What Are the Differences Between WordPress and Wix?

WordPress is an open-source plugin-based content management system that provides website hosting and site templates for its users.

Wix is primarily a website-building platform. Its drag-and-drop editor is intuitive and allows third-party integrations.

Differences Between WordPress and Wix You Should Know About

With its open-source architecture, WordPress provides unlimited freedom and flexibility to coding experts.

Wix provides ready-to-use out-of-the-box solutions for people who want to set up a website fast and start selling their products online.

1. Price

The first difference between the two platforms is their pricing policy regarding website hosting, domain name, and website building.

Wix’s Pricing Plans

If you sign up for one year, Wix will give you a free domain name, SSL certificate, and one custom domain for just $16 per month. Their priciest plan for enterprise clients costs $500 per month.

Wix’s app market offers hundreds of premium add-ons and apps to add extra functions to your website.

WordPress’s $200 Flat Fee

To get started, you should find hosting for your WordPress site. Plans can range from $3 to $50 per month.

WordPress does not offer a free domain name either, so you’ve got to buy one for about $10 a year, and the premium theme template package costs $200. Premium plugins’ prices can reach $70 each.

Bottom Line

WordPress offers more flexible pricing options than Wix, letting you pay for just what you need.

2. Ease of Use

To compare WordPress and Wix in terms of user-friendliness is like comparing Linux and Windows.

Like Linux, WordPress has a steep learning curve, and it will be a while before you discover the perfect combination of themes and plugins for your site.

Not only that, but you will be fully responsible for keeping these plugins working by regularly downloading patches and updates.

Wix Is the Beginner’s Dream

The platform’s drag-and-drop editor lets you quickly build a working website using pre-built blocks. Its theme library covers various industries, so your business will undoubtedly fit in one.

That said, Wix’s UI offers fewer customization options than WordPress’s.

3. Website Building

Wix has put website building in the center of its service portfolio, but some other website building platforms seem to offer better value for money.

WordPress’s website builder can be found at WordPress.com. There is one significant limitation: every site you build with the editor can only be hosted on WordPress. So, the site’s total cost invariably includes a managed hosting plan.

In short, Wix’s website building and hosting capabilities are far superior to that of WordPress.com.

4. Scalability

Another critical difference between WordPress and Wix is that the former offers more scalability options.

As your business grows, you can add new plugins or functions to your site. And because you are not tied to a particular hosting provider, you can change them whenever you want.

Each of Wix’s pricing plans includes a set of functions, features, and resources. And while upgrading from a cheap to a more expensive plan is relatively easy, the other way around is more complicated.

Wix lets you edit your plan by adding or removing functions and features at any time, but users say changes are slow to apply.    

5. Customizations

If Wix is the beginner’s dream, WordPress is the developer’s heaven. If Wix’s drag-and-drop editor offers you various building blocks and themes to create your site, WordPress lets you create the building blocks and themes yourself.

It logically follows that WordPress is the cheaper choice for code masters and developers.

6. Support

Each of Wix’s paid plans includes live support, so you’re fully covered if something stops working.

The concept of customer support is practically non-existing with WordPress, or at least it is not as centralized.

For example, if a theme or a plugin stops working or causes issues, you can email its developers for assistance. You should contact your provider’s support team if you have hosting problems.

For problems with the platform’s core and architecture, you can visit help forums and make a query. Then, you’ll have to revisit the thread to see if another user has provided a helpful solution.

Let’s Wrap Up

This post’s primary purpose is to list the key differences between WordPress and Wix rather than compare the two platforms.

From the above paragraphs, it becomes evident that each has its strong points and weaknesses. Thus, the choice between WordPress and Wix will largely depend on the site you’d like to build and how you expect it to work.