Skip to main content
software

WordPress vs Wix: Complete Comparison (2026) | Comparison

WordPress powers 43% of all websites and offers unlimited customization through plugins and themes. Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder requiring no coding knowledge. WordPress is more powerful; Wix is easier for non-technical users.

WordPress

WordPress

Open-source CMS powering 43% of websites with 58,000+ plugins and themes

Blogs, complex sites, and developers

Score57%
VS
W

Wix

All-in-one SaaS website builder with integrated ecommerce, drag-and-drop editor, and managed hosting.

Small businesses and beginners wanting easy setup

Score50%

Quick Answer

AI Summary

WordPress powers 43% of all websites and offers unlimited customization through plugins and themes. Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder requiring no coding knowledge. WordPress is more powerful; Wix is easier for non-technical users.

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

WordPress for scalability, SEO, and advanced customization. Wix for beginners who want a quick, easy website without technical skills.

Community feedback

Was this verdict helpful?

WordPress
9.3/10
Wix
5.7/10
W
WordPress

Choose WordPress if

Best pick

Blogs, complex sites, and developers

W

Choose Wix if

Small businesses and beginners wanting easy setup

Track this comparison

Get notified when prices change, new specs ship, or our verdict updates.

Triggers: price change new spec verdict update

No spam. Stop anytime.

Key Differences at a Glance

  • Market Share:WordPress wins(43% of web vs ~3% of web)
  • Ease of Use:Wix wins(Very Easy vs Moderate)
  • Customization:WordPress wins(Unlimited vs Limited)
See all 5 differences

