Webflow vs. Divi

Webflow and Divi are two powerful platforms that have made significant impact in the web design niche, catering to a wide range of users from beginners to seasoned professionals. While both tools aim to simplify the web building process, they offer distinct approaches and features that comply with their initial implication.

Webflow has distinguished itself for its visual design capabilities and comprehensive control over web projects, making it a go-to choice for designers seeking detailed customization without diving deep into coding. It’s an ideal platform for those who want to bring sophisticated design visions to life, offering advanced interactions, animations and a CMS that handles complex web projects with ease.

Divi, in its turn, is powered by Elegant Themes and is known for its user-friendly interface and extensive library of pre-designed templates and elements. It’s a great solution for WordPress users looking to set up beautiful websites with minimal effort. Divi’s built-in drag-and-drop builder allows users to visually launch their sites, offering a wide array of customization options without the need for writing a single line of code. This makes the software particularly appealing to small businesses, bloggers and anyone looking to create a professional-looking website quickly and efficiently.

While Webflow positions itself as a comprehensive web design tool offering granular control over the design and development process, Divi shines as a highly intuitive and accessible option within the WordPress ecosystem, focusing on ease of use and speed. Let us make a comparison of both platforms now to see what exactly each of them has to offer.

Overview of Webflow and Divi

Webflow and Divi are web design systems with separate sets of features, tools and goals. Differing a lot, these features come up to certain tasks, which matters a lot for subscribers. By reviewing these options and by comparing them, you will be able to make an unbiased choice.

Webflow

Webflow empowers users to construct professional websites from scratch. It’s uniquely created to offer a visual canvas that combines the intricacies of coding with the intuitiveness of visual design tools. This lets users create responsive, dynamic websites without the need for traditional coding.

With its emphasis on CSS, HTML and JavaScript, Webflow is particularly favored by designers who seek detailed control over their site’s look and functionality, allowing for the creation of custom animations, interactions and sophisticated web structures.

The platform also features a powerful CMS and hosting solutions, making it a comprehensive choice for businesses and individuals aiming to manage and scale complex web projects efficiently.

Divi

As a popular WordPress theme and visual page builder, Divi is known for its flexibility and ease of use. As a product of Elegant Themes, Divi has prepared a niche for itself within the WordPress community, offering an expansive array of customizable design elements, modules and premade layouts that can be edited through its drag-and-drop interface.

This makes Divi an ideal choice for users who wish to leverage the power and scalability of WordPress while also desiring a hands-on, code-free design process. Whether creating a blog, business site or an online portfolio, Divi users benefit from its versatile nature, allowing for rapid website development and design adjustments with minimal tech expertise.

Both Webflow and Divi cater to the growing demand for design-driven website creation tools, yet they serve distinct user bases and project requirements. Webflow’s strength lies in its ability to offer granular design control and its standalone nature as a comprehensive design and hosting solution. It mostly appeals to users who prioritize customizability and are comfortable navigating a more complex interface. Divi’s appeal, however, is rooted in its simplicity, integration with WordPress, and an extensive ecosystem of plugins and community support, making it a go-to for users seeking an accessible, yet powerful website builder.

Ease of Use

When it comes to building websites, both Webflow and Divi offer platforms that simplify the design process, yet they cater to diverse types of users and needs. A closer examination of their simplicity reveals why each might be more suitable for certain users over others.

Webflow: Combination of Design Freedom and Learning Curve

Webflow is designed for those who have a basic understanding of web design principles as it presents complexity and flexibility of traditional coding within a single visual interface. The Webflow dashboard allows users to control every aspect of their site – from layout to interactions and beyond.

For users new to web design, Webflow offers detailed tutorials and resources to help them get started. However, the platform’s depth means that achieving proficiency may require a more significant investment of time and effort compared to more straightforward solutions.

To start using Webflow, you first need to sign in either via a traditional registration form or use your Google account credentials. The system will then ask you several questions to understand what website type you need. Afterwards, you will be automatically forwarded to the built-in online editor to keep working in the dashboard.

Webflow allows users to easily upload images, edit content, add new elements, adjust block positions and complete other actions to set up a quality website. The website builder provides quite a complex design customization process, which requires time and preliminary web design expertise.

Divi: Intuitive and User-Friendly System for WordPress Users

As a WordPress theme and builder, Divi offers a user-friendly approach to the process of website creation. Its strong point is the intuitive drag-and-drop editor, which allows users to visually construct their projects with ease.

