Showit vs. Wix: How to Decide Which is Best for Your Creative Business

Let’s chat about Showit vs. Wix, and how you can decide which website builder is best for your business. This episode is actually part 2 of a series I’m doing on website platforms. If you haven’t listened to part 1 yet, I compare Showit and Shopify in episode 16 of this podcast. I get asked about choosing between those two platforms most often, so be sure to give it a listen if you want to know more about Showit vs. Shopify!

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Showit vs. Wix: Overview

Before I get into comparing Showit vs. Wix, I do want to say that while I am a Showit web designer, I have designed on several different platforms over the years.

In fact, when I first started freelancing as a teenager, I got paid to design Wix sites.  I also know of people who choose to design on other platforms besides Showit.

So, I see pros and cons to all of the options that I’m going to cover in this series, and I’m not here to bash any one platform. I’m just sharing my knowledge, experience, and opinions.

Please take what I’m saying with a grain of salt as you decide what’s best for you and your business.

Wix is a great option for new business owners

If you’re listening to this and you are a photographer, blogger, coach, therapist, or some other type of service-based business owner, it can be hard to know which platform is best for you.

My suggestion is that if you are a new business owner, who’s looking to publish your first website, go with Wix.

If you have been in business for some time and you are ready to upgrade from your first site to something that is more custom-tailored to your brand and gives you more flexibility and power when it comes to your online marketing efforts, then I think Showit might be best for you. 

To explain why, let’s break these platforms down in terms of Price, Quality, Customization, and Convenience. 

Showit vs. Wix: Price

As we dive into price, you’ll notice that there are some differences between the cost of getting a Showit or Wix website up and running.

However, I always say that a website is an investment that should serve your business well, not just another expense.

Also, the saying “you get what you pay for” is true when it comes to web design. As we get into quality, customization, and convenience, I’ll explain further. But for now, let’s focus on price. 

Showit’s Pricing

• Showit’s Basic Plan is $24/mo.
• However, if you want to have a blog on your site (which I recommend) the Showit + Basic Blog plan is $29/mo. For most businesses who are just switching from their first-ever site, I suggest starting with the Showit + Basic Blog.
• Of course, if you are a blogger, or just have lots of blog posts to transfer over, then the Showit + Advanced Blog might be best for you, which is $39.mo. 

These prices are for Showit’s monthly payment plans. If you wanted to pay for a year upfront, for the Showit + Basic Blog plan that is $288 billed annually. 

Wix’s Pricing 

• Wix’s lowest plan is the Combo, which is $14/mo. However, if you’re listening to this episode, I’m guessing that you are a creative business owner. In that case, the Combo plan actually doesn’t  apply because it is for personal use only. 
• The next tier is the Unlimited plan, which is recommended for entrepreneurs & freelancers. It’s $18/mo.
• The Pro plan offers complete online branding, and is $23/mo
• The VIP plan offers first priority support for $39/mo. 

It’s important to mention that Wix has a note on their pricing page that these prices are for the yearly subscriptions, paid in full at time of purchase. So if you went with the Unlimited plan for entrepreneurs, you’d actually be paying $216 upfront. 

Wix also offers pricing for Business & eCommerce plans. However, I’m not going to go over those for the purposes of this article. 

While WIx has improved their eCommerce features since I last used it in 2017, if you are a product-based business owner, I recommend going with Shopify, which was specifically built to serve you.

Showit: Other Costs to Consider

It’s important to note that with Showit, your investment amount often doesn’t stop at paying for the website plan. The monthly plan amount doesn’t include your website design.

Here are 2 common routes that Showit users take to get their website designed:

1. DIY (Template) – You can purchase a Showit template from Showit’s store, or any designer that sells templates, and customize it yourself. Because Showit’s platform makes editing a design easy (even if you’re not a design pro), I’ve heard of people choosing to go the template route and having their website up in a week or less! As far as price goes, Showit templates usually run anywhere from a $200 to $1000+, so that’s something to keep in mind. There are some free templates out there as well.
2. Hiring a Web Designer to Create a Custom Design – When you hire a designer to create your Showit site, they’ll work with you to create something that is completely unique to your business and brand. This is typically more of a high-end investment, as most of the Showit designers I’ve seen, including myself, charge at least $3,000 for custom web design. 

(On a related note, I’m actually working on my own Showit template shop that will be available early 2021! Join the waitlist here.)

Wix: Other Costs to Consider?

