Two laptop screens showing WordPress vs Webflow interfaces side-by-side for platform comparison | Designow

Website development

Ognjen Marinkovic

6 min read

May 1, 2025

Webflow vs Wordpress: What to choose in 2025
Webflow offers hassle-free hosting, instant SSL, and powerful visual editing in one tidy package; WordPress is cheaper only if you are ready to maintain servers, updates, and plugins yourself.

Webflow vs Wordpress: Compare setup, cost, and upkeep to find the easier, cheaper option for your website in 2025.

Webflow vs Wordpress: What to choose in 2025

Webflow offers hassle-free hosting, instant SSL, and powerful visual editing in one tidy package; WordPress is cheaper only if you are ready to maintain servers, updates, and plugins yourself.

Webflow vs Wordpress: Compare setup, cost, and upkeep to find the easier, cheaper option for your website in 2025.

Simple summary

  • WordPress - Cheapest way to start. You install it, update it, and manage it yourself.
  • Webflow - A little more per month, but you don’t worry about maintenance or setup.
  • Choose WordPress if you want full control and can handle tech tasks. Choose Webflow if you want things done for you.

Quick price comparison

Platform No CMS With CMS E-commerce
WordPress $60-$80/year (hosting + theme) $60-$80/year $140+/year
Webflow $168/year (Basic Plan) $276/year (CMS Plan) $888/year (Ecom Plans)

These figures are based on the most affordable plans available as of 2025. If you require further customization or additional details, feel free to ask!​

What are Webflow and Wordpress?

Webflow development

  • Tool and hosting all in one
  • You design online, no need to install anything
  • No updates or server stuff

WordPress development

  • Free tool for building websites
  • You find your own hosting and plugins
  • Needs updates and backups

Icons for Hosting, Theme, and Plugins representing typical website cost components

What is a CMS and when you don’t need one

CMS stands for “Content Management System” It lets you edit your website without needing a developer. You can change text, add blog posts, or update images on your own.

But you don’t always need a CMS.

  • If your site is small and the content rarely changes, you can skip it.
  • If you only update your site once or twice a year, just ask your designer to do it.
  • Using a CMS means more features but also more cost.

Webflow offers a cheaper plan without CMS. That works well if you don’t need blogs or regular updates.

First-Time costs

WordPress

  • Hosting: from $5/month
  • Theme: many free or $50-$100
  • Plugins: free or up to $100 total
  • Elementor: $59/year if you want drag-and-drop tools like Webflow

Webflow

  • Hosting plan: $15-$20/month
  • Template: many free, some up to $79
  • No extra plugin needed, builder is built-in

Time is money

TaskWordPressWebflow
SetupInstall and configureReady to go
DesignPick and tweak themeDrag and design visually
Make changesOften needs code or pluginsEdit with a few clicks
LaunchSet up plugins and backupsEverything included

Why it matters: If you pay a developer $75/hr and Webflow saves 10 hours, that’s $750 back in your pocket.

Illustration comparing plugin update frustration in WordPress vs smooth editing in Webflow

Maintenance and updates

Webflow

  • No updates or plugins to manage
  • Backups, SSL, and speed all built-in
  • You focus only on content

WordPress

  • You must update plugins and themes
  • You need to back up and secure your site
  • Can hire someone to manage it (about $100/month)

Hidden cost: Time spent clicking “update plugin” is still a cost, even if it’s after hours.

Flexibility vs cost

  • WordPress has many plugins for almost anything
  • Webflow gives you what most people need out of the box
  • If you want extras (like more languages or user logins), you can use extra tools (which cost more)
Elementor helps WordPress feel like Webflow, but it adds cost and time to set up.

Which one should you use?

Go with Webflow if:

  • You want things to “just work”
  • You don’t want to mess with updates or errors
  • You want to edit content easily without breaking layout

Go with WordPress if:

  • You want the cheapest setup
  • You want to add a lot of extra features
  • You know how to update and fix things or have someone who does

Webflow pricing overview (2025)

Plan Monthly Cost (Annual Billing) Features
Basic $14 Custom domain, 150 pages, 0 CMS items
CMS $23 2,000 CMS items, 50 GB bandwidth, 3 editors
E-commerce Standard $29 500 products, 2% transaction fee
E-commerce Plus $74 1,000 products, 0% transaction fee

WordPress pricing overview (2025)

Component Cost
Hosting (per month) $1.00-$2.99
Domain (annual) $10-$15
Theme Free
Plugins Free
Total (2 years) $60-$80

Cheaper way to do E-commerce in Webflow

Webflow has its own e-commerce feature, but it's not the cheapest. Plans start at $42 per month, and they charge a 2 percent fee unless you use the top plan.

You can save money by using Shopify’s Buy Button inside Webflow.

  • Build your site in Webflow as usual
  • Use Shopify to manage products and checkout
  • Embed Shopify Buy Buttons on your product pages
  • The Shopify Lite plan costs only $9 per month

This setup gives you full design control in Webflow and the e-commerce features of Shopify, for much less than Webflow’s e-commerce plans.

Final thoughts

  • Cheapest: WordPress (but only if you do everything yourself)
  • Easiest: Webflow (especially for non-tech users)
  • Most options: WordPress (if you know how to manage plugins and updates)

Still unsure? Read our complete website cost breakdown or talk to Designow about a Webflow vs WordPress audit for your specific case.

Summary Pick Webflow if you want maintenance-free, all-in-one hosting and editing; choose WordPress only when rock-bottom cost and plugin-level control are worth the extra upkeep.

FAQs

Is WordPress really free?

The software is free, but you still pay for hosting, themes, and plugins.

Does Webflow charge sales fees?

Only if you use its e-commerce plan; standard sites pay no sales fees.

What if I will not update my site often?

Choose Webflow Basic or a static WordPress theme to keep maintenance low.

Which platform is faster to set up?

Webflow, because hosting, SSL, and the builder are ready out of the box.

Which option is safer?

Webflow, since there are no plugin or theme updates to break the site.