Wix vs GoDaddy: Which easy-to-use website builder is better for designers?

If you've been building websites for a while, Wix and GoDaddy are both names that you are probably familiar with. Yet today, each of them has its own competing small business website builder product with hopes to draw in a steady crowd of creative folks. Here, I'll show you which one of them is better for your needs.

Wix is a top website development platform with a wide range of small business tools and design features. It currently offers over 900 templates for various industries and website needs. The AI Business Launcher, introduced in January 2025, helps entrepreneurs by generating complete business concepts from start to finish. For design professionals, Wix’s drag-and-drop editor provides full creative control. This allows for complex customisation, no matter the user's skill level.

GoDaddy is traditionally known for domain registration, but it has recently made many improvements to its website builder, prioritising speed and efficiency over complex design choices. It has added new AI features, including an upgraded "Create with AI" hub in GoDaddy Studio. There's also GoDaddy Airo, a neat collection of small business management tools that entrepreneurs will find very helpful. While it may lack the design flexibility of Wix, GoDaddy's simplicity and speed will appeal to creatives needing to launch their sites efficiently.

The best prices on Wix and GoDaddy

Best deal

Wix: Best website builder from $8.50 per month
It's quick, easy and cheap to build a website with Wix, making it our pick as best website builder overall. Choose from 800+ templates, add your content, and you'll have your site up and running. There's even a free plan.

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Best deal

GoDaddy: Professional websites for $9.99 per month
GoDaddy's all-in-one website builder for small businesses, previously known as GoCentral, helps you launch and manage your online presence without any coding knowledge.

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Interface & features

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Wix offers a highly intuitive and flexible interface tailored for creative professionals. Its drag-and-drop editor provides unparalleled freedom, allowing users to place elements anywhere on the page without restrictions. This level of control can be extremely appealing to designers and artists who want to bring complex visions to life. Wix's extensive library of over 900 professionally designed templates caters to diverse industries, giving creatives a solid foundation to build upon.

For the more tech-savvy creatives like me, Wix Studio Editor takes customisation to the next level. It offers advanced tools like Flexbox and CSS Grid for precise responsive design, custom code integration for unique animations, and real-time collaboration features. These capabilities enable creative teams to work efficiently on complex projects, pushing the boundaries of web design without the need for extensive coding knowledge.

GoDaddy's website builder, while not as feature-rich as Wix, focuses on simplicity and efficiency. Its streamlined interface is designed to help users create professional-looking websites quickly. For creatives who value speed and simplicity, GoDaddy's approach can be appealing. The platform offers over 200 customisable templates, which, while fewer than Wix, still provide a good starting point for many creative projects.

Another thing I love is GoDaddy's new AI-powered tools, thanks to the launch of GoDaddy Airo. It uses artificial intelligence to generate website designs, content, and even marketing strategies based on user input. For creatives looking to jumpstart their own online presence or experiment with assistive design tools, this can be an intriguing option. Additionally, GoDaddy's mobile app allows for on-the-go site edits, adding flexibility to the creative process.

Verdict: Overall, while both platforms cater to creatives, they do so in different ways. Wix offers more design freedom and advanced features, making it ideal for creatives who want granular control over their website's look and functionality. GoDaddy, on the other hand, prioritises ease of use and quick setup, which may appeal if you want to establish a digital presence with no fuss. The choice between the two will largely depend on a project's creative's needs, your technical skills, and design preferences.

Performance

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Wix has made significant strides in performance optimisation, ensuring that websites built on its platform load quickly and efficiently. The platform uses a global CDN (Content Delivery Network) to distribute website content across multiple servers worldwide, reducing load times for visitors regardless of their location. Wix also employs advanced caching mechanisms and image optimisation techniques to further enhance site speed. However, it's worth noting that the platform's extensive feature set can sometimes lead to slower performance, especially for complex sites with numerous elements.

GoDaddy, known primarily for its domain registration and hosting services, leverages its robust infrastructure to provide reliable performance for its website builder. The company's hosting capabilities ensure high uptime rates, typically around 99.9%. GoDaddy's websites are optimised for mobile devices, ensuring smooth performance across various screen sizes. However, like Wix, the platform can sometimes struggle with performance issues due to its many features.

Verdict: Performance is crucial, no matter how good your website looks. Fast-loading pages and consistent uptime not only improve user experience but also contribute to better search engine rankings. While both Wix and GoDaddy offer solid performance overall, creatives working on more complex projects may need to pay extra attention to optimisation techniques to ensure their sites run smoothly. Personally, I always try to balance the desire for feature-rich designs with a platform that has reliable performance records.

