Webflow vs Wix: Detailed Comparison for 2025
For anyone interested in building a website, there are many potential software solutions on offer. Two of the most popular options are Wix and Webflow. Each platform provides an appealing, but distinct set of features. Not sure which builder is best for your needs? Read on to learn about the pros and cons of each system and let you decide which choice should win out in the matchup of Webflow vs. Wix.
Overview of Webflow
Key Features
Webflow was founded in 2012 and has consistently grown its user base thanks to a versatile and user-friendly tool set. The platform offers thousands of pre-made templates that help you create websites regardless of your coding abilities and knowledge. An introductory version of Webflow is available for free with several subscription tiers offering further customization options and capabilities such as personalized domains, custom code, and password protections.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full design freedom - Webflow's signature selling point is its extensive customization options. Users have full control of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript in a visual canvas that quickly translates your design choices into clean, semantic code to quickly make publish-ready websites.
- Seamless integration of design and development - In traditional web design, designers make wireframes and mockups before handing off assets to developers. Webflow streamlines the process by unifying web design and coding under one platform, eliminating the disconnect between the two disciplines and minimizing the possibility of errors in communication.
- An intuitive CMS interface - Webflow has a user-friendly interface featuring a minimalist dashboard that only shows what you need to create and manage content.
- The ability to create complex animations - Webflow enables you to create ornate animations that substantially improve the user experience and make your website stand out among your digital competitors.
- Custom SEO settings - Webflow also gives you full control over on-page SEO, making it easier to optimize your website for better visibility. For CMS-based content, meta titles and descriptions are generated automatically based on your custom fields. Every Webflow website comes with free SSL for additional security.
- Responsive design - Webflow users can easily preview and adjust website layouts across desktop, tablet, and mobile views to solve common design issues and ensure a better user experience.
- Faster loading times - Unlike other website builders, Webflow avoids adding unnecessary code to your site to enable faster loading times and more consistent performance.
- Strong support and learning resources - Webflow offers a ton of support for anyone looking for guidance to develop their skills through their tutorial page Webflow University, community forums, a blog, and their customer support team.
Cons
- Lack of Code Customization - Despite the amount of design flexibility inherent with Webflow, the platform doesn't allow for deep customization at the code level. You can make basic edits to the code, but nothing that will alter the core function of the code itself.
- No mobile editing - There is no official mobile app for Webflow edits, so you have to make all design changes on a desktop or laptop.
- Complicated pricing structure - The number of pricing plans Webflow offers can be overwhelming if you aren't sure of what your business needs. More on this later.
- eCommerce limitations - Webflow's eCommerce system is still in beta and its payment gateway Stripe is currently only available in 26 countries.
- Email-only support - Webflow's customer support is only available through emails, which can lead to frustrating wait times if you need assistance.
Overview of Wix
Key Features
Founded in 2006, Wix is a cloud-based website builder that also brings web hosting and design services under one platform. Wix features hundreds of pre-designed templates and simple drag-and-drop tools that make it easier for novice designers to create functional websites without a deep understanding of coding.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Over 800 designer templates - Wix offers 800 ready-to-use templates with certain layouts made specifically for different industries, allowing you to quickly meet your website goals.
- A streamlined drag-and-drop interface - Wix's drag-and-drop editor provides total design freedom over the look and feel of your website. Every element of the design can be resized, rotated, and aligned with a color of your choosing. You also have access to thousands of built-in tools to create a polished web presence.
- Wix mobile app - Wix has a mobile app that allows you to upload images, customize pages, and manage an online store from your phone
- Video hosting - Users can get anything between 30 minutes and 10 hours of video hosting depending on their choice of Wix pricing plan. With Wix Video, you can set up libraries to stream videos or monetize your media.
- Wix App Market - The Wix App Market features more than 300 web apps and tools to enhance your website and increase its business potential.
Cons
- Expensive recurring pricing - Wix pricing plans begin at $14 per month for a personal website but quickly rise if you want additional features.
- Limited interactions and animations - Wix only allows for basic interactions and animations like adjusting the hover and disabled states for buttons. If you want flexibility in this regard, you're better off looking elsewhere.
- Inability to transfer your site - Unlike most major website platforms, Wix does not offer the ability to export and transfer the content of your website. If you use Wix as a platform and eventually want to change, you'll have to spend time and resources manually transferring data yourself.
- Can't easily change templates - You also can't transfer content from one template to another. You have to start over completely or manually transfer the content yourself.
- Tracking and analytics require a paid plan - Connecting Google Analytics is free and easy to do with most website builders, but with Wix, you need to be on a paid plan to access analytic information.
- Not fully optimized for mobile - Wix's templates are not always as responsive as they should be. Formatting issues may occur when viewing a website on a mobile device.
- Not built for large businesses - Ultimately, Wix is best for individuals or small businesses. If you're working for a large organization or have ambitious business plans, it probably isn't the platform for you.
Ease of Use
Webflow's Learning Curve
The breadth of customization in Webflow can be a double-edged sword. The amount of freedom is great, but it also leads to a steeper learning curve than other builders. This makes the existence of Webflow University and the surrounding support systems all the more important in helping to bring users up to speed.
Wix's User-Friendliness
By contrast, Wix is designed to be easy to pick up for beginners. A drag-and-drop editor, pre-made templates, and AI tools allow you to make websites with minimal effort. However, the lack of flexibility in regard to interactions or transferring content does put some limits on what you're able to do with Wix.
