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Wix is currently used by over 110 million people around the world and stands out from its peers in a number of areas. The only problem with Wix is deciding which of their products you want to use: Wix Editor or Wix ADI, but what’s the difference?
Put simply, Wix Editor is a fully immersive platform that offers you total control over every aspect of your website. You start by choosing one of over 510 designer templates that you feel best suits the website you want.
Wix ADI on the other hand, is a far more stripped-back, quicker product that offers a users a simpler process.
Imagine you’re a kid again and you have a younger sibling who’s smarter than you. Sure it’s annoying, but you’re still stronger and more powerful than them. Wix Editor is like the stronger, older sibling and Wix ADI, the younger, smarter one.
Throughout this guide we’ll look at seven different areas and explain the similarities and differences between Wix Editor and Wix ADI.
After that, they’ll be a final verdict, summarizing which product is better overall and, more importantly, which one is right for you.
- Pros and Cons
Pros & Cons
Here at Website Builder Expert, we pride ourselves on bringing you the most accurate and up-to-date comparisons. And from our research, Wix comes out on top as the best all-around website builder on the market today.
We asked everyday people to try Wix for the first time and interviewed them after. Unsurprisingly, their opinions matched our results: 88% of people said they’d strongly recommend Wix to a friend who’s looking to get online.
But what are the pros and cons of each Wix product?
| TOP 3 WIX EDITOR PROS | |
| #1 | Offers total control over the design of your website
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| #2 | Gives full access to Wix’s app market
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| #3 | Loads of helpful information available in the help center should you get stuck
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| TOP 3 WIX EDITOR CONS | |
| #1 | Can be relativley time consuming in comparison to using Wix ADI
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| #2 | Is being used less in general as Wix ADI continues to improve
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| #3 | Because everything can be edited, it’s easy to go against website design best practices by mistake
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| TOP 3 WIX ADI PROS | |
| #1 | A lot faster way of getting your website live
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| #2 | Great for pulling existing online information into a central hub
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| #3 | Easier to use than Wix Editor
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| TOP 3 WIX ADI CONS | |
| #1 | Doesn’t offer comprehensive editing tools
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| #2 | Can’t fully access Wix’s app market
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| #3 | Less information available than on Wix Editor in the help center
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- How Do Wix Editor and Wix ADI Work?
Before we look at which is better, we need to look at how they work.
Wix Editor uses you drag-and-drop functionality – similar to PowerPoint – giving you total control over the placement of all your site’s content and features.
With Wix ADI, you begin by answering a few questions about the type of website you want, the features you need, and what kind of style you’d like the site to have.
After that, Wix ADI will generate your website for you. Amazing, right!
You’ll still be able to edit your site’s aesthetic but instead of drag-and-drop, Wix ADI works in sections which can be chopped and changed. Think of these website sections as lego blocks, you can change their appearance and stack them in any order you want until you’re happy.
Wix Review – Our overall view of Wix as a website builder
Wix Templates Review – Sure having hundreds of templates is impressive, but how good are they?
- Ease of Use
Overall, Wix is a super easy website builder to use. Wix Editor uses drag-and drop functionality, meaning that anyone who has used something like PowerPoint before will feel more than comfortable on it.
You have complete freedom to rearrange anything on the page and Wix Editor will help you realign anything you move.
From our own user testing, we found people really enjoyed the simplicity of Wix Editor’s interface and felt it was a nice, gentle slope into the world of website creation. Here’s a quote from one of them:
Wix [Editor] as a tool is a really good education into website building because it gives you total control.
Wix ADI takes things a step further, making it even easier to build your website. You start by answering a few simple questions, such as the type of website you want, the name of the site, and what design style you would like, then Wix ADI will use machine learning to build a website for you.
Wix ADI also has the ability to pull existing information online into your new website, so whether you have something online already, or just want to pull through your social media pages, Wix ADI does the work for you.
From there, you can edit elements of the site, add in or remove certain features, and adjust the layout. As one of the people we got to test Wix ADI put it:
It’s a lot easier to get a site together [than on Wix’s Editor] because it gives you everything and it’s very easy to pull your social media through. If you’re not comfortable or don’t have a creative mindset that [Wix ADI] is a lot easier to do.
