Webflow vs. WordPress in 2023 – Alternative or Addition

Webflow and WordPress are both website builders and are very popular among small and big businesses all over the world. Therefore, when choosing a platform for creating your own website, you may have doubts about which one is better to choose – Webflow vs. WordPress. In this article, we will look at the main differences between these platforms and tell you which CMS is better to choose for creating your site. Keep reading our review!

Main Differences Between Webflow vs. WordPress 

As of 2022, more than 455 million sites use WordPress making it one of the most popular CMSs. Webflow is also very popular, especially among clients that need to build highly-converting websites. Webflow is used by more than 3.5 million customers worldwide.

So, what are the differences between the two website builders and is Webflow better than WordPress?

WordPress remains one of the most popular and easy ways to create your own website. Almost 35% of Internet pages are built on WordPress. It's open-source software. Is WordPress easy to use? The answer is yes! Its basic features are free for anyone – you pay only for hosting, premium templates, and extra features. Most often, WordPress is used to create blogs or portfolios where you need to use a lot of media and text. Also, thanks to additional modules, you can run an online store on WordPress.

Webflow is a cloud-based CMS that allows you to create websites without a single line of code. The main difference between Webflow and WordPress lies in the almost limitless possibilities for customizing the design of your site. Because of this, Webflow is especially popular among web designers who create really spectacular and highly converting websites on Webflow in just a few days. Is Webflow open source? No, and that’s another distinguishing feature when comparing Webflow vs. WordPress in 2023.

WordPress vs. Webflow: Pros and Cons

Okay, so what should you choose for your site, and in what cases are WordPress or Webflow right for you? To find the answer to this question, let's examine the advantages and disadvantages of each of these website builders.

A few words about WordPress

WordPress is the first thing that comes to mind for many who are about to create their own website. This is the number one solution for blogging and many other purposes. Theoretically, anyone can create a site on WordPress, even without programming skills. However, you will have to work hard to make it beautiful and effective.

WordPress pros

• The price. Building a website and maintaining it is relatively inexpensive. If you have a bit of expertise in website development, you can create your WordPress website completely on your own. You can choose any low-priced hosting provider and install the software.
• Famous website builder. As we wrote above, about a third of all sites on the Internet are created on WordPress. This is a well-established system that has been developed for over 20 years now.
• Simple updates. If you already use WordPress, all the updates and content are easy to install, even for a beginner. You definitely won't need to hire a programmer to update the CMS.
• Convenient platform for blogging. WordPress was originally created as a free blogging platform, and a blog is the first thing you get when you create your first WordPress site. You can also add tags, widgets, categories, and so on.
• Customization options with plugins. To add the missing functionality to your WordPress site, you can use plugins. There are many of them for completely different purposes, including turning your WordPress site into an online store.

WordPress cons

• Confusing code. If you use third-party templates, they mess up the backend code, which can lead to sudden errors. This has a bad effect on the site's ranking in search engines and increases the bounce rate.
• WordPress is an open-source system. This fact has both positive and negative sides. A WordPress site is easier to hack than other CMS sites. In addition, you may encounter technical flaws.
• To expand your site, you will need experience. Since WordPress was originally created for blogging, all other features need to be added. For example, to add the e-Commerce functionality, you need a WooCommerce plugin. If you have never dealt with installing and configuring plugins, you may run into difficulties.
• Frequent updates. For everything to work correctly, you need to update the WordPress system itself and all installed plugins. If this is not done, plugins may be disabled. Also, updates can significantly change the look of your site, so you'll have to keep an eye on changes.
• Insufficient customization options. Creating a design from scratch is quite difficult, even for an experienced designer, since WordPress uses themes. There are free and paid themes with some customization options, but creating something truly unique will not be easy. To do this, you will need a web developer or expertise in code writing.
• Many sites created on WordPress are similar to each other. To make the site look attractive, the owners use templates. And it's no wonder that many choose the same stylish and functional templates. As a result, a lot of very visually similar websites appear.

