Are you weighing the pros and cons of Webflow vs WordPress and trying to decide which is best for you?
Both Webflow and WordPress are popular website builders that make it simple to make a website. However, they each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages that you should weigh before embarking on your next project.
In this article, we’ll compare Webflow and WordPress, as well as their benefits and drawbacks, to see which one is better.
What to Look for in a Platform for a Website
Let’s talk about the main things to look for when choosing a website builder for your project before we compare Webflow vs WordPress.
These will also be the parameters we use to compare WordPress and Webflow. You can jump to the relevant section by clicking on any of them.
- An overview of WordPress and Webflow is provided.
- Ease of Use – How simple are they to learn for a complete novice?
- Costs – What does it take to launch a website?
- What are your web design options in terms of design and templates?
- Is it possible to sell items online using ecommerce?
- SEO – Is it simple to make your website search engine friendly?
- Addons & Integrations – Are addons and third-party tools available to extend the platform’s functionality?
- Support – Are you able to get assistance quickly and easily when you require it?
Note: This comparison is between Webflow and WordPress.org self-hosted (not Webflow vs WordPress.com). Check out our comparison of self-hosted WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com.
Webflow vs. WordPress: A Comparison
Both Webflow and WordPress are platforms for creating websites. WordPress has been used by developers, web designers, marketers, bloggers, and businesses for more than 17 years.
Since its inception in 2013, Webflow has seen a steady increase in its user base. They provide designers and general users with a visually appealing and fully hosted WordPress alternative.
Overview of WordPress
WordPress is the world’s most widely used website builder and content management system. More than 40% of all websites on the internet are powered by it.
WordPress is open-source software that anyone can download and use for blogging, business websites, online stores, and other purposes.
A domain name and a web hosting account are required to launch a WordPress website. There are numerous excellent WordPress hosting providers that provide one-click WordPress installation and setup.
Overview of the Webflow
Webflow is a simple website builder with a visual web design tool for creating your site.
It’s hosted software, which means you pay for it on a monthly basis. They make money by selling hosting services and charging for paid features and upgrades.
You can sign up for a Webflow account and link it to your domain. You can also download your website and host it on a different server.
Now that we’ve covered both platforms, let’s move on to the next step. Let’s see how they compare to one another.
1. User-Friendliness
The majority of people who create a website are not programmers or coders. They require a simple platform that they can use without the assistance of developers or the knowledge of HTML and CSS code.
Let’s compare Webflow and WordPress in this regard.
Ease of Use (WordPress)
More than 40% of all websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. That’s millions of users from all over the world, with varying skill levels.
It’s fairly simple to use. It does, however, have a slight learning curve. WordPress terms and concepts such as themes, plugins, the difference between posts and pages, categories vs tags, and more must be familiarized by beginners.
It’s simple to add content to your website. The block editor, which is included with WordPress, is a simple visual editor.
You get to create your own pages and use blocks to customize content. This allows you to create stunning layouts without ever having to write a line of code.
You don’t like WordPress’s default editor? You don’t have to worry; there are plenty of drag-and-drop page builders to choose from. These page builders are available as installable add-ons (also known as plugins), with the majority of them having free versions.
You can use an existing template and modify it to meet your needs, or you can start from scratch and create your own design.
WordPress includes thousands of free templates and over 57,000 plugins that allow you to do almost anything you want without having to write any code.
Ease of Use – Webflow
To manage your website, Webflow provides a simple and intuitive backend dashboard. It includes a visual interface for creating content. With a live preview, you can write your content and design layouts.
Webflow includes a number of templates that you can customize for your project using their visual editor. The Webflow visual editor has a lot of features, so beginners might have trouble navigating it.
You can change the properties of any element by pointing and clicking on it. You can also use the left panels to add a new element button to create new elements.
Webflow was created with designers and developers in mind. If you’re a content publisher, you might be missing out on features like post types, categories, tags, discussion, and comments that are common on other CMS platforms.
