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 how I decide, point by point.
Contents
What your site needs to do
It presents your business, your offers and your blog.
BothWebflow and custom code both work.
It has client accounts, handles bookings or connects to your tools.
Custom code · Next.jsThese features need server-side code. A Webflow site doesn't run any: you need separate services, often paid. With Next.js, the pages and that code live in the same project.
It might become an application one day.
Custom codeYou add building blocks on the same base, without starting over.
Who keeps it running
Your team edits its own content.
BothWith Sanity, the CMS I set up, the tool is shaped around your business: each piece of content has its own fields and rules. Your team edits while seeing the page, without being able to break the design.
You publish in several languages.
Custom code winsWith Sanity, languages are unlimited at no extra cost. On Webflow, each language is billed every month.
Several people edit the site.
Custom code winsSanity is free up to 20 users and 10,000 documents (pages, articles, images), with 2 roles: administrator and viewer. Beyond that, $15 per user per month. On Webflow, in your own account, each extra seat is billed every month.
Speed
A marketing site.
Custom code · AstroAstro sends almost no JavaScript to the browser: the page loads faster on mobile.
A site with accounts, bookings or integrations.
Custom code · Next.jsThe logic and the pages live in the same project.
Speed is part of what Google rewards in its rankings (Google Search Central, Core Web Vitals).
What it costs every month
| Item | Webflow, site in your own account | Custom code: Next.js or Astro, with Sanity |
|---|---|---|
| The site | $25 per month (Premium plan, billed yearly) | Hosting: from $0 for a static marketing site to $20 per month for pro hosting |
| Each extra person | $15 to $39 per month | $0 up to 20 users and 10,000 documents, then $15 per user |
| Each extra language | $9 to $29 per month | $0 |
| Traffic | 50 GB per month included. Above that two months in a row, the plan upgrades automatically | Depends on the host |
| Maintenance | Included in the subscription | To plan for: updates and security. I take care of it |
Public prices checked on 20 October 2026: webflow.com/pricing (May 2026 prices, billed yearly) and sanity.io/pricing (free plan). On Webflow's freelancer and agency plans, client seats are included as long as the site stays in the provider's account.
Your site is already on Webflow: should you migrate?
It works, your team handles it, and nothing it needs to do goes beyond Webflow.
NoKeep it. A migration without a reason costs more than it brings.
A feature it can't do on its own, languages or seats that cost every month, a bill that grows with your team or your traffic.
YesIt is holding you back: the migration is worth it.
How a migration works.
It is prepared: a list of every URL on the site, the redirects, the content, and before and after measurements to keep your search rankings.
My rule
A new site, I build with custom code. A Webflow site, I migrate when it holds you back. Never on principle.
Sources
Checked on 20 october 2026.