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CMS (content management system) software · 11 alternatives

Wix alternatives: 11 compared

Sebastiaan Smits By Sebastiaan Smits · Published October 8, 2026 · Updated October 8, 2026

People look past Wix when they need to take their site, blog or store to another host, when pages outgrow a drag-and-drop editor, or when per-site plans stop fitting. Most move to Squarespace for a like-for-like builder, to WordPress or Ghost for content they own, or to Webflow for design control.

Short answer: The closest replacements for Wix in our CMS (content management system) software ranking are Squarespace, WordPress and Webflow. Choose Squarespace if you want another hosted builder with a different design system and no free tier. All 11 alternatives below are ranked products from Best CMS (Content Management System) Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from Wix and when Wix is still the better choice.

Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. How it works: placement disclosure · editorial process.

Wix at a glance

  • Headquarters: Israel
  • Pricing model: Per site / month
  • Pricing: A free plan is available with Wix branding and a Wix subdomain; paid Premium plans are billed per site on a published table, adding a custom domain, storage and removing ads.
  • Free option: Free plan
  • Built for: Small businesses wanting an all-in-one, no-code platform
  • Wrong for: A developer-led team needing structured content reusable across multiple channels should use a headless CMS like Contentful or Sanity instead; Wix Headless can serve other front ends, but its content tools are built around Wix's own business apps.
  • Place in our ranking: #10 of 14
  • Website: wix.com

Facts from our CMS (content management system) software ranking, last checked October 8, 2026.

Why buyers look past Wix

  1. The site cannot leave Wix

    Wix's help center says a Wix site has to be hosted and operated on Wix's servers, and that exporting or embedding it elsewhere is not supported. Its blog request page adds that exporting blog posts to other platforms is not currently possible. A move means rebuilding, not copying.

  2. Features are tiered across five plans

    The plans page lists Light, Core, Business and Business Elite beside a free plan. Light has no payment tools, and the transaction fee on Pricing Plans sales is 4% on Core, 2% on Business and 0% on Business Elite. Growth means moving up a tier.

  3. Collaborators and limits are fixed per plan

    The plans page caps site collaborators at 2 on Light, 5 on Core, 10 on Business and 100 on Business Elite, with storage from 2 GB to unlimited. Agencies and editorial teams meet these ceilings sooner than a solo owner.

11 alternatives at a glance

Closest replacement first. The last column is our place in the full 14-product ranking.

#AlternativeHeadquartersPricingKey differenceSwitch ifOur rank
1SquarespaceUnited StatesPer site / month; free trialDesign-forward, template-based website and content platformyou want another hosted builder with a different design system and no free tier#11
2WordPressUnited StatesOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source CMS powering a large share of the entire webyou want to own the files and database and be able to change hosts later#4
3WebflowUnited StatesPer site + per seat / month; free planVisual, no-code web design with a full CMS underneathyour designers want pixel-level control and a real CMS inside a visual builder#1
4GhostSingaporeOpen source + paid hosting; open sourceOpen-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and membershipsyour site is mainly a blog, newsletter or paid membership you want to own#8
5HubSpot CMS (Content Hub)United StatesPer seat / month; free planCMS built into the HubSpot CRM and marketing platformyour site is a marketing channel tied to a HubSpot CRM and campaign reporting#12
6JoomlaUnited StatesOpen source + paid extensions; open sourceOpen-source, community-governed CMS between WordPress and Drupalyou need a structured, extensible CMS and have someone to maintain a self-hosted site#9
7DrupalUnited StatesOpen source + paid hosting/support; open sourceOpen-source CMS built for complex, high-governance sitesyour site has complex content types and roles and you can fund development#6
8UmbracoDenmarkOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source .NET CMS with a friendly editing experienceyour developers work in .NET and want an open-source CMS with managed hosting available#7
9StrapiFranceOpen source + paid tiers; open sourceOpen-source, self-hostable headless CMS with a Node.js coreyou have developers and want content delivered by API to your own front end#3
10SanityNorwayPer seat / month; free planCustomizable, open-source headless CMS studio with real-time editingmany editors work on structured content that feeds a site, an app or both#5
11Adobe Experience ManagerUnited StatesQuote only; noneEnterprise digital experience platform inside Adobe Experience Cloudyou run a large multi-site estate with governance needs a site builder cannot meet#13

What each alternative does differently

1. Squarespace

Design-forward, template-based website and content platform · United States

The nearest like-for-like swap: a hosted, template-led builder sold as per-site plans. Squarespace has no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and applies a 2% online store fee on lower plans that higher plans remove. Annual plans include a free domain for the first year.

