Notes on templates & the web
Roundups, workflows, comparisons, and opinions — written by the person who makes the templates. New posts regularly; theRSS feed never misses one.
October 16, 2026
What an architecture studio website costs in 2026
Most studios spend $0–$15,000 on the site itself — templates from $79–$129, freelancers from $2,000, agencies from $4,800 — plus $10–$25/month to host it.
October 16, 2026
Best Framer alternatives in 2026
Six alternatives to Framer in 2026 — Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Astro, and Shopify — matched to the jobs Framer doesn't do.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for architecture studios
The builders that fit architecture studios in 2026 — ranked by portfolio presentation, CMS depth, motion, and upkeep — from Framer and Webflow to Astro and Squarespace.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for contractors
The builders that fit contractor work in 2026, ranked by quote flows, service pages, local SEO, and maintenance — with the honest caveats for each.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for designer portfolios
The best portfolio builders for designers in 2026 — Framer, Webflow, Squarespace, portfolio specialists, and hand-coded — ranked by presentation, effort, and cost.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for dietitians
The builders that fit dietitian practices in 2026, ranked by credential presentation, booking flow, content tools, and upkeep — plus what belongs in your practice software instead.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for florists
The builders that fit flower studios in 2026 — ranked by gallery presentation, wedding inquiry flow, ordering, and upkeep — plus where the wedding directories fit.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for restaurants
The builders that fit restaurants in 2026, ranked by menu editing, booking flows, local discovery, and upkeep — plus where the restaurant-specific platforms earn their monthly fee.
October 16, 2026
Best website builders for tour operators
The builders that fit tour operators in 2026 — from editorial inquiry sites to bookable platform websites — ranked by CMS, booking, multilingual, and upkeep.
October 16, 2026
Building client websites with Framer
How freelancers and studios run client work on Framer in 2026: workspaces and seats, client handoff, the Expert program, pricing, and the limits to plan for.
October 16, 2026
What a contractor website costs in 2026
A contractor website in 2026 costs anywhere from $0 to $3,000+: a free template plus a $10–30/month Framer plan, a few hundred to have someone finish it, or an agency build.
October 16, 2026
What a dietitian website costs in 2026
Most dietitians spend $0–$2,000 on the site itself, plus $0–$89/month for the tools that run bookings and intake. Here's what each route buys in 2026.
October 16, 2026
What a florist website costs in 2026
Most florists spend $0–$2,500 on a site that sells weddings and everyday flowers, plus about $200/year in subscriptions. Here's what each route buys in 2026.
October 16, 2026
Framer limitations: what it can't do (2026)
No native checkout, no app logic, no self-hosting: the real limits of Framer in 2026 — with the honest workaround for each, from embeds to add-ons.
October 16, 2026
Framer pricing explained (2026)
Every Framer plan, limit, and add-on in one place — what Free, Basic, Pro, and Enterprise actually cost in 2026, and which one a real site needs.
October 16, 2026
Framer review (2026): the honest verdict
A hands-on review of Framer in 2026: the editor, CMS, SEO and AI agents, hosting, pricing, and the limits — plus who should not use it.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs Squarespace for dietitian sites
For most dietitian practices, Framer wins on editorial calm and upkeep; Squarespace wins when the Acuity scheduling bundle or native course sales are the point.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs Squarespace for florist sites
For most studios, Framer wins on gallery-led presentation and upkeep; Squarespace wins when native commerce for everyday flowers is the point. The honest split for 2026.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs Squarespace vs Wix for designers
A three-way for designers in 2026: Framer for control and motion, Squarespace for polish, Wix for speed — with pricing, limits, and client-work notes.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs Webflow for architecture studios
For most studios, Framer wins on launch speed and upkeep; Webflow wins on CMS depth and its studio ecosystem. The honest split for 2026, including the new Webflow plans.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs WordPress for contractor sites
For contractor sites, Framer wins on launch speed, mobile design, and zero maintenance; WordPress wins when plugins or heavy publishing are the point. The honest split for 2026.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs WordPress for restaurant sites
For most restaurant sites, Framer wins on menu editing, speed, and zero upkeep; WordPress wins when you want reservation and ordering plugins in the stack. The honest split for 2026.
October 16, 2026
Framer vs WordPress for tour operators
For boutique tour operators, Framer wins on editorial speed and upkeep; WordPress wins on multilingual plugins and booking flexibility. The honest split for 2026.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for architecture studios?
For most studios, yes: Framer builds cinematic, work-led portfolio sites with projects as content and inquiries one tap away. Heavy CMS builds may want Astro or Webflow.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for contractor websites?
For most contractors, yes: Framer is fast, phone-first, and handles service pages and quote forms without maintenance. Here are the honest caveats — and when WordPress is still the better call.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for dietitian websites?
