AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Last month, a SaaS client came to me excited about building their marketing site on Framer. They'd seen all the beautiful designs on Twitter, watched the slick demos, and were convinced it was the perfect platform for their needs. "It looks so much better than Webflow," they said. "And everyone says it's the future of web design."
Here's what they didn't realize: their site needed dynamic content. Customer testimonials pulled from their CRM, case studies that updated automatically, pricing tables that synced with their billing system. They wanted that startup aesthetic that Framer is famous for, but they also needed functionality that actually scales with their business.
After 7 years building websites as a freelancer, I've had this conversation dozens of times. Founders get caught up in the visual appeal of Framer without understanding its fundamental limitations. Yes, Framer is gorgeous. Yes, it's intuitive. But does it support dynamic content out of the box? The short answer is no - and that's a problem most people discover too late.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why Framer's "dynamic content" isn't what most businesses actually need
The real costs of choosing design over functionality
My framework for deciding between Framer vs Webflow
When Framer makes sense (and when it absolutely doesn't)
How I help clients avoid expensive platform migrations
Industry Reality
What the design community won't tell you about Framer
If you've spent any time in design Twitter or watched Framer tutorials on YouTube, you've heard the same talking points repeated endlessly. "Framer is the future of web design." "It's so much more intuitive than Webflow." "You can build anything with components and variants."
The Framer community loves to showcase these stunning portfolio sites and landing pages. The animations are smooth, the interactions are buttery, and everything looks like it came straight out of a design agency's wet dream. And they're right - Framer excels at creating beautiful, interactive experiences.
Here's what they typically emphasize:
Design-first approach: Start with beautiful components, worry about functionality later
Smooth animations: Built-in micro-interactions that make every site feel premium
Component library: Reusable elements that maintain consistency
No-code friendly: Designers can build without developers
Modern workflow: Figma-like interface that designers already know
What they don't tell you is that Framer was built for designers, not businesses. The platform prioritizes visual appeal over practical functionality. When someone asks "does Framer support dynamic content," the community usually responds with workarounds involving external APIs or third-party integrations.
But here's the thing - if you need workarounds for basic business functionality, you're probably on the wrong platform. Most businesses don't just need pretty websites; they need websites that connect to their existing systems, update automatically, and scale with their operations. That's where the "Framer is perfect for everything" narrative starts to fall apart.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The wake-up call came when I was working with a B2B SaaS client who needed a complete website redesign. They'd been using a basic WordPress site that looked like it was built in 2015. The CEO had seen some gorgeous Framer sites at a startup conference and was convinced that's what they needed.
"We want something that looks like we belong in the big leagues," he told me. "Our current site makes us look amateur compared to our competitors."
I totally understood the appeal. Their current site was embarrassing. Static testimonials that were clearly fake, a "Our Team" page with stock photos, and copy that screamed "we built this ourselves in 2019 and never touched it again." Meanwhile, their competitors had these slick, animated sites that made them look like they'd raised Series B when they were probably bootstrapped.
So we started exploring Framer. The design phase was incredible - we created this beautiful, modern site with smooth animations and micro-interactions. The CEO was thrilled during the design review. "This is exactly what we need," he said. "We finally look like a real company."
Then we hit reality. They needed:
Customer logos that updated automatically from their CRM
Case studies pulled from their customer success platform
Pricing tables that synced with their billing system
A resource library with gated content
Blog posts that their marketing team could publish without developer help
Framer could handle some basic content management, but nothing close to what they actually needed. We could manually upload customer logos and update case studies by hand, but that defeated the entire purpose. They wanted a site that worked with their business, not another thing their team had to maintain manually.
The project turned into a three-month headache instead of the six-week timeline we'd planned. We ended up building custom integrations and workarounds that cost more than just using a platform designed for business websites from the start.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After that expensive learning experience, I developed a framework I now use with every client who mentions Framer. Instead of getting caught up in the visual appeal, we start with a simple question: What does your website actually need to do?
Here's my systematic approach:
Step 1: Content Audit
I start by mapping out every piece of content that needs to live on the site. Not just the obvious stuff like pages and blog posts, but the business-critical elements:
Customer testimonials and case studies
Team member profiles and bios
Product features and pricing information
Resource libraries and downloadable content
Integration partners and marketplace listings
Step 2: Update Frequency Analysis
Then I ask: How often does this content change, and who's responsible for updating it? If customer logos need to be updated monthly and the marketing manager doesn't know how to code, that's a red flag for Framer.
Step 3: Integration Requirements
This is where most Framer projects die. I map out every system the website needs to connect to:
CRM for customer data
Marketing automation platforms
Analytics and tracking tools
E-commerce or billing systems
Support and documentation platforms
Step 4: Team Capability Assessment
Who's going to maintain this site day-to-day? If it's a marketing person who's comfortable with drag-and-drop editors but panics at the sight of code, Framer might not be the answer.
My Platform Decision Matrix:
Choose Framer when:
You're building a portfolio or agency site
Content is mostly static and rarely changes
Visual design is your primary competitive advantage
You have developer resources for custom integrations
The site is under 10-15 pages
Choose Webflow when:
You need robust CMS functionality
Content updates happen frequently
Multiple team members need content editing access
You're building beyond 20+ pages
SEO and discoverability are priorities
After implementing this framework, I stopped having those expensive platform migration conversations. Clients understand the tradeoffs upfront, and we choose tools based on business requirements rather than visual appeal.
Reality Check
Framer's "dynamic content" is mostly marketing speak
Team Impact
Who's actually going to maintain this beautiful site?
Integration Hell
The hidden costs of choosing design over functionality
Decision Matrix
My systematic approach to platform selection
The results of implementing this framework have been dramatic. Instead of beautiful websites that become maintenance nightmares, my clients get platforms that actually work with their business processes.
For the SaaS client who originally wanted Framer: We ended up using Webflow, and their marketing team can now update customer logos, case studies, and pricing information without calling me. Their site loads faster, ranks better in search, and integrates seamlessly with their CRM and marketing automation tools.
Time saved on maintenance: What used to be 5-10 hours per month of developer time became zero. The marketing manager handles all content updates during her regular workflow.
SEO improvement: The Webflow site ranks on page one for 12 of their target keywords, compared to zero with their old WordPress site. More importantly, they can easily create new landing pages for campaigns without developer involvement.
The unexpected outcome: Six months later, the CEO told me, "I'm glad we didn't go with Framer. This site actually helps us sell instead of just looking pretty."
That's the real difference. Framer creates beautiful websites. Webflow creates business assets that happen to look beautiful. For most companies, that distinction matters more than smooth animations or Figma-like editing.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Here are the key lessons I've learned from helping dozens of clients choose between design-first and functionality-first platforms:
Visual appeal fades, but functionality compounds: A beautiful site that's hard to maintain becomes ugly fast. Choose platforms based on long-term usability, not initial wow factor.
"Dynamic content" means different things to different platforms: Framer's version is limited compared to what most businesses actually need. Always test with real content requirements, not demo data.
Design flexibility vs. content flexibility is a real tradeoff: Framer gives you more design control but less content management power. Webflow strikes a better balance for most business needs.
Team capabilities matter more than platform capabilities: The best platform is the one your team can actually use effectively. Factor in learning curves and ongoing maintenance requirements.
Integration complexity is often underestimated: What seems like a simple API connection can become a maintenance nightmare. Plan for the ecosystem, not just the platform.
Migration costs are always higher than expected: If you choose the wrong platform initially, switching later involves content migration, design recreation, and training. Get it right the first time.
SEO and CMS functionality go hand in hand: Platforms that make content management difficult also make SEO optimization difficult. Choose tools that support both.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies evaluating Framer:
Audit your content management needs before choosing a platform
Test CRM and marketing automation integrations early
Consider who will maintain the site long-term
Prioritize website functionality over visual flair
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores considering Framer:
Stick with dedicated ecommerce platforms like Shopify
Framer lacks robust product management and inventory features
Focus on conversion optimization over design aesthetics
Choose platforms that integrate with your business tools