---
title: "Why I ship templates on Framer (and when I don't)"
canonical: "https://elliotli.dev/blog/why-framer/"
pubDate: "2026-08-28T00:00:00.000Z"
author: Elliot Li
description: "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."
tags: [framer, opinion, process]
---

## What Framer is genuinely best at

CMS-driven marketing sites with editorial ambition. That's the whole thesis
behind my catalog: [Eastward](/templates/eastward/) gives boutique travel
brands destination pages and itineraries that generate themselves from content,
and the free starters give restaurants, practices, and contractors a credible
site in days. The canvas is fast, the CMS is humane, and the output is quick.

## Where I reach for something else

Deep app logic, membership systems, or must-self-host constraints — that's
Astro, custom code, or WordPress territory. I say this as someone whose
portfolio includes a production Astro + Sanity build: use the boring tool that
fits. A template is a starting point, not a religion.

## What this means for buyers

Buy the template that matches your business logic, not the prettiest hero.
Need inquiries routed into your operations? That's a platform decision
(Eastward). Need a credible presence fast? That's a starter decision (the free
three). And if your needs are genuinely custom,
[ask me directly](/inquire/) — I'll tell you when a template isn't the answer.