Wix vs CloserAccess: what each costs, includes and expects of you

Published November 8, 2026 · Comparisons

Both let you start free, but they expect different things of you. On Wix you build the site yourself with an AI builder or a drag-and-drop editor, and taking payments and bookings starts on the Core plan at $29 a month billed yearly. On CloserAccess the free build takes payments with a fee per sale instead of a monthly plan, and the paid route is a team that builds and runs the site for a fixed quote.

We're CloserAccess, so we are one of the two options here. Wix's prices come from Wix's own plans and support pages, checked November 8, 2026.

Wix and CloserAccess, question by question

What Wix costs

Wix's plans page shows its prices for yearly subscriptions, paid in full when you buy, with taxes extra. It says other subscription periods are available but doesn't list their prices, so the figures below are all billed yearly.

• Free: $0, no card required. Wix branding stays on the site.
• Light: $17 a month. 2 GB of storage and 2 collaborators. It can't take online payments.
• Core: $29 a month. Adds payments and scheduling, 50 GB and 5 collaborators.
• Business: $39 a month, the plan Wix recommends. 100 GB and 10 collaborators.
• Business Elite: $159 a month. Unlimited storage, 100 collaborators and priority care.

Premium plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. For a business that sells anything online, Core is the real starting point.

Then the per-sale costs. Wix Payments charges 2.9% + 30c on US online card payments, 3.7% + 30c on Amex and 3.5% + 30c on manually entered cards, with 1.5% added on cross-border cards and $15 per chargeback. In person it's 2.6% at the POS and 2.6% + 20c with Tap to Pay.

Two features carry their own fee on top:

• Event tickets: a 2.5% ticket service fee, separate from card processing. Free tickets and manual entries carry none, and either you or the buyer can cover it.
• Pricing Plans: the plans page lists a transaction fee of 4% on Core, 2% on Business and 0% on Business Elite.

Email marketing runs on its own set of plans, separate from your site plan: Free with 200 emails a month, Essentials with 500, Core with 5,000 and Advanced with 1,000,000.

What CloserAccess costs

There are two ways in.

1. Do it yourself, for free. Your site goes up at yourname.closeraccess.com with no monthly charge, no setup cost and no card on file. CloserAccess takes a platform fee only when a customer pays you, listed as a separate line on that transaction. The rate isn't published, so ask what it is before you start.
2. Let the team do it. Choose Starter Website, Premium Website or Digital Master, and you get a fixed price before any work starts. The platform fee rate is written into that quote.

Payments go through a Square account in your name, at Square's standard rate with nothing added by CloserAccess. Sales land in that account, and the platform fee is deducted as its own visible line. Email campaigns, newsletters and automatic emails are part of the dashboard rather than a separate plan.

What CloserAccess doesn't do is publish a dollar price for the done-for-you packages, or the free build's fee rate. You find out in a quote, or by asking before you start. The fees page lists which sales carry the platform fee.

Booking, tickets and memberships

On paper both cover the same ground. The difference is how much you configure yourself.

Wix's scheduling page lists calendars, staff, resources, deposits, cancellation fees, memberships and packages, and its plans page includes scheduling from Core up. Its events tools sell tickets with the 2.5% fee above.

On CloserAccess you decide, service by service, whether clients grab an open slot or send a request that you price afterwards. Deposits work either way, so you can collect one before you've quoted the full job. Reminder emails go out without you sending them, and video sessions can come with notes written by AI from the call. Events can be single nights or a recurring series with its own page and list of dates, and tickets are scanned by QR code at the door on a phone. Memberships come with tiers, and there is an Eventbrite integration. If the team builds your site, they set all of this up with you.

Who builds it, and who keeps it running

Wix is built for doing it yourself. You start from a prompt in its AI builder or from more than 2,000 templates, then shape pages in the drag-and-drop editor. If you want help, Wix's Hire a Professional marketplace lets you filter professionals by service, location and budget; it shows no prices.

CloserAccess's main offer is the reverse. Its team designs and builds the site, and every package gives you direct access to the people doing the work. A Starter site can be live within a few days; Premium and Digital Master builds usually run one to three weeks. Once it's live, you can edit pages, prices, posts and products in the dashboard, and anything bigger, like a fix or a new page, is a call or a text to the team.

