Back in the old days, the process of building website pages hosted on WordPress was such a hard task to behold. You would not only have to create whatever you wish in the editor’s very limited interface, but you’d also need to know HTML and code to create sophisticated layouts and styles.
Drag-and-drop page builders plugins have made page editing much more simple. This makes it even easier for newbies, even those with no coding experience.
Elementor may be one thing that pops up in your mind regarding those new types of page builders. There are so many options, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. This article will help you find your ultimate page builder that works better for your needs.
Daniel has posted a video review on Design Break that will give you a visual experience. You can still read our article to get an overview of Elementor.
Elementor in Nutshell Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Before we get into the meat of the story, let’s take a short look first at what Elementor is.
Elementor is one of the most popular free page builder plugins for WordPress. It is well-known for its intuitive user interface and rich features. Users have unlimited access to many customization and design options. It’s designed to make the process of page building easier and more enjoyable for web design professionals and newbies alike.
Elementor’s drag-and-drop editor is one of its highlights. Users can drag any object onto a workspace or canvas that’s large enough to fit the majority of their screen. The workspace lets you view your page as potential customers see it. Another of its highlights is the vast range of design element options, with a total of over 200 templates, widgets, and blocks built into Elementor’s storied library.
The Key Features
The basic Elementor version includes all the tools you need to create eye-catching pages. You can adjust the settings to make your pages as pixel perfect as possible, and even add custom code to them.
Elementor understands that convenience is key. That’s why it offers many helpful features. You can retrieve older versions of your page by clicking ‘undo’ once and then again. Revision History is your friend. Struggling with searching for something that may be difficult to find? You can use the Finder feature to help you. Want to make some adjustments to the mobile version of your page? Switch View allows you to make changes right away.
Elementor Pro has even more features. This gives you more handy features, such as the Theme Builder that lets you create full-page templates for WordPress, the pop-up builder, and e-commerce widgets in collaboration with WooCommerce.
The Downsides
Elementor has many benefits for people of all skill levels. However, it is not without its drawbacks. Firstly, most of the Elementor Pro features are obviously, not accessible to those who use the plugin for free. Second, the dashboard may need to be more responsive sometimes. And lastly, some editing refinements may not go exactly as you expect them to.
Pricing
The core version of Elementor gives you enough page design tools to use for free. You may have to sign up for one of the five annual plans if you wish to access additional features not available to Elementor Pro users.
These prices range from $49 per year for the Essential plan to $999 for the Agency plan. The best thing about these subscriptions is that you can access any upgraded tool without limitations – the only limitation is the number of activations and website licenses.
Now that we have an idea of what Elementor is and how much it can offer, let’s compare it to the other page builder platforms on this list, eight of which with an equally massive following and critical acclaim.
These are Divi, WPBakery, Beaver Builder, WordPress’s newest editor Gutenberg, Webflow, the Thrive Architect plugin, Brizy, and Oxygen. Let’s start with Divi!
Elementor vs Divi
Elegant Themes’ Divi builder is a popular page-builder plugin. It’s been placed at the same level as Elementor regarding how much it offers to various users.
Both have drag-and-drop interfaces that are powerful yet easy to use and are packed with flexible design tools. Divi is a WordPress theme, but not a plugin. It also doesn’t offer a free plan and has more useful features like split testing.
General Interface
Divi’s editing dashboard has a drag-and drop interface. However, if you look at it alongside Elementor, you will notice some differences. Divi’s editing dashboard has all the options in the sidebar. However, Divi has a collapsible floating screen menu at the bottom that gives off a minimalistic look.
Customization and Page-Building
While Elementor offers only single-page templates, Divi allows users to use full-website packages. It is also known as Layouts and has a much larger collection than Elementor.
Both plugins have the same styling options that don’t always require you to code unless necessary. Both also have similar theme-building features – Divi may have added it as recently as 2019, but Elementor has always had it in store even before then.
The Key Features
Divi is not just a WordPress plugin. It also comes with the Divi theme. This theme has been called the “most popular WordPress theme” over the years.
Divi’s split-testing feature is one thing that makes it stand out from Elementor. Marketing professionals, in particular, may find this one very useful as they can determine which of the pages’ elements work best in generating better conversion rates.
Pricing
Divi is not like Elementor which offers powerful features for a free version. Divi does not offer a free plan, except for a 30-day trial. Despite this, its two pricing plans are seen as cost-effective and more valuable than the other.
A $89 yearly access plan or a $249 lifetime access tier are available to individuals. Regardless, not only will you be able to use Divi on unlimited websites, but you will also get access to all of the Elegant Themes products, including the Divi theme.
