Most small businesses don’t need the most powerful website platform. They need the one that fits how they work today and won’t box them in next year. After building sites on all three, here is how I see the choice.
The short answer
- Wix suits you if you want something online this week, you’ll manage it yourself, and the site is mainly a digital business card.
- WordPress suits most small and growing businesses: you own the site, it grows with you, and anyone competent can maintain it.
- Custom-built makes sense only when your website does something specific to your business, such as quotes, bookings or a client area, that standard tools can’t handle well.
Wix: fast to start, harder to grow
Wix is a website builder. You pick a template, drag elements around and publish. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you.
It works well for a simple presentation site, especially if budget is tight and you want to change texts yourself.
The trade-offs show up later:
- You rent, you don’t own. The site lives on Wix. If you stop paying the subscription or want to move, you can’t take the site with you.
- Limited control over speed and SEO. You get the basics, but less control over what loads and how the code is structured.
- Costs add up. The monthly plan is only the start. Bookings, a shop or extra features usually mean a higher plan or paid apps.
WordPress: the flexible middle
WordPress powers a large share of the web, from personal blogs to company sites. The software is free; you pay for hosting, a domain and the work of designing and building it.
Why it fits most businesses:
- You own it. The site and its content sit on your hosting. You can change designer, host or direction whenever you want.
- It grows with you. Start with five pages. Add a blog, a booking form, an online shop or a client portal later, without starting over.
- Easy to edit. Once it’s built properly, updating texts, photos and prices takes minutes.
- Good for SEO. You control titles, descriptions, page speed and structure, which matters if you want to be found on Google.
The catch: WordPress needs looking after. Plugins and the core need regular updates, backups and basic security. Skip that and a site slows down or gets hacked. This is why I offer maintenance plans with every site I build.
Custom-built: when it actually makes sense
A custom-built website is written from scratch for one business. It is the most flexible option and the most expensive one to build and maintain.
For a presentation site, it is rarely worth it. You pay more to get something WordPress already does well.
It starts to make sense when the website is part of how the business runs:
- quotes calculated from your own prices and rules
- a private area where clients see documents, orders or status
- internal tools that replace spreadsheets and email chains
Even then, a lot of this can be built on top of WordPress, which keeps the site easy to edit and avoids being tied to one developer.
How to choose
Ask yourself three questions:
- Will the site do more than present the business in the next two years? If not, WordPress or even Wix is enough.
- Do you want to own the site and be free to move it? If yes, rule out Wix.
- Does the site need logic specific to your business, like quotes or client accounts? If yes, look at WordPress with custom features, or a custom build.
For most small businesses I work with, the answer is WordPress: a site designed around their business, built properly and looked after.
Not sure which one fits?
Tell me in a few lines what your business does and what you need the site to do. You get a written reply within one working day, with my recommendation and a price range. See my services →