It This Webflow's LAST Chance?

All right. So, Web Flow announced something really big. Command AI. They shared this website with the assets. And you notice something here. There is there's web flow it app. Yeah, exactly. And there's a folder. And then we have the drive. And what is this? This is the web flow app. You can put it inside of applications. And once you do it, brings you to the Web Flow console to check it out. So what what does this mean? This means to me at least when I look at something like this, a web flow app, it means something like cursor to me, potentially even lovable, which we will talk about in a second, or replet, something along those lines. And all of what I said sounds nothing, literally nothing like web flow. Web flow has been this predictable UI with its own CMS, its own JavaScript framework, its own systems and what I just mentioned is completely different from all of that. Like I think this is what they are hinting at and this is what they are going potentially even like clawed design mainly driven by an agent and then with some UI for controls on top of it. That's I mean it's a it's an app it's an app that works on your machine. That's for my opinion that is a complete departure from something that always existed in your browser. So regardless of what the app looks like, the actual um delivery method of web flow has fundamentally changed. It's an app that's clear from this website, right? Yes. So it's files and this is this is something that kind of like became more clear to me as somebody who came from Webflow because when you work inside of Webflow, you're not dealing with files. But the all the apps that I mentioned all of them all of them are working with files. You are like editing and creating new files and these new files these files that you work with they become your app. They they are like pieces of your work the the app the website that you are doing like HTML is a file the JavaScript all of these. So they know and this this is very smart of them if they actually go this way they know they can't compete in a closed ecosystem anymore that era is has gone uh and we we see this I have a little bit of a prediction a little bit I think this app will let's call it web flow build is going to be free and web flow are simply going to be a hosting platform for the for the app or website that you build app or website then we're going to remove the site plan or something like that but I think the extensions that you just spoke about the analytics the potentially the CMS I think the CMS might also be a bolt-on but it's not going to be included it could be something you add later on um but these um I think what would make people really happy is a free experience for uploading and using web flow that's given to developers that's given to hobbyists but the moment you need a professional um uh enterprise level website and you can then buy the I think it's like is it 200 a month their their marketing platform or something like that I think that's where they'll see their revenue I think 500 yeah I think that's where they'll see their revenue or over a certain bandwidth that's when they'll start charging you as well, but you can launch unlimited multiple hobby hobby projects just because that is so easy to do nowadays. It's like why would I pay for web flow for my hobby project when I can just claw up and vibe code a portfolio website that gets maximum a few hundred people visiting my website a month and host it on Versel. they need to compete with that model and so I think the build the editor and the hosting will be free and then over a certain point that's when they charge and for those bold but what do they do with the AI okay unlimited web flow websites you pay us $30 a month to use the AI build tool but actually if you don't use AI build if you don't use AI you can use the build tool for free you know so the build tool allows you to use AI to build Yeah, but can you also use like just a UI to build for free? That's my prediction. For free. I don't I don't think there will be a UI at all like to build. I don't I think it will be like So, you just think it's going to be cord code basically. I think it's going to be like claw design. CL design or core design? Yeah. I think that would be silly. I would like them to maintain some sort of UI, but I don't think you're crazy. I don't think you're crazy. But it would be What's the point of me adding a div block? Because some people you're you're in a you're in a um pocket of people and there's many of you guys that rightly so are happy for AI to create a div block or whatever. Some people still use Some people still use the They want They want to move things around. They want to, you know, they want to have No, I want that. To be clear, I want that. Yeah. I I I would love to have a canvas. Yeah, sure. To add stuff. That's an interesting one. I'm I'm still not sold on that, but I still don't think you're crazy. I don't I don't don't know whether they'll have a canvas in the way that you want it, but whatever. Yeah. But you know, you you know why I'm like so like like pushing on that is because I don't see a reason for design to exist so separately from development. I do see a point in exploration being separate from production, right? And the exploration can be on a canvas. This is where you play with stuff. But it doesn't have to ex that doesn't have to exist in a vibe coded app somewhere else or in Figma somewhere else. It can be all within the same tool and the truth the source of truth can be still code. This is the point. It it is all code anyway. Like even Figma it's technically