Wix and Google Sites are two website builders, which allow creating different types of web projects, ranging from small business websites and up to web stores and portfolios.
The services, however, differ a lot in terms of functionality, flexibility, design customization options and affordability. These distinctions make it complicated to compare the website builders, which occupy quite different positions in the list of contemporary web building tools.
Wix is the world-known all-in-one DIY website builder that covers a broad spectrum of users’ web design needs and boasts a powerful set of features and tools. Some of them include Artificial Design Intelligence, Ascend platform, hundreds of mobile-adapted templates, powerful design customization tools and versatile pricing plans to fit any budget and web design needs.
Google Sites, in its turn, is a simple cloud website builder, which provides an intuitive web design environment and encompasses plain features that can be applicable to the development of ordinary web projects for everyday use.
Even though both systems make it possible to create full-featured projects, it still seems quite strange to compare the world-renowned service like Wix with the less well-known Google Sites platform. It’s quite clear that Wix is more feature-rich, functional and intuitive.
The point is: what are the reasons that make it stand out from the crowd and are there any things it can cope with that are impossible to complete with Google Sites?
Is the difference between the platforms really worth the money in the long run? Which service – Google Sites vs Wix – is more preferable for a certain target audience? It is high time to make that clear now. Let’s Go.
General Overview
Wix provides powerful design customization features and tools out-of-the-box. This is no wonder as it is currently the world-popular DIY website builder.
The platform is quite easy to master and use both by newbies and professionals. It’s a perfect pick for the development of all types of web projects, be it a portfolio, a small business website, a web store, a blog, a landing page, a promo site or any other website.
The website builder was founded in 2006 and it has quickly won the attention of millions of web designers around the world. Currently, the number of Wix-powered websites has reached 10,839,692 and it keeps growing with every passing month.
Wix is a freemium website builder. It allows using its free unlimited plan to explore and test the system for as long as you need that. As soon as you make sure that the website builder comes up to your needs and requirements, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the paid subscriptions the system offers.
This is a must, if you intend to start a feature-laden website and go live with it. Fortunately, the selection of Wix plans is quite versatile and you have several options to choose from.
Google Sites lets you create simple web projects for personal everyday use. The DIY website builder can easily be mastered even by those users, who don’t have any web design background – so intuitive and understandable it is.
With Google Sites, you can create ordinary projects like school sites, intranets, portfolios, event projects etc. If you need a more feature-laden website, then it’s better to give preference to another platform.
The system can hardly be called the most powerful and feature-rich website builder. However, its integrated functionality and toolset are enough to complete a certain standard task.
According to recent estimates, the number of web projects launched with the website builder has exceeded 1,064,752 and many more are currently under construction.
An interesting issue is that Google Sites now has two versions – classic and new, which are incompatible with each other. Projects started with the classic version can no longer be edited and it is impossible to work with this version as well.
What’s more, all old websites have been removed from publication since 2021. It is still possible to download the content they include or convert it to a new Google Sites format, if needed.
Which One Is Easier to Use?
Wix has distinguished itself not only as the most popular and feature-laden website builder, but also as a simple and intuitive system suitable for the development of all types of web projects. It does not imply any coding or web design proficiency and, thus, it can be mastered and used even by non-techies.
The website builder comes with a convenient and quite intuitive control panel, while its WYSIWYG editor makes it possible to watch and control the entire process of website creation. This especially matters a lot for those users, who have just started working with the system.
To create a website layout, you just need to pick and drag the required elements and add-ons to the canvas and arrange them with regard to your needs.
The service structurally comprises the Dashboard (the place, where you adjust the major website settings) and the Editor (the area, where you actually work on your website development in the WYSIWYG mode).
All in all, the entire system environment is designed in the same graphic style, including the apps. This creates the feeling of interface unity, which makes it simpler to get used to it.
Regardless of the notable amount of options, even a user with zero web design experience can master this website builder. It will take around several hours to memorize the positions of elements and system sections as well as to learn how to make the edits, add new functions and design the pages, using the available widget collection.
One of the undeniable Wix highlights is its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) tool that also simplifies the process of web creation for beginners.The tool guides you through the web design procedure, offering detailed guidelines.
