By Gone are the days when having a website was optional: today, even small businesses primarily conducting their operations offline still need a home on the web to convey professionalism, build trust, and provide a way for prospects and customers to get in touch. Most businesses’ needs go well beyond this, with complex website needs, like ecommerce functionality. The good news for digital agencies offering managed website services is that there’s plenty of work out there. This means having the right tools to create any website project that comes your way is a must.
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Website-building software like Webflow has emerged to meet this need, with plenty of exciting options on the market. However, they’re not all created equally, and Webflow has some important limitations that make it less-than-perfect for many agencies. In this article, we’ll cover 11 of the best Webflow alternatives today so that you can choose the best option to suit your business needs.we
What is Webflow?
Webflow is a visual website builder that enables designers to create websites without directly writing code by using its drag-and-drop canvas. As a website builder, content management system (CMS), and hosting platform, Webflow can be used to design, manage and publish all parts of a website through an interface that is usable by people who aren’t familiar with code.
However, Webflow is a little different from other website-building tools, because users can see the code that is generated as they put together their designs in the visual canvas. To refine their designs, knowing how to edit the HTML and CSS code generated by Webflow is a huge plus.
Main features of Webflow
Webflow includes a range of features that make it an effective tool for more advanced users who have some knowledge of HTML and CSS. It can be used to create a wide range of different types of websites, suitable for many kinds of businesses. Let’s take a closer look at the major features included in Webflow.
- Webflow designer: The designer is Webflow’s cloud-based web design interface. They also refer to it as a visual canvas, and it can be used to compose a website’s design visually. If starting from scratch, you will see a blank page with toolbars and panels that can be used to start adding structure to a page. In the designer, you can drag and drop sections and elements to your webpage, add more pages, create the navigation, add custom fonts, and otherwise work on the visual design of your website.
- Webflow CMS: Webflow includes a CMS that can be used to manage dynamic content. Dynamic content is content for which the specifics change but the general structure remains the same. For example, blog posts are a type of dynamic content. They might all have headings, images, and body text, but the specific values in these fields change from one post to the next. Dynamic content managed in the CMS can be incorporated into a website’s design by using the designer.
- AWS hosting: Webflow includes hosting powered by Amazon’s AWS coupled with Fastly. This means you can publish your website using Webflow and have your hosting already set up, without needing to find a separate hosting provider and manually integrate it with Webflow.
- Ecommerce functionality: Webflow supports ecommerce functionality, so you can turn any Webflow website into an online store. Features that are important to online sellers, such as the ability to add product variants and custom fields, are all available within Webflow without the need to use third-party plugins.
- Ability to create logins and gated content: Users who want to create member-only on subscriber-exclusive content can do so fairly easily in Webflow.
- Templates and ready-made sites: While the visual canvas can be used to create a website from scratch, there are also lots of templates for sale, as well as websites built on Webflow that can be cloned into your canvas as a starting point. These can inspire and speed up the design process.
Webflow cost
Pricing varies depending on your needs. Select plans include:
Free
Good for learning how to use Webflow, but with limited features and no custom domains, making it unusable for small business website management.
Basic non-ecommerce with no CMS items
$14/month, billed yearly
CMS non-ecommerce with 2000 CMS items
$23/month, billed yearly
Standard ecommerce with 2000 CMS items
$29/month plus a 2% transaction fee, billed yearly
Plus ecommerce with 20,000 CMS items
$74/month, billed yearly
Why explore Webflow alternatives?
Having a robust website builder that enables you to create beautiful, functional websites quickly and efficiently is essential to running a competitive web design agency. While Webflow can certainly speed up the web design process compared to building a site from scratch with the use of a website builder, it has some limitations that hamper its suitability for web design agencies.
Less user-friendly than other options
While Webflow allows for more customization than many other simple drag-and-drop page builders, it’s less user-friendly than its no-code messaging might have you believe. The interface can be overwhelming for new users, and many complain of a steeper learning curve than other website builders offer.
Having some knowledge of HTMP and CSS is also recommended for best results, adding another layer of complexity for new users.
Desktop-only editing
Many cloud-based Webflow alternatives offer some on-the-go editing options that work on mobile devices, like a companion app. Webflow doesn’t have any editing options when not on desktop, which can be a nuisance for busy agency pros who want the ability to work on the fly.
Pricey
Webflow isn’t the most cost-friendly option on the market, especially for ecommerce websites. Some users might find that the features they want are only available at higher pricing tiers, pushing them to pay more monthly than they initially planned.
Support is lacking
A frequent complaint about Webflow is that their support is unreliable. This is a major downside for agencies, since if anything goes awry with a client's website, your reputation hinges on your ability to deal with the issue swiftly.
11 top alternatives for Webflow
We narrowed down the best Webflow alternatives, so you don’t have to. Getting familiar with these competitors will give you options when it comes to choosing the best website-building solution to meet your agency’s needs.
