Why I Use Next.js for My Landing Pages
I've used Framer, Webflow and built from scratch for my clients. For my own products, I chose Next.js. Here's why.
I have real experience with Framer and Webflow — I've used them for clients for years. For my own product landings (Inner Gallery and Jungle Labs), I chose Next.js. This choice has a cost, but it also has advantages that no-code tools cannot offer.
The Context
When I launched Inner Gallery, I needed a landing page. I was used to Framer and Webflow for client projects. Both do the job very well for most showcase sites.
But for a product I'm going to maintain long-term, my criteria were different: maximum performance, fine-grained SEO, total freedom over design and behavior, and above all no dependency on a SaaS that can change its pricing overnight.
What Framer and Webflow Do Well
I'm not trashing these tools — I've used them for years and genuinely appreciate them.
Framer produces visually impressive results in very little time. The templates are polished, animations are smooth, and design collaboration is excellent. For testing an idea quickly or delivering a client site in a few days, it's an excellent choice.
Webflow is more powerful on the CMS and structure side. The visual builder lets you construct complex layouts without coding. Hosting is included and deployment is automatic.
For a one-off client site, these two tools often offer the best time-to-result ratio.
Why I Chose Something Else for My Products
Long-Term Pricing
This was the most decisive factor. I experienced the Webflow pricing change that cost me an extra 800 EUR/year overnight. When you're managing a product over several years, this dependency becomes a risk.
With Next.js deployed as static, hosting costs me a few euros per month. And if I want to switch hosts, I take my code and leave.
Control Over Performance
Page builders generate code optimized for their general case. Next.js lets me optimize for my specific case. The Inner Gallery landing loads in under 1.5 seconds, with a Lighthouse score above 95.
For a product whose acquisition relies partly on SEO, every millisecond counts. Google uses Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor, and well-configured Next.js landings consistently outperform no-code builders on these metrics.
Granular SEO
Next.js with the App Router gives complete control over metadata: Open Graph, Twitter Cards, structured data JSON-LD, dynamic sitemap, canonical URLs, per-page robots directives. Everything is configurable at the code level.
On Framer or Webflow, these options exist but are limited by the interface. Some advanced optimizations (complex structured data, multi-language with hreflang, etc.) require workarounds.
Technical Freedom
Inner Gallery has a waitlist system with email capture, a database, and transactional email sending. Integrating that into Next.js is natural — API routes, database connection, server-side email sending. On a no-code builder, it requires third-party integrations (Zapier, Make, etc.) that add complexity and cost.
The Real Cost of Next.js
Let's be honest: Next.js has a higher barrier to entry.
The initial setup takes more time. Where Framer gives you a clean result in a few hours, Next.js requires configuring the project, choosing dependencies, and setting up deployment. Count on 2-3 days for a complete landing vs a few hours on a builder.
You need to know how to code. It seems obvious, but it's a real filter. If you're not a developer, Next.js is not the right choice. Framer or Webflow will let you achieve a professional result without writing a single line.
Maintenance is manual. Next.js updates, React updates, Tailwind updates — you handle them yourself. On Framer, the platform takes care of all that.
Next.js is a good choice if you're a developer, you're building a long-term product, and you want to keep control. If you want to test an idea quickly or you're not technical, no-code builders are probably better suited.
My Setup
For the curious, here are the building blocks I use:
- Next.js with App Router and static export
- Tailwind CSS for the design system
- Framer Motion for animations (the irony is not lost on me)
- Deployment on Cloud Run (Docker container + nginx)
- Database Neon (serverless PostgreSQL) for the waitlist
- Emails via Resend for confirmations
All for a hosting cost under 10 EUR/month, across all landings combined.
When to Use What
Framer: Quick tests, prototypes, client sites with a tight time budget. If the landing needs to be ready in 24 hours, it's the right choice.
Webflow: Sites with lots of editorial content, CMS, clients who want to edit their own site. Watch out for long-term pricing.
Next.js: Products you'll maintain for years, need for advanced performance/SEO, custom features (waitlist, API, i18n). Developers only.
Further reading:
- Why I built Inner Gallery
- Why I stopped building showcase websites
- Solo studio: organization, tools, reality