At D1S1, we've accumulated data on more than 400 studios — from small boutique teams to major agencies with Awwwards and D&AD recognition. We got curious: what do these studios actually use to build their own websites? We automatically scanned the tech stack of each one — and the results were surprising.
WordPress — 155 Studios (39%)
WordPress remains the undisputed leader — and this isn't an outdated stereotype, it's a deliberate choice. Nearly 40% of studios trust it with their portfolios.
Why? WordPress is an ecosystem. Thousands of themes and plugins, full control over hosting and data, predictable costs. For design studios, the Semplice theme is particularly important — a specialized portfolio builder on top of WordPress. 18 studios in our database use it, including Stupid Studio, Moniker, and Hyperfocus.
Studios extensively customize their themes, turning them into fully interactive portfolios. The GSAP integration alone proves that WordPress in 2026 is nothing like the WordPress of popular imagination.
Webflow — 49 Studios (12%)
Webflow holds a strong second position. Studios love it for the visual builder that generates clean code and for its built-in animation capabilities.
The most interesting part is how studios extend it. Of the 49 studios, 22 use GSAP on top of Webflow's standard animations, adding complex scroll effects through ScrollTrigger. Studios like JKR, Momkai, and Kiln create Webflow sites that rival fully custom builds in terms of interactivity.
Webflow is the choice for those who want designer-level control without server infrastructure. Hosting, CDN, SSL — all included.
Framer — 20 Studios (5%)
Framer is the youngest platform of the three, but it's growing the fastest. 20 studios is already a notable share, especially considering the platform entered the website builder market relatively recently.
Almost all Framer studios (19 out of 20) use Framer's built-in hosting, not bothering with external infrastructure. Users include Scandinavian studios Bleed, Goods, and BAS ID, as well as Shuka and IMCOLLECTIVE.
From idea to published site — in days, not weeks. Framer's component-based approach makes it the ideal tool for studios used to working in Figma.
Tilda — Only 3 Detections
Despite Tilda's massive popularity in the Russian-speaking market, in our database of 400 international studios, Tilda was detected on only three — and just one actually uses it as its primary platform.
NAAU Studio is the only studio that built its entire site on Tilda, complementing it with Rive animations. The other two (Bauns and Bareis + Nicolaus) had Tilda detected alongside their primary platforms — likely as a supplementary tool for individual pages.
This doesn't mean Tilda is a bad tool. But in the international design studio market, studios prefer platforms with greater customization flexibility and a broader developer community.
Other No-Code Platforms
Beyond the big three, studios also choose:
- Squarespace (18 studios) — a classic choice for minimalist portfolios
- Semplice (18 studios) — a niche WordPress builder, made by designers for designers
- Readymag (5 studios) — a tool for narrative and editorial sites
- Cargo (4 studios) — a cult-favorite platform for artists and art directors
Code-First: Next.js Dominates
Among the 22% that chose to code from scratch, the picture is clear:
The Next.js + Sanity + Vercel combination has become the de facto standard for technically advanced design studios. And a telling detail: 42% of studios on modern frameworks use Rive for animations — compared to just 10% on WordPress. Code-first studios experiment more actively with new tools.
Animation and Interactivity
Animation tools reveal how seriously studios take the interactivity of their sites:
- Rive — 73 studios (18%) — the biggest surprise. Rive has overtaken even GSAP to become the most popular animation tool
- GSAP — 57 studios (14%) — the professional standard for complex scroll animations
- Swiper — 58 studios (15%) — for portfolio carousels and sliders
- Barba.js — 25 studios (6%) — smooth page transitions
- Lottie — 21 studios (5%) — animations exported from After Effects
Rive overtaking GSAP as the most popular animation tool was the biggest surprise of the study.
Infrastructure and Analytics
Hosting and CDN: Cloudflare is used by 36% of studios — it has become the standard for protection and acceleration. AWS (22%) and Vercel (12%) share second and third place.
Analytics: Google Analytics 4 is installed on 48% of studio sites, but there's a visible trend toward privacy-friendly alternatives — Plausible, Fathom, Umami, and Matomo collectively account for 5%.
Awards Are Rare — Even Among the Best
D&AD leads (16 studios), followed by Awwwards (15) and Communication Arts (11).
Performance
Social Media
Of the 400 studios, 82% link to Instagram — it's the primary social platform for designers. LinkedIn comes second (57%), while Behance, once the industry standard, is used by just 20%. TikTok — only 2%.
What This Means
The data shows a clear split: most design studios choose visual control (WordPress, Webflow, Framer) over code. And it makes sense — a studio's portfolio site needs to be beautiful, easy to update, and not require a dedicated development team.
At the same time, the most technically ambitious studios choose Next.js + Sanity + Vercel — a stack that offers complete freedom but requires a developer on the team.
The platform matters less than the execution. A thoughtful Squarespace site beats a sloppy custom build every time. But the data suggests that studios are increasingly willing to invest in interactivity — whether through no-code animations or code-first experimentation with tools like Rive.
