How to Pause Your Wix Subscription Temporarily
TL;DR:
- Wix doesn't offer a true subscription pause feature
- You can downgrade to a free plan to stop billing temporarily
- Premium features, custom domains, and apps get disabled when you downgrade
- Your site will show Wix ads and may perform slower
- This affects your SEO and visitor experience
Wix doesn't give you a straightforward way to pause your subscription like some other platforms do. If you need to stop payments temporarily, your main option is downgrading to their free plan.
This approach stops the billing but comes with trade-offs. You'll lose access to all premium features until you upgrade again.
How to Downgrade Your Wix Plan
Here's how to switch to the free plan:
- Log into your Wix account
- Go to Settings, then click on Billing & Payments
- Find your current subscription and click Manage
- Look for the option to cancel or change your plan
- Follow the prompts to downgrade to the free version
The change takes effect at the end of your current billing period, so you won't lose premium features immediately.
What You'll Lose When You Downgrade
Once you're on the free plan, several things change:
Domain Connection: Your custom domain stops working with your site. Visitors will need to use your original Wix URL instead.
Premium Apps: Any paid apps you've added get deactivated. This includes booking systems, online stores, and marketing tools.
Storage and Bandwidth: You'll have limited storage space and bandwidth, which could affect sites with lots of images or high traffic.
Wix Ads: Wix will display their own ads on your site, which you can't remove on the free plan.
Site Performance: Your site may load slower without premium hosting features.
How This Affects Your SEO
Downgrading can hurt your search rankings in several ways:
Your custom domain stops working, which confuses search engines and visitors. Any SEO work you've done on your custom domain gets disrupted.
Slower loading speeds hurt your rankings. Google considers page speed when deciding where to rank sites in search results.
Wix ads create a less professional appearance, which can affect how visitors interact with your site. Lower engagement can signal to search engines that your content isn't valuable.
If you're running an online store or using premium apps for lead generation, losing these features means less functionality for visitors.
Better Alternatives to Consider
Before downgrading, think about these options:
Annual Plans: Switching to yearly billing often costs less per month and might fit your budget better.
Lower Tier Plans: Check if a cheaper paid plan still gives you the essential features you need.
Timing: If you only need a break for a month or two, the SEO damage from downgrading might cost more than keeping your plan active.
Business Impact: Consider whether losing premium features during your break will hurt your business more than the subscription cost.
FAQs
Can I pause my Wix subscription without losing features?
No, Wix doesn't offer a true pause option. Downgrading to free is the only way to stop billing, but you lose premium features.
How long does it take for the downgrade to happen?
Changes take effect at the end of your current billing period. You'll keep premium features until then.
What happens to my custom domain when I downgrade?
Your domain stops connecting to your site. You'll need to either redirect it elsewhere or let visitors use your Wix subdomain.
Can I upgrade again easily?
Yes, you can upgrade back to any paid plan at any time. Your previous settings and content stay saved.
Jargon Buster
Custom Domain: A web address you own (like yoursite.com) instead of using Wix's free subdomain format
Bandwidth: The amount of data your site can transfer to visitors each month
SEO: Search Engine Optimization – making your site more likely to appear in Google search results
Premium Apps: Paid add-ons that give your site extra functionality like online stores or booking systems
Wrap-up
Wix's lack of a proper pause feature means you'll need to weigh the costs carefully. Downgrading saves money but can hurt your site's performance and search rankings.
If you're taking a short break, keeping your subscription active might be worth it to avoid SEO disruption. For longer breaks, downgrading makes more sense, but plan for some recovery time when you upgrade again.
Consider your site's purpose and how much traffic you typically get before making the switch. The impact on a personal blog differs greatly from a business site that relies on search traffic.