The Short Answer
Wix is fine for a hobby project or side hustle. For a serious South African business trying to win on Google and convert visitors into clients, a custom-built website almost always wins.
Here's why, and when Wix actually makes sense.
Cost Comparison
Wix
- Free plan: available but puts Wix branding on your site (avoid this for business)
- Premium plans: approximately R300–R900/month (billed annually)
- Total year 1: R3,600–R10,800
- Total year 3: R10,800–R32,400
Custom Website (PresenceCraft)
- One-time build: R2,500–R6,000
- Optional monthly support: R500–R1,500/month
- Total year 1 with support: R8,500–R24,000
- Total year 3 with support: R20,500–R60,000
Winner on cost long-term: Comparable if you include support. Custom sites can be cheaper if you don't need ongoing monthly fees.
Page Speed
Wix sites are notoriously slower than custom-built sites. This matters for two reasons:
- User experience: 53% of mobile visitors leave if a page takes more than 3 seconds to load
- Google rankings: Page speed is a ranking factor. Slow sites rank lower.
Custom-built sites on modern infrastructure (like Vercel + Next.js, which we use) typically score 90+ on Google PageSpeed. Wix sites often score 50–70.
Winner on speed: Custom website.
SEO Performance
Wix has improved its SEO capabilities significantly in recent years. You can add meta tags, alt text, and even schema markup. But there are limitations:
- URL structure can be inflexible
- Page load speed remains a disadvantage
- Full technical control is limited
Custom websites give you complete control over every SEO element: URL structure, canonical tags, schema markup, Core Web Vitals optimisation, and more.
Winner on SEO: Custom website.
Ease of Use
Wix wins here outright. It's drag-and-drop, requires no technical knowledge, and you can make changes yourself without touching code.
Custom websites typically require developer involvement for structural changes (though content updates can be managed via a CMS like Sanity or Contentful if set up properly).
Winner on ease of use: Wix.
Ownership and Flexibility
This is the big one. With Wix:
- You don't own the underlying code
- If Wix raises prices or shuts down, your website is gone
- Migrating away is painful
- You're locked into their ecosystem
With a custom website, you own everything. The code, the hosting, the domain. You can move it anywhere.
Winner on ownership: Custom website.
When Wix Makes Sense
- You need something live today with zero budget
- It's a personal project or portfolio with no business goals
- You genuinely need to make constant visual changes yourself
When You Should Go Custom
- You're running a real business and need to win on Google
- Page speed and SEO performance matter to you
- You want to own your digital asset
- You're investing in long-term growth
The Bottom Line
Wix is a starter tool. For South African small businesses serious about growth (getting found on Google, converting visitors into leads, and building a real digital presence), a custom site pays for itself faster than most people realise.
Talk to us about what the right approach is for your specific business. We'll give you an honest answer, even if it means recommending something other than us.