Wix shouts pretty loud about its free websites, but how free is “free” these days? The promise sounds amazing: build your site without spending a dime and put it online instantly. But once you start, it gets a bit more complicated.
Sign up for a free Wix account, and you’ll get website space, bandwidth, and access to their drag-and-drop builder tools. You don’t even need to give a credit card. But the default domain will look like this: username.wixsite.com/siteaddress. That’s not exactly the clean, custom web address you see on company websites. And yeah—there’s a Wix banner at the top of your site letting the world know you’re on the free plan.
There’s no cap on how many free sites you create, and you get enough storage and features to run a basic portfolio, blog, or hobby project. If you want to test ideas or experiment, this is pretty handy. But if you’re after a site that feels truly yours—or one that looks completely pro (no Wix branding), that’s where you’ll start hitting walls.
- What Does Wix’s Free Hosting Actually Offer?
- Hidden Costs: The Trade-Offs of Free
- Will Your Site Look Professional on Wix Free?
- Real Examples and Tips: Making the Most of Wix’s Free Plan
What Does Wix’s Free Hosting Actually Offer?
When folks search for Wix free hosting, they're really asking, "What do I get for zero dollars?" You can build a live website with unlimited pages, use the main drag-and-drop editor, and pick from all those slick free templates you see on their site. Free means no need to enter any payment info—just log in, start building, and press publish.
Here’s what you specifically get with the free plan:
- Hosting included: Wix actually hosts your site, so you don’t need to find or pay for separate hosting.
- Free Wix domain: Your site URL is always in the format username.wixsite.com/sitename. You can't use your own custom domain unless you upgrade.
- SSL security: All free sites come with HTTPS enabled. No action needed on your end—this helps keep things safe for visitors.
- 500 MB storage: You can upload images, documents, and content up to this limit. 500 MB is plenty for a basic website or portfolio, but you’ll fill it quick with lots of photos or videos.
- 500 MB bandwidth: This is the max monthly data traffic your free site gets. For small or new sites, it’s usually enough. But if a post suddenly goes viral, you’ll be nudged to upgrade.
- Template library: Every free user gets to pick from dozens of modern templates and use almost all of the design features. They aren’t watered down—your site can still look sharp.
| Feature | Wix Free Plan |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Included |
| Domain | wixsite.com URL |
| Storage | 500 MB |
| Bandwidth | 500 MB/month |
| SSL | Yes |
| Support | Help Center only |
| Wix Ads | Shown on every page |
One big thing: Wix free hosting comes with Wix ads on your site. These aren’t tiny—they show at the top and bottom and tell visitors you’re using the free plan. If you care about looking extra polished or want your own brand front and center, that’s a dealbreaker for some people.
You also won’t get features like online selling or taking bookings on the free plan. And if you hit storage or bandwidth caps, Wix simply stops letting you add more until you either upgrade or delete old stuff. But for anyone just learning, testing a blog, or showing off a project, what you get for free is actually enough to get rolling with a real, public site.
Hidden Costs: The Trade-Offs of Free
The phrase “you get what you pay for” hits pretty hard with Wix free hosting. It’s not that some secret charge pops up on your bank statement—Wix’s no-fee plan really does cost $0. But you’re trading money for exposure to ads, strict limits, and some headaches if you want to look polished or professional online.
First off, every free site shows a noticeable Wix ad banner. This isn’t some tiny line at the bottom. It’s a full strip hovering on the top or bottom of every page, so anyone visiting your site knows you didn’t pay. And there’s no way to remove it except by upgrading your plan.
Your site address is locked in with the “wixsite.com” branding. You don’t get a custom domain name like “mycoolsite.com” on the free plan. That means forget about proper business branding or handing out an easy web address. Here’s the official word from Wix’s help center:
"A domain purchased outside Wix or a custom domain purchased through Wix can only be connected to a site with a Premium plan."
Wix also puts a cap on storage and bandwidth. On the free plan, you get 500MB storage and 500MB bandwidth per month. If your site starts getting lots of visitors or you want to host lots of pictures and videos, you’ll hit that wall quickly.
| Wix Plan | Storage | Bandwidth | Ads? | Custom Domain? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 500MB | 500MB | Yes | No |
| Combo (Paid) | 2GB | 2GB | No | Yes |
Email is another roadblock. If you want anything like “[email protected],” you’ll have to pay for a premium plan and then pay again for the email itself—Wix doesn’t throw in email hosting with any free setup at all.
