Ship sites with style
Framer is a visual website builder that combines design-first workflow with powerful animations and interactions. Originally a prototyping tool, it evolved into a full web builder with CMS capabilities, real-time collaboration, and Figma-to-site conversion.
Patterns extracted from real user feedback — not raw reviews.
Framer has raised prices significantly since 2024. Users report price hikes of 50-100% without corresponding value improvements. The 2024-2025 pricing changes caught many off guard, forcing difficult decisions about staying or migrating. Annual subscribers felt locked into higher renewal rates.
Each additional editor/collaborator costs $20-30/month extra. Teams quickly find collaboration expensive - a 5-person team pays $100-150/month just for seats. Unlike tools with unlimited collaborators, Framer's per-seat model penalizes growing teams.
Framer CMS limits: 10,000 items per collection (reduced in 2024 from unlimited), 10 collections max, limited field types. Users report hitting limits on content-heavy sites and directories. No native way to import large datasets. These restrictions push users to Webflow or WordPress.
Framer has changed CMS limits, pricing tiers, and feature availability without grandfathering existing users. Some report losing access to features they were using. The platform's rapid evolution creates uncertainty about future changes.
Framer lacks native multilingual support. Users must duplicate pages manually for each language, creating maintenance nightmares. Third-party localization tools exist but add cost and complexity. Sites requiring 5+ languages become unmanageable.
Framer's CMS works for simple blogs but lacks advanced publishing features: no scheduling, limited author management, no revision history, basic SEO controls. Content-heavy sites and publications find it inadequate compared to WordPress or Ghost.
Native forms lack conditional logic, file uploads, multi-step flows, and advanced validation. Users need third-party form tools (Typeform, Tally) for anything beyond basic contact forms, adding cost and complexity.
While basic sites are easy, mastering Framer's component system, variables, and advanced interactions takes weeks. Users coming from Figma expect immediate proficiency but find the web-building paradigm different. The 'code' optional nature means hitting walls when customization is needed.
Framer markets as 'no-code' but complex customizations require React/JavaScript. Users wanting unique functionality beyond templates hit frustrating limits. Advanced interactions, custom forms, and integrations often need code overrides or aren't possible at all.
Framer has no built-in ecommerce - no shopping cart, checkout, or product management. Users must use third-party embeds (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy, Shopify Buy Button) which create fragmented experiences. Serious sellers need dedicated ecommerce platforms.
Framer has fewer native integrations than competitors. No native Zapier, limited CRM connections, basic analytics. Users rely on custom code or third-party workarounds for common integrations that Webflow or WordPress handle natively.
Users report intermittent domain connection problems, publishing failures, and SSL certificate delays. Some experienced sites going down after domain changes. DNS propagation issues have left businesses with broken websites for hours or days.
Support responses take days to weeks. Users report generic answers that don't address specific issues. No phone support, limited live chat hours. Critical site problems leave users without help. Community Discord is helpful but not official support.
The Framer editor slows down significantly on sites with many pages, complex animations, or large image assets. Users on lower-end machines experience freezing and lag. Browser memory consumption can exceed 4GB on complex projects.
Real-time collaboration on designs
Unlike Webflow's single-editor limitation, Framer allows true real-time collaboration where multiple team members can work on the same canvas simultaneously. This Figma-like experience makes it ideal for design teams iterating together.
Intuitive design-first interface
Framer's freeform canvas feels natural to designers, especially those coming from Figma. No rigid layout constraints - position elements freely and let Framer generate responsive layouts. The visual approach is genuinely easier for design-focused users.
Excellent site performance out of the box
Framer sites consistently score 90+ on Core Web Vitals without optimization. Automatic image compression, lazy loading, and efficient code generation. Faster than most Webflow and Wix sites without manual performance tuning.
Powerful animation and interaction system
Scroll-based animations, hover effects, and micro-interactions are easy to create without code. The animation panel is more intuitive than Webflow's. Complex effects that require JavaScript elsewhere are visual in Framer.
Figma-to-Framer workflow
The Figma plugin converts designs to editable Framer sites, preserving layers and structure. Designers can work in familiar tools and quickly publish. Not perfect (needs cleanup) but significantly speeds up design-to-web workflows.
Component marketplace and templates
Growing marketplace of free and premium templates, components, and animations. Quality is generally high. Templates are fully editable, not locked. Community shares many resources, making it easy to start professional sites quickly.
Users: 1 user
Storage: Limited
Limitations: 1000 visitors/month, 2 pages, 100 CMS items, Framer badge, No custom domain
Users: 1 user
Storage: Limited
Limitations: 10,000 visitors, Very limited pages, 1,000 CMS items only, 1 editor
Users: 1 user
Storage: Limited
Limitations: 1,000 CMS items, 1 editor included, 150 pages, Limited analytics
Users: 2 users
Storage: Limited
Limitations: 3,000 CMS items, 2 editors, 300 pages max, Need upgrade for more CMS
Users: Unlimited
Storage: Unlimited
Limitations: Annual contracts only, Pricing not transparent, Minimum spend requirements
Designers building landing pages
Framer excels for design-focused landing pages. The intuitive canvas, powerful animations, and real-time collaboration make it ideal for designers creating marketing sites, portfolios, and promotional pages. Ship beautiful sites fast.
