Whenever we talk about website building, one of the easily available tools that we can use is WordPress. WordPress is a free, open-source website creation platform. WordPress is a popular platform for creating websites. It has many features and is flexible, so it’s great for both newbies and veterans.
Any website that uses the WordPress ecosystems to manage its content is a WordPress website. As such, WordPress becomes the backbone of the website by powering both the backend and the front-end of the said website.
WordPress websites can come in many forms. Some of the more common examples of a WordPress website include:
- Blogs
These are websites that depend on the author’s likes and interests. These websites can feature thoughts, photos and reviews as well as tutorials, recipes, and even videos. Oftentimes, a blog is structured in a way that the most recently-published content is shown first.
- E-Commerce website
These are websites that mainly focus on doing online business. These are usually geared to showcase products and services that the website owner intends to sell. They also can collect payment for said goods and services.
- Website for businesses
These might appear to be E-Commerce websites at first glance. However, they are very different in terms of function. While E-commerce websites can sell, Business websites are geared toward introducing users to a company and what they offer. They can be thought of as a business profile, but not online.
- Sites for members
Content creators (i.e., Youtubers, Online Artists, etc.) might want to add something extra for their most fervent supporters or followers. They may want to offer extra, exclusive content they are willing to pay a fee for.
A WordPress membership website is a good way to go about this. A website can be created by content creators. Users will need to log in to access the site or pay for it. WordPress has enough tools to handle the things needed to set this up.
- Portfolio Website
Many people find websites a great way to showcase their work to potential employers. This is especially true for artists, both traditional and digital. A website allows artists to showcase their work. It is similar to owning a museum.
- Forum website
Forums websites are online communities wherein the range of conversation topics is limitless. Back before social media was a thing, forums used to rule the Internet. Nowadays, specialized forums are few and far between.
Nowadays, larger websites are the most popular sites for discussion. Reddit, Quora and other forums are the most popular. However, it does not mean that forum websites have stopped existing altogether. Forums are crucial for niche topics.
WordPress allows content creators, bloggers, and even book authors to host their own Forums. These forums offer a more personal feel than the vast reach of most websites.
- Websites for events
An event website is a simple website that advertises events. An event website allows the public to view and verify details about events such as seating and dates. They can also check ticket prices. Speaking of ticket prices, you can even sell tickets through these websites.
- E-Learning website
Online classes and electronic courses have become a household term after the 2019 COVID Pandemic. Even then, E-learning websites have already existed during the BC (Before COVID) era.
Students can take an online course, track their progress, download research materials and more through e-learning websites. Although it takes more effort to set up an elearning website using WordPress, it is rewarding for those who are eager to share their knowledge.
- Invitational websites
Even invitations have gone online now. Thanks to the power of the internet, you can create websites for that personal event of yours. Be it a birthday, a Christening, or even a wedding; you can make a website that fits your need. WordPress has many resources that make it easy and fast to create a website.
Daniel has posted a video review on Design Break that will give you a more visual experience. To get a comprehensive overview of Elementor II, you may still want to check out our article below, which compares it to some competitors.
WordPress Plugins: Enhancing WordPress to be the Best How To Use Elementor Forms
WordPress’ popularity and longevity can be attributed to the community of users who support it. Some of this support comes in the form of WordPress Plugins.
WordPress Plugins are a package of additional code that users can upload to their website to enhance its features, functionality, and integrations with other websites.
WordPress Plugins can take on multiple forms. You can use them to improve a website’s SEO, or for analytics. WordPress Plugins can also be used for payment modes and marketing integrations. There are even plugins that can help to build websites a cinch.
Plugins can also come between free and premium. Their main difference could be the quality or the scope of their function. Of course, this does not mean that free plugins are always inferior. Heck, there are even some free plugins which function better than their premium counterparts.
These plugins are often compatible with WordPress’ core. There will be occasions when a premium plugin is worth the cost. Support is the strongest reason to pay for premium plugins.
As stated above, WordPress plugins tend to be well-behaved with each other. There are occasions when plugins do not function as they should. As such, the value of customer support service can never be replaced
Your Must-Have WordPress plugins
For most WordPress Websites, there are certain types of Plugins that must be prioritized compared to others. It is recommended that all WordPress websites have these WordPress plugins:
- WordPress Backup Plugin
By its nature, WordPress does not have a built-in backup function. Having no backup is a potential headache waiting to happen, and a huge one at that. As such, backup plugins can be the solution to those potential headaches.
Backups are also important in case of a security breach or hack. As it allows you to easily replace data that was deleted or at least bring your website back to a previous save state before the attack happened.
- WordPress Security Plugin
The ubiquity and popularity of WordPress make it a lucrative target for hackers. Hackers create malicious programs to attack WordPress sites, access all their data, and do something nefarious.
