Boreal Lab Studio · Small business website guide
Hiring a Webflow or Framer designer.
Which of the two fits your site, what you should get from the person who builds it, and how to keep it in your own name.
Webflow or Framer?
Both let a designer build a custom-looking site without a developer, and both host it for you. They differ in what they are best at.
- Webflow suits sites with a lot of structured content: a blog, a team directory, case studies, product pages. Its content system is strong, and editors can update pages without touching the design.
- Framer suits marketing sites and launch pages where motion and polish matter most. It is quick to build in and quick to change.
For a five-page company site either works. Choose by who will edit it after launch, and how often.
What a designer should deliver
- A design made for your business, not a bought template with the name changed.
- Every page checked at phone, tablet and desktop widths.
- Motion that helps a visitor follow the page, and that switches off for people who ask their device to reduce it.
- Forms that reach an inbox someone reads.
- Page titles, descriptions and share images set on every page.
- A short handover showing how to edit text, swap images and add a post.
What it costs
Two things: the platform’s own site plan, billed monthly or yearly, and the designer’s fee for the build. Check each platform’s pricing page for current plans. The build is priced by the number of pages and how much is custom, the same as any other website.
Keep the workspace in your name
Create the Webflow or Framer workspace under your business and invite the designer. If the site lives in the designer’s account, moving it later means asking for a transfer. Ask about this before work starts.
Sample sites
Boreal Lab Studio built two sample sites for fictional brands to show each platform: Vantly, on Framer, and ARCEL, on Webflow.
Boreal Lab Studio builds small business websites
Boreal Lab Studio is a website studio in Toronto, Ontario. It builds websites for small businesses across the GTA, Ontario and the rest of Canada, including home services, professional practices, health and wellness, hospitality and retail, with a specialty in trucking and logistics.
- What it builds
- Custom websites for small businesses with enquiry or booking forms, logos and matching email signatures, plus builds on Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Framer.
- Starting prices (CAD)
- Launch, one page: from $399. Starter: from $750. Full site, up to 6 pages: from $1,500. See every plan.
- How it starts
- A free homepage concept of your own site, on desktop and phone. You pay only after you approve it.
- Platforms
- Custom-built sites hosted for you, or Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow and Framer when one of them suits you better.
- Contact
- hello@boreallab.ca · (647) 547-7709
See the studio’s work and every plan, with full sites you can click through.
Common questions
Is Webflow or Framer better for a small business website?
Webflow is better when the site has a lot of content that staff will update. Framer is better for a short marketing site where motion and speed of change matter. For a five-page site either works.
How much does a Webflow or Framer designer cost?
The build is priced like any website, by pages and how much is custom. The platform’s own plan is a separate monthly or yearly fee paid to Webflow or Framer.
Is there a Webflow or Framer designer in Toronto?
Boreal Lab Studio in Toronto designs and builds on Webflow and Framer for businesses across Canada, starting with a free homepage concept.
Who should own the Webflow or Framer account?
You. Create the workspace under your business and invite the designer, so the site stays yours.
More small business website guides
- How much a small business website costs in OntarioBuilder, freelancer, studio or agency, and our own prices in plain numbers.
- Hiring a Squarespace, Wix or WordPress designerWhen to keep your platform, what a designer should do on it, and who owns what.
- Professional email signatures for a small businessWhat a signature should hold, and how to make it look right in Gmail, Outlook and on phones.
- Logo design for a small businessWhat you should get from a logo project, the files you need, and how to brief a designer.
- How much a website costs in CanadaPrice ranges by who builds it, what moves the number, and the yearly costs after launch.
- A free homepage mockup before you payWhat a free concept should include, what it does not, and how to tell a real free offer from a deposit.
- How to choose a web designerFreelancer, studio or agency, and twelve questions about ownership, price and the work.
- What a website redesign costsWhen to redesign, when to fix what you have, and how to keep your Google rankings through the move.
- What website maintenance costs each monthWhat a care plan covers, what hosting alone covers, and what happens when nobody looks after a site.
- Shopify store design and setupWhat a store needs before it opens in Canada: theme, products, taxes, shipping and payments.
- Website design for contractors and tradesWhat a plumber, electrician, roofer or landscaper needs online to get calls from the right jobs.
All guides · Guides for trucking companies: What the best trucking company websites have · How much a trucking website costs in Canada · Wix, Squarespace, WordPress or custom for a trucking company · A website for an owner-operator · A driver recruiting page that gets applications · How to choose a trucking website designer · Trucking company website design in the GTA