What you give up is freeform layout. There's no drag-and-drop builder: you edit each page through form fields beside a live preview, and the team handles larger redesigns. If arranging every section by hand is half the fun for you, Wix is the better tool.

Your branding, your domain, your customers

Wix's free plan carries Wix branding, which a paid plan removes. Every paid plan, including Light, comes with a voucher for a free domain for one year. It only works for a new domain bought from Wix, and it can't renew one you already own.

CloserAccess's free build carries no CloserAccess watermark, though it sits on a closeraccess.com address. The done-for-you packages include your own domain. The pricing FAQ answers "Do I own my site?" with a yes: the domain and the content stay yours, and you can leave if you want to. Customer records, contact inquiries, support tickets and email lists all sit in the same dashboard.

Getting found

Wix includes a blog, and so does CloserAccess. The difference is who writes and promotes. On Wix that's you, or a professional you hire. CloserAccess's packages include marketing advice, social media guidance and free promotion on its discovery pages, and the dashboard sends review-request emails after a visit or purchase and works with your Google Business Profile reviews. ETAR Worldwide, below, uses its blog to answer the questions people ask before they book a ride.

When Wix is the better choice

• You want to build it yourself, by hand. Drag-and-drop editing, an AI builder and 2,000+ templates are Wix's strengths.
• You want tools built for your trade. Wix's plans page lists built-in tools for a wide spread of business types, including restaurants, hotels, fitness and rentals. Check whether yours is one of them.
• You want every price published up front. Wix lists its plan prices, billed yearly, on its plans page. CloserAccess's done-for-you work is quoted, and the free build's fee rate isn't published.
• You sell at a counter. Wix has a POS in the US, Canada and the UK. CloserAccess has no point-of-sale hardware.
• Several people edit the site. Core includes 5 collaborators and Business includes 10. CloserAccess's free build includes one owner seat.

Three CloserAccess businesses that book or quote from their own site

• The Game Changer is a barbershop on Lark Street in Albany. Every one of its six services, from a fade to a kids' cut, has a Book Now button that opens a booking calendar. See The Game Changer's services and booking and our story on The Game Changer. Barbers weighing a booking app should also read Booksy alternatives for barbers.
• ETAR Worldwide runs private Mercedes-Benz Sprinter trips around New York and the Tri-State, with a booking window that runs from noon until 6 AM. Its services page lists nine kinds of trips, each quoted, and its blog walks planners through weddings, Sweet 16s and corporate outings. See ETAR's services page and our story on ETAR Worldwide.
• Jiton The Realtor lists six services. Two are free 30-minute video calls you can book right away, a consultation and a live property walkthrough, and four start as requests. See the free consultation with Jiton and our story on Jiton The Realtor.

For a third builder in the mix, see Squarespace vs CloserAccess, or Shopify vs CloserAccess if products are a bigger part of your sales. To start a free build or ask for a quote, go to get started.

Frequently asked questions

Is Wix free for a small business?

Wix has a free plan with no card required, and Wix branding stays on it. The cheapest plan that takes online payments is Core, at $29 a month billed yearly.

Can I pay for Wix month to month?

Wix's plans page lists yearly prices, paid in full at purchase, and says other subscription periods are available. It doesn't show a month-to-month price, so check at checkout.

Does Wix charge a fee per booking?

Wix's plans and scheduling pages don't list a per-booking fee. Card processing through Wix Payments applies, at 2.9% + 30c for US online cards, and event tickets and Pricing Plans carry their own fees.

Can I build a CloserAccess site myself, the way I would on Wix?

Yes. Pick a template, set your colors and launch the same day, for free. The editor is form fields with a live preview rather than drag-and-drop, and larger design changes go through the team.

What do Wix and CloserAccess charge on event tickets?

Wix adds a 2.5% ticket service fee on paid tickets, separate from card processing, which you or the buyer can cover. CloserAccess charges its one platform fee plus Square's processing. On a team build the rate is set in your quote; on the free build it's a rate CloserAccess doesn't publish, so ask before you start.

Prices checked November 8, 2026, on each company's own pricing and support pages. Plans and fees change, so check the linked pages before you decide.

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