The most direct path. You build a template, list it on the Framer Marketplace or your own store, and earn each time someone buys it.
The upside: it's passive income once the template is built. The downside: it takes time to build an audience and the Marketplace review process is strict.
I've been doing this since 2024 under the TMPL brand (browse TMPL templates). My templates are now used in 43 countries, and current revenue is around $3,000/month from template sales alone. The first six months I made almost nothing — but it compounds over time.
I told my story on Instagram, read it here
Templates are priced by the creator — anywhere from $19 to $200+ depending on complexity. You keep 100% of the revenue, minus the payment processor fee (Lemon Squeezy, Polar, Dodo Payments typically take 3-5%).
This one is underrated. Framer pays verified creators 50% of referred subscription revenue — recurring, for the lifetime of the customer.
How it works: you get a unique referral link. Every time someone signs up for a paid Framer plan through your link, you earn 50% of their monthly or annual payment as long as they stay subscribed.
Payouts are processed monthly via Dub (Framer's affiliate tracking tool), covering commissions earned two months prior. Minimum payout is $200, processed via Stripe.
If you're writing about Framer, teaching it, or even just recommending it — you should have an affiliate link. Every article, every tutorial, every social post becomes a potential revenue source.
Framer's design quality opens doors. Agencies and founders who see what's possible with Framer often want someone to build their site — and they're willing to pay well for it.
Framer freelancers typically charge up to $200/hour depending on experience and market. A full site project can run $2,000-10,000+.
The advantage over traditional web development: Framer projects move fast. A site that would take weeks in code can be done in days. That's a real competitive edge when pitching clients.
A middle ground between templates and full freelance. You sell a template, then offer paid customization on top — color adjustments, additional pages, content migration.
This works especially well if you have an established template store. Buyers who love your design but need help implementing it are a natural upsell.
If you're building in public around Framer — sharing your process, posting tutorials, documenting your revenue — you're building an audience that has value.
Monetization options include brand partnerships, sponsored posts, paid newsletters, or selling your own courses and guides. Social platforms like X, Instagram, and Pinterest can drive both direct income and traffic back to your template store.
I'm currently active on all three — X, Instagram, and Pinterest — documenting the TMPL journey. I haven't monetized the audience directly yet, but it's the next step I'm exploring. The traffic it sends to the template store is already real.
This is the longest path but the one with the most compounding upside. An audience that trusts you buys your templates, clicks your affiliate links, and refers others.
If you're a designer already working with Framer, the fastest entry point is the affiliate program — it costs nothing to join and every piece of content you create becomes a potential revenue source.
If you want to build toward passive income, start with templates. One template, shipped and marketed properly, is the foundation everything else can grow from.
