Webflow Pros and Cons: Is It the Right Website Builder for You?

Want a professionally designed website without coding knowledge? Webflow, a visual web development platform, is your answer. 

Unlike other web builders that offer limited functions, Webflow gives you true creative freedom. 

For those who want a head start, Webflow has a vast library of customizable templates. This makes it easy for beginners to jump right into the design process. 

But don’t trust the 3.5 million Webflow users; See for yourself if it fits your definition of a good website builder. 

This blog explores the strengths and weaknesses of Webflow. This will help you decide if it's the right tool to bring your website vision into reality.

What is Webflow, and Who is Webflow Aimed For?

Webflow is a no-code visual frontend development platform that makes creating custom websites easy, even without coding knowledge. Moreover, if you know of HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, you can add advanced customizations to your Webflow website.. 

Webflow is for everyone who wants to create a custom website, whether for personal use or to grow your business. And for those who need more complex websites, Webflow experts like Amply can create a professional Webflow site tailored to your business needs.

Pros of Webflow

Webflow is great for creating all types of websites. Plus, it offers web designers and developers a great degree of customization options. 

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Here's what more it brings to the table: 

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1. Visual design freedom (no coding knowledge required)

While coding experts can easily visualize a website using lines of code, a Webflow designer enjoys visual design freedom.

Webflow makes it easy to create websites by bridging the gap between design and coding. You can simply drag and drop pre-built, customizable elements onto your design canvas, like using building blocks, no coding skills required. 

While you focus on the design, Webflow generates clean, semantic code in the background. You don’t need to write any code yourself; Webflow handles it all for you.  

2. Responsive design

60.8% of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices. So, if your website is not mobile-friendly, you're missing out on a massive number of potential visitors. And Google knows it.

That's why in early 2015, Google announced that their algorithm will give priority to mobile-friendly websites that provide a seamless experience across all devices. This means all the outdated websites will be pushed down in search results.

That's where responsive design comes in. It's like a tailor-made suit for your website, allowing it to adapt and look sharp on any screen size.

Now, you don't need to know coding to make responsive websites. Platforms like Webflow can help you with that. They can write clean code while you focus on designing a Webflow website that works smoothly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Webflow's design tool is similar to tools like Photoshop but tailored to build websites. 

You design on a central workspace, and a handy set of options at the top lets you preview how your Webflow site will appear on various devices – from desktops and tablets to phones in both landscape and portrait modes. 

You can even fine-tune your site's appearance on extra-large screens for a truly custom experience.

This level of control over how your site adapts to different screen sizes sets Webflow apart from many popular website builders.

Every Webflow template is also fully responsive.

Plus, with a dedicated workspace for mobile design, you can tailor your site's appearance specifically for smartphones. 

Webflow even lets you preview your site on popular phone models like Apple, Samsung, and Google devices, ensuring a seamless user experience across the board.

Here’s an example of Bounti’s website designed on Webflow by Amply. 

3. Powerful CMS (Content Management System)

Without a content management system, updating a website can be a real pain. You’ll be constantly downloading, editing, and re-uploading files, hoping they didn't accidentally break any links in the process.

These days, your website is how people experience your business online, so any outdated info or broken links make a bad impression.

Webflow’s powerful web content management systems (CMS) make building and running a website a breeze. 

A Webflow CMS is like a central hub for your website, making it easy for multiple people to update and manage content without any technical headaches. This keeps your site fresh, accurate, and looking sharp.

Web designers and developers like its intuitive drag-and-drop interface. It helps them build a responsive webflow website in no time.

On top of that, Webflow’s built-in CMS even lets you customize everything from animations to layouts, all without writing a single line of code. Plus. It also offers high security and fast web hosting. 

Even experienced developers can benefit from Webflow's flexibility. They can easily add, update, or remove content directly through code. 

And those in charge of content strategy can create custom content types and structures to fit their unique needs.

Webflow's editor lets you edit content directly on the live page itself following a WYSIWYG format. This gives you immediate feedback on how your changes look in the overall design. 

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While editing content behind the scenes is also possible, this real-time editing makes the process much simpler and more intuitive.

Once your Webflow website is ready to launch, Webflow's CMS also makes it easy to give your clients access to update their own content. 

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You can also invite other team members to collaborate and add new content whenever they need to.

