In the past, building websites hosted on WordPress was a difficult task. 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. To get a comprehensive overview of Elementor, you may still want to check out our article below.
Elementor in Nutshell Elementor Examples
Before we dive into the meat of this story, let’s first take a look at Elementor.
Elementor is a popular WordPress page builder plugin. 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. You can view your page in the same way potential customers see it with the workspace. 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. It has an advanced settings section that allows you to fine-tune all your content elements to be as pixel-perfect as possible and incorporate custom coding onto your page.
Elementor knows that convenience is king – that’s why there are plenty of helpful features that reflect that statement. You can retrieve older versions of your page by clicking ‘undo’ once and then again. Revision History is your friend. Are you having trouble finding something 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.
It doesn’t stop there, as Elementor has more tricks up its sleeve with Elementor Pro. 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. The dashboard might need to be responsive at times. Lastly, editing refinements might not work exactly as you expected.
Pricing
Elementor’s core version gives you an adequate number of page design tools you can use free of charge. 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 range from $49 a year with the Essential plan to $999 with 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 include WPBakery and Divi, Beaver Builder, WordPress’s newest editor Gutenberg as well Webflow, Brizy, the Thrive Architect plugin and Oxygen. Let’s start with Divi!
Elementor vs Divi
The Divi builder from Elegant Themes is also a very 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. The only differences that set Divi apart from Elementor are that 1) it’s both a WordPress theme and a plugin, 2) it doesn’t offer a free plan, and 3) it has more useful features, such as 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 plugins have similar features for theme-building. Divi may have it added in 2019, but Elementor had it available long before that.
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.
One noticeable thing Divi has that sets it apart from Elementor and a few others is the split-testing feature. 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
Unlike Elementor, which gives you plenty of powerful features at just the free version, Divi has no free plan unless it’s a limited 30-day demo 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
Another one of the widely-used page-building plugins, WPBakery, is also among the first to be released. WPBakery, which was previously known as Visual Composer before the introduction of the website-builder under the same name is now called WPBakery. It offers page creators nearly the same user-friendly and convenient 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. WPBakery offers twice the number of widgets than Elementor, which may seem like a large collection.
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. This makes it ideal for not just average web designers but experts as well.
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 has a pre-made template library of over 100 choices, although the number pales compared to Elementor’s 300+ selections. Although the former is less extensive, it has a much larger selection of design elements in the form widgets and add-ons that gives it an advantage over the latter.
When it comes to customization, both WPBakery and Elementor are packed with the same level of optimized and diverse tools, though one of them may be too overwhelming for some people than the other.
The Key Features
WPBakery is known for its multilingual support, which makes it more accessible to non-English users. The Role Manager function lets you manage who has access to certain sections of the interface.
The plugin’s integrations list and supply of add-ons may not be a big deal for plenty, but we consider it unique enough to stand out among the rest.
Pricing
Much like the previously-mentioned Divi, WPBakery does not have a free version, but it does offer two pricing plans. 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
The Beaver Builder plugin has visually fluid drag-and-drop page-building properties as with similar platforms such as Elementor and 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 shares the same traits as Divi’s version: your workspace takes up nearly the entirety of your screen, with only a generously-sized horizontal toolbar placed on top of it. Elementor Examples
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. Pop-up windows are not your style? Drag it to create sidebars. Simple!
Page-Building and Customization
Beaver Builder offers a variety of core design tools. However, its advanced settings don’t have as much energy as Elementor. For one, it doesn’t offer motion effects options or custom CSS for individual pages elements, which Elementor is 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
Beaver Builder allows developers to add custom code, as we have mentioned. Another of its key features is white-labeling, which is ideal for those who build pages or websites for multiple clients for a living.
Beaver Builder is required to be purchased and integrated with a Beaver Themer extension for theme-building. This may look cumbersome to others, but it somehow manages to be on par with Elementor’s built-in theme builder. Elementor Examples
Pricing
Beaver Builder’s pricing structure is very similar to Elementor’s. It includes yearly subscription plans starting at $99 for the Standard tier and ending at $546 for Ultimate. There’s also 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 the codename for WordPress’s latest standard block editor, effectively replacing 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. Nonetheless, Gutenberg offers users swift block-building capabilities and additional features to make blogging and post-writing much easier.
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 Examples
With Gutenberg, editing has been significantly simplified to accommodate even those with zero coding knowledge. From the interface alone, you will notice that it borrows the common features usually found in most page builder plugins, such as the huge preview screen and the collapsible widgets sidebar.
Page-Building and Customization
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
Gutenberg, unlike Elementor which is a page builder that has a front-end interface and Gutenberg, is primarily a backend block editor. While you won’t have the ability to create a site that is completely unique with a theme of your choice, you can arrange design elements on any page within any theme. It’s compatible with 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 Examples
Elementor vs Webflow
Unlike Elementor and the rest of our page builder plugins in this list, Webflow is a standalone website-building service that lets you create full-scale designs that work across multiple devices. It has the same level of capabilities as other popular website builders like Squarespace.
Webflow is designed to be a one-stop solution, and a time-saver as its team does most website administration duties on your behalf, like web hosting. While WordPress itself may rely on plugins to create eye-catching sites, Webflow has everything rolled into one platform.