Key Facts & Figures

112 numeric metrics compared

MetricWordPressWixRatio
Web Market Share43%~3%
Customization Rating(score /5)5/53.5/5
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)3/54.5/5
Starting Price(USD/month)$100-200 (hosting only)$120-216 (all-in-one)
SEO Capabilities Rating(score /5)5/53.5/5
Base Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD/month)$4 (WordPress.com) + $20-100 hosting
Total Annual Cost (All-In)(USD/year)$260-2200+ (hosting, plugins, maintenance)
Average Page Load Speed(seconds)3.4 seconds
Setup Time (Professional)(hours)40-100+ hours
Monthly Maintenance Hours Required(hours)5-20+ hours
Monthly Cost (Entry Level)(USD)$4 (managed) / $0 (self-hosted)
Time to Live Website(hours)24-72 hours
Global Market Share (CMS)(percent)43%
Available Plugins/Integrations(count)58,000+
Page Load Speed (Average)(ms)2.5-4.0s (varies with plugins)
Average Monthly Cost (Managed)(USD)$24.50
Available Plugins/Extensions(count)~58,000 plugins
Setup Time for Beginners(minutes)4-8 hours
SEO Plugin Options(count)15+ top options
Page Speed (Average)(ms)2500-3500
Annual Hosting Cost(USD)$60-300+ per year
Design Templates Available(count)90,000+ themes900+ templates
Revenue Share on Ad Revenue(percent)100% (you keep all)
Content Export Difficulty(ease score (1-10))Easy via XML export (9/10)
Technical Maintenance Required(hours per month)2-5 hours (updates, security, backups)
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)$0-15$27/month
Transaction Fees(%)2-3% via Stripe/PayPal plugins
Setup Time to Launch(minutes)7-21 days30 minutes (average first store)
Annual Cost (100K Revenue)(USD)$240 + hosting ($10-50/month)
Average Development Time (Basic Site)(weeks)1-2 days
Reported Security Vulnerabilities (2024)(CVEs)156 plugin/theme CVEs
Monthly Hosting Cost (Basic)(USD)$2-10
Maximum Concurrent Users (Optimized)(users)10,000-50,000
Monthly Cost (Entry-Level Plan)(USD)$5-15 (hosting only)$17
Total Plugins/Apps Available(count)50,000+500+
Average Page Load Time(milliseconds)2.5 (optimized)3.2s
Initial Setup Time(minutes)20-40 hours (with learning)0.5-1 hour
Monthly Cost (Basic Tier)(USD)$5-15 hosting$16/month
3-Year Total Cost Ownership(USD)$180-360 (hosting only)$576-3,564
Available Themes/Templates(count)10,000+ free & premium900+ Wix-designed
Plugin/Extension Ecosystem(count)60,000+ plugins250+ apps
Average Website Speed (Page Load)(seconds)1.5-2.5 seconds (optimized)2.5-3.5 seconds
Monthly Cost (Minimum)(USD)$0 (self-hosted, domain only)
Monthly Cost (Fully Managed Equivalent)(USD)$25-50/month (WP Engine, Kinsta managed hosting)
Plugin/Integration Count(available)58,000+ plugins
Global Market Share(%)43%2.5-3% of all websites
Setup Time (No Technical Knowledge)(hours)2-4 hours (theme selection, plugin setup)
E-commerce Market Share(% of online stores)38% (WooCommerce dominates)
Hosted Server Uptime Guarantee(%)99% (varies by host)
Annual Cost (Base Tier)(USD)$120-500/year
Payment Processing Fee(% + fixed)2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe)
Available Extensions/Apps(count)58,000+ plugins200+ Wix apps
Uptime Guarantee(percent)Depends on host (typically 99.9%)
Monthly Cost (Base Plan)(USD)$3-10/month + free software$14
Available Plugins/Themes(count)58,000+ plugins + 10,000+ themes
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)60-120 minutes
Customization Flexibility Score(scale 1-10)9.5 out of 10
SEO Control Capabilities(scale 1-10)9 out of 10
Base Monthly Cost (Managed Hosting)(USD)$4-$300/month
