Comparison
ThemeSmith vs Wix: build it yourself, or have it built.
Wix is a website builder: you pick a template and make the site yourself. ThemeSmith builds it from a chat about your business and looks after it afterwards. Both get a small business online. Below: what each involves, who each is right for, and what a four-page site costs in its first year.
£74 for four pages (£29 for the first, £15 for each one after). Hosting is free for the first month, then £15 a month: £239 in the first year, all in.
After launch, a change is a message. New hours, a price, a photo: send it on WhatsApp or in your dashboard and we make the change and put it live. About ten a month are covered by the £15.
What is the difference between Wix and ThemeSmith?
One is a tool you use. The other is a service that does the work and keeps doing it. Neither is wrong; they suit different owners.
Doing it yourself on Wix
You open an account and pick a template from a very large library. Then you make the site in the editor: write every page, find or take the photos, choose the colours and type, and arrange it all on the page. Apps add bookings, shops and the rest; you choose and set them up.
When something changes, new hours, a price, a photo, you log in and change it. You control every detail, and if you have the time and enjoy editing, it costs less in money than paying someone to do it.
Wix's plans, prices and what each includes are set out on wix.com.
Having ThemeSmith build it
You choose your pages on the quote page and pay to start. Then you describe your business in a chat, in your own words, the way you'd tell a customer; we play back what we heard so you can correct it. Two or three design directions come back, you pick one, and your home page arrives in about twenty minutes.
Nothing else is built until you approve it. The rest of your pages follow about ten minutes later, and the site goes live on your own domain. Afterwards, changes are a message in your dashboard or on WhatsApp: we make the change and put it live. Photos, copy and two logo designs are made for you.
How do Wix and ThemeSmith compare, side by side?
Making the site, running it, and paying for it. The ThemeSmith column is our price list and our process. The Wix column describes doing it yourself; we don't quote Wix's prices here, because they change, and wix.com has them.
| Side by side | Doing it yourself on Wix | ThemeSmith |
|---|---|---|
| Making the site | ||
| Who makes it | You, in the editor, in your own time. | We do, from a chat about your business. |
| Design | A huge choice of templates. You pick one and adapt it. | Two or three design directions made from your words. You pick one. |
| The words | You write every page. | Written for you from the chat. We play back what we heard before anything is designed. |
| Photos | Your own, or ones you find. | Made for you. Add your own later if you like. |
| Logo | Bring your own, or buy one. Anything Wix sells is priced on wix.com. | Two logo designs with every build. Two more £10, or four more £15, at the order. |
| Control over detail | Every detail is yours to set. | You describe, choose and approve. We lay it out. |
| Learning the tool | The editor is yours to learn. | Nothing to learn. A chat, a choice and a yes. |
| Time to a first page | As long as you give it. | About twenty minutes to a home page. The rest about ten minutes after you approve it. |
| Before it goes live | You publish when you're happy with it. | Up to five changes and one complete rethink before you approve the home page. Quality checks run before anything goes live. |
| Running it | ||
| Changes after launch | You log in and edit, whenever you like. | Message us in the dashboard or on WhatsApp. We make the change and put it live. About ten everyday changes a month are covered on Starter. |
| Apps and extras | A huge choice of apps. You pick and set them up. | Enquiry forms that reach you, always emailed. No app market. |
| Hosting, SSL, backups | Depends on the plan you pick. wix.com lists what each one includes. | Hosting on our global network, SSL, a web application firewall and versioned backups of every change, on every plan. |
| Your own domain | Connect one you own, or buy one; the terms and price are on wix.com. | Connect one you have, or buy one in the dashboard. Each name shows its yearly price before you pay. |
| Support | Depends on the plan you pick. wix.com sets out what comes with each. | Email support, and messages in your dashboard or on WhatsApp. |
| Paying for it | ||
| To build | Your hours. Nobody builds it for you unless you hire someone. | £29 first page, £15 each page after, up to eight. Four pages: £74. A privacy page is free. |
| Each month | A plan, paid to Wix. The price depends on the plan you choose; wix.com has them. | First month free. Then £15 on Starter or £39 on Business. |
| Contract | Wix's billing terms are on wix.com. | None. No setup fee. Cancel from your account. |
Wix's plans and prices change, so check wix.com before you decide. The ThemeSmith details are on our price list →
Who is each one right for?
An honest sorting. If the left column sounds like you, Wix is probably the better choice, and we'd rather you knew that now.
Wix is the better choice if
You want to make it yourself.
- You have the time, and you enjoy making things on a screen. A builder rewards the hours you put in.
- You want to choose from a huge number of templates and apps, and to control every detail yourself.
- You already have the words, the photos and a logo. Then most of what we make for you is already made.
- You'd rather pay less in cash and more in hours. Wix's plan price on wix.com against £15 a month tells you the difference in pounds; only you know the difference in time.
- You like logging in and changing things yourself, whenever the mood takes you.
ThemeSmith is the better choice if
You want it built and looked after.
- You'd rather describe your business than build a website. A chat, in your own words, is the whole brief.
- You have no photos, no copy and no logo yet. All three are made for you, and you can add your own later.
