Wix vs WordPress comes down to control versus convenience. Wix is an all-in-one builder: you pay a subscription, drag and drop your pages, and Wix handles hosting and security, but your site has to stay on Wix. WordPress is free, open-source software you can host anywhere and extend almost without limit, but someone has to look after updates, hosting and security. For most sole traders, the better choice depends on how much time you have and how likely you are to outgrow your first site.
Below, we compare the two fairly on cost, ownership, SEO, flexibility, time and moving later.
TL;DR
- Wix is quicker to start and simpler to run yourself. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you.
- WordPress gives you more control and freedom. The software is free and you can move your site to any host.
- A Wix site can’t be moved to another host. Wix says it must be hosted and run on Wix’s servers.
- Both can rank on Google. Good content, local relevance and a fast, mobile-friendly site matter more than the platform.
- The biggest hidden cost with either is your own time.
Table of Contents
- What Wix and WordPress actually are
- Wix vs WordPress at a glance
- Cost
- Ownership and moving later
- SEO
- Flexibility and time
- Case study: Upskillion moves from Wix
- Our view: pick the one you’ll actually keep up to date
- Getting started
- FAQ
- Sources
What Wix and WordPress actually are
They’re not quite the same kind of thing, which is where a lot of confusion starts.
Wix is a website builder sold as a service. You sign up, choose a template, edit it in your browser and publish. Wix provides the hosting and keeps the platform running. You rent the whole package.
WordPress is software. The version at WordPress.org is open-source software licensed under the GPL, which gives you the freedom to run it for any purpose and to study and change how it works. You install it on a hosting account of your choice. WordPress.org says it powers over 43% of all sites across the web.
There’s also WordPress.com, a hosted service run by a company, which works more like Wix. When people say “WordPress” in a comparison like this, they usually mean the self-hosted version from WordPress.org, so that’s what we compare here.
Wix vs WordPress at a glance
| Wix | WordPress (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | Included in your plan | Free |
| Hosting | Included, Wix only | You choose and pay for it |
| Getting started | Very quick, drag and drop | Slower, more to learn |
| Updates and security | Handled by Wix | Your job, or your web person’s |
| Flexibility | Good within Wix’s tools and app market | Very high, with themes, plugins and custom code |
| Moving to another host | Not possible, the site stays on Wix | Yes, to any host |
| Best for | DIY owners who want simple and contained | Sites that will grow, or owners with help |
Cost
On paper, WordPress wins: the software is free. In practice, neither is free once you want a proper site on your own domain.
What you pay with Wix
Wix has a free plan, but it isn’t really suitable for a trading business. One UK pricing review notes that free sites use a wixsite.com web address and show Wix ads on every page, and can’t take online payments. To use your own domain and remove the ads, you need a paid plan. Plans are billed monthly or for longer terms, with longer commitments costing less per month, and they renew automatically. Prices change, so check Wix’s own plans page for current UK figures before you decide.
The upside is that one bill covers hosting, security and the platform. There’s little else to buy unless you add paid apps.
What you pay with WordPress
With WordPress you pay separately for hosting and a domain name. You may also buy a premium theme or paid plugins. Many plugins are free, though WordPress.org notes that plugins and themes can offer premium versions for a fee. Then there’s the cost of keeping it all updated, either in your time or in someone else’s fee.
So the honest answer on cost: Wix is more predictable, WordPress is more variable. A simple WordPress site on decent hosting can be cheap to run. A WordPress site stacked with paid plugins and an expensive developer can cost far more than Wix.
The cost nobody adds up: your time
A Kettering electrician who spends three evenings a month fiddling with his site isn’t getting it for the price of a subscription. If those hours could have gone on quoting or invoicing, they have a real cost. We cover this in more depth in DIY vs professional websites.
Ownership and moving later
This is the difference that matters most over the long run, and the one most people don’t think about until they want to leave.
Wix is clear about it. Its help centre says that because Wix is a hosted service, your site needs to be hosted and operated on Wix’s servers. You can connect a domain you bought elsewhere, but you can’t download the site and run it on another host. If you leave Wix, you rebuild. Your words and images can come with you, but the design and structure don’t.
WordPress works the other way. Because the software is open source, you can move your whole site, design and all, from one host to another. If your hosting company lets you down, or you want a different web designer, you take the site with you. Our guide to website migration without downtime explains how that’s done.
Whichever you choose, make sure the domain name is registered in your name. That’s the one thing that should never be locked to a provider. With us, the domain always belongs to the client and that’s written into the contract. Our plans run on a 12-month contract, and after 18 months the website is yours to copy and host elsewhere if you choose.
