Wix is one of the best-known all-in-one website builders — a hosted, drag-and-drop platform that lets you design and publish a site without touching code or arranging your own hosting. For a lot of New Zealand small businesses and creatives, that “launch in an afternoon” simplicity is the whole appeal. This guide covers what Wix does well, where it falls short, how the plans work, and how it stacks up against running your own WordPress site.
If you’re still deciding between builders in general, our guide to choosing a website builder in New Zealand covers the whole field; this page is specifically about Wix.
What Wix does well
Wix’s strength is removing friction. Hosting, security patches and SSL are all handled for you, so there’s no server to configure and nothing to keep updated. The editor gives you free placement of elements — you can drag anything anywhere — which makes it genuinely flexible on design, and there’s a large template library plus an AI-assisted setup for people who’d rather answer a few questions and get a starting point. The App Market lets you bolt on bookings, forms, live chat or social feeds without writing code, so a hair salon in Hamilton or a consultancy in Wellington can add exactly the functionality it needs.
For a straightforward brochure or portfolio site where you want a polished result quickly and don’t want to think about maintenance, that combination is hard to beat.
Who Wix is a good fit for
Strong fit
- You want to launch fast with no coding
- Design control matters more than deep customisation
- A small brochure or portfolio site
- You’d rather someone else handle hosting & security
Look elsewhere if
- You need to own and move your site freely
- Content marketing / advanced SEO is central
- You want unlimited custom functionality
- You expect to switch design later without a rebuild
Where Wix falls short
The trade-offs are the flip side of the convenience, and two of them are worth understanding before you commit, because both are hard to undo.
The first is template lock-in: once your Wix site is built on a template, you can’t switch to a different one without rebuilding. Choose carefully up front, because you’re largely committed to that structure.
The second, and bigger, is platform lock-in: a Wix site lives on Wix and can’t be moved to another host. If you outgrow the platform, you’re rebuilding elsewhere from scratch, not migrating. This is the fundamental difference from an open platform like WordPress, where your site is yours to move.
Beyond those, design freedom comes with more responsibility for keeping things aligned across screen sizes, the content and SEO tools — while much improved — are more bounded than a dedicated CMS, and there’s an ongoing subscription cost. None of these are dealbreakers for a small site; they matter more as ambitions grow.
Wix vs WordPress
For many NZ businesses the real decision is Wix versus a self-hosted WordPress site. It’s the classic ease-versus-control trade-off.
Wix vs self-hosted WordPress
Ease and a managed setup versus control and portability.
| Wix | WordPress (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Very fast; hosting built in | More setup; choose a host & theme |
| Design | Free-placement editor; template-based | Open-ended via themes & page builders |
| Content & SEO | Capable; improved but bounded | Deep control; strong for blogging |
| Maintenance | Managed by Wix | You manage updates & backups |
| Ownership | Locked in — can’t move off Wix, or swap template | Portable; move host any time |
Wix wins on speed and simplicity: everything is managed, and you can be live fast. WordPress wins on control and ownership — unlimited design and functionality, stronger content and SEO depth, and a site you can move between hosts freely. A common pattern is to start on Wix for the quick win and move to a WordPress hosting setup once you need more room to grow — though, because of the lock-in above, that move is a rebuild rather than a transfer. If Wix isn’t quite your fit, Squarespace and Square Online are worth a look too, and our free website builders guide covers what the no-cost tiers actually include.
How the plans work
Wix is free to start, but the free plan isn’t meant for a professional site.
How the plans work
Rather than quote figures that change, here’s the shape of Wix’s pricing:
- Free plan: build and publish, but you get a Wix subdomain and Wix branding, and can’t connect your own domain — fine for testing, not for a professional site.
- Paid tiers: a monthly or annual fee removes the branding, lets you connect a custom domain (including .nz), and unlocks business/e-commerce features. Higher tiers add store and marketing capability.
Prices are often quoted in USD and change with frequent sales — check Wix’s official New Zealand pricing before deciding.
The key thing is that the free plan puts Wix branding on your site and won’t let you use your own domain, so any real business use means a paid tier. Those add a custom domain (including a .nz address), remove the branding, and unlock business and e-commerce features. Wix runs frequent sales and quotes prices that vary by region and currency, so read the current figures off Wix’s own New Zealand pricing rather than any number in an article.
E-commerce, payments and NZ specifics
If you’re selling, Wix’s business tiers support familiar gateways like Stripe and PayPal, let you set the 15% GST rate, and let you configure NZ-specific shipping rules such as rural surcharges. Checkout is PCI compliant, and every site includes SSL. For professional email, Wix partners with Google Workspace, which is a separate cost on top of your plan. It’s a capable setup for a small store — though for a larger or more complex catalogue, our guide to ecommerce website development covers when a dedicated platform like WooCommerce makes more sense.
Wix’s features and pricing change over time and vary by country. The plan structure and inclusions described here are general; confirm the current New Zealand plans, prices and terms on Wix’s official site before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a .nz domain with Wix?
Yes, on a paid plan. You can register a .nz domain through Wix or connect one you already own from a New Zealand registrar. The free plan uses a Wix subdomain and won’t let you connect a custom domain.
Is Wix good for SEO in New Zealand?
Wix’s SEO tools have improved considerably and can rank well in NZ results if you use its SEO setup and target local keywords. That said, a dedicated CMS like WordPress still offers deeper technical SEO control if that’s central to your strategy.
How much does Wix cost?
Wix has a free plan (with Wix branding and no custom domain) plus paid business and e-commerce tiers. Exact prices change, are often quoted in USD, and are frequently discounted — check Wix’s official NZ pricing for current figures.
Can I switch my Wix template later?
No. Once your site is built on a template, Wix doesn’t let you swap to a different one — you’d start a new site. Choose your template carefully at the outset.
Can I move my Wix site to another host?
No. A Wix site is tied to Wix and can’t be migrated to another host. Moving to a platform like WordPress means rebuilding rather than transferring — which is the main ownership difference to weigh up before you start.
Does Wix handle GST and NZ payments?
Yes. On business tiers you can set the 15% GST rate, configure NZ shipping rules, and take payments through gateways like Stripe and PayPal. Checkout is PCI compliant.
Should I use Wix or WordPress?
Choose Wix for speed, simplicity and managed maintenance on a smaller site. Choose WordPress for design freedom, content and SEO depth, and a site you own and can move. Factor in that leaving Wix later means rebuilding.