Framer vs Webflow: A Complete Rundown

Designing a website is no small feat, and the tools you choose can make or break your workflow—not to mention the success of your project. Among the many options available, Framer and Webflow are among the most popular no-code platforms for designers and developers alike. Each brings its own strengths to the table, and the right choice depends on your goals and priorities.

Webflow is a powerhouse for building responsive, fully customizable websites with rich integrations and robust collaboration features. On the other hand, Framer takes a different approach, focusing on interactive elements, animations, and speed.

So which is best for website designing? In this Framer vs Webflow guide, we’ll explore how these two platforms stack up, helping you decide which design tool best suits your project needs. Let’s get started.

Framer vs Webflow at a glance

If you’re in a rush, no worries. Here’s a quick overview of some of each platform's main functionalities and features. Stay tuned for more details on each point.

Ease of Use

Framer’s interface is drag and drop, which makes it approachable, especially for designers familiar with similar tools. Its streamlined user interface is reminiscent of Figma, so those with design experience will feel right at home. While the basics are easy to pick up, diving into Framer’s more advanced features, like animations, can present a mild learning curve. 

Webflow, on the other hand, is powerful but can feel overwhelming for beginners. Its drag and drop interface offers incredible customization, but the complexity might challenge those new to web design and development. The good news? Webflow comes packed with resources to ease the learning curve. Webflow University, along with its active community and responsive support, provides everything from beginner-friendly walkthroughs to in-depth guides for advanced users.

Ultimately, your choice might come down to how much time you’re willing to invest in learning and whether you value simplicity or comprehensive functionality. If you consider all the variables, both tools come in at a tie for ease of use.

Templates

Both Webflow and Framer offer some pretty amazing templates, but they differ wildly in variety. Webflow offers hundreds, even thousands of templates, both paid and free. This number changes all the time, so it’s hard to pin down an exact figure. But, let’s just say, you’ll never be without the ability to create high-quality websites of basically any kind.

Framer website templates are a different story altogether. Sure, it has some really great options, but there aren’t that many. Conservatively speaking, you’re looking at about 150 free and paid templates. It’s important to note, though, that the lack of template variety at this point in time is likely because Framer is so new to the market.

SEO Control

SEO control is a must for content management systems and website builders, and both Framer and Webflow make it easy to optimize your site for search engines while maintaining design quality.

In the Webflow vs Framer debate, Webflow offers more comprehensive SEO tools. You can easily edit page titles, URLs, and meta descriptions, add alt tags to images, set up 301 redirects, and generate sitemap.xml and robots.txt files automatically. With over 250 integrations, Webflow also provides great flexibility for enhancing your site’s functionality and performance.

Framer doesn’t quite offer that level of functionality, though it does have direct integrations like HubSpot and Calendly. It’s definitely for more technical users, as its component creation tool allows for custom integrations. Framer also includes built-in analysis tools to track site traffic while also ensuring privacy compliance.

Both platforms support SEO optimization, but Webflow gives you more out-of-the-box features, making it a better choice for users needing extensive control. Framer suits those who prefer simplicity and customizability without too many extra features.

E-commerce

E-commerce is a very hot topic nowadays, and a lot of no-code website builders offer tools and features to specifically help users in the market. When it comes to building and managing online stores, the Webflow vs Framer debate offers some clear distinctions.

To put it simply, Webflow is amazing for e-commerce. It allows users to create high-quality online stores with ease. From customizing product pages to managing inventory, tracking orders, and integrating with payment platforms like Stripe and PayPal, Webflow’s design capabilities go beyond simple websites to offer a fully functional e-commerce solution. 

Framer, for lack of a better phrase, lacks any built-in E-commerce functionality. It’s more focused on prototyping and creating dynamic user interfaces with interactive design and animations. That said, you can always add e-commerce functionality by integrating payment solutions like Stripe with some coding work, making Framer a more flexible—but less out-of-the-box—option for online stores.

All things considered, Webflow is the best choice for E-commerce by far. 

Animations

When it comes to different types of animations, the choice between Framer vs Webflow comes down to the level of complexity you're aiming for in your project. 

Framer was literally built for creating interactive prototypes with intricate, dynamic animations. Its tools allow for complex interactions, cinematic effects, and detailed animation triggers, which gives designers the freedom to experiment with unique styles. For those with coding knowledge, Framer’s integration with Framer Motion, a React-specific library, unlocks even more possibilities, making it the go-to platform for creating custom animation work.