Verdict
Both products are really user-friendly but for the easiest option, it has to be Wix ADI.
- Design and Flexibility
Wix Editor gives you total creative control over everything. You can select from their hundreds of industry-specific templates, split into 16 main categories.
You’ll also have access to Wix’s extensive app market where you can use both their in-house apps, or third-party ones. In a nutshell, Wix Editor lets you edit everything and anything about your website.
Wix ADI doesn’t offer templates, it generates a design for you based on what you tell it. You can make changes to the website it creates after, but you will be limited in the amount of apps and features you can embed.
If you want to use more than the recommended apps you are provided, you’ll have to enter Wix Editor. It’s important to note, however, that although you can switch to Wix Editor at any point while using Wix ADI, any changes you make will not be saved should you return to the ADI version.
Verdict
When it comes to design, Wix Editor wins hands down. It’s flexible and gives you everything you need to make your website look exactly the way you want.
- App Market
Wix has a stunning marketplace, packed full with loads of impressive and useful apps. If you think of your website like your house, apps are the furniture, pictures and accessories that make that house a home.
Wix Editor opens the door to the whole market. You can browse from the hundreds of in-house and third-party apps they offer, and embed any of them straight into your site. From site analytics to appointment bookings to live chats, Wix Editor puts everything at your fingertips.
Wix ADI restricts your access to the market. It will provide you with a selection of apps, tailored to you based on the information you submitted. Beyond that, you’ll have to enter Wix’s Editor mode to see the full extent of what’s on offer.
Verdict
Again, Wix Editor is the clear winner here, offering you the chance to browse and use apps til your heart’s content.
- Ecommerce Features
Unlike the previous areas discussed, Wix’s ecommerce features function in the exact same way regardless of whether you opt for Wix Editor or Wix ADI.
Some of Wix’s key ecommerce features include: the ability to sell over 100 products, creating discounts, and managing your shipping.
If you’re looking to sell online and want a more extensive review of Wix’s ecommerce capabilities, why not check out our review of Wix eCommerce.
Wix is the perfect website builder if you have a few products to sell but if you sell products in bulk and want to scale, it may be worth looking at our comparison chart of online store builders where we talk about more powerful platforms, such as Shopify and BigCommerce.
Verdict
It’s a tie! Given both Wix Editor and Wix ADI use the same ecommerce features, there’s nothing to split them.
Wix eCommerce Review – Find out how good Wix is for building an online store.
Wix vs Shopify – How does Wix stack up against powerful ecommerce platforms like Shopify?
Best Ecommerce Platforms – compare the best of the best for selling online.
- SEO
This is something Wix has done a lot of work on.
Again, Wix Editor and Wix ADI are fairly similar in this respect. You have the ability to change your URLs, add alt text to images, canonical tag and amend meta titles/descriptions.
You can’t manage specific URL pages on Wix ADI though, making it slightly less appealing if you really need your site to rank highly.
Where they differ is Wix Editor’s ability to make full use of the app market. By using integrated Google features such as analytics and search console, you can help make your site more SEO friendly and rank higher on search engines.
In terms of helpful guides, you can use Wix’s knowledge base for both products with guides on how you can improve your site’s SEO. Further information can be found in our Wix SEO review.
Verdict
Both Wix Editor and Wix ADI are useful for SEO but the Editor just edges it based on its access to SEO apps from the market.
- Help and Support
With both Wix Editor and Wix ADI, you get access to all of Wix’s help features. These include: email support, a phone line (available Monday-Thursday), a forum and a knowledge base.
The last two are useable 24/7 and act as a search engine, providing you with a pool of really helpful information from either Wix experts, or community members based on what you type in.
From the research we’ve done, Wix came out as the best website builder for help and support. It’s knowledge base is clean, clear and returns accurate search results – they’re even good at flagging up if they don’t support something you’ve searched for!
Verdict
Both versions offer the same help but we think the Editor just edges it here, simply because there’s more information in the knowledge base and forum about the Editor. Sorry ADI, we’re sure you’ll catch up.
How To Design A Website – Follow our 7 essential steps when creating your own site.
Why You Should NOT Hire A Web Designer – Learn why building your own website could be the best decision you ever make.
