Wix vs GoDaddy: 10 Key Areas You Need To Consider
Want a website, but can’t afford eye-watering developer fees?
Wix vs GoDaddy is a clash of two brilliant, cheap website builders.
Wix is the more all-arounder. It gives you more creative control, more features, and more ways to get help. GoDaddy, however, is a much quicker solution. It takes care of a lot of the legwork for you, meaning you can get a site live in a matter of minutes – no, seriously!
Both make creating your own website an easy and stress-free process. But what are the major differences between the two? Is one better than the other? And, most importantly, what’s the best option for you?
It’s our job to answer these questions. At Website Builder Expert, we set high standards when it comes to putting together reviews and comparisons, using thorough research and user testing to provide you with expert analysis.
Throughout this article, we’ll walk you through how both Wix and GoDaddy work, their strengths and weaknesses, and which one is the right fit for you. By the end, your choice between Wix and GoDaddy should be an easy one.
Further Information
Wix vs GoDaddy: Pros and Cons
Wix Pros and Cons
| WIX PROS | |
|---|---|
| #1 | Almost limitless creative control thanks to its drag-and-drop editor |
| #2 | The ‘most recommended’ website builder from our user testing |
| WIX CONS | |
|---|---|
| #1 | Can’t switch templates after your site goes live |
| #2 | Tacky advertising on its free plan |
GoDaddy Pros and Cons
| GODADDY PROS | |
|---|---|
| #1 | Get a website live in a matter of minutes |
| #2 | Good built-in SEO tools |
| GODADDY CONS | |
|---|---|
| #1 | No app market |
| #2 | Limited creative control |
Ease of Use
If you’re building your own website, chances are you want a platform that’s easy to use. Website builders are just that.
Put simply, a website builder is an online platform you can sign up to and create your own website on. Wix and GoDaddy are two such platforms – but which is easier to use?
We got regular members of the public to test Wix and GoDaddy by asking them to build their own website on each of the platforms, then score how easy they found certain tasks.
The results showed Wix was the easier platform to use, but people thought they could get a website live quicker with GoDaddy. Here are some of their thoughts:
“Wix was so simple to use. You literally could drag and drop things off the menu onto your webpage, and then move them about. Resizing things was pretty easy, too.”
“GoDaddy was a very fast way to build a website. It was very easy to get to grips with and very intuitive. It came at the price of having less customization, though.”
Wix vs GoDaddy – Ease of Use: the Verdict
Wix is easier to use than GoDaddy. Wix’s editor is more user-friendly than GoDaddy’s, and people who tested it preferred Wix’s layout. However, GoDaddy was praised for just how quick it was, so if you need a speedy option, GoDaddy is your best bet.
Design Flexibility
Design is all about the look and usability of your website. You want something that’s easy on the eye, but also simple to navigate.
Wix
Wix works by providing a range of templates for you to choose from. These are broken down into industries, such as music or travel, and can be previewed and tested before you commit to one.
Wix’s editor then gives you drag-and-drop functionality. Think of this like PowerPoint – to move something around, simply click and hold, drag it to where you want, and release.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy works differently. It uses what’s called ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) to create your website. It sounds complicated, but it’s not – all it means is that GoDaddy will design you a website based on answers you provide to set questions.
For example, GoDaddy will ask you: What’s the purpose of your website? Do you have an existing website? Are there any social media accounts you’d like to display?
From there, GoDaddy will put together a website for you. Pretty incredible, really.
GoDaddy’s editor is also relatively simple. It doesn’t work with drag-and-drop like Wix, but you can customize elements of your site from the side panel.
You can change the ‘theme’ of your site (which is the same as a template) and alter basic things like text, images and buttons.
How Do They Compare?
It’s important to note that Wix also has an ADI product – Wix ADI. This works in a similar way to GoDaddy, but you don’t get the same level of editing control you do with Wix’s main editor.
We spoke to a group of web design experts, who agreed Wix has the better templates. They thought they were more aesthetically pleasing, and much easier to make your own. Be warned, though – once you’ve published your website with Wix, you won’t be able to switch templates.
Wix vs GoDaddy – Design: the Verdict
Wix’s designs are far superior to GoDaddy’s. Wix has a more comprehensive editor, and a better choice of templates that are categorized by industry. In contrast, GoDaddy is more stripped back; editing isn’t difficult, but it is limited. Wix is for control, while GoDaddy is for efficiency.
Further Information
- Wix Templates Review – our review dedicated to Wix’s design
Features and Tools
Features are what really separate the average platforms from the elite. What you can and can’t do on each platform is crucial to your final decision.