This is where WordPress Security plugins come in. These plugins offer many ways to stop these attacks. To stop brute force attacks, some limit the number of login attempts on a website. Others offer a more comprehensive and sophisticated way to ward off these attacks.
Whatever your preference, the key to finding the best WordPress security plugin is security and convenience.
- WordPress SEO Plugin
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process by which your website becomes more visible to many audiences. With proper SEO settings, your website can be found easier in searches through search engines such as Google and Bing!
SEO is a business in and of itself. With the number of websites that pop out day by day, the competition for Google’s front pages is brutal. A great SEO plugin can help your website gain more traffic.
SEO plugins are able to give you tips and automate repetitive tasks such as content creation.
- WordPress Form Plugin
WordPress Form Plugins allow you to add robust forms for your websites. These forms can come in the shape of contact forms, surveys, donation forms, and file uploaders.
Forms allow site visitors to enter their personal information. This information is then received and sent to the appropriate place (database or mailing list).
Since forms handle sensitive data and personal information, it is important that they be secure and should discourage spam. These forms should also fit depending on the customer (most websites that use forms are e-commerce websites).
As such, for your WordPress form plugin, it would be wise to look for something secure that remains easy to configure and customize.
- WordPress E-commerce Plugin
For WordPress E-commerce, an ecommerce plugin is a must. E-commerce websites are designed to sell products. However, your website won’t be able to do this if it doesn’t have the right plugin.
E-commerce plugins allow you to transform your website into an online store. It can provide you with a lot of tools and resources. Some e-commerce plugins even come with online payment capabilities integrated.
- WordPress Design Plugin
WordPress is the best platform for website design. It lets you do almost anything that is possible, granted you know how to code. HTML, CSS, and other coding languages can allow you to tweak your WordPress Page to the limit.
Nevertheless, not everyone has the necessary knowledge to code. This may seem like a high barrier of entry for WordPress users. However, If WordPress had a high barrier of entry, it wouldn’t be as popular now.
WordPress regained and even grew its user base by removing this so-called barrier of entry. WordPress Site Design Plugins like page builders allowed website building, in general, to become an easier and faster process.
Many of these plugins remove the need to code in order to build websites. With their drag-and drop interface, anyone can create a WordPress website with minimal to no programming knowledge. (although knowledge of coding still offers a lot of advantages).
These plugins have also helped speed up the process of creating websites. WordPress users, or at least sites using WordPress, are growing in number every day.
Now those are only a few types of plugins that we recommend adding to your website. There are many other types of plugins available, but they can be used in a situational or optional manner.
WordPress is currently home to over 60,000 plugins or more to choose from, and it is up to you to find what works best for you.
Installing WordPress plugins
WordPress plugins can be installed very easily. It does not involve much and can be done almost instantly.
After logging in to your WordPress website, you can find the Plugins menu on your WordPress Dashboard. Click on it to Expand this Menu.
You will find a page called Installed plugins. Here you will find all the plugins currently installed on this WordPress Site. Even if you haven’t added some plugins, or if this is your first time looking at this page, you might notice plugins already installed.
Because some plugins are included with WordPress Installations, this is possible.
Click on the “Add New” link to upload a plugin. This will let you search for plugins in the WordPress.org Plugin directory. There are also links you can click to look at featured, popular, and latest plugins available. YOu can even mark your favorites here.
After you’ve found your plugin of choice, click on the “Choose File” button. Next, locate the zip file of your plugin and click on “Install Now”.
Once the plugin has finished installing, click Activate to turn the plugin on.
The Editor menu item is located under Plugins in WordPress Dashboard. This editor is built into WordPress plugins and can be used to modify individual PHP files.
PHP is a language that you should know. Tweaking any of the things found here can overwrite your customizations. You don’t likely need to modify any plugin’s PHP code.
Elementor: One of the best page builders plugins WordPress has to offer
Elementor is a WordPress Site Design Plugin that is among the best. It is a drag and drop page builder that allows users to quickly create their website. Even characters with no tech skills can still make a mark on the internet.
Elementor was released in mid-16, and it has been available in the WordPress Plugin Library since then. It might be a more recent addition to the WordPress ecosystem, but that is still a pretty significant period of time by the Internet’s standards.
Still, “age” does not matter to Elementor. At the time of its release, it quickly rose to one of the most popular visual page builders on the platform. Elementor didn’t let this success stop them. They continued to grow and create new ways to keep Elementor current with the latest trends.
That said, the heart of Elementor is still in its functionality as drag and drop builder. It does this function well. It works in an “what you see, is what you get” manner. This approach makes it easier to see how the website will look while you are still editing.
With Elementors features, you might not need to open any of WordPress’s standard editors at all. All that being said, code is still allowed. People who want to use their own HTML, CSS and PHP along with other current coding languages are welcome to do so.
Elementor is also known for its flexibility as a plugin. You can use it with any current WordPress theme. You can even create your own themes using the theme builder.
