Creating a website is an important step for any business. But not all website builders are equally convenient and functional. One of the most popular is Wix. Its popularity is due to its ease of use and abundance of templates on a variety of topics.
However, this service also has its drawbacks. In particular, the functionality of the service is limited for free users, and if in the future you decide to change the platform for some reason, you will not be able to do this without losing data. That’s why it’s important to know about Wix’s main competitors before creating a website.
Next, we’ll look at the best Wix builder alternatives on the market. Among them are both paid solutions for serious projects and free constructors for beginner users.
Why look for alternatives to the Wix platform?
The platform is really good and has many advantages, thanks to which it has become popular among webmasters around the world in recent years, including in Ukraine. However, this builder has several significant limitations, which forces many to consider alternatives to Wix.
In particular:
If you want to change CMS or hosting in the future, you will have to create the site again, because integration with other content management systems is not provided.
Sites on Vicks are more difficult to optimize for search engines. The generated code contains a bunch of extra lines (when the page loads, even those plugins that are not involved in its operation are loaded). Thus, in most cases, you will have to rely only on paid traffic, and in competitive topics it will not be possible to reach the TOP at all.
No access to source code. The designer limits access to the code, which does not allow you to customize the site to suit your needs, even if you are a good developer with extensive experience. You need to rely only on ready-made plugins from the catalog.
The free version of Wix displays an advertising banner that cannot be removed. This negatively affects the company’s reputation and distracts visitors.
What to consider when choosing an analogue of the Wix service?
To choose a worthy alternative to the Wix service, pay attention to the following points:
Prices. It is important not only to study the tariff plans in detail, but also to understand what is included in each of the packages. Some systems have restrictions on traffic or the number of pages, and some do not allow you to install plugins on the basic plan.
Convenience. Connect the trial version of the constructor and evaluate how intuitive the interface is. Pay attention to tooltips when creating a website – do they fully answer the questions that arise? Check how convenient it will be to add new content, because in the future you will need to do this on an ongoing basis.
Templates. If their number is limited, your resource will be very similar to most other sites on this platform. And there is a high risk that among them there will be direct competitors from your niche, and this will negatively affect conversion.
Technical capabilities. Will the site be convenient for the developer, and how large is the community “revolving” around the platform? This determines whether you can integrate non-standard functionality into your blog or online store.
Ability to track traffic and conversions. Check whether there is ready-made integration with the Google Analytics service and how convenient it is to connect it. The ability to install Facebook’s Pixel counter is also important.
Support and training materials. Find out if the service has a forum or knowledge base with answers to common questions from other users. Efficiency and completeness of responses to tickets from the support team are also important.
The best competitors of the Wix website builder
Let’s look at the best analogues of the Wix website builder on the market. For each of them, we will consider the main advantages and disadvantages, as well as the current pricing policy.
A worthy analogue of Wix, on which you can create both complex online stores and simpler service sites.
Pros
Ease of control. The menu in this CMS is much more convenient – you can create the required number of sections and subpages, as well as manage site navigation directly from the admin panel.
Search Engine Optimization. A user-friendly interface allows you to customize title, description and headings for each individual page. There are built-in tools for marking up data according to the schema.org standard and setting up ALT texts for images, which sets this engine apart from Wix, where there are certain problems with this.
There are no limits on the number of pages. Here you can create as many pages as you need – 500, 1000 pages or more. But Wix has only a hundred of them available on the basic plan.
Design. Squarespace’s templates stand out for their high quality and professional level. They are created by experienced web designers, and are not generated semi-automatically like in the Wix builder. Of course, the choice is smaller, but each template is a small masterpiece that looks great on different devices and under different browsers.
Working speed. Thanks to code optimization and the use of a CDN network, content loads very quickly. There is also no “garbage” in the code, unlike Wix.
A Squarespace website can be painlessly transferred to any other platform. You export the content and design, upload it to a new hosting – and you’re done. So Squarespace is more profitable in the long term.
Cons
Relatively small selection of themes. There are only about 100 of them, and there is also a lack of variety in thematic templates, for example, for fashion, tourism or education.
Limited capabilities of the visual editor. You can change colors, fonts, and move individual blocks. However, it will not be possible to radically change the structure of the page, add or remove sections at will. This will require developer intervention or modification of the HTML structure.
The interface is more difficult for beginners. The designer is not as intuitive as Wix. In the first days after registration, it will be difficult to understand all the intricacies.
