Introduction to Wix Website Builder

You need a website that’s easy to build, looks professional, and doesn’t require coding—but with so many options, it’s hard to know which one to trust.

You’ve heard of Wix, but is it as simple and powerful as it claims? Let’s break it down so you can make a wise choice without wasting time or money.

This blog gives you a comprehensive, honest review of Wix, covering its strengths, weaknesses, features, pricing, and real use cases.  

By the end of this post, you’ll know if Wix is a good fit for your goals. If it is, we’ll guide you through getting started quickly and confidently.

Wix Review Based on Key Criteria

We’re kicking off our website builder review series by evaluating each platform based on key criteria like ease of use, design flexibility, features, pricing, and support.

1. Ease of Use

Wix has always been known for its ease of use, and the 2025 version pushes that reputation even further.

1.1 User Interface & Navigation

The dashboard is clean, intuitive, and beginner-friendly. Drag-and-drop functionality feels natural, and the learning curve is gentle even for complete novices.

1.2 Onboarding Experience

Onboarding is simple thanks to detailed tutorials, guided setup wizards, and a vast selection of templates to kickstart your journey. Their sandboxes are also available on Wix Studio for you to explore.

1.3 Customization Process

Customizing your site is a breeze, with options like undo/redo, design flexibility, and helpful prompts at every step. You can even get your custom template from their marketplace at an affordable price.

The only downside is that Wix websites load slowly, and performing actions like undo takes time compared to other website builders.

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2. Design & Templates

Design is one of Wix’s strongest suits. It provides over 800 professionally designed templates covering niches from blogging to hospitality. You can also build your custom website from scratch by using drag-and-drop functionality.

2.1 Template Variety

Wix provides templates for almost every niche, making it easy to start. It offers options to add or remove pages based on your needs.

2.2 Design Aesthetics

You can use Wix ADI to turn your website idea into a full-fledged design. The best part is that it will generate a website layout based on your input. In the same editor, you can preview your website on desktop and mobile.

2.3 Mobile Optimization

They’re mobile-optimized out of the box and support advanced tweaks like custom fonts, header variations, and layout adjustments.

Whether you prefer sleek minimalism or a vibrant, bold aesthetic, Wix lets you realize your vision. These templates allow you to design a complete website from start to finish.

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3. Features & Functionality

3.1 Drag-and-Drop Capabilities

A smooth drag-and-drop feature is available. It allows you to design your website using grid or section-based editing.

3.2 Built-in Apps & Widgets

Wix has a built-in app market where you can easily find apps based on your needs. Just pick a category and explore. If you’re feeling creative, you can even build and connect your app to your website.

3.3 Multilingual Support

lets you create a website in multiple languages. You can translate content manually or use automatic translation tools.

3.4 Membership & Access Controls

Setting up access controls in Wix is easy, but it gets complex when you have to set tiered permissions. There is often confusion about permission settings, and it glitches when managing large user bases.

3.5 Third-party App Marketplace

Wix offers a wide variety of third-party apps. However, high-quality apps often have additional costs, and some integrations may lack depth.

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4. Hosting & Performance

4.1 Speed & Load Times

They offer decent speed for lightweight pages and have improved their built-in CDN and media optimization. However, complex sites with mobile apps experience slower load times. Some templates also show inconsistency.

4.2 Uptime Guarantees

Wix provides reliable uptime, typically averaging around 99.9%, which is supported by its cloud-based infrastructure. Websites show minimal downtime.

4.3 Server Locations & CDN

Despite Wix’s use of a global CDN to enhance performance, we often experience slow load times for complex or media-rich sites.

4.4 Hosting Types Offered

Wix offers managed cloud hosting only. Hosting is fully integrated into the Wix platform, meaning users don’t need to manage servers or configurations. While this simplifies setup, it limits flexibility for advanced users seeking custom hosting solutions.

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5. Mobile Optimization

5.1 Mobile Editing Tools

Wix provides a dedicated mobile editor separately from the desktop view. You can rearrange elements, hide, or show.

5.2 Responsive Design Quality

Wix templates are designed to be responsive, automatically adjusting to fit various screen sizes, including tablets and smartphones. We have observed spacing, font scaling, and image display inconsistencies, especially when using third-party apps or custom code.

5.3 Page Speed on Mobile

Wix’s mobile page speed has improved over the years but still lags behind top-performing platforms. Common issues include heavy media files, excess scripts, and third-party app load times.

