Webflow Review 2024: The Ultimate Website Builder for Web Designers
In today’s digital world, the number of websites is rapidly increasing. More businesses and individuals are establishing their online presence, to reach global audiences and promote their brands, making it essential to have a strong web representation.
Creating a professional, user-friendly, and responsive website is easier than ever today, as tools like Webflow, which require no coding knowledge, make the design and development stages simple for beginners.
It provides a drag-and-drop interface with a variety of customizable elements and styling features. In other words, Webflow gives a visual website-building experience. You can learn more about it below and decide whether Webflow is the best choice for you.
What is Webflow?
Webflow is an excellent no-code web design and development platform that can serve as a CMS (Content Management System) and a hosting provider. It’s a reliable and scalable online tool for creating and managing even complex websites.
What are the main features of Webflow?
As a mainly visual web design and development tool, Webflow has many helpful features and functionalities that support the creation and customization of websites, without the need for coding. Below, we list some of its main features:
- Designer: Its popular drag-and-drop interface allows users to visually build customized websites. At the same time, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are automatically generated behind the scenes.
- CMS (Content Management System): It provides a CMS where users can create, arrange, and edit data, and even import/export datasets, making it easier for a web designer to manage content.
- Custom code: Webflow enables the addition of custom code, a feature particularly interesting for more experienced developers, who can further customize their websites and add advanced functionalities.
- Hosting Services: It offers hosting services that comply with the HTTP/2 standard, helping your website go live more easily and quickly. It also supports the use of custom domains and provides other features such as global CDN and SSL certificates.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Webflow comes with integrated SEO tools, enabling users to optimize their website for search engines, without requiring extra plugins.
- Editor: The Webflow Editor has the ability to edit the content of a website after it has been published. It supports collaboration, allowing different content editors to work on a webflow site at the same time.
- Animations and interactions: Custom animations and interactions are supported with Webflow’s built-in animation tools. The user experience can be enhanced by adding animations and interactions to various elements on the site without coding.
- Responsiveness: The tool provides various breakpoints in the designer, ensuring your site looks perfect on desktop and mobile devices.
- Templates: A variety of templates are available for designing the layout of a site, a feature quite helpful for beginners. They can be altered to suit the user’s needs and preferences.
- Ecommerce: For anyone interested in creating an online store, Webflow offers e-commerce solutions such as managing products and shipping settings, and even handling payments by using third-party tools.
- Integration: The platform can be easily integrated with a wide variety of third-party tools including marketing tools, automation tools, social media platforms, and more.
Who is Webflow for?
Webflow is the best choice for anyone looking for a versatile website builder. It’s a suitable tool for a wide variety of users, as it does not require any coding skills or understanding. No technical expertise is needed either.
It stands as the ideal option for creating professional websites that can be tailored to the user’s preferences, ranging from simple to more intricate layouts and custom features. It can be quite helpful for:
- Small business owners: Who wish to present their brand online and attract an audience by easily building and managing a website, with or without coding knowledge.
- Web development companies and freelancers: Who desire to create functional and efficient websites faster, while combining high-quality web pages with elaborate designs.
- Amateur users: Such as content creators and bloggers, seeking to showcase their work, without the need for an expert.
- Non-profit organizations: Looking for a web development solution to increase their visibility, gain followers or volunteers, and gather funds.
- Individuals: For example students, who want to learn how to build websites as a hobby or for general knowledge. Webflow provides a free trial to help them get started.
If you identify with any of the users mentioned above and wish to get started with your Webflow experience, make sure to read our extensive guides:
Benefits of Using Webflow
As mentioned earlier, Webflow gives a wide variety of features and functionalities that make the website-building workflow easier and more efficient. These features make the Webflow experience stand out from other platforms. Some of its highlights are:
- Visual Design Interface: The visual web design process provides control and precision in implementing any innovative site ideas.
