Wix is a dedicated website builder with superior drag-and-drop design tools and better templates, while GoDaddy is a domain registrar that offers website building as an add-on service with lower base costs but less sophisticated design capabilities.
Wix vs GoDaddy — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Wix if you want professional design flexibility, advanced e-commerce features, and superior AI-assisted tools for content creation and design. Choose GoDaddy if you need an affordable domain registrar with basic website building capabilities and prefer simplicity over design sophistication.
All-in-one SaaS website builder with integrated ecommerce, drag-and-drop editor, and managed hosting.
Full-service domain registrar and web hosting provider with aggressive introductory pricing
Structured comparison data for Wix vs GoDaddy with 205 attributes.
Global Market Share (Registered Domains)
Total Cost Over 5 Years (Domain + WHOIS + SSL)
Starting Hosting Price (Annual Commitment)
Global Website Speed Improvement (Average)
Starting Monthly Price (WordPress Starter)
Wix vs GoDaddy — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Wix vs GoDaddy.
Which platform is cheaper for the first year?
GoDaddy is significantly cheaper at $2.99/month for the first year (promotional pricing) compared to Wix's $14/month. However, renewal prices are crucial: GoDaddy renews at $19.99/month while Wix jumps to $27/month, so long-term costs vary based on plan selection. For annual commitment, GoDaddy costs $36 first year vs. Wix's $168 first year.
Can I switch from GoDaddy to Wix without losing my domain?
Yes. Your domain is registered separately from your website builder. You can transfer your domain from GoDaddy's registrar to any other registrar (including Wix) by requesting an authorization code from GoDaddy. The domain remains yours; only the builder changes. Transfer typically takes 5-7 days.
Which is better for selling products online?
Wix is substantially better for e-commerce. It offers inventory tracking, abandoned cart recovery, subscription products, multiple payment gateways, and advanced shipping options. GoDaddy's e-commerce is extremely limited with no inventory management and basic checkout only. Wix's e-commerce plan starts at $27/month; GoDaddy requires the $19.99 plan minimum but lacks professional features.
Is Wix's AI Writer included in the base plan?
Wix's AI Writer is included on Business Basic plans ($14/month and above) in the Wix Editor, but requires a separate subscription on Wix Studio (their premium builder). The AI features vary by plan tier. GoDaddy does not offer an equivalent AI writing tool.
Yes. You can register a domain with GoDaddy and build a website on Wix by connecting the domain. This is common when GoDaddy domain pricing is competitive, but Wix's website builder is preferred. You simply update the domain's nameservers in GoDaddy to point to Wix's servers.