SEO and ecommerce

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Wix provides a comprehensive suite of SEO tools designed to help creatives improve their online visibility. The platform offers built-in features like customisable meta titles and descriptions, URL slugs, and alt text for images. For creatives who may not be SEO experts, Wix's SEO Wiz tool offers personalised step-by-step plans to optimise websites for search engines. This can be helpful for artists, designers, and other creatives who don't know much about marketing.

In terms of ecommerce, I like the way Wix guides creative users looking to set up online stores. The platform supports product pages, secure payment gateways, and inventory management systems. For creative professionals selling digital products, artwork, or services, Wix's ecommerce capabilities provide a seamless way to monetise their skills directly through their website.

GoDaddy also offers SEO tools to help websites rank better in search results. I particularly like the SEO Wizard that guides users through optimising their pages with keywords and descriptions. While not as extensive as Wix's offerings, GoDaddy's SEO features are user-friendly and can help creatives improve their online visibility without requiring deep technical knowledge.

GoDaddy's ecommerce features are designed with simplicity in mind, making it easy for creatives to start selling online. The platform offers tools for product listing, inventory management, and secure checkout processes. GoDaddy also provides features like abandoned cart recovery and social media integration, which can be particularly useful if you're looking to market your products or services across multiple channels.

Verdict: Wix offers more advanced features and customisation options in general. GoDaddy focuses on simplicity and user-friendliness instead. Depending on your comfort level with technology, you might prefer one over the other for search or ecommerce.

Customer support

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Wix offers strong customer support for creative professionals needing quick help with design or tech issues. It features 24/7 live chat directly from the user dashboard. Premium users can request callbacks, and the Help Center has over 900 self-service articles. Creative teams can use real-time collaboration tools in Wix Studio, which allow shared editing and comment threads for better project communication. Free users get basic help, but priority support is for Business Elite and Enterprise subscribers. This ensures quicker solutions for complex issues like custom code or eCommerce troubleshooting.

GoDaddy focuses on accessibility, with 24/7 phone and WhatsApp support in over 30 countries. It has dedicated lines for India (+91 040-6760 7600) and the U.S. (+1 480-366-3549). Its AI-powered Airo assistant helps creatives by providing auto-generated fixes for common problems like template customisation or domain linking. However, contacting live chat requires passing through an automated bot first, which delays access to human help compared to Wix. GoDaddy also offers a large library of video tutorials and webinars, which are great for quick website launches.

Verdict: For me, the choice rests clearly on workflow needs here. Wix shines with design-focused support and collaborative tools. GoDaddy excels in global availability and straightforward help delivered quickly.

Pricing and plans

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Wix’s pricing suits creatives at all levels, from freelancers to agencies. The Light plan ($17/month) is good for portfolios with 2GB storage. My personal favorite, the Core plan ($29/month) adds basic eCommerce tools for artists selling digital downloads.

High-volume users can choose the Business Elite tier ($159/month), which provides unlimited storage, advanced analytics, and priority support for busy periods. Wix’s free plan is fully functional indefinitely, allowing designers to explore templates and AI tools without cost.

GoDaddy takes a budget-friendly approach. Its Basic plan ($9.99/month) includes a free domain and 25,000 marketing emails—perfect for creatives using newsletters.

The Premium plan ($15.99/month) adds appointment scheduling and video integrations, helpful for UI/UX consultants. The Commerce plan ($24.99/month) supports up to 5,000 products but lacks Wix’s detailed inventory filters, making it better for small boutiques than larger studios.

Verdict: Wix’s tiered pricing offers more features, attracting creatives needing scalability. GoDaddy’s lower entry cost is appealing for quick launches. However, GoDaddy’s renewal rates increase sharply (e.g., Premium renews at $29.99/month) while Wix has predictable annual pricing. Affordability-wise, I prefer Wix on this because the renewal prices aren't so different from what I pay for my first term.

Verdict

Wix stands out for creatives who want design freedom and teamwork. Its drag-and-drop editor, 900+ templates, and CSS/JavaScript customisation support agencies building complex sites with animations or 3D elements. Wix’s SEO tools and eCommerce features help creators monetise their work. However, its steeper learning curve and higher pricing require technical skills and budget flexibility.

GoDaddy excels in speed and simplicity, making it ideal for freelancers needing a polished online presence quickly. Its AI-generated templates and built-in marketing tools (social media ads, email campaigns) help with client acquisition, while 24/7 global support reduces downtime. Yet, its rigid design structure and limited storage can restrict creativity for detailed portfolios.

You should choose Wix for customisation and scalability in collaborative projects. Opt for GoDaddy if budget constraints or quick deployment matter more than detailed design control. Both platforms excel in their areas, but, Wix’s creative tools and strong support make it the better choice for professionals looking to push digital limits.