Whenever we talk about website building, one of the easily available tools that we can use is WordPress. WordPress is an open-source platform for creating websites. It is known for its features and flexibility, making it perfect for both beginners and old-school users.
A WordPress website is any website that utilizes the WordPress ecosystems for managing its content. WordPress is the backbone of a website, powering the front-end as well as the backend.
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 can showcase thoughts, photos, reviews, tutorials, and recipes. 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 websites are often used to display products or services the owner wants to sell. These sites can also be used to collect payments for the goods and services.
- Business website
These might appear to be E-Commerce websites at first glance. They are quite different in function. While E-commerce websites can sell, Business websites are geared toward introducing users to a company and what they offer. Think of them as a business profile except online.
- Membership Websites
Content creators (i.e., Youtubers, Online Artists, etc.) They might offer something more for their most loyal followers or supporters. They may want to offer extra, exclusive content they are willing to pay a fee for.
This can be done by creating a WordPress membership website. Content creators can make a website where users need to log in or pay for the said content. WordPress provides enough tools to manage all the necessary steps to create this website.
- Portfolio Website
For many, websites are a good avenue to show off their work to prospective employers. This holds true for both digital and traditional artists. A website allows artists to showcase their work. It is similar to owning a museum.
- Forum website
Forum websites are an online community where the number of topics for discussion is unlimited. Back before social media was a thing, forums used to rule the Internet. Today, forums for specialized topics are rare.
Nowadays, larger websites are the most popular sites for discussion. Reddit, Quora and other forums are the most popular. It does not mean forum websites are no longer relevant. For niche topics, forums are still crucial discussion places.
A content creator, a blogger, or even a book author, can host their own Forums through WordPress. These forums offer a more personal feel than the vast reach of most websites.
- Event websites
An event website is a simple website that advertises events. Through an event website, the audience can look at and check event details such as dates and times, seating, and even 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 can now be sent online. Thanks to the power of the internet, you can create websites for that personal event of yours. You can create a website for any occasion, including a birthday or christening. WordPress offers many resources to do it fast and do it well.
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 check out the article below to get an overview of Elementor II. It also compares it with some other products.
WordPress plugins: Enhancing WordPress to Be the Best Image Background Overlay Elementor
Among the reasons for WordPress’ longevity and relevance is because of the support it gets from its community of users. 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 come in many forms. They can be in the form that focuses on a website’s SEO or for use in 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. The main difference between them could be in the quality of their function or the extent to which they are available. This does not necessarily mean that plugins for free are inferior. Some plugins even function better than premium ones.
These plugins often play nicely with the heart of WordPress, more or less. There will be occasions when a premium plugin is worth the cost. Support is the strongest reason to pay for premium plugins.
WordPress plugins are generally well-behaved. However, there are times when these plugins malfunction and do not work as intended. Customer support is invaluable and cannot be replaced.
Your List of 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 use malicious programs to hack WordPress sites and gain access to all their data.
These are where WordPress Security plugins can help. These plugins offer many ways to stop these attacks. Some limit login attempts to a website to stop brute force attacks. Some offer more sophisticated and comprehensive protection against 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. Proper SEO settings will make it easier for your website to be found in search engines like Google and Bing.
SEO is a business in and of itself. The competition for Google’s top pages is fierce with the sheer number of websites popping up every day. 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.
Basically, forms let your site visitors enter personal information. This information is then received and sent to the appropriate place (database or mailing list).
Forms can be used to collect sensitive information and should not be spammed. These forms should be able to fit the needs of the customer. Most e-commerce websites use forms.
It is important to choose a WordPress form plugin that is secure, yet easy to set up and customize.
- WordPress E-commerce Plugin
Speaking of business, for WordPress E-commerce, it would be a no-brainer to an e-commerce plugin. 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.
An E-commerce plugin allows you to turn your website into a 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
In terms of website building, WordPress is a beast. WordPress allows you to do just about anything, provided you can code. HTML, CSS and other coding languages allow you to customize your WordPress Page to the max.
Nevertheless, not everyone has the necessary knowledge to code. This might seem like a high barrier to entry for WordPress users. However, If WordPress had a high barrier of entry, it wouldn’t be as popular now.
