True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
Wix saves you 5%
Best for Wix
Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported with Wix branding.
Best for WordPress
The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source, but hosting, themes
Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$74
/month (typical)
Wix Branding on Free
Free plan displays 'Wix.com' ads and uses a wix.com subdomain. Removing branding requires Light plan...
App Market Cost Accumulation
Most functional sites need 3-8 Wix Apps (booking $0-10/mo, events $0-10/mo, chat $0-30/mo, SEO tools...
Heavy Sites Performance Degradation
Sites with 50+ pages, many apps, or large media galleries experience significant load time increases...
Per-Site Pricing
Each Wix plan covers ONE site only. Running 3 business sites = 3× the subscription cost. No multi-si...
Affiliate link — we may earn a commission
The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source,...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$105
/month (typical)
Hosting Required
WordPress.org is free but requires paid hosting. Shared hosting $5-15/mo, managed WordPress hosting ...
Premium Plugins
Most useful plugins are paid: SEO ($99/yr), security ($99/yr), forms ($49/yr), backups ($24/yr). Ave...
Theme & Maintenance
Premium themes $50-200 one-time. Security updates, compatibility patches, and performance optimizati...
Wix advertises $0/mo. WordPress advertises $0/mo.
Wix has 4 documented hidden fees. WordPress has 3.
Wix confidence: 78%. WordPress confidence: 78%.
| Metric | Wix | WordPress | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $0/mo | Wix |
| True Monthly Cost | $74/mo | $105/mo | Wix |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$74/mo | +$105/mo | Wix |
| # Hidden Fees | 4 | 3 | WordPress |
| Confidence Score | 78% | 78% | Wix |
| Pricing Tiers | 4 | 0 | — |
| Affiliate Program | $100 per premium referral | None | — |
Try the tool that fits your needs. Both offer free trials or free tiers.
Wix advertises $0/mo and WordPress advertises $0/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, Wix has 4 documented hidden fees adding +$74/mo, while WordPress has 3 hidden fees adding +$105/mo. Based on true cost, Wix is typically 5% cheaper.
Wix has 4 documented hidden fees: Wix Branding on Free, App Market Cost Accumulation, Heavy Sites Performance Degradation, Per-Site Pricing. These add approximately +$74/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
WordPress has 3 documented hidden fees: Hosting Required, Premium Plugins, Theme & Maintenance. These add approximately +$105/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose Wix if: Drag-and-drop website builder for non-technical users. Free plan is ad-supported with Wix branding. . Choose WordPress if: The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source, but hosting, themes. The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. Wix data has a 78% confidence score and WordPress has 78%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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