Page Speed (Typical Setup)(ms)1,200-2,500ms
Available Themes(count)100,000+
Template Count(templates)2,000+2,000+
Basic Plan Price (Annual)(USD/month)$17/month$17/month
Ecommerce Entry Price(USD/month)$29/month (Core plan)$29/month (Core plan)
Ecommerce Transaction Fee(%)3.3%3.3%
Product Variation Limit(variations per SKU)~100~100
Payment Gateway Options(number)50+ gateways50+ gateways
Transaction Processing Fee(percent)0% (on Wix Payments)0% (on Wix Payments)
Recommended Maximum Annual Revenue(USD)$100,000+$100,000+
Monthly Starting Price(USD)$6.48/month$6.48/month
Professional Plan Price(USD)$27/month (Business Basic)$27/month (Business Basic)
Average Time to Launch(weeks)3-7 days3-7 days
Business Plan Price(USD)$39/month (advanced e-commerce)$39/month (advanced e-commerce)
Template Library Size(templates)1000+1000+
Starting Monthly Price(USD)$14/month$14/month
Available Pricing Tiers(count)5 plans5 plans
Starting Monthly Price (Year 1)(USD)$14/month$14/month
Renewal Price After First Year(USD)$27/month$27/month
Number of Templates(templates)900+900+
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)$16/month (annual billing)$16/month (annual billing)
.com Domain First Year(USD)$14.95$14.95
Website Templates Available(count)900+900+
Customer Support Response Time(hours)2-4 hours (premium)2-4 hours (premium)
Transaction Fee Rate(percentage + fixed fee)2.9% + $0.302.9% + $0.30
Minimum Monthly Cost(USD)$27 (Business plan)$27 (Business plan)
Setup Time (No-Code Path)(hours)0.5-1 hour0.5-1 hour
Available Extensions/Integrations(count)300+ Wix Apps300+ Wix Apps
Annual Cost at $100K Revenue(USD)$324 (plans) + $2,900 (fees)$324 (plans) + $2,900 (fees)
Base Monthly Price (Lowest Paid Tier)(USD)$14/month (Basic)$14/month (Basic)
Available Templates(count)800+800+
Integrated Apps & Integrations(count)250+ app market integrations250+ app market integrations
User Satisfaction Rating(out of 5)4.4/5 stars4.4/5 stars
Starting Monthly Cost (USD)(USD)$27/month$27/month
Multi-Channel Selling Integration(channels)Limited to Facebook & InstagramLimited to Facebook & Instagram
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Billing)(USD/month)$13.50/month$13.50/month
Integrated App Ecosystem(count)~1,500 apps in App Market~1,500 apps in App Market
Mobile Responsiveness Score(out of 100)92/10092/100
Annual Plan Discount(percent)Up to 45% offUp to 45% off
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)$27$27
Time to Launch (Non-Technical User)(days)2-5 days2-5 days
Free Custom Domain Duration(years)1 year included1 year included
Available App Integrations(count)500+ in App Market500+ in App Market
Free Plan Storage(GB)3 GB3 GB
Built-in Payment Gateway Options(gateways)70+ payment providers70+ payment providers
Monthly Pricing (Starting)(USD)$16/month$16/month
E-commerce Plan Price(USD)$27/month$27/month
Page Load Speed (Avg)(seconds)3.2s3.2s
Built-in Payment Gateways(count)12+ (Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc.)12+ (Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc.)
Base Monthly Cost(USD)$27-42 (for ecommerce features)$27-42 (for ecommerce features)
Payment Gateway Integrations(count)20+ (Wix Payments, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay)20+ (Wix Payments, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay)
Ecommerce Templates(count)80+ built-in templates80+ built-in templates
Technical Expertise Required(level (1-5))1 (None: fully visual interface)1 (None: fully visual interface)