Divi’s layout is designed to be accessible even to those with no prior website-building experience, making it possible to quickly create professional-looking sites. The Divi dashboard is straightforward, providing users with a library of pre-designed templates and modules that can be customized with simple clicks.

Additionally, Divi’s integration into WordPress means that users have access to an extensive range of plugins and additional features, enhancing their site’s functionality without complicating the design process.

Just like Webflow, Divi comes with a set of ready-made blocks you can edit and customize in the system dashboard. To publish a ready-made project, you need to pick a pre-designed layout and customize it as you need.

Both Webflow and Divi make website design more accessible, but they do so in ways that reflect their target audiences. Webflow is ideal for users who value design freedom and are willing to climb the learning curve to achieve exactly what they want. Divi is best suited for WordPress users looking for an easy-to-use, flexible solution that doesn’t sacrifice professional results. It’s particularly appealing to beginners and those who want to get a site up and running quickly with minimal time/effort investment.

Design and Templates

Webflow and Divi offer a unique approach to help users set up a perfect website. Understanding their differences in design capabilities and template offerings can guide users in selecting the tool that best fits their creative vision and tech requirements.

Webflow: Precision Design and Customization

Webflow offers a blank canvas that allows designers to bring any vision to life without restrictions. At the same time, the website builder requires a coding background. This makes the software complete two functions at a time – CMS and website builder.

Users with a web design background can dive deep into details, accessing advanced features like typography options, content formatting tools, design customization settings etc. Those who are not ready to learn all the intricacies of the software, may choose pre-designed templates to edit them as required.

All in all, the system offers 45 free themes that refer to portfolio and small business projects, while the overall number of designs available in its collection exceeds 1000. The cost of premium templates currently ranges between $24 and $129.

While Webflow offers a range of templates, the focus is on customization. Each template serves as a starting point that can be completely overhauled to meet specific design needs, appealing to users with a strong design background or those seeking unique website aesthetics.

What’s more, the CSS-based design system provides granular control over the layout, animations and interactions. This eventually allows creating highly custom and responsive designs from scratch.

Divi: Extension Template Library and Modularity

Divi takes a more accessible approach to web design through its extensive library of pre-designed templates and content modules. With hundreds of beautifully crafted themes available in its collection, users can quickly launch a professional-looking website by selecting a design that closely matches their vision and then customizing it using Divi’s visual builder.

The drag-and-drop interface allows for easy layout adjustments, content insertion and style changes, all within a highly intuitive user interface. Divi’s modularity-where design elements are broken down into individual modules – simplifies the design process, enabling users to mix, match and customize components with ease.

This approach is particularly beneficial for users who prioritize speed and ease of use over bespoke design.

Divi’s strength lies in its simplicity and variety of its template library. Webflow’s approach is about building a quality site from scratch, offering a nearly limitless design potential for those willing to invest the time. Divi provides a vast array of ready-to-use elements that can be pieced together to create a project that looks custom-made, catering to users looking for efficiency and simplicity.

Features and Functionality

Webflow and Divi offer varied approaches to external integrations as well, each catering to the diverse needs of their users. Understanding how Webflow and Divi handle these integrations can provide insights into which platform might be better suited to specific project requirements.

Webflow Integrations

Webflow offers seamless integrations with a wide range of professional tools and applications, facilitating advanced functionality for comprehensive website projects. The platform allows for direct integrations with CMS platforms, eCommerce solutions, marketing tools etc., enabling developers to build powerful, dynamic websites.

Webflow’s integrations are particularly geared towards enhancing the site’s functionality with analytics, SEO tools, social media widgets, and third-party services like Zapier, Lottie and After Effects that opens the door to thousands of app connections. This focus on professional-grade integrations makes Webflow an attractive option for users looking to create highly customized, feature-rich websites that serve complex needs.

Divi Extensions

Operating within the WordPress ecosystem, Divi allows users to enhance their websites with a vast range of functionalities – from simple social media integration to complex eCommerce solutions.

The advantage of using Divi lies in its compatibility with the WordPress repository, where users can find plugins for SEO, security, marketing etc., often with little to no cost.

While this approach offers tremendous flexibility and variety, the reliance on third-party plugins means that the quality and compatibility can vary, requiring users to carefully select and manage their plugins to ensure site performance and security.

Webflow offers a curated set of integrations designed to work seamlessly within its platform, Divi grants access to lots of plugins available through the WordPress ecosystem. This makes the software an excellent choice for users who value variety and the ability to add a wide range of functionalities to their project.

