Framer
Framer is a design-first website builder with built-in animation, CMS and hosting. When it's the right tool and where its limits are.
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Framer started as a prototyping tool and became a website builder. Pages are designed on a canvas much like a design tool, published with one setup, and come with smooth animations and a built-in CMS.
Strengths: what it’s good at
- Design to live site: the gap between design and the published page is very small.
- Animation: scroll effects, transitions and interactions are built in.
- Speed of iteration: ideal for testing landing pages, launches and campaign sites.
- Hosting included: fast hosting, SSL and localisation features from the provider.
Limits: what to consider
Framer fits marketing pages better than complex sites: deep content structures, custom logic and integrations are limited. Like every hosted builder, the site lives on the platform.
Use: when I choose it
For startup and product websites, campaign pages and portfolios where design and motion matter most and the team wants to edit pages visually. For larger or more technical projects I prefer Astro with a headless CMS.
