Wix or a freelance web developer: which is right for a small business?

A tradesperson, a restaurant owner or a professional looking to create a website quickly runs into the same question: build it yourself on Wix for a few dozen euros a month, or hire a developer for several thousand. Both options are valid. They simply do not answer the same need, and the price difference on display hides a difference in real cost.

What Wix does well

Wix, Squarespace or Jimdo let you put a website online in an evening, with no technical skills. The templates are decent, hosting is included, updates are automatic. For a business that is just starting, a temporary project or an immediate need, it is an honest answer.

These tools have also improved on search rankings. The basics are there: editable page titles, generated sitemap, mobile version, HTTPS certificate. A well-filled Wix site can perfectly well appear on Google for the company name and a few local searches with little competition.

What Wix really costs over five years

The price put forward is monthly, and that is where the comparison goes wrong. For a professional site with a domain name, no Wix advertising and reasonable storage, count between 15 and 40 euros a month depending on the plan. Over five years, that is between 900 and 2,400 euros, plus the time spent building the site and the paid apps if you need booking or an advanced form.

A custom site is paid once. A showcase website for tradespeople starts at 2,500 euros, then hosting costs a few euros a month, paid directly to the host. Over five years, the two options meet. The difference is what you own at the end.

The question nobody asks at the start: who owns the site?

A Wix site cannot be exported. If you stop the subscription, the site disappears. If you want to change provider or host, you start from scratch: the texts can be copied, but the structure, the design and above all the page addresses are lost. That is the platform’s rule, not a hidden flaw.

With a developer who works properly, you receive the source code at delivery. The site can be moved, modified by someone else, or left as it is for years without paying anything. I explain this principle in detail on my services page, because it is the basis of how I work: no subscription, no lock-in.

Speed and rankings: the gap shows on mobile

A Wix site loads a significant amount of code to display a simple page. On a computer with fibre, the difference is invisible. On the phone of a customer looking for a plumber from a car park, it shows. Google measures these loading times and takes them into account, especially for local searches.

A site built from scratch, without unnecessary code, loads in under a second on mobile. I detailed exactly what Google measures in the article on Core Web Vitals. On a search like “electrician Tourcoing”, that detail can be the difference between the first page and the second.

There is another, less visible limit: on Wix, you do not control everything that matters for rankings. Redirects, some technical settings and the structured data sent to Google are possible but constrained. When the site grows, these constraints become a ceiling.

When Wix is the right choice

Your budget is under 500 euros and will not change.
You need a site this week, not next month.
Your business is temporary or experimental.
You enjoy doing it yourself and you have time to look after it.
Your customers come from word of mouth, and the site is mostly a business card.

In those situations, a developer would be a disproportionate expense. Build your site on Wix, fill it in seriously, and come back to the question in two years.

When to hire a freelance developer

You want to appear on Google for local searches your competitors are also targeting.
The site must belong to you, without depending on a platform or a subscription.
You have a specific need: appointment booking, online quotes, a customer area, a connection to business software.
You do not have time to build the site yourself, nor the wish to maintain it.
You already have a Wix site that is not taking off and you want to understand why.

A freelance developer costs more than an online site builder and less than a traditional agency. I compared the two in freelance or agency near Lille. The right reflex, before signing, remains to ask the questions listed in what to ask a freelance developer before signing: code ownership, deadlines, maintenance.

The common case: a Wix site that already exists

Many of my clients arrive with a Wix site built three or four years ago. It works, but it brings no enquiries, and nobody really knows how to change it. In that case, the question is not “Wix or developer” but “what is this site worth today”. A ten-minute assessment is enough to find out: speed, position on Google, texts, mobile.

If the site holds up, we keep it and improve it. If it is holding the business back, a redesign makes it possible to start again on a clean base without losing the rankings already earned. Both answers are possible, and the diagnosis decides, not the provider.

Let’s talk about your project

Hesitating between Wix and a custom site, or you already have a Wix site and wonder whether it is working for you? Describe your situation in a few lines. I will tell you honestly which of the two options fits your business, even if the answer is to stay on Wix.