Editing a website from a smartphone is inconvenient. The built-in designer does not work well on mobile devices – layouts move out of place, and adaptability cannot be assessed. Therefore, you have to check the display of the site separately on your PC.
Tariffs
Squarespace’s basic personal plan costs just $12 per month when billed annually. This is cheaper than Wix starter packages, where a custom domain already costs at least $14 per month.
At the same time, there are no artificial restrictions on the number of pages, traffic, or storage volume – you pay only for actual use.
Site123
Another designer that may well compete with Wix. It features an easy-to-learn and clear visual interface, intended primarily for beginners. But the functionality is quite powerful.
Using Site123 you can create business cards, product catalogs, portfolios and blogs. There are convenient tools for customizing the design, posting content and other aspects.
Pros
High speed. Compared to Wix, sites on Site123 load very quickly due to optimized HTML code. CDN is used to speed up static files.
Wide selection of templates. The library features more than 200 stylish, modern themes for a wide variety of topics—there’s plenty to choose from. You can also easily change colors, fonts, background images directly in the admin panel.
Visual editor with Drag and Drop interface. It makes it easy to move, add and delete content blocks. You can change the structure of the material, add new columns or sections, format text and add pictures.
Reliable protection against hackers. Resources on the Site123 engine are less likely to be hacked and attacked compared to Wix. If problems arise, technical support quickly eliminates vulnerabilities. You can also take a daily backup for free.
Convenient interface for connecting analytics counters. You can add Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel codes in just a couple of clicks. They can be used to track goals and events, as well as the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
Cons
Fewer options for design customization. Although the visual editor supports quite a lot of functions, radically changing the structure of the template or making a non-standard design will be very problematic, unless, of course, you are a professional layout designer.
Fewer selection of additional applications. The built-in App Market has only about 50 applications. But in Wix there are already more than 200 of them. At the same time, you can connect external services – web forms or online payment.
There is no built-in landing page builder. It will not be possible to create a full-fledged Landing Page. Instead, you will have to be content with a regular one-page page on a standard template, or connect third-party services.
Limitations on the free plan. Without payment, you can create up to 5 pages. There are also traffic restrictions. To remove them, you need to upgrade to a more expensive package.
Tariff plans
Site123 is cheaper than Wix – here you can create an entry-level website on your own domain for only $9.99 monthly. There are no additional payments or hidden fees.
Weebly
Another popular online service that can compete with Wix. Its main advantage is its ease of use and abundance of useful tools for promoting the project. At the same time, you can launch a full-fledged web resource even with a free package.
Strengths
High speed. The engine loads pages very quickly due to optimization of source code and scripts, as well as effectively configured caching. To speed up the loading of images and other static files, a CDN is used.
Convenient online store designer. There are a lot of settings available in the admin panel for customizing the display and filtering of products. There is also built-in ready-made functionality for placing orders, payments and sales analytics.
Internal analytics system. In addition to the ability to add Google Analytics code, Weebly’s own built-in reporting is also available, which allows you to analyze traffic sources, visitor behavior, conversions and sales, which is much more convenient than competitors.
Convenient editor. Users have access to an intuitive constructor with real-time highlighting of changes that works on the Drag & Drop principle. To move blocks or media files, you can simply drag them with the mouse to the desired location.
Weaknesses
Fewer templates than Wix. The library contains only about 70 options. In addition, not all of them meet modern UI/UX requirements, and sometimes the design is outdated. At the same time, the system allows you to import your own HTML template.
Limited editor capabilities. It is difficult to radically change the structure of landing pages or themes. This will require basic skills in editing code and CSS tables.
Fewer integrations with external services. The App Center doesn’t offer as many extensions as its competitors. The designer is a little closed in its own ecosystem, so to expand its capabilities it is necessary to connect third-party solutions.
Tariffs
Weebly offers its users very attractive tariffs – if you pay for the year at once, you can get basic functionality for only $6 per month. In addition, the free version offers many more useful tools than Wix.
At the same time, more expensive packages (Pro and Business) cost significantly more in comparison with the basic one and at the same time offer not much more functions.
Zyro
A universal website builder of a new generation, created in 2017 by a team of experienced developers. It allows you to create landing pages, corporate resources, online stores, and also design a web version of your portfolio from scratch.
Zyro has a built-in CMS for content management, which makes it easy to change the structure, add new sections and pages, and manage the navigation menu. It is also possible to connect separate modules for analytics, online cash register and integration with popular delivery services.
Advantages
High positions in ratings. Zyro is among the top 5 designers according to user reviews, which indicates reliability and stability.
