Wix and WordPress are two best-known brands (and earliest) within the website building industry. Both are helpful in their own individual ways. However if you simply are evaluating Wix versus. WordPress – the best idea fit for the project?
Before we glance at different tradeoffs between Wix and WordPress, we must define precisely what Wix and WordPress are.
Wix is an exciting-in-one “hosted website platform.” A located website platform is how all of the components required for an internet site come in one bundle having a single monthly cost.
Wix offers the software to handle your site content they offer the designs and functionality. They’re best-recognized for their drag builder. They offer add-ons & extensions for unique functionality. And more importantly, additionally they supply the hosting (also known as the server where your site files live) & security all in a single cost.
WordPress is technically free website software that you simply manage your site content, designs and functionality. However it’s utilized in two various ways.
First, there’s self-located WordPress (also known as “WordPress.org). It’s free, open-source, community-supported software that anybody can install on any server that fits minimum needs. You have to pay for hosting, install WordPress and run your site the way you like. I authored a setup guide here.
Second, there’s WordPress.com. It’s a located platform service offered through the primary corporate supporter of WordPress. With WordPress.com, you will get any web site managing a limited, located form of WordPress free of charge. After this you purchase upgrades.
Yes – it’s confusing. I authored a little more concerning the distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org here if you wish to dig much deeper.
But here’s an example that actually works –
Imagine you’re searching for any home.
Wix and WordPress.com are generally like purchasing a condominium. You have everything within your condo. That you can do anything you want inside. The apartment association takes proper care of water, electricity, security and structural issues. They can have furnished unit options. However, you might also need to follow condo association rules. You’re restricted to their structure and you spend extra HOA charges.
Self-located WordPress is much like purchasing a house. That you can do anything you like. There’s no rules or limitations. But you need to take proper care of everything (or bring in help to consider proper care of it). It’s also as cheap or as costly as you would like so that it is.
And For your information – this fundamental explanation is much like Squarespace versus. WordPress, Weebly versus. WordPress – or perhaps located ecommerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Disclosure – I receive customer referral charges from companies pointed out on this web site. All data and opinion derive from my experience like a having to pay customer or consultant to some having to pay customer.
Located versus. Self-located Platforms
To appear at Wix versus. WordPress directly – we’re going to check out things i believe are the main factors for many new website proprietors. We’ll take a look at Wix, Self-located WordPress and WordPress.com in every section.
Remember that the main tradeoff is going to be control/convenience. Wix & WordPress.com are generally located platforms thinking about supplying the very best, easiest experience. But to obtain the convenient experience, there’s a tradeoff with control & features (since they need to control the atmosphere to supply the very best experience).
If either Wix or WordPress.com doesn’t possess a feature you would like, you are able to’t simply add it. If you wish to migrate to a different platform – you are able to’t just pickup and then leave and begin elsewhere together with your identical website.
Whenever you self-host by yourself server – you can do both individuals things. However, it’s also not as convenient like a located platform.
That’s the main tradeoff to keep in mind. But like I’ve pointed out in other website builder reviews, this site setup guide and my ecommerce platform reviews – it’s and not the only tradeoff (that is what we should’re gonna discuss).
Prices
Wix has 5 paid plan additionally for their ad-supported free plan. You should check out their plans here – though many of their plans mostly are differentiated by space for storage.
Bear in mind by using Wix – your plan includes hosting, customer care, designs, etc.
WordPress.com includes a free plan restricted to a subdomain (e.g., [yourwebsite].wordpress.com). The WordPress.com Personal Plan runs $2.99/mo when billed yearly. You’ll have a custom domain, but it’s restricted to designs and space for storage. The Premium Plan run $8.25/mo when billed yearly. It adds extra space and a few more feature upgrades (though no Google Analytics support).
The Strategic Business Plan runs $24.92/mo when billed yearly. It adds Google Analytics, more design options and limitless storage.
Bear in mind that these two companies only allow a single site on diets.
