Webflow vs Wix: Compare and Choose

What is Webflow?

You know it — it is a website builder too. The difference is, Webflow was created with professional designers in mind, so the possibilities you get in terms of design with this platform are truly incredible. A professional look, fully customizable elements, and rich animations are the few things Webflow is known for.  Of course, since it offers no-code and low-code solutions, web designers now don’t have to rely on developers to transfer their projects and implement them into reality. Now they can do that themselves. Although you can still create a design in Figma and take it into Webflow. As well as temper with the coding part if you have the skill for it.

Before making a Webflow and Wix comparison, let’s take a closer look at Webflow’s features.

Pros of Webflow

• Comparing Webflow versus Wix, Webflow is a more advanced tool for web developers to create fully customizable UI through a completely visual editor
• It has a Designer and an Editor mode separately, so you can divide managing the build of the webpage aside from managing its content
• A library of 1500+ amazing templates to choose from
• The code that Webflow generates is famously clean and concise, opting for better performance and, consecutively, Google rankings
• You can still incorporate changes in the code by importing your custom JavaScript
• Their CMS plan is a great solution for content-driven websites and is one of the best on the market
• It has a “white-listing” option, meaning developers can give the website owners access to changing blog content completely independently while using pre-made templates
• A lot of plans to choose from, including Site plans and Workspace plans
• Allows for collaboration of several team members in one account
• The website can easily be exported if needed, meaning you can use Webflow only to create a front end if you want to
• In the same fashion, you can import your design from Figma or move your website from any another platform like WordPress to Webflow
• Allows to build very responsive websites, as you can separately optimize the look of mobile, mobile horizontal, and tablet versions
• Provides custom SEO settings for on-page optimization to get better Google rankings
• Hosting and domain included in plans
• SSL protocol for security included
• “Free until ready to launch”, meaning you can take as much time looking around your account as you want and only pay when you are ready to choose a plan and launch your website live
• There is Webflow University available with dozens of online video tutorials explaining Webflow features
• Attentive support from the Webflow team over chat and an active community on forums

Cons of Webflow

• It can be pricey, depending on the features you will need
• Still a website builder, so it might not be an option for a major website with a long list of pages for bigger companies and major e-commerce enterprises
• Integrating a variety of third-party apps takes some decent programming knowledge
• The same goes for incorporating custom code and creating web apps
• Since it’s targeted towards professional designers firstly, the in-built editor can take some time to get a hold on if you are a complete beginner
• For that matter, it has a steeper learning curve than Wix

Wix vs Webflow

Before going into an in-depth comparison, there is one main thing to understand about the difference between Webflow and Wix. They serve different types of audiences. Wix is a great option for beginners and solopreneurs that want to get a simple website and get it fast, preferably themselves. Webflow provides a more advanced toolset for professional web designers, which gives them more freedom to create professional websites for businesses.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look. Let’s compare Wix versus Webflow side by side on a list of things important to consider when building a website.

Pricing

Both platforms offer a variety of paid plans tailored to different needs. The prices for websites are relatively the same, offering similar features in packages. However, Webflow has separate Workspace plans, which can add up on top of the base site price. Workspace plan allows you to invite team members, collaborators, and content editors to work on your projects from your account while you manage their access, roles, and permissions.

It is worth mentioning that, comparing Webflow vs Wix platform, the latter does have a free plan. But remember that the platform still needs to make money somehow, so your free website will include Wix branding. Your URL will include “wixsite,” while your website will have ads shown to the visitors. A website for personal use shouldn’t pose much trouble, but if you want to create a website for your business, a free plan won’t give you much of a professional look. So, in either case, it would be best to go with paid plans and invest $20-30 a month. You will get the best bang for your buck with the features that will be available to you.

To summarize: whether you pick Webflow or Wix, you will need to pay for a Premium plan to get a professional website. With Webflow, the cost can go a bit higher, but you also get more value with your money. If you need a website for a business, the prices are still reasonable for the toolset you get access to. But if you want a free quick builder for personal use, Wix has an option.

By the way, if you want a deeper look into Webflow pricing, we made a separate article comparing different Webflow plans.

Domain and hosting

Both platforms provide free custom domain names and hosting options in paid plans. You can use your own domain or choose another hosting, but the convenience of both platforms lies in opportunities to have “all-in-one”, so to speak.

Ease of use

This is one of the advantages of Wix over Webflow. Wix is easier because it’s a simpler tool. So much so, you can use Wix ADI — Artificial Design Intelligence to answer a few basic questions and let it create a website for you.

Webflow is a more advanced platform with two modes for incorporating changes: Designer and Editor. Naturally, Webflow has a steeper learning curve than Wix. The problem is solved by hiring a professional web developer, designer, or full-stack agency, which shouldn’t be a problem for a business, as the rate starts at around a reasonable $30.

Design

This is one of the advantages of Webflow over Wix and, overall, one of the strongest points of Webflow. But let’s start with Wix.