This so-called barrier to entry was removed by WordPress, which helped it regain and grow its user base. WordPress Site Design plugins such as page builders made website building easier and more efficient.
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 coding knowledge is not required, there are many benefits to using WordPress.
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. Of course, there are many more types of plugins, but their use can be situational and optional.
WordPress currently has over 60,000 plugins, but you can choose from many more.
Installing WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins can be installed very easily. It does not involve much and can be done almost instantly.
Once you have logged in to your WordPress site, look for the Plugins menu in your site’s WordPress Dashboard. Click on it to Expand this Menu.
There will be a page called Installed Plugins. This is where you can find the currently installed plugins on this particular 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.
This is because some plugins come bundled with your WordPress Installation.
Click on the “Add New” link to upload a plugin. This will let you search for plugins in the WordPress.org Plugin directory. You can also click links to view the most popular and recent plugins. You can also mark your favorite plugins here.
After you’ve found your plugin of choice, click on the “Choose File” button. After this, you must locate your plugin zip file and click on Install Now
After the plugin is installed, click on Activate to activate the plugin.
The Editor menu item is located under Plugins in WordPress Dashboard. This is a built-in WordPress Plugin editor used to make changes to your installed plugins’ individual PHP files.
PHP is a language that you should know. Tweaking any of the things found here can overwrite your customizations. Of course, you probably don’t need to edit any of your plugin’s PHP code.
Elementor: Among the Best Page Builder Plugins WordPress can Offer
Elementor is a WordPress Site Design Plugin that is among the best. To begin with, it is a drag-and-drop page builder which allows users to make their webpage in a fast and easy way. As such, even characters who are not tech savvy enough can carve themselves a place on the internet.
Elementor was released in mid-16, and it has been available in the WordPress Plugin Library since then. Although it is a recent addition to WordPress’ ecosystem, this is still quite a significant time period by Internet standards.
Elementor doesn’t care about your age. 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.
Elementor’s core functionality is still drag and drop builder. And it does that function very well. It works in an “what you see, is what you get” manner. This makes it easy to see the final website design while you’re still editing.
Elementors allows you to bypass the need to open WordPress’s standard editors. 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 known for being a flexible 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
While Elementor might bill itself as just a drag-and-drop page builder, the number of features that come with it makes that an understatement.
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 uses building blocks to create a webpage. 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
By default, all web pages created using Elementor’s page builder are responsive by nature. They look beautiful and elegant when viewed from a laptop or personal computer.
Because of the responsive design, you can even look at the design through your phone, and still it would look great, comprehensive, 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.
You can view the page through various platforms and gadgets by simply touching another button. 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. With templates, work and development on newer websites can come faster for the price of sites having a samey look.
Luckily templates available in Elementor can all be edited. This includes their styling options. Templates are a great way to ensure that your websites look consistent.
Elementor itself offers a lot of professionally made 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
You would be remiss if you didn’t have any styling options if you wanted a cool and sleek website. Elementor makes these styling options available to everyone. This is possible without any coding knowledge.
- Convenience
Elementor’s many tools make web page building easy. Support even comes only with one click. Then there is also a quick find tool that can help in finding a specific topic of help.
- 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. This ability will keep your website current and fresh.
- WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce, an open-source plugin for e-commerce, is mainly used with WordPress. Most of its customer base includes merchants that use WordPress as their main site. This includes online merchants of all sizes.
WooCommerce is almost in symbiotic relationships with WordPress. It’s easy to integrate WooCommerce within WordPress.
With Elementor, you could enhance your WooCommerce store through its customizability 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.
Popups can be a great lead conversion tool if used correctly. To make use of that lead conversion tool, Elementor provides a popup builder to its Pro users.
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 Elementor’s features have already impressed you, then you will be more impressed with its price. Elementor allows users to enjoy at least 80% of the plugin’s capabilities at the low price of FREE!
That’s right! You can use most of Elementor’s functions & features for free if you put them on your WordPress website.
Elementor offers Pro plans that include some features such as the Popup Builder behind a paywall. If you are interested, the Elementor Pro consists of three types of plans. Each plan has its advantages. These plans are 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
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
Premium Support |
25 Pro-Website Activations
More than 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
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 |
1000 Pro Website Activations
More than 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. There is no need to get the Pro plan to use Elementor’s full potential.