- Custom Code: The ability to add custom code and further customize a site makes Webflow stand out from tools that lack such freedom.
- Built-in CMS: Its integrated CMS offers easier management of dynamic content without needing any plugins.
- Clean code: As a no-code tool, Webflow automatically generates HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The generated code is neatly organized and clean.
- Animations and Interactions: There is no need for additional plugins, as animation and interaction tools already exist in Webflow.
- Hosting: Webflow does not require external hosting, as it already provides reliable hosting services.
- Community and Resources: A huge amount of resources can be found in the documentation of Webflow University, along with additional support in the active Webflow Community.
- Free plan: Webflow’s free plan allows the creation of simple, functional, and responsive websites at no cost, making it quite beneficial for anyone learning website building.
All these features above can be very beneficial when creating various types of websites. Some examples are:
- Landing Pages: Landing pages with captivating designs can be developed to present an agency’s services or act as advertisements for campaigns.
- Blog sites: Content creators can build engaging blog sites and manage content with the use of the built-in CMS.
- Business sites: Small and medium-sized businesses have the opportunity to create professional, responsive, and search engine-optimized websites that will represent their brand and attract customers.
- Portfolios: Artists and photographers can easily build visually appealing websites to showcase their work, unleashing their creativity and making good use of Webflow’s features, such as animations and interactions.
- Ecommerce sites: Webflow has a package of e-commerce solutions for developing and managing online stores, including shipping settings and payments.
Webflow Experience
As a beginner web developer, my experience with Webflow has been and continues to be quite enjoyable. From the first steps of my Webflow journey, I found the platform easy to understand and navigate.
The wide variety of features and the visual design process made the tool quite intriguing to me. It provides a beginner-friendly approach to building sites. You can quickly unleash your creativity, turning your site ideas into reality.
User Interface:
Its drag-and-drop interface, along with the organized elements and style selector panels, makes the building process effortless. You can easily find the elements you’re looking for in the elements panel, arrange them, and style them from the style selector panel according to your preferences.
The Navigator panel allows you to explore your page’s structure, providing you with a better understanding of your page’s layout.
There are even keyboard shortcuts that can be used instead of navigating the toolbars or panels, making your workflow more efficient.
All the features and functionalities are structured in such a way that it won’t be that difficult to find what you’re looking for, even if you are a novice webflow designer.
In general, Webflow’s interface supports a smooth and productive workflow.
Learning curve:
The learning progress can vary depending on the user’s knowledge and experience. For beginners with no prior knowledge of web development, understanding the basics and making good use of them won’t be overly difficult.
Tutorials found online can be excellent learning materials, especially when following the steps simultaneously rather than just watching them. Some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript would help make progress quickly.
Also, very useful and valuable is the thorough and very well-structured documentation of Webflow University.
Of course, mastering advanced features, such as interactions and responsive design will require some time and practice, especially for beginners. As the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect”!
In my personal experience, with some basic knowledge of web development and after watching tutorials and practicing, I was able to comfortably use Webflow and its basic functionalities in less than a week. The more I practiced, the more knowledge and ease I gained in using it.
Now, in the third month of my Webflow journey, I feel relatively confident in my skills, but the more advanced features still require some work.
The more knowledge about web development a user already has, the easier it will be to understand Webflow’s interface and how it works. Practice and patience are essential in gaining proficiency and ease.
Therefore, the learning curve for inexperienced users can be shallow when learning the basics but steeper if there is a rush to learn the more advanced features.
For experienced users, the learning journey should probably be easier and more interesting, as there would be a good understanding of the Webflow interface and its capabilities early on. This makes it easy to implement ideas from the start.
Reviews from other sites
Webflow is a popular online platform renowned for enabling users to create their own websites quickly and affordably, without requiring extensive coding or design skills. But what are users saying about their experience? Let's delve into user reviews to assess how Webflow fares in terms of ease of use, features, customer support, and overall performance.
