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Why We Don’t Publish Templates on the Framer Marketplace
Maxzz
Creative director
We’ve been in the Framer scene long enough to understand what works, what fails, and more importantly, what feels off. After testing the waters, we made a decision:
We don’t publish our templates on the Framer Marketplace anymore.
And here’s why:
1. Rejected for Being "Too Normal"
Framer’s team often rejects clean, professional templates that are actually built for real businesses.
Why? Because they want something "creative," "crazy," or just visually loud.
They aren’t reviewing with buyers in mind. They want templates that look cool on the homepage, even if no one can use them.
If your design is clean, simple, and functional, it's usually marked as "not different enough."
2. Hype > Talent
If you're a big creator with thousands of followers, you're already halfway in.
Even if your template is basic, you'll get approved and promoted.
But if you’re a small or growing creator, no matter how refined your work is, they’ll probably skip right over you.
It’s not about quality. It’s about who you are and how loud your online presence is.
3. The Free Template Trap
The Marketplace pushes free templates too hard. Now buyers expect everything for free, even premium work.
Creators spend 60 to 100+ hours building full-featured templates, and yet buyers scroll past because someone else dropped a free version.
This shift is damaging the entire template economy. It devalues hard work and good design.
4. Reviewed by the Wrong People
Most templates are made for non-designers, founders, and business owners who just want to launch something quickly.
But here’s the issue: the people reviewing your templates don’t represent that audience at all.
Some reviewers have never worked with real clients. Some come from agencies charging $1000 for tiny projects. Others just don’t understand UX, conversion, or how a site needs to function in the real world.
Yet somehow, they have the final say.
So Why Spend 100+ Hours?
Let’s be real.
Why should anyone spend 100+ hours on a polished, premium template…
Only for it to be rejected because it doesn’t fit someone’s idea of "creative"?
Templates should help people launch quickly, not win design awards. But that's not what Framer Marketplace is built around right now.
What We Do Instead
We build templates for real users - startups, indie founders, and creators who care more about performance than fancy layouts. Our focus is always on what works, not what looks trendy for a quick scroll.
That’s why we publish everything directly on our own store. No gatekeepers, no approvals, and no one telling us what’s "too simple" or "not creative enough." We stay in control.
We decide what goes live, what it costs, and when we want to run offers or give it away for free. In fact, right now everything is completely free.
Yes, all of it. We also use free templates as a way to grow - building our community, collecting emails, and sharing value while keeping full control. If one day we decide to charge, cool. If not, no pressure. But for now, go grab whatever you want.
