When you’re considering content creation or selling online with Wix, the first thing to figure out is whether the platform can produce a fully functional and attractive website.
The answer may surprise you, especially with the limitations of the Wix free plan and the caveats of the paid plans. Do you clearly understand the limits of a free Wix website and how that impacts your content or eCommerce aspirations?
This guide is the right place for answers. We’ll break down the features and limits of the Wix free and premium plans. You’ll learn about Wix’s potential for eCommerce, search engine optimization (SEO) and analytics.
We’ll also consider Wix versus WordPress — this side-by-side comparison of rival website builders will help you make the most informed decision.
Is Wix free?
Yes, Wix offers a free plan, allowing users to build websites without upfront costs. However, this plan is limited to Wix-branded subdomains and lacks advanced features like online payments. You must upgrade to premium plans to access more features, remove ads and use a custom domain.
There are additional costs for domain registration and third-party app purchases. Wix is initially free, but building a comprehensive, feature-rich website with it requires paid plans and add-ons.
Is Wix eCommerce free?
No, the free Wix plan doesn’t offer eCommerce functionality. To enable online store features such as accepting payments, adding products and managing inventory, you’ll need to subscribe to Wix’s eCommerce premium plans.
Notably, Wix’s online shop features aren’t as advanced as WooCommerce via Bluehost, with which you get unlimited product additions, extensive payment options, tax management tools and shipping setup.
Features of the Wix free plan
Wix’s free plan provides a free website builder, hosting locked to a Wix subdomain, 500MB of storage and access to some webpage templates.
However, its functionality limitations include no access to Google Analytics, which hinders performance tracking — to anyone with a purpose like blogging or selling, Google Analytics is a basic necessity.
Moreover, the free plan means your audience will see Wix ads.
How domain names work on the Wix free plan
On Wix’s free plan, your website’s domain is a subdomain of Wix. This means wixsite.com is a mandatory part of your URL.
For instance, you can name your website “AmazingPizza,” but it would be AmazingPizza.wixsite.com. You cannot choose simply AmazingPizza.com — nor .uk, .shop or anything else.
You must upgrade to a premium plan to get a custom domain name.
Limited customer support
Wix’s free plan provides basic customer support, but priority assistance is exclusive to premium plans. This means that users on the free plan may experience delays or limited support options in their times of need.
Accessing priority support with quicker response times and more extensive assistance requires upgrading to Wix’s premium plans.
The pros and cons of the Wix free plan
| Pros | Cons |
| Zero cost: No upfront payment to build and host a basic website. | Limited features: Lacks the customization and functionalities that your competitors likely have. |
| Ease of use: The Wix website builder has a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. Even beginners can create websites. | Ads: Wix ads are displayed on your website, decreasing its professional appearance. |
| Wix-branded subdomain: Comes with a free domain, albeit locked into Wix branding. | No custom domain: A custom domain is not included; users have a Wix-branded subdomain. |
| Basic customer support: You risk delayed assistance since priority support is reserved for premium plans. | |
| No website analytics: Due to the absence of in-depth analytics tools, you’ll be in the dark about your website’s performance. | |
| Low bandwidth and storage: You’re allotted only 500MB each for bandwidth and storage. |
Is a free trial of Wix available, and how long does it last?
You can try out a premium plan with a 14-day free trial of Wix. Note that while it’s called a free trial, it’s more like a refund grace period since payment details are required when you start.
Despite this technicality, Wix’s free trial can be quite beneficial. It lets you explore whether a specific plan fits your website or business.
During the trial, you can access features typically reserved for premium plans, like increased storage and advanced analytics. This hands-on experience can help you decide if upgrading is right for you.
Evaluating Wix premium plans
Most paid plans come with one free domain for a year and no Wix branding. Regardless of the paid plan you get, you’ll receive an SSL certificate and the option to connect a custom domain.
Unlimited bandwidth applies across plans — except for the Connect Domain plan, Combo plan and free plan.
Wix website plans
Here’s an overview of Wix’s website plans, what they’re good for and which plans from Bluehost rival their effectiveness.
Wix VIP is $24.50 monthly and catered to users who need more storage space, precisely 35GB of it.
Notably, the plan caps video content to five hours. You can access Wix’s traffic analytics and Google submission apps for free, but only for the first year.
Wix VIP alternative: Bluehost Pro, which includes 100GB storage at $13.95 monthly. You’ll also get a free domain, staging and the ability to run up to five websites. Top that off with WordPress migration, marketing tools and several pro plugins at no extra cost.
Next up, Wix Unlimited is $12.50 monthly and catered to one-person publishers who don’t rely on rich-media content.
The plan offers 10GB of storage, yet video content is capped at one hour. It also lets you access Wix’s traffic analytics and Google submission apps free for the first year.
