5/5 on Google · 50+ companies
Why Next.js and Payload
We spent years building Webflow sites, and we still do. But in November 2026 we moved our own site to Next.js and Payload. Here is why, and what it means for your project.
Our site had grown to more than a thousand pages in two languages: services, case studies, a blog, a glossary, tool reviews and comparisons. On Webflow, every new idea ran into the platform. In November 2026 we rebuilt it on Next.js and Payload CMS, with the same method we use for clients, and kept every URL. The numbers are further down this page.
Webflow is excellent for a marketing site. The limits appear when a site grows: caps on CMS items and collections per plan, localization billed as an add-on per language, editor seats billed one by one, and no real way to build application features such as accounts, permissions or business rules. Each workaround adds a third-party tool and a monthly fee. We explain this in more detail in our article on when to choose another platform than Webflow.
Until recently, custom code meant a bigger team, a longer schedule and a bigger budget. AI changed the equation. We use it at full power to write, review and test code, so two senior founders deliver what used to take a larger team. The judgement stays human: we decide the architecture, read every change and own the result. We compared both approaches in Webflow vs Claude Code.
With Next.js and Payload, the repository, the database and the hosting account are in your name. No platform can change its prices, its limits or its terms under your feet, and your content is never locked in a proprietary format. If you want to work with another developer one day, you hand over a standard React and TypeScript project. That freedom is the main reason we recommend this stack for sites and apps that matter to your business.
Next.js development
Next.js is the React framework that renders your pages. Payload is the open-source CMS and back office that stores your content. Together, they cover a marketing site and a business app in one codebase.
Next.js prepares pages on the server and serves them from a CDN close to your visitors, so they see content before any script runs. This is called server-side rendering, and it is why our own pages went from 3.7 MB to 1.0 MB on mobile. We only send the JavaScript a page actually needs, compress images automatically and keep third-party scripts in check. Fast pages help conversion, Core Web Vitals and crawling budgets, and they make the site pleasant on an average phone.
Payload CMS is a headless CMS that lives inside your project. We model collections around your real content: services, case studies, products, team members, job offers. Your team gets drafts, live previews, version history, roles and translations, in a clean admin with no plugin to update. Our own site runs on 21 Payload collections. Because the schema is code, it evolves with your business instead of forcing your content into a template.
A Next.js project is not limited to pages. Accounts, permissions, dashboards, quotes, invoices, file uploads, search, payments or a connection to your ERP live in the same repository as the marketing site. That is how we build business apps, internal tools and client portals. You avoid stacking a site builder, a membership plugin and a form tool that do not talk to each other, and every feature follows the same rules for security and data.
Metadata, structured data, sitemaps, hreflang tags and redirects are written in the codebase, versioned and reviewed like any other change. Languages are part of the data model, not a paid add-on, so adding a third language is a content task. Server-rendered HTML is also what AI assistants read best when they cite sources, which is why we treat GEO (visibility in AI answers) as a technical topic as much as an editorial one.
React, Next.js, TypeScript and PostgreSQL are among the most widely used tools on the web. We document the project, keep a staging environment for every change and leave the repository readable. You can keep working with us, hire an in-house developer or switch agency without starting again. It is the opposite of a proprietary platform where only certified partners know where things are.
Comparison
An honest comparison of the four options we are asked about most. Each one is the right answer for some projects.
| Criterion | Next.js + Payload | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership | Code, database and hosting in your name | WordPressOpen source, but tied to themes and plugins | WebflowHosted platform, export is partial | FramerHosted platform, no code export |
| Performance | Excellent, fully under control | WordPressDepends on theme, plugins and hosting | WebflowGood by default | FramerGood by default |
| CMS limits | None set by a platform | WordPressFlexible, often through plugins | WebflowItem and collection caps per plan | FramerSimpler CMS, caps per plan |
| App features | Built in: accounts, roles, business logic | WordPressPossible with plugins, hard to maintain | WebflowVery limited, third-party tools | FramerVery limited |
| Multilingual | In the data model, no extra fee | WordPressThrough plugins | WebflowPaid add-on per language | FramerBuilt in, depends on plan |
| AI-friendliness | Plain code: AI tools read and edit it | WordPressGood, but plugin code varies | WebflowMostly through the visual editor | FramerMostly through the visual editor |
| Who maintains it | A developer for code, your team for content | WordPressA developer for updates and security | WebflowYour marketing team, mostly alone | FramerYour marketing team, alone |
Next.js and Payload win on ownership, application features and freedom, at the cost of needing a developer for structural changes. Webflow and Framer win on autonomy for a marketing team. WordPress remains a reasonable choice when you already have a team that knows it well.
Our detailed comparisons cover Webflow vs Payload and Webflow vs WordPress. For the broader picture, read is Webflow still relevant in 2026.
An honest answer
We build on four technologies, so we have no reason to push one. Here is when we will advise you against Next.js.
If you need a few pages that your marketing team edits and redesigns on its own, without ever calling a developer, a visual platform is simpler. Framer is ideal for fast, animated launches; Webflow for a larger marketing site with a structured CMS. Both are cheaper to run for this use case.
If an existing CRM, ERP or e-commerce platform covers 90% of your needs, configuring it and connecting it with n8n usually beats building from scratch. We build custom apps when your process is what makes you different, or when the tools on the market cost more in licences and workarounds than the app itself.
What we build with Next.js
Marketing sites designed in Figma, built in Next.js and edited by your team in Payload. Multilingual, fast and ready for SEO and AI search from the first day.
Website serviceFrom WordPress, Webflow, Wix or Framer to Next.js. We map every URL, move the content into Payload and redirect what changes, as we did for our own site.
