Framer Client Handoff Problems: Why Agencies Are Exporting to Code

The client handoff problem nobody talks about

Here is the dirty secret of building client websites in Framer: the build is easy. The handoff is a nightmare.

When you deliver a Framer site to a client, you are not handing them a website. You are handing them a subscription. The client must maintain a Framer plan ($30+/month) for as long as the website exists. They cannot edit the site without learning Framer's visual editor. They cannot move the site to another platform. And if the agency relationship ends, the client is stuck on a tool they did not choose and do not understand.

This is not a theoretical concern. It is the single biggest complaint agencies have about Framer as a client delivery tool. You can find threads about it across Reddit, Framer's own forums, and agency Slack groups. The pattern is always the same: agency discovers Framer, loves the design workflow, builds a few client sites, then hits the handoff wall.

The frustration is real because the problem is structural. Framer is not designed for handoff. It is designed for ongoing use. The business model assumes the person who builds the site is the same person who maintains it. Agencies break that assumption every time they deliver a project.

How Framer's handoff model actually works

Let us walk through what actually happens when an agency tries to deliver a Framer site to a client. Understanding the mechanics makes it clear why so many agencies are looking for alternatives.

Step 1: Agency builds in Framer. The agency designs and develops the site using Framer's visual editor. This part is genuinely great. Framer's design tools are excellent, and the build process is fast.

Step 2: Agency publishes to Framer hosting. The site goes live on Framer's servers. There is no "download" button. The site exists inside Framer's ecosystem.

Step 3: Agency transfers site ownership to the client. This means the client's Framer account now owns the project. The client needs to have a Framer account and an active paid plan.

Here is where it gets expensive:

• Framer Pro plan: $30/month (minimum for a custom domain)
• Editor seats: $40/seat/month for each team member who needs access
• Localization: $20-40/language/month for multi-language sites
• CMS items: Higher tiers required for more than 1,000 CMS items

A client with a bilingual site and two team members is looking at $30 + $80 + $20 = $130/month just to keep the lights on. That is $1,560/year for a site they already paid the agency thousands to build.

And that is before the client tries to make any changes. The moment they open the Framer editor, they are staring at a design tool built for designers. Moving a text block without breaking the responsive layout requires understanding Framer's constraint system. Updating a CMS entry is manageable. Updating the design is not.

Why clients hate it

We have heard the same complaints from agency clients over and over. They come in three flavors, and they are all valid.

The common thread in all of these complaints is ownership. When a client pays an agency to build a website, they expect to own it. With Framer, they do not. They own access to a project inside someone else's platform. That distinction matters more than most agencies realize until a client pushes back.

The agency cost calculation

Let us do the math that every agency eventually does. It is the math that makes agencies start Googling "framer export to code."

Scenario: An agency with 10 active client sites on Framer.

• 10 sites on Framer Pro: 10 x $30/month = $300/month
• Each client has 2 editor seats: 10 x 2 x $40 = $800/month
• Annual cost: $13,200/year in platform fees alone

Now compare that to the same 10 sites as exported code on Vercel or Netlify:

• 10 static sites on Vercel free tier: $0/month
• No editor seats needed (code is in a Git repo)
• Annual cost: $0/year

That is a $13,200/year difference. For an agency running 20 or 30 client sites, the numbers get even more painful. And this is money the client is paying, which means the agency either absorbs it, passes it on (and looks bad), or finds a way around it.

The numbers do not lie. Every month a client stays on Framer is another month of platform rent for a site they were told they "own." Hosting the same site for free is not a hack or a workaround. It is the normal way the rest of the web works.

The better handoff: export to code

The good news is that you do not have to stop using Framer. Framer is genuinely excellent for design. The problem is not the build; it is the delivery. The fix is simple: export to code before you hand off.

Here is the workflow that agencies are switching to:

This workflow gives agencies the best of both worlds. You still design in Framer. You still deliver fast. But the client gets something they can actually own, and you do not have to explain why they owe $30/month to a platform they have never heard of.