Wix vs Webflow: which is better for a small business website?

Wix and Webflow are both hosted website platforms, so the platform takes care of hosting, security and updates. Wix is built for business owners who want to make their own site with a drag and drop editor, templates and a large app market. Webflow is a professional design tool that gives a designer full control over the layout and produces clean code, and then lets the owner edit the content.

SiteHike builds on Webflow and is a Webflow Partner, so we have a stake in this. Wix is the better fit in some cases, and we list those below.

The short answer

• Wix is usually the better fit if you want to build the site yourself, you want to add features like booking or a small store from an app market, and you don't plan to move the site later.
• Webflow is usually the better fit if someone else is building the site, you want a custom design that loads quickly, or the site needs many service and town pages to rank in local search.

Ease of use

Wix is one of the easiest platforms for a beginner. You can drag any element anywhere on the page, start from a template, or have Wix's AI tools draft a first version of the site. Most owners can publish something in an afternoon.

Webflow takes longer to learn because it works like a professional design tool. Most business owners have a designer build the Webflow site, then update text, photos and blog posts themselves in the Webflow Editor.

Design control

Wix gives you a lot of freedom to move things around, which is easy to start with but can lead to pages that look different on each screen size and need fixing for phones. Templates also can't be swapped easily once the site is built.

Webflow is built around layouts that adapt to every screen size, and a designer can build any design without template limits. The result is a custom site that stays consistent on phones, where most local customers find you.

SEO and speed

Both platforms include the SEO basics: page titles and descriptions, clean URLs, a sitemap, redirects and structured data settings. Wix has improved a lot here over the years, and a well built Wix site can rank.

Speed is where the two usually differ. Wix pages carry more platform code, especially with several apps installed, and that can slow them down on a phone. Webflow sites tend to load quickly because the code is lean. For a local service business, page speed on a phone is part of whether a visit turns into a call. Webflow's CMS also makes it practical to run dozens of service and town pages, which our local SEO work depends on.

Apps and features

Wix has a large app market with booking, forms, chat, online stores and more, all installed in a few clicks. Webflow has a smaller app market and covers most features with built in tools and embeds. Booking widgets, review feeds, chat tools and CRM forms can all be added to a Webflow site, which covers what most service businesses need.

Cost

Both platforms charge monthly or yearly plans, and both change their pricing from time to time, so check their pricing pages for current numbers. For most small businesses, the plan price is small next to the cost of design work or the hours you spend building the site yourself. Our guide to what a small business website costs has the full breakdown.

Moving later

This is the biggest difference. A Wix site can't be exported to another host, so leaving Wix means rebuilding the site somewhere else. Webflow can export the site code and CMS content as CSV files on paid plans, though moving to another platform still means rebuilding parts of it. On either platform, keep the domain registered in your own name so you control it.

Which one to choose

• Choose Wix if you're building it yourself, you want features from an app market, and you're comfortable staying on Wix long term.
• Choose Webflow if you're hiring someone to build it, you want a custom design that's fast on a phone, or you plan to grow the site with pages for local search.

We also compared Webflow and WordPress and Squarespace and Webflow, and if you're thinking about an AI site builder, read SiteHike vs an AI website builder. We build sites for contractors and local businesses on Webflow as a Webflow agency, with no build fee and local SEO included. If you have a Wix site now, request a free audit and we'll tell you what we'd change.