Wix ADI vs Wix Editor: What Changed and Which to Use in 2024

If you searched for Wix ADI vs Wix Editor, here's what you need to know first: Wix ADI no longer exists as a standalone product. In late 2023, Wix retired ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) and replaced it with a new AI Site Builder integrated directly into the Wix Editor. The question today is how that new AI builder compares to the classic manual Editor - and which approach suits your needs.

What happened to Wix ADI?

Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) was Wix’s original AI-powered site creator, launched in 2016. It guided users through a questionnaire and automatically built a website. In late 2023, Wix replaced ADI with a more capable AI Site Builder that uses modern generative AI to produce more polished results and then opens the site inside the full Wix Editor - giving users far more flexibility after the AI does its job.

If you previously used Wix ADI, you can no longer start a new ADI site. Existing ADI sites still function, but the entry point for new AI-assisted builds is now the AI Site Builder inside the standard Wix Editor flow.

Wix AI Site Builder vs Wix Editor: feature comparison

This table compares the Wix AI Site Builder (ADI’s replacement) with building from scratch using the classic Wix Editor, so you can see exactly what has changed and what each approach offers today.

Feature	Wix AI Site Builder (replaces ADI)	Wix Editor (classic)
Design Process	AI generates a complete site from your text prompts, then opens in the Editor for refinement.	Manual selection from over 800 templates with full drag-and-drop customisation.
Ease of Use	Very beginner-friendly - the AI does the heavy lifting upfront.	Requires more time and design judgment; best for users with a clear vision.
Customisation After Creation	Full Editor access once the AI build is complete - no longer locked to a simplified interface.	Complete creative control from the very start.
App Market Access	Full access to Wix’s app market after generation.	Full access to Wix’s app market throughout.
E-commerce Features	AI can generate an online store with product pages; full e-commerce tools available in Editor.	Advanced e-commerce features with complete layout and flow customisation.
Target Audience	Beginners, time-pressed users, and anyone who wants a strong starting point fast.	Users with specific design requirements or a desire for full hands-on control.
Speed to Launch	Generates a publish-ready draft in minutes.	Varies - can take hours to days depending on complexity.
SEO and Marketing Tools	All standard Wix SEO tools available after generation.	Full advanced SEO and marketing toolkit available from the start.
Pricing	Same Wix pricing plans as the classic Editor.	Same Wix pricing plans as the AI Site Builder.

What was Wix ADI and why did Wix replace it?

The original Wix ADI experience

Wix ADI asked users a series of questions about their business, style preferences, and goals. It then generated a unique website automatically - no templates, no manual layout work. The result was a quick, polished site that most beginners could publish within an hour.

The trade-off was limited flexibility. ADI sites lived inside a simplified editing interface that was separate from the main Wix Editor. Users could not access every design option, and many advanced Wix features were unavailable. If you switched to the full Wix Editor later, you could never return to the ADI editor for that site. For step-by-step editing instructions, see our guide on how to edit a Wix website.

For people learning how to design a website with Wix, ADI was often the recommended starting point precisely because it removed those early design decisions.

Why Wix moved on from ADI

Wix’s engineering team rebuilt the AI experience from the ground up using large language models and generative design technology. The new AI Site Builder produces better, more personalised results - and crucially, it hands off directly to the full Wix Editor instead of trapping users in a restricted interface. This eliminates the biggest complaint about the old ADI: that you would outgrow it the moment you wanted to customise anything seriously.

How to Start with the Wix AI Site Builder

If you are starting a new Wix site today and want to use the AI builder (the successor to Wix ADI), here is exactly how the flow works:

1. Go to Wix.com and click “Get Started.”
2. After signing up or logging in, you are asked how you want to create your site - select the AI website builder option.
3. Answer a short series of questions about your business type, goals, and design preferences. The AI uses these to shape the site’s structure and content.
4. Wix AI generates a complete multi-page website - including homepage, about page, contact page, and any relevant feature pages (booking, store, portfolio, etc.) based on your answers.
5. Review the AI-generated draft. You can regenerate sections, swap colour schemes, or adjust the layout before accepting.
6. Once you confirm the design, the site opens inside the full Wix Editor - where you can edit anything, add apps, and customise freely, just as if you had built from a template.

