Webflow vs Bubble: comparing the two no-code tools

As Webflow experts, we decided to test a tool that's been in the news a lot lately: Bubble.io. With extensive no-code skills and knowledge acquired via Webflow, the idea was to apply these skills to Bubble and see what we could get out of it.

An honest comparison of the two no-code tools will be made to help you choose the best option for you.

Here's what will be covered:

• Ease of use and interface
• Pricing plans
• Available applications and integrations
• Templates
• SEO capabilities
• AI capabilities
• Available resources
• Customer support

But first, let's briefly summarize the two services and make a quick comparison. Read on.

What is Webflow?

Webflow is a web design and development platform that enables users to create responsive websites, including e-commerce stores, without development skills. It provides a visual interface for designing and integrating custom code, and offers hosting and support services for e-commerce. It also features functionalities for interactive elements and animations.

Webflow is aimed at a wide range of users, from beginners to experienced designers and developers, and is known for bridging the gap between design and development.

What is Bubble?

Bubble is a no-code web development platform focused on the creation of web applications and dynamic websites. It enables users to create database-driven applications with features such as user authentication, workflows and complex logic, all without requiring traditional coding skills. Bubble is designed for those who want to create interactive, data-driven web applications without writing code. Perhaps the closest thing to Bubble in terms of service is FlutterFlow, both of which are very popular in the no-code space these days.

It offers visual development tools and extensive integrations with third-party services, and prioritizes functionality over design.

Use cases: who should use Webflow and who should use Bubble?

Who should use Webflow?

• SMEs: Need professional websites without intensive coding, as well as a user-friendly CMS for easy content updates.
• Large corporations: Need robust, scalable and visually appealing websites that integrate seamlessly with their marketing and CRM systems.
• Freelance designers: Want to create personalized websites efficiently, taking advantage of design flexibility without in-depth coding knowledge.
• Online stores: Need visually appealing online stores that allow easy product management and inventory updates.
• Portfolio sites: Artists, photographers and designers need platforms that support high-quality visuals and personalized design.
• Marketing teams: Need to quickly create and manage landing pages, using A/B testing and SEO tools for lead generation.

Who should use Bubble?

• Startups: Need to develop MVPs quickly with customized functionality and user interactivity without a full development team.
• SaaS companies: Need complex web applications with integrations to various third-party services and APIs.
• Non-technical entrepreneurs/founders: Want to create fully functional web software without in-depth development knowledge, focusing on scalability.
• Customized business applications: Companies need internal tools and dashboards with robust data and user management.

Bubble vs Webflow: a quick comparison

Unlike Webflow and Framer, which are similar in terms of service offered, Webflow and Bubble don't serve the same purpose. Here's a quick look at how their services differ, and what you can expect from each.

Webflow :

• Web design and development - Webflow is primarily aimed at website creation. It provides a visual interface for designing websites, including e-commerce sites.
• For designers - It's ideal for people who want to control the design of their site, and can be used by beginners and experienced developers alike.
• Custom code - It's also possible to add your own code if required.
• E-commerce - Suitable for creating online stores with features such as shopping carts and payment processing.
• Hosting - Webflow offers hosting services, so you can put your website directly on their servers.

Bubble :

• Web applications - Bubble is more focused on creating web applications. It lets you create database-driven applications with accounts, workflows and complex logic.
• Data-driven - It's known to handle data well, making it good for applications with user-generated content and interaction.
• No code - Bubble is designed for people who don't want to code at all. You can create complex functionality without writing code.
• Integrations - It can connect to third-party services and APIs, helping to add external tools and data to your application.
• Functionality over design - Although the design can be customized, Bubble prioritizes functionality.

However, the two services overlap. For example, it's possible to create web applications in Webflow, even though websites are its primary focus.

To sum up: Use Bubble if you want to create a web application. Use Webflow for websites.

Ease of use + interface overview

The problem with the no-code movement is that not knowing how to code isn't enough. You still have to understand the logic behind everything and think in terms of algorithms when creating anything.

The reason this is mentioned is that neither Bubble nor Webflow are easy to use. Of course, Webflow can be a simple tool as long as single pages for individuals and small businesses are built. By the time a more serious Webflow project is undertaken, you need to start learning a lot.

The Webflow interface

Webflow's main tool is called Webflow Designer, and it has everything you need to design, develop and maintain a website.

