Webflow vs. WordPress. Which platform is better for your website?

Entry

‍

You've reached this article because you're probably looking to build a new website for yourself or your business. You probably know why every business must have a website and why it is so important to have an online presence. Or maybe you already have a website, but one that was built a few years ago. The website no longer looks nice and does not fulfill its business purpose. Change is necessary.

In the article below, I will show you the main advantages and disadvantages of two popular website building solutions. One of them is WordPress, very famous in Poland and around the world. The second is a solution very popular in the United States and Australia, which is becoming more and more popular in Europe - Webflow.

‍

I think it's a matter of time before the number of websites running on Webflow catches up with those powered by WordPress.

‍

What is the difference between Webflow and WordPress?

‍

Before we dive into the pros and cons of each platform, let's understand each of them in more detail.

‍

‍

‍ What is Webflow?

‍‍ Webflow is a no-code web platform. It gives you the ability to build responsive (i.e. looking good on desktop and mobile) websites without writing a line of code. Designers who know HTML and CSS can easily build advanced websites on the visual designer. For a single fee, Webflow provides hosting and takes care of the site's security and performance.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS). It is used by over 40% of all websites in the world. Designers control the appearance of their website through templates (free or paid) and add new features through plugins. When using WordPress, designers take care of the hosting, security and performance of the website themselves.

‍

Overall, both tools will get the job done - helping you build a website. However, you certainly don't want another mediocre website on the internet. Therefore, when considering Webflow vs. WordPress, you should pay attention to key features. They matter a lot! We'll deal with them in the next chapter!

‍

‍

Preparing the work environment

‍

Webflow

Some people include both platforms in the no-code family. Personally, I would disagree with this statement. For me, Webflow, unlike WordPress, is a classic example of the nocode family. You can start building websites on Webflow almost immediately after logging in to the platform. Click "NEW SITE" and we're ready to go. The environment is ready right away and we can start building our website.

‍

WordPress

Before we start the building phase, we need to prepare the entire infrastructure. We need to buy a server, set up FTP accounts, create a database, download WP installation files and upload them to the server, connect the Installer to the database and... finally we can start creating a website on WordPress.

‍

Building a website

‍

Webflow

Building a website in Webflow is done through the Designer view, where we move components from the available menu to the workspace. Then we configure the component by adding CSS classes. Thanks to CSS classes, we can precisely define the appearance, size, colors, positioning on the page, and scrolling and clicking behavior. Virtually no limits. The perfect solution for a designer.

WordPress

We build websites on the backend. We add ready-made components that we fill with content. Depending on the downloaded template, the components have a certain predetermined appearance. We can, of course, set the color and font size. However, changing the appearance and arrangement of elements on a component is problematic. There is no way to do this without messing around with the PHP code. Even searching for files on the server becomes quite problematic because each template has a different file arrangement.

‍

‍

Webflow vs. WordPress - comparison

‍

Below I have prepared a comparison of the two mentioned platforms. I compare clean installations. Those that do not contain templates, plugins and other add-ons.

‍

‍

Website built in WordPress - is it a good choice?

Let's take a look at this most famous open-source platform. What are its advantages and what are its disadvantages.

Why is it worth using the WordPress CMS in 2023?

‍

‍

Accessories

There are currently over 59,000 free WordPress plugins and countless paid solutions. Thanks to them, you can expand the capabilities of your website with additional functionalities.

‍

Templates

On the most famous marketplace, ThemeForest, you can buy a website template. You can choose from over 15,500 available templates the one you like best and fill it with content. This is a great solution if you don't have a designer or developer in-house.

Low maintenance costs

The WordPress engine itself is an open-source solution, developed by volunteer developers. This is free software. WordPress requires server space and a database to run. The hosting itself is quite cheap. On this website you will find hosting with the best parameters .

‍

If we don't want to pay for maintaining our website at all, we can build it on www.wordpress.com. However, you should not expect spectacular results from this site. It will be difficult to position it, let alone ensure its performance.

CMS (Content Management System)

It must be said that WordPress has a great solution called Gutenberg. Thanks to it, we can build pages and posts on our website by adding elements to our post or subpage. I recommend watching the video where you will learn how to start using Gutenberg WordPress .

‍

‍

Why do I think WordPress is a bad solution in 2023?

Code errors

The WordPress installation itself is clean and pleasant. However, we cannot create an interesting website without installing a theme or making changes to the website code. Any such interference results in the addition of a "third party" code. ‍

‍

It also happens that installed plugins have 'holes' in the code, which may cause our website to suffer. An example is the popular visual page builder plugin: Kaswara Modern WPBakery Page Builder Addons , whose low-quality code has damaged thousands of WordPress websites .

‍

Endless updates

Do you want to have a contact form on your website? Install the plugin. Do you want to do a survey on the website? Install the plugin. Want to implement pop-ups? Install the plugin.

‍

It's great to be able to expand the website's capabilities in such a simple way. Plugins really add value. However, remember that they need to be updated. Additionally, the WordPress Foundation itself will release a new version of its software, which should also be updated regularly. Learn how to update WordPress safely.

‍

Without updates, our website becomes vulnerable and may be hacked. If this happens, at best our developer will rescue it or recreate the last working version. In the worst case, the website will have to be deleted from the server and rebuilt from scratch.

‍

Template dependency

If you are not a programmer who knows PHP, HTML, CSS and JS, you will have to accept the look and feel of the elements available in the template. Changing them will be practically impossible, apart from editing colors or font sizes (this is not always the case). Several thousand website templates can be found at WordPress Themes .