Working speed. Pages on Zyro load in just 1-2 seconds thanks to optimized code. The system does not “slow down”, unlike Wix, where this phenomenon is often observed.
Reliable protection against hacking. In case of unexpected situations, the development team quickly restores the platform and also eliminates vulnerabilities in scripts. Thanks to this, the risk of infection with unwanted software is minimal.
Convenient editor. It can be much easier to master than Wix. There are many widgets and ready-made blocks available in the admin panel, which allows you to quickly assemble a landing page based on the design principle.
Disadvantages
The functionality for online stores is still rather weak. There are fewer settings implemented here for accepting payments, managing inventory and delivery, compared to market leaders.
Fewer applications are available for download. Of course, Wix offers a wider selection of add-ons, but Zyro still covers the main range of tasks.
Technical support may not respond immediately. Zyro’s response time is behind industry leaders, especially during peak hours. Although, in general, specialists try to quickly resolve emerging issues.
Tariffs
The cost of using the service starts at $2.99 per month. There are also discounts of about 20% for subscription for a year at once, which is much cheaper than packages of similar content from competitors.
Webflow
One of the most promising website builders, which is gradually gaining popularity. Using the platform, you can create modern websites directly in the visual editor. All blocks and their animations can be configured interactively, literally in a couple of clicks.
This allows you to implement non-standard interfaces and web applications with the level of detail of a web studio. In this case, you do not need to have experience in layout or understand programming.
Strengths
Modern design elements. In the editor you can create complex animations, make elements interactive, implement smooth parallax effects, control the behavior of the block when hovering, and much more.
SEO optimization. Meta tags, titles and alt texts of images can be configured in a couple of clicks. Also, schema.org micro markup is already integrated into the page code, the output of which can be configured from the admin panel.
Developed ecosystem of integrations. You can easily connect analytics systems, applications for online payments, mailings and any other solution that has its own API to the service.
Rich functionality. In addition to the main features, you will also be able to connect feedback forms, a system of discounts for customers, coupons for the purchase of digital goods, content pagination modules and much more.
Weaknesses
High entry threshold for beginners. The system is quite difficult to master – everything is not as simple as in Wix, where you can start working right away. It’s a good idea to study the tutorials and videos before you start setting up.
There are no ready-made template solutions. While Wix has ready-made templates for connecting a forum, blog or online store, Webflow does not provide such an option. For deeper customization, you will have to use the services of programmers.
The support service is not always prompt. Sometimes you have to wait for answers to tickets for several days, which is significantly longer than at Wix, where specialists most often respond within the first hours after the request.
Tariffs and prices
Webflow is not the cheapest builder. The minimum package of services will cost as much as $12/month, and this is subject to payment for a year at once (if monthly – even more), which can be a bit expensive for a small promotional website or business card.
IONOS
This is a German hosting provider that was founded in 1998 under the name 1&1 and is part of the United Internet group, one of the largest Internet companies in Europe.
In addition to the services of providing hosting, the company has developed its own designer of sites, which allows you to develop online stores, landings, etc. from scratch. This is quite easy to use, an engine with great customization opportunities.
Ionos designer is called mywebsite and is distinguished by the Drag-And-Drop interface, in which all the elements on the page can be placed in the right places with simple drag.
pluses
Convenient interface. Using this engine, even a novice user can create and edit sites without having technical skills and knowledge. The settings are completely optimized for the rapid start of the project.
Integration of the online store. You can add all the necessary functionality, including the basket, commodity catalog, the ability to place an order and even tying the system for receiving payment.
Free trial period. When registering, the new user is given for some time for testing the platform, during which you can test all the proposed functions without making payment.
Cons
There are fewer possibilities for the customization of design. The design elements in Mywebsite are not as diverse as that of WIX. If you need a completely unique design, you have to make more efforts or contact the web studio.
functionality restrictions. Ionos does not have a built -in reservation system, like Wix Bookings. You have to use third -party services and configure integration.
There are fewer languages for localization. Mywebsite is available only in 6 languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Dutch, although Wix have them as much as 15.
Tariff plans
both designers have free tariffs. But Ionos is much more profitable for premium plans – the cost of subscription starts from 3.99 €, which is about 3 times cheaper than a similar tariff for VICS. But on more expensive, premium packages, Wix leads-it costs cheaper than ionos about 1.5-2 times for similar functionality.
strikingly
Another analogue of Wix. This is a popular service for creating one -page, which was launched in 2012 by entrepreneur David Chen and developer Derrick Chang. Strikingly is located in San Francisco, USA.
pluses
localization. Strikingly is completely Russified, because it will be easy to deal with the settings even to those who do not know English. You can also easily translate the site into different languages without installing additional plugins.
