HTML Export vs Next.js Export: Which Should You Choose?

Choose the HTML export when you want plain static files on any host; choose the Next.js export when you want a Next.js project a developer can build on. Both start from the same published Framer site, both keep Framer's JavaScript runtime so the design and its animations behave as authored, and both self-host images as WebP, remove trackers and run an SEO pass. The difference is the shape of what you get back — files or a codebase — and that decision drives hosting and what "editing" looks like afterwards.

The one decision underneath both exports

Every published Framer page ships a large JavaScript runtime that re-renders the page in the browser. An export has to do something with it:

• Strip it → the page becomes pure HTML/CSS, and runtime-driven effects need rebuilding. FNJ doesn't offer this.
• Keep it → the export retains Framer's runtime, so animations and interactions behave as authored. Both the HTML export and the Next.js export do this.

So choosing between FNJ's HTML and Next.js exports isn't about the runtime (the third output, an Astro project, keeps it too); it's about whether you want static files or a project to develop. Neither is "better" — they optimize for different futures of the same site.

What each output actually is

HTML export: a folder of static files — one .html per page, self-hosted WebP images, and trackers removed, with Framer's runtime and fonts still loading from Framer's servers so appear and scroll animations play as authored. An SEO pass repoints canonicals to your domain, and the Framer badge is removed. Host it anywhere that serves files.

Next.js export: a complete Next.js App Router project — each page split into named React components, one per Framer section, that render the original exactly, plus package.json/tsconfig/config so npm install && npm run build works immediately. It's a real React codebase you can extend.

Head to head

	HTML export	Next.js export
Framer runtime	Kept	Kept
Performance	Lighter images, trackers removed; Framer's runtime still loads; measure your site	Lighter images, trackers removed; Framer's runtime still loads, and in our 10-template test it was not faster than the original
SEO checks	Review the generated metadata and deployed URLs	Review the generated metadata and deployed URLs
Complex effects (WebGL, custom cursors)	Runtime retained; test each effect	Runtime retained; test each effect
Appear/scroll animations	✓ original	✓ original
Hosting	Any static host, no build step	Vercel/Netlify/anywhere Next.js runs
Editing afterwards	Visual editor, or edit the HTML	Visual editor, or real code
Best for	Marketing sites, portfolios, landing pages	Dev handoff, React component files, future features

Decision guide

Take the HTML export if…

• The site is a marketing site, portfolio, or landing page
• You want plain files on any static host, with lighter images and no trackers
• You want drag-and-drop simple hosting (Netlify Drop, GitHub Pages, S3)
• Nobody plans to "develop" the site — just occasional content edits

Take the Next.js export if…

• A developer will own the site next
• You want the page as named React components you can read and edit
• You plan to add features (auth, API routes, a CMS) on top
• You're migrating toward React incrementally — see Framer to React

Genuinely unsure? Run both — conversions are included with FNJ Lifetime — and put the results through PageSpeed Insights. Neither export removes Framer's runtime, so neither is a speed rebuild; choose by whether you want files or code.

The same either way

Multi-page discovery with preserved URLs, SEO meta and OG tags carried over, badge removal, one-click deploys to your own hosting, the post-export visual editor, and the public-URL-only limitation (password-protected pages can't convert). Full walkthroughs: how to export a Framer site and the complete Next.js guide.

Convert your site and try both outputs on your own pages.

For a hands-on release test, use the Next.js interaction QA checklist. If you choose HTML, inspect remaining external dependencies before downgrading your Framer plan; either way, keep the Framer project published, because the runtime and fonts still load from it.