Guide /Comparison
Wix vs a custom website: which should your business choose?
The short answer
Choose Wix if you’re testing an idea, your budget is tight and you’re happy to build it yourself. Choose a custom website if your business relies on its site for enquiries or sales and you’d rather not build it yourself. Wix usually costs less over three years, so a custom site has to earn back the difference.
We build custom websites, so we have an interest in this. We’ve laid out the numbers so you can check them.
Wix and custom websites side by side
Both can give you a professional website. The real differences are who does the work, what it costs over time and how free you are to leave.
| Compared on | Wix | Custom website |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Nothing, beyond your own time | From $2,189 including GST with Cthroo |
| Ongoing cost | About $21 to $55 a month on common plans, billed yearly | Domain and hosting, plus an optional care plan |
| Who builds it | You, using templates and a drag-and-drop editor | A developer, around your business and customers |
| Moving away later | Wix says its sites can’t be hosted elsewhere | You own the code and can move it to any host |
| Changing things later | Instant, within what the platform allows | Through a simple editor, or your developer for bigger changes |
| Best for | Testing an idea, side projects, tight budgets | Businesses that rely on their website for customers |
Most of this applies to Squarespace and similar builders too, though their prices and export options differ.
What each option costs over three years
Wix’s plans for Australia cost about $21 (Light), $42 (Core), $55 (Business) and $199 (Business Elite) a month, billed yearly and including GST. Those are figures from Australian price guides, so check the price Wix shows you at checkout.
| Option | Build | Three years of running costs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix Core | $0 | $1,512 | $1,512 |
| Wix Business | $0 | $1,980 | $1,980 |
| Cthroo Starter website | $2,189 | Domain and hosting | $2,189 + domain and hosting |
| Cthroo Business website | $4,950 | Domain and hosting | $4,950 + domain and hosting |
Australian dollars, including GST. Cthroo prices are starting prices. Our optional care plan, from $99 a month plus GST, would add about $3,920 over three years. Wix figures don’t include your own time, paid apps or a domain after any included period.
So Wix usually wins on cash alone. A custom site pays off only if it brings in more work or saves you time. For example, our Starter website costs about $677 more than three years of Wix Core, before domain and hosting. If a new customer is worth $500 to you, it would need to win about two extra customers over those three years to cover that.
Which should you choose?
Wix is probably right if
- You’re testing an idea and don’t yet know if it will work.
- Your budget is well under $2,000 and you have time to do it yourself.
- You only need a simple online business card.
- You enjoy building it and will keep it up to date.
A custom website is probably right if
- Your website needs to bring in enquiries, bookings or sales.
- You’d rather spend your time running the business than building a site.
- You need something specific: a quote form, a booking flow or a system connected to your site.
- You want to own the code and be able to move it without starting again.
What happens if you start on Wix and move later
Wix’s help centre says its architecture doesn’t support hosting a site elsewhere, so moving means rebuilding. It also says blog posts can’t be exported to other platforms. Your content still belongs to you, and you can transfer a domain bought through Wix to another provider.
To protect your rankings, redirect each old address to its new page when you switch. Our guide to website redesigns covers how we do that, and our Sydney website cost guide covers what to budget.
Questions
Is Wix cheaper than a custom website?
Usually, yes, in cash terms. Three years of Wix Business costs about $1,980 including GST, compared with $2,189 plus domain and hosting for our Starter website. The Wix figure doesn’t count the hours you spend building and maintaining the site yourself.
Can a Wix website rank on Google?
Yes. Wix sites can rank well. What you write, how useful your pages are and who links to you generally matter more than which platform you use. A custom site gives you more control over speed and structure, but it won’t rank just because it’s custom.
Can I move my Wix website to another host later?
No. Wix’s help centre says its architecture doesn’t support external hosting. Your content belongs to you and you can move your domain, but the site itself has to be rebuilt elsewhere.
Should I start on Wix and upgrade later?
That’s a sensible path if you’re still proving the business. Budget for a rebuild later, because the site won’t transfer. When you switch, redirect your old pages to their new addresses so you keep the rankings you’ve built.
Sources
- Wix Help Center: exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere
- Wix Help Center: exporting blog posts to other platforms
- Wix Help Center: transferring your domain away from Wix
- bdog: Wix pricing in Australia (prices read 11 October 2026; the publisher sells an alternative to Wix)
- Flow Cre8tive: Wix pricing Australia 2026
Think you’ve outgrown a website builder?
Show us your site and we’ll design a free concept of a custom version. If Wix is still the right fit for you, we’ll say so.