The Decision You’re Actually Making

You’re not just picking a CMS. You’re choosing:

• Who owns complexity (you or the platform),
• How fast you can ship now and later,
• What you can control (code, infra, data, compliance),
• Total cost of ownership over 12–24 months.

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Side-by-Side at a Glance

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Who Each Platform Fits Best

Webflow is a strong fit when:

• You need marketing sites, product microsites, launch pages, simple blogs, or design-led sites that change often.
• Your team is design-heavy and wants to ship without engineers in the loop for every change.
• You want fewer moving parts (hosting, CDN, SSL, backups handled).

WordPress is a strong fit when:

• You need complex content structures, advanced editorial workflows, custom integrations, or heavy e-commerce.
• You require full control over hosting, code, and data (compliance, privacy, custom caching).
• You plan to extend the site substantially with custom features over time.

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Hidden Costs and Common Pitfalls

WordPress pitfalls

• Plugin sprawl → conflicts, security exposure, perf hits.
• Poor hosting or theme choice → slow pages, high bounce.
• Unmanaged updates → breakages at bad times.

Webflow pitfalls

• Subscription tiers and add-ons can add up at scale.
• Some advanced patterns (very complex content models, bespoke back-end logic) require workarounds or external services.
• Vendor lock-in on hosting; limited server-side customization.

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Performance, SEO, and Accessibility

• Webflow: ships performant, clean HTML/CSS, global CDN, easy control of meta/og/structured data, and good accessibility primitives—if you stick to semantic patterns.
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• ‍WordPress: can be equally fast and accessible with the right theme, image strategy, caching (e.g., server-level, full-page cache), and disciplined plugin use. SEO is excellent with proper setup (sitemaps, schema, perf budgets).

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Security and Compliance

• Webflow: platform security, DDoS protection, SSL, backups handled. You still own content governance and legal compliance.
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• WordPress: security posture depends on hosting, updates, and choices. Harden logins, keep a minimal plugin list, enforce backups, use WAF/CDN, and patch regularly. Best for strict data residency/compliance control.

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Cost & Ownership

• Webflow: clear pricing (workspace + site plan + optional localization/e-commerce). Lower ops cost, faster iteration.
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• WordPress: open-source core, but you pay for hosting, premium themes/plugins, and maintenance time. For complex sites, TCO can be higher but you gain maximum control.

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A Simple Decision Framework

Answer these quickly:

1. Who updates the site weekly?
   Designers/marketers → Webflow.
   Engineers/product team → WordPress or either.
2. How complex is the content model/workflow?
   Simple → Webflow.
   Complex (relations, editorial permissions, custom statuses) → WordPress.
3. How much backend logic will you add later?
   Little → Webflow.
   A lot (custom services, domain-specific features) → WordPress.
4. Compliance/hosting constraints?
   Strict residency or bespoke infra → WordPress.
   Standard marketing/e-com needs → Webflow works well.
5. Maintenance appetite?
   Low ops capacity → Webflow.
   In-house tech team and process → WordPress is fine.

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Implementation: How We Do It (Condensed)

WordPress

• Plan: scope content model, roles, SEO, perf targets.
• Setup: high-quality hosting, minimal plugin set, security hardening.
• Build: custom theme or modern block approach; CPTs/ACF for structured content; clean editorial UX.
• Optimize: caching, image strategy, Core Web Vitals, accessibility pass.
• Handoff: docs, training, safe update workflow, backup/monitoring.

Webflow

• Plan: content model (Collections), languages, SEO structure, design system.
• Build: components, variables, responsive grid, CMS templates, interactions.
• Optimize: accessibility checks, image strategy, structured data, redirects.
• Handoff: editor training, change governance, ongoing iteration plan.

Real-World Outcomes (What Teams Actually See)

• Faster iteration: marketing and product can publish without waiting on dev cycles.
• Cleaner governance: clear content models, fewer one-off hacks.
• Better performance: measured Core Web Vitals and lower TTFB with proper setup.
• Lower risk: fewer breakages from unmanaged updates or plugin bloat.
• Scalability: a platform that matches how your team actually works.

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FAQs

Is Webflow good for SEO?
Yes. Clean markup, fast hosting, control over meta, sitemaps, redirects, and structured data. As always, content quality and performance discipline matter.

Can WordPress match Webflow on speed?
Yes—with good hosting, a lean theme, minimal plugins, image/CDN strategy, and caching. Many WP sites are extremely fast when engineered well.

Which is better for multi-language?
Webflow’s Localization is smooth for many marketing use cases. WordPress offers powerful options (e.g., WPML/Polylang) with more control but more setup.

What about e-commerce?
Webflow E-commerce fits small/mid catalogs. WordPress (WooCommerce + proper stack) scales further and is more extensible for custom flows.

Can I migrate later?
Yes, but plan ahead. Webflow → WP and WP → Webflow are both doable with content export and careful template mapping.

Who “owns” security and updates?
Webflow owns platform security; you own content governance. In WordPress, you own everything: hosting, updates, backups, hardening.

What if I need custom backend logic?
WordPress is usually the better base. With Webflow, you’ll push logic to external services/functions and integrate via APIs.

Which one is cheaper long-term?
Depends on complexity. Webflow has predictable subscription costs and low ops. WordPress licenses are low, but ops/dev time can exceed subscription fees for complex sites.

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Recommendation Patterns

• Brand/marketing site, frequent edits by non-devs, low ops appetite → Webflow.
• Complex content modeling, custom workflows, strict compliance, deep integrations → WordPress.
• Hybrid: marketing site in Webflow; app/docs/help center in WordPress or custom stack, connected via SSO and shared components.

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What We Do at Managed Code

We design and build on both platforms. We start with your goals, content model, governance, and constraints, then recommend the platform that fits. If needed, we also support hybrid setups and migrations.