Several reasons why a website is important:
Let’s keep it honest: in the matter of “is it Webflow or WordPress for you?”, we strongly prefer Webflow. Our own website is created with Webflow. But wait! Don’t go yet if you are a WordPress lover. There is a whole new world of possibilities to discover, and if you are willing to give us a chance, we are more than happy to show it.
Here at WarmDevs we have chosen Webflow as our primary tool for creating websites almost a decade ago, and haven’t looked back ever since. There are a lot of good reasons for that, and we really want to share them in this article.
But examples are worth more than abstract praises, so today we will take two titans — Webflow and WordPress, and pitch them against each other to compare. We will figure out what makes a good website builder, and what it needs to be a great one.
For a better understanding, let’s start from the beginning.
WordPress is a CMS platform for building websites. This content management system started as a blogging platform in 2003, but eventually grew out of that niche and became quite popular among people and businesses for a wide range of purposes. Note, that in this article we will talk about WordPress.org, which is different from WordPress.com.
So comparing WordPress vs Webflow, WordPress is an open-source platform, unlike Webflow. It’s also free to use, so basically, anyone can have it up and running in a matter of minutes. It offers more than 8700 themes and 60 000 plugins for its users, so as you can imagine — it is highly customizable to every specific need you can think of.
These days WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites on the internet. As of 2022, that’s about 1,4 billion websites, according to general statistics. Impressive, isn’t it? The logical question here would be: if it’s so popular then it surely is the best website builder on the market? Well, not necessarily. Comparing Webflow vs WordPress, the latter does have a certain list of advantages (obviously, since it has conquered everyone’s attention), but does it hold up against emerging platforms in the long run? Or does WordPress risk becoming outdated?
Let’s put a pin on that and keep digging.
First of all, Webflow is a SaaS application, so it’s a “software as a service” type of thing, not necessarily a CMS by default. In Webflow and WordPress comparison, Webflow is a more complex tool at the base of it, while WordPress is quite simple at its core and mainly relies on customizable modifications. That being said, Webflow does have plans that include CMS services.
Webflow incorporates no-code and low-code solutions. This means it presents a visual editor to build a fully custom website, which is a great tool mostly targeted at designers. For people with no prior coding experience, it allows them to create a fully custom website from scratch, without any special knowledge. For developers — it just makes life easier, honestly. Webflow provides a CMS for blogs, e-commerce options, offers for enterprises, and provides services for hosting your website as well. There is flexibility to create a uniquely designed professional website. And if you want to take it a step further and make it a bit more complex, there’s room for that too.
But to help you decide on Webflow CMS vs WordPress, let’s compare them more closely.
There are several aspects you need to pinpoint when choosing WordPress or Webflow. Understanding the service you choose can make or break your future experience of maintaining a website, especially in the long run.
WordPress is an open-source CMS. Webflow is a SaaS application. What actual difference does it make?
They offer a lot of similar features but operate in a drastically different ways. Comparing WordPress CMS vs Webflow, with WordPress, to make your website a blog, an e-commerce store, or an SEO-optimized landing page, you add plugins for each thing you need. With Webflow, you choose a plan that fully covers your needs: a CMS for blogging, an e-commerce one, etc. Each of the plans offers a complex solution to your request, while with WordPress each plugin solves one question. So you keep juggling puzzle pieces until you create a comprehensive solution yourself.
Your website will need a unique name — a domain for users to find it by. But comparing WordPress vs Webflow CMS, WordPress does not provide one for you. You will need to find a third-party paid option yourself.
Webflow includes it in a plan. The same thing with hosting — WordPress does not provide, Webflow includes in a plan. In both cases, you can choose to use your own hosting, as you do not have to use the one Webflow offers, but it does not go the opposite way unless you pick WordPress.com instead of .org (but that’s a whole other story). With Webflow you can find all needed in one place, while with WordPress you will need to take on the hustle of self-hosting.
WordPress is open-source, so you can access and edit the code with no problem. That is if you are proficient in it and actually know what to do. Problems come when you start piling up plugins, and that will influence the difference in Webflow speed vs WordPress.
“Then I just won’t use plugins”, you might think. See, to create an actually good website, that will be unique and will successfully serve your needs, you will absolutely need those plugins. WordPress with and without plugins is the same as a raw egg against an omelet.
The code in Webflow is cleaner, simpler, and more intuitive than that of WordPress. It is well-optimized and more importantly, generated automatically for you, while you are working in a visual editor, building those pages.
Webflow vs WordPress speed depends largely on the loading time. And it is vital.
We live in an age where we expect information to appear at the tip of our fingers a second after we input a request. If a website is loading for longer than several seconds, users will leave. The quicker it loads, the smoother it runs, and the higher the customer satisfaction is. And you definitely want that if you want a high conversion rate.
WordPress doesn’t work like that. Remember plugins? RIght. They will clutter the code, the code will get more clucky and convoluted — not looking great for the loading time. In this regard, we consider Webflow more reliable.
Webflow vs WordPress security is harder to compare, as both of those platforms are pretty reliable. But since WordPress is an open-source platform, security measures will be your own responsibility. As you can imagine, open code is more vulnerable to hacker attacks, security breaches, and third-party tampering. Generally speaking, of course, WordPress is a secure platform, or else it wouldn’t be trusted by so many users, right? The issue however can present itself if you’ll neglect website maintenance. Regular updates of plugins, compatibility issues, and outdated software create potential risks — all are potentially bothersome, especially if you are handling them yourself and don’t have much experience with this. You can delegate the task to a professional developer, but be ready for regular spending on website maintenance.
