When it comes to building a modern website (take this one for example), one of the most common (and most paralysing) questions is: Which platform should I use?

Squarespace, Webflow, and Framer all promise fast, beautiful websites. But the right choice depends less on features, and more on how you work, what you need, and where you're headed.

This guide breaks down what each platform does best, where they fall short, and who they're really built for.

Squarespace: The Set-and-Forget Option

If you're looking for something that "just works," Squarespace is hard to beat. It’s made for business owners who want to get online quickly, look decent doing it, and never have to think about technical setup.

The templates are polished and mobile-friendly out of the box. The all-in-one ecosystem means hosting, security, and updates are handled for you. And for most service-based businesses—like cafés, coaches, and yes, laundromats—it covers the basics: info pages, contact forms, bookings, and email collection.

But that convenience comes at a cost. Customisation is limited. You're locked into their system. And if you ever want to break out of the template or add more advanced logic (like animations, gated content, or CMS filtering), you'll hit walls fast.

Best for: Solo operators, brick-and-mortar businesses, or non-technical founders who want a clean, reliable web presence without ongoing upkeep.

Not ideal for: Anyone needing high design control or scalability beyond the basics.

Webflow: The Swiss Army Knife for Designers

Webflow gives you granular control over layout, typography, interactions, and structure. It’s a designer’s dream—if that designer understands the box model, z-index, and breakpoint behaviour.

What makes Webflow powerful is also what makes it hard. You’re essentially building HTML and CSS visually. That means near-infinite flexibility, but also a steeper learning curve.

For agencies and design pros, Webflow is the default. It supports robust CMS collections, custom animations, and scalable components that make managing large sites much easier than templated platforms.

However, clients often find it difficult to update. Even with the Editor mode, adding or tweaking content can be intimidating. And while the design freedom is unmatched, performance can suffer if things aren’t built efficiently.

Best for: Designers and agencies building multi-page marketing sites, client projects, or complex CMS structures.

Not ideal for: Non-technical users or small business owners who want to update things themselves without training.

Framer has entered the website scene fast—and for good reason. It blends the intuitive design environment of Figma with the deployment ease of Squarespace. For many small businesses and freelancers, it’s the fastest way to get a site that looks and feels custom without diving into code.

Framer supports responsive layout, animations, and CMS content blocks with surprising power. Its real-time preview and clean UI mean you can go from wireframe to live site quickly. And because it’s built on React under the hood, performance is solid.

Framer: The Sweet Spot for Speed, Simplicity, and Polish

Where Framer shines is in marketing sites, personal portfolios, and small business websites. The CMS is simple enough to use without tutorials, and components like navbars and footers can be reused and styled consistently.

The trade-off? It’s not as mature as Webflow. If you need user logins, gated content, or third-party integrations beyond embeds and forms, you’ll feel its limits.

Best for: Designers, freelancers, and small teams who want a polished, fast, and easy-to-update site with a premium feel.

Not ideal for: Projects that need complex backend logic, user authentication, or e-commerce.

So Which One Should You Use?

There’s no perfect tool—just the right one for your use case.

If you need something live by next week and never want to touch it again? Go Squarespace.

If you’re building a high-end marketing site with layered design, CMS, and animations? Webflow’s your pick.

If you want something modern, scalable, and client-friendly with no-code setup and fast results? Framer hits the sweet spot.

It comes down to how much control you need, how much time you’re willing to spend learning, and how often your site will need updates.

One last tip: Don’t overthink it. A clean, focused website built on any of these platforms will beat a "perfect" one that never ships.

Get it live. Then make it better.