Limitations of the Framer Free Plan
When you create an account on Framer and start a project (that is, a website), you can directly use the free plan provided by the platform. This free version is sufficient for users to experience Framer powerful design and building capabilities. However, as a SaaS website-building platform with a commercial focus, Framer naturally imposes certain feature limitations within the free plan. It is worth noting that these restrictions do not affect the creative process on the design side. Whether it’s calling components on the canvas or adjusting properties flexibly, users are free to explore in the editor with almost no limitations.
The real differences mainly appear at the publishing and operational stages of a website. Under the free plan, you will find varying degrees of constraints when it comes to using a custom domain, localization settings, project privacy protection (such as password access), official technical support, and the removal of the “Made in Framer” badge. These limitations make the free version more suitable as a tool for learning, practice, or personal showcases, while it often falls short for commercial projects or promotional purposes.
This article will provide a detailed breakdown of the specific feature limitations of the Framer Free Plan, helping you clearly understand its boundaries before using it, and better assess whether upgrading to the Pro version is necessary to meet your actual needs.
Limitations of Domain Setup and Binding on Framer Websites
In the Framer Free Plan, the most obvious and impactful limitation for actual website use is the ability to configure and bind a custom domain. For any website aimed at commercial promotion or brand building, having an independent domain is almost a non-negotiable requirement. Whether it’s a corporate website or a personal portfolio, an independent domain not only enhances the site’s professionalism and credibility but also plays a key role in SEO optimization and future brand promotion.
However, the Framer Free Plan does not allow users to bind their own domains. All websites created under the free plan are hosted by default on a Framer-provided subdomain (typically in the format yourproject.framer.website). The subdomains provided by Framer are automatically generated and require no additional setup. While such domains ensure the website is accessible, they clearly have limitations in terms of professionalism and brand independence.
1 Why is a custom domain so important?
Brand trust: An independent domain conveys a professional and stable image, preventing visitors from assuming the website is just a test project.
SEO advantage: Search engines generally give higher weight to independent domains, which is beneficial for improving the website’s ranking in search results.
Long-term control: Owning an independent domain means you have full control over your website’s entry point, without being overly affected by platform limitations.
2 Limitations and Appropriate Use Cases of Free Domains
If your needs are limited to product concept validation, learning the Framer tool, or creating a personal temporary showcase page, the free subdomain provided by Framer is sufficient for basic use. However, once your project involves official brand promotion, external collaborations, or e-commerce, a custom domain becomes essential. At that point, you would need to consider upgrading to the Pro plan to remove the binding restrictions.
Limitations of Localization Features on Framer Websites
Another notable limitation of the Framer Free Plan is the website’s localization capabilities. By localization, we mainly refer to language-level adaptation, including support for multiple language versions and the configuration of <html lang=""> tags and hreflang attributes. For websites targeting international users or promoting across regions, this feature is almost indispensable. It’s worth noting, however, that in Framer Pro plans, the number of available languages only grants access permission—the actual activation of specific languages still requires additional payment.
1 The Role and Significance of Localization
Multilingual support: By adding multiple language versions to your website, users can switch to the appropriate language based on their browser preferences or manual selection, improving user experience and accessibility.
Search engine optimization (SEO): Proper use of
<html lang="">andhreflangtags helps search engines better identify the language and regional version of a page, thereby improving search rankings in different markets.Brand internationalization: For websites involved in foreign trade, e-commerce, or cross-border business, multilingual support and localization are key steps in establishing an international brand image.
2 Limitations of the Free Version
In Framer free version, users cannot freely add multiple language versions to a project, nor can they fully configure the lang and hreflang tags. This means:
The website will default to a single-language page, lacking flexibility for international markets.
From an SEO perspective, it is not possible to use
hreflangto specify the regional versions of different language pages, which may affect global traffic acquisition.For corporate websites that need to strictly follow localization standards (such as foreign trade companies or cross-border platforms), the limitations of the free version are particularly evident.
3 Applicable Scenarios and the Necessity of Upgrading
If you are only building a personal portfolio, a temporary event page, or a learning-focused website, the absence of localization features may not have a significant impact. However, once your project involves international business or a multilingual audience, localization becomes a critical factor. Upgrading to the Pro plan not only unlocks the ability to configure multiple languages and tags but also ensures a better user experience and improved search engine performance globally.
Limitations of In-Editor Online Support in Framer
In Framer paid plans, users can quickly contact the official support team directly through the editor by navigating to Project Main Menu > Help > Contact Support. This feature is usually available as real-time chat or a ticketing system, allowing users to receive immediate official guidance and solutions when encountering operational issues, feature questions, or project errors.
However, in the free version, this feature is completely disabled. Specifically, when you go to Main Menu > Help in the editor, the Contact Support option does not exist. This means that free users cannot reach the Framer support team directly through the built-in editor channels.
