GoDaddy vs Wix for church websites
By Logan Busic, Founder, Church Digital, who ran the 2,000-church website study. .
The short answer
In our study of 2,000 church websites, Wix church sites were more often current: 77.1% showed an update within the last year, against 61.2% on GoDaddy. Wix sites also more often had working online giving (64.9% against 61.2%). On entry price, GoDaddy starts lower (from $9.99 a month against $17; the cost section below says what each figure covers). Neither result proves the platform caused it, so choose on who will keep the site updated every week.
- Updated within the last year: Wix ahead by 15.9 points (GoDaddy 61.2%, Wix 77.1%)
- Working online giving: Wix ahead by 3.7 points (GoDaddy 61.2%, Wix 64.9%)
- Service times findable: GoDaddy ahead by 4.2 points (GoDaddy 86.6%, Wix 82.4%)
- Three-year cost: GoDaddy $360 to $1,080, Wix $612 to $5,724
Most GoDaddy vs Wix comparisons score features. This one looks at what churches actually end up with. In our 2026 study of 2,000 church websites, we identified 67 sites built on GoDaddy and 245 built on Wix, and checked each one for the three things a first-time visitor needs.
Neither platform is ours. We build church websites for a living, so we have a stake in this market, and the numbers below are published in full so you can check them.
What we found on real church websites
| GoDaddy | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Church sites in the study | 67 | 245 |
| Updated within the last year | 61.2% | 77.1% |
| Working online giving | 61.2% | 64.9% |
| Service times findable | 86.6% | 82.4% |
- Updated within the last year: Wix leads by 15.9 points. 77.1% of Wix church sites showed an update within the last year, against 61.2% on GoDaddy.
- Working online giving: Wix leads by 3.7 points. 64.9% of Wix church sites had a working online giving path, against 61.2% on GoDaddy.
- Service times findable: GoDaddy leads by 4.2 points. 86.6% of GoDaddy church sites made service times findable, against 82.4% on Wix.
For context, across every reachable site in the study 74% showed an update within the year and 67.3% had working giving. This is correlation, not causation: a platform does not make a church tend its website, but churches that tend their websites cluster on certain platforms. Read the full study and method.
Where GoDaddy and Wix rank among church platforms
| GoDaddy | Wix | All sites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last year | 8th of 8-12.8 pts vs average | 6th of 8+3.1 pts vs average | 74% |
| Working online giving | 8th of 8-6.1 pts vs average | 6th of 8-2.4 pts vs average | 67.3% |
| Service times findable | 6th of 8+2.8 pts vs average | 8th of 8-1.4 pts vs average | 83.8% |
Rank among the 8 named platforms in the study (The Church Co, Subsplash, Weebly, Squarespace, Tithe.ly Sites, Wix, WordPress (self-hosted), GoDaddy Websites + Marketing). A tie shares the higher rank. See every church website builder compared.
Price and who does the work
- Monthly price
- GoDaddyFree tier; paid tiers advertised ~$9.99–$29.99/month on annual billing (introductory — renewals run higher)
- Wix$17–$159/month billed annually ($24–$172 month-to-month) — plus your volunteer’s hours
- Church Digital$120/month flat — published, whole price
- Setup fee
- GoDaddy$0 — the setup is your time
- Wix$0 — the setup is your time
- Church Digital$0, ever
- Who builds the site
- GoDaddyYou, in the GoDaddy builder
- WixYou (or a volunteer), in the Wix editor
- Church DigitalWe do — custom design, built for you
- Who updates it
- GoDaddyYou — and the data says this is where it slips
- WixYou — every sermon, event, and photo
- Church DigitalWe do — email us the change
- Contract
- GoDaddyMonthly or annual plans; intro pricing favors annual
- WixMonthly or annual plans, self-serve
- Church DigitalNone — cancel anytime, from your account
- Online giving
- GoDaddyA third-party embed you choose and configure yourself
- WixA third-party embed you choose and configure yourself
- Church DigitalWe connect the giving platform you already use
Vendor details come from our full reviews of GoDaddy and Wix, which name each pricing source and the date it was checked (first verified 2026-07-16). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's own page.
What three years costs
- GoDaddy
- $360 to $1,080
- paid tiers at introductory rates of about $9.99 to $29.99/month on annual billing; renewals run higher and there is also a free tier
- Wix
- $612 to $5,724
- Light to Business Elite, $17 to $159/month on annual billing
- Church Digital
- $4,320
- $120/month flat, $0 setup, built and updated for you
Three years at the monthly prices in the table above, times 36. This leaves out domains, add-ons, renewal increases and the hours someone at the church spends building and updating the site, which is the larger cost on a do-it-yourself platform.