- You want to see a home page before anything else is built, and to change it until you're happy to approve it.
- You want changes done by sending a message, not by learning an editor. We make the change and put it live.
- You want one plain price. £74 for four pages, then £15 a month after the free first month, with no contract.
What does the first year cost?
A four-page site: home, services, about and contact. The ThemeSmith column is our price list. For Wix, we list what to add up and leave the figures to wix.com, where they're kept current.
ThemeSmith, four pages
Paid in two parts: £74 for the build, once, and £15 a month for hosting after the free first month.
- Build, paid once: £29 first page + 3 × £15£74
- Hosting, month one£0
- Hosting, months two to twelve: 11 × £15£165
- First year in all£239
Included: two logo designs, photos and copy made for you, a privacy page, your own domain connected, and about ten everyday changes a month, done for you from a message. After the first year: £15 a month.
Wix, doing it yourself
A plan price, plus your hours
Paid to Wix for the plan and the domain, plus whatever your own time is worth.
- Plan, twelve monthspriced on wix.com
- Domainpriced on wix.com
- Logo and photos, if you buy themyour choice
- Your timeHours, not pounds
The hours go on choosing a template, writing the pages, finding photos, learning the editor and every update after launch. For some owners that is the enjoyable part. For others it is the reason the site never gets finished.
Stem & Stonecrop
- Pages
- 4
- Build, paid once
- £74
- Hosting, first year
- £165
- First year in all
- £239
- Home page
- about 20 minutes
- Logos
- 2 designs included
Each is a four-page site built the way this page describes: a chat, a home page approved first, the rest about ten minutes later. All of them, full size →
What do you get from ThemeSmith that a builder leaves to you?
Five things, each one on every build. Everything else on this page is a matter of taste; these are the mechanism.
Made from your words
You describe the business in a chat, the way you'd tell a customer. We play it back, you correct it, and the site is built from that.
Nothing to learn
No editor, no template to adapt, no settings. You choose between design directions and say yes to a home page.
Home page approved first
Nothing else is built until you approve it. Up to five changes and one complete rethink are included before you do.
Changes by message
New hours, a price, a photo: ask in your dashboard or on WhatsApp. We make the change and put it live. About ten a month are covered on Starter.
Logos included
Two logo designs drawn for your business come with every build. Two more are £10, four more £15, chosen at the order.
Questions people ask before choosing
The same answers you'd get on WhatsApp. If yours isn't here, message us ↗ and we'll answer it.
- Is ThemeSmith a Wix alternative for UK small businesses?
- Yes, for owners who would rather have the site built than build it. ThemeSmith builds and looks after websites for UK small businesses: you describe the business in a chat, approve a home page, and the rest follows. Prices are in pounds, paid once for the build and monthly for hosting.
- Is Wix cheaper than ThemeSmith?
- It can be, if you do the work yourself. Wix's plan prices are on wix.com; set them against £74 once for a four-page ThemeSmith site and £15 a month after the free first month, then add the hours a builder asks of you: the template, the words, the photos, the editor and every update. Which is cheaper depends on what your time is worth.
- What does a change cost after the site is live?
- On Starter, about ten everyday changes a month are covered by the £15: new hours, a price, a photo. You send the change in your dashboard or on WhatsApp, and we make it and put it live. A whole new section counts for about five everyday changes. Anything unused carries over to the next month.
- Do I need to learn an editor with ThemeSmith?
- No. You describe your business in a chat, in your own words, and we play back what we heard so you can correct it. Design directions come back for you to choose from. After launch, changes are a message in your dashboard or on WhatsApp: we make the change and put it live.
- Can I keep my domain if I move to ThemeSmith?
- Yes. Connect a domain you already own from your dashboard, or buy a new one there; each name shows its yearly price before you pay. Releasing a domain from your current provider follows that provider's own steps.
- What if I don't like the design?
- Nothing else is built until you approve your home page. Before you do, you can ask for up to five changes and one complete rethink, all included in the price. Once you approve it, the rest of your pages are built to match.
- How long does ThemeSmith take compared with building it yourself?
- Your home page arrives about twenty minutes after the chat, and the rest of your pages about ten minutes after you approve it. Building it yourself takes as long as you give it: picking a template, writing each page, finding photos and learning the editor are all hours of yours.
- Do I need photos, copy or a logo to start?
- No. Photos and copy are made for you from what you tell us, and two logo designs come with every build. You can add your own photos later. For more logo choice, two more are £10 or four more are £15 when you order.
- Is there a contract?
- No contract and no setup fee. Hosting is free for the first month, then £15 a month on Starter or £39 on Business, and you cancel from your account. We give 30 days' notice of any price change, and existing customers keep their price.
Tell us about your business. We build the website.
Choose your pages, see the exact price, and pay to start. Your home page arrives in about twenty minutes; nothing else is built until you've approved it.
£29 for your first page, £15 for each one after. First month's hosting free, then £15 a month. Changes after launch are a message to us. No contract; cancel from your account.
ThemeSmith builds and looks after websites for UK small businesses. Wix is a trade mark of its owner; this page compares the two ways of getting a website and is not endorsed by Wix.