Pricing and Costs

While Webflow and Divi differ in their approaches and implication, their price formation aspect differs as well. Let’s see which software offers a more suitable solution for your type of project.

Webflow Pricing

Webflow has a free plan that works well for testing the system’s functionality and improving web design skills. It, however, comes with a number of limitations one can get rid of when upgrading to one of paid subscriptions.

Currently, the website builder has two types of premium plans – Site and Workspace. They are, correspondingly, divided into more detailed subscriptions that differ in tools, terms, services etc.

Site Plans

These subscriptions are used for simple and large-scale websites, being a nice pick for beginners and web design pros alike.

eCommerce plans

The plans work great for eCommerce projects.

Users willing to set up several full-featured websites and cooperate with numerous team members, are advised to upgrade to one of Workspace plans.

Webflow users can manage to combine SIte and Workspace plans to get the features that comply with their project needs.

Divi Pricing

Divi offers two pricing options – annual subscription and lifetime license. You may pay $287 once and use the software for the required period of time. Alternatively, you can pay $89 per year. Both packages include unlimited features and access to the system’s functionality.

The bad news here is that Divi-powered projects additionally require domain and hosting. However, WP-optimized server solutions prove to be a smart pick here. For instance, Bluehost delivers WordPress-recommended hosting services at $2.95 per month only. The price includes website integration with CMS, advanced security features, automated updates, improved performance and other perks.

To sum it up, Webflow works better as an all-in-one solution offering fixed pricing. All the tools and features are available in stock here. You can switch to any other plan anytime. Divi does not set fixed pricing as its final cost depends on the price of hosting/domain name.

SEO and Marketing

Webflow and Divi both provide a set of features aimed at optimizing websites for search engines and enhancing marketing efforts. Here they go.

Webflow SEO Features

Webflow offers a comprehensive set of built-in SEO tools designed to give users complete control over their project’s optimization. From customizing meta titles and descriptions to setting up 301 redirects and enhancing site speed, Webflow places a strong emphasis on creating SEO-friendly websites.

Additionally, Webflow automatically generates sitemaps and allows for the easy editing of robots.txt files, making it simpler for search engines to crawl and index web pages.

The platform also supports integrations with analytics and marketing tools, allowing users to track performance and engage with their audience effectively.

Divi SEO Tools

As a Word-Press based system, Divi benefits from the extensive range of SEO and marketing plugins available to CMS users. Offering clean code, responsive design and customization opportunities for baseline SEO settings, Divi ensures worthy SEO optimization. Its true SEO-related strength, however, lies in the ability to leverage WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO, All in One SEO Pack etc. This enables Divi users to implement comprehensive SEO strategies and marketing campaigns.

Additionally, Divi’s integration with popular email marketing services and social media platforms allows for seamless marketing efforts directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Thus, Webflow presents itself as an all-in-one solution with integrated SEO features, without the need to connect multiple plugins. This can be particularly advantageous for users focused on customizability and efficiency in their SEO strategy.

Performance and Speed

Webflow and Divi approach performance optimization differently, offering distinct advantages and considerations for users concerned with creating high-speed, efficient websites.

Webflow Performance and Speed Settings

Webflow provides a quality platform for setting up fast-loading, efficient websites. By automating several optimization processes (image compression, code minification, utilizing modern web standards), the website builder ensures that projects built on its platform have a solid foundation for high performance.

Additionally, Webflow sites are hosted on Amazon Web Services and delivered via a Tier 1 CDN. This also contributes to website speed. Finally, the platform’s focus on clean, semantic code and its ability to export code allows for additional optimization by developers.

Divi Performance Options

Performance of Divi-built websites can vary significantly based on user choices. As far as Divi functions within the WordPress ecosystem, the site speed can be influenced by a variety of factors (third-party plugins, hosting quality and individual optimization efforts).

While Divi provides options for performance improvement (static CSS file generation, JavaScript and CSS minification etc.), the overall speed of Divi sites often depends on users’ demand for performance optimization. This includes quality plugin management, image optimization and selecting a high-quality hosting provider.

As a result, Webflow offers a more controlled environment with built-in performance optimizations, while Divi ensures immense design flexibility that may require more hands-on effort to optimize for peak performance.

Security

To decide on the full-feature performance options of both systems, it makes sense to analyze one more parameter – security factor.