Self-located WordPress is 100% free software application that you could install on any server. If you’re real geek, you are able to technically run it free of charge off a house server. But realistically, your primary cost is going to be having to pay for shared Linux hosting. You will get good hosting for under $3/mo when billed yearly – that renews at just $8/mo when billed yearly.
There are many great hosts with one-click WordPress setups. HostGator (who I personally use for many sites) has very economical plans (review).
InMotion Hosting is a little pricier overall but has excellent support along with a website builder-esque drag and drop tool for WordPress known as BoldGrid if that’s your factor.
In either case, self-located WordPress may have less expensive prices both relatively and absolutely regardless of what host you utilize.
With self-located WordPress, you’re not just obtaining a cheaper cost every month, you’re also getting the opportunity to have limitless features, limitless design options and *limitless websites.*
For those who have two, 3 or more website ideas, place these on a single self-located account without having to pay more. With Wix (and direct competitors like Squarespace and Weebly) & WordPress.com – each new website is a brand new monthly cost.
The large prices asterisk with self-located WordPress is there are a many things you aren’t having to pay for – but they are still accountable for.
For prices with Wix versus. WordPress – WordPress.com will generally get better because of most users. But many of that will depend around the exact features you’re searching for. However, self-located WordPress represents a far greater deal according to prices alone.
But let’s move to another asterisk/factors.
Onboarding & Consumer Experience
“Onboarding” describes the entire process of moving a completely new customer from signup to active user.
In other words it’s helping new customer determine your software. Nobody loves to purchase something and immediately hate it since they can’t decipher it.
Like I pointed out within my Wix review, Wix not just has solid onboarding, they likewise have a reasonably intuitive interface having a simple drag setup.
Wix has a variety of pre-loaded designs for various website types (ie, music, business lead-gen, portfolio, etc). To enhance and personalize the website, still it takes a little bit of experimentation. But they’ve customer care available to reply to any queries.
WordPress.com also offers a great onboarding process. Their backend requires new users to get on some vocabulary (ie, “widgets” or “themes”). WordPress.com also offers huge focus on publishing content, particularly in blog form. In case your goal would be to publish posts once you register – WordPress.com wins hands lower.
However, WordPress.com requires a little more experimentation to obtain a “normal” website configured. Around the switch side, WordPress.com does a great job explaining and guiding users inside the builder. Things are minimalist with little pop-ups as well as an apparent road to publishing.
Onboarding with self-located WordPress varies among website hosts. This really is technically since it’s your software that you’re installing. It’s like Apple customer support being accountable for a brand new software program you purchased.
Actually, I produced an easy WordPress setup guide here together with WordPress tutorials since some website hosts have a tendency to provide your bank account information and then leave you to definitely it.
Some hosts like Website Hosting Hub or InMotion asks some signup questions and give back helpful starter sources. They’ll offer a WordPress builder application to assist. However for setup and onboarding, you’re still virtually by yourself.
You are able to email support for particular questions, but there’s no apparent “do this, then that” process once you install WordPress.
If terms like “FTP” or “Security Patch” or Googling for solutions are not formidable to you, you might appreciate self-located WordPress’ minimalist onboarding. It’s not complicated when you are beyond the learning curve – and you’re in complete control.
However, for onboarding & consumer experience – WordPress.com is way better than Wix for bloggers. For any more typical website, Wix may well be a better fit if you are using certainly one of their templates. Self-located WordPress is okay should you’d favour control of led tours.
Design Options
A typical myth in website building is the fact that a “WordPress website” or “Wix website” or “Shopify site” is really a specific website design or look. A lot of customers choose or eliminate a platform simply because they “don’t such as the look.”
Here’s the factor – must be software uses “themes” or “templates” like a base does not necessarily mean that you could’t have whatever design you would like.
The feel of a website is produced with HTML/CSS. Any software that enables you to definitely edit CSS is software that may generate nearly any design imaginable.
WordPress.com and Self-located WordPress all allow CSS editing.
However, Wix doesn’t allow HTML/CSS editing. Make all changes using their software.
This difference puts WordPress.com and self-located WordPress ahead. That stated, WordPress.com continues to have lots of limitations. So let’s look in the three questions which i usually ask with located platform’s designs.