Here's what Designer has to offer:

• Add an element - Easily insert various web page elements such as text, images, buttons and forms.
• Components - Create and reuse elements across multiple pages for consistency.
• Browser - Organize and select elements with a hierarchical view.
• Pages - Manage and design individual pages, including interactions and transitions.
• CMS - Build and manage dynamic content such as blog posts, products and templates.
• Logic - Configure user interactions and workflows based on events and actions.
• Users - Manage user authentication, registration and access control.
• E-commerce - Manage products, shopping carts and payment processing for online stores.
• Applications - Integrate third-party services to extend your website's functionality.
• Assets - Upload and manage multimedia files such as images, videos and documents.
• Settings - Configure settings, including SEO, custom code and domains.
• Site activity - Track project changes and actions for team collaboration and monitoring.

The Bubble.io interface

The first impression of Bubble's interface is that it can be slightly confusing, requiring some getting used to. The design part is more natural, but it's crucial to immediately adopt the developer mentality to feel comfortable with this tool.

Bubble offers a wizard for newcomers, where the app creation process can be started by answering a few questions and adjusting the app's colors. The message is clear: let's skip the design necessities and really get down to app development.

It's surprising how many options the tool offers for a development tool. There are also features related to responsive design.

The main options in the left-hand menu are as follows:

• Design - The Design section in Bubble allows you to design the user interface of the web application visually. Elements such as text, buttons, forms, etc., can be created and arranged, defining the look and feel of the project. This is where the front-end or user interface of the web application is built.
• Workflows - In the Workflows section, the logic and functionality of the web application can be defined. Workflows are created to specify what happens when users interact with the application. For example, actions can be configured to occur when a button is clicked, data is submitted or a user logs in.
• Data - The Data section is where the application's database is managed. Data types can be created, fields defined and records added. This is essential for storing and organizing the information the application needs, such as user profiles, content or product data.
• Styles - Styles control the visual appearance of the application. Custom styles for elements, such as fonts, colors and spacing, can be defined to ensure a consistent, attractive design throughout the application.
• Plugins - Bubble offers a range of plugins that extend the application's functionality. In the Plugins section, these pre-built add-ons can be discovered, installed and managed. These plugins can help integrate third-party services, implement advanced functionality or enhance the user experience.
• Settings - The Settings section is where various aspects of the Bubble project are configured. This includes settings such as privacy rules, domain settings, API keys and other global parameters that affect the operation of the application.
• Logs - Logs provide a record of application activities and actions taken by users. They can be monitored to resolve problems, track user interactions and obtain information on application performance. This can be particularly useful for debugging and improving application functionality.

Bubble.io vs Webflow pricing plans

Both Webflow and Bubble offer free plans. Although they come with various limitations and restrictions, they're enough to get you started and help you use these tools. Let's talk about them briefly.

Webflow pricing

Webflow pricing is complex. It's divided into two main groups of plans, one for people who want to build and host a site, and the other for in-house teams, freelancers and agencies. If you work alone, you can choose the lowest hosting plan, which costs $14 per month.

If you want to use the workspaces and their various collaborative features, you'll need to consider using one of the workspace plans in addition to the hosting package.

Bubble.io pricing

At first glance, it seems that Bubble's pricing plan is fairly straightforward, unlike Webflow's. This is a mistake. This is not the case.

The initial breakdown of plans is as follows:

• Free
• Starter
• Growth
• Team
• Custom

Each of these plans is unique, and you need to carefully analyze which one best suits the size of your project. What we've noticed is that the more expensive plans offer more editors, which is excellent for collaborative work. If you use the Team plan, you'll be able to add 5 application editors, unlike the free version which only allows one application editor.

Another important metric is the number of workload units per month. Now, it's not clear what this means exactly, but it's a method used to measure how many resources your application requires from Bubble. The free plan allows 50,000 workload units per month, while the Team plan offers 10 times that.

But what happens if this limit is exceeded? As it happens, additional workload units can be purchased if required.

A careful analysis of the tariff plans for the two services led to the conclusion that they cannot be compared, as their structure is almost entirely different. Bubble's pricing plans focus on development capabilities, while Webflow offers more options related to hosting, CMS, collaboration and more.

Available applications and integrations

By available applications and integrations, we mean anything that can be added to the main tools externally. Webflow and Bubble offer many such elements.

Applications and integrations in Webflow

These days, hundreds of Webflow integrations are accepted, as it's possible to connect all the popular services, including HubSpot, Shopify, Stripe, Mailchimp, and more. Most of these integrations are easy to connect, but performing more complex operations with them in Webflow will require development skills and a thorough understanding of the service you're integrating Webflow with.

However, Webflow is actively working to introduce new ways of enhancing their services, particularly with internal and third-party applications. For example, the new Apps section will allow you to browse a range of applications related to :

• Content management
• Content design
• Customer service
• Customer engagement
• Development
• Security
• E-Commerce
• Booking
• Marketing automation
• Analytics
• Productivity
• Language

All in all, you have a range of useful applications that can help you build and manage your marketing site.

