Wix Review 2022
Is Wix the best website builder? Find out below.
Overview
Wix is the biggest website builder available with the most users. It stands out from other companies because it has an unstructured editor. It lets you drag and drop elements anywhere on a page without constraints. This allows you to get a unique look and make sure that it looks the way that you want it, whereas most others will have fixed areas of columns for putting certain things. It has lots of features, probably more than any other website builder including things like restaurant ordering, music distribution and appointment scheduling that may not be included in others. There are over 500 themes available and although some are much better than others, it certainly gives you a lot of choice. There are some bugs though which can mean that it can be a case of learning some workarounds until you get exactly what you want from it. It also adds new features very regularly which means that you will always have up to date functionality.
Plans & Pricing
There is a free plan, but it is not great. This is because there is a 500MB bandwidth limit and the free URL has an ad that scrolls along with your website that is really intrusive. However, there is no time limit for the free trial so you get plenty of time to try it out and can even stick with the free version if it suits you to do this. Most others will only offer a time-limited trial.
If you do choose to pay there are seven pricing structures with four for general websites and three for ecommerce. The prices quoted are for annual plans but if you choose to pay monthly you will end up paying more per month so make sure that you are clear on what you will be paying. There is a bandwidth limit on the cheapest plans and every time someone visits the site it will use bandwidth so if you are expecting a lot of site visitors you will not want a limited bandwidth.
Wix is generally more expensive than its close competitors by about $1 a month or so. The cheapest is the combo plan which has a limit of 2GB of bandwidth which would accommodate about 50 visitors a day and costs $13 a month. It will remove the ad that you have on the free plan and accommodates 30 minute videos, free domains for a year or you can connect your domain. The $17 plan is called unlimited and as it says, has unlimited bandwidth.it also offers one hour of video, 4300 of ad vouchers and a site booster and visitor analytics app. The $22 package is the Pro one and offers 200GB storage and 2 video hours as well as an advents calendar and professional logo. The $39 package is the VIP and offers priority support which means that your calls and tickets are dealt with first.
The ecommerce plans start with a Business basic which has no limitations but no priority support and costs $20. The Business unlimited includes access to the logo maker and costs $25 the Business VIP has the priority support and costs $35. The Enterprise level has no transaction fees on ecommerce sales although you still pay the third party credit card fee.
Tools & Features
Wix has lots of features. For example, you will find that there are lots of core elements to choose from to build the website. This includes things like navigation elements, menus, boxes, buttons etc. and they also have a function called repeaters which is like a database that you can use to put in fields such as when you are listing events, properties, staff members etc. It has an app market which has 300 apps that will add additional elements and features. By doing things this way it means the main design is simple but you can add in just the elements that you need. It is worth noting though that many of the apps have costs though, so you will often have to pay for those additional features, but at least you only get the ones that you want and are not paying for things you will not use. Some of the features it has, which perhaps many similar products do not, include, restaurant features for reserving a table, organising online delivery and listing the menu. It has audio players and the facility to distribute music, can offer booking and appointments for classes and workshops and you can accept them using the app, take payments and send email reminders. You can also connect to a payment provider to sell tickets and create guest lists for events and set up a forum where members can join conversations, follow posts, upload videos and sell digital commission for art works, connect to print on demand services and create digital licenses.
Themes
There are lots of themes available in Wix, over 500 but they do vary in their quality. Some of theme are clean and modern but there are some which look a bit outdated and old. When you select a theme, you will have the option of selecting a design tool. Once you choose a theme you are locked into it and you cannot change. With many builders, you will have the flexibility and so if that is what you want then this is not for you. However, if you choose carefully and well, it should not be a problem anyway. You should be able to find the one that suits you the best anyway and hopefully, that will always suit you. The themes tend to be responsive and work on mobiles, but not all of them are, so you will need to make sure that you check for this and you may otherwise have to edit pages twice so that they show up properly on a PC and mobile device. You can modify a theme for your personal taste in colours but this can be tedious and it is easier to edit individual items instead. Themes can come across glitches when being edited but it does mean that it is flexible and you can make significant changes. It means that you will be able to not only make it look unique but also design it almost from scratch if you want to. There are lots of options that you can choose from on the site as well, which means that although it may seem a bit daunting, you will have a good chance of finding one that suits you really well.
Pros & Cons
Wix is easy to use which means that it is particularly good for those that are not used to using this sort of package. It has lots of templates which are highly customisable so you will be able to get the exact look that you want. There are lots of SEO features so your website should be coming up high in search engines. It also has a good support centre. New features are added regularly as well, so there is always something new to investigate and try out.
The main problem with Wix is that you cannot switch between templates. This means that once you have chosen one you cannot change so you are stuck with that design, so you have to choose really carefully when you are starting out. There is no chat support which could be tricky for those that find it easier to get help this way. There are not many or very good speed optimisation tools. You cannot export the sites to other platforms.
Domain Names
Domain names on Wix cost $14.95 per year plus $9.90 per year to WHOIS privacy to keep your contact information anonymous. If you register your domain name with Wix you can set up custom email addresses using Googles G Suite which is a good email provider. This costs around $50 annually per email address. You can choose to use a domain name you buy independently, which could be a cheaper option for you though, so it is worth thinking about which option will suit you the best. If you already have a domain name, then you will be able to link it in.
Ecommerce
There are some core features for ecommerce on Wix which could be useful. For example, there are flexible coupon codes for % discounts, free shipping, limited time etc. There are shipping and tax rules that can be entered and changes, products options, digital products and there is no transaction fee. You can also send email receipts to customers. They have a variations editor which is a little confusing when it comes to costs but it can provide a fairly cheap platform for ecommerce compared to some others and it has all the main functions that you will need.
Conclusion
Generally, Wix website builder is a comprehensive tool. It is fairly easy to use and as long as you have an understanding of some basic web design concepts you should find that you can do really amazing things with it. It has lots of different options and prices, which means that it should be easy for you to find one that will suit your individual needs. With lots of themes, there should be one for everyone and it is possible to use all of the elements and features to make a really unique website. Support is good and you can use additional apps to add on extra features to your website.