Custom Code is missing from a Wix site, or can't be used, when the site isn't published or has no connected domain. Wix's help center lists both as requirements, and connecting your own domain needs a Premium plan. On a free site with a wixsite.com address you can't add a chat widget, an analytics tag or any other third-party script through Custom Code until you upgrade.
That's the whole rule. The rest of this guide helps you work out which part you're missing, what doesn't work as a shortcut, and what to do once the option appears.
The conditions Wix sets
Wix's article on embedding custom code opens with two requirements before you begin: the site must be published, and it must have a connected domain.
The domain part is where most people get stuck. A free Wix site uses an assigned address in the form siteprefix.wixsite.com/siteaddress. Wix's help center says you get a custom web address by buying a Premium or Studio site plan and connecting a domain. So in practice the chain is:
- Upgrade the site to a Premium (or Studio) plan.
- Connect a domain you own.
- Publish.
Only then does Custom Code behave as documented.
Which situation are you in?
Run through this table from the top and stop at the first row that matches.
| Your site | What you see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan, wixsite.com address | Custom Code unavailable | Upgrade to a Premium plan, then connect a domain |
| Premium plan, no domain connected yet | Custom Code still blocked | Connect your domain in the dashboard |
| Domain connected, never published | Code doesn't appear live | Publish the site |
| All of the above done | Can't find the menu | Look under Settings, then Development & integrations, then Custom Code |
If you're on a site someone else owns, such as one built by an agency, your role may not include site settings. Ask the owner to add the code or change your permissions.
What doesn't work as a workaround
The tempting shortcut is the Embed HTML element in the editor. It accepts code, and it's available while you're still working on the design. The trouble is how it runs. Wix's help center says its HTML and URL elements are iframes, and that embedded code won't be responsive and can be cropped by the container.
A chat widget is meant to float in the corner of every page and open a panel over your content. Inside an iframe it can only draw within that one box, on the one page where you placed it. You'd get a cramped chat window in the middle of a page, not a site-wide assistant. Treat it as a dead end for chat.
The Custom Element option doesn't help on a free site either. Wix's article on custom elements says that, for security reasons, using one requires a Premium plan, a connected domain and no Wix ads.
What to do while the site is still free
Being blocked on installation doesn't block the useful work. Most of the effort in a website chatbot is the content it answers from, and you can do that part now.
- Build and test the assistant first. You can paste your website address and try it without installing anything. It reads your public pages and answers from them, so you'll see what it gets right and what your pages fail to explain.
- Fill the gaps in your pages. If the test shows it can't answer prices, opening hours or service areas, that's usually because the site doesn't say. Fix the page, and both visitors and the assistant benefit.
- Write Q&A pairs for the questions your pages answer badly. SpideyChat lets you add these alongside the crawled pages and uploaded documents.
- Compare the cost of a Wix Premium plan plus a chatbot plan with the enquiries you currently miss. SpideyChat's pricing runs from the Free plan at $0 to Starter at $9.99 and Pro at $29.99 a month, flat.
When you do upgrade, the install itself takes a couple of minutes.
Installing once Custom Code is available
At the time of writing (October 2026), Wix's steps are:
- In your site's dashboard, open Settings.
- Click Custom Code in the Development & integrations section.
- Click + Add Custom Code at the top right.
- Paste your chatbot's script tag and give it a name you'll recognise, such as "SpideyChat".
- Under Add Code to Pages, choose All pages and load the code once.
- Under Place Code in, choose Body - end.
- Click Apply, then check your live site.
The script tag needs your chatbot's bot ID. If you're not sure where it is, see find your bot ID. Your chatbot's install panel in the dashboard has the snippet ready to copy, and the Wix integration page lists the same steps.
Wix's article also says security updates can block snippets that used to work, and suggests switching each snippet off one at a time to find a conflict. If the chat doesn't appear, that toggle is a quick first check.
Two Wix details that cause trouble later
Snippets belong to a domain. Wix says code snippets are associated with a specific domain, and if you assign a different domain to your site, your snippets are deleted. Secondary domains don't need their own copy, because Wix redirects that traffic to the primary domain. If you ever switch the primary domain, open Custom Code afterwards and add the chatbot again.
A new domain is also a new website for licensing. A SpideyChat chatbot registers the first website it loads on. After a domain change, the new address has to be on the chatbot's license, or the widget removes itself and logs a warning in the browser console. Add it under License & websites on the chatbot's page. Subdomains of a listed website are included, and the Free plan covers 1 website per chatbot, Starter 3 and Pro 10. We walk through this case in chatbot not loading on a new domain or staging site.
If you're still choosing a platform, our older guide on adding a chatbot to Squarespace, Wix and Webflow compares where the code goes on each.
Getting it live
Check the four rows in the table, upgrade and connect a domain if you need to, then add the snippet at Body - end on all pages. If you want to see the assistant answer from your own pages before spending anything on Wix, start on the Wix integration page and run a free test from there.