What Is Webflow? Pricing, Features and How to Choose an Agency [2026]

Hello, this is Kurita, Representative Director of Webharu Inc..

Webflow is a no-code web production tool that takes you all the way from design to publishing a site, without writing code. This article focuses on the question “what is Webflow?” and covers what it can do, what it is like to use, how it differs from STUDIO and from building with AI, what it costs per year, how long it takes to learn, and what it costs to outsource — written by me, now in my sixth year specializing in Webflow, from the standpoint of someone who has actually used it.

Webflow is free to use up to a point. If you just want to try it out, head to the official site → official site

Key takeaways

Webflow is a no-code web production tool that takes you from design to publishing without writing code. It covers everything from responsive design and CMS to code export
In use, it has drawbacks: it’s heavy, occasionally glitches and sometimes fails to save. But you can edit exactly what you see and the site doesn’t break when left alone, which makes it suited to serious long-term operation
STUDIO is light, cheap, Japanese-made and easy to use. Webflow is feature-rich and powerful; it costs more but can do more, and as one of the largest operations in the US it carries a low risk of the service ending
Site plans cost $15–25/month on annual billing ($180–300 a year, revised May 2026). You can learn it in 1–2 months if you commit
Outsourcing usually costs around ¥500,000–¥1,500,000. Webharu’s full-scratch Webflow builds start at ¥1,000,000. Since July 2026 building with AI (vibe coding) is also an option, and we’ll diagnose which suits you for free

Webflow — what it means: Webflow is a no-code web production tool for building websites without writing code. It takes you from design through to publishing the site, and it also supports exporting the code as HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Contents

What is Webflow? Its main features and functions

What is Webflow?

Webflow is a no-code web production tool that lets you build websites without writing code. It has a wide range of features for creative design and efficient development, and its defining trait is an easy-to-use interface that is simple to operate. Without any knowledge of HTML or CSS, you can go from design all the way to publishing the site, and because managing and updating it is easy, it saves a great deal of time.

Webflow’s main features and functions

Webflow has the full set of functions a website build needs, from design through to development. Here are the features I use most, with my own take after six years of using it.

Feature	What it does	My take
Simple UI	Build intuitively with the mouse, even without technical knowledge. You can build at 10 times the speed of traditional web production	Start with Webflow University (Japanese walkthrough)
Responsive design	Automatically creates the layout for each device, such as PC and smartphone	This frees up a lot of time
100% custom design	No restrictions. Missing features can be covered with Webflow APPs or custom code	PHP is the only thing you can’t use
Build from wireframes	You can take a prototype and build it out directly	Cuts down the “finish design → code it” step
External API integrations	Auto-reply emails, automatic Instagram feeds, analytics and more	Auto-replies can now be handled by Webflow alone
Animations	Created with just clicks	You can even build Apple-style sites. A feature Webflow itself pushes
Code export	Export HTML/CSS/JS as a Zip	Quality said to be “better than hand-written.” Also a hedge against the worst case
Managing large sites	Up to 10,000 pages with the CMS. URL hierarchies and varying designs are easy	Helps cut staffing and outsourcing costs
Free templates	Copyright-free templates are available on “Made in Webflow”	Some are amateur work, so if it’s a hassle, outsourcing is an option

With features like these, Webflow can be seen as a handy tool that makes web production much faster. It also has a large user base around the world, and both its business performance and its support are stable.

How Webflow feels to use | My honest take after 6 years

To be honest, there are some points about usability that bother me. The editor is heavy, so opening it every time is a chore; it sometimes glitches while I’m writing text; and there are times when my work hasn’t been saved. These are minor drawbacks.

Even so, you can edit the design exactly as you see it, and the site doesn’t break even if you leave it alone for a long time. Because of these two things, I recommend it as a tool for running a website seriously over the long term.

But why is Webflow loved around the world? You could argue that the features listed above are also covered by other no-code tools and by WordPress. So in the next section I’ll go over why to choose Webflow, with its pros and cons.

Webflow’s pros and cons

I have migrated many websites to Webflow. Clients all say the same thing: “Webflow can do things other no-code tools can’t.” So what exactly is different? Here are Webflow’s pros and cons compared with well-known tools such as WordPress, WIX and STUDIO. An article that digs into the WordPress comparison alone is Why I no longer recommend building a new site with WordPress.

Webflow’s pros | Where it beats other tools

Compared with other no-code tools, Webflow offers overwhelmingly more freedom. Because it is built on HTML, CSS and JS code, it can handle almost anything you want to do, and even features it doesn’t support natively can be implemented with hand-written code. Its CMS customization is strong, so you can create an original content management system for each owned media site. Unlike WordPress, you don’t need regular maintenance because of plugin conflicts, you don’t waste time on management because of system-side issues, and you don’t have to worry about security.

