It is the question we hear before almost every project starts: "should I just build it myself on Wix, or go with WordPress?" There is no universally right answer. It comes down to what you need the site to do today — and, more importantly, who actually owns it two or three years from now.
This guide compares the three main routes — Wix (a hosted drag-and-drop builder), WordPress (the open-source software behind roughly 43% of the web) and a custom build (coded from scratch) — across the five things that matter once the novelty wears off: ownership, SEO, cost, flexibility and speed.
The comparison at a glance
| Criterion | Wix | WordPress | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | You rent it — not portable | 100% yours | 100% yours |
| SEO control | Limited | Full | Full |
| Upfront cost | 0 + 15-50 EUR/mo forever | from 370 EUR once | 2,000 EUR+ once |
| Flexibility | Moderate (their rules) | Very high (60,000+ plugins) | Unlimited |
| Speed | Slows on complex sites | Very good when set up well | Excellent |
| Build time | 1-3 days | 1-2 weeks | 4-12 weeks |
1. Ownership: the criterion nobody mentions in the ad
This is the difference Wix's marketing quietly skips. When you build on Wix, you do not own the site — you rent it. It lives on their servers, in their code, and if you ever decide to leave, you cannot take it with you. You start again from scratch on a new platform.
WordPress is the opposite. Your site is a set of files and a database that belong to you. You can download them, switch hosting providers, or hand maintenance to a different developer whenever you want. That freedom is the number one reason Foivi AI builds on WordPress/WooCommerce for any business that plans to take its online presence seriously.
2. SEO: who gets found on Google more easily
SEO is won in the details — meta titles, structured data, clean URLs and load speed. WordPress gives you full access to all of it through tools like Yoast or Rank Math. Wix has genuinely improved over the past few years, but it stays more closed: less control over the underlying code and often a heavier, slower result on sites with many pages.
If your goal is to climb Google organically for competitive keywords, WordPress holds a clear edge. See how we bake SEO in from day one on our website service.
3. Cost: the "free" that quietly adds up
Wix advertises itself as free, but for any professional use — your own domain, no ads, a working store — you pay 15-50 EUR a month indefinitely. Over five years that is 900-3,000 EUR, and at the end you own nothing.
At Foivi AI a WordPress website starts at 370 EUR (from €370) as a one-off, or 490 EUR with a Chatbot. A WooCommerce e-shop starts at 590 EUR (Pro 990 EUR), or from €990, with no per-sale commission. After that you only pay hosting and a domain, roughly 5-10 EUR a month. Our AI Chatbot is 39 EUR/mo (€39/mo) and social media management starts at 149 EUR/mo (Pro 249, €149/mo). There is also a complete package at 1,390 EUR.
4. Flexibility: what happens when you grow
Early on, every platform feels like enough. The real test comes when you need something specific: a tie-in with your POS, automated invoicing, a multilingual store, a particular booking form. WordPress has more than 60,000 plugins and a huge community — almost anything you need already exists or can be built. Wix keeps you inside the boundaries of what they choose to allow.
A custom build gives you unlimited flexibility, but it costs several times more and needs a developer for every change. That is why we only recommend it when there is a genuinely unusual requirement — a web app, say, rather than a standard business site or store.
5. Speed and when each one fits
Speed affects both SEO and sales. A well-written custom site is the fastest of the three. WordPress, with proper hosting, caching and image optimisation, gets very close. Wix tends to drift slower as the site grows.
In plain terms: Wix suits a temporary or very small presence you want live tomorrow. WordPress is the right call for most businesses — company sites, blogs, online stores — that want ownership, SEO and room to grow. Custom only makes sense for unique, complex projects with special functionality.
Our approach
We do not pick one platform because it is convenient for us. We choose WordPress/WooCommerce because it combines three things that rarely come together: real ownership, strong SEO and sensible cost. You get a site that is genuinely yours, fast, easy to update, and ready to scale with your business — whether you are based in Greece or anywhere in Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which platform is cheaper over time? Wix costs nothing to start but locks you into a 15-50 EUR/month subscription forever. A WordPress website from Foivi AI starts at 370 EUR as a one-off and stays yours — you only pay hosting and domain, roughly 5-10 EUR a month.
Do I actually own my site if I build it on Wix? No. A Wix site lives on their servers and cannot be exported or moved. With WordPress/WooCommerce you can download every file and the database and migrate to any host you like.
What does a WooCommerce store cost? At Foivi AI an e-shop starts at 590 EUR (Pro 990 EUR), or from €990, as a one-off, with no per-sale commission. WooCommerce is free open-source software, so you keep your full margin on every order.
Is WordPress better for SEO than Wix? Generally, yes. It gives full control over meta tags, schema, speed and URL structure — all of which Google weighs heavily. Wix has improved but stays more closed and slower on larger sites.
Not sure which option fits your case? Talk to us — we will recommend the right platform for your goals, not the most expensive one. You can also explore our website and e-shop services.