Blocs vs Framer: guide for 2024

Final verdict

Blocs and Framer both offer unique strengths, catering to different user needs and preferences.

Blocs (Overall Grade: 5.8/10)

is a powerful and user-friendly website builder designed specifically for Mac users. It excels in ease of use, making it accessible for both novices and experienced designers. Blocs offers a range of responsive design templates and integrates with popular web standards and tools. However, it lacks native hosting and advanced ecommerce features, which may limit its appeal for larger projects or businesses looking for comprehensive solutions.
Framer (Overall Grade: 7.1/10)

stands out with its AI-driven design capabilities and extensive customization options. It is ideal for users seeking advanced design and prototyping features, including interactive animations and real-time collaboration. Framer offers a variety of pricing plans to suit different budgets and project sizes, but it may present a learning curve for beginners and lacks native ecommerce features. Its robust hosting and security measures make it a reliable choice for professional web design projects.

	Overall grade: 5.8	Overall grade: 7.1
Design functionalities & templates	7.5	8.5
Ease of use	8.7	7.1
Ecommerce	7.0	5.9
Website Editors	7.5	7.6
Product testing options	7.0	6.2
Price	9.0	7.7
Hosting quality	0	7.1
Website speed optimization	5.2	7.4
Plugins and integrations	6.8	7.6
Marketing features	6.9	7.2
Customer support	5.1	5.6
Security	0.0	8.2
AI capabilities	5.4	7.6
User Management	1.4	7.4

Best for ecommerce

7.0

5.9

Verdict

: Blocs is better suited for ecommerce due to its broader integration options and more comprehensive features, while Framer offers basic ecommerce functionalities but lacks depth.

Blocs

: Blocs integrates with multiple ecommerce service providers like Ecwid, Stripe, Snipcart, Paddle, and Gumroad, making it a versatile choice for ecommerce. It offers a range of ecommerce-specific templates and flexible payment processing options without additional transaction fees. However, Blocs may require some familiarity with third-party integrations to fully leverage its ecommerce capabilities.
Framer

: Framer relies primarily on Ecwid for its ecommerce functionalities, which may limit its flexibility compared to Blocs. While it offers a user-friendly interface and customizable templates, Framer’s ecommerce features are more basic, making it suitable for smaller or simpler online stores. Framer’s integration with Stripe provides a straightforward payment processing solution, but it lacks native POS capabilities.

Best for informational & business websites

7.5

Verdict

: Blocs and Framer both score equally in this category, but they cater to different user needs. Blocs is ideal for Mac users who prefer a straightforward, code-free design experience, while Framer excels in offering advanced design and prototyping features.

Blocs

: Blocs is a powerful website builder designed specifically for Mac users. It allows users to create beautiful, modern websites without the need to write code, thanks to its intuitive visual interface and pre-designed blocks. Blocs offers a wide range of features including responsive design, pre-made templates, and integration with popular web standards and tools. This makes it an ideal choice for designers, developers, and anyone looking to create professional websites with minimal effort.
Framer

: Framer blends AI-driven design with an intuitive user interface, catering to both novices and experienced designers. It offers a drag-and-drop interface, extensive customization through a comprehensive component library, and AI tools for content generation and localization, making website design and management accessible and efficient. With a range of pricing plans, Framer suits various project sizes and budgets, although it faces limitations like a learning curve for beginners and lack of native e-commerce features.

Detailed comparison

7.5

8.5

🏆

Winner: Framer.

Framer offers a wider variety of templates and designs, more comprehensive customization flexibility, and more advanced creative design possibilities.

Blocs offers a vast selection of design templates, boasting over 36 layouts for various website types. These templates are designed to be responsive, ensuring optimal display across different devices. Blocs also allows the creation of responsive websites without writing code, ensuring accessibility for both novices and experienced designers.

Blocs Themes

On the other hand, Framer offers a diverse array of over 1,000 customizable website templates and designs, catering to various industries and project requirements. It stands out for its robust design and prototyping features, including responsive design capabilities, real-time collaboration, and extensive import options from other design tools. Framer also offers interactive animations, allowing for engaging, responsive designs that react to user interactions in real-time.

