Should I use WordPress or Wix for a new business website?
Choosing the right platform comes down to balancing ease of use with long-term flexibility, ownership, and running costs. Freelancers trying to set up a new business often struggle to decide between simpler site builders like Wix and Squarespace or more complex options like WordPress.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 55.4× more often in r/ecommerce than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Using drag-and-page buildersDid this help you?
- 2Relying on shared hostingDid this help you?
- 3Using block themesDid this help you?
- 4asking for recommendations on online forumsDid this help you?
- 5comparing different website builders like Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, and Shopify based on featuresDid this help you?
- 6Using a Google Sheet to import data as separate pages or posts using a templateDid this help you?
- 7Having people manually copy-paste data from a spreadsheet into the websiteDid this help you?
- 8Considering paid options to save time despite budget constraintsDid this help you?
- 9using static site generators like Astro, Hugo, or JekyllDid this help you?
- 10building a headless site with Next.jsDid this help you?
- 11using alternative CMS platforms like GhostDid this help you?
- 12Building custom landing pagesDid this help you?
- 13Setting up separate hosting and basic web elements manuallyDid this help you?
- 14Giving up temporarily on building the websiteDid this help you?
- 15asking on forums for clarificationDid this help you?
- 16getting a WordPress site hosted by another organization using the .org versionDid this help you?
- 17Selling locally on marketplace and offering shipping for non-local buyersDid this help you?
- 18Using Wix AIDid this help you?
- 19Connecting Replit to GitHub and Claude to code the site for free while Replit hostsDid this help you?
- 20Using free Claude and making a Cloudflare workerDid this help you?
- 21Looking at various hosting options independently without guidanceDid this help you?
- 22Planning to run ads to drive estimated trafficDid this help you?
- 23Starting with a custom site and Stripe while keeping operations manual during validationDid this help you?
- 24Using embedded checkout solutions like Ecwid on a custom websiteDid this help you?
- 25Switching to an established platform only when order management becomes painfulDid this help you?
- 26Holding off on launching a websiteDid this help you?
- 27Choosing a mainstream builder based solely on the template designDid this help you?
- 28Registering the domain independently to maintain the ability to migrate laterDid this help you?
- 29Using platforms with native marketplace integrations like BigCommerceDid this help you?
- 30Using WooCommerce paired with marketplace integration pluginsDid this help you?
- 31Using Shopify with multi-channel connector appsDid this help you?
- 32Self-hosting on a VPS with a deployment control panelDid this help you?
- 33Deploying with Google Cloud RunDid this help you?
- 34Hosting on LinodeDid this help you?
- 35Hosting on RenderDid this help you?
- 36Running on Cloudflare PagesDid this help you?
- 37Using hosted e-commerce platforms like ShopifyDid this help you?
- 38Seeking advice from online business communitiesDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Want to sell something online, looking for software solution.”source ↗
“Also which one allows an easy integration with Amazon/eBay/Etsy?”source ↗
“Shopify or a custom store for validating a small handmade product business?”source ↗
“The goal is to validate demand without burning money.”source ↗
“Would you start with Shopify from day one to avoid migrating later?”source ↗
“I’m looking to start an online coaching business but don’t know where to host/build my website. Should I use squarespace, wix some other site?”source ↗
“For the past year, I’ve been trying to choose the most user-friendly and efficient platform for an online shop.”source ↗
“I eventually gave up because the number of platform options became overwhelming.”source ↗
“Main thing for me is integration since i am not sure i will be able to do SEO myself and i heard that part is expensive.”source ↗
“The issue is I dont really have a clue as to where to make one as I hear some say Wik, Hostinger or WordPress.”source ↗
“I was going to go with Wik but I heard they would up your monthly charges after a while and can delete your website without warning so I held off for now.”source ↗
“I hear a lot of good from WordPress but not sure any advice?”source ↗
“I'm planning to buy a web hosting for my website where I'm planning to sell an ebook with all my marketing experiences and I don't know how much traffic I'm going to get.”source ↗
“Can you guys please help me understand which kind of hositing is good for a website with low traffic? And just in case I have to upgrade it, it shouldn't trouble me.”source ↗
“I'm setting up a business that will have membership fees but also sell merch.”source ↗
“What sites have you used? Good and bad.”source ↗
“I didnt love Shopify previously. Where so you guys sell?”source ↗
“Making one for my home service company, going to use Wix AI. Is there a better option I'm missing? What did you all use for your DIY website?”source ↗
“I used Replit and ended up spending like $2k on additional credits. 10/10 do not recommend that approach.”source ↗
“Now im stuck on what hosting platform to use.”source ↗
“I'm wanting to make a site for a small business my friend and I are starting. Or at least, see if that's a possibility, or if I should stick with Shopify or something else.”source ↗
“But would a website be the best choice in our case of products? Especially if we're just starting out.”source ↗
“I am intending to start a personal blog or blog-like website and I'm looking for suggestions on management system/hosting.”source ↗
“I don't like what I've seen of Wordpress but I'm not sure what other options there are or I'm underrating it.”source ↗
“I know the basic example is Wordpress but Wordpress has historically had pretty shit security, right? Are there other software alternatives?”source ↗
“I'm working on a directory for clubs and groups in my community so that people can more easily share info about their groups and find groups to join. This is all a volunteer effort, so I am hoping to find something free or inexpensive.”source ↗
“I checked out WPGSI and I really appreciate that it uses a service account since we'll have some private info and some we want to share, but at least when I tried it, all of the post content needed to be in a single field.”source ↗
“I looked into ListingHive from HivePress, but I've noticed that even importing the data takes a paid extension.”source ↗
“I'm setting up as a digital marketing freelancer and am trying to figure out the best website to use that is easy to manage and cheap to run.”source ↗
“Would a WordPress site plus theme be suitable for me? Or should I go for something simpler like Wix?”source ↗
“Just looking to set up a website for my freelance business and asking whether WordPress or Wix is better”source ↗
“I’m switching my website from squarespace to Wordpress & just learned that there’s a difference in Wordpress.com & wordpress.org. 🤯 which one should I use?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Zola vs The Knot vs Minted for a wedding website
- 2How to find a better blog for an e-commerce store
- 11How to pick a business name that doesn't alienate customers
- 4Why are Shopify themes either too expensive or missing features?
- 2Where do I even start when opening a small business?
- 7How do I find a trustworthy business partner and avoid split mistakes?