Wix vs Editor X: Which Is Best for Developers? [2024]

Few things will pique a professional developer’s curiosity more than a new website builder that promises creative freedom, responsive designs, and a break from coding. That’s exactly what Editor X is, or at the very least, what it advertises itself to be.

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering: Is Editor X really better than the original Wix builder? If so, is it worth the extra cash?

Unlike me, you won’t have to find out on your own. I gave Editor X a test drive and compared it to the more beginner-friendly Wix. To be honest, the results surprised me. Editor X is a powerful builder for web designers and agencies1. It has some things in common with Wix, but it also has advanced features designed to make your life a lot easier.

That said, Editor X is relatively new, so there are still a couple of minor bugs you should know about before you sign up. For beginners – and anyone who wants to get to site-building without much of a learning curve – Wix is still my first choice.

Wix vs Editor X: Quick Comparison for Developers

Templates

Wix Has Way More Templates, But You Can Customize More with Editor X

Wix has over 800 templates in this gallery, broken down into 5 major categories (6 if you count “blank templates”) and around 80 subcategories so you can easily zero in on your niche. If none of them feels quite right, you can always build your site from scratch.

I’ve always liked Wix’s approach to its templates. There might be a lot of them, but there’s a real variety of design. It doesn’t feel like the same recycled concept over and over. I can’t say the same for a lot of other builders.

Besides, many templates come with specific apps pre-installed. For example, if you choose a template for consultants, there’s a solid chance it comes with a booking system already built in. Blogger? Your template will already have Wix Blog installed and ready to go. 

The templates are designed with more than just looks in mind. They’re actually built to be functional.

Editor X has just 28 templates. Yes, you heard right – from 800 down to 28. But that’s not a bad thing, per se.

Unlike Wix, Editor X’s templates are meant to be more of a rough starting point, to provide inspiration at most. Editor X is designed for developers and agencies, the kind of users that wouldn’t want a cookie-cutter website. It stands to reason that you wouldn’t need as many templates.

Wix is built for beginners, meaning that all its templates need to be able to work as-is in every niche. It’s still insanely customizable for a builder aimed at a general audience, but the templates need to provide more in terms of basic structure.

One thing Wix and Editor X have in common is that they don’t let you change templates. That is, once you start playing around with a template, you can’t just switch to another one and keep all your changes. You’ll have to start over with a new template.

Also, neither platform’s templates are mobile responsive by default, which means that significant edits will require tweaking in the editor for other devices and screen sizes. That said, it’s now easier to make your templates fully responsive with Editor X (see below).

Features

Wix Has Tons of Features, But Editor X Has All That and More

Editor X is the clear winner when it comes to features. But the advanced features will only be useful if you’re a developer with some experience under your belt. Wix might be more user-friendly, but it’s a fully functional site builder, with complete blogging tools, e-commerce functionality, and much more.

For example, the Wix Stores app, which lets you sell both digital and physical products from your site (as well as on Amazon and Facebook), can be installed on any Wix template. If you’re interested in building an online store, you can read more about it in our expert Wix e-commerce review.

Wix also has a built-in SEO Wiz and a whole suite of business tools… plus blogging tools, a video maker, a stock image and video library, vector graphics, tools to manage bookings and events, and apps for almost every functionality you can think of.

Here’s the thing, though: Editor X comes with everything that Wix has – and more. In fact, Editor X is basically a more advanced version of Wix.

If you have some experience with Wix, there will be a lot about Editor X that feels familiar – and a lot of shiny new tools.

For example, Editor X gives you more control over how your site looks and functions across devices – so you can easily build mobile-responsive sites. The editor comes with handles on either side of the canvas that you can click and drag to see how your site will look on different size screens.

One of Editor X’s core features is that it lets you set breakpoints, or the points at which your elements change style or layout for different screen sizes. There are three default breakpoints (for desktop, tablet, and mobile) but you can add as many as you need.