SEO
Both platforms can rank well. Don’t let anyone tell you that one is impossible to get onto page one with.
Wix includes the SEO basics. Its SEO basics guide covers editing each page’s title tag and meta description, customising URLs, choosing which pages search engines can index, and a personalised SEO plan through its setup tool.
WordPress doesn’t do much SEO on its own, but SEO plugins add the same controls and more, such as detailed schema markup and redirect management. That extra control is useful if you’re working seriously on search, and easy to ignore if you’re not.
In our experience, the things that move the needle for a local firm are the same on either platform:
- Clear pages for each service and each area you cover.
- Useful, regular content that answers customers’ questions.
- A fast site that works well on a phone.
- A well-kept Google Business Profile with genuine reviews.
Our 90-day SEO plan works on either platform.
Flexibility and time
Flexibility
Wix has plenty of features for most small firms: bookings, simple shops, forms, blogs. It works well while you stay inside what Wix offers. If you need something it doesn’t do, your options are limited to its app market.
WordPress has a huge library of themes and plugins, and a developer can build almost anything on it: a booking system to your exact rules, a member area, a directory, a link to your CRM. That’s why larger and more complex sites tend to end up on WordPress.
Time and upkeep
This is where Wix earns its keep. Wix looks after the platform, so you don’t have updates to run.
WordPress needs regular care. The WordPress developer documentation says the most important security step is to keep WordPress itself and all installed plugins and themes up to date, because out-of-date software can have vulnerabilities. Someone also needs to take backups and check the site after updates. If that someone is you, budget time for it. Our guide to website security for small businesses has a simple checklist.
| If this sounds like you… | Lean towards |
|---|---|
| Sole trader, simple needs, enjoys doing it yourself | Wix |
| Want to own and move your site freely | WordPress |
| Planning lots of pages, features or integrations | WordPress |
| No time or interest in maintenance, and no help | Wix |
| No time, but happy for someone else to look after it | Either, as long as they manage it for you |
Case study: Upskillion moves from Wix
Upskillion is a public speaking and communication training business in Rushden, run by Helen and her husband. In 2026 they were named finalists in the Midlands StartUp Awards. When Helen first got in touch, the site was on Wix.
Wix wasn’t the problem in itself. It’s a perfectly good builder. The problem was that every new course, every price change and every update was Helen’s job, and getting help meant email or a chat window with someone who didn’t know her business. That was time she wanted to spend running courses and meeting clients.
We took the site over from Wix and built a new one around the business on our pay-monthly plan. It has clear course pages, works on every screen size, and is set up so search engines can find it. We look after the hosting, security and backups, and make her changes each month. Now when she needs a new course added, she messages Mark rather than opening a support chat. You can read more in the Upskillion case study.
Our view: pick the one you’ll actually keep up to date
We don’t think Wix is bad, and we don’t think WordPress is always the answer. We’ve seen great Wix sites and neglected WordPress sites that hadn’t been updated in years.
If you’re a sole trader starting out, you enjoy tinkering and your needs are simple, Wix is a sensible place to begin. Just go in knowing that if you outgrow it, you’ll be rebuilding rather than moving.
If you want to own your site outright, expect to grow, or need features Wix doesn’t offer, WordPress makes more sense. But be honest about who will run the updates and backups. An un-updated WordPress site is a risk.
And if what you really want is a site that looks professional and stays current without you touching it, the platform question matters less than who looks after it. That’s the gap we fill.
— Mark Jones
Getting started
Thinking of leaving Wix, or stuck with a site nobody updates? We can take it over. Our pay-monthly plans start at £34.99 a month plus VAT for 8 pages, with hosting, email, a free domain name and your changes included (usually done within a day or two), and no upfront cost. If you’re still weighing up doing it yourself, read website builder or agency first.
Or book a free, no-obligation website review and we’ll tell you honestly whether to stay where you are or move.
FAQ
Is Wix or WordPress better for SEO?
Both can rank well. Wix includes the basics, such as editable title tags, meta descriptions and URLs. WordPress, with an SEO plugin, gives more control. Content, local relevance and site speed matter more than the platform.
Can I move my Wix site to WordPress?
Not directly. Wix says sites must be hosted on Wix’s servers, so you can’t export the site itself. Your text and images can be moved across and the site rebuilt, and your domain can be pointed at the new site.
Is WordPress free?
The software is free and open source. You still pay for hosting and a domain, and possibly premium themes or plugins and someone to maintain it.
Is Wix good for a small business?
For a simple site that you’re happy to run yourself, yes. It gets harder if you need features Wix doesn’t offer, or you want the freedom to move your site later.