- Elementor offers many features that will help you create the best WordPress website. These tools are simple and very easy to use.
- Elementor’s page builder is an upgrade to the basic WordPress Builder both in terms of function and accessibility
- Elementor lets you create pages without needing to know HTML, CSS, and PHP coding.
- Elementor’s “what you see is what you get” approach makes building websites faster by removing the need to preview your work.
- Elementors pages are automatically responsive in design. They are compatible with all devices. If you want, you can even fine-tune the design for each device.
- Elementor allows you to adjust alignments, margins and padding values.
Cons
- Sometimes custom styling, especially for links, can get a bit buggy.
- There are times when Elementor’s default typography and color settings remain persistent and cannot be staged
- 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
Elegant themes is one of many WordPress themes available in the shop. It has grown to be one of the most prominent 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.
And so they did. With the release of the Divi Builder plugin, people can now access the very same builder that made Divi Theme among the strongest players in the WordPress Ecosystem. Divi even made sure that the plugin is available no matter the theme you use.
Divi Features
Divi Builder has “gained independence” and is now a standalone plugin. It can be used with any WordPress theme, even if it’s not from Elegant Themes. It also has multiple features that make it more attractive to users.
- Drag and Drop Visual Content Editor
The Divi builder started as a back-end page builder tool from the Divi Theme. However, since being turned into a plugin, it is now a legitimate front-end visual full-site editor.
With this upgrade, Divi now operates in a “what you see is what you get interface.” Essentially, this removes the downside of back-end builders who do not know how the design will turn up until you switch preview moves.
Divi’s Visual Editor is being continually updated. The latest version provides a more accurate picture of the 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.
The wireframe mode hides each module’s content and focuses on the structure of the page. 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 added Divi’s Theme builder feature, which ultimately turned it into a full on-site editor rather than just a page builder.
Divi Builder now has the ability to customize any part of your website. Headers, footers, category pages, product templates, and other parts of the site can now be customized depending on the user’s whims.
Templates can be used to customize blog posts. They can be automatically applied to all blog posts or just a selection. You can also use the Display rules feature to automatically format and create templates for posts based on their category.
This functionality allows for dynamic content to be added to existing static content. It can also enhance interaction with WooCommerce content.
The Divi Theme Builder feature, which allows users to create custom 404 error pages or search results pages, is most surprising.
- Modules of Helpful Content
Divi builder comes with 40 content modules. These modules can be inserted into columns and row layouts, each with its own function.
These modules can even be used to replace the functionality of other plugins on your WordPress page. These modules can transform almost all of your website’s functions into Divi or Elegant Themes.
Whether one developer runs this idea of all your plugins and “apps” is good or bad, it has its own benefits. Chief among them is that it reduces load times for your WordPress page.
It also means a cost reduction, especially if you are using 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.
You can also find different versions of these modules. This adds spice to your website design. This will ensure that the same module is not duplicated from other 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 are their 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.
They have between 200 and 400 options. This is not true for website layouts. This means that each layout can contain more than one page.
They can be targeted at specific websites such as those for freelancers, contractors, eCommerce stores and websites for construction companies. That said, these layouts are entirely customizable.
If you are looking for a layout that is law-aware, you may find some photos that don’t fit or it doesn’t work. Well, prepare your tools and edit until it takes the form of the website you want.
- Divi Builder A/B Testing tool
Divi builder offers the unique ability to conduct A/B testing of your page layout. A/B testing allows you to compare two design iterations on your page layout and see which one is more effective than the other.
Although freedom of design is always a positive, too much freedom can be dangerous, especially if it is not properly managed. 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.
At the end of the day, a properly A/B tested website will lead it to be optimized for its purpose.
- Divi Role Editor
Different people may manage different websites. While this makes for efficient job division, it also multiplies the risk of accidentally changing the website’s main setting. As the saying goes, “Too many cooks may spoil the broth.”
Divi offers a role editor that allows you to restrict access to your website’s backend. 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 is also granular as an editor. It is not a “black and white” or a “yes and no” choice. By choosing a role, you can define which parts of the plugin they can access and make use of.
This is especially important for web designers with clients that could break custom designs. Role editor reduces the chance of custom design breaking.