It generates questions and uses the answers you provide to automatically create a website for you. You just need to submit the rest of the content manually and customize the required elements to get the ready-made project.
While Wix ADI works best for non-techies, the innovative Wix Velo platform is a top notch solution for coders. This is a powerful environment for professional development of web applications and database interaction.
Velo tool makes it possible to extend the built-in settings and features of the software to provide an opportunity for advanced customization of projects it powers.
Users, who possess coding skills, can embed JS scripts and use the API mode to make their website interactive and feature-laden. Velo also adds a built-in IDE to your Wix website to let you code directly in its editor.
Each time you need professional assistance, Wix support team is within reach. You can browse its vast Knowledge Base, get in touch with the specialists via the Live Chat or the ticketing system.
The official Wix forum currently encompasses over 300,000 topics and it is quite easy to navigate for everyone. There is access to numerous video tutorials and email support options that simplify the system exploration for beginners.
VIP subscribers can additionally avail premium assistance here by scheduling a call to get in touch with the support team.
Google Sites has a stunningly simple text editor and easy interface understandable from the very first sight. It takes around several minutes to get used to it and to discover the main system elements.
If you already have your Google account, you won’t even have to complete the registration process as the website builder will be available in the list of services within your account. Just pick one of the provided templates and proceed to its customization, enjoying the convenient WYSIWYG web editing environment. Can anything be simpler than that?
What you will see is the document you will work in and 3 sections of options to the right realized through the tabs. Web page management does not differ a lot from editing a report with formatted text and media elements.
This is actually a one-page interface. Everything that is not included into it, further appears in pop-up windows without any transitions. You will be able to add, edit and remove some of the media elements/widgets here, but the prevailing amount of page content won’t be editable.
The good news is that it is almost impossible to spoil something here – all the elements are automatically positioned on the grid, while all the sizes and indents are conveniently adjusted. This is handy for first-timers.
The entire website design process happens on the same screen. It is no wonder that this service is super easy.
Elements and options you can use are visible at a time. It is even theoretically impossible to mix something up here. It takes from half an hour to one day to explore the service depending upon your interest and experience.
Google Sites is quite an understandable website builder, but if you still have any system-related questions, you are welcome to access its impressive Help Center to find useful tutorials or how-to articles there. The system also allows sending the feedback containing the screenshot of your current page to simplify the communication process.
Design and Flexibility
Wix and Google Sites allow creating quality web projects, but the systems utilize diverse approaches to the web design process. They also come with versatile integrated functionality, including diverse features and tools that can be used on all the stages of website development.
To define the platform that has more to offer in terms of design and flexibility, let’s have a look at their common and distinctive parameters now.
eCommerce
Wix comes with a powerful eCommerce engine. Creation of online stores is realized via Wix Stores widget integration, which is quite simple and quick for everyone. You won’t need coding skills here – the entire process is intuitive and understandable from the start.
The website builder makes it possible to launch and manage various types of digital stores (both small and medium). It’s up to you to adjust the settings of these websites based on your needs and requirements.
Among the parameters you can set up for your online store, it makes sense to mention the creation/management of product galleries, adjustment of show window display options, introduction of special offers/discounts, customization of eCommerce templates, order/web store management etc.
The system boasts a separate section of quality and mobile-optimized eCommerce templates. To get started with your web store, you just have to select a suitable theme, add products along with their characteristics/descriptions, adjust shipping/tax/pricing parameters and then proceed to the customization stage.
Another highlight of the software is an opportunity for easy CSV product/import. The feature will especially come in handy to users, who decide to transfer their online shops from other systems to Wix website builder.
To enhance your web store performance, the system allows integrating third-party extensions available in its App Market. The widgets are paid and free depending on their implication and degree of customizability required.
If you have a separate Amazon Marketplace account, you can connect it to your Wix store as a separate channel. This can be a nice solution to let you manage customer orders and inventory tools from the single control panel.
As a web store owner, you have an opportunity to enhance user loyalty rate, introducing various discounts and special offers. For example, you can make use of the Apply/Remove Coupon feature to add/delete online coupons.
