WordPress vs. Webflow: Which Is Better for Your Website?

Building a website isn't nearly as challenging as it used to be.

While the most challenging aspect used to be learning how to code, the no-code movement has pretty much put a stop to that—good riddance! Now, one of the trickiest aspects is choosing the right web development platform for your website.

In this 100DaysOfNoCode comparison, we'll get up close and personal with two popular web development platforms with very different approaches—WordPress and Webflow.

Looking for a tool that will solve your website-building woes? You’re in the right place.

WordPress vs. Webflow: key differences

If you're in a rush, here's the TLDR summary of the most impactful differences between WordPress and Webflow:

• Ease of setup: Webflow's tutorial is a breath of fresh air after WordPress's confusing, self-service approach.
• Ease of use: WordPress is slightly more intuitive to use than Webflow once you've mastered the basics.
• Customization: Webflow makes it much easier for no-code beginners and non-technical users to customize and design their sites.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL.

It's also the most popular website builder in the world. At the time of writing, over 39.5% of all websites use WordPress as their CMS. That includes a few big names that you just might be familiar with. Spotify? CNN? Microsoft?

WordPress is both a no- and low-code tool. For non-technical users, the platform is pretty intuitive and easy to use. If you're familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can use WordPress to create and customize every aspect of your website.

WordPress key features

Design & editing

WordPress's default Block Editor is a drag-and-drop system that makes it pretty easy to customize your website's design. If you don’t agree, you can switch it out for another editing system using plugins—more on those later.

You can also choose from a library of 10,000+ themes (i.e., website templates) to get started quickly. Many are paid, but you'll also find plenty of free options that look great.

Last, but not least, you can use WordPress' code editor to add advanced customizations and fully custom designs.

Marketing

WordPress also offers a great set of marketing-focused tools.

In terms of SEO, WordPress is fantastic. It's packed with useful SEO tools like customizable titles & descriptions, auto-generated sitemaps, clean URLs, and site verification.

You can also access powerful SEO plugins like Yoast SEO and Rank Math for more advanced optimization.

And moving beyond SEO, WordPress integrates with tons of popular social and email tools to automate tasks like sharing content and growing your mailing list.

Plugins & integrations

WordPress's extensive library of 50,000+ plugins is one of the main advantages that come with being the world's most popular CMS. These free and paid mini-apps are a great way to add extra functionality to your website—and even customize the website design process itself.

Popular categories include:

• e-commerce
• booking & scheduling
• SEO
• analytics

Oh, and if you're a fan of Google apps, WordPress has you covered with a super well-developed suite of Google integrations—everything from Workspace to Analytics is accounted for.

Monetization

Last, but not least—monetization and e-commerce.

WordPress is well-equipped for selling products and services, with native support for PayPal and Stripe. It's also easy to install additional plugins like WooCommerce and MemberPress to customize your e-commerce store.

There are also premium content blocks that allow you to paywall certain content. Users will need to subscribe in order to access the content, and you'll get paid for it!

WordPress Pricing

WordPress offers a range of plans for a range of budgets:

• Free: Dozens of free themes, pre-installed SSL certificate, and 1 GB storage space.
• Personal ($4/mo): Free + 6 GB storage, free domain for one year (if billed annually), about a dozen free themes, ability to accept payments, and unlimited email support.
• Premium ($8/mo): Personal + advanced theme templates, extended color schemes, background designs, complete control over CSS, ability to accept PayPal payments, schedule social media updates, and Google Analytics integration.
• Business ($25/mo): Premium + over 50,000 WordPress plugins, automated site backups, 200 GB storage, ability to upload custom themes, SEO tools, and one-click rewind.
• eCommerce ($45/mo): Business + e-commerce marketing tools, premium design options for online stores, integrations with top shipping carriers, payments from over 60 countries, and unlimited products.

WordPress’s pros & cons

Pros

• Vast plugin library for website functionality.
• Highly customizable (if you can figure out how).
• Well-established user and developer community.

Cons

• Requires technical knowledge to set up and use.
• Vulnerable to security threats without plugins.
• Some plugins or themes can cause conflicts and slow down websites.

What is Webflow?

We've already reviewed Webflow on the blog, so I’ll keep this short.

Webflow is a no-code drag-and-drop website builder with a clear focus on enabling non-technical users to create stunning, professional websites. 

While Webflow isn't even close to being as popular as WordPress, it's still one of our favorite tools. We love how rewarding it is for 100DaysOfNoCode Challenge participants to unleash their creativity with a visual editor that’s designed specifically for no-coders.

Webflow key features

Design & Editing

Webflow's editor is much more visual than WordPress's. Despite a busy UI, this gives it an edge when it comes to enabling non-technical users to create websites that look like they were the result of hours of coding.

There are a bunch of pre-built components that you add drag on from the left-hand menu, and you can customize pretty much anything about these components using the design tools on the right-hand menu.

Animation & interactivity

Animated, dynamic elements make websites feel alive—and Webflow makes it easy for anyone to create them.

You can trigger animations using hovers, first clicks, second clicks, scrolls, zooms… the list goes on. You can define the speed, distance, and direction of every animation—it's all there for you.

Content management (CMS)

Webflow isn't our favorite CMS, but it's more than enough for most non-tech users.

It's built around the concept of “Collections”, which are basically groups of similar content—think “blog posts” or “products”. You can add and manage content from the CMS, as well as edit and configure the structure of each collection.

E-commerce & monetization

Webflow's e-commerce and monetization capabilities are a bit more limited than WordPress's.

That said, you can use it to add items to an online store with ease using the same “Collections” mechanic we just covered. You can also easily accept payments through Stripe and PayPal.

Support for Memberships and Subscriptions was also recently rolled out—making Webflow a capable choice for selling products and services online.

Webflow pricing

Like WordPress, Webflow also offers a range of plans for different budgets:

• Starter (Free): webflow.io domain, 50 CMS items, 50 form submissions, and 1 GB bandwidth.
• Basic ($14/mo): Custom domain, 0 CMS items, 500 monthly form submissions, and 50 GB bandwidth.
• CMS ($23/mo): Custom domain, 2000 CMS items, 1000 monthly form submissions, 200 GB bandwidth, and 3 content editors.
• Business ($39/mo): Custom domain, 10,000 CMS items, 2500 monthly form submissions, 400 GB bandwidth, and 10 content editors.
• Enterprise (custom): Custom domain, 10,000+ CMS items, custom monthly form submissions, custom bandwidth, custom content editors, and uptime SLAs.

Webflow's pros & cons

Pros

• Visual editor is fantastic—great for non-technical users.
• Creating animated and dynamic elements is simple.
• Content management is streamlined through “Collections.”

Cons

• E-commerce and monetization are more limited than on WordPress.
• Integration library is limited—200+ integrations and 20+ approved apps.
• UI can be tricky to navigate.

WordPress vs. Webflow: feature comparison

What’s the verdict?

Choosing between WordPress and Webflow can be tough. Both offer plenty of features, plugins, and integrations to help you create the website you’re looking for.

Overall, we think Webflow is a better choice for those looking for a purely no-code experience—that’s why we love teaching students to use the tool through our challenges and bootcamps.

If you’re looking for a more customizable (and more technical) DIY solution, WordPress is likely the better choice. It offers you more flexibility in terms of design, as well as powerful plugins and integrations to make your website look and function exactly how you want it to.

Want to learn more about no-code tools and techniques? Sign up for 100daysOfNoCode and start your no-code journey.