Last updated on December 21st, 2023 at 08:51 am
Godaddy or Wix? If you are looking for a website builder, there are two popular options. Godaddy and Wix both offer services that will allow you to create and host your own website.
Which one should you choose?
There is no easy answer.
They each have their pros and cons, so we will take a look at the advantages of each in this blog post!
What is Godaddy?
Godaddy offers a very intuitive website builder that can help you create a functional and attractive site in no time.
Additionally, they offer many useful tools to enhance your business presence online including mailing lists, domain name registration, web hosting services, and even SSL certificates.
They have over 13 million customers worldwide which makes them the largest domain registrar in the world!
While this sounds impressive, their products are not always affordable for small businesses.
The costs of building up one’s online assets through GoDaddy might be cost-prohibitive depending on what level of service you purchase from them.
Their basic packages start at $12/month while more advanced services can cost you over $100/month.
What is Wix?
Wix is a SaaS-based website builder that allows users to create and host their own websites without having to know how to code or deal with any hosting fees.
Wix offers one of the most intuitive interfaces in this space, making it super easy for anyone to get started building their site within minutes!
This platform gives businesses the ability to build functional sites easily while also providing opportunities for branding through custom domain name registrations, business email addresses at [email protected] as well as professional photo galleries which make sharing photos on social media easier than ever before.
It is no wonder they have become so popular recently!
While Wix may be slightly more affordable than GoDaddy with their basic packages starting at $54/year, their services are not as feature-rich and don’t provide any tools to enhance your business presence online.
With that quick introduction, let us look at each of their pros and cons.
Godaddy pros
1). Largest Domain Name Registrar
Godaddy is the largest registrar of domains in the world.
2). Wide Variety of Services Available
Godaddy offers a wide variety of services, including web hosting and email addresses.
For example;
If you decide to go with their hosting instead of the website builder, expect to pay something along the lines of £3.99 per month.
This package gives you access to;
- Standard Performance
- 1 website
- 100 GB storage
- 10 databases
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free 1-click WordPress install
- Free Microsoft 365 Email (£17.88/yr value) – 1st year
- Free domain (£10.99/yr value)
3). 300 + themes and templates
Unlike any other website builder, GoDaddy is the only place that provides the most creative, exciting website templates that will get your customers more excited to get you to build their website for them.
They have hundreds of different themes that are customizable to your specific needs, including special templates for plumbers, dentists, mechanics, carpenters, electricians, and the like.
Their team of experts is available to answer any questions or concerns that you might have about how to make your website more appealing.
4). 24/7 support
When choosing Godaddy or Wix, this is something you should always have in mind; support!
At one point, you will run into issues and you will need someone to look over your shoulder and show you the way.
Luckily, Godaddy has a team of experts in place all day long, even at night.
Godaddy cons
x). Wanting Ecommerce Tools
The latest incarnation of GoDaddy’s site builder platform is in need of a little fine-tuning and in some instances is in even worse shape than some of its competitors.
As it stands, the site builder platform can’t produce any form of eCommerce sites and requires the use of a separate online store builder, which is also twice as expensive as the premium site builder plan.
x). You Can’t Switch Between Themes
Yes, I know we mentioned earlier that Godaddy comes with 300 plus templates and themes.
Well, what good is it if you cannot switch to the one you like?
What happens is, Godaddy restricts switching between themes. And if you do, you risk losing your content.
This is annoying. So make sure next time you sit down to use Godaddy website builder, make sure to think twice before using that theme or template.
x). Their Uptime Guarantee Isn’t Great
GoDaddy’s 99.9% uptime guarantee is not quite up to par with some of our top hosts, but their domain hosting, affordability, and page loads are some of the best in the industry.
For many users, that extra tenth of a percent won’t make much of a difference.
Godaddy or Wix: Wix pros
a). Easier to use interface
The Wix platform has an easy-to-use interface that allows users without any experience to get started quickly!
While it does require some learning on the user’s part in order to become familiar with how their tools work, this can be done simply by playing around with the different features available.
This makes it easier for business owners who may not have much technical knowledge or people skills working for them (which is probably most)! If you’re just starting out and would like to get your feet wet with creating an online presence, Wix is the ideal platform for you!
b). Features
Wix is feature-rich with many useful features such as business email, customizable layouts, photo galleries, etc…
c). Cheaper
Low-cost options are available at less than $100/year if you’re looking for basic functions only.
Such an account will give you access to a 1GB bandwidth and 500MB storage space. This should help you host up to one custom domain, free SSL certificate, among other perks.
d). App market
Extensive app store where you can purchase additional services like e-commerce functionality and more.
Inside, you can find all the tools you will need to add functionality to your Wix website without sweating.
And if the price is the problem, don’t worry. You can find free apps on Wix App Market!
Wix cons
x). Fewer features than Godaddy
Wix offers fewer features than GoDaddy.
While this may not be a big deal if all you’re looking to do is create a simple site, if you want more complex functionality (such as SEO management tools) then Wix will probably fall short of what you are looking for.
x). No email hosting available
One feature many business owners find useful when it comes to their website service provider is being able to host their email addresses on that domain name itself rather than having separate ones just through Gmail or another free service.
This allows them easy access without having to log into a separate email every time.
Godaddy offers this feature which is not available on Wix at the moment.
x). Little storage space
What can you do with 500MB of storage space?
Nothing, exactly!
And that is what you get with Wix’s basic plan, a 500MB storage space and 1GB of bandwidth.
If you are just starting out, and this is your first website (personal blog), this may not be an issue.
But if you are creating a somewhat big website with hundreds of readers, you will have no choice but to dig deeper into your pockets for more space and little extra features.
x). You can’t switch templates
This same issue is with Godaddy. With Wix, you cannot switch templates once your website is up and running!
As such, make sure to put some effort and thought into picking the best website template.
Which One Should I Use: Godaddy or Wix?
Godaddy is a great option for those with limited budgets who would like the opportunity to grow and expand their web presence over time.
However, Wix offers many of the same features but comes in slightly cheaper than GoDaddy’s most affordable packages!
Whichever platform you choose will largely depend on how much you’re looking to spend (or save) each month as well as what kind of functionality you seek from your site.
If neither sounds right for you then it may be worth trying out another service such as Squarespace which falls somewhere in the middle of these two options, offering a more affordable price point with many useful features.
Another one worth checking out is OLITT. It is free and offers the best and easiest interface to create and launch your website in under 10 minutes.
Conclusion: Wix or GoDaddy?
If you are looking for an easy-to-use platform with fewer features and would like something that will grow alongside your business, then go with Wix!
However, if you want more complex tools and functions such as email hosting or SEO management services built right into your site itself, then GoDaddy might be better suited for your needs.
You can also check out Squarespace – somewhere between but still good value for money when it comes down to it.
Here is an article we wrote comparing Godaddy Vs Squarespace.