Which one fits your church
GoDaddy fits a church when
- Your website is a simple, rarely-changing brochure — address, service times, phone number — and someone checks it a few times a year.
- Budget is the whole decision, and the free tier or entry plan covers what you need.
- Your domain and email already live at GoDaddy and one-vendor simplicity genuinely matters to you.
What it does well
- The cheapest respectable way online
- Everything in one account
- Fast to launch
Where churches struggle with it
- The set-and-forget pattern
- Giving is left as an exercise
- The advertised price is introductory
Wix fits a church when
- A volunteer or staff member loves Wix and updates the site weekly. Don’t take a working system away from the person making it work.
- Your budget is truly capped near $17–$29/month. Wix is honestly cheaper than we are — if your time is free.
- You want hands-on creative control more than you want the job done for you.
What it does well
- A genuinely capable editor
- Low, published entry price
- No church-software lock-in
Where churches struggle with it
- The update burden lands on a person
- Giving is an integration project
- The plan you want is rarely the cheapest one
- Nobody is checking
If nobody has the hours for either
Website
A custom-built church website, hosted and maintained for you.
Normally $120/mo, founding rate $90/mo
$90 a month for as long as you stay (regular $120). No setup fee. Nothing to pay until your site is live.
$0 today. Checkout saves your card; the first charge is the day your site goes live, after you approve it.
- Custom design for your church
- Service times, sermons, giving, events
- Hosting and updates included
- Live on your own domain
- Christmas and Easter pages, every year
- Help applying for the Google Ad Grant
$0 setup · no contract · cancel anytime
First-month money-back guarantee
If the building or the weekly updates would land on a volunteer who does not have the hours, Church Digital is the done-for-you route: we design, build, host and update the site, and the church emails us changes.
Common questions
- Is GoDaddy or Wix better for a church website?
- It depends on who will keep the site current. In our 2026 study of 2,000 church websites we identified 67 on GoDaddy and 245 on Wix. On freshness, Wix church sites came out ahead (77.1% against 61.2%). On working online giving, Wix church sites came out ahead (64.9% against 61.2%). This is correlation, not causation: a platform does not make a church tend its website, but churches that tend their websites cluster on certain platforms.
- Which costs less for a church, GoDaddy or Wix?
- GoDaddy: Free tier; paid tiers advertised ~$9.99–$29.99/month on annual billing (introductory — renewals run higher). Wix: $17–$159/month billed annually ($24–$172 month-to-month) — plus your volunteer’s hours. Vendor prices change, so confirm on each vendor's own pricing page before you commit.
- Does GoDaddy or Wix build the church's website for you?
- GoDaddy: You, in the GoDaddy builder. Wix: You (or a volunteer), in the Wix editor. If nobody at the church has the hours, Church Digital designs, builds, hosts and updates the site for $120 a month flat with $0 setup.
- Which is easier for a church to keep updated, GoDaddy or Wix?
- We can't measure ease directly, but we can measure the result. Updated within the last year: Wix leads by 15.9 points. 77.1% of Wix church sites showed an update within the last year, against 61.2% on GoDaddy. Across all sites in the study the figure was 74%. Who updates it: on GoDaddy, you — and the data says this is where it slips; on Wix, you — every sermon, event, and photo.
- Which is better for online giving, GoDaddy or Wix?
- Working online giving: Wix leads by 3.7 points. 64.9% of Wix church sites had a working online giving path, against 61.2% on GoDaddy. How giving works on GoDaddy: a third-party embed you choose and configure yourself. On Wix: a third-party embed you choose and configure yourself. Across all sites in the study, 67.3% had a working giving path.
- What does a church website cost over three years on GoDaddy or Wix?
- GoDaddy: $360 to $1,080 (paid tiers at introductory rates of about $9.99 to $29.99/month on annual billing; renewals run higher and there is also a free tier). Wix: $612 to $5,724 (Light to Business Elite, $17 to $159/month on annual billing). Three years at the monthly prices in the table above, times 36. This leaves out domains, add-ons, renewal increases and the hours someone at the church spends building and updating the site, which is the larger cost on a do-it-yourself platform.
- How was the GoDaddy vs Wix data collected?
- We audited 2,000 real church websites across the United States in July 2026, identified the platform each one runs on, and checked each site for a recent update, a working giving path and findable service times. No individual church is named. The full method is published at /research.
More head-to-head comparisons
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