Wix vs. Google Sites: The Winner Might Surprise You [2020]

You might think that any product with the Google stamp of approval comes with a level of quality that far exceeds any other brand. However, with website builders, that’s not always the case.

I recently tested Wix and Google Sites to see which one is better. While they both have great features like simple drag-and-drop editors, overall I’ve found that Wix’s additional customizable features and superior selection of templates make it the better all-around builder.

Continue reading to find out why Wix comes out on top in essentially every category. Or, if you’re short on time, you can skip the review and begin your free trial of Wix right now.

Templates

Wix Has More than 500 Templates; Google Sites Has Just 12

When it comes to templates, Wix clearly has a leg-up on Google Sites. Not only does Wix make it easy to choose the perfect template by separating them into five categories (Business & Services, Store, Creative, Community, and Blog), it also takes it a step further by adding helpful tabs within each category:

On the other hand, with Google Sites, the twelve templates you see below are exactly what you get:

While this selection pales in comparison to Wix, it’s worth noting that you can customize the color, layout, and typography of your Google Site template, so at least it won’t be identical to thousands of other websites on the web.

If it so happens that one of these 12 Google Sites templates matches your specific needs, great! However, most people (myself included) prefer getting to choose between hundreds of templates, making Wix the clear winner in this category.

Ease of Use

Both Builders Have Clean, Easy-to-Use Editors

Both Wix and Google Sites have really straightforward editors that allow you to drag and drop content blocks into place on your pages. This makes it exceptionally simple to add images, text, videos, and other elements to your site.

They both also display popup tutorials that explain important controls and features to help guide you while you build your site:

One thing that I really liked about the Google Sites editor is its simple layout and minimalistic design. Google has done a good job of displaying only the options you need and not cluttering the editor menu.

However, perhaps the reason it can have such a simple look is that there really isn’t a whole lot of features to choose from when editing. You can add text, images, videos, as well as integrate content from other Google services like Docs, Sheets, and Maps, but that’s pretty much it.

Wix also has a very clean, comprehensive editor. One of my favorite things about building a site with Wix is that it’s almost like having a professional sitting beside you, helping you with the entire process.

For example, if you move a content block too far towards the margin of your site, you’ll get a helpful reminder that says: “you dragged an element out of the gridlines, some of your visitors won’t see it.”

This feature alone has helped me catch several mistakes before launching my own personal website.

Apps/Addons

Wix Has In-House and Third-Party Apps; Google Sites Has Neither

The Wix “App Market” is integrated directly in the editor, allowing you to sort through hundreds of apps (form third-party developers and Wix) without even leaving the editor.

Here are just a few of the ways you can use free apps from the App Marketplace to enhance your site:

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

If you would like to, you can also purchase apps that provide additional features:

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

Unfortunately, Google Sites does not provide any way to download third-party apps to your site. However, you can add content from other apps synced with your Google account.

For example, the editor has an option to add content from Google Docs, Maps, Calendar, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Charts. So, at least there’s that.

Plans and Pricing

Both Builders Have Free Plans; Wix Gives The Option to Upgrade

Wix offers a free plan with the opportunity to upgrade.

However, Google Sites only has a free plan with limited features.

Let’s take a look at each of these builders’ free plan to see what they get you:

Because both plans are 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. I found this very helpful because on my site I needed a way to sell products online, and upgrading to Wix’s Business Basic Plan helped me do just that!

Google Sites only provides a free plan so you cannot upgrade to gain access to additional features you might need for your website.

Support

Wix Lets You Contact Real People; Google Sites 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.

If your question isn’t answered in these videos, you can also connect with a real person via email.

When building my site with Wix, I was curious to see if I could have certain elements that appear on mobile devices but remain hidden on desktop, so I fired them a question. They got back to me within a couple of hours, answering my question and suggesting a helpful resource packed with more information:

Unfortunately, Google Sites doesn’t display the same level of customer support as Wix. In fact, the only support material I could find were articles written about common problems.

There was no way to reach out to a real person to ask a specific question about my site.

In This Comparison, the Winner Was Obvious

Google has a reputation for creating industry-leading products and services. However, when comparing the Google Sites builder to Wix, I have to say that Wix definitely has the upper-hand.

This is simply because Wix offers more. More templates. More apps. Superior customer support.

FAQ