Is Wix cheaper than a custom website?

Short term, yes. Wix starts at around $20–30 AUD/month. But over 5 years, that's $1,200–$1,800 — plus the cost of any apps or upgrades. A custom website from Build First Site starts at $600 AUD (landing page) or $2,000 AUD (business site) with zero ongoing monthly fees. After 2–3 years, a custom site is typically cheaper.

Does Wix rank on Google as well as a custom website?

No. Wix sites typically score 40–65 on Google's mobile speed test (PageSpeed Insights). A custom-built Next.js website typically scores 90–100. Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Wix has also historically had issues with JavaScript rendering that makes pages harder for Google to index fully.

Can I switch from Wix to a custom website later?

Yes, but you can't export your Wix content easily — Wix locks your content to their platform. You'll need to rebuild the pages from scratch. The sooner you move, the less content there is to migrate. We help businesses migrate from Wix to custom websites regularly.

Guide · Australia · 2026

Wix vs Custom Website:
Which Is Actually Better?

Q: Is Wix good enough for a small business website?

Wix can work for very early-stage businesses that need a basic online presence while testing their idea. But for established businesses that need to rank on Google, load fast on mobile, or grow beyond what a template allows, a custom website will outperform Wix significantly — and cost less over 3–5 years once you factor in monthly subscription fees.

The honest answer? It depends on your business — but not in the way most web designers will tell you. This guide breaks down the real cost, SEO performance, and long-term trade-offs of Wix (and Squarespace) vs a custom-built website.

By Aman Singh, Build First Site · Last updated July 2026

The Short Answer

Use Wix if...

• You're testing an idea with no confirmed customers yet
• Your site is purely informational — no SEO goals
• You genuinely enjoy building and maintaining it yourself
• You have under $600 to spend on anything digital right now

Use a custom website if...

• You want to rank on Google and get organic traffic
• You're running a business that depends on your website
• You want to own your code — not rent a platform
• You've been on Wix for 6+ months and it hasn't grown

The real cost over 5 years

Wix looks cheap until you do the maths. Here's a straight comparison.

	Wix Business Plan	Squarespace Business	Custom (Build First Site)
Upfront cost	$0	$0	$2,000 AUD
Monthly fee	~$28 AUD/mo	~$35 AUD/mo	$0/mo (Vercel free)
Cost at 1 year	$336	$420	$2,000
Cost at 3 years	$1,008	$1,260	$2,000
Cost at 5 years	$1,680	$2,100	$2,000 ← cheaper than Squarespace
E-commerce transaction fee	Up to 2.9% + $0.30	Up to 3% platform fee	Stripe only: 1.7% + $0.30
Code ownership	None — Wix owns it	None — Squarespace owns it	Full GitHub repo

The bottom line: A custom website from $2,000 AUD breaks even with Squarespace by year 5. But a landing page from $600 AUD is cheaper than Wix within 2 years — and you own the code. If you're on Wix right now and you've been paying for 18+ months, you've probably already spent enough to have a better custom site.

SEO: where Wix really falls behind

Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor. Here's how the platforms compare on real speed tests.

	Wix	Squarespace	Custom (Next.js)
Mobile speed score	40–65	55–70	90–100
JavaScript rendering	Client-side only — Google struggles	Mixed	Server-side rendered — Google loves it
Schema markup	Limited, no custom JSON-LD	Limited	Full custom schema — FAQPage, LocalBusiness, Article etc.
Sitemap control	Auto-generated, limited control	Auto-generated	Full control
URL structure	Often messy — hard to customise	Decent	Fully controlled

Google confirmed in 2021 that page speed is a ranking factor (Core Web Vitals). A site scoring 40 on mobile is penalised in rankings compared to a site scoring 95. Wix has improved over the years, but they're still significantly behind well-built custom sites.

When Wix actually makes sense

I'm not going to pretend Wix is always the wrong choice. Here's when it genuinely works.

You're validating a business idea

If you haven't confirmed anyone will pay you yet, spend $0 on Wix's free tier and test your idea. Don't invest in a custom site until you have customers. Once you do — upgrade.

You need something live in 48 hours

Custom websites take 2–6 weeks. If you need something before an event or media appearance and you're comfortable maintaining it — Wix is fine short-term. Plan the migration to custom within 3–6 months.

You're a hobbyist or personal project

For personal portfolios, hobby blogs, and non-commercial projects where SEO doesn't matter much, Wix or Squarespace are totally fine. Custom websites are built for businesses that depend on their site to get clients.

Design, flexibility, and features

Here's how they compare on what you can actually build.

	Wix / Squarespace	Custom Website
Design	Template-based. You can modify within limits.	Fully custom — built for your brand, not a template
Custom features	Limited to what the platform offers (or expensive apps)	Anything — AI features, custom databases, integrations
Third-party integrations	App marketplace — but some cost extra monthly	Direct API integrations — Stripe, OpenAI, Zapier, CRMs
Scalability	Hit the ceiling fast — you'll outgrow it	Grows with your business — add features anytime
If you leave the platform	Start over — no export, no code	Take your code anywhere — no rebuild needed

The real question to ask yourself

Not "Wix or custom?" — but this: what is my website supposed to do for my business?

If the answer is "rank on Google and get me customers" — a custom website will do this significantly better than Wix. If the answer is "I just need something so people can look me up" — Wix is fine.

Most businesses that have been on Wix for 12+ months have a website that ranks for nothing, converts few visitors, and costs them more per year than a Build First Site landing page. The honest move is to switch — and we can do it from $600 AUD fixed price.

Build First Site Pricing

Custom website — fixed price, no monthly fees

Landing Page

$600 AUD

~2 weeks

Business Website

$2,000 AUD

2–3 weeks

E-Commerce Store

$4,000 AUD

4–6 weeks

All prices fixed. $0/month hosting on Vercel. Full GitHub repo on launch day.

Get a Free Quote ↗ Full pricing guide →

FAQ

Common questions

Is Wix good enough for a small business website?

For a new business testing an idea? Possibly. For an established business that wants Google traffic and customers from their website? No — Wix's slow speed and limited SEO control will hold you back. A custom website built with Next.js will outrank a Wix site on the same keywords almost every time.

Is Squarespace better than Wix for SEO?

Squarespace has slightly better mobile speed scores than Wix, but both trail behind well-built custom websites significantly. Neither gives you full control over schema markup, URL structure, or server-side rendering — all of which matter for ranking.

Can I migrate my Wix website to a custom website?

Yes, but Wix doesn't export content — you'll need to rebuild the pages. We handle the migration: you give us your Wix site URL, we recreate the content in a custom Next.js build, improve the structure and SEO, and redirect your domain. Most migrations take 2–3 weeks from start to launch.

What's the difference between Wix and WordPress?

Wix is a closed platform (you rent it). WordPress is open-source software you self-host, which gives more flexibility but requires security updates, plugin management, and more technical maintenance. A custom-built Next.js website sidesteps all of this — nothing to update, nothing to hack, deployed on Vercel's global edge network.

Wix vs Custom Website:Which Is Actually Better?