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Louis Roy

WordPress or Wix: Which CMS Should I Choose to Create Your Website in 2025?

Wix or WordPress: which one to choose?

Creating a website, once a specialty in itself, is now within everyone’s grasp. But choosing the right platform can be tricky. The two major solutions on the market, namely Wix and WordPress, offer different approaches. How do you decide which one is best suited to your project?

In this blog, PlanetHoster analyzes for you the strengths and weaknesses of each solution in terms of ease of use, functionality, customization, SEO and price. A comprehensive comparison to help you make the right choice and launch your web project with confidence!

After having presented the main difference between WordPress and Wix, we will look at the following selection criteria:

Main Difference Between WordPress and Wix

Before going any further with our comparison exercise, it is important to understand that Wix is a company offering a turnkey website development solution. WordPress, on the other hand, is not a company, but an open source CMS.

Wix not only takes care of the design and maintenance of the site with its integrated CMS, but also the domain name and hosting. Wix is therefore perfect for anyone with no prior knowledge of the subject.

If you opt for WordPress, you will need to choose yourself your web hosting, an aspect that makes the process a little more complex than with Wix. However, with PlanetHoster hosting, configuring and putting a WordPress site online is simplified (N0C CMS). We have a number of tools at your disposal to help you, and you can reserve your domain name directly with us.

Blogging and E-Commerce Capabilities

Blogs and e-commerce are among the most popular types of website. Is it possible to create them with WordPress or Wix? The answer is yes, because in addition to these types of site, in both cases you can create any kind of site, a showcase site for example.

However, WordPress and Wix offer very different levels of functionality.

Comparison from a Blogging Perspective

There is no denying that creating a blog on Wix is intuitive:

  • the CMS automatically adapts it to the chosen theme;
  • the editor is simple and practical, allowing you to write articles directly online;
  • the platform provides you with a number of tools that help you perform classic actions to arrange your texts, such as accessing HTML code;
  • other tools make it easy to add images or videos.

WordPress offers these features and more, because it was designed with blogging in mind. The content editor lets you visually organize your texts using blocks. These are powerful tools that help you create and manage every part of your site.

WordPress also offers other very interesting options, such as the role management system, which is very useful for companies working with several editors, as it gives access only to the blogging part without them touching the other parameters. Although it is also possible to grant authorizations to third parties on Wix, the functionalities are less advanced than with WordPress.

Comparison from the Point of View of Creating an Online Store

WordPress also remains the best solution for creating an online store. On this platform, the WooCommerce plug-in is totally free and easy to manage. What is more, no commission is deducted from your sales.

On the other hand, with Wix, creating an online store is not free. You have to choose from three packages.

How do I Install a Site with Wix and WordPress?

From the outset, it is important to know that installing a website designed with Wix is simpler than installing one with WordPress.

In fact, installing a Wix site takes just a few clicks:

  • First, enter your e-mail address and password;
  • answer a series of questions about your design needs and objectives;
  • for the design, you have the choice between using a predefined template or following an artificial intelligence process to create a customized site;
  • the next step is to choose a domain name. The prefix is usually wix.com, but you can change it by purchasing a specific option.

As for WordPress, installation is a little more complex. If you are a beginner, we recommend that you entrust the work to a professional to ensure that your site is ergonomic and meets your needs.

WordPress, The Most Popular Development Tool on the Market

WordPress was launched in 2003. Wix followed in 2006. These two CMS have been around for a very long time, but the first has been able to adapt to new technological developments. Today, it is the most widely used content development platform in the world.

There are several reasons for WordPress’ popularity:

  • unlike Wix which operates on a monthly subscription basis, WordPress is free and opensource;
  • WordPress offers a varied and very interesting ecosystem. Its many plugins are generally free or available as freemium versions (free with paid options);
  • its functionalities are highly advanced;
  • WordPress benefits from a large and very active community. Every day, volunteer contributors produce content to make it easier for newcomers to use the software;
  • on YouTube or Google, you will find articles and tutorials to help you find answers to all kinds of questions;
  • help groups and forums are also available, in French as well as in English;
  • those who want to master this tool quickly can also take WordPress express training courses. These are generally inexpensive and combine distance learning with individual coaching.

Customization Options on WordPress and Wix

Customization involves, among other things, choosing an appropriate template, installing plug-ins and themes, modifying colors and designing menus. This step is very important in the process of creating your website. It will help you create a platform that is tailored to your business, your needs and your goals. In other words, it is a fundamental aspect to consider when comparing Wix and WordPress.

On Wix, you will find nearly a thousand free site templates and a hundred or so extensions or applications. Among the options available are:

  • pop-ups;
  • a contact or payment form;
  • a live chat service;
  • testimonials.

Nevertheless, WordPress wins out again, as a wide range of customization options are available to users. Users can choose from thousands of themes, over 11,000 of which are free. This CMS offers over 60,000 applications, which means that the possibilities for customization are virtually infinite. To help you make your choice, read the comparison articles highlighting the best WordPress themes and plug-ins.