Sourced from publicly available data ·

Key Differences

5 attributes compared head-to-head

WordPress
4WordPress
WordPress leads
W
1Wix
  • Market Share

    WordPress

    43% of web(winner)

    Wix

    ~3% of web

  • Ease of Use

    WordPress

    Moderate

    Wix

    Very Easy(winner)

  • Customization

    WordPress

    Unlimited(winner)

    Wix

    Limited

  • SEO Control

    WordPress

    Full(winner)

    Wix

    Limited

  • Cost (basic)

    WordPress

    ~$5-15/mo hosting(winner)

    Wix

    $16-45/mo

Full Comparison

WordPress
WWix
Web Market Share
43%
~3%
Global Market Share (CMS)(percent)
43%
Customization Rating(score /5)
5/5
3.5/5
SEO Capabilities Rating(score /5)
5/5
3.5/5
CMS Content Item Limit(items)
Unlimited
Maximum Pages(pages)
Unlimited
Native CMS Included
Yes - requires plugins for advanced features
Show 24 more attributes
Real-Time Collaboration (2026)
Yes - Yjs CRDT engine in WP 7.0
Design Templates Available(count)
90,000+ themes
900+ templates
Available Plugins/Apps(count)
58,000+
~300
Customization Flexibility(percentage)
10 (full code access)
Product Limit(products)
Unlimited
SEO Customization Control(capability level)
Complete control via robots.txt, .htaccess, code injection
Data Portability(level of freedom)
Full export and migration flexibility
Difficult to export, vendor lock-in
Storage Capacity(GB)
Unlimited on most plans
Native Subscription Management
Yes, included
API Call Restrictions
Restrictive
eCommerce Features Depth
Basic (Advanced at $39+)
E-commerce Capabilities
Advanced with automated tax, shipping, inventory
SEO and Marketing Tools
Advanced SEO, analytics, and integrations
Built-in Payment Processing
Yes (Stripe, PayPal, Square integrated)
Available Extensions/Integrations(count)
300+ Wix Apps
Product Listings Limit(count)
Unlimited
Multi-Channel Selling Integration(channels)
Limited to Facebook & Instagram
Free SSL Certificate & Hosting
Included in all plans
Mobile App Editing
Full-featured app
Integrated App Ecosystem(count)
~1,500 apps in App Market
Built-in SEO Tools(availability)
Extra cost ($8.80/month for SEO Wiz)
Animation Capabilities
Template effects, limited custom animations
Payment Gateway Integrations(count)
20+ (Wix Payments, PayPal, Square, Apple Pay)
Unlimited Product Listings(boolean)
Yes (no limit across all plans)
Ease of Use Rating(1-5 scale)
3/5
4.5/5
Setup Time for Beginners(minutes)
4-8 hours
User Interface Complexity(learning hours (estimate))
Very intuitive, drag-and-drop
User Experience Level
Moderate; requires learning curve
Setup Time(minutes)
30-60 minutes (with hosting)
0.5-2 hours
Technical Maintenance Required(hours per month)
2-5 hours (updates, security, backups)
Setup Time to Launch(minutes)
7-21 days
30 minutes (average first store)
Required Technical Knowledge(skill level)
Intermediate to Advanced
Beginner (no coding needed)
Setup Time (No Technical Knowledge)(hours)
2-4 hours (theme selection, plugin setup)
Show 5 more attributes
Setup Time for Non-Developers(minutes)
60-120 minutes
Design Customization Entry Point(coding knowledge required)
Beginner (Visual drag-drop)
Setup Time (No-Code Path)(hours)
0.5-1 hour
Time to Launch (Non-Technical User)(days)
2-5 days
Technical Expertise Required(level (1-5))
1 (None: fully visual interface)
Starting Price(USD/month)
$100-200 (hosting only)
$120-216 (all-in-one)
Base Monthly Cost (Annual Billing)(USD/month)
$4 (WordPress.com) + $20-100 hosting
Total Annual Cost (All-In)(USD/year)
$260-2200+ (hosting, plugins, maintenance)
Monthly Cost (Entry Level)(USD)
$4 (managed) / $0 (self-hosted)
Average Monthly Cost (Managed)(USD)
$24.50
Show 45 more attributes
Annual Hosting Cost(USD)
$60-300+ per year
Starting Monthly Cost(USD)
$0-15
$27/month
Transaction Fees(%)
2-3% via Stripe/PayPal plugins
Annual Cost (100K Revenue)(USD)
$240 + hosting ($10-50/month)
Monthly Cost (Entry-Level Plan)(USD)
$5-15 (hosting only)
$17
Monthly Cost (Basic Tier)(USD)
$5-15 hosting
$16/month
3-Year Total Cost Ownership(USD)
$180-360 (hosting only)
$576-3,564
Monthly Cost (Minimum)(USD)
$0 (self-hosted, domain only)
Monthly Cost (Fully Managed Equivalent)(USD)
$25-50/month (WP Engine, Kinsta managed hosting)
Annual Cost (Base Tier)(USD)
$120-500/year
