Which is better: Webflow vs WordPress?

Web design platform comparison guide 2024:

So you heard about the new kid on the block (aka Webflow), and now you’re curious if you’re missing out. The FOMO is real, and we’re about to catch you up to speed. 

What is the best web design platform for designers? Sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and let us break down the pro’s and con’s of Webflow and WordPress. 

After giving this a read, you’ll understand the two top web design platforms well enough to decide which platform is best for designers and all things website related!

Differences between WordPress and Webflow

They’re both pretty powerful tools for creating websites. So what makes Webflow and WordPress different from each other? They have different approaches when it comes to features and who their target audience is. Check out these main differences between WordPress and Webflow:

User-friendly:

• Webflow: Webflow stands out for its intuitive and visual interface, making it extra easy to use for designers. It’s got a sick drag-and-drop functionality and real-time design updates that make it a seamless and efficient design process.
• WordPress: Historically, WordPress has been known for its user-friendly interface, especially for bloggers. However, the learning curve can be steeper for beginners when it comes to customization and more complex features. It can get complicated with all the options and coding.

Design and Customization:

• WordPress: While WordPress offers lots of themes (aka design templates) and customization options, getting highly customized and unique designs probably means you need to understand coding pretty well. You also have to know how to use third-party plugins. Designers can work with themes and page builders to customize the look and feel.
• Webflow: Webflow is the queen of design flexibility with its visual editor. Designers have precise control (and who doesn’t like control, am I right?) over layout, styling, and interactions without needing to dive into code. This is a huge reason why it’s a preferred choice for those who prioritize design aesthetics and want to create unique, visually stunning websites.

Hosting:

• Webflow: Webflow makes it super simple for users by providing built-in hosting. The design platform seamlessly integrates hosting, allowing users to publish their websites directly from Webflow. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
• WordPress: WordPress is a self-hosted platform. Basically, that means users need to find external hosting providers and manage their server environments. This gives users more control but also adds complexity.

Community and Support:

• WordPress: WordPress has been around for a while and does have a big community. Users have access to a large amount of documentation, forums, and third-party resources.
• Webflow: Webflow's community is growing and stays very active. When an update, issue or question pops up, you’ll likely find what you’re looking for in the Webflow forum. Also, Webflow offers its University with tutorials and direct customer support to help users.

Target Audience:

• Webflow: Webflow is designed with designers in mind. It targets users who prioritize visual design, creative control, and a more modern approach to web design. It's particularly popular among freelancers, agencies, and those focused on building visually engaging websites.
• WordPress: The OG platform for blogging. WordPress has evolved into a versatile content management system (CMS). It caters to a broad audience, from bloggers and small businesses to large enterprises.

Pricing Model:

• WordPress: WordPress is an open-source platform, and the software itself is free. But…users have costs for domain registration, hosting, premium themes, and plugins. You gotta watch out for those sneaky costs that can add up.
• Webflow: Webflow operates on a subscription-based model with tiered pricing plans. Users pay for access to the platform, hosting, and additional features based on what they need.

Webflow Pros:

1. Visual Editor: Webflow makes it super easy to add and change content on the site without knowing code. Its visual design interface lets designers create visually appealing websites easily, offering plenty of customization options. 
2. Responsive Design: Designers can create responsive websites effortlessly, so users have a pleasant user experience no matter what device they’re on.
3. No plugin headaches: With Webflow, you don’t have to worry about plugins which can break and often need updates. Save the hassle of working with third-party plugins and do everything directly in the Webflow platform.
4. Interaction and Animation: Want to get creative? Webflow has animation and interaction capabilities, allowing designers to bring their visions to life with smooth transitions and dynamic elements.
5. E-commerce Functionality: Webflow provides robust e-commerce features, making it easy for businesses to sell their products online.

WordPress Pros:

1. Complexity: Since WordPress does have a ridiculous amount of plugins to choose from, the advantage is having flexibility and functionality. Designers can easily expand the capabilities of their websites.
2. Resources: With a large and active community, WordPress users benefit from an abundance of tutorials, forums, and resources, making problem-solving and learning more accessible.
3. Content Management: WordPress does really well with content management, making it possible for websites to have extensive content and dynamic structures.
4. Customization: You can get into the nitty gritty of a site with WordPress because it offers a ton of customization, allowing designers to create tailored websites for their clients.

Is Webflow good for SEO?

Search engines and Webflow go together like peanut butter and jelly. This popular web design platform has plenty of features that bump up a site's Search Engine Optimization (SEO). To give you an idea, here are a few ways Webflow supports SEO:

• Responsive Design: Google loooves mobile-friendly sites. So many people are using their phones to search the internet. Plus, you want people to have the same great user experience on different web browsers and devices.
• Customizable Meta Tags: Users can create unique meta descriptions and page titles for each page to target specific keywords. This is great for SEO!
• Page Speed: Don’t let a slow site bog you down. Nobody has the time or patience for a long load time. Webflow websites often benefit from fast loading times, which is super important for SEO. The search algorithm looks at page speed to help decide if a site is worthy of ranking. 
• 301 Redirects: A 301 redirect makes sure people find the page they’re looking for, even if the website content got moved around. It realllly hurts a website’s SEO to have broken links or errors on pages. Webflow lets users set up 301 redirects, guiding search engines to the new URLs and preserving the SEO value of the old pages.
• SSL Security: Webflow has SSL (Secure Socket Layer) security as standard for all hosted sites. Search engines prefer secure websites. So having SSL in place is not only a ranking factor but makes users feel more comfortable.
• Automatic Image Compression: Webflow automatically compresses images, making file sizes smaller without compromising quality. This not only improves page loading times but also makes the user experience a million times better. User experience indirectly influences SEO.

Additional ways Webflow is great with SEO include:

• XML Sitemap Generation
• Structured Data and Schema Markup
• CMS for Dynamic Content

Should I learn Webflow in 2024?

Only if you want a website platform that’s easy to design, build, and use. That’s a bit of sarcasm for ya, but we personally love it and think you will too! 

If you’re a website designer or web developer, you can be a front mover and set yourself apart in the industry. Your clients will love how easy the content management system (CMS) is. The fact that Webflow requires very little coding knowledge, and users can visually edit the site, is a huge benefit of using Webflow.

More people are starting to use Webflow because it’s super easy to create beautiful websites. Give it a shot in 2024, and let us know what you think!