Wix vs Gator Website Builder Comparison – Which Option To Choose?

Which is a better option when comparing Wix vs Gator website builder? I will discuss their ease of use, performance, template offerings, and pricing – and specify which website builder is better suited for your upcoming project.

When it comes to Wix and HostGator website builders – both brands are definitely popular and have built their names in the web development industry. However, Wix is known to be a great website builder. Meanwhile, HostGator is a well-known brand in the hosting industry.

However, this post is not about comparing the hosting services. I will compare an industry-leading website builder – Wix, with one of the most popular hosting providers – HostGator.

 

Wix vs HostGator Website Builder

Wix is known for its incredible customization potential and feature-rich editing interface, but the HostGator (Gator) website builder appears quite similar for a much lower price.

The real question is how well the HostGator website builder compares to Wix. Does it offer the same level of features, or is it a poor imitation?

Well, neither. Since both of these builders have pros and cons – they are suitable for different goals. If you want a basic-looking website and something cheap to start with – pick HostGator. If you fancy pixel-perfect customization and detail and have more time to spend on tweaking your website – choose Wix.

 

 

Comparing HostGator vs Wix is, in some ways, like comparing an industry giant with the new kid on the block. Wix has been one of powerful website builder on the market for years. Still, HostGator’s website builder is trying to challenge the position by offering a similar editor with essentially the same (yet far more limited) features.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a very good job. Although Wix and HostGator both have drag-and-drop editors with pixel-perfect design flexibility, Wix’s is much more powerful. On top of this, Wix provides the option of using the Wix ADI, a more beginner-friendly choice for those who want to get online fast.

However, HostGator does offer much cheaper subscriptions. HostGator being cheap is great but at the same time features offered are far less flexible and powerful compared to Wix.

 

 

I will look closely at both builders and check how well they compare. I will cover everything from ease of use to design flexibility and performance, providing enough information to decide which is a better choice for you.

NOTE: I have also compared Wix vs Elementor, Wix vs Weebly, Wix vs Jimdo, Wix vs Webs, Wix vs Shopify, Wix vs Squarespace, and Wix vs WordPress.

 

Ease Of Use

Since HostGator and Wix offer very similar website builders, I paid particular attention to how easy each was to use. Wix is known to be a little confusing for beginners due to its limitless flexibility, but I was impressed with HostGator’s clean and straightforward editing interface.

I began by signing up for a new account and building a website with HostGator. When I clicked the “create a new website” button, I was taken directly to a template selection page, where I could choose from over 200 designs.

 

 

Following this, I was taken straight to the HostGator site editor, where the fun began.

At first glance, the HostGator editing interface appeared tidy and intuitive. Navigating through the different editing tabs was easy, and I never really reached a point where I wasn’t sure what I was doing.

 

 

The thing that really stands out about the HostGator builder is that it offers the same pixel-perfect customizability as Wix. Elements can be dragged and dropped anywhere you want, giving you the complete design flexibility to create the website you want.

 

 

However, this flexibility also comes with a downside. HostGator offers no protection against messy designs. You have to make space for an element before adding it. Otherwise, it will simply sit on top of whatever’s already there.

I was quite happy with the general layout of the editing dashboard. It allows you to manage pretty much everything from the same place, including your blog, store, analytics, and ongoing content additions.

Although the HostGator builder didn’t stand out – mainly because of its slightly messy editor and the lack of more interesting elements  – it did okay. Still, it doesn’t really stack up against Wix.

Wix offers more powerful editing, a much more advanced design interface, and better tools and features.

Unlike HostGator, Wix gives you two options when starting a new website. The Wix ADI uses industry-leading artificial design intelligence to build a website template for you. At the same time, the Wix Editor is a drag-and-drop builder similar to HostGator.

Wix ADI is an excellent tool for those who want to get online quickly. It certainly isn’t as powerful as the Wix Editor or the HostGator builder, but it’s a lot more beginner-friendly and intuitive.

 

 

Using Wix ADI involves answering a few questions about the type of website you want and the design styles that appeal to you. Once you’ve worked through the questionnaire, Wix will provide a custom-made template for you.

 

 

You won’t have the same pixel-perfect design flexibility that the Wix Editor offers, but you can add your content and customize things to some extent.

I will say that the Wix Editor isn’t very beginner-friendly. Like the HostGator builder, it can be confusing for those without a lot of web design experience. The sheer number of tools available can take some time to get used to, and the drag-and-drop builder can get messy if you’re not careful.

 

WINNER: Wix definitely comes ahead on the ease of use and design flexibility fronts. Although HostGator is powerful, I found it a little simplistic and flat. On the other hand, the Wix Editor provides top-of-the-range design flexibility, while Wix ADI allows those with less experience to get online fast.

 

Design & Templates

Wix and HostGator perform pretty well on the design and templates front. Both builders offer great theme libraries and use powerful drag-and-drop editing interfaces.

HostGator offers over 200 fully customizable templates designed for all types of websites. However, I must admit that I found them quite simplistic, and many of them looked very similar to each other and sort of boring.

 

 

But the fact that HostGator allows you to customize every aspect of your website means that its templates don’t confine you. As long as you can find one that represents a decent starting point, then you will be fine.

Wix offers a vast template library featuring over 500 professionally developed designs. This is a much greater range than HostGator, including general website themes and niche-specific designs with built-in special features.

