If you already have a Wix site and it is not pulling its weight, this page is for you. If you are starting from scratch with no website at all, Wix is a reasonable place to begin. NearBlack works specifically with businesses that already have a website and want it done properly.
Wix: Good for first-time sites, DIY projects, and low budgets. NearBlack: Better for businesses that already have a site and need it to actually perform. If you are trapped on Wix and outgrowing it, NearBlack can get you out in 72 hours.
What Wix actually is
Wix is a drag-and-drop website builder. You sign up, pick a template, and add your content yourself. For a first-time site on a minimal budget with time to spare, it works. Pricing runs $17 to $35 per month, depending on the plan. Your site lives on Wix's servers. You do not own the code, and you cannot take the site to a different host if you want to leave.
Wix has improved significantly over the years, particularly around SEO and mobile layouts. For what it is, it does the job. The problem is not Wix itself. The problem is when a business outgrows it and does not know how to leave.
What NearBlack actually is
NearBlack is a refresh studio. We take websites that already exist and make them significantly better: faster, more credible, better designed, and built to rank. We do not do first-time builds from scratch. If you already have something online (including a Wix site), we can replace it with a custom site in 72 hours.
You own everything we build. The code, the design, the files. It can be hosted anywhere. There are no monthly platform fees and no lock-in.
Side-by-side comparison
| Wix | NearBlack | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $17-$35/mo (forever) | $0 after build |
| Upfront cost | $0 | $499-$5,999 one-time |
| Who builds it | You | NearBlack, in 72 hrs |
| Design | Templates | 100% custom |
| You own the code | No | Yes |
| Portable (host anywhere) | No, locked to Wix | Yes |
| SEO setup | Basic | Advanced · schema · Core Web Vitals |
| Mobile optimization | Decent | Built-in, tested |
| Ongoing fees | Yes, monthly | None |
The five-year cost comparison
This is where Wix's math stops working for serious businesses. At $29 per month on Wix's Core plan, you will spend $1,740 over five years. You have still done all the work yourself. You still do not own the code. You cannot move the site.
A NearBlack Growth build at $1,999 is a one-time cost. After five years, it has cost you less than the Wix subscription, and you have a professional, custom site with no ongoing platform fees and complete ownership.
When Wix makes sense
Wix is the right call when you are starting a side project or new business and do not yet know if it will stick. If you enjoy building things yourself, have the time, and are genuinely starting from zero, Wix is a reasonable first step. There is no shame in starting there.
When NearBlack makes sense
NearBlack is the right call when your Wix site is holding you back. Signs that you need to move on:
- You are embarrassed to give out your URL
- Potential clients land on your site and do not convert
- You have spent hours trying to make Wix do something it will not do
- Your site looks like a template because it is one
- You are a legitimate business and your site does not look like it
Moving off Wix
We rebuild Wix sites frequently. The pattern is consistent: a business starts on Wix because it is easy, grows, and eventually realizes the site does not match the company anymore. The content works. The brand is solid. The execution on Wix is the problem.
We take the content, the brand direction, and the intent, and build something custom that reflects where the business actually is. Most of these projects are done in three days. The client keeps their domain. We handle everything else.
Wix is a starting point, not a destination. If you have outgrown it, the answer is not to rebuild your Wix site. The answer is to replace it with something you actually own, built by people who do this for a living.