Internal analytics. In addition to third -party applications, the engine itself gives detailed statistics on attendance, traffic sources, conversion indicators. Everything is visual and understandable even for beginners.
Marketing tools. From the admin panel, you can synchronize statistics with offices for configuring contextual and targeted advertising – Facebook, Instagram, Google ADS. There is also an instrumentation for email newsletters.
Cons
A limited number of functions. Strikingly is optimized primarily for single -page sites and not so good for full-fledged multipage projects as WIX. There are few opportunities for scale and expansion.
less freedom in design. The themes look stylish, but they are not so easy to customize – you have to choose from ready-made blocks. Change the colors, fonts and the location of the elements will not work.
There is no offline editing. You can work with the resource only if you have an Internet connection, which is not always convenient.
Tariff plans
The initial Strikingly package will cost only $8 per month with an annual subscription. It is much cheaper than the starting tariff of Wixcombo for $14 per month. At the same time, equipment is almost at the same level.
Hubspot
This is a popular American platform that helps business to attract customers and interact with them. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Built-in Hubspot, the editor allows you to create professional and spectacular web resources for business of any scale from scratch, and is also one of the main competitors of Wix.
pluses
Search optimization directly “out of the box”. Unlike Vicks, Hubspot is originally optimized for ranking in search engines. It allows you to generate a site card, configure Title and Description for pages, and also has its own tools to optimize content.
personalization. Built -in tools instantly defines new visitors and automatically shows content, goods and pages that are most relevant for them, increasing the conversion.
Technical support 24/7. Technical support is carried out around the clock and on any days (including weekends and holidays). That is, if something does not work, you will definitely not be left without help.
Cons
Slow loading. On average, the resources on Hubspot are a little longer than analogues on Wix. For commercial projects, where every second is important, this may be crucial when choosing.
more complex navigation. The Hubspot interface is saturated with many options and settings. It will be more difficult to understand them than Wix, where everything is simple and clear. For development from scratch, you will need some time.
lack of Russian -language support. All documentation and communication with technical specialists are only in English, which will not be very convenient for many customers.
Tariffs
The engine is quite expensive – even the cheapest package will cost $45/month, while the analogue of the Vicks will cost only $14. For small companies and startups, the price may seem high.
WordPress (Elementor)
Although WordPress is not a direct competitor of the WIX service, with the proper approach on its base, you can make a competitive solution that can compete with this cloud platform in functionality, and there is a lot to bypass it.
In order to collect a full-fledged Wix alternative, Elementor plugin is connected to WordPress, which allows you to edit landing pages in Drag & Drop.
Dignity
Almost limitless possibilities. Thanks to the plugin system, you can expand the functionality of this popular content management system to infinity and create the most complex sites, without any restrictions.
A huge community of developers. WordPress has a colossal ecosystem of the creators of the topics, plugins, specialists in implementation and support. Any problem can be solved quickly and freely by reading about it on the forums.
Savings on hosting. WordPress can be placed on free hosting or for $ 3-5 per month on VDS, which will significantly save the budget to support the project.
Disadvantages
Knowledge is necessary to launch a website. In order to fully use the engine, you need to understand the installation of topics and plugins, configuration of hosting and databases, as well as eliminating conflicts of incompatibility between different modules. For beginners, this can be an overwhelming task.
Less functions “out of the box”. SEO-modules, analytical tools, designers of online forms-all this and much more will need to be installed with separate plugins, some of which are available only in the paid version, which entails additional costs.
High risk of hacking. Like any open source engine, WordPress is often subjected to hacker attacks. You must always be on a check and regularly update CMS to avoid this.
The cost of use
The source code of this CMS is open to everyone, its last version can be downloaded without problems on an official webcait and installed on your server. This is a significant plus, in comparison with competitors who charge a monthly subscriber.
However, it will be problematic to lay the starting budget for the launch of the project for the launch of the project (after all, it will be problematic to make up the site without the necessary knowledge). In addition, it is important to consider the prices for the services of a hosting provider.
Shopify
One of the most popular platforms for creating online stores. The key difference from WIX is the moment that Shopifai provides solutions exclusively for E-Commerce projects, and its competitor is suitable for almost any type of site.
