Framer hosting vs. self-hosting a Next.js site, compared by cost structure

On this page5 sections

Staying on Framer means paying a plan fee that bundles hosting, the visual editor, the CMS and form handling into one bill. Self-hosting a Next.js App Router site converted with Deframer means paying separately for hosting, for any form or CMS services you add, and, above all, for developer time to make changes and keep dependencies current. The conversion itself is free to run, and downloading it is a one-time cost: one Deframer credit per site, from $10 for a single credit down to about $3.33 per site in the 30-credit pack. Which side costs less depends mostly on who edits the site and how often.

This post compares the two by cost structure rather than by price. Plans and prices change, so check Framer's current pricing and your host's before you decide. Deframer is an independent tool, not affiliated with Framer.

What you pay for on each side

Staying on Framer

A Framer plan is a bundle. Depending on the plan, the fee covers things you would otherwise assemble yourself: hosting and its CDN, the visual editor, CMS collections, native forms, and the ability for non-developers to publish. That bundling is a real benefit. A designer can change a page and publish it without anyone else involved, and nobody has to update packages or watch deploy logs.

The cost structure is simple: a recurring fee per site, which may rise as you need a higher plan for more pages, CMS items or other limits. Check their current plans for what each tier includes.

Self-hosting the converted project

After converting, you have a standard Next.js 16 project with React 19 and TypeScript. Running it involves several separate lines:

Cost line	What drives it
Hosting	Traffic, builds and the provider. Many Next.js hosts offer free tiers for small sites and usage-based or seat-based pricing above that.
Domain	Usually unchanged; you keep paying your registrar as before.
Form delivery	Converted native forms POST JSON to a webhook you set (`FORMS_WEBHOOK_URL`). The receiving service (an automation tool, a CRM, an email provider) may have its own fees.
Content management	The CMS becomes JSON files in `src/cms/`, which costs nothing to host, but each content change is a code change and a redeploy. Adding a headless CMS is another subscription or self-hosted service.
Developer time	Content edits (if made in code), dependency updates, fixing issues, reviewing deploys. Usually the largest line.
Monitoring and analytics	Optional, and often already part of your stack.

The JSON-based CMS deserves a note. It's free and versioned with your code, but someone who can edit JSON and redeploy has to make every change. If marketers edit content weekly, budget for a headless CMS or for the developer hours instead; see adding a headless CMS.

Two panels. Staying on Framer: one recurring fee for hosting, the editor, CMS, forms and publishing. Self-hosting: separate lines for hosting, domain, form delivery, content management, developer time (selected, usually the largest) and monitoring — One bundled fee against separate lines, with developer time usually the largest.

The one-time conversion cost

Deframer charges per site, not per month. Converting with a free account costs nothing; downloading a converted project uses one credit.

Pack	Credits	Price	Per site
Single	1	$10	$10
Starter	5	$25	$5
Studio	30	$100	about $3.33

A few details matter for budgeting:

Credits never expire.
Converting is free, so a conversion that fails or is interrupted costs nothing.
Reopening and downloading the same project again are free, and so is comparing it when a live preview is available. The download stays available for 7 days after the conversion finishes.
Converting the same published version with the same options within 30 minutes returns the same project.
Every conversion is its own project: a republished site is converted again as a new project, and downloading it uses a credit.

Full details are on the pricing page.

If you keep designing in Framer

Some teams keep Framer as the design tool and re-convert after major changes. That workflow keeps a Framer plan in the budget, because Deframer converts the published site, and adds one credit per re-converted project you download, plus the developer time to merge the new conversion with your code changes. The post on maintaining a converted site with Git shows how that merge works.

A worksheet

Fill this in with your own numbers over a 12-month period. Use real quotes from each provider rather than estimates from memory.

Line	Stay on Framer	Self-host the converted project
Plan or hosting fees (12 months)	Framer plan × 12	Host fees × 12
Domain	Same	Same
Forms	Included in the plan, per its limits	Webhook or email service fees
CMS	Included in the plan, per its limits	$0 (JSON) or headless CMS fees
Conversion	—	Credits used (one per downloaded project)
Initial setup hours	—	Hours to deploy, test, cut over DNS × hourly rate
Ongoing edit hours	Hours a designer spends publishing	Hours a developer spends on edits and deploys × hourly rate
Maintenance hours	—	Dependency updates, fixes × hourly rate
Total

How to read the result:

If developer hours dominate the self-host column and edits are frequent, Framer's bundled editor is probably cheaper for you, at least until you need something it doesn't cover.
If you already have developers working on the codebase for other reasons (a product, an app, a custom backend), the extra time for the marketing site is often small, and the hosting line is the main difference.
If you need a custom backend, server logic, or a specific hosting region or provider, the comparison is less about cost and more about what you need the site to do.

Costs people forget

The cutover itself. DNS changes, redirects, checking metadata and submitting a sitemap take time. The SEO guide for moving off Framer lists the steps.
Asset hosting. By default images, fonts and videos keep loading from Framer's CDN. Converting with "Include assets locally" moves them into public/, which means your host serves them and your bandwidth bill includes them.
Email for forms. Sending email from form submissions means calling an email provider's API from the deliver function in src/lib/forms.ts. Providers usually price by volume.
Your time learning the stack. If nobody on the team has shipped a Next.js site before, include learning time in the first months.

FAQ

Is self-hosting always cheaper than a Framer plan?

No. Hosting a small Next.js site can be inexpensive, but developer time for edits and maintenance often outweighs the plan fee. Fill in the worksheet with your own rates.

Does Deframer charge a monthly fee?

No. Converting is free; you buy credits once and use one per project you download. Credits never expire, and failed or interrupted conversions cost nothing.

Do I need to keep my Framer plan after converting?

Only if you want to keep designing and publishing in Framer. The converted project contains no Framer runtime, but with default settings its images, fonts and videos still load from Framer's CDN; if you plan to leave Framer entirely, convert with "Include assets locally" so the site no longer depends on Framer at all.

How many credits does a studio need for client sites?

One per client site, plus one for each later re-conversion you download after a republish. The Studio pack is meant for studios moving their clients' sites, with their permission.