Wix Unlimited alternative: Bluehost Choice Plus, which offers 40GB storage at $5.45 monthly. It includes a free domain, free content delivery network (CDN) and free WordPress migration to get you set up smoothly.
You can build and stage up to three websites, for which you’ll enjoy malware protection and email marketing tools.
The Wix Combo plan is $8.50 monthly and is best suited for simply removing Wix branding.
The plan supports 3GB storage but video content can only total 30 minutes. Your bandwidth will be capped at 2GB. Moreover, you can’t access Wix’s traffic analytics and Google submission apps.
The best Wix Combo alternative is Bluehost Plus since it’s $5.45 monthly for two websites and a free domain. Along with 20GB of storage, you also get a free CDN, WordPress migration, email marketing and malware protection.
Wix’s Connect Domain plan is$4.50 monthly and could be useful for hobbyists and beginner website builders.
This Wix plan supports 500MB of storage and 1GB of bandwidth. The downside is there’s no free domain, no video content, no traffic analytics and no Google submission access.
Furthermore, Wix branding will actually remain on your website.
The best Connect Domain alternative is Bluehost Basic since you do get a free domain and an SSL, plus 10GB of storage. It’s also more affordable, at $2.95 monthly. As a bonus, you’ll get malware protection, WordPress migration and a free CDN.
Wix business and eCommerce plans
Wix caters some hosting plans to businesses that need to collect payments online. Those plans are:
- Business VIP: $35 monthly for 50GB storage and unlimited video content.
- Business Unlimited: $25 monthly for 35GB storage and 10 hours of video content.
- Business Basic: $17 monthly for 20GB storage and five hours of video content.
All three plans let you set up payments, recurring billing and customer accounts. You can also list up to 50,000 products, automate abandoned cart emails and sell on social media.
With these business plans, you can sell services, take bookings and offer event tickets, which you can’t do on the free Wix plan.
Only Business VIP and Business Unlimited plans support multi-currency, dropshipping and product reviews. These two plans also support sales tax calculations, albeit limited to 500 and 100 monthly transactions, respectively.
The best alternative to Wix’s Business plans are Bluehost’s online store plans. Besides offering 100GB of storage at a price 270% more affordable than Wix, Bluehost enables unlimited product listings, ready-made tax management and synchronized inventory across channels.
Bluehost provides conversion-critical tools for eCommerce business owners; one example is product search and filtering.
Wix Enterprise plan
Enterprise plans target large business websites aiming to remove all dependency bottlenecks and resource constraints. This Wix plan can handle unique customization and workflow across your business.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- A dedicated account manager
- Round-the-clock support from Wix.
- Website migration support.
- API and integration support.
- A multi-site dashboard.
There’s no set pricing; request a quote from Wix.
Wix Enterprise plan alternatives: Bluehost VPS and dedicated web hosting plans.
On Bluehost’s more professional pricing tiers, you get up to two terabytes of hard disk storage and CPU speeds of 3.3 GHz. These plans easily handle websites with lots of traffic and content.
Wix free plan vs. premium plans
| Feature | Wix paid plan | Wix free plan |
| Online payments | On business plans only | Absent |
| Google Analytics | Present | Absent |
| Domain | Connects to your custom domain | Locked to a Wix-branded URL |
| Wix ads | Absent on all plans except Connect Domain | Present |
| Bandwidth | From 1GB and up | 500MB only |
| Customer support | Faster response time | Available but slower |
| Storage | From 500MB to 50GB | Capped at 500MB |
Wix hidden costs and extra fees
Let’s unveil the true costs of the Wix free plan. From payment processing charges to premium apps and domain fees, note these caveats before you buy.
1. Custom email addresses
Wix integrates with Google Workspace, so you can make custom email addresses in Wix. If your Wix website is AmazingPizza.com, you can create bookings@AmazingPizza.com, for example.
You can pay for and configure this email account right from your Wix dashboard and then manage business emails on Wix instead of separately.
Wix doesn’t display any specific costs for emails in their pricing plans. However, standalone Google Workspace costs $6 to $18 monthly with an option for a custom plan.
The best alternatives to Wix custom email are Bluehost’s custom email and Google Workspace plan.
When you get a free domain from Bluehost and create your custom email, you can attach it to third-party providers like Zoho and Google Workspace. Plus, Google Workspace is only $3 via Bluehost.
2. Wix premium apps
Wix offers 25 free apps in the Wix App Market; using those apps on Wix is free forever. However, you can pay for premium apps. Most apps have a free and a paid version.
Wix pricing for premium apps ranges from $3 to $20 monthly. Some apps offer free trials, while others need payment from the start. Watch out for auto-renewal — turn it off in settings if you don’t want to pay indefinitely for the app.