Framer Themes

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8.7

7.1

🏆 Winner: Blocs

. With a score of 8.7, Blocs is highly regarded for its user-friendliness and versatility, particularly among Mac users. It offers a robust platform for both novices and professional coders. Framer, scoring 7.1, is designed with a focus on interactive design and motion, making it appealing for users interested in creating dynamic web experiences. However, it may present a learning curve for complete beginners.

Learning Resources

Both Blocs and Framer offer comprehensive learning resources for users at various skill levels. Blocs provides a learning portal and Blocs Academy, which includes a knowledge base and free video tutorials. Framer offers detailed courses and lessons on Framer Academy, covering essential topics like scroll animations, CMS, and localization.

Learn Blocs

Learn Framer

7.0

5.9

Blocs and Framer both offer ecommerce capabilities, but they approach this aspect differently. Blocs integrates with leading service providers like Ecwid, Stripe, Snipcart, Paddle, and Gumroad to enable ecommerce features. On the other hand, Framer relies on Ecwid’s free shopping cart extension for ecommerce functionalities.


Ecommerce themes and templates	7.8	7.0
Product page customization	6.5	5.5
Payment processing and commissions	7.0	6.5
POS capabilities	0.0	3.0
Payment gateways	7.5	6.0
Product numbers	6.0	6.0
Additional ecommerce features	7.2	5.5

Blocs ecommerce features:

Stripe integration
Snipcart shopping cart integration
Gumroad integration
Ecwid integration

Framer ecommerce features:

Ecwid integration

Ecommerce themes & templates

Blocs provides a range of ecommerce-specific templates, allowing users to quickly launch optimized online stores or business platforms. These premium templates are designed to be fast, visually appealing, and SEO-friendly. On the other hand, Framer offers 97 website templates specifically designed for eCommerce, providing a wide range of options for various business needs. These templates are highly customizable, allowing for easy adjustments to colors, fonts, layouts, and integration with essential eCommerce tools.

Product page customization

Both Blocs and Framer offer ecommerce features through third-party ecommerce platforms, so the product page customization possibilities vary depending on which platform is integrated. Blocs primarily offers ecommerce features through platforms such as Ecwid, while Framer allows for some customization of product pages, these modifications are generally limited to design and layout alterations.

Payment processing

When it comes to payment processing, Blocs supports ecommerce through integrations with third-party ecommerce providers, suggesting flexibility in the use of various payment gateways without directly listing them. Blocs does not charge transaction fees or commissions, however such fees may be charged by the payment gateways or e-commerce platforms themselves. On the other hand, Framer supports Stripe for payment processing, enabling a wide range of payment options including one-time payments, subscriptions, and more, without requiring coding. While specific transaction fees were not mentioned, such fees typically depend on Stripe’s pricing. Framer’s focus is on online transactions and e-commerce integrations, and there’s no explicit mention of native POS functionality. For the most current details on fees and features, it’s recommended to consult directly with Framer or Stripe.

7.5

7.6

🏆

Winner: Framer

. Framer, with a score of 7.6, is designed for high-fidelity prototyping and complex animations, catering to both designers and developers. It offers a robust set of tools for creating interactive and responsive designs, including a wide array of pre-built components, real-time collaboration features, and the ability to integrate with other design tools and workflows. However, its advanced features and focus on high-fidelity prototypes may present a steep learning curve for beginners or those accustomed to more traditional, straightforward website builders.

Framer editor

Blocs, scoring 7.5, is a user-friendly web design tool that enables the creation of modern, responsive websites without needing to code. It utilizes a block-based interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making web design accessible to designers and creatives without technical backgrounds. However, its block-based approach might limit the customization options for more advanced users who prefer granular control over every aspect of their website’s design and functionality.

Blocsapp editor

Mobile editor/app

8.5

4.5

🏆

Winner: Blocs

. Both Blocs and Framer offer mobile editing capabilities, but they cater to different needs and skill levels. Blocs has a dedicated mobile editor app specifically designed for the iPad. This app provides a touch-first interface and includes all the essential features needed to create various types of websites, offering a flexible and efficient solution for building professional and beautiful websites on an iPad.

On the other hand, Framer does not have a dedicated mobile editor app. You can modify your website using a mobile browser, but this comes with certain restrictions. Moreover, the mobile version of the editor is notably inconvenient.