And speaking of themes, it does work with other themes that are available in the WordPress library, and as such, there is little worry about themes bugging out. If they bug out, however, Elementor’s customer service is always open to help you fix the issues.
Elementor Features
Elementor may be described as a drag-and drop page builder but the sheer number of features it offers is a mischaracterization.
Elementor would not be a top-ranked website builder for WordPress if it could only do so much.
Here are some of Elemetor’s most notable features:
- Content Elements Galore
Elementor creates a website using building blocks. These so-called blocks or elements can be arranged depending on the user’s whims to form a compelling website layout and design.
To explain the blocks a bit more, they are the elements that make up the web design. Every element can contain a widget or a written content. Or any other thing that fits in the space.
These elements are what make Elementor today.
- Responsive Design
All web pages created with Elementor’s page builders are responsive by default. They look beautiful and elegant when viewed from a laptop or personal computer.
The responsive design allows you to view the design from your smartphone and it will still look amazing, complete, and functional.
Responsive design doesn’t just mean translating your website to look better on a smartphone. Elementor allows users to customize the look of their website.
Simply by touching a different button, you are allowed to view how your page will look through different gadgets and platforms. You can then make further edits to your page, including adding or deleting elements.
- Available Templates
No page builder would be complete without templates. Templates are the best inspiration for building any type of thing (webpages included).
Templates also serve as good starting points for beginner page developers, especially if these templates are properly and professionally made. Templates make it easier to develop new websites faster than sites with the same look.
Luckily templates available in Elementor can all be edited. You can also edit their styling options. Templates are a great way to ensure that your websites look consistent.
Elementor offers many professionally designed templates. Both novice and experienced users can use these templates. These templates can be used by beginners to create websites. For veterans (i.e. page developers), you can use these templates to speed up your work.
- Style options
Of course, if you want a sleek and cool website, you would be remiss if there weren’t any styling options available. Good thing that Elementor lets these styling options accessible to many people. This is possible without any coding knowledge.
- Convenience
Elementor’s many tools make web page building easy. Support even comes only with one click. You can also use the quick find tool to help you locate a topic of assistance.
- Dynamic Content
Through elementor, you can add dynamic content from custom fields and plugins such as ACF, Pods, and Toolset. Dynamic content allows you to keep your pages updated consistently and continuously. Such an ability can keep your website up-to-date and fresh.
- WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce, an open-source plugin for e-commerce, is mainly used with WordPress. Its main customer base consists of merchants who use WordPress as their main website. Of course, this includes both small and large online merchants.
WooCommerce is almost in symbiotic relationships with WordPress. It’s easy to integrate WooCommerce within WordPress.
Elementor allows you to enhance your WooCommerce store with its customization options. You can even show prices and incorporate products into your WooCommerce store design.
- Popup Builder
Popups are one of the most disliked forms of advertising. In fact, it is so hated that even its original creator had to apologize to the whole internet for the countless troubles it has caused.
However, when used properly, popups are among your website’s best lead conversion tools. Elementor Pro users have access to a popup creator that can be used as a lead conversion tool.
Elementor’s popup builder allows you to design your popup using the same tools included in the webpage builder. You can also set triggers to control when and how popups are displayed.
Elementor Price
If you are already impressed by Elementor’s features, you will be even more impressed by its price. Elementor lets users enjoy at least 80% the plugin’s capabilities for a low price of only $0.99!
That’s right! You can use most of Elementor’s functions & features for free if you put them on your WordPress website.
That said, Elementor also offers Pro plans with some features, such as the Popup builder behind a paywall. The Elementor Pro offers three plans. Each plan has its advantages. These plans can be viewed as follows:
| Essential Plan | Expert Plan | Studio Plan | Agency Plan |
| $49 per Year | $199 per Year | $299 per Year (1st year only)
$499 |
$999 per Year |
| 1 Pro Website Activation
100+ Basic and Pro Widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support |
25 Pro Website Activations
100+ Basic and Pro Widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
100 Pro Website Activations
More than 100+ basic and pro widgets
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
1000 Pro Website Activations
100+ Basic and Pro Widgets
More than 300+ Pro and Basic Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
Elementor Pros & Cons
Pros
- Elementor’s core product does not cost a single dime. To fully utilize Elementor’s potential, you don’t need the Pro plan.
- Elementor provides plenty of features to create the best WordPress web page. These tools are very simple to use.
- Elementor’s page builders are an upgrade to the WordPress Builder in terms of functionality and accessibility
- Elementor allows you to build pages without the need to learn HTML, CSS, or PHP coding skills.
- Elementor’s “what do you see is what you get” approach to building websites speeds up the process by eliminating the need for previews.
- The Elementors pages can be redesigned automatically to be responsive. They work with all devices. You can also fine-tune each device’s design if you wish.
