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What Is Framer? A Beginner’s Guide to Framer in 2026
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You may have seen websites promoting Framer as a design tool, a no-code website builder and, more recently, an AI website builder. That can make a simple question surprisingly difficult to answer: what exactly is Framer?
Framer has changed considerably over the past few years, and the introduction of Framer 3.0 has changed how websites can be created inside the platform again.
Looking at an older tutorial may give you a very different impression of the product you would use today.
In simple terms, Framer is a visual website builder that lets you design, build and publish a real website without writing code. Its interface feels similar to a design tool such as Figma, but the page you create on the Canvas can be published directly to the internet.
I’m Julien and I run Frameplate - a website dedicated to Framer resources. I use Framer on a daily basis, follow new releases and have spent years reviewing Framer templates, plugins and resources.
In this guide, I’ll show you how Framer works, what changed with Framer 3.0 and, most importantly, whether it is the right website builder for your project.
Prefer to see Framer in action? Watch my six-minute walkthrough below, where I take you around the interface and explain its main features.
What is Framer?
Framer is a website builder for creating responsive websites visually.
Instead of writing HTML and CSS, you work on a Canvas and use visual controls to change the layout, spacing, typography, colours, effects and interactions.
You can add pages, create reusable components, manage content with a CMS and publish the finished website without leaving Framer.
This makes it possible to move from design to live website within the same platform. You do not need to design a mock-up in one application, send it to a developer and then arrange separate hosting before putting it online.
The design you work on in Framer is the website.
Framer now describes itself as an AI website builder. That reflects the addition of Framer Agent, which can generate and edit parts of your website directly inside the project.
However, Framer is not limited to one-click AI generation. You maintain visual control over the pages and can manually edit everything the Agent creates.
How does Framer work?
A Framer project is organised around a visual Canvas, with panels on either side giving you access to the structure and settings of your website.
If you have used Figma, Sketch or another visual design tool, the interface should feel reasonably familiar. The important difference is that you are working with functional website elements rather than creating a static representation of a future site.
Design directly on the Canvas
The Canvas is the main working area where you can see and edit your website.
You can select text, images, buttons and sections directly on the page. Once an element is selected, the panel on the right lets you control properties such as:
Size, position and layout
Colours, typography, borders and effects
Links, interactions and animations
You can move elements around, replace content, duplicate sections and adjust the design without editing code.
The panel on the left contains your pages, layers and reusable assets. Layers help you understand the structure of each page, while assets include components, text styles, colours, vectors and optional code components.
Make the website responsive
A website needs to work on more than a desktop screen. Framer lets you create and preview different breakpoints for desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
You can use layouts and stacks that adapt automatically as the screen becomes smaller. You can also make specific adjustments at each breakpoint when the mobile version needs to behave differently.
This gives you direct visual control over the responsive design instead of relying entirely on a generic mobile layout generated by the platform.
Preview and publish it
You can preview your site at any point to test the pages, links, animations and responsive behaviour.
When you are ready, Framer can publish the website and host it for you. On the free plan, you can publish to a Framer subdomain. Connecting your own domain and accessing additional website features requires a paid site plan.
This built-in publishing workflow is one of Framer’s biggest advantages. You can make a change, preview it and push the updated version live from the same application.
What changed with Framer 3.0?
Framer 3.0 was a significant update to the platform rather than a small visual redesign.
The update introduced Framer Agent, a reorganised interface, Branching and a much broader Community experience built around templates, components, vectors and plugins.
For somebody returning to Framer after a break, the most noticeable change is that AI now sits directly inside the main website-building workflow.
Build and edit websites with Framer Agent
Framer Agent appears as a chat interface within your project.
You can describe what you want it to create or change, and the Agent works directly on the website. For example, you could ask it to:
Create a new landing page or section
Rewrite copy and change the design
Improve a layout for mobile devices
Create components or work with CMS content
You can select a particular frame before entering your prompt when you want the Agent to focus on one part of the page. You can also attach reference assets and select from supported AI models.
The main difference from many AI website generators is that the result does not remain trapped inside a chat conversation or a block of generated code. It appears as editable layers on the Framer Canvas. You can select, move and customise the result using the normal Framer interface.
Framer also supports connections with external coding agents. This creates more advanced workflows for people who already use tools such as Claude Code, Cursor or Codex.
Experiment with Design pages
The Pages panel now distinguishes between Design pages and the actual pages included in your website.
A Design page acts as a playground. You can explore layouts, compare different ideas and ask an Agent to generate alternatives without immediately adding every experiment to the live structure of your site.
Once you are happy with a design, you can turn it into a website page.
This brings some of the freedom of a traditional design tool into Framer while keeping the publishing workflow close at hand.