- 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 lets you add a full width to your builder and a module to accompany it. Then you are free to add the appropriate content that can break 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 | Access for Life |
| $89/Year | $249 for 1 |
|
|
Divi Pros and Con
Pros
- Divi has a clean and slick, intuitive interface.
- Divi is a great value for 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 provides more than a hundred stunning templates to choose from. Image Background Overlay Elementor
Cons
- Longer pages are more difficult to work with.
- Divi’s online editing options are better
- Divi is not perfect. This usually manifests when making more complex 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. But hold on, it gets more confusing because right now, there is another WordPress plugin also called Visual Composer. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s proceed to WPBakery
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 offers about 40 content elements, each of which can be used for designing your page layout. Samples of these include text blocks, social media buttons, video players, and other blocks that are standard fare for page builders. Image Background Overlay Elementor
WPBakery offers a drag-and drop page builder that allows you to design your pages. Using this builder, you can style your website’s backend and front end. You have the option to design both front and back ends, or choose to style them separately, depending on what you prefer.
WPBakery Features
Unlike most of their WordPress Page Builders, WPBakery does not offer much. 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
WPBakery is more difficult to use than you might think. It’s not that user-friendly, even if you have a tech background. It’s built on a shortcode architecture, which can prove to be a huge liability.
It has some help text, but they are not well executed. Image Background Overlay Elementor
Lastly, it’s just plain unreliable. It is plagued by inaccurate previews, randomly missing features, and buggy. Working with it is just a nightmare, especially when 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 has a multilingual interface
- You will find many content blocks that can be used to build your website.
- You can integrate it with various add-ons that will enhance its functionality Image Background Overlay Elementor
- It has a user role access control
Cons
- It is difficult to use the page builder and takes some time to learn. Even experienced website designers know this.
- It may not be compatible with all plugins, and can sometimes cause conflicts with them.
- Shortcodes are lost when this plugin is deactivated.
- This plugin can impact age speed and might slow download times.
Elementor Versus Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder: The Most 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.
It is a page builder that allows you to create custom pages and posts using a drag-and drop user interface. This removes the need for coding to create 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. Image Background Overlay Elementor
However, Beaver’s strongest point is its ease of use 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 feature-rich page builder that can be considered as among the best of 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 allows for 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 also removes the need for coding when building your websites. HTML or CSS, you don’t need it with Beaver Builder. Image Background Overlay Elementor
- Beaver Builder is compatible with most themes in WordPress. Beaver Builder can be combined with any WordPress theme and it will look like nothing happened.
- Beaver Builder can also be used to work on any type of post, pages, and custom types of posts.
- Beaver Builder plans include more than 50 pre-made templates. Of course, this includes templates for pages with a specific purpose. Beaver Builder can create landing pages, welcome pages, and comment sections.
- Beaver Builder offers 30 content elements and modules for working with pages. These content elements and modules will be the key to your pages’ construction. Each will have its own function. These modules include headings, buttons and galleries.
- Beaver Builder guarantees that your websites will work on any screen. As such, you can be sure that your developed website will be responsive.
- Beaver Builder can also be used with WooCommerce. Beaver Builder allows you to create WooCommerce content using the content elements. Image Background Overlay Elementor
- Beaver Builder is not cheap. 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 |
|
|
|
Beaver Builder Pros and Cons
Pros
- Beaver Builder allows users to create their own 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. You can even use default WordPress widgets inside Beaver Builder’s Content blocks Image Background Overlay Elementor
- Beaver Builder has lots of page templates that are perfect as a starting place whenever one is making pages.
Cons
- Beaver Builder has a very high price point. The cheapest plan is $99. The cheapest plan is $99.
- Beaver Builder is only capable of working with the theme that you choose. If there are things that the theme cannot do, then Beaver Builder will not be able to achieve them.
- Beaver Builder doesn’t allow users to add custom CSS codes to their content modules. As such, there is a bit of a limit to its customization.
Elementor Versus Webflow
Webflow: A page builder beyond WordPress
WordPress is the most popular blog platform on the Internet, but not everyone loves it. As such, there are alternatives for people who are uncomfortable using WordPress. One of these services is Webflow.
