Compared · 29 October 2026 · 3 minute read
Wix, WordPress or Appetite Host? Who builds it, who pays in dollars, who owns the .co.za
Wix and WordPress are two names many South African owners hear first when they go looking for a website. Both get you one. The difference is who does the work, what currency you pay in, and whose name the web address ends up in.
The short answer
With Wix you build it yourself with its tools. With WordPress you build it yourself, or pay someone who knows WordPress. With Appetite Host, Naya (Appetite Technology’s proprietary AI) builds it for you while you chat, your .co.za is registered in your name, and the price is in rand.
Wix, side by side
| Appetite Host | Wix | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | Naya builds it from a chat with you | You do, with Wix’s AI site builder and drag-and-drop editor. Wix also lists freelancers you can hire separately. |
| Price | R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month | $17 to $159 a month, billed yearly in full, in US dollars, before tax |
| Currency | South African rand | US dollars, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate |
| A .co.za address | Registered in your name and renewed for you, included | Wix cannot register a .co.za or take one over. You buy it elsewhere and connect it, which needs a paid plan. |
| Changes | Ask Naya: each change uses one Naya credit, with 20, 50 or 100 credits a month depending on your plan | You make them yourself in the editor |
| Help | a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day | Wix’s own support |
| Time to go live | Your website is live within 1 working day of payment. Your own .co.za address follows as soon as you confirm your email, usually the same day. | As long as it takes you to build |
Who builds it
- Appetite Host
- Naya builds it from a chat with you
- Wix
- You do, with Wix’s AI site builder and drag-and-drop editor. Wix also lists freelancers you can hire separately.
Price
- Appetite Host
- R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month
- Wix
- $17 to $159 a month, billed yearly in full, in US dollars, before tax
Currency
- Appetite Host
- South African rand
- Wix
- US dollars, so the rand cost moves with the exchange rate
A .co.za address
- Appetite Host
- Registered in your name and renewed for you, included
- Wix
- Wix cannot register a .co.za or take one over. You buy it elsewhere and connect it, which needs a paid plan.
Changes
- Appetite Host
- Ask Naya: each change uses one Naya credit, with 20, 50 or 100 credits a month depending on your plan
- Wix
- You make them yourself in the editor
Help
- Appetite Host
- a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day
- Wix
- Wix’s own support
Time to go live
- Appetite Host
- Your website is live within 1 working day of payment. Your own .co.za address follows as soon as you confirm your email, usually the same day.
- Wix
- As long as it takes you to build
Choose Wix if you enjoy designing and want to change every detail yourself, if you want an online shop with many products or tools beyond a business website, or if you are comfortable paying in US dollars.
WordPress, side by side
WordPress is the software behind a large share of the world’s websites. You can use it on WordPress.com, or set it up yourself with a South African provider. Either way, you, or someone you pay, build and look after the website.
| Appetite Host | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds it | Naya, from a chat with you | You, or a designer you hire |
| Price | R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month | WordPress.com: from $4 a month in year one, billed yearly in US dollars. Set up yourself: from about R84 to R129 a month to keep it online, plus a designer if you hire one |
| A .co.za address | Included, in your name | WordPress.com does not sell .co.za addresses. You buy one elsewhere and connect it. South African providers renew one for about R109 a year |
| Updates and security | Looked after for you | On WordPress.com, looked after for you. Set up yourself, you keep the software and its add-ons updated |
| Changes | Ask Naya: each change uses one Naya credit, with 20, 50 or 100 credits a month depending on your plan | You make them, or pay someone to |
| Help | A real person in Durban | WordPress.com support, your provider, or your designer |
Who builds it
- Appetite Host
- Naya, from a chat with you
- WordPress
- You, or a designer you hire
Price
- Appetite Host
- R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month
- WordPress
- WordPress.com: from $4 a month in year one, billed yearly in US dollars. Set up yourself: from about R84 to R129 a month to keep it online, plus a designer if you hire one
A .co.za address
- Appetite Host
- Included, in your name
- WordPress
- WordPress.com does not sell .co.za addresses. You buy one elsewhere and connect it. South African providers renew one for about R109 a year
Updates and security
- Appetite Host
- Looked after for you
- WordPress
- On WordPress.com, looked after for you. Set up yourself, you keep the software and its add-ons updated
Changes
- Appetite Host
- Ask Naya: each change uses one Naya credit, with 20, 50 or 100 credits a month depending on your plan
- WordPress
- You make them, or pay someone to
Help
- Appetite Host
- A real person in Durban
- WordPress
- WordPress.com support, your provider, or your designer
Choose WordPress if you or someone on your team knows it and wants full control, if you need a large website, a blog with many writers or a big online shop, or if you want to choose from thousands of add-ons.
What the two have in common
Neither Wix nor WordPress.com sells a .co.za. Both bill South Africans in US dollars. Both hand you the tools and leave the building, the writing and the upkeep to you or someone you pay. None of that is a flaw if you want control. It is simply a different job from having a website built and looked after for you.
Why owners choose Appetite Host instead
- They would rather describe their business than build a website.
- They want their own .co.za included and renewed for them.
- They want to pay in rand, with a person in South Africa to call.
- They want changes made for them when they ask, and no software to keep up to date.
Moving from Wix or WordPress
Naya builds you a new website from a conversation, and can read your current website to start from what it says. If your web address is yours, you can connect it from your account.
Each has a page of its own too: Appetite Host or Wix and Appetite Host or WordPress.
Questions
Is WordPress free?
The software is free. A website on it is not: you pay to keep it online (from about R84 a month with South African providers, or from $4 a month on WordPress.com), for a web address, and for any designer or paid add-ons.
Prices checked on 4 October 2026, as each provider showed them to a visitor in South Africa. They change; check with the provider before you decide.
Published . Also on LinkedIn.
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