General Interface
We must tell you firsthand that, as Webflow offers a wide range of users a fun and flexible way to build a website, it is not for the faint of heart, especially those who are new to web design. Webflow’s editing interface should be richer with essential tools for website building.
Although it may seem a bit daunting for those with basic skills, professionals will likely find the platform useful. The platform’s interface can also be as straightforward as it gets.
Page-Building and Customization
You have two options with Webflow: you can start from scratch or choose from over 500 templates. About 100 of these templates are free. It spans multiple categories ranging from portfolios to 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.
You have many options for web design and can integrate with third-party platforms.
Key Features
Webflow has the potential to be a competitor to WordPress in the CMS market. Despite being on a lower level than WordPress, Webflow’s SEO and blogging capabilities are impressive enough to be worth considering.
Webflow’s vast knowledge base through Webflow University, the blog, and its exceptional customer service team are testaments to how deeply it cares about its users. Elementor Examples
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. You can choose from the basic Site plan starting at $12/month, team-based Workspace plans starting at $19/month and e-commerce plans starting at $29/month. There is also a custom Enterprise plan.
Elementor vs Thrive Architect
Some WordPress page builders cater to designers (as in Elementor), web professionals (like Beaver Builder), and both, but there are a few that cater more towards marketing professionals, such as Thrive Architect.
The plugin offers them top-notch features, which will ensure impressive sales results. It also includes the necessary page-building tools that they already know. 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
Like Elementor, Thrive’s editing dashboard involves a front-end interface, letting you see what your potential customers will get. The former does this by having a large workspace and one feature-rich sidebar. The latter has two.
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
Elementor and Thrive both offer excellent templates and widgets. The latter’s focus on marketing niche may mean that the selections are not as wide as the former. Regardless, its library of landing page templates surely looks more deserving for marketers and businesses alike.
With customization, Thrive is relatively at a similar level as well. 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. It comes with a list Smart Landing Pages that are optimized for higher conversion rates. Elementor Examples
Thrive Architect believes that higher conversion rates are a key to sales growth. That’s why it can seamlessly integrate with other specialty applications that belong in what’s called the Thrive Suite, including ones for split testing, testimonial collections, and even automation.
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. The plugin is available at $97 per year.
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 is comparable to Elementor. The only thing that separates them 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. The cloud service allows you to sync your work across all domains, WordPress and not, despite this limitation.
General Interface
While Brizy has the all-familiar drag-and-drop features, its editing dashboard is praised by many for having one of the most user-friendly interfaces, even beating out all other page builders on this list. Elementor Examples
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.
Template-wise, Brizy’s packed with tons of individual blocks and full-page layouts that are a bit more diverse than Elementor, most of which you can use for free.
The Key Features
Elementor’s integrated mega menu creator is one of the most notable features Brizy offers that Elementor does not. 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.
Brizy also offers the BrizyCloud service which includes hosting and other helpful 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. Pricing subscriptions are also available for those who specialize in websites and page-building for a living: these include Personal, Freelancer, and Agency plans.
You may opt to either pay yearly ($49 to $199) or purchase a one-time fee ($149 to $399). Brizy Cloud offers many time-based subscriptions. Elementor Examples
Elementor vs Oxygen
Similar to the aforementioned Divi builder, Oxygen is a WordPress theme and a drag-and-drop plugin rolled into one. You have complete control over how your pages look with any element you choose. It can even override any saved themes.
Filled with elite marketing tools and splendid professional-looking template options to take advantage of, Oxygen is geared toward pro freelancers, expert developers, and web agencies, small or large. Although it might seem ideal for newbies in web design, it could be a weak suit.
General Interface
Oxygen’s user interface has a lot of tools and features that you can use immediately. For beginners, the sheer volume of features and tools available may seem overwhelming. Still, for those who are already familiar with the ins and outs of web development, they’ll be treated to a lot of functions waiting to be explored.
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
In terms of customization, we appreciate how inviting Oxygen can be to a wide range of experts. The plugin’s simple-to-use CSS editing capabilities are a big plus for coders. They wouldn’t need to spend too much time looking at the style sheets of any theme. Elementor Examples
All of Oxygen’s templates are compiled into over 15 sets, each designed for various purposes. Although its widget library is not as impressive as Elementor, integrations with third party apps are made easier by the public API tool.
The 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. It charges one-time fees for two of its current pricing plans. 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 Examples
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 is a great platform with a user-friendly interface. However, if you need third-party support, it may be advisable to look elsewhere.
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. Gutenberg is also the only plugin that’s completely free, which may make it a good choice if you have a limited budget.
While there are some page builders that offer templates for landing pages, none compares to the number of templates Thrive Architect offers. It also integrates with many marketing tools, including sales funnels and split testing. If another builder can compete similarly in any capacity, it has to be Divi.
Oxygen or Divi are the best options if you want to get both a WordPress plugin and a WordPress template simultaneously. The latter could be ideal if you’re a web designer looking for more template and theme options.
Lastly, if you want to stay sure with some of the most trusted, easy-to-use, and leading WordPress page builders, look no further than Divi and Elementor. Elementor can provide you with a plugin that is completely feature-free if you are interested.