Astro vs Wix: Which Should a Beginner Choose?
Wix is drag and drop for a monthly fee. Astro is free, fast, and yours to keep, but you work with files. Here's an honest look at cost, ease and when Wix wins.
By the Astro Nursery team. Review lead: Nusrat Haneef, VP of Customer SuccessPublished 7 minute readComplete beginner
In this guide
Pick Wix if you want to drag and drop and never think about files. Pick Astro if you want a fast site that costs close to nothing and belongs to you. Both are fine choices. Here’s how to tell which one fits you.
The main difference
Wix is a website builder you rent. You log in, pick a design, and drag text and pictures onto the page. Wix keeps your site on its own computers. You pay every month or every year to keep it online.
Astro is a free tool that makes a website as plain files. You build it on your computer. Then you put the files on a host. A host is a company that keeps your site online. Many hosts are free for small sites. Our two picks are Spacefast and Cloudflare.
Side by side
| Astro | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of the tool | Free | Free plan, or paid plans from $17 a month |
| Hosting | Free plans exist | Included in the plan |
| How you edit | Files on your computer | Drag and drop in a browser |
| Your own domain | Yes, on free hosting | Paid plan needed |
| Can you move your site? | Yes, take the files anywhere | No, Wix says it must stay on Wix |
| Speed | Fast from the start | Depends on your design and add-ons |
| Learning curve | Steeper at first | Gentle |
Cost
We checked wix.com/plans on November 8, 2026. These were the prices shown in US dollars. They are per month, but you pay for the whole year up front:
| Wix plan | Per month, paid yearly |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 |
| Light | $17 |
| Core | $29 |
| Business | $39 |
| Business Elite | $159 |
So the cheapest paid plan, Light, costs $204 a year. Wix says prices do not include tax. It also says prices change by country. Paid plans include a free domain for the first year. After that, you pay for the domain too.
An Astro site can cost $0 to run. The tool is free. Spacefast and Cloudflare both have free plans that fit a normal site. Most people pay for one thing: a domain name, at about $11 to $15 a year. Our guide to what an Astro site costs has the details.
Ease
Wix wins here, at least on day one. You can make a page in an afternoon without learning anything new. You see the page as you change it.
Astro asks more of you. You work in a code editor and type commands into a terminal. That sounds scary. It gets easy after a week or so. And you don’t have to do it alone. An AI tool like Claude can write the files and run the commands for you. Our free Claude course shows you how, one small step at a time.
Who owns your site
This is the big one.
Wix says plainly that a Wix site can’t be moved to another host. It must run on Wix’s computers. If you stop paying, or want to leave, you can’t take the site with you. You can only copy your words and pictures out by hand.
With Astro, your site is a folder of files on your computer. You can move it to any host in a few minutes. If a host raises its prices, you leave. Nobody can lock you in.
Speed
An Astro site sends plain, ready-made pages to your visitors. It adds no extra code unless you ask for it. So it starts fast, and stays fast.
A Wix page also loads Wix’s own code, which runs the page. How fast it feels depends on your design and the add-ons you use. We did not run speed tests on Wix sites for this guide. So we won’t give you numbers.
When Wix is the better pick
Be honest with yourself. Wix is the better choice if:
- You want your site live today, and you never want to see a file or a command.
- You need a shop, a booking calendar or member logins, and you want them built in.
- Someone else will edit the site, and they want a simple editor in the browser.
- You don’t mind paying every year for the ease.
When Astro is the better pick
Astro is the better choice if:
- You want a site that costs close to nothing to run.
- You want to own your site and move it whenever you like.
- You want it fast.
- You are happy to learn a little, or to let an AI tool do the hard parts.
Not sure yet? Try Astro for an afternoon. It’s free. Our guide on how to make a website with Astro is a gentle start.
Where to go next
- How to move from Wix to Astro, if you already have a Wix site.
- What is Astro?
- How much does an Astro website cost?
Frequently asked questions
Is Wix cheaper than Astro?
No. Wix paid plans started at $17 a month, paid yearly, when we checked on November 8, 2026. An Astro site can be free to host. Most people pay only for a domain, about $11 to $15 a year.
Is Wix easier than Astro?
Yes, at the start. You drag things around on a web page and you never see code. Astro means working with files and a terminal, or asking an AI tool like Claude to do that part for you.
Can I move my Wix site to Astro later?
Yes, but you rebuild it. Wix says a Wix site can't be moved to another host. You copy your words and pictures over by hand, or with help from AI. You can keep your domain name.
Does Wix have a free plan?
Yes. But Wix's own FAQ says you need a paid plan to connect your own domain and to remove Wix branding from your site.
Stuck on a step?
Check the common errors guide, look up a word in the glossary, or ask the friendly people in the official Astro and EmDash Discords. How to ask so people can help.