WordPress vs Wix in 2026: Cost, Ease of Use, Ownership and Which to Pick
WordPress vs Wix in November 2026: WordPress.com from $4 a month or self-hosted, Wix from $17. Ease of use, ownership, plugins, SEO and store fees compared.
WordPress vs Wix: The Short Answer
Wix is easier: you pick a template, drag things into place and Wix handles hosting, security and updates. WordPress is more flexible: thousands of themes and plugins, the strongest blogging tools, and content you can move to any host. WordPress.com starts at $4 a month billed yearly, and self-hosted WordPress is free software you run on your own hosting; Wix starts at $17 a month billed yearly. Pick Wix for a simple business site you want done this week. Pick WordPress if content drives your business or you want to own your site.
Quick answer: Is WordPress or Wix better? Wix for beginners who want everything in one place with no maintenance. WordPress for blogs, content-heavy sites and anyone who wants plugins, full control and the freedom to move hosts.
WordPress vs Wix at a Glance
| Question | WordPress | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source software, hosted by WordPress.com or any web host | A hosted website builder |
| Entry paid price | WordPress.com Personal, $4 a month billed yearly | Light, $17 a month billed yearly |
| Free option | Free software; you pay for hosting | Free plan on a Wix subdomain with ads |
| Ease of use | More setup and upkeep on self-hosted | Easier, all-in-one |
| Customisation | Thousands of themes and plugins, full code access | Templates plus the Wix App Market |
| Blogging | WordPress's core strength | Good built-in blog |
| Ownership | Open format you can move | Site must be hosted on Wix's servers |
| Maintenance | Your job on self-hosted; managed on WordPress.com | Handled by Wix |
WordPress vs Wix Prices
| WordPress.com plan | Yearly, per month | Monthly | Wix plan | Yearly, per month | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | $4 | $9 | Light | $17 | $24 |
| Premium | $8 | $18 | Core | $29 | $36 |
| Business | $25 | $40 | Business | $39 | $46 |
| Commerce | $45 | $70 | Business Elite | $159 | $172 |
WordPress.com prices are from its pricing page, checked November 7, 2026. Wix prices are US, from our Wix pricing guide, checked November 4, 2026. Self-hosted WordPress costs your hosting, domain and any paid themes or plugins.
Selling Online
| WordPress.com | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee on payments | 8% Personal, 4% Premium, 2% Business, 0% Commerce, plus Stripe | No Wix fee on Premium plans |
| Cheapest plan that sells | Personal, with its 8% fee | Core, $29 |
| Full store features | WooCommerce on Business and Commerce | Core and up |
| Self-hosted option | WooCommerce, a free plugin | None |
For a small store, Wix Core at $29 with no platform fee often costs less than WordPress.com's lower plans once their payment fees add up. Self-hosted WooCommerce can be cheaper still, if you are willing to manage hosting.
Which Is Better for SEO and Content?
WordPress. It started as blogging software, and its editor, categories and SEO plugins make it the natural pick if articles, guides or recipes bring in your traffic. Wix covers the SEO essentials, such as editable titles, descriptions, sitemaps and structured data, and is perfectly fine for a local business site. If you plan to publish a lot, WordPress gives you more room to grow.
Which Gives You More Control?
WordPress. Its content moves between any WordPress hosts, and on self-hosted WordPress you control the code and server. Wix says sites need to be hosted and operated on its servers, and its blog posts cannot be exported to other platforms, so leaving Wix means rebuilding.
Who Should Choose Which?
| You... | Better fit |
|---|---|
| Have never built a site and want it done fast | Wix |
| Publish lots of articles | WordPress |
| Want no maintenance at all | Wix, or WordPress.com |
| Want to own and move your site | WordPress |
| Need a specific plugin or custom feature | WordPress |
| Want a branded iOS and Android app for members | Wix, with Branded App from $99 a month |
| Want the cheapest custom-domain site | WordPress.com Personal |
See also our WordPress website cost and Wix website cost calculators.
What If You Need More Than a Website?
If your business also needs a web app with logins and data, or a native iPhone app, neither WordPress nor Wix builds that well on its own. As a disclosure, Superapp is our product, so weigh this accordingly. Superapp builds websites, web apps and native Swift apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac from a plain-English description, from $25 a month. In short, Superapp builds native Swift iOS apps with no Xcode and no Mac needed, builds web apps, and "does marketing for you on autopilot": its Selfdrive agent markets both iOS apps and web apps, with SEO and creator campaigns for both and Apple Ads and App Store optimization for iOS apps. Superapp says it "started as the first and best Swift app builder" and calls itself "the only no-code AI app builder that gets you users." It does not build Android apps and does not document ecommerce features, so for a store, WordPress with WooCommerce or Wix remains the better base.
WordPress.com and Wix in Their Own Words
Verbatim from each pricing page, checked November 10, 2026.
| Topic | WordPress.com | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Personal: "Build your presence with a site you can customize." | Light: "Get the basics" |
| Taking payments | Premium: "Accept payments on your site and reach more people." | Core: "Engage your audience" |
| Plugins and apps | "Install any of over 60,000 plugins from the WordPress.com marketplace" | Wix App Market, usually $3 to $20 per app a month |
| Developer tools | Business and Commerce include "SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI, Git commands, and GitHub Deployments" | Developer platform on Business Elite |
| Hosting | "Every WordPress.com plan, including the free plan, comes with hosting included." | Hosting included, on Wix's servers only |
| Payment fee | "It drops as you upgrade, to 0% on Commerce." | No Wix fee on Premium plans |
| Global selling | Commerce: "Grow globally by accepting 135+ currencies." | Business Elite: advanced ecommerce |
| AI site builder | Not compared here | "Create your site from a single prompt" |
| Free domain | Included with yearly plans | "Most yearly or multi-year Premium plans come with a 1 year free domain voucher." |
What a Year Costs
Our own arithmetic from list prices billed yearly, before payment fees.
| Need | WordPress.com | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Simple site with your domain | Personal, $48 | Light, $204 |
| Site that takes payments | Premium, $96, with a 4% fee | Core, $348, no Wix fee |
| Business site with plugins or advanced features | Business, $300 | Business, $468 |
| Full online store | Commerce, $540, 0% fee | Business Elite, $1,908 |
| Self-hosted WordPress | Hosting from a few dollars a month, plus any paid plugins | Not possible |
Fees on $10,000 of Payments
Our own arithmetic, before card processing, which both charge.
| Plan | Platform fee | Fee on $10,000 | Plan cost, yearly | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Personal | 8% | $800 | $48 | $848 |
| WordPress.com Premium | 4% | $400 | $96 | $496 |
| WordPress.com Business | 2% | $200 | $300 | $500 |
| WordPress.com Commerce | 0% | $0 | $540 | $540 |
| Wix Core | 0% | $0 | $348 | $348 |
At $10,000 of payments a year, Wix Core is cheapest; below about $6,000, WordPress.com Premium usually is.
Pick It or Skip It
| Platform | Pick it if | Skip it if |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | Content drives your business, or you want plugins and ownership | You want zero setup decisions |
| Wix | You want everything in one easy editor with no maintenance | You plan to move hosts or publish at scale |
Decide in Five Questions
- Will you publish more than a post a week? WordPress.
- Do you want to own your content and move it later? WordPress.
- Do you want a site live this afternoon with no updates to manage? Wix.
- Will you take more than about $6,000 a year in payments? Wix Core or WordPress.com Commerce, to avoid percentage fees.
- Do you need a specific plugin, such as a membership or LMS tool? WordPress.
How to Move From Wix to WordPress
- Plan for a manual move: Wix does not export the site or its blog posts to other platforms.
- Copy each post and page into WordPress by hand, or use a migration service.
- Pick a WordPress theme close to your design and rebuild menus.
- Set up 301 redirects from every old Wix URL.
- Point your domain to the new host and cancel Wix once traffic has moved.
Which One Fits Your Situation?
| Your situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blogger or publisher | WordPress | Strongest editorial tools |
| Hair salon or consultant with bookings | Wix | Scheduling built in |
| Online course creator | WordPress | Course and membership plugins |
| First-time site owner | Wix | All-in-one editor |
| Developer building client sites | WordPress | Full code access |
Mistakes to Avoid
- Installing too many WordPress plugins; each adds updates and risk.
- Choosing WordPress.com Personal for heavy selling and paying its 8% fee.
- Building on Wix and expecting to move the site later.
- Skipping backups on self-hosted WordPress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WordPress better than Wix? For content, plugins and ownership, yes. For ease of use and zero maintenance, Wix is better.
Is WordPress cheaper than Wix? Usually. WordPress.com Personal is $4 a month billed yearly and self-hosted WordPress is free software, while Wix Light is $17. Payment fees and paid plugins can change the total.
Is Wix easier than WordPress? Yes. Wix is an all-in-one builder; self-hosted WordPress asks you to choose hosting and keep plugins updated.
Can I move from Wix to WordPress? Yes, but by hand. Wix does not export blog posts to other platforms, so you copy content, rebuild pages and set up redirects.
Which is better for SEO, WordPress or Wix? Both handle the basics. WordPress is stronger for content-heavy sites thanks to its editor and SEO plugins.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org? WordPress.org is free software you host yourself. WordPress.com is a hosted service with paid plans that manage hosting for you.
Which is better for a small business? Wix for a simple brochure or booking site with little upkeep. WordPress if content marketing is central to how you get customers.
Does Wix charge transaction fees? Wix charges no fee of its own on Premium plans; card processing fees still apply.
Does WordPress.com have a free plan? Yes. WordPress.com says every plan, including the free plan, comes with hosting.
How many plugins can I use on WordPress.com? WordPress.com says you can install any of over 60,000 plugins from its marketplace on plans that support plugins.
Is WordPress hard to learn? WordPress.com is about as easy as Wix for a simple site. Self-hosted WordPress takes more learning because you manage hosting and updates.
Is Wix good for blogging? For a small blog, yes. For a large content site, WordPress has stronger editorial and SEO tools.
Which is better for a portfolio? Wix for a quick, visual portfolio; WordPress if the portfolio sits alongside a blog you will grow.
Can I sell in many currencies? WordPress.com Commerce says it accepts 135 or more currencies. Wix supports selling from Core.
Which is more secure? Wix and WordPress.com handle security for you. On self-hosted WordPress, security depends on your host and keeping plugins updated.
Which is cheaper for a business site? WordPress.com, on plan price. Wix can be cheaper once you take enough payments to make percentage fees matter.