4) Performance is not as great as you get with WordPress, and with WordPress, you can easily optimize the website with tons of free plugins like wp fastest cache, autoptimize, etc...

5) You cannot customize the website the way you can with WordPress.

Conclusion

WordPress is better for those who want more control over their website.

In the end, it depends on what you are looking for in a website builder. Wix is easier to use and suitable for people who don't want to deal with coding or updates. If you want more customization options and the freedom to make changes on your own, go with WordPress. If you would rather not worry about updates or coding and want something easy to use, Wix is a good choice.

Ryan Parker

Ryan has been a standout in digital marketing since 2010. He's the go-to person for getting businesses noticed online, with over 300 projects under his belt—these range from helping local business owners to big online stores. As the Head of Digital Marketing at his company, Ryan knows all the tricks to make companies shine on the internet. He's excellent at using the latest tech and smart strategies to get results. Ryan is all about making businesses grow and reach more people online.

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