In the WordPress vs Wix vs custom website question, the right answer depends on how your business will run the site. Hosted builders such as Wix, Squarespace and Webflow trade control for convenience: the platform runs the hosting and the software, and you work within its features. WordPress gives you control and an enormous ecosystem of plugins, along with the maintenance that comes with them. A custom build has exactly the pages and features you need, though changes beyond editing content need a developer.
The three options
WordPress
WordPress is open-source software, licensed under the GPL. There are two versions, and the difference matters:
- WordPress.org is the software you install on hosting you choose and pay for. You can add any theme or plugin, change anything, and move the whole site to another host. You, or someone you pay, are responsible for updates, backups and security.
- WordPress.com is a hosted service built on it. According to its own comparison, hosting is built in and updates and backups are handled automatically, and plugins and custom themes can be installed on paid plans.
Most of WordPress's strengths and weaknesses come from plugins. There's one for almost everything, which is why it can do so much. Each one is also code from a different author, with its own update schedule and its own quality.
Hosted builders: Wix, Squarespace and Webflow
All three host your site on their own infrastructure and maintain the software. You edit through a visual editor and add features from the platform's own tools or app marketplace. They differ in style and in how easily you can leave:
- Wix is a drag-and-drop builder. Its help centre says a Wix site must be hosted and operated on Wix's servers and can't be moved to another host. You can connect a domain you bought elsewhere, on a paid plan.
- Squarespace is template-led, with tightly designed layouts. Its export tool produces a WordPress-format file covering some content: layout pages, one blog, and text and image blocks. Store pages, product blocks, style settings and custom CSS don't export.
- Webflow is a visual design tool that works much closer to how web pages are built in code, which suits designers. Webflow's help centre says code export is available on paid Workspace plans, but CMS, ecommerce and user account content and features aren't included; collections can be exported separately as CSV files.
Custom builds
A custom site is designed and coded for your business, without a template underneath. Many are built as lightweight, mostly static sites, with content edited through a content management system or in the code itself. You get exactly the pages, structure and features you need, and nothing else is loaded. If the contract says so, you own the code and can host it anywhere. Our guide on choosing a web design agency covers what to get in writing.
WordPress vs Wix vs custom website, side by side
| WordPress (self-hosted) | Wix and Squarespace | Webflow | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| who hosts it | a host you choose | the platform | Webflow | a host you choose |
| who keeps the software updated | you or your developer: core, theme and every plugin | the platform | the platform | your developer, usually with fewer moving parts |
| editing content | WordPress admin, widely known | visual editor | visual designer and a simpler content editor | a CMS if one is included, otherwise the developer |
| design freedom | high, limited mainly by the theme | within the platform's templates and controls | high | complete |
| adding features | plugins for almost anything | the platform's tools and apps | built-in features and integrations | built to order |
| leaving later | take everything with you | Wix: rebuild; Squarespace: partial content export | static code on paid plans, CMS as CSV | take everything, if you own the code |
| typical weak spot | plugin sprawl and missed updates | ceilings on structure, speed tuning and portability | cost and lock-in as needs grow | every non-content change costs developer time |
None of these is automatically fast or slow. Speed depends on how a site is built and what's added to it.
Cost of ownership
The cheapest site to build is often not the cheapest to own, so compare what each option costs over several years. We've left out figures because plans and prices change; our guide to website costs in Singapore covers how to compare quotes.
- WordPress: hosting, a domain, premium theme and plugin licences (often renewed yearly), and someone's time to update, test and fix things. That last item is the one people forget.
- Wix and Squarespace: a subscription that rises with the features you need, plus paid apps. The running effort is low. The hidden cost is the rebuild if you outgrow the platform, because you can't take the site with you.
- Webflow: a site plan, plus a paid Workspace plan if you need code export. It makes most sense when you use its design and CMS strengths; as a simple brochure builder, it's more tool than you need.
- Custom: more up front for design and development. Running costs can be low, especially for a static site on simple hosting, but changes to layout or features are paid developer time unless they're built into the CMS.
Whichever you choose, budget for someone to look after it. Our website maintenance page sets out what that work involves.
Speed, security and upkeep
Speed
What slows a site down is much the same everywhere: heavy themes and page builders, unoptimised images, and third-party scripts such as chat widgets, booking embeds and advertising pixels. A builder site with a dozen apps can be slow; a WordPress site with a lean theme and few plugins can be quick. A custom build has an advantage only because it loads nothing it doesn't need, and that depends on the developer. Measure your own pages with PageSpeed Insights, and see our guide to Core Web Vitals for what the results mean.
Security
- WordPress: the WordPress documentation says that to keep a site secure you should always update plugins and themes to the latest version. Since WordPress 5.5, administrators can opt in to automatic updates plugin by plugin and theme by theme. A site with many plugins that nobody updates is the classic weak point.
- Hosted builders: the platform patches its own software. Your remaining risks are mostly account security (use two-factor sign-in) and the third-party apps you add.
- Custom static sites: a site served as plain files has no database or admin login on the web server to attack. Forms, third-party services and the developer's own accounts still need care.
For any platform, personal data collected through forms needs protecting under the PDPA. Our PDPA website checklist covers what that involves.
Upkeep
Ask who will do the work every month, not who could. A WordPress site with no one assigned to updates will drift. A builder site still needs someone to keep content current. A custom site needs a developer you can reach when something has to change.
Which one fits your business
- A hosted builder (Wix or Squarespace) fits if you'll make most changes yourself, the site is a handful of pages with standard features, and you're comfortable staying on the platform. A new fitness instructor teaching from rented studios, or a solo consultant, can be well served by one.
- Webflow fits if design matters a great deal, someone on your side is comfortable in its designer, content changes often, and you're happy with Webflow hosting.
- WordPress fits if you need features that mature plugins already do well, such as memberships or multilingual content, you want to own and move everything, and you have a maintenance plan in place. A tuition centre with many programme pages and a team publishing updates is a reasonable example.
- A custom build fits if speed, precise design and search structure matter, your pages are mostly stable with occasional updates, and you want to own the code outright. A law firm or specialist clinic with a clear set of practice or treatment pages is a typical case.
Whatever you pick, a few things are non-negotiable: the domain registered in your business's name, admin access to every account, regular backups, and a written agreement on who maintains what.
Questions to ask before you decide
- Who will edit the site week to week, and what will they change?
- What must the site do beyond showing pages: bookings, payments, member areas, more than one language?
- Who updates the software and watches security, and is that in writing?
- If we part ways with the developer or the platform, what do we take with us?
- What will it cost to run each year, including apps, plugins and licences?
- How fast is it on a mid-range phone on mobile data?
We design and build sites from scratch, so weigh this comparison with that in mind. For some businesses a builder is the better answer. Custom builds are what our website development work covers, and if you're still deciding, tell us through contact what the site has to do and who will run it.