You see the ads for building a beautiful website «for free.» Wix is everywhere—YouTube, Facebook, Google—promising anyone can have a site up in minutes with their free plan. But are these sites actually free, or is there a catch? If you scratch just beneath the surface, you’ll discover that “free forever” might not mean what you think. I’ve played around with Wix, tested the limits, and pored over the fine print. Turns out, when it comes to free websites, the devil is in the tiny details.
What Does the Wix Free Plan Really Offer?
Wix’s free plan absolutely gives you the power to build a real, working website without paying a cent. You can jump in, grab a template, add your own text and photos, and publish the website within an hour if you’re focused. The free tier lets you play with all the basic design tools, try some cool drag-and-drop features, and get a taste of what’s possible with modern site builders. Still, even though Wix advertises that you can build for free forever, these sites always come with notable limitations.
Let’s start with what happens when you hit the Publish button. Your site instantly goes live, but your URL looks like this: wixsite.com/username/sitename. You don’t get your own .com, which isn’t great if you want to be taken seriously. Even for the best-looking free site, «yoursite.com» brings a lot more credibility than some long-winded Wix subdomain. For a project, personal portfolio, or hobby blog, the free URL is not a deal-breaker. But for anything professional? Not a great look.
Now, about those ads. Wix keeps the lights on by adding their own banners on your published free website. These aren’t subtle. There’s a sticky strip at the top of every page and, depending on the template, a more obvious banner at the bottom. It always says something like «This site was designed with Wix.com. Create your website today!» If you’re hoping for a clean, ad-free look, you’re out of luck on the free tier.
Want to add custom code or plug in Google Analytics? That’s a no-go on free. You can only integrate advanced tools and analytics—like Facebook Pixel, custom scripts, or advanced forms—if you upgrade. And if you plan to sell anything? E-commerce is off-limits without a paid upgrade. Even accepting payments, adding a shop, or handling bookings require at least a basic paid subscription.
There’s also the matter of storage and bandwidth. The free plan gives you 500 MB storage and 500 MB bandwidth per month. That sounds like a lot, but if you’re using high-res images or expect more than a few visitors, you’ll feel the pinch fast. In 2025, a typical photo-heavy portfolio or blog post with multimedia will hit Wix’s free data limits pretty quickly. And slow load times or a site that just stops working due to reached limits? Nobody has patience for that anymore.
Then, there’s support. Wix does have an AI chatbot for instant help and a community forum, but priority support and call-backs are strictly paid features. If you run into something confusing, expect slower replies and a lot of sifting through forum threads when you’re on free.
| Wix Feature | Free Plan | Paid Plans |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Domain | No | Yes |
| Wix Ads | Yes (Visible) | No |
| Storage | 500 MB | 2 GB to 50 GB |
| Bandwidth | 500 MB/month | 2 GB to Unlimited |
| Email Accounts | No | Paid Add-on |
| Analytics Tools | No | Yes |
| E-commerce | No | Yes (Business Plans) |
| Customer Support | Basic | Priority (Phone/Chat) |
Still, if you just want to try Wix out, mess around, and see what you can design—no pressure, no cost—the free plan is a risk-free way to see if it’s for you. Just don’t expect to launch the next big brand or compete with big shots using only the free version.
Who Should Use Wix Free—And Who Shouldn’t?
Wix’s free offer is fantastic for folks just getting started with websites. If you’re building a school project, testing ideas, or maybe creating a private online invitation or mood board, you get the essentials and a playground to experiment with layouts and styles. For young creators, non-techies, and curious tinkerers, it’s easy, approachable, and does what it says as long as you accept the basic limits. College portfolios, resumes, basic photo galleries, or a personal travel log—all doable for $0 if you’re fine with a few ads and having Wix in your URL.
That said, the free plan is almost never the best choice for anyone with even half-serious ambitions. Planning to build trust, represent your business, grow a blog, or develop a professional brand? Then the free tier makes you look, well, cheap. It’s hard to shake off the message that you’re not willing to invest in your own site. Clients and employers notice.
