Framer was launched in 2015 offering a product that would enable prototyping to turn into high fidelity functioning products, Framer like other web builders allows for designers to import their detailed prototypes from the software Figma to a canvas where the design can be coded into HTML.
Framer is a similar tool to Webflow, they share many similar features and their beginner tools can be used by many novice designers, Webflow is known for their template library and lower barrier to entry for novice web designers, removing lots of the complex repetitive tasks of HTML visualisers like Wordpress and Elementor - Framer should be thought of as a bridge between development & design. What this leads to is an almost perfectly harmonic team of designers and developers, the developers job is no longer sitting in a dark corner writing HTML and React its now collaborating with designers in realtime suggesting edits and changes to make a design/concept functional!
In our personal experience it has sped the time to develop from 16-18 weeks for a 14 page website to 10-12 weeks! Thats a project time saving of over 60%, Honestly its mind blowing for some of our most largest projects we find that there is less team burnout and more fun and flow throughout the whole project. I myself have little experience with Webflow however have worked with many teams that do, and I can say from personal experience that Webflow although more known in the web design space due to their extensive advertising campaigns is inferior in almost every avenue… why? well its simple Webflow does not share the same fundamental functions as Framer.
What makes Framer Unique
Framer allows for users to incorporate Javascript & React seamlessly, kind of making the code of the website an accessory rather than the fundamental, instead of spending hundreds of hours developing the whole site in code you build with the design team first, make it functional and test via a development link, which is LIVE and updates instantly! To then adding in complex functions with react or javascript with a frame like system, you can still connect to databases and backends easily, you can have live updating functions using API’s and as a whole Framer allows for teams like ours at Tweyelight Digital to spend the weeks designing and developing and building on a already great idea rather than fixing a pretty average one.
FRAMER VS WEBFLOW
As stated previously framer offers lots of control and changes that Webflow simply doesn’t, Webflow can barely support live link updates let alone complex calculators which produce live mortgage rates. Some of the most notable features that many may overlook is Framers ability for live collaboration, Yes… Live collaboration, not live collaboration like Google sheets or Docs where it is live, but meh. Like Figma where you can see other designers cursers in realtime, you can leave comments and help each other out if that be in the same room or different country, it just simply works!
The work lows are unparalleled the simplicity for both beginners and professionals is crazy, framers learning curve appears to be easy and well It definitely is, its progressive. You can learn a little and have enough skill to simply change headings and edit a very very simple CMS system or if you feel up to the challenge you can spend literally months on learning the ins and outs of every single feature just to find out you still don’t know everything!
A very stark contrast to Webflow which has a very different vibe, the ui is simply just weird, the layering in the ui is unnatural to any designer and is more geared towards a developer migrating to a lower code alternative which like… Nobody does. These lower code platforms are for a newer age of designer.
Webflow: The Web Development Platform Of The Future — Smashing Magazine
To top it off, Webflow does not even offer a native app experience, which lets be honest is pathetic, making even a simple app like player is beneficial in so many ways, Simply having an app on your desktop makes the whole experience feel complete, rather than web app inside of a tab inside of your browser, like come on! Way too many steps, when I have 5 tabs open and then I press CMD+Q like an idiot, I don’t want to search for Webflow again, see 5 sponsors links and then click buttons, enter my password again and wait for loading. No. Framer simply offers a native app for Windows and Mac alongside a browser based editor of which I would never use, I think simply a native app is better in every avenue, but don’t get me wrong having it as convenience is nice!
Framer also seems to churn updates out like a hamster on a wheel, like seriously! Every week a feature I thought about whilst heading to bed or relaxing in the shower is crazy, the other day they release a CMS editor for mobile! That is so convenient, we all have a guilty pleasure of checking our websites like 5 times before we wake up or go to bed, now if I spot a mistake or a incorrect spelling I can simply make the edit and relax, rather than document it down on my notes app just to forget about it, then for the client to bring me up on it and me having to pretend like I never noticed it…. 🤦