Advantages
narrower specialization. If you need CMS specifically for an online store, then Shopifai is the best choice. There are much more tools for sales, marketing and analysts, you can create a commodity catalog, connect filters, recommended goods and much more.
Better for SEO. Shopify uses clean code without unnecessary scripts, which positively affects indexation and positions in search engines.
more payment options. The engine supports about 100 payment gateways, including all popular systems like PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay.
Built -in support of the full execution. The platform has ready-made integrations with orders processing and delivery companies. This simplifies logistics for the online store.
Disadvantages
less freedom in design. Shopify’s templates have a fixed structure for maximum conversion. But there is no such flexibility in the design as in popular designers.
difficulties when moving. To transfer the finished store to another platform will be difficult due to the specifics of the system. Competing engines have such a problem, as a rule, do not.
Less selection of applications for common tasks. To create a blog, web form, galleries with images, sliders, etc. Shopify’s functionality is greatly cut, because the main direction of this platform is electronic commerce.
Tariff plans
Shopify is much more expensive than a competitor-the most basic tariff that includes the main tools for creating an online store costs $29/month. As the business is scaled, the cost of using the engine can grow, while the functionality is expanding.
Ucraft
Another multifunctional designer of sites that can serve as a good replacement for Wix. Its distinctive features are a convenient visual editor, a large collection of templates and built -in promotion tools. UCRAFT is optimized for quick work and does not require special skills from the user.
pluses
Free access to all basic functions. On UCRAFT, you can create a full-fledged site using all basic tools absolutely free. There are no restrictions on traffic or volume of storage.
Best performance. Due to the optimization of the web code, the resources on this engine work faster than the analogues, all other things being equal. This positively affects behavioral factors and leads to an increase in organic traffic.
scaling at high loads. The constructor can dynamically distribute the load between the servers to maintain traffic. This allows you to effectively scale the project.
Cons
Lack of ready-made solutions for online stores. There is no built-in functionality for creating a full-fledged online business, like a Wix. We have to integrate third -party services.
A less developed ecosystem of additions. UCRAFT apps is inferior to many analogues both in terms of quantity and in the variety of extensions presented.
lack of built -in advertising platform. To attract traffic to the site, you will have to use third -party contextual or targeted advertising systems.
Tariffs and prices
In terms of the functionality of the free UCRAFT package, it is significantly superior to competitors. Premium packages start at $8 monthly, which is also not so expensive in comparison with the main alternatives.
BigCommerce
Another common engine for creating projects in the field of electronic commerce. It is more narrowly specialized than the Wix. At the same time, this CMS copes with its direct tasks much better – here everything is ready from the start for the quick launch of sales.
pluses
More finished tools for Ecommerce. The platform was originally created as a solution for online stores, so the functionality here is much wider than that of a universal designer.
Internal marketing tools and analytics. BigCommerce is supplied with a CRM system for maintaining a client base, a powerful analytical infrastructure for the analysis of sales and optimization of the assortment.
Simple imports and data export. When changing CMS, you can easily upload data on sales, orders, customers and flooded goods, and then load them into another system.
Sales in the field of B2B. BigCommerce is optimized for sales to legal entities, you can also connect customers here to work according to the drop-shipping scheme, which is rarely found in alternative solutions.
Cons
It is difficult to change the layout. BigCommerce’s themes are hard structured and more complicatedly amenable to deep customization for a particular business.
There is no landing designer. If for some separate product that is sold better than others, you will want to arrange a beautiful Landing Page, you will not be able to do this.
The less recognition of the brand in a wide audience. In popularity, as a universal solution for creating sites, Wix is significantly ahead of BigCommerce.
The cost of use
The minimum plan for BigCommerce will cost $29.95 monthly, which is almost 2 times higher than that of a competitor. In addition, a fixed commission is provided for each additional sale of goods. With greater turnover in more expensive packages, it automatically decreases.
The best WIX alternative to create a site
Choosing the best alternative to the WIX platform with unequivocal confidence will be difficult, since all CMS discussed are good in their own way. Each business in this case will be repelled from its immediate tasks.
At the same time, in our opinion, Webflow is the most serious competitor to the cloud engine. It allows you to create truly innovative interfaces and animations, inaccessible on other platforms, and sites on it also beat records for the speed of loading pages.
There is also a developed ecosystem of integration with useful third-party services like analytics, payments and emails. A convenient administrative panel simplifies collective work on projects.
Let the entry threshold above, and the prices are not the lowest, but Webflow is ahead of competitors in quality of implementation. This is the best solution for both ordinary business cards and for large-scale web applications.