The key improvement over the old Wix ADI is step 6: you are no longer handed off to a stripped-down editor. After the AI does its job, you are in the same powerful Wix Editor that every other user works in - with no feature restrictions.

Can You Switch Between Wix AI Site Builder and Wix Editor?

There is no separate “AI editor” and “classic editor” anymore - the distinction that existed with the old Wix ADI is gone. Once the Wix AI Site Builder generates your site, it opens directly in the standard Wix Editor. From that point forward, you are just using the Wix Editor - the AI’s involvement is only in the initial generation step.

This means there is nothing to switch between. You cannot “go back” to regenerate the AI design after you start editing - the AI run is a one-time starting point. But you have full control to change every element manually within the Wix Editor once the AI generation is done.

For users who had sites built with the old Wix ADI (before late 2023), those sites continue to work, but you cannot return to the original ADI editing interface. If you want to migrate an old ADI site to the full Wix Editor experience, you can do so from your site’s dashboard - but be aware that switching is permanent and may require some layout adjustments.

What About Wix Studio?

If you encounter references to Wix Studio (formerly Editor X), this is a third, separate tool - a professional-grade builder aimed at web designers and agencies rather than individual site owners. Wix Studio is not the same as either the consumer Wix Editor or the AI Site Builder. It offers advanced responsive design controls, collaborative team features, and tighter layout grids suited to agency-level work.

For most individuals and small businesses comparing the old Wix ADI vs the Wix Editor, Wix Studio is not the relevant tool - it targets a different audience entirely. Stick to the AI Site Builder vs classic Editor comparison when making your decision.

Is the Wix AI Site Builder or Wix Editor better for your project?

Which tool suits your skill level?

If you have little or no web design experience, the AI Site Builder is the right starting point. It removes all the blank-canvas anxiety of an empty editor by generating a complete, coherent design for you. Once that site exists, you can edit every section inside the standard Wix Editor - so you are not sacrificing long-term flexibility. For anyone learning the ropes, this is now the equivalent of what the old Wix ADI vs editor conversation was about: choose AI assistance to get started, then iterate.

If you are a more experienced designer or developer who already knows what you want, starting directly in the Wix Editor gives you maximum control from day one. You choose the template, set the grid, and decide exactly where every element goes. For complex projects - multi-page sites, branded businesses, or advanced Wix Studio builds - the direct Editor path is almost always the better choice.

How much time can you invest?

The AI Site Builder is a genuine time-saver. For small businesses or solo operators who need a professional online presence quickly, AI generation followed by light editing can take under two hours from sign-up to publish. The old Wix ADI served this same purpose - get online fast - and the new AI builder does it better.

The Wix Editor rewards time investment. Every hour you spend refining layouts, typography, and content structure compounds into a more distinctive, higher-performing site. If you enjoy the craft of web design or are building something long-term, the Editor gives you the depth to do that well. Our guide on the design process in Wix walks through every step from setup to publish.

What about growth and scalability?

One of the biggest limitations of the old Wix ADI was scalability: sites built in ADI could not evolve easily beyond the original AI-generated structure. That problem is now solved. Because the AI Site Builder outputs a fully editable Wix Editor site, there is no ceiling - you can add pages, install apps, set up e-commerce, and customise indefinitely after the initial AI generation.

For long-term growth, both paths now lead to the same destination: the full Wix Editor. The difference is just how you start. Both WordPress and Squarespace offer comparable beginner-to-advanced pathways, but Wix’s AI Site Builder currently offers one of the most capable AI-assisted entry points of any major website builder.

Conclusion: Wix ADI vs Wix Editor

Wix ADI is gone, but its successor is better in almost every way. The new Wix AI Site Builder gives you the speed and ease that made ADI popular, while delivering a fully editable site inside the standard Wix Editor - not a locked-down simplified view. If you are a beginner or need a site fast, use the AI Site Builder. If you want total control from the start, build directly in the Wix Editor. Either way, you end up in the same powerful editor with the same full feature set.