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Webflow and WordPress are two popular site builders that help you create simple or complex websites with less or minimal technical know-how. It’s critical to understand how they differ in order to determine which one will work best for you.
While Webflow and WordPress have similar functions, they vary in terms of their approaches to building a website. Luckily, there is a simple way to choose between them. In this Webflow vs WordPress guide, we will compare their key differences to aid you in making an informed decision.
Webflow vs. WordPress: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Webflow | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | It aims to bring out the power of website interactions and animations directly into a visual toolbox | It’s a content management system that empowers people to publish content online in any form they wish |
| Ease of setup | It’s intuitive and built with non-developers in mind | Requires some basic coding skills and familiarity with plugins |
| Ease of use | Although some continuous improvements are being made, CMS (Content Management System) can be a little clunky | User-friendly and intuitive once the setup is done |
| Templates/ Themes | 1,000+ | 10,000+ |
| Customization | You can easily customize the design with code | Plugins can be limited without the developer’s help but they allow you to enhance your site |
| Users | Not more than 10 seats on the top-tier plan | Unlimited users |
| Security | Built into the software package | User-dependent as it is only available through plugins and integrations |
| Cost | Charged monthly | Free open-source software, though you will incur charges for the hosting, domain name, premium plugins, themes, etc. |
Webflow vs. WordPress: What’s the Difference?
The choice between Webflow and WordPress mostly depends on who’s building the website and their experience level, as well as the purpose of the website. While both are excellent options for building your website, there are some key differences you need to consider before choosing between the two.
User-Friendliness
Webflow provides everything required to get your website live. It’s a cloud-based all-in-one software as a service (SaaS) product, thus making it easy to set up your account.
It has also tried to simplify the setup process by providing a setup wizard upon launching. Unfortunately, the wizard might not be enough for you to familiarize yourself with all the key elements as the layout is busy popping an array of options.
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Setting up WordPress is much more difficult. Because WordPress will not be hosting your website as part of the package, you will have to pay for a domain and a host separately. Figuring out the best hosting provider for your website is another task.
You will then download WordPress on WordPress.org. As a non-developer, installing WordPress on your hosting site will be part of the learning curve to get you going. To simplify the process, a lot of web hosting companies will offer WordPress installer tools, though they won’t be as seamless as having to set up Webflow.
Customer Support
Because you have a monthly subscription to Webflow, you get benefits that include new feature development, customer support, and continuous product improvements. If you don’t have an in-house development team on call when you want something checked, having dedicated customer support is a plus.
WordPress.org is an open-source platform, so no customer support is available. Since it has been around for a good time, you will get a whole load of free WordPress resources online — for example, WPbeginner.
You should be able to get answers to any WordPress-related questions you have by doing a simple Google search. Having a customer support team ready to walk you through the solutions to your issues is a lot more helpful.
Plugins and Integrations
You will not immediately come across Webflow plugins, but there is an available list for example analytics, email marketing, e-commerce, payment processing, etc. Some you will have to pay for, while others are free (you can even submit your app if you are a developer).
There are fewer discussions on Webflow integrations, as it is a cloud-based all-in-one SaaS. This makes websites pretty much self-sufficient. Webflow offers clients all the necessary tools for building a website from scratch, unlike WordPress which is built virtually on plugins.
When it comes to plugins and integration, WordPress takes the lead, as the number of available plugins is mind-blowing. You will find them listed on the WP Plugins page and you can download beta plugins as well. There is a plugin handbook for coders, and it walks you through everything about WordPress plugin development.
There is a library where coders can submit their plugins. They are then reviewed for approval to ensure every plugin meets certain criteria before being posted on WordPress.org.
Pricing
Webflow and WordPress are packaged differently and comparing their pricing is close to impossible. WordPress is free to use as it is an open-source web platform. But to use it, you need to pay for hosting, domain name, templates — usually referred to as themes in WP — and premium plugins.
The price goes higher depending on your needs. The more you use premium themes or plugins, the more your pricing increases. WordPress website cost is dictated as follows:
- Hosting provider of your choice ( usually $2-15/ month),
- A custom domain name (usually $10-30/ year),
- Theme — free to premium (from $0-200),
- Plugins — free to premium (range from $40-200).
Webflow isn’t free either, but everything you would need to pay for is usually included in your monthly subscription. Webflow costs depend on the level of the package tier you go for. The Webflow monthly plan includes everything you need to build and host your website. The plans are as follows:
- Basic package — from $14/ month (billed annually),
- Business package — from $39/ month (billed annually),
- For an e-commerce website — ranges from $29 – $212 (billed annually).
Accessibility
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If it’s your first time creating a website, you will be more comfortable with Webflow. And if you are a content manager or a designer, it’s even better because it’s so visual, and no previous code knowledge is required. If you don’t want to use the preset template, you will need to use containers — it’s a drag-and-drop building block style — to build the various sections of your site.
It would be difficult to build a WordPress website without prior coding experience. In our experience, if you want to go beyond the pre-installed WP theme, you will strain to get it without knowing some HTML basics.
Also, you can integrate the Elemantor page builder plugin — a visual drag-and-drop design-builder — to make it work more like Webflow. It can get pricey as you will need to pay for the plugin package.
Customizability
Webflow offers a visual editor and preset design elements for building custom websites, though it has limited customization options for functionality. On the other hand, WordPress is highly customizable through the use of plugins and themes, but it will require some technical know-how to make the customizations — not so friendly for non-developers.
Webflow vs. WordPress: 7 Must-Know Facts
- You get complete design freedom with Webflow, whereas WordPress is restricted by themes or coded from the start.
- To use a page builder like Elementor, you need to enable a plugin in WordPress, whereas Webflow comes with a drag-and-drop page builder.
- Depending on which package tier you go for, Webflow is quite expensive, whereas WordPress is an open-source platform and you would only need to pay for website hosting.
- To make edits in WordPress, you will need to use the dashboard and page editors, but Webflow allows you to make edits on-page.
- Webflow provides clean and good-quality code. In contrast, due to the continuous need for plugins, code can get cluttered in WordPress.
- Both Webflow and WordPress allow you to apply preset designs to your website (pre-made designs are templates in Webflow and themes in WordPress), therefore eliminating the need to build websites from scratch.
- When it comes to plugins and integration, WordPress takes the lead, as the number of available plugins is mind-blowing. You will find them listed on the WP Plugins page and you can download beta plugins as well.
Webflow vs. WordPress: Which One Is Better? Which One Should You Use?
Both Webflow and WordPress are exceptional solutions for building a website. Your choice highly depends on what you value in a CMS ( Content Management System).
For most businesses and individuals looking forward to building a website, WordPress is the better choice due to its flexibility and ability to integrate with more tools. If you are yet familiar with basic HTML and CSS, you’ll require a lower learning curve before you are set to build your site. Also, the pricing is cheaper when compared to Webflow packages.
If you develop or design clients’ websites, you will probably prefer Webflow as most of its features target assisting designers in creating websites faster. If you lack a deeper knowledge of coding and only have some basic HTML/ CSS understanding, Webflow will offer you better customization options.
Finally, WordPress is already established in the site-building universe. Webflow is slightly behind, but it’s catching up to it. Choose the platform that works best for your business needs, as well as future growth capabilities.
