Bubble and Webflow are powerful no-code tools that allow you to build web apps and websites. They have a lot in common, but they're great at different things.
Webflow's vision: "The site you want — without the dev time"
Bubble's vision: "Build tech products without code"
Their common goal is to save time and money by empowering non developers to build and iterate on projects autonomously.
But there are some key differences between the two no-code platforms.
The #1 difference between Webflow and Bubble is that they were built with a different end-goal in mind. Webflow is best for websites. Bubble is a complete no-code app builder.
What does it mean in practice?
If you need to build pixel-perfect landing pages or a business website with a strong SEO-focused content strategy, then Webflow is the best tool out there.
If you want to build a SaaS product, marketplace, or dashboard where the user interface and database are in the same place, then Bubble is the most mature tool out there.
There are more specialized tools that may be worth a look depending on your specific project, but that is a debate for another time.
Let’s focus on Bubble vs Webflow for now.
Compared to no-code builders that propose template-based designs like Dorik, Softr, or Stacker, responsive editors like WeWeb, Webflow and Bubble give you a lot more freedom to design the web pages you want.
You can edit most CSS properties with a no-code interface and add custom code if you need to.
That said, Webflow is best-in-class when it comes to designing gorgeous web pages with beautiful animations.
Bubble does a decent job too, especially since they released their responsive engine in 2021, but Webflow is the more intuitive and powerful.
Both tools have a steep learning curve for beginners. Put simply, to become proficient in a tool like Webflow or Bubble, inexperienced no-coders will need several weeks. For very complex projects, this may stretch to several months.
However, both tools offer quality educational content to their users.
The Webflow University is legendary in the no-code space. You'll learn about Webflow but you can go much further than that and get really good at design in general.
The Bubble Academy and user manual are also very good, especially the tutorials on how to clone famous products like Twitter or Spotify.
While Bubble has developed its own visual programming language, Webflow follows the standards of web development.
As a result, the skills you learn in Bubble are not always transferable to other tools, but what you learn about HTML and CSS in Webflow is boundless.
At WeWeb, we are more aligned with Webflow's approach because we believe that's where the true power of no-code resides:
We are completely aligned with Bubble’s vision, which is to make it possible for non developers to execute on a vision.
However, we also believe that people without prior coding knowledge can only build secure web apps that scale if no-code tools explain and enforce programming best practices.
To build complex projects, Bubble is a better fit compared to Webflow.
In Webflow, you can use external tools like Jetboost, Memberstack, or Wized to add dynamic filters, membership features, or user authentication. However, the web app use cases you can implement securely with Webflow remain fairly limited.
With Bubble, you’ll have access to a rich eco-system of third-party plugins as well as in-built web-app functionalities like no-code workflows, an API connector, and user management system.
Both tools have done a great job building a marketplace of third-party integrations and plugins. For example, you can use Webflow with an Airtable database or use Bubble with a Xano backend.
However, both tools were built and optimized for a monolithic approach to web development, where the user interface and the database or content management system are built in the same tool.
This choice, which has pros and cons, influences how projects perform.
If you are looking to build a web app that scales but need to connect external data sources to a user interface, other solutions may be more suitable.
Indeed, if you try to build a user interface on top of an external database in Webflow or Bubble, it is likely that you will run into security and performance issues.
In terms of design freedom, educational content, and third-party integrations, both platforms are excellent.
However, both have significant limitations.
Webflow only has basic applicative features. To add a dynamic search or filters for example, you'll need to work with third-party tools like Jetboost. To add complex automations, you'll need to work with automation tools like Zapier or Make. This can all add up in terms of budget.
They also have record limits. Unless you go for their Enterprise pricing plan, you will be limited to 10,000 CMS items (checked on September 23rd, 2022).
Finally, if you decide to connect an external database, you will lose out in terms of speed, security, and performance.
Bubble has a higher learning curve than most no-code tools yet what you learn is often specific to their tool and not transferrable to other methods of building. If you work with developers for example, the Bubble way of doing things will not translate well with them.
In addition, while it is easier than before to build a beautiful front-end in Bubble, it's still not easy to use and you don't get full freedom of design.
Finally, if you use their internal database, you can't choose where the data is hosted, but if you choose to connect an external database, you often need to duplicate data to make it work and lose out in terms of speed, security.
Bubble, Webflow, and WeWeb all provide drag and drop responsive editors that help you build user interfaces faster than traditional web development.
Webflow provides better SEO and animation capabilities. This is why we recommend choosing Webflow over Bubble and WeWeb when you want to build a responsive website that ranks with search engines.
Bubble provides a one-stop shop with a rich eco-system of developers to build full no-code apps. That is why we highly recommend Bubble to build tech products that don't require an external database.
However, we think WeWeb might be a better fit for you in the following cases:
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