Struggling with WordPress complexity? Discover why transitioning to a modern, all-in-one website builder like Wix can simplify your workflow and save you time.
Back in 2015, Julian Weber started his web development journey using WordPress. At the time, it was the go-to recommendation — widely talked about and praised for its flexibility. Over the years, he built multiple websites on it, including a conversion-rate optimization site and a travel checklist resource. But the more he worked with WordPress, the more he found himself troubleshooting rather than building.
This article is aimed at beginners and small business owners weighing their options — not at professional web designers or agencies who have spent years mastering WordPress. If you are considering your first website or feel stuck in the WordPress ecosystem, the experience shared here may save you real time and frustration.
The Real Cost of WordPress Complexity
Starting with WordPress sounds straightforward until you realize you are not just choosing a CMS — you are signing up for an entire ecosystem of separate vendors and decisions.
Here is what the setup process actually looks like:
- Choose a hosting provider. There are at least a hundred options — Bluehost, Hostinger, HostGator, SiteGround, GoDaddy, and many more. Each has multiple pricing tiers.
- Purchase a domain. This is often a separate company from your host, though some hosts bundle it.
- Install WordPress on your hosting server.
- Select a theme. Marketplaces like ThemeForest offer thousands of options. Popular choices include Astra and Hello (Elementor's companion theme). Choosing the wrong one early can mean redesigning from scratch.
- Add a page builder. To actually edit your theme visually, you need a separate tool — Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, or WordPress's own Gutenberg editor.
- Install essential plugins. A functional WordPress site typically requires five to ten plugins: a contact form plugin, a security plugin, an SEO plugin (such as Yoast SEO), a backup plugin, and an image optimization plugin. If you want an online store, you add WooCommerce. Email marketing requires yet another external service like Mailchimp.
At this point, you have not uploaded a single image — but you have already signed up for accounts with roughly ten different services, each sending its own emails and upsells. Julian described reaching this stage and feeling genuinely overwhelmed.
It took around four months to get comfortable enough with WordPress to build and manage sites confidently — and much of that time was spent troubleshooting plugin conflicts rather than designing pages.
WordPress tutorials on YouTube reflect this complexity: many run to two or three hours, and full beginner courses can span eight hours or more.
WordPress vs. All-in-One Builders: A Direct Comparison
The core difference between WordPress and a modern website builder is who manages the infrastructure. With WordPress, you are effectively the system administrator. With an all-in-one builder, the platform handles hosting, security, backups, and core features so you can focus on your site.
| Feature | WordPress | All-in-One Builder (e.g. Wix) |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | External, self-managed | Included |
| Domain | Usually separate purchase | Free for first year (on paid plans) |
| Themes | Separate marketplace purchase | Included, no extra cost |
| Page builder | Add-on required | Native drag-and-drop editor |
| SEO tools | Plugin required (e.g. Yoast) | Built in |
| Security & backups | Manual setup via plugins | Automatic |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce plugin | Built-in app market |
| Email marketing | External tool (e.g. Mailchimp) | Built-in |
| Learning curve | Several months | Under a week |
| Vendors to manage | 3–10+ | 1 |
For a small business owner or solo creator, managing ten vendors to run a single website is a hidden tax on your time.
Why Julian Switched to Wix
Around 2020, when Julian was ready to build his next site, he looked for a better approach and found it in Wix. He has used it ever since for all his website projects.
His own site, julianweber.com, is built entirely on Wix. It includes a blog, a quiz, tutorial content, a coaching course with its own landing page, a booking system, member chat, and course materials — all within a single platform. No external plugins, no separate course hosting tool, no third-party email service required.
What Wix Includes Out of the Box
- Hosting: Managed by Wix, no separate server to configure
- Themes: A range of free templates, editable visually
- Domain: Free for the first year on paid plans
- Drag-and-drop editor: True front-end editing — drag any element, text, or image anywhere on the page
- SEO tools: Built-in meta tag management, sitemap generation, and Google indexing support
- Automatic backups: Handled by the platform
- Wix App Market: Includes e-commerce, bookings, payments, online courses, email marketing, live chat, and community forums
The key trade-off Julian acknowledges is flexibility. WordPress, combined with its plugins and themes, offers more granular customisation — you can mix and match any tools you want. Wix keeps you within its own ecosystem. For a professional agency or developer who needs bespoke functionality, that may be a limitation. For a small business, freelancer, or creator who just wants a working website, it is a worthwhile exchange.
Learning Curve
Julian's experience: WordPress took roughly four months to learn well, with frequent setbacks caused by plugin conflicts and configuration issues. With Wix, he found he could get comfortable with the platform in two to four days, and fully capable within a week.
This difference is significant if you are trying to launch a business website, not become a WordPress developer.
Who Should Still Use WordPress?
WordPress is not the wrong choice for everyone. If you are a professional web designer, developer, or agency with years of experience in the ecosystem, you already have the skills to manage its complexity and the flexibility it provides can be genuinely valuable.
If that is your situation and you do decide to use WordPress, Hostinger is a solid hosting option. For hands-on setup instructions, see How to Create a WordPress Website with Hostinger and AI or How to Setup Your WordPress Website in 2026.
Other Alternatives Worth Knowing
Wix is Julian's primary recommendation, but he also mentions other builders depending on your use case:
- Shopify — better suited to e-commerce-first businesses
- Squarespace — a clean, design-focused alternative
- Webflow — powerful but carries its own steep learning curve
For a detailed head-to-head breakdown of the two main options discussed here, see the Wix vs WordPress comparison for beginners.
Final Recommendation
For beginners and small business owners, the WordPress setup process is a genuine obstacle — not a one-time hurdle but an ongoing maintenance burden. Julian's experience across dozens of websites led him to conclude that an all-in-one builder like Wix is the more practical choice for anyone who wants to focus on their business rather than server administration.
WordPress remains a legitimate option for developers and agencies. But if your goal is to launch a professional website, blog, online course, or small business presence without months of configuration, starting with Wix is the more efficient path.
Try Wix for free and see how quickly you can go from template to live site.
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