WordPress is a plugin-based, open-source CMS that provides templates and website hosting for its users. Wix, an alternative to WordPress, is mainly a website builder. It has an intuitive drag-and-drop editor and enables third-party integrations.
WordPress offers coding experts freedom and flexibility thanks to its open-source nature. On the other hand, Wix has a ready-to-use solution for people who don’t want to spend too much time setting up a website and would rather get to selling products.
Here are seven differences between the platforms to consider so you can choose the right option for your needs.
1. Ease of Use
WordPress comes with a steep learning curve. It will take time to find the ideal combination of plugins and themes for your site. What’s more, you will be solely responsible for updates and patches.
Wix is user-friendlier. It has pre-built blocks to create a working website quickly. Many industries are covered by its theme library, but WordPress offers more customization options.
2. Templates
Wix has around 1,000 free templates. They are elegant, modern, and segmented into categories for various niches. You can use the drag-and-drop function to reorder some elements to optimize access on mobile phones.
If you’re familiar with HTML and CSS, there’s a lot you can do with WordPress. If not, you’ll need to spend some time learning how to alter templates. This content management system also has a large number of themes online. Paid ones cost $45 on average.
3. Website Building and Hosting
While this is at the heart of Wix’s service portfolio, other website builders provide a better price-performance ratio. Sites built with WordPress can only be hosted on WordPress. You must reckon with the website builder’s managed hosting plan in the end costs. Wix has better hosting and website-building capabilities overall.
4. Customization
Developers are happier with WordPress and beginners – with Wix. On WordPress, you have to create the themes and blocks yourself. This is not necessary on Wix because the drag-and-drop editor takes care of that for you.
Developers and people with coding experience find WordPress the better and more affordable option.
5. Scalability
WordPress is more scalable than Wix. You can add new functions or plugins to your site as needed. Each Wix pricing plan includes a set of resources, features, and functions. It’s a hassle to move from a more expensive to a cheaper plan. The other way around is easier. On the plus side, Wix lets you change your plan by removing or adding features and functions at any time. Users claim changes are slow to happen, though.
6. E-commerce Functions
There is a special online shop area in Wix. It’s an elegant solution with many options for payments, taxes, shipping, etc. The e-commerce website builder is affordable and supports digital items. On the minus side, Wix sites are a bit slow due to the fact that their themes are content-rich, making the platform better suited for smaller businesses. Slow websites have SEO issues, and the shopping experience is less than satisfactory.
Slow loading isn’t a problem if you use a third-party plugin with WordPress. One of the best options is WooCommerce. Online shops can get very far with some custom code. It costs extra to enable Stripe payments and other features.
7. Support
Wix’s paid plans have live support, while WordPress practically doesn’t offer any. If a plugin or a theme causes problems or stops working, you have to email the developers. You can also visit help forums for issues with the WordPress core and architecture. To check for solutions, you’ll have to revisit the thread.
Final Thoughts
WordPress and Wix both have their pluses and minuses. Your choice will mostly depend on the site you want to create and the functions and features you need it to have.
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