When choosing the best platforms to build a website, there are many possibilities. Just to mention some we have WordPress, Wix, Webflow, Shopify, Magento, and SquareSpace. To decide which one is the best one we have to analyze what features the website need to have to know which platform will provide the tools needed to develop the correct User Interface and Programming: Is it a E-commerce? Landing page? Single-page website? Does it have animation? Motion Design? The way we define the website structure will guide us to a better understanding of which platform is more suitable.
In this post, I will focus on two of the platforms mention: WordPress and Webflow. On the one hand, WordPress is a free, open-source website hosting and creation platform. WordPress sites are compatible with countless plugins, making their functionality virtually limitless. On the other hand, Webflow’s website builder offers a wide range of customizability in creating websites. Its design dashboard uses drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to add and move elements as you build your site.
Let’s find out the main differences between them:
I. Webflow gives you complete design freedom, whereas WordPress is restricted by templates or coded from scratch
II. Webflow has a clean and good code quality, whereas WordPress code can become cluttered due to the extensive need for plugins
III. Webflow lets you make edits on-page, whereas with WordPress you need to use dashboard and page editors
IV. Webflow is more expensive depending on which plan you go for, whereas WordPress is free and you would just need to pay for your hosting
V. Webflow has a drag and drops page builder, whereas with WordPress you would need to use a plugin to enable this
II. Webflow has a clean and good code quality, whereas WordPress code can become cluttered due to the extensive need for plugins
III. Webflow lets you make edits on-page, whereas with WordPress you need to use dashboard and page editors
IV. Webflow is more expensive depending on which plan you go for, whereas WordPress is free and you would just need to pay for your hosting
V. Webflow has a drag and drops page builder, whereas with WordPress you would need to use a plugin to enable this
To have a deeper understanding of what each of those topics means and how they would impact the life of the user, I’ve decided to evaluate both considering their Usability, Responsive Tools, Content Management and Pricing.
Webflow
Webflow Dashboard | Image Source
Webflow Usability
Webflow lets you take full control of HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, allowing you to use the visual page builder to create exactly what you need. It features drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it easy to choose the elements you want to add to your page and put them in place. At the same time, the Webflow dashboard seems to be designed with professional developers in mind. There’s a fairly steep learning curve involved, especially since templates are completely customizable.
Unlike with some other website builders, you have complete control over your typography. You can use any font you want, and you can completely customize everything about it from the line height to the tracking.
Webflow also allows you to define global color swatches, which allows you to change every instance of color on your website with just the click of a button, ensuring perfect consistency throughout your pages.
Webflow Responsiveness
All pages and elements have a responsive design, and you can adjust and preview layouts for any device, so you can be sure that whoever is visiting your website will have the best user experience, regardless of which type of device they are using.
Webflow Content Management Tools
Webflow allow you to design and edit your content right on the page, and it’s all life, so once you click publish it will be there for the world to see. You can give your clients and team members access to the site so they can add content and make edits if they need to, and you can even collaborate with team members in real-time without any complications.
Webflow integrates with Zapier, so even if you aren’t a developer you can easily integrate with over 750 apps, with no need to use any code.
Webflow Pricing
Webflow has two types of plans, ‘Site plans’ and ‘account plans’. Within the Site plans there are also different pricing packages for websites, and e-commerce businesses. It also lets you build your website for free, so you can take as long as you want to play with the features and build your website before you launch. Once you are ready to launch you can add one of the Site plans to go live.
WordPress
WordPress Dashboard | Image Source
Wordpress Usability
This is one area in which WordPress really shines. The WordPress Block Editor is highly intuitive. Even a complete website-creation novice should find it easy to navigate. Because WordPress themes are not quite as customizable as Webflow templates, there are not quite as few options to wade through in order to figure out how you want your site to look.
Unlike Webflow, If you would like a completely customized website you will need to either develop it yourself or hire a web designer or developer, Developers have full access to the WordPress theme developer handbook which provides you with everything you need to know about developing WordPress themes.
Wordpress Responsiveness
The responsive capability of a WordPress website depends on the theme and the plugins that you are using. WordPress themes define your websites front-end design look and feel, from navigation layouts and logo positions to content styling and the overall structure of your blog posts. Changing themes will change how your content displays to your visitors, including the display on mobile devices. It is important when choosing a theme to check if it advertises a responsive design layout. If you find a theme that isn’t responsive, WordPress plugins can add additional functionality to a website that is not offered by a theme.
Wordpress Content Management Tools
WordPress makes it easy to create and publish your content online. There is no need to know any code for basic publishing, and you can manage everything from your WordPress dashboard. The main appeal of WordPress is its ease of use. It’s easy to set up a great looking website and add content yourself without the need to know any code, making it accessible to anyone
If you need to add other users and authors to your WordPress site, that’s not a problem. WordPress has multi-user capabilities
Wordpress Pricing
Wordpress is completely free! The only thing you would need to pay is for the hosting of the website and the theme you would like to use, theme pricing can vary from $30 to $100.
My Website Home Page built it Webflow |
My Impressions on both platforms
I decided to do this research to help me define which platform would use to create my website for assessment 3. After reading many forum and talking to other work colleagues, I decided to use Webflow.
I have created and edited websites in WordPress before, so I also wanted to give a shot at something. My conclusion is that I worked much faster and the final result in Webflow is so much better than the website I built in WordPress.
There are many factors that might have contributed to this decision but I found Webflow much easier to customize and create the blocks. I also felt in more control when naming classes, defining text styles, creating color libraries, and dragging-dropping images straight from my files!
For me, all these details made me work much faster and the final result is almost identical to my User Interface Design. So in my opinion, begin a user of both platforms, Webflow is the winner!
I have created and edited websites in WordPress before, so I also wanted to give a shot at something. My conclusion is that I worked much faster and the final result in Webflow is so much better than the website I built in WordPress.
There are many factors that might have contributed to this decision but I found Webflow much easier to customize and create the blocks. I also felt in more control when naming classes, defining text styles, creating color libraries, and dragging-dropping images straight from my files!
For me, all these details made me work much faster and the final result is almost identical to my User Interface Design. So in my opinion, begin a user of both platforms, Webflow is the winner!
Visit the website here: Luiza Dias 111 Prototype by Mazu Studio