4. Built-in SEO capabilities

Webflow is built with a strong focus on helping your website get noticed by search engines. It automatically creates excellent websites for all screen sizes, a key factor for Google rankings. 

It also uses modern image formats like WebP to ensure your pages load fast, regardless of how many visual elements it has.

With Webflow, you can easily manage 301 redirects, ensuring your visitors and search engines find the correct pages. You can also customize your 404 error page to avoid any issues with Google.

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Additionally, Webflow supports Schema Markup, which helps search engines better understand your content. You can also control how search engines interact with your site through files like sitemaps and robots.txt.

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Webflow makes adding important SEO details like page titles and meta descriptions simple, which influences how your site appears in search results and encourages people to visit your website. 

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While customizing these for individual pages is somewhat limited, you still have the option to edit image alt texts to improve your site's SEO further.

5. Engaging interactions and animations

Webflow stands out with its "interactions" tool feature. It lets you add impressive animations to your webflow website without knowing any code.

You'll find these animation controls right in the Webflow interface for design. You can start with around 20 pre-made animations like fades, shrinks, spins, and jiggles, or get creative and build your own.

The real magic happens when you set "triggers" for these animations. This means you can make elements on your website react to user actions, like hovering over an image or clicking a button.  

Just like how Webflow did on their own website:

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You can even make one image trigger the appearance of another element on the page. 

Like most Webflow advanced features, getting the hang of these animations takes a little practice. But don't worry; there are tons of resources and examples to help you learn and get inspired. 

6. Customizable layouts and templates 

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The Webflow platform offers tools to help you create the perfect layout for your website. You can start from scratch, use pre-designed elements, or even leverage pre-built layouts from their library depending on your preferred style.

Within the platform, you'll find five core layout elements: 

• Sections 
• Containers
• V Flex 
• H Flex 
• Quick Stack 

Sections and Containers are your basic building blocks, providing a simple structure to add other elements. 

V Flex and H Flex are specialized elements that make it easier to create layouts using Flexbox, a powerful CSS tool for arranging elements on a page.

The Quick Stack element offers pre-built layouts using a CSS grid for a faster start. Choose from eight presets and customize them as needed. 

You can also explore Webflow's Marketplace and Starter Library for even more pre-designed options, including elements and styling.

While the Quick Stack is often the most efficient way to build layouts, Webflow allows you to create one from scratch using basic elements if you prefer. 

Regardless of your approach, you can always fine-tune your layouts using the Style panel. It is where you can adjust display settings like Flexbox or Grid and make other customizations to achieve your desired look.

Plus, Webflow offers over 2,000 templates to jumpstart your website design, including 48 free options. 

You can easily find the perfect template for your project by searching by industry, style, language, or web design features. 

These templates are modern, professionally designed, and fully customizable. They come packed with pre-built elements like forms, videos, and online store pages, saving you time and effort in the design process.

7. Active customer support and  vibrant community

Webflow offers active customer support that ensures you have the resources you need to succeed on the platform. Email support is the primary channel for most users, with responses typically ranging between 24-48 hours.

However, Webflow's support goes far beyond just email. Their extensive collection of help articles and Webflow University instructional videos are highly regarded. It provides excellent guidance for both beginners and experienced users.

Plus, there's a vibrant community forum that connects you with other Webflow users. These people are knowledgeable and always happy to help, so you'll never feel stuck or alone on your Webflow journey.

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Cons of Webflow

While Webflow shines in many ways, it's not without its quirks and limitations. 

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Let's take a closer look at some of the potential cons of using Webflow:

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1. Complicated pricing

Webflow offers two main types of plans to cater to different needs:

Site plans 

This is designed for building individual websites and comes in various options to suit different needs. It contains everything from simple landing pages and blogs to business websites and fully-featured e-commerce stores.

Workspace plans 

These plans are tailored for teams and agencies managing multiple websites. There are specific plans for in-house teams and freelancers/agencies, which come with their own set of features.

The key differences between the various plans include:

1. Number of of pages:

• Site plans range from 2 pages on the "Starter" plan to 150 pages on "Basic," "CMS," and "Business" plans, with the "Basic" plan and above including the ability to add custom code. The "Enterprise" plan offers even more pages.
• Workspace plans offer 2 pages on the "Starter" plan and 150 pages on the "Core" and "Growth" plans.

2. Number of CMS items (content items):

• Site plans vary from 50 items on "Starter" to 2,000 on "CMS" and 10,000 on "Business."
• Workspace plans have unlimited non-hosted sites.

