What Is Wix? The Complete Guide to Wix.com, Wix Harmony, Wix Studio and Who Uses It

If you have ever searched what is Wix or what is Wix.com, you have probably seen the name attached to everything from a local bakery’s homepage to a multinational’s campaign page. This guide explains how the platform works, what changed with Wix Harmony and Wix Studio, what it costs, what the latest Wix statistics say, which organizations use it, and how it stacks up against WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace. We also cover two questions people ask a lot: how to use Wix to build a website, and whether you can use Wix to make a cannabis website.

What is Wix (and what is Wix.com)?

Wix started in 2006 as an Israeli startup and is now a publicly traded company that sells website building as a service. People use “Wix” and “Wix.com” interchangeably: Wix.com Ltd is the company, wix.com is the platform where you sign up, and a Wix site is any website built and hosted there.

What is a Wix website?

When someone asks what is a Wix, they usually mean a site created with the platform. Instead of installing software on a server, you log in, pick a starting point (a template or an AI-generated draft), edit it visually, and publish. Wix runs the hosting, security, backups and updates for you. That is the opposite of a self-hosted system such as WordPress, where you or your host manage those pieces.

Wix is also one of the few builders that has a free plan you can keep indefinitely. The catch is a Wix-branded address, Wix ads and limited storage, which is why most businesses upgrade once the site is ready to go live.

How Wix works

Wix offers two ways to begin. You can chat with an AI builder that asks about your business and generates a site with pages, text and a suggested dashboard, or you can browse a library of more than 2,000 free templates sorted by industry and edit one manually. Wix’s editor lets you place elements anywhere on the page rather than snapping them into fixed sections, which gives you design freedom but also takes practice.

Beyond the editor, the subscription typically covers:

• Hosting and security: a free SSL certificate and platform-level protection, with no separate hosting bill.
• Ecommerce: Wix Stores on the Core, Business and Business Elite plans, with product variants, discounts, abandoned cart recovery and more on higher tiers.
• Business tools: bookings, events, blogging, forms, email marketing and a members area.
• SEO tools: customizable URLs, meta titles and descriptions, and a step-by-step SEO checklist. For a wider view of how platforms rank, see our guide to the best platform for SEO.
• App Market: hundreds of third-party apps (Wix has described the catalog as 800+) for marketing, chat, bookings and more.

What is Wix Harmony?

Wix Harmony is Wix’s newest editor, introduced in early 2026. Wix’s own help center describes it as a flexible editor that lets you build visually with precise drag and drop or let AI generate designs you can refine. At its core is Aria, an AI agent that can create on-brand sections and full pages from a prompt, according to the Wix blog.

Three practical points matter if you are deciding whether to use it:

• It does not support custom code. Wix’s developer documentation says projects that need code should stay on the classic Wix Editor or Wix Studio.
• It is automatically responsive, so you spend less time fixing mobile layouts.
• Some apps and features are not available yet, and Wix has said it is rolling Harmony out gradually alongside the classic editor.

In short, what is Wix Harmony comes down to this: an AI-first, no-code editor for self-creators who still want hands-on control.

Wix Studio vs Wix: what’s the difference?

Searching what is Wix Studio vs Wix usually means you have seen two editors and want to know which one is yours. The short version: the classic Wix Editor serves small business owners and DIY creators, while Wix Studio is built for agencies, freelancers and developers who handle many client sites. The two are priced for different workflows, and Wix confirms in its community forum that a site built in the classic editor cannot be moved into Wix Studio and has to be rebuilt.

How to use Wix to build a website

If you want a practical answer to how to use Wix to build a website, follow this sequence. It works for the classic editor and, with small differences, for Harmony.

1. Create a free account at wix.com. No credit card is needed for the free plan.
2. Describe your business. Answer the AI builder’s questions about your goals, audience and pages, or skip it and pick a template from the library.
3. Customize the design. Swap images, change fonts and colors, and drag elements into place. Choose your template carefully because switching templates after you publish means rebuilding.
4. Add the features you need. Turn on a blog, online store, bookings or a members area, and install apps from the App Market only when they solve a real problem. Too many apps can slow a site down.
5. Set up SEO basics. Work through the SEO checklist, write unique titles and descriptions, and keep URLs short and readable.
6. Check the mobile view and preview every page before going live.
7. Upgrade and publish. A paid plan removes Wix ads and lets you connect a custom domain.

Tip: if you are comparing this process with a self-hosted setup, our walkthrough on how to create a WordPress website shows the extra steps involved.

Wix pricing

Wix plans are billed per site. Prices below are the monthly rates when billed annually, as listed by independent reviewers; check Wix for current regional pricing, because it changes.

Remember that some extras, such as email marketing volume or premium apps, are billed on top of the plan.

Wix statistics and Wix site statistics

Here are the numbers behind the platform. Market share figures come from W3Techs, and company figures come from Wix’s full-year results filing, as summarized by Colorlib’s statistics report.