Another eCommerce highlight of the system is its Point-of-Sale (POS) software. This is an indispensable tool, when it comes to professional management of your web store both online and offline.
Google Sites does not have an eCommerce engine at all and, thus, it is impossible to start a full-featured web store with this website builder. This doesn’t mean, however, that you won’t be able to sell anything with the system.
With this purpose, you can use Google Sheets and Sheet2Site open source plugin. Both features are available for free. Due to the Sheet2Site plugin, you can build a custom eCommerce project, using Google Sheets as a backend database.
While managing your web store, you will be able to upload product info, photos, prices and other related data to Google Sheets to further use Sheet2Site tool to generate a project with integrated payment/order processing tools and shopping cart.
Apart from using the Sheet2Site feature, there is the opportunity to integrate a third-party platform like WooCommerce or Shopify via the iframe. This is how you can keep managing your Google Sites project, making use of the powerful eCommerce functionality offered by the selected systems.
If you decide to use this option, keep in mind that integration of external services may pose a threat to your web store. You will certainly require more advanced coding skills to manage and update such projects.
Blogging
Wix unveils the opportunity to connect a blog to your website due to its feature-rich integrated blogging engine. Among the features you can set up here, it makes sense to mention the possibility to write, add, edit and update blog posts.
Future scheduling feature is available here as well. Additionally, you can integrate social media options, enable Facebook/user commenting feature, select and customizable blog templates, set up SEO parameters.
Another blog-related highlight is the availability of the Wix Turbo feature. This is a set of tools and technologies the software offers to boost website performance and load time. As a result, your blog will be quickly accessible to readers, which is an advantage in itself.
Google Sites does not have a blogging engine as well. This means that running a blog is also impossible here.
The only thing you can do, if you have an intention to start a news portal or an informational project with the system, is to select a blank template and customize it from scratch, submitting the content you wish to be posted there.
Another aspect to keep in mind is that Google Sites also works great for designing internal and intranet websites. This service ideally works for team work on project development.
Mobile Website Building
Wix grants access to its integrated mobile editor, which lets you set up and manage mobile websites viewable from various mobile and desktop devices. The Mobile View mode allows making edits on the go, while the drag-and-drop editor notably simplifies the process for newbies.
Mind, however, that edits made in the desktop website version will be displayed in the mobile mode. If you decide to make edits in the mobile version of your project only, they won’t be visible in the desktop mode.
The website builder has recently introduced its Wix Owner app – a mobile application that allows controlling and managing your Wix projects anywhere and anytime.
You can edit your projects and stay connected with the target audience even on the go. This is a crucial feature when it comes to the development of forums, blogs, landing pages, company websites and other projects.
Google Sites old version didn’t have an integrated mobile editor. Thus, websites created with the website builder were not mobile optimized by default.
The system, however, allowed users to manually enable the mobile mode in the control panel to make the project viewable on mobile devices.
The situation has notably changed with the introduction of the new Google Sites version. All website blocks are responsive by default here, which eliminates the need for manual project editing.
In case you add third-party content to your website via HTML code integration, it will be available in separate blocks. If a widget does not fit the screen parameters, it will be automatically cropped along the borders.
To see which blocks may require editing and what website settings require improvement to match specific mobile device parameters, it is possible to activate the preview feature and to switch between various types of desktop/mobile devices (PC, smartphone, tablet).
Mind that Google Sites does not offer individual settings for various screen resolutions. This means that it is impossible to hide blocks on separate types of devices here. The same is about customization of block design/functionality to make it match specific screen resolutions.
Third-Party Extensions and Special Features
Wix allows adding extra performance to each project you work on without the need to write and insert codes. The system is known for its advanced App Market that abounds in versatile widgets, extensions and add-ons.
You can pick and integrate any of them based on the type, specialization and characteristics of your project. The widgets available here are free and paid.
It’s up to you to select the required elements. The most popular Wix Applications currently include Site Search, Newsletter signup form, Customer reviews, Form Builder, Appointment booking, Get Subscribers, Wix Hotels, Wix Restaurants, Forum, 123 Form Builder, Event Calendar, Comments, Wix Bookings etc. As you see, the names of the widgets speak for their implication.
