Framer vs Webflow: An Expert’s Take on Visual Website Builders

With no-code and AI tools on the rise, web development has become available to almost anyone, as you need almost no knowledge to create custom websites. So let’s look at two of the most popular no-code tools, Framer vs. Webflow.

Choosing the right tool to build your website is crucial. Framer and Webflow offer different ways of approaching visual website building. This comparison will give you a clear picture of what each platform offers.

What is Framer?

Framer is a broad platform that simplifies the entire website creation process. From design tools that allow for visual creation and familiar workflows, to built-in AI that assists with content creation, multilingual capabilities, and responsive design, Framer covers the design aspects. In addition, it goes a step further than design by handling website publishing, hosting, and even ongoing maintenance.

What is Webflow?

Webflow is a web development platform and a powerful development tool that allows users to visually design, build, and launch websites without writing code. It combines a visual design interface with a content management system (CMS), allowing both designers and developers to create responsive websites. For those looking to push the boundaries of their designs, Webflow also allows users to add custom code, providing the flexibility to incorporate advanced functionality and create more personalized websites.

Framer Key features

Here are some of its key features:

• Design flexibility: Framer provides a canvas that feels familiar, yet is powerful enough to create interactive prototypes. Users can import designs directly from Figma, improving workflow efficiency and enabling the creation of interactive prototypes that bring graphic elements to life.
• Layout tools: The platform supports multiple layout types, including stack and grid, with customizable settings such as alignment, spacing, and padding. These tools cater to precise design needs.
• Fast publishing: Changes to websites are pushed live almost instantly, ensuring that updates are reflected immediately without delay.
• Built-in CMS: Easily manage the content of your website with Framer’s CMS. It allows dynamic page generation and easy updates to text and images.
• Localisation capabilities: Framer supports multiple languages, allowing users to create region-specific versions of their sites.
• SEO and performance: Sites designed with Framer are optimized for speed and SEO, helping to improve search engine visibility.
• Comprehensive site management: The platform provides tools for managing site versions and rollbacks, ensuring high reliability and ease of maintenance.
• AI tools: Use Framer’s AI-powered tools to improve your design workflow.
• Creating websites with complex animations: Framer offers advanced capabilities for professional designers, including features for creating complex animations and interactions with code, setting it apart from other design tools.

Framer drawbacks

Here are some drawbacks that you will find while using Framer

• Limited Customization: While Framer offers a user-friendly interface, it can feel restrictive compared to website builders with more granular control over HTML and CSS. This can be a limitation for users who want very specific design elements or complex functionalities.
• Content Management System (CMS): Framer’s built-in CMS, while functional, may not be as powerful as established options like WordPress. This could be a drawback for sites requiring extensive content management or e-commerce features.
• Scalability: Framer might not be the best choice for very large or complex websites. As your website grows in size and features, you might encounter limitations with Framer’s structure.
• Cost vs. Features: When compared to some website builders with similar pricing, Framer’s CMS capabilities might seem less feature-rich.

Webflow key features

Here’s a breakdown of some of the key functionalities:

Design:

• Visual Editor: Drag-and-drop functionality to create layouts using a visual interface, similar to design software.
• Flexible Layouts: Grid-based and flexbox layouts for responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes.
• Advanced Animation capabilities and Interactions: Add animations and interactive elements to create engaging user experiences.
• Clean Code Generation: Webflow generates clean, exportable HTML, CSS and Javascript for those who prefer custom coding options.
• Custom Code Embed: Integrate custom code snippets for advanced functionalities.

Content Management (CMS):

• Content Creation and Editing: Build websites where users can easily add, edit and manage content through a user-friendly interface.
• Dynamic Content: Create dynamic content sections that automatically populate with fresh information.

Other Features:

• Custom Domain: Use your domain name for a professional website identity.
• SEO optimization: Built-in tools to improve your website’s search engine ranking.
• Hosting: Host your website directly on Webflow (with paid plans).
• Integrations: Integrate with various third-party services and powerful tools to extend functionalities.
• Version Control: Track changes to your website and revert to previous versions if needed. Having some coding knowledge can be beneficial for using Webflow effectively, especially when dealing with the learning curve associated with its advanced features and customization options.

Webflow drawbacks

While Webflow is a powerful tool for web design, it does have some drawbacks to consider:

• Steeper Learning Curve: Though it has a no-code interface, Webflow does require some understanding of HTML and CSS to use effectively. Compared to other website builders, it has a steeper learning curve for beginners with no design experience.
• Support Options: Webflow currently only offers email support, even on their higher-tier plans. This can be inconvenient if you need urgent assistance with a website issue.
• Mobile Editing: There is no Webflow mobile app for editing your site on the go. All edits must be done on a desktop computer.
• Content Management Limits: Webflow has limitations on the number of pages you can create, especially for static pages on lower-tier plans. This can be restrictive for large websites or blogs that publish a lot of content.

