The short answer is that it’s complicated. The long answer is, well, this blog post!
Let’s start with the basics.
Wix
If Wix has been on your radar for quite some time, it’s likely the classic Editor you’re familiar with. Wix uses a drag-and-drop interface that enables users to create attractive and functional websites without coding knowledge. Its most attractive quality is its simplicity and ease of use. However, that simplicity comes with certain limitations.
Wix does not allow for advanced customization, making it difficult to achieve design precision and one-of-a-kind solutions. It also falls short in adapting to various screen sizes, which is far from ideal given today’s impressive array of devices.
Wix Studio
Unveiled in August 2023, Wix Studio is Wix's latest and greatest offering.
Wix Studio comes with a whole bunch of benefits (and we’ll get to those in a second!) but the most important aspects are responsive design and control.
When we say control, we’re referring to flexibility and customization. The advanced platform enables users to incorporate custom code and design layouts, create and integrate applications, and fine-tune resource management, just to name a few.
Studio is designed for users who want more control over their website's design and features, still without needing extensive coding knowledge.
As for responsive design…
Responsive Design
As the name suggests, responsive web designs respond to changes in device display sizes. So when you view a website on a smartphone, you’ll be looking at different dimensions than if you were viewing it on your tablet, laptop, or widescreen TV, for example.
Imagine you have one cup’s worth of your warm beverage of choice. Whether you pour it into a china teacup or a classic coffee mug, the contents form perfectly to the shape of the container, without losing any of the flavour.
That’s exactly what responsive design does. Whether it’s a smartphone or a flat panel TV, a Wix Studio site forms to the user’s device to deliver the same engaging, on-brand content every time.
Not only does this help you attract a wider audience, but it also makes tweaking your site much more efficient. With responsive design, any change made to a site’s content or design is seamlessly carried over to every possible rendition, desktop to mobile, and every viewport in between.
Plus, enhanced mobile-friendliness is a big plus for SEO, too!
Choosing Between Wix and Wix Studio
Choosing the right website platform for your business can be easier said than done. With all sorts of factors to consider, like the cost of a website, functionality, customer support, and more, it can get complicated quickly!
If you’re juggling between Wix and Wix Studio, here’s everything you need to know.
Customization and Code Integrations
If you’re after ultimate creative control by extending functionality with custom code, Wix Studio takes the cake with responsive design flexibility and custom pixel-perfect breakpoints—meaning you can have a website that looks dynamite on any device.
Wix Editor limits design adjustment in certain areas not limited in Wix Studio. For instance, when it comes to customizing your site design to fit various screen sizes. Imagine pouring your favourite cuppa into a new mug in our beverage analogy, only to have it spill out onto the floor—or worse, completely shatter. Wix Studio’s responsive design ensures that not a single drop is ever out of place.
Wix Studio also offers custom database integration. This feature allows you to create and manage databases directly within the platform, enabling the building of complex websites with features like user accounts, product catalogues, and content management systems (CMS).
Take The Brand Brew ®’s Showcase, for example. We’ve used a custom database and CMS to display our portfolio of strategically-brewed brands, and well, we think it’s pretty nifty! This capability is invaluable for all sorts of businesses, from builders with projects to show off to online stores with a wide selection of products to display.
While Wix is known for its no-code platform, Wix Studio is open to custom code integration, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to create unique functionalities and designs that are impossible to achieve with the standard drag-and-drop editor alone.
Not to mention, Wix Studio allows users to connect with hundreds of APIs and powerful web applications, as well as integration with external systems like a CRM to make business management a breeze.
Conversions
Conversions are the name of the game, and when it comes to converting, user experience is a big deal. Poorly designed or unintuitive websites turn people away more than anything else, and it all but guarantees you’ll be unable to turn those browsers into buyers.
To be clear, both Wix and Wix Studio are excellent tools for building effective websites that convert. However, with a particular focus on tailored and fully responsive design (compared to Wix Editor’s adaptive design approach), Wix Studio comes out ahead.
Wix Studio is the superior choice for prioritizing user experience regardless of device or screen size. The flexible, full-canvas design space, enables Studio websites to achieve a more dynamic and immersive experience compared to the rigid gridlines and limited device previews (desktop and mobile only) in Wix Editor. This flexibility not only enhances user experience but also drives higher conversions.
Collaboration
While Wix Studio incorporates more advanced features, and that does bring with it a slightly steeper learning curve, both Wix and Wix Studio employ an intuitive drag-and-drop, no-code interface.
However, the best websites are rarely a one-man show, and Wix Studio facilitates seamless collaboration like none other.
Collaborative tools streamline the process and make it easier for multiple users to work on a project simultaneously, like a well-oiled machine. Team members can leave comments, suggest changes, and track progress in real time, enhancing the workflow and elevating productivity to new heights.
Value
Wix and Wix Studio are extremely competitive price-wise, with a difference of only a dollar or two between the equivalent CDN priced subscriptions* offered by each platform.
So, the question then becomes: which option gives you more bang for your buck?
Firstly, its responsive design capabilities greatly elevate Wix Studio’s value and resulting return on investment. When you add to that the advanced customization, app integration, and collaborative features, the choice is a cakewalk.
SEO & Performance
Wix Editor sites deliver solid performance across all devices, handling hosting and scaling infrastructure to ensure that websites load swiftly and remain accessible an average of 99.98% of the time (psst—100% uptime is never guaranteed). However, its simplified code base and shared hosting environment can sometimes lead to slower performance, particularly for highly content-rich sites.
And that can cause problems from an SEO perspective.
On the other hand, Wix Studio’s responsive design approach offers optimization options that users can tweak to strike a balance between aesthetics and performance. Users have more control over resource management, which, when executed well, enhances overall performance—especially for sites experiencing high traffic or heavy multimedia content.
From fine-tuning a website’s loading speed and managing caching to optimizing images for faster performance, Wix Studio is an SEO-er’s dream. Advanced SEO settings allow for greater control over metadata, schema markup, and URL structures, helping your site rank better in search engines.
Evolution
Your business will undoubtedly grow and evolve, so it’s crucial that your website can, too.
Wix Studio is particularly focused on flexibility, allowing users to expand alongside industry trends and keep up with any technological advancements that may come our way.
API capabilities allow Wix Studio sites to go one step further and integrate with all kinds of external systems and services, from native apps for bookings and payments to custom-built apps for, well, anything your heart desires!
Wix Studio stands out with advanced security features, account-level analytics, and custom permissions to future-proof your business.
*Note: All features and pricing information mentioned are current as of November 2024.
Get Your Wix Fix with The Brand Brew ®
Choosing between Wix and Wix Studio comes down to your preferences and your needs from a website platform. Choosing to work with The Brand Brew ®, on the other hand, is a no-brainer.
The brew crew navigates Wix Studio with ease and efficiency. If you like what Studio offers but fear you lack the skills and time to tie it all together, that’s what we do best!
We leverage our Wix expertise to fuse functionality with creativity, producing an SEO-driven, user-focused, immersive, on-brand Website Design solution that will give your business the digital credibility it deserves, whether you’re looking to elevate an existing site or starting from scratch.
Already have a Wix website, but hear Wix Studio calling your name? Switch Your Site to Studio and take the leap to future-proof your business with a fully customizable and scalable website.
Book a call with us today to throw some Wix in the mix with a brand-new website or a Wix Studio relaunch.
*This is not a paid promotion. The opinions and recommendations in this article are solely based on The Brand Brew ®’s experiences, and we are not a representative or affiliated with Wix.com, Inc. in any way.
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