Elementor vs WPBakery
WPBakery is another popular page-building plugin, and it was also one of the first to be released. Formerly known under the name Visual Composer until the inauguration of the website builder under the same name, WPBakery provides page creators with nearly the same convenient and user-friendly features as Elementor.
Its standout feature is the option to choose between a front end interface for site editing or more advanced back-end design editing. While Elementor may be packed with a wide range of widgets, WPBakery has twice the size of its offerings.
General Interface
Some page builders allow you to view your page exactly as your customers do while editing. Others offer a more schematic experience. WPBakery is able to accommodate both. It is ideal for both novice and expert web designers.
There have been some concerns about how slow the front-end editor is compared to other editors. Regardless, you’ll have enough tools to create a good-looking page.
Page-Building and Customization
WPBakery offers over 100 pre-made templates, but this is a far cry from Elementor’s 300+ choices. While the former may lack in abundance, it catches up with an otherwise larger scale of design element offerings in the form of widgets and add-ons, giving it a huge boost ahead of the latter.
Both WPBakery (and Elementor) have the same level and variety of customization tools. However, one may prove too overwhelming for others.
Key Features
WPBakery is known for its multilingual support, which makes it more accessible to non-English users. Next is the Role Manager function, which lets you control whoever gets to access certain sections of the interface.
Although the plugin’s integrations list is not that important for many, we find it to be unique enough to make it stand out from the rest.
Pricing
WPBakery is similar to Divi but does not offer a free version. However, it does offer two pricing options. Both tiers, however, use a one-time payment system that gives you continuous updates, regardless of which plan you choose.
The $56 regular version is for single-site use, while the $299 extended plan is for one SaaS application.
Elementor vs Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder plugin offers visually fluid drag-and drop page-building capabilities, similar to Elementor or Divi. As the other two plugins are made to be suitable for web designers, Beaver Builder is more geared toward developers with a sharp eye for website stability.
Beaver Builder is a popular choice for WordPress developers because it offers clean coding, well-documented PHP and CSS options, as well as other handy features that will make your page run smoothly.
General Interface
Beaver Builder’s editing interface is similar to Divi’s: Your workspace occupies almost the entire screen with only a generously-sized horizontal bar on top. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
If you wish to add any column, row, or module/widget to your page, you just need to click the + button along the bar. The plugin’s dashboard has been highly praised for its fast, glitch-free, and very customizable capabilities. Don’t like pop-up windows while you edit? Drag it to create sidebars. Simple!
Page-Building and Customization
Beaver Builder provides users with a range of core design tools. Its advanced settings, however, don’t have the same energy as Elementor – for one, the former lacks motion effects options and custom CSS for individual page elements as the latter is readily equipped with.
Despite this, Beaver Builder still manages to make every page highly responsive across all devices. As for templates, the plugin offers two types that are closely similar to Elementor: pages (full templates) and rows (Beaver Builder’s take on blocks).
The Key Features
As we mentioned earlier, one of Beaver Builder’s strongest suits is its ability to conveniently let developers add custom coding. White-labeling is another key feature. This is great for people who create pages or websites for multiple clients.
As for theme-building, Beaver Builder requires you to purchase and integrate with a separate Beaver Themer extension. This may look cumbersome to others, but it somehow manages to be on par with Elementor’s built-in theme builder. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Pricing
The pricing structure for Beaver Builder is similar to Elementor’s as it includes yearly subscription plans ranging from $99 with the Standard tier to $546 with Ultimate, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee. A free version of the plugin is also available, but it’s less flexible than Elementor.
Elementor vs Gutenberg
Gutenberg is WordPress’s newest standard block editor. It has replaced its predecessor, The Classic Editor. Compared to the previous version, which required you to go through tedious and complicated processes, Gutenberg is intentionally designed to make it a breeze for many of its users as beginner-friendly editors with drag-and-drop interfaces take center stage.
WordPress is relaunching its flagship editor to reflect the popularity of Elementor and other user-friendly page builders. Gutenberg still offers block-building capabilities that make it easy to blog and write.
General Interface
WordPress’s previous editor required you to write everything you need on a page inside a big, rectangular text field. Many people find this difficult as they might need to know shortcodes to create different shapes, fonts and layouts. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
With Gutenberg, editing has been significantly simplified to accommodate even those with zero coding knowledge. You will see that the interface borrows many of the same features found in most page builders plugins such as the large preview screen and collapsible sidebar widgets.
Customization and Page-Building
Gutenberg comes with all the essential design tools you need, including blocks and columns as well as text headings and paragraphs. The range is still less than Elementor’s page builders, which offer more options.