WordPress came out on top.
A point-and-click editor is available in both Webflow and WordPress. Templates and layouts that are ready to use.
Although Webflow’s default editor is more user-friendly, it still has the same learning curve as WordPress. WordPress, on the other hand, is extensible, so you can use a page builder to replace the default editor.
The CMS capabilities of Webflow are also not the same as those of WordPress. There are fewer options for adding tags and categories to your content types, no native comments feature, and the design elements simply get in the way of writing. For content publishers, this makes it a little more difficult to use.
Webflow vs. WordPress Costs
The cost of creating a website is a major consideration for most users when selecting a platform.
If you’re just getting started with an online business, you may want to keep your costs as low as possible while planning to invest more as your company grows.
Let’s look at how much it costs to build a website with Webflow and WordPress, and what options you have for keeping costs low.
Costs of WordPress
Although the WordPress software is free, you will need to pay for a domain name and hosting. You’ll also have to pay for any premium plugins, themes, or third-party services that your company may require.
A domain name costs $14.99 per year on average, and website hosting plans start at $7.99 per month (usually paid annually). If you’re just getting started and testing the waters, that’s not cheap.
Fortunately, Bluehost has agreed to provide WPExpertpro users with a free domain name as well as a substantial hosting discount. In essence, you can get started for as little as $2.75 per month.
Bluehost is an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider and one of the top WordPress hosting companies.
WordPress also benefits from a sizable ecosystem. There are over 57,000 free plugins and thousands of free themes to choose from in the WordPress.org plugin directory alone.
This allows you to keep your costs down by using free plugins and themes to build your site. Even the majority of premium WordPress plugins and themes come with free versions that you can use without spending any money.
Costs of Webflow
Webflow provides a limited free version that allows you to create a website and host it on a Webflow-branded subdomain.
Site Plans and Account Plans are two types of paid plans they offer.
Site Plans are priced per site, and they allow you to use your own domain name (domain price not included). They are also priced according to the type of site you want to create.
Basic, CMS, Business, and Enterprise are the different levels. Each level expands your account’s capabilities while also introducing new features.
Ecommerce Plans, which allow you to create online stores and are divided into multiple levels, are another category of Site Plans.
Plans for websites begin at $16 per month, while eCommerce plans begin at $29 per month. You’ll be billed once a year, and paying monthly would be more expensive.
Account Plans are another option. You can use these to manage multiple websites as projects, and you can either host them with Webflow or download the code and host them elsewhere. If you export the site code, however, some features such as forms and eCommerce checkout may not work.
Monthly subscription plans begin at $16. (billed annually).
WordPress comes out on top.
All of the features are available at a much lower cost when you use WordPress. Using free plugins, you can add any extra features. You can even set up an online store for free.
Of course, as your website grows in popularity, your WordPress website costs will rise, but you can wait and see how successful your business is before upgrading your hosting or purchasing premium add-ons.
Webflow vs WordPress for Design and Templates
A designer isn’t required to create a website. You can use design tools as a beginner, but the end result will likely be inferior to a professionally designed website.
Let’s take a look at how WordPress and Webflow handle design customization and templates to help users.
Themes and Templates for WordPress
You can choose from thousands of WordPress themes when you use WordPress (website design templates). Many are completely free to use, and the majority of them are mobile-friendly right out of the box.
To create your website, you can begin with one of these professionally designed WordPress themes. You have the option to change the theme of your website at any time. They’re simple to use and can be customized using a live customizer within WordPress.
WordPress, unlike Webflow, separates design and content. This keeps your website’s design consistent.
You can also create landing pages by starting with a theme and then adding a page builder plugin. Professionally designed templates are also included in these page builders, which you can customize.
Have you been unable to locate a suitable theme? Don’t worry, you can create your own templates and themes without ever writing a line of code using tools like Beaver Themer.