Webflow, while not as advanced as Framer in this area, still offers powerful tools for adding animation and interactivity. You can easily trigger animations based on cursor movement, scrolling, or hovering, which makes for a more engaging and interactive user experience. Webflow also integrates with Spline, a 3D design tool, to add an extra layer of visual impact to your animations.

Framer is the clear winner if you're focused on complex, high-impact animations, while Webflow provides enough flexibility for creating smooth, interactive animations that are easy to implement without a steep learning curve.

Customer Support

When it comes to getting help, Webflow and Framer offer two distinct approaches. Whether you’re troubleshooting or need advice, the level and type of support you can expect vary greatly between the two platforms.

Webflow provides a more traditional support system, offering email assistance Monday through Friday with a typical response time of 24 to 48 hours. For those on the Enterprise plan, there's also the option for live phone support, though this is only available in English. This makes Webflow a solid choice for those who prefer a structured and professional support service, especially for urgent issues.

Framer offers a less formal, more new-agey approach. While it doesn’t offer a dedicated support team for ongoing issues, you can submit tickets or reach out via email for account-related inquiries. If you prefer community-driven support, Framer has an official Discord channel where users can help one another. For more personalized help, private Slack support is available but only to those with a Custom Business plan.

So, which support is better between Webflow vs Framer? If you’re looking for more traditional and reliable support, Webflow is the right choice for you.

Framer vs Webflow Pricing

Framer vs Webflow pricing plays a huge role when deciding which platform is the best for you. In all reality, features and utility mean very little if it doesn’t fall in your budget. 

Starting with Framer pricing plans, they have 3 different tiers for personal websites and 3 additional tiers for business websites, which include a custom, enterprise-level plan. The only difference between these plans is the number of landing pages each project is allowed to have and the bandwidth.

Starting at just $5 per month, you can have 2 pages and 10GB of bandwidth. Plans go all the way up to $200 per month, but that includes 30,000 pages and 500GB of bandwidth.

Webflow, believe it or not, offers a free plan. It is very limited, but it is still a great option for those just getting the hang of things. From there, prices start at just $14 per month and go all the way up to $49 per month. The price completely depends on whether you opt for yearly or monthly payments, as well as how many pages, CMS items, and form submissions you need.

Comparing Framer vs Webflow pricing is pretty black and white, but keep in mind that each platform offers different things. However, if we’re going simply on price, Framer wins this battle.

Pros and cons: Framer vs Webflow

We covered a lot above, so to round it all off and make it easier to summarize, here’s a bulleted list of the pros and cons for each tool:

Framer Pros

• Ideal for creating interactive prototypes and complex animations
• Offers advanced customization options
• Provides directly accessible integrations
• Decent real-time collaboration, making it team-friendly
• Features a moderate learning curve

Framer Cons

• Lacks integrated e-commerce features
• Limited customer support, available only through Slack (for certain plans) and Discord

Webflow Pros

• Offers a variety of templates and a powerful integrated CMS for creating and managing dynamic websites
• Robust and user-friendly e-commerce functionalities
• Access to Webflow University, providing extensive educational resources for users of all levels
• Addresses many limitations commonly found in no-code tools
• With Webflow, you can export HTML, Javascript, and CSS code for easier asset management.

Webflow Cons

• Steep learning curve for beginners due to its extensive flexibility
• Does not support real-time collaboration on the same project, which can hinder efficiency for large teams

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, choosing between Framer and Webflow depends on the kind of experience you're looking to create. Webflow is a heavyweight for those who want to build feature-rich, long-term websites with an eye on flexibility and control. It’s perfect for users who want to dive into all the details, tweak settings, and refine their design over time.

Framer, on the other hand, is a great Webflow alternative. It's ideal for those who want to craft something dynamic and visually striking without getting bogged down by too much complexity. Whether you’re designing interactive prototypes or adding slick animations, Framer gives you a streamlined path to bring your vision to life.

That said, if you’re looking for some help with Webflow website design and development, ManyPixels has your back. For under $1000, you can have your website designed by Webflow experts. With a Figma to Webflow workflow, you have the ultimate overview and control of the design process, ensuring that your website turns out exactly how you want it.

Ready to jump in? Book a free 1:1 demo to talk to an expert and a sneak peek at ManyPixel’s work.