Wix now grants access to a number of professional mobile applications. Along with the Wix Owner App, users have got an opportunity to use Wix Spaces, for example – a place, where everyone can view the available offers, manage selected projects, place orders, send/receive online notifications etc.
Additionally, the system makes it possible to use advanced applications to manage different types of projects. These include Fit, Dine, Logo Maker and many more.
If you intend to start a business project, then using Wix Ascend platform will certainly be the right decision. As an advanced CRM/client management software, it allows choosing a list of tools and business services that are indispensable, when it comes to professional marketing.
All in all, the system offers an opportunity to work with the following tools: Video Maker, social network integration, customer database maintenance, online chat, billing tools, pre-designed online forms for lead capturing, tasks and reminders for the staff members etc. To work with Wix Ascend platform, however, you should opt for a separate subscription.
Wix is also known for its multilingual support. This lets you set up and customize websites in several languages to match your specific criteria.
Additionally, Wix allows for teamwork support. It lets you add new users via email and share project access right with them, if you plan to cooperate while working on specific projects. This approach helps distribute responsibilities between team members when developing large-scale and complex projects.
Google Sites has a large selection of web-based Google applications, including Documents, Sheets, Calendar, Gmail, Forms, Google Meet etc. This makes it possible to add documents to the pages, charts, presentations, images, diagrams, YouTube video forms, maps with specified location etc. from the cloud.
In other words, Google cloud applications are used as widgets (content providers) for Google Sites. By adding an element to the page (video, document or presentation), you get a block, the dimensions of which can be regulated with regard to your needs.
One block may contain several elements, like a title, video and description in the random order of their positioning regarding each other. Content formatting tools are standard and include a font, color, list, alignment, link. It is possible to create multiple pages, each of which will be found in the upper menu.
As far as Google Sites is mainly used for the development of information/content projects, it allows for effective teamwork. The system offers 2 ways to create a team – either by getting editing rights to get access to the draft or by using individual email invitations.
Mind that the first option is less secure than the second one as free link accessibility lets everyone edit a document with no restrictions at all. Individual access is a more reliable option.
Another Google Sites feature that is worth your attention is Image Library. The website builder unveils access to its extensive Google Photos service, which includes an unlimited number of high res photos for PCs and smartphones.
All photos available in the service can be found in a separate section, which is convenient for quick choice and insertion. The search filter will help you find the required samples due to the artificial intelligence object recognition tool.
Website Logo Creating
Wix has introduced a high end Logo Maker – an advanced tool, which allows designing and integrating a unique logo into your website. The tool is intuitive, while its use does not imply coding knowledge at all.
What you are expected to do is to provide your business name to let the system automatically generate several logo variants for you to choose from. As soon as it is ready, you just have to customize it and add it to your website.
Additionally, you can download the existing logo, if you have the one, and then edit it as you need.
Google Sites doesn’t provide an opportunity to create your own website logo, but it allows uploading the one of your own to further add it to your global navigation bar.
To do this, reach the settings section and pick the image to represent your brand. Then go to the Logo section and pick it there, setting up the required parameters. Finally, activate the “Publish” button and watch the result.
Design Set Up and Customization
Wix has distinguished itself as a niche leader, when it comes to the quality of ready made templates. Actually, it offers the best designs in the contemporary web design market.
The overall number of themes currently exceeds 800 templates, which are mobile-ready by default and fully customizable. If you expect better template quality, you can manually customize the selected design by using the system editor.
One click only is enough to let the system automatically adjust the template to fit all types of mobile and desktop devices. The template gallery is regularly updated to offer users advanced designs.
If you don’t manage to find a suitable theme among the samples Wix provides, there is a possibility to pick a blank template and customize it from scratch.
To edit the designs, you can add new blocks, integrate widgets and extensions, set up layer parameters, apply multiple effects, animated backgrounds and other elements depending upon the niche your website belongs to and the result you wish to avail.
For those users, who lack coding expertise or just wish to save their time/effort, Wix makes it possible to work with the ADI tool.
