wix vs ghost
Wix vs Ghost — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
Wix and Ghost represent two fundamentally different approaches to building SEO-friendly websites. Wix offers a comprehensive drag-and-drop website builder with integrated SEO tools designed for users who want everything in one package. Ghost focuses exclusively on fast, clean publishing with headless architecture and superior technical SEO performance for content-driven sites.
The choice between them typically comes down to whether you prioritize ease of use and visual customization (Wix) or speed, technical SEO performance, and publishing focus (Ghost). Most businesses building complex sites with e-commerce choose Wix, while publishers and content marketers prefer Ghost's lean, performance-optimized approach.
Feature Comparison
Wix provides a complete website building ecosystem with drag-and-drop editing, built-in schema markup, SEO assistant, and integrated analytics. Their SEO Wiz guides users through optimization steps, and recent improvements include better JavaScript rendering and Core Web Vitals optimization. You get hosting, security, CDN, and backup included with visual page builders for landing pages, blogs, and e-commerce. Ghost takes a different approach with headless architecture that delivers exceptional page speed and clean HTML output. It includes built-in SEO features like automatic XML sitemaps, structured data, and AMP support, plus integrated newsletter functionality and membership systems. Ghost's editor focuses purely on content creation with markdown support, but lacks visual page building capabilities. The key difference is architectural: Wix renders pages server-side from a visual builder, while Ghost generates static pages optimized for speed. Ghost consistently achieves better Core Web Vitals scores, but Wix offers more design flexibility and third-party integrations.
Pricing Comparison
Ghost starts at $9/month for the Starter plan with up to 500 members and basic features, scaling to $199/month for Business with advanced integrations. There's no free tier, but you get predictable pricing based on member count rather than traffic or storage limits. Wix offers a free tier with Wix branding, then paid plans starting at $17/month for basic websites. Premium plans range from $32-$159/month depending on storage, bandwidth, and e-commerce features. Wix's pricing can become expensive as you add features, apps, and higher traffic allowances. For pure publishing, Ghost offers better value with faster performance included. For complex sites requiring visual builders, e-commerce, or extensive third-party integrations, Wix's all-inclusive approach often costs less than assembling similar functionality elsewhere.
Best For
Wix is better when you need visual design control, e-commerce functionality, or are building sites beyond simple publishing. Small businesses wanting an all-in-one solution with hosting, security, and design tools included will find Wix's ecosystem comprehensive. The SEO assistant and built-in optimization tools work well for non-technical users. Ghost is better when page speed and technical SEO performance are priorities. Publishers, bloggers, and content marketers benefit from Ghost's clean architecture, built-in newsletter functionality, and membership systems. If you're comfortable with minimal design customization and want the fastest possible site, Ghost delivers superior Core Web Vitals.
The Verdict
Choose Ghost if you're primarily publishing content and want the best technical SEO performance. Its headless architecture and speed optimization make it superior for content-driven sites that need to rank well and load fast. Choose Wix if you need visual design control, e-commerce features, or want an all-in-one platform that handles everything. For most businesses beyond pure publishing, Wix's comprehensive feature set and ease of use outweigh Ghost's technical advantages.