Appsumo
Most users on Appsumo say this about Webflow:
- Ease of Use: Webflow is praised for its intuitive interface that makes website creation straightforward for users of all skill levels.
- Design Flexibility: Users appreciate the extensive design customization options available in Webflow, allowing for creative and unique website designs.
- No Coding: Webflow's no-code platform empowers users to build complex websites without needing to write a single line of code.
- Features: Webflow has a rich array of features including responsive design, SEO tools, and integrations with third-party services.
- Website Development: With Webflow, users can efficiently develop and deploy professional-quality websites that are scalable and visually appealing.
Kilian R.
“Webflow is really easy to use. It has a low learning curve, and once you understand the few things that are needed to make it work fine, then the sky is the limit. Customize and control your design as you want.”
Taylor M.
“Webflow is great because it lets you design websites visually, which means you don't need to know how to code. It's user-friendly, makes your site look good on any device, and it's packed with features that help you manage content and add cool animations easily.”
Ilhui M.
“The workflow and visualization of what you are designing in a smooth interface where you can see the changes instantly and on different devices. A lot of work saved by intuitive features that are settled by default and obviously the range of personalization opportunities.”
Kayla A.
“I love that Webflow empowers me to build landing pages despite having minimal developer or coding knowledge.”
Trustpilot
Most users on Trustpilot say this about Webflow:
- User Perspective: It's a pretty good platform and it's way better than having your own WordPress IMO.
- Learning Materials: I liked the platform and learning materials, especially videos.
- No Coding Required: Great way for someone to fully customize a website without needing to touch code!
- Feature Rich: This great platform with all the functionalities a website may need.
Olivier V.
“Great way for someone to fully customise a website without needing to touch code!”
Robert
“I’m not sure if I’d had pursued my dream of becoming a web designer.”
Julian H.
“In the 2 months since i've tried their software i've had great experience and service with interactions with several employees from their company with my issues (not related to their software). I'm not an employee at Webflow, but I do believe they are doing something revolutionary and take my hat off to them and their team!”
James H.
“Seriously the best thing to happen to the internet. Full flexibility, insanely simple, this is Michelin Star compared to the "I eat cereal for dinner right out of the box" of traditional web builders.”
Webflow’s pros and cons
Pros
- Visual Designer Interface (Drag-and-Drop)
- No Coding Required
- Integrated CMS
- Customization Possibilities
- Wide Variety of Animations and Interactions
- Built-in Hosting Services
- Integrated SEO
- Ready-to-use and Customizable templates
- Extensive Documentation and Resources
- Active Community Support
- Responsive Design
- Collaboration Features
Cons
- Confusing Pricing Plans
- Restricted E-Commerce Features
- Learning Curve
- Email-only Customer Support
- Limitations on Free Plan
Webflow pricing
Webflow puts forward a wide variety of pricing plans to satisfy different needs and preferences. Organized by their features and functionalities, each plan has its price that varies according to the capabilities it offers.
Although some plans may provide more advanced features than others, all of them include the essential features.
Webflow’s plan options can fulfill the needs of beginners, startups, large companies, and of course freelancers, ranging from free plans to e-commerce plans and plans tailored for larger web development agencies.
Its plans are organized into three categories:
- Site Plans
- Ecommerce Plans
- Workspace Plans
Site Plans
These plans are for anyone who wants to build websites, like a blog, online store, or a business site. This category’s plans are further divided into two groups: General Plans and Ecommerce Plans.
General Plans
There are five plans:
- Starter: Starting at 0$/month
- Basic: Starting at 14$/month
- CMS: Starting at 23$/month
- Business: Starting at 39$/month
- Enterprise: The Enterprise Plan is for large companies needing custom solutions. You can Contact the Sales Team to obtain it.