So, looking at a few different areas, let’s really drill into what kind of features both Wix and GoDaddy have.
Ecommerce
Wix and GoDaddy aren’t designed to be used solely for building online stores, but you can sell products on either. Let’s start with the ecommerce features they both provide:
- The ability to sell unlimited types and quantity of products
- Sell both physical and/or digital products
- Process payments securely through gateways like PayPal, Stripe or Square
- No transaction fees imposed by website builder
- Mobile apps for managing your store on the go
- Various shipping and accountancy options
- Discount and sale codes
One key ecommerce feature GoDaddy has over Wix is abandoned cart recovery. This is where you can send automatic emails to customers who have gone as far as placing items in your site’s cart, but left before checking out.
If you’re interested in creating a powerful online store, you’ll want to check out dedicated ecommerce platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Blogging
Wix has a bit more going for it when it comes to creating a blog. You can categorize your blog posts, social bookmark, track performance through analytics, and even embed things like a comments section or search bar.
GoDaddy has analytics and categories segmentation too. You can also create an RSS feed for your blog so people can subscribe to it. You can’t add in a comments section or search feature, though.
Email Marketing
With Wix, you can create your own email account specific to your domain using G Suite. It also has integratable marketing tools which are available through apps like Wix ShoutOut. This makes it easy to create, send and share email marketing campaigns with your users.
GoDaddy’s email features are totally built-in. It also has its own email marketing service, but that does comes at an additional cost on top of the monthly fee you’ll pay.
Social Media Integration
Wix lets you display your social media on your websites in many forms. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can all be integrated with your site and displayed by follow buttons, live feeds and image galleries.
GoDaddy, on the other hand, is limited to just adding social buttons that link to your pages. There is currently no way to embed live social feeds.
Analytics
Tracking your site’s visitors is a great way to monitor how it’s performing. You can check on things like page views, visitor counts and bounce rate. With Wix, you have the choice of either using Google Analytics, or adding the Visitor Analytics app to your site. With GoDaddy, your only option is to add Google Analytics.
Wix vs GoDaddy – Features: the Verdict
Wix has much better features than GoDaddy. GoDaddy has a couple of useful features that Wix doesn’t – such as abandoned cart recovery and built-in email marketing – but by and large, Wix offers more quality features and a much bigger range to choose from in its app market.
SEO
The strength of your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization) will determine how highly you rank on search engines like Google. The higher you rank, the more eyes will be on your site. Simple, right?
Wix
Wix helps your site’s SEO by putting you in control. It allows you to edit things that will have an impact on SEO, such as meta titles and descriptions, URL slugs, and header code.
If you’re struggling knowing where to start, don’t worry. Wix offers keyword support through its SEO Wiz, and various apps where you can track your website’s SEO performance.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy gives you same level of control in editing meta titles/descriptions, URL slugs and header code. But since GoDaddy doesn’t have an app store, there are no extras. What you do get, though, is built-in keyword suggestions and SEO tracking.
You can even submit the framework of your site to search engines so they can get a better reading of your site structure. If you’d like to know more about SEO best practice, read some of our handy SEO guides here.
Wix vs GoDaddy – SEO: the Verdict
It’s tight, but GoDaddy just beats Wix for SEO. Wix has a few SEO specific apps, whereas GoDaddy has more built-in SEO tools. From editing meta descriptions and URL slugs to getting keyword suggestions and submitting a sitemap, everything you need to rank highly is readily available to you.
Help and Support
No one likes getting stuck or confused, but it’s great to know that help is on-hand if you do.
Wix
Wix offers email and phone support Monday-Thursday from 5am-5pm. It also has a helpful forum and the best help center of any website builder.
Wix’s help center is an online resource where you can search for guides and tutorials. Think of it a bit like a Wix-only search engine – you type in a query, and a list of search results will pop up that will be able to help you.
Having tested Wix’s help center thoroughly, we’re confident in its ability to help you out. It even lets you know if you’ve searched for help on something Wix doesn’t provide!
GoDaddy
GoDaddy’s big plus points are its 24/7 phone support and live chat feature. Being able to receive help at any time of day is a massive bonus, and so too is speaking to a real person without having to pick up the phone.
On-Page Help
Wix has one more ace up its sleeve, though – its in-editor help. If you encounter a problem while editing your site, you can simply click on the question mark bubble and find the answer, without having to leave the editor!
Wix vs GoDaddy – Help and Support: the Verdict
Wix and GoDaddy draw for help and support. GoDaddy has personal help available 24/7, which puts a big tick next to its name. Wix’s response is its in-editor help, which is hugely convenient if you want to tackle an issue straight away.
