What's the difference between WordPress and Wix?
Think of Wix as renting a furnished shop. Everything's included, and the landlord fixes the roof. WordPress is more like owning the building. You choose where it sits, you can change anything, and someone has to look after it.
- Wix includes hosting, security and updates. You drag things around the page to edit it. You pay Wix every year, and you're limited to the apps Wix offers.
- WordPress is free software, but you pay for hosting. It needs updating. There are thousands of add-ons, called plugins, and you can move it to a different host whenever you like.
What do Hunter businesses actually use?
On 30 October 2026 we searched Google from Newcastle for six everyday businesses: plumber, electrician, hairdresser, cafe, mechanic and landscaper. Google's map showed 18 businesses. Four had no website of their own, so we checked the other 14.
| Platform | Websites |
|---|---|
| WordPress | 6 |
| Wix | 4 |
| Squarespace, Shopify, Duda, Astro | 1 each |
The plumbers and mechanics mostly used WordPress. Two landscapers, a hair salon and a café used Wix. Both platforms held top spots: a Wix site was first in the map for 3 of the 6 searches, and a WordPress site for 2. That's 14 websites from 6 searches on one day, not a survey of the Hunter.
Which one loaded faster in our test?
We tested the homepages of all 4 Wix sites and the 5 WordPress sites that belong to a single business (we left out one franchise site). Each was tested twice and the results averaged.
| Business | Platform | Score out of 100 | Main content shown (seconds) | Page size (MB) | Wait for the server (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaper A | Wix | 98 out of 100 | 1.0 seconds | 1.6 MB | Under 0.1 seconds |
| Café | Wix | 85 out of 100 | 2.1 seconds | 3.3 MB | Under 0.1 seconds |
| Landscaper B | Wix | 84 out of 100 | 2.7 seconds | 1.9 MB | Under 0.1 seconds |
| Hair salon | Wix | 80.5 out of 100 | 2.4 seconds | 2.0 MB | Under 0.1 seconds |
| Plumber A | WordPress | 75.5 out of 100 | 2.8 seconds | 5.0 MB | 1.1 to 1.3 seconds |
| Mechanic A | WordPress | 64.5 out of 100 | 3.1 seconds | 5.5 MB | 1.1 to 6.5 seconds |
| Mechanic B | WordPress | 64 out of 100 | 4.8 seconds | 2.5 MB | 0.8 seconds |
| Plumber B | WordPress | 57 out of 100 | 4.6 seconds | 4.1 MB | 2.5 seconds |
| Landscaper C | WordPress | 43 out of 100 | 5.3 seconds | 2.7 MB | 0.7 to 1.3 seconds |
All 4 Wix homepages scored higher than all 5 WordPress ones. But look at the last column. The Wix sites started sending the page almost straight away. The WordPress sites made visitors wait between 0.65 and 6.5 seconds before anything arrived.
That wait comes from the hosting and how the site is set up, not from WordPress itself. The WordPress pages were also heavier, at 2.5 to 5.5 MB, which usually means big photos and extra plugins. Google's target is to show the main content within 2.5 seconds. All 5 WordPress sites missed it, and 3 of the 4 Wix sites made it.
Don't read this as "Wix is always faster". Tooltester tested 400 sites around the world and found the two load in about the same time. And when we tested Newcastle web designers' own sites, the ones on WordPress scored anywhere from 55 to 100.
About this test: 9 websites, one day, homepages only. We used Lighthouse through DataForSEO, which ran on desktop settings, not phone settings, so phones would usually score lower. The sites were the ones Google's map showed, not a random sample. We've left the business names off because they're real local businesses, and one test on one day isn't a fair judgement of anyone's site.
If you go with WordPress, ask your designer two things: where will it be hosted, and will pages be cached so they load before anyone asks?
What does each Wix plan let you do?
Wix shows its prices in your own currency on its plans page, so check there for today's Australian price. Be careful with comparison articles: many quote US dollars as if they were Australian.
What each plan can do, from Wix's plans page on 30 October 2026:
- Light can't take payments.
- Core can take payments, but charges a 4% fee on Wix's pricing plans feature.
- Business has a 2% fee on that feature, and Business Elite has none.
- Prices are for a year, paid upfront.
- Paid plans come with a free domain for one year, but only for a new domain bought through Wix.
So a café or salon that wants online payments needs Core or above, not Light.
How much does a WordPress site cost with a Newcastle designer?
You pay for the build, then a monthly fee if your designer looks after it. Two Newcastle studios publish their monthly prices:
- Clickk charges $39 or $70 plus GST a month. That covers WordPress and plugin updates, checks after each update, Australian hosting, daily backups and security. Other changes are $175 plus GST an hour.
- Kazam Creative charges $15 to $50 a month for hosting, depending on the site.
As an example, $70 plus GST is $77 a month, or $924 a year, on top of the build. Our own care plan is from $49 a month, with no GST added because we're not registered for GST.
Who will update the site, you or your designer?
This is the real decision for a busy business owner.
- If you'll change your own prices, photos and opening hours most weeks, Wix is easier to learn.
- If you'd rather text your designer and have it done, the platform matters less. WordPress gives the designer more room to add things later, like bookings, quote forms or an online shop.
Can I move my site later?
A WordPress site can be moved to another host, or handed to another designer, with everything kept. A Wix site stays on Wix. If you leave, the site has to be rebuilt somewhere else. Your domain name can move either way.
Is Wix or WordPress better for Google?
Neither, on its own. In our six searches, Wix and WordPress sites both held first place in Google's map. Clear pages for each service, the suburbs you work in, real reviews and a quick-loading site matter far more. In our test, hosting made the biggest difference to speed.
So which should a Hunter small business pick?
- Pick Wix if you'll edit it yourself, you want one yearly bill, and you don't expect to need much more than a few pages and a contact form.
- Pick WordPress if a designer will look after it, you might add bookings, quotes or a shop later, or you want to be able to move it.
- Either way, ask what it costs each year after the first, and make sure the domain is in your name.