Framer Integrations

Here are some of Framer’s key integrations:

Shopify Integration: Turns Framer sites into Shopify stores. Makes building e-commerce platforms easy.

FramerAuth Integration: Adds authentication to Framer sites. Allows you to create members-only areas within a website.

Template Integration: Provides ready-to-use website templates. Enables quick deployment of professionally designed sites.

Code Integration: Allows the integration of custom code into Framer projects. Ideal for adding unique functionality to websites.

Webflow Integrations

Here are some of the most useful Webflow integrations:

Enrollsy Integration: Enables fast and secure enrollment and payment processes within Webflow. It uses an embed widget that simplifies user interactions.

Scrollbar Styler by Finsweet: enables users to customize scrollbars visually. Features include setting scrollbar width, color, border, radius, and shadow. The code is easy to implement via copy/paste.

Class Adder for Webflow Interactions: A tool to add or remove classes from elements dynamically. It supports triggers like click, hover, scroll, and page load.

CMS Library by Finsweet: Offers a range of tools for enhancing CMS functionalities:

• Anchor: Creates CMS anchor links and sections.
• Slider: Allows building sliders with a dynamic number of slides.
• Nest: Simulates multiple nested collections on a single page.
• Add Classes: Adds unique classes to elements within a collection list.
• Load More: Loads more items on the same page from a collection list.
• Combine: Merges several CMS lists into one collection list.

These are just a few of the integrations that Webflow offers, as it has a huge library of them.

Framer vs Webflow pricing

Framer pricing plans

Free plan

• Price: $0, Forever
• Best for: Hobby sites
• Features: Framer domain, Framer banner

Mini

• Price: $10 per site per month
• Best for: Simple sites
• Features: Custom domain, Home and 404 pages, 1,000 visitors per month

Basic

• Price: $20 per site per month
• Best for: Personal sites
• Features: 150 pages, Password protection, 1 CMS collection, 10,000 visitors per month, 10 page search limit.

Pro

• Price: $40 per site per month
• Best for: Larger sites
• Features: 300 pages, Analytics and cookies management, Staging environment, 10 CMS collections, 200,000 visitors per month, 300-page search limit.

Enterprise

• Price: Custom, Annual billing
• Best for: Enterprise sites
• Features: Enterprise security, Custom hosting, Uptime guarantee, Dedicated infrastructure, Launch support, SSO for sites, and Customizable limits.

Webflow pricing plans

Starter

• Cost: Free
• Best for: hobby projects and site staging.
• Features: Webflow.io domain, 2 pages, 50 CMS items, 50 form submissions (lifetime), 1 GB bandwidth, up to 1k visitors.

Basic

• Monthly Cost: $18, or $14 if billed yearly.
• Best for: simple, static sites with moderate traffic.
• Features: Custom domain connection, 150 pages, 500 monthly form submissions, 50 GB bandwidth, up to 250k visitors.

CMS

• Monthly Cost: $29, or $23 if billed yearly.
• Best for: blogs or content-driven sites with generous traffic allowances.
• Features: Custom domain, 150 pages, 2k CMS items, 1k monthly form submissions, 3 content editors, site search, 200 GB bandwidth.

Business

• Monthly Cost: $49, or $39 if billed yearly.
• Best for: larger sites requiring robust features.
• Features: Custom domain, 150 pages, 10k CMS items, 2.5k monthly form submissions, 10 content editors, form file upload, 400 GB bandwidth, up to 300k visitors.

Enterprise

• Cost: Contact Sales
• Best for: large organizations needing enterprise-grade security and support.
• Features: Uncapped users, advanced collaboration tools, enterprise security, and customer success services.

Which is better: Webflow vs Framer?

Web development no longer requires deep programming skills, thanks to tools like Framer and Webflow. These platforms allow users to create professional websites with minimal effort.

While both tools are great in their own right, it is difficult to say which is better in the Framer vs Webflow question. Webflow is one of the more complicated no-code website builders but it has more customization and far more integrations while Framer has a more user-friendly, intuitive interface and is a simple web builder overall.

While both Framer and Webflow have very similar pricing, Webflow offers far fewer pages that you can have, which is not ideal for businesses or people who intend to create a lot of content.

Final thoughts

Nowadays almost anyone can get into web development, just invest a little money in a tool and every month you can have your website without hiring professional designers. Although there are many more powerful tools to choose from like Shopify, Wix, or WordPress, hopefully, this comparison has helped you choose between Framer vs Webflow.

I prefer Webflow as it has way more customization and integrations and although the interface may seem like a lot at first it is quite easy to learn with some apps over simplifying website creation it does make you have less customization and the interface plays against you.

I would recommend checking out other AI web builders or no code builders as they will help you choose which is the better tool to build responsive websites

If you are unfamiliar with the tools to help you create your website, consider using an agency such as Idea Link, which can help you create your website without needing to learn the tools yourself.