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Webflow is a relative newcomer to the CMS (Content Management System) and web development space, but it has cornered a sizeable market share. It keeps on growing in popularity and getting overwhelmingly positive reviews. But those who try Webflow and expect something like Wix are shocked to find it’s not so simple. So, is it worth the effort to learn Webflow?
Webflow is worth learning for anyone who wants to use a relatively simple web development platform that’s still powerful enough to customize in numerous ways. It is also the perfect starting point for those who want to learn more technical web design and development skills on other platforms.
Only you can decide if Webflow is worth learning for your purposes. There are many aspects to learn, which can help you get your business online, become a freelance web developer or designer, or as a first step to learning how web technologies work. Let’s examine the pros and cons of learning Webflow so you can decide.

What Makes Webflow Worth Learning?

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Webflow is a Content Management System (CMS) that allows people to use a relatively simple interface to build a professional website with little to no coding knowledge. It’s similar to other CMS systems, but it has a few differences that could be advantages or disadvantages, depending on your needs. Here is a list of features that make Webflow worth learning.

Webflow Is Powerful

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People often compare Webflow with other CMS platforms like Wix, Squarespace, Joomla, or WordPress. But Webflow is considerably different.
On most of the other platforms, you need a lot of coding knowledge to be able to add functionality. You must know PHP, JavaScript, and other languages to make a plugin that will add the functionality you want, or you can pay extra to buy it from someone else.
Webflow lets you add plenty of functionality without coding knowledge or buying a plugin from a third-party developer. A wealth of plugins, extensions, and integrations are already built into the system that can let you do almost anything you want with Webflow without writing a single line of code.

Webflow Is A Designer’s Dream

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Webflow has an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface that lets you design the layout of your web pages. Apart from excellent pre-designed themes, you can also create your own custom layouts, adding colors, transitions, animations, and more.
The design interface is similar to Adobe’s design tools, so any designer should feel right at home and be able to make beautiful designs instantly.

Webflow Is Less Rigid Than Other CMS Platforms

One of the frustrating things about CMS platforms is how inflexible they are, and you are very limited in how you can do things and make changes. Webflow is far less rigid, allowing you more freedom to create a web page the way you want to make it.

Webflow Takes Hosting Frustrations Away

One factor that designers and developers often find frustrating is the aspect of web hosting. It requires much technical knowledge or outsourcing to a third party at an additional fee, which can be a pain. Then there’s the added problem of server security, which is not something that most web developers and designers are trained to handle.
Webflow removes those pains. Your hosting, domains, and security updates are all managed by Webflow, leaving you free to focus on the website.

Webflow Is A Great Starting Point For Further Studies

If web design or development is something you want to learn, Webflow is an ideal starting point. You will get to know the foundations of front-end design and development with a relatively low learning curve.
Once you have these fundamentals in place, it will be easier for you to expand into the more challenging realms of HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, or any other coding, development, or design systems you may be interested in.

Webflow Makes It Easy To Go Freelance

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In many ways, you could almost say that Webflow was made for freelancers. The platform allows you to create a free portfolio page, and you can easily create a new account for each client, register their domains, and build their websites.
The company obviously knows how perfect it is for freelancers. That’s why Webflow has a freelancer training platform that teaches you everything, from how to find customers, how to approach them, and how to build your business.
Learning Webflow will give you access to numerous training offerings that can help you get your freelance web development business started.

Why Webflow Might Not Be Worth Learning

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As we’ve seen, there are many reasons to learn Webflow. But some factors could make it less worthwhile for you, depending on your needs. Here are some potential disadvantages to learning Webflow that you should consider.

Webflow Is Complex

Because people often compare Webflow with other options like Wix, prospective web developers believe that Webflow will be just as easy to learn. Unfortunately, that is not the case, and Webflow was made for an entirely different purpose, so it’s not as easy to understand.
Wix and similar platforms cater to those who don’t know web design or development and don’t really want to learn the complexities of it.
Webflow was built as a more straightforward way to offer developers and designers the power of a complex web development platform.
With that in mind, there is a learning curve to Webflow. Some will pick it up much faster than others, but that applies to everything. The fact remains that Webflow takes more than a quick five-minute YouTube tutorial to learn, so if you are not planning to put in plenty of time and effort, Webflow may not be what you’re looking for.

Webflow Still Has Limitations

The developers are constantly upgrading Webflow and adding more functionality to it. However, as powerful as it is, in the end, it is still a CMS platform. All CMSs have their limitations, as does Webflow.
Webflow is far less limited than other CMS platforms, and you can do more with fewer third-party add-ons and coding knowledge. As mentioned, it’s not as rigid as WordPress, for example. But true web customizability requires coding knowledge; there is no getting around that.
So, suppose you want to build a custom website on which you can infinitely expand, where your knowledge of code or design concepts is the only limit. In that case, you will be better off learning lower-level web coding languages or design concepts.

Conclusion

Webflow is a great platform to learn if you want to start your career in web development or if you want a powerful but relatively easy platform to build your own website. It’s a better system to learn than many other CMS platforms, and it’s an affordable way to get started. It will still take time and effort to get to know it, but it’s entirely worth learning.
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