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A Framer alternative that hands you the files
Framer is a strong visual site builder, and it hosts every site it makes. Ploof Studio is a Mac app that writes your site as plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript, then puts it on accounts you own. If keeping your site’s files matters to you, that is the difference to weigh.
Ploof Studio and Framer at a glance
| Ploof Studio | Framer | |
|---|---|---|
| How you build | Describe the site in one sentence, then point at what to change | A visual canvas, with an AI agent that creates pages, sections and copy |
| Where you build | A Mac app, macOS 12 or later | In the browser, with desktop apps for Mac and Windows |
| Where the site lives | Your GitHub, live on Vercel or GitHub Pages, or any host from a ZIP | Framer’s hosting |
| Getting the code | Plain files in a folder on your Mac, always | No HTML export for self-hosting |
| Your own domain | Bought on your own registrar account, connected to your host | Needs a paid site plan |
| What it costs | Part of a Setapp membership, on its AI credits, or your own AI key | A free plan on a Framer address, and paid plans per site |
Why a Framer site stays on Framer
Framer answers this in its own help center. It does not offer HTML export for self-hosting. A published Framer site leans on services that run on Framer’s side, such as pre-rendering pages, resizing images and subsetting fonts, so it cannot be saved as standalone files.
That is a fair trade for many people. Framer takes care of hosting, certificates and speed. It also means the site lives where Framer runs it. To connect a custom domain or drop the Made in Framer badge, the site needs a paid plan, and plans are bought per site.
What you keep with Ploof Studio
Ploof Studio was built around the opposite promise. You own the code from the first page.
- Every project is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript that a browser runs as it is. There is no build step and no Ploof Studio code inside.
- Your project lives in a folder on your Mac while you work on it.
- When you deploy, Ploof Studio creates a repository on your GitHub and gets it live on Vercel or GitHub Pages. Or it hands you a ZIP for any host you like.
- Ploof Studio never hosts your site, so there is no hosting bill from us and nothing to move out of later.
The deploy steps are short. See how it works on Vercel and on GitHub Pages.
How editing works in each
Framer gives you a canvas. You drag, size and style every layer, and its AI agent can draft pages for you to refine there. If you think in layouts, that control is the point.
Ploof Studio gives you a conversation and a live preview. You describe the site, an agent writes the pages while you watch, and then you point at any element and say what should change. Flip the preview to a phone to check the small screen the same way. You never touch a layer panel.
When Framer is the better pick
Framer does a lot that Ploof Studio does not try to do. It is likely the better fit if you:
- Want precise visual control on a design canvas.
- Run content through a CMS with collections your team edits on any device.
- Need several languages, with built-in localization and AI translation.
- Design together in real time, or want analytics, staging and A/B tests built in.
- Work on Windows or in the browser rather than on a Mac.
- Would rather never think about where the site is hosted.
If none of that is what you need, and you want a landing page, portfolio or small business site whose files are yours to keep, Ploof Studio is built for exactly that.
Questions
- Can I export a Framer site to HTML?
- Framer’s help center says it does not offer HTML export for self-hosting. Published Framer sites rely on Framer’s own services, such as pre-rendering and image resizing, so they stay on Framer’s hosting.
- Can I bring my Framer site into Ploof Studio?
- There is no import. Describe the site in Ploof Studio, paste in the words you want on it, and keep shaping it by pointing at what to change.
- Where does a Ploof Studio site live?
- In a folder on your Mac while you build, then in a repository on your GitHub, live on Vercel or GitHub Pages. You can also download a ZIP and upload it to any host. Ploof Studio never hosts it.
- Do I need to know code to use Ploof Studio?
- No. You describe the site, point at anything that looks wrong in the live preview, and say what you want instead. The code is there if you ever want it.
See Ploof Studio build a site
A Mac app coming to Setapp. Describe a site in one sentence, point at what to change, and deploy it to accounts you own.