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Open-source alternative to Wix

WordPress is a free, open-source Wix alternative for building a website or blog with any theme and plugin. Wix charges a monthly plan and its sites cannot be moved elsewhere; a self-hosted WordPress site is yours to keep.

1 alternative Free app Our pick: WordPress

At a glance

App Good for Code Import from Wix Ease of use
WordPress Any kind of website, with the widest choice of themes, plugins and people who can help Code Open source Import from Wix No Easy

Why look for an alternative to Wix?

Wix is a hosted website builder: you pick a template, drag elements onto the page and Wix runs the site, with add-ons for shops, bookings and blogs.

People look for an alternative when the monthly plan gets expensive, especially once they need a custom domain without Wix ads, a shop or more storage. The bigger concern is lock-in: a Wix site cannot be exported, so leaving later means rebuilding it. And you can only use the features and apps Wix offers. Self-hosted WordPress has no platform fee, works with any theme or plugin, and can be moved to another host whenever you like.

How WordPress compares

WordPress

Build a website, blog or shop with themes and thousands of add-ons.

The most widely used website software, and the usual next step after Wix. You choose from thousands of themes and plugins for shops, bookings, forms and more, edit pages with the block editor, and can move the site to any host at any time.

What you gain
  • No monthly platform fee or plan to upgrade
  • Any theme or plugin you like, with no locked features
  • You can move your site to any host at any time
What is different
  • You keep WordPress, your theme and your plugins up to date yourself
  • Sending emails, such as contact form messages, needs an email plugin and sending service
  • More choices to make than on Wix or Squarespace
Easy Open source · GPL-2.0-or-later
Deploy WordPress About WordPress

Moving from Wix

Wix has no export to other website builders, so pages are rebuilt in WordPress. Pick a theme with a similar layout, copy your text and images across page by page, and recreate forms with a form plugin. Blog posts can be brought over from Wix's RSS feed with WordPress's RSS importer. Keep the same page addresses where you can, or add redirects, so search rankings carry over.

Questions

What is the best open-source alternative to Wix?

WordPress is the free, open-source alternative to Wix for building a website in the catalogue today. The most widely used website software, and the usual next step after Wix. You choose from thousands of themes and plugins for shops, bookings, forms and more, edit pages with the block editor, and can move the site to any host at any time.

Is WordPress harder to use than Wix?

A little. The block editor is drag-and-drop like Wix, but you also choose a theme and plugins and keep them up to date. Cloudgate handles the server and installation.

Can I build an online shop on WordPress?

Yes. WooCommerce, a free plugin, turns WordPress into a full shop with products, a cart and payments.

Is it really free?

Yes, the app is free. To run them you need Cloudgate and a server. Use hosted Cloudgate, which can also provide the server, or install Cloudgate on a server of your own for free. Cloudgate's plans and prices are at cloudgate.octabyte.io/pricing. One server can run several apps.

Do I need a developer?

No. Cloudgate installs the app on your server and gives it a secure web address. You use it in your browser.