Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Grid Layout Builder by Webflow VS Pattern Lab

Compare Grid Layout Builder by Webflow VS Pattern Lab and see what are their differences

Grid Layout Builder by Webflow logo Grid Layout Builder by Webflow

A completely visual way to build CSS grid–powered layouts.

Pattern Lab logo Pattern Lab

Create atomic design systems with Pattern Lab.
  • Grid Layout Builder by Webflow Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-07
  • Pattern Lab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-20

Grid Layout Builder by Webflow features and specs

  • Visual Design Interface
    Webflow's Grid Layout Builder offers a visual, drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for users to create complex grid layouts without needing to write any code. This intuitive interface can significantly speed up the design process for both beginners and experienced designers.
  • Responsive Design
    The Grid Layout Builder provides tools for creating responsive designs that look great on any device. Users can easily adjust settings for different breakpoints, ensuring a seamless experience across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
  • Customizability
    Users have a high degree of flexibility and control over their grid layouts, including custom rows, columns, and spacing. This allows for unique and tailored designs that can meet various project needs.
  • Integration with Webflow Ecosystem
    Grid Layout Builder is a part of the larger Webflow ecosystem, which includes additional tools for CMS, eCommerce, and interactions. This integration allows for a streamlined workflow within a single platform.

Possible disadvantages of Grid Layout Builder by Webflow

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its visual interface, new users may face a learning curve when first using the Grid Layout Builder, particularly if they are unfamiliar with grid systems or the broader Webflow platform.
  • Cost
    Webflow is a paid service, and the cost can be relatively high compared to some alternatives, especially for freelancers or small businesses with limited budgets.
  • Limited Export Options
    While you can design sophisticated layouts, exporting these designs for use outside of Webflow can be limited. Users looking for flexibility in exporting and using code might find these options insufficient.
  • Performance Overhead
    Webflow's Grid Layout Builder, like other WYSIWYG editors, can sometimes generate more complex or verbose code than a hand-coded approach, which might impact performance in certain scenarios.

Pattern Lab features and specs

  • Component-Driven Development
    Pattern Lab encourages a modular approach by allowing developers to create reusable components, which promotes consistency and efficiency in developing user interfaces.
  • Atomic Design
    It is built on the Atomic Design methodology, which helps in designing systems by breaking down interfaces into basic building blocks, leading to more manageable and scalable design systems.
  • Live Style Guide
    Pattern Lab generates a live style guide that updates in real time as components are developed, making it easy for designers and developers to stay in sync with the design system.
  • Platform Agnostic
    Pattern Lab can be integrated with various development stacks and workflows, making it flexible and adaptable to a wide range of projects.
  • Enhanced Collaboration
    By facilitating a shared language and set of tools between designers and developers, Pattern Lab improves collaboration and reduces communication barriers.

Possible disadvantages of Pattern Lab

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For teams that are new to the Atomic Design methodology or to Pattern Lab itself, there can be a significant learning curve required to get up to speed.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Setting up a project can be complex, especially for beginners, as it requires understanding both the tool and the underlying design principles thoroughly.
  • Limited Customization
    Although flexible, Pattern Lab does have limitations in terms of customizations, which may not be suitable for very specific or unique project requirements.
  • Performance Overheads
    As projects grow in size and complexity, managing and compiling a large number of components can lead to performance overheads, affecting build times.
  • Maintenance Burden
    Keeping the Pattern Lab and its components in sync with the ongoing changes in projects can become a maintenance burden over time, requiring dedicated resources.

Grid Layout Builder by Webflow videos

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Pattern Lab videos

Introduction to Pattern Lab

More videos:

  • Review - Using Pattern Lab to Design More Efficiently

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Grid Layout Builder by Webflow and Pattern Lab)
Design Tools
59 59%
41% 41
Website Builder
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
36 36%
64% 64
React
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pattern Lab seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Grid Layout Builder by Webflow mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Grid Layout Builder by Webflow yet. Tracking of Grid Layout Builder by Webflow recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Pattern Lab mentions (6)

  • Unlocking the frontend – a call for standardizing component APIs pt.2
    While this helped ease integration work, in parallel to that we also started exploring more systematic approaches on the frontend side itself. With the advent of Brad Frost Atomic Design, and tools like Pattern Lab, we started using a more component-centric approach. This included colocating all styling (CSS), behavior (JavaScript) and semantic structure (HTML) for a component, and way better encapsulation as a... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Atomic Design: A Methodology for Building Design Systems
    In order to apply this methodology in your work, you can use a tool called Pattern Lab, created by Brad Frost and Dave Olsen. Pattern Lab is a tool to create atomic design systems. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Integrating Accessibility In The Web Development Process
    Something that would really help to work with tested components and stay consistent with the code and guarantee code quality would be a component library created with Storybook or Pattern Lab, for example. Developers who have a high level of knowledge of how to write accessible code can create components and test them before implementing them. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • How do you make the styling of the site flexible to fast change, but not tedious to actually go in and change every single detail?
    You can read more about Atomic Design Systems and how it scales. I've used Patternlab and I find it awesome. Source: over 3 years ago
  • fractal.build as an atomic design tool
    Fractal seemed easier, at least to me, to understand and maintain, than PatternLab, which I failed to install due a bug in the current installer (and when I managed to install the grunt version, I was already told that there is fractal as a possible alternative). - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Grid Layout Builder by Webflow and Pattern Lab, you can also consider the following products

CSS Gridish - Automatically build your grid design's CSS code ✨

Storybook - Storybook is an open source tool for developing UI components in isolation for React, Vue, and Angular. It makes building stunning UIs organized and efficient.

Webflow Flexbox UI Builder - Build flexible, responsive layouts — without writing code

Swanky Docs - A simple, flexible and powerful ecosystem for creating beautiful documentation.

Webflow CMS - Build professional dynamic websites without any code

vov.css - A small class-based animation library consisting of small but useful animations.