Pricing and Value for Money
Wix has a free plan, then seven paid plans ranging from $13 to $49 per month – the three highest plans allow online sales. GoDaddy has four plans and a one month free trial, with prices ranging from $10 to $25 per month (when billed annually).
Cheap prices always go down well, but we like to look beyond that and really see what you get for your money. Before we get into all that though, are there any freebies?
Well, Wix has an entirely free plan. No, you heard us right – you can literally build and publish your website at no cost. Of course, this does come at the expense of having tacky Wix adverts on your site, and even in your subdomain too (e.g. “www.mywebsite.wix.com”).
GoDaddy doesn’t have a free plan, but it does offer a 1 month free trial. This should be plenty of time for you to decide whether it’s the right website builder for you.
Now, let’s crack on and see how much the premium plans are.
Wix Pricing
Wix has more pricing plans than you can shake a stick at. It has four non-ecommerce plans and three ecommerce ones, ranging from $13 to $49/month.
Naturally, the more you pay, the more you get. All premium plans come free of Wix advertising, give you your own personal domain, and promise a minimum 1GB of bandwidth. The most popular is Wix’s Unlimited plan ($14/month).
GoDaddy Pricing
GoDaddy has four pricing plans, only one of which gives you ecommerce functionality. These range from $10 to $25/month, and are tailored for different needs.
It sounds obvious, but if you just want a personal site, GoDaddy’s Basic plan is ideal. If you’re a budding business, you’ll want to look at either the Standard or Premium plans. These plans give you more generous features, such as more social posts and email marketing campaigns per month.
All of GoDaddy’s plans include a marketing tool called GoDaddy Insight, which uses data to provide you with constant advice on how you can keep improving your online presence. This comes built-in to your GoDaddy plan, alongside essential features such as SSL security.
Compare Wix and GoDaddy Side-by-Side
As you can see, you get less features on the cheapest plan than on the more advanced plans. Wix offers more on its basic plans than GoDaddy, meaning you get more for your money when you start out.
If you’re unsure of what some of those features are, or why they’re important, don’t worry. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key features in the table:
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) Security: An SSL certificate keeps your website safe and secure by encrypting any information entered through your website – this makes it especially important for online stores or any site processing payment details! You know when a site has SSL security because the website address has “HTTPS” at the start, and often a little padlock appears next to the url too.
Social media integration: This means you can sync, share, and embed social media on your website. This makes it easy to share your site across your social pages, as well as featuring your news feeds right there on your website.
Ecommerce tools: You can use website builders to create an online store, with features such as secure checkout, accepting online payments, discount creation, and more.
Email marketing: Promote your website with email marketing! This is a great way to engage with your visitors, especially if you’re running a blog, business, or online store.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools: Without SEO tools, your site won’t be able to rank highly in Google’s search results, making it hard for people to find you! Good website builders give you a helping hand with SEO, whether it’s through guides, prompts, or even personalized plans.
24/7 support: The internet never sleeps, so neither should help and support! If something goes wrong at 4am, you know you can get the help you need.
Wix vs GoDaddy – Value for Money: the Verdict
Wix offers better value for money than GoDaddy. GoDaddy is cheaper – however, Wix’s plans give you more bang for your buck. Wix has more features and more overall quality, making its plans better value. It even has a free plan, so if you really just want to create a website on the cheap, you don’t have to spend a pretty penny.
Further Information
- Top 10 Free Website Builder – find out what other free platforms are out there
- Wix Pricing Review – take a more detailed look at what you get in each pricing plan
What About Alternatives to Wix and GoDaddy?
As you know, Wix and GoDaddy aren’t the only website builders on the market. There are many out there for you to choose from. If neither Wix or GoDaddy are ticking your boxes, check out any of the below for alternative options.
Squarespace
If you’re after stunning designs then you won’t find better than Squarespace. It has the best quality templates on the market, with great quality features to match. Prices start at $12 per month, and it’s worth every cent! It’s a bit harder to use than Wix and will take longer to set up than GoDaddy, but for sheer aesthetics, it’s definitely worth the extra effort.
Further Information
Weebly
Weebly is a solid website builder with simple, stylish templates and lots of features. It’s one of the cheapest builders to start selling online, and is great for small businesses and portfolios. Like Wix, Weebly has a free plan, and its prices start at just $12 per month. It has more structure in its templates than Wix, so it’s perfect if you want more guidance on your design choices.
