Webflow vs. WordPress.org is a battle of approaches. Both offer website builder and CMS functions that allow you to create functional and gorgeous websites, but while one takes a modular approach, the other is more all-in-one. Think of it as a bit like Linux vs. Apple. Both are great choices, but each works best in specific situations.
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Webflow vs. WordPress: At a Glance
| Webflow | WordPress | |
|---|---|---|
| Star Rating |   | |
| Hosting | Included | Must be purchased separately |
| CMS Functions | Availability and limits vary by plan | Included |
| Visual Builder | Included visual coding tool | Gutenberg block editor included. Other visual editors available via plug-in. |
| E-commerce Capability | On e-commerce plans only | Via third-party plugins like WooCommerce |
| Customer Support | Varies by plan | Community-based only |
WordPress and Webflow are very different programs built with different intents. Both are designed to get content online, but thatβs where most of the similarities end.
Key Features: Webflow vs. WordPress
WordPress and Webflow are both powerful programs. However, they take different paths to get to the final destination. WordPress tends to take the scenic route, collecting souvenirs (plugins) along the way, while Webflow sticks to the interstate so you have more time to explore (customize) at your destination.
Letβs dig into how they stack up in design, CMS, hosting, e-commerce, scalability and value.
Website Builder
Webflow (left) includes a powerful builder while WordPress (right) includes a basic builder, but most use a plugin such as Elementor that offers more control.
WordPress doesnβt include what most think of as a visual builder. The Gutenberg blocks editor is a big step up from the Classic editor, but it still isnβt fully WYSIWYG. Like most things WordPress, there are plenty of other plugin builders to choose from, but each comes with its own limitations, learning curves and costs.
As an open-source system, WordPress is basically your sandbox if you have the skills to make the changes you want. Unfortunately, many customizations and initially setting up the program with your host can require speaking (or at least understanding the concepts of) SQL, FTP, HTML, JavaScript, PHP and CSS to make it all work. If that all sounds like alphabet soup to you, WordPress is not going to be a friendly creation experience.
Webflow shines through its visual design interface. Thatβs what my clients like about it. You can basically create pixel-perfect, responsive layouts without relying on developers and make changes easily through its simple editor. It also outputs clean, semantic HTML/CSS and has a solid CMS for dynamic content. Great for marketing sites, portfolios and landing pages that need animations or high visual polish.
βAmine Rahal, Founder of web development agency Little Dragon Media
Webflow is everything in one package. One of our favorite free website builders, it goes beyond drag-and-drop into a visual coding tool, where you are controlling design down to the pixel. Thereβs a definite learning curve, but the built-in tools are impressive at every pricing level. From gorgeous animations to custom coding to more templates than Wix, Webflow beautifully translates what would be complex written instructions into quick visual controls.
While WordPressβs included Gutenberg editor canβt stand up to the power of Webflow, the freedom to choose from a multitude of builders and supplementary tools evens the playing field into a tie, where the ultimate choice between the two boils down to the needs of your specific project, your technical know-how and your personal preferences.
Winner: Tie
CMS Functions
Webflow (left) requires setting up CMS collections, while WordPress (right) blogging setup is more straightforward for beginners.
WordPress.org is a CMS program and it has strong tools for managing content, publishing, scheduling and reader interaction such as commenting. There isnβt much setup needed for blogging, and although the initial WordPress installation can be tricky for beginners, once thatβs done, you donβt have to make many adjustments to start blogging. Itβs one of the few WordPress functions where you donβt need a lot of extra plugins for great functionality.
Webflowβs CMS is one of the few things in life that does what it says on the tin. Itβs flexible, powerful and doesnβt have a meltdown if you want to show content in more than one way. Iβve used it for estate agents and membership sites. It just works. Compared to WordPress, which usually turns into a game of βfind the plugin that wonβt break everything,β Webflow feels clean. Not in a zen garden wayβ¦just in a βI can build stuff without cryingβ way.
βChris Andrade, brand and web developer with website design agency Pixelbricks Design
Webflow has CMS functions, and once set up, itβs a smoother experience in many ways than WordPress. However, itβs not plug and play; it requires some setup effort and technical skill. There are also limits to the number of items you can add to the CMS collections that vary by plan.
After setup, itβs a much more pleasant experience than WordPress with an editor that doesnβt require flipping back and forth between typing and previews, but there are odd limits to functionality, like not being able to add comments. Depending on your project needs and your skill level, you might prefer building a blog with another system and integrating it into the Webflow site with iframe, or just using domain forwarding with a separate blog subdomain.
Winner: WordPress
E-commerce
Webflow (left) includes an e-commerce engine while WordPress (right) allows users to choose from many e-commerce plugins.
