In today's digital world, having an online presence is essential for any company or individual. Choosing the platform to build your website is a crucial decision that can impact your flexibility, costs and ability to scale. Two of the most popular tools on the market are WordPress and Webflow. While both enable you to create impressive websites, they take very different approaches. This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of each platform in depth, highlighting why WordPress, despite its potentially steeper learning curve, often remains the superior choice for a sustainable, scalable web solution.
Flexibility and Options: Comparing capacities
The flexibility of WordPress
As an open-source content management system (CMS), WordPress offers unrivalled flexibility. Its open-source nature means you have total control over your website, from hosting to source code. One of WordPress' greatest assets is its vast ecosystem of themes and plugins. Whether you need an online store (with WooCommerce), a forum, a booking system or advanced SEO features, there's probably a plugin for it. This wealth of functionality means you can customize your site ad infinitum, without being limited by the pre-defined features of any one platform.
What's more, WordPress enables deep integration with third-party tools and offers the possibility of developing custom features. For developers, this means there are virtually no limits to what can be built. This adaptability is crucial for projects that require constant evolution or specific needs that are not covered by off-the-shelf solutions.
Webflow capabilities
Webflow excels in visual design. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface lets you create responsive, aesthetically pleasing designs without writing a single line of code. It's a powerful tool for designers who want precise control over their site's appearance. However, this approach
Webflow's visual capabilities, while appealing, come with significant limitations. Webflow options are often very limited compared to the versatility of WordPress. Many design aspects can look like workarounds to avoid coding, which can prove unreliable in the long run. As one user pointed out, "I found it wasn't flexible enough as a designer and required coding for even simple features like grid-style portfolio pagination, even though it's marketed as a code-free solution. Those incredible animations seen in the Webflow examples are in fact made with JavaScript, CSS and custom GSAP code. The fact that it's a code-free solution is not true." Webflow is a very limited CMS system. If you need complex functionality or specific integrations that aren't natively supported by Webflow, you could find yourself looking for complex workarounds or getting stuck. This rigidity can become a major obstacle as your site evolves and your needs become more sophisticated.
Maintenance and Performance: A question of balance
Maintenance with WordPress
WordPress is often perceived as being more maintenance-intensive than Webflow. This is partly true: regular updates of themes, plugins and the WordPress core are essential for security and performance. However, this maintenance is not a constraint, but an investment. A well-maintained WordPress site is a high-performance, secure site. Numerous tools and services are available to automate these tasks, making maintenance management much simpler than it might seem. What's more, the performance of a WordPress site largely depends on the hosting you choose and the optimization of your resources (images, code). With the right host and optimization practices, a WordPress site can be extremely fast and responsive.
Maintenance with Webflow
Webflow boasts lower maintenance thanks to its closed, managed environment. It's true that you don't have to worry about software updates or plugin compatibility issues. But that doesn't mean there's no maintenance at all. Content maintenance, performance monitoring and SEO optimization are still necessary. In addition, Webflow performance, while generally good due to its optimized infrastructure, is also a closed environment. You have less control over the technical aspects that can influence loading speed, which can be a disadvantage for advanced users or high-traffic sites. The fact that Webflow is a closed environment can also limit the advanced optimization options available on WordPress.
Costs: Long-term investment
Comparative table of wordpress vs webflow costs (2025 estimates)
WordPress: Budget freedom
The cost of WordPress is often misunderstood. The WordPress software itself is free and open-source. The costs associated with a WordPress site come mainly from hosting, domain name, and possibly premium themes or plugins. However, there are plenty of free and affordable options for each of these elements. For example, quality shared hosting that can host multiple sites can cost as little as €5 to €10 per month. You can start with very economical shared hosting and upgrade to more powerful solutions as your site grows. This budget flexibility is a major advantage, especially for small businesses or startups. What's more, once you've purchased a premium theme or plugin, it's usually yours for unlimited use on a number of sites, reducing costs in the long term.
Webflow: The hefty bill per site
Webflow, on the other hand, is a paid service with a pricing model based on monthly or annual subscriptions. The major problem is that you have to pay separately for each website you host on Webflow. For example, in 2025, Webflow's CMS plan, which is often the minimum required for a functional site, costs 23 $ per month per site. Lower plans are often deemed unnecessary, as they severely limit functionality. This can quickly become very costly if you manage several projects or are an agency. Webflow plans, while justified by the infrastructure and support they offer, can represent a significant financial investment, especially when compared to the cost flexibility of WordPress. Advanced features and CMS capabilities are often locked behind more expensive plans, which can force users to spend more than expected to get the functionality they really need. This pricing structure can make Webflow prohibitively expensive for many users, especially those on a budget or looking to create multiple sites. One user even mentioned canceling his Webflow account after only 3 days of subscription due to these limitations and costs.
Conclusion: WordPress, the choice of power and freedom
Ultimately, the choice between WordPress and Webflow depends on your specific needs and priorities. If you're a designer who favors precise visual control and your functional requirements are relatively straightforward, Webflow may be an attractive option. However, for the majority of users, especially those looking for a scalable, flexible and cost-effective long-term solution, WordPress is the obvious choice.
The power of its ecosystem, its ability to adapt to almost any need imaginable, its massive support community and its transparent cost model make it an unrivalled platform. While maintenance may seem a challenge at first, the tools and resources available make it manageable, and the investment worthwhile for the freedom and control it offers. Don't be seduced by Webflow's low-maintenance promise without considering the financial cost and functional limitations that come with it. For a website that grows with you, adapts to your changing needs and gives you true independence, WordPress is the way to go.
