Wagtail vs Wix
Wagtail is an open-source traditional CMS that you host yourself. 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 15.
- Wagtail Traditional · Open source · 18 of 28 built in
- Wix Site builder · Closed source · 21 of 28 built in
Sources checked: Wagtail 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
| Platform |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| What it is | Open-source CMS built on Django. Content types are Python models, and you host it yourself on any Python stack. | 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. | Wagtail 8, open source Version 8.0, released 25 Aug 2026 | Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio SaaS, continuously updated |
| Vendor | Wagtail core team (created by Torchbox) wagtail.org | Wix.com Ltd. wix.com |
| Licence | Open source BSD-3-Clause | Closed source Proprietary |
| Hosting | Self-hosting No vendor cloud The Wagtail project runs no managed hosting. Deploy it like any Django app. | No self-hosting Vendor cloud Wix Headless serves the same content to a frontend you host. |
| Built with | Python, Django | Hosted SaaS, JavaScript through the Wix IDE, CLI and SDK |
| Database | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite | Wix CMS collections, managed by Wix |
| Pricing Public list prices only. Hosting and implementation are extra everywhere. | Free to start Free and open source. No licence fee. | 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 Page and snippet types are Django models. 2 | 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. | Not available Developers define content types in Python only. | Built in 20 |
| Reusable blocks Editors compose pages from reusable, typed components or blocks, and can reorder them. | Built in StreamField blocks. 2 | 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 Core i18n with simple_translation. The wagtail-localize package adds a translation workflow. 3 | 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 Renditions with resize, crop and format filters. 4 | 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 Read-only v2 API. Writable v3 API in preview since 8.0. 51 | Built in Data Items REST API. 3 |
| GraphQL API The vendor or an official module provides a GraphQL API for content. | Plugin or add-on wagtail-grapple, maintained by Torchbox. 6 | 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. | Not available Django signals such as page_published. No webhook settings. 18 | 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 | Built in |
| Editorial workflow | ||
| Drafts Editors save changes as a draft and publish them later. The live version stays untouched until then. | Built in | 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 Go-live and expiry dates. 7 | 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 Editors can compare and revert revisions. 11 | 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 20 | Built in |
| Visual editing Editors can click on the rendered page and edit content in place or in a side panel next to it. | Limited Preview panel beside the edit form. No click-to-edit on the page. 20 | Built in |
| Approval workflows Content moves through review stages you configure, such as draft, review and approved, with permissions per stage. | Built in Moderation workflows with tasks assigned to groups. 8 | 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. | Not available | 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 Concurrent editing notifications warn editors. No live co-editing. 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 Groups with page, collection and model permissions. 9 | Built in Not every permission is available to custom roles. 619 |
| Field-level permissions Admins can restrict access to single fields, on top of content types and entries. | Built in Set in code with the permission argument on panels. 10 | 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. | Plugin or add-on django-allauth supports SAML and OpenID Connect. 19 | 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 Site-wide history report of logged actions. 11 | 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 in one installation with shared users. 9 | 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 Hooks, viewsets and custom panels. | 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 Wagtail packages directory on wagtail.org. 17 | Built in Wix App Market. |
| Form builder Editors can build and publish forms and collect submissions without code. | Built in wagtail.contrib.forms form builder. 13 | Built in Wix Forms. |
| Site member accounts The platform handles sign-up and login for public site users or members, separate from editors. | Limited Login for private pages is built in. Public sign-up needs a package such as django-allauth. 14 | 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 Wagtail AI, an officially supported package. 15 | 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. | Limited Experimental wagtail-mcp package, announced September 2026. 16 | Built in Wix MCP for docs, code and site API calls. 5 |
Wagtail sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wagtail 8, open source.
