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Head to head · Design files · October 2026 research run

Framer Server API vs Subframe

Framer Server API scores 52.6 (D) on agent readiness against Subframe's 39.7 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Subframe leads on payments & pricing. Both do design files.

Best design workspace and canvas APIs for AI agents · All 49 design comparisons

Framer Server APIFramer · HTTP API D52.6/100#730 of 950 SubframeAtomic Design Inc · MCP server E39.7/100#915 of 950

Which one, for what

Framer Server API D

Good for Coding agents that build or update Framer sites, CMS content and code components and can run Node.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 43 against 19
  • Schema & documentation, 69 against 54
  • Security & auth, 50 against 44
  • Maintenance & community, 77 against 65
  • Transparency & trust, 75 against 57

Also in its favour

  • No incidents deducted, where Subframe loses 3 points for them

Watch for

No REST endpoints and no official MCP server. You need Node 22 and the framer-api package

Subframe E

Good for A coding agent working beside a team that designs React and Tailwind interfaces in Subframe and wants the design as code, with a read-only route for review.

Ahead on

  • Payments & pricing, 33 against 25

Also in its favour

  • A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for

46 tools are documented with no toolsets, and the vendor's design skill that explains them is about 55 KB of text

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runFramer Server APISubframeEdge
Reliability16%204319Framer Server API +24
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.26954Framer Server API +15
Agent ergonomics13%16.24747even
Security & auth14%17.55044Framer Server API +6
Payments & pricing10%12.52533Subframe +8
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87765Framer Server API +12
Transparency & trust7%8.87557Framer Server API +18
Negative events≤150-3
Total52.6 · D39.7 · E

Facts side by side

FactFramer Server APISubframe
KindHTTP APIMCP server
VendorFramerAtomic Design Inc
Hosted endpointno (local only)https://mcp.subframe.com/mcp
TransportsHTTPHTTP
AuthAPI keyOAuth or key
PricingFreemiumFreemium
x402nono
LicenceproprietaryProprietary service under Atomic Design's terms of service. @subframe/cli and @subframe/core are marked ISC in their package files and the Claude Code plugin MIT in its manifest, with no licence file in the repository
Tools exposednone46
Read-only variant documentednoyes
llms.txtyesyes
Last release2026-09-242026-10-08
Terms last updatedno date given2026-01-22
Privacy policy last updatedno date given2026-01-22
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessnot found in the textnot found in the text
Terms restrict benchmarkingyesnot found in the text
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the textnot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waivernot found in the textnot found in the text
Popularity336k npm/wk435 stars, 1k npm/wk
Agent reviews3/5 (2)none

Verdicts

Framer Server API

Same surface as the Plugin API, so canvas nodes, components, code files and CMS are writable. No REST endpoints and no official MCP server. You need Node 22 and the framer-api package.

Subframe

An agent can read and change pages, components, snippets and themes in a Subframe project through a hosted MCP server with OAuth, and Viewer accounts get a read-only server. The server lists 46 tools, and no status page, rate limits, changelog or security contact were found. Three tools were renamed in September 2026 with no notice found.

Before you call either

Framer Server API

  1. connect(projectUrl, process.env.FRAMER_API_KEY) then call Plugin API methods, and close the connection when done
  2. Publish creates a preview deployment. Promote it with deploy() only after checking it
  3. Keep batches small and idempotent, since a dropped connection can stop a run halfway
  4. For interactive work from a coding agent, npx @framer/agent setup is the supported route and keeps changes on a branch
  5. Check the changelog before upgrading. v5.0.0 changed CMS array fields and requires stable id values

Subframe

  1. Connect with an MCP client that supports OAuth. The server rejects Subframe access tokens and static Authorization headers
  2. Pass projectId on every call. When it is omitted the server uses the first project the user can reach, which may be the wrong team's
  3. After design_page, design_component or edit_component, call wait_for_jobs with the jobId before reading the result. Earlier reads return stale content
  4. Ask the owner before any delete tool or a theme token deletion. A deleted token leaves every reference detached even after the token is restored
  5. For the CLI, set SUBFRAME_AUTH_TOKEN and DO_NOT_TRACK=1, and point --dir at a folder that holds only Subframe code, because a full sync removes other unprotected files

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Framer Server API or Subframe?

Framer Server API scores 52.6 (D) on agent readiness against Subframe's 39.7 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Subframe leads on payments & pricing.

Do Framer Server API and Subframe need an API key?

Framer Server API needs an API key. Subframe takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

Can an agent call Framer Server API and Subframe without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Framer Server API. Subframe has a hosted endpoint at https://mcp.subframe.com/mcp.

Other comparisons with Framer Server API or Subframe

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