Webflow is fast to start and painful to scale. Next.js is the opposite. Here's when each makes sense — and why we default to Next.js for almost everything.
The honest case for Webflow
Webflow is genuinely good for a specific use case: a marketing team that needs to own and update a site without engineering help, where the design is relatively stable, and performance doesn't need to be exceptional.
Where Webflow breaks down
Performance. Webflow generates reasonably clean HTML but the runtime is Webflow's — you don't control it. Getting a Webflow site to 90+ Lighthouse scores for real mobile users is a fight you will lose.
For SaaS marketing sites where you're paying for ad traffic and conversion rates matter, performance is a competitive advantage. A site that loads in 1.2 seconds converts at a meaningfully different rate than one that loads in 3.1 seconds.
Custom functionality. Webflow can embed code, but it's a workaround, not a first-class experience. Anything that requires real interactivity requires hacks that make the site harder to maintain.
Versioning and collaboration. Webflow doesn't have proper version control. There's no branching, no meaningful staging/production parity, no way to code review changes before they go live.
Portability. You don't own the code. If Webflow raises prices, shuts down, or you need to migrate, you're re-building.
The case for Next.js
Performance you can actually optimise. Next.js Image handles srcset, lazy loading, and format optimisation automatically. Static and hybrid rendering means pages are served pre-rendered from the edge — often under 100ms TTFB.
Personalisation and dynamic content. Want to A/B test section variants server-side? Want to show a different CTA to returning visitors? Standard Next.js patterns. In Webflow, they require expensive third-party tools.
Integration with everything. Your CRM, analytics stack, email tool, support chat, custom database queries — all native.
Longevity. You own the code. You can hire any React developer to work on it.
What we recommend
Choose Webflow if: you're a tiny team that needs to ship something fast with no developer budget, and a non-technical editor will be making frequent updates.
Choose Next.js if: performance matters, you need custom integrations, or you're building something you expect to maintain for 2+ years.
For Zwebist engagements, we build in Next.js by default. Every client we've migrated from Webflow to Next.js has seen meaningful performance improvements and none have gone back.
