Webflow vs. WordPress - Which is the best choice for my website project?

When planning a website project, the question arises which CMS (Content Management System) to use. In this article we will contrast WordPress and Webflow and explain why Webflow is the better choice in many cases.

Webflow - maximum flexibility

Webflow is a browser-based platform that can be used to create professional websites without writing a line of code. As with WordPress, websites can be created with a CMS (content management system) and a store connection. With Webflow, there is no need to install plug-ins as the tool comes with many valuable features already. Website hosting, search engine optimization, backups and SSL certificates can be managed directly from Webflow.

All security-related updates are performed automatically by Webflow, which makes running a site very low-maintenance and therefore inexpensive. Webflow's design tool can be used to create great websites, each of which can have its own database created in the background. This allows for easy customization in the live editor, and requires no prior knowledge. By hosting on Amazon servers, a Webflow website is extremely fast.

WordPress - the open source software

WordPress is an open source software that can be used to create and maintain websites. Wordpress is often used by businesses to create cheap websites, blogs and even e-commerce stores. WordPress websites can be created by the beginner to the expert. The software is free, and there are thousands of free and paid themes and plugins that can be installed to enhance and customize websites. Depending on the scope and quality, these can also incur high monthly costs. Plugins often have a negative effect on the page speed of a website, here you need the necessary knowledge of how to prevent this.

To host a WordPress website securely, you need to perform regular updates, and actively ensure that all maintenance is performed. This not only costs valuable time, but also more money if an agency is hired to maintain the website.

Webflow vs. Wordpress: These are the differences
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🕊 Design freedom

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Webflow

With Webflow you have maximum freedom in designing your website. Whether homepage, blog or store - everything can be designed according to your wishes. Even without advanced programming skills, you can create customized layouts and great animations - all individually for all screen sizes.
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Wordpress

If you don't have advanced programming skills, you have to rely on design templates (themes) or construction kit plugins. The selection of web designs is large, but many themes are chargeable. Often, due to the limited design freedom, you have to compromise and work with the existing theme. Especially customizing the layout of WordPress pages can be a big challenge.
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📱 Responsive Design
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Webflow

At Webflow, responsive design is taken into account from the very beginning. This means that all websites are automatically optimized for all screen sizes. This means you can concentrate fully on the design of your website and don't have to worry about adapting it to different devices.
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Wordpress

Most WordPress themes are responsive, which means they adapt to the size of the respective screen. Thus, it is possible to achieve an optimal display on all common devices such as smartphone, tablet and desktop computer.
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🚀 Performance
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Webflow

The performance of Webflow sites is extremely high because there are no plugins that tie up resources or make them slow. The sites are composed of several static files and are updated only when changes are made to the CMS. This guarantees a fast website loading time and a high PageSpeed Score.
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Wordpress

The performance of a WordPress website strongly depends on the installed plugins. The more plugins are installed, the slower the site will be. For example, a plugin may perform a database query to display a comment. This consumes unnecessary resources and increases the loading time of the website. If WordPress sites are not configured properly, they may also have security vulnerabilities.

🐞 Code Quality
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Webflow

With Webflow, no custom code is written. The tool generates the clean HTML and CSS code automatically - specifically tailored to the website in question. This ensures that the code is loaded quickly and without errors.
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Wordpress

The code of a WordPress website is usually very poorly structured and unclear. The reasons for this are the many plugins and the themes, which were not always programmed cleanly. This can lead to the fact that the code is loaded very slowly or errors occur.

📈 SEO and rankings
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Webflow

Webflow's CMS is optimized for search engines and already prepared for a good ranking by default. The websites are loaded quickly and can be easily optimized with the right keywords. In addition, all relevant meta data can be entered directly in the interface.
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Wordpress

With the many search engine optimization plugins (SEO plugins) that are available for WordPress, you can prepare your site well for search. However, most themes are not optimized and need to be customized first to rank well in search results. Although WordPress is an open-source system, Google recognizes it as a content management system (CMS). This means that WordPress sites are treated just like any other website.