Webflow Security Measures

Webflow offers a fully managed platform, meaning that its team takes on the responsibility of securing the hosting environment. This includes:

• automatic SSL certificates for all sites
• continuous monitoring for potential threats
• regular updates to the platform’s infrastructure to address vulnerabilities.

As a cloud-based service, Webflow also benefits from the inherent security features of Amazon Web Services, which provides a solid foundation against DDoS attacks and data breaches.

Furthermore, Webflow’s adherence to best practices in data protection and privacy laws, such as GDPR compliance, adds an additional layer of security, making it a reliable choice for users concerned with data privacy and website security.

Divi Safety Parameters

While Divi is developed with security in mind and receives regular updates to patch vulnerabilities, the overall security of a Divi-built website can be influenced by the user’s choice of plugins and hosting environment.

WordPress sites require SSL certificates to be obtained and installed separately, and users must stay vigilant about keeping WordPress, Divi and any additional plugins updated to safeguard against security threats.

Webflow’s managed service model offers a more hands-off approach to security, appealing to users who prefer a platform that takes care of security measures behind the scenes. Divi, however, offers flexibility and control yet requires a more hands-on approach to security.

Support and Community

While Webflow and Divi are quite different systems, it also makes sense to focus on user support and community engagement options.

Webflow Community and Support Options

Webflow offers a variety of support channels to assist users with their queries and challenges. This includes an extensive online knowledge base, email support and priority support for higher-tier plan members.

Webflow University is worth special attention, standing out as a particularly rich resource with an array of tutorials, courses, eBooks and guides that cover everything from basic website building to advanced customization techniques.

Apart from official support channels, Webflow boasts a growing community of developers and creatives. Forums, social media groups and Webflow-sponsored events offer users opportunities to connect, share experiences and collaborate.

Divi Support Solutions

Divi is known for its extensive support resources and vibrant community provided as a part of WordPress ecosystem. Divi users have access to Elegant Themes’ support team through live chat and email, complemented by a comprehensive documentation library.

What sets Divi apart is its incredibly active user base, which has given rise to numerous online forums, Facebook groups, and third-party websites dedicated to Divi tips, tricks and tutorials.

Speaking about support options, Webflow’s official channels and educational resources, including Webflow University, offer a structured path for learning and troubleshooting. This is ideal for users who appreciate well-organized and professionally created content. Divi offers multiple resources, user-generated content and a live chat feature only.

eCommerce Capabilities

Setting up an online store involves various considerations, from the design and functionality to the integration of eCommerce features and payment gateways. Webflow and Divi both make it possible to set up web stores, each offering a set of tools tailored to different user needs and preferences. Let’s review them below.

Setting Up a Web Store with Webflow

One of the standout features of Webflow eCommerce is its seamless integration of design and eCommerce functionality, letting users customize every aspect of the shopping experience without compromising on aesthetics or performance.

From visually stunning product pages to dynamic shopping carts and checkout experiences, Webflow empowers designers and store owners to craft unique online stores that reflect their brand identity.

Additionally, Webflow’s CMS capabilities enable easy management of products, categories, and inventory, ensuring that users can keep their store up-to-date with minimal effort.

Webflow eCommerce features also include integrated payment processing with support for major gateways like Stripe and PayPal, automatic tax calculations and shipping tools that can be customized to meet the needs of small and large businesses. Additionally, the website builder offers detailed analytics and reporting tools, SSL encryption and compliance with PCI DSS standards, ensuring that customer data and transactions are always protected.

How to Set Up a Web Store with Webflow:

1. Start with a Template or from Scratch: You can choose an eCommerce template from Webflow’s library or start from scratch to design your store.
2. Customize Your Design: Utilize Webflow’s visual editor to customize your store’s layout, product pages, and shopping cart experience, ensuring your design aligns with your brand identity.
3. Add Products: Easily add products to your store, complete with descriptions, images, and custom categories. Webflow allows for detailed product customization, including variants and pricing options.
4. Set Up Payment and Shipping: Webflow integrates with Stripe, PayPal, and other payment gateways for secure transactions. You can also configure shipping options and tax settings directly within the platform.
5. Launch and Manage Your Store: Once your store is set up, you can launch it with Webflow’s hosting. The platform offers tools for order management, inventory tracking, and customer communications, all within a single dashboard.

Launching a Web Store with Divi

Combined with WooCommerce, Divi provides comprehensive eCommerce capabilities to let users create custom online stores. This integration allows for deep customization of product pages, shopping carts and checkout processes with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.

