Case Study
View Case StudyTray.ai
Migrating hundreds of thousands of pages, re-platforming and extending for the leading composable AI integration platform
We are the Dato CMS to Webflow migration experts
Challenges with Dato CMS
DatoCMS gives all the vibes of Prismic, but is somehow less flexible. It can feel like a glorified drag-and-drop schema builder. The moment you want to do anything mildly custom, the walls start closing in. And yes, the pricing stings. It scales fast, which is great for Dato, not so great for anyone trying to run a startup without selling a kidney.
The ecosystem is small, the extensions are thin, and deeper customisation often turns into “well, I guess we’re building that ourselves.” There’s no real visual editor, no guardrails for inactive billing, and once your project grows, you quickly realise drag-and-drop doesn’t magically give you validation or extensibility. If you need something genuinely custom or long-term scalable, there are better choices. Just contact us before you start one of the most expensive journeys.
Key pain points
Limited customisation options
DatoCMS hits a ceiling fast if you need deeply custom logic. The drag-and-drop model is convenient, but it doesn’t give you the freedom a code-first setup would.
Pricing based on traffic
Costs scale with usage, which can get painful quickly for growing sites. Traffic spikes = surprise bills.
Steeper learning curve
While the UI is simple, the API-driven side demands more technical understanding. Non-developers may struggle once things get complex.
Need for additional plugins
Out-of-the-box features only go so far. More advanced workflows often require plugins or custom development to bridge gaps.
Limited feature set scalability
Great for small–mid projects, but larger, more demanding setups can outgrow what DatoCMS offers out of the box.
Potential integration issues
Certain frameworks and tools need careful configuration, and edge cases appear more often than you’d expect in more mature CMS ecosystems.
Benefits of Webflow
We're really trying to think of a good reason to love Webflow, and if you’re building a simple marketing site, a portfolio, or a 10-page brochure site, it works. Designers get pixel-perfect layouts without touching code, the HTML it spits out is clean, hosting is included, and nobody has to panic over plugin updates or random server outages. In that world, Webflow is for you.
One of the Reddit users who likes Webflow states that it has global CDN, SSL handling, and 99.99% uptime without touching a server or updating a single plugin. But to be real, Webflow isn't a platform to build on top of, it's a "one and done" kind of thing. Honestly just go to fiverr and find somebody who's designs don't suck.
But if you are dead set on it, connect with us, and we will try to develop the best solution for you.
Key advantages
Visual design without coding
Designers can build the site they see in their heads without waiting on a dev or translating Figma to HTML. You just drag, drop, animate, and publish. If you can design it, Webflow will render it.
Global CDN infrastructure
Your site gets served fast everywhere, without you configuring servers or worrying about uptime charts. Webflow handles delivery at scale, and pages load like they’ve had three shots of espresso.
Automatic SSL management
You don't need any certificates, renewals, or late-night expiration scares. SSL is handled out of the box, so security stops being a chore and starts being standard.
Clean semantic HTML output
Unlike many no-code builders, Webflow doesn’t produce spaghetti markup. The code it generates is tidy, semantic, and Google-friendly, which is why performance is generally strong.
Built-in SEO optimization
Webflow gives you proper SEO controls with meta titles, descriptions, alt text, structured data, and Open Graph. You don't need plugins or setup. It has native tools that keep your site search-friendly.
Plugin-free architecture
Webflow ships with most essentials built in, so you’re not babysitting 12 plugins just to keep the lights on. Fewer moving parts means fewer things blowing up.
Get in touch
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