Framer, Webflow, an AI website builder or a studio: who should build your site?

What do Framer, Webflow and AI builders actually cost?

These are the prices on the vendors' own pages on 12 October 2026. Framer's page says prices are monthly and billed according to the billing cycle chosen at checkout¹.

• Framer: Free at $0 with a Framer domain only. Basic is $10 a month for 30 pages, 50 GB of bandwidth and a custom domain. Pro is $30 a month for 150 pages and 100 GB¹.
• Webflow site plans: Starter is free on a webflow.io address. Basic is $15 a month billed yearly, with a custom domain, 300 static pages and 10 GB. Premium is $25 a month billed yearly and adds the CMS².
• Webflow workspace plans are separate: Core is $19 a month and Growth is $49 a month, both billed yearly².
• AI-assisted builder: Hostinger's Premium builder plan is Rs 149 a month on a 48-month term paid upfront, which it lists as Rs 7,152, with a free domain for one year and a renewal price of Rs 449 a month⁶.
• Durable, which sells an AI website builder, puts AI builders at $15 to $30 a month⁷.

Can I take my site with me if I leave the platform?

Only partly, and the answer differs by tool. Webflow lets you export clean HTML and CSS on a paid workspace plan. Dynamic CMS items and pages cannot be exported, forms stop working on the exported copy, and exported code cannot be imported back².

Framer is less clear. One of its help articles says it does not offer HTML export for self-hosting, because published sites are not fully static and features such as server-side rendering and image optimisation run on Framer's servers⁴. Another says published output can be downloaded at any time and moved to any host, and that CMS content can be exported as CSV or JSON through plugins⁵. Do not guess which is current. Ask Framer support in writing before you commit.

Hosted builders share one trait. A contract guide describes them as leased websites owned by the software company, with a revocable licence⁸. You keep your words and photographs. You do not keep the platform. For code, design and domain terms with an agency, read Who owns the code, design and domain.

When is a builder the right call?

When the site is standard and you are the one who will edit it. Durable, a vendor of AI builders, lists the cases where a builder fits: a budget under $1,000, an urgent launch, no technical skills, standard needs such as contact forms, service descriptions, an about page and basic booking, and a wish to make updates yourself⁷. Weigh that with its interest in mind.

Both Framer and Webflow offer free plans for testing, but a custom domain on Framer needs a paid plan and Webflow's free Starter plan stays on a webflow.io address¹². Try your real page on the free plan before paying.

When does a studio make sense?

When distinctiveness, custom features or growth outrun what a template editor allows. The same vendor lists those cases for hiring a designer: brand distinctiveness is critical, custom functionality such as member portals or complex e-commerce is needed, enterprise growth is expected, or strict brand compliance applies. It puts premium custom design at $5,000 to $15,000 and designers at $2,000 to $10,000 upfront plus $50 to $150 a month for maintenance⁷.

In India, Hostinger's cost guide gives a freelancer's small static site at Rs 10,000 to Rs 40,000, a freelancer's dynamic or business site at Rs 40,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh, and an agency's small business site at Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. The same page gives overlapping figures in other sections, so treat the ranges as a guide and not a quote³.

A scroll film, a 3D scene or a strict limit on first-screen weight on phones is also a reason to want control of the code. Whatever you choose, ask the tool or the studio to show it running on a real phone.

What should I ask before I choose?

Five questions settle most decisions:

• What can I export, and what breaks when I do? On Webflow the CMS content stays behind and forms stop².
• What does it cost after the introductory price? The Hostinger plan above renews at Rs 449 a month, against Rs 149 at signup⁶.
• Which accounts and the domain are in my name, and who holds the admin login?
• What is the page, bandwidth and editor limit on the plan I need, and what is the overage?
• Who answers when something breaks, and is that included in the price?