Migration serviceTools shaped around how your company works: quotes, orders, stock, planning, customer follow-up. Built in stages, with something usable at the end of each one.
Web app servicePrivate spaces with accounts, roles, documents and dashboards that replace spreadsheets and email threads, for your clients, partners or teams.
Web app serviceOur own site
Launched in November 2026, with the same method we use for clients.
We listed all 1,114 URLs of the old site, in English and French. 999 kept the same address. The other 115 were merged or renamed, and each one got a 301 redirect to its closest page, so no visitor and no search engine hits a dead end. The content moved into 21 Payload collections, from the blog to the tool reviews.
The real test came after launch. Because the site is now code, we shipped 113 changes in the four days that followed, from small fixes to new sections. That pace is what we want for our clients too. The full method is described in our guide to migrating a site without losing SEO.
Our Next.js process
The duration of each phase depends on the scope: we write the schedule down at scoping, not before.
A first call, then workshops on your users, data and rules. We write the scope, split it into stages and price each one.
Figma screens for the key pages and journeys, desktop and mobile, validated with you before any development.
Next.js and Payload, released stage by stage on a staging site you can test at any time.
Content import into Payload, URL mapping and redirects when you leave another site, then checks page by page.
Domain switch, performance and SEO checks, Search Console monitoring, and training for your team on the back office.
Requests, roadmap and releases stay visible in Dashly, the platform we built for our clients, for as long as we work together.
Comparisons
Our detailed comparisons, criterion by criterion, to choose with the full picture.
Projects
Featured · Marketplace
An e-commerce marketplace for non-standard wood, built as a real web application on the brand’s own domain.
+344%
Google clicks in 3 months (France, Jul–Oct 2025)
47
serverless Edge Functions in production
×2
mobile loading speed after optimization
Web app · Next.js · Supabase
Performance · SEO
Speed, SEO and mobile overhaul for a digital signage leader.
Read the case studyResult
+30% organic traffic
in six months, with speed and mobile fixed
Consulting · Design · Build
An autonomous case-study system and a conversion funnel rebuilt across every page.
Read the case studyResult
100% autonomous case studies
and a monthly partnership for 6+ months
Design · Build · SEO
A modular Webflow redesign for a SaaS that manages publishers' rights and royalties.
Read the case studyResult
From 1 to 15 top-3 keywords
one year on, organic traffic roughly doubled
Design · Build
A new site that boosts lead generation for a performance marketing agency.
Read the case studyResult
More qualified leads
with clearer journeys and simpler forms
And 50+ more companies
Pricing
A website follows a known path, so its price is public. An application depends on your rules and data, so we price it after we understand them.
From €3,250 excl. VAT
Three packages by number of pages, listed on our pricing page, with design, development, SEO and training included.
On quote, after a call
After a first call and a scoping session, you get a written scope split into stages, with a fixed price for each stage.
5/5 on Google · 4.6/5 on La Fabrique du Net
Thomas J.
CEO, XPLR
“From the very first draft, they delivered a mock-up that perfectly matched the initial brief. Once approved, the website went live very quickly.”
Result
More qualified leads
Paul M.
CEO, Coudac
“Roland and his team have been incredibly efficient in helping us to quickly and easily develop our website. A reliable partner.”
Result
100% autonomous case studies
Mohammed B.
CEO, Crealo
“Even when there were emergencies to deal with quickly, you were always there to act, with a real drive to get things done.”
Result
+282% Google clicks
Hugo M.
CEO, Boud’bOis
“Very happy with Maxime and Roland’s work. They went well beyond what we asked of them. Sharp, highly skilled and friendly too. I recommend them without any hesitation!”
Result
+1498% visitors in one year
Valentine F.
Marketing, Qolaig
“Roland and Maxime were superb on the restructuring of our website. They answer quickly and keep supporting us even after the site was delivered. Very efficient, and always with good advice. I recommend them!”
Result
Website restructuring
Alexis C.
Head of Growth, Elmut
“I recommend Roland and Maxime without hesitation. They understood our needs with real kindness, and their advice is always accurate and relevant. Their smooth, efficient way of working makes every collaboration a pleasure.”
Result
Landing pages for ad campaigns
Apolline P.
Marketing, Crealo
“Without hesitation the best Webflow agency in Paris. We’ve worked with Roland and Maxime on the Crealo site for over a year and we’re delighted. The team is very responsive and always has ideas to improve our design. We see it in our traffic, which grows every month.”
Result
Traffic up every month
Adrien V.
CEO, Techlivery
“High-quality work and very efficient collaborations! Webflow know-how we really appreciate.”
Result
Webflow website
Mahel F.
Business owner · Google review
“Better than I imagined. I’m really happy I chose them to design my company’s website. They were great, on the design as much as on SEO and GEO tips. Highly responsive, professional and passionate. Thanks again!”
Result
Website, SEO & GEO
Léa & Simon
Founders, Foxtrotteurs
“Roland was super responsive and accommodating, and did exactly what we asked: cookie consent on our site and an updated privacy policy. A pleasure to work with, and we’ll definitely call on him again!”
Result
Cookie consent & privacy policy
Laure D.
CEO, La Pépite
“Roland ran a workshop with me on building landing pages! He brought real value to the participants and gave them concrete advice. His feedback during the workshop was precious. See you soon!”
Result
Landing page workshop
VanLuc N.
CEO, Vanluc
“A great interactive experience on a difficult subject. Patience and understanding from BeBranded, thank you. I recommend these talented young guys.”
Result
La Fabrique du Net
Result
+30%
organic traffic in six months
FAQ
Another question?
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