In summary, Blocs receives a higher rating due to its dedicated mobile app that provides a comprehensive and user-friendly mobile editing experience, while Framer’s mobile editing capabilities are limited and less convenient.

7.0

6.2

Overall Result

:

Blocs wins

. Blocs scores 7.0, slightly higher than Framer’s 6.2. Blocs offers a trial version and a 14-day money-back guarantee, allowing users to test some premium features. Framer, on the other hand, offers a free version but no trial version. It allows testing of some features and offers a money-back guarantee only in some regions.


Free Plan	No	Yes
Trial Version	Yes	No
Testing Premium Features	Possible with free trial and within 14-day refundable period	Possible with free version
Money-Back Guarantee	14-day money back guarantee	Only in some regions

9.0

7.7

Blocs offers a one-time payment plan, making it a cost-effective choice for long-term use, while Framer provides a range of subscription plans, including a custom enterprise plan, catering to different needs and budgets.

	Offerings	Offerings
Free	No offering at this amount.	Free (Free/month): Allows 3 websites built on a framer.website subdomain with Framer branding in the footer. Limited to 1,000 traffic visitors and 1,000 CMS items.
$0-$10	No offering at this amount.	Mini ($10/month): Removes Framer branding, allows using a custom domain, includes collaboration with an additional cost for extra editors, custom code embedding, e-commerce support, and limited CMS items. Offers a monthly visitor limit of 2,000 and 1GB bandwidth. Value for price: 6.5
$10-$20	No offering at this amount.	Basic ($20/month): Offers all Mini features plus increased limits for CMS items (1,000) and traffic (10,000 visitors per month), along with 10GB bandwidth. Value for price: 7.5
$30-$50	Blocs Plus (+$49.99): An add-on to the Blocs 5 plan, providing additional features such as the ability to build custom WordPress themes without writing code, extract typography, assets, and color schemes from any website, a productivity-boosting image editor, a class styles library manager, and an SEO helper. Value for price: 8.5	Pro ($30/month): Enhances Basic plan features with a significant increase in CMS items (10,000), traffic (100,000 visitors per month), and bandwidth (100GB), among other advanced features. Value for price: 8.5
$90+	Blocs 5 ($99.99): This plan offers a native Mac app with no subscription required. It allows building unlimited websites, works offline, includes animations & scroll FX, powerful interactions, no page limit, font manager, writer mode, auto backup, all V5 updates, and email support. A Blocs license can be used on one Mac and all future Blocs V5 updates come for free. Value for price: 8.0	No offering at this amount.

In some cases companies have different prices based on various components like a
location. As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their
websites.

7.1

🏆

Winner: Framer

Framer offers cloud hosting included in all their plans, with a 99.9% uptime and data centers in the US, Ireland, and Singapore. Blocs, on the other hand, does not offer hosting, which limits its functionality in this category.


Do they offer hosting?	No	Yes, included in all their plans
Data Centers:	No hosting is offered	4 globally: 2 in US, 1 in Ireland, 1 in Singapore
Type of hosting:	No hosting is offered	Cloud Hosting
Uptime:	No hosting is offered	99.9%
Uptime Guarantee:	No hosting is offered	Only for enterprise plan, 99.99%

5.2

7.4

🏆 Winner: Framer

Both Blocs and Framer prioritize website performance and page speed, but Framer has a higher website speed optimization score and uses more comprehensive strategies for speed optimization.


Focus	WebP Generation	Code Minification, Pre-Rendering, Caching, Image optimization
Performance Tools	Not specified	Not specified
Key Strategies	WebP Generation	Code Minification, Pre-Rendering, Caching, Image optimization
Load Times	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity	Varies depending on optimization and website complexity
Page Speed Scores Range	Not specified	Not specified
Core Web Vitals Improvement	Not disclosed	Emphasis on LCP, FID, CLS improvements

Framer, with a website speed optimization score of 7.4, uses a variety of strategies for speed optimization, including code minification, pre-rendering, caching, and image optimization. It also places an emphasis on improving Core Web Vitals, specifically LCP, FID, and CLS. However, the load times and PageSpeed scores vary depending on the optimization and complexity of the website.

On the other hand, Blocs, with a website speed optimization score of 5.2, uses WebP Generation as its key strategy for speed optimization. It does not disclose any information about its improvements in Core Web Vitals. Similar to Framer, the load times and PageSpeed scores of Blocs vary depending on the optimization and complexity of the website.

