Wix wins
Pick Wix if
- Most of your work comes from referrals and repeat customers
- You enjoy editing your own site and have the time
- You need something live this week
- A monthly fee fits your budget better than a one-time build
Compare · Contractors
Wix or a custom site for a contracting business
The short answer
Which one a contractor should choose
Wix is a good choice for a contractor who wants a low monthly cost, likes editing the site personally and gets most work from referrals. A custom site is the better choice when web searches bring in jobs worth thousands, because you control speed, search markup and ownership, and the site is yours to move.
We build custom sites, so read this knowing that. We have tried to be fair: every number below links to its source with the date we checked it, and there is a section on when Wix wins.
Side by side
Wix and custom compared, checked 27 October 2026
| What matters to a contractor | Wix | Custom site (Stewart Code) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | None beyond the plan; your own time to build it | A fixed one-time price, shown live on pricing |
| Monthly cost | Light, Core and Business plans from $17, $29 and $39 a month billed yearly (Wix plans, checked 2026-10-27); $24, $36 and $46 billed monthly (Website Builder Expert, updated 2026-09-15) | Hosting runs on your own account; care plans are optional and month-to-month after any minimum term |
| Who builds and edits it | You, with a drag-and-drop editor | We build it; edits go through a care plan's edit hours, or a simple editor can be scoped into a Signature Site |
| Can you move it to another host? | No. Wix says its sites must be "hosted and operated on Wix's servers" (Wix Help Center, checked 2026-10-27). Your domain can move; the site cannot. | Yes. Code, hosting and domain are in your name from day one |
| Speed on a phone | Depends on the template, apps and media you add; Wix manages the hosting | Tested to 100 in all four Lighthouse categories at launch, results shared |
| Structured data (how Google reads your business) | Preset markup on some pages, and you can add your own (Wix Help Center, checked 2026-10-27) | Full business, service and FAQ markup, checked for zero errors at launch |
| AI assistants | Depends on your settings and content | AI facts page and llms.txt in every build |
| Booking, forms, payments | Available as Wix apps and plans | Built to your workflow; Stripe for payments |
| Time to launch | Hours to days, if you do it yourself | Longer: a written brief and a mockup you approve first |
Wix's plans page notes that US dollar prices are shown for reference and vary by location. Check the live plan page before you decide.
Fair to Wix
When Wix is the better choice
Custom wins
Pick custom if
- Google searches in your area bring in high-value jobs
- You want a site you can take with you if you change providers
- You want speed and markup you can check yourself
- You plan to add quoting, a portal or automation later
A middle path: keep your Wix site, and run our free Site X-ray on it. If the scores are good and the markup is clean, you may not need us yet.
Do the math
A three-year cost worksheet
Fill it in with your own numbers. It takes five minutes and stops the monthly fee from hiding the real cost.
| Line | Wix | Custom |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront build | Your hours × what an hour of your time is worth | The fixed build price |
| Plan or hosting × 36 months | Your plan's monthly price × 36 | Hosting on your own account × 36 (often small) |
| Apps and add-ons × 36 months | Booking, forms, extra apps | Usually included in the build |
| Your time editing each month × 36 | Your hours × your rate | Zero if a care plan covers edits |
| Cost of one lost job | Your average job value. If a slow or unclear site loses one job a year, add it here. | |
For reference, Google counts a page as loading well when its largest element shows in 2.5 seconds or less for most visitors (web.dev, updated 2024-10-31). Test your current site in PageSpeed Insights to see where you stand.
Prices
What a custom site costs here
For the wider market, from builders to agencies, see our website cost guide.
Launch Site
A custom site of up to 5 pages, written from an intake call and built to 100 on all four Lighthouse scores.
$3,500
- Up to 5 pages, mockup first
- Copy written from an intake call
- Technical SEO, schema, sitemaps and llms.txt
- Form, booking and analytics
- Domain, email and DNS (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Google Business Profile setup, if eligible
- Tested to 100 on all four Lighthouse scores at launch
Growth Site
Everything in the Launch Site, up to 15 pages, with a keyword map and real service pages.
$6,900
- Up to 15 pages
- Keyword map and a brief per page
- 2 service hubs and up to 3 service or location pages
- FAQ and insights section
- Review-request flow
- 90-day content plan
Redesign & Migration add-on
Added to a Launch or Growth Site when we rebuild an existing site.
$750
- Every old URL kept or redirected (301)
- Schema superset of the old site
- 30/60/90-day ranking report
- Every redirect checked after launch
FAQ
Questions contractors ask about Wix and custom sites
Can a Wix site rank in Google?
Yes. Plenty of Wix sites rank. What decides it is the content, the reviews, your Google Business Profile and how well the site is built. Platform is one factor among many.
If I leave Wix, do I lose my site?
You keep your domain, but the site itself cannot be moved to another host, because Wix runs sites only on its own servers. A new site has to be rebuilt, and every old page address should redirect to its new home.
Will moving off Wix hurt my rankings?
It can if old addresses break. When we rebuild a site, every old URL either still works or redirects to its new home, and we check every redirect after launch.
Can I still edit a custom site myself?
Launch and Growth Sites are built without a page editor, so changes go to us under a care plan's edit hours. If you want to edit text and photos yourself, a simple editor can be scoped into a Signature Site. Either way, you do not need to touch code.
Is a custom site worth it for a small contractor?
Only if web searches are, or could be, a real source of work. Use the worksheet above. If the answer is no, Wix or another builder is a sensible choice.
Next step
Compare it with your own site.
Run the free X-ray on your current site, then book a call if you want a second opinion on your options.