1 Alternative Support Options for Free Users
Although free users cannot access direct assistance from official customer support, they can still find answers through the following channels:
Framer Docs: Framer provides comprehensive official documentation covering component usage, page design, interactive features, and publishing workflows.
Community Support: Framer has an active user community and forums where users can ask questions, share experiences, or find solutions to similar issues.
Tutorials and Templates: Some of Framer templates and official tutorials can also help users indirectly solve common usage problems.
2 Impact of the Limitation and Its Applicability
The lack of official real-time technical support may cause some inconvenience for beginner users or commercial project teams. When encountering complex issues, free users must rely on self-research or community responses, which is often less efficient. However, if you are just in a learning phase or building a non-critical personal project, this limitation is unlikely to be a decisive obstacle.
In contrast, paid users can receive faster and more authoritative answers through online support. This becomes especially valuable during project launches, cross-team collaboration, or when facing technical challenges.
Limitations of the Password Protection Feature
In practical website development, setting a password for a project is a very common and useful requirement. Whether it’s a company conducting internal testing before a new product launch or a designer presenting unpublished work to a client, the password protection feature effectively controls access, ensuring that content is not freely viewed before its official release.
In Framer, this feature is called Password Protection, which allows users to set access passwords for the entire site or specific pages, so that only visitors with the correct password can enter. However, this feature is also restricted in the free version.
1 Behavior in the Free Version
In the project settings interface, users can see options related to Password Protection, but if they attempt to enable it, an UPGRADE prompt appears immediately. At this point, Framer displays a pop-up guiding users to choose the Pro plan, indicating that this feature is only available to paid users. In other words, under the free plan, you cannot set password protection for your site or pages, and all published content will be completely public.
2 Use Cases for Password Protection
Internal testing and demos: During the development phase, companies or teams may need to restrict access with a password to prevent unfinished pages from being viewed by outsiders or indexed by search engine crawlers.
Client-specific showcases: Designers or freelancers often need to prepare separate showcase pages for different clients, using password protection to enable “targeted access.”
Member-only content: Some websites offer resources or services accessible only to specific users, and Password Protection can serve as a basic access control measure.
3 Impact of the Limitation and the Necessity of Upgrading
For users who are simply learning or working on personal practice projects, this limitation has little impact, as the public visibility of the website’s content does not involve business secrets or client privacy. However, once it involves internal company processes, client deliveries, or paid content, the lack of password protection becomes a significant drawback. This is one of the key reasons why many teams or professional users choose to upgrade to Framer Pro.
Forced Display of the “Made in Framer” Badge in the Page’s Bottom Right Corner
In the Framer Free Plan, in addition to functional limitations, there is a very visible restriction: the “Made in Framer” badge is forcibly displayed in the bottom right corner of all website pages. This badge is Framer’s official way of promoting its brand, similar to the “Powered by …” style commonly seen on other SaaS platforms.
Unlike the previously mentioned limitations such as custom domain binding, localization, or password protection, this restriction does not affect the core functionality of the website. However, it does have a certain impact on brand image and user perception.
1 Behavior in the Free Version
Fixed position: The badge always appears in the bottom right corner of the webpage and cannot be hidden or moved through settings.
No customization options: Under the free plan, the system provides no toggle or styling options; the display is entirely enforced by the platform.
Automatic removal: Once a user upgrades to a paid plan, the badge is automatically removed without any additional action required.
2 Impact on Brand and User Experience
Limited professionalism: For corporate websites, commercial projects, or high-end brand showcases, having a third-party platform badge on the page can reduce the site’s sense of professionalism and independence.
Visitor perception: Potential clients or partners may notice the badge and assume that the website is still in a “testing” phase or is a “personal project.”
Learning scenarios: For personal users focused on learning or non-commercial purposes, the badge can be seen as an indication of the platform source and is generally not a problem.
3 The Necessity of Upgrading
If you want your website to reflect a fully independent brand identity or be used for formal commercial promotion, upgrading to a paid plan is almost inevitable. The paid version not only removes this badge but also unlocks advanced features such as custom domains and localization. On the other hand, if your goal is simply to experience Framer design capabilities or create personal experimental pages, keeping the badge does not pose any significant obstacle.
Conclusion
From the analysis above, we can see that while Framer’s free version provides users with a complete design and editing experience, it comes with functional limitations in key areas such as custom domain binding, localization support, technical support, password protection, and the “Made in Framer” badge. These constraints make the free plan more suitable for learning, personal showcases, or temporary projects. For teams or individuals aiming for a professional brand image and effective commercial promotion, upgrading to the Pro plan is often the natural choice.
If you are considering how to efficiently use Framer to build a professional website or want to evaluate the suitability of different plans, feel free to contact Jane Framer Studio. We provide one-stop Framer design and development services tailored to your business needs, from design planning to implementation, helping you create a more competitive digital experience.
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