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Yesterday, Webflow updated its various subscription plans, introducing flexible plans with new add-on purchase options, as well as updates on the limitations of certain features such as CMS items, static pages, and bandwidth.
Naturally, this topic has generated a lot of discussions on X (formerly Twitter). Let's explore together the key changes from this update.
1. Overview of Site Plan Limit Updates:
First, to prepare for this update, Webflow has integrated new features across all plans:
1.1 New Features:
- Dashboard summary for better visibility on site usage
- No limit on the number of site visitors
- Increased limit for custom code to 50,000 characters for all paid plans
- HSTS security on all sites
- Conversion of CMS images to WebP files to reduce bandwidth usage
Additionally, there are more targeted updates for the CMS and Bandwidth.
1.2 Site Plan Limit Updates:
1.2.1 Starter Plan:
- Fields per collection: 60 (instead of 30)
- References per collection: 10 (instead of 5)
1.2.2 Basic Plan:
- Bandwidth limit: 10GB (instead of 50GB)
1.2.3 CMS Plan:
- Fields per collection: 60 (instead of 30)
- References per collection: 10 (instead of 5)
- Bandwidth limit: 50GB (instead of 200GB)
1.2.4 Business Plan:
- Static page limit: 300 (instead of 150)
- Bandwidth limit: 100GB (instead of 400GB)
- New add-ons for increasing bandwidth and CMS items:
- Bandwidth add-ons (+50GB to +400GB)
- CMS item add-ons (+5k and +10k)
To better understand these changes, here are some key definitions:
The CMS: The CMS (Content Management System) is a back-office tool that allows you to manage and edit your site's data directly from the interface. It simplifies content updates without the need for programming skills.
Bandwidth: Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transferred between your website and its visitors. This includes all resources such as images, videos, HTML files, CSS, and JavaScript. Effective bandwidth management is crucial for optimizing site performance and avoiding additional costs associated with exceeding limits.
2. Pros and Cons of This Update
2.1 Advantages of This Update
Two major benefits arise from this update.
- Increased Limits: Many limits have been raised (as mentioned earlier) while keeping the same pricing.
- Greater Flexibility: It is now possible to increase the limit of CMS items through an à la carte module. This flexible option addresses a genuine market need for sites requiring more elements without having to subscribe to a Webflow Enterprise plan.
2.2 Disadvantages
The main drawback of this update is the reduction in bandwidth. This requires increased technical vigilance during website development and evolution to stay within the 100GB limit. For larger sites, it will likely be necessary to subscribe to add-ons to increase bandwidth sooner or later.
Note: At Digidop, with a site of over 2,000 pages and more than a million annual visitors, our site consumes "only" 60% of the bandwidth limit. Well optimized, this remains manageable.
3. How to Address the Bandwidth Limit?
Reminder: Bandwidth refers to the amount of data transferred between your website and its visitors. This includes all resources such as images, videos, HTML files, CSS, and JavaScript. Effective bandwidth management is essential for optimizing site performance and avoiding additional costs associated with exceeding limits.
If you exceed this limit, here are three options for addressing the issue:
Option 1: Subscribe for More Bandwidth via a à la carte Purchase
Webflow offers the ability to add bandwidth as needed through flexible add-ons. You can adjust your Business plan via the flexible plan offer. Here are the different bandwidth add-on options:
Option 2 [Recommended]: Optimize the Bandwidth of Your Webflow Site
Use the Site Usage interface to monitor and optimize your Webflow site’s bandwidth consumption.
→ Discover in this comprehensive guide how to optimize the bandwidth of your Webflow site.
Option 3: Seek Guidance for a Customized Enterprise Plan
If you wish or need to increase your Webflow site's bandwidth to over 500GB, you will need to subscribe to a custom Webflow offer via the Enterprise plan.
4. My Opinion on the Update
Personally, I believe that Webflow has struck the right balance to allow sites to grow at an affordable price, without necessarily pushing users towards the Enterprise plan.
While the reduction in bandwidth is indeed a downside, it promotes good development practices and rewards well-optimized sites on Webflow, highlighting the efforts of skilled developers.
“Bad developers are becoming increasingly costly.”