- Speaking of fine-tuning, Elementor provides the ability to modify alignments, margins, and padding values
Cons
- There are times when the custom styling (especially for links) gets buggy
- Sometimes Elementor’s default typography or color settings cannot be changed.
- It can be difficult to correct misaligned elements due to the different margin values.
- Elementor could slow down different websites’ loading times.
Elementor Versus Divi
Divi Builder: The Crowning Jewel of Elegant themes
Among the multitude of Themes available in the WordPress theme shop is “Elegant Themes.” Throughout the years, Elegant themes have built up an active user community and a growing ecosystem, transforming it into one of the biggest players in the WordPress World.
Among their products is the Divi Theme, which is their flagship product. Divi’s functionality in the drag-and-drop website creator is key to Elegant Theme’s success.
It was only a matter time that Elegant Themes provided the builder as an additional plugin.
They did. The Divi Builder plugin was released. This means that anyone can access the exact same builder that helped Divi Theme become one of the most popular WordPress themes. Divi even made sure that the plugin is available no matter the theme you use.
Divi Features
Since “gaining independence” and becoming a standalone plugin, Divi Builder now works with any WordPress themes (even if they are not from Elegant Themes). As such, it also gained multiple features to give people more incentive to use it.
- Drag and drop visual content editor
The Divi Builder was originally a back-end page building tool for Divi Theme. However, since being turned into a plugin, it is now a legitimate front-end visual full-site editor.
Divi’s interface now works in a “what do you see is what you get” mode. This eliminates the problem of back-end developers who don’t know how Divi will look until you make a switch to preview.
Divi’s Visual Content Editor continues to be upgraded. This latest version gives you a better view of your visitor’s point-of-view when viewing your content.
Website developers will be able work more efficiently as they no longer have to switch to previews. It also removes the frustration of discovering inaccurate layouts.
Some users might not be familiar with the site’s backend and may feel lost or miss some features. All is not lost, however, as Divi Builder allows you to switch into Wireframe mode.
This wireframe mode effectively hides the content of each module and focuses more on the page’s structure. This gives you a clear view of the layout and which modules are being used.
Effectively, Divi offers a flexible way to work on your website, depending on your comfort and preference.
- Theme Builder Functionality
Divi Builder 4.0 included Divi’s theme builder feature. This made it a complete on-site editor and not just a page builder.
Divi Builder now has the ability to customize any part of your website. You can now customize headers, footers and category pages as well as product templates and other areas of the website to suit your needs.
Templates can be used to customize blog posts. These templates can be applied automatically to all blog posts, or a select few. If you want, you can even use the Display rules feature to automate templates and formatting of posts depending on their category.
This functionality allows for dynamic content to be added to existing static content. It can also enhance interaction with WooCommerce content.
Most surprisingly, the Divi Theme Builder feature allows users to make custom 404 error pages and search results pages.
- Helpful Content Modules
Divi builder includes 40 customizable content modules. These modules can be placed in columns or rows, and each one has its own function.
These modules can be used to replace functionality on WordPress pages that use other plugins. Using these modules, you turn almost all of your website’s services into pure Divi or Elegant Themes.
It doesn’t matter if one developer has this idea for all your plugins or “apps”, it still has its benefits. It reduces the load time for your WordPress site.
This also results in a reduction of costs, especially if you use commercial plugins.
These modules include countdown timers and maps, countdown timesrs and pricing tables. They also allow for email opt-in forms and videos with their sliders.
These modules also come in different variations. This adds spice to your website design. You won’t have to risk having the same module appearing from different parts of the internet.
- Growing Library of Pre-made websites and Page Layouts
Divi would be remiss to not offer ready-made, ready-to-use web pages and layouts. These layouts can be thought of as their own version of templates.
Templates are great for web designers who don’t have the design skills to create them. This high-quality pre-made can be used to start their design process, or if they’re satisfied, it can be used as is.
In terms of variety, they have a decent number, somewhere between 200 to 400. This is not true for website layouts. That means each layout contains more than one page.
These can also target specific types of websites, such as websites for agencies, freelancers, eCommerce stores, and construction companies. That said, these layouts are entirely customizable.
So if you find a law-affirm website layout, some pictures may look out of place, or the layout just doesn’t do it for you. Get your tools out and start editing until you get the website that you desire.
- Divi Builder A/B Testing tool
One unique feature of Divi builder is the ability to hold A/B testing on your page layout. You can compare two layouts on your page layout to see which is more effective.
While freedom in design is always a plus, too much freedom could be detrimental, especially when it is misguided. A/B testing can help you to determine which version is best. By comparing various versions of a page’s layout, one can detect if a design choice in a website should be done or undone.
An A/B-tested website will ensure that it is optimized for its intended purpose.
- Divi Role Editor
Different people may manage different websites. This allows for more efficient job division but increases the chance of the website’s main settings being changed accidentally. As the saying goes, “Too many cooks may spoil the broth.”