Switch from Wix if you want another hosted builder with a different design system and no free tier.

Pricing: Published plans are billed per site with no permanent free tier, only a 14-day trial; every plan includes a store, with a 2% store fee on Basic that Core and higher plans remove. (free trial)

Full review: #11 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Squarespace →

2. WordPress

Open-source CMS powering a large share of the entire web · United States

Open source software licensed under GPLv2 that you host yourself, or buy managed through WordPress.com plans from a free tier upward. You own the files and database, so the site can move hosts. Themes, plugins and security updates are your job on a self-hosted install.

Switch from Wix if you want to own the files and database and be able to change hosts later.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source to self-host; hosting, premium themes and plugins are paid separately, and WordPress.com offers a separate managed hosting product with its own free and paid tiers. (open source)

Full review: #4 of 14 in our ranking · Visit WordPress →

3. Webflow

Visual, no-code web design with a full CMS underneath · United States

A visual builder aimed at designers, with plans per site. The Starter plan is free on a webflow.io domain, Basic at $15 a month billed yearly has no CMS, and Premium at $25 adds the CMS. Ecommerce plans start at $29 a month billed yearly and are priced separately.

Switch from Wix if your designers want pixel-level control and a real CMS inside a visual builder.

Pricing: Site plans are billed per site on a published table: a free Starter on a webflow.io domain, Basic without the CMS and Premium with it; ecommerce plans and Workspace seats are priced separately. (free plan)

Full review: #1 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Webflow →

4. Ghost

Open-source publishing platform with built-in newsletters and memberships · Singapore

Publishing software for blogs, newsletters and memberships, released under the MIT license by the non-profit Ghost Foundation. Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month billed yearly for 1,000 members. It is not a general site builder, so shops and brochure sites fit it poorly.

Switch from Wix if your site is mainly a blog, newsletter or paid membership you want to own.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; Ghost(Pro) managed hosting is priced by number of members and staff users on a published table, from the Starter plan billed yearly, and takes no transaction fee. (open source)

Full review: #8 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Ghost →

5. HubSpot CMS (Content Hub)

CMS built into the HubSpot CRM and marketing platform · United States

Content Hub is sold per seat. A free tier covers two users with HubSpot branding on pages, and Starter is $7 a month per seat with three core seats. It suits teams that already run HubSpot CRM, not small brochure sites.

Switch from Wix if your site is a marketing channel tied to a HubSpot CRM and campaign reporting.

Pricing: A free plan covers up to two users; paid Starter, Professional and Enterprise tiers on Content Hub are billed per seat or per core seat on a published table, with included HubSpot Credits. (free plan)

Full review: #12 of 14 in our ranking · Visit HubSpot CMS (Content Hub) →

6. Joomla

Open-source, community-governed CMS between WordPress and Drupal · United States

A free, open-source CMS from a community project, with thousands of extensions, most free under the GPL, in its own directory. You host it, so the cost is hosting and upkeep, and updates to the core and each extension are yours to apply.

Switch from Wix if you need a structured, extensible CMS and have someone to maintain a self-hosted site.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source under GPL to self-host; hosting, extensions and templates are paid separately through a marketplace of third-party developers. (open source)

Full review: #9 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Joomla →

7. Drupal

Open-source CMS built for complex, high-governance sites · United States

Distributed under the GPL with no licensing fees, and overseen by the non-profit Drupal Association. It is developer-oriented software, so expect a developer to build and maintain a site on it. A small owner who wants to drag elements around will find it a poor fit.

Switch from Wix if your site has complex content types and roles and you can fund development.

Pricing: The core software is free and open source to self-host; Acquia, its main commercial backer, sells managed cloud hosting and enterprise support on quoted contracts, alongside other Drupal hosting providers. (open source)

Full review: #6 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Drupal →

8. Umbraco

Open-source .NET CMS with a friendly editing experience · Denmark

An open-source CMS built on Microsoft .NET, so it suits teams that already run .NET. Umbraco Cloud adds managed hosting, with a Starter plan from 45 euros a month and a Standard plan at 280 euros a month. It needs a developer to set up and extend.

Switch from Wix if your developers work in .NET and want an open-source CMS with managed hosting available.