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6.8

7.6

🏆 Winner: Framer.

Framer, with a score of 7.6, offers a variety of plugins that cater to different needs such as forms, video & animation, social media integration, audio, and utility functions. These plugins include integrations with platforms like Vimeo, MP4, Lottie, GIPHY, Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Trustpilot, Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, and more. The plugins are designed to enhance the functionality of websites created with Framer, allowing users to drag and drop these features onto their web pages, customize them, and connect them to their content or service.

Blocs, scoring 6.8, also offers a variety of custom-made add-ons and extensions, these platforms enhance web design capabilities, facilitating a richer web development experience. They emphasize ease of use and learning, providing extensive resources, tutorials, and community support to ensure users can quickly master their features and extend their web design projects. However, it falls short in comparison to Framer’s extensive range of plugins and integrations.

Blocs Applications

Blocs extensions

6.9

7.2

🏆

Overall Winner: Framer

. Framer edges out Blocs with a slightly higher marketing features score, offering a comprehensive suite of SEO optimization features, seamless integration with Mailchimp for email marketing, built-in blogging features, and a robust analytics and reporting suite. However, neither platform offers built-in ads and promotions features.


SEO Tools
Email Marketing	✓ (via Mailchimp integration)	✓ (via Mailchimp integration)
Blogging
Social Media Integration
Analytics and Reporting	✓ (via Google Analytics integration)	✓ (built-in analytics tool and Google Analytics integration)
Ads and Promotions	✗	✗

5.1

5.6

🏆 Winner: Framer

. Comparing Blocs vs Framer, Framer edges out in this category with a slightly higher customer support score. Framer offers a community forum, a knowledge base, and email support, providing users with multiple avenues to seek help. However, the lack of detailed information about their support hours and availability can be a drawback.

Blocs, on the other hand, relies heavily on self-service options such as articles and a community forum. This approach may leave users feeling unsupported, especially when dealing with complex issues that require direct assistance. While both platforms have room for improvement, Framer’s additional email support gives it a slight advantage in customer support.

0.0

8.2

🏆

Winner: Framer

. Framer takes security seriously, utilizing Amazon Web Services (AWS) for hosting its services and ensuring data is encrypted at rest. They classify data into categories and manage secrets and encryption keys through AWS Parameter Store and Key Management Service (KMS). Access to secrets and keys is restricted based on the principle of least privilege, and environments are fully separated and isolated for additional security. Framer also emphasizes product security through secure development practices, external security testing, and a bug bounty program.

On the other hand, Blocs does not disclose any information about their private data storage and protection measures and does not offer hosting, thus security measures vary widely depending on the hosting provider users choose.

5.4

7.6


AI Builder		Framer has an AI website builder
AI Ecommerce features
AI Content Generation	Blocs has an AI Assistant for content generation and editing	Framer has AI Translation, Text Rewrite, and Headline Generator
Additional AI Features	Blocs AI Assistant supports dictation and voice commands	Framer has AI Style and AI Photo Generating and Editing tools

🏆 Winner: Framer

. Framer, with a score of 7.6, offers a more comprehensive set of AI capabilities, including an AI website builder, AI Translation, Text Rewrite functionality, Headline Generator, and additional AI features like AI Style and AI Photo Generating and Editing tools.

Framer AI feature

Blocs, with a score of 5.4, does not have an AI builder or AI ecommerce features, but it does have an AI Assistant that enhances the user experience by allowing for the generation and editing of content directly within a Blocs project. It also supports dictation and voice commands, allowing for a more intuitive and hands-free interaction with the design tool.

Blocs AI assistant

1.4

7.4

🏆 Winner: Framer

. User management capabilities differ significantly between Blocs and Framer.

Blocs allows only one user to build and edit a website.
Framer supports team collaboration with different plans allowing a varying number of editors; the Team Basic plan allows up to 5 editors, while the Team Pro plan supports up to 10 editors. These plans come with additional features like live collaboration, comments, file storage, and extended version history.

