Framer vs Bubble (Which is the Best in 2025)

Compare Framer and Bubble to make an informed decision on the best platform for your website. Explore their features and capabilities for a tailored solution to meet your specific needs.

Framer: The Design-First No-Code Website Builder

What is Framer

Framer started as a prototyping tool and has evolved into a modern, design-first no-code website builder. It’s built to help designers (and non-coders) create visually appealing, animation-rich websites quickly, from landing pages to portfolios or marketing sites.

Why Framer Shines

• Visual Design & Creative Freedom – Framer uses a freeform canvas, giving creators the flexibility to build layouts like they would in a design tool, rather than being constrained by rigid box/flexbox structures.

• Responsive & Animated Websites – It offers intuitive tools for responsive design and for adding animations/interactions, making it easy to build polished, modern sites that look good on any device.

• Real-Time Collaboration – Teams can collaborate live, similar to design tools: share a project, edit together, preview changes instantly.

• Built-in Hosting, CMS & SEO Basics – Hosting, CMS for content (blogs, collections, etc.), and SEO settings are built-in, so you don’t need external infrastructure for simple sites.

Ideal Use Cases for Framer

Framer is particularly well-suited for:

• Static websites, landing pages, marketing sites

• Portfolios, personal/business presentation sites

• Small-to-medium blogs or content-driven sites with CMS needs

• Sites where design, layout, and animations matter most

Where Framer Falls Short / What to Watch Out For

• Not a Full “App Builder” — Framer is optimized for websites. If you need complex logic, dynamic data handling, user accounts, or backend workflows, it’s not the right tool.

• Scaling & Advanced Features — For very large sites, multilingual support, heavy dynamic content or app-like behaviors, you may hit limitations. Some users complain about the pricing structure when adding locales or more advanced features.

• Less Suitable for SaaS / Data-driven Apps — Framer is not meant for building full-blown web applications with complex logic or database-driven functionality.

Templates

Framer provides a wide range of templates, each thoughtfully designed for various use cases. Below are a few of the most sought-after templates:

1. Revo — Free AI Template

2. Sawad — Free Portfolio Template

3. Najm — Free SaaS Template

4. Bayt — Free Real Estate Template

5. Faseelh — Free Business Template

Bubble.io: The No-Code Full-Stack Application Builder

What is Bubble.io

Bubble.io is one of the earliest and most established no-code platforms. It offers a full-stack environment: front-end design, backend database, workflows/logic, and integrations. all visually, without writing code.

Key Strengths of Bubble.io

• Visual Drag-and-Drop UI Builder + Workflows — You can build UI components (inputs, buttons, forms, lists, pages) with drag-and-drop, and define interactions/logic (form submissions, conditional behaviors, user flows) visually.

• Integrated Backend & Database — Unlike many simple website builders, Bubble gives you a fully integrated database: define data types, relationships, privacy rules, dynamic data, etc.

• Plugins & API Integrations — You can connect to third-party services (e.g. payments, external APIs, analytics), or use plugins to extend functionality. This makes it easier to build rich, production-ready apps.

• Scalable Hosting & Full-Stack Support — Hosting and backend infrastructure are managed, so you don’t need to set up servers. For many types of web apps, this makes Bubble a true alternative to coding from scratch.

Ideal Use Cases for Bubble.io

Bubble is a strong fit for:

• SaaS products, marketplaces, internal tools, dashboards

• Apps requiring dynamic data, user accounts, database-driven interactions

• Projects with complex workflows, conditional logic, data operations

• Founders/startups aiming to build a full web application without hiring developers

Limitations & Considerations with Bubble

• Learning Curve — Even though it’s no-code, mastering database logic, workflows, privacy rules, responsiveness and performance optimization can take time.

• Performance & Scaling Limitations — For heavy data usage, complex queries, or large user bases, Bubble apps can lag or require careful optimization.

• Costs Can Grow with Usage — Bubble’s pricing depends on “workload units” (WUs): if your app gets heavy traffic, lots of data storage or many operations, costs can rise.

• Not Ideal for Highly Custom or Performance-Critical Apps — For extremely high-performance needs, or apps needing native mobile, real-time streaming, or very fine-grained control, traditional development might still be better.

Which Platform Should You Use, and When?

Choose Framer if:

• Your project is mainly a marketing website, landing page, blog, or portfolio.

• Visual design, responsive layout, animations and aesthetics matter more than backend logic or data.

• You want to get a beautiful site live quickly, without worrying about servers, databases, or complicated workflows.

• Your needs are relatively simple: content + design + presentation, rather than user accounts or complex interactions.

Choose Bubble.io if:

• You’re building a web application, SaaS product, internal tool, marketplace, or anything with dynamic data, user accounts, workflows, database operations.

• You need the backend, database, and logic, not just a static site.

• You expect to scale, handle user data, integrate with external services (payments, APIs, etc.).

• You're okay investing time into learning the platform’s nuances, data modeling and workflow design.

Conclusion: Complementary Tools, Not Always Direct Competitors

Framer and Bubble are both leaders in the no-code space, but they serve different needs. Framer excels at what it was built for: creating visually compelling, fast, design-first websites and landing pages with minimal friction. Bubble, on the other hand, shines when you need a fully functional web app with backend, data and logic, without writing code.

Rather than thinking “Framer vs Bubble” as an either/or, it’s more useful to think “What am I building?” If it’s a static marketing site → Framer. If it’s a SaaS product or data-driven web app → Bubble.

Some projects may even use both: e.g. a main marketing website built in Framer (to highlight brand and style) + a separate app built in Bubble for logged-in users, dashboards, data, giving you the best of both worlds.