Luckily, Divi has a Role Editor that you can use to limit other people’s access to the backend of your webpage. You can allow your co-authors to do what they want, like writing for your blogs. However, this role editor will prevent them from doing any unnecessary things.
Divi’s role as editor is also granular. It is not a “black and white” or a “yes and no” choice. You can assign roles to define what parts of the plugin they are allowed to access and use.
This is particularly important for web designers who have clients who could break custom designs. Through the role editor, the chances of custom design breaking are reduced to a minimum.
- Full-Width Content
Images make your web pages pop. They can even complement the look of your website. Sometimes, you just want to place an image and plaster its full resolution to a part of your site.
Luckily Divi has a feature that allows you to do just that. Divi allows you to add a full width and a module to your builder. You can then add any content that breaks the post container.
What’s more is that this full-width is not only limited to images. You can include videos, texts, headers, menus, and more.
Divi Price
Divi Builder was an original part of Divi Theme. You cannot purchase this plugin separately. Access to Elegant themes will require a yearly payment. The one plan provides a yearly access and the other grants lifetime access.
| Yearly Access | Lifetime Access |
| $89/Year | $249 for 1 |
|
|
Divi Pros and Con
Pros
- Divi has a clean and slick, intuitive interface.
- Divi offers tremendous value for the money (they even offer a lifetime deal)
- Divi can be used on any number of websites without restrictions.
- Divi is easy to use for beginners, thanks to the drag-and-drop page builder.
- Divi gives veteran web designers with the right coding skills the chance to create amazing things.
- Divi comes with an Extra WordPress theme
- Divi offers more than 100 stunning templates. How To Use Elementor Forms
Cons
- Working with longer pages tend to be slow
- Divi’s inline editing options can be better
- Divi is not perfect. This is most common when creating more complicated layouts.
Elementor Versus WPBakery
WP Bakery: Formerly known as Visual Composer, the Builder
WPBakery, which we now call Visual Composer, was once known as Visual Composer. It gets even more confusing, because there is another WordPress plugin called Visual Composer. Let’s move on to WPBakery now that we have that out of the way.
This plugin, like all other page builders allows you to create unique pages. In this case, the building blocks are called “Content Elements.” Though they have different names, they still serve the same function as widgets and modules.
WPBakery has around 40 content elements that can be used to design your page layout. These include text blocks, social buttons, video players and other blocks that are common to page builders. How To Use Elementor Forms
WPBakery also uses a drag-and-drop page builder to style your pages. Using this builder, you can style your website’s backend and front end. You can choose to style both, or you can design them one by one, depending on your preference.
WPBakery Features
WPBakery doesn’t offer much, unlike many of the other WordPress Page Builders. The following is what they offer:
- Interface is simple and lightweight
- Frontend and Backend Editor
- Multilingual ready
- Templates that can be saved for later use
- Responsive websites that work on mobile and PC
- Your own “content elements”
- Object-oriented Code
- Huge addon support
The thing with WPBakery though is that it is more of a hassle to use. Even if you are a technical person, it is not very user-friendly. It’s built on a shortcode architecture, which can prove to be a huge liability.
Although it has helper text to help with the basics, most of these are poorly executed to the point of inaccuracy. How To Use Elementor Forms
Lastly, it’s just plain unreliable. It is plagued by inaccurate previews, randomly missing features, and buggy. It is a nightmare to use, especially when you are working on a website.
WPBakery price
WPBakery has 2 pricing plans available if you still wish to use its services. These are:
| Regular | Extended |
| $56 | $299 |
|
|
WPBakery Pros and Cons
Pros
- WPBakery allows you to save your templates for later use
- It can be used with almost all themes
- It features a multilingual interface
- Includes various content blocks to help you build your website
- You can integrate it with various add-ons that will enhance its functionality How To Use Elementor Forms
- It has a user role access control
Cons
- It is difficult to use the page builder and takes some time to learn. This is true even for experienced website designers.
- It may not be compatible with all plugins, and can sometimes cause conflicts with them.
- Deactivating this builder leaves shortcodes on pages that use this plugin.
- This plugin may slow down download speeds and impact your age speed.
Elementor Versus Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder: The Efficient Beaver-Themed Builder
Beaver Builder is one of the most well-known names in the WordPress page builders space. Beaver Builder is a popular choice because of its drag-and-drop page builders and simple-to-use interface.
Beaver Builders has a lot of great products and services for its customers.
Since it is a page builder, it allows you to build custom posts and pages through a drag-and-drop user interface. It eliminates the need to code your website. Beaver Builder doesn’t require users to know HTML in order to create a functional website.
Beaver Builder (the plugin), even though it has its own theme, is compatible with all WordPress themes. As such, you can keep using your current WordPress theme and carry on developing and designing your site. How To Use Elementor Forms
Beaver Builder’s greatest strength is its simplicity and efficiency. Beaver Builder boasts that it makes working with existing website content and creating websites from scratch much faster and more efficient.
