You need a website for your business. After some research, you’ve narrowed it down to two main options: WordPress and Wix. Both can create professional websites. Both are popular with small businesses. But they’re fundamentally different, and choosing the wrong one can mean frustration, unexpected costs, and limitations that hold your business back.

This comparison cuts through the marketing hype to help Western Sydney small business owners make an informed decision. We’ll look at real costs, ease of use, flexibility, and which platform suits different business needs in 2025.

Understanding the Fundamental Difference

Before comparing features, understand what you’re actually comparing.

Wix: The All-in-One Platform

Wix is a hosted website builder. Everything—your website, hosting, security, updates—is managed by Wix. You pay a monthly fee and get a complete package.

Think of it like renting a fully furnished apartment. Everything is included and maintained for you, but you’re limited to what the landlord provides.

WordPress: The Self-Hosted Software

WordPress is free, open-source software that you install on web hosting you purchase separately. You manage everything yourself (or hire someone to manage it).

Think of it like buying a house. You own it, you can modify it however you want, but you’re responsible for maintenance, security, and upkeep.

Note: We’re discussing WordPress.org (self-hosted), not WordPress.com (a hosted service that’s more similar to Wix).

Ease of Use: Getting Started

For business owners who aren’t technical, ease of use matters enormously.

Wix Ease of Use

Getting started: Extremely easy. Answer a few questions about your business, and Wix suggests templates. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive—if you can use PowerPoint, you can use Wix.

Day-to-day tasks: Adding pages, updating text, and changing images is straightforward. The visual editor shows exactly what your site will look like.

Learning curve: Minimal. Most users are comfortable within a few hours.

Limitations: The easy editor can become frustrating when you want something it doesn’t easily support. “I just want to move this element a few pixels” can become surprisingly difficult.

WordPress Ease of Use

Getting started: More complex. You need to choose hosting, install WordPress, select a theme, and configure basic settings. This takes longer and can be confusing for beginners.

Day-to-day tasks: Modern WordPress with the block editor (Gutenberg) is reasonably user-friendly. Adding content and basic editing is manageable for most users.

Learning curve: Steeper than Wix. Expect a few weeks to become comfortable, longer if you want to customise extensively.

The trade-off: WordPress requires more initial effort but offers more control once you’ve learned the system.

Verdict: Ease of Use

Choose Wix if: You want to build the site yourself, have limited technical skills, and value simplicity over flexibility.

Choose WordPress if: You’re willing to invest time learning, plan to hire a professional, or need capabilities Wix can’t provide.

True Costs: Beyond the Monthly Fee

Both platforms advertise low starting prices, but total costs tell a different story.

Wix Costs

Monthly plans (AUD approximate):

  • Combo (basic): $23/month
  • Unlimited (most popular): $32/month
  • Business Basic: $38/month
  • Business Unlimited: $52/month

Additional costs:

  • Premium apps and plugins: $5-50/month each
  • Email marketing: Starts free, $14+/month for more features
  • Custom domain: Included in paid plans
  • Email hosting: Not included, requires third-party service

5-year cost estimate for typical small business (Business Basic plan): $38 x 60 months = $2,280 (plus any premium apps)

WordPress Costs

Core software: Free

Hosting (quality Australian hosting):

  • Basic shared: $8-15/month
  • Managed WordPress: $25-50/month
  • Premium managed: $50-100/month

Domain: $15-30/year

Theme:

  • Free themes: $0
  • Premium themes: $60-200 one-time

Essential plugins:

  • Many free options available
  • Premium plugins: $50-200/year each

5-year cost estimate for typical small business (managed hosting + premium theme): Hosting: $35 x 60 = $2,100 Domain: $20 x 5 = $100 Theme: $100 one-time Plugins: $100/year x 5 = $500 Total: approximately $2,800

The Hidden Cost: Your Time

Wix requires less technical maintenance but more hands-on design work. WordPress requires more technical maintenance but offers more professional design options.

If you value your time at $50/hour and spend 20 extra hours wrestling with Wix’s editor limitations, that’s $1,000 in hidden costs.

Verdict: Costs

For basic websites, costs are comparable. Wix is slightly cheaper initially. WordPress can be cheaper long-term, especially if you use free themes and plugins. But the real question is what you get for your money—which brings us to features.

Features and Flexibility

What can each platform actually do?

Wix Features

Strengths:

  • Beautiful templates designed by professionals
  • Built-in booking system (Wix Bookings)
  • E-commerce included in higher plans
  • Built-in email marketing tools
  • Restaurant menus, events, and industry-specific features
  • App market with additional functionality

Limitations:

  • Can’t switch templates without rebuilding
  • Limited customisation beyond template constraints
  • Less control over technical SEO elements
  • Restricted access to underlying code
  • Some features locked to higher-priced plans

WordPress Features

Strengths:

  • 60,000+ plugins for virtually any functionality
  • Thousands of themes, endless customisation options
  • Full control over code and technical elements
  • Complete SEO control
  • Unlimited scalability
  • Own your data and content completely

Limitations:

  • Quality varies wildly among themes and plugins
  • Plugins can conflict with each other
  • Security requires attention
  • Updates need management

Feature Comparison for Common Business Needs

Online bookings:

  • Wix: Built-in, works well for simple booking needs
  • WordPress: Plugins like Amelia or BookingPress offer more features but require setup

E-commerce:

  • Wix: Built-in for small stores (under 50 products works well)
  • WordPress: WooCommerce is more powerful but more complex

Blogging:

  • Wix: Adequate for occasional blogging
  • WordPress: Built for blogging, superior for content-heavy sites

Contact forms:

  • Wix: Built-in form builder
  • WordPress: Plugins like WPForms or Gravity Forms offer more options

SEO:

  • Wix: Basic SEO tools built-in
  • WordPress: Superior SEO control with plugins like Yoast or Rank Math

Verdict: Features

Choose Wix if: Your needs fit within standard templates and built-in features. Perfect for simple brochure sites, basic booking, small online stores.