Webflow’s main focus is design. Its main target is to let web designers build websites as easily as possible. Webflows allow web designers to create responsive websites using browser-based visual editing software. Webflow allows you to write the code as you work on your website. Image Background Overlay Elementor
When compared to WordPress, Webflow claims to have more advantages over it. Among these are an appeal for more creative freedom, a more secure website, and easier user usage.
Webflow Features
Webflow is a page builder that does everything. These features help Webflow focus on its target of becoming a service that caters to designers first.
- Webflow offers over a thousand available templates, and 45 of them are free. Like most websites, Webflow allows you to use these templates to help you build websites from scratch.
These templates can also be accessed via Webflow. They can be categorized and grouped according to which type of website they are intended for (portfolios, blogs, SaaS), etc. Aside from that, you can search them through popular tags, languages, etc.
- 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. Image Background Overlay Elementor
- Webflow has an intuitive interface. The main builder of Webflow is broken into three sections to make it easier for you to access. The more you get used to Webflows workflow, the better and faster you can produce web pages
- Webflow has 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 also guides non-SEO professionals to improve their website’s SEO ranking in order to increase traffic and convert more customers.
- Webflow has impressive eCommerce features that can be used to build a functional and attractive online store. It is simple to build a page, and there are templates that can help you get started. These templates are both free and paid.
Webflow also provides detailed instructions on how to build the site from its initial setup until its launch.
- 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 Image Background Overlay Elementor
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.
Webflow also automatically updates and saves backups of your files. So whenever something is wrong, you will be confident (at least not as worried) that you can easily get back your files.
Webflow Price
As for price, you can choose to avail webflow with their free plan. This allows you to use webflow on two projects with full designing and can publish said projects on their website of Webflow.io. Their free plan is available for free for life.
Webflow has a variety of plans that can be used to reduce the price. There are two types of paid plans.
There’s the Site Plan and then there’s the Account Plan. Image Background Overlay Elementor
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. You will have to contact Webflow Customer service to get the exact amount for each plan.
| Basic | CMS | Business | Enterprise |
| Best for simple sites which do not need CMS | Best for blogs and other content-driven websites | Sites that have higher traffic are best | This product is ideal for businesses and includes exclusive features |
|
|
|
|
As for the Ecommerce plans, the are three types of plans
| Standard ($29 USD) | Plus ($74 USD) | Advanced ($2112( u |
| For new business that are just starting out | For higher volume of business that needs important additional | For businesses aiming to breach and grow |
|
|
|
The Account plans are geared towards more advanced website building with added features. These are categorized into 2 types of plans: the Individual plans and the team plans.
The individual plans have 3 types of payment methods. One includes the aforementioned free plan, while the other 2 are paid plans. Image Background Overlay Elementor
| 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 | Best for freelancers, designers, and people who need more projects and premium features |
|
|
|
When it comes to the Team plan, it has 2 types of plan available. They offer the same features but one has more customization options. These are the details:
| Team ($35 per person) | Enterprise (situational) |
| Use a shared, collaborative dashboard to collaborate on projects with your team | Contact customer support to inquire about the plan packages |
|
|
-
Webflow Pros and Cons
Pros
- It includes everything you need to build a website. It even includes eCommerce websites and simple blogs.
- It has a very strong visual design tool that can rival everything that you can do with code
- Flexible pricing plans that are customer-friendly. Image Background Overlay Elementor
Cons
- You can only customize the code.
- The number of plans and variations may be confusing and, if not careful, might make you choose 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. This is their new flagship page builder, replacing the “Thrive Content Creator”. Image Background Overlay Elementor
As with the usual “modern” website builders, Thrive architect is also doing the drag-and-drop gimmick. 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 focus on building websites that are geared toward conversions. The majority of the templates that were mentioned previously are designed to generate leads and convert you to your WordPress Page.
Thrive Architect Features
Thrive Architect, like most modern WordPress page builders has many features. We will only focus on the most important features for this overview.
- As a plugin, Thrive Architect works with most 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 also has a massive library for plugins. All of the templates are maintained by the Thrive architect team at a higher standard. These editable templates can help speed up the design process when making web pages. Image Background Overlay Elementor
Thrive Architect (and Thrive Themes) focus on sales and lead conversion. Most of these templates are just as focused on sales. So expect a lot of sales-focused landing pages and webpage designs.