A few words about Webflow

Webflow is an extremely popular drag-and-drop website builder. It appeared in 2013 and is still evolving. The Webflow team does a great job and is constantly adding new features to the platform. Webflow offers the widest possibilities for creating beautiful and modern websites. First of all, this is the favorite tool of many web designers, including the Hallwil agency. 

Webflow pros

• Clean code. When creating a site on Webflow, a lot of extra code is not generated, as is the case with WordPress. Your site is powered only by JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.
• A simple and clear process of creating a website. You immediately see the result of what you create. With Webflow, there is no longer a separation between coding and the visual part of web development. Everything is as clear as possible.
• Hundreds of beautiful integrations. You can add animations and other integrations. An important advantage is that you create them visually without the need for a deep understanding of CSS or JavaScript.
• Webflow is great for designers. This website builder allows designers to create beautiful and functional websites with almost limitless customizable design options for each block and element. Websites created on Webflow can be completely different from each other.
• Is Webflow responsive? Absolutely yes! Each site created on Webflow is adapted for all modern devices by default. When creating a site, you can easily see how a particular page is displayed on devices with different resolutions.
• Good opportunities for search engine optimization. Webflow is SEO friendly. Meta titles and descriptions are generated automatically. Also, all Webflow sites have an SSL certificate by default.
• You can create your first website absolutely free. All functionality of the platform will be available to you without additional conditions. This way, you can explore the platform and decide if you want to continue using Webflow.

Webflow cons

How to migrate from WordPress to Webflow? 

If you are already using WordPress but have decided to migrate to Webflow, we have good news: it is really possible to do it, and it will not be too difficult. To migrate your site from WordPress to Webflow, you first need to export the content of your WordPress site. By default, content is exported in an XML format. However, you need a CSV format. So, you will need one of the WordPress plugins created for this purpose.

Once you have the CSV file, you can import it into Webflow and map the fields from the CSV to the fields in your Webflow Collection and then make any required improvements.

If this sounds a bit complicated to you, you can always turn to Hallwil. Our experts will assess the complexity of transferring your site and complete it in the shortest possible time. The site transfer period can be from 1 day, depending on its complexity and the necessary additional settings.

If you are already using Webflow but, for some reason, want to migrate from Webflow to WordPress, we are also ready to help you do it. Contact our managers to find out the timing and cost of transferring your project to WordPress.

Is It Hard to Maintain the Site on WordPress and Webflow?

Whatever platform you create a website on, it needs to be maintained in order for it to continue to work and bring you new visitors and income. Creating a website is just the beginning of the journey, and then you will have a long journey of maintaining and developing your site to achieve results.

If you are creating a site on WordPress, you will have to constantly monitor the updates of both the CMS itself and all installed plugins. In addition, the presence of third-party plugins and themes means that they can break from time to time. You need to constantly monitor them, and in case of a breakdown, quickly fix or replace the plugin if it is no longer available for some reason.

A Webflow site has cleaner code, but if you add a lot of integrations, you also need to monitor the site's health. In addition, to promote your site and achieve better results, you need to create new pages anyway, improve old pages according to SEO guidelines, and so on.

The Hallwil team is ready to take care of your site's maintenance and improvements. You can focus on growing your business while our experts will ensure your website is 100% up and running.

Conclusion

So what should you choose – WordPress or Webflow? In this article, we compared these two website builders and identified their strengths and weaknesses. Still, the choice in each case is individual, depending on the needs of your business.

If you need a beautiful and highly converting landing page, you should definitely choose Webflow. WordPress might be your choice if you're looking for an inexpensive blogging solution. In any case, you need to consider your expectations and budget. In order not to make a mistake with the choice and get all the necessary functions at once, it is better to turn to specialists.

Hallwil experts will study your site requirements and layout if you already have one, analyze your competitors, and offer the best platform for developing your new website. We can also migrate a site from WordPress to Webflow and vice versa. Contact us today for your first free consultation!