Webflow Review [2023]: Pros VS Cons (after +3 years of use)

Webflow review, the website design tool that's getting all the attention. But is Webflow really that good? Who is it designed for? And how much does it cost?

After spending more than three years exploring, discovering and experimenting with Webflow, we're ready to share our opinion on this buzz-worthy CMS, discussing its pros and cons.

We're going to answer all the questions you're probably wondering about and much more, but first things first.

What is Webflow and what are its advantages over the competition?

Webflow is a powerful responsive web design tool that lets you create customized websites without writing a single line of code.

Unlike other web design tools, you can :

• Benefit from a real-time visual design tool
• No need to install plugins (by the bucketload)
• You're not limited to one theme
• You join an extraordinary community that pushes you to excel

But Webflow's biggest advantage is its ultra-intuitive visual designer, which lets you see your website being built in real time.

With Webflow, you don't need to worry about maintenance, plugins or security.

Webflow also gives you great flexibility and almost infinite creative freedom. It gives anyone the freedom to create any type of website, such as a :

• Marketing site
• Startup website
• Landing Page
• E-commerce store
• Portfolio
• Blog

Webflow gives web designers the power of HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

But instead of writing code, you drag and drop.

As you build your website and layout your content, Webflow creates clean, semantic code ready to publish on the web or pass on to a developer.

What are the limitations of Webflow?

Nothing is perfect, and Webflow, like all other tools, has its drawbacks:

• Let's be real, if you're new to website building, there might be a bit of a learning curve when you first start using it.
• Unlike other open source tools like WordPress, Webflow can be a little more expensive. But everyting is built-in, rarely any additional other fees, unlike other CMS.
• Plans can be complex to understand, with pricing ranging from $12/month to $36/month and $29/month to $212/month for E-commerce.
• Its biggest drawback? Its limitation to 100 static pages (soon it will be higher) and 10,000 CMS pages. Very rarely reached, but it's an important point to underline (solutions exist to get around this problem, using reverse proxy).

However, Webflow has many more advantages than disadvantages.

Is Webflow free?

Now that we've extolled its virtues, how much does Webflow really cost?

To find out if the tool is right for your project or business, give it a try! No, really, try it, it's free.

Webflow offers a free starter plan that allows you to familiarize yourself with the tool.

Obviously, the options included are limited, but it's a good way to test the platform at first. If you want to upgrade, the basic plan starts at $12.

The great thing about Webflow pricing plans is that they're detailed and tailored to your needs.

How easy is it to get started with Webflow?

Like all authoring tools, Webflow has a slow learning curve, depending on your experience. But the Webflow team handles this problem very effectively.

They've created Webflow University, a resource made up of free online courses that will teach you how to use it optimally.

We strongly recommend that you take the "Webflow 101" crash course to familiarize yourself with the tool.

If you have any problems, you have access to the Webflow forum and its extraordinary community, who are always ready to help.

How does Webflow work?

Webflow is a website creation platform with a highly intuitive editor. It's a tool with a strong promise: you don't need to know how to code to create your site. You build your pages using drag & drop and intuitive actions that anyone can use.

Although you don't necessarily have to manipulate code, Webflow makes it easy to play with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

What does this mean in practice? It means you have almost infinite freedom of creation and customization. It also means that a developer can add additional code for even greater functionality.

Webflow offers a vast library of over 1,500 unique, responsive templates, while giving you great flexibility in terms of customization, without having to tackle the code.

Webflow has also recently announced some important new features:

• Membership: "We've announced our latest feature, the Subscriptions beta, which will allow you to add subscription and membership functionality to a site.
• Logic: "We then announced Logic, a new feature allowing users to define custom condition-based workflows and automations, without having to write a single line of code."
• Collaboration: "We also announced more robust workspaces and roles and permissions, allowing you to easily work with your teams and evolve your Webflow site."

How does Webflow hosting work?