The Artificial Design Intelligence feature helps users create decent websites with a few clicks only. It provides step-by-step guidelines and sets of questions, which help users automatically create websites using the submitted answers and content.
Additionally, Wix has recently introduced Editor X – a brand new responsive platform for website creation, which exclusively targets web designers and studios. It unveils extensive opportunities that let you launch complex website layouts and designs for any mobile and desktop devices.
The editor comes with an intuitive interface that supports drag-and-drop opportunity and such high end design-related features as docking, grid layouting, stack & scale media integration, Flex layouter, custom breakpoints, advanced sizing control and unique Wix design system.
What’s more, the software grants access to advanced design editing and scrolling effects. These include Parallax, Rotate, 3D, Pan Right or Left, Zoom In and more.
While working on your project, you can select suitable modes and enable them when required. The preview feature allows controlling the process and making edits to avail the expected result.
Google Sites could not offer an impressive template collection in its old version. The website builder actually had only 8 templates and a limited choice of design customization options. As a result, all websites created with the platform looked very similar (see examples), differing in content and formatting only.
The new version of the platform has 6 themes and about two dozen niche templates. There is also a blank design here, which works great for web experts, who intend to launch a website from scratch and possess coding skills.
Pre-designed Google Sites themes fall into 4 major categories – Personal, Small Business, Work and Education. Just access the required section and browse the available samples for further customization.
Regardless of template choice, the website builder still cannot boast extensive visual editing options. You can add and delete categories/sections on a web page, change font styles, color schemes, background etc.
At the same time, your choice will still be limited by the pre-installed sets only. As a result, all websites started with Google Sites will look similar anyway.
General Pricing Comparison
Wix has an affordable yet versatile pricing policy to come up to diverse budgets and web design needs. When exploring the system, you can pick a free plan that lets you test the functionality of the system during the unlimited time interval. As soon as you are ready to start working on your website to further go live with it, you will have to upgrade to one of the paid subscriptions. This is where you will be able to pick from Website and Business/eCommerce plans.
Website Wix Plans
- Combo (($22/mo) – 2GB bandwidth, 3 GB storage space, a bonus for advertising in Google Ads, removal of ad banners, 30 minutes of video hours, free hosting and domain etc.;
- Unlimited ($27/mo) – unlimited bandwidth, 50 GB disk storage video, 2-hour bonuses for advertising in Google Ads, applications for increasing productivity and analyzing visitors etc.;
- VIP ($45/mo) – unlimited video, bandwidth and subscription options, priority support, logo maker, additional 100 GB of disk space.
Business/eCommerce Plans
- Business Basic ($27/mo) – 50 GB of disk storage space, 5 hours of video, free domain (with annual subscription), acception of online payments, unlimited bandwidth, analytics tools, productivity increases etc.;
- Business Unlimited ($32/mo) – integrated eCommerce platform, 100 GB of disk storage space, 10 hours of video, special apps for entrepreneurs, business development tools, logo maker etc.;
- Business VIP ($59/mo) – complete Wix Suite, priority support, unlimited bandwidth and video storage space etc.;
- Enterprise ($500/mo) – advanced business solution that ensures the utmost performance and maximum amount of tools.
Whatever premium plan you will go for, it will come with the free domain connection option. The website builder also ensures a 14-day money back guarantee, if you decide to refuse from using the selected plan for some reason.
Google Sites is provided on a free basis as it is included in your Google account. If you have it, you can use the website builder to start a website.
As soon as your website is ready, you will be able to connect your own domain for free to it or to get the new one from Google. It is also possible to make use of all the options the system offers at no cost at all.
However, the feature set of the website builder is quite limited, which makes it close to impossible to start a functional website with the service.
Google Domains vs Wix
Setting up a website is just half of the task, when it comes to the project development. As soon as you have it ready, you will encounter the need to host it with a trusted provider. Both Google Domains and Wix make it possible to do that yet the systems have notable distinctions in terms of website hosting.
