When it comes to web design, Webflow vs Elementor can feel like a modern-day Hamlet dilemma. Each platform offers unique strengths and challenges, making it a tough decision.
In this guide, we explore the pros and cons of each to help you choose the best option for your project.
TL;DR - Webflow vs. Elementor
For those in a hurry, here's a quick rundown of Webflow and Elementor, including each platform's key pros and cons.
At first glance, Webflow looks like the more versatile choice. But Elementor, which ties you to the WordPress platform, is still a decent option. As we explore their details below, you’ll notice that Webflow vs Elementor is a more interesting comparison than Webflow vs WordPress.
If the analysis leaves you feeling uncertain, let a SaaS web design agency guide you. At Arch Web Design, we create eye-catching Webflow websites and can also update your site to double your revenue. Plus, our work is backed by a money-back guarantee.
Schedule your strategy session today and take the first step towards a high-converting SaaS website.
What is Webflow?
Webflow is like a combination of a design tool and a CMS. This platform lets you design, build, and launch responsive websites without writing code.
It’s great for website designers for small businesses who want to turn their designs into live websites quickly because it gives you full control over HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through a visual interface.
This interface lets you drag and drop elements, style them, and see changes in real-time. In short, it makes the design process faster and more intuitive. Plus, it has built-in hosting and content management features, so you can handle your content and keep your site running smoothly all in one place.
What is Webflow Built On?
As a web-based application, Webflow is built on robust web technologies, including:
- HTML: Markup language that structures the content
- CSS: Style sheet language that helps control the layout, colors, fonts, and overall visual appearance of a website
- JavaScript: Programming language that creates interactive effects and dynamic content on websites
To ensure reliability and speed, Webflow uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting. AWS is a massive cloud computing platform that offers services like storage, servers, and databases. Through its global network of data centers, it helps deliver fast load times and minimal downtime for the Webflow sites it hosts.
As mentioned, Webflow also includes a powerful CMS for flexible content management and supports various API integrations for added features.
How Much Does Webflow Cost?
Webflow has different site plans for general websites (from free to $39/mo billed yearly) and e-commerce (from $29 to $212/mo billed yearly), with localization services as an optional add-on starting at $9/mo.
(For the latest and most accurate pricing, check out their site plans.)
However, the subscription cost is just the first step. The overall cost of creating a high-performing Webflow website is influenced by the choice of who will design and develop it for you.
At Arch Web Design, we tailor our services to meet your specific needs, and our pricing varies based on the complexity and scope of your project. Still, with our 2X conversion guarantee, you can rest assured that your investment will be worthwhile.
So, if you’re ready to get yourself a conversion-focused web design or upgrade the one you have to perform even better, we should talk!
Schedule a discovery call today — no strings attached — and let's discuss how we can help you create a stunning, high-converting Webflow site!
Is Webflow Better Than WorPress?
Yes, Webflow is better than WordPress, especially when it comes to SaaS websites that showcase software products and aim to drive user sign-ups. These websites have to be visually appealing, fast, secure, and easy to update, and if you’re still wondering “Is Webflow a good website builder?” these reasons should help you decide:
- Visual Design: Offers a powerful visual editor, making it easier to design custom, professional sites without coding.
- Built-in Hosting: Integrates hosting, allowing SaaS websites to benefit from consistent uptime and speed without third-party plugins.
- No Plugins Needed: Reduces security risks and maintenance issues because it doesn’t rely on plugins (like WordPress does).
- Responsive Design: Supports creating responsive designs that look great on all devices, which is crucial for user experience.
- SEO Friendly Features: Integrates SEO tools to optimize your site easily, improving visibility and attracting more customers. Learn more by checking out our complete guide on Weblow SEO.
- Simplified Workflow: Combines design, CMS, and hosting in one platform, streamlining the website creation process.
What is Elementor?
Elementor is a page builder plugin for creating custom WordPress web pages using a drag-and-drop editor.
While WordPress offers themes and templates, they often lack flexibility. To achieve a truly custom WordPress design, you’d typically need to write code in HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript.
So, Elementor removes this coding need while expanding your design options. With its visual editor, customizable widgets, and responsive design, this plugin:
- Gives you more flexibility and control over the website’s layout and appearance.
- Simplifies customization and saves you time.
What is Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro is an advanced version of the Elementor page builder plugin for WordPress. It offers additional features such as a theme builder, a WooCommerce builder, a popup builder, and advanced widgets and templates.
