Wix alternatives: a guide for Irish small businesses

Most people who search for a Wix alternative have just had a renewal email. The site is fine, but the price has gone up, or they've realised they haven't logged into the editor in two years and are paying for it anyway.

This guide covers the main alternatives, what each one costs, how to move without losing your domain, and which one fits the site you have.

Why people leave Wix

The renewal. Wix plans are sold by the year and paid up front, and the free domain only covers the first year. The second-year bill is often the first time people look at the total, and Wix's 14-day money-back guarantee doesn't apply to renewals. Wix publishes its prices in US dollars: $17 to $39 a month on the plans most small businesses use, billed yearly, before VAT.

Paying for an editor you don't use. We checked 2,263 Irish business websites built on Wix, and 99% of them were on a paid plan. Many owners build the site once and rarely open the editor again. If that's you, you're paying every year for a design tool you don't use.

Where the company is based. Some people would rather their business didn't depend on a company in a particular country. Wix is an Israeli company, headquartered in Tel Aviv. The comparison table below lists where each option is based, so you can decide for yourself.

The alternatives

There are three kinds of alternative, and they solve different problems.

aisites.ie: built for you. We build the site from your details at a fixed price, €249 for one page or €349 for up to five, then look after hosting, security and backups for €13 a month. You don't do the building or the upkeep, and you can still change your own text, prices, hours and photos. It suits a site that says what you do, where you work and how to get in touch. We're an Irish company, and our sites are hosted in the EU. Our agency, DIY or done-for-you guide compares this with the other routes.

Another DIY or no-code builder. Wix is a no-code builder: you build the site by dragging things around rather than writing code. Squarespace, GoDaddy, Hostinger and Shopify work the same way. They differ in price and polish, but the deal is the same as Wix: you pay a yearly fee and do the work yourself. If what bothers you about Wix is the price, one of these may be cheaper. If what bothers you is doing it yourself, switching builder won't fix that.

WordPress (and WooCommerce for shops). WordPress is free, open-source software that runs a large share of the world's websites. You own everything, you can host it anywhere, and with plugins it can do almost anything, including bookings, member areas and a full online shop through WooCommerce. The cost is in the running of it: hosting, premium plugins and themes, and regular updates, security and backups. Somebody has to do that work, either you or someone you pay, typically €30 to €100 a month in Ireland. A WordPress site nobody looks after goes wrong in predictable ways. If you want WordPress or WooCommerce without doing the upkeep, we also run WP Care, which looks after WordPress sites for Irish businesses.

Which alternative fits your site?

Start with what your site does today. Most small business sites are one of these:

• A simple site: what you do, where you are, how to get in touch. aisites.ie. This is most local businesses: trades, practices, one-location shops. Built for you from €249.
• An online shop. Shopify if you want to run it yourself. WooCommerce on WordPress if you want to own it outright; WP Care can build and look after one.
• Bookings and appointments. If you take bookings through Wix now, you'll need a booking system to replace it. A simple site can link to one, or WordPress can have one built in.
• A portfolio or design-led site you want to build yourself. Squarespace.
• Member areas, paid content or anything custom. WordPress, built and looked after by a developer.
• You edit your site often and enjoy it. Stay with Wix or another DIY builder. You're using what you pay for.

We don't build shops, bookings or member areas at aisites.ie, and we'll say so if that's what you need.

You might be on Wix and not know it

If an agency built your website and you pay them a monthly fee, the site may be on Wix without you ever having seen it. Of the Irish Wix sites we checked, more than one in ten were built by a single agency, and plenty of other agencies and freelancers build on Wix too.

That matters if you want to move, because the agency may hold the Wix account and possibly the domain. Check your agreement before you change anything.

Is my website on Wix? Four ways to check, easiest first:

1. Ask whoever built it. "What platform is my site on, and whose name is the domain registered in?" Both answers matter if you ever want to move.
2. Ask ChatGPT or another AI assistant. Ask it: "Check the page source of www.yoursite.ie. Is it built with Wix? Tell me what you found that shows it." Asking for the evidence matters, because an assistant sometimes guesses without looking. If it mentions wixstatic.com or "Wix.com Website Builder", that's a reliable answer.
3. Check the page itself. On a computer, right-click a photo and choose Copy image address, or right-click the page and choose View page source. If you see wixstatic.com, the site is on Wix.
4. Use a free checker. Sites like BuiltWith or Wappalyzer tell you what a website is built with. Type in your address.

