Quick outline
- What each one does for me
- Three real projects I shipped
- What I love, what bugged me
- Pricing feelings
- Who should pick what
- Final take
The short, honest answer
I use both. A lot.
Figma helps me think and try ideas fast. Webflow helps me publish a real site people can use. That’s the simple split. But it’s not always that clean, right? I’ll show you what I mean. If you want the blow-by-blow details, I broke down my entire Webflow-vs-Figma workflow in a longer piece here.
Wait—what are they, in plain words?
- Figma: I sketch screens, plan flows, and build clickable demos. It’s like a big whiteboard that acts like an app.
- Webflow: I build the live website. Real hosting, real links, real forms. It’s like Lego blocks, but for the web.
They can sit together. I start in Figma, then I ship in Webflow. If you’re considering outsourcing that hand-off, I actually hired two agencies to do the jump and wrote up what happened here.
Project 1: The coffee truck site I launched in a week
A local coffee truck asked for a simple site. Menu, schedule, photos, and a form for events. They wanted it fast. My dog barked during the call; we laughed, then we set a tight deadline.
How I used Figma
- I drew wireframes in about two hours. Boxy, simple, black and white.
- I used Auto Layout, so buttons and cards stretched right when I resized. Think “snap-to” for spacing.
- I set up a tiny style library: H1, H2, body text, and a color palette with three browns and one green. Nothing wild.
How I used Webflow
- I built a CMS for “Stops.” Each stop had date, time, address, and a short note, like “try the cold brew.”
- I used Finsweet’s Client-First naming. Classes stayed neat. My brain stayed calm.
- I added interactions: menu fades in, hero image slides a bit on scroll. Just a touch, not a circus.
- I hit Publish and texted the link from my phone. Coffee guy wrote back, “Up already?” That felt good.
What went wrong
- My first CMS list looked cramped on small phones. I fixed it with a quick flex wrap and a tighter line height.
- The event form sent to spam once. I added a clear subject line and reCAPTCHA. No issues after.
Project 2: Nonprofit sprint—one day design, one day build
A small nonprofit needed a donation landing page for a weekend push. Two days. No joke.
Figma day
- I ran a quick FigJam session with the team. Three must-haves: clear story, big donate button, proof of impact.
- I made a simple prototype with two paths: “Give once” and “Give monthly.” We watched five people try it on Zoom. They found the button, but they missed the impact stats. I moved the stats up top.
Webflow day
- Built the page with a sticky bar for the donate button.
- Added CMS for stories, so they could add new ones later without pinging me.
- Used Webflow’s Localization for Spanish. The button labels were easy; the CMS fields needed a second pass. Slower than I hoped, but it worked.
What worked
- Mobile was clean. Big buttons. Big text. Simple choices.
- They raised more than last month. Not a huge jump, but enough to text me some 🎉.
What bugged me
- Figma prototype felt smooth, but still not “real.” Scroll timing in Webflow felt different, so I tuned spacing again after launch.
Project 3: A SaaS pricing page I kept tweaking
This team changes prices like my grandma changes radio stations. Often. I needed a system that doesn’t fall apart when they nudge a number.
Figma setup
- I made button variants: default, hover, focus, and “current plan.”
- I used variables for colors and spacing. One change, lots of updates. Handy.
- I mapped states for “Monthly” and “Yearly,” so we could show both fast.
Webflow build
- I made a “Plan” Component with properties for name, price, and perks. Drop it in, change a field, done.
- I added a little toggle for monthly/yearly. No code, just small show/hide logic.
- For tests, I kept two versions in Webflow. I pushed one at a time and watched clicks in analytics. Not fancy, but clear.
Where I stumbled
- Class bloat sneaks in. I had three versions of “.btn” before lunch. I merged styles and promised myself I’d slow down. I did. Mostly.
Where Figma shines for me
- Fast thinking. I can try three layouts in ten minutes and toss two of them.
- Components and Auto Layout keep things tidy. Make one change, many screens update.
- Team work. Comments feel natural. FigJam is great for quick workshops.
But yeah, some grit
- If folks skip components, the file becomes a noodle bowl. Messy, messy.
- Prototypes can mislead. They feel real, but they’re still just pretend.
Where Webflow shines for me
- Real site, real fast. Forms, CMS, hosting—done.
- Components with properties save time. Drag, tweak, ship.
- CMS is sweet for blogs, events, jobs, menus—repeatable stuff.
The snags
- Ecommerce is fine for small shops, but tax and complex plans can get rough.
- Interactions can get heavy if you stack too many. Keep it light.
- Class names can multiply if you build in a rush. Naming matters more than you think.
- Curious how Webflow stacks up against other no-code builders? I built the same project in Tilda and compared the two here.
Tiny tools and habits that help
- Client-First naming (by Finsweet). My classes stay readable.
- Relume Library for quick sections when time is tight.
- A “Styles” page in Webflow with base headings, links, buttons. Future me says thanks.
- A quick brain-refresh hack: five-minute trailer breaks on Kinox spark color and motion ideas more often than you’d think.
- In Figma, I keep a “Playground” page where I test weird ideas. It keeps the main file clean.
- For a total context-switch during breaks, I’ll skim something completely unrelated—like the candid roundup Unexpected sex tips from real live girls which serves up quick, surprising insights and a laugh, letting my brain reset before diving back into design.
- After pushing a big site live, I sometimes reward myself with an evening walk along the riverbank; if you’re in California’s Central Valley and craving conversation beyond a screen, you can browse Riverbank escorts for a curated list of friendly, verified companions who know the local spots and can turn a quiet night into a refreshing reset before the next design sprint.
Pricing feelings (not a full breakdown)
- Figma: I can start free. Paid is worth it when I need shared libraries and more space.
- Webflow: Hosting is not cheap, but clients pay for speed and control. I charge for that peace of mind.
Who should pick what?
- You’re a designer sketching ideas? Start in Figma.
- You’re a solo maker who wants a live site by Friday? Use Webflow.
- You work with a team and ship often? Use both. Design in Figma, build in Webflow, sleep better.
A quick side note you might like
I sometimes design tiny bits right in Webflow. A button here, a spacer there. It feels wrong. Then it saves me an hour. I still keep the main system in Figma, though. It’s my map. Webflow is my car.
Final take: Build your flow, not just your page
Figma helps me explain. Webflow helps me deliver. I sketch, I test, I ship. Then I tweak. Then I ship again. Simple rhythm.
You know what? That mix lets me move fast without losing the plot. And when a client texts, “It’s live?” I smile, pet the dog, and make tea. That’s my kind of work day.
If you need one line: Figma is where I think; Webflow is where I publish. Use both, and your work feels lighter.