Wix and WordPress are the most popular website builders. In fact, these two tools have changed the way people create online portals for their businesses. The tools actually allow you to design your website exactly the way you want. Critics, on the other hand, argue that these coding tools pose a career threat to professional web developers.
Although there is some truth in the argument, it’s obvious that you will need to consult a web design expert, especially if your site runs on WordPress. While the two website builders have made it easier for everyone to create an online platform without having any experience in programming, they vary by a great deal.
The problem with most people is that they choose either of the platforms without knowing what it offers. Here is a list of the things that can help you in making an informed decision when weighing the options between WordPress and Wix.
1. Features
WordPress is rich in features. For a start, it’s designed to be an open source platform. This means that anyone that has skills in web design can create customized plugins that can be integrated with the platform.
As a matter of fact, there are companies that specialize in developing such plugins and selling them at a small fee to anyone that needs them in their website. A considerable number of these plugins are available for free. However, some are capable of interfering with the smooth running of your website.
Wix offers a limited number of features. In fact, their codes are locked, meaning that you can’t change how they function. This spares you from the trouble of having to deal with bugs that are common in WordPress.
2. User Friendly
Wix was designed with the interests of layman at heart. In fact, anyone can use the platform even if they have never created a website before. This is because the instructions that are provided on the platform are crystal clear. When you need to add pages or add images and video clips, you simply click on them and drag them anywhere on the platform.
The other advantage is that the platform assigns file names to images automatically. WordPress on the other hand is a bit complicated for someone who has no skills in coding. This means that you might have to hire a web design company to tweak the features as per your needs.
3. Technical Support for Clients
Anyone that owns a website for business will tell you for free that technical support is very crucial. This is because technical problems come around when you least expect them. The problem is that they can really hurt your business due to slow performance. WordPress doesn’t respond to customer inquiries directly. In case you need to troubleshoot your website, you will have to read through their directory of articles to find a solution that can solve your problem. Reading through thousands of articles will definitely take ages.
Wix offers the most reliable technical support. Their support team can be reached via the phone and email. In fact, they work round the clock to ensure that everyone that’s on Wix is not stranded.
4. Routine Maintenance
WordPress carries routine maintenance to ensure that their platform is a notch higher on matters that concern security. The problem is that their routine maintenance is not extended to your website. This means that you have to literally run the updates or you will have to continue using outdated features that make your website to be less secure.
As a lay person, you may not be able to execute such updates on your own. You will therefore have to budget for the services of a knowledgeable web developer. When your site is on Wix, you don’t have to do anything because routine maintenance is handled on the main platform. The good thing is that the changes including the updates are reflected in all websites that run on Wix. You therefore don’t have to schedule for routine maintenance.
5. Price
Both Wix and WordPress offer free basic packages and premium packages. Assuming that you want a premium package, you will spend more on WordPress. For a start, they don’t offer hosting for premium packages, which means you have to look for a web host company.
When you add this to the cost of hiring a web developer from time to time, you will see that the platform can give you a run for your money. Wix on the other hand is much affordable and free website builder. They have a package for everyone so you can therefore pick a package that you can afford. The other advantage is that they offer a reliable hosting and domain name service.