- SEO is limited. You can still set basic SEO data, but you can’t remove the extra branded url or fully control advanced settings.
- E-commerce and online payments: Totally locked behind a paywall.
Free means no money spent—but there’s a clear cost to your brand image and your site’s flexibility. If you’ve got big plans, those “free” limits can box you in fast.
Will Your Site Look Professional on Wix Free?
If you’re hoping your Wix free hosting website will look like a polished business page, you might want to slow down. Sure, you can create a decent-looking website with their templates, but there are details that shout “free plan” to any visitor who pays halfway attention.
The most obvious giveaway is the Wix ad banner. It appears right across the top on desktop and bumps into your mobile view too. There’s no way to remove this on the free version. The site address is another dead giveaway: instead of yourbrand.com, you get stuck with something like username.wixsite.com/yourbrand. Not very catchy, right?
Here are a few things that affect how “professional” your free Wix site feels:
- Wix Branding: You’ll see their logo and call-to-action stuck on every page. It’s not subtle, and you can’t move or hide it.
- No Custom Domain: Your site sits under the wixsite.com URL. This can look kind of amateur, especially if you’re pitching clients or customers.
- Storage and Features: Free plans have tight storage caps (usually 500MB). If you want to upload lots of high-res images or videos, good luck. Your design options are also more limited than paid plans.
- No E-commerce, Analytics, or Advanced Marketing: Forget custom emails or deep analytics tracking—you’ll need to pay for those perks.
Want to see just how much the differences matter in real life? Take a look at this table comparing Wix free hosting sites to paid versions:
| Feature | Free Version | Paid Version |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Domain | No | Yes |
| Wix Banner Ads | Yes | No |
| Storage Space | 500MB | 2GB or more |
| Analytics | No | Yes |
| Customer Support | Basic forums | Priority/phone |
So yeah, your site can look neat and modern—Wix templates help a ton—but between the ads, the odd domain, and feature limits, you’ll always have those “free” fingerprints showing. For a personal project, that might be fine. If you’re putting your brand out there, though, these details could hold you back.
Real Examples and Tips: Making the Most of Wix’s Free Plan
Some folks use Wix free hosting to build online portfolios or event pages. For example, a freelance photographer can slap up a simple gallery to show off their work. One classic move is letting the Wix subdomain host a personal blog. You don't get a custom domain, but if you're fine with the wixsite.com address, it works for school or hobby projects.
A lot of clubs and local groups use Wix's free website plan for event announcements or group updates. It’s free, so no need to chase down members for cash. You can even connect basic contact forms or drop in Google Maps to help people find your events.
Here are a few tips if you’re planning to stick to Wix free hosting for now:
- Keep your homepage simple. The free plan gives you 500MB storage—don’t overload the site with giant image files or videos. Compress photos and use text smartly.
- Get creative with the template. Wix has hundreds, even on the free tier. Tweak colors, fonts, and menus so your site stands out—even if you can’t lose the Wix branding.
- Build trust with a clear contact section. Because the URL screams “free site,” use bios and contact info up front. People are more willing to overlook the Wix ad if they see you’re a real person or group.
- Check mobile views before sharing. Most visitors will hit your site from a phone. Use the mobile preview in the Wix editor to fix anything that looks off.
According to Wix’s own stats from their help center (updated in October 2024), more than 30% of new Wix users stick with the free plan for at least their first year. That’s mostly students, hobbyists, and small local groups who don’t mind the wixsite.com domain or the visible ads.
| Feature | Wix Free Plan | Wix Premium Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Domain | No | Yes |
| Wix Ads Displayed | Yes | No |
| Storage Space | 500MB | 2GB or more |
| Bandwidth | 500MB | 2GB or more |
| Customer Support | Basic | Priority |
One thing lots of people miss—Google can and does index Wix free sites, so you can actually get found in search results. But if you want your site to look sharp and credible, you’ll need to use every bit of design polish the editor offers.
If you outgrow the free plan, upgrading to a paid option is easy—Wix keeps your design, but lets you use your own domain and removes the branding. Until then, keep things tidy, focus on your message, and use free wisely.