When you sign up for Wix, you have access to hundreds of templates included in your subscription, at no extra cost. So it’s very possible to pay for a plan, DIY the customization of a template, and have your site up and running.

You can also hire a website designer that specializes in Wix to help you. I’m not as familiar with the going rate for custom Wix website design right now, since I focus on Showit. 

After hearing all that, it probably sounds like Wix is the best option right now. Hang with me, though, because I don’t think you should base your choice for a website platform on price alone, if you can help it.

The real value and return on investment of a website comes in what it can do for your business. So let’s talk about Quality next.

Showit vs. Wix: Quality

The quality of your website matters. Research says that when a person is browsing on the internet and clicks on your site, they will make the decision to stay or leave in a matter of seconds. You want to make a good first impression!

What affects a site’s quality? A combination of structure, intentional design, and well-written copy (the text on your site) determines a site’s quality.

You want a website that is:

• Easy for visitors to use on desktop and mobile
• SEO-optimized so that you can get found on Google
• Isn’t just pretty, but converts browsers into fans and eventually, paying customers or clients 
• Reflects your brand well

Showit and Wix both have features that allow all of the items on the list above to be accomplished, but to varying degrees.

For example, Showit integrates with WordPress for powerful blogging and SEO tools. Wix uses their SEO Wizard and built-in blogging tools, but you don’t have as much flexibility and control as you do in Showit.

Also, one of the things that I love most about Showit is that you have complete control over how both the desktop and mobile views look. One does not depend on the other.

I’m not sure if this is the case with all Wix templates, but the ones that I have used allow you to edit the mobile site, but not to the extent that Showit allows. Which brings us to the topic of customization.

Showit vs. Wix: Customization

When it comes to customization, Showit really stands out as a front runner to me. Even if you start with a template, you can literally customize anything that you want about the design of your website. You can change colors, fonts, and move things around. You’re not bound to the template on desktop or mobile. 

Compared to other website builders I’ve tried, Wix does offer lots of customization options. That’s one of the reasons that I enjoyed designing on it before I discovered Showit. You can change fonts and colors. Elements like photos and text can be moved around within their section of the template. It’s just that you are more bound to the template in Wix than you are in Showit, especially when it comes to mobile customization.

In Wix, you can hide certain elements on mobile, but you can’t create a mobile layout that’s independent of the desktop layout, which means less customization.

Showit vs. Wix: Convenience

Let’s compare the template route of Showit and WIx when talking about convenience.

I would say that both are convenient options in that you can sign up for an account, choose a template, make your edits, and have your site up in running relatively quickly. 

I think that both platforms are easy to use, but as with anything new, there is going to be a learning curve with both. I’m a designer, and even I had to sit down and learn how these platforms work before I could create websites on them. 

I am working on a course to go along with the Showit templates I’m creating, which I’ve nicknamed the “Website Workshop” to help you learn Showit and customize your template at the same time. Hopefully this will help with understanding the platform and getting your site up quickly. 

One way that Showit and Wix differ in terms of convenience is that in my experience, it has been hard to get in touch with the Wix support staff. They have an extensive library of help articles on their site, which was great! But when the moment came that I needed to speak with a real person, it was hard to find a contact number and get in touch. I eventually did, though.

Showit also has an extensive library of help articles, but they also make it super easy to chat with a real person. There is a chat box in the bottom right corner of the website editor. All you have to do is type your message, and someone will get back to you. 

Showit vs. Wix: Final Thoughts

Alright, so there you have it – my thoughts on Showit vs. WIx. I hope that this has been helpful to you if you are trying to decide between the two platforms. 

While I do love Showit, I don’t think that Wix is a bad platform. Especially when considering price, I think that Wix offers a lot for it’s price point and is more budget-friendly, especially since there are a lot of templates to choose from at no extra cost. 

However, I also think that with the lower cost, you are missing some of the quality and capability that Showit offers, especially in terms of customization options, SEO, and blogging power. 

That’s why I recommend Wix as a great platform for new business owners who are just getting started and want their first website.

Then, as you develop your brand and offer a little more, look into investing in a Showit template or custom website design. 

But again, these are just my opinions, please take what I’m saying with a grain of salt and do what’s best for you. 

Join the Waitlist for My Showit Template Shop!

If you are interested in learning more about Showit templates, I’ve started a waitlist that you can join to get more information about my Showit template shop that’s coming early 2021!

If I can answer any questions for you about websites, templates, choosing a platform, etc. feel free to DM me on Instagram or send an email to maya@mayapalmerdesigns.com. I’m happy to help!