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3 open source alternatives to Webflow

Visual website builder with CMS and hosting. Here are the open source projects real teams use instead — ranked by fit, with honest pros and cons for each.

What people don't love about Webflow

  • Hosting is required — you cannot self-host sites you build.
  • Pricing tiers can feel confusing.
  • Export gives static HTML, losing CMS features.

Current Webflow pricing (for reference): Free trial; CMS plan from $23/month.

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Quick comparison

Alternative Best for License Self-host Hosted cloud?
Silex
Free and open source website builder in the browser. 		Visual website builder that exports static HTML you can host anywhere. AGPL-3.0 ★★☆☆☆ Yes
GrapesJS
Open source drag-and-drop visual builder framework. 		Developers who want to embed a drag-and-drop builder in their app. BSD-3-Clause ★★☆☆☆ Yes
WordPress (self-hosted)
The world's most used open source CMS. 		When you want a real CMS plus visual builders like Elementor. GPL-2.0 ★★☆☆☆ Yes

1. Silex — Visual website builder that exports static HTML you can host anywhere.

Free and open source website builder in the browser.

Strengths

  • Works in browser or desktop.
  • Exports static HTML — host anywhere.
  • No vendor lock-in.

Weaknesses

  • Smaller template library than Wix.
  • Project maturity varies by area.
  • Occasional upgrade friction.
License: AGPL-3.0 Self-host difficulty: 2/5 Hosted cloud optionDesktop: Windows, macOS, Linux

Silex homepage · Source on GitHub · Webflow vs Silex →

2. GrapesJS — Developers who want to embed a drag-and-drop builder in their app.

Open source drag-and-drop visual builder framework.

Strengths

  • Framework-agnostic — embeddable in any app.
  • Active community and plugins.
  • Exports clean HTML/CSS.

Weaknesses

  • Not a turn-key CMS — you integrate it into your app.
  • No built-in hosting.
  • Documentation is developer-focused.
License: BSD-3-Clause Self-host difficulty: 2/5 Hosted cloud option

GrapesJS homepage · Source on GitHub · Webflow vs GrapesJS →

3. WordPress (self-hosted) — When you want a real CMS plus visual builders like Elementor.

The world's most used open source CMS.

Strengths

  • Largest theme and plugin ecosystem anywhere.
  • Battle-tested for 20+ years.
  • Any host works — pick your own provider.

Weaknesses

  • Plugin sprawl drives attack surface and bloat.
  • Performance depends heavily on caching setup.
  • Gutenberg vs classic editor divide persists.
License: GPL-2.0 Self-host difficulty: 2/5 Hosted cloud optionMobile: iOS, Android

WordPress (self-hosted) homepage · Source on GitHub · Webflow vs WordPress (self-hosted) →

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