Of course, if you choose Webflow as your preferred tool, it's a good idea to browse through all the available integrations to find all the available options. One thing to note: many of these applications are created by third parties and are not free. They are either single-use or require a monthly subscription.

Applications and integrations in Bubble.io

Bubble also offers a range of internal and external plug-ins that can be useful when developing visual web applications. Currently, there are over 5,000 plugins available, including some of the most popular options such as Toolbox (Javascript utility elements), API Connector, Ionic Elements, Google Material Icons, and more.

Applications are divided into several categories, including :

• Analytics
• AI
• Blog
• Compliance
• Containers
• Customer support
• Data
• E-Commerce
• Email
• Health & Fitness
• Data entry forms
• Internationalization
• Localization
• Media
• Mobile
• News
• Payment
• Productivity
• Small business
• Social networking
• Technology
• Test
• Video
• Visual elements
• Web Scraping

Browsing through these applications can be a little confusing, as it's hard to decide which might be best for you. It's great that Bubble shows you how many projects are using each of the applications you're browsing, which can help you make the final decision. Of course, you can also sort them by rating, price, name and more.

Many of these applications are free, but there are paid ones too, and their prices vary widely (there are thousands of them, after all).

Webflow and Bubble templates

Both Webflow and Bubble offer templates that can help you on your no-code journey. They are highly customizable and can be tailored to your needs. The only difference is that Bubble templates are designed for a variety of uses, while Webflow templates are primarily for marketing sites.

Webflow offers over 2,000 templates, and the number continues to grow thanks to the active community.

The robust search option and numerous filters will help you choose the best option for you, which will then be copied into Webflow Designer, ready for customization. Needless to say, Webflow templates are all highly customizable, which means you can change virtually anything. You can browse templates by category, language, style, functionality and more.

Most Webflow themes are not free. Some cost upwards of $120.

Bubble currently offers around 1,300 templates for the following categories:

• Blog
• CRM
• Dashboard
• Game
• Landing page
• Marketplace
• Boutique en ligne
• Portfolio
• Social
• Directory and listings
• Professional services
• On-demand services
• Project management
• Building blocks
• Others

There are many free options that can be applied to your project immediately. In addition, you can use some of the paid templates, which range in price from a few dollars to over $100.
These templates are applications that you can customize by changing the appearance, logic, and everything else that Bubble lets you do.

A more in-depth exploration of the application of these templates was carried out by using one of them to create an application. This was quite an exciting experience, as there were already dozens of workflows configured, and all the styles were easily modifiable.
Most of these templates appear to be ready-made white-label applications requiring an expert Bubble developer to configure them further and help you launch the application.

Overall, Bubble has done a good job with these templates, which can really help developers looking to get started on their no-code app creation adventure.

Who's best for SEO

Webflow is generally considered to have more robust built-in SEO features and is designed with web design and SEO in mind. It offers a more direct approach to implementing best practices for organic traffic. In other words, if your main objective is to attract visitors via Google and other search engines, Webflow should be your primary choice.

Here are some of Webflow's key SEO features.

• Integrated SEO tools - Webflow is known for its robust integrated SEO tools. It offers various options for optimizing your website, including the ability to add meta titles, descriptions and alt tags to images. You can also customize URLs and create a sitemap.
• Clean HTML and CSS - Webflow generates clean, semantically meaningful HTML and CSS, which is beneficial for SEO. Search engines prefer well-structured code, and Webflow excels in this area.
• Speed and performance - Webflow's hosting infrastructure is designed for fast loading times, which is a crucial factor for SEO. It is also possible to enable hosting via a content delivery network (CDN) for even faster page loading.
• 301 redirects - Webflow lets you configure 301 redirects, essential for preserving rankings when changing URLs or migrating content.
• Structured data and rich snippets - You can implement structured data and schema markup in Webflow to improve the way your content appears in search engine results, potentially increasing click-through rates.
• Responsive design - Webflow's responsive design features help ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, which is a ranking factor in Google's search algorithm.

In addition, many useful contents focus specifically on SEO for Webflow, including our Webflow SEO Guide and our Webflow SEO Technical Guide. In addition, many services specialize in providing SEO for sites on Webflow.

On the other hand, Bubble is more focused on web application development and, while it offers customization options for SEO, it may require more effort and third-party tools to achieve the same level of optimization as Webflow. An interesting SEO guide for Bubble users has been found, which means that the creators of this service have definitely taken SEO into consideration, and there's probably room for improvement in the future.

In summary, Webflow is the ideal solution for SEO. That's simply not the case with Bubble, which is focused on development.

Bubble and Webflow + AI: how do they compare?

Both Webflow and Bubble have embraced AI, but we have to admit that Bubble has a slight edge here. Webflow has been surprisingly quiet about using AI, but it's still possible to plug OpenAI in with the help of a Webflow expert and experiment.