Payment Processing Fee(% + fixed)
2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe)
Monthly Cost (Base Plan)(USD)
$3-10/month + free software
$14
Base Monthly Cost (Managed Hosting)(USD)
$4-$300/month
Self-Hosted Option
Yes, completely free
Basic Plan Price (Annual)(USD/month)
$17/month
Free Plan Option
Available with limitations
Transaction Processing Fee(percent)
0% (on Wix Payments)
Monthly Starting Price(USD)
$6.48/month
Professional Plan Price(USD)
$27/month (Business Basic)
Business Plan Price(USD)
$39/month (advanced e-commerce)
Starting Monthly Price(USD)
$14/month
Number of Pricing Tiers(plans)
5 plans
Available Pricing Tiers(count)
5 plans
Starting Monthly Price (Year 1)(USD)
$14/month
Renewal Price After First Year(USD)
$27/month
Entry-Level Monthly Cost(USD)
$16/month (annual billing)
.com Domain First Year(USD)
$14.95
Transaction Fee Rate(percentage + fixed fee)
2.9% + $0.30
Minimum Monthly Cost(USD)
$27 (Business plan)
Base Monthly Price (Lowest Paid Tier)(USD)
$14/month (Basic)
E-commerce Transaction Fees(percent)
2.9% + $0.30
Free Plan(boolean)
Yes (with branding)
Starting Monthly Cost (USD)(USD)
$27/month
Transaction Fees (Payment Processing)(%)
2.7% + $0.30 per transaction
Starting Monthly Price (Annual Billing)(USD/month)
$13.50/month
Free Plan Available
Yes (with branding)
E-commerce Transaction Fee(percent + fixed)
2.7% + $0.30 per transaction
Annual Plan Discount(percent)
Up to 45% off
Monthly Cost (Pro Plan)(USD)
$27
Free Custom Domain Duration(years)
1 year included
Monthly Pricing (Starting)(USD)
$16/month
E-commerce Plan Price(USD)
$27/month
Free Tier Availability
Yes, limited features
Base Monthly Cost(USD)
$27-42 (for ecommerce features)
Payment Processing Fees(% + fixed)
1.5% + $0.15 (Wix Payments) or 2.9% + $0.30 (third-party)
Current Version
6.9 (RC 7.0 March 2026)
Wix Studio with AI tools
Hosting Management(type)
Self-hosted (user managed)
Fully managed (included)
Average Page Load Speed(seconds)
3.4 seconds
Page Load Speed (Average)(ms)
2.5-4.0s (varies with plugins)
Page Speed (Average)(ms)
2500-3500
Maximum Concurrent Users (Optimized)(users)
10,000-50,000
Average Page Load Time(milliseconds)
2.5 (optimized)
3.2s
Show 4 more attributes
Average Website Speed (Page Load)(seconds)
1.5-2.5 seconds (optimized)
2.5-3.5 seconds
Page Speed (Typical Setup)(ms)
1,200-2,500ms
Mobile Responsiveness Score(out of 100)
92/100
Page Load Speed (Avg)(seconds)
3.2s
Setup Time (Professional)(hours)
40-100+ hours
Monthly Maintenance Hours Required(hours)
5-20+ hours
Time to Live Website(hours)
24-72 hours
Available Plugins/Integrations(count)
58,000+
Available Plugins/Extensions(count)
~58,000 plugins
Total Plugins/Apps Available(count)
50,000+
500+
Available Themes/Templates(count)
10,000+ free & premium
900+ Wix-designed
Available Extensions/Apps(count)
58,000+ plugins
200+ Wix apps
Show 1 more attribute
Design Customization Level(scale 1-10)
High freedom with drag-and-drop
AI-Powered Features (Native)
Partial - WordPress 7.0 adds core AI (plugin-dependent before)
Native Membership Features
Via plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress)
Revenue Share on Ad Revenue(percent)
100% (you keep all)
Built-in Membership/Subscription System
Requires plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress)
SEO Plugin Options(count)
15+ top options
SEO Control Capabilities(scale 1-10)
9 out of 10
SEO Optimization Features
AI-powered SEO assistant with recommendations
Monthly Active Users(users)
~810 million (43% of web)
Content Export Difficulty(ease score (1-10))
Easy via XML export (9/10)
Security Management(responsibility level)
You manage updates, SSL, backups
Reported Security Vulnerabilities (2024)(CVEs)
156 plugin/theme CVEs
Free SSL Certificate
Yes
SSL/HTTPS Security(boolean)
Yes (all plans)
Average Development Time (Basic Site)(weeks)
1-2 days
Required Developer Experience Level
Beginner (0-6 months experience)
Monthly Hosting Cost (Basic)(USD)
$2-10
Customization Without Code
Extensive—drag-drop, theme customizer, page builders
Data Portability / Export(ease rating)
Full export capability
Limited/difficult to export
Customization Flexibility Score(scale 1-10)
9.5 out of 10
SEO Control Level(control rating)
Full (robots.txt, schema, redirects)
