WordPress vs. Webflow: Which Platform is Right for You?
When choosing a website builder, it's important to make sure your business goals and team needs are all in sync. Different platforms excel at different things — what are the client and the team looking for?
Two of the most popular options are WordPress and Webflow. Webflow provides easy-to-use and responsive graphics, while WordPress emphasises smooth APIs, a user-friendly IDE (Integrated Development Environment, which helps develop code efficiently), and reliable exception handling (an aspect of programming that helps keep a program running smoothly, even when errors happen).
Two very different software and one common question: which one is right for you? Below, we break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of both.
WordPress – All You Need to Know
WordPress is easily the most popular web content management system (or CMS). Developed in 2002, it started out as a tool to publish blogs — and has massively evolved since. Its open-source design includes a plugin architecture and a template system, known as “themes”. Today, over 40% of the Internet is built on WordPress, which can support basically any kind of website thanks to its plugins. Some examples of websites that can be designed on WordPress include:
· Business websites
· eCommerce stores
· Blogs
· Portfolios
· Resumes
· Forums
· Social networks
· Membership sites
Who is WordPress for?
Generally speaking, WordPress is more powerful than Webflow and allows for more backend customisation. It’s perfect for building scalable websites with powerful SEO and e-commerce features. The plugin architecture allows for maximum flexibility and support. In short, if you’re comfortable managing the technical aspects or have the support of a developer, WordPress is a great platform to consider.
WordPress Pros
With WordPress being so widely used, it might feel obvious to employ it for your new website as well. But what are the software’s greatest strengths?
Brand Recognition
Being such a trusted name in the industry is, without a doubt, a huge perk for WordPress. Brand recognition builds brand trust — meaning that, if you’re a web developer, your clients might be more keen to use WordPress over another similar CMS like Webflow.
Low Costs
WordPress.org, the self-hosted open-source software, is free: it gives users full control, but requires them to handle hosting and maintenance. On the other hand, WordPress.com, the commercial, hosted service by Automattic (WordPress’s parent company), takes care of hosting and maintenance. This comes at a cost, obviously, which can be pretty reasonable for the lower tiers. The trade-off is that lower-tier subscriptions only allow basic customisation options.
Easy to Update
If you’re happy to use one of the many free themes provided by WordPress, you can update and manage your website on your own, even with little technical knowledge. This applies especially for those looking to build a blog: once set up, it’s easy to update and add new content to your WordPress site.
Easy to Customise Thanks to Plugins
After over 20 years, it’s safe to say that WordPress now offers a plugin for just about anything. Plugins are one of its best-known components, which allow customising the site with different features and functionalities. Looking for a specific property? A quick Google search is sure to lead you to the best plugin for it.
The Gold Standard for Blogging
Despite all the additional functionalities included over the years, blogging is still WordPress’s strongest suit. Creating a new blog post is completely seamless: just add a title, write the article, add photos, customise the format, and publish or schedule the post. For this reason, WordPress also boasts better SEO features and plugins like YOAST.
WordPress Cons
Like all things, WordPress isn’t perfect. Despite its strengths, it also has some downsides that are worth considering before committing. It’s worth noting, though, that most of these issues can be easily solved (more or less) with technical web development knowledge. So, if you’re a developer yourself or have one on your team, know that most issues have a solution. Let’s see what these are.
Troubleshooting Issues
While WordPress’s open-source nature drives the prices down, it also means that, in case of an attack or a bug, it’s up to you to solve it. The platform boasts a buzzing and involved community on help forums that is sure to lend a hand, but unless you have a developer, the task falls on you.
Themes Can Be Restrictive
Themes can be fun and make the web design process seamless for beginners: WordPress’s UI is so seamless that anyone who knows their way around Microsoft Word or Google Docs can easily create a website using a theme. On the other hand, themes can also feel restrictive. They only allow for so much customisation (fonts, dimensions, colour) with limited options. If you have coding knowledge, you can get a code editor on WordPress, which you can use to customise the site more extensively.
Keeping Up with Regular Updates
Staying on top of updates can be a job in itself! Both plugins and WordPress itself will require regular updating, which can increase the risk of malfunctions due to incompatibility between the software and the plugins. Coding knowledge or the help of a web developer will help you overcome these hurdles.
Plugin Installation and Customisation Can Be Tricky
Scaling your WordPress site from simple blog to more complex functions requires plugins, which can be messy to install and customise (unless, as always, you have a developer to rely on).
Messy Code
WordPress themes run the risk of creating bloated code in the backend, which can lead to errors, your website running slowly, or even crashing. These issues can, in turn, lead to a higher bounce rate and a lower ranking on Google.
Security Concerns
WordPress is, as we know, the most popular website builder. This popularity comes with a downside: WordPress websites are often targeted by cybercriminals. WordPress’s vulnerabilities come mostly from outdated plugins, weak passwords, and poor control over users and permissions.
Webflow – All You Need to Know
On the other hand, Webflow is a no-code visual website-building platform founded in 2012. Its visual-first approach to web design allows anyone without coding knowledge to design a striking website. To do so, it adopts a drag-and-drop interface, as well as full visual design freedom with cascading style sheets (CSS)-level styling. It also provides visual design, content management, and e-commerce tools — as well as hosting services. Some examples of websites that can be designed on Webflow include:
· One-page websites (portfolios and offers)
· Marketing websites
· SaaS websites
· Business websites (local or international)
· Blogs and niche Websites
· Programmatic SEO Websites
· Webapps
· Online tool websites (calculators, converters, etc.)
