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. WordPress is the backbone of a website, powering the front-end as well as the backend.
WordPress websites come in many different 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. These sites can also be used to collect payments for the goods and services.
- Website for businesses
These might appear to be E-Commerce websites at first glance. They are quite different in function. E-commerce websites may sell products, but business websites are designed to introduce users to companies and the services 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 might want to offer “exclusive” and extra content that they want to put behind a paywall.
A WordPress membership website is a good way to go about this. Content creators can make a website where users need to log in or pay for the said content. WordPress has enough tools to handle the things needed to set this up.
- 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. Having a website to present their work is akin to having their own museum.
- Forum website
Forum websites are an online community where the number of topics for discussion is unlimited. Forums were the king of the Internet before social media. Today, forums for specialized topics are rare.
Nowadays, larger websites are the most popular sites for discussion. Reddit and Quora are the more popular ones. It does not mean forum websites are no longer relevant. For niche topics, forums are still crucial discussion places.
WordPress allows content creators, bloggers, and even book authors to host their own Forums. Forums like these give a more intimate feel compared to the wide reach of the usual websites.
- Websites for events
Event websites are simple websites used to advertise 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. These websites can also be used to sell tickets.
- E-Learning website
After the 2019 COVID Pandemic, online classes and electronic courses became a common term. E-learning websites existed even before the COVID Pandemic.
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 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 Create A Website With Elementor
Among the reasons for WordPress’ longevity and relevance is because of the support it gets from its community of users. WordPress plugins are a part of some of that support.
WordPress plugins are an additional code package that can be uploaded to a website to improve its functionality and integrate with other sites.
WordPress Plugins can take on multiple 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. You can even find plugins to make building websites easy.
Plugins can also come between free and premium. Their main difference could be the quality or the scope of their function. This does not necessarily mean that plugins for free are inferior. Heck, there are even some free plugins which function better than their premium counterparts.
These plugins often play nicely with the heart of WordPress, more or less. However, there will be times when getting a premium one is also worth it. The strongest argument for paying for a premium plugin is the support.
WordPress plugins are generally well-behaved. There are occasions when plugins do not function as they should. Customer support is invaluable and cannot be replaced.
Your List of Must-Have WordPress Plugins
There are certain types of plugins that WordPress websites should prioritize over others. It is recommended that all WordPress websites have these WordPress plugins:
- WordPress Backup Plugin
WordPress doesn’t have a backup function by its very nature. 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
WordPress’s popularity andubiquity make it a popular 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. They offer multiple solutions to prevent 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.
No matter what, looking for the best WordPress security plugin will come down to preference, security, and convenience.
- WordPress SEO Plugin
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of making your website more visible to many people. Proper SEO settings will make it easier for your website to be found in search engines like Google and Bing.
SEO is a business. 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 can give you tips to improve your site content’s SEO, as well as automate the small and repetitive parts of content creation.
- WordPress Form Plugin
WordPress Form Plugins enable you to create robust forms for your website. 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. The information is then sent to the correct place (database, mailing list).
Since forms handle sensitive data and personal information, it is important that they be secure and should discourage spam. These forms should be able to fit the needs of the customer. Most e-commerce websites use forms.
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
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. It lets you do almost anything that is possible, granted you know how to code. HTML, CSS and other coding languages allow you to customize your WordPress Page to the max.
That said, not all have the 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 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 knowledge of coding still offers a lot of advantages).
These plugins also sped up the process of making websites, and thus, WordPress users (or at least sites that use WordPress as a platform) quickly grow in number day by day.
These are just a few of the plugins we recommend you add 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 are very easy to install. It is quick and easy to do.
Once you have logged in to your WordPress site, look for the Plugins menu in your site’s WordPress Dashboard. Expand This Menu by clicking on it
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 allow you to look for plugins to install from 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. 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 editor is built into WordPress plugins and can be used to modify individual PHP files.
ONLY TWEAK OR MAKE CHANGES TO THIS SECTION IF YOU UNDERSTAND PHP. You can make your customizations unaffected by changing any of these things. 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. Although it is a recent addition to WordPress’ ecosystem, this is still quite a significant time period by Internet 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 did not let this success get on their head, and until this day, they continued to grow and develop new ways to keep Elementor relevant to the newest trends.
That said, the heart of Elementor is still in its functionality as 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. With all that said, coding is still welcome, and people who prefer using their own custom HTML, CSS, and PHP, along with other current coding languages, are free 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.
It works with all themes in the WordPress library so there’s no worry about them getting out of sync. 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.
Besides, Elementor wouldn’t be one of WordPress’s top webpage builders as it is now if that’s all it can do.
Here are some of Elemetor’s most notable features:
- Content Elements Galore
Elementor creates a website using building blocks. These blocks, or elements, can be organized according to the user’s wishes to create a website layout.
To explain the blocks a bit more, they are the elements that make up the web design. Each element might contain a widget, a written content, or anything that can fit in each element.
Because of these elements, Elementor is called what it is today.
- Responsive Design
All web pages created with Elementor’s page builders are responsive by default. This means that they not only look elegant and pretty when viewed through a personal computer and laptop,
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 also has the capability to allow users to fully customize how they look.
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. After all, templates are the best examples to inspire when building anything from scratch (web pages 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.
All templates in Elementor are editable. 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. For both beginner and veteran users to use. As stated above, beginners can use these templates as their starting point when making websites. As for veterans (i.e., page devs), they can use them to speed up their 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. Elementor makes these styling options available to everyone. What’s more, there is no need to have coding knowledge to do this.
