It is not easy to decide whether to use Wix or WordPress to build your website. The decision gets harder if you are new to website development.
Wix has hit the limelight in recent years, and has a huge fan following amongst celebrities, including Karlie Kloss.
At the same time, WordPress is a giant in this area and runs one third of the world’s websites.
Both provide great capabilities but are quite different in terms of aspects such as website creation, maintenance, security and features.
Here are 9 major differences between the two that you should know before website development.
#1 Ease Of Use
Wix is an all-inclusive WYSIWYG website builder that is easy for beginners and non-coders to use, whereas WordPress is a self-hosted open-source content management system which needs a higher learning curve and typically using a WordPress developer.
#2 SEO
Wix, being a drag & drop website builder, does not allow you much flexibility in terms of customizing or fine tuning every aspect of your website’s SEO.
WordPress allows your website developer more control on most aspects of your website so they can tune on-page SEO.
Both WordPress and Wix include basic, built-in SEO tools and it is easy to find plugins or apps that allow you access to more advanced SEO features.
#3 Blogging
WordPress provides more features and abilities when it comes to blogging.
For instance, Wix lacks adequate commenting functionality, whereas WordPress offers native commenting section available to people with a WordPress account.
However, most bloggers will most likely be satisfied using either service.
#4 E-commerce Store Development
Wix has eCommerce built in and works well for people who want a basic website that can sell a few odd products. It does not, however, work for full-blown online stores.
With powerful plugins like Shopify and WooCommerce, your web designer can equip your WordPress store with advanced e-commerce features. It does, however, need an advanced set up as compared to Wix.
So, if you need a comprehensive & full-fledged e-commerce store, WordPress is the better option as compared to Wix.
#5 Apps & Plugins
Wix has but limited number of apps available to enhance your website. You can use them to build a simple website however if you need some complicated features, you may not get enough options.
On the other hand, WordPress has a lot of plugins that can be used to build almost any kind of website. No matter if you need a simple CMS website, e-commerce website or a web portal, WordPress can do all for you.
#6 Website Maintenance
Wix needs lesser ongoing maintenance compared to WordPress.
With Wix, updates are installed by its technical team, and deployed to your site automatically – you do not have to do a thing.
WordPress codebase is constantly being changed to fix bugs and improve security. When this happens (multiple times a year), you will need to update your WordPress website yourself.
Every good thing comes with a price. While WordPress can help you to build any kind of website at affordable price, you do need to take care of its plugins & themes on a regular basis. Therefore, hiring a WordPress developer to maintain your website regularly will be an ideal plan.
#7 Availability Of Web Developers
The popularity of WordPress means there is a huge community of WordPress developers that you can engage with for building the platform.
It is also easy to find website developers to fix any problems you face or to work on developing more advanced features and themes for your website after the launch.
With Wix, you are restricted to using of tools and apps created by the Wix development team and integrated into their website builder.
This leads to a much smaller web designer community to help you if you were to face any problems or looking to enhance any features.
#8 Customizations
WordPress is unrivalled when it comes to the customization. Your website programmer can modify just about any aspect of the website to your exact liking with some advanced coding and you have a world of both premium and free themes you can choose from.
Wix does allow you to access the code for templates, but it is not recommended that you change it unless you have advanced technical skills.
For the most part, you are restricted to working with the options provided in the drag and drop editor.
#9 Website Security
Wix is a fully hosted solution, so security is taken care of for you, which allows you to focus solely on your website.
In the case of WordPress, however, you will have to be more proactive and hands-on to ensure your website’s security.
Recommended Post: 10 Ways To Secure Your WordPress Website From Hackers & Malicious Codes
conclusion:
At the end, you need to decide between the two based on your experience, budget and needs. Though Wix looks to be a better fit for beginners, you should seriously consider WordPress if you are planning to create a successful business or blog that will grow over time.
