# Wix vs WordPress for a Canadian small business (2026)

> Wix vs WordPress for Canadian businesses: what each really costs in CAD, who maintains it, which one you can move, and when each is the better choice.

Canonical: https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/wix-vs-wordpress
Last updated: 2026-10-22

This is the classic choice between renting and owning. Wix is a builder where everything is handled and nothing leaves. WordPress is software you control, can move anywhere, and have to maintain. Here's how that plays out in money and time.

Prices and facts checked October 22, 2026 · by Shane Heyworth. About: Wix, WordPress.

## The quick answer

- **Pick Wix** if you'll build and run the site yourself, want bookings or payments with no setup, and won't need to move it.
- **Pick WordPress** if you want to own a portable site, need specific features, or will have a developer work on it. Budget for upkeep, or choose WordPress.com, which handles it.

**Wix vs WordPress at a glance (CAD, before tax)**

|  | Wix | WordPress |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cheapest paid option | $21/mo yearly ($252/yr) | .com: $5/mo yearly ($60/yr). Self-hosted: about $72/yr |
| Cheapest plan, paid monthly | Shown at checkout | .com: $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes, with Wix branding | .com: yes, with ads. Software: free |
| Billing currency in Canada | CAD (by your location) | .com: CAD. Hosts vary; many add-ons in USD |
| Selling online | From Core ($33); not on Light | .com Premium: payment buttons. Commerce or self-hosted: WooCommerce |
| Card processing (Canada) | 2.9% + $0.30; Amex 3.5% + $0.30 | Depends on the payment plugin you choose |
| Who handles updates and security | Wix | .com: WordPress.com. Self-hosted: you or someone you pay |
| Add-ons | Wix App Market | 60,000+ plugins |
| Changing the design later | Can't switch template once the site exists | Change themes any time |
| Leaving the platform | Site can't be exported; contacts and products as CSV | Full content export to any WordPress site |

Prices from each platform's own pricing page; export rules from their help centres. Full detail and sources on the [pricing pages](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/compare).

## Cost: cheap to start vs cheap to run

WordPress is cheaper on paper: WordPress.com Personal is $60 a year and self-hosted runs about $72 a year for Canadian hosting and a .ca domain, against $252 a year for Wix Light. But Wix's price includes the upkeep. Self-hosted WordPress needs updates every few weeks, done by you or paid for. Over three years, a self-hosted site that needs one cleanup can cost more than Wix. A maintained one usually costs less. Numbers: [Wix pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wix), [WordPress pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wordpress).

## Ownership and moving

This is the biggest difference. WordPress's export tool produces a standard file of posts, pages, comments, custom fields and users that any WordPress site can import ([docs](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/tools-export-screen/)), and you can move hosts whenever you like. Wix states that a Wix site [must run on Wix's servers](https://support.wix.com/en/article/exporting-or-embedding-your-wix-site-elsewhere). If your business depends on the site for years, that matters.

## Features and growth

Wix includes payments, a store and scheduling from Core, plus apps from its App Market. WordPress has more than 60,000 plugins: if a feature exists for websites, someone has built it for WordPress. That reach is why growing businesses tend to end up on WordPress, and why WordPress sites can become a tangle of plugins without discipline.

## Editing day to day

Wix is easier for a first-timer: drag, drop, publish. WordPress's block editor is good with a well-built theme and frustrating with a poor one. One thing to know about Wix: you [can't switch the template](https://support.wix.com/en/article/switching-your-site-template) once the site exists. On WordPress, changing the theme is routine.

## Our take

If the site is a simple online presence you'll run yourself, Wix is fine and the upkeep you skip is worth something. If the site is how customers find you and will grow, WordPress's ownership and flexibility win, provided someone keeps it maintained. We build on WordPress, so factor in our bias; the [Wix review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wix) and [WordPress review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wordpress) lay out both sides.

## Questions people ask

### Is WordPress cheaper than Wix?

To start, yes: WordPress.com Personal is $60 a year and self-hosted WordPress about $72 a year for hosting and a .ca domain, against $252 a year for Wix Light. Self-hosted WordPress needs regular updates, though, so count your time or a maintenance fee.

### Can I move my Wix site to WordPress?

Not directly. Wix sites can't be exported or hosted elsewhere. Contacts and products export as CSV files, and pages and blog posts are rebuilt or copied into WordPress. Set up redirects from the old Wix addresses so you keep your Google rankings.

### Is Wix or WordPress better for SEO?

Both can rank well. What matters more is useful pages, a fast site and correct setup. WordPress gives more control over technical details and lets you move hosts; Wix handles more for you.

## Sources

Each checked October 22, 2026. Platforms change prices often; their own page is the final word.

- [Wix: Premium plans (CAD when viewed from Canada)](https://www.wix.com/plans)
- [Wix Help: Exporting or embedding your Wix site elsewhere](https://support.wix.com/en/article/exporting-or-embedding-your-wix-site-elsewhere)
- [Wix Help: Switching your site template](https://support.wix.com/en/article/switching-your-site-template)
- [WordPress.com: Pricing (CAD when viewed from Canada)](https://wordpress.com/pricing/)
- [WordPress.org Documentation: Tools Export screen](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/tools-export-screen/)
- [CanSpace: Canadian web hosting plans (CAD)](https://www.canspace.ca/web-hosting.html)
- [CanSpace: .ca domain pricing (CAD)](https://www.canspace.ca/domains.html)

## Keep comparing

- [Pricing: Wix pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wix)
- [Pricing: WordPress pricing](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/pricing/wordpress)
- [Review: Wix review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wix)
- [Review: WordPress review](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/reviews/wordpress)
- [Comparison: Wix vs Squarespace](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/wix-vs-squarespace)
- [Comparison: Squarespace vs WordPress](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/squarespace-vs-wordpress)
- [Comparison: Webflow vs WordPress](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/vs/webflow-vs-wordpress)
- [Alternatives: WordPress alternatives](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/alternatives/wordpress)
- [Switching: Moving off Wix](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/switch-from/wix)
- [All platform pricing, reviews and comparisons](https://canadianwebmaster.ca/compare)