Basic (limited control)
Initial Setup Time(minutes)
20-40 hours (with learning)
0.5-1 hour
Plugin/Extension Ecosystem(count)
60,000+ plugins
250+ apps
Integrated Apps & Integrations(count)
250+ app market integrations
E-Commerce Product Limit(products)
Unlimited (WooCommerce)
Up to 50,000
E-Commerce Product Limit (Basic Plan)(products)
Unlimited
Plugin/Integration Count(available)
58,000+ plugins
Available Plugins/Themes(count)
58,000+ plugins + 10,000+ themes
Global Market Share(%)
43%
2.5-3% of all websites
E-commerce Market Share(% of online stores)
38% (WooCommerce dominates)
E-commerce Inventory Management
Advanced: SKU tracking, stock alerts, variants
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Included with e-commerce plans
Maximum E-commerce Products(products)
Unlimited products
Built-in Payment Gateway Options(gateways)
70+ payment providers
Show 1 more attribute
Built-in Payment Gateways(count)
12+ (Stripe, PayPal, Square, etc.)
Hosted Server Uptime Guarantee(%)
99% (varies by host)
Uptime Guarantee(percent)
Depends on host (typically 99.9%)
Customer Support Availability(hours/week)
Community forums + paid support
Developer Community Size(developers)
500,000+
120,000+ (2026)
24/7 Customer Support
Yes, chat and email
Customer Support Response Time(hours)
2-4 hours (premium)
Hosting Included
No, separate purchase
Yes (included in all plans)
Available Themes(count)
100,000+
Number of Templates(templates)
900+
Website Templates Available(count)
900+
Mobile Editor Available
Full-featured mobile editor
Available Templates(count)
800+
Show 3 more attributes
Template Design Quality Rating(qualitative)
Variable quality, requires curation
Drag-and-Drop Editor Flexibility
Full-page element positioning (complete freedom)
Ecommerce Templates(count)
80+ built-in templates
Template Count(templates)
2,000+
Template Design Quality
Functional, highly customizable
Ecommerce Entry Price(USD/month)
$29/month (Core plan)
Transaction Fee Structure
Higher fees
Marketing Tools Integration
Built-in social media and SEO tools
Built-in Social Media Tools
Yes, native tools
Ecommerce Transaction Fee(%)
3.3%
POS System Included
Yes, built-in
Omnichannel Selling Support
Yes, included
AI Website Builder
Advanced (Aria, greater variety)
AI-Assisted Features (2025-2026)
Basic AI copywriting and simple design suggestions
Product Variation Limit(variations per SKU)
~100
Payment Gateway Options(number)
50+ gateways
Multi-Currency Support(currencies)
135+
Recommended Maximum Annual Revenue(USD)
$100,000+
Maximum Monthly GMV (Entry Plan)(USD)
No stated limit
Maximum Products(count)
Unlimited
Average Time to Launch(weeks)
3-7 days
CMS Scalability
Basic; supports 100s of pages effectively
Custom Code Access
Limited custom code in specific areas only
Built-in Hosting & SSL
Integrated with reliable uptime; basic SEO controls
Template Library Size(templates)
1000+
Recommended Merchant Size
Micro to small business
Built-in AI Tools
AI Writer, design suggestions, image optimization
Annual Cost at $100K Revenue(USD)
$324 (plans) + $2,900 (fees)
Email Marketing Included(boolean)
Limited (plans $27+/month)
User Satisfaction Rating(out of 5)
4.4/5 stars
API Capabilities
Limited REST API only
Storage Included(GB)
Unlimited on Premium+ plans
Available App Integrations(count)
500+ in App Market
Free Plan Storage(GB)
3 GB
Custom Code Support
Velo (JavaScript-only, proprietary API)

Pros & Cons

8 pros·7 cons across both

WordPress
W
WordPress

WordPress

+4-3

Pros

  • Powers 43% of the web
  • 60,000+ plugins available
  • Excellent SEO control
  • Full ownership of your data

Cons

  • Requires technical knowledge for advanced use
  • Security management responsibility
  • Plugin compatibility issues
W

Wix

+4-4

Pros

  • No coding required
  • Drag-and-drop simplicity
  • Hosting included
  • Fast setup (hours not days)

Cons

  • Limited scalability
  • Less SEO control
  • Wix owns your site structure
  • Monthly fees required

Frequently Asked Questions

3 questions

  1. WordPress gives you significantly more SEO control through plugins like Yoast and Rank Math. Wix has improved its SEO but still lags behind WordPress.

12 more to explore

5 articles

Explore More

Related comparisons and categories

Human reviewed