It also lets you add animations (like fade in, bounce in, flip in, or spin in) to virtually any site element to make your site more dynamic. You can even make your header fade or change color when visitors scroll down a page.

Editor X is great for team players too. You can create separate accounts for each team member and set specific permissions. And (I love this) you can add comments in the editor about particular elements for other team members. Everyone can reply in real time. This makes it much easier for a team of designers working on the same site.

Editor X comes with a lot of other great designer-friendly features, like controlling how elements are docked and managing overflow content between breakpoints. Stuff that Wix just doesn’t have.

As a developer, Editor X is a dream come true. Its extra features make it ideal for designers that like drag-and-drop builders. If you feel like messing around with code, you can always add your own with Dev Mode.

That said, if you’re just looking to build a single site for yourself, or if you’re new to site building, Editor X might be too much of a handful. Wix’s features will be more than enough for most. 

Ease Of Use

Wix Is the More Beginner-Friendly Choice

Once again, the result is hardly surprising. But… that’s not necessarily a win here. Editor X is harder to use – there’s no doubt about that – but that’s because Editor X is capable of much more. As I said previously, Editor X is basically a more advanced version of Wix.

Wix’s drag-and-drop editor is very intuitive, especially when you consider how much you can do with it. It’s based on adding strips, which are stacked to form web pages. You can then drag and drop other elements like text boxes, buttons, images, and contact forms into these strips and customize them as you like.

Editor X works pretty much the same way, with just a few wording differences (instead of “strips,” it has “sections”). But at the same time, it lets you do more at every level. While this does make Editor X harder to use, it is worth learning how to use it – if you’re a developer, anyway.

When it comes to the more advanced website builders, Editor X is hardly the most complicated. Learning how to use it shouldn’t be too difficult either. Editor X offers an entirely free series of lessons called Academy X. 

Not only does Academy X visually take you through each of the editor’s new features. It also gives you multiple exercises so you can put your newfound abilities to the test. It involves a time commitment, but the final product makes it worth it.

There are currently 24 lessons and 9 custom tutorials included in Academy X, complete with exercises and video content. It’s actually kind of fun to go through them, and it doesn’t take a ton of time. If you’re a relatively new web designer or developer, here’s your opportunity to master a powerful site builder while it’s still new to the market.

The Editor X YouTube channel is also regularly updated. There, you’ll find lessons for everything from the fundamentals of web design to how to work specific features.

The upshot: Academy X does a lot to smooth out the learning curve with Editor X. But if you’re already working hard to learn Wix’s classic editor, this is one class you should skip.

Apps

A Shared App Market, But Not All Apps Work With Editor X… Yet

Wix has 300+ apps in its App Market to add to your site’s functionality, from blogging to e-commerce, event management, restaurant orders, running ads, hotel booking, music streaming, social media, and much more. Most are free to install, but some require a paid subscription to access additional features.

If you open the Wix App Market from Editor X, all 300+ of those apps appear to be available to install. However, Wix customer support informed me that many Wix apps are still not compatible with Editor X.

For example, the support agent that I spoke to on the phone said that he consistently has trouble with the restaurant apps in Editor X. He also explained that the goal is to make all of the Wix apps compatible with Editor X… eventually.

For now, it seems like the only way to know for sure if apps will work with Editor X is to test them out for yourself.

However, I’m happy to report that I was able to add Wix Stores and Wix Blog to my Editor X sites without any obvious issues.

Pricing

Wix Is Cheaper, But Cheaper Doesn’t Mean Better

Wix is definitely the cheaper option all the way across the board. But this is understandable, given the additional functionality and customization options you get with Editor X.

Wix comes with a free plan, which includes 500MB of storage, a free Wix domain, and 24/7 customer support. But in order to remove advertising, connect a custom domain, or sell on your site you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan.

Editor X also has a free plan, but as a developer, you’ll probably only use this to test what the builder can do. If you want to build websites for clients, you’re going to have to upgrade – if not for the extra storage space, then at least in order to connect custom domains and get rid of Wix’s branding.