· User-generated content websites
Who Is Webflow For?
Webflow is perfect for designers, artists, and creatives who know how to make the best of the visual-first approach to website building. If you fall into that category, you’ll find a user-friendly interface that allows you to build exactly the website you have in mind. Its built-in e-commerce features — which are perfectly adequate but not as powerful as WordPress’s — make Webflow perfect for small and medium businesses. The limited backend makes it better for smaller-scale projects. Lastly, the ability to link Webflow to team collaboration software like Slack makes it ideal for teams.
Webflow Pros
So, what makes Webflow stand out in comparison to competitors like WordPress? The platform’s advantages sit mainly in the visual and streamlined design aspect. Let’s see what they are.
Extensive Customisation Options
With a visual software like Webflow, creating a website tailored to your exact preferences becomes so much easier. Webflow is optimised for designers seeking extensive customisation options — so, if that’s you, Webflow is the right choice. An example of this is Webflow’s GSAP integration. In the autumn of 2024, Webflow acquired the industry-leading JavaScript animation library, GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) and in the spring of 2025, made it completely free to anyone — users and not.
Responsive Design
Webflow allows designers to preview their site on different devices with ease. For someone with previous design experience, Webflow’s interface is responsive and intuitive, resembling other software like Figma. Overall, the platform is quite flexible and excellent for front-end design.
Collaboration Tools
At its core, Webflow is a collaborative platform. It features a role-based permissions system, which grants different team members the appropriate level of access on the site while keeping the integral parts secure. This way, designers, developers, and stakeholders can view, comment, and edit in real-time, streamlining the design process and avoiding developer bottlenecks. Moreover, Webflow seamlessly integrates with tools like Slack and Zapier, making communication smoother and more effortless.
Integrated Hosting and Maintenance
Everything, from domain connection to performance optimisation, is integrated within Webflow. The platform takes care of your website’s hosting automatically, so you don't need to do anything extra. That way, you won’t have to worry about performance problems or downtime. Moreover, Webflow includes SSL certificates, which ensure user data is always protected.
Webflow Cons
Webflow’s most loved perks also have downsides. From a potentially confusing UI to a not-so-strong backend, here are the cons of using Webflow.
UI Can Be Overwhelming and Hard to Navigate
Webflow allows for complete design freedom — on the flipside, this freedom can transform into confusion. Webflow allows access to the complete design tool on the right-hand side panel. This panel allows the designer to customise the site down to every detail, but paired with the blank slate of the new web page, it can be overwhelming for a beginner. The amount of options, while invaluable, risks of becoming confusing.
Backend Is Not As Powerful
Webflow is, by nature, a primarily front-end tool. This means that the backend functions on Webflow aren’t as powerful as those of other competitors, like WordPress. For example, Webflow’s integrated e-commerce tools are unable to handle complex pricing rules, specialised shipping, or sophisticated inventory management.
SEO Options Are Limited
Compared to WordPress, the gold standard for blogging, Webflow’s SEO capabilities seem limited. The CMS can prove tricky in the beginning, and off-page optimisation isn’t prioritised. Moreover, although WordPress users have access to thousands of SEO plugins to help with tasks like automated schema markup, internal linking suggestions, and AI-powered optimisations, Webflow doesn’t provide the same level of flexibility. This might be a challenge for businesses that depend on specialised SEO tools.
Steep Learning Curve
In line with what we said about Webflow’s potentially overwhelming UI, the learning curve for beginners can be quite steep. While the “Get Started” tutorials can be extremely helpful, getting a grip of all of Webflow’s functionalities is harder than it looks, especially for those without previous design or UX experience.
CMS Scalability
Content management is another area where Webflow could improve. While it supports blogging, features such as advanced categorisation, tagging, and filtering are less comprehensive than those in dedicated CMS platforms.
Costs
In terms of costs and plans, Webflow is more expensive than WordPress. Generally speaking, WordPress is more cost-effective in the long run, especially for larger sites. Webflow’s pricing, on the other hand, increases quickly the more features you add.
Which Platform is Right for You?
All in all, both Webflow and WordPress have strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. So, how can you tell which platform is right for you?
It largely depends on your needs, your own skills, and your team. If you’re a web developer yourself, or have a long-term relationship with one, WordPress might be the best choice. While it can present some drawbacks, most of the issues with WordPress can be solved by someone with coding experience. Not to mention, once you get past the coding hurdles, WordPress offers a much more solid base for your site.
On the other hand, if full creative freedom is your priority, Webflow will be the best choice for you. Creative professionals, designers, and small to medium businesses will find in Webflow exactly what they need: a beautifully designed site with decent CMS, SEO, and e-commerce capabilities — without the hassle of coding.
Lastly, compromising might be a great answer, too. Many developers blend the two software, using Webflow to design the perfect front-end and WordPress to build a strong, scalable backend.
No matter what software you choose, Jump and our in-house creative agency Monddi have the experience to design, build, and host the site of your dreams — whatever that is. Email us at hello@wearejump.co.uk for a free quote.
