We’re often asked about the differences as well as the pros and cons of these two very popular website building platforms. In this article, we’re going to cover what we believe are the main things you should know about each one to help you make an informed decision.
Pricing
WordPress
One of the biggest factors when making business decisions is always money. At the surface, WordPress definitely appears to be the cheaper solution when it comes to building a website. After all, it’s free….kinda. While it’s free to install the WordPress software on your domain and start building a website, there are several reasons why WordPress is more expensive in the long run.
- WordPress requires regular and routine maintenance to stay secure. Our packages are priced monthly.
- Premium plugins. While there are a huge amount of free plugins out there, many require paid subscriptions to get access to advanced features that your website may need.
- Development costs are more expensive. It takes us longer to build a WordPress website than it does a Wix website therefore we have to charge more. Plain and simple.
Wix
Wix charges a couple hundred dollars a year for most websites on their platform. This seems like a lot of money compared to it’s free counterpart but it’s actually quite cheap considering what it includes. Wix’s fees include hosting, online store functionality, online booking features, and more. Here’s a few things to consider with Wix pricing:
- Wix requires little to no maintenance. Wix handles updates to its software internally so the only maintenance required with your website is updating content. This translates to no monthly maintenance costs.
- Development costs are considerably lower than WordPress. We can usually save you at least a few hundred dollars when designing a Wix website vs a WordPress website.
In summary, Wix wins the price battle in our opinion. A Wix website will always be a cheaper option. With that being said, cheaper isn’t always better. Keep reading to learn more about the two platforms.
Capability & Limitations
WordPress
While WordPress can cost more money over time, the possibilities are basically endless. WordPress has the capability to do pretty much whatever you want it to. If you can dream it, it can be done on WordPress. As mentioned before, this freedom comes with a cost.
Wix
Wix is great at a lot of things. If you’re making a basic website to advertise your business online, Wix might be a perfect solution. However, if you need advanced features or functionality you might find yourself stuck in certain situations. We’ve found that we often have to find workarounds or pay for 3rd party software to achieve some specific functions on Wix websites.
When it comes to capability, WordPress is the clear winner. All in all, it depends on what you’re looking for. We like to help our clients make these decisions and are happy to talk over your options with you.
Ease of Use: Content Updates
WordPress
WordPress has quite the learning curve even with simple updates to content or photos. This is why we usually recommend one of our maintenance packages so we can do these for you.
Wix
Making updates to your website doesn’t get much easier than Wix. It’s drag and drop editor makes content changes fairly quick and painless.
Wix takes the cake when it comes to ease of use.
Performance
WordPress
A properly developed WordPress website will always outperform a Wix website of equal functionality. It’s that simple. WordPress allows you to fine tune your website for optimal speed and performance. It’s also much more reliable and predicable in our experience if maintained properly.
Wix
Wix websites are known for being a little slow. However, if done professionally a Wix website can do just fine for most businesses. Many people wouldn’t even notice.
WordPress is the best performing platform between the two.
Conclusion
You might have noticed that each platform has 2 wins, making this a tie. This was intentional. We strongly believe that these two platforms are both great for different reasons. If you have a larger marketing budget, we’ll always suggest WordPress. If you’re just starting out and need a nice website on a smaller budget, Wix is a great option.
Like anything, remember that having the professionals handle your website design is of upmost importance regardless of which direction you decide to go. If you’re still unsure, make sure and get in touch. We’re always happy to help.