3. Number of form submissions:

Site plans range from 50 submissions on "Starter" to 500 on "Basic," 1,000 on "CMS," and 2,500 on "Business."

Other features:

• Site plans differ in bandwidth, the number of visitors allowed, and additional features like the number of content editors.
• E-commerce plans have varying numbers of e-commerce and CMS items, with the "Plus" and "Advanced" plans offering zero transaction fees.
• Workspace plans include features like paid users (from 1 to unlimited), admin and design access, and collaboration tools.

As you can see, Webflow's pricing structure for Workspace plans can be complex and may involve additional costs depending on your specific requirements. However, the platform's features and versatility make it a valuable tool for many webflow website creators.

2. Limited free templates 

Webflow offers around 48 free templates compared to other platforms like Wix and Squarespace. So, if you have a limited budget and prefer a free template, finding one on Webflow will be a challenge.

3. Learning curve

If you're a beginner at website building, using Webflow might feel overwhelming. There are technical terms like "containers," "sections," and "div blocks" that may sound like a foreign language to you. 

But don't get us wrong. Knowing these terms is important for web design. But learning all of them is a humongous task considering you’re new to building websites.  

Webflow gets this. They know these technicalities can be a bit much for beginners. That's why they created Webflow University. It is a free resource that helps you understand Webflow basics and polish your web development skills.

Webflow University covers everything from the basics of web design to advanced Webflow features. It's perfect for beginners looking to create a simple website and an experienced web designer looking to add complex functionalities to their websites.  

4. Limited plugin ecosystem

Webflow offers add-ons, or "plugins," that extend your website's functionality. There's over 250 of them in the Webflow integrations library, covering a wide range of functions.

While their selection of third-party tools isn't as vast as platforms like WordPress, Webflow's philosophy is to provide most of what you need right out of the box.

If you need a specific tool not included in Webflow, you can simply add it using code snippets. However, this will require some technical knowledge and might not be the most seamless solution, especially if you aim for a code-free experience.

But you'll still need to manage these tools separately as they won't be fully integrated within Webflow.

5. Limited E-commerce features

While Webflow allows you to create visually stunning online stores, it's important to know that it's not a complete solution for e-commerce business. 

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Shopify and WooCommerce provide much better ecommerce features compared to Webflow.

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So what features is Webflow lacking?  Let’s have a look at it:

Advanced inventory tools 

Webflow can handle basic stock tracking. However, it is not equipped for more advanced functions like managing stock across multiple locations or dealing with intricate product variations (SKUs). You can still use third-party apps to get those features but it is still not as easy as using a platform specifically built for e-commerce.

Subscriptions and recurring payments 

Webflow does offer some subscription features, but if your business relies heavily on subscriptions or complex payment plans, other platforms might be a better fit. They often have more built-in tools for managing these types of transactions.

Handling massive growth 

If you're a big company with a huge product catalog and tons of orders, Webflow might struggle to keep up. Platforms designed specifically for large-scale e-commerce can handle high traffic and complex operations more easily.

Integration with ERP systems

Many businesses use ERP systems. These are solutions that come with integrated applications that help companies manage everything from finances to inventory. Webflow does not connect with these systems as the platform has not incorporated any ERP in its mother software. 

Built-in tax compliance tools

Some e-commerce platforms come with built-in tax compliance tools. This helps you to navigate the complexities of tax calculations and compliance, especially across different regions. Webflow's capabilities in this area are limited.

No built-in POS system 

For businesses that also have physical stores, a Point of Sale (POS) system is essential for managing in-person transactions. Webflow doesn't offer a native POS, which is another dealbreaker.

Webflow Pros and Cons: Is This Website Builder the Right Choice for You?

Webflow has unquestionably transformed the way websites are built. It has made it easier for beginners and experts to create sites. Even if you're new to web design, Webflow University can help you quickly pick up the skills.

For web developers, Webflow is like the icing on the cake. It streamlines the process, letting you focus on creativity and customization.

So, is Webflow the right choice for you? Depends on your goals.

Ask yourself:

• What's the purpose of your website? 
• Is this a short-term project or a long-term investment?
• Do you want to DIY your website or hire a Webflow expert?

So before investing in webflow, think carefully about your answers. The platform excels at content management and creating custom websites. On top of that, you can even add special features using code if you're so inclined.

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