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6. SEO Capabilities

6.1 Meta Tags Editing

Wix offers comprehensive meta tag editing capabilities for SEO optimization. Users can manually edit each page’s meta titles, descriptions, and canonical tags, including blog posts and product pages.

6.2 Image Optimization

Wix provides built-in image optimization features such as automatic compression, lazy loading, and support for WebP formats, which help reduce page load times. Also, advanced options like responsive image sets or manual compression settings are limited.

6.3 Sitemap & Robots.txt Access

Wix automatically generates a dynamic sitemap and allows basic customization of the robots.txt file. While suitable for most users, full control over sitemap structure or advanced robots.txt directives may require developer tools or external integrations.

6.4 Page Speed Optimization

Wix includes several page speed optimization tools, such as caching, image lazy loading, and media compression. However, you can’t control script loading order or perform advanced code optimizations, which can impact speed scores.

6.5 Schema & Structured Data Support

There is no visual schema builder, which might be a hurdle for non-technical users. However, through its built-in SEO tools, Wix supports basic schema markup for articles, products, events, and reviews.

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7. Security & Backup

7.1 SSL Support

Wix provides free SSL certificates for all websites hosted on its platform, which are automatically enabled. The SSL setup requires no manual configuration, though there’s no option for advanced certificate management or purchasing custom SSL types.

7.2 Backups & Restore

Wix offers automatic site backups through its Site History feature. While convenient, it doesn’t allow for granular backups of specific sections (e.g., only a blog post or product page), and there’s no scheduled backup option.

7.3 DDoS Protection & Firewalls

These protections are managed automatically and require no action from the user. However, detailed configuration or visibility into security logs is not available.

7.4 Access Controls

Wix’s access control features include password-protected pages, member-only areas, and role-based permissions for team members with Wix owner apps.

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8. Analytics & Reporting

8.1 Built-in Analytics

Wix offers built-in analytics through Wix Analytics, providing insights into site traffic, user behavior, popular pages, and sales performance.

8.2 Google Analytics/GA4 Integration

Wix supports easy integration with Google Analytics and GA4, allowing users to track advanced metrics like user flow, session duration, and goal completions.

8.3 Conversion Tracking

Wix allows users to set up conversion goals, such as form submissions or product purchases, through Wix Analytics, Google Ads, or Facebook Pixel integrations. However, A/B testing tools and heatmap integrations are limited or require third-party apps.

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9. AI Capabilities

9.1 AI Design Assistance

Wix features Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence), which creates a fully functional website by asking users questions about their business and design preferences.

9.2 AI Content & Workflow Automation

It offers AI features for streamlining workflows, such as automated email campaigns, SEO improvements, and social media scheduling through Wix Ascend. These tools save time but may require manual refinement for tone and accuracy.

9.3 AI-Powered User Experience Enhancements

Wix uses AI to enhance the end-user experience through features like personalized content suggestions, AI-powered chatbots, and smart performance insights. It also recommends optimizations based on site analytics.

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10. Developer-Friendliness

10.1 Custom Code Support

Wix supports custom HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through its Velo by Wix development environment. This allows advanced users to build dynamic pages, integrate APIs, and customize site behavior beyond drag-and-drop limits.

10.2 Export/Import Capabilities

Wix does not support full site export, meaning users cannot download their entire site to host elsewhere. Content like blog posts or store products can be imported/exported in CSV format, but site structure and design are non-transferable.

10.3 Staging Environments

Wix lacks a traditional staging environment where users can test changes before publishing. However, Velo has the feature to preview code changes within the editor. If your code needs complex revisions, users must duplicate the site manually.

10.4 Git or Version Control

Wix does not natively offer Git integration or version control systems. Developers using Velo can manage changes within the code editor and use Site History for broader rollback functionality, but it lacks depth.

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11. Migration & Scalability

11.1 Importing Data/Site from Other Platforms

Wix provides limited import functionality, mainly supporting CSV uploads for content like blog posts, product catalogs, and contacts. It doesn’t offer full site import tools from platforms like WordPress or Shopify, so manual rebuilding is often required.

11.2 Exporting Site/Content

Wix does not support full site export, restricting users from moving their site design and structure to another platform. However, some individual content types—such as product data and contact lists—can be exported in CSV format.