- Thrive Architect 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. Your workflow gets faster as you don’t have to save multiple times and ensure you are doing right or wrong.
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.
Thrive cannot boast of being conversion-focused if they don’t provide the right and appropriate tools.
- Thrive is also compatible with many third-party services. Mailchimp, Facebook and Zapier are all examples.
- Thrive also provides beginners with educational content and tutorials to teach them about content-making focused on sales
- You can also create pop-up overlays through Thrive Architect’s lightbox tool. Image Background Overlay Elementor
- 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 also supports coders by adding custom HTML and CSS to your pages.
Thrive Architect Price
It used to be that you could avail of Thrive Architect individually; however, Thrive Themes have recently changed that. 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 |
|
|
Pros and cons of Thrive Architect
Pros
- Features an intuitive design that is easy to use. It even lets you visualize your designs in real-time
- This tool will help you create unique content on the Internet
- It comes with high-quality templates for landing pages as well as webpages. It is very easy to look for your perfect template as they are organized into sets.
- It is mainly focused on conversion and sales; as such, this is the perfect website builder for marketers and online 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 has good and attractive pricing
- It can be integrated with a large amount of email service providers.
- You can use Gutenberg (WordPress’ latest page builder) with Gutenberg blocks. Image Background Overlay Elementor
Cons
- Not available individually, You have to buy the whole Thrive Suite to use it. If you already own a WordPress Theme, this will double your cost.
- Apart from that, you will need to download Thrive Product Manager before even starting to plant an element on the builder.
- Thrive does not offer a lifetime payment option.
Special Mentions
Brizzy
Brizzy, another WordPress builder, allows you to create web pages with 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.
For one, Brizzy does not have a developer APi. As such, you cannot have third-party extensions with Brizzy. Brizzy’s potential is severely limited by this. 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. This isn’t a major problem, but it makes Brizzy less reliable than other builders who have robust and complete documentation.
Furthermore, the documentation that exists for Brizy also is not as comprehensive. Brizy documentation is not as comprehensive, so people who are looking for help or asking for it might be left scratching their heads.
Brizzy pricing is as follows:
| Personal | Freelancer | Agency |
| $49 per annum | $99 per year | $199 per annum |
Perfect for Personal Work |
Ideal for working with clients |
Ideal for white-label solutions |
Oxygen Builder
The Oxygen builder has a similarity to Webflow in nature. It might be like WordPress, but it is not wordpress. Oxygen is also very complex, and as such, it is not recommended for non-techies.
Most website builders are more inviting to a wider audience. This applies to people who don’t know much about coding or how it works. This is the exception to the rule, Oxygen.
That said, Oxygen does allow experienced users and designers to create wonderful websites.
People who are interested in website development should not use Oxygen. It features a huge learning curve. This makes it a great challenge.
Furthermore, web developers and designers who want to be able to fine-tune even the most minute of details, Oxygen is also for them. Oxygen provides the tools necessary to have full control of a website’s elements, as well as its bits and pieces.
For beginners or those who want a simpler user experience, this is not the best option. Image Background Overlay Elementor
As for the Price, Oxygen is not free. You don’t get a demo. What it has is a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you are not up to Oxygene’s challenge, you can always return it.
| Basic Plan (99 USD One-time Payment) | WooCommerce Plan ($149 once-off payment) | Agency Plan ($169 one time payment) |
| WordPress’s most flexible and powerful visual builder | Visually build websites as well as WooCommerce stores | Oxygen is the ultimate tool for creating websites for clients |
|
|
|
Gutenberg Builder
While this is WordPress main builder, majority of online consensus is united: Image Background Overlay Elementor
Simply, NO.
It is very buggy.
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.
WordPress page builders plugins were made. The default plugin is not recommended.
Verdict Image Background Overlay Elementor
At the end of the day, your choice of WordPress page builder or page builders, in general, is up to your preference. Of course, they might specialize in one field or another.
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 to cut costs and save money while maintaining quality work.
Elementor offers the best features and is free to use.
However, if there is one thing that you can learn from this review, let it be this:
Avoid Gutenberg, WordPress’ default developer, and save yourself the hassle.