still some code. So my my um No, I agree. My my prediction is not what the tool is going to be. My prediction is more the framework in which web flow will operate and how it will earn its money and that is you know it needs to compete with these free tools that people are jumping ship for h but how can it offer something that it can earn money off and and benefit the people who are willing to spend money. Hobbyists are not willing to spend money. They love the free stuff and they can now achieve free stuff. So they just need to hit that price point that's not a price point. So yeah, they're going to offer you as you say like a cursor ultra sort of subscription to use the AI, but the building of it of of you just using an AI just like maybe you know and love and then the hosting it's that's going to be still so easy and free to do. That's why they will still have a UI because it's still free to do. If you're willing to put the effort then and not and if you're tight on cash, Web Flow will still enable you to build a website just like you've always known web flow to do and then they'll host it for free and then once you certain amount they'll be like cool like Versel. Like Versel. Yeah, I I was thinking Versel. So, I take back what I said about the UI not existing, but I still think the U I think maybe what I'm imagining is like clot design, but where you can start by prompting or you can decide to choose from the web flow framework or whatever framework that they have to start a project where you have pages, where you have like component where you have all of these concepts, but you might not want to go that way. Maybe you you vibe code something with React with Yeah, you you might be even may be able to make a um mobile app. I don't know. Similar to uh Replet. I think so. They'll I think they'll merge what do they call it? Web flow cloud or whatever it is. I think that's all going to come in together. Yeah. No separation. you can go that direction of like kind of like linear way of okay you have a UI to add stuff similar to what web flow is today but maybe with a much like closer to the or like the the source of truth that they said to be literally code so maybe it's just astro uh but themed with like UI so you can do stuff maybe I'm not getting that completely right but Then again the main thing would be you add you you build whatever or you import like if it's if it's just files you might uh code it with plot code and then imported in web flow and all of the sudden you have a bunch of features such as a UI to edit um visually maybe an an animation engine to you know animate stuff with an agent. I think that won't be crazy. Like imagine I vibe code something with claw. Then I just take that folder, open it in web flow and then fire up the gap um box like a chat prompt box and then I tell Gap, hey the these five things that I selected animate them with a stagger and it does you basically like anything here you define it in the code and then it creates a UI for it. I mean this is not a new concept and we have this is proprietary right this isn't this doesn't use GAP this is proprietary exactly and we have like dial kit as well which I have mentioned numerous times before uh you define these um controls and then you bind it to a specific thing like for example you have a corner radius and then you you connect it to this and you drag it and the corner radius changes. This is a specific type of UI being generated. Well, it's deterministic in how it how a piece of the UI looks, but it's um how many of these controls you need is determined by the agent or like the agent codes adds them, right? These are just props and then we connect them. So, I guess something like this could could also exist. It it's going to be really really interesting because this could be Web Flow's last attempt to That's a good point. Yeah. Yeah. If they don't get this right, there's a lot of pressure on them right now. They don't get this right, I think they will lose a lot of people uh literally overnight. Yeah. I hate to say this, but um yeah, you know, we made a video about instatic and it kind of blew up. Uh I continue to use Instatic. I think this is a very interesting tweet. I'm trying really hard to keep it together. Life is just so up and down. Another client leaving Webflow and will no longer need my services in the near future. But I think there is more into it. It's not just about a business. We're specifically talking about a shrinking industry like web flow and no code altogether or maybe a no a new no code emerging. Uh here we have Robert saying, "I've had three le uh leave in the last few months, but then got a new client bringing a ton of WordPress clients to web flow considering um issue with AI token limits, AI memory issues. I wonder if in 12 months how many will come back to web flow." And I replied to that. My reply was they won't. I don't believe anyone will I also see clients leaving web flow or rethinking the whole thing had four now this year by the way like one of my clients they are they don't want us to build for them they want us to build a to design a brand guideline for them well when is when was it not far it's like two weeks away I think it's uh late August isn't it the um what uh web uh September uh September 2nd. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So early early September all will be revealed I guess. Yeah. This is part of a larger conversation on my show Command AI which we stream live every single week. We discuss the news and all things related to AI in the world of design and web. Catch us next week and join in the banter. Command AI.