How to choose a website platform: overview of popular solutions

Introduction

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When it comes to building a website, the first question is — what platform to use. There are many options, each promising something different, and figuring it out without experience is hard. This article is a basic overview of the most popular solutions. No ads, no "best picks" — just honest information so you understand what works for what

For business websites and landing pages

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Webflow is a visual editor that generates clean code. You work like in a builder, but get results on par with hand-coded development. Built-in CMS, hosting, SEO tools — everything in one place. Works great for business websites, landing pages, corporate sites, and small stores. Flexible, gives full design control, no plugins needed. Not the cheapest option, but for most projects it's the best balance between flexibility and speed. I mostly work on Webflow for this reason. The only limitation is large online stores. Sooner or later you'll hit collection and plan limits, so for e-commerce with thousands of products — look elsewhere

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WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world — about 40% of all websites run on it. A huge ecosystem of plugins and themes — but that's also the problem. You need a good developer, lots of paid plugins, constant performance issues, and security depends on what you install. Custom design costs a lot. The only real advantage is a powerful admin panel for content management. But if you think about the consequences, it often makes sense to go straight to custom development so all data and the database are yours. WordPress is like a LEGO set with thousands of pieces. You can build anything, but it's easy to get lost and end up with a slow, heavy site

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Wix is one of the most famous website builders. Advertised as "build a site in 5 minutes." In practice — it's more complicated. No flexibility, cluttered interface, limited features on cheaper plans. Developers barely work with it. Honestly — Wix didn't work for me. Everything feels complicated, inflexible, and sites on it rarely look professional. When I see a site on Wix — usually the owner made it themselves, not a developer. Only suitable for very simple business cards if you're doing it yourself and don't plan to scale

For portfolios and creative projects

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Framer started as a prototyping tool, but now you can build full websites on it. The approach differs from classic development — something between design and code. Great for quick portfolios or prototypes. Intuitive interface, fast start. But there are limitations for complex sites, pricing feels high for what you get, and the approach itself isn't classic development — more like half-layout half-do-whatever-you-want. For a serious business site I'd choose something else, but for personal projects and portfolios — a solid option

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Readymag is a platform for visual storytelling. The approach is a blank canvas — no rigid grids or templates, complete freedom. Powerful typography tools, animations, interactions without code. But there are nuances: sites aren't responsive by default — you need to manually adapt for mobile. No built-in e-commerce, only integrations. Basic SEO. A niche tool — if you need a presentation site, digital publication, or creative portfolio, it might work. For business — no

For online stores

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Shopify is a platform built for e-commerce. If your main goal is selling products online, Shopify does it well. Everything for sales out of the box: payment integrations, analytics, product management. Top choice for stores, but there's a catch — customization costs money. You can do anything you want, but every feature is paid. Modules, themes, settings — it all adds up, and development can get expensive. Plus monthly subscription and sales commission. For non-stores — overkill

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OpenCart is a free CMS for online stores, popular in Ukraine. Out of the box everything is set up and ready to work, you can buy a template and just launch a store. But the structure itself is very complex — millions of fields and data to fill in. Without a developer, a client can't figure it out, and the setup process is pure hell. Outdated interface, security depends on configuration, you need a good specialist. The only advantage — no monthly payments like Shopify. OpenCart is like WordPress for stores. You can do everything, but without experience — better not to touch it

When you need custom development

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Sometimes no platform fits. Complex functionality, your own database, non-standard logic, large data volumes — then you need development from scratch. This is for complex web applications, large projects with specific requirements, startups with unique products. Full freedom, any functionality, scaling to your needs. But expensive, time-consuming, and requires a development team. Maintenance costs too. Custom development isn't "better" — it's "when nothing else works." For 90% of projects, platforms cover all needs

What to choose

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There's no "best" platform — only the one that fits your goals. The key is to understand them clearly, consult with specialists, and think about future scaling so you choose the right path for your business from the start