Gutenberg may not have theme-building capabilities, but its block-based traits make it compatible with multiple WordPress themes – it does not fully override your theme styles and settings. You can also add custom CSS elements to give your site a personal touch.
Key Features
Unlike Elementor, which happens to be a page builder with a front-end interface, Gutenberg is primarily a back-end block editor. You won’t be able to create a fully unique site with an equally unique theme, but you can still rearrange design elements within any themed page, given that it’s compatible across multiple WordPress themes.
With Gutenberg, you get to embed uploaded files and posts from many sources to your page, from social media sites like Twitter and Tumblr to media-sharing sites such as YouTube and Soundcloud.
Pricing
Since Gutenberg is WordPress’s default editor, you can explore and use all of its features completely free of charge! There is not one paid plan included in this list like all the other editors. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Elementor vs Webflow
Webflow, unlike Elementor or the other page builders in this list is a standalone service that allows you to create large-scale designs across multiple devices. It offers the same capabilities as Squarespace and other popular website builders.
Webflow was created to be a one-stop shop and save you time. Its team handles all website administration tasks, including web hosting. While WordPress itself may rely on plugins to create eye-catching sites, Webflow has everything rolled into one platform.
General Interface
Webflow is fun and flexible, but it’s not for everyone. This is especially true for those new to web design. With that being said, its editing interface needs to be more saturated with many essential website-building tools.
It may be a turn-off for most individuals with entry-level skills, but any average professional will most likely enjoy what it can offer. The platform’s interface can also be as straightforward as it gets.
Page-Building and Customization
With Webflow, you can either opt to start from the ground up or choose from its collection of 500+ website templates, with about 100 of them offered for free. You can use it for portfolios or full-on blog themes. Unlike Elementor, which lets you change a page’s entire template in one sitting, Webflow will require you to create a new website to accommodate those changes.
As for customization, you get many reliable web design options and flexible integrations with many third-party platforms.
The Key Features
Webflow is poised to compete with WordPress in the CMS field. Despite being on a lower level than WordPress, Webflow’s SEO and blogging capabilities are impressive enough to be worth considering.
Webflow’s extensive database of knowledge through Webflow University and the blog, as well as its excellent customer assistance team, is a testament that proves how much it deeply cares for its users. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Pricing
For those who want to learn how to create a website, Webflow offers a free starter package. From there, you’ll find a versatile range of subscriptions. These include the basic Site plans from $12/month, team-based Workspace plans from $19/month, e-commerce plans from $29/month, and a custom Enterprise plan.
Elementor vs Thrive Architect
While some WordPress page builders primarily accommodate either designers (as with Elementor), web developers (like Beaver Builder), or both at the same time, there are a few that are geared towards mostly marketing professionals and businesses, and Thrive Architect happens to be one of them.
This plugin provides them with top-notch features that are guaranteed to make impressive sales turnouts on top of the essential page-building tools they should already be familiar with. Both platforms have the same design and customization capabilities. However, Thrive Architect is better suited for creating high-converting landing page and similar market-optimized sites.
General Interface
Thrive’s editing dashboard is similar to Elementor. It has a front-end interface that allows you to see what your customers will get. As the former accomplishes this with a huge workspace and a single feature-rich sidebar, the latter approaches it with two, each on either side of the screen.
Two taskbars also surround the space. One is for page structure, the other for previews of multi-devices. While Thrive tried its best to fit all the basic tools in one dashboard, it has been criticized for being slightly clunky.
Page-Building and Customization
Both Thrive and Elementor offer the same caliber of excellent widgets and template selections. Still, considering the latter’s concentration on the marketing niche, the range may not be as flexible as the former. Its library of landing page templates is certainly more valuable for both marketers and businesses.
Thrive’s customization is also at a comparable level. An apparent silver lining, though, has to be its top-performing in-line text editor and a more diverse range of global elements.
Key Features
Elementor’s marketing-focused features fall far short of what Thrive has to offer. To begin, it comes with a list of Smart Landing Pages designed for a more optimized conversion turnout. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Thrive Architect believes that higher conversion rates are a key to sales growth. It can integrate seamlessly with specialty applications such as split testing, testimonial collections, automation, and more.
Pricing
You can get the whole Thrive Suite and Thrive Architect for $299/year if you are a marketer looking for better ways to convert leads into customers. Otherwise, the plugin itself is priced at $97 annually.
Elementor vs Brizy
Brizy is two years older than Elementor (2016) and has steadily climbed to the top, gaining critical acclaim because of its intuitive and simple functions. The interface itself is on the same par as Elementor – the only key difference that sets each other apart is the ecosystem.
While Elementor allows you to import third-party add-ons, in Brizy, you can only make use of its default content elements. Despite the limitation, the latter does have a cloud service that not only gives you access to premium designs and integrations but also lets you sync your works across any domain, WordPress or otherwise.
