A Thorough Comparison of WordPress and Wix for Bloggers
Search engines show over 60 million websites are powered by WordPress. In comparison, Wix powers less than 1% of all sites. With WordPress dominating the market, you may wonder why anyone would use Wix for blogging. Well, both platforms have unique strengths and weaknesses worth comparing—especially if you’re a blogger trying to pick the right website builder.
In this post, we’ll look at the key factors any blogger should consider:
- Ease of use
- Features
- Customization capabilities
- Costs
- And more
By the end, you’ll have the information you need to decide if user-friendly Wix or customizable WordPress is a better fit for your blogging needs.
Ease of Use
When it comes to ease of use, Wix tends to stand out. With an intuitive drag-and-drop editor, high-quality templates, and integrated hosting and security, Wix makes website creation easy for non-technical users. You can get a great-looking blog up and running in no time.
WordPress offers unmatched customization powered by its open-source platform, thousands of plugins and themes, and a vast knowledge base from its widespread community. But there is a steeper learning curve. While WordPress enables endless flexibility, getting started requires more effort.
Both platforms can work well for creating blogs—it comes down to your technical skill level and how much control you want over customizing your site. As we dive deeper into factors like features, pricing, and SEO capabilities, you’ll get a clearer picture of the pros and cons of each platform.
Stay tuned for the full, data-driven comparison to help you determine if WordPress or Wix better suits your blogging needs. The choice isn’t always straightforward, but being an informed blogger will set you up for success no matter which platform you end up using.
Ease of Use and Setup: WordPress vs. Wix
When choosing a blogging platform, ease of use and setup is often a top consideration. After all, most bloggers just want to focus on creating great content without hassling over complex backend features. Both WordPress and Wix aim to provide user-friendly experiences, but they have different approaches.
Wix Makes Website Building Intuitive
With over 60 million websites built on its platform, Wix has become one of the most popular simplified website builders out there. The company claims that “anyone can create a website,” even those with no coding skills or design experience.
Wix stands out for its intuitive drag-and-drop editor that allows users to point and click their way to a custom website. Rather than dealing with lines of code, you can use preset elements like text boxes, images, galleries, contact forms and more to develop your site visually. Similar to arranging furniture in a room, you drag these elements onto your page and position them exactly where you want.
For those less tech-savvy, this visual approach makes the website creation process much more accessible. Reviewers often praise Wix for enabling virtually anyone to build a professional-looking website in very little time. The platform also offers hundreds of designer-made templates that you can easily customize to your taste.
So if you want a simple, code-free web building experience as a blogger, Wix provides an excellent user-friendly solution.
WordPress Has a Steep Learning Curve, But Can Be Simplified
As an open-source CMS that powers over 43% of all websites, WordPress is the preferred choice of many expert developers. But for average users, its dashboard interface can seem intimidating at first glance. Without a bit of orientation, bloggers may find themselves bewildered by the sea of menus, options and features.
However, the WordPress community has developed various plugins over the years to simplify website management. For example, Easy WP Guide provides an easy 5-click setup process with guidance for installing essential plugins and importing content. The Elementor page builder also streamiles page creation through its intuitive drag and drop editor.
So while WordPress is less inherently beginner-friendly than Wix, the learning curve can be greatly reduced through the right plugins and instruction. For bloggers who desire advanced customization later on, taking the time upfront to learn WordPress will pay off in the long run. The platform’s flexibility makes it highly scalable for sites that outgrow basic templates.
In the end, Wix sets itself apart through sheer user-friendliness and simplicity, while WordPress requires some effort to tame its power. But both platforms aim to make life easier for non-technical bloggers focusing more on content creation than complex site building.
Features and Functionality
When it comes to features and functionality, both WordPress and Wix offer robust options to create functional websites, but WordPress pulls ahead in terms of flexibility and customizability.
With over 55,000 free plugins and thousands of free themes, WordPress provides endless options to extend your site’s capabilities. Want to add an online store, membership site capabilities, forums, job boards? WordPress likely has a plugin for that. The WordPress plugin repository is the largest in the world. With some technical know-how, you can really tailor your site to have the exact functionality you need.
Wix also provides ample built-in applications – over 500+ at last count – that require no technical skills to incorporate. From contact forms to galleries to events calendars, Wix makes it easy to get a fully-functional site up and running quickly. However, there is less control compared to adding plugins manually in WordPress. You are limited to what Wix provides out-of-the-box.
Both platforms offer simple contact form creation, though WordPress has more form customization flexibility. For ecommerce needs, Wix provides an intuitive online store builder, while WordPress would require installing WooCommerce or a similar ecommerce plugin.
When it comes to booking and appointment functionality, Wix Bookings and WordPress + Bookly plugin can both get the job done. Events management is also feasible on both platforms – Wix Events vs WordPress + The Events Calendar plugin.
For multimedia needs like photo galleries, video integration, and audio, both platforms perform well. Wix media manager makes it simple to manage multimedia content intuitively. WordPress allows manual upload and organization of media libraries, with many plugins providing added galleries, sliders and more.
In summary, WordPress offers near endless extensibility of features thanks to its open-source community of developers. The possibilities are vast if you’re able to put in some effort to set things up. Wix still offers great built-in features covering common website needs, but less ability to deeply customize.
Customization Options: Unlocking Creativity
When it comes to customizing your blog’s design and functionality, both WordPress and Wix offer options, but WordPress pulls ahead for those desiring more creative control.
