Framer AI Features & Limits: What It Can (and Can't) Build
Framer AI is Framer's built-in AI website generator that creates complete, responsive website layouts from text prompts. It handles page structure, content, styling, and responsive design -- letting you go from idea to published site without writing code.
Framer excels at marketing sites, landing pages, and portfolios with rich animations. Its AI can generate a full website layout in under a minute. However, it has significant limitations: it can't build web applications, its CMS is basic, code export isn't clean, and complex animations can hurt performance.
Key Takeaway: Framer AI is excellent for getting a polished marketing site live fast. But if you need application logic, a robust CMS, or full code ownership, you'll hit walls quickly.
What Framer AI Can Do
Framer's AI features have made it one of the fastest ways to go from an idea to a published website. Here's what it handles:
AI Website Generation
Describe what you want and Framer AI generates a complete multi-page website with layout, content, typography, and colour scheme. It handles hero sections, feature grids, testimonials, pricing tables, and footers.
AI-Powered Design Refinement
After the initial generation, use AI to restyle sections, rewrite copy, swap layouts, and adjust the design. Iterate through prompts rather than manual drag-and-drop editing.
Advanced Animations & Interactions
Framer's animation engine is best-in-class for no-code tools. Scroll-triggered animations, hover effects, page transitions, and micro-interactions are all built into the visual editor.
Responsive Design
AI-generated sites are automatically responsive. Framer handles breakpoints for desktop, tablet, and mobile, with fine-grained control over each if you need to adjust.
One-Click Publishing
Publish directly to Framer's hosting with SSL, CDN, and decent performance out of the box. Custom domains are supported. No deployment pipeline to configure.
Custom Code Components
For developers, Framer supports custom React components that can be dropped into any page. This extends what's possible beyond the visual editor's defaults.
How Long Does Framer AI Take to Generate a Website?
Framer AI typically generates an initial website in 30 to 60 seconds. A simple landing page can be ready in under a minute. Multi-page sites with more sections take slightly longer but rarely more than 90 seconds for the initial generation.
However, the AI output is a starting point, not the finished product. Here's a realistic timeline:
Framer Limitations
Framer is powerful for what it does, but there are clear boundaries. Here's where you'll hit walls:
Limited to Static Sites
Framer excels at marketing sites but can't build web applications with user auth, databases, or complex logic. If your project needs a login system, user accounts, or data storage, Framer is the wrong tool.
CMS Limitations
Framer's CMS is basic and limited compared to dedicated CMS platforms or Webflow. It works for simple blog posts and portfolio items but struggles with complex content relationships, filtering, and large content libraries.
Can't Export Code Easily
While Framer uses React under the hood, exporting clean, maintainable code isn't straightforward. You're largely locked into the Framer ecosystem once you build there.
Performance with Heavy Animations
Complex animations can impact page performance and loading times, particularly on mobile devices and slower connections. More animation layers means more JavaScript to parse.
No E-Commerce
Framer has no native e-commerce functionality. No product catalogues, carts, or checkout flows. You'll need external integrations or a different platform entirely for online stores.
When Framer Works Well
Framer is best for: Marketing sites, landing pages, portfolios with rich animations
- Beautiful animations and interactions
- Fast publishing with built-in hosting
- Built on React with custom code support
- Great for designers who want visual control
- AI generation gets you 80% of the way in seconds
When to Avoid Framer
Framer is NOT suitable for: Web applications, complex backends, e-commerce
- Can't build applications with user auth or databases
- Limited CMS capabilities for content-heavy sites
- Code export not clean or maintainable
- Performance issues with heavy animations on mobile
- No native e-commerce support
Taking Your Framer Project to Production
Use Framer for marketing site, separate solution for application functionality
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Learn About Our Prototype-to-Production Service →Frequently Asked Questions
What can Framer AI do?
Framer AI can generate complete website layouts from text prompts, create responsive page designs, produce section-by-section content, suggest colour schemes and typography, and build multi-page sites. It handles marketing pages, portfolios, and landing pages particularly well.
How long does Framer AI take to generate a website?
Framer AI typically generates an initial website in 30 to 60 seconds. A simple landing page can be ready in under a minute. However, refining the design, swapping content, adjusting layouts, and polishing for production usually takes several hours of manual work after the initial generation.
What are the limitations of Framer?
Framer's main limitations are: it's restricted to static websites (no web apps, databases, or user auth), its CMS is basic compared to Webflow or WordPress, code export isn't clean or maintainable, and heavy animations can cause performance issues on slower devices.
Is Framer AI good for production websites?
For marketing sites and landing pages, yes. Framer publishes directly to fast hosting with good SEO defaults. However, for web applications, e-commerce, or anything requiring backend logic, Framer is not suitable and you'll need a custom development approach.
Is Framer better than Webflow?
For certain use cases. Framer is easier to learn, has better animations, and is cheaper. Webflow has a more powerful CMS and more mature ecosystem. Choose based on your specific needs.
Can I use Framer for a web app?
No. Framer is for websites, not applications. It doesn't support user authentication, databases, or complex backend logic. Use a dedicated app builder for that.
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