WordPress, Wix or a custom website: which to choose in 2026?

The question comes up at every meeting: "Do you build it with WordPress?" Technology matters, but less than what you do with it. Here is an honest comparison of the four most common options.

Wix (and website builders)

How it works: you build your site by dragging and dropping blocks on an online platform.

Pros: simple, quick to start, hosting included, no technical updates.

Limits: monthly subscription paid by card in euros or dollars; recognisable design; average speed on mobile; you can’t take your site elsewhere; limited Mobile Money payments.

Best for: a freelancer who wants to run a small site alone.

Shopify

How it works: turnkey online store platform.

Pros: very complete for e-commerce, reliable, many apps.

Limits: monthly subscription and fees; paid apps that add up; Orange Money and MTN MoMo integration through third-party solutions.

Best for: a brand that sells a lot, often internationally.

WordPress

How it works: open-source software that runs a large share of the world’s websites.

Pros: very flexible, thousands of themes and plugins, WooCommerce for selling, easy to edit yourself.

Limits: core, theme and plugins must be updated every month; an abandoned WordPress is a favourite target for hackers; can become slow with too many plugins.

Best for: a business that publishes often and accepts a maintenance contract. Read My website was hacked: what to do right now (and next).

The custom site (static or app-based)

How it works: the site is designed and coded for you. A static site is delivered as ready-made pages, with no exposed database.

Pros: maximum speed, very high security, unique design, flawless technical SEO, low hosting cost.

Limits: major changes go through the provider unless an editing interface is included.

Best for: businesses that want a fast, secure, distinctive site and prefer to delegate.

The comparison

Criterion	Wix	Shopify	WordPress	Custom
Speed	Average	Good	Variable	Excellent
Security	Good	Good	Depends on maintenance	Excellent
Unique design	Limited	Medium	Good	Total
Mobile Money	Limited	Via third parties	Yes (plugins)	Yes
Monthly cost	Subscription	Subscription + fees	Hosting + maintenance	Low hosting
Autonomy	Total	Total	Good	Depends on interface

How to decide

Ask three questions:

1. Who will update the site? You alone: Wix or WordPress. A provider: custom or maintained WordPress.
2. What do you want to sell? Nothing: showcase. A few products: simple store. A lot: Shopify, WooCommerce or custom e-commerce.
3. How much do speed and security matter? Crucial for a clinic, fintech or law firm: favour custom.

Our approach

We build most of our sites custom, fast and secure, and we use WordPress or WooCommerce when you need to publish often yourself. Either way, we explain the choice and the maintenance cost before we start.