Discover resources through the Marketplace
Framer 3.0 also brought the Marketplace and wider Community closer together.
The Marketplace contains complete website templates, reusable components, vectors and plugins. Creators can share their work through public profiles, while users can browse resources without having to build every part of a project from scratch.
For a new user, this means there are now several ways to start:
Begin with a blank project.
Ask Framer Agent to create a starting point.
Choose an existing template and customise it.
A template is usually the quickest option when you already know the type of site you want and would prefer to start with a professionally designed structure.
What can you build with Framer?
Framer is particularly well suited to websites where presentation, speed and visual control are important.
Common Framer projects include:
Startup and SaaS marketing websites
Portfolios and personal websites
Agency and freelancer websites
Product landing pages
Blogs and small content websites
Event, app and service websites
Its CMS also makes it possible to build repeatable collections of content such as articles, case studies, team members, jobs, projects and directory entries.
Framer can support more ambitious projects through plugins, code components and integrations. However, it remains primarily a website and content platform rather than a full application backend.
For example, you could create the public marketing website for a software product in Framer, but you would normally build the actual logged-in software application elsewhere.
Do you need to know how to code?
No. You can create and publish a complete Framer website without writing code.
The visual interface handles the layout, styling, breakpoints, links and interactions. Templates and components can reduce the amount of work required even further.
Knowing some web design principles is still valuable. Framer removes the requirement to manually code a website, but it does not automatically make every layout clear, accessible or well designed.
You may also encounter situations where code is useful. Framer supports code components and custom code, while plugins can connect the platform to other services. These are optional extensions rather than requirements for getting started.
Is Framer the same as Figma?
Framer and Figma can look similar, but they serve different primary purposes.
Figma is principally a collaborative product and interface design tool. Teams often use it to create mock-ups and prototypes before a developer turns those designs into a working product.
Framer is built to publish websites.
You can design visually in both applications, but an element placed in Figma is usually part of a design file. An element placed in Framer becomes part of a functioning web page.
If you add a link to a button in Framer, preview the site and select that button, it can take you to another real page. When the project is published, the same interaction works on the live website.
Framer can therefore replace both the design mock-up and front-end development stage for many marketing websites. It does not replace Figma for every product-design use case, particularly when a team is designing a complex mobile or web application rather than a public website.
How do templates, components and plugins work?
Framer’s ecosystem is an important part of the platform.
Templates
Templates are complete websites created by Framer designers. They are available for different industries and use cases, including portfolios, agencies, SaaS products, restaurants and mobile apps.
After choosing a template, you create a copy in your own Framer account. You can then replace the content, change the styles, remove pages and customise the structure.
Some templates are free, while others are sold by independent creators.
Components
Components are reusable elements such as navigation menus, pricing tables, carousels, forms and interactive buttons.
They can save time when you only need one particular feature rather than a complete template. Components used repeatedly within your own project also make it easier to apply consistent updates across multiple pages.
Plugins
Plugins extend Framer or connect it to external services.
Depending on the plugin, you may be able to import data, work with images, add eCommerce features, manage CMS content or connect Framer with another platform.
For example, plugins can help connect content from a spreadsheet or integrate a Framer storefront with Shopify. The quality, pricing and limitations vary by plugin, so check what each one supports before basing an important part of your website on it.
Does Framer include a CMS?
Yes. Framer has a built-in content management system for repeatable, structured content.
Instead of manually designing a separate page for every blog post, you create a collection containing fields such as the title, date, image and article content. You then design one template page that Framer uses for each item in the collection.
This can be used for blogs, case studies, portfolios, job listings, team directories and similar types of content.
When you update an item in the CMS, the corresponding page on your website updates as well. This separates the content from the page design and makes a growing website easier to manage.
Framer also provides tools for localization, analytics, redirects, domains and other website settings. Availability and limits depend on the plan attached to the project.
Is Framer free?
Framer has a free plan that lets you explore the interface, use a limited allocation of AI credits and publish a website on a Framer subdomain.
That is enough to learn how the platform works and create a test project before paying.
You will need a paid site plan when you want to connect a custom domain or require higher limits and more advanced website features. Framer’s plans and included limits can change, so check the current pricing page before choosing one.
If you decide to launch your website on a yearly Framer Pro plan, you can also use the code partner25proyearly to receive 25% off.
Who is Framer best for?
Framer is a particularly good fit for people who want a highly visual website without building it from code.
Designers
Designers can work in an interface that feels familiar while publishing the final site without waiting for a separate development stage.
It is especially attractive to freelance designers and small agencies that want to build polished client websites relatively quickly.
Startup founders and SaaS teams
Framer works well for startup landing pages, product websites, waitlists and marketing campaigns.
