WordPress vs Webflow 2024: Which Is The Optimal Choice?

If you are looking to build a content-rich website, you may come across two leading solutions: WordPress vs Webflow. Which platform works best for your business? LitExtension will go over each platform's key features in detail to assist you in choosing the best option for your needs.

In the following lines, we will delve into the following key points:

• A brief of Webflow vs WordPress;
• Key differences between both platforms;
• Which option best suits your needs?

Right now, let’s get in!

A Quick Summary Of WordPress vs Webflow

WordPress vs Weblfow: A Head-To-Head Comparison

If you are in a hurry, here’s a quick review of WordPress vs Webflow analysis:

#1. Pricing

In the first part of the WordPress vs Webflow comparison, we will analyze their pricing plans in detail.

WordPress

Since WordPress is an open-source platform, I can download WordPress and install it for free. However, I still need to pay for the domain name, hosting services, and other maintenance costs to keep the site running well. Here is my estimated cost when building the WordPress website:

• Domain name: $10 – $15/year;
• Web hosting:  $4 – $12/month;
• Security: $50 – $80/month;
• Development: $0 – $1,000 (one-off cost);
• Maintenance: $99 – $200/month;
• Plugins: $0 – $1,000 (monthly/one-time payment).

Depending on your requirements, WordPress can charge between $100 and $3,000 to build an up-and-running site. In case you hire professionals to do the setup, you might pay up to $30,000 or more.

Webflow

The Webflow pricing system offers a free Starter Site plan and the different levels of cost. However, in general, you can access one of the 2 following pricing packages:

• Sites plans for building well-structured sites and eCommerce shops;
• Workspace plans for adding team members and managing multiple sites.

Here is a brief breakdown of Webflow pricing tiers when subscribing monthly.

In addition, you should consider additional fees for domain names, apps, templates, and so forth. Generally, the total cost might range from $150 to $3,000. For more explanations, refer to our Webflow pricing analysis.

#2. Ease of Use

Ease of use is one of the leading standards for picking a proper solution to start your site development. Read on to find out how simple it is to work with WordPress vs Webflow.

WordPress

WordPress is a fascinating platform because it strikes a balance between user-friendliness and customization. While the user-friendly control panel makes it easy to make changes, it doesn't hold back those with technical know-how. This means I can start with a simple setup and gradually take full control of my website as my skills grow, making WordPress a truly empowering tool for me.

Webflow

Let me tell you the truth, even after years of building websites, Webflow still surprises me from time to time. The learning process can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex features or custom code. It's not a platform you can master overnight, and there are occasions when I still find myself searching for answers on the Webflow forums.

While the visual interface is intuitive for basic design, mastering interactions and animations can feel like learning a new language. And don't even get me started on some of those CMS quirks!

But hey, that's part of the fun, right? The challenge of learning a new platform and pushing its boundaries keeps things interesting. Once you get the hang of it, Webflow is truly a powerful tool for creating stunning, responsive websites.

#3. Content Management System (CMS)

A powerful CMS system can help you effectively promote your blogs and rankings. Thus, in the following lines, we will analyze whether Webflow or WordPress offers a more powerful CMS for your site.

WordPress

Currently, WordPress is the most popular blogging platform with a wide collection of blogging features to promote content-driven sites. Regarding WordPress CMS, it covers 2 main types of content: Posts (blog format) and Pages (static content). However, you can still expand your site with custom post types from products to portfolios.

Besides that, WordPress allows you to set general settings for titles, taglines, and other advanced options. It’s worth noting that WordPress requires regular updates for security fixes and new CMS attributes. Therefore, to get the best results with WordPress CMS, remember to keep your site updated.

Webflow

Webflow provides an impressive CMS that can satisfy different user requirements. Whether you are a designer, editor, or content strategist, you can use Webflow to optimize your performance.

Here is an outstanding feature list that Webflow CMS delivers:

• Dynamic content to any layout;
• Easy collaboration for content management;
• Built-in SEO settings (robots.txt files, 301 redirects, and XML sitemaps);

However, it might be challenging to add highly-quality content to Webflow sites without detailed instructions. You need time to familiarize yourself with CMS Collections and a stripped-down editor to customize blogging features. More importantly, Webflow restricts the number of CMS items added to your site.

#4. Themes & templates

Moving to the next part of the WordPress vs Webflow comparison, let’s discover how their templates make your site more eye-catching.

WordPress

I personally think WordPress themes are fine for most users. The sheer variety of free themes available means you're almost guaranteed to find something that suits your basic needs. And with a little bit of adjustment in the Customizer, you can usually make it your own.

Of course, paid themes offer a more polished look and often come with extra features and support. But for those on a budget or just starting out, the free themes are a great way to get a professional-looking website up and running quickly.

The key is to choose a theme that's well-coded and responsive, meaning it looks good on all devices. And if you do run into any trouble, there are countless online resources and forums where you can find help and support.

Webflow

Webflow provides 2,000+ different templates to optimize your CMS, portfolio, eCommerce, or UI Kit design. After picking a proper template, you can use design tools on the Webflow Editor to personalize your site.

I personally think this is a major drawback for Webflow. While the template selection is impressive, the inability to easily switch between them without rebuilding your site from scratch can be a real pain. This lack of flexibility can be frustrating, especially if you like to experiment with different looks or need to adapt your site quickly to changing needs.

On the other hand, WordPress's theme system is incredibly flexible. You can switch themes with just a few clicks, and most of your content and settings will seamlessly transfer over. This makes it much easier to keep your site fresh and up-to-date without having to start from square one every time.

For me, this is a significant factor that tips the scales in favor of WordPress. While Webflow excels in design and customization, the limitations of its template system make it a less attractive option for those who value flexibility and ease of use.