Both builders include a 14-day money back guarantee with their paid plans. To help you out, I’ve compared two personal plans and two business plans from Wix and Editor X in the chart below. As you can see, the basic functionality is pretty comparable, but Editor X is a bit more expensive due to its additional design capabilities.

The main question here is whether you want to pay a little more in return for a lot more control over your site design. If you just want to build a simple site for yourself or your business, then it doesn’t really make sense to pay extra for Editor X.

Support

Editor X Lacks Dedicated Customer Support… Mostly

At the moment, there is no dedicated customer support for Editor X. If you have a question, you’ll have to go to the Wix help center and choose the “Editor X” topic. That doesn’t mean that you won’t get any help if you have a question, though. On your Editor X dashboard, you can access a dedicated chatbot.

If you need a more personal touch, you can request a callback or open a ticket. Though the support team seems to be the same, when I requested a callback, the representative was ready to answer any-and-all Editor X-related questions.

Wix is in the process of creating a dedicated Editor X support team, help center included, but it might take some time.

The chatbot informed me that it was best to arrange a callback, as email could take up to 24 hours. I requested a callback at almost 10 pm on a weekday and my phone rang within one minute. The agent provided a satisfactory answer to my question (and did so quickly).

Days later, I contacted support again to find out if I could transfer my site’s content to another platform (like WordPress). The chatbot had told me that it could take up to 24 hours to get a response through email. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email response within 20 minutes of submitting my ticket.

As expected, neither Wix nor Editor X permits the transfer of your site content to another platform. I later received a phone call informing me that Wix is currently contemplating the addition of this feature for both Wix and Editor X.

Another support option specifically for Editor X is Community X, which is an active forum for Editor X users to share notes, tips, and advice with each other. Members of the Editor X Product Team often reply directly to posts made in the forum, which is nice to see.

Editor X Is Great for Site Designers and Agencies, But Wix Is Better for Everyone Else

Everything about Editor X was designed to offer an unbelievable amount of creative control. Does it come at the price of some ease of use? Sure. But personally, I found that the more advanced features that come with Editor X were fairly easy to get the hang of – especially with the Academy X tutorials.

If you’re a web developer and you want nearly limitless possibilities without having to deal with a lot of code, Editor X is the clear winner.

However, if you prefer a more direct and simple approach to getting a site, blog, or online store up and running, Wix will be a better choice for you. Unless you’re a developer, you probably won’t use the additional features that come with Editor X anyway. Also, I can’t stress this enough: Wix is still one of the most customizable builders on the market. 

At the end of the day, it comes down to the level of convenience that you’re looking for. If you want a flexible yet easy-to-use site builder for a single site, Wix is the better, cheaper option. If you’re going to be developing lots of unique websites with a team, go for Editor X.

FAQ

What is Wix Editor X?

Wix Editor X is the advanced website builder platform recently released by Wix. It was created for web developers and agencies who don’t want to use code, but want more control over the site design.

Is Editor X better than Wix?

It depends. If you’re a designer, agency, or someone with site-building experience, you’ll likely appreciate the extra level of design flexibility and customization that comes with Editor X. But if you’re a beginner, or prefer convenience over power, then you’ll probably gravitate toward Wix’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor.

That said, you’re not limited to these two builders. If you’re not sold on either Wix or Editor X yet, check out our list of the best site builders in 2024 to see more great options.

Does Editor X have a free plan?

Like Wix, Editor X does have a free plan, meaning that you can build and publish a website for free. That said, to remove advertising, connect a custom domain, or sell via your website, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan.

Which is better for developers, Editor X or Webflow?

It depends. Both are good for developers who want to stay away from code. But Editor X is easier to use than Webflow and has a live commenting feature that allows teams to work together on sites in real time – something that Webflow currently lacks.

On the other hand, Webflow has way more template options and lets you create more engaging animations through its interactions panel. In the end, it ultimately comes down to your preference.