Comparison
Horizon vs Wix for a service business website
Quick answer
Wix costs about $17 a month and you build and maintain the site yourself; Horizon costs $59 setup plus $99 a month on a 12-month plan (or $169 with no commitment) and builds it for you on a service-business layout within 72 hours, with edits handled by email afterward. Pick Wix if you will genuinely spend the evenings on it and keep it current. Pick Horizon if you would rather spend those evenings on the business and never touch a site editor.
Published by Horizon Digital Co. Wix is a good product; this page is about which one fits a contractor.
Side by side
| Wix | Horizon Digital Co. | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | You | Horizon, from your intake form |
| Monthly price | About $17 at the entry tier (more for business features) | $99 on a 12-month plan, or $169 with no commitment |
| Up-front | $0 | $59 one-time setup |
| Time to live | However long you spend | Within 72 hours of a 15 to 20 minute intake |
| Design | Any of thousands of templates, fully editable | One layout built for service businesses; you personalize colors, text, photos |
| Ongoing edits | You make them | Email support, included |
| Hosting, SSL, maintenance | Included | Included |
| Ownership | You control the site on Wix; it cannot be exported off Wix | You own your domain and content; the site is not exported; it goes offline if you cancel |
| Sales call | None | None |
| AI visibility features | Wix includes an AI visibility report on its plans | Your site’s content is plain, server-rendered HTML that AI engines can read; see the facts |
When Wix is the right answer
- You enjoy building things and will keep the site current.
- You need something the framework does not do: an online store, a booking engine, a blog you will actually write.
- Budget is the only constraint and $17 a month is the ceiling.
When Horizon is the right answer
- You want it done, not learned.
- You want it live this week without a sales call or a design process.
- You want the layout decisions already made by people who build for plumbers, HVAC companies, roofers and electricians every day.
- You would rather email “change the phone number” than find the setting.
The honest trade
Horizon costs more per month because a person builds and maintains the site. Wix costs less because you do. Most owners who choose Wix and then do not finish the site would have been better off paying for the build. Most owners who finish it and keep it current would have been better off saving the money. Only you know which one you are.
See what the Horizon layout looks like on the home page, and what you own in Ownership and cancellation.