Introduction
I’ve been tinkering with Elementor page builder for a good few years now, opting for it over other page builders due to its intuitive ease of use. I’m not a web designer by trade and, for reasons I could never quite put my finger on, other page builders left me stuck. Probably no fault of theirs but rather an approach they used that I just didn’t find intuitive.
Interestingly, since my early adoption of Elementor as a page builder for WordPress, I’ve even seen experienced graphic designers (building client websites) make the change, due to the impressive capabilities that Elementor brings to the table.
Yet, the question lingers: Is it actually the best WordPress website (page) builder?
In this article, I want to tackle this head-on.
We’ll explore the essence of Elementor as a premium page builder plugin, its features and benefits, draw comparisons with its rivals, and critically evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. By the end, you’ll have a well-rounded perspective on whether Elementor truly is the undisputed titan of WordPress page builders?
Before we get started let’s first just step back and talk about page builders for a second and why they are around in the first place.
What is a Website or Page Builder?
At its core, a page builder plugin is a tool or a set of tools designed to help users construct a website without needing to write code from scratch.
Think of it as a set of digital Lego blocks that can be assembled in myriad ways to create the any type of website as you drag and drop page elements. This includes every component of a website, from basic structural elements like pages and navigation menus, to aesthetic features like design and layout, to more complex elements like contact forms or online shops.
This user-friendly approach to website construction has been a game-changer, particularly for those with no background in web design or coding. Suddenly, owning a website isn’t exclusive to the technically gifted or those who can afford to hire a web developer. Even a free WordPress page builder can give you a lot of freedom.
With a bit of time and creativity, anyone can build a functional, visually pleasing website for their blog, business, or personal project.
Why Use a WordPress Page Builder Plugin?
In the context of WordPress, these builders have been even more significant. WordPress is an open-source platform, celebrated for its flexibility and versatility. Yet, its wide range of options can be daunting for newcomers.
This is where website builders step in. They overlay a user-friendly interface on the WordPress system, making it easier to navigate, understand, and manipulate. In essence, they have democratised website creation within WordPress, opening the platform to a broader audience.
But as with anything, not all website builders are created equal. Our spotlight falls on Elementor as a page builder, and in the next section, we’ll delve into its origins and what makes it stand out in the crowded WordPress page builder market.
A Brief Overview of the Elementor Page Builder Plugin
Elementor was born out of a simple yet powerful vision: to provide a flexible and user-friendly solution for building websites, even for those without a technical background.
Launched in 2016 by a group of web professionals who understood the difficulties of website creation, Elementor as a page builder quickly found its niche in the vast WordPress ecosystem.
Elementor’s rise to prominence is due to its innovative approach to web design. It introduced a live, front-end drag and drop page-building experience, meaning users can see changes as they make them. No more fiddling with settings behind the scenes and hoping the result looks right – with Elementor, what you see is truly what you get.
The heart of Elementor lies in its drag-and-drop editor. This tool allows you to add, edit, and reposition elements on your website with ease.
But that’s not all. Elementor also comes packed with a vast array of widgets – elements like text boxes, images, and videos – and templates, giving you the building blocks to make your website uniquely yours.
Elementor is known for its flexibility. Whether you’re looking to create a personal blog, a corporate website, or an e-commerce platform, Elementor has the tools to make your vision a reality by easily creating custom designs and page payouts. And with its extensive library of third-party add-ons, there’s always something new to discover and integrate into your designs.
Yet, perhaps the most significant benefit of Elementor is its commitment to accessibility. With an interface that’s intuitive for beginners while still powerful enough for experienced designers, Elementor truly caters to all.
As we delve deeper, we’ll explore the key advantages of the Elementor page builder plugin and compare it with other page builders available in the market.
Before we proceed, it’s important to note that while Elementor offers a myriad of advantages, like any tool, it isn’t without its drawbacks. In our quest for a balanced view, we’ll shed light on these as well later on.
Using Elementor as a Website Builder
Elementor has carved its place in the WordPress ecosystem by offering an accessible platform that does not compromise on power or functionality. It’s no small feat, and there are several reasons why the Elementor page builder has gained such a positive reputation among beginners and seasoned web designers alike.
Advantages of Elementor
- User-Friendly Interface: One of the hallmarks of Elementor is its intuitiveness. Its drag-and-drop interface makes designing a webpage as simple as choosing an element and placing it where you’d like it to appear. As mentioned it provides a live, front-end editing experience, so you can see your changes in real time without needing to switch back and forth between editing and previewing modes.
- Extensive Template Library: Elementor boasts an extensive library of pre-made templates and drag and drop page layouts. These designs span a wide variety of styles and are fully customisable, offering a fantastic starting point for your web design project and significantly reducing the time it takes to build a page from scratch.
- Wide Range of Widgets: Beyond basic elements like text and images, Elementor’s page builder offers an array of widgets such as social media icons, testimonials, forms, and more. These widgets can enhance your site’s functionality and provide a richer experience for your visitors.
- Mobile Editing Capabilities: Elementor allows for mobile-responsive editing, which means you can tailor how your site looks on different device types to ensure your design is responsive and looks great, whether it’s viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
- Integration and Compatibility: Elementor plays well with most WordPress themes and plugins, meaning you’re less likely to run into compatibility issues. Furthermore, with its open-source nature, there are countless third-party add-ons to enhance its functionality.
- Regular Updates and a Strong Community: Elementor is regularly updated with new features and improvements. Plus, its active community of users and developers are always ready to lend a hand, share knowledge, and provide inspiration.
Disadvantages of Elementor
While Elementor is a powerful tool, it is not without its shortcomings. Understanding these drawbacks can help set realistic expectations and inform your decision about whether it’s the right tool for you.
- Learning Curve: While Elementor is designed to be user-friendly, its wide array of features can be overwhelming for absolute beginners. Some time and patience will be needed to familiarise yourself with all its tools and capabilities.
- Performance Impact: As with many website builders, using Elementor can lead to a lot of extra code being added to your site, which may impact its loading times. It’s important to monitor your site’s performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure a smooth user experience.
- Premium Features: While Elementor offers a free version, some of its best features are locked behind its pro version. This includes advanced widgets, theme building, and popup builder. To fully utilise the power of Elementor, an upgrade will be necessary.
- Compatibility Issues: Despite its broad compatibility, Elementor might occasionally clash with certain themes or plugins, especially those that are less popular or poorly coded. This requires a certain level of troubleshooting acumen.
In the next section, we will compare Elementor with other popular website builders to see how it stacks up against its competition.
Elementor Vs. Other WordPress Page Builders
When choosing the right WordPress page builder, it’s essential to consider what each offers. Let’s take a closer look at how Elementor stacks up against other popular WordPress page builders – let’s take a look at each of them.
Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a well-regarded WordPress page builder that has built a reputation for its reliability and robust performance. Like Elementor, Beaver Builder offers a user-friendly, simple drag and drop-and-drop interface that makes building pages a breeze, even for novices.
The free version of Beaver Builder is somewhat limited, offering only the basic modules like text, photo, and video.
To unlock its full suite of modules and custom page templates, however, you’ll need to invest in the premium version. However, many users believe the investment is worth it for the clean code and fast loading times Beaver Builder provides.
One potential downside to Beaver Builder is that it might not offer as much creative control as Elementor. Its style options are less extensive, and it doesn’t have a theme builder feature like Elementor’s Pro version. However, if you’re looking for a robust, reliable page builder for WordPress and don’t need extremely advanced design options, Beaver Builder is a solid choice.
Divi Builder
Divi Builder is a product of Elegant Themes and offers a smooth visual editing experience. Unlike other WordPress page builders that use a block-based approach, Divi Builder is based around a real-time visual editor interface, providing an intuitive and immersive design experience.
Divi Builder also boasts an extensive library of pre-made layouts and elements, allowing you to create diverse and engaging page layouts. The catch? There’s no free version of Divi Builder.
You’ll need to purchase an Elegant Themes membership to access it. However, this membership also gives you access to the entire suite of Elegant Themes products, including the popular Divi Theme and Bloom email opt-in plugin.
One potential downside of Divi Builder is that it generates shortcode, which means if you ever deactivate the plugin, you’ll be left with a mess of shortcode on your pages. It’s also been reported to be a bit slower than other WordPress page builders.
However, if you’re committed to the Elegant Themes ecosystem and value a highly visual design experience, Divi Builder may be the right choice for you.
WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer)
WPBakery Page Builder is another popular choice in the WordPress community. It offers both a front-end and back-end editor, giving you flexibility in how you build your pages. It’s also bundled with many premium WordPress themes, which means you may already have access to it if you’ve purchased a theme.
Like Elementor, WPBakery Page Builder includes a wide array of elements to add to your pages, from basic text and images to more advanced elements like post grids and social media buttons. It also offers a template library, although some users find it less extensive and flexible than those offered by Elementor or Divi or page Builder plugins.
WPBakery Page Builder has some potential drawbacks, though. Its interface, while powerful, can be less intuitive than Elementor’s. It also relies heavily on short codes, which, as with Divi Builder, can leave your pages full of messy code if you ever deactivate the plugin.
SiteOrigin Page Builder
SiteOrigin is another popular WordPress page builder plugin. It’s known for its ease of use, flexibility, and compatibility with various WordPress themes. This plugin makes it simple to create responsive column-based content, using the widgets you know and love. Your content will adapt accurately to all mobile devices, ensuring your entire site, is mobile-ready.
Key Features include:
- Live Editing: SiteOrigin Page Builder offers a live editor, allowing you to see your changes as you make them. This feature can save a lot of time and makes it easier to create visually appealing designs.
- Widgets Bundle: SiteOrigin offers a free bundle of widgets, greatly extending the elements you can use in your designs. This includes sliders, buttons, grids, image carousels, and much more.
- History Browser: This feature makes it possible to roll forward and backward through your changes, so you can experiment with different layouts and designs and undo changes if needed.
- Row and Widget Styles: SiteOrigin Page Builder gives you control over various design aspects, like paddings, background colours and images, borders, and more.
- Responsive and Mobile-Ready: Pages built with SiteOrigin are responsive and work well on all devices. You can also control column collapse order for further mobile optimisation.
- Prebuilt Layouts: SiteOrigin Page Builder comes with several prebuilt layouts, making it easy to create complex page structures quickly.
SiteOrigin is a versatile and robust choice for a WordPress page builder, suitable for those starting out and experienced developers alike. However, like with all WordPress plugins, it’s crucial to assess whether it’s the right tool for your specific needs and objectives.
WP Page Builder
This is an intuitive system that allows you to place page elements exactly where you want them. You can add things like text, images, buttons, and more simply by dragging them onto your page.
It comes with a variety of pre-made web page templates that you can use as a starting point for your designs. This can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you’re not a design expert.
Any pages you create with WP Page Builder will be automatically responsive, meaning they will look good on all devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
You get control over various design aspects like margins, padding, typography, colors, and more. You can also add custom CSS if you need to. There is support for a variety of extensions, which are essentially add-ons that can provide additional functionality to your website.
WP Page Builder is compatible with most WordPress themes, so you can use it regardless of what theme you’ve chosen for your website.
Remember, like with any WordPress page builder plugin, it’s important to ensure that it fits your specific needs and has the features that are most important to you. Consider factors like ease of use, functionality, customisation options, support, and price when choosing a page builder.
In the world of WordPress page builders, the “best” choice largely depends on your unique needs and priorities.
Each of these tools – Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi Builder, and WPBakery Page Builder and even WP page builder – has its strengths and weaknesses.
However, with its user-friendly interface, extensive template library, and advanced design capabilities, Elementor stands out as a highly flexible and powerful option that can cater to a broad range of needs.
Drawbacks of Using Elementor
Despite its myriad of features and powerful functionalities, no WordPress page builder is perfect, and Elementor is no exception. While it remains one of the best WordPress page builders, it does have a few limitations that are worth considering before you decide if it’s the right tool for your website building needs.
- Learning Curve – Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly, but given its many features and customization options, new users might find there’s a bit of a learning curve. Understanding all the widgets, settings, and options can take some time, especially if you’re new to WordPress page builders.
- Performance Impact – Although Elementor is a well-optimized page builder, it might impact your WordPress site’s performance. This isn’t unique to Elementor, however. Any WordPress page builder plugin you use could potentially slow down your site, especially if you’re using many widgets or adding complex page layouts.
- Theme Compatibility – While Elementor works with most WordPress themes, there could be occasional compatibility issues. For example, certain themes might not offer full width or full-length layouts, which could limit your design options with Elementor. It’s always recommended to check if your preferred WordPress theme is fully compatible with this page builder.
- Lock-in Effect – If you ever decide to switch from Elementor to another WordPress page builder, you might face the ‘lock-in’ effect. Elementor leaves behind clean code, but the designs and layouts you created would be lost if you deactivate the plugin. However, this is a common issue with most WordPress page builders and not specific to Elementor.
- Premium Features – While Elementor does offer a free version, many of its most appealing features – including the theme builder, premium widgets, and template kits – are only available in the Pro version. If you’re running a tight budget, this might be a factor to consider.
It’s always important to balance the strengths and weaknesses of any tool against your specific needs and circumstances. With its rich feature set, ease of use, and flexibility, Elementor’s benefits often outweigh its limitations for many users, making it the top contender in the world of WordPress page builders.
Who Should Use Elementor?
Identifying the right WordPress page builder for your specific needs can make the difference between a smooth, enjoyable website creation process and a frustrating one. Among the many WordPress page builders available, Elementor’s features and benefits make it an excellent choice for a variety of users.
Beginners and Non-Tech Savvy Users
If you’re new to WordPress or aren’t particularly tech-savvy, Elementor could be a great fit for you. Its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface simplifies the process of designing web pages.
You don’t need any coding skills to create a beautiful WordPress site with Elementor. With numerous page templates and layout packs, the free version of Elementor can help you get started even if you’re not a design expert.
Professional Web Designers and Developers
Elementor isn’t just a great page builder for beginners. It’s also a powerful tool for professional web designers and developers. Its advanced features, such as custom CSS, allow for more in-depth customisation and control over the design. Plus, the Pro version includes a theme builder feature that can completely streamline your workflow.
Business Owners
Business owners looking to create an impressive WordPress website without hiring a professional developer will find Elementor helpful. It’s an excellent tool for creating landing pages, complete sites, or business websites with its premium templates and widgets, like forms, testimonials, and price tables.
Bloggers and Content Creators
Bloggers and content creators will also find a lot to like about Elementor. It’s perfect for those who want to create custom blog page layouts or unique content structures. Plus, the drag-and-drop page builder makes it easy to design and update posts without needing to dive into code.
WordPress Users Looking to Switch Page Builders
If you’re not satisfied with your current WordPress page builder plugin, or you’re using the basic WordPress editor and looking to upgrade, consider Elementor.
It’s one of the best WordPress page builders in terms of functionality, flexibility, and ease of use. With its comprehensive set of tools, it can take your WordPress pages to the next level.
Designers Seeking an All-In-One Solution
Lastly, anyone looking for a complete site builder that offers more than just a page builder will appreciate Elementor. Beyond building individual pages, Elementor lets you design your entire website, including headers, footers, and archive pages.
It also integrates seamlessly with most WordPress themes and plugins, making it a powerful, all-in-one solution for WordPress website design.
Elementor’s versatility and robust feature set make it suitable for a broad range of users. Whether you’re a beginner, a seasoned web designer, or a business owner, this feature-rich page builder can enhance your WordPress site building experience.
Conclusion
Choosing the best WordPress page builder can seem daunting, given the array of options available. However, Elementor stands out as a feature-rich page builder that caters to a wide range of users, from beginners and content creators to professional web developers. Whether you’re creating a WordPress site for the first time or revamping an existing one, Elementor’s extensive features can help bring your vision to life.
One of Elementor’s strengths is its user-friendly, drag-and-drop page builder interface, which makes it easy to build custom web pages without requiring any coding knowledge. You can create stunning landing pages, diverse page layouts, and even entire websites using the powerful drag-and-drop page builder plugins.
Despite the few potential drawbacks, such as a somewhat steep learning curve and occasional performance issues, Elementor’s free version provides an impressive set of tools to get started. However, for those who need even more advanced features, the premium version of this WordPress page builder is worth considering.
Elementor’s flexibility with WordPress themes is also noteworthy. Whether you’re using a free WordPress theme or a paid WordPress theme, Elementor allows for customization to meet your specific design needs. Plus, it pairs well with the WordPress block editor for an even richer site-building experience.
With the multitude of page builders available, it’s important to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What might be the best WordPress page builder for one person might not necessarily be the best page builder for someone else. It depends on your individual needs, preferences, and skill level.
If you’re in the market for a WordPress page builder plugin that offers a balance of simplicity and functionality, Elementor could be the best choice. Its mix of a user-friendly interface, a vast library of templates, and powerful customisation options make it a strong contender among the best WordPress page builders on the market today.
Ultimately, Elementor’s goal is to make the process of designing your site an enjoyable and creative experience and aims to be the best WordPress page builder in the market.