Short answer: pick Shopify if selling products is the main job, Wix if you want a good-looking site you can edit yourself with little upkeep, and WordPress if you need flexibility, lots of content or full control. Most businesses are well served by one of the three. The mistake is choosing by habit instead of by what the site has to do.
At a glance
| Wix | WordPress | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Small to mid-size business sites, restaurants, service providers | Content-heavy sites, custom needs, long-term growth | Online stores where selling is the focus |
| Hosting | Included | You arrange it | Included |
| Editing | Drag-and-drop, easy for owners | Flexible, steeper learning curve | Store-focused admin, easy for products and orders |
| Flexibility | Moderate (custom code possible with Velo) | Highest | High for stores, limited outside selling |
| Ongoing upkeep | Low | Updates, security and backups needed | Low |
| Running costs | Monthly plan plus apps | Hosting plus plugins and maintenance | Monthly plan plus apps and transaction fees |
Plan prices change often, so check each platform’s current pricing before you decide.
When Wix is the right call
A local restaurant, clinic, trades business or consultancy that needs a clear site, a menu or service pages, a contact or booking path and local search visibility. You want to change a price or photo yourself without calling anyone. Wix handles hosting and security, so the upkeep is small.
When Shopify is the right call
You sell products and want checkout, payments, shipping and inventory to just work. Shopify is built around selling, so product pages and checkout are strong out of the box. The trade-offs are monthly fees, app costs and less freedom outside the store. If you are weighing it against an open-source option, read our Shopify vs WooCommerce guide.
When WordPress is the right call
You publish a lot of content, need unusual features, or want full ownership of the code and data. WordPress is the most flexible option, and it asks the most of you: someone needs to keep it updated, secured and backed up.
Switching later
Platforms are not permanent. Businesses move from Wix to WordPress when content or custom needs outgrow the builder, and from WooCommerce to Shopify when they would rather not maintain a store. Migration is very doable if you plan what moves (pages, products, redirects) and what gets rebuilt.
How we choose for clients
We ask three questions: What must the site do in the next 12 months? Who will edit it day to day? What is the budget for running it, not just building it? The answers usually point to one platform clearly.
Need a hand deciding or building?
We design and build on all three platforms from Bali, working in a time zone close to Australia. Tell us what you need and we will recommend the simplest option that fits.