11.3 Scalability Options

Wix is suitable for small—to medium-sized websites, including eCommerce and service-based businesses. It handles moderate traffic well and has built-in hosting and performance features.

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12. Niche Suitability

12.1 E-commerce

Wix offers a solid intuitive interface for small—to medium-sized online stores.

12.2 Blogging

While functional, Wix may not be the best fit for content-heavy brands that prioritize advanced blogging tools.

12.3 Agencies

Features like client roles and white labeling through Wix Studio make it a practical solution for agencies managing multiple clients.

12.4 Portfolios

Wix has stunning templates, making it a top choice for creatives building online portfolios.

12.5 Services

Tools like Wix Bookings and CRM integration work seamlessly, especially for local service-based businesses.

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13. Legal & Compliance

13.1 GDPR/CCPA Compliance Tools

Wix offers GDPR and CCPA compliance support through built-in cookie consent banners, data request forms, and privacy policy templates. These tools help site owners meet legal requirements.

13.2 Terms & Policies Generators

Wix provides basic templates and integrations for creating legal documents like terms of service, privacy policies, and refund policies. These can be customized within the Wix Editor or added via third-party apps.

13.3 Accessibility (ADA/WCAG)

Wix includes tools to help meet ADA and WCAG accessibility guidelines, such as alt text editing, keyboard navigation, ARIA labels, and support for screen readers. An Accessibility Wizard is available to detect and suggest fixes.

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15. Innovation & Ecosystem Growth

15.1 Product Roadmap Transparency

Wix does not publicly share a detailed product roadmap. Announcements typically come through blogs or newsletters, which limits visibility for developers and power users.

15.2 Regular Updates

Wix rolls out regular updates that are applied automatically and focus on improving performance, introducing new features, and enhancing integrations.

15.3 User Community

Wix boasts a strong user community, including official forums, active social media groups, and the Velo developer hub.

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16. Performance Benchmarks

16.1 Page Load Test Results

Wix scores moderately in tools like GTmetrix, Pingdom, and Google Lighthouse, with typical load times ranging from 2.5 to 5 seconds, depending on the site’s complexity.

16.2 Real-World Use Cases

In real-world conditions, Wix websites generally perform well for small businesses, blogs, and portfolios with standard content. However, issues can arise with larger or media-heavy sites.

16.3 Core Web Vitals

Wix has made progress in optimizing Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS), but many sites still struggle with Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

17. Integrations & Extendability

17.1 Third-Party Integrations

There are many third party apps available on Wix marketplace. However, the depth and customization of these integrations can vary.

17.2 API Access

Velo by Wix allows developers to gain access to custom APIs for building dynamic sites, connecting external databases, or integrating custom business logic. This allows for considerable flexibility.

17.3 Marketplace Ecosystem

Wix’s App Market features a rich ecosystem of apps for design, SEO, forms, chat, and eCommerce product configurator. While the variety is a strength, many top-tier apps are paid, and quality can be inconsistent.

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18. Customer Support

18.1 Channels Available

Wix offers customer support through live chat, email, and callback phone support. There’s also access to community forums and support through the Wix Owner App. Priority support is reserved for premium users, particularly those on higher-tier plans.

18.2 Response Time & Quality

Response times are generally prompt for premium users, with callbacks and chat responses typically within a few hours. Support quality is rated as helpful but can vary depending on the issue’s complexity.

18.3 Knowledge Base & Documentation

Wix maintains a robust knowledge base with articles, video tutorials, and step-by-step guides covering most features. It’s beginner-friendly, but it lacks depth for developers seeking technical precision.

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19. Blogging & Content Management

19.1 Blog Editor Experience

Wix’s blog editor offers a clean, user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop support for multimedia, text formatting, and embeds. However, it lacks some advanced controls like custom post types or full visual block editors seen in platforms like WordPress.

19.2 SEO Features for Blogs

Wix blogs come with built-in SEO tools such as editable meta titles and descriptions, alt text for images, and customizable URLs. Blog posts also benefit from structured data support and mobile-friendly layouts.

19.3 Category and Tag Management

Wix organizes blog posts using categories and tags, making content easier to structure and navigate. Categories can be displayed as menus or filters on the front end. However, it does not support hierarchical categories.

19.4 RSS Feeds and Syndication

Wix automatically generates an RSS feed for blogs, enabling syndication and easy integration with tools like Feedly or email automation platforms.