Pricing: The core CMS is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; Umbraco Cloud adds managed hosting, and paid support and training are available separately. (open source)

Full review: #7 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Umbraco →

9. Strapi

Open-source, self-hostable headless CMS with a Node.js core · France

A headless CMS: it stores and serves content by REST and GraphQL API, and you build the front end yourself. The Community edition is MIT-licensed and free. Strapi Cloud starts at $35 per project a month. It does not render pages for you, unlike Wix.

Switch from Wix if you have developers and want content delivered by API to your own front end.

Pricing: The core is free and open source under MIT license to self-host; paid self-hosted Growth and Enterprise plans add features, and Strapi Cloud sells managed hosting per project on a published table. (open source)

Full review: #3 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Strapi →

10. Sanity

Customizable, open-source headless CMS studio with real-time editing · Norway

A hosted content platform billed per seat, not per site. The free plan allows up to 20 seats and 2 public datasets, and Growth is $15 per seat a month. Content is edited in a studio and delivered by API, so a front end must be built separately.

Switch from Wix if many editors work on structured content that feeds a site, an app or both.

Pricing: A free plan covers up to 20 seats with document, API and bandwidth quotas; Growth is billed per paid seat on a published table with pay-as-you-go overages, and Enterprise is quoted. (free plan)

Full review: #5 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Sanity →

11. Adobe Experience Manager

Enterprise digital experience platform inside Adobe Experience Cloud · United States

An enterprise platform documented as a cloud service with its own CI/CD tooling and deep Adobe Experience Cloud integration. Pricing is by quote through Adobe, and implementation normally needs a partner. It targets large multi-brand estates, not owners leaving a site builder.

Switch from Wix if you run a large multi-site estate with governance needs a site builder cannot meet.

Pricing: Quote-only annual contracts, typically implemented alongside other Adobe Experience Cloud products through a certified systems integrator. (none)

Full review: #13 of 14 in our ranking · Visit Adobe Experience Manager →

When Wix is still the right choice

Stay if one person or a small team runs the site and the editor is the whole job. The free plan lets you build before paying, paid plans include hosting, a free domain for the first year and a 14-day money-back guarantee, and you run no server. If you never plan to move the site, the closed hosting costs you little.

What to expect when you switch from Wix

  1. Rebuild, then redirect

    Wix does not export a site, so plan on rebuilding pages in the new tool. Copy text and images by hand, then set 301 redirects from old URLs. Keep the domain live on Wix until the new site is checked and indexed.

  2. Move the data you can

    Store products export to CSV from the Store Products dashboard. Blog posts cannot be exported, and the RSS feed that Wix provides is not a full backup. Contacts, orders and member data need their own checks. Export each before you cancel.

  3. Keep the domain, change the records

    A domain connected to Wix can be pointed at the new host with the host's DNS records. A domain bought at Wix cannot have its name servers changed, so point it with A and CNAME records. Allow up to 48 hours for DNS changes.

Questions and answers

Can I export my Wix site to another host?

No. Wix's help center states the site must be hosted and operated on Wix's servers, so there is no file export. You rebuild the pages in the new platform and keep only what you copy or download by hand.

Can I export my Wix blog posts?

Not as a full export. Wix lists exporting blog posts to other platforms as a feature request that is not currently possible. WordPress.com says only the 20 most recent posts can come across through Wix's RSS feed.

Can I export my Wix Stores products?

Yes, as a CSV. In the Store Products dashboard, choose More Actions, then Import, then Export Products. The file covers product data, so pages and the checkout design must be recreated.

Can I keep my domain when I leave Wix?

Yes. A domain registered elsewhere is connected to a new host by changing its records. For a domain bought at Wix, Wix says its name servers cannot be changed, so you use A and CNAME records instead.

Which alternatives have a free plan?

Webflow Starter on a webflow.io domain, a free WordPress.com plan, HubSpot for up to two users, and Sanity for up to 20 seats. Squarespace has only a 14-day trial, with no free plan.

Will the new site keep my Wix Pricing Plans and members?

Not automatically. Wix sells memberships and recurring plans through its own tools, and none of the alternatives we checked states an import for them. Plan to re-collect subscriptions or check each vendor's migration notes.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts about Wix on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on October 8, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.

Who wrote this

Sebastiaan Smits Sebastiaan Smits, Founder, wrote, edited and fact-checked this page. Founder of The Interregnum and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Writes, edits and fact-checks every page here. Last reviewed October 8, 2026. How we review.