As a musician in the 21st century, choosing a website host is an important decision. And as I watch more of my colleagues create websites, I feel like I have to compare WordPress vs. Wix.
WordPress and Wix are both popular website builders. But they have a lot of differences that may make one a better option for you.
Now, this post does contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
Anyway, keep reading to help decide between WordPress vs. Wix for your website!
What Is WordPress?
WordPress is the most popular website builder on the internet. Over a quarter of websites use it to create their content. Whether you want to create a blog or a full website for your career or business, you can do it on WordPress.
WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
When talking about WordPress, it’s important to know about the two “versions” of WordPress. WordPress.com is a platform like Wix, where you can get your website hosting and build your site all in one.
On the other hand, WordPress.org is a software that you download on to your website that you get from a third-party host. Some people call this self-hosted WordPress, and that’s how I run this website.
I use a company called SiteGround as my website host. SiteGround offers an easy one-click WordPress installation. So I didn’t have to do much to set up my site.
What Is Wix?
Wix is a popular website builder and website host. If you don’t want to get your website and host from different companies, it’s a good option. You can buy one of their premium plans or even get started for free.
You can build a pretty professional website with Wix. It lets you run a blog, sell products, or schedule services, like consultations.
While I’ve never used Wix myself, I have heard that a lot of people like it. Still, it’s not as professional as a self-hosted WordPress site. That’s because like WordPress.com, Wix has quite a few limitations.
WordPress vs. Wix: Similarities and Differences
WordPress and Wix let you work toward the same goal: creating a website for whatever purpose. As a musician, you may want to display your recordings, share playing tips, or sell your arrangements or compositions.
For the purposes of this comparison, I’m going to focus on WordPress.org. Perhaps in the future, I will compare Wix to WordPress.com.
Here are some things to consider when choosing which website platform is best.
Ease of Use
Wix has a drag-and-drop editor that you can use to create your site. Because of this, you don’t need to know how to code or work with other technological parts of your site.
WordPress has a steeper learning curve, but it’s still not that hard. If you have WordPress 5.0 or later, you can use the block editor, which doesn’t require any coding or HTML, but you can use it.
Personally, I don’t think WordPress is as hard as some people think. While it doesn’t natively have a drag-and-drop editor, you can use tools called plugins that offer that.
Flexibility
WordPress is much more flexible than Wix. If you can use code or can find the right plugins, you can do pretty much whatever you want with a WordPress site. I’ve found plugins for everything from selling digital downloads to adding multiple languages to a site.
Because Wix is an all-in-one platform, you have to work within what it offers. There is an App Market, where you can download different apps to add more functionality.
However, Wix isn’t open-source, like WordPress. Many people and companies make plugins for WordPress, so you don’t have to rely on one business to provide what you need.
Control
Another big difference in favor of WordPress is that you have more control over your site. If my hosting company decided to change its policies, I’m not stuck there. While I don’t plan on leaving SiteGround, I’m glad the option is there.
However, Wix doesn’t let you export your website. So if the company shuts down or makes a change you don’t like, you’re stuck. If it’s a big enough problem for you to leave, you’ll have to rebuild your website from scratch.
But with WordPress, if I don’t like my host, I can export my site and find a new host. Most WordPress hosting companies will even help you import your content, so I don’t have to recreate my entire website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Wix has made strides in the past few years to offer better SEO features. But it still doesn’t compare to the options you have with WordPress. On WordPress, you can use the Yoast SEO plugin to ensure all of your pages and posts are optimized for your chosen keyword.
With Wix, you can do some optimization, like adding a meta description. However, Wix has a long history of not being very good for SEO. So if you want to improve your website’s chances of showing up in search results, you may want to rethink using Wix.
Cost
You also have to think about how much it will cost you to host your website each month. Wix has a few plans, ranging from about $15 to $40 per month. But with WordPress, you have access to dozens of website hosts.
WordPress itself is free to use, so all you need to worry about is your hosting fees. SiteGround is on the more expensive side, with similar prices to Wix. However, you can get a lower introductory offer for your first year.
Also, other WordPress hosts offer lower hosting fees. So if you’re on a budget, you can shop around for the best deal.
So…
In my opinion, WordPress is the better choice over Wix. I know plenty of musicians who use and love Wix, but the features and limitations are too important for me to ignore.
While WordPress isn’t easy, it’s more flexible, and you can have more control over your site. You don’t have to worry about one company having full control over if your website exists or not.
Do you use WordPress or Wix? What do you think of them? Let me know in the comments!
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