WordPress vs Wix vs Shopify vs a custom website: an honest comparison
Cost, control, maintenance, speed and who each suits: a fair comparison of the four main ways to build a small-business website.
ToBrand team · 6 min read
"Which platform should we use?" is usually the first question a business owner asks about a new website. There is no best platform, only the best fit for what you sell, who will update the site and how much you expect it to grow. This guide compares the four common choices fairly, including where each one falls short. We build on all four, so we have no reason to push one.
The four options in one sentence each
- WordPress (the self-hosted version from wordpress.org) is free, open-source software that runs on hosting you choose, extended with themes and plugins.
- Wix is an all-in-one website builder: you pay a subscription and Wix handles hosting, security and updates, while you edit by dragging and dropping.
- Shopify is an all-in-one platform built for online selling, with products, payments, stock and shipping at its core.
- A custom website is built by developers for your needs, using code or a modern framework, with no platform deciding what is possible.
The comparison at a glance
| WordPress | Wix | Shopify | Custom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Low to medium | Lowest | Low to medium | Highest |
| Running cost | Hosting, premium plugins, upkeep | Monthly or yearly plan | Monthly plan, apps, possible transaction fees | Hosting and developer time for changes |
| Control | High; you own files and data | Limited to what Wix offers | High for selling, limited elsewhere | Complete |
| Maintenance | Yours: updates, backups, security | Handled by Wix | Handled by Shopify | Low if built simply; needs a developer |
| Speed | Fast if built carefully; plugins can slow it | Reasonable; limited room to tune | Good; apps and heavy themes can slow it | Can be the fastest |
| Ease of editing | Good once set up | Easiest | Easy for products | Depends on the editor built in |
| Best for | Content-rich sites, blogs, service firms | Small sites needed quickly | Online shops of any size | Unusual needs, apps, portals |
Prices change and vary by country, plan and currency, so check each platform's current pricing page. For a broader view of what a website costs to build in India, see our guide to website costs in 2026.
Each option in more detail
WordPress: flexible, popular, needs looking after
WordPress runs a very large share of the web, which means a huge choice of themes, plugins and developers in India, the USA and Vietnam. You own everything and can move hosts whenever you like. It is excellent for sites with lots of content: blogs, service pages, resources, multiple languages.
The trade-off is maintenance. WordPress, its theme and every plugin need regular updates, and an unmaintained site is a common target for hackers. Too many plugins slow it down. If no one on your side or your agency's will look after it, it slowly decays. Our WordPress service includes this upkeep.
Choose it if you publish regularly, want full ownership and have someone to maintain it.
Wix: quickest to start, least to maintain
Wix lets a non-technical owner build and edit a decent site quickly. Hosting, security certificates and updates are included, so there is little to break. It has built-in tools for bookings, simple shops and forms.
The limits show as you grow. You rent rather than own: you cannot move a Wix site to another host, so leaving means rebuilding. Fine control over code and speed is restricted, and costs rise as you add premium features. For many small service businesses, though, those limits never matter. See our Wix service for help setting one up.
Choose it if you need a small, good-looking site soon and want to edit it yourself without technical upkeep.
Shopify: the strongest choice for selling online
If selling products is the main job of your website, Shopify is hard to beat. Products, variants, stock, discounts, shipping, taxes and order management are all built in and reliable. Hosting and security are handled for you, and a large app store covers most extras.
Watch the running costs: a monthly plan, paid apps that add up, and possibly extra transaction fees if you use a payment gateway other than Shopify's own, which is not offered in every country. In India and Vietnam, check which local gateways are supported before you decide. Content pages and blogs work but are less flexible than WordPress.
Choose it if online sales are central, whether you have twenty products or two thousand.
Custom-built: everything you need, nothing you don't
A custom website is designed and coded for your business alone. It can be very fast, because it loads only what it needs, and it can do things platforms can't: customer portals, quoting tools, integration with your billing or stock systems, unusual booking rules. There are no platform subscriptions or plugin conflicts.
It costs more upfront and takes longer. Changes beyond the content you can edit usually need a developer, so choose a team you trust to be around in the future, and make sure you own the code and the domain. Our custom software service covers this kind of build.
Choose it if your needs don't fit a platform, speed and control are critical, or the website is part of how you deliver your service.
Five questions to decide
- Is selling online the main purpose? If yes, start with Shopify.
- Who will update the site, and how often? A non-technical owner editing weekly may be happiest on Wix; a team publishing articles, on WordPress.
- Who will maintain it? If nobody will handle updates and backups, avoid a self-managed WordPress site or pay for maintenance.
- Do you need something no platform does well? Then custom is likely cheaper over time than bending a platform.
- How much will you grow in three years? Moving platforms later is possible but costs time, so choose for where you are heading.
What matters more than the platform
Customers never see your platform. They see whether the site loads quickly on a phone, explains clearly what you do and makes it easy to contact you. Google sees the same things. A well-built Wix site beats a neglected WordPress one, and the reverse is just as true. Put your effort into content, speed and clear calls to action whichever you choose.
If you're unsure which fits, ToBrand can look at your goals and recommend one honestly. Book a short call and we'll talk it through.
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