Webflow Review 2023: Pricing, Features, Pros and Cons

Webflow is a browser-based website builder and hosting platform that allows you to create visually appealing, responsive websites without coding knowledge. The platform is suitable for experienced designers and beginners alike thanks to its visual interface and extensive template library. It features comprehensive site-building tools, eCommerce capabilities, and a wide range of integrations.
This review will cover all of Webflow’s features, how to use the platform, pricing plans, pros and cons, and how to decide if Webflow is the best website builder for your project. If you are an individual, freelancer, or member of a larger team, you can compare these features against other platforms like Squarespace and Wix to inform your decision.

Yes, in addition to its website building tools, Webflow can also host your website. All you have to do is buy a custom domain name, which Webflow also facilitates within its platform using partners like GoDaddy, and then purchase a site plan that includes hosting. You then connect your custom domain to your Webflow site, and you are good to go.

Webflow features a library of websites made using the platform on their website. A few examples of popular brands that use Webflow include Lattice, Mural and DropBox Sign.

Once you sign up, you will be asked a quick questionnaire. You will answer which title best describes your role, who you will be building websites for, how comfortable you are with HTML and CSS, and what kind of site you want to build today.
After completing the questionnaire, you will enter the Webflow Designer. You will be prompted to follow a tutorial, which is recommended to learn where to find and how to use all of the controls.

After finishing the tutorial, you will be free to start designing your own website either by yourself or using one of the many templates available. You can browse free and premium templates by site category, language, and other features.

The Webflow Designer is the visual web design tool that you will use to build your website.

Once you’ve designed your site pages, you can use the Editor to start editing elements of the pages without breaking the design.

Unlike in Designer, you will not be able to change the design of the page, but you can do things like change the text and fonts in headers and website copy, or replace images. For companies, this is the setting that non-designers can use to update the site. You can manage which team members only have access to the Editor in settings.

Not to be confused with the Webflow Editor is the content management system (CMS), which is the tool used for managing collections of content, typically blog content. You can access the CMS in either Designer or Editor mode by navigating to CMS Collections from the left toolbar.

Each piece of content in a collection contains a couple of required fields, namely the URL slug and the title. After that, it is up to you to define which fields you want to add. These fields can include plain or rich text, video, single images or galleries, and filtering tools.

Webflow’s plans are divided into two categories, Site plans and Workspaces.
Site plans are further separated into General and Ecommerce, while Workspaces are for in-house teams or freelancers & agencies.

General site plans are suited for all websites outside of ecommerce, although ecommerce integrations are still available to use. Webflow offers one free plan and a number of tiered paid plans.

The ecommerce site plans are essentially enhanced versions of the CMS and business plans with the addition of ecommerce features.

Workspace plans are designed for small or large companies that need to grant access, or seats, to multiple team members. There are plans for in-house teams and freelancers & agencies, respectively.

For most freelancers and small businesses, a free basic plan or CMS plan offers sufficient features to meet their needs. As an individual or blogger, you may want to start with the free Starter plan to see if you like the visual editor and CMS as compared to competitors like Wordpress.
Large businesses have more options to consider. If you need to provide access to multiple members of your team, you will have to opt for a Workspace plan. The main differences between plans include:

• The number of seats, or, team members who can work on the website simultaneously
• The number of sites that can be created
• Whether custom embed code can be added to your sites
• Whether you can control access to sensitive controls like billing information or publishing
• Whether your site HTML and CSS code can be exported for developers and as backups
• Enhanced security and customer support

If you have an ecommerce business, you will need to choose an Ecommerce plan to access all of the previous features with the addition of ecommerce functionality. Which plan you choose will depend on the number of seats you require and which of these features are necessary for your business.

Webflow is a powerful all-in-one website platform that is ideal for all different types of websites. Still, it has its benefits and drawbacks in comparison to other website builders. Here is a look at the main pros and cons.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is important for most websites, especially businesses. Webflow has a number of features specifically designed for SEO to ensure that your website is properly indexed and more likely to rank well in Google.
Custom SEO settings like title and meta tags can be added for each product, page and category. You can also add alt text descriptions for pictures used in CMS content.
Enabling auto-generated sitemaps will automatically add new pages to your sitemap whenever you publish new pages. This allows Google’s crawlers to easily find and index every page on your site so that they appear in Google search. Additionally, you can add auto-generated 301 redirects.
You can set global canonical URLs for pages with similar content so that search engines know which page to index, avoiding penalization for duplicate content.
Google Analytics can be connected in the general settings of your website so you can view your search analytics within the platform.

You will likely want to compare Webflow against other platforms before deciding where to build your project. Here are a few alternatives with their benefits and drawbacks to inform your decision.

Unlike Webflow, Wix largely relies on pre-designed templates. This means that you will not have full customization capabilities for your website like you would in Webflow. However, this also means your website will be easier to set up. If design customization is not as important to you as ease of use, then Wix is a worthwhile option.

Squarespace offers even less design customization than Wix. Templates are highly curated, so you can set up your website in a few clicks and focus on uploading content like blogs and videos. Squarespace is generally agreed to have better templates than Wix, however, so it is an appealing option if you are looking for very simple site setup.

If you are a blogger, you may be considering Webflow vs. Wordpress. While Wordpress is primarily a content management system (CMS), you can also use it to build websites. Like Webflow, it offers a range of custom templates, or themes. Unlike Webflow, Wordpress is free to use with as many pieces of content as you want— although you will need your own web hosting.

For ecommerce stores, Webflow’s main competitor is Shopify. As a platform focused on ecommerce, not website building, Shopify only offers pre-made site themes. While Webflow does have a Shopify integration, hosting your website on Shopify comes with certain advantages, like unlimited products and dropshipping support.

Is Webflow worth it?
Webflow is an excellent all-in-one website builder that can be used to create beautiful, professional websites. Business websites, portfolios, blogs, and ecommerce stores are all supported by Webflow’s wide range of features and customization options.

For individuals
Whether Webflow is the best website builder for your project comes down to how comfortable you are using its visual Photoshop-like interface and working in the Designer to build your site. If you are already competent in coding basics or willing to learn, then you will likely find the tools a delight to use.
If, however, you are a complete beginner with no desire to learn how to build websites, then a platform that allows you to set up a website in a few clicks, like Squarespace, may be ideal. The downside is that you will be extremely limited in the functionality of your website by using a platform that relies on fully templated websites.

For businesses
For most businesses, Webflow is an outstanding option. For medium to large companies, Webflow facilitates a simple and collaborative workflow for different members of the organization. Designers will enjoy the ease of use creating in the visual editor without any need to rely on backend coding. Marketers and other team members also benefit from the simple Editor features and CMS. Overall, Webflow is an excellent choice.