Wix vs WordPress is one of the first decisions many new business owners face, and it is easy to get stuck on it for weeks. Both can produce a good small business website. They suit different people, and the right choice depends less on features than on who will run the site, how much it needs to grow and whether you want to own everything outright. This guide compares the two from a new business point of view.
What each one is
Wix is an all in one website builder. You sign up, pick a template, drag things into place and pay Wix a subscription. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you, inside Wix’s system.
WordPress (the self hosted version from WordPress.org) is free, open source software that runs a large share of the world’s websites. You install it on hosting of your choice, add a theme and plugins, and you or your web designer look after it. There is also a hosted service at WordPress.com, which works more like Wix; this article compares Wix with self hosted WordPress.
Wix vs WordPress: the main differences
Ease of use
Wix is easier to start with. If you want to build a simple site yourself this weekend, it is hard to beat. WordPress has more of a learning curve, especially the first time you set up hosting, a theme and plugins. Once a WordPress site is built, though, adding a blog post or changing some text is simple for most people.
Ownership and moving later
This is the difference new businesses most often overlook. A WordPress site is a set of files and a database that you can move to any host. If you fall out with your web designer or your hosting company, you take the site with you. A Wix site lives on Wix. You can take your domain name and your words elsewhere, but the design and the way the site is built stay behind, so moving away usually means a rebuild.
Whichever you choose, make sure the domain name is registered in your name or your company’s name, not your designer’s.
Flexibility as you grow
Wix covers what most small sites need: pages, a contact form, a blog, bookings and a shop through its own apps. WordPress has a far larger range of themes and plugins, and a developer can build almost anything on it. If you expect to add things like detailed service area pages, a large blog, customer accounts or links to other business software, WordPress gives you more room.
SEO
Both platforms let you set page titles, descriptions and web addresses, create a sitemap and connect Google Search Console. For a local business, the platform matters much less than the work done on it: a clear page for each service, your towns mentioned naturally, your business details, a well kept Google Business Profile and genuine reviews. WordPress, with an SEO plugin, gives more fine control, which matters more as a site grows. Our SEO guide for UK businesses covers the work that makes the difference.
Looking after it
Wix handles security and updates for you. A WordPress site needs its core software, theme and plugins kept up to date and backed up, which is either a job for you or for a care plan. Ignoring updates is how many small WordPress sites run into trouble.
Running costs
Prices change, so check each provider’s current price list rather than relying on a blog post. The structure is what matters. With Wix you pay a subscription for as long as the site is live, and features such as online payments depend on the plan. With WordPress the software is free, and you pay for hosting, your domain, any premium plugins and the time to maintain it. Our guide to how much a website costs in the UK breaks down the wider picture.
Which suits your business?
- Choose Wix if you want to build and run a simple site yourself, you are happy to stay on one platform, and you do not expect the site to grow much beyond a handful of pages.
- Choose WordPress if you want to own the site outright, expect to add pages and content over time, want local SEO to be a serious source of work, or plan to have a designer build it for you.
Some new owners also look at pay monthly website deals, where a provider builds a site and charges a monthly fee. Before signing one, check who owns the site and the domain, how long the contract runs and what happens if you leave.
Wix or WordPress: what we see with Luton businesses
A lot of the sites we are asked to look at in Luton and Dunstable were built quickly on Wix or a similar builder by the owner, and they work as a brochure. The problems usually start when the business wants a page for each service and town, or wants to move the site, because builder sites are harder to take with you.
There is no single right answer. If you are a sole trader in Luton who needs a simple site this month, a builder can be fine. If you plan to grow across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, we would usually recommend WordPress or a custom build you own outright.
For comparison, ST HECS in Luton runs on WordPress so its team can add service pages and blog posts themselves. PaveLocal and the PrimeGuard site are custom-built static sites we deploy ourselves, which keeps them fast.
Skip the decision
Ivy Hive builds new business websites on WordPress that you own outright, website and domain. The New Business Launch website is £497 fixed with no contract, live in 7 days, with the words written for you and hosting, domain and business email included for the first 12 months. After that, an optional care plan at £29 a month keeps it updated. Get in touch if you would like to talk it through.