🔐 Safety
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Webflow

Webflow sites are not at risk from security vulnerabilities in plugins or themes, because there are no plugins or themes. The security of the sites is ensured by the use of SSL and a firewall.
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Wordpress

Because WordPress is so popular worldwide, it is a favorite target for hackers. However, the security of a WordPress website depends heavily on the plugins installed and the theme used. If these are not updated regularly, security vulnerabilities can arise that hackers can exploit.

🔄 CMS (Content Management System)
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Webflow

Webflow CMS is intuitive and easy to use. There is only one way to do the same task, which avoids mistakes. The learning curve is very flat and even beginners can quickly get to grips with it.
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Wordpress

The WordPress CMS is more complex than the one from Webflow and requires some training until you get along with it well. The interface is not very intuitive and there are many different ways to do the same task. This also means that mistakes can easily happen and the learning curve is quite steep.

☮️ User-friendliness
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Webflow

The Webflow tool is very intuitive and easy to use. There are no plugins or themes to install, everything is already integrated into the interface. This simplifies the work immensely and is also well suited for beginners.
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Wordpress

WordPress is relatively easy to install and configure. However, when you install a plugin or theme, you first have to get to grips with it and understand how it works. This means that the user experience is dependent on WordPress plugins and themes.

🤳 Support
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Webflow

At Webflow, you definitely get official support. You can contact the support staff via email, live chat or phone and usually get a quick response.
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Wordpress

WordPress is an open source system, which means that there is no official support. You have to look for and find the help and support yourself, either in the forums or by searching the internet.

🤝 Cooperation
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Webflow

In Webflow, it is also possible for multiple users to work on a website simultaneously. Each user has his own login and can only edit the areas for which he has the appropriate rights. For example, you can activate a user only for writing blog articles or another user only for maintaining product data in the online store.
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Wordpress

WordPress allows multiple users to work on one website at the same time. Each user has his own login and can only edit the areas for which he has the appropriate rights. For example, you can enable one user only for writing blog articles or another user only for maintaining product data in the online store.

🏗 Fields of application
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Webflow

Webflow is especially suitable for professional websites, portfolios and online stores that place great value on performance and individual design. Corporate sites and personal websites can also be created with Webflow.
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Wordpress

WordPress is especially suitable for blogs, news sites and online stores. But also business sites, portfolios and personal homepages can be created with WordPress.

⚠️ Maintenance and updates
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Webflow

With Webflow pages there is no danger of security holes in plugins or themes, because there are no plugins or themes. Therefore, the security of the pages is always up to date and you don't have to worry about anything.

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Wordpress

When new versions of WordPress, plugins or themes are released, they have to be installed manually. Not doing this regularly and promptly can lead to security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
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💠 Hosting
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Webflow

Webflow provides the hosting for the websites and also takes care of updates and maintenance. So you don't have to worry about anything and still have full control over the website.
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Wordpress

For WordPress sites you have to buy your own hosting. This is not very expensive and it gives you full control over the site, but it also means that you have to take care of updates and maintenance yourself.
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🛍 E-Commerce
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Webflow

Webflow can also be used to create very professional online stores. The tool offers its own e-commerce function, but it is not free.
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Wordpress

For building an online store WordPress with the plugin WooCommerce is very suitable. WooCommerce is free and offers many features for running a successful online store.

👛 Cost
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Webflow

Getting started with Webflow is free of charge. You can create unlimited projects and have access to all features. Once you want to make a project live, you have to pay a monthly fee. Prices start at $16 per month and are based on the traffic your website generates. For companies, there are special rates tailored to their needs.
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Wordpress

For WordPress, you first need to buy hosting, which varies in price depending on the provider and package. WordPress itself is free, but many of the plugins and themes you need to extend its features are paid for. Depending on how elaborate your website is, this can get quite expensive.

🧿 Data protection
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Webflow

Data protection is set up automatically with Webflow and does not need to be configured separately. In addition, Webflow offers the option to configure the website so that no personal data is stored.
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Wordpress

For WordPress sites there are a number of plugins that regulate privacy on the website. However, setting them up is relatively complicated and you always have to take care of updating the plugins yourself.