onedollar.co.nz vs Wix: an honest NZ comparison

The short answer: Wix is a genuinely capable DIY builder — the business-ready tiers run US$17–US$39 a month billed yearly, plus a realistic 15–30 hours of your own time to build and ongoing upkeep. LaunchPad is the opposite trade: we design, build and look after a one-page site for $1 a day ($365 + GST a year, $419.75 incl. GST), domain and updates included. Pick by which you have more of: spare evenings or spare patience.

The honest case for Wix

Wix is one of the most polished website builders in the world, and this page won’t pretend otherwise. You get 2,000+ templates, a drag-and-drop editor, AI site generation, and — on the Business tier — payments, scheduling and a proper online store. There’s even a free plan to experiment on. If you enjoy building things, want total control, and will genuinely finish the job, Wix is a fine choice, and the DIY route in general is cheaper in cash than any done-for-you service.

Everything below is for the owners who won’t enjoy those hours — which, in our experience, is most of them.

What Wix costs from NZ

Verified against Wix’s own pricing pages in July 2026:

Plan	Advertised price	Notes
Free	$0	Wix branding on your site, no custom domain
Light	US$17/mo	Billed yearly, upfront
Core	US$29/mo	Billed yearly, upfront
Business	US$39/mo	Payments, store, scheduling
Business Elite	US$159/mo	High-volume commerce

The fine print that matters:

Prices are USD reference figures — Wix says currency and price vary by location, with tax added at checkout. GST applies to overseas digital services sold into NZ, so the real NZ cost sits above the sticker.
Yearly plans bill the whole year upfront.
The free domain lasts one year, only on yearly plans, only for a new domain bought through Wix — renewals are extra and on you.
Business email (Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) is another ~$10/mo.
The big line isn’t on any invoice: 15–30 hours to design, write, set up and connect everything, then upkeep forever.

What LaunchPad costs

One line: $1 a day — $365 + GST a year, $419.75 incl. GST (about $34.98 a month), billed annually, no lock-in, 30-day money-back. The build is free during launch, the .co.nz domain is registered in your name, and hosting, SSL, Google and AI-search setup and five updates a year are included. Your time in: roughly a two-minute brief.

The three-year maths

Route	Cash over 3 years	Your hours
Wix Core + domain renewals + email	≈ US$1,040 + extras (before GST)	15–30 to build, plus ongoing
LaunchPad	$1,259.25 incl. GST	About two minutes of brief

Similar money. Completely different jobs. With Wix you’re the designer, copywriter and webmaster; with LaunchPad you’re the client.

Who should pick Wix

You enjoy building and will actually finish (be honest — 80% done never launches)
You want to self-edit frequently or run a store, bookings or many pages
You want total creative control and don’t mind USD billing

Who should pick LaunchPad

You mainly need to be findable, credible and contactable — a one-pager covers that
You’d rather run the business than learn a website editor
You want one fixed NZD price with GST on the label and a local team to email

Still comparing routes? See vs Squarespace, vs Rocketspark, vs hiring a web designer, or the full cost guide. You can also see your own site free before deciding anything.

Common questions

Is Wix cheaper than onedollar.co.nz?

Sometimes, in cash. Wix's Light plan is about US$17 a month billed yearly, and there's a free plan with Wix branding and no custom domain. But Wix prices don't include the 15–30 hours you'll spend designing, writing and setting up the site, or the ongoing upkeep. LaunchPad is $1 a day ($419.75 a year incl. GST) with the build, domain, hosting and five updates a year done for you. Cheaper depends on what your evenings are worth.

Is Wix good enough for an NZ small business?

Genuinely, yes. Wix is a polished builder with strong templates and AI tools, and plenty of NZ businesses run on it happily. The honest question isn't whether Wix is good enough — it's whether you'll put in the hours to design, write and finish the site to a standard customers trust. The tool is rarely the weak point; the unfinished site is.

Does Wix bill in NZ dollars, and is GST included?

Wix displays USD reference pricing and says prices and currency vary by location, with taxes added according to your billing address and shown at checkout. GST applies to overseas digital services sold into NZ, so budget for it on top of the sticker price. Most plans also bill the full year upfront.

Do I get a free domain with Wix?

Most yearly premium plans include a one-year free domain voucher — but it only works on a new domain bought through Wix, can't be used to renew or extend a domain you already own, and after the first year the renewal is on you. Whatever route you take, make sure the domain is registered in your own name.

Can I move away from Wix later?

Your domain can move with you as long as it's registered in your name. The site itself can't be exported cleanly to another platform, so switching later usually means a rebuild rather than a move. That's true of most builders, and it's why the domain is the asset to protect.

What does LaunchPad include that Wix doesn't?

The labour and the judgement: design, writing, photo handling, domain and email setup, Google and AI-search plumbing, and a person to email when something needs changing — five updates a year are included. Wix gives you excellent tools; you're still the designer, writer and webmaster. LaunchPad is for owners who don't want that job.