1. Website Pro by Vendasta
Website Pro is an all-in-one website building and hosting solution that enables you to create WordPress websites using the drag-and-drop Elegant Themes Divi Builder, without the need to write a word of code. By creating your sites on WordPress, your projects can make use of the vast library of plugins available on the platform.
One-click ecommerce websites are made possible thanks to built-in WooCommerce functionality, and all those transactions will always be secure thanks to world-class security on the Google Cloud Platform.
Unlike many other website builders on the market, Website Pro is purpose-built for agencies. Through the Website Admin Dashboard, you can get a birds-eye view of all the websites you manage, and make updates without ever having to leave the dashboard. If you do need to head into a client's WordPress dashboard for more detailed updates, just click the link in the dashboard. This means you no longer have to log in and out of individual client accounts to manage their sites—a major time-saver for busy agencies.
Plus, if your clients want to take a more DIY approach, Website Pro is 100 percent rebrandable, making it a perfect choice for resellers.
Price
You can use a simpler version of Website Pro, Website Express, for free forever. This is a great way to get to know Vendasta’s web hosting interface before signing up for Pro.
Your Website Pro pricing will depend on which Vendasta tier you sign up for. Higher tiers provide better wholesale pricing.
2. Wix
Wix is a website builder that includes marketing and business solutions to support the needs of entrepreneurs. The platform includes over 900 customizable templates covering a range of industries, and you can also start from scratch and use their drag-and-drop page builder to build your site. AI technology can be used to speed up the design process and generate websites based on your inputs.
Wix includes ecommerce functionality, blogging support, scheduling, basic SEO tools, and built-in hosting. Those looking for more advanced customization can use code to go beyond what’s included in the templates and drag-and-drop elements.
Price
Your Wix pricing will depend on the plan you choose. Plans include:
Combo non-ecommerce plan
$16/month, limited features
Pro non-ecommerce plan
$27/month
Business Basic ecommerce plan
$27/month
Business VIP ecommerce plan
$59/month
3. HubSpot CMS Hub
HubSpot may be best known for its customer relationship management (CRM) software, but they also offer a CMS and website builder. The CMS hub solution includes a drag-and-drop page editor, a range of themes to speed up the design process, blogging support, and built-in hosting. HubSpot’s CRM is also integrated with CMS hub, which can help users collect and organize customer data that can be used to offer more personalized experiences.
It’s worth noting that this Webflow alternative doesn’t have a built-in ecommerce integration, making it a bit tricky and convoluted to set this up.
Price
Free, limited plan
$0/month
Starter plan
$23/month
Professional plan
$360/month
Enterprise plan
$1200/month
4. Contentful
Contentful is a composable content platform, which is a bit different from some other CMSs on this list. Rather than being used to create, manage, and publish content on a website, it can be used to facilitate these activities across a range of channels, including apps.
Contentful helps businesses cut down the number of steps involved in making their content live, by enabling content writers and other marketing staff to publish without implicating web development teams.
This can be helpful for very large businesses with complex content management teams. It won’t replace a website builder, but it can be used in conjunction with one to streamline content management.
Price
Free, limited plan
$0/month
Basic plan
$300/month
Premium plan
Custom pricing
5. Umbraco
This Webflow alternative is an open-source CMS that teams can use to easily create, edit, manage, and publish content across their tech stack. This goes beyond blog posts and other copy: with a wide range of plugins and integrations available, Umbarco can be used to create and manage ecommerce websites, manage product catalogs, publish all kinds of content, and more.
Since it is open-source, the Umbraco community regularly creates plugins and integrations to expand what can be done with this CMS. However, it is best suited to more experienced developers.
Price
As open-source software, Umbarco CMS is available for free. However, the free plan doesn’t include support, onboarding, access to the Umbraco learning base, and many other professional features. Additional plans are:
Umbraco Professional
$12,000/annually
Umbraco Enterprise
Custom pricing
6. Framer
Framer bills itself as being “like Figma, but for designing and publishing real responsive website”. This Webflow-like software incorporates an interface that feels familiar to designers who have used Figma and Sketch to create designs and mockups but build functional websites rather than drafts.
Using the desktop app or web browser, designers can create websites in a truly no-code interface. However, there are a few types of websites that Framer isn’t well-suited for, such as ecommerce websites or members-only areas.
Price
Free
$0, suitable for learning Framer
Mini
$5/month, suitable for landing pages
Basic
$15/month, for personal websites
Pro
$25/month, for larger websites
Additional editors can work on websites for $20/person/month
7. Duda
Duda is a drag-and-drop website builder that speeds up the web design process with features like automated workflows and dynamic page creation. This Webflow alternative addresses the common complaint that sites built with website builders tend to be slower by creating websites that consistently score highly in Google’s Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed reports. Sites built with Duda also enjoy built-in hosting, one-click SSL certificate setup, and client management tools.
Users can start with one of Duda’s ready-to-use templates, which are available for a range of categories such as online stores, events, portfolios, restaurants, one-page websites, and more. Or, if more granular design control is needed, Duda also supports full editing with code.