Design and Templates for Webflow
You can use dozens of paid and free templates on Webflow. They’re all mobile-friendly and can be used for a variety of websites.
When you start a new project, you can choose a template. However, once you’ve chosen a template, you won’t be able to change it. You can start a new project and then change the template.
It’s simple to make changes to your templates. Because Webflow is a visual design tool, it includes a robust visual editor that allows you to change any element on any page of your website.
Any changes you make to layout elements like the header, navigation, and footer will be reflected across the entire site.
WordPress came out on top.
WordPress is able to offer a lot more flexibility than Webflow because the content and functionality are separated from the design. It also gives users access to a wider range of designs and tools for customizing the appearance of a website.
Webflow vs. WordPress in Ecommerce
You can sell items online using ecommerce features. For many businesses, having a solid eCommerce platform is critical to their growth and success.
Let’s take a look at how WordPress and Webflow deal with eCommerce.
Ecommerce with WordPress
To use WooCommerce, the world’s most popular eCommerce platform, you’ll need WordPress. Millions of large and small online stores use this free WordPress plugin all over the world.
WooCommerce also has its own addons/plugins that make it simple to add new features to your online store. You can also choose from hundreds of WooCommerce themes for your eCommerce site’s design.
You can also choose from a variety of payment gateways with WooCommerce, including PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.Net, and dozens more.
There are several other eCommerce and shopping cart plugins available for WordPress. With MemberPress, you can sell digital subscriptions or software downloads, and with Easy Digital Downloads, you can sell both.
Webflow – e-commerce platform.
When compared to the options available for WordPress, Webflow has limited eCommerce functionality. The number of products you can sell is determined by your plan (starting at $29 per month for 500 products with the eCommerce Standard plan).
They accept payments through Stripe. In addition to Stripe’s transaction fees, Webflow will charge a 2 percent fee per transaction with the Standard plan.
It’s simple to add products to your website. To provide product details, images, and other options, you simply fill out a form.
Webflow isn’t designed for selling membership or subscription-based services. It can be used to sell software, apps, music, ebooks, and other digital goods.
WordPress came out on top.
WordPress provides a more versatile platform for selling whatever you want. It offers more payment options, add-ons, and no limits on the number of products you can add.
To get started, you can use WooCommerce or any other eCommerce plugin. You can also move your store to any other hosting service without causing any problems.
Webflow is more expensive, has a transaction fee (on the standard plan), has a limited number of products, and offers fewer features and integrations.
WordPress vs. Webflow for SEO
It’s critical to choose an SEO-friendly platform for your website if you want to rank higher in search engines and increase website traffic.
Let’s see which is better for SEO: WordPress or Workflow.
WordPress – Search Engine Optimization
Many people choose WordPress to start a blog because it is search engine friendly. It ensures that SEO best practices are followed, allowing you to easily improve your rankings and web traffic.
WordPress has a number of built-in features that can assist you in optimizing your site for search engines like Google.
Using the built-in settings in WordPress, you can create simple URLs, change permalink settings, organize content by categories, add tags to blog posts, edit image alt text, and ensure that your site is visible to search engines.
Aside from that, there are numerous WordPress SEO plugins available to assist you in maximizing your SEO efforts. This isn’t available in Webflow, so you’ll have to make do with what you’ve got.
For example, you can easily optimize your site without hiring an expert by using a complete WordPress SEO plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO).
You can use the plugin to optimize your blog post by adding title tags, meta descriptions, focus keywords, and page analysis recommendations.
A WordPress plugin can also make it easier to manage technical SEO. The AIOSEO plugin generates XML sitemaps automatically, allows you to control the robots.txt file, tracks and redirects broken links, and much more.
You can also use a plugin to control how your site appears on social media platforms, connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics, and easily display breadcrumbs to assist users in navigating your site.