- 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
You can use elementor to add dynamic content using custom fields and plugins like 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. 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. Some functions even allow you to show your product and prices and integrate said products into the design of your store.
- 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 even set the triggers on when and how these popups appear.
Elementor Price
If Elementor’s features have already impressed you, then you will be more impressed with its price. Elementor lets users enjoy at least 80% the plugin’s capabilities for a low price of only $0.99!
That’s right! Most of Elementor’s functions and features are free to use if you install them on your WordPress site.
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 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
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
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 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 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 work 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
- 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.
Divi Theme is their flagship product. Divi’s functionality in the drag-and-drop website creator is key to Elegant Theme’s success.
Making sense of this, it was only a matter of time where Elegant Themes offered the builder as a separate 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. As such, it also gained multiple features to give people more incentive to use it.
- Drag and drop visual content editor
The Divi builder started as a back-end page builder tool from the Divi Theme. It has been made a plugin and is now a front-end visual 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. 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.
Those used to playing with the site’s backend might find themselves lost or missing some of the features available when using that mode. You can switch to Wireframe mode with Divi Builder.
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.
This effectively gave Divi Builder the ability to customize your entire 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. These templates can be applied automatically to all blog posts, or a select few. You can also use the Display rules feature to automatically format and create templates for posts based on their category.
This functionality also brings about dynamic content, which can be combined with existing static content and enhanced 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 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. It reduces the load time for your WordPress site.
This also results in a reduction of costs, especially if you use commercial plugins.
A few examples of these modules include “call to action” buttons, countdown timers, maps, pricing tables, email opt-in forms, videos and their sliders, social media, and even a search module.
These modules also come in different variations. This gives your website some extra flair. You won’t have to risk having the same module appearing from different parts of the internet.
- A 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.
They have between 200 and 400 options. However, this is in terms of website layouts. This means that each layout can contain more than one page.
These can also target specific types of websites, such as websites for agencies, freelancers, eCommerce stores, and construction companies. These layouts can be customized, however.
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
Divi builder offers the unique ability to conduct A/B testing of 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
Some websites are run by different people. While this makes for efficient job division, it also multiplies the risk of accidentally changing the website’s main setting. It is said that too many cooks can 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. You can assign roles to define what parts of the plugin they are allowed to access and use.
This is especially important for web designers with clients that 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.
Divi offers a feature that lets you do exactly 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. Videos, text, headers and menus can all be included.
Divi Price
Since Divi Builder was originally part of the Divi Theme, and you cannot get this plugin separately. Access to Elegant themes will require a yearly payment. One plan is a yearly access, and the other is a lifetime access.
Yearly Access | Access for Life |
$89/Year | $249 for 1 |
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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 an unlimited number of websites and without limitations
- 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. Create A Website With Elementor
Cons
- Working with longer pages tend to be slow
- Divi’s inline editing options can be better
- Divi has a few bugs. This usually manifests when making more complex layouts
Elementor Versus WPBakery
WP Bakery: The Builder Formerly Known as Visual Composer
What we now know as WPBakery was once called Visual Composer. But hold on, it gets more confusing because right now, there is another WordPress plugin also 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. Samples of these include text blocks, social media buttons, video players, and other blocks that are standard fare for page builders. Create A Website With Elementor
WPBakery also uses a drag-and-drop page builder to style your pages. This builder allows you to style both the front and back ends of your website. You can choose to style both, or you can design them one by one, depending on your preference.
WPBakery Features
Unlike most of their WordPress Page Builders, WPBakery does not offer much. They offer the following:
- Light and easy to use interface
- Frontend and Backend Editor
- Multilingual ready
- Templates that can be saved for later use
- Responsive Websites that look good on PC and mobile
- 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 is built on a shortcode architecture that can be a massive liability.
It has some help text, but they are not well executed. Create A Website With Elementor
It’s also just plain unreliable. It has erratic previews and is riddled with bugs. 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 |
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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
- 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 Create A Website With Elementor
- 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 is not compatible with all plugins and sometimes has conflicts with them
- Deactivating this builder leaves shortcodes on pages that use this plugin.
- This plugin can impact age speed and might slow download times.
Elementor Versus Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder: The Most Efficient Beaver-Themed Builder
One of the more famous names in the WordPress page builder space is Beaver Builder. Why wouldn’t it be with its feature-rich drag-and-drop page builder and easy-to-use interface?
Beaver Builders offers a lot to its users.
Since it is a page builder, it allows you to build custom posts and pages through a drag-and-drop user interface. This removes the need for coding to create your website. Users don’t even need to have a knowledge of HTML to have a functioning website with the help of Beaver Builder.
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. Create A Website With Elementor
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 feature-rich page builder that can be considered as among the best of the best. As such, instead of listing every bit of them, let’s check their highlights. Efficiency is the key to Beaver Builder.
Beaver Builder’s essential features include:
- The main page builder features a full drag-and-drop interface. This builder allows you to place content elements, such as text and images, wherever you want.
- 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 eliminates the need to code when building websites. HTML or CSS, you don’t need it with Beaver Builder. Create A Website With Elementor
- 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 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. This includes templates for pages that have a specific purpose. Beaver Builder can create landing pages, welcome pages, and comment sections.
- 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. Some of these modules include (headings, buttons, galleries, and much more)
- Beaver Builder ensures that all your resