Back in the old days, the process of building website pages hosted on WordPress was such a hard task to behold. Not only would you have to write whatever you want to add into its very limiting in-house editor, but you’d be required extra knowledge of HTML and coding to incorporate sophisticated and impressive layouts and styles.
Nowadays, all the arduous page editing tasks have been dramatically simplified as the rise of drag-and-drop page builder plugins has come to take over, making it much easier for everyone – even newbies with zero coding experience.
You might think of Elementor as one of the new page builders. But with so many of them around, it can be hard to choose which one suits you best. 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 Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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’s designed to make the process of page building easier and more enjoyable for web design professionals and newbies alike.
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. 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. 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. The Revision History button has got your back. 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.
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
While Elementor may have lots to offer to individuals of all skill levels, we must not fully ignore a few of its disadvantages. 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. 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 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.
We now have a better understanding of Elementor and the potential benefits it offers. Let’s then compare it with other page-builder platforms in this list. There are eight of them, all of which enjoy a huge following and high critical esteem.
These include WPBakery and Divi, Beaver Builder, WordPress’s newest editor Gutenberg as well Webflow, Brizy, the Thrive Architect plugin and Oxygen. Let’s begin 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. 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.
Page-Building and Customization
While Elementor offers only single-page templates, Divi allows users to use full-website packages. Named by the latter as Layouts, its collection size is much bigger than the former.
Both plugins offer the same styling options and don’t require you to code. 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 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. Despite this, its two pricing plans are seen as cost-effective and more valuable than the other.
Individuals may either opt for a yearly access plan at $89 or a lifetime access tier at a one-time fee of $249. You will be able use Divi on unlimited sites and you will have access to all 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. 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.
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. This makes it ideal for not just average web designers but experts as well.
However, there have been concerns over how slow the front-end editor can be compared to the rest. You’ll still have the tools you need to make a beautiful 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.
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.
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. Unlike the former, though, both tiers use a one-time payment system, giving you uninterrupted updates regardless of your choice.
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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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? Simply drag it to create a sidebar. 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.
Beaver Builder manages to make each page responsive on all devices, despite this. 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. 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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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. The plugin can also be downloaded for free, although it is 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.
With the rising popularity of user-friendly page builders like Elementor, it’s no wonder that WordPress has decided to keep up with the changes by giving its flagship editor a much-needed facelift. Nonetheless, Gutenberg offers users swift block-building capabilities and additional features to make blogging and post-writing much easier.
General Interface
The previous editor for WordPress required that you write all the information you needed on a page within a large rectangular text box. This process has proven difficult for many as they may need to learn shortcodes to create various shapes, fonts, and layouts. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
Gutenberg makes editing easy for anyone with no coding skills. 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.
Page-Building and Customization
Gutenberg is packed with essential design tools, from columns and block patterns to text headings and paragraphs. The range is still less than Elementor’s page builders, which offer more options.
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. 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.
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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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 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. Webflow’s editing interface should be richer with essential tools for website building.
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.
You have many options for web design and can integrate with third-party platforms.
The Key Features
Webflow is poised to compete with WordPress in the CMS field. 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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
Pricing
Webflow offers a free starter plan for those who wish to learn how to design a website. 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
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. The former does this by having a large workspace and one feature-rich sidebar. The latter has two.
In addition, two taskbars similarly surround the space, with one for the page structure and the other for multi-device previews. Thrive attempted to include all basic tools within one dashboard. However, some users have complained about the interface being a bit clunky.
Page-Building and Customization
Both Thrive and Elementor offer the same caliber of excellent widgets and template selections. 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.
The 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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
Thrive Architect believes better conversion rates lead to the flourishing of sales. 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 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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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.
Key Features
One standout feature Brizy has that Elementor doesn’t is its integrated mega menu builder. Although Brizy does not support third-party addons, it is still a great feature to be able to create large-scale web menus.
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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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. 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
Right away, Oxygen’s user interface is jam-packed with a huge load of features and tools surrounding the workspace. The number may be concerningly overwhelming, especially for beginners. 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.
As Elementor’s dashboard looks suitable for designers and average users, Oxygen’s version is mainly driven by the purpose of making page building more convenient, powerful, and worthwhile for those with 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. Justified vs Grid In Elementor
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.
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. Instead, it offers one-time fees on two of its current pricing plan offerings. You will pay $129 for the Basic plan, and $349 for the Ultimate plan.
Our Last Thoughts Justified vs Grid In Elementor
We recommend choosing between Oxygen and Beaver Builder if you are a web developer expert. Each of these comes with more flexible coding capabilities.
If you specialize in website design, either as a freelancer or as part of a team, both Brizy, and Webflow have all the right tools you would need. 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. 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.
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.
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.