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We are the Webflow to Payload migration experts

Challenges with Webflow

Now for the part that Webflow doesn’t put on their homepage. The pricing escalates fast. $29/month for a basic CMS plan is already painful, but enterprise plans running into $60,000+ a year for high-traffic sites? The CMS editor is the other pain point everyone loves to hate. Tiny text fields, clunky formatting, random quirks, and in some cases, hitting “save” has accidentally unpublished live articles. Yes, really. Not exactly the confidence you want from a content platform.

Then there are the technical walls. Only one designer can edit at a time. No repeater fields. CMS reference limits that force weird workarounds. And if you ever want to leave Webflow? Good luck. The exported code loses CMS features and animations, so your “no-code” site suddenly needs… code. Everywhere.

Key pain points

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Expensive pricing tiers

Webflow starts cheap, but the moment you need CMS items, traffic, or team features, the bill jumps fast. If you want just 10 pages, go ahead. But if you need an enterprise website, we suggest reconsidering.

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Outdated CMS editor interface

For all the design polish, the CMS editor feels stuck in another decade. Tiny text fields, formatting quirks, and the occasional “why did that unpublish my live page?” moment doesn't help content teams move fast.

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CMS reference limitations

Complex content models often require hacks, workarounds, or custom code anyway, which defeats the “no-code” dream. It doesn't have repeaters or shallow reference depth, and collection limits add friction to what should be simple tasks.

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Single-designer collaboration limit

Only one designer can work in the Webflow canvas at a time. On larger projects, this turns teamwork into a queue.

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Third-party integration dependency

If you need advanced features, prepare to stitch in custom code or third-party services. The plugin ecosystem is small, so extending Webflow usually means bolting on tools outside the platform.

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Limited export functionality

You can export your site, but you lose CMS features, interactions, and animations the moment you do. It’s more like a one-way door than a portable build.

Benefits of Payload

Payload is genuinely strong tech. It’s fast, open-source, developer-first, and perfect if you want full control over your content model. The Next.js integration is smooth, the admin UI is clean, and it’s one of the more flexible modern CMS options if your team prefers to build things exactly the way you want them.

Just know that if you want actual features like visual editing, Vercel Blob storage, image handling, etc, you’ll be paying extra for the privilege. If you’re considering Payload or thinking about migrating into (or out of) it, reach out to us. We can help you figure out whether it’s the right stack or guide you toward a cleaner, saner (Sanity) setup.

Key advantages

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Integration with Next.js applications

Payload works natively with Next.js, giving you clean data fetching and a smooth development flow. It removes the usual CMS friction so you can build fast, modern frontends without hacks.

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Fully customizable

Everything is configured in code, which means you can tailor the CMS to your exact use case. You define the logic, workflows, and behaviour.

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Supports custom data models

You can design any content structure your project needs, from simple documents to complex relational models. This gives you full control over how content is organised and delivered.

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Intuitive admin UI

Payload’s admin panel is simple, clean, and fast. Editors can create, update, and manage content without training or digging through confusing menus.

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Custom plugins and APIs

You can extend Payload however you like. Build custom fields, integrate external services, or add your own API routes. Perfect for teams that need deeper project-specific functionality.

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Built-in authentication

Payload comes with user auth, roles, and access control baked in. No external auth service needed, and you can customise permissions to match your editorial workflow.

Get in touch

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