Webflow or custom code: the grid I use with my clients

I build with Webflow and with custom code. For a new site, I now recommend custom code first. Here is the grid I fill in before I recommend a tool.

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Author
Térence Mbu
Published
Reading time
5 min
Format
Guide
Contents

✅ means the tool fits. ⚠️ means it is possible, with a constraint.

What your site needs to do

  • It presents your business, your offers and your blog.

    Webflow
    ✅
    Custom code
    ✅ Astro
    Why
    Both fit.

  • It handles client accounts, bookings, or connects to your tools.

    Webflow
    ⚠️ Separate services, often paid
    Custom code
    ✅ Next.js
    Why
    These features need server-side code, and a Webflow site does not run any.

  • It may become an application one day.

    Webflow
    ⚠️ You will have to start again on another base
    Custom code
    ✅ Next.js
    Why
    Pages and logic live in the same project: you add features without rebuilding everything.

Who keeps it running

  • Your team edits its own content.

    Webflow
    ✅
    Custom code
    ✅ Sanity
    Why
    With Sanity, each type of content has its own fields and rules, built around your business. Your team edits while seeing the page, and cannot break the design.

  • You publish in several languages.

    Webflow
    $9 to $29 per month, per language
    Custom code
    $0, unlimited languages
    Why
    On Webflow, each language is added to the subscription.

  • Several people edit the site.

    Webflow
    $15 to $39 per month, per seat
    Custom code
    $0 up to 20 users, then $15 per user
    Why
    Sanity's free plan also covers up to 10,000 documents (pages, articles, images).

Speed

  • How fast it loads on mobile.

    Webflow
    Depends on the page
    Custom code
    ✅ Astro · ✅ Next.js
    Why
    Both prepare pages before anyone asks for them. Astro sends the least JavaScript, which is why I pick it for a marketing site. Google takes speed into account in its rankings.

What it costs every month

  • The site.

    Webflow
    $25 per month on Premium, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly). Basic from $15.
    Custom code · Astro + Cloudflare
    $0
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    $20 per month (Vercel Pro)
    Why
    Vercel's free plan is for non-commercial use only. Your team, who edits in Sanity, does not need a Vercel seat.

  • Traffic.

    Webflow
    10 GB per month on Basic, 50 GB on Premium. Above that two months in a row, the plan goes up on its own.
    Custom code · Astro + Cloudflare
    Free, with no limit.
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    1 TB per month included. A whole month above that: $20 more from the following month.
    Why
    An article that takes off can push the Webflow bill up. Vercel includes twenty times Premium's traffic.

  • Client accounts or bookings.

    Webflow
    ⚠️ A separate service: Memberstack, from $25 to $399 per month, plus a fee on transactions.
    Custom code · Astro + Cloudflare
    Move to Next.js: a static site does not run server-side code.
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    ✅ $0 extra: the feature is part of the site.
    Why
    Webflow retired its member accounts on 2026-01-29 and points to services such as Memberstack.

  • Maintenance.

    Webflow
    Included in the subscription.
    Custom code · Astro + Cloudflare
    To plan for: updates and security. I take care of it.
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    To plan for: updates and security. I take care of it.
    Why
    A custom code site relies on libraries that publish security fixes.

  • Example: a site in two languages, edited by two people.

    Webflow
    $64 per month: Premium $25, one extra language $9, two seats at $15.
    Custom code · Astro + Cloudflare
    $0 per month, Sanity free up to 20 users.
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    $20 per month, Sanity free up to 20 users.
    Why
    The smallest prices, billed yearly. The calculation with your own site's answers is in the tool further down.

  • Example: the same site, with client accounts.

    Webflow
    $89 per month: the same total, plus Memberstack $25 (and its fee).
    Custom code · Next.js + Vercel
    $20 per month: nothing changes.
    Why
    On Webflow, client accounts are one more service to pay for; in custom code, they are part of the site.

Your site is already on Webflow

  • It works, your team is comfortable with it, and nothing it needs to do goes beyond Webflow.

    Webflow
    Keep it
    Why
    A migration without a reason costs more than it brings.

  • It holds you back: a feature it cannot do on its own, languages or seats you pay for every month, a bill that keeps climbing.

    Custom code
    Migrate it
    Why
    The migration is worth it. The step-by-step guide is below.

Public prices checked on 2026-10-20: webflow.com/pricing (May 2026 prices, billed yearly) and sanity.io/pricing (free plan).

To run these numbers for your own site, I built a free tool: How much does your Webflow site cost you every month?

Sites managed by an agency

On Webflow's plans for agencies and freelancers, client seats are included as long as the site stays in the provider's account. The "languages" and "seats" rows above apply to a site in your own account.

How a migration works

It takes preparation: a list of every address on the site, the redirects, the content, and measurements before and after to keep your search rankings. The step-by-step guide is here: Migrating a site from Webflow to Astro without losing your rankings (in French for now).

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-20, unless stated otherwise.

Got a Webflow site to migrate?

30 minutes to look at your site together and see if migrating is worth it. Free, with no commitment.

See how a migration works