Beyond WordPress: Why we choose Webflow for our projects
At GOMO Digital, moving away from WordPress wasn't a decision we made lightly — it was the result of years of experience and dozens of projects that showed us that the most popular choice isn't always the best one. As we discovered with projects like Center of Portugal and Verakis Food Academy, complex WordPress websites often face challenges that consume precious time and resources.
The Problem with the "Default"
WordPress became the standard for good reasons: it's free, has a huge community, and allows you to create practically any type of website. However, this flexibility comes at a price. As we discovered with projects like Centro de Portugal and Verakis Food Academy, complex WordPress websites often face challenges that consume time and resources.
- Plugin updates that sometimes break functionality
- Need for regular security maintenance
- Performance that degrades over time
- Admin interface that becomes cluttered with multiple plugins
- Rising maintenance costs
Why we choose Webflow
Take the José Neves Foundation project, for example — we proved that Webflow can go far beyond what many imagine. We developed one of the most sophisticated platforms ever created in Portugal using Webflow, with impressive results:
- Loading in less than 3 seconds
- Successful migration of over 200 pages
- Intuitive management system anyone can use
- Professional animations without impact on performance
- Zero technical issues reported after launch
Webflow vs WordPress: A Practical Comparison
Numbers and promises are interesting, but nothing beats looking at the practical differences in day-to-day operations. After hundreds of delivered projects, we've identified where this choice really makes a difference — and they're not necessarily the most obvious points. Let's look in detail at where each platform shines (or doesn't).
Design and Development
WordPress requires third-party themes and visual builders to create custom designs. This often results in unnecessary code and compatibility issues.
Webflow offers complete control over design with a visual interface that generates clean, optimized code. As we saw in the José Neves Foundation project, this allows us to create unique experiences without compromising performance.
Content Management
WordPress has a familiar interface but becomes cluttered with multiple plugins. Managing complex content usually requires additional solutions.
Webflow offers a powerful and intuitive CMS. At Verakis Food Academy, for example, we created a course management system that's both robust and easy to use.
Performance and Security
WordPress requires constant maintenance and additional plugins for security and performance optimization.
Webflow offers optimized hosting, SSL certificates, and automatic backups included. The result? Websites that consistently load in less than 3 seconds.
When Webflow Makes Sense
Webflow is particularly effective for:
- Websites that need unique and custom design
- Projects that demand superior performance
- Teams that value autonomy in content management
- Companies that prefer to avoid recurring maintenance costs
- Platforms that need to grow without compromising speed
And when Webflow isn't enough?
Sometimes, even Webflow might not be sufficient for truly complex projects. This is where Craft CMS comes in. At CIICESI, for instance, we needed to manage scientific content with complex relationships and external API integration.
At Centro de Portugal, the combination of Webflow and Craft CMS proved perfect: Webflow ensures a stunning visual experience and fluid interactions on the public-facing side, while Craft CMS works behind the scenes, managing thousands of tourist attractions in multiple languages with impressive efficiency. The result? For visitors, an engaging and intuitive experience with subtle animations and natural navigation. For the management team, a robust system that relates complex content with the simplicity of a Word document. It's the best of both worlds: world-class design with enterprise content management.
The choice of the right technology always depends on the project. But one thing is certain: whether it's Webflow or a more robust combination with Craft CMS, there's life beyond WordPress - and often, it's a more organized and efficient life.
