UK trades keep getting sold a “free website” that is neither free nor a website. Here is a straight comparison between a hosted builder (Wix is the one I get asked about most) and self-hosted WordPress — for plumbers, electricians, clinics, cleaners, and anyone whose phone should be one tap away.
What you actually own
On Wix you rent the whole stack. Export is limited. If you leave, you usually rebuild. On WordPress.org (self-hosted) you own the files and the database. You can move host. That matters the day the builder’s pricing or editor changes under you.
WordPress.com (the hosted product) is a different thing again. When I say WordPress here I mean self-hosted WordPress on your domain.
When Wix is enough
- Five pages, almost never edited
- No shop, or a handful of products you barely sell online
- You accept paying a monthly platform fee forever
- You are not trying to rank for competitive local terms
I will say so on a call if that is you. I do not need to rebuild a site that is doing its job.
When WordPress is the grown-up move
- You want to edit services, photos and FAQs without a developer for every sentence
- Local SEO actually matters (areas covered, service pages, Google Business)
- You might add a shop, booking or a portal later
- You want another developer to be able to open the project in two years
The phone test
Open the site on a real phone. Can a stranger find the number, the area you cover, and a form, without hunting? Builders often fail this with cookie walls, pop-ups and slow galleries. WordPress can fail it too if you install a page builder and 40 plugins. The stack is not magic. The person building it is.
Cost over five years
Wix looks cheap in month one. Add the plan, the domain, the “needed” apps, and you are paying rent. WordPress has hosting (tens of pounds a month if someone competent looks after it) plus the build. After year two, ownership usually wins for a real trade.
My guide build prices are on the pricing page. Care is separate — see care plans.
Moving off Wix
Possible. Copy, images, redirects. You will not get a perfect one-click export. Budget it as a rebuild with a redirect map, not a button.
If you want a WordPress site you can edit after training: send a brief →
