Which is Best CMS: Webflow or WordPress?
At present, over 79 million active websites use content management systems worldwide. Approximately 46% of these websites use WordPress, making it the most popular among the almost 2,000 CMS platforms available today. However, being the most widely used does not mean that WordPress is the best CMS. You can find a lot of other impressive CMS platforms that you can use in lieu of WordPress- one of which is Webflow.
Webflow is probably one of the most prominent alternatives to WordPress. But, do you know that Webflow is no longer just a WordPress alternative, as many called it years back? Yes, because of Webflow’s powerful features and unparalleled functionalities, it has grown to be a close competitor of WordPress.
If you are torn between these two notorious CMS platforms, this post is for you. Today we will get into detail about the differences between these two. We hope this post will help you decide which one is better than the other.
Let the battle between Webflow and WordPress begin!
Table of contents
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a popular open-source CMS that powers almost half of the websites on the world wide web. WordPress was initially a blogging platform, but it allows users to build and host all types of websites, including eCommerce stores, portfolio sites, photo blogs, and business websites.
Features of WordPress
WordPress boosts many features. Below are the key features that make WordPress so popular.
- Flexibility – It allows you to build just any type of website you want.
- WordPress language – It supports over 70 different languages.
- User-friendly – It is easy to use, install, and set up. It allows you to create a blog or simple website even if you don’t have any website development background.
- User management – It allows you to easily manage your team within WordPress.
- SEO – WordPress is SEO-friendly.
- Quick Upgrade and Installation – Depending on your chosen web host, upgrade, and installation can be just a one-click action.
- Media Management – It has a media management plugin that allows an easy and quick way to organize and manage a media library.
- Social Media Integration – It offers seamless social media network integration.
- Themes – WordPress comes with many built-in themes. Hundreds of third-party themes are also available both in free and paid versions.
Key Features of WordPress
- Mobile responsive
- High performance (depending on the hosting you choose or the number of functionalities and plugins you use)
- Highly customizable designs (but requires coding skills)
- More than 50,000 plugin options to choose from
- Huge support community
Whether you’re looking to update an existing website or you’re starting from scratch, we’d like to help you on your digital journey. Hire a dedicated WordPress developer today!
What is Webflow?
Webflow is a cloud-based, frontend builder and in-browser website design tool with an impressive content management system. It is a drag-and-drop CMS platform that allows you to design, create, launch, and host responsive, professional websites visually without the complexities of coding.
Features of Webflow
Webflow is a complete visual web design and development platform offering myriad features. Among these fantastic CMS features are as follows:
- Dynamic OG and SEO settings
- Export CMS content collections as a CSV
- Fantastic content templates
- Customizable content structures
- Quick and easy client collaboration
- Drag and drop page builder functionality
- CMS REST API
- Intuitive website editor
- CMS Collections RSS feeds
- Paginate collection lists
- Powerful content sorting and filtering
- Review form submissions available in the Editor panel
- Dynamic and effective content tools
Key Features of Webflow
- Built-in SEO features
- Quick and easy integration for Zapier, Google Analytics, Google Optimize, and MailChimp
- Design animations, 3D transforms, and interaction without writing codes
- Website management tools
- Allows creators to publish directly to the web
- Built-in hosting system
- Reliable support system, e.g., email support, help center, priority support, and community forum
- Ecommerce functionality
- Code editor feature that allows you to add your code if needed in the design
- Reusable CSS classes
- Responsive page and website design
- Secured with SSL and ISO 27018
Webflow is a complete CMS platform with integrations for form data, backups, marketing tools, and many more.
Want to build stunning websites, easy-to-manage CMS databases, and powerful no-code products. Hire a Webflow developer!
Now that we’ve known the different features of each, let’s see the similarities between WordPress and Webflow.
Webflow or WordPress: The Similarities
Below are some key similarities between WordPress and Webflow.
- Both platforms allow you to create responsive, professional websites.
- Both platforms are ideal for blogging.
- Both platforms are SEO-friendly.
- Both platforms offer customizable designs.
- Both platforms allow eCommerce integration, allowing you to add eCommerce functionality to your site.
- Both platforms come with pre-made templates and themes.
- Both platforms offer a complete content management system.
- Both platforms have SSL certificates.
- Both platforms offer full code access.
- Both platforms allow you to build static HTML sites.
There are also other similarities that WordPress and Webflow share other than what we’ve mentioned above.
Let’s now proceed with the differences between the two.
Webflow or WordPress: The Comparison
Though WordPress and Webflow share some similarities, both are unique on their own, making them different in one way or another.
One of the primary differences between these two platforms is the coding skills of the professional building the website.
WordPress is easy to learn and use, making it a good choice for non-tech users. Building professional websites in WordPress requires knowledge, expertise, and experience writing codes. Though you can create a basic blogging website with a few static pages and a blog without coding knowledge, you would need the help of a WordPress expert if you want to build responsive sites with dynamic pages and better design.
On the contrary, building a website with Webflow requires no coding expertise. This visual editor allows you to create equally impressive and responsive websites without writing intricate codes, making it more convenient for users who don’t code. If you want your website to be more personalized, you can use Webflow’s code editor feature to add your own clean and customized code.
Another primary difference is the drag-and-drop feature. Webflow is a drag-and-drop CMS platform, while WordPress is not. If you want to add this functionality to your WordPress website, you will need to install an additional plugin- the best option for this is Elementor.
