The Quick Answer
The short version
Use Framer for design speed. Use code for ownership and flexibility. Best of both worlds: design in Framer, export to code. You get Framer's visual editor without the lock-in, recurring costs, or platform limitations.
This is not a "Framer bad, code good" article. Framer is genuinely excellent at what it does. The question is whether what it does is enough for your project, and whether the trade-offs are worth it long-term.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Framer | Custom Code |
|---|---|---|
| Speed to launch | Hours to days | Days to weeks (without AI) / Hours (with AI) |
| Design quality | Excellent – visual editor with components | Depends on skill (or AI prompt quality) |
| Cost (ongoing) | $10–100/mo per site | $0–12/yr (domain + free hosting) |
| Customization | Limited by platform features | Unlimited – it's just code |
| SEO control | Limited – some meta tags, no full control | Full – every tag, schema, sitemap |
| Lock-in | High – no native export | None – you own every file |
| Learning curve | Low – visual drag-and-drop | High (without AI) / Low (with AI) |
| Maintenance | Platform handles it (you keep paying) | You handle it (static files = minimal) |
Neither column is all green. That is the point. The right choice depends on your situation, your timeline, and how long you plan to keep the site running.
When Each One Wins
Framer wins when you need...
- Rapid prototyping: idea to live page in hours
- Design-heavy sites with complex interactions
- Client demos and pitch decks that feel real
- Non-technical teams shipping without developers
Code wins when you need...
- Long-term ownership without recurring costs
- Complex functionality beyond a visual editor
- SEO-critical sites where every meta tag matters
- Cost-sensitive projects that need to scale
Framer is genuinely the fastest way to go from idea to polished website. Its component system, responsive layout tools, and interaction design are best-in-class. If you need a beautiful site by Friday and you are not a developer, Framer is the right call.
But "fastest to launch" and "best long-term" are different questions. A Reddit post titled "My Growing Frustrations with Framer" from an agency owner with 10+ client projects summed it up: the initial build is fast, but client handoffs, ongoing costs, and platform constraints add up.
What People Are Saying
Framer isn't supposed to be your everything app. It's your front-of-house.
After 10+ client projects, I keep hitting the same walls: client handoff is painful, the CMS is limited, and I'm locked into their hosting. The build speed is great. Everything after that is the problem.
Both of these are fair takes. Framer is excellent as a front-of-house design tool. The frustration comes when people try to make it do everything (CMS, hosting, client management, SEO) and hit the edges of what a visual builder can do.
Meanwhile on r/webdev, a post about rebuilding from Next.js to Astro (120 upvotes) shows the broader trend: teams are moving toward simpler, static-first approaches where they own the output. The "form follows function" principle keeps coming up. As one r/framer user put it when Framer sites started looking alike: "Form follows function is for a reason an important design principle."
The Bridge: You Don't Have to Choose
The framing of "Framer vs code" assumes you pick one. You do not have to. The smartest workflow in 2026 uses both:
- Design in Framer. Use its visual editor, components, and interactions. Still the best design tool for websites.
- Export to code. Use FramerExport to convert your site into clean HTML, CSS & JS. $10.99 per site (first 25 only).
- Extend with AI. This is the unlock. Use Cursor or Claude to add what Framer can't: connect Supabase for a real database, build custom forms without Zapier, add user auth, integrate Stripe, create dynamic content from APIs.
- Host anywhere. Deploy to Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages. $0/month. No platform dependency.
You keep Framer's design quality but remove every limitation. No CMS caps. No 3rd-party plugin dependency for basic features. No monthly hosting tax. And with AI tools getting better every week, the things you can build keep expanding.
Keep Framer's design. Remove the limitations.
Export to code, then use AI to add Supabase, custom forms, auth: whatever your project needs. No more workarounds. $10.99 per site (first 25 only).
Export Your Framer SiteFrequently Asked Questions
Framer is excellent for production websites. Its visual editor produces polished results fast. The trade-off is platform limitations: CMS caps (1K-10K items), needing 3rd-party tools for basic features like forms, and $10-100/mo hosting costs. Exporting to code gives you Framer's design quality with zero limitations: add Supabase, custom forms, auth, and host for free.
Framer does not offer a native code export. FramerExport ($10.99 per site, first 25 only) converts your Framer site into clean HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Once exported, you own every file. Host anywhere for free. And use AI tools like Cursor or Claude to extend it with features Framer can't do: databases, auth, custom integrations.
Yes. Framer's site plans range from $10 to $100+ per month per site. A custom-coded static site costs roughly $12/year for a domain and $0/month for hosting on Vercel, Netlify, or Cloudflare Pages. Over three years, a single Framer site at $20/month costs $720 (compared to under $40 total) for a self-hosted coded site.