The primary three questions are –
- How accessible are their “plug & play” designs?
- What’s the number of their premium “plug & play” designs?
- What lengths can an expert developer/designer opt for the look?
On question #1 – the 3 have great, accessible plug-n-play designs. Wix has a number of pre-loaded designs according to website type (property, music, portfolio, etc). Many are a little dated, but other medication is very good.
For self-located WordPress, there are millions of free designs that you just select within the Appearance menu.
For WordPress.com – there’s a big selection, however, you aren’t permitted to seize just any custom theme and do the installation. Like Wix, you’re restricted to their approved styles to edit or personalize.
On question #2 – the 3 possess a pretty huge assortment of designs with self-located WordPress supplying probably the most options. For a long time now, professional designers/developers have produced premium “off the shelf” styles for WordPress.
There’s no third party industry for Wix or WordPress.com. Both will have premium third party styles on their own internal marketplaces.
For question #3 – the 3 permit designers (not developers) to complete their factor with self-located WordPress providing the finest freedom (for much better as well as for worse).
Wix isn’t designer/developer friendly (see HTML/CSS). There are lots of experts who use Wix, but (while they may be HTML/CSS ninjas) they’re more experts with Wix than HTML/CSS whenever using Wix. Quite simply, for those who have an incredible web design service, he/she may not be good when creating a website for Wix – since Wix requires Wix-specific design understanding.
WordPress.com has more limits than either Wix or self-located WordPress since they don’t allow scripts, FTP access or custom styles.
For design options, the 3 have good options with various “flavors.”
WordPress.com has a great deal of click and go styles. Wix has freedom inside their own design setup. If you want their system, then that’s where it starts and ends.
Self-located WordPress offers limitless choice & control, that is great, but could lead to further problems of their own with qc, security and/or code conflicts.
Technical & Personalization Features
The technical set of features illustrates the control/convenience tradeoff spectrum much better than anything using these three options.
WordPress.com has got the greatest quantity of control (no scripts with no FTP access) but additionally has got the easiest setup. It’s built-in features that merely work. And also the features that many users need/want exist.
Wix has exactly the same or more control than WordPress.com. You may make changes and tweak many technical settings – only individuals approved by Wix.
 
That stated, the Wix / WordPress.com system helps to ensure that the characteristics they will have work – plus they work nicely no crashing or conflicts.
Self-located WordPress enables limitless technical & personalization features. It’s also fairly convenient for novices to include new functionality. Self-located WordPress enables “plugins” that are little small-apps that you could supplment your WordPress install using the mouse click.
Whether or not this’s for much better Search engine optimization functionality, establishing an ecommerce site, adding appointments, bulk uploading information, adding a social networking or really whatever you can consider – it can be done with self-located WordPress.
Around the downside, it’s also possible to produce a code conflict in WordPress and crash your site. It’s not common should you stay with well-support plugins, but it’s something which can occur.
It’s much like having a house – you are able to develop a deck or add shutters if you wish to. Things will most likely be fine, however if you simply accidentally damage your home – it’s for you to repair.
About this consideration – there’s no real overall champion. It’s about what’s good for you.
Marketing & Search engine optimization Features
Marketing & Search engine optimization factors are much like the technical factors.
Both WordPress and self-hosted are “good” for marketing & Search engine optimization for the reason that they cook well-coded, crawlable, HTML & CSS.
As outlined within my Wix review, Wix generates pages with an AJAX system. Their pages are technically crawlable. But from my professional experience, Wix website are not even close to well suited for Search engine optimization or network marketing purposes. If Search engine optimization & social aren’t most of your marketing means, this consideration might not matter much.
Actually, there are many other caveats.
WordPress.com only enables Google Analytics using their Strategic business plan. Furthermore, they don’t allow tracking or conversion pixels (ie from Google or Facebook). Additionally they do not let specific technical Search engine optimization additions for example Schema, category page edits or any other technical fixes.
Wix has lots of in-house marketing “apps” that are simple to install and sync along with other business tools. But with Wix’s apps, you are able to’t do all of the Search engine optimization or technical marketing work. Around the upside, for a lot of beginner / small websites, applying tags & technical fixes aren’t (and cannot) be high priority.