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Wix Pricing (2025)

Plan NameMonthly Price (USD)Features Snapshot
Free$0Wix ads, no custom domain, limited features
Light$16Ad-free, custom domain, 2 GB storage
Core$2750 GB storage, basic eCommerce, site analytics
Business$32Full eCommerce, subscriptions, customer accounts
Business Elite$159Enterprise-level tools, advanced marketing, VIP support

Each plan scales up in terms of storage, customer support, and eCommerce features. 

The “Business Elite” plan is tailored for high-traffic businesses and agencies that need top-tier performance and control.

Pros

  • AI-Enhanced Experience: Wix ADI and new AI design prompts make website creation seamless.
  • Massive Template Library: With over 800 options, users can find a template that fits virtually any niche.
  • Built-in Business Tools: Email marketing, CRM, and booking systems come ready to use.
  • Reliable Hosting: Secure and speedy hosting is included at no extra cost.
  • App Market: Expands the core functionality of your website significantly

Cons

  • Template Lock-In: Switching templates requires rebuilding the site once your site is live.
  • Expensive Add-ons: Some essential features may require third-party apps, which come at an additional cost.
  • Scalability Limits: Not ideal for large businesses or websites needing heavy backend logic.

Alternatives to Wix

If Wix doesn’t check all your boxes, don’t worry, there are plenty of other great website builders.

Here’s a quick look at five strong contenders:

Squarespace

If you’re big on visuals and design, Squarespace is an absolute gem. 

It’s especially great for photographers, artists, and bloggers who want their site to look sleek and professional right out of the gate. 

You don’t get the same level of drag-and-drop freedom as Wix, but the trade-off is beautiful, curated templates that are hard to beat. 

Squarespace also includes robust blogging tools and solid SEO features, making it perfect for creatives who want form and function in one neat package.

Webflow

Webflow is ideal for users who want the flexibility of custom code but also enjoy a visual builder. 

It’s a favorite among designers and developers because it gives you complete control over every element on your site. 

Unlike Wix, there’s a steeper learning curve here, but the payoff is a website that looks exactly how you imagined it. 

If pixel-perfect precision matters to you, Webflow is a top-tier option. It’s useful for agencies or anyone creating complex, interactive websites.

Shopify

Shopify might be your dream platform if your primary goal is selling products online. 

It’s built from the ground up for eCommerce, offering everything from inventory management to advanced shipping tools. 

While Wix does support online stores, Shopify is more robust and scalable for businesses planning to grow. 

Its app ecosystem is massive, and it integrates easily with various sales channels like Amazon and Instagram. If you’re running a serious online business, you’ll find it a reliable companion.

Final Recommendation: Should You Choose Wix in 2025?

If you’re a small business, creative, or entrepreneur seeking a stylish and easy-to-use website builder, Wix remains an excellent choice. Choosing the best website builder depends on your specific needs. 

The platform is incredibly versatile, supported by AI features, robust eCommerce tools, and constant updates.

You should go for Wix if:

  • You want creative freedom without touching code
  • You’re launching a small-to-medium eCommerce store
  • You need a site quickly with professional polish

However, if you’re a developer who values open-source flexibility or needs full backend control, platforms like Webflow or WordPress might be better suited.

Overall, Wix is a reliable, innovative, and feature-rich platform that’s earned its reputation. Give it a spin and see how far you can take your next project!

If you found this tutorial helpful, subscribe for more advanced Wix tips and download our free Wix Pro Checklist to guide your next project. 

You can also contact us if you have questions or are interested in CMS services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is Wix free to use?

Wix offers a free plan, including Wix-branded ads and a Wix domain. You’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to unlock more features like custom domains and eCommerce.

2. Can I build an e-commerce store with Wix?

Yes, Wix supports eCommerce through its Business and eCommerce plans, allowing you to sell products, accept payments, and manage inventory.

3. Is Wix good for SEO?

Wix has significantly improved its SEO tools, offering features like customizable meta tags, image alt text, and integrations with Google Search Console. It’s now a solid option for SEO beginners and small businesses.

4. Can I switch my template later on Wix?

No, once you choose a template and start editing, you can’t switch to a different one without starting from scratch. Choose your template carefully.

5. Is Wix suitable for large or complex websites?

Wix is great for small to medium websites, but a more scalable platform like WordPress might be a better fit for very large or complex projects.