Wix.com is one of the most popular web hosts in the world and offers both free and premium hosting.
Similar to sites that use WordPress, Wix has their own marketplace where third party developers can share their apps with their 72 million users.
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Doesn’t look like these guys are slowing down anytime soon.
Here is how they’ve trended over the years:
Features
Wix offers some unique features that cater to beginners and first time website owners.
Here are some of them:
1) Wix Website Builder: Wix.com is a great place to build a truly custom site without any coding knowledge whatsoever. With over 38 million customers worldwide they’ve become the world’s first choice in free web hosting and drag and drop website builder.
Once you sign up for your free account you can choose from dozens of categories to find the best one that suits your new site. Some of the options include business, photography, restaurant, blog and many more. After you’ve made your choice, you’ll be taken to a template page to choose the best-looking option for your new project.
Next, it’s time to start editing your new site, it’s that easy. Everything you can see on your site can be easily changed with a click. You’ll find that it is incredibly easy to use and will soon feel like you’ve always known how it works. Once you’re done editing and changing everything you just have to hit publish and off you go. The simplicity of their editor is a large part of the popularity that Wix enjoys.
2) App Marketplace: With Wix.com you have an entire marketplace full of applications that will help make your site function just the way you want. There are almost 100 free apps that you can add including social options like Pinterest buttons and Facebook comments, a couple of different galleries for images and videos, and payment options like Paypal.
There are also some premium apps available to help you make the most of your new site. Some of the paid apps include a welcome bar that comes down onto your page, letting customers know your current promotions or news. You can also some that help you create interactive videos, have viewable PDF documents, and much more.
Each app has the number of people who have downloaded it clearly displayed. This will give you an idea of which may work best for you. The website builder also has an option to visit the app marketplace right from the interface so you can add apps as you need them.
3) App Developers: With so many people creating websites with this free and versatile host, it has created an opportunity for developers. Wix.com allows third-party developers to create apps that can be applied to their popular site building tools. The developer page claims that your app can be viewed by 72 million small business owners who currently use the platform.
It seems that it’s just as simple to create apps for Wix as it is to put up a new site. They don’t charge developers to put apps on the platform and you can start earning from your new software the first day that it’s available on the marketplace. There is also an option for you to test drive your new program to make sure that it works properly before letting others purchase it. With 47K new apps being installed daily the opportunity is very large.
Customer Support
Wix has an online “support portal” but it’s basically just an extensive FAQ page.
If you are looking to talk to a real person, you’re out of luck. There is no live chat, email address, or telephone number available.
If you need quality support, move on. There are better options like Siteground, InMotion, and HostGator.
Reviews
We checked several online review sources looking for honest opinions about Wix. We found that most positive customer comments were about their features and ease of use.
One customer please with their multiple options stated: “Wix.com is the best hosting company I have dealt with so far, they have hundreds of free templates and they are fully editable which is something that I have struggled to find with other hosting companies.”
Another reviewer writes about their ease of use saying: “Wix.com is one of the website builders and website hosts that I like to promote to my friends and family to use. Wix.com has extensive features and it is simple and easy to understand and use.”
Not all reviews were positive however. We found users frustrated with internal errors and lack of support.
This frustrated reviewer is complaining about an apparently common problem: “And don’t try to do too much without saving your work every 10 minutes or you’ll lose everything you’ve spent so much time on. And I’m not the only one… just google “Wix can’t save error” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.”
Another customer is severely disappointed by the lack of customer support: “On the Wix “support” page, you will not find a contact email address, phone number, or anything useful. It is essentially a forum where users post their issues and the Wix team offers some generic and ineffective answer that leaves you twice as frustrated as you already were.”
Pros
1) Free Domain: Wix offers a free domain for those who want to start or upgrade to a premium membership.
2) Ad Vouchers: Premium customers get over $300 in ad vouchers for Google, Yahoo and other popular PPC platforms.
3) Free Website: Wix is known for providing excellent shared hosting and beautiful sites for free.
4) Uptime Guarantee: A 99.9% uptime guarantee is offered for all premium customers.
5) Tutorials: Wix has a very informative tutorial page and knowledge center, as well as a popular Youtube page.
6) Easily Upgrade: If you want to start with a free site and then upgrade to premium, Wix makes it easy.
Cons
1) Ads Displayed: Wix will display ads on your site with free and the lowest paid plans.
2) Confusing Pricing: While they offer many premium options, it’s difficult to understand all features.
3) No Multiple Websites: You have to start a new premium account for each website you wish to have on Wix.
Summary
Wix.com is a giant in the create your own website industry. They offer an easy to use, highly intuitive HTML5 site builder, and put your site on reliable servers with very little downtime. If you don’t mind ads on your small personal site, then they are your best option.
If you want any traditional hosting options and scripts, like WordPress, for your site, then you’ll have to go elsewhere.