Google Domains is a domain registration service that allows users to purchase and manage domain names for their websites. This is a nice solution for users who don’t have domain names yet, prefer to change their old domains or just wish to get domains outside their website builders. The company offers competitive pricing and a straightforward interface for managing your domain name as well as useful features like email forwarding, domain forwarding, and DNS management. If you have created a website with Google Sites, choosing Google Domains makes sense.
Wix is the all-in-one website builder that provides hosting, design, and content management tools in the same place. The system offers an opportunity of domain choice as well. They even provide free domains for the first year of using the system with the capability of further prolongation on the paid basis. By the way, if you already have a domain name and need a website builder, Wix is quite a nice solution as well. The website builder offers a wide variety of templates and design options that can help you set up a professional-looking website without the need to hire a web developer.
Which One Is the Best for SEO?
Wix websites are well-optimized for the search engines. The website builder positions itself as a SEO-friendly platform.
It comes with a high end Wix SEO Wiz tool that provides useful guidelines on how to improve the SEO parameters of your project to make it indexed well by the search engines. By using the tool, you can fill out and edit meta tags for your website pages as well as for the website in general, headings, anchors, titles and descriptions, Alt tags for images and other crucial parameters.
Additionally, there is a possibility to pick and integrate SEO widgets from the App Market, which also contributes to better results in the long run.
Google Sites offers limited SEO settings. There are no separate fields for direct Title/Description meta tags specification here. These tags are generated in the automated mode.
If you wish your website to have a friendly URL, you need to indicate it manually. This is done in the web page settings. Sitemap and Robots.txt files are unavailable here.
Regardless of such a limited choice of SEO settings, most users don’t have serious complaints about the optimization of tier websites. The pages load quite fast. They come with connected HTTPS protocol and are adapted for mobile devices by default.
Which One Is Better for a Small Business Website?
Wix is great, when it comes to small business website development. With its extensive selection of templates to come up to various business niches (cafes, restaurants, agencies, hotels etc.), powerful design customization tools, availability of business apps that can be found in the integrated App Market of the system make Wix a worthy pick for entrepreneurs willing to go online.
A notable Wix feature is its Ascend platform – an advanced all-in-one business solution that encompasses all the business tools you may need to build a professional project. All in all, there are over 20 products available here, which can be effectively used to start, manage and promote your project.
All the tools are carefully subdivided into sections and groups based on their purpose and indication (you can browse customer interaction tools, website promotion tools, marketing options and more).
Wix Turbo is also worth the attention. This is the set of technologies and tools applied to cut down the overall website load time, which can add to your business project performance.
Google Sites can be used to start a business website as well, although, the range of its options and niche-specific features is quite limited. The website builder lets you pick one of its templates tailored for business needs and customize it to your liking.
The system comes with a logo upload opportunity and it also lets you integrate some of the most useful G Suite widgets (Google Maps, YouTube videos, media files, online forms, calendar and many more).
Which One Is the Best for eCommerce?
Wix allows starting and managing quality online stores. The integrated feature set and customization options of the service do not allow creating hypermarkets with it, but it’s possible to start small and medium eCommerce projects with the system.
This can be done via the connection of Wix Stores widget that allows integrating a shopping cart and setting up other web store parameters. When browsing the App Market, you can also come across useful eCommerce-related widgets.
They will come in handy to you, when you decide to set up and track your web store analytics, sell physical and digital products, implement special offers and discounts, create show windows, adjust order/web store management parameters etc.
Google Sites doesn’t have an integrated eCommerce engine. Thus, starting a web store with the website builder is not possible as the feature set of the system is not geared towards this purpose at all.
Which One Is the Best for Portfolio?
Wix functionality and flexibility make it a nice solution for portfolio creation. The website builder lets you present your creative services/works to the target audience in the most favorable light.
It can be effectively used by artists, photographers, models and other creative, who intend to showcase their talents and build a customer base.
Wix grants access to the category of portfolio templates. They belong to various niches (themes for photographers, creatives, artists, graphic and web designers, models, stylists, beauty experts, musicians, art directors, journalists, resumes, business consultants etc.) and can be customized as you need.