With its thousands of free and premium themes, WordPress presents endless possibilities to make your site visually unique. I’m talking everything from minimalist grids showing your latest moody travel pics to maximalist explosions of color highlighting your adventures in experimental baking.
The custom CSS editor also lets you tweak themes at a granular level, allowing meticulous styling of everything from fonts to page widths. This does require some coding knowledge, so total beginners may want to steer clear.
If that sounds daunting, page builders like Elementor – used on over 5 million sites – make customization drag-and-drop easy. It’s like playing with WordPress LEGO blocks. Select from pre-made templates, slap some content blocks together, tweak with the settings, and watch your masterpiece come to life.
The bonus is that page builders incorporate responsiveness, so your site looks fab on mobile without fiddling with device testing. Some even have free stock photos built-in, saving you from slogging away on Canva.
With Wix, you’re looking at template-based customization rather than the infinite possibilities of WordPress themes. But hot damn, their templates are beautiful. We’re talking crisp parallax effects, muted color gradients, and full-width hero images that evoke all the Instagrammable feels.
Wix also uses AI to suggest relevant templates, layouts, and stock photos tailored to your niche. So when you’re fresh out of inspiration, it gives your website design a kickstart.
For most users, Wix templates offer ample customization through the intuitive drag-and-drop editor. Tweak fonts, colors palettes, layouts, and more at the click of a button. But if you’re seeking ultra-specific or complex designs, then WordPress opens the door wider.
At the end of the day, Wix keeps customization user-friendly while WordPress offers greater possibilities – if you have the skills and patience to harness them. Choose your fighter based on your comfort pushing website design boundaries versus having a sleek site up in days. Just know that both platforms let you flex those creative muscles in different ways.
Pricing and Costs
WordPress: Flexibility and Control
When evaluating WordPress and Wix, one of the most important considerations is how much each platform costs to use for your website. There are some key differences in the pricing models and associated costs between these two popular options that are important to understand.
With WordPress, the open-source CMS software itself is entirely free to download and use. However, you will need to arrange web hosting, a domain name, and account for any additional features and customizations. The costs can add up, but overall WordPress offers more flexibility and control to manage expenses.
There are a range of hosting options at varying price points – shared hosting tends to cost $2-$15 per month, while managed WordPress hosting averages $15-$30 per month. Domain name registration averages around $12 per year. Popular WordPress themes typically cost a one-time fee of $30-$60. Premium plugins can also come with annual subscription fees around $50 per year.
So an average simple WordPress site with basic hosting, a domain, and a theme could run around $10-$20 per month. Complex sites with advanced features, high traffic volumes or ecommerce may cost substantially more.
Wix: An All-in-One Solution
Wix uses a different freemium model, with free, premium, and business package options to choose from. The baseline Wix package is free and includes generous bandwidth, storage and a range of templates.
To unlock additional features like an online store, custom domain or removal of ads, pricing starts at $14 per month for the Combo package. The $23 per month Unlimited package includes priority support and further storage. There are also discounted annual payment options.
A key advantage with Wix is inclusive hosting and a free custom domain for 12 months. Extra costs may apply for certain add-ons, transaction fees or large bandwidth usage down the track. But upfront, their transparent pricing and bundled approach simplifies budgeting.
Summary: Choosing the Right Platform
In summary, Wix streamlines website creation with an all-in-one solution for a predictable monthly fee. WordPress offers unmatched flexibility and customization potential, but requires more effort to setup and manage ongoing costs. Understanding these pricing considerations allows you to select the best platform based on your budget and needs as a blogger.
So Which is Better for Bloggers: WordPress or Wix?
After comparing the key factors between WordPress and Wix, we can see that both platforms have their merits depending on the blogger’s specific needs and skill level.
For bloggers who want a quick and easy way to create a beautiful website with minimal technical involvement, Wix is a great choice. Its user-friendly drag-and-drop editor makes site building intuitive even for non-techies. While Wix may not offer the same level of flexibility and control as WordPress, its modern templates, built-in hosting and security, and straightforward approach appeal to many bloggers.
However, advanced bloggers who require deep customization capabilities and want to scale up their site over time may be better served by WordPress. Its open-source CMS foundation, vast library of plugins and themes, and engaged community give bloggers the tools to realize their vision. WordPress does demand more technical skill, but for seasoned bloggers who want limitless options to personalize their site, it’s an incredibly powerful platform.
When deciding between Wix and WordPress, consider your current blogging objectives and projected goals for growth. Wix streamlines the process for launching a blog quickly, while WordPress encourages constant evolution. There are great reasons to choose either platform depending on your needs as a blogger.
At the end of the day, it’s about finding the best fit to match your skills and ambitions. With the right strategic approach, both Wix and WordPress can help bloggers build an audience and thrive doing what they love. The choice comes down to the level of creative control and technical involvement you desire as your site progresses.
Now get out there and start blogging! With a reliable platform that aligns with your goals, you can produce content that educates and inspires readers worldwide.

I’m Jack – VOVA’s founder & lead website conjurer and brand consultant at Scythos. My music background keeps me continuously exploring new digital creative frontiers to compose engaging online experiences. I’ve worked web magic for brands like Holland & Barrett while honing WordPress skills. At VOVA, our team helps brands strike the perfect chord with audiences through exceptional websites.