This is a genuinely common situation for freelancers and agencies: you built a client's site in Framer, the engagement is ending, and the client either doesn't want to keep paying Framer's hosting fee under your account, or wants full independence from any ongoing platform relationship tied to you.
Why this comes up specifically with Framer
Unlike a WordPress site (where handing over hosting credentials is straightforward — it's just a server), a Framer site's "hosting" is inseparable from the Framer account it's published under. Transferring full ownership means either the client needs their own Framer account and plan (a new recurring cost for them, and a workspace transfer process), or the relationship with Framer hosting continues indirectly through you, which most agencies don't want long-term for a finished engagement.
The export path solves most of this
Converting the finished site to a static HTML or Next.js export sidesteps most of the problem: the client gets a real codebase they (or any future developer) can host anywhere, and no recurring Framer bill to take over. One tie remains: a site converted with FNJ still loads Framer's runtime and fonts from the published Framer project, so that project has to stay published (Framer's free plan is enough, within its limits). Agree with the client whose Framer account it stays in.
What to actually hand over
- The exported project (static HTML or Next.js — see our developer-focused guide on what each export type gives you)
- A brief note on where things stand: any forms that need rewiring to a real endpoint (see our forms-after-export guide), any custom animations worth spot-checking, domain/DNS status
- Deployment done, or clear instructions for their own team/future developer to deploy it (Vercel and Netlify are both fast, low-cost options — see our deploy guides for each)
Setting this expectation earlier is even better
If you know from the start of an engagement that a client relationship has a defined end date, mentioning the export option early — even just "we'll hand over a portable, self-hostable version at project close" — avoids this becoming an awkward late-stage conversation, and is a genuinely useful thing to be able to promise clients who are wary of platform lock-in in the first place.
If the client will keep updating the site after the move, how clients edit a Framer site after export compares the options, from FNJ's visual editor to a headless CMS.
Starting a new site instead? FNJ's AI website builder designs one from a description and a site you like, then gives you the code to host anywhere.
