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oth Webflow and Wix are excellent options for websites - they are both feature-rich and cost-effective. Which solution is best for your business will depend on your functionality requirements so in this article we are going to compare each platform based on their design capabilities, user experience, cost, maintenance, integration, and SEO.
First let's start off by looking at they types of businesses that would get the most out of these platforms and which wouldn't. Wix is typically more suited to small businesses with fairly basic needs and which want a platform that they can easily edit themselves. Webflow on the other hand is more suited to businesses who are looking for a bit more sophistication in the design and functionality of their website. While both offer eCommerce capabilities, neither are suited to high-volume online sales sites. They can be integrated with platforms like Shopify (and some businesses have done this) but we would almost always recommend simply going with the best platform for your needs and not overcomplicating things which is why in most circumstances, neither Wix nor Webflow are the best options for high-volume eCommerce sites.
Design Capabilities
Wix has recently released Editor X which offers advanced design and device optimisation capabilities. It uses a drag and drop design editor which makes using Wix extremely easy. As a rule though, the more options you have available, the more complex a system becomes and vice versa.
Editor X offer advanced breakpoints - already offered by Webflow - which make it easy to optimise for different device sizes and custom edit smaller devices without affecting the larger screens. While both platforms automatically optimise for multiple device sizes, this feature makes it extremely easy to customise smaller screens to look exactly how you'd like them to.
Where you are able to literally drag elements around the canvas in Wix, Webflow is a little more structured and allows for more complex customisation (including animation) which makes it a bit more complex to use. Webflow, while more complex, also offers free online video tutorials and has a large community of online advocates who can answer just about any question you have.
User Experience
As mentioned, Webflow is more complex to use when it comes to design because it has more functionality and customisation. It is however a lot more intuitive than Wix once you've got a handle on the box system - that is the hierarchy of sections within sections (container -> div box -> text/image/etc.) - which can be controlled individually and customised and once you know how to unlock all of the cool features.
Webflow essentially has two "places" to find everything - the editor and the project settings. Within the editor you'll find all of your pages, your CMS, your site and page hierarchy, image gallery, settings, eCommerce, video tutorials, and of course all of the tools you'll need to make an incredible looking site - all within an easy-to-use menu. With the project settings you'll be able to manage your account, hosting, SEO including redirects and google analytics integration, and your backups.
Wix is a bit more complex to navigate as it's more modular. Within the editor you need to jump around a fair bit to find what you are looking for which makes it slower and more cumbersome to use. For example, if you use their booking system (a pre-built CMS) then you need to navigate through the editor to the booking system to make changes such as adding team members, services, or changing your calendar. For simple tasks it's extremely easy but once you go down the rabbit warren you can lose your way.
Cost
Both Wix and Webflow are cost effective platforms that offer hosting, domain integration, backups, and security on a monthly or yearly license. They are fairly comparable with Webflow very slightly more expensive when you get into the eCommerce space or as your functionality needs increase (for example if you want a local Content Delivery Network to speed up your site or if you want to offer users the ability to upload files in a form then you'll pay a bit more than Wix). Generally you'll be paying around $20 per month for either solution if your needs aren't too complex.
Maintenance
Since both platforms include hosting and security and don't offer third-party plugins like open-source platform, Wordpress, does for example (Wix does have a marketplace but the integrations are managed so there is no need to update them like the plugins in Wordpress) there is very little maintenance required for either solution.
Integration
As mentioned above, unlike Wordpress, neither Wix nor Webflow is open-source and therefore don't offer plugins. Instead, they offer many of the basic functionality you'll need as part of the system already. Wix has a marketplace of integrations already so in many cases it's quite easily to integrate applications like your CRM or your Facebook page.
Wix also offers a lot of other functionality that reduces the need to integrate with third applications. For example they offer a social media posting tool, an email automation tool (the booking platform even offers a Beta text message reminder) but it's important to remember that they have limited functionality. They are simple tools with little customisation so if you want something more powerful you will need to integrate it.
Webflow on the other hand does one thing and it does it well so you can expect them to excel in the no-code website (and even web application) space rather than spreading their offerings too thinly like Wix has.
Plugins like those offered in Wordpress were for a long time a deal breaker because it allowed for optimal customisation and integration. It came with excessive complexity and maintenance though. Now that there are no-code integration tools like Zapier and Integromat, plugins and open-source platforms are much less competitive options. Both Webflow and Wix can be integrated with just about anything using one of these integration tools.
SEO
Search engines rank website on a number of things including speed, user experience, relevance, age of domain, traffic sources, backlinks, etc. etc. A website platform only contributes to a small (but important) aspect of SEO and both Wix and Webflow are equally as good as each other and any other platform on the market if set up correctly. They are both fast and secure and offer customisation of meta-descriptions, alt text, and open-graph settings. The effectiveness of SEO ultimately comes down to the person managing the SEO strategy rather than the platform itself.
Webflow or Wix?
So, which should you choose?
If you are part of a small business and want a platform you can easily edit yourself and you have limited functionality requirements and aren't too concerned with aesthetics then Wix is the way forward.
If you are serious about wanting a website with the wow-factor but without a high price-tag then Webflow is the way to go. We foresee some incredible things from Webflow and predict it will soon overtake Wordpress and other popular platform in the very near future.
If you're unsure which is suitable for you - or you want to learn about other platforms that might work better for your business - then get in touch with us for a candid discussion.
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