Pexels Wix has become pretty popular over the past couple of years, something that can be attributed in part to its budget-busting marketing campaigns starring well-known personalities. It has also benefitted from a powerful yet gentle learning curve as well as flexible modern-looking designs. Let’s compare WordPress and Wix on all the major buckets of website and blog development.
Ease of Use
Wix is pretty easy to use. You do not have to install additional software. The editor is basically a super-intuitive drag-and-drop, which is great, especially if you’re using it for the first time. It has many functionalities, including access to the Wix App Market where you can install other features at any time. The main difference between Wix and WordPress lies in their technical approach. While Wix includes support and hosting for their packages, WordPress is open source and you have to fix things on your own. However, you can’t use it to build complex sites such as directories and social media. WordPress, on the other hand, allows you to do pretty much anything, including creating any type of website. But, you need to have the technical and programming know-how. On the other hand, WordPress is known for its notorious plug-ins and extensions, which are not the easiest to install or implement. WordPress also requires you to have a little technical know-how to use it, which can be limiting if you are going at it for the very first time. WordPress comes with a powerful editor that allows you to edit pages with a live preview.
Design and Flexibility
Wix is pretty handy when it comes to design. It comes with about 1000 free slick modern templates segmented into categories such as restaurants, photographers, and blogs. However, while it’s no doubt quite handy in terms of design and flexibility, the templates are not exactly as responsive as you’d like. You’ll need to rearrange the elements so that you can make your site look nice on mobile. And once you have selected your template, you can not change it. Meanwhile, if you know HTML or CSS, or wouldn’t mind spending a few hours working to modify your template’s code, WordPress allows you to come up with just the kind of website that you had envisioned. Plus, with WordPress, there are a lot more responsive themes from which to choose, though they can cost between $30 to $60.
Ecommerce
You might want to add an online store to your website. So you definitely want a tool that gives you that kind of flexibility. With Wix, you can still get your dream online store. In fact, it has a nice dedicated section where you can sell pretty much anything you want. The only reservation with Wix is that it might not be ideal if you have a large-scale business, since it is better suited for small business enterprises. With a WordPress website, on the other hand, you can go full-throttle with your e-commerce. As long as you have a third-party plug-in, it provides you with a full-featured solution, so you can do pretty much everything you want.
SEO
This is one area where Wix definitely does well in comparison to WordPress. With Wix, you can change the alt attributes, page title, and even the choice of headings. However, things are much different when you’re on the free plan because it doesn’t allow you as much freedom to customize, which makes it a tad harder to rank in search engines. With WordPress, you are a little more restricted as there are only a few options out of the box. To enjoy the full SEO capabilities of a WordPress website, you need to add a plug-in like Google Analyticator and Yoast SEO.
Blogging
Blogging is a pretty big deal and a crucial part of having a website, so it’s really important to have a platform that integrates clean blogging features. Wix options are pretty good in this regard. It lets you create tags and categories and has decent posting features, too. In addition, you can add images, videos, galleries, dividers, and GIFs. However, WordPress is always focused on blogging options and has all the features you need to create categories, tags, and RSS. But on the downside, it requires a little technical know-how to set up a robust blog.
Pricing
The basic website builder in Wix is offered for free. There are two major drawbacks:
Wix plasters advertisements on the top and bottom of your website. You can not use your own custom domain name.
WordPress on the other hand is open source and free to use. However, you will need to pay for hosting and purchase a custom domain name.
Support
Support is a pretty big deal, especially in a platform where things are bound to go wrong from time to time. So you definitely want to know whether you will get the support you need should anything go wrong. With Wix, you get phone support as well as great support on other forums. Plus, you can also refer to Wix articles and tutorials should anything go wrong. With WordPress however, you don’t have the luxury of support. You have to rely on what you find on community forums, which could either be a hit or a miss.
Verdict
In terms of looking at which one offers you more between WordPress and the other website builders, well that all depends on the kind of website that you need. If you are a complete beginner or just want to create a personal website, Wix is the way to go. However, if you are looking for a powerful solution that will scale over the years, the WordPress platform and community is definitely something that you should consider in terms of investing your time, energy, and money. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2022 Adriel Ananiel
