WordPress is a powerful and versatile platform that empowers users with a plethora of customization options, even without any programming skills or coding knowledge.
It's important to distinguish between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The former allows you to download the WordPress source code and host it on your own server, while the latter is a service that offers website creation based on their own hosting.
Curious about Wix?
Wix is an all-in-one platform designed for building websites effortlessly. With Wix, programming skills are unnecessary as everything is neatly laid out for you.
Creating your desired website is as simple as drag and drop with Wix. One of the key reasons behind Wix's popularity is its hosting service, which stores your website on their servers. This means you no longer need to bother with third-party hosting packages.
WordPress vs Wix
Let's examine some of the most noticeable differences between WordPress and Wix:
1. Pricing
WordPress is an open-source platform, meaning you can use it for free. Your expenses will be for the Domain Name and Hosting Service. Some hosting providers offer packages specifically for WordPress.
In addition to those costs, you'll need to purchase premium Themes and Plugins to get the tools that best suit your needs. In fact, free themes and plugins nowadays are often sufficient for operating a complete website. So, spending money on this may be optional.
➢ The cost for a basic WordPress website ranges from $50 to $100 per year, while premium sites can go up to $500 to $1000/year.
As for Wix, they have a free package and several premium packages. If you use the free version, your domain will be in the format: accountname.wixsite.com/websitename
➢ Wix's most popular package is priced at $12.5/month, equivalent to $150/year. The highest-tier business package costs $35/month > $420/year.
2. User-Friendliness
WordPress offers unique customization options and comes with a block editor. However, it also requires a certain level of understanding of its operations. Learning to use plugins and themes to build websites can be very beneficial.
On the other hand, using Wix is somewhat easier. With its simple drag-and-drop interface, you can control any element on the website. Additionally, the live preview option makes the website creation process convenient and enjoyable.
3. Design
In the design battle between WordPress and Wix, WordPress emerges as the winner. This is because WordPress offers thousands of free and premium themes. Moreover, each theme comes with its own customizations to help you achieve the desired website interface.
Wix provides over 900 pre-defined HTML5 templates. They also offer a tool for customizing these templates, such as changing layouts, rearranging items, etc.
4. Customization
Both WordPress and Wix hold strong positions in customization and expansion capabilities. WordPress boasts the richest collection of themes, plugins, and add-ons.
While Wix may not have as many such applications, they have their own standout advantage. Wix creates a dedicated mobile version for your website. For WordPress, achieving a perfect mobile version requires CSS and HTML adjustments.
5. Plugins and Applications
WordPress offers over 59,000 plugins in the official directory. Additionally, there are numerous plugin developers scattered across the internet. With these plugins, you can customize and add tons of amazing features to your website.
Wix offers over 200 apps that you can use on your website for various purposes. These include: stores, booking, blogs, restaurant ordering, forums, etc.
6. Blog Content
WordPress excels over Wix in terms of blogging. WordPress wins this category because of its modern Gutenberg block editor, native comment system, and other advanced features that help you create an official blog website within minutes.
On the other hand, with Wix, you can add a basic blog section to your website. Essentially, you're still well-supported in this aspect, but it lacks some important features.
7. E-commerce
WordPress can integrate with WooCommerce, currently one of the most popular and comprehensive e-commerce platforms. Additionally, WordPress offers many free e-commerce plugins to further expand its features.
Wix only provides e-commerce functionality with their paid plans. Therefore, users cannot create a store website using Wix for free. However, Wix has its own payment system which is quite useful.
8. SEO
WordPress provides you with strong SEO elements. You can adjust page titles, alt attributes, and other metrics to improve your ranking. Moreover, you can use plugins like Yoast or Rank Math for further enhanced support.
On Wix, you can also perform all these page functions. And their provided SEO tool is relatively easy to use.
9. Support
WordPress falls short in this aspect. Being an open-source platform, WordPress lacks any official support. Instead, you rely on forums to seek assistance from other users. These forums also serve as a place for you to share and discuss various issues.
On the other hand, Wix offers customer support through three channels - phone, chat, and email. VIP package receives top priority support.
Choosing Between WordPress and Wix?
Both WordPress and Wix have their pros and cons. If you prefer simplicity due to lack of experience, go for Wix. Conversely, if you have some knowledge about website creation, opt for WordPress for much greater scalability. Wishing you all success!