- Pricing Plans
Because Wix Editor and Wix ADI were built under the same Wix roof – both have the same pricing structure.
Wix’s price plans are as follows:
As you’d imagine, each plan gives you access to different levels of features. Wix also have a free plan. But with that, you’ll have Wix advertising on your site and you won’t be able to connect a domain.
Wix also have the second lowest average cost of all the website builders we tested (the lowest was Strikingly – read review here).
If you’re a small business then we would always advise using a paid plan as your website is an extension of your brand. Having Wix adverts plastered over it doesn’t give a great first impression. Still, the free plan is a great way to ‘try before you buy’.
To read up on exactly what you get for your money on each plan, see our Wix pricing review.
Verdict
It’s another tie, folks. The prices change depending on what plan you go for, but you won’t see any difference to the functionality of Wix Editor or Wix ADI based on the plan.
- Final Verdict
As you can see, much like siblings, Wix Editor and Wix ADI have both similarities and differences.
It’s Wix Editor, though, that wins out overall – they were the first born and have experience on their side, after all.
The main point to take away is that both can be great depending on what you’re looking for in a website builder.
Wix Editor gives you complete control over the look and feel of your site. There are hundreds of apps to choose from and tons of useful support in their knowledge base.
If you’re starting from scratch, are comfortable navigating basic programs like PowerPoint, and need a website builder that gives you free rein over just about everything, Wix Editor is the platform for you.
Wix ADI is the easier, faster way to get online. It takes most of the design work away from you by generating a unique site, based on the information you provide.
The website you are given will be a combination of designs you’ve specified you like, features you have said the website requires, and any information already online that’s relevant, be that a pre-existing website or social media pages.
For a time-efficient, simple solution, Wix ADI is the clear winner. You can also start on Wix ADI and cross over to the Editor, if you’re really not getting along with it.
To read more about Wix as an overall product, read our comprehensive Wix review.
So there you have it – one great website builder, two brilliant products. Time to see which you prefer!
If you want to compare Wix to other website builders, check out our interactive guide that pits the best website builders against each other to find the right builder for you.
- FAQs
What Is Artificial Design Intelligence?
Wix ADI was released in 2016 and uses artificial intelligence blended with design (forming ADI) to create a sleek, no nonsense approach to website creation.
“Wix ADI isn’t just a new website builder – it sets a new market standard for web design.” (Nitzan Achsaf, Head of Wix ADI)
As you can imagine, Wix ADI’s popularity is rising. It takes a fraction of the time to build a website using ADI rather than Wix Editor and this change to an AI approach can be seen throughout society.
In fact, business leaders said they believe AI is going to be fundamental in the future, with 72% of them terming it a “business advantage.”
It’s also a trend that other website builders are picking up on. In 2017, Jimdo released their own AI product called Jimdo Dolphin, saying you could “create your website in 3 minutes.”
At the start of 2018, GoDaddy went as far as completely revamping their website builder, GoCentral, turning it an AI website builder.
Is Wix Better For Businesses or Personal Websites?
In short, it’s great for both!
Wix have tons of templates you can choose from (over 510 in fact) which vary between business-specific designs, like real estate, finance & law and advertising and marketing, to more personal ones like photography, blogging and online resumes.
The same goes for their features and apps. Wix offer a mix for either business use, personal use or some that can be for both.
Can You Add Your Own Code To Wix?
Absolutely. For those computer whiz kids out there, Wix allows you to embed your own code, meaning you can change elements of your site to just the way you want them.
Wix code is available via Wix Editor and has everything you need to create stunning designs, robust websites, and adhere to SEO best practices.
To learn more about Wix code, check out our useful guide on 6 things you need to know.
Website Builder Expert aims to provide you with honest data. That’s why we conduct our own research and obtain direct, personal insight. Analyses and graphics in this article are based on authentic sources cross-validated by our in-house experts. We take great care to ensure the information we publish is reliable and accurate. However, WBE takes no responsibility for any inaccuracy in information supplied to us by users, research participants, or other entities.
Please note the insight contained within this article is for general information purposes only. We’re glad to answer any questions you may have about this article and its supporting research. Read more here and for further information, please contact Website Builder Expert directly via email at info@websitebuilderexpert.com.