If you pay Wix directly, the charge shows as "Wix.com" on your card statement. If an agency built your site, you probably pay them instead, so the statement won't tell you. Or send us your web address and we'll tell you.

How to move off Wix

Moving is mostly about your domain. The site itself can't be taken with you: Wix sites only run on Wix's own servers, so there is no export to another host. Your text and photos get rebuilt on the new platform. That's usually less work than it sounds for a brochure site.

1. Find out where your domain is registered. Many Irish .ie domains on Wix were bought from an Irish registrar and just point at Wix. If so, moving means changing where the domain points. Nothing has to be transferred.
2. If you bought the domain through Wix, you can transfer it to another provider. Wix emails a transfer code to the domain's registrant contact. If an agency registered the domain, that's probably them. Wix says a transfer usually takes up to 7 days, and it isn't possible within 60 days of registering the domain, transferring it, or changing its contact details. You can also keep the domain with Wix and point it at the new site instead.
3. Get the new site built and checked before you touch anything, so there's no gap where your site is offline.
4. Point the domain at the new site. It usually takes effect within a few hours.
5. Cancel your Wix plan. Do this last, once the new site is live. Wix's 14-day money-back guarantee covers new plans only, not renewals, so turn off auto-renew before your renewal date. If you cancel after the first 14 days, the plan runs to the end of the period you've paid for. Cancelling the plan doesn't cancel a Wix domain, business email or apps. Wix bills those separately, so cancel them separately.

If an agency built your site, start with step 1 and your agreement with them.

What it costs with us

aisites.ie builds brochure sites for local Irish businesses: what you do, where you work, photos, and a way to get in touch. €249 for one page or €349 for up to five pages, then €156 a year to keep it running, which works out at €13 a month. Or €15 a month if you'd rather pay monthly. Prices are ex VAT. Full details on the pricing page.

Hosting, security and backups are our job, not yours. Two rounds of changes are included, and you get a login to change your own text, prices, hours and photos.

aisites.ie is an Irish company, and our sites are hosted in the EU.

What happens next. Tell us about your business, and send us your current Wix address so we can work from it. We build the new site inside 48 hours of getting your details. You look at the finished site, and you only pay if you want it.

Common questions

What is the best alternative to Wix for a small business?

It depends on what you want to stop doing. If Wix is too expensive, another DIY builder such as Squarespace or Hostinger may cost less. If you need a shop or bookings, WordPress with WooCommerce does both but needs looking after. If you don't want to build or maintain a site at all, a done-for-you service such as aisites.ie builds it for a fixed price, from €249.

Can I keep my domain if I leave Wix?

Yes. If you bought the domain from another provider, you only change where it points. If you bought it through Wix, you can transfer it out: Wix emails a transfer code to the domain's registrant contact, and the transfer usually takes up to 7 days. If your business email uses the domain, its settings have to be added again after a transfer, so plan for that.

Will I lose my website if I cancel my Wix plan?

No, your content isn't deleted. The site stays online as a free Wix site, with Wix adverts and a wixsite.com address instead of your own domain. Wix sites can't be exported to another host, so get the new site live before you cancel. Wix's 14-day refund covers new plans only, not renewals.

Is Wix an Israeli company?

Yes. Wix.com Ltd. is headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, and its shares trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York. It also has offices in other countries, including Ireland. If you'd rather use a European or Irish company, Hostinger is based in Lithuania, WordPress can be hosted anywhere in Europe, and aisites.ie is an Irish company with sites hosted in the EU.

Is AI Sites an Irish company?

Yes. AI Sites (aisites.ie) is run by WP Care Limited, a company registered in Ireland and based in Dublin. The same company runs WP Care, which looks after WordPress sites for Irish businesses. Our sites are hosted in the EU, and our prices are in euro.

Sources

• Wix plans and prices: wix.com/plans, read 2 October 2026. Wix shows US dollar prices to Irish visitors, with the local price at checkout.
• Cancelling a Wix plan: Canceling a Wix Premium or Studio Plan, Wix Help Center.
• Refunds: Requesting a Refund for a Premium or Studio Plan, Wix Help Center.
• Moving a domain: Transferring Your Wix Domain Away from Wix and ICANN's 60 Day Lock Policy, Wix Help Center.
• Exporting: Exporting or Embedding Your Wix Site Elsewhere, Wix Help Center.
• Irish Wix figures: our own check of 2,263 Irish business websites on Wix, October 2026. These are the sites we found, not every Irish Wix site.
• WordPress maintenance costs: WP Care.