Although Wix and GoDaddy are two of the industry's heaviest hitters for website building, they differ in a variety of ways while offering different sets of strengths and weaknesses – but which one is better overall?
Both website builder providers are remarkably rookie-friendly, feature-rich, and provide plenty of bang for your buck. Although, one of these solutions will give you more creative control over your site while the other will compensate for the lack of control by making building an online presence much simpler for common users.
One is better for ecommerce websites, while the other is more suited for small-budget start-ups. One offers a whole variety of plans to choose from while the other doesn't have many choices but offers a pocket-friendly plan without any strings attached – and the differences don’t end here.
To help you decide which of the two best-known site builders is a better bet for your business site, we’ll compare their key features, ease of use, templates, and overall design flexibility. Plus, we’ll check the pricing and customer support, both of which are among the priorities for newcomers.
While there are a couple of clear-cut differences between Wix and GoDaddy, sometimes deciding which one is the better boils down to personal preferences – so, let’s get cracking and find out which one is the right choice for you.
Main similarities and differences
Since both GoDaddy and Wix are leading lights of the site-building industry, it’s no surprise they have a similar audience in mind - hobbyist bloggers, small to mid-sized businesses, and ecommerce stores.
Accordingly, their site-building solutions are created for making the site-building task simple, free from web wizardry, and budget-friendly. Also, both providers offer several customer support channels for their users at no additional cost, which is always good news.
Although GoDaddy has been around the block for more than two decades, their site builder was launched in 2017 and the most recent, upgraded version called Websites + Marketing entered the stage this year. In contrast, Wix’s site builder has been around since 2006 and the company wasted no time expanding its line of products including Ascend, Dine, and Editor X.
Also, since both site-building solutions are well-rounded and fit for making all sorts of sites, it sometimes makes it hard to find what sets them apart from one another and pick out the right one for your online project.
Features compared
Wix comes jam-packed with superb built-in features that cover everything from fully customizable forms, data analytics, and member's area features to social media tools, email marketing, and a well-stocked app store – and everything can be conveniently dragged and dropped from a sidebar to your site.
On the other hand, GoDaddy offers a more humble yet solid collection of in-built features (such as additional options designed for specific industries) that are ideal for novices, simpler sites, and small businesses. Unfortunately, GoDaddy currently doesn’t provide an app store.
Ease of use
Thanks to its drag-and-drop editor, the Wix site builder is extremely easy to use, even for total non-techies. It also offers a swift ADI (artificial design intelligence) which allows pretty much anyone to customize a site in one go – feed the ADi with information about the site you’ve imagined and in a matter of minutes, Wix will create a custom-built site for you.
In addition to this, Wix offers a classic Wix Editor that comes with a higher level of customization choices - however, there’s a bit of a learning curve so it’s a better fit for users with some technical know-how.
With GoDaddy site builder you’ll get only one editor and one that has compromised flexibility for the sake of simplicity. While it’s still a great choice for newcomers who wish to build custom sites in no time (its ADI setup is incredibly swift and simple) it doesn’t offer the same level of customization as Wix’s builder.
Pricing
The good news is that both providers offer free trials, which means you can try them out for yourself without spending any money – it lasts for 14 days with Wix and one month with GoDaddy.
In terms of choice, Wix offers more plans (where three of six are specifically configured for ecommerce sites) but they also come at a higher cost – its cheapest plans start at $4.50 per month (it’s too limited to be taken seriously) and the priciest on at $35 for one month. There are Wix promo codes which could help bring the price down.
While GoDaddy offers fewer plans (there are four in total), their pricing ranges between £4.99 ($6.05) and £13.99 ($16.95) per month – which makes the premium and ecommerce-specific plans considerably cheaper and more competitive than those you can get with Wix. Also, there are GoDaddy promo codes which can further help lower prices.
We should also note that the cheapest plan with GoDaddy comes with severe feature restrictions (no SEO, no e-commerce tools, and no recurring online appointments). At the same time, with Wix’s entry-level plan your site will be forced to use their subdomain and display their ads.
Templates and overall design comparison
In terms of choice, Wix crushes GoDaddy without a hitch – there are over 900 templates to choose from within 17 main categories, and most of them are industry-specific. After opting for one, you can utilize a drag-and-drop editor to place elements wherever you want and create a more unique look.
While Wix doesn’t offer mobile-responsive templates, all templates come with a second, mobile-focused version for a seamless smartphone experience. Also, once you pick out a template, the only way to switch it for another one is to start building a new site from square one.
On the other hand, GoDaddy offers a stingy sum of 22 themes, which is one of the most disappointing drawbacks of their site builder. Plus, the level of customization is pretty low, particularly lacking in options for mobile users. However, to be fair, they are well-designed, modern, and mobile-responsive.
Alternatives to Wix and GoDaddy
If you want something similar to Wix (but not Wix) your best bet is its strong competitor Squarespace – it offers an equally easy-to-use interface, advanced customization choices, breathtakingly beautiful templates, but no app store nor add-ons.
If Squarespace doesn’t tickle your fancy, you should check Weebly - it’s simpler than Wix but offers a free plan, built-in SEO tools, and excellent ecommerce features. Another cheap and convenient alternative to Wix is Webnode – it uses a simple interface and extremely easy-to-use editor, but falls short when it comes to customization.
GoDaddy is loved by many, but not by all – so, if you fall into the latter category don’t fail to check out Site123, a cheerfully cheap and straightforward site builder that unfortunately suffers from a severe lack of customization choices – you can’t even pick out your template.
Jimdo is another swift and simple alternative to GoDaddy and one that targets self-employed business people – so, if you plan to build a portfolio, startup site, or small online store Jimdo might be a good choice. And if you wish to start a soon-to-be booming e-commerce business, Shopify should be your top choice for a site builder – it’s also an end-to-end ecommerce platform.
Customer support
In terms of types of support, Wix and GoDaddy are on the same level – both offer a 24/7 telephone line, round-the-clock live chat, and a support ticketing system via email.
If you prefer to stay self-sufficient, you’ll find a knowledgebase packed with simple-to-follow guides with both providers.
The only advantage Wix has over GoDaddy is having on-page prompts in its site editor, which will save you both time and energy. While GoDaddy provides fairly detailed descriptions of most elements, there’s no on-page support as with Wix.
Final thought
All things considered, there’s no denying that Wix comes off as a stronger candidate – it’s simpler to use than GoDaddy, it offers superior design flexibility, and provides a well-supplied app market.
However, if you don’t care much about customization, GoDaddy’s most pocket-friendly plan won’t force annoying ads on your site (which is not true for Wix) and will supply you with all you need to swiftly put a site together.
So, if you want more creative control – Wix is the way to go; if you want a blend of easiness and efficiency – GoDaddy is an excellent choice.
- If you’re building a website, picking the best web hosting provider should also be on your to-do list