Build Your Perfect Webflow Website. Best-in-class Webflow development services. 200+ projects completed.
To give you a better look at the similarities and differences between WordPress and Webflow, we have outlined a detailed comparison below.
Detailed Comparison
With this detailed comparison, you will be able to see which platform is better than the other and which of the two is a better choice for your next website development project.
a) Ease of Use
Ease of use is somewhat objective and subjective, depending on who is building the site. If you plan on hiring a professional website developer and don’t mind the time required to write code, then you could go with WordPress. If you want to build a website but don’t know enough coding knowledge, then Webflow is better for you.
WordPress has everything you need to build a site. Even a newbie without a website development background can create one. However, if you want your website to have better features and designs, or perhaps you want to add something more specific to your website, you will need to install plugins. The more plugins you use, the more complex your website will be. In this sense, you’ll have to learn how these plugins work and how they interact with each other. Otherwise, you’ll end up having a problematic website instead of a better one.
Webflow has a stiff learning curve; however, if you learn how to use it and how it works, things can get pretty intuitive, fast, and easy. Thankfully, you can find many tutorial videos built by Webflow which can help you learn the ropes more quickly.
b) Themes and Templates
Both WordPress and Webflow offer pre-made, ready-to-use themes and templates. With WordPress, you just have to pick the theme and template you want, edit it to fit your preferences, and you are good to go. The downside, though, is you are limited with what your chosen theme or template offers.
Similarly, Webflow also allows you to build a website using a pre-made theme and template. However, unlike WordPress, Webflow will enable you to fully customize your site without the limitations of the theme or template. Webflow also provides you an option to start your design using a black canvas, allowing you to create just anything you want- all without coding!
c) Plugins and Integrations
Both platforms offer plugins and integrations, allowing you to extend your site’s functionalities. However, WordPress plugins require frequent manual management and updates. Sometimes updates can cause trouble, and you’ll need a dedicated professional to manage the plugins to ensure everything works as smoothly as it should.
With Webflow, you don’t have to worry about manually updating plugins and integrations or perhaps bother about hiring a dedicated webflow developer for it because the platform will take care of it for you.
d) Caching and Minification
Both WordPress and Webflow allow caching control. With WordPress, you must install a specific plugin for caching and minification. For Webflow, you can enable the browser caching feature in the site settings.
e) Website Security
Webflow offers security encryption that makes websites safe and secure. WordPress, however, is more vulnerable to security threats. Website security in WordPress dramatically depends on your choice of a security plugin and the type of hosting you choose.
f) Ecommerce Functionality
Both Webflow and WordPress allow you to add eCommerce functionality. For WordPress, you’ll have to install a free plugin called WooCommerce to add full eCommerce functionality to your site. WooCommerce allows you to sell anything over the internet.
Webflow Ecommerce plan has a built-in eCommerce functionality. Since it’s built into Webflow’s core service, you don’t need additional plugins to enable this functionality. Webflow, however, has limited eCommerce functionality. The number of products you can sell and add to your shop depends on the plan you choose, and it does allow you to sell any subscription or membership-based services or products.
g) SEO
Both platforms are SEO-friendly. Webflow offers built-in SEO features. While WordPress would require you additional plugins like Yoast for SEO.
h) CDN Capabilities (WP)
Webflow distributes website files via a global CDN. And since Webflow is a self-hosted platform, page load speed is kept at the optimum level. WordPress’s CDN capabilities depend on the host and the CDN provider.
i) Support
Because WordPress is an open-source platform, it has a huge, active community of designers and developers where you can find any support you need. Webflow is a private entity with limited community support. However, you can find support, ask questions, and learn about the ins and outs of Webflow and web design through Webflow University. Webflow offers a lot of helpful comprehensive tutorials about anything related to Webflow, website design, and website development, among others.
j) Pricing
This is probably where the main difference between Webflow and WordPress lies. You can get a basic WordPress plan for free and start building your CMS site without spending a dollar. However, you need to pay for a hosting service to run your website.
On top of that, if you opt to keep your website fully customized based on your specific needs and requirements, you have to pay for additional plugins and integrations (free plugins and integrations are also available). The more paid functionality you add to your website, the more it gets costlier. This can make your website more expensive to operate in the long run.
Webflow can be more expensive at first look. Webflow’s CMS plan costs $16 per month- this plan includes 2000 CMS items. If you want to add more CMS items to your website, you can opt for a business plan which costs $36 per month.
The good thing about Webflow is that everything you need for your site is already built into its core services- from plugins and integrations to hosting and everything in between. You don’t need to pay for additional functionalities or services to keep your website running. This means that you will only need to pay a flat fee every month.
Webflow or WordPress: Which is Right for You?
So, back to our question: which CMS is the best for your website, WordPress or Webflow? The quick answer is: it depends on you and your specific situation.
Before you decide which CMS platform to choose, we suggest you define your goals and approach first, as this can help you know which one is more appropriate for your website. If you intend to hire a professional website builder with expertise in coding, want to add full eCommerce functionality, want complete control over your website, or perhaps you just want to be one of the 46% community, then you may choose WordPress.
On the flip side, if you want to create a fully customizable, highly responsive, and dynamic website without the nitty gritty coding, then Webflow is a better choice.
Otherwise, you can try to use both CMS platforms and see what works well for your website. If you need further help, you may always choose to contact our website development team anytime. APPWRK’s expert web designers and developers can help you choose the best content management system.
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