• Share of all websites: about 4.2%, which makes Wix the third most used content management system after WordPress and Shopify.
• Registered users: more than 304 million at the end of the last full fiscal year.
• Premium subscriptions: roughly 6.11 million, which is about 2% of registered users.
• Revenue: about $1.99 billion for the last full fiscal year, up 13% year over year.
• Growth: Wix’s share of all websites rose from 3.3% to 4.2% in a single year, then flattened.

Wix performance statistics

Wix used to carry a reputation for slow pages. HTTP Archive’s mobile data, as summarized by Colorlib, shows a very different picture today: Wix sites passed all three Core Web Vitals about 81% of the time, ahead of Shopify (77%), Squarespace (72%) and WordPress (49%). You can check the live data yourself on the HTTP Archive technology report.

For a fair comparison with the largest open-source platform, our breakdown of the percentage of websites using WordPress puts these Wix numbers in context.

Websites using Wix: 20 companies

People searching for websites using Wix often assume only tiny shops use it. In reality, large organizations appear in technology-detection reports, but many use Wix for careers portals, campaign pages and microsites rather than their main corporate homepage. The table below pulls names from public reports and examples; lists like this change, and older ones may be out of date, so verify before quoting any single brand.

The pattern is more useful than the logos: Wix shows up where teams want a fast, no-developer launch. If you plan a store instead, browse the biggest examples in our guides to brands using Shopify and how WooCommerce works.

Can I use Wix to make a cannabis website?

This is one of the most searched questions about Wix, and the honest answer is “it depends on what the site does.” Based on Wix’s own help center:

• Wix Payments does not support cannabis dispensaries or products containing THC. The restricted list appears on Wix’s prohibited products page.
• Hemp-derived CBD can be sold in some cases. You must complete Wix’s declaration and connect a supported third-party payment provider, as explained on the CBD selling page. Wix names partners such as Square, Bankful, Priority Payments and Evergreen Payments Northwest.
• Marijuana-derived CBD is not allowed. Wix says only hemp-derived CBD products may be sold.

So an informational or brand site may be workable, but a dispensary-style store that takes payments through Wix is not. Laws and Wix’s policies vary by location and change over time, so confirm with Wix support and a qualified adviser before you build. This is general information, not legal advice. If your business needs more control over payments and compliance, a self-hosted store built with WordPress and WooCommerce is a common alternative, though you remain responsible for local rules.

Wix vs WordPress, Wix vs Shopify and Wix vs Squarespace

Wix vs WordPress

Wix is a hosted, all-in-one product. WordPress is open-source software you install on your own hosting, which is why its performance and cost vary more. Wix wins on simplicity, bundled hosting and built-in maintenance. WordPress wins on flexibility, plugin choice and portability, since Wix sites generally cannot be exported to another platform. Many agencies and stores also prefer WordPress for long-term SEO control. Learn the basics in our explainer on what WordPress is, or see how it compares with another CMS in Joomla vs WordPress.

Wix vs Shopify

Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform with a stronger product back end and checkout customization. Wix is a general-purpose builder that can sell online, which suits small catalogs, services, bookings and content-led stores. If a large product catalog is your main business, Shopify is usually the safer pick. If the store is a feature of a broader site, Wix is simpler. To weigh more options, read our roundup of Shopify competitors.

Wix vs Squarespace

Squarespace is known for polished, structured designs and fewer templates, while Wix offers far more templates and freer layout control. Squarespace feels easier for people who want guardrails. Wix suits people who want to move every element. On share of the web, Wix leads (about 4.2% vs 2.4%), but the right choice is usually the editor that feels more natural in a free trial.

For a wider market view across all of these, see our ecommerce platforms comparison.

Wix competitors

Searches for Wix competitors usually point to the same short list, depending on what you need:

• Squarespace: design-led sites for creatives and small businesses.
• WordPress (with page builders and themes): maximum flexibility and ownership.
• Shopify: dedicated online stores.
• Hostinger Website Builder: lower starting prices with fewer features.
• GoDaddy: quick onboarding and budget-friendly plans.
• Webflow and Framer: design-heavy tools for designers who want deeper control.

Pros and cons of Wix

Who should use Wix?

Wix suits solo founders, freelancers, local service businesses, creatives and small online sellers who value speed and simplicity. It is a weaker fit if you expect thousands of products, need deep custom back-end logic, or want full ownership of files and data. If you lean toward an open ecosystem, try a WordPress setup alongside the free Wix plan and compare the experience side by side.

FAQ about Wix

Final thoughts: is Wix right for you?

So, what is Wix? It is a fast, bundled way to get a professional website online, backed by a big ecosystem, strong performance data and a growing set of AI tools like Wix Harmony. If you value speed and convenience, it is a solid choice. If you want long-term flexibility and ownership, weigh it against self-hosted options before you commit. Try the free plan, build one real page, and see whether the editor matches the way you work.

Sources and further reading

• W3Techs: Wix usage statistics
• HTTP Archive: Core Web Vitals technology report for Wix
• Wix full-year results (SEC filing)
• Wix Help Center: About the new Wix Harmony editor
• Wix Help Center: Selling CBD on your Wix site
• Wix Help Center: Wix Payments prohibited products and services