Webflow can also export its code as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. This is a strength other no-code tools don’t have. Thanks to code export, you can switch to a tool other than Webflow in the future, which also works as a hedge against risk. These can be called Webflow’s biggest advantages.

Webflow’s cons | Where it falls short of other tools

The Japanese-made STUDIO is cheaper and comes with explanations in Japanese. In that respect, Webflow can be said to be losing in the Japanese market (I cover the differences in detail in Webflow vs STUDIO comparison). Webflow is also said to have one of the steepest learning curves among no-code tools. It is true that you can build sites like Apple’s, but that makes it harder and requires Webflow-specific knowledge. You have to use the servers Webflow provides, so there is no freedom there.

On top of that, with no Japanese-language support, very few people in Japan can use Webflow. But I turned this drawback to my advantage and decided to commit to Webflow.

Why I, a Webflow specialist, use Webflow

2024 was my fourth year specializing in Webflow (added in 2026: I am now in my sixth year). I have tried other tools at times, but in the end I concluded, “Webflow is better.” Here are the reasons for choosing Webflow that I know precisely because I actually use it.

Your design isn’t limited by the tool

One reason I chose Webflow is the high level of Webflow’s templates. When I started using it, there was already a site imitating Apple’s website built with Webflow.

That was a site at a level other no-code tools couldn’t express, and when I saw it I thought, “If I can master Webflow, I can produce results on par with web coders who write code, in the shortest possible time.”

Webflow is also quick to respond to the times, continually releasing updates that make its features more and more powerful. Recently it has released a feature for copy-pasting designs from Figma and a localization feature for multilingual sites. Given this strong support, I’m confident Webflow is still on solid ground.

In fact, the biggest reason I decided to commit to Webflow was that I had no rivals in Japan. At the time there was also news of the company raising around ¥20 billion, and seeing how serious the company was, I decided to commit. I write about this in more detail on my profile page.

From here, I’ll answer the questions I’m often asked in consultations: “How is it different from STUDIO?” and “How is it different from building with AI?”

Webflow vs STUDIO | Which to choose against the Japanese-made no-code tool

The first thing to consider with no-code is not the tool’s features but “what happens if the service disappears.” If the service ends because the operating company goes under or is merged, you either abandon the whole site and rebuild it, or move to another tool and relearn its UI and controls (I wrote up real examples in 3 drawbacks of no-code websites).

Webflow has survived as one of the top-scale no-code tools in the United States, and its funding is on a different level from Japan’s STUDIO. For avoiding this risk, I consider it the most solid choice at the moment.

Aspect	STUDIO	Webflow
Pricing	Cheap and priced in yen (from the equivalent of ¥590/month on annual billing)	Priced in USD. Annual billing: Basic $15 / Premium $25 per month
Feel	Light, easy, Japanese-made with a Japanese UI	Feature-rich and powerful. English UI, 1–2 months to learn
What it can do	Enough for small to mid-sized sites	Everything up to CMS, localization, animation and code export
Speed of new features	—	Fast rollout of new features such as AI
Risk of the service ending	Domestic startup scale	One of the largest no-code tools in the US, with large funding
Code export	Not available	Available (paid plans). You can take your assets elsewhere

In short, STUDIO is light, cheap, Japanese-made and easy to use. Webflow is feature-rich and powerful; it costs more but can do more, and it is fast and stable. I explain how to choose in more detail in Webflow vs STUDIO comparison | Which should you choose?.

Webflow vs AI | How it differs from building with vibe coding

Since July 2026, there has been a new choice: build with Webflow, or build by having AI write the code (vibe coding). We use AI fully in our production work, and for clients who aren’t particularly attached to building in Webflow and want to grow their site with the approach of a newer era, we sometimes propose this option.

Aspect	Build with Webflow	Build with AI (full scratch)
Best for	Teams that want to update in-house with what-you-see editing	Those not attached to Webflow who want to grow with everything included
How it’s built	Assemble the design in Webflow’s editor	Have AI write the code (the code itself is the asset)
Running costs after launch	Site plan $15–25/month	Almost zero (my own company site costs ¥1,500 a year)
How to update	Edit exactly as you see it in Webflow’s editor	CMS plus an AI update guide. Update by instructing AI
Extensions	Webflow Apps and custom code	Add localization and LPs freely. Extend to full stack for membership, booking and payments

I wrote about what building with AI makes possible in What is a full-scratch site? 7 things an AI build makes possible. The whole build process is covered in our course on building with Claude Code, the Fable-style Site Building Guide. Which suits you depends on your business and your team. If you’re unsure, we’ll ask about your business and how you handle updates, and give you a diagnosis.

Webflow pricing | How much it costs per year

The bottom line: the base cost is a site plan at $15–25/month on annual billing, or $180–300 a year (revised in May 2026, priced in USD). On top of that come add-ons such as localization, plus production costs if you outsource.

