Webflow vs Wix Studio: A Game Changer or Just Another Contender?

Entering the Spotlight: Wix Studio

Breathing and living in the world of web development most likely means you've caught wind of Wix Studio's recent release. Wix took note of Webflow's growing favor among developers and decided to up their game.

Wix supplied the feature list, and our discussion is guided by the Wix Studio release keynote. Given my extensive usage of both Wix and Webflow, I hope to provide you with a sound preliminary assessment.

Webflow vs. Wix: The Face-Off

Comparing these two behemoths calls for us to consider several factors:

1. Design

Design is a common area where both platforms shine, providing a plethora of customization options. Wix Studio arrives with features such as custom breakpoints and responsive AI – features where Webflow already does well. In terms of visual design, new features that Wix Studio brings, like packaged responsiveness and custom CSS, are noteworthy. Considering the established functionalities in Webflow, it will be exciting to see how these new features match up.

Both platforms offer extensive options for those intent on customizing their websites from scratch. Webflow University provides customization guides, and Wix Studio's features expand customization possibilities.

Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) is a user-friendly interface that aids beginners in easily creating a website. Webflow too, catered towards designers and developers, offers a free plan for newcomers to play around with.

2. Development

Wix offers a development platform, a built-in IDE, headless development, site monitoring, and opportunities to build a website for growth on demand. It's suitable for complete suite website development, with support for both no-code and low-code. AI in development and integration with Github is especially interesting. Webflow, in contrast, focuses mostly on front-end development.

3. Business Solutions

Both platforms deliver functionalities for eCommerce, multilingual capabilities, chat, and more. Wix Studio is bringing a new face to old features such as a members area and diverse restaurant and booking options to the table.

For online stores, both platforms provide tailored eCommerce plans. The flexibility and integration options of Webflow go head-to-head with the versatile features of Wix Studio tailored to various industries like restaurants and events.

4. Workflows

Wix Studio is making a big move towards consolidating operations and enhancing collaboration on design elements. This unified approach includes custom roles & permissions and client kits for ready-made tools. Additionally, live comments allow immediate feedback on the design. These features bolster teamwork and efficiency and bring about a more streamlined workflow.

Unlike Webflow, Wix Studio gives importance to collaboration tools for improving teamwork in design. By incorporating these features, Wix Studio addresses both the technical and human aspects of web design.

5. Marketing & SEO

Both Webflow and Wix Studio offer superior SEO tools to help businesses climb higher on search engine rankings. Improvements such as server-side rendering in Wix Studio aid in making websites more visible to search engines.

6. Infrastructure

Multi-cloud hosting, worldwide CDN coverage, enterprise-grade growth, and no maintenance windows are all promised by Wix Studio. In terms of security, Wix Studio has got it covered – with data encryption, secure payments, anti-DDoS protection, and Wix Bug Bounty; a bounty program for bugs.

In the domain of web hosting and domains, both platforms offer an array of packages. Wix Studio proffers global hosting and Webflow includes a custom domain in its secure hosting.

Security is of utmost importance, and both Wix Studio and Webflow offer staunch protection. Wix Studio presents a comprehensive approach to safeguarding websites with data encryption, anti-DDoS protection, and collaborations with security researchers.

First Impressions and Looking Forward

After spending time with Webflow, I see resemblances with Wix Studio. Wix Studio is definitely better than Editor X, which had early-stage bugs.

Wix's advantages have always been user-friendliness, an active community of partners, and a rich selection of native and third-party integrations. However, Webflow's stunning designs drew me in and made me want to hone my skills on their platform.

I admire Wix's responsive and knowledgeable support team, in spite of occasional bugs.

The jury is still out, but the features of Wix Studio point to it being a strong contender for designers and developers. Only time and continued use will reveal if Wix Studio will go down as a game changer or just another web development platform. Look out for more insights when I have a chance to probe the new editor.