However, it seems that the best of AI is yet to come for Webflow, as this has already been announced. It's only a matter of time before Webflow introduces some internal AI tools and capabilities.

The same goes for Bubble: no integrated capabilities have been found, but it seems that Bubble has embraced AI more, and is even promoting its capabilities to integrate OpenAI. An exploration of available third-party applications shows that there are several that make use of AI.

Learning resources

It's hard to really and objectively point out the differences here. Both Webflow and Bubble have extensive knowledge libraries. All this knowledge is available free of charge. And the fact is, mastering both will take a lot of work, as both have a steep learning curve.

Webflow's resources tab offers a range of options.
Applications and templates, already mentioned, technically count as resources. It's also worth mentioning the Webflow Marketplace, where various libraries to aid site building can be found. There's also the Made in Webflow section, where users can submit their work, some of which can be copied free of charge into your Webflow Designer for further customization.

The Experts section is particularly popular, where you can browse individuals and agencies.

But the Learn section of the drop-down menu is more important if you're new or want to learn, as you can find Blog, Resources, Webflow TV.

Finally, there's Webflow University, which is the ultimate resource for getting started with Webflow.

Webflow also offers comprehensive user-created learning resources available in the Community and Developers sections. Of course, many resources can be found outside the main site, such as on our website. In addition to useful articles, a range of resources is also available.

The Bubble offering is very similar.
The academy offers a zero to hero approach with various tutorials, manuals, interactive lessons, videos and more. The Bubble Marketplace also offers a comprehensive overview of resources built by the company and users, a selection of agencies offering services via Bubble, and more. The idea of coaching is popular, where Bubble experts offer 1:1 sessions priced between $100 and $150 per hour.

Bubble also offers an active forum where you can contact other community members and even get help from other Bubble users. Webflow also offers a forum, and it's really hard to compare the two, as both communities are active, and all registered users can participate in discussions.

Customer service

At Ouiflow, we have had many positive experiences with Webflow customer support, but this is not the general consensus. Getting in touch with Webflow support is difficult, as the user experience involves looking for solutions on your own. That's why there's an active forum where you can get help from representatives.

Bubble takes a friendlier approach to customer support, but only if you're discussing sales and partnerships. The support center always refers to the search option for browsing FAQs and extended articles.

What's particularly appreciated is the AI chatbot, which promises to put you in touch with real people if answers aren't found.

Advantages and disadvantages of Webflow

Advantages of Webflow :

• Scalability: Designed to grow with your marketing site and operations.
• Design flexibility: Webflow offers extensive design capabilities, enabling you to create visually stunning and unique websites without coding.
• User-friendly CMS: Its intuitive content management system makes it easy to update and manage website content on a regular basis.
• SEO tools: Integrated SEO tools help optimize the site for search engines, improving visibility and rankings.
• Rapid development: Enables rapid website development, ideal for marketing campaigns and tight deadlines.
• E-commerce integration: Offers robust e-commerce functionality, making it easy to set up and manage online stores.
• Responsive design: Automatically ensures that websites are mobile-friendly and look good on all devices.

Webflow disadvantages :

• Learning curve: Although powerful, Webflow's advanced design tools can have a steep learning curve for beginners.
• Limited backend functionality: Not suitable for complex backend logic or database-intensive applications.
• Support: Customer support may not be as robust as needed for urgent, high-complexity problems.

Advantages and disadvantages of Bubble

Advantages of Bubble :

• Code-free development: Enables users to create fully functional web applications without the need for coding.
• Customized functionality: Offers extensive customization options, enabling the creation of complex workflows and applications.
• Third-party integrations: Integrates easily with various third-party APIs and services, enhancing application functionality.
• Rapid prototyping: Ideal for rapidly prototyping and testing new features or applications.
• Community support: Strong community and extensive resources available for learning and troubleshooting.

Disadvantages of Bubble :

• Performance: May experience slower performance with very large or complex applications.
• Learning curve: Although code-free, mastering Bubble's full potential requires a significant time investment.
• Design limitations: Not as visually flexible or intuitive to design as dedicated website builders like Webflow.
• Cost: Can become expensive as your application evolves, especially with high traffic and advanced functionality.
• SEO: Not as powerful in terms of default SEO capabilities, requiring extra effort to optimize for search engines.
• Platform dependency: Heavy dependency on Bubble's infrastructure means less control over hosting and scalability options.

Conclusion: the winner is...

Webflow and Bubble are competitors, but choosing the winner is difficult, as they are primarily designed for different purposes. Webflow is designed to create marketing sites, but can also create applications. Bubble is aimed at creating web applications, but can also create marketing sites.

The key answer lies in this question: do you want to create a web site or a web application?