Start with the job your website needs to do
Google Sites works well when you need to organise and publish information: a portfolio, project hub, school site, event page, local-service introduction or a small team website. Its limits reduce the number of choices you need to make.
Wix suits projects that need more control over the layout or a more unified set of business functions. That can include an online shop, bookings, member areas, richer marketing pages or a site where the visual brand needs more freedom.
Choose Google Sites when clarity matters more than control
Your site explains more than it sells
Choose Google Sites when visitors mainly need to read, view, download, contact or follow a simple path through a small number of pages.
You already work in Google tools
It is a natural fit when the project already uses Drive, Docs, Forms, Calendar, Maps or YouTube and the site needs to bring that material together.
You want fewer editing decisions
Google Sites gives you a more constrained canvas. A good template can help you get to a clear first version without spending days adjusting small layout choices.
Choose Wix when the website needs more systems in one place
Wix is a stronger candidate when the site has to do more than present information and you want those functions to live in one platform. Its editing flexibility and business toolkit can suit a business that needs a more custom visual direction, store features, bookings, marketing integrations or a more ambitious content plan.
That flexibility brings a larger set of decisions. You need to choose a design direction, keep it consistent across more options and understand the paid plan that supports the features you intend to use.
What feature tables often get wrong about Google Sites
Google Sites is not missing a visual editor. You edit the page visually and preview the published result. Its editor gives you fewer layout controls than Wix. The difference is the amount of freedom, not whether you can see what you are building.
Google Sites also connects directly with Google Analytics. You can add an Analytics property ID in the site settings and review traffic in Analytics. That is different from a built-in reporting dashboard, but it is still analytics for the site.
Google Sites can add Google Forms for surveys and enquiry forms, Calendar for events and appointment scheduling, and other Google Workspace content. A business can use those parts together. Wix may be a better fit when you want the store, booking, customer-management and marketing workflow to feel like one product.
Google Sites publishes over HTTPS, including its standard published URLs, so a separate SSL purchase is not a normal hosting requirement. A Google Site can also be a one-page landing page or a multi-page website. The limitation is not the number of pages. The question is whether you need specialised conversion, commerce or automation features around that page.
Google Sites and Wix, side by side
Both can cover the basics. The difference is how much design freedom and business tooling you need in one place.
| Need | Google Sites | Wix |
|---|---|---|
| Build and edit visually | Visual editor, structured sections and a preview of the published site. | Visual drag-and-drop editor with more placement and design controls. |
| Analytics | Add a Google Analytics property ID in site settings and review traffic in Analytics. | Built-in dashboard analytics and reports for traffic, behaviour and business activity. |
| Forms and surveys | Add Google Forms and collect responses through the Google Workspace workflow. | Build and manage forms inside Wix, with submissions in its dashboard. |
| Bookings | Use Calendar appointment schedules or embed another booking service. Some Calendar features depend on the Google account or plan. | Wix Bookings can handle booking, payments, client details and reminders in the Wix workflow. |
| Landing pages | Create a one-page site or a focused page within a multi-page site. | Offers a dedicated landing-page builder and conversion-oriented templates. |
| Online selling | Use a catalogue, external checkout or embedded service where that is enough. | Wix Stores handles products, checkout, orders and store management. |
| HTTPS and SSL | Published Google Sites use HTTPS; a separate SSL purchase is not a normal hosting requirement. | Wix includes HTTPS and SSL for its sites. |
One-time and ongoing costs
The two platforms charge in different ways. With Google Sites, you can publish on a standard Google Sites address without a separate monthly hosting charge, then decide whether a paid template or custom domain is worth adding. With Wix, templates are included, but a professional site normally has an ongoing Wix plan.
Google Sites: optional one-time template cost
- Platform and hosting: a basic site on a
sites.google.comaddress does not need a separate Google Sites hosting subscription. - Templates: Google includes starter templates. A third-party template is separate from the platform. Templates in this collection are a one-time purchase, not a monthly subscription.
- Custom domain: the domain itself is a recurring registration cost. Check Google's current domain-connection requirements before buying one.
- Extra tools: Analytics, Forms and basic embeds can use Google tools you already have. Payments, advanced bookings or another external service can add their own cost.
Wix: included templates, recurring site plan
- Platform and hosting: Wix has a free option. To remove Wix ads and connect a personal domain, Wix requires a paid plan.
- Current price range: Wix's published United States annual-billing rates range from $17 to $159 per month, depending on the plan. Prices vary by country and billing period, and Wix also offers monthly billing.
- Templates: Wix templates are included at no extra template fee, but they stay inside Wix and cannot be exported for use elsewhere.
- Apps and services: some Wix or third-party apps need a higher Wix plan or their own subscription. Include those costs if your site needs bookings, marketing automation or specialist tools.
For a straightforward website: Google Sites can mean a one-time template purchase plus an optional annual domain. Wix can mean no template purchase, but a recurring website plan once you need a custom domain and no Wix branding.
There is no universal winner
Choose Google Sites if you want to publish a clear, manageable website and your work already sits around Google tools. Choose Wix if the project needs more design freedom or built-in business functions from the start.
A business can outgrow a Google Site. A simple site can also become harder to maintain when it starts on a more complex platform than it needs. Pick the option that fits the next year of work, not an imaginary future company.
Google Sites is the right fit for this project?
Start with a template that already gives your pages a sensible structure. Then use the publishing and SEO guides to turn it into a site visitors can understand.
Browse Google Sites templatesFollow the Google Sites publishing workflow, see whether Google Sites fits a small business website, or browse all website builder comparisons.