A founder can begin with a template or AI-generated page, then continue editing the site visually as the product and messaging evolve.
Freelancers and creative professionals
Photographers, illustrators, developers, musicians and other independent professionals can use Framer to create a portfolio with more design control than many general-purpose website builders provide.
Marketers and small teams
A marketing team can create landing pages, update CMS content and publish changes without sending every small request through an engineering backlog.
This is most effective when the project is primarily a public marketing website rather than a complex web application.
When might Framer not be the right choice?
Framer is not automatically the best platform for every website.
You should compare other options when your project depends heavily on:
Complex eCommerce operations and a large product catalogue
User accounts, dashboards or substantial backend logic
Very advanced editorial workflows or a particularly large publishing operation
A large collection of specialised third-party extensions
Complete control over the underlying hosting infrastructure and codebase
Plugins and integrations can extend what Framer does, but adding several external systems can create more complexity than choosing a platform built specifically for that type of project.
For a straightforward portfolio, startup website, agency site or marketing page, Framer is often a strong choice. For a marketplace, social network or complex web application, it would normally be used for the public-facing website rather than the core product.
Should you use Framer?
You should consider Framer when you want to create a modern, design-led website and value the ability to move quickly.
Its biggest strengths are the visual Canvas, responsive design controls, direct publishing, template ecosystem and the ability to use AI without giving up manual control of the result.
It is less about producing an entire website from a single magic prompt and more about giving you several ways to build. You can design manually, start with a template, work with Framer Agent or combine all three approaches.
The best way to know whether the workflow suits you is to create a free project and spend some time editing a page. Try changing the layout, previewing the responsive breakpoints and publishing it to a temporary Framer domain.
You can then decide whether the level of design control feels useful or unnecessarily detailed for the website you need.
How to get started with Framer
You do not need to commit to a paid plan immediately.
Start by opening a free Framer account and choosing one of these routes:
Use a template
Choose this when you want to launch quickly and have already found a design close to what you need.
Browse the Frameplate template directory to compare templates by category and use case before creating a copy in Framer.
Start with Framer Agent
Choose this when you have a clear idea but want help producing the initial page or exploring design directions.
Give the Agent context about your business, audience, preferred style and required sections. The result can then be edited directly on the Canvas.
Learn the interface from scratch
Choose this when you want to understand Framer properly and gain more control over future projects.
Framer Academy provides free lessons covering the Canvas, responsive layouts, components, CMS and publishing.
You can also watch my complete walkthrough below to see the main parts of the interface in just over six minutes.
Watch: What Is Framer? Explained in 6 Minutes
Frequently asked questions
What is Framer used for?
Framer is used to design, build and publish responsive websites. It is commonly used for startup websites, landing pages, portfolios, agency websites, blogs and other design-led marketing sites.
Is Framer a real website builder?
Yes. Framer publishes functional websites rather than only producing design mock-ups or prototypes. It also provides hosting, custom-domain support on paid plans, a CMS and website management tools.
Is Framer good for beginners?
Framer is accessible to beginners because it does not require coding, although its design controls can take time to learn. Starting with a template is usually easier than building an entire website from a blank Canvas.
Can I use Framer without Figma?
Yes. Figma is not required. You can design the entire site directly in Framer, begin with a template or use Framer Agent to create a starting point.
Is Framer good for SEO?
Framer provides the technical controls needed for standard website SEO, including page metadata, redirects, semantic page content and sitemap generation. Search performance still depends on the quality of your content, website structure, internal links and backlinks. A website builder cannot guarantee rankings by itself.
Can Framer be used for eCommerce?
Framer can be connected to eCommerce services through plugins and integrations. It can work for relatively simple stores or as the front end of an external commerce platform. A dedicated eCommerce platform may be a better choice for large catalogues and complex inventory, fulfilment or customer-account requirements.
Is Framer better than Webflow?
Neither platform is universally better. Framer tends to be easier to approach for design-led marketing sites and rapid visual publishing. Webflow may offer more depth for certain structured, technical and highly customised builds. The better choice depends on the complexity of the project and the experience of the person managing it.
Final thoughts
Framer is best understood as a visual website builder where the design and final website are part of the same workflow.
You can design on the Canvas, make the pages responsive, manage content through the CMS and publish without writing code. Framer 3.0 adds an AI Agent to that workflow, allowing you to generate and modify editable parts of the website without losing access to the underlying visual controls.
For portfolios, startup sites, landing pages and other marketing websites, that combination of speed and design freedom makes Framer worth considering.
You can try Framer for free using the link below and follow the video walkthrough if you want to see exactly how the current interface works before starting your first project.
