Webflow vs WordPress: Comparing Website Builders
Webflow and WordPress are two of the most popular options for building websites these days. Both offer easy-to-use drag-and-drop interfaces and allow you to create functional websites without writing any code. However, there are some key differences between the two that make them suitable for different purposes. Here are the main differences between Webflow and WordPress:
Workflow and Experience
Webflow’s workflow is focused on the design experience. You build the design first using a full visual editor, adding text, images, shapes, animations, and all other elements visually. The interactions, forms, and code are added afterward.
This means Webflow’s focus is on design-first and prototyping new ideas. The visual designer has full control over the layout and experience. The code is only added after the design is finalized.
WordPress, on the other hand, has a content-first workflow. You add pages, posts, and other content first, then customize the design using themes and plugins.
This makes WordPress focus more on quickly publishing and managing large amounts of content. The writer or content manager has more control, while the designer works within the constraints of the system.
Integrations and Extensions
Webflow integrates with all major tools in the marketing and design stack. You can import from and export to Sketch, Photoshop, Figma, InVision, and Framer for design collaboration.
On the extension front, Webflow integrates with services like MailChimp, AWS, GitHub, Zapier, and many others to extend its functionality. Webflow also has an App Marketplace with extensions built by the Webflow community.
WordPress, being an open-source CMS, has a much larger ecosystem of plugins and integrations. There are thousands of premium and free plugins available to extend WordPress in almost any way imaginable. Themes are also abundant and easy to integrate.
Development Flexibility
Webflow’s code editor gives you full access to the underlying HTML, CSS and JavaScript of your site. You can customize the code as you wish and even link to external CSS or JS files.
However, Webflow’s code editor is still limited compared to making edits directly in your code editor of choice. Webflow also does not allow server-side code execution, restricting the types of applications you can build.
WordPress, on the other hand, gives you full flexibility to develop any type of website. You can easily integrate server-side technologies like PHP and configure a MySQL database. This makes WordPress very suitable for building complex web applications.
Hosting and Pricing
Webflow sites are hosted on Webflow’s own infrastructure. You pay a monthly subscription fee starting at $12 per month to access Webflow’s editor and host your sites. Webflow offers unlimited storage, bandwidth, and users.
WordPress, being open source, gives you full control over hosting. You can host WordPress on any web host, VPS, or dedicated server. WordPress itself is free to download and use, but you’ll have to pay for hosting and any themes/plugins you use.
Learning Curve
Webflow has a much lower learning curve compared to WordPress. Even non-technical users can pick up Webflow very quickly and get a basic website up and running in just a few hours.
WordPress has a slightly steeper learning curve. Though the editor is also user-friendly, getting up to speed with themes, plugins, and general CMS knowledge takes more time and effort. Some technical knowledge is beneficial to utilize WordPress fully.
Webflow vs WordPress the Real Difference
Summary
In summary, Webflow is best suited for:
- Design and prototyping-focused projects
- Simple marketing websites and landing pages
- Fast iteration and visual design control
While WordPress is best suited for:
- Content-heavy blogs and publications
- E-commerce and membership sites
- Complex applications that require server-side code
Hopefully this gives you a good overview of the differences between Webflow and WordPress! Let us know if you have any other questions.