Divi also provides a suite of modules specifically designed for online stores, including product galleries, pricing tables and CTA buttons, which can be tailored to match the branding and design aesthetic of any business. The flexibility of Divi’s design elements, combined with WooCommerce’s robust functionality (payment gateway integration, inventory management, and shipping options etc.) makes it possible for entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes to launch their online stores efficiently.

Setting up a web store with Divi involves the following steps:

1. Choose a Divi Shop Layout: Start by selecting a shop layout from Divi’s extensive library or create your own design using the Divi Builder.
2. Install WooCommerce: Install the WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site. Divi is fully compatible with WooCommerce, ensuring a smooth integration.
3. Customize Your Store: Use the Divi Builder to customize your product pages, cart, and checkout process. Divi’s modules and design options let you tailor the shopping experience to match your brand.
4. Add Products: With WooCommerce activated, you can add products to your store, including details like pricing, images, and inventory.
5. Configure Payment and Shipping: WooCommerce supports various payment gateways and shipping options. Set these up through the WooCommerce settings to start accepting orders.
6. Manage Your Store: WooCommerce provides a comprehensive dashboard for managing orders, customers, and products directly from your WordPress admin area.

In terms of web store creation, Webflow offers a streamlined, all-in-one solution with robust design and eCommerce tools for users looking for a cohesive platform. In contrast, Divi and WooCommerce provide a flexible, modular approach, ideal for users who are already aware about WordPress plugin support and customization options.

Making Your Decision

As you see, Webflow and Divi differ in numerous parameters – starting with their initial implication and up to eCommerce features, SEO and marketing options, integrated feature set, pricing policy etc. It makes sense now to summarize their entire software functionality to simplify your choice.

Considerations for Choosing Webflow

Choosing Webflow involves weighing the following considerations:

1. Integrated CMS: Webflow’s built-in CMS is a powerful tool for managing content dynamically, suitable for blogs, portfolios, and other content-driven websites. It’s designed for users who want a seamless design-to-content workflow.
2. eCommerce Capabilities: If you’re planning to build an online store with custom interactions and layouts, Webflow’s eCommerce platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools for creating a fully customized shopping experience.
3. Advanced Interactions and Animations: For websites that require sophisticated animations and interactions, Webflow offers an extensive range of options that can be implemented visually, enhancing the user experience without coding.
4. Exportable Code: For users who might want to host their site elsewhere or need access to the site’s code, Webflow allows for code export, providing flexibility in how and where the site is deployed.
5. Team Collaboration: If you’re working within a team, Webflow’s collaboration tools and client billing features streamline the workflow and make it easier to manage projects and client accounts.

Considerations for Choosing Divi

Choosing Divi as your web design tool involves considering the following features:

1. WordPress Integration: Divi operates within the WordPress ecosystem, offering a seamless experience for those already familiar with WordPress or who prefer its extensive functionality and flexibility.
2. Extensive Template Library: Divi boasts a vast collection of pre-designed templates and layouts for various industries and purposes, enabling quick and efficient website deployment.
3. Plugin Compatibility: Being part of the WordPress community, Divi benefits from compatibility with a wide range of WordPress plugins, extending the functionality of your site with ease.
4. eCommerce Readiness: Through integration with WooCommerce, Divi allows for the creation of robust online stores, complete with customizable product pages, shopping carts, and checkout processes.
5. Built-in Split Testing: Utilize Divi’s built-in split testing tool, Divi Leads, to optimize your website’s conversion rates by testing different content and design elements directly within the builder.
6. Multilingual and RTL Support: For those needing to create multilingual sites or sites in right-to-left languages, Divi supports WPML and has built-in RTL support.
7. Third-Party Marketplaces: A vibrant marketplace for Divi themes, child themes, plugins, and layouts extends the platform’s capabilities beyond its core offerings.

Conclusion: Final Thoughts on Webflow vs Divi

Webflow and Divi both offer solutions for website creation yet they cater to distinctly different user needs and preferences. Webflow stands out as a comprehensive design and development tool that appeals to users seeking granular control over their website’s design, functionality, and performance without deep diving into coding. Its integrated CMS, advanced animation capabilities, and all-in-one hosting solution make it a powerful option for professionals and businesses aiming for high-end, custom websites.

Divi, in its turn, provides an intuitive and flexible solution for users who value ease of use, extensive template libraries and the vast WP plugin ecosystem. Its visual builder and the ability to extensively customize pre-designed templates without coding knowledge make it an attractive choice for small businesses, bloggers and website creators who prioritize efficiency and accessibility.