Startup marketing teams
Fast iteration, real-time collaboration, and excellent performance make Framer great for startup sites that need to evolve quickly. Less technical debt than coded solutions. Perfect for teams prioritizing speed and design quality.
Figma-centric design teams
The Figma-to-Framer workflow significantly accelerates publishing. Teams already in Figma can leverage existing designs without rebuilding. Similar interface patterns reduce learning curve for designers.
Agencies building client sites
Framer works for design-focused agency projects but per-seat pricing hurts margins. CMS limits restrict content-heavy client sites. Good for portfolios and landing pages, problematic for complex projects. Evaluate project-by-project.
Large enterprise teams
Enterprise plan offers unlimited features but lacks enterprise-grade integrations, compliance certifications, and mature governance. Works for marketing microsites, not main company web presence. Evaluate specific requirements.
Solo freelancers on a budget
Free plan is too limited for real projects. Basic plan at $15/month is competitive but CMS limits and lack of ecommerce restrict project types. Good for portfolios and simple sites, evaluate against project needs.
Content-heavy publishers and blogs
CMS limits (10,000 items max), basic publishing features, no scheduling, limited author management make Framer unsuitable for serious content operations. Ghost or WordPress handle publishing far better.
Ecommerce businesses
No native ecommerce features - no cart, checkout, inventory, or product management. Third-party embeds create fragmented experiences. Shopify or WooCommerce are necessary for real selling.
Common buyer's remorse scenarios reported by users.
Users building directories, blogs, or content-heavy sites quickly hit the 1,000-3,000 item limits on standard plans. The 2024 limit reductions made this worse. Migrating content to WordPress or Webflow requires significant rebuild effort.
Users who signed up at lower prices faced 50-100% increases at renewal. Annual subscribers were caught off guard. The per-seat model compounded costs for teams. Some paid more for Framer than expected WordPress hosting.
Users who started with portfolios or marketing sites later wanted to sell products/services. Framer's lack of native ecommerce meant either fragmented third-party solutions or platform migration to Shopify/Squarespace.
Users attracted by 'no-code' promise discovered complex customizations require React/JavaScript. The learning curve for code overrides negated the simplicity benefit. Some would have chosen Webflow's learning curve instead.
The per-seat pricing model surprised teams. A 5-person team on Pro pays $150+/month. Agencies found margin pressure when clients needed access. Collaboration, marketed as a strength, became a significant expense.
Users built workflows around features that Framer later changed or limited. CMS limit reductions, pricing tier changes, and feature removals disrupted existing sites. Platform instability created uncertainty about future changes.
Site problems during important launches or business periods went unresolved for days. Slow email support and generic answers didn't help. Users lost revenue while waiting for basic technical assistance.
Scenarios where this product tends to fail users.
Sites approaching 1,000-3,000 CMS items must upgrade to expensive plans or Enterprise. Directories, blogs, and data-heavy sites hit ceilings quickly. No good workaround - must migrate or pay significantly more.
Growing businesses needing to sell products/services find no native solution. Third-party embeds create fragmented checkout experiences. Migration to Shopify or WooCommerce requires full rebuild.
Per-seat pricing ($15-20/editor/month) makes team collaboration expensive. A 10-person team pays $200+/month just for access. Budget constraints force difficult choices about who gets access.
Unique functionality needs code overrides or custom React components. Users without development skills hit walls. The 'no-code' promise breaks for non-trivial requirements.
No native localization means duplicating pages for each language. Sites with 5+ languages become maintenance nightmares. Translation updates require manual syncing across all language versions.
Growing content operations need scheduling, workflows, multiple authors with different permissions. Framer's basic CMS can't support professional publishing requirements.
DNS, SSL, or publishing problems take down sites during important launches or campaigns. Slow support can't resolve issues quickly. Business loses revenue and credibility.
Significant price hikes (50-100%) catch users at renewal. Annual commitments lock users into higher rates. Migration costs must be weighed against staying at higher prices.
Webflow
Users switch to Webflow for better CMS (10,000 items on Business plan), more mature ecommerce, code export capability, and established ecosystem. Trade-off: steeper learning curve, no real-time collaboration (non-Enterprise), single-editor limitation.
WordPress
Content-heavy sites switch for unlimited CMS, 60,000+ plugins, proper publishing workflows, and lower costs at scale. Trade-off: requires hosting/maintenance, less visual, steeper technical requirements, security management needed.
Wix
Users wanting simplicity switch to Wix for easier learning curve, built-in ecommerce, larger app marketplace, and lower pricing. Trade-off: less design control, slower sites, template lock-in, cluttered interface.
Squarespace
Users wanting polished templates switch for elegant designs, better blogging, built-in ecommerce, and all-in-one simplicity. Trade-off: less customization, no real-time collaboration, template-dependent design.
Ghost
Publishers switch for superior content management, native newsletter integration, membership/subscription features, and better SEO. Trade-off: content-only focus, requires hosting or Ghost(Pro), less design flexibility.
Carrd
Users wanting simple one-page sites switch for extreme simplicity and $19/year pricing. Trade-off: single-page only, very limited functionality, no CMS, basic for anything beyond landing pages.
