Ember & Echo Multimedia
Published 2026-09-18 by Ember & Echo Multimedia
This post is our opinion, based on our experience running a web design company. It is written to share information about the services we offer and to answer questions potential clients ask us. It is not a statement of fact about any company, and we are not attempting to disparage, defame, or harm Wix, WordPress, Automattic, WP Engine, or anyone else. Many businesses use these platforms successfully. How you weigh what follows is up to you, and we encourage you to confirm current details directly with each provider.
If you run a plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical, or other service business, someone has probably told you to just put up a Wix or WordPress site. We get asked about this often, so here is our opinion, along with the questions people usually ask us. Where we mention a statistic, it comes from a source linked at the end, and it is that source's finding, not our claim.
We build custom, hand-coded websites, so we have a stake in this topic, and you should weigh our opinion with that in mind. We also build budget sites on Wix and WordPress when that is the right fit for a customer.
In our opinion, the honest answer is that they are one of the fastest and most affordable ways to get a real website online, and for some businesses that is the right call.
WordPress dates to 2003 and Wix to 2006. For much of the time since, the alternative was paying a developer to build the site and again for each change. These platforms put publishing in the owner's hands, and we think that was a genuine step forward. The reasons people choose them are real:
We think this is enough for a brand-new business testing a service, a side business, or a company whose calls come mostly from referrals and its Google Business Profile, where the website's job is to show you are real.
That depends on what you need your website to do. If it is a brochure that confirms you exist, either can work well. If you want it to be a lead source that you grow across several services and cities, we think it is worth looking more closely at how much control you need. This is how we think about it:
As we understand them, Wix is an all-in-one hosted product, while WordPress is software that can run on many different hosts. Each has its own strengths, and you should read each provider's current documentation before deciding.
In our opinion, yes. Both are actively developed and widely used.
WordPress released version 7.0 on May 20, 2026, according to WordPress.org. Wix, a publicly traded company, reported revenue of $563 million for the second quarter of 2026, up 15% from a year earlier, according to its own results announcement.
We are not saying that either platform hurts a business, and we do not believe that is true in every case. What we can share is where, in our experience, service businesses tend to run into friction. Whether any of it applies to you depends on how your own site is built and maintained.
The 2025 Web Almanac from HTTP Archive reports that 74% of Wix sites and 45% of WordPress sites passed Google's Core Web Vitals on mobile. Those are the report's findings about large groups of sites, not a judgment on any single site, and the report itself notes that "even within a single CMS, sites range from highly optimized to severely bloated." Our takeaway is that how a site is built and maintained matters more than the name of the platform. Because many of your customers may search from a phone, we think speed is worth measuring on any site, whatever it runs on. We cover this in why your contractor website needs to load fast.
WordPress is software, and in our opinion it works best when a person or provider is responsible for keeping the theme and plugins up to date. Patchstack's 2026 report says that 91% of the WordPress vulnerabilities it tracked in 2025 were in plugins, 9% were in themes, and only 6 were in WordPress core. We read that as a reminder that add-ons need attention, not as a criticism of WordPress. Many businesses handle this well with a managed host or a maintenance provider.
According to Wix's help center, a Wix site must run on Wix's servers, and you can connect a domain you bought elsewhere or transfer your domain away. Many people like the simplicity of that arrangement. We mention it because, in our experience, customers appreciate knowing before they build that moving later would mean rebuilding the site on another platform. Please confirm current details with Wix, since policies can change.
Both platforms can be used to build a strong service-business site. In our experience, though, the default path is a template built for general use: a homepage, a services page, an about page, and a contact form. A plumbing or roofing company often needs more, such as a separate page for each service and each city it serves, a phone number that is one tap away, and proof like reviews and job photos on the pages that matter. That is achievable on either platform, but it takes deliberate work. Our guide to how many pages a trades website should have explains how we think about it.
Google's John Mueller said in October 2025 that there is no fundamental SEO difference between mainstream content management systems. For local searches, Google says results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and how well-known a business is, and that complete, accurate Business Profile information and more positive reviews help. We do not see the website platform on that list, so in our view your Google Business Profile and your reviews deserve attention first. Start with our Google Business Profile checklist.
Hosting, a premium theme, plugin licenses, backups, and plan renewals are each small. In our opinion it is worth adding up your own total, including the hours spent maintaining the site, before deciding what is the better value for you.
In our experience, the pattern that costs service companies most is a site that was launched once and never maintained, whatever platform it runs on. That is our opinion, and yours may differ.
If you would like a second opinion on a site you already have, or you are weighing a first one, we are happy to talk it through. You can also read about our website design and development services.
No. In our opinion they are reasonable choices for many businesses, and plenty of owners are happy with them. We offer custom builds and budget builds, and which is right for you is your decision. We are simply sharing how we think about it.
According to WordPress.com's support page, both run the same WordPress software. WordPress.com is a hosted service that handles hosting, updates, security, and backups, while WordPress.org is software you download and run on a host you choose, which makes server management your responsibility.
Wix's help center says a Wix site must run on Wix's servers, and that you can connect a domain bought elsewhere or transfer your domain away. Details can change, so please confirm with Wix. If you may want to move later, we suggest asking about that before you build.
Patchstack's 2026 report says 91% of the WordPress vulnerabilities it tracked in 2025 were in plugins, 9% in themes, and 6 in WordPress core. We read that as a reason to keep add-ons updated and to remove ones you do not use.
Google's John Mueller said in October 2025 that there is no fundamental SEO difference between mainstream content management systems. In our opinion, the quality, speed, and structure of a site matter more than which tool built it.
The 2025 Web Almanac reports that 74% of Wix sites and 45% of WordPress sites passed Google's Core Web Vitals on mobile. Those are that report's findings for large groups of sites, and results vary by site and by year. We suggest testing your own site with PageSpeed Insights.
Not for basic edits. Many owners handle small updates themselves. In our experience, help is most useful for initial setup, page structure, and ongoing upkeep.
Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and how well-known a business is, and that complete Business Profile information and more positive reviews help. In our view, that makes your profile and your reviews the place to start.
W3Techs reports that in September 2026 WordPress was used by 40.2% of all websites and 58.8% of sites with a known content management system, and Wix by 4.2% of all websites and 6.2% of those with a known system.
Figures were checked against these sources in September 2026. Statistics change over time, and the Web Almanac and Patchstack figures reflect 2025 data. Each figure is the finding of its source, not a claim by us.
The views in this post are our own opinions, offered to share information about the services Ember & Echo Multimedia offers and to answer questions from potential clients. Nothing here is intended as a statement of fact about, or an attack on, any company or person, and we have no dispute with Wix, WordPress, Automattic, WP Engine, Google, or any other company named. Ember & Echo Multimedia is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them, and names are used only to identify them. This post is general information, not technical or legal advice, and features, pricing, and statistics on any platform can change. If you believe anything here is out of date or inaccurate, please contact us and we will review it promptly.