Webflow provides a simpler solution here. You pay for its service and can contact the support center with any issue you have.
There are two main features here when we are comparing Webflow and WordPress:
We talked about plugins in WordPress already, as it is an integral part. There is a truly impressive library to choose from, for both plugins and themes. There is also a giant community to provide you with custom work as well. The problem with plugins can come from compatibility issues upon updating the website.
First of all, you will need to do that manually. Second, many dread those upgrades exactly because you never know what error will pop up as a result. And you can’t just ignore updating your software forever: it becomes outdated, unsupported, works worse, and starts posing potential threats to online security.
Now, Webflow. Webflow has a significant in-built functionality at the beginning. But if you want to incorporate custom edits, you can import custom JavaScript to make some tweaks here and there. Then you can also rely on third-party integrations, which basically connect another software to your website through an interface — API with which certain services can be accessed. Think Google Maps for addresses, Hubspot for marketing, any CRM system, and so on. With these modifications, you can even transform a simple Webflow website into a web app. This takes some experience and needs to be done by professionals, but it is certainly possible.
Here the difference comes again from the WordPress structure. For example, choosing Webflow vs WordPress for a blog, you’d want to pump up that SEO if you want your business to be even remotely successful online. With WordPress, you will need — you guessed it! — plugins. The most popular one would be Yoast.
Webflow website building comes with SEO in mind. You are able to optimize your webpages through the editor itself, with no third-party intrusion needed. In short: very convenient.
Oh, here goes our favorite! Guess, why we do love Webflow more? Because it is more convenient for our clients.
“But what is so special about Webflow?” you might ask. Well, as we mentioned, the platform really focuses on incorporating no-code and low-code solutions. Or, in simple terms, it makes everything about the editing process as visual and automated as possible. This allows us, as developers, to hand over the finished product to our client's hands, and provide them with some after-launch support, consultation, and simple video instruction — and that’s it. They are good to go and will not need developers’ help with simple weekly tasks, like updating blogs, checking analytics, working with internal CRM, and so on.
With WordPress, it is not the case. You will either need to prepare to commit to hiring a developer that will be maintaining a website for you, or be ready to learn quite a bit of code yourself, as WordPress does not make it as simple and straightforward as Webflow.
In the matter of WordPress vs Webflow pricing WordPress has an advantage. While Webflow is a paid service, WordPress is technically free. In practice, you will be spending money either way. The only two questions are “how much” and “to what end”.
WordPress is free to use. The money-spending part starts with finding yourself a domain and a hosting service. To be fair, it shouldn’t cost you an unreasonable price, as you can find it at $5-15 a month.
Next, about customization. There is an enormous library with free assets. But, if you want a truly unique theme, you will need to either code it from scratch, or — you guessed it — buy a paid version or pay a developer to do the job. Then again, chances are you are not familiar with web coding and just want a website that will work well and be stable. You will need to hire a developer to do the heavy lifting for you. Again — very reasonable in itself. It just goes to show that “free” can be relative when it comes to website builders.
Let’s be clear: Webflow will definitely cost you more. There’s a free Starter option with basic services. But in our opinion, it is worth investing in a relevant plan. It covers more ground and provides services that make life more comfortable and less stressful. Webflow plans start at $18 or $14 with monthly and annual billing respectively and go up to discussed prices for enterprises. But if you are choosing Webflow vs WordPress for large websites, as are those of enterprises, the best option would definitely be to hire developers for the team.
If you are curious to know more about the Webflow costs, we made a separate report covering this information in full.
Not convinced yet? Let’s see what Webflow can do! Here is a library of popular websites picked by Webflow’s team themselves.
We at WarmDevs also have a growing library of case studies on the websites and web apps we’ve built. We update it regularly, as we talk more in-depth about the process, challenges, and results that emerge during development for various projects.
Here are some websites created by the WarmDevs team:
So is Webflow better than WordPress? In our experience, yes. For a tool Webflow was intended to be, it is the best one out there.
A final overview:
Do you think creating websites is a hustle, but still need one and need it to be good? Leave it to us. We know the difference between Webflow and WordPress on a professional level, and will handle everything for you.
Building web apps on Webflow is not always the most straightforward answer, but we know it is the best for our clients. Why? Because Webflow provides independence. Whether you are a small business owner, a head of a marketing team, or a content manager — it is much more enjoyable working with a website created on Webflow after the developers built the project, optimized it, and handed it over to your use.
Webflow is a better solution to your needs. Check all our Webflow website development services and get a quote.
In a comparison of Webflow vs WordPress, there are a few notable differences, but at the core of it, both of those platforms provide website-building services. Webflow is a SaaS built on principles of low-code solutions, so you can use a visual editor to create your website. It’s customizable, convenient, and provides excellent results.
If you want to compare Webflow and WordPress, it is important to be clear about your needs. Webflow offers full freedom in creating designs, while WordPress offers to pick a set template. Webflow also has a much cleaner code, which means it provides great performance. But if you want to achieve complex tasks, like building a web app, you’ll need some solid coding experience.
Webflow and WordPress do differ, as WordPress is an open-source CMS, and although it is a quite secure option trusted by thousands of users, you will have to handle security issues yourself, if such arise. Webflow is a SaaS application that manages these things for you.
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