About 9; min
Wix has a free plan that puts ads on your site. The cheapest ad-free plan is $17/month. E-commerce starts at $29/month. But the AI site builder can generate a full website in 3 minutes. We broke down every plan, the real cost of running a Wix site, and whether the “free” plan is actually usable for anything beyond testing.
All pricing verified March 2026 from wix.com.
Every Wix Plan
| Plan | Price | Storage | E-commerce | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 500MB | No | Testing only |
| Light | $17/mo | 2GB | No | Simple personal site |
| Core | $29/mo | 50GB | Yes | Small business + store |
| Business | $36/mo | 100GB | Yes | Growing business |
| Business Elite | $159/mo | Unlimited | Yes | High-traffic sites |
Free Plan: Usable or Not?
Wix Free gives you a website at yourname.wixsite.com with Wix ads displayed. 500MB storage. No custom domain. No e-commerce.
It’s a demo, not a website. The Wix ads and .wixsite.com domain make it unsuitable for any business. Use Free to build and test your site, then upgrade to Light ($17) when you’re ready to go live.
Light ($17/mo): Minimum Viable Website
Custom domain, no Wix ads, 2GB storage. No e-commerce, no online payments. For a portfolio, resume site, or simple informational page — Light is enough. 2GB handles text-heavy sites but fills up fast with high-res images.
Core ($29/mo): The Business Standard
E-commerce, online payments, 50GB storage, analytics, and 0% Wix transaction fees. This is the plan most small businesses need. Accept payments, sell products, track visitors.
$29 vs $23 vs $39 /month
Wix Core: $29/mo (website + store)
Squarespace Core: $23/mo (website + store, better design)
Shopify Basic: $39/mo (store-focused, bigger ecosystem)
Wix sits in the middle — more flexible than Squarespace, cheaper than Shopify.
The AI Site Builder
Wix’s AI builder is genuinely impressive. Describe your business in a sentence → AI generates a complete website with pages, images, and copy in under 3 minutes. It’s not perfect — you’ll spend 1-2 hours refining — but it eliminates the “blank canvas” paralysis that stops most people from starting.
No other website builder offers this. Squarespace requires manual template selection. Shopify requires manual setup. Wix lets AI do the first draft.
Hidden Costs
- Domain: Free first year with annual plan, then $15-20/year
- Apps: Many Wix apps charge monthly fees ($5-30/month each). 3-4 apps = $15-120/month on top of your plan.
- Email marketing: Wix’s email tool (Ascend) has a free tier but paid plans start at $10/month
- Remove Wix branding: Already included on paid plans (unlike some competitors)
Who Should Pick What
Non-technical person, need a website fast: Wix Core ($29/mo). AI builder + drag-and-drop. Fastest path from “I need a website” to “my website is live.”
Portfolio or personal site: Wix Light ($17/mo). Cheapest ad-free option. 2GB is enough for a portfolio with optimized images.
Small online store: Wix Core ($29/mo) or Squarespace Core ($23/mo). Squarespace is $6 cheaper with better design. Wix has more apps and AI builder.
Serious e-commerce: Shopify ($39/mo) instead. Wix e-commerce works but Shopify’s checkout, app ecosystem, and multi-channel selling are stronger.
$0 budget: Wix Free to build and test. But don’t launch a business on Free — the Wix ads and .wixsite.com domain look unprofessional.
Design matters most: Squarespace instead. Wix has design freedom but Squarespace templates are more consistently beautiful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch Wix templates later?
No. Once you choose a template and build your site, you can’t switch without starting over. Choose carefully. This is Wix’s biggest limitation — Squarespace allows template switching anytime.
Is Wix good for SEO?
Yes. Wix handles meta tags, sitemaps, structured data, and page speed reasonably well. It’s not WordPress-level SEO control, but it’s sufficient for most small business sites.
Wix vs WordPress?
Wix for simplicity (no coding, no hosting management). WordPress for flexibility (full control, unlimited plugins, better SEO). If you can manage WordPress, use WordPress. If you can’t, Wix is the easiest alternative.
All pricing verified March 2026 from wix.com. Annual billing rates shown.