‍

No support from WordPress

WordPress is provided for free and does not have its own support. There is, of course, an official forum where people seek help in difficult times. However, there is no official support from WordPress employees/developers.

‍

‍

Building websites in Webflow - is it a good idea?

Now let's move on to the Webflow platform, which is loved by designers and designers.

‍

Why is it worth building a website in Webflow?

Building websites without coding

Visual page building gives designers the ability to create custom websites without the need for code. When you create pages on Webflow using the drag-and-drop method, you don't have to worry about the code being created on the backend of your website. Unlike WordPress, pages on Webflow contain only the necessary HTML and CSS elements, as well as JS if you use animations or custom JavaScript code.

‍

Security

The Webflow platform runs on Amazon's infrastructure, more specifically Amazon Web Service . Specialists from Amazon and Webflow take care of the security of the Webflow application, and therefore your website. They make sure that services are always available and work properly, and that uninvited guests do not wander into your installation.

‍

Webflow doesn't need plugins

In WordPress, to connect to Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager , you need a plugin. To embed Facebook Pixel on your website, you need a plugin. To speed up your website, you need a plugin. To set up a contact form, you need a plugin. In Webflow, these and many other features are built-in. You go to the settings and fill in the appropriate fields. Easy.

‍

Templates

There are several sites where you can find templates prepared for Webflow. On the Webflow templates page, you have access to over 1,000 Webflow templates prepared by certified designers. These are not just any people. You must go through the review and approval process by Webflow designers to be able to offer your templates on the said site.

‍

Unlike WordPress, templates are fully editable. We can change the appearance of buttons, font colors or modify Webflow animations .

‍

Speed and guaranteed performance

As I mentioned, Webflow runs on Amazon servers. Thanks to this, websites operating on this platform have an availability of 99.99%. However, it should be noted that only sites running on the highest plan are fully guaranteed by Webflow.

‍

Webflow supports rapid scaling of resources. If we have a lot of visitors to the website, Webflow automatically adds memory and processing power to our website so that our visitors use it in comfortable conditions.

‍

We can easily optimize (minify) HTML, CSS and JS code. This will make our website load faster.

‍

Learn what code minification is in the video below.

‍

All plans include CDN for high page loading speeds. More advanced plans include advanced global CDN.

‍

What is CDN? When a website uses a CDN, the user's request is sent to the nearest CDN server. This significantly reduces latency and - consequently - makes your website or e-commerce site load much faster.

‍

As a result, users around the world receive the content they want without long waiting times, regardless of their computer's location on the Internet.

Very flexible CMS

‍

At Webflow, we create the CMS ( Content Management System ), so to speak, ourselves. We decide which fields will be visible to the user when adding a new entry or case study.

‍

Each of these fields can be conditioned. For example, it is possible to set the maximum number of characters for a text field or the minimum/maximum size (width, height and weight) of the added media.

‍

E-commerce support

Although Webflow is not specifically designed for building online stores, you can build a basic, simple store on it. Of course, without installing additional plugins :)

‍

The functionality of the store is limited. You can of course sell products. There is integration with Stripe as a payment system. However, it is not possible to create user accounts. And integration with courier companies is difficult. If you want to set up an online store, it is better to use the Shopify platform. Why Shopify? It is a dedicated platform for building online stores.

‍

Why you shouldn't use Webflow to build websites?

‍

Subscription

Unlike WordPress, Webflow is not free. I.e. it is, but for educational purposes and when building a website. Ultimately, in order to connect our domain, we must purchase a monthly or annual subscription to maintain the website.

‍

There are five subscription plans to choose from. In most cases, you just need to purchase the Basic plan. If you do not plan to edit the website, I recommend exporting the code and placing it on a standard server, e.g. OVH hosting . There is also a CMS plan that offers much greater possibilities. Thanks to it, we can create a blog, case studies, a website with job offers, etc., and the ability to edit these pages is delegated to the appropriate departments. Adding new elements is done from the CMS level.

‍

‍

If we have trouble choosing the right plan for us, we can always contact Webflow technical support. The consultant will select the appropriate plan for our needs.

‍

You can also write me on Twitter . I will be happy to help you choose the right plan :)

Long learning curve

Webflow has many built-in functionalities. To get to know them and use them appropriately, we need to delve deeper into the topic.

‍

Personally, I think the best tutorial videos are created by... Webflow. On the Webflow University website you'll find the great Webflow 101 Crash Course, which takes about 2 hours in total. After completing it, you will be able to build a basic website on Webflow.

‍

To work seamlessly with Webflow, you need to know at least the basics of HTML and CSS. Without this, you will not be able to build a website that will display well on computers and mobile devices.

‍

However, if we want to move to a higher level, advanced knowledge of CSS and JavaScript is necessary.

‍

‍

Summary

I have worked on both platforms. I have been building websites on WordPress for over 7 years. I have been associated with Webflow since 2020. I will admit that both platforms are great for building websites.

‍

You can create a personal or company website on both Webflow and WordPress. It all depends on your personal preferences and budget. In WordPress, you can build a standard website using a template. Season it with plugins and you will have great functionality without programming the whole thing. All this without the help of programmers and designers. Unfortunately, you will need to remember to maintain your website regularly.

‍

If you are a designer or company that needs complete freedom in building a website, then Webflow is definitely the best choice for you. Webflow allows you to recreate a project (e.g. from Figma or Adobe XD) practically in its entirety. In addition, adding your own animations is available without writing a line of code.

‍

‍