The short answer
Framer makes marketing sites gorgeous; CoDuck makes working software.
For scroll-perfect brand sites, Framer earns its reputation — but there's no real database or user accounts behind it. CoDuck ships the whole app: logins, Postgres, payments, email, hosting, and an ops dashboard, live on your domain.
Feature by feature
What ships built-in, what leans on a third party, and what isn't offered — as of July 2026.
Email sending
Payments
Ops dashboard (logs/analytics/backups)
CLI / agent automation
Database
User auth (signup/login)
Hosting + SSL
Custom domains
Full-stack app generation
Code export / ownership
GitHub sync
Free tier / entry price
Where CoDuck is stronger
- Builds real software, not just pages: working Next.js apps with server logic from a single prompt
- Everything an app needs is pre-wired on one bill — Postgres database, user auth, transactional email, payments via your own Stripe, domains, hosting
- You own the code: readable Next.js you can export and run anywhere, no lock-in
- Agent-first CLI (@coduckai/cli) — create, push, deploy, manage databases and domains from scripts or AI agents
- One flat subscription with usage credits instead of a plugin stack (auth plugin + checkout plugin + email tool) bolted onto a site builder
Where Framer is stronger
- Best-in-class visual design control — pixel-level layout, scroll effects, and animations that AI code generators rarely match
- Genuine free tier, and a cheap $10/mo entry point for a live site on your own domain
- Mature AI design tooling: Wireframer for page structure, Workshop for AI-generated components, plus 2026 support for external agents like Claude Code
- Fast, reliable managed hosting with global CDN, staging environments, and built-in SEO and analytics
- Huge template and plugin marketplace, so a polished marketing site can go live in an afternoon
Choose Framer if…
- You're building a marketing site, portfolio, or blog — content people view, not software they log into
- Design fidelity is the point: you want precise control over layout, typography, and animation
- You want to start free or spend $10/mo, and a framer subdomain or simple site is enough
- A designer (or design-minded founder) is doing the work and wants a visual canvas, not a codebase
- You're happy pairing Framer with tools like Outseta or Checkout Page for the occasional gated page or payment
Choose CoDuck if…
- Your product needs accounts, a database, or payments — a SaaS, marketplace, booking tool, or member app
- You want one bill and zero wiring instead of assembling auth, checkout, and email plugins
- Owning and exporting your code matters — Framer sites can't leave Framer
- You (or your AI agent) want to automate builds and deploys from the command line
- You'd rather describe the product in plain English than arrange it on a canvas
Pricing
Framer prices like a website host: a real free plan on a framer subdomain, then Basic at $10/mo and Pro at $30/mo (billed annually; monthly billing is higher) with limits on pages, CMS items, and bandwidth, plus $20/mo per extra editor and paid add-ons — as of July 2026. The catch is that app features cost extra elsewhere: memberships via Outseta or Memberstack and checkout via plugins each add their own subscriptions. CoDuck has no free tier — plans start at Pro, $20/mo — but that price includes the database, auth, email, payments wiring, hosting, and custom domains, with usage-based credits covering AI generation. For a brochure site Framer is cheaper; for a working app CoDuck's flat bill usually undercuts a Framer-plus-plugins stack.
CoDuck plans: Pro $20/mo · Plus $100/mo · Studio $200/mo — every plan includes hosting, a Postgres database, custom domains, and email sending. See full pricing →
Switching from Framer
- 1
Describe your app to CoDuck in plain English — or import your existing site so it can rebuild the design as real Next.js code (Framer offers no export, so content and structure come over by import, not download)
- 2
Move your content: paste or import your Framer CMS collections; CoDuck stores them in your project's own Postgres database
- 3
Let CoDuck wire the app parts Framer needed plugins for — user accounts, transactional email, and payments through your own Stripe account
- 4
Point your custom domain at CoDuck; SSL and www redirects are handled automatically
- 5
Keep iterating by chat, visual design mode, or the CLI — and export your code whenever you want it
Frequently asked questions
Is CoDuck better than Framer?＋
For different jobs. Framer is better for designed marketing sites — portfolios, landing pages, blogs — with superior visual control and a free tier. CoDuck is better when you need a working app: it generates a real Next.js codebase with a Postgres database, user auth, email, and Stripe payments, deployed live. Sites → Framer; software → CoDuck.
Can Framer build a real app with a database and user logins?＋
Not natively. Framer has CMS collections for content and a Fetch feature for pulling external API data, but no app database and no built-in user authentication — logins and gated content require third-party plugins like Outseta, Memberstack, or Thenty, each with its own subscription. CoDuck ships a Postgres database and built-in auth with every project.
Can I export my code from Framer?＋
No. Framer's own help center states sites can't be exported as HTML or self-hosted — your site lives on Framer's hosting. CoDuck generates standard Next.js code you can read, export, and run anywhere.
How do payments work in Framer vs CoDuck?＋
Framer has no native checkout; as of 2026 you use Stripe Payment Links or plugins like Frameshop or Checkout Page. CoDuck wires payments into your app through your own Stripe account via Stripe Connect — CoDuck takes no cut of your revenue.
Is Framer cheaper than CoDuck?＋
For a simple site, yes: Framer has a free plan and paid plans from $10/mo (annual) as of July 2026, versus CoDuck's $20/mo entry with no free tier. But once you add membership and checkout plugins to make a Framer site behave like an app, the combined cost often exceeds CoDuck's flat plan, which includes database, auth, email, and payments.
Does Framer work with AI agents like Claude Code?＋
Yes — since 2026 Framer supports external agents (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) via MCP, mainly for design and canvas edits. CoDuck is agent-first end to end: its npm CLI can create projects, push code, run deploys, and manage databases and domains, so an agent can operate the whole platform.
Describe it. CoDuck builds it.
A real app with a database, auth, email, payments, and hosting — live on your domain in minutes. Nothing to wire up.
Start building →Your first build is free — no card needed.
