AI Builds Websites in MINUTES! But Can They Really Replace Webflow Partners?

So far, to get a website, you often had to either learn coding and design yourself, hire a professional web developer, or use website builders that required you to manually choose templates and drag-and-drop every element.

Now, AI website builders are changing that.

Imagine having a smart tool that asks you a few simple questions about what kind of website you need, for example, "What's your business?", "What are your goals?", "What kind of look do you like?", and based on your answers, those AI website builders automatically generate a basic site structure for you.

Sure, AI builds websites in minutes, but what happens after that first launch? Can those quick builds grow with your business? AI website builders are attractive, we can’t deny, but are they really good enough for scaling businesses and how to know which one is the best choice – read on to find out.

The Advantage of AI Website Builders

Here’s the critical question: Can these AI tools truly replace the expertise of seasoned Webflow professionals? Building a website fast is one thing, building it right, for scale, performance, and growth, is another. 

At the same time, big names in the website building world are starting to add AI to their platforms because it offers significant advantages for their users:

• It makes getting started incredibly fast: AI can create a foundational website much quicker than building it manually.
• It simplifies the process for everyone: AI can provide intelligent starting points that are generally well-designed and user-friendly, even if you have no prior experience.
• It offers a degree of personalization from the start: By understanding your needs through simple questions, AI can generate a more relevant initial design, saving you time in making fundamental choices.
• It enables new helpful features: AI can also be used to automatically generate basic content or suggest suitable visuals, further streamlining the website creation workflow.

Essentially, the integration of AI by these major players is about making website creation more accessible, efficient, and intuitive for a wider range of users, regardless of their technical expertise. It's about providing a smart jumpstart to the website building process, so getting online becomes easier than ever.

Webflow AI

Webflow launched its AI Site Builder (currently in beta) and it lets you quickly create a responsive website or landing page by describing what you need. It's aimed at anyone who wants a visually professional starting point for their website and is comfortable with a more design-focused platform for further customization.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Generates visually appealing designs, creates a basic style guide, allows for further customization within Webflow's powerful no-code editor, and can generate new pages matching your design.
• Cons: Still in beta, might require some Webflow knowledge for advanced customization, pricing can be higher than simpler builders.

Unique Features:

AI-powered responsive layout generation, automatic style guide creation, integration with Webflow's advanced no-code design and CMS features.

Pricing:

Currently part of Webflow's existing plans. Webflow's pricing starts with a free plan (with Webflow branding) and paid plans based on site features and traffic, ranging from around $14/month (billed annually) upwards. Expect potential AI-specific features or pricing adjustments as it comes out of beta.

Bottom Line

Great for those who want a visually sophisticated website foundation quickly and are willing to learn or already know the Webflow platform for deeper customization and control.

GoDaddy Airo

GoDaddy Airo is an AI website builder focused on ease of use and integrating social media content. It's designed for individuals and small businesses who want a simple online presence and tools to manage their social media alongside their website.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Very easy to use, strong integration with social media for content and scheduling, includes AI for logo and content creation.
• Cons: Design customization options might be less extensive compared to platforms like Webflow or Wix, and can feel basic for complex websites.

Unique Features:

AI-powered social content generation and scheduling tools, integrated calendar features, GoDaddy InSight™ for business advice.

Pricing:

GoDaddy offers various website builder plans, often with introductory pricing. Regular monthly costs can range from around $10 to $25+, depending on the features included (e.g., marketing tools, e-commerce).

Bottom Line

A good choice for individuals and small businesses prioritizing simplicity, social media integration, and an all-in-one platform for basic online presence and marketing.

WordPress Divi AI

Divi is a popular visual page builder plugin for WordPress, and it now integrates AI features to help generate content and code snippets. It's for existing WordPress users who want to speed up their content creation and design process within the familiar WordPress environment.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Integrates directly with the flexible WordPress platform, AI can assist with writing content and generating CSS code, visual drag-and-drop interface.
• Cons: Requires having a WordPress website already, the AI features are an add-on to the Divi Builder (which is a paid plugin).

Unique Features:

AI text generation within the Divi Builder, AI CSS generation, a vast library of pre-designed layouts and modules.

Pricing:

Divi is a paid WordPress plugin. You can get an annual license for around $89 or a lifetime license for about $249. The AI features are typically included with the Divi Builder license. 

Bottom Line

Ideal for current WordPress users who want to leverage AI to streamline content creation and enhance their website design using the Divi visual builder.

Figma Sites

Figma Sites is a feature within the popular Figma design tool that allows users to turn their visual designs directly into live websites. It utilizes no-code principles and, with Figma AI, extends to website building using prompts and visual creation.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Seamless transition from design to live website within Figma, leverages a familiar visual design interface, no coding knowledge required, AI assistance via prompts for website creation, ideal for showcasing design portfolios and projects quickly.
• Cons: Website functionality may be more limited compared to dedicated website builders, primarily focused on visual presentation, might lack advanced features or integrations found in specialized platforms.

Unique Features:

Direct publishing of Figma designs as live websites (Figma Sites), prompt-based website building capabilities (Figma AI), strong focus on visual design workflow.

Pricing:

Figma offers various plans, including a free plan with limitations. Figma Professional, which includes Figma Sites, starts around $15/editor/month (billed annually). AI features within Figma (like FigJam AI) may be included in paid plans or have usage-based credits.

Bottom Line

Best for designers and visual creators who want a streamlined way to present their work online directly from their design environment, prioritizing visual impact and ease of use over complex website features.

