Wix vs WordPress is the single most common platform decision UK small businesses face when starting or redesigning a website. Both platforms work. Both have legitimate use cases. They are good at different things, and the wrong choice costs you either money up front or money down the line.
The short answer first
Wix wins if you want to build the site yourself in a weekend, expect the business to stay small, and do not care much about ranking on Google. WordPress wins if you want a site that can scale with the business, rank well on Google over years, and stay flexible if you ever switch developers or platforms. For most UK small businesses planning to be online for more than two years, WordPress is the better long-term choice.
Wix vs WordPress: side-by-side comparison
| Factor | Wix | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Year-1 cost (small biz) | £200 to £600 | £600 to £1,800 |
| Year-3 cost (small biz) | £800 to £2,400 | £900 to £3,500 |
| Year-5 cost (small biz) | £1,400 to £4,200 | £1,200 to £4,800 |
| Ease for beginners | Excellent | Moderate |
| SEO ceiling | Limited (template-driven) | None (full control) |
| Schema markup | Built-in basics | Full control via Rank Math/Yoast |
| Core Web Vitals | Often borderline | Excellent with proper theme |
| Ownership | Rented from Wix | You own everything |
| Migration off the platform | No clean export, full rebuild required | Standard, easy |
| Customisation ceiling | Wix App Store only | ~60,000 plugins, full code access |
| Maintenance burden | None (Wix manages) | You or your agency manages |
| Best for | Sole traders, very small brochures | Anyone planning to grow |
Cost comparison over three years
The headline price difference is small. The total cost of ownership over three years is more meaningful. Wix looks cheaper on the first-year table, but the cost flip happens at year five or six, when a Wix subscription has been quietly running for several years, and when business growth forces a rebuild on a different platform.
SEO comparison
This is where the gap is largest. WordPress wins for ranking, and the difference is not subtle.
Wix SEO in 2026
Wix has improved substantially since 2020. The platform now produces clean URLs, allows custom meta titles and descriptions, generates a sitemap, and handles structured data through built-in apps. For local UK businesses targeting low-competition local searches, Wix can rank perfectly well when configured properly. The limits show up at scale.
WordPress SEO in 2026
WordPress combined with Rank Math or Yoast gives you full control over technical SEO. Schema markup for every content type, Core Web Vitals optimisation through proper theme code, custom URL structures, advanced redirect management, and integration with every analytics and ad platform.
Ownership and platform lock-in
WordPress is open-source. You own the site, the database, and the files. Wix is proprietary. Your content lives inside Wix. Leaving Wix means rebuilding the site on another platform, manually copying every page.
When Wix is the right choice
- You are building the site yourself and do not want to learn WordPress.
- The business is small and likely to stay small.
- You need the site live in 48 hours.
When WordPress is the right choice
- You want to rank well on Google for anything more competitive than a small local search.
- You expect the business to grow.
- You want to own the site rather than rent it.
- You sell online and need flexible e-commerce options.
- You may switch developers or hosting providers in the next five years.
What does moving from Wix to WordPress actually involve?
It is a rebuild, not a transfer. Wix gives you no usable export, so every page is recreated on WordPress and the content is moved across by hand. For a typical ten page brochure site that is two to three weeks of work. Budget £1,200 to £2,500, depending on how much of the design is rebuilt rather than reused.
What comes with you, and what does not:
| Asset | Moves across? | What actually happens |
|---|---|---|
| Domain name | Yes | Point the DNS at the new host. No need to buy anything. |
| Written content | By hand | Copied page by page. A good moment to rewrite the weak pages. |
| Images | By hand | Downloaded and re-uploaded. Usually recompressed on the way. |
| Page URLs | Mapped | Wix uses its own URL patterns, so most paths change and need redirects. |
| Design | No | Rebuilt. Wix layouts do not translate into WordPress themes. |
| Apps and forms | No | Replaced with WordPress equivalents. |
| Blog posts | Partly | An RSS import gets the text. Formatting needs checking. |
The part that decides whether the move succeeds is the redirect map. Every old Wix URL needs a 301 to its replacement, written before launch rather than after. Google’s site move documentation sets out the process it expects to see.
Get that right and rankings carry over with a short dip. Get it wrong and you start again from nothing, which is how migrations earn their bad reputation.
So which should you pick?
Answer one question: will this website still matter to your business in three years? If yes, build it on WordPress. If no, use Wix and spend the saving elsewhere. Everything else is detail.
- Building it yourself this weekend, on your own, with no budget: Wix
- Competing on Google against other local firms: WordPress
- Selling more than a handful of products: WooCommerce or Shopify, not Wix
- Any chance you will change agency or host: WordPress
- You want one number to ring when it breaks: Wix
We build on WordPress, so treat that as a declared bias. It is also why we are comfortable saying Wix is the right answer for some businesses. Selling somebody a platform they cannot run is not a win for anyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is WordPress harder to use than Wix?
The initial learning curve is steeper. Day-to-day content editing is roughly the same once a site is set up properly with a custom block editor or a clean theme. Most WordPress users update content as easily as Wix users after a 30-minute training session.
Can you migrate from Wix to WordPress?
Yes, but not automatically. There is no clean export from Wix, so the migration involves rebuilding the structure on WordPress, copying content page by page, and setting up proper redirects so existing Google rankings transfer. Most clients see better rankings on the WordPress version within three months.
Does WordPress get hacked more than Wix?
WordPress sites get hacked when they are not maintained. Wix sites are maintained for you by Wix. On a properly hosted and updated WordPress site with security monitoring, the security risk is comparable.
Which has better support, Wix or WordPress?
Wix has official paid support with response times under 24 hours. WordPress has no central support, just a vast community and a developer to call. If you want a single phone number to ring when something goes wrong, Wix wins on that specific point.
Can I sell online on Wix?
Yes. Wix has built-in e-commerce that works for small product ranges. For anything beyond about 200 products or any complex inventory, Shopify or WooCommerce on WordPress are both better choices.
Is WordPress free?
The software is free. You pay for hosting (£100 to £400 per year), a theme if you want a premium one (£40 to £80 one-off), and any premium plugins. Total annual cost for a small business WordPress site is usually £150 to £400 per year, before maintenance.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move from Wix to WordPress?
Not if the redirects are mapped before launch. Every old URL needs a 301 pointing at its replacement. Expect a dip of two to four weeks while Google recrawls, then a recovery. Sites lose rankings when the redirect map is treated as a launch-day afterthought.
Useful external resources
- WordPress.org official site for the open-source platform itself.
- Wix corporate information for context on the platform and its ownership.
- Google web.dev page speed test to compare any site’s Core Web Vitals scores across platforms.
Next step
If you are weighing up a platform choice, we offer a free 30-minute discovery call. Read more about our WordPress website design or book a discovery call.
