Wix has come a long way from its early reputation. The editor is genuinely powerful, the templates are solid, and millions of real businesses run on it successfully.
But "works for millions" doesn't mean "works for you." Let's figure out which side you're on.
What Wix Gets Right
The Editor Is Actually Good
Wix's drag-and-drop editor is intuitive. You can move elements anywhere, resize freely, and see changes in real-time. For visual people who think spatially, it clicks in a way that grid-based builders don't.
The App Market
Need booking? There's an app. Need a restaurant menu? There's an app. Live chat, reviews, events, memberships — Wix has built or partnered for most common business needs.
This means you can add functionality without code, which matters when you don't have a developer on call.
Wix Studio for Designers
Wix Studio (their designer/agency tool) offers more control than the standard editor. Responsive breakpoints, reusable components, client handoff — it's a legitimate tool for freelancers building client sites.
Pricing Accessibility
Free tier to get started, paid plans from $16-159/month. E-commerce starts at $27/month. For a complete solution including hosting, this is genuinely affordable.
Where Wix Struggles
Performance Issues
This is Wix's Achilles heel. The platform loads a heavy JavaScript runtime regardless of how simple your site is. Typical PageSpeed scores land between 35-55 on mobile.
Google has said page speed is a ranking factor. Your visitors experience it as sluggishness. Neither is good for business.
The "Wix Look"
Wix sites have tells. The way animations behave, the loading sequence, certain UI patterns — people who've seen enough websites can spot a Wix site. Whether this matters depends on your audience and positioning.
If you're selling premium services to sophisticated buyers, a template site may undercut your positioning. If you're a local service business, no one notices or cares.
SEO Ceiling
Wix has improved its SEO tools significantly. The basics are covered. But you still can't:
- Fully optimize Core Web Vitals
- Implement custom schema beyond their presets
- Control server-side rendering behavior
- Optimize JavaScript delivery
- Access or modify the underlying code
For local SEO with moderate competition, Wix is fine. For competitive national keywords, you're fighting with one hand tied.
Vendor Lock-In
Your Wix site cannot be exported. Period. The design, the structure, the customizations — they exist only within Wix. Leaving means rebuilding from scratch.
This is a business risk. You're dependent on Wix's pricing decisions, feature development, and continued existence.
E-Commerce Limitations
Wix e-commerce works for simple stores. But it gets strained with:
- Large product catalogs (500+ products)
- Complex product variants
- Advanced inventory management
- Custom checkout flows
- Sophisticated filtering and search
Serious e-commerce usually ends up on Shopify or custom solutions.
Wix Makes Sense When...
- You need a site this week, not this quarter
- Your total website budget is under $2,000
- You want to build and edit the site yourself
- Your site is informational, not transactional
- You're not depending on SEO for lead generation
- Your competitive landscape doesn't require premium positioning
You've Outgrown Wix When...
- Page speed is measurably hurting your conversions
- You need custom functionality the app market can't provide
- Your brand has evolved beyond what templates can express
- SEO competition requires technical optimization you can't access
- You're hiring agencies or developers to hack around Wix limitations
- The vendor lock-in feels like a business risk
The Migration Question
Moving off Wix is a rebuild, not a migration. Your content can be manually transferred. Everything else starts fresh.
This is actually fine. The rebuild is an opportunity to rethink information architecture, messaging, and user experience with fresh eyes. Trying to "migrate" often means carrying old problems into a new system.
Our Perspective
We've seen businesses at both ends. Some launched on Wix, validated their model, grew revenue, and then invested in custom development when the ROI was clear. That's a smart path.
Others started on Wix, tried to scale, hit walls, hacked workarounds, and eventually spent more time fighting the platform than running their business. That's when the rebuild becomes urgent rather than strategic.
Wix is a tool. It's good at what it's good at. The mistake is expecting it to be something it isn't.
Use Wix to start. Graduate to custom when your business demands it.