The question behind the platform
Owners usually ask "which is cheaper?". Platform fees are a few hundred dollars a year on any of them. The questions that cost money later are different:
- Who can edit the site after launch, and how often will you change it?
- What must the site do besides show information: bookings, calculators, three languages, CRM?
- What happens when you change agency or the freelancer disappears?
The third one is where the platforms differ most.
Ownership: the part nobody explains in the sales call
Wix runs on its own technology. Its help centre says the SaaS architecture doesn't support external hosting: the site has to run on Wix's servers. You can move the domain away, and you can transfer the site to another Wix account, but leaving Wix means rebuilding the site.
WordPress is open-source software. The files and database can be copied to any host, and any WordPress developer in Dubai can pick up the work.
A custom site is as portable as the contract says. Ask for the source code, the repository and the hosting account in your company's name. Without that clause, "custom" can be more locked-in than Wix.
Decision table
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New business, 3–6 pages, owner edits text and photos | Wix or Squarespace | Fast to launch, no maintenance |
| Restaurant or salon that mainly needs menu, hours, map, WhatsApp | Wix, or a light custom one-pager | Speed and a clear WhatsApp button matter more than features |
| Service business planning SEO with a blog and location pages | WordPress | Unlimited pages, mature SEO plugins, any developer can maintain it |
| Site in English, Arabic and Russian with proper hreflang | WordPress with a multilingual plugin, or custom | Full control over URLs and RTL layout |
| Online booking tied to staff schedules, calculators, client portal | Custom, or WordPress with custom parts | Builders cover the basics; integrations are where they stop |
| Online store as the main business | Shopify or WooCommerce | See our e-commerce cost guide |
| You will change agencies, or have before | WordPress or custom with code handed over | Portability |
This table is our recommendation, not an industry standard. A good Wix site beats a neglected WordPress site every time.
Three years of platform fees, in dirhams
Platform fees only, converted at AED 3.6725 per USD, billed yearly. Build cost, design and your time are separate.
| Option | Monthly | Per year | Three years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wix Core (third-party price list) | USD 29 | ≈ AED 1,278 | ≈ AED 3,834 |
| WordPress.com Business (pricing) | USD 25 | ≈ AED 1,102 | ≈ AED 3,305 |
| Shopify Basic (UAE pricing) | USD 24 | ≈ AED 1,058 | ≈ AED 3,173 |
| Custom or self-hosted WordPress | Hosting only | ≈ AED 200–1,500 (agency estimate) | ≈ AED 600–4,500 |
Add a .ae domain from about AED 125 a year to any line. The takeaway: over three years the platforms cost about the same. The real spread is in the build, which Dubai agency guides put at AED 3,500–18,000 for a small business site; see our website cost guide.
What each platform is bad at
Wix: heavy pages if you stack apps and animations; limited control of URLs and technical SEO on complex sites; no exit except a rebuild.
WordPress: needs updates. Core, theme and plugins get security patches, and a site left alone for two years is a target. Cheap themes with twenty bundled plugins are often slow.
Custom: costs more up front, and every change needs a developer unless a CMS is built in. The quality depends entirely on who builds it.
Questions to ask before you sign
- In whose name are the domain, hosting and any platform account registered?
- Will I get admin access from day one?
- If we part ways, what exactly do I receive: files, database, code repository, design source?
- Who updates the software, and what does that cost per year?
- Can I edit text, prices and photos myself without paying for each change?
- How are WhatsApp clicks and form leads tracked?
What nobody tells you
The cheapest plan rarely survives the first year. Builders put features like bookings, more storage or removing their branding on higher plans. Price the plan you'll actually need, not the one in the ad.
Templates look alike. Many Dubai restaurant and salon sites share the same few templates. Your photos and copy are what make the site yours; budget for them.
Vladimir Chernyshev, GM: we build custom and WordPress sites, so weigh this accordingly. My honest advice: if your site is a business card and you'll edit it yourself, start on a builder and spend the difference on photos and Google Maps. Move to WordPress or custom when the site has to do work: book, calculate, route leads in three languages. And whatever you choose, keep the domain in your own name.