Webflow – Search Engine Optimization
Webflow includes features to help you optimize your website for search engines. Within the website builder, you can change the title tag, meta description, and URL for each page.
Aside from that, there are options for customizing the open graph settings. You can change the appearance of your content when it’s shared on social media. You can also prevent search engines from indexing your website.
You can also use Webflow to generate a sitemap automatically, edit the robots.txt file, and more. To access advanced SEO features, you’ll need to upgrade to a site plan.
Aside from that, Webflow has a 301 redirects feature that allows you to easily move blog posts to a new location.
WordPress came out on top.
When it comes to search engine optimization, WordPress provides more features and flexibility. You can get almost any feature you want to boost your rankings by using different SEO plugins.
Webflow’s built-in SEO options, on the other hand, are limited. You’ll have to work with Webflow’s configuration options. With WordPress, however, this is not the case.
Integrations and add-ons
Any website builder will simply not be able to include everything. That’s why you’ll need the ability to use third-party tools and integrations to extend it.
Let’s see how WordPress and Webflow deal with this.
Add-ons and Integrations for WordPress
WordPress plugins are what give WordPress its true power. These are similar to plugins for your WordPress site. To add new features to your website, you can simply install them.
There are over 57,000 free WordPress plugins to choose from. Even more if premium plugins are included (paid). They cover a variety of topics, including how to create contact forms, how to install Google Analytics, how to add SEO features, backups, security, and more.
WordPress integrates with all of the most popular third-party services and tools that you might need to expand your company. WordPress integrates with all major providers, whether it’s an email marketing service, live chat software, a help desk, or a business phone service.
Add-ons and Integrations for Webflow
Webflow has a limited number of third-party service integrations. Some integrations work right away, but for the most part, you’ll need to go through a tutorial to figure out how to connect it to your Webflow project.
If you move your website to a different hosting provider, some integrations may break. For example, forms might not work on your new hosting provider, so you’ll have to troubleshoot and figure out how to get them working again.
WordPress came out on top.
With thousands of plugins and third-party tools and services, WordPress is the clear winner.
Webflow vs. WordPress Support
Even the most experienced web developers require assistance from time to time. Let’s compare and contrast the support options for Webflow and WordPress.
Support for WordPress
WordPress is an open-source software that is driven by the community and has a lot of free community support. Official WordPress support forums, resource sites such as WPExpertpro, Facebook groups such as WPExpertpro Engage, and more are available.
Normally, a simple Google search will yield answers to all of your WordPress-related questions. If you need more visual assistance, you can follow step-by-step WordPress guides or watch WordPress video tutorials.
If you require additional assistance, you can easily locate and hire a developer to assist you. Because of WordPress’s popularity, there are thousands of developers who make it super-easy and affordable for small businesses to get help when they need it.
Support for Webflow
Webflow University is a massive library of articles and tutorials hosted by Webflow. A wide range of topics are covered by video tutorials, how-to guides, and step-by-step articles.
Customers can also contact Webflow via email, which is available Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PT. Although they have an AI-driven chatbot, it does not provide live chat support.
You can also ask a question in the Webflow support forum and get answers from other Webflow users, experts, and staff.
WordPress came out on top.
WordPress, as the world’s most popular platform, offers more support options. Third-party developers provide support in a variety of languages, and there are numerous free support options.
Webflow’s support services are limited to email support due to the premium pricing of their paid plans. For much lower monthly fees, many shared WordPress hosting companies offer live chat and 24/7 phone support.
Conclusion: Which is Better: Webflow or WordPress?
We can confidently say that WordPress is a far better option than Webflow, based on the criteria we established above.
It provides more design options, flexibility, support, and eCommerce options at a lower cost. You can also control your spending and only spend when necessary.
Webflow has an excellent web design tool that works flawlessly. However, the CMS features, flexibility, integrations, and support are all limited.
We hope that this article has helped you compare Webflow and WordPress, as well as their benefits and drawbacks.
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