For most dietitians, yes: Framer builds a calm, credential-led practice site with programs as content and booking one link away. Health data stays in your practice tools.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for florists?
For most florists, yes: Framer builds a gallery-led studio site with occasions and wedding packages as content and consultations one tap away. Ordering stays with your tools.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for restaurant websites?
For most restaurants, yes: Framer is a fast, menu-first site with menus as editable content. The caveats — reservations and ordering are embeds, not native — matter for some venues.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for SEO? (2026)
Yes, for most sites: Framer ships fast hosting, automatic sitemaps, CMS metadata variables, redirects, and JSON-LD support — with three caveats.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer good for tour operators?
For most boutique operators, yes: Framer builds editorial destination and itinerary sites with inquiry flows. Booking engines stay separate — and multilingual is an add-on.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer worth it for freelancers and agencies?
Framer in 2026 for client work: what plans and seats really cost, the Expert program economics, and when it beats Webflow or WordPress for a project.
October 16, 2026
Is Framer's free plan enough? (2026)
Framer's free plan publishes a real site with CMS collections and 1 GB of bandwidth — but no custom domain and no commercial use. When it's enough, and when it isn't.
October 16, 2026
What a restaurant website costs in 2026
Most independent restaurants pay $0–$2,500 for a menu-first site, or $100–$500/month for a restaurant platform. Here's what each route buys in 2026.
October 16, 2026
What a tour operator website costs in 2026
Most tour operators spend $0–$3,000 on the site itself, then $49–$499/month on a booking engine. The number that matters more: the 20–30% OTA commission direct bookings avoid.
October 16, 2026
Moving a contractor site to Framer
Moving a contractor site off WordPress without losing rankings: the URL audit, redirect map, content model, and launch checklist.
October 16, 2026
Moving a restaurant site to Framer
Moving a restaurant site off WordPress without losing your menu rankings: the URL audit, redirect map, booking re-embed, and launch checklist.
October 16, 2026
Moving a tour operator site to Framer
Moving a tour operator site off WordPress without losing destination rankings: the URL audit, redirect map, itinerary rebuild, and launch checklist.
October 16, 2026
WordPress to Framer without losing SEO
The migration SEO playbook: audit first, keep URLs, 301 everything that changes, carry metadata and schema over, and verify in Search Console.
October 13, 2026
What a website costs in 2026
A template costs a fraction of a custom build and ships in days. Here is what actually drives website pricing in 2026, and when paying for a custom build is genuinely worth it.
October 12, 2026
Framer vs Astro, why I make templates for both
Framer and Astro aren't rivals: one is a design tool that publishes, the other an open-source framework you deploy yourself. Why I ship templates on both.
October 8, 2026
Framer vs Webflow templates (2026): which starter?
Framer templates ship fast and animate well; Webflow templates offer deeper CMS and ecommerce. How to pick the right starting point in 2026.
October 4, 2026
Framer vs Shopify (2026): brand site or store?
Shopify is built to sell products at scale; Framer is built to look and read well. Here is which to choose — and how to combine them — in 2026.
October 1, 2026
Free Framer templates actually worth using in 2026
Most free Framer templates aren't worth your time. These three are — a steakhouse site, a dietitian practice, and a contractor template, all free to remix.
September 27, 2026
Framer vs Wix (2026): ease vs design control
Wix is the most beginner-friendly builder; Framer rewards a design eye and ships animation. We compare editors, AI, SEO, and 2026 pricing.
September 20, 2026
Customize a Framer template without breaking it
A practical workflow for making a Framer template yours — styles first, then content, then structure — without breaking CMS bindings or responsive layouts.
September 16, 2026
Framer vs Squarespace (2026): freedom or done-for-you
Squarespace is the fastest path to a polished, all-in-one site; Framer gives you pixel control and animation. How the 2026 plans and trade-offs compare.
September 10, 2026
Framer vs Webflow vs WordPress for template buyers
Buying a template, not building a platform? Here's how Framer, Webflow, and WordPress compare on speed, cost, and how much you'll touch the site after launch.
September 3, 2026
Framer vs WordPress (2026): design tool vs CMS
WordPress runs ~41% of the web and handles heavy publishing; Framer is a visual design tool with hosting built in. Here is how to choose in 2026.
August 28, 2026
Why I ship templates on Framer (and when I don't)
An opinionated maker's take: Framer wins for CMS-driven marketing sites with editorial design — and loses when you need deep app logic or self-hosting.
August 20, 2026
Framer vs Webflow (2026): which should you use?
Framer is faster to design and launch; Webflow gives deeper CMS and ecommerce control. Here is the 2026 difference — and the projects where each one wins.