- Wagtail 8.0 release notes
- How to use StreamField for mixed content
- Wagtail docs: Internationalization
- Wagtail docs: Images
- Wagtail API v2 usage guide
- wagtail-grapple on GitHub
- Wagtail guide: Scheduled publishing
- Wagtail guide: Configure workflows for moderation
- Wagtail docs: Permissions
- Wagtail docs: Panels reference
- Wagtail docs: Audit log
- Wagtail 6.2: content metrics and concurrent editing
- Wagtail docs: Form builder
- Wagtail docs: Private pages
- Wagtail AI
- Experiments with MCP in Wagtail
- Wagtail docs: Packages
- Wagtail docs: Signals
- django-allauth: SAML provider
- Wagtail 4.0 release notes: live preview panel
Wix sources
Checked 29 Sept 2026. Wix website builder with Wix CMS, in Wix Editor and Wix Studio.
- Wix plans and pricing
- Wix blog: Wix Premium plans (May 2026)
- Wix Data Items API
- The Wix GraphQL API
- The Wix MCP
- Wix Help: creating custom roles for collaborators
- Wix Help: Studio Editor collaborating on a site
- Wix Help: enterprise approvals for site changes
- Wix Help: restoring CMS collections with backups
- Wix Help: SSO login for your organization
- Wix Help: managing collection item statuses
- Wix Help: Release Manager
- Wix CLI: data collections extension files
- Wix Help: Wix Multilingual overview
- Wix Media: URL image transformation
- Wix Developers: about webhooks
- Wix Developers: about dashboard extensions
- Wix Help: Studio Editor AI text creator
- Wix Help: inviting collaborators
- Wix Help: CMS overview
Considering more platforms? Compare Wagtail and Wix with the rest of your shortlist in the CMS comparison tool.
Where they differ
Wagtail and Wix get a different status on 15 of the 28 features and the same status on 13. Wagtail has 18 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.
- Licence
- Wagtail is open source (BSD-3-Clause). Wix is closed source (Proprietary).
- Self-hosting
- Wagtail can be self-hosted. Wix cannot be self-hosted.
- Vendor cloud
- Wagtail has no vendor-run cloud. Wix has a vendor-run cloud.
Built in on Wagtail, a different answer on Wix 5
- Content model in code Wagtail: Built in. Wix: Limited.
- Version history Wagtail: Built in. Wix: Limited.
- Approval workflows Wagtail: Built in. Wix: Paid tier.
- Field-level permissions Wagtail: Built in. Wix: Not available.
- Audit log Wagtail: Built in. Wix: Not available.
Built in on Wix, a different answer on Wagtail 8
- Content model in the UI Wagtail: Not available. Wix: Built in.
- GraphQL API Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.
- Webhooks Wagtail: Not available. Wix: Built in.
- Visual editing Wagtail: Limited. Wix: Built in.
- Real-time co-editing Wagtail: Not available. Wix: Built in.
- Site member accounts Wagtail: Limited. Wix: Built in.
- AI writing assistant Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Built in.
- Official MCP server Wagtail: Limited. Wix: Built in.
Built in on neither, with different answers 2
- Content releases Wagtail: Not available. Wix: Limited.
- Single sign-on Wagtail: Plugin or add-on. Wix: Paid tier.
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Wix against other platforms
- Adobe Experience Manager vs Wix
- Contentful vs Wix
- Contentstack vs Wix
- CoreMedia Content Cloud vs Wix
- Craft CMS vs Wix
- DatoCMS vs Wix
- Decap CMS vs Wix
- Directus vs Wix
- Drupal vs Wix
- EmDash vs Wix
- FirstSpirit vs Wix
- Framer vs Wix
- Ghost vs Wix
- HubSpot CMS vs Wix
- Hygraph vs Wix
- Instatic vs Wix
- Joomla vs Wix
- Keystone vs Wix
- Kirby vs Wix
- Liferay DXP vs Wix
- Optimizely CMS vs Wix
- Wix vs Payload
- Prismic vs Wix
- Progress Sitefinity vs Wix
- Sanity vs Wix
- Sitecore vs Wix
- Squarespace vs Wix
- Statamic vs Wix
- Storyblok vs Wix
- Strapi vs Wix
- TYPO3 vs Wix
- Umbraco vs Wix
- Webflow vs Wix
- Wix vs WordPress
- Xperience by Kentico vs Wix
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