Price
Duda has four pricing tiers:
Basic
$19/ month
Team
$29/month
Agency
$59/month
White label
Custom pricing, contact Duda for a quote
Plans are also available at a 25% discount if purchased annually rather than monthly.
8. Pantheon
Pantheon is a WebOps and hosting platform that includes tools for building and managing websites on WordPress or Drupal. It is not a drag-and-drop page builder per se, but it can work in conjunction with a wide range of page builders that are compatible with either WordPress or Drupal. This way, users can choose the builder they prefer, and use Pantheon for CMS, website portfolio management, and structured agile workflows.
Price
Pantheon has a range of pricing tiers depending on which features you want to include. Plans include:
Basic site hosting
$41/month, paid annually
Performance hosting
$160/month, paid annually
Other plans, such as plans that include CMS, have custom pricing.
9. WordPress.com
While many third-party solutions have emerged that offer an easier, more feature-rich, or more user-friendly interface for building and hosting WordPress sites, WordPress.com itself can be used without adding any third-party software. WordPress.com offers managed hosting, and websites can be built using the built-in Gutenberg block editor or custom code. While this built-in page builder has many limitations compared to others on this list, it can do the trick for more basic websites.
Price
WordPress is free to use and a range of hosting plans are available. These include
Free
$0, limited features
Personal
$4/month, billed annually
Premium
$8/month, billed annually
Business
$25/month, billed annually
Commerce
$45/month, billed annually
Enterprise
Custom, starts at $25,000 annually
10. Adobe Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver is Adobe’s answer to the need for tools that speed up the web design process. It incorporates live-view editing so that any edits made to the code are visible with one click. If you’re familiar with other Adobe tools like Photoshop or Lightroom, the Dreamweaver UI will look relatively familiar. This Webflow alternative isn’t exactly a no-code builder, although it does include a wide range of templates to speed up the process of creating a new site.
Price
Single App
$20.99/month
As part of Creative Cloud All Apps
$54.99/month
Students and teachers
$19.99/month
Business
$35.99/month per license
11. Bubble
Bubble is a no-code platform that can be used to create a range of tech projects including web platforms, apps, and websites. It includes a point-and-click editor and cloud hosting, enabling users to manage every aspect of their site or app in one place.
Price
Free
$0, limited features and Bubble branding
Personal
$25/month
Professional
$115/month
Production
$475/month
Custom
Contact for a quote
Choosing the right Webflow alternative: Key considerations
There are quite a few tools like Webflow out there, including the 11 we’ve looked at in this list. So, how are you supposed to narrow them down to the one that makes the most sense for your agency? Here are some factors to keep in mind when choosing the best Webflow alternative to support your business’s needs.
Budget
The best option will strike a balance between having the features you need to be successful and having a price point that enables you to reach your profit goals. This doesn’t necessarily mean cheaper is best: when it comes to tools Webflow-like software, some are more geared to DIY entrepreneurs than agencies, so even if it’s less costly it may not be the best choice for enabling you to create and manage many websites at once.
Industry
The industry in which you generally operate will dictate your choice of Website alternative. For example, if you specialize in making websites for practices such as dentistry or massage therapy, you’ll need a solution that makes it easy to set up booking management and other relevant features.
Flexibility
Some clients may want a website builder they can use themselves, while others may want you to handle everything website-related for them. Ideally, your Webflow alternative should be flexible enough to address both opportunities. A white-label website builder will offer this flexibility.
The bottom line: why Webflow isn’t the best solution for every marketing agency
Webflow is a good solution for building websites more easily than would be possible using just code, but it isn’t perfect. Luckily, there are lots of Webflow alternatives that address these common complaints about the website-building platform.
It isn’t plug-and-play
The more complicated a new solution is, the more it will slow your team down. While Webflow is functional once you know your way around it, users generally complain of a steeper learning curve than what other Webflow alternatives offer.
No-code is a stretch
While Webflow bills itself as a no-code solution, code is a much more integral part of the UX than is the case with many of its alternatives. Changes made in the visual canvas generate code that you can export or publish, so knowing your way around HTML and CSS makes it much easier to fine-tune the design and get it ready to go live.
No phone or live chat support
Since other tools like Webflow offer around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, or email, Webflow’s lack of options and limited support hours are glaring drawbacks for agencies that need to be able to address concerns swiftly and effectively.
Frequently asked questions
What is Webflow used for?
Webflow is a web design and development tool that is used to create, launch, and manage websites. It incorporates a drag-and-drop interface that enables users to design and style web pages visually, with real-time previewing of their changes. It also has a built-in content management system (CMS) that allows users to create and manage dynamic content, such as products or blog posts.
Is Webflow free to use?
Webflow has both free and paid plans. The free plan allows users to create a project with limited features, CMS items, form submissions, and bandwidth. This is enough to familiarize yourself with the Webflow interface, but most users will need one of the more advanced plans to publish a website that meets their business requirements.