Beaver Builder Features
BeaverBuilder is a powerful page builder with many features that can be called the best. Let’s not list everything, but let’s just focus on the highlights. After all, when it comes to Beaver Builder, efficiency is the name of the game.
Beaver Builder’s essential features include:
- The main page builder features a full drag-and-drop interface. You can place text and images wherever you like with this builder.
- Beaver Builder offers full front-end editing. This allows you to view your work while you are working on it. This is similar to other page builders’ “What you see is what your get” approach.
- Beaver Builder eliminates the need to code when building websites. HTML or CSS, you don’t need it with Beaver Builder. How To Use Elementor Forms
- Beaver Builder is compatible with most themes in WordPress. Thus, you can combine Beaver Builder with any theme, and it would be like nothing significant happened.
- Beaver Builder can be used for any type of page, post, or custom type of post.
- A Beaver Builder plan comes with more than 50 ready-made page templates for users. This includes templates for pages that have a specific purpose. Be it a landing page, a welcome page, or a normal comment section; Beaver Builder has got you covered.
- For working with your pages, Beaver Builder provides 30 content elements and modules. These will be your key to building your pages, and each will have its function to play. These modules include headings, buttons and galleries.
- Beaver Builder guarantees that your websites will work on any screen. Your website will therefore be responsive.
- Beaver Builder is also compatible with WooCommerce. As such, you can develop your WooCommerce content through the special content elements Beaver Builder offers. How To Use Elementor Forms
- Beaver Builder is also not stingy. Beaver Builder allows you to export and import features. This allows you reuse and share your designs with the larger community.
Beaver Builder Price
| Agency | Pro | Standard |
| $399 | $199 | $99 |
|
|
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Beaver Builder Pros & Cons
Pros
- Beaver Builder empowers users to be creative in building their webpages
- There is no learning curve when using Beaver Builder
- Beaver Builder offers full drag-and drop builder support.
- Beaver Builder is also very flexible and lenient. Beaver Builder allows you to use default WordPress widgets within its Content blocks How To Use Elementor Forms
- Beaver Builder offers many page templates that can be used as a starting point for pages.
Cons
- Beaver Builder has a very high price point. The cheapest plan costs $99. They do offer a Lite version which costs 0$.
- Beaver Builder is only capable of working with the theme that you choose. Beaver Builder won’t be able do things the theme can’t.
- Beaver Builder does not allow users to add custom CSS code to their content modules. Beaver Builder is limited in its customization.
Elementor Versus Webflow
Webflow: A Page Builder Beyond WordPress
Despite WordPress having the lion’s share of Internet blogs, not everyone likes using it. As such, there are alternatives for people who are uncomfortable using WordPress. Webflow is one of these alternatives.
Webflow’s primary focus is on design. Webflow’s primary goal is to make it easy for web designers to create websites. Using webflows allows web designers to build responsive websites through browser-based visual editing software. The thing about Webflow is that it writes the code while you are working on your site. How To Use Elementor Forms
When compared to WordPress, Webflow claims to have more advantages over it. Webflow offers more creativity, more security, and easier use for users.
Webflow Features
As a full-on page builder, Webflow has its own features. Webflow’s features allow it to focus on becoming a service that caters first to designers.
- Webflow offers over a thousand available templates, and 45 of them are free. These templates can be used to build websites as you would with most websites.
Webflow also makes it easy for you to access these templates. They can be categorized and grouped according to which type of website they are intended for (portfolios, blogs, SaaS), etc. You can also search them using popular tags, languages, and other methods.
- Webflow may not be as intuitive for new users but it does provide a great tutorial to help users get familiar with the environment and navigate it. It might take getting used to, but Webflow provides a great user experience once you learn it. How To Use Elementor Forms
- Webflow also has a well-laid-out interface. Its main builder is divided into three sections for ease of access. You will be able to produce web pages faster and more efficiently the more you become familiar with Webflows workflow.
- Webflow offers great Search Engine Optimization capabilities. This is made even easier by the fact that you don’t need to install another plugin to make sure your website is SEO-optimized. Webflow even guides non-SEO experts to optimize their website’s SEO ranking for more traffic and conversion.
- Webflow has impressive eCommerce features that can be used to build a functional and attractive online store. Just building the page alone is easy, as there are eCommerce templates to help you get started. Both of these are free and paid.
Webflow even provides instructions for building up said site, from setting up until launching.
- Webflow provides a Content Management System that allows users to group the content they present to their audience. Basically, this CMS organizes resources, especially when making blog posts How To Use Elementor Forms
Webflow makes blogging easier and more efficient by organizing it in a more structured way.
- With Webflow, you are sure that all your data is safe and secured. Webflow has integrated hosting plans with Amazon Web Services, one of the most secure web hosting services. They even provide you with a free one-year SSl certificate for encrypting sensitive data.
