Framer vs. Figma & Webflow: Is This the End of the Multi-Tool Workflow?

Framer has just unveiled its new Design Pages feature, a significant update that could reshape the web design landscape. This new functionality allows designers to concentrate on the creative process, explore numerous design variations, and finalize their vision all before transitioning into the development phase. The web design community is buzzing, with many speculating whether this innovation marks the end of needing separate tools like Figma. However, the implications of this update might be even more profound than just replacing a single tool.

[00:02.879] [Framer’s Design Pages feature showcasing multiple design variations on a canvas.]

With Design Pages, you can now focus on the design of pages, explore many different variations before committing to the final design, and then move into development. This has led to a flurry of excitement and questions online, with designers wondering if their current workflows are about to become obsolete.

The Traditional Three-Tool Tech Stack

To understand the magnitude of this change, let’s look at a common, powerful tech stack for building websites. This workflow typically involves three distinct tools, each serving a specific purpose in the design-to-development pipeline.

[00:21.050] [A wireframe being generated for a kids’ financial literacy app within the Relume interface.]

The process often begins with Relume, an AI-powered tool used to quickly generate website sitemaps and wireframes. This provides a solid structural foundation for the project.

[00:24.066] [The wireframe imported into Figma, where a designer is applying colors and images.]

Next, these wireframes are imported into Figma. Figma serves as the design playground where designers can explore visual directions, experiment with colors, typography, and imagery, and refine the user interface.

[00:30.140] [The final design being implemented in Webflow, showing the application of styles and assets.]

Finally, the design decisions made in Figma are implemented in Webflow. The structure from Relume is imported, and the visual styles are applied to build a fully functional, developed website ready for launch. While this tech stack is incredibly powerful, it requires working with—and paying for—three separate subscriptions.

The Quest for the “One Tool to Rule Them All”

This multi-tool dependency raises a crucial question: can this entire, elaborate workflow be consolidated into a single, streamlined solution? Could Framer be the answer?

[00:52.791] [A meme showing the One Ring from Lord of the Rings with the text “ONE TOOL TO RULE THEM ALL”.]

The premise is tantalizing. With Framer’s new capabilities, you can now use its integrated AI wireframing tool to generate a wireframe, explore countless design variations within the same environment, and then, with a simple right-click, transform that design into a fully responsive, developed web page ready to be published. It’s a wild time to be a web designer.

[01:11.237] [A fully responsive design shown across desktop, tablet, and mobile breakpoints within Framer.]

A Side-by-Side Workflow Comparison

To put this to the test, let’s build a landing page for a kids’ educational app using both workflows side-by-side to see how they truly compare.

Workflow 1: The Relume, Figma, & Webflow Stack

We begin with Relume. By entering a simple prompt into the sitemap generator, we get a structured plan for our landing page.

[01:40.917] [The AI prompt being entered into Relume to generate a sitemap for the kids’ app.]

landing page for a kids educational app called captain spark helping kids to learn about money.

A key advantage of Relume is that it starts with a sitemap, not just a wireframe. This encourages a more professional approach, allowing you to think about the purpose of each section and the overall structure of the website, not just a single page.

[02:11.751] [The wireframe generation process in Relume, showing the layout being automatically created.]

Once the sitemap is generated, Relume moves into wireframing mode, selecting components from its vast library and writing placeholder copy. This library is extensive, and if you’re not satisfied with a particular layout, you can easily swap it for another. You can even prompt the AI to make specific content changes, offering a good degree of flexibility during the structural phase.

Workflow 2: The All-in-One Framer Approach

Now, let’s try the same thing in Framer. Inside a new Design Page, we use the AI wireframer with the identical prompt.

[02:53.644] [The same AI prompt being used in Framer’s wireframing tool to generate a landing page.]

Framer’s AI generates the page directly. A nice feature here is the ability to continue the conversation with the AI to refine the page. For instance, you can ask it to add elements like a subheading or a call-to-action button. While the AI’s results aren’t always perfect yet, this conversational approach to building layouts shows immense promise for the future.

[03:37.472] [Making manual design adjustments to a wireframe directly within Framer’s design canvas.]

What’s particularly powerful about Framer’s wireframing is that you’re already in a design environment. This means you can manually adjust, copy, and move elements around just as you would in Figma, offering a level of direct manipulation that a component-based tool like Relume doesn’t provide at this stage.

Design Exploration: A Tale of Two Systems

After wireframing, it’s time for visual design.

[04:14.921] [Exploring premium font options within the Relume Style Guide feature.]

In the traditional workflow, after exporting the Relume wireframes to Figma, you can start exploring. The Relume Figma kit is connected to a style guide, which is great if you have a pre-defined design system. However, for open-ended exploration, you often need to disconnect the styles to freely experiment with different colors and fonts.

[05:43.765] [Browsing an extensive library of premium fonts available for free directly within Framer.]

This is where Framer reveals a game-changing advantage: fonts. While Relume allows you to preview premium fonts, actually using them in Figma or Webflow requires purchasing licenses. Framer, on the other hand, comes pre-loaded with a stunning collection of high-quality premium fonts, all available to use at no extra cost. This not only saves money on the tool itself but also on expensive font licenses.

From Design to Development

The final step is turning the design into a live website.

[06:44.755] [The multi-step process of importing a design into Webflow using the Relume app.]

In the Webflow workflow, this involves several steps: importing the wireframes from Relume, manually re-uploading all image assets, loading custom fonts in the project settings, and then meticulously applying all the color and typography styles.

[07:31.952] [A simple right-click menu in Framer showing the “Create Web Page” option.]

In Framer, the process is astonishingly simple. You select your final design from the Design Page, right-click, and choose “Create Web Page.” That’s it. The page is instantly created, fully responsive, and ready to publish. While you may need to make some minor manual adjustments to the tablet and mobile breakpoints, the time saved is immense.

The Final Verdict

So, has Framer “cooked”? The answer depends on your needs.

If you’re a beginner web designer or someone with limited resources looking for a powerful, single-tool solution, Framer is now an incredibly compelling option. The seamless workflow from AI wireframe to published site, combined with the library of free premium fonts, offers unbeatable value.

However, if you’re a professional working on large-scale projects that demand complex design systems, multiple pages, and complete customization, the mature ecosystem of the Relume-Figma-Webflow stack may still be the preferred choice for now. Regardless, one thing is clear: the web design process is evolving faster than ever, and tools like Framer are leading the charge.