Ecommerce Plans
Webflow offers three Ecommerce plans:
- Standard: Starting at 29$/month
- Plus: Starting at 74$/month
- Advanced: Starting at 212$/month
Workspace Plans
Workspace Plans are ideal for web development companies, freelance developers, and anyone handling multiple websites. These plans cater to both in-house teams and freelancers/agencies.
In-house teams
For in-house teams there are four plans available:
- Starter: Starting at 0$/month
- Core: Starting at 19$/month
- Growth: Starting at 49$/month
- Enterprise: The Enterprise Workspace can only be obtained by contacting the Sales Team.
Freelancers & Agencies
For freelancers and agencies Weblfow has three plans available:
- Starter: Starting at 0$/month
- Freelancer: Starting at 16$/month
- Agency: Starting at 35$/month
You can learn more about the various plans and their pricing on Webflow’s Pricing Page, and choose the one that’s ideal for you and your needs.
Is Webflow worth it?
Webflow is a no-code website building platform designed to help web developers and businesses create visually captivating and functional websites without needing to code.
It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface and a wide range of tools and features that enhance the web design process, making it easier for both beginners and experienced individuals to bring their ideas to life with precision and control.
Webflow also functions as a CMS and hosting platform, providing a complete solution for creating and publishing functional and responsive websites without the need for extra plugins or third-party tools.
However, while it offers many capabilities, most of the advanced and highly useful features are available only in paid plans, making it less ideal for those seeking a cost-free solution.
Of course, depending on the needs and requirements of the individual, Webflow's Site and Workspace plans can be an excellent choice for developing a website.
For beginners and anyone wishing to learn Webflow, the Free Starter plans are great for learning the basics. However, these plans have some limitations, so those wanting to explore more advanced functionalities will need to purchase a plan.
Additionally, we can't overlook the time required to learn the tool. Individuals with some web development knowledge might progress faster than those who are new to website building.
In conclusion, while Webflow can be an excellent choice for freelancers and web development companies with a budget, individuals seeking a cost-free solution can only go so far in their Webflow journey.
Nevertheless, learning such a tool is worthwhile, as you can create beautiful yet simple websites even with the Free Plans.
If this article was useful, don't miss our:
FAQs
- Can I try Webflow before paying?
Sure! You can test out Webflow on the free plan where you can experiment with 2 projects. Your unhosted projects will have a two-page limit, but you can purchase a site plan on a per-project basis to unlock up to 100 static pages and additional CMS pages.
- What is a project?
A project is a website that you build in Webflow. You can publish projects to a webflow.io staging subdomain for free, export the code on a paid plan, or add a site plan to connect your custom domain and unlock hosting features.
- What can I white label?
Pro accounts can add their own logo to Client Billing forms and the Editor. Pro accounts can also remove references to Webflow in the source code and form submission emails, and hide the Webflow badge from their staging sites.
- How much traffic can the hosting handle?
Webflow hosting scales automatically to handle millions of concurrent visits. All site plans serve sites through Amazon's Cloudfront CDN and are accelerated using Fastly, loading sites in milliseconds.
- What kind of support does Webflow provide?
Webflow offers fast email support to paid accounts and prioritized help for team accounts. Community support is available to free accounts.
- How long does it take to learn Webflow?
If you're new to building websites, Webflow’s video tutorials will get up and running quickly. If you already know the concepts behind CSS and the box model, you will feel at home in Webflow.
- I'm seeing errors in my App, but I'm not sure why.
You should check the browser console for error messages. These can provide valuable information about what's going wrong. Also, make sure all of your extension's dependencies are correctly included and accessible.
- Is there someone I can talk to about my project?
Absolutely! You can reach Webflow via the chat widget in the bottom right corner, or by email. Try team@memberstack.io.
- Can I update my App after it's published?
Yes, you can submit updates for your Designer Extension at any time. Updates will go through the same review process as the initial submission.
- What makes Webflow unique?
Webflow offers a visual builder that allows you to drag and drop elements, making it easy to build complex designs. It will enable you to completely customize your website, unlike any other CMS.