Formulator vs Framer

Formulator

The distinguishing feature is that it hands back plain HTML and CSS instead of trapping the design in a hosted site, which makes it useful as a component sketchpad next to a real codebase. Everything else is early: beta URL, three templates, ten AI requests, and no visible business behind it.

Pros

• +Free unlimited HTML and CSS export, so output is portable
• +Eleven direct manipulation builder tools with live preview
• +AI generation from a text prompt or an image as a starting point
• +Template and component library with 2,000+ font icons included

Cons

• −Still in beta with only three prebuilt templates
• −AI generation is capped at 10 free requests with no published way to buy more
• −No company, country or team named; a single personal email is the only contact

Framer

Framer is the builder to pick when the person shipping the site thinks in a design canvas and the site is a marketing surface — landing pages, portfolios, launch sites — rather than an application. Its AI is a layout and copy accelerator inside that canvas, not a site-in-a-click generator, and the honest cost is the seats: the $10 Basic headline becomes $30 the moment a second person needs edit rights.

Pros

• +Design canvas with real responsive breakpoints rather than fixed templates
• +Hosting, CMS, localisation and custom domain are included on paid site plans
• +AI credits come with every plan, including 500 to try on Free
• +Published pricing with no quote gate below Enterprise

Cons

• −Editor seats cost $20 each on top of the site plan
• −AI generation is metered in credits that need topping up on heavier use
• −CMS item and page caps (1,000 / 2,500 items) are tight for larger content sites
• −The pricing page shows one figure per plan under a yearly toggle, so the month-to-month price is not obvious

Is Formulator cheaper than Framer?

Formulator is free to use; Framer starts at $10/mo.

Does Formulator or Framer have a free tier?

Both: Formulator is free to use, and Framer has a free tier.