Webflow vs Storyblok: Simplicity or Scalability?
Business owners often look for simplicity when it comes to building content experiences. This has seen companies like Webflow increase user adoption and become a go-to platform for its no-code builder.
But what happens when it’s time to scale? For example, when you need to launch new marketing sites for global audiences. Would an enterprise-grade CMS be a better option? If it offers the same visual editing capabilities, the answer is definitely yes.
In this blog, we’ll compare Webflow with Storyblok, a headless CMS built for scalability and empowering teams.
Webflow CMS: Is Webflow a Fully Fledged CMS?
Webflow is a no-code website builder that enables users to design and launch their own custom websites. The platform includes a CMS that allows designers and editors to create and edit content for their websites and even includes add-ons for eCommerce and other functionality.
While Webflow allows companies to do the basics of what a CMS should allow, it’s not quite built for the modern enterprise. Webflow is akin to a traditional CMS, with one-channel publishing limitations.
If you want a simple website, and that’s it, then Webflow can do a solid job. However, today we live in a multichannel world where customers want to interact with brands on more than just a website. They want to view content on mobiles, smartwatches, and other smart devices, and if you can’t deliver, they will turn to your competitors who can.
To cope with this demand, enterprise-level businesses often opt for a headless CMS, which allows them to scale and cope with increased demand better than traditional CMS platforms. They can provide content to more channels, regions, and a diverse audience of customers.
Storyblok is a headless CMS that empowers marketers and developers to create content experiences across any channel and provides the scalability that businesses need today. Storyblok also includes a visual editor that offers the same user-friendly interface that marketers enjoy in a traditional CMS or no-code builder like Webflow but with more robust functionality included.
Webflow Integrations vs. Storyblok Integrations
A CMS powers your website, but that’s not the only tool you’ll need for a complete business. This is where integrations come into play. So how do Webflow and Storyblok stack up?
Plugin-based Integration
Webflow uses plugins, similar to other platforms like WordPress. Plugins and widgets work well on simple websites, but there are a few problems you can run into. Plugins built for Webflow are part of the Webflow ecosystem. The problem with this is that not every tool will be listed, meaning that you are limited in how you can extend the platform if you want to.
API-first Integration
On the other hand, Storyblok leverages API-first technology to integrate with other tools in the tech stack. Not only does this make integrations easier, but it also provides more freedom to choose any tool you want.
If Webflow doesn’t have a plugin for your preferred eCommerce platform, then it will be much harder to integrate, and you won’t have the same functionality. With Storyblok, you can connect the two systems using APIs.
What’s more, Storyblok also includes its own plugins that are regularly updated and can be used to enhance the editor experience and customize it to fit your needs.
Scaling with Webflow vs. Scaling with Storyblok
For enterprises, the ability to scale as internal and external demands grow is essential to success.
Webflow Scalability Issues
Webflow was made for small teams and websites. While the company has made improvements to help teams add more content types and store more content assets, that only scratches the surface of what enterprise companies need regarding scalability.
You can get off the ground quickly using Webflow, but then what if your team grows or you want to start producing content for a different market? Webflow’s scalability problems mean that it’s difficult to add and customize new permissions to grow your team. Webflow also lacks the workflow systems companies need to manage how content is approved before release.
Since Webflow isn’t a headless CMS, it’s not made for delivering content to multiple channels. You might only need a website today, but what about a mobile app tomorrow? What if you want to add headless commerce and deliver content to a kiosk in the mall? Businesses need an alternative to cope with these issues.
How Storyblok Removes Scalability Concerns
As an enterprise-grade headless CMS, Storyblok has many built-in features to remove scalability concerns. Some of these features include:
Unlimited Users: You can freely expand your team as you see fit without worrying about restrictions or having to upgrade to a new plan every time.
Unlimited Resources: Storyblok allows you to cope with increased traffic demands.
Customizable Workflows: Create and customize workflows to add more human resources to help production demand.
Unlimited Content Assets: There is no need to delete old content when you might need it sometime later.
Most importantly, Storyblok relies on MACH architecture. MACH is an acronym for Microservices, API-based, Cloud-native, and Headless, and it represents a modern approach to building technology systems. Businesses can replace software as they see fit to remain agile and meet evolving business and customer needs.
With Storyblok, the scaling and automatic updates benefits of the cloud and the omnichannel content delivery capabilities of headless can be used however your business sees fit.
Webflow Costs: Exploring Monetary and Opportunity Costs
When it comes to pricing for both platforms, you need to consider not only the initial monetary cost but also the opportunity cost.
Short-Term Gain For Long-Term Loss
Webflow’s lowest plan is Free, but for businesses, the most relevant plan starts at $468/ year. Then there is the option of an enterprise plan customized to your requirements. While Webflow offers a low initial cost, this can be a problem due to the limit on the number of items and bandwidth.
Businesses will need to upgrade to the enterprise plan, which may not provide everything they need regarding omnichannel content delivery, scalability, and integrations. So while Webflow offers a reasonable option for getting you started, you will need to migrate to a CMS that offers more in the long run.
Everything You Need Today and Tomorrow
With Storyblok, the Teams option is just under €5000 per year, and the enterprise version comes in at just under €36,000 annually. While the initial investment for Storyblok is higher than Webflow, the additional benefits you gain in the medium to long term far outweigh the initial costs.
For example, Storyblok offers personalization and localization features that can immediately allow you to reach more markets at scale, perfect for enterprise companies with a large audience. With API-first integration and no scalability issues, Storyblok can easily grow with your business without you necessarily incurring additional costs.
Best of Both Worlds: Simplicity & Scalability with Storyblok
The choice between simplicity and scalability can often leave businesses in a dilemma. Webflow offers a no-code builder for designers and marketers that allows them to create visually appealing websites. While this can be good for smaller projects, there are some scalability issues you could run into that make those initial feelings of simplicity become headaches down the road.
With Storyblok, you get a headless CMS that provides simplicity and scalability. Designers and marketers can rely on the visual editor to collaborate and create compelling digital experiences. At the same time, developers and everyone else in the enterprise have the features they need to be empowered and scale the business.
take it_ is a Storyblok partner, and our expertise can help you build a fast and scalable website for your business. When NGRAVE needed a new CMS that could give them all they needed to edit content and scale with personalization, localization, and more as they grew, we recommended Storyblok.
Read about how take it_ used Storyblok to help NGRAVE build its eShop and Academy in the case study.