The best alternative to Wix apps is the WordPress plugin repository. You can access nearly 60,000 free WordPress plugins. That’s about 2,400 times more free apps than Wix.
3. Domain name renewal
Wix domains are free for the first year (except on the Connect Domain plan). After that, you’ll likely pay $15 per year — but top-tier domains can be $35 or more.
Domain names are unique. People are always looking for short, attractive and memorable domains. So, keep your domain name on auto-renew to avoid losing it. On the other hand, keep in mind that with Wix, a highly contested domain may affect your budget down the road.
Alternatively, get a free domain name on any Bluehost plan.
4. Payment processing fees
Wix Payments charges transaction fees when you receive money. The charges you pay depend on the payment channel. For example, Apple Pay, credit card and debit card processing fees are typically 2.9% + $0.30. However, point-of-sale processing fees are 2.6% + $0.
Available payment channels on Wix Payments include:
- Point of sale (POS).
- Credit and debit card.
- Online bank transfer.
- iDEAL.
- Giropay.
- Google Pay.
- Apple Pay.
- Tap to Pay on Mobile (U.S. only).
On top of the unique fees per channel, additional fees can apply for inevitabilities like chargebacks and refunds.
Best Wix Payments alternative: WooCommerce Payments. The plugin is free — no monthly fees or setup fees. It supports all payment options in Wix and more, including Square, Amazon Pay, Alipay and Authorize.net.
WooCommerce Payments means no need to visit the Stripe or PayPal websites; you can process transactions and select withdrawal options from your dashboard. You can also check payment history, refund purchases and offer discounts.
A superior blogging and eCommerce alternative
The Wix free plan and premium plans offer benefits but leave plenty of room for improvement. If you’re looking for the best-in-class website creator, you need to know what WordPress is, what it does and how it surpasses Wix.
Why WordPress is superior to Wix
WordPress stands out as the superior choice for various reasons. Firstly, WordPress is the best content management system due to its unmatched flexibility, allowing users to customize their websites extensively.
Unlike Wix, WordPress provides a vast library of plugins and themes, empowering website owners to meet specific needs effortlessly.
Moreover, WordPress grants you ownership and control over your content. This autonomy is crucial for long-term growth and scalability, a feature lacking in Wix’s isolated ecosystem.
WordPress boasts a thriving community that offers support, providing users with a wealth of resources and assistance.
In terms of SEO, WordPress excels, offering robust tools to enhance search engine visibility. Its user-friendly interface simplifies the optimization process, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
Why Bluehost is the best WordPress hosting for sellers and content creators
Bluehost is the top choice for small business owners and content creators seeking top-tier WordPress hosting.
First of all, affordability meets excellence. Bluehost offers budget-friendly plans, starting at $2.95 a month, without compromising features. It’s ideal for aspiring entrepreneurs and new content creators.
Specifically designed for selling online, Bluehost’s WooCommerce plans offer merchants plug-and-play solutions. You can manage your online store smoothly with a one-click setup, secure payment processing and inventory tracking.
Enhanced security features like malware scanning and SSL certificates ensure customers can trust your website, which is vital to land sales.
Content creators benefit from Bluehost’s content delivery network and scalable resources, ensuring lightning-fast load times even for media-rich content. And in high-traffic scenarios, like a viral post or flash sale, Bluehost shines.
Tech-savvy users will appreciate Bluehost’s cutting-edge hosting technology. Its cloud-based infrastructure guarantees speed and reliability.
Moreover, Bluehost’s 24/7 customer support excels at anticipating your needs.
Bluehost vs. Wix
| Features | Wix | Bluehost |
| Full range of hosting price per GB | $0.70 to $9 | $0.069 to $0.295 |
| Most affordable hosting option | $4.5 for 0.5GB | $2.95 for 10GB |
| Most robust eCommerce plan | $35 for 50GB | $13.95 for 100GB |
| Secure online payments | Present | Present |
| Easy website migration | No | Yes |
| Tax support | Partially available | Fully available via WooCommerce |
| Unlimited product listings | Absent | Present |
| Access to WordPress plugins | No | Yes |
| Number of plugins available | About 300 | About 60,000 |
| Custom web development | Restrictive | Friendly |
| SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Free CDN | Yes | Yes |
Final thoughts: Wix free plan alternatives for sellers and content creators
Wix is free and offers a range of website-building solutions. However, the free plan has significant limitations on monetizing your website, building a brand or selling online.
This guide explored Wix’s free plan, paid plans, alternatives and why WordPress is superior. Use the info to pick the most valuable platform for your eCommerce and content websites.
When you’re looking to build a website and get the most out of it, consider WordPress hosting from Bluehost. For eCommerce, try the WooCommerce hosting plans.
The post Is Wix Free? Everything You Need To Know Before You Commit appeared first on Bluehost Blog.
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