Techssocial | WordPress is the most popular platform for bloggers and Wix is known as its best alternative. Since you can’t use both of them for a single website, you’ll have to pick one. So, which one is better than the other? When choosing between these two content management systems (CMS), a brief overview of WordPress vs Wix will help a lot.
In this post, we are going to compare WordPress and Wix side by side to find out which one should you use. We will take a look at their ease of use, pricing, availability of plugins, and various other factors to decide which one is more preferable. Let’s begin.
Table of Contents
WordPress vs Wix: Comparing the Website Building Platforms
When a person first learns about Blogging, WordPress is one of the first few terms that he’d read about. WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) on the web. It allows you to easily create and publish a website through a simple dashboard. WordPress comes in two versions- a commercial one (WordPress.com), and a self-hosted one (WordPress.org). We are going to discuss WordPress. org here as it is the version suitable for building your website.
WordPress.org is an open-source website development software. You have to install it on a web server, and then you can start creating pages to build your website. It allows you to install ready-made themes, so you don’t have to code the structure yourself. The WordPress software is free, but you’ll have to pay for the hosting.
On the other hand, Wix is an all-in-one website builder. It is not a pure “CMS,” although it can be used like one. You can use Wix to build a website from the ground without having little to no coding knowledge. It is advertised as the tool ideal for beginners and offers 24×7 live customer support. Wix comes in free and paid plans. You’ll have to use a paid plan if you want to make an independent website.
Both WordPress and Wix are amazing, but they are very different. Let’s find out how square-off against each other.
Ease of Use For WordPress &Wix
When you create a website from scratch, you’ll need to code it yourself, or you’ll have to hire a developer. However, Wix and WordPress allow you to build your website without requiring any coding or needing a designer. You can do all the work yourself in a very simple fashion. Moreover, WordPress also offers a seamless experience if you are using iOS or Android OS.
Wix is claimed easier than WordPress in terms of being easier to use by a lot of users. It offers a powerful and simple tool to build your website with a drag-and-drop interface. You can choose any element, write content, add media, and edit it in a WYSIWYG interface.
On the other side, WordPress offers a very powerful yet easy-to-use Block Editor that you can use to edit pages while having a live preview. The editor has blocks for everything you’ll need like text, headings, buttons, background images, etc. You can create appealing layouts simply by adding and moving blocks. If you don’t want to do that, there are also thousands of ready-made themes that you can install in a few clicks.
Along with this, you can create your own theme using builders like ElementorPro or WP Bakery. There so many options to create a website using WordPress. However, sometimes beginners get intimidated by them.
In my opinion, both WordPress and Wix are equally easier to use. If a beginner gets stuck on something while using WordPress, there are help and guides available online.
Pricing & Cost For WordPress &Wix
WordPress is available to use for free. You only have to pay for the domain and hosting. Their combined cost will be anywhere between $4 to $10 a month depending upon various factors. The additional costs will be included if you use premium themes or plugins. Although there are free alternatives available for each of them.
On the other hand, Wix comes in free and paid plans. The free plan doesn’t allow you to use a custom domain name. Your site will look something like this: www.XYZ.wix.com. So, you will have to choose a paid plan. It offers 8 types of paid plans, 4 for regular websites, and 4 for eCommerce websites. It also gives you a year of free domain name and $300 worth of ad-vouchers when you buy an annual premium plan.
WordPress is a clear winner when it comes to pricing as you’ll have to spend lesser than Wix for the monthly management of your website.
Comparing Their Plugins & Apps
Plug-ins and apps are third-party extensions that you can use to add more features to your website. On WordPress, you’ll find plugins, but on Wix, you’ll find apps. WordPress offers over 58,000 free plugins and a huge number of premium ones. On the other hand, Wix has around 200 apps that are able to cover all sorts of features. Many of the apps have a free version known as “lite” and a premium one.
Therefore, WordPress is a clear winner in this contest as it literally has a plugin, that too a free one, to do anything on your website. Whether it is installing an SSL certificate, building website pages, or anything apps, you’ll find a plugin on WordPress.
Comparing Their Design Options
The design and layout of the website play a vital role, and the owner must make sure that it is user-friendly, appealing, and simple. It is the first visual impression that your audience receives.
WordPress has a massive collection of themes, both free and paid. Paid themes usually have more features and customizations available. There are themes available for all sorts of websites, whether it is a portfolio or an e-Commerce store. You can even create custom themes according to your preferences.
On the other hand, Wix has around 1000 pre-built templates that you’ll have to choose from. They are highly responsive and written in HTML5. You can also customize them to build them according to your needs. You will find designs for all sorts of websites here as well.
However, I’d pick WordPress as the winner here as it has a much larger collection than Wix when it comes to the design and layout of a website.
When should you use WordPress or Wix?
WordPress and Wix are developed for different sorts of users. WordPress is more like a platform that can be easily used by professionals while Wix is more suited to rookies.
- You should use WordPress when you have acquired enough knowledge about setting up websites using WordPress or have good research skills. It more recommended if you have a low initial budget, and need some free options.
- You should use Wix if you are just starting at setting up websites using third-party platforms and have no idea about codes. If the budget is not your concern, Wix would be the easiest platform to start with.
Both WordPress and Wix are wonderful. The key to scaling them lies in how dedicated you actually are.
WordPress vs Wix: Which one is better for Blogging?
WordPress is the better platform if you want to build your first or even hundredth blog. It has a powerful editor that is very simple to use. You can also install and use the “Classic Editor” that really helps while writing. There is a massive collection of Plugins that will do most of the work for you.
Wix is also good to start out your blog, but sometimes it lacks the features that a blogger would need frequently.
WordPress vs Wix: Which one is better for E-commerce?
For building an E-commerce website, WordPress is better than Wix. It is perfect for selling a few or lots of products. A major reason for this is WooCommerce that helps you create an online store easily.
Wix doesn’t have anything like WooCommerce yet, so I will not keep it as a competitor of WP to build an Ecom website.
Final Verdict
WordPress and Wix are two easy-to-use platforms to build a website. WordPress is a CMS, while Wix is a website building. Both of them are brilliant but different. WordPress, being larger and older than Wix, has a slight edge over Wix in every aspect. However, it is not essential that you always choose WordPress. You can test out Wix as well. If you are a beginner, Wix would be a better choice than WordPress for you.
It all comes down to what you need between WordPress vs Wix and how hard you can work for it. That’s all for this post. I hope you have found your answers.
Hemant is Digital Marketer and he has 6 + years of experience in SEO, Content marketing, Infographic etc.