#5. eCommerce features

To build a successful online shop, you can not miss powerful eCommerce features. Let’s dive into how Webflow vs WordPress supports users in this regard.

WordPress

Since WordPress is a blog-tailored platform, it lacks eCommerce functionality. Thus, you need to install the WooCommerce plugin to start your online shop on WordPress. With this integration, you can easily grow your business, as well as increase sales values.

WooCommerce is considered the leading WordPress plugin for eCommerce-related purposes. This plugin allows you to access limitless customizations and a range of outstanding selling features, such as inventory management, multichannel sales, or drop shipping.

More importantly, adding WooCommerce to your site is free. This partly helps you save your budget when transforming your site into a functional online store. However, you still need to consider additional costs like themes, extensions, transactions, and security fees. For the best maintenance, you might pay $10- $73/month.

Currently, WooCommerce powers over 6 million websites covering various fields (Source: BuiltWith). To discover more about how WooCommerce works, refer to our WooCommerce review.

Webflow

To sell online on Webflow, it’s required to register for eCommerce Sites plans. With these options, you have fundamental features to start your online retailing activities, such as:

• A broad range of CMS and eCommerce items;
• 20,000 paid user accounts;
• Custom checkout and shopping cart;
• Stripe and PayPal support;
• Unlimited sales volumes.

Normally, you need to pay between $42 and $235/month to upgrade your current plan to eCommerce tiers. This might charge you much more than using a free plugin like WooCommerce.

#6. Plugins

In this section, we will compare Webflow vs WordPress plugins. You can add these extensions to boost your site’s function effectively.

WordPress

There are nearly 60,000 WordPress plugins that add outstanding features to your site, such as Google Analytics, WooCommerce for eCommerce, Yoast SEO, Elementor, etc. If you don’t know where to start, here’s a list of the best WordPress eCommerce plugins to enhance your store's eCommerce ability.

Webflow

On the other hand, Webflow only has 210+ plugins. Nonetheless, these encompass a wide variety of eCommerce features, including anti-spam, CRM, analytics, eCommerce, and email marketing.

With some Webflow plugins, you can not add them directly to its dashboard like WordPress. Instead, you must get an embed code from the app’s website and add it to the HTML Embed Code Editor on Webflow.

#7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

To keep your site outstanding on search engines, you can not miss SEO features or strategies. Here are our in-depth evaluations of Webflow vs WordPress SEO.

WordPress

Besides fundamental SEO features, WordPress offers advanced SEO options and full control over the relevant technical aspects. You can, in particular, utilize SEO plugins to boost WordPress's SEO power effectively.

One of the most impressive plugins you can not miss is Yoast SEO. It has everything you need to optimize SEO ranking and guides you on how to improve your site’s content. Moreover, you can add Google Analytics for detailed SEO reporting and analysis.

Webflow

On the other hand, Webflow only provides basic SEO features. Despite that, the platform still impresses users with its fast loading speed and user-friendly experience.

Besides, there are outstanding SEO plugins like One2Menu, or StoryChief that can boost your Webflow performance on Google or Bing more effectively.

#8. Security & customer support

The final section in our WordPress vs Webflow comparison concerns security and customer support. How do these platforms differ in this regard?

WordPress

Due to its open-source nature, WordPress websites are the leading targets for data breaches, malware, and hacking attempts. It’s also difficult to ensure that all WordPress plugins employ the best safety standards. If that is the case, a regular update cycle for your WordPress version can help tackle these problems.

As for WordPress customer service, the platform supports its users in various ways. You can check WordPress detailed tutorials & Support guidelines for almost any matter, from hostings and domains to account, design, and growing your audience. Adding to that, there’s a huge community forum where you can seek help from predecessors. What’s best, you can reach out to the WordPress support team for any issues related to your paid WordPress site.

Webflow

Webflow is highly rated for security since it satisfies the leading safety standards, including CIS or ISO 27001. More impressively, you can enhance your site’s security with a range of powerful Webflow internal measures, like 2-factor identity, hardware & physical security, and security education.

When it comes to Webflow customer services, the available documents can help you find the right solutions. These documents are detailed and categorized for each specific topic to make them easy to search. Moreover, you can join the Webflow community to ask questions or exchange information with others.

Especially, Webflow offers additional customer requests for one of the 4 following topics:

• Report spam or abuse;
• Copyright (DMCA) Takedown Request;
• Trademark Takedown Request;
• Report an unrecognized charge.

WordPress vs Webflow: Which Should You Select?

At the end of this WordPress vs Webflow battle, WordPress is ahead of the game for the majority of features we have just analyzed. However, to decide which is a better option for your site, you need to consider your requirements carefully.

WordPress will be the best option when:

• You prefer a powerful CMS system and lots of customization;
• You want excellent eCommerce plugins;
• You're comfortable with several technical setups and potential coding;
• You are interested in community support.

On the other hand, you should prioritize Webflow in the following cases:

• You want to create a visual design;
• You are willing to get the learning curve for the best performance;
• You prefer a streamlined building process without separate hosting;
• You need a solution with flexible pricing tiers.

You may also like: 

• WordPress Alternatives: Top 7 Sites You Shouldn't Miss
• Drupal vs WordPress: Which is The Best Option in 2024?

WordPress vs Webflow: FAQs

Conclusion

Our blog has just presented a detailed comparison of WordPress vs Webflow. While WordPress outperforms Webflow with the bulk of features, you should consider your business requirements before deciding the best option for your site.

LitExtension, the #1 Shopping Cart Migration Expert, hopes you have an in-depth understanding of Webflow vs WordPress by now. Check out our eCommerce Platform Section or join our Facebook Community Group for more valuable eCommerce insights.