CMS comparison Optimizely CMS vs Wix

Optimizely CMS vs Wix

Optimizely CMS is a closed-source enterprise DXP that you can host yourself or run on the vendor's cloud. Wix is a closed-source site builder that runs on the vendor's cloud. The table below sets them side by side on 28 features. They get a different status on 11.

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Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP · Closed source · 22 of 28 built in
Wix Site builder · Closed source · 21 of 28 built in

Sources checked: Optimizely CMS on 29 Sept 2026, Wix on 29 Sept 2026. Plans and releases can change after those dates.

WAYF is an official Payload partner and top contributor. Every platform in the table is classified by the same published definitions, and each answer lists the vendor page it came from.

Feature comparison

Built inPaid tierPlugin or add-onLimitedNot available

Optimizely CMS vs Wix feature comparison. Columns are the two platforms. Rows are features, grouped by area.
Platform	Optimizely CMS Enterprise DXP	Wix Site builder
Overview
What it is	Optimizely's .NET CMS for rendered and headless sites, hosted on Optimizely's DXP cloud or self-hosted, with Optimizely Graph for delivery.	Hosted website builder with a CMS, business apps and hosting, run by Wix.com Ltd. Wix Studio adds an editor and workspace for agencies.
Edition compared The product and release each column describes.	Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant. Version 13.1.3, released 9 Sept 2026	Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio SaaS, continuously updated
Vendor	Optimizely optimizely.com	Wix.com Ltd. wix.com
Licence	Closed source Proprietary	Closed source Proprietary
Hosting	Self-hosting Vendor cloud Self-hosted installs lose Opti ID features such as Opal and the DAM.	No self-hosting Vendor cloud Wix Headless serves the same content to a frontend you host.
Built with	.NET 10, ASP.NET Core	Hosted SaaS, JavaScript through the Wix IDE, CLI and SDK
Database	SQL Server, Azure SQL on DXP	Wix CMS collections, managed by Wix
Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere.	No free option Pricing on request.	Free to start Free plan. Light $17, Core $29, Business $39, Business Elite $159 per month billed yearly in the US.
Content modelling
Content model in code You define content types in files in your repository, review them like any other code and apply them from there. Imperative migration scripts alone count as limited.	Built in Content types as C# classes. 3	Limited Only Wix CLI apps and headless projects define collections in TypeScript files. 13
Content model in the UI Admins can create and change content types and fields in the admin interface without writing code.	Built in Content types and properties in Settings. 4	Built in 20
Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them.	Built in Blocks in content areas and Visual Builder elements.	Built in Editors add and reorder sections and saved components on the canvas.
Localization Editors translate content per locale inside the CMS, by field or by entry, without a separate site for each language.	Built in Language branches per content item. 5	Built in Wix Multilingual, with manual or automatic translation. 14
Image transformations The CMS resizes, crops or converts images on request, through URL parameters or generated sizes, with no external service.	Built in DXP CDN resizes, crops and converts images by URL parameters. 6	Built in Resize and crop through image URL parameters. 15
APIs and delivery
REST API A documented REST or JSON HTTP API returns content.	Built in Content Delivery API 13 and a management REST API. 1 2	Built in Data Items REST API. 3
GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content.	Built in Optimizely Graph, included in the CMS 13 licence. 2 8	Built in GraphQL endpoint over the same data as the REST API. 4
Webhooks The CMS can call an external URL when content is created, changed or published.	Limited Graph webhooks fire on sync batches and expired content only. Per-item hooks need code. 7 2	Built in App webhooks, or an HTTP request step in Wix Automations. 16
Renders the website The CMS itself renders and serves the public pages through themes or templates. Headless-only products answer no.	Built in ASP.NET Core MVC and Razor rendering, or headless. 2	Built in
Editorial workflow
Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then.	Built in 9	Built in Draft status on CMS items, on by default for new collections. 11
Scheduled publishing An editor can set a future date and time for content to publish or unpublish.	Built in 9	Built in Scheduled status changes on CMS items. 11
Version history The CMS keeps earlier versions of an entry, and editors can compare or restore them.	Built in	Limited CMS keeps weekly and manual collection backups. Restores replace whole collections. 9