Choose WordPress if: You need specific functionality, plan significant customisation, or want full control over every aspect of your site.

SEO and Search Performance

For Western Sydney businesses wanting to appear in local searches, SEO capability matters.

Wix SEO in 2025

Wix has improved significantly. You can now:

  • Customise page titles and meta descriptions
  • Edit URL structures
  • Add alt text to images
  • Create XML sitemaps automatically
  • Connect Google Search Console

Limitations:

  • Less control over technical SEO elements
  • Page speed can be slower than optimised WordPress
  • Some structured data options limited

WordPress SEO

WordPress offers complete SEO control:

  • Full technical SEO customisation
  • Advanced schema markup
  • Superior page speed potential
  • Complete URL control
  • Any structured data you need

With plugins like Yoast or Rank Math:

  • Content analysis and recommendations
  • Automated sitemap generation
  • Social media integration
  • Advanced schema options

Verdict: SEO

For most local businesses, Wix’s SEO is adequate. WordPress offers superior SEO potential, but only if you actually use its capabilities. A well-optimised Wix site beats a poorly optimised WordPress site.

Support and Maintenance

How much ongoing work does each platform require?

Wix Maintenance

Handled by Wix:

  • Hosting and uptime
  • Security updates
  • Platform updates
  • SSL certificates
  • Backups

Your responsibility:

  • Content updates
  • App updates (occasional)
  • Monitoring for issues

Support: Email and phone support included in paid plans. Quality varies but generally responsive.

WordPress Maintenance

Your responsibility:

  • Hosting management
  • WordPress core updates
  • Theme updates
  • Plugin updates
  • Security monitoring
  • Backups
  • Performance optimisation

Support: Community forums, documentation, and support from your hosting provider. No centralised support for WordPress itself.

The Maintenance Reality

WordPress requires 1-2 hours monthly for updates and security checks. Skip this maintenance, and you risk security vulnerabilities and site problems.

Options for WordPress maintenance:

  • DIY: Free but time-consuming
  • Managed hosting: Handles core updates, $30-50/month extra
  • Maintenance service: Full management, $50-150/month

Verdict: Support and Maintenance

Choose Wix if: You want minimal technical responsibility and don’t want to worry about updates and security.

Choose WordPress if: You’re comfortable with some technical management or willing to pay for managed services.

Scalability and Future Growth

Will your website platform grow with your business?

Wix Growth Path

Wix works well for small to medium needs. Limitations emerge when you need:

  • High-traffic handling (thousands of daily visitors)
  • Complex custom functionality
  • Integration with enterprise systems
  • Multiple websites under one management

Moving away from Wix: If you outgrow Wix, migration is difficult. Your content doesn’t export easily to other platforms.

WordPress Growth Path

WordPress scales from simple blogs to complex enterprise sites. WordPress powers some of the world’s highest-traffic websites.

Growth options:

  • Add functionality through plugins
  • Upgrade hosting as traffic grows
  • Develop custom features as needed
  • Integration possibilities are virtually unlimited

Migration: WordPress content exports easily. You can change hosts, redesign completely, or move to different setups while keeping your content.

Verdict: Scalability

Choose Wix if: Your business needs are unlikely to become complex or high-volume.

Choose WordPress if: You anticipate significant growth or complex future needs.

Making the Decision: Which Platform for Your Business

Choose Wix If:

  • You’re building the site yourself without technical help
  • You need a simple brochure site or basic online presence
  • You want booking or simple e-commerce built in
  • You prefer all-in-one simplicity over flexibility
  • Your budget is limited and you can’t invest in professional help
  • You need a site quickly with minimal learning curve

Choose WordPress If:

  • You’re hiring a web professional or have technical skills
  • You need specific functionality or extensive customisation
  • SEO and search visibility are business-critical
  • You anticipate significant business growth
  • You want complete ownership and control of your site
  • You plan to invest in a quality, long-term web presence

For Western Sydney Local Businesses Specifically

Tradies (plumbers, electricians, builders): Either works. WordPress with a quality theme offers better local SEO potential. Wix works fine for a simple presence.

Retail and hospitality: Wix’s built-in booking and restaurant features make it attractive for simple needs. WordPress with appropriate plugins offers more for complex requirements.

Professional services (accountants, lawyers, medical): WordPress typically better serves the content and SEO needs of professional service firms.

E-commerce: Small stores (under 50 products) work fine on Wix. Larger or growing stores benefit from WordPress + WooCommerce.

The Bottom Line

There’s no universally “better” platform. Wix and WordPress serve different needs and different users.

Wix wins on simplicity and convenience. WordPress wins on flexibility and control.

For many Western Sydney small business owners, the real question isn’t “which platform?” but “should I build this myself or get professional help?” A professionally built WordPress site typically outperforms a DIY Wix site. But a well-executed Wix site beats a neglected WordPress site every time.

Choose the platform that matches your skills, budget, and business needs—then commit to maintaining and improving it over time. That commitment matters more than which platform you choose.

Need help deciding on the right platform for your business? Cosmos Web Technologies builds websites on both WordPress and other platforms. Contact us for a free consultation.

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Part of the Ganda Tech Services family, Cosmos Web Tech delivers specialist web design and digital marketing for Australian small and medium businesses.