Guide to Webflow pricing. Under the May 2026 revision, site plans are Basic at $15/month and Premium at $25/month on annual billing, or $180–300 a year. The author’s actual cost including add-ons was $576 a year. — Webflow pricing (May 2026 revision) and the author’s actual cost

In the May 2026 revision, the plans were reorganized into three: Starter (free, for trying it out), Basic ($15/month on annual billing, no CMS, 300 static pages) and Premium ($25/month on annual billing, with CMS). For sites that publish updates such as a blog, Premium is effectively the only choice. Monthly billing is Basic $25 / Premium $39, a big difference, so if you plan to keep going, annual billing is the default. The actual cost for my own company site, including localization and a workspace, was $576 a year (about ¥83,000).

> Webflow pricing plans explained (the new structure from May 2026)
> Webflow’s total cost | Actual figures for the new pricing, production and running costs

How to use Webflow and how long it takes to learn

The basic screen of the Webflow Designer — Webflow’s editor screen

Webflow builds sites on the basis of HTML and CSS. So people already working as web designers, or anyone who knows HTML and CSS, will be able to master Webflow more smoothly. If you’re starting from zero, you can learn through “Webflow University,” Webflow’s free official course. I introduce detailed instructions for each topic in the article “A roundup of how to use Webflow.”

Where to start with how to use Webflow

I’ve split the how-to into separate articles by what you want to know.

Reading the screen and basic operations: Webflow for beginners | 4 basics that make you 10x faster
The order to learn in (Japanese articles and the official University): The fastest route to learning Webflow in Japanese
Building from a template: 10 free templates
Custom domains: How to set up a custom domain in Webflow
Blogs and CMS: The complete guide to Webflow CMS
SEO: The complete guide to SEO in Webflow
Localization: Webflow Localization / How to use Weglot
Moving from Figma: How to copy-paste designs from Figma to Webflow

Steps from creating a site in Webflow to publishing it

Here are the steps, assuming you’re building your own company’s website. Basically, proceed with the following 4 steps. Our own detailed production flow is described on the Webflow production service page.

The basic steps for using Webflow: create the design, create the project, configure the pages, publish the site — 4 steps. — The 4 steps from creating a site in Webflow to publishing it

Create the design ‍Make the web design frames in Figma or Adobe XD, and decide on colors and fonts at this stage too. If you make it in Figma, you can copy-paste the design into Webflow.
Create the project ‍Log in to Webflow, create a new project, and build the website in the design editor.
Configure the pages ‍Configure each page in detail, including the metadata and OGP needed for SEO and the auto-reply settings.
Publish the site ‍Publish from within Webflow. To use a custom domain you need a paid site plan (unless you’re a team or a freelancer, you don’t need a workspace plan).

> Webflow pricing plans explained
> How to set up a custom domain in Webflow

About SEO in Webflow

The basics of SEO in Webflow come down to five things: improving content quality, setting metadata, optimizing images, improving the quality of links and improving page load speed. Doing these lets search engine crawlers analyze your site correctly and gives you a shot at ranking high for the keywords users search for. I explain this in detail in The complete guide to SEO in Webflow.

Q&A | Is Webflow strong for SEO?

A | Webflow is said to be strong for SEO. But my opinion, as a specialist who has used it for more than 3 years, is that it’s “not much different from the others.” The reason is that SEO ultimately depends on the strength and quality of your content. Of course there is domain strength and various minor techniques, but I don’t think these swing much based on which no-code tool you use.

Every website is based on HTML and CSS, so without that knowledge you probably can’t win at SEO with any tool. Once, when I looked at a site built with the Japanese-made studio through an SEO tool, it showed zero H tags. That isn’t studio’s fault; it’s likely the creator lacked SEO knowledge. While sites have become easy to build, this kind of knowledge gap is growing, and that is probably a big reason no-code is thought to be weak at SEO.

In that respect, every element in Webflow is code-based, so mistakes and errors are less likely to happen. Most of the terms that appear in Webflow are HTML as-is. That is also what makes Webflow harder than other no-code tools, which is its sticking point.

It takes 1–2 months to learn

If you commit and set aside time to study, you can learn it in roughly one to two months. I’ve put the learning order in The fastest route to learning Webflow in Japanese, and topic-by-topic operations in A roundup of how to use Webflow.

We also plan to create a Webflow course. Our newsletter values conversations with readers, so after you sign up, please reply to the first email with your reason for subscribing, such as “I’d like to consider the Webflow course.” A single line is fine.

Build it yourself or hire a pro? | The cost of outsourcing

There are two broad ways to build a site in Webflow: build it yourself or hire a production company.