With this upgraded plugin, you can create even more flexible designs including custom CSS, motion effects, and forms. Plus, you’re getting integrations with popular marketing tools, which means it’s more suitable for creating highly customized, professional websites with less effort.
How to Install Elementor in WordPress
Since Elementor is a plugin, installing it in WordPress is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is:
- Go to the WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to 'Plugins' > 'Add New'.
- Type in 'Elementor' in the search bar and hit Enter.
- Click 'Install Now' on the ‘Elementor Page Builder’ plugin, which will appear in the search results.
- After installation, click 'Activate'.
How Much Does Elementor Pro Cost?
Elementor Pro offers plans from $59/year with their essential package (everything a website needs), $99/year for professional and e-commerce websites, $199/year for freelancers who create multiple websites, and $399/year for agencies.
Just like with any other website builder, the subscription is a percentage of the final cost. Even if you choose the DIY route, you’ll be investing your valuable time and possibly end up frustrated with the slow results.
You can also contract a freelancer or an agency to do it for you, which can add to the overall expense but potentially save you time and ensure a professional outcome.
Webflow vs. Elementor for Different User Needs
Choosing between Webflow and Elementor often comes down to what kind of user you are, what your goals are, your technical background, and how hands-on you want to be with the process.
Here’s a breakdown to help you choose:
Learning Curve for Webflow and Elementor
Both Webflow and Elementor aim to simplify website building. But how steep is the learning curve really?
Let’s take a look:
Webflow
Webflow is a powerful tool, but to access that power, you need to go through a steeper learning curve. It functions more like a design application. It mirrors how HTML and CSS work under the hood, so understanding layout structures (like Flexbox or the box model) gives you a serious head start.
That said, beginners can still find their footing with the help of Webflow University. Once you get past the initial ramp-up, the freedom and control Webflow gives you are unmatched. You can build everything, from simple landing pages to dynamic SaaS website designs, without touching code, all inside one unified platform.
Elementor
Elementor is often seen as the more beginner-friendly option. It’s a WordPress plugin with a drag-and-drop interface, making it fast and intuitive to get started. You can choose from an extensive library of templates and widgets, which makes designing feel more like filling in the blanks than starting from scratch.
However, using Elementor also means managing the broader WordPress ecosystem, which adds a layer of complexity some beginners may not expect. So, while the page builder is straightforward, the overall setup can involve more than just logging into Webflow and getting started.
How to Choose Between Webflow and Elementor for SEO
Both Webflow and Elementor support strong SEO, but they approach it differently, which impacts ease of use, control, and performance.
Here’s a comparison of their SEO capabilities:
Webflow
Webflow is SEO-ready right out of the box. It includes control over meta titles, descriptions, alt text, canonical tags, clean URLs, and automatic generation of sitemaps and robots.txt files.
It’s clean, semantic, and fast hosting with built-in SSL and CDN gives it a natural edge in performance, helping meet Google’s Core Web Vitals with minimal effort.
Webflow also supports several advanced options, including 301 redirects, CMS-level SEO settings, and manual structured data for rich results, all without relying on external plugins.
Elementor
Elementor relies on WordPress SEO plugins, such as Yoast or Rank Math, for SEO control. These tools offer advanced features such as schema markup, content analysis, and SERP previews. With proper setup, good hosting, and some maintenance and optimization, Elementor can be highly SEO-friendly.
However, Elementor’s code output can be bulkier than Webflow’s, so achieving top performance may take extra effort, especially if too many plugins are used.
E-Commerce Capabilities of Webflow and Elementor
With both Webflow and Elementor, you can create online stores, but they take very different approaches.
Let’s see how:
Webflow
Webflow offers a native e-commerce functionality, meaning you don’t need third-party plugins to get started. You can fully customize product pages, shopping carts, and checkout flows using its visual editor, all while maintaining clean code and fast Webflow performance.
Features include:
- Integrated Stripe and PayPal payments.
- Support for physical and digital products.
- Built-in tax calculation and SSL security.
- Custom checkout experiences and animations.
- Inventory tracking, product variants, and custom fields.
Elementor
Elementor works alongside WooCommerce, WordPress’s landing e-commerce solution. This combination offers extensive customization via Elementor Pro’s Theme Builder, including product, cart, and checkout pages.
Benefits include:
- Support for advanced features like subscriptions, memberships, and multi-currency.
- Access to a vast ecosystem of WooCommerce plugins.
- Integration with marketing tools and CRMs.