Aside from that, Webflow is also SOC-2 compliant, which means that the builder can meet high standards of security, confidentiality, and privacy.
Lastly, Webflow automatically updates your files and stores backups of them. So whenever something is wrong, you will be confident (at least not as worried) that you can easily get back your files.
Webflow Price
You can avail webflow with their no-cost plan. This allows you to use Webflow on up to two projects. You can also publish the projects on their Webflow.io website. Their free plan is available for free for life.
Webflow has a variety of plans that can be used to reduce the price. These paid plans are divided into two types.
There’s the Site Plan and then there’s the Account Plan. How To Use Elementor Forms
The Site plan offers everything there is needed to build a basic website. Webflow offers 2 types of these plans. There is a basic plan with four selections. This starts for as low as $12 per month. To find out the exact cost of each plan, you will need to contact Webflow Customer Service.
| Basic | CMS | Business | Enterprise |
| Best for simple sites which do not need CMS | Blogs and other content-driven websites are best | Best for Higher traffic marketing sites | This product is ideal for businesses and includes exclusive features |
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There are three types Ecommerce plans
| Standard (29 USD) | Plus ($74 USD) | Advanced ($2112( u) |
| For new business that are just starting out | Important additional resources are required for higher volumes of business. | For businesses aiming to breach and grow |
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Account plans allow for more advanced website development with additional features. There are two types: The Individual and Team plans.
There are three payment options available for individual plans. The first includes the free plan mentioned above, and the second two are paid plans. How To Use Elementor Forms
| Starter Plan (Forever Free) | Lite ($16). | Pro ($35) |
| Includes everything you need to start building with Webflow. | Export your code and unlock more pages for unhosted projects | Ideal for designers, freelancers and anyone who needs more projects and premium features |
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There are two types of Team plans available. Mostly, they offer almost the same features, but one offers a more customizable plan. These are the details:
| Team ($35 per person) | Enterprise (situational) |
| Work on projects with a team through a collaborative, shared dashboard | For more information about the plans, contact customer service |
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Webflow Pros and Cons
Pros
- It includes everything you need to build a website. It even includes eCommerce websites and simple blogs.
- It boasts a strong visual design tool that rivals everything you can do using code
- Flexible pricing plans that are customer-friendly. How To Use Elementor Forms
Cons
- You can only customize the code.
- There are many plans available and it can be confusing. If you don’t pay attention, you might end up choosing the wrong plan.
- There is a huge bit of a learning curve due to it being a new and different environment from WordPress as well as new and powerful features
- Traffic limits are included in some plans.
Elementor Versus Thrive Architects
Thrive Architect: A WordPress Page Designer
Thrive Architect is a WordPress page builder plugin bundled with Thrive Themes. It is a newer page builder in their environment, which has become their flagship page builder replacing the old “Thrive Content Builder.” How To Use Elementor Forms
Thrive architect, like other “modern” website builders is now offering drag-and-drop functionality. It is designed for beginners, but can also be used to speed up the creation of websites by veterans.
Thrive also offers an impressive library of templates for users to help them get started or get inspiration for what they’re going to do.
Surprisingly, Thrive Architects focuses on creating websites that convert. As such, most of the templates mentioned earlier have the purpose of lead generation and conversion to your WordPress Page.
Thrive Architect Features
Like most of the latest WordPress page builders, Thrive Architect has many features to offer. However, for this overview, we will focus mainly on the main ones.
- Thrive Architect is a plugin that works with all WordPress themes. This is despite Thrive Architect coming with its own WordPress Theme called Thrive Suite. Thrive Architect can be used in conjunction with thousands of WordPress themes.
- Thrive Architect has a large library of plugins. The Thrive architect team ensures that all of these templates are kept at a higher quality. These templates are editable and can be used to speed up the process of creating web pages. How To Use Elementor Forms
Thrive Architect and Thrive Themes focus on lead conversion and sales. These templates are almost all focused on sales. So expect a lot of sales-focused landing pages and webpage designs.
- Thrive Architect also has its own intuitive drag-and-drop page editor. This features a What You See is What You Get interface that gives you an accurate real-time view of how your page design looks like.
With the WYSIWYG approach, builders can save a lot of time as they remove the need for previewing your website. You can speed up your workflow by not having to save multiple times. Also, you can be sure you are doing the right thing.
With WYSIWYG, you always know where your bearings are.
- Since we have already talked about Thrive’s fixation on conversions, you wouldn’t be surprised that they also have a lot of conversion and sales-focused elements.
Besides, Thrive can’t boast about being conversion focused if they cannot provide the proper and adequate tools to do so.
- Thrive is also compatible with many third-party services. This includes the usual suspects of Mailchimp, Facebook, and even Zapier.