WordPress doesnβt include e-commerce capabilities, but it offers access to many e-commerce plugins. Some, like WooCommerce, are free but may require additional paid plugins or features for robust functionality. Other options include signing up with a full e-commerce platform, including some of the best e-commerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, that have WordPress plugins to connect your WordPress website with your e-commerce platform store functions. That option can come with considerable extra costs, however.
E-commerce is where Webflow still falls behind. I have built and worked closely onβ¦e-commerce sites on Webflow over time, and broadly speaking, it lacks advanced features out of the box compared to platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce. For bigger stores, I usually recommend switching.
βDarian Shimy, CEO and software engineer with fundraising platform FutureFund
A major difference in e-commerce is that it isnβt available on all Webflow plans. Additionally, on the e-commerce-enabled packages that Webflow does offer, the functionality leaves a lot to be desired. While Webflow e-commerce handles most basic shop setups and functions well, it lacks some core features and doesnβt offer the flexibility WordPress does with others. For example, Webflow lacks the ability for users to make accounts to store shopping history, favorites and payment preferences. Which, to me, is a necessary feature.
Winner: WordPress
Hosting
Hosting is included with Webflow (left), but WordPress works with hosting from many different providers (right).
WordPress.org doesnβt include any hosting. However, it works with almost every web host and type of hosting available, giving you nearly unlimited choices. WordPress.org partners with Automattic-owned WordPress.com to offer limited free hosting as well as other plans, and also recommends a few hosts at a time (partially based on contributions to WordPress.org). However, finding (and paying) for hosting is ultimately up to you. The best WordPress hosting for you will depend on your tech support needs, budget, hosting resources and type of hosting needed.
Webflow includes hosting. So, while you donβt have the freedom of picking your provider or trying out a different hosting type with one of the best stand-alone VPS hosts out there, you also donβt have the headache or extra cost of managing your hosting. Plus, Webflow hosting is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) with scalable resources, great security and includes Cloudflare CDN.
In this case, itβs a battle of all-in-one convenience vs. freedom to tailor hosting at a lower cost. Both have strong use cases, but neither is inherently better than the other for all use cases.
Winner: Tie
Security
Many security features are host-based. Webflow (left) hosting relies on AWS security, while WordPress.org leaves it up to users to find secure hosts. WordPress partner hosting WordPress.com (right) includes several security features.
WordPress is a popular hacking target due to the sheer number of sites using WordPress.org and the return on investment (ROI) for the bad guyβs time. For example, if a bad actor identifies an exploit with WordPress or a WordPress plugin, there are a huge number of websites the hacker can attack with that single exploit. That said, keeping your WordPress website safe is often about your hosting providerβs security features and your own technical expertise. Like almost everything about WordPress, itβs the third-party factor that makes or breaks the software.
WordPress sites might be some of the most hacked sites, but thatβs because so many websites are built on WordPress. If you stay up to date on software updates and patches, are smart about the plugins you install (donβt use any that havenβt been updated in years, donβt use any that are not trusted by WordPress and remove unused plugins), and use security tools like Wordfence, your website will be fine.
βMarcie Lord, Founder of digital marketing agency Digital Dynamo
Webflow is a managed service with built-in security features and is less attractive to bad actors. Webflow is SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) compliant, includes SSLs, 2FA, automatic and manual backups and is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the additional security measures that it provides, such as DDoS protections.
While you can absolutely create a secure WordPress environment, its reliance on outside tools and hosting gives Webflow the security category win by a nose.
Winner: Webflow
Scalability
Webflow (left) and WordPress (right) both offer access to third-party plugins and integrations.
WordPressβs scalability is mostly limited by what hosting you choose, your plugin budget and your technical skills. The program itself is pretty close to infinitely scalable as long as you have a good hosting plan to support resource usage. Functionality is also very scalable with the huge number of third-party plugins available. However, WordPress is notorious for bloat, taking up resources and slowing down websites due to lots of plugins or conflicting plugins, so care has to be taken throughout the lifecycle of your WordPress website to scale without damaging performance.
WordPress excels in its flexibility and scalability. Whether youβre building a personal blog, a robust e-commerce site or a membership-driven community, WordPress offers an ecosystem of plugins and themes to make it happen. Its open-source nature and large community support mean thereβs almost always a solution or workaround available, making it ideal for both developers and non-technical users. It is also well documented, which makes it easier for developers to create custom themes and plugins when needed.
βMichael Lorenzo, director of web development for digital design and marketing firm Absolute Marketing Solutions
Webflow does offer a limited integrations market, but it doesnβt come close to the third-party ecosystem of WordPress. Because of that, you may need custom coding help later on to add functions you need as you scale, or to use domain forwarding to connect an external platform for visitors for certain sections of your website. Hosting scalability isnβt a concern with the AWS underpinning of Webflow hosting and the custom enterprise-grade plans available as you expand over time.
