Wix vs WordPress: which is better for a small business?
By Dale Sutton · Updated 25 October 2026
For a small business that plans to grow, WordPress is usually the better long-term choice: you own the site, can move it to any host or developer, and can add almost any functionality. Wix is quicker to start and needs almost no maintenance, but the site stays on Wix and cannot be moved elsewhere as a working site. Choose Wix for a simple site you will manage yourself; choose WordPress when the site needs to do more.
Side by side
| WordPress | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Ownership | You own the site and can move it to any host. | The site lives on Wix. It cannot be exported to another host as a working site. |
| Getting started | Needs setting up by someone who knows WordPress. | Drag and drop. A simple site can be live in a day. |
| Monthly cost | Hosting, plus a care plan if you want one. | A Wix subscription, with higher plans for online stores. |
| Maintenance | Updates, backups and security are ongoing. | Handled by Wix. |
| Flexibility | Plugins, custom code and integrations with almost anything. | Wix apps and Wix's own tools. Harder to go beyond them. |
| SEO | Full control, which also means more to get wrong. | Sensible defaults with less control. |
| Online store | WooCommerce: flexible, and no platform cut of sales. | Wix Stores: simple to run for small catalogues. |
| Moving later | Straightforward: copy the site to a new host. | A rebuild: content is moved across and old addresses redirected. |
Choose Wix if
- You want a simple site with a few pages, and you will edit it yourself.
- You would rather pay a subscription than look after updates and backups.
- You do not need integrations beyond what Wix offers.
- Getting online this week matters more than flexibility later.
Choose WordPress if
- You want to own the site and be free to change host or developer.
- The site needs to connect to a CRM, bookings, payments or other software.
- You plan to grow it: more services, more pages, an online store.
- Search visibility is important and you want full control over it.
Moving from Wix to WordPress
Because a Wix site cannot be exported as a working website, moving to WordPress means rebuilding it. The content is copied across, the design is rebuilt, and every old page address is redirected to its new one so the rankings you already have carry over.
That is also the moment to fix whatever the old site was not doing, rather than copying it page for page.
What Oria Digital recommends
Wix is fine for a simple site you run yourself. Once the website is meant to win enquiries, connect to other tools or grow with the business, WordPress gives you more room and you keep ownership of it. Either way, what matters most is whether the site is built around how your customers enquire.
Related questions
Do you work with WordPress?
Yes — WordPress is the main platform, including custom themes, plugins, Advanced Custom Fields, WooCommerce and improving existing WordPress sites without rebuilding them. Oria Digital also builds on Next.js where that genuinely suits the job better. The platform is chosen for the business, not the other way around.
How much does a website cost in Perth?
A professionally built small-business website in Perth typically costs $2,000–$10,000+, depending on design, content, integrations and functionality. Oria Digital website builds start from $3,500 + GST for a conversion-focused site of five to eight pages, and from $6,500 + GST for sites with custom functionality or integrations. You get a fixed written quote after a free audit.
Should I rebuild my website or improve it?
Improve it, if the site is structurally sound and the problems are speed, mobile experience, messaging or a weak enquiry path — that's most sites. Rebuild it if the platform is unsupported, the design can't be brought up to standard, or the structure fights what the business now does. A free audit tells you which, plainly, before you spend anything.
How long does a website take to build?
Most Oria Digital website builds take three to five weeks from the point content is available. A Website Tune-Up on an existing site is usually one to two weeks, and an AI enquiry assistant takes about two weeks to install and tune. Timelines are confirmed in writing in your quote before any work starts.
Want this applied to your own site? Start with the free audit, or go straight to WordPress Website Design.