What are some solutions for improving the performance of the CMS Nest feature in Webflow when dealing with a large collection of 100+ items?

When working with a large CMS collection (100+ items) using CMS Nesting in Webflow, performance issues like slow load times or rendering delays can occur. Here are several effective ways to optimize performance.

1. Use Pagination

• Enable Pagination on your Collection List to load smaller sets of items per page.
• Set a lower item limit per page (e.g., 10–20 items) instead of trying to load 100+ entries at once.

2. Filter Data at the Source

• Apply collection filters to only load relevant items—especially for nested references.
• Filter lists based on categories, tags, or other fields to minimize the number of displayed items.

3. Use Multi-Reference Fields More Efficiently

• CMS Nest relies on multi-reference fields, which can increase data load.
• Keep the number of nested items per reference reasonable (e.g., show only 2–3 related items).
• If possible, use single-reference fields instead of multi-reference for lighter performance.

4. Switch to Static or Pre-Rendered Content

• Consider statically rendering frequently accessed pages instead of pulling dynamic data on every load.
• Duplicate a CMS-powered layout and manually update content if it doesn't change often.

5. Use Webflow's Pagination with Conditional Visibility

• Combine pagination with specific conditional visibility logic to prevent larger nested lists from rendering unnecessarily.
• Example: Only render nested lists when their parent item is in view or matches a condition.

6. Reduce Nest Levels

• Limit how deep you nest Collections. Excessive nesting (e.g., multiple layers: A → B → C) slows performance.
• Evaluate whether all nesting is essential and flatten your CMS structure if possible.

7. Minimize Use of Rich Media in Collections

• Avoid placing large images, videos, or embeds inside nested CMS lists.
• Use compressed images and lazy loading (loading="lazy") techniques to reduce page weight.

8. Export Data or Use External Display Tools

• If performance is critical, consider exporting CMS content to JSON and rendering it manually using JavaScript.
• Alternatively, connect Webflow to Airtable or external CMS via API using tools like Make (Integromat) or Zapier for lighter frontend loads.

9. Limit Real-Time Filters or Sorts

• Complex combinations of CMS filters, sorts, and dynamic nesting can tax performance.
• Reduce the number of dynamic elements and pre-sort/filter data in the CMS where possible.

Summary

To improve the performance of Webflow’s CMS Nest feature with large collections, limit item counts using pagination, filter and simplify your data hierarchy, and avoid unnecessary nesting or media-heavy content. Evaluate each CMS feature’s impact to maintain a smooth, responsive user experience.