Further Information
SITE123
If you’re after pure simplicity and excellent customer support, try SITE123. With brilliant live chat support it’s perfect for beginners who need a helping hand along the way. Like GoDaddy and Wix ADI, SITE123 uses design assistance to make building basic sites quick and easy. You can sign up to the free plan or the $10.80 per month paid plan. Don’t expect powerful features or lots of creative freedom, but if it’s ease of use you’re after, SITE123 is a great alternative to look at.
Further Information
Strikingly
If you want great blogging tools along with simple, easy to use design, then Strikingly is a great choice. Like Wix, it has a free plan and uses drag-and-drop design to make building your site easy. Its prices start at just $8 per month. Strikingly lets you create stylish, one page websites, and has a strong focus on making website building accessible for everyone, no matter your tech skills!
Further Information
Shopify
If it’s ecommerce you’re after, you can’t get better than Shopify for selling online! It’s a great alternative to Wix if you want a bit more oomph for your online store. That does mean a higher price tag, starting at $29 per month, but it’s a worthy investment. Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform rather than a website builder, and comes jam packed with specialized features to help you get started and set you up for success.
Further Information
Wix or GoDaddy: Conclusion
It was a great showing from two top platforms, but in the end, Wix has emerged victorious. As we said, you simply get more with Wix: more features, more control, and more value.
Wix is a more powerful builder than GoDaddy, providing better quality features and more scalable plans. GoDaddy, on the other hand, is more limited when it comes to features and customization – but what it lacks in power, it makes up for in speed!
To recap, let’s have a look at who won each category:
| Wix vs GoDaddy | Wix | GoDaddy |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | The option to use either ADI or the main editor | Uses ADI for a fast and simple approach to web design |
| Design | Great choice of industry specific themes, intuitive drag-and-drop functionality | Various themes you can style your website with, ability to edit via the side panel |
| Features | A wealth of quality features, massive app store filled with nearly everything imaginable | Solid in-built features, but no app store to help outside of that |
| SEO | Gives you control over meta titles/descriptions, keyword support and helpful SEO apps | All the standard offerings of Wix, plus built-in SEO analytics; submit your sitemap for search engines to read |
| Help and Support | Phone and email support, great help center, in-editor help | 24/7 phone support, live chat, handy help center |
| Value for Money | Lots of great value plans to choose from, including a free one | Four pricing plans each targeted at certain individuals |
GoDaddy’s ADI editor makes it a quick, easy option for total beginners, whereas Wix offers a greater level of creative freedom for all abilities. Wix even lets you choose whether to use ADI or the traditional editor – however, GoDaddy is still the fastest builder on the market.
Wix is for people who want total control over design, and need a website that can grow with them. It’s not bad for selling either, should you wish to branch out into the world of ecommerce.
GoDaddy is for people who need a site up quickly. It’s fast, easy to use, and has 24/7 support. You will sacrifice some creative control, but it does offer lots of useful tools to help manage your website.
We recommend GoDaddy for beginners needing a simple site as soon as possible. It won’t knock your socks off, but it’ll get the job done fast. Wix is the stronger all-round choice – it combines ease of use with stunning templates and powerful features. For style and substance, choose Wix.
To summarize, we’d recommend Wix to anyone who isn’t in a mad rush to get their website up and running. Put a bit more time into design, and you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful website that you can keep customizing with cool and exciting features.
Wix vs GoDaddy: FAQs
Do you need to know how to code to use Wix or GoDaddy?
No! Neither require any coding knowledge, but you can access Wix’s code to make more advanced changes if you wish. There are lots of guides in Wix’s help center that can walk you through how to use Wix Code.
What other services do GoDaddy supply?
GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain registrar, and also offers hosting services and website security. Its website builder, GoCentral, is an all-in-one package, but you can build your site elsewhere and purchase elements individually through one of GoDaddy’s other services.
Which is better for building an online store?
We definitely recommend using Wix if your focus is on ecommerce – it has better sales features than GoDaddy! Wix has three ecommerce plans, versus GoDaddy’s one, meaning Wix has more room for growing your business in the long run. You can create a well-rounded store with Wix for just $20 per month.
If you want to build an online store, read our Wix eCommerce Review or check out our Ecommerce Website Builder Comparison Chart.
Is it faster to build a website with Wix or GoDaddy?
This is actually a draw! Both Wix and GoDaddy offer ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence). This is where the builder asks you questions, like what is the purpose of your site, and then uses your answers to create a personalized website for you – all in a matter of minutes! Wix gives you the choice of its manual editor or Wix ADI.
Read our review of the Easiest to Use Website Builders to find out more about AI platforms like these!
Found our comparison helpful?
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