Comparison of building a Webflow site yourself versus hiring a production company. Building it yourself costs only the plan fee and can be published in a few days, but quality varies with experience. Hiring one costs from ¥1,000,000 and takes at least 2–3 months, and you can hand over everything from planning to operation. — Build it yourself or hire someone (differences in cost, timeline and finish)

If you build it yourself, the only cost is the Webflow plan fee. Once you grasp the basic operations covered in this article, a template-based site can be taken all the way to launch in a few days. On the other hand, how faithfully the design is reproduced and the build quality — CMS design, SEO settings, localization and so on — are areas where differences in experience tend to show.

If you hire a production company, you can leave everything to them, from design and build to planning post-launch operations. Webflow is a tool where results change significantly — in display speed, SEO and ease of operation — when it is built by a creator who understands code. When choosing who to hire, use “Do they specialize in Webflow?” and “Will they plan operations after the build?” as your criteria and you won’t go wrong (I’ve summarized how to read quotes from an industry insider’s perspective in How to choose a Webflow production company).

The cost of outsourcing to a production company depends on scale, but many projects fall roughly between ¥500,000 and ¥1,500,000. Webharu Inc., which runs this site, is a Webflow-specialist production company, and what we build are sites that “get found in search and can be updated in-house after launch.” A full-scratch Webflow build starts at ¥1,000,000 (excl. tax, as of 2026), with a production period of at least 2–3 months. The cost of building with AI depends on the content, so we quote it after hearing your requirements. For details on what’s included and pricing, see our Webflow production service. We also offer individual advice for those who want to “try building it themselves first.”

Examples of Webflow sites built by Webharu

Webflow is used by a great many companies. Here are some of the companies whose Webflow builds and migrations we (Webharu) handled. Details for each are on our work pages.

JTB Americas - A full renewal of the corporate site for the North American base of the JTB Group, one of the world’s largest travel companies
MLJ Co., Ltd. (Musco Lighting Japan) - Migrated more than 100 articles from WordPress to Webflow
Web3.0 event hosted by Nippon TV - Converted a Figma design into Webflow with high precision to build an LP
Snug Inc. - Handled planning, Figma design and the Webflow build in one stop
Spider AF - Design improvements, SEO optimization and responsive support for an existing Webflow site
GeoDreams Inc. - Built the brand site for a geothermal power startup
Ibuki Clinic (medical corporation) - Redesigned in Figma and renewed in Webflow
Genpin (fugu restaurant chain) recruitment site - Built a long-term recruiting system using a LINE official account
NIPPONIA HOTEL Hakodate Port Town - Built the cuisine page
UPBOND - A full renewal of a Web3.0 company’s corporate site

Our other projects are collected in Work. For adoption examples from major companies in Japan and abroad, see A roundup of Webflow case studies.

To tell whether a site is built with Webflow, use a Chrome extension called Webflow Checker. If you look at Discord’s site with this extension, you can see it’s built with Webflow.

As this shows, the move to adopt Webflow is quite active around the world. Behind it, I think, is the combination of being easy to use and powerful even as no-code, ample financial strength and enthusiastic users, which together draw great momentum. As of 2024 the power of AI was also expanding considerably, but it does not yet negate Webflow’s existence, and I believe Webflow will continue to perform steadily in terms of future web management and operations. (Added in 2026: even now in 2026, with AI-driven production widespread, Webflow is alive and well as a no-code tool, and we continue to do Webflow production.)

Webflow lets you use almost every feature needed to build a site for free. I recommend trying it first and paying as needed. I myself ran my site for free for the first 3 months. If you run into any trouble, the Webflow community is there, and we also accept production requests, so feel free to get in touch.

Selected work

FAQ

Can I use Webflow for free?

Yes, up to a point. If you just want to try it, start with the free plan and consider a paid plan when you publish.

Is there anything Webflow can’t do?

You can’t use PHP. However, many of the features you need are provided through Webflow Apps, and a wide range can also be handled by implementing custom code.

Can I export the code of a site I built?

Yes, you can export the HTML, CSS and JavaScript as a Zip file. This lets you switch tools or manage the site yourself, and in the worst case your company still owns the code.

How much does it cost to have a site built in Webflow?

At Webharu, a Webflow site build (full scratch, no templates) starts at ¥1,000,000 (excl. tax), with a production period of at least 2–3 months (as of 2026). We don’t change the price after work begins. We give a rough estimate on the spot in a free 30-minute consultation.

How long does it take to learn Webflow?

Roughly 1–2 months if you commit and set aside time to study. You can start without any knowledge of HTML or CSS, and I recommend starting with Webflow’s official “Webflow University” (this blog has a Japanese walkthrough of it).

How much does Webflow cost per year?

Under the May 2026 revision, site plans on annual billing are Basic $15/month and Premium $25/month, so about $180–300 a year (priced in USD). Adding add-ons such as localization increases this; my actual cost including add-ons was $576 a year (about ¥83,000).