 

 

I particularly like that Wix’s templates are grouped into very specific categories. This makes it relatively easy to choose a template suited for the website you want to build.

It’s also worth noting that Wix provides code access, allowing you to fine-tune your site’s design even further if you want to. You can even add custom code to enhance your site’s functionality.

 

WINNER: In terms of their design flexibility and the templates they offer, Wix is a clear winner. It has more templates, much more advanced designs, and slightly better customization potential.

 

Business Features

Wix and HostGator offer a range of features for businesses, but Wix comes out on top. Wix eCommerce tools are better than HostGator; they provide better search engine optimization (SEO) and give you access to a great email marketing system.

SEO is an essential consideration if you’re running a business website. Fortunately, Wix excels on this front. For starters, websites built with Wix perform very well, which is good for native SEO. You can also integrate SEO plugins into your website and add metadata to your pages and image files.

 

 

On the other hand, HostGator offers very little to be excited about in terms of SEO. Websites built with it perform terribly, in my experience, and it provides very few native SEO tools.

Similarly, HostGator doesn’t provide any in-house email marketing features.

 

 

On the other hand, Wix has a built-in email marketing system that allows you to grow your mailing list and build custom emails.

 

 

Wix also offers much more powerful eCommerce features than HostGator. I wouldn’t bother using the HostGator online store plan, even though it’s cheaper than Wix’s. It only provides the most basic eCommerce features, while Wix stores are quite advanced.

 

WINNER: When it comes to business features, Wix outperforms HostGator on almost every level. It offers better SEO, an email marketing system, and much more powerful eCommerce features.

 

Pricing

At first glance, HostGator appears to be a significantly cheaper option than Wix. Gator website builder offers three plans going from $3.84/month to $9.22/month, compared to Wix’s seven pricing plans ranging from $5.5/month to $44/month.

A closer look at HostGator’s pricing structure reveals that the quoted prices are only valid for the first 24 months and only if you’re subscribing to that website builder for two years.

Following this, they will double, meaning they range from $7.68/month to $18.44/month. Although HostGator is still cheaper than Wix when this is taken into account.

The HostGator Starter plan costs $3.84/month (for the first year) and includes free hosting, a custom domain, and basic website analytics tools.

Upgrading to the Express Site plan costs $5.99/month (for the first year) and gives you access to everything in the Starter plan plus priority support. Finally, the HostGator Store plan will cost you $9.22/month for the first year and includes basic online store features.

Meanwhile, Wix offers a much better selection of website-building plans, with four dedicated website-building subscriptions and three eCommerce/business-oriented subscriptions.

The cheapest of Wix’s website-specific subscriptions (not counting the basic Connect Domain plan), the Combo plan ($10/month), offers similar features to the HostGator Starter plan but is much more expensive.

Upgrading to the Unlimited plan ($17/month) will give you access to more server resources for your website and a powerful analytics plugin.

Wix’s VIP plan costs $29/month and includes priority VIP support. This is comparable to the HostGator Express Site plan – which only costs $5.99/month.

If we look at Wix’s eCommerce solutions, it immediately becomes apparent that they are more expensive. The Business Basic ($20/month), Business Unlimited ($30/month), and Business VIP ($44/month) plans include increasingly powerful eCommerce features and tools.

Ultimately, make sure you don’t choose between HostGator and Wix based on price alone. Also, consider the features they offer and which is better suited to your needs.

 

WINNER: Although HostGator offers significantly cheaper website building plans than Wix, it’s important to consider the features each builder offers.

 

Gator Builder vs Wix Verdict

In this Wix vs Gator buildder comparison, I looked at various metrics to determine which website builder is better. Wix offers an industry-leading drag-and-drop builder and a great range of design templates, while HostGator is a cheap option for those with a limited budget.

Ultimately, Wix came out ahead in almost every comparison. Its editor is more powerful and comes with the added choice of using the Wix ADI for complete beginners. Similarly, its template library is more extensive than HostGator, and its designs are more complex and attractive.

Wix also provides much better features for business owners. The only area in which HostGator beats Wix is pricing, and it offers much cheaper subscriptions, but ultimately this is because the services it provides simply aren’t as feature-rich as Wix’s.

I’d recommend using Wix if you want to build a more complex website with the world’s most powerful drag-and-drop builder. However, if you’re aiming for a basic website and trying to budget, HostGator is a clever choice.

 

Alternatives

Although Wix and HostGator are useful in certain situations, there are plenty of other website builders out there.

 

Shopify

Shopify is an excellent alternative to Wix and HostGator if you’re aiming to build a robust eCommerce store. It’s a bit more expensive solution than the mentioned two website builders. However, it’s fully packed with unique features for building a successful online store.

 

GoDaddy Website Builder

GoDaddy Website Builder comes with a beginner-friendly editing interface and is an excellent alternative for those who want to get online without spending too much time or money.

The design interface isn’t as flexible and pretty as Wix’s, and it’s not as cheap as HostGator, but it comes as a nice middle-ground solution between the two for building a great website.

 

WordPress.com

If you’re planning on focusing on blogging, then WordPress.com is a good option. It’s powerful and intuitive, and it comes with excellent templates, a wide choice of plugins, and a great blog post editor that is beginner-friendly.