Webflow sites can be hosted in two different ways:

• Directly with Webflow (recommended)
• Or export your site and host it elsewhere

‍We personally use the hosting offered by Webflow, because it's easy, fast and secure.

In fact, Webflow's hosting infrastructure is built on Amazon Web Services and Fastly, guaranteeing fast load times and reliable performance.

The excellent performance of "Made in Webflow" sites can be explained by the fact that Webflow's visual designer writes clean semantic code in the background, which helps improve site loading times and has a positive impact on your search engine optimization results.

Is Webflow good for SEO?

Webflow is designed for high SEO performance. The CMS offers a variety of built-in SEO features that make it easy to optimize your site for search engines.

For example, you can easily modify title and meta-description tags, use clean and semantic URLs, and benefit from structured markup to help search engines understand your site's content.

What's more, Webflow automatically generates an XML sitemap file for your site, making it easier for Google to index it.

In short, when it comes to SEO, Webflow delivers powerful tools.

What do we think of Webflow technical support?

We have contacted Webflow customer support several times and they have always responded quickly and efficiently.

You can find help via :

• Email: Webflow’s expert customer support team is all around the globe, ready and excited to help.
• Webflow University: From getting to grips with the Designer to understanding the CMS, right through to mastering advanced interactions, Webflow University is a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. Detailed tutorials, video courses, guides and advice... in short, everything you need to become a Webflow expert!
• Webflow FAQ: Also an inexhaustible source of information, you'll find all the answers to your questions here. In addition to providing simple, clear answers, the Webflow FAQ also offers links to additional resources, such as video tutorials, blog articles and guides.
• The Webflow forum: The Webflow forum is much more than just a discussion forum. It's a place for collaboration and learning. Users are encouraged to help others, share their knowledge and collaborate on projects, which creates a really valuable atmosphere, especially if you're new to Webflow.
• The Webflow YouTube channel: Another learning tool for anyone using Webflow is the Webflow YouTube channel. A veritable training center for web designers, it's a very useful resource for anyone wishing to master Webflow and create outstanding websites.
• The Webflow community: Another invaluable Webflow resource is its community. It's made up of an incredible diversity of web designers, from beginners to seasoned professionals. It's an environment rich in perspectives and ideas, where you can get advice and keep up to date with the latest Webflow news and updates.

If your question is more specific and you haven't found the solution in all the resources mentioned above, you can also contact customer support by e-mail. Response time is often less under 24 hours.

When it comes to helping its members, the Webflow team is there.

Let's take a look at the main alternatives to Webflow

While Webflow offers a host of incredible features, it's also important to explore the alternatives available on the market. Popular options include WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Contentful, Bubble, Prismic and many more!

WordPress, for example, is famous for its ecosystem of plugins, making it a popular choice for web developers and designers. Wix, meanwhile, offers remarkable ease of use, ideal for beginners or those who want to create a website quickly. Squarespace, meanwhile, is renowned for its elegant designs and easy-to-use interface.

But choosing the right web design tool depends on your specific needs. And as they say, knowledge is power. So to make the right choice, you need to understand your options.

Further guides will be published in this series, so stay tuned!

To conclude this review of Webflow: is it worth the investment?

Webflow is a must-have tool for anyone who wants to create high-performance, remarkable websites.

The ability to create pages that look exactly the way you want them to can help you improve :

• Your user experience
• Your SEO performance
• Your number of leads
• Your conversions

‍I highly recommend you try the free version of Webflow by creating your site to better understand the tool and what it will allow you to accomplish.

Choose a website you like and try to reproduce it using Webflow. This will not only familiarize you with the tool, but also help you understand web best practices with Webflow University.

Finally, if you've reached the end of this article, I hope I've convinced you of the benefits of Webflow.

If so, and you're thinking of migrating your current site to Webflow, don't hesitate to consult our article on the subject of Webflow migration to gain a better understanding of this demanding but rewarding process.