The very best factor you should do is publish quality content that will get associated with and shared by many individuals (and won’t crash under sudden massive recognition) then WordPress.com and Wix both permit you to do this.
If you wish to do all of the marketing things – a self-located WordPress website allows even beginners to apply highly advanced tactics varying from applying tags, tracking data to advanced Search engine optimization changes to running email opt-ins, schema, a/b tests and anything you may wish to accomplish.
So again, with marketing features the “winner” really depends upon your priority. In case your priority is easy, user-friendly publishing then WordPress.com and Wix do this well.
If you would likeOrrequire an entire technical marketing toolset – then you definitely’ll require a self-located WordPress website.
Customer Care & Service
Regardless of what you are or that which you’re building – you’ll likely need customer care.
WordPress.com approaches customer care differently. They are doing something to make customer care “scale” (also known as they aren’t answering exactly the same question again and again).
WordPress.com structures their backend to try and eliminate questions & problems. But if you have a problem, you need to publish it inside a public forum.
The contact page instantly searches old posts while you type to obtain your question clarified from your old publish. Whenever you submit, WordPress.com’s “Happiness Engineers” rapidly and concisely answer your question – either openly or via private email.
It’s all virtual, interesting, and efficient – although not for everybody.
Wix offers classical customer care via support tickets. They offer phone, email, chat and understanding base support.
If you have a self-located WordPress website, you want to your webhost for intricacies and Google/forums for other conditions. I’ve reviewed a lot of website hosts and repair levels/approaches vary extremely.
Some the likes of InMotion (review), Website Hosting Hub (review), SiteGround (review), and DreamHost (review) are independent firms that positively purchase customer support – and will be more WordPress-specific issues than the others.
Others like HostGator (review), Bluehost (review) yet others have good hosting support but encourage upgrading to “WordPress hosting” to possess WordPress-specific help.
That stated, even though you have excellent hosting support, oneself-located WordPress web site is inherently unique.
Since WordPress.com and Wix operate located platforms – their customer support has less variables to utilize. They already know you are able to only personalize your website a lot, thus potential issues are restricted.
For those who have a very customized self-located WordPress website with a lot of plugins and theme edits, you’ll have to undergo a trouble-shooting process regardless of how good your webhost’s support is.
If you’re comfortable problem-solving and troubleshooting, a self-located WordPress site with a decent webhost would be the best fit. Otherwise, Wix/WordPress.com have a better setup.
Speed, Backups, Security & Maintenance
Associated with customer care would be the problems with speed, security and maintenance.
If you work with WordPress.com or Wix – these aren’t your problems. They take proper care of the 3 included in the bundled deal.
If you’re self-hosting, you’ll have to regularly improve your WordPress install and plugins. Furthermore, you’ll have to use a fundamental security wordpress plugin and know very well what makes your website fast/slow.
None of those topics need a developer or deep technical understanding, but they’re topics you need to be familiar with.
Returning to the home example – it’s like altering the environment filter monthly and setting an alarm system. They aren’t complicated, but they’re under your control. My publish on essential plugins for WordPress is a great resource.
Wix vs. WordPress Conclusion
Wix and WordPress are very well-known brands permanently reasons. They’ve both made obtaining a website a lot simpler than it was once.
Both are healthy choices for several projects. If you’d prefer control of convenience – then decide on a self-located WordPress site. Use this site setup guide here (but pair it with InMotion’s BoldGrid setup for WordPress for drag & drop functionality).
If you’d prefer more convenience, convey more budget and wish an emphasis on publishing & simplicity of use – i then’d opt for WordPress.com.
If you’d prefer convenience and wish a far more general purpose website with traditional support and drag/drop design – i then’d opt for Wix (or take a look at their direct competitors).
Other Sources
- How You Can Setup A WordPress Website on your own
- Essential Help Guide To Selecting An Ecommerce Website Platform
- WordPress.org versus. WordPress.com
- Wix Review w/ Pros & Cons
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