Wix provides 800+ templates to choose from when you start building your website. It’s easy to iterate with Wix’s drop-and-drag editor, and the choices available are more than an average person will ever bother to explore to the full extent. But it’s also worth noting that it makes Wix websites less unique; you can sort of spot those types of websites created in a builder when you look at them. The structure is often similar, and people with little to no design experience rarely incorporate major changes to the visual part. However, to be completely fair, the available templates have an appealing look, and you can’t go wrong with choosing any of them. It just might not be an option if you are looking into creating a professional custom website for a business. It might be one of the slight disadvantages of Wix compared to Webflow.

Webflow’s in-built visual editor is known to be an amazingly extensive tool: no other website builder offers such flexibility in creating UI design as Webflow does. You have complete pixel-perfect control over layouts, elements, their positions, and styles. Not to mention that you can completely customize your website's look in mobile and tablet versions. This is a major plus to responsiveness and consecutively to Google rankings, as it tends to favor mobile-friendly websites much more.

So for the task of creating a unique business or marketing website, Webflow will be a better option.

Performance

Website performance comes down to the loading time of webpages, and comparing Wix software vs Webflow, Webflow has the upper hand over other website builders. One of the downsides of such builders is that the code part that is generated automatically grows bulky over the iterations and add-ons. But one of the strongest points of Webflow is that the platform is proficient at generating and keeping the code clean, so your website runs on manageable HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Responsiveness

Webflow wins easily on this one. Not only can you completely customize the look of your website, but you can also switch between mobile, tablet, and mobile horizontal versions of your website. You are absolutely free to change each of them separately without any limitations. The same cannot be said about Wix, as the platform automatically generates a mobile version of a website. You can access the version and make some changes, but unlike Webflow, you face quite a few limitations with Wix that can hinder your website’s performance.

Security

Whether you choose Wix or Webflow, both include free SSL protocol. Standing for Security Sockets Layer, this is a standard technology for encrypting online data and ensuring connection security while keeping user privacy guarded. With both Wix and Webflow, the platforms handle your website’s safety, making it automated for you as an owner and providing a guarantee for online protection while visiting your website. What can be more convenient?

Customization

Webflow and Wix offer native integrations and provide myriad opportunities to connect third-party APIs to your website, be it Hubspot, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, or any other. Although keep in mind connecting and optimizing APIs to your website requires more technical knowledge than basic website creation in the builder.

SEO

Simply put, Webflow offers more advanced on-page search optimization possibilities. Wix provides more basic functionality for SEO, but the way it is introduced during the website creation makes the optimization process simpler for people with no prior SEO experience. So comparing Webflow vs. Wix on this matter comes down to the different objectives each of the toolsets offers to resolve. Webflow provides more customization for setting up on-page SEO, while Wix offers more basic tools but makes them more accessible for complete beginners.

Team collaboration

In the comparison of Wix and Webflow, Webflow allows for team collaborations. You can invite members to your account and add content managers to your CMS project while managing their roles and permissions. There are different plans called “Workspaces”, where you can choose the number of people you want to give access to. A feature that is unique to Webflow and helps for a smooth transfer if you ordered development from a freelancer.

Scalability

Wix is not really scalable, as it is not a tool focused on that. If you need scalability, you better go with Webflow. It not only provides more freedom with building a website, but with the right professionals, you will be able to build a quick, simple web app with it as well.

Support

While both platforms offer their users extensive support from respective teams, Wix offers 24/7 open channels, while Webflow has scheduled hours from 6 to 6. However, Webflow has a very active community on forums, and even better — the Webflow University platform with video tutorials and lessons about the platform.

Future prospects

At the end of 2022, Webflow held a conference where the team announced future projects. There are a lot of interesting features being developed, useful not only to developers but to clients as well. Wix also does not stand idly by: the development of their Editor X is certainly something to keep tabs on.

The bottom line

So how to choose between Wix and Webflow? We recommend using Wix if you are more on a budget, don’t need a fully-customizable website, and prefer a quicker and simpler approach that get you started fast. If you need a professional, custom website for your business, use Webflow, or hire specialists to do the heavy lifting for you.

Use Wix when you need:

• Simple website for portfolio or any kind of presentation (great for personal use)
• Build quickly with no hustle and get going
• Use one of the 800+ pre-made templates for convenience and a cohesive aesthetic look
• SEO optimization guidelines for beginners not familiar with it
• A “do-it-yourself” solution without any coding or UX/UI design knowledge requirements
• A solid, reliable beginner solution with a good support system
• No need for scaling this website in the future

Use Webflow when you need:

• A great option for startups, small businesses, and web development agencies
• Unique, fully customizable UX/UI design with professional look and reach animations for improved engagement and interactivity
• A highly responsive website with solid SEO optimization
• A CMS eligible for content-driven websites, such as corporate or personal blogs
• Collaborative experience with your team members or freelance specialists
• A flexible tool for building online platforms with no-code solutions, as well as with incorporation of custom integrations
• A solution that can be scaled in the future when your business grows