- Numerous payment gateways.
However, WooCommerce relies on multiple plugins for full functionality, which can complicate setup and impact performance. Managing updates and plugin conflicts may require technical knowledge or developer support.
Relevant Characteristics Between Webflow and Elementor
By now, you can tell that both Webflow and Elementor are no-code website builders with easy-to-use visual editors. Here’s how the two of them stack up against each other:
Similarities and Differences
While Webflow and Elementor seem to serve the same purpose, they are, in fact, structurally different. They also cater to different user preferences and requirements. Knowing these details will help you pick one or another based on your specific needs.
Webflow and Elementor Differences
Webflow and Elementor are quite different in their setup. Webflow combines everything — design, CMS, and hosting — in one platform. It’s perfect if you want an all-in-one solution. Elementor, on the other hand, is a plugin for WordPress. It’s great if you already use WordPress and need advanced design features.
- Platform Structure: Webflow is standalone with integrated hosting; Elementor is a WordPress plugin.
- Ease of Use: Webflow’s interface is comprehensive but steeper to learn. Elementor is straightforward, especially for WordPress users.
- Customization: Webflow offers detailed design control. Elementor provides extensive options but within the WordPress framework.
- Hosting: Webflow’s hosting is built-in. With Elementor, you need separate WordPress hosting.
- E-commerce: Webflow includes e-commerce tools out-of-the-box. Elementor needs WooCommerce for e-commerce.
Elementor and Webflow Similarities
Despite their differences, Webflow and Elementor share some cool features. Both feature a drag-and-drop visual editor that lets you design and develop without writing a single line of code. They also provide SEO tools and have extensive template libraries.
- No-Code: Both support no-code design.
- Design Flexibility: Each has powerful tools to make your site look great on any device.
- SEO Tools: Both have features to help your site rank better in search engines.
- Templates: They offer a variety of templates to speed up your design process.
- Integrations: Both work well with third-party services to add more features to your site.
What About Framer?
Framer is another no-code website builder with a design-focused approach and interactive prototypes.
While it’s more similar to Webflow as a standalone platform, not a plugin, it focuses on creating interactive and animated designs. So, it’s ideal for highly dynamic sites and has a steeper learning curve for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Even with all the info on the table, navigating the topic of Webflow vs Elementor can be tricky, given the unique features and benefits each platform offers. The following FAQs should help you make an even more informed decision:
Which Platform is Better for Beginners, Webflow or Elementor?
Elementor is better for beginners thanks to its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface within the familiar WordPress environment. Compared to Webflow, it has a smoother learning curve.
But it can’t hurt to focus on Webflow as you start learning design because it has more powerful design capabilities and integrated tools that provide long-term benefits.
Can You Use Webflow and Elementor Together?
No, you can't use Webflow and Elementor together directly since Webflow is a standalone platform, and Elementor is a WordPress plugin. They operate in different environments and are not compatible.
Which Platform is Preferred by Professional Designers, Webflow or Elementor?
Professional designers often prefer Webflow for its full design control, integrated CMS, and hosting capabilities. It’s one of the best website builders, offering more advanced features for creating highly customized, professional websites than Elementor.
How Does Webflow Handle WordPress Migrations?
Webflow doesn’t offer a direct import tool for WordPress sites, but you can manually migrate content via CSV for blog posts or CMS items. Design elements need to be rebuilt in Webflow’s visual editor. Read about WordPress to Webflow migration for a better understanding.
While the process can take time, the result is a faster, cleaner site with more design control and fewer dependencies.
Is Elementor Slower Than Webflow for Large Sites?
Yes, in many cases, Webflow is considered faster. Webflow outputs a lightweight, semantic code and uses built-in hosting optimized for speed, helping it consistently score high on Core Web Vitals.
Elementor sites can be fast, too, but they often require performance tuning through caching, optimization plugins, and solid hosting, especially for large or complex sites.
Can You Use Webflow for Client Projects with Multiple Editors?
Absolutely. Webflow supports multiple collaborators through its Editor and Workspace roles.
Clients can safely update content without altering the design. Its clean UI and permissions settings make it great for teams, agencies, and clients who aren’t tech-savvy.
Does Elementor Require Extra Plugins to Match Webflow’s Features?
Yes. While Elementor offers a strong visual builder, replicating Webflow’s native features often requires additional plugins for SEO, animations, CMS control, performance optimization, and more.
This may increase setup time, maintenance, and the risk of plugin conflicts.
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