Winner: WordPress
Pricing and Value: Webflow vs. WordPress
| Webflow | WordPress.org with hosting from WordPress.com | WordPress.org with hosting from Hostwinds | WordPress.org with hosting from Kinsta | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | N/A | N/A | No | First Month Free |
| Forever Free Plan | Yes | Yes | No | Not for WordPress |
| Base Plan | Freelancer: $24 per month | Personal: $9 per month | Basic: $6.99 per month | Single Site: $35 per month |
| Plan 2 | Core: $28 per month | Premium: $18 per month | Advanced: $8.99 per month | Multi Site: $70 per month |
| Plan 3 | Agency: $42 per month | - | Ultimate: $10.99 per month | Agency: $340 per month |
| Plan 4 | Growth: $60 per month | - | - | - |
| E-commerce Base Plan | Standard: $42 per month | Business: $40 per month | - | - |
| E-commerce Plan 2 | Plus: $84 per month | Commerce: $70 per month | - | - |
| E-commerce Plan 3 | Advanced: $235 per month | - | - | - |
WordPress.org itself is free and open source. Costs come from hosting and plugins. Those extra costs can range from free to approximately the GDP of a small country, depending on what tools and plugins you need and the hosting plans you choose.
Hosting costs vary widely, but average hosting costs for shared hosting generally range between $12.53 and $96.13 monthly. While there are many free plugins available, your most likely first immediate plugin cost will be a visual website builder, such as Oxygen ($199.50 lifetime), Elementor (limited free plan or starts at $60 annually) or Bricks (starts at $79 annually).
Webflow costs are more solid, with a few set cost plans plus custom enterprise plans available as you grow. However, Webflowβs public pricing page is not regularly updated, so youβll have to create a free account to see current pricing for your specific website type. That said, combining hosting and visual builder to compare apples to apples as much as possible, the two platforms are fairly closely aligned in cost ranges.
Winner: Tie
Our Expert Opinion
In the final analysis, Webflow vs. WordPress.org, both platforms are powerful and give you tools to create award-winning websites. For most types of websites, itβs just a matter of how you get there and how much it costs. Both have considerable learning curves, although Webflowβs AI builder can help you get started more quickly if you donβt have experience.
Who Is Webflow Best For?
For an all-in-one solution, Webflow stands out with a visual builder, hosting and support all together. Plus, if you are DIYing a website, Webflowβs AI builder is a strong shortcut for basic sites, but it has limitations and doesnβt always set up requested features such as blogs. For those who donβt want to deal with installing and managing the software and hosting, Webflow is a great choice. However, if you need advanced design options, Webflow offers powerful features with custom coding options. Likewise, if you need collaboration tools with end clients, Webflow easily outpaces WordPress.
Who Is WordPress Best For?
WordPress excels in providing easy user controls when you have many team members creating content on a regular basis. While many SMBs use WordPress, itβs better suited for those with a technical background, unless you purchase a managed hosting plan with ample technical support. That said, compared to Webflow, WordPress is far better for e-commerce and is generally preferable for blogging.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Webflow good for e-commerce?
While Webflow offers e-commerce plans, itβs not generally considered a first choice for e-commerce due to limitations in user accounts and costs.
Do I have to buy web hosting for my website?
All websites must have hosting to appear online (youβll need to register a domain name too). However, some website builders include hosting as part of their packages. For example, Webflow includes hosting, so you donβt have to buy it separately. However, WordPress does not include hosting, so you will need to purchase hosting separately. We recommend one of our best web hosting picks.
Which is better: WordPress or Squarespace?
Neither is better all around. WordPress works better than Squarespace for customization, but Squarespace is simpler and quicker for basic e-commerce websites. We cover a detailed comparison in our Squarespace vs. WordPress article.
How do I make a WordPress website?
There are two main routes to make a WordPress website. One is to install the software on the host of your choice and manage everything yourself, from version control to sourcing templates to plugin selection. Some website hosts offer preinstalled WordPress or one-click-install options to make this easier. The other is to use a hosting plan that adds a visual website builder, such as WordPress.com. We have all the details in our step-by-step guide to creating a WordPress website.
Do I need a domain name for my website?
Yes, you need a domain name for your website. However, some website hosts give you a free subdomain to use. There is less customization available with subdomains and customers may see it as less trustworthy. If you need a custom domain name, youβll need to purchase it from a domain registrar. The best domain registrars often offer extra services like SSL certificates and CDN access.
