Blogger vs. Wix: A Close Match, but Only One Winner [2020]

Countless hours of tinkering and testing have led me to believe that not all builders are created equal. Of course, each one has its own set of features for a certain price. With some you’ll get a great deal. With others? Not so much.

Three years ago I built my first website as a way to promote my freelance writing business. While working on the site, I fell in love with the process. Since then, I have built several different websites using a variety of builders.

For example, I recently tested both Wix and Blogger to see which one is better. It was close, but by the time I finished, I knew that one outperformed the other.

Due to Wix’s robust suite of options, not only as a website builder but also as a marketing tool, I believe it is the best choice for the vast majority of cases.

Continue reading to find out exactly why Wix prevails over Blogger. Or, if you’re short on time, you can skip the review and start your free trial with Wix right now.

1. Templates/Themes

Wix Allows You To Create Any Type of Site

Both Wix and Blogger offer a number of premade designs to give your website the look you want. Wix calls these templates, while Blogger calls them themes but essentially they mean the same thing.

It also allows you to customize the color, layout, typography, and other features of your website.

The difference between Blogger and Wix is that Wix provides 300+ template options for nearly any type of website while Blogger offers just 12 blog themes, each with the option to choose different color and text.

With five different categories of templates (Business & Services, Store, Creative, Community, and Blog) Wix makes it easy to find the one that’s perfect for your site.

So, if you’re looking for a simple blog with minimal design customization, Blogger might be enough for you. But if you’re rather picky about how your website looks (like me) then I would recommend going with Wix.

2. Ease of Use

Wix Allows You to View Changes in Real-Time

Right out of the gate, Wix displays a much more user-friendly experience compared to Blogger.

As you begin to edit, you’ll notice popups with tips that show you how to add certain elements to each of your pages.

You’ll also get notified if there are any potential issues that occur as you design. For example, I was trying to add a block of text to the homepage of my website and got a message that read: “you dragged an element out of the gridlines, some of your visitors won’t see it.”

Had I not received this message, I probably wouldn’t have realized until my site was live!

Blogger also offers a user-friendly editor that allows you to arrange pages to your liking by dragging and dropping Gadgets into place. Gadgets make it easy to add features like search bars, social media buttons, RSS feeds, and other helpful elements to your site.

When writing content, you’re presented with a simple editor similar to what you would find in a Google Document. Basically, you get a blank page with an editing bar.

However, one issue I noticed is that it takes much longer to edit with Blogger. That’s because, unlike Wix, you cannot view the changes you’re making in real-time. Whenever you want to view the changes you’ve made, you need to open a new page to preview your site.

This was something I didn’t have the time (or patience) for, making Wix the clear winner in this category.

3. Apps/Addons

Blogger Has Basic Gadgets; Wix Has Endless Apps

Wix allows you to choose from 300+ Apps, designed both in-house and by third-party developers.

There are many free options that help you:

• Access social media tools
• Add a blog to your website
• Grow a communities around shared interests
• Sell tickets and include RSVPs for events
• Etc.

There are also paid Apps that allow you to:

• Source online products for your ecommerce store
• Integrate QuickBooks online for orders made to your site
• Accept online bookings for your business
• Etc.

Wix has made it easy by integrating an “App Marketplace” directly into the dashboard. Here you can browse through Apps created by both Wix and third-party developers without leaving the editor.

On the other hand, Blogger has free Gadgets you can use to drag and drop different elements on each page. These include:

• Adsense ads
• Search bars
• Images
• RSS feeds
• Etc.

Just like Wix, Blogger permits the purchase, download, and integration of Gadgets from third-party vendors. Here’s a look at some of the ones you can buy to enhance your site:

• Embed buttons
• Countdown timers for product sales
• Integrate chat to your website
• Etc.

4. Plans and Pricing

Wix’s Free Plan Includes Customer Support, Blogger’s Does Not

Both Wix and Blogger offer a free plan. Let’s take a minute to compare:

With both builders, you get what you pay for. Because they’re both free, you can see that your options are somewhat restricted.

However, Wix makes it easy to upgrade to paid plans with additional features. These include several e-commerce and business plans that allow you to:

• Remove wix ads from your site
• Connect a personal domain to your site
• Access premium support
• Increase storage (3GB with Combo Plan, 10GB with Unlimited Plan)
• Etc.

Blogger only provides a free plan and there are no options to upgrade if you need to add additional features to your site.

5. Support

Wix Lets You Contact Real People; Blogger Does Not

Wix’s help center is complete and comprehensive. They provide individual videos that show you exactly how to use the builder to customize your site. These videos include tutorials that show you how to:

• Add and customize strips, text, pages, links, and menus
• Connect social media channels
• Optimize images
• Boost your site’s SEO
• Translate your site into any language
• Etc.

Blogger offers a less robust Help Center with basic user guides and articles that answer commonly asked questions. Many of these are very helpful but it can also be difficult to find answers to specific questions about your site.

If you want to reach out to a real person to get help, there’s an outside chance that you’ll be able to connect with someone in the Google Support Forum, but no promises.

Wix allows you to submit a support ticket via email, however, it took me a fair amount of time to figure out where to do this. That said, once I found the right place to submit a request, my question was answered by the Wix customer support team in just 12 minutes! 

I asked if the Wix domain comes complete with an SSL certificate. In addition to being quick, the reply I got was helpful and courteous.

A Close Competition, but Only One Winner

Across the board, Wix has proven to be a much better website builder compared to Blogger. This decision is because, with Blogger, it’s difficult to create anything other than a simple blog.

Wix allows you to create blogs, business, e-commerce, and many other types of websites. Wix also offers a free plan, which makes it easy to test it out before you decide to upgrade to a paid plan.

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