General Interface
Brizy offers the familiar drag-and-drop functionality, but its editing dashboard is highly regarded for its user-friendly interface. It even beats all other page builders in this list. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Its super light design is one of the main reasons it is so popular with web designers of all levels. It’s lighter than other dashboards, such as those from Thrive Architect and Divi, but it feels more welcoming than others.
Page-Building and Customization
As with most WordPress page builders, Brizy supplies its users with plenty of design and customization options. Given its limits, it doesn’t have as many widgets as Elementor has, but it still manages to offer a handful of e-commerce web elements powered by WooCommerce.
Brizy is packed with templates, including tons of blocks and full-page layouts. These are more varied than Elementor and can be used for free.
The Key Features
One standout feature Brizy has that Elementor doesn’t is its integrated mega menu builder. Though we know now that Brizy doesn’t support third-party add-ons, the idea of a feature to create large-scale website menus is a plus.
Besides the WordPress plugin, Brizy offers the Brizy Cloud service, which provides hosting and other useful website tools. However, remember that it is a completely different platform, which means you won’t be able to use WordPress – you are immediately given a custom domain.
Pricing
You can also download the WordPress plugin version Brizy free of charge, similar to Elementor. For those who are specialized in website and page-building, pricing subscriptions are available. These include Agency, Personal, and Freelancer plans.
You can choose to pay annually ($49 to $199), or to pay a one-time fee ($149 – $399). Brizy Cloud also offers a wide range of time-based subscriptions. Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Elementor vs Oxygen
Similar to the aforementioned Divi builder, Oxygen is a WordPress theme and a drag-and-drop plugin rolled into one. It gives you full control of how you design your pages with whatever element you want to incorporate, as it’s one of the few page builders that can override any of your saved themes.
Oxygen has a wealth of marketing tools and stunning professional-looking templates to choose from. It is designed for freelancers and developers who are experts, as well as web agencies that are small and large. While it seems ideal for those who are new to web design, you’ll soon find out that it may not be their strongest suit.
General Interface
Oxygen’s user interface has a lot of tools and features that you can use immediately. The number may be concerningly overwhelming, especially for beginners. For those who know the basics of web development, there are many functions that can be used.
Elementor’s dashboard is suitable for both designers and average users. Oxygen’s version focuses primarily on making page building easier, more powerful, and more worthwhile for those who have firsthand experience.
Page-Building and Customization
We appreciate the ease of Oxygen’s customization capabilities. Coding pros, in particular, may surely enjoy the plugin’s easy-to-manage CSS editing capabilities – they wouldn’t have to worry much about going into the style sheets of any theme for long! Elementor Amazon Affiliate
Each set is made up of all Oxygen’s templates. Although its widget library is not as impressive as Elementor, integrations with third party apps are made easier by the public API tool.
Key Features
The loading speed of most pages that are built using Oxygen is significantly faster than the ones made through Elementor and similar WordPress page builders by a slightly improved margin.
Apart from the API, Oxygen can also seamlessly integrate with a diverse range of industries and platforms, including specialty apps like Airbnb, social media, SEO plugins, payment gateways, and more.
Pricing
Considering the advanced and more professional nature, Oxygen does not offer any free plan for the time being. Instead, it offers one-time fees on two of its current pricing plan offerings. The Basic plan will cost you $129, while the Ultimate plan lets you use everything it has in store for $349.
Our Final Thoughts Elementor Amazon Affiliate
We recommend choosing between Oxygen and Beaver Builder if you are a web developer expert. Each of these comes with more flexible coding capabilities.
Brizy and Webflow both offer all the tools you need to specialize in website design as a freelancer, or as part of an established team. Brizy, in particular, has one of the most user-friendly interfaces out there, but if third-party add-on support is what you’re looking for in one, then it might be best if you find something else.
If you’re not too invested in web design or don’t mind using your current theme, Gutenberg may be your best bet, although most page builders on this list offer the same feature. It’s also the only completely free plugin here, so that may be a solid choice as well if you’re on a tight budget.
Some page builders here offer special template sets for landing pages, but none can compare to how many Thrive Architect has. It integrates with many marketing tools including split testing and sales funnels. Divi is the only builder that can compete in a similar capacity to Divi.
Oxygen or Divi are the best options if you want to get both a WordPress plugin and a WordPress template simultaneously. If you are a web designer who is looking for more templates and themes, the latter might be the best option.
Elementor and Divi are trusted and easy-to use page builders for WordPress. If a feature-laden free version of the plugin is what you’re more interested in, then Elementor is ready to supply you with that.