Preview Editors can see unpublished content rendered as it will appear on the site before publishing.	Built in	Built in
Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it.	Built in Visual Builder. 2	Built in
Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage.	Built in Approval sequences. 10	Paid tier Approvals for site changes in the Wix Studio enterprise solution. 8
Content releases Editors group changes across several entries and publish them together as one release.	Built in Projects publish or schedule grouped items together. 11	Limited Release Manager publishes whole site versions and test sites. No grouped item releases. 12
Real-time co-editing Two or more editors can work on the same entry at once and see each other's changes live.	Not available Comments and notifications only. 12	Built in Built into the Studio Editor. 7
Access and governance
Custom roles Admins define their own roles with granular permissions instead of picking from a fixed set.	Built in Access rights for roles and virtual roles. 13	Built in Not every permission is available to custom roles. 6 19
Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries.	Not available Access rights apply per content item. Not documented per property. 13	Not available CMS permissions apply per collection. 20
Single sign-on Editors can sign in through SAML or OpenID Connect against a company identity provider.	Built in Opti ID with an external identity provider, or OpenID Connect in code. 2	Paid tier OpenID Connect only, with the Wix Studio enterprise solution. 10
Audit log The CMS logs who changed what and when across the whole installation, and admins can review the log.	Built in Change Log in Settings. 14	Not available Not documented publicly.
Platform and extensibility
Multiple sites One installation or account can manage several separate websites or brands with shared users.	Built in Several sites and hosts in one installation. 15	Built in One account or Studio workspace manages many sites, each on its own plan.
Extensible admin UI Developers can add their own components, views or fields to the editing interface.	Built in Shell modules, gadgets and custom editor widgets. 16	Built in Dashboard extensions add custom pages and widgets. 17
Plugin marketplace The vendor runs an official directory or marketplace of installable extensions.	Built in Optimizely connectors directory and NuGet add-ons. 17	Built in Wix App Market.
Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code.	Plugin or add-on Optimizely Forms package. No extra licence. 18	Built in Wix Forms.
Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors.	Limited Visitor login uses ASP.NET Core authentication set up in code. 2	Built in Members Area handles sign-up and login.
AI writing assistant A first-party AI feature in the editing interface generates, rewrites or translates content.	Plugin or add-on Opal, billed through Opal credits. Needs Opti ID on DXP. 2 19	Built in AI text creator in the Wix and Studio editors. 18
Official MCP server The vendor publishes a Model Context Protocol server so AI agents can read or write content.	Built in MCP server in the Optimizely.Cms.Opal.Tools package. 20	Built in Wix MCP for docs, code and site API calls. 5

Optimizely CMS sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Optimizely CMS 13 PaaS, the current flagship. CMS SaaS is a separate hosted variant..

Wix sources

Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio.

Considering more platforms? Compare Optimizely CMS and Wix with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.

Where they differ

Optimizely CMS and Wix get a different status on 11 of the 28 features and the same status on 17. Optimizely CMS has 22 built in on its baseline edition, Wix has 21. Two matching statuses can still name different paid tiers or limits, so read the notes in the table before treating a row as equal.

Self-hosting: Optimizely CMS can be self-hosted. Wix cannot be self-hosted.
Free option: Optimizely CMS has no free option. Wix has a free option.

Built in on Optimizely CMS, a different answer on Wix 6

Content model in code Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Limited.
Version history Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Limited.
Approval workflows Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Paid tier.
Content releases Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Limited.
Single sign-on Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Paid tier.
Audit log Optimizely CMS: Built in. Wix: Not available.

Built in on Wix, a different answer on Optimizely CMS 5

Webhooks Optimizely CMS: Limited. Wix: Built in.
Real-time co-editing Optimizely CMS: Not available. Wix: Built in.
Form builder Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.
Site member accounts Optimizely CMS: Limited. Wix: Built in.
AI writing assistant Optimizely CMS: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.

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