Framer User Roles and Access Levels:

Role	Description	Access Highlights
Designer	Focuses on the aesthetic and UI/UX aspects of the website.	Can create and modify design elements, utilize animation libraries like Framer Motion, and implement accessibility settings.
Content Editor	Manages and curates content for the website, including text, images, and other media.	Can edit CMS content, use localization features for different regions, and modify SEO settings.
Developer	Works on more technical aspects, such as custom code and integrations.	Has access to deploy options, can use custom domains, manage project permissions, and apply custom code for further optimization.
Project Manager	Oversees the project, coordinating between different roles and ensuring the project meets its deadlines and goals.	Can invite collaborators, assign roles and permissions, and manage versions and rollbacks for efficient site management.
Collaborator (General)	A role that can encompass various levels of access based on project needs, including design, content, and deployment tasks.	Access can be customized to include a mix of design, content, and deploy permissions based on the project’s needs and the individual’s role within the team.

Additional Features


SSL Certificate
Custom Domain
Free Custom Domain Included
International Domains
Mobile Responsive
Page Speed
Website Builder Mobile App
Convert a Website To An App
Website Analytics
Multilingual Sites
Multiple Users

User Feedback

Blocs

15 reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars

Framer

86 reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

Blocs website builder is praised for its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it accessible to users with varying levels of web development expertise. Its extensive library of templates and customization options, including the ability to add custom CSS and JavaScript, facilitates the rapid creation of diverse and visually appealing websites. However, users report encountering bugs and express a desire for more sophisticated customization features, indicating room for improvement. Overall, Blocs is valued for significantly streamlining the web design process, supported by a strong community and educational resources, despite its learning curve and occasional technical glitches.

Framer receives high marks for its user-friendly, no-code approach to web and prototype design, offering extensive tutorials, templates, and drag-and-drop functionalities that expedite the design process. Users appreciate its integration with tools like Figma, AI-generated responsive designs, and real-time collaboration features. Critiques focus on a steep learning curve for newcomers and limitations in customer support and features without premium access. Despite these drawbacks, Framer is lauded as a powerful design tool that enhances creativity and efficiency in web development.

The making of this blog

We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.

Our Ranking Criteria

FAQ

Which platform is better for Mac users, Blocs or Framer?

Blocs is specifically designed for Mac users, offering an intuitive visual interface and a selection of pre-designed blocks that simplify the website creation process. It’s particularly appealing for those who prefer a more visual and less code-intensive process on the Mac platform.

Can I use Framer for ecommerce projects?

While Framer provides basic ecommerce functionalities primarily through Ecwid integration, its ecommerce features are somewhat limited, making it more suitable for projects where ecommerce is not the central focus. For robust ecommerce solutions, Blocs might be a better choice with its higher flexibility and range of integrations.

How do Blocs and Framer compare in terms of design and customization?

Framer offers a wider variety of templates and designs, more comprehensive customization flexibility, and more advanced creative design possibilities, including interactive animations and real-time collaboration. Blocs, while offering a vast selection of design templates and responsive design capabilities, is more limited in terms of advanced features and flexibility compared to Framer.

Which platform is easier to use for beginners?

Blocs is highly regarded for its user-friendliness and versatility, particularly among Mac users. It offers a robust platform for both novices and professional coders, making it the winner in terms of ease of use. Framer, while designed with a focus on interactive design and motion, may present a learning curve for complete beginners.

Do Blocs and Framer offer hosting services?

Framer offers cloud hosting included in all their plans, with a 99.9% uptime and data centers in the US, Ireland, and Singapore. Blocs, on the other hand, does not offer hosting, which limits its functionality in this category.

Which platform has better AI capabilities?

Framer, with a score of 7.6, offers a more comprehensive set of AI capabilities, including an AI website builder, AI Translation, Text Rewrite functionality, Headline Generator, and additional AI features like AI Style and AI Photo Generating and Editing tools. Blocs does not have an AI builder or AI ecommerce features but does have an AI Assistant that enhances the user experience by allowing for the generation and editing of content directly within a Blocs project.

Can I manage a team with either Blocs or Framer?

Framer supports team collaboration with different plans allowing a varying number of editors and comes with additional features like live collaboration, comments, file storage, and extended version history. Blocs allows only one user to build and edit a website, making Framer the better choice for team collaboration and user management.

How do the platforms compare in terms of customer support?

Framer provides a community forum and knowledge base, and also offers email support, giving it a slight advantage over Blocs, which relies on articles and a community forum but does not offer enterprise-level support or email assistance.