Design and Flexibility
Webflow's Design Capabilities
Webflow offers advanced templates and tools to give your website a personalized aesthetic that fits your design vision down to the finest detail. Users can create accomplished websites with standout features such as high-level animations and custom interactions that add a level of dynamism to your site. The platform's efficient code is optimized for search engines and Webflow's platform is built to scale with your needs with seamless integrations and developer-friendly features.
Wix's Design Options
Wix may not offer the freedom of Webflow, but it still offers enough variety to make it a sensible choice for many designers. The templates are user-friendly and do not demand design experience to be utilized well. Regardless of the industry you work in, Wix likely has some designs that fit your brand goals.
SEO and Marketing Tools
Webflow's SEO Features
The highly organized nature of Webflow's code allows for excellent SEO optimization. Custom sitemaps and URLs combined with alt-text for images and real-time changes to meta tags give users several avenues to adapt their SEO strategy - all without the use of plugins.
Wix's SEO Features
Wix offers a simple setup that relies on built-in plugins to reach its potential. Users can change page URLs and meta tags, but there is not enough support for greater structural changes to blog posts or product pages that could lead to better results on search engines. The platform uses heavier code, which also leads to longer load times. Wix does automatically adapts designs for mobile, albeit without the granular control available on Webflow.
E-commerce Capabilities
Webflow for E-commerce
Webflow's e-commerce tools are promising, but remain a work in progress. Three of the platform's premium plans come with integrated features such as online payments, automatic sales tax, and currency conversion. You can use Webflow to make a customized online store, but the limited availability of Stripe narrows the use cases for Webflow as an e-commerce site.
Wix for E-commerce
Wix offers users the ability to build a custom eCommerce site with product grids, landing pages, ads, and promotions without the need for coding knowledge. It doesn't have the same breadth of options as Webflow, but it is a functional platform for smaller businesses.
Pricing Comparison
Webflow Pricing Plans
A starter version of Webflow is available on a free plan and there are four additional premium plans: Basic ($14 a month), CMS ($23 a month), Business ($39 a month), and a customized Enterprise version that is priced upon request. Each plan is built to satisfy digital organizations of different sizes and ambitions.
Wix Pricing Plans
Wix's lowest-level plan is the Light plan which costs $17 a month. There are another four available plans: Core ($29 per month), Business ($35 per month), Business Elite ($159 per month), and the custom-priced Enterprise. All plans come with hosting, but include different features and bandwidth size. Before signing up for any plan, it's important to verify what your business needs from a builder platform.
Customer Support
Webflow's Support Options
Webflow provides several support options to help people get the most out of their platform. Webflow University offers videos, courses, and other materials to educate users on different facets of Webflow features. They also host online forums where members of the Webflow community can help each other solve problems and organize in-person events around the world where designers can take part in workshops and network.
Wix's Support Options
This is one comparison that is in Wix's favor. Their customer support includes phone and live chat, as well as 24/7 support for all subscribers. Business Elite and Enterprise customers also get priority support for their issues.
Use Cases: Who Should Use Webflow?
Webflow is the better choice for professional web designers or businesses with the expertise or passion to make use of the freedom enabled by the platform. Its extensive customization options make Webflow the best choice for professional creators who want to build a distinct website with a variety of features.
Use Cases: Who Should Use Wix?
Wix is best used for smaller businesses or personal projects. What its tools lack in customization, they make up for in ease of use capabilities. Even if you aren't an expert web designer, you should still be able to create a functional and appealing website.
Conclusion
Final Thoughts on Webflow
Experienced designers will reap the benefits of Webflow's features more than anyone. The amount of flexibility may take some time to fully understand, but once you overcome the learning curve, you can use Webflow to create a website that is fully tailored to your interests.
Final Thoughts on Wix
Wix provides the basics to create a fundamentally sound website. Pre-made templates and a drag-and-drop interface allow users of varying skill levels to make websites that may not have all the bells and whistles but do function reliably well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is Webflow better than Wix for designers?
Better is in the eye of the beholder. If you are a designer or business that can take advantage of the customization tools and higher level of input on small details, then Webflow is the better platform. If you don't require that much complexity on your website, then Wix should have enough capability to fulfill your website needs.
Which platform is better for SEO, Webflow or Wix?
Webflow offers more avenues to optimize your SEO than Wix does. Webflow lets you personalize your web page with custom semantic code, URLs, and edit meta tags in real time to improve your SEO standing. Wix's SEO features are solid, but do not provide the same level of power.
Can I switch from Wix to Webflow easily?
It is not easy to transfer data between separate Wix templates, let alone export it to another building platform. If you decide to use Wix, do so with the expectation that you will do so for a long time.
Which platform is more budget-friendly for small businesses?
While Webflow is scalable enough to be used for many projects, Wix is the platform that is made specifically for smaller businesses.
Additional Resources
How to Build a Website with Webflow: A Beginner's Guide
Webflow's blog showcases a tutorial guide to help new Weblow users understand the basics of the platform.
How to Build a Website with Wix: A Beginner's Guide
Wix does the same thing to display 10 tutorials to get up to speed with their tools.
Best Practices for SEO on Webflow
Webflow explains how to use its tools to maximize SEO.
Best Practices for SEO on Wix
Wix has several helpful pages on how to boost SEO in a general sense and specific best practices for Google.
Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Visit G2's website for user reviews on Wix and Webflow.
Wix and Webflow offer many features that can help push your business to the next level, but if you need extra support can always go a long way. If you want professional help to unlock your site's full potential, WFPulse exists to help companies develop the best SEO strategy for their situation. Contact us today if you are interested in our work.