The lack of a custom domain and those big Wix banners on every page? That’s like showing up at an interview in shorts and flip-flops. Your visitors see the limits instantly. Add the risk that your free site could be hit with bandwidth limits—just 500 MB a month isn’t much at all—and you have trouble if any of your content “goes viral” or you share photos everywhere.
Bloggers hoping to make an income from their site will also find the free version too restrictive. You can’t monetize with ads, add sponsored content easily, or install affiliate marketing widgets unless you pay. The same goes for online shops and businesses. Selling even one product? You’ll need a business plan, which costs real money.
It’s also worth mentioning that, on free, your SEO powers are limited. Google will index Wix free subdomains just fine, but it’s way tougher to rank well versus having your own .com. Most backlinks and referral opportunities for search traffic just won’t send you to a wixsite.com page. Some social networks and directories even block wixsite links
For students, hobbyists, or anyone who wants a simple online space without expectations of growing a large following or business, the free plan is great. If you want to experiment with web design without spending money, it’s hard to beat Wix’s sandbox approach. The templates are slick, the editor is intuitive, and you can learn a ton about site-building on your own time. If you outgrow the limits, stepping up to paid plans is smooth, with all your content transferring seamlessly to your shiny new custom website.
If you’re aiming to look legit, draw a crowd, or do business, you’ll hit walls fast. At that point, investing in at least the lowest Wix paid tier makes sense. Fact: in 2025, paid Wix plans start at about $5.50/month (billed yearly) for a personal site and $17/month or more if you want to run a shop—a price that’s still less than most dinners out.
How to Make the Most of Wix’s Free and Paid Plans
If you want to stretch Wix’s free tier as far as possible before thinking of paying, there are tricks to make your site look a bit less «free.» Start with the template. Choose one that hides the footer well, so the branding is less in-your-face. Use lighter imagery and smaller images to minimize your storage and bandwidth use—it helps your site load faster, too. Stick to simple, one-page designs for basic projects. The fewer pages, the less obvious the ads become.
If you’re worried about your site URL looking clunky, use a link shortener service like Bit.ly or TinyURL when sharing your site. It won’t hide the fact it’s a wixsite.com address forever, but it’s less intimidating for first-time visitors when you just want quick feedback or to show off a project.
For anyone eyeing the next step, the «Combo» and «Unlimited» plans are the usual upgrade path. Combo removes ads, gives you a real domain for a year, and jacks up your storage and bandwidth enough for a growing blog, portfolio, or even a simple business site. Unlimited is aimed at freelancers and businesses that want more muscle, and it supports extra bandwidth, video hours, and apps to boost your site’s reach and function. Need a full online store? Only the Business plans count. No free plan will ever let you sell online, so don’t waste too much time trying hacks around that limit.
One insider tip: Wix regularly gives discounts to new users when you sign up—sometimes slashing up to 50% off your first year. Watch for these deals before you subscribe. And don’t forget to back up your work! If you ever need to move your site or content, Wix makes it tricky. Sites can’t simply be exported and installed elsewhere, unlike open-source tools like WordPress. Keep your content organized in your own backups—that’s a good habit regardless of the platform.
For those thinking long-term, remember that free hosting is a great test-bed, but only paid plans unlock serious SEO, complete site analytics, and the ability to remove big Wix ads. If you’re weighing alternatives, compare Wix with others like WordPress.com, Weebly, or even Google Sites. Each has different “free” restrictions, and it pays to read the fine print on what really costs nothing—trust me, there’s always a catch somewhere.
One final fact? Wix’s paid plans host well over 7 million premium sites by 2025, a jump from just 1.5 million premium users four years ago. Free is how they hook you, but plenty of people find enough value—and hit the right limits—to open their wallets soon after trying it out. If you’re trying to do something big, expect to pay. If you just want to build for fun or to learn? Wix free is still hard to beat for sheer creativity.