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.
You might think of Elementor as one of the new page builders. There are so many options, and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. This article will help to find the perfect page builder for you.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Daniel on his YouTube channel Design Break. You can still read our article to get an overview of Elementor.
Elementor in a Nutshell Elementor Mailchimp Checkbox
Before we dive into the meat of this story, let’s first take a look at Elementor.
Elementor is one of the most popular free page builder plugins for WordPress. Best known for its highly intuitive and feature-rich user interface, it gives users unparalleled access to a wide range of design and customization options to explore. It was created to simplify page building for both experienced web designers and beginners.
One of Elementor’s highlights has to be its convenient drag-and-drop editor, which allows users to drag whatever object they like onto a canvas or workspace that’s big enough to fit most of the screen. You can view your page in the same way potential customers see it with the workspace. Elementor’s rich library of templates, widgets and blocks is another highlight.
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 understands that convenience is key. That’s why it offers many helpful features. Want to retrieve previous versions of your page without having to click ‘undo’ multiple times? 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.
Elementor Pro has even more features. You get more useful features like the Theme Builder, which allows you to create full-page WordPress templates, the pop-up builders, and ecommerce widgets in collaboration for WooCommerce.
The Downsides
Elementor has many benefits for people of all skill levels. However, it is not without its drawbacks. First, the majority of Elementor Pro features cannot be accessed by those who have the plugin 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. However, if you want to gain access to additional features that are otherwise limited to Elementor Pro users, you may need to subscribe first to any of its five annual plans.
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 are Divi, WPBakery, Beaver Builder, WordPress’s newest editor Gutenberg, Webflow, the Thrive Architect plugin, Brizy, and Oxygen. Let’s begin with Divi!
Elementor vs Divi
Elegant Themes’ Divi builder is a popular page-builder plugin. In terms of the amount it offers, it’s on par with Elementor.
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 is equipped with a drag-and-drop interface, but if you compare it to Elementor’s version, you’ll notice a few differences immediately. 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.
Page-Building and Customization
Divi, on the other hand, allows you to use complete-website packages. Elementor only offers single-page templates. Named by the latter as Layouts, its collection size is much bigger than the former.
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.
The Key Features
Divi is more than just a WordPress plugin – it also comes bundled with the Divi theme, which has been dubbed over the years as the “most popular WordPress theme in the world.”
One noticeable thing Divi has that sets it apart from Elementor and a few others is the split-testing feature. This feature is especially useful for marketing professionals as they can identify which pages’ elements are most effective in driving higher 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. However, the two pricing plans offered by Divi are more cost-effective and valuable than each other.
Individuals may either opt for a yearly access plan at $89 or a lifetime access tier at a one-time fee of $249. 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. 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.
Among its stand-outs is the ability to choose between a front-end interface for live site editing and 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. Some offer a more detailed 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. You’ll still have the tools you need to make a beautiful 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. 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. 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
WPBakery is similar to Divi but does not offer a free version. However, it does offer two pricing options. Unlike the former, though, both tiers use a one-time payment system, giving you uninterrupted updates regardless of your choice.
The regular version intended for single-site use costs $56, while the extended plan at $299 is intended 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. Beaver Builder, unlike the other plugins, is designed for developers who are skilled in website stability.
With the inclusion of clean coding capabilities, well-documented PHP, CSS, and JS options, and more handy features to help make your page run as smoothly as possible, it’s no wonder why Beaver Builder has amassed a large following among WordPress developers.
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 Mailchimp Checkbox
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 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. The Beaver Builder offers two types of templates: full templates (pages) and rows (rows).
The Key Features
Beaver Builder allows developers to add custom code, as we have mentioned. 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. Although it may seem cumbersome, this extension is still able to integrate with Elementor’s built in theme builder. Elementor Mailchimp Checkbox
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 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. 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. This process has proven difficult for many as they may need to learn shortcodes to create various shapes, fonts, and layouts. Elementor Mailchimp Checkbox
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. Still, the range fares less than popular page builders like Elementor, where there are additional choices to explore.
Gutenberg does not have the ability to build themes, but its block-based characteristics make it compatible with many WordPress themes. However, it doesn’t completely override your theme settings and styles. Additionally, you can incorporate custom CSS elements for a more personalized feel.
The Key Features
Gutenberg, unlike Elementor which is a page builder that has a front-end interface and Gutenberg, is primarily a backend 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.
Gutenberg allows you to embed files and posts from multiple sources onto your page. This includes social media sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and media-sharing sites like YouTube and Soundcloud.
Pricing
Gutenberg is WordPress’ default editor. This means that you can use all its features absolutely free! There is not one paid plan included in this list like all the other editors. Elementor Mailchimp Checkbox
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. It can be as simple as possible to use the platform’s interface.
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. With that being said, while one is not yet on the same level as the other, its blogging and SEO capabilities are still impressive enough that they may be worth trying.
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 Mailchimp Checkbox
Pricing
Webflow offers a free starter plan for those who wish to learn how to design a website. There are many subscription options available. 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
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. While both platforms offer the same level of design and customization capabilities, Thrive Architect makes it a more suitable choice for creating high-converting landing pages and other similar market-optimized websites.
General Interface
Like Elementor, Thrive’s editing dashboard involves a front-end interface, letting you see what your potential 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
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. Its library of landing page templates is certainly more valuable for both marketers and businesses.
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.
The 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 Mailchimp Checkbox
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
Though two years younger than Elementor (2016), Brizy has been slowly climbing to the top and gaining critical acclaim for its simple and intuitive functions. The interface itself is on the same par as Elementor – the only key difference that sets each other apart is the ecosystem.
Elementor lets you import third-party addons. However, Brizy only allows you to use 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
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 Mailchimp Checkbox
One of the primary reasons why it attracts web designers of all skill levels so easily is its super lightweight design. Compared to other dashboards, particularly from Thrive Architect, Divi, and even Elementor, it doesn’t feel very bulky; instead, it’s welcoming.
Page-Building and Customization
Brizy, like most WordPress page builders offers a wide range of customization and design 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.
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.
Besides the WordPress plugin, Brizy offers the Brizy Cloud service, which provides hosting and other useful website tools. It is a totally different platform so you won’t have the ability to use WordPress. Instead, you will be given a custom domain.
Pricing
Similar to Elementor, you can download the WordPress plugin version of Brizy for free. 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 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 Mailchimp Checkbox
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.
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. 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. 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
In terms of customization, we appreciate how inviting Oxygen can be to a wide range of experts. 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 Mailchimp Checkbox
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
Most pages built with Oxygen load much faster than those made using Elementor or similar WordPress page builders.
Oxygen, in addition to the API, can seamlessly integrate with a wide range of industries, platforms, and apps, including social media, SEO plugins and payment gateways.
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 Last Thoughts Elementor Mailchimp Checkbox
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.
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.
If you’re planning on getting a plugin and a WordPress theme simultaneously, look no further than Oxygen and Divi. The latter could be ideal if you’re a web designer looking for more template and theme options.
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.