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There are many ways to build a website today. This post compares two popular options, WordPress and Wix, so you can judge which suits your business. It is an opinion piece based on each platform's official documentation, checked on 3 October 2026. Plans, prices and features change often, so confirm the current details on each provider's own site before you decide.
Updated 3 October 2026: the original 2022 version of this article contained incorrect descriptions of both platforms, old prices, and website and plugin counts that we could not support. We removed those and rewrote the comparison.
WordPress
"WordPress" means two different things, and mixing them up is the most common mistake in comparisons like this:
- WordPress.org (self-hosted WordPress) is the free, open-source software, licensed under the GPLv2. You download it or install it through your web host, and you choose and pay for hosting and a domain yourself. You can install any theme or plugin, edit the code and move the site between hosts.
- WordPress.com is a hosted service that runs WordPress software for you, with hosting included. According to WordPress.com's support documentation, installing plugins is limited to its paid plans, so how much you can customise a WordPress.com site depends on the plan you choose. Both options leave you in ownership of your content, and WordPress.com states that you are free to move it.
The WordPress.org About page describes WordPress as powering over 43% of all sites on the web. We have not independently verified that figure, and it changes over time, so treat it as WordPress's own claim rather than a measured fact.
You edit content in WordPress with the block editor (also called Gutenberg), which the WordPress documentation describes as the default editor since WordPress 5.0. It is a visual editor made of blocks such as paragraphs, images, headings, lists and videos, and more blocks can be added through plugins. You do not need to download any program to edit a WordPress site; you edit it in your browser.
Wix
Wix is a proprietary, hosted website builder. Your site, hosting and editor all run on Wix's platform. Wix's own help pages describe building a site in the Wix Editor by adding elements with a couple of clicks or by dragging them onto the page, so it does have site-building tools, and its drag-and-drop editor is its main selling point. For developers, Wix documents a code layer called Velo for adding custom front-end and back-end code to a Wix site.
Wix's pricing works through plans. Wix says a free site stays live with Wix ads and a non-customisable wixsite.com address, and that you need a paid Premium plan to connect a custom domain. Prices vary by plan, billing period and country, and Wix shows them on its own plans page, so check that page rather than relying on a figure from an article.
How they differ in practice
- Setup and upkeep. With Wix, hosting, the editor and updates to the platform are part of one service. With self-hosted WordPress you choose a host, and you or your developer keep WordPress, the theme and plugins updated. Many hosts offer one-click WordPress installation, so the technical set-up is often small, but ongoing maintenance is still your responsibility.
- Flexibility. Self-hosted WordPress lets you install any plugin or theme and change the code. Wix lets you add apps and, with Velo, custom code, but within Wix's platform rules.
- Ownership and moving. A self-hosted WordPress site can be moved to another host. A site built on a closed platform such as Wix generally cannot be moved as a working site; check what Wix lets you export before you commit.
- Cost. The WordPress software is free, but a real site still needs hosting, a domain, and often paid themes, plugins or developer time. Wix bundles hosting into its plan price. Compare the total yearly cost of what you actually need, not just the headline price.
- SEO and speed. Both platforms can be configured well for search engines and performance, and both can be configured badly. Page speed depends on hosting, the theme, the plugins or apps, and your images, so measure your own pages with a tool such as PageSpeed Insights instead of assuming one platform always wins. We do not claim an absolute winner on speed or security.
Advantages of WordPress
1) Customisable. Thousands of themes and plugins are available, and because the software is open source you or a developer can change nearly anything.
2) Wide community and documentation. WordPress.org publishes extensive documentation, and there are support forums and many third-party tutorials.
3) Ownership and portability. You can choose your host, change host later and keep control of your files and database.
4) Control over SEO settings. Titles, meta descriptions, permalinks and structured data can be controlled through the theme and plugins. Good SEO still depends on content and technical quality, not only on tools.
Disadvantages of WordPress
1) You maintain it. With self-hosted WordPress, updates, backups and security hardening are yours (or your host's or developer's). Because anyone can publish plugins and themes, installing poorly maintained or untrusted ones raises the risk of vulnerabilities. Choose maintained plugins from reputable sources and keep everything updated.
2) More decisions up front. You need to pick hosting, a theme and plugins, and a first-time user may find that more to learn than a single all-in-one builder.
3) Costs add up. Free software does not mean a free site: hosting, premium plugins and support all cost money.
4) Layout editing varies by theme. The block editor and the Site Editor in block themes give visual control over layouts, but the experience depends on the theme and any page builder you use, so it can feel less uniform than Wix's single editor.
Advantages of Wix
1) All-in-one. Hosting, the editor, templates and support come together in one subscription, so there is no separate host or plugin set-up.
2) Visual drag-and-drop editing. Beginners can place elements directly on the page, and Wix documents this as a core part of its Editor.
3) Platform maintenance handled for you. Wix runs the underlying platform, so you do not manage server software or WordPress-style plugin updates. You are still responsible for your own account security, content, and any third-party apps or custom code you add.
4) A free starting point. You can try a site on the free plan, with the Wix ads and wixsite.com address limitations described above.
Disadvantages of Wix
1) Subscription-based. Features such as a custom domain require a paid plan, and you keep paying to keep the site running.
2) Closed platform. The platform is proprietary, so you cannot change the underlying software or move the working site to another host the way you can with self-hosted WordPress.
3) Limits come from the platform. Customisation is broad within Wix's editor, apps and Velo, but you work inside what Wix allows.
4) Switching later takes work. Because the site lives on Wix, moving to another platform usually means rebuilding it and handling redirects carefully to protect search traffic.
Conclusion
Neither platform is the right answer for everyone. Self-hosted WordPress is usually the better fit when you want ownership, flexibility, a growing site with custom features, or room to change hosts and developers later, and you are happy to manage updates or pay someone to. Wix is a reasonable fit when you want a single supported service, a visual editor, and a straightforward site without managing hosting or software yourself. WordPress.com sits between the two, with hosting included and customisation that depends on the plan.
Before you choose, list the features you need now and in two years (such as online sales, bookings, memberships or multiple languages), check current plan terms on each provider's site, and compare the total yearly cost. If you want help deciding or building on WordPress, contact us.