- Thrive also provides beginners with educational content and tutorials to teach them about content-making focused on sales
- Thrive Architect’s lightbox feature allows you to create pop-up overlays. How To Use Elementor Forms
- Thrive Architect allows you to create an auto-scrolling website. Somewhat situational in use, but with enough creativity, you can make a novel website based on this feature.
- Thrive Architect supports coders by adding custom HTML to your pages.
Thrive Architect Price
Thrive Architect was once available as an individual. However, Thrive Themes recently changed this. To use Thrive Architect, you will need to buy their Thrive Suite bundle.
Thrive offers two payment options: Quarterly or Yearly.
| Thrive Suite Quarterly | Thrive Suite Yearly |
| $99 per Quarter | $299 per Year |
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Pros and cons of Thrive Architect
Pros
- Features an intuitive design that is easy to use. You can even visualize your designs in real time.
- Helps you create content that is unique on the Internet
- Not just webpages, but it comes with high-quality landing page templates. It is very easy to look for your perfect template as they are organized into sets.
- It is focused primarily on conversion and sales, making it the ideal website builder for online marketers and businesses.
- Most websites are mobile responsive, so you can be sure that your website is smartphone compatible
- It’s a light-weight plugin and cannot noticeably slow down your pages’ load times
- It is affordable and well-priced
- It can be integrated to a wide range of email service providers.
- You can use Gutenberg (WordPress’ latest page builder) with Gutenberg blocks. How To Use Elementor Forms
Cons
- The whole Thrive Suite is not available separately. This means double the cost if you already have an existing and preferred WordPress Theme.
- Aside from that, You need to download Thrive Product Manager before you can even begin to plant a single element on the builder.
- Thrive does not offer a lifetime payment option.
Special Mentions
Brizzy
Brizzy is another WordPress builder that lets you generate web pages of amazing design. You don’t need any coding knowledge to use it. It can be compared to the big three Elementor, Beaver Builder and Divi.
Like most of the other builders, Brizzy fairs well as a plain builder; however, there are a few areas that it could work with.
Brizzy doesn’t have a developer APIi. Third-party extensions are not possible with Brizzy. This severely cripples Brizzy’s potential. This limits Brizzy’s flexibility, and as such, this is why it cannot reach the heights of Elementor, Beaver Build, and Divi
Another thing, Brizzy also lacks in the documentation department. While this is not a huge deal breaker, it does make it inferior to the other builders, which have complete and robust documentation.
Brizy’s documentation is also not as extensive. Brizy documentation is not as comprehensive, so people who are looking for help or asking for it might be left scratching their heads.
The following is Brizzy Pricing:
| Personal | Freelancer | Agency |
| $49 per year | $99 per annum | $199 per year |
Perfect for Personal Work |
Perfect for working with clients |
Ideal for white-label solutions |
Oxygen Builder
By nature, Oxygen builder is somewhat similar to Webflow. Although it may look similar to WordPress, it is not WordPress. Oxygen is also very complex, and as such, it is not recommended for non-techies.
Website builders tend to be more appealing to a wider audience. This includes people who have no idea how coding works or just how the works in general. This is the exception to the rule, Oxygen.
Despite this, Oxygen allows both designers and experienced users to create amazing websites.
People who are interested in website development should not use Oxygen. There is a steep learning curve. This makes it a great challenge.
Oxygen is also a great tool for web developers and designers who need to fine-tune every detail. Oxygen gives you the tools to control all aspects of your website, including its pieces.
As for beginners and those looking for an easier user experience, it’s best to stay away from this one. How To Use Elementor Forms
As for the Price, Oxygen is not free. You don’t get a demo. What it has is a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can always return the Oxygene product if you’re not up to the challenge.
| Basic Plan (99 USD One-time Payment) | WooCommerce Plan ($149 once-off payment) | Agency Plan ($169 one time payment) |
| Most flexible and powerful visual builder for WordPress | Visually build websites as well as WooCommerce stores | Oxygen is the ultimate tool for creating websites for clients |
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Gutenberg Builder
While this is WordPress main builder, majority of online consensus is united: How To Use Elementor Forms
Plainly NO.
It’s very annoying.
It is difficult to write in because you have to break up each paragraph into its own blocks. It is a self-sufficient tool.
Lastly, despite significant efforts to improve its performance, it still lags considerably, especially when creating massive posts.
There is a reason why WordPress page builder plugins were created. The default plugin is not recommended.
Verdict How To Use Elementor Forms
At the end of the day, your choice of WordPress page builder or page builders, in general, is up to your preference. They might be experts in one area.
It’s a smart idea to choose a WordPress theme that you like and then use the page builder that comes along with it. This is a great way for you to save money and still get high quality work.
Elementor offers the best features and is free to use.
If there’s one thing you can take away from this review, it’s this:
Save yourself the headache and avoid Gutenberg, WordPress’ default builder.