The templates are mobile-ready by default, which makes them viewable on mobile devices. Wix also allows connecting a blog to your portfolio to stay in touch with users.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to design image galleries and create slideshows here. Wix comes with HD video hosting, user testimonials, integrated eCommerce engine and SEO Wiz tool for effective portfolio promotion.
Google Sites lags behind Wix in terms of portfolio development. However, it is still possible to start this type of website with the platform.
When you get to the dashboard, you will find a portfolio template to be chosen for further customization. What you need to do is to customize it, filling out the required sections and fields. These include portfolio title/your name, contacts, description of your activity/work etc.
What’s important, you will also need to upload your works or create a project (or several of them) to showcase your works to the target audience. Integrating extra widgets/extensions will also be a great bonus for your portfolio design and promotion.
Key Differences Between Wix and Google Sites
| Wix | Google Sites | |
| Ease of Use: | Wix works well for newbies and proficient web designers, but it may take time to get used to it. The system is known for its high end Wix ADI tool that helps start a new website from scratch in the automated mode, using the data provided by a user. Standard Editor is also available here, letting people get access to deeper design customization features. Wix works well for business projects, portfolios, landing pages, forums, blogs, and small online stores. | Google Sites is a simple website builder provided as a part of the Google Workspace pack. The platform is good for creating intranet projects, but it can also be used to start simple business websites, portfolios, event projects etc. |
| Functionality: | The website builder ensures advanced integrated functionality. Along with powerful design customization features and tools, the system encompasses blogging/eCommerce engines and grants access to the rich App Market, Ascend platforms. | The website builder makes it possible to create simple websites, integrate unique logos and popular widgets available in the Google Workspace pack (YouTube, Google Maps, contact and online forms, slides, docs, charts, calendar etc.). |
| Design: | Wix template collection currently includes over 800 free niche-specific themes, which are customizable and mobile-ready by default. | Google Sites has a very limited choice of templates offered by default. The same is about design customization options. As a result, all the websites created with the system look similar. |
| eCommerce: | Wix Store widget makes it possible to create and manage small and medium online stores, making use of multiple eCommerce tools and features. | Google Sites doesn’t have an integrated eCommerce engine and, thus, it is impossible to start a web store with the website builder. |
| Blogging: | Wix comes with the built-in blogging platform, which lets you start, manage and update blogs for personal and business use. | The website builder doesn’t have a blogging engine, which makes blog creation impossible. |
| Small Business: | The website builder allows starting quality business projects – there are multiple business templates, industry-specific widgets, advanced Ascend platform and other features that contribute to the impressive result. | With Google Sites, you can run a simple business website. The system has several business themes to choose from and it also allows integrating widgets for proper business website performance. |
| Pricing: | Wix has a free unlimited subscription and two groups of plans for Website and Business/eCommerce websites. Their cost starts at $22/mo. | Google Sites is a free website builder, which allows connecting a domain at no cost at all. |
| SEO: | The website builder comes with the high end SEO Wiz tool that simplifies the process of SEO optimization and provides useful guidelines on how to make the process even more effective. | The website builder offers limited SEO optimization options. It lets you specify your website title and URL only. Sitemap and Robots.txt files are unavailable here as well. |
| Customer Support: | Impressive Knowledge Base, ticketing system, VIP priority support, email, Live Chat. | Built-in Help Section with a detailed website editing guide, useful Help Center, feedback forms with automated screenshot inclusion. |
Comparison Conclusion: Which One Is Better?
Which option – Wix or Google Sites – is a more preferable web design solution and for whom? Both website builders make it possible to create and publish websites. However, the approaches they use, the feature sets and the major system parameters let us clearly realize that the systems differ a lot. Even the comparison of the options of free versions makes Wix a more preferable variant for all user categories. This is not to mention the advantages provided by the paid plans.
The comparison of these two platforms clearly indicates the winner – Wix. If you still have any hesitations, mind that Google Sites will mostly appeal to those people, who are actively using Google Apps in the team work mode. You can manage the projects and share the best practices in cooperation with your team members here. However, if you intend to create complex commercial websites with advanced performance and unrivaled visual impact, then Wix is undoubtedly the top choice.