Canva Websites

Canva Websites is an integrated website builder within the user-friendly Canva design platform. Leveraging Canva AI, it allows users, particularly beginners, to design and publish visually appealing websites using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface and a vast library of pre-designed elements.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Extremely easy to use with a beginner-friendly drag-and-drop interface, large collection of pre-designed templates, images, and icons, AI-powered content generation (Magic Write), all-in-one platform for design and website creation.
• Cons: Website functionality might be more basic compared to dedicated website builders, customization options might be less extensive for complex layouts, primarily focused on visual simplicity and speed.

Unique Features:

Integrated website builder within the Canva design platform, intuitive drag-and-drop interface, access to Canva's extensive library of design assets, AI-powered text generation (Magic Write).

Pricing: 

Canva offers a free plan with limitations. Canva Pro, which unlocks more templates and features, starts around $12.99/month. AI features like Magic Write are typically included in the Pro plan.

Bottom Line

Ideal for individuals, small businesses, and those new to website building who need a simple, visually attractive website quickly and easily, leveraging Canva's familiar design tools and extensive resources.

Framer AI

Framer AI allows you to generate functional websites from simple text prompts. It's aimed at individuals and businesses looking for a quick and easy way to get a basic website online with minimal effort.

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Very fast website generation from prompts, creates functional and responsive sites, easy to use.
• Cons: Less control over the initial design compared to builders like Webflow or Wix, customization options might be more limited after the initial AI build.

Unique Features:

Prompt-to-website generation, creates functional websites with basic pages and sections.

Pricing:

Framer offers different pricing tiers, including a free plan with Framer branding. Paid plans with more features and custom domains start from around $15/month (billed annually).

Bottom Line

A great option for quickly launching a basic website or landing page based on a simple idea, especially if speed and ease of use are the top priorities.

Wix AI

Wix offers a comprehensive AI website builder that guides you through the process of creating a personalized website based on your needs and preferences. It's designed for a wide range of users, from individuals to businesses, who want a balance of AI assistance and design flexibility. 

Pros & Cons:

• Pros: User-friendly interface, strong AI guidance throughout the website creation, a large app store for added functionality, extensive customization options after the initial AI build.
• Cons: Can become more complex with advanced features, the sheer number of options might be overwhelming for absolute beginners.

Unique Features: 

Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) for automatic website generation, AI text and image generation, a vast library of templates that can be further customized.

Pricing: 

Wix offers various plans, including a free plan with Wix branding. Paid plans for more features and a custom domain range from around $16 to $59/month (billed annually). 

Bottom Line 

A solid all-around choice for users who want AI assistance to get started but also desire significant control and scalability for their website.

Webflow Pros: Where AI Builders Might Fall Short

AI website builders are fast, but fast and accessible doesn’t always mean strategic or scalable. And that’s where Webflow pros come in. If you find AI website builders attractive, promising, and fast, but you’re wondering if they can really scale with your business, you’re asking the right question.

While AI website builders offer a fast way to get a basic website up, they often provide a starting point rather than a complete, robust solution. 

SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

Many AI website builders do consider basic SEO during the initial build as they might structure the site logically, ensure mobile responsiveness, and allow for the input of basic meta descriptions and titles.

The Reality: However, SEO for a growing business that we can get with Webflow, is a much more involved process that requires in-depth keyword research, content strategy, link building, technical SEO audits, and ongoing optimization. While AI can assist with some initial steps, it's unlikely to provide the nuanced and strategic approach needed for competitive rankings. 

You'll likely need to either learn more advanced SEO techniques yourself or integrate other SEO tools and potentially hire an expert as your business scales.

Branding:

Often, AI website builders allow you to input your brand name, choose color palettes, and upload logos, and some might even suggest design styles based on your industry.

The Reality: True branding goes far beyond visuals because it encompasses your brand voice, messaging, values, and the overall experience you provide. While AI can help with the initial visual presentation, it can't define your core brand identity or ensure consistent messaging across all platforms. 

You'll need a strong understanding of your brand and likely manual customization to ensure your website truly reflects it and resonates with your target audience.

Security:

Reputable AI website builders typically handle the basic security aspects of hosting, such as providing SSL certificates (the "https" lock in the browser) and protecting against common threats at the server level.

The Reality: Just as everything crucial on the website, security is an ongoing process, and the level of control you have with an AI website builder might be limited. For a growing business, you might need more advanced security features, the ability to implement custom security protocols, and potentially more control over data privacy and compliance.

Scalability:

AI website builders allow you to quickly add pages and make basic changes as your business grows initially, but this isn’t something long term.

The Long-Term Challenge: Scalability for a growing business often means integrating complex features (e.g., advanced e-commerce functionality, CRM integrations, custom APIs), handling increasing traffic, and adapting to evolving business needs. 

AI website builders, especially the simpler ones, can hit limitations in terms of customization and the ability to handle complex integrations. You might find yourself needing to migrate to a more robust platform or involve developers to achieve true scalability as your business matures.

So, while AI website builders are fantastic for quickly launching a basic online presence and are very attractive for their ease of use, growing business still requires more professional solutions.

You'll likely need to invest additional time, effort, and potentially resources in these critical areas to ensure your website can effectively support your business's growth and long-term success.

Ready to Build Smarter, Not Just Faster? Talk to Our Webflow Experts

While Webflow AI offers an excellent starting point, it’s the professional Webflow designers and developers who unlock its full power. From creating scalable CMS structures and custom animations to implementing advanced SEO strategies and performance optimizations, these are areas where AI still falls short. 

Intrigued by the speed of AI website builders but unsure if they're the right long-term solution for your growing business? Book a free 30-minute call with our Webflow experts. 

We'll help you cut through the hype, understand the crucial elements of SEO, branding, security, and maintenance, and determine if Webflow offers the robust and scalable foundation your business truly needs. Let's get clear on the best path forward for your online success.