When it comes to e-commerce, the WooCommerce plugin available on WordPress makes it easy to set up your online store, whatever your needs. Wix’s functionalities are limited, especially when it comes to delivery and stock management systems.

Let’s conclude this comparison of customization by stressing that with WordPress, everything can be modified without restriction, since the source code of the development tool is free. In other words, users can change the code as they wish, so they can be sure of getting a site that is tailor-made for their business.

Getting Started with the Two CMS

A CMS with a clear, easy-to-use interface optimizes work time. In this respect, Wix has the edge over WordPress, and indeed over most other website creation and management tools.

In fact, Wix is ultra-manageable, and well-suited to novices and experts alike. It uses a drag-and-drop system that makes customization intuitive. For example, page blocks can be modified simply by hovering over them and clicking on the desired options. Adding elements or content is also very fluid. Once in the personal dashboard, a menu dedicated to this operation, on the left of the screen, proves very easy to understand.

Wix also offers a feature that sets it apart from other CMS. When users are in the site editor, they have a live preview of the pages they are working on, as they will be presented to visitors.

Time-savers can also opt for the artificial intelligence procedure. This version is available for both free and paid packages. You will be supported every step of the way, right up to the point of going online. It can also be used to edit and enhance content.

For its part, WordPress has a clear administration panel, but it is more complex to get to grips with than Wix. The fact that you have to manage the hosting yourself makes the creation process even more complex. Even if you use a hosting provider like PlanetHoster, where tools make the process much easier, it will take you a few days to fully understand the interface if you are a beginner. WordPress has a content editor called Gutenberg, which also helps you get a real-time overview of any changes you have made.

What About SEO for Both Platforms?

Since SEO helps to improve your site’s visibility on search engines, content creation software generally offers features for optimizing it.

In this respect, whether you choose Wix or WordPress, designing an optimized site remains within your grasp, as both software packages offer interesting features.

SEO with WordPress

In WordPress, URL structure is natively configured and on-page SEO optimization is easy to manage.

PlanetHoster recommends the use of plug-ins dedicated to improving your website’s SEO. The most popular are Yoast SEO and Rank Math SEO. They will help you to :

  • create meta-titles and meta-descriptions;
  • add Alt tags to images;
  • customize URL slugs;
  • calculate optimization score; and
  • identify SEO errors.

SEO with Wix

For a very long time, Wix sites’ SEO did not meet users’ expectations. In response to numerous negative comments, the company has made a number of improvements.

Wix now offers a number of interesting options to make your content easier to understand for different browsers. For example, it automatically generates a robots.txt editor, a site verification tool and a URL redirection manager. Access to various tags (title, meta-description, etc.) also gives you the ability to act on on-page SEO.

In addition, the Site Booster application assists you in managing and improving SEO. The Wix SEO Wiz feature is likewise an interactive guide, helping users to target the actions they need to take to achieve better results.

Price Comparison

Basically, as content development tools, Wix and WordPress can be used free of charge. However, the no-cost products are limited and do not offer full access to all features.

For example, the free version of Wix entitles you to web hosting with just 500 MB of storage. You will not be able to have a personalized domain name, and there will be several ads on each page. PlanetHoster recommends that you opt for a Premium plan, which comes in three packages:

  • Website design for showcase sites from 12 euros/month to 34.80 euros/month;
  • Business and e-commerce for online stores (24 euros/month to 52.80 euros/month); and
  • Enterprise available on request.

Certain costs may be incurred with use. For example, applications that are free at launch may become chargeable, and some packages do not offer an integrated e-mail service.

Although WordPress is free to download, the purchase of a web hosting plan, domain name, plug-ins and themes adds to the cost. With a secure, reliable and affordable web host like PlanetHoster, you will save money every month. The basic subscription is only 6 euros/month.

Security and Customer Support

Let’s end this comparison with an assessment of the level of security and quality of customer support at Wix and with the WordPress option.

A website contains important data about you and your visitors. It needs to be protected against malware and cyber attacks. Wix is a hosted platform, which means users cannot install their own security measures. This tool has built-in protection against all forms of cyber-criminal attacks. Updates are performed automatically, and sites are SSL-certified and DDoS-protected.

However, if you choose WordPress, security support is your responsibility: in fact, it varies according to the web hosting plan you choose. With PlanetHoster, you get firewalls, free SSL certificates and daily outsourced backups.

In terms of customer support, Wix offers a fairly attractive package. Although the team is not always reactive, they will help you solve your problems. This company also has a support center containing several articles and tutorials that will help you find your answers independently. With WordPress, technical support is provided by the web host. That is why you need to choose a provider that is accessible and responsive, such as PlanetHoster.

Conclusion

Wix and WordPress are two powerful solutions. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. We hope this comparison will help you choose the solution best suited to your needs and budget.

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