Bubble vs Webflow: Design Freedom and Customisation

If you’re focused on having control over your app or website’s design, Webflow will be a better option. It’s a favorite among proficient designers because of the design freedom and flexibility it offers. 

That’s not to say that Bubble doesn’t offer much customization, it’s just better known for its backend functionality, which makes it great for creating solid, scalable apps. 

You might also find it difficult to achieve a high level of design with Bubble if you’re a beginner, because of its learning curve which we’ll discuss a bit later on. Bubble experts have no problem at all creating gorgeous, on-brand designs, but Webflow is definitely more recommended for no-code beginners. Here are some examples of Bubble apps you can browse through. 

When we build with Bubble, we always like to design on Figma first with our team of brilliant Figma designers.

Bubble vs Webflow: Learning Curve

In our opinion, both Bubble and Webflow are overall quite intuitive. Additionally, there are lots of tutorials, blog posts, and courses available to help you navigate both platforms. Webflow, especially, has the Webflow University which is a bible brimming with resources. 

In all honesty, though, it will most likely be more difficult to understand how Bubble works will all the added complexity of workflows, database systems, and user management. That’s why we often build projects for those who don't have the time or the patience to go through the learning curve. If you feel overwhelmed, feel free to book a call with us!

 Though Webflow does require a basic knowledge of HTML and CSS, it offers a learn-as-you-go approach which will allow you to get going fast. You should be able to use it without any prior experience in coding and development. 

Bubble vs Webflow Community, Resources, and Support

When it comes to no-code platforms, community, and support can be really important. Webflow wins this round hands down, with a full-fledged online Webflow University: videos, tutorials, eBooks, and pdfs presented with a wonderfully intuitive approach. Because they’ve made learning how to use the platform so user-friendly, getting to know Webflow is actually pretty effortless.

The Bubble Academy is quite good too, though it’s not as much of a concept compared to Webflow’s. It walks you through exactly how to use the platform and gives you a solid overview. 

 On the support side, both platforms have reactive and helpful customer service. You can submit a ticket on Bubble even if you’re not a paid user, and support options will grow as you go up into the pricier plans. Webflow’s support options are slightly less straightforward, but you can still email their team with any query. 

 Both Bubble and Webflow have a strong community of users to guide and support you with your projects. Bubble’s user-based community has thousands of active members who help each other fix issues and solve problems. 

Bubble vs Webflow Integrations and Plugins

Depending on how complex your needs are, you may or may not be in the market for a tool with extensive integration options. Both platforms are excellent at offering widespread APIs and integrations. Bubble for example has a huge database of conditional situations connecting to APIs for you to significantly maximise your project’s potential. Webflow has slightly less, with most integrations flowing to Facebook and Twitter, and other eCommerce plugins.

It’s important to bear in mind that you’ll have to go for the more expensive monthly plans if you want to use plugins and integrations. Interested in checking out the integrations that fit into your workflow? Here is a quick comparison of both platforms’ APIs.

Bubble vs Webflow CMS (Content Management System)

A lot of Webflow’s users were initially attracted by the impressively complete CMS (Content Management System) that the platform offers. It will allow you to effortlessly create, publish and manage blogs and other types of content. 

However, you’ll only be able to use Webflow’s CMS if you purchase one of the higher plans, at $23 per month (around £19). 

Bubble’s CMS abilities, on the other hand, are less efficient. There’s the option to use what are called “headless CMSs” that you can connect to Bubble via APIs – Ghost, Contentful, Strapi, Preppr, and more. 

The thing is, none of these are fully compatible with the way Bubble displays data, which makes using them somewhat tricky. You’ll need to move things about and make a few changes before your content is fully optimized for search engines. You may also need to add some HTML elements with custom CSS in order to display rich text at times. Yeah, not very beginner-friendly, and is a bit of a hassle. 

 Still, with Bubble’s headless options, you could be able to access a more complete level of CRM compared to Webflow’s native system, because of how customizable things will be. If you’re after simplicity more than complexity, Webflow will be just right though. You’ll be able to easily manage your content by inviting teammates and clients to upload content with a well-defined user hierarchy. 

Bubble vs Webflow for SEO

When it comes to SEO, Webflow is king. Not only does the platform automatically format content to be easily scannable by search engines, but it also offers plenty of in-depth SEO features. SEO geeks brace yourself – these are some of Webflow’s SEO functions:

• Adding and editing schema markup

• Meta titles and meta descriptions

• Indexing and sitemap controls

• Robust 301 redirects management

• Simple image alt tag editing

• Semantic code

• Fast and secure hosting

It is slightly harder to navigate SEO with Bubble, but still completely possible. For example, it’s not as straightforward as with Webflow to nail your site’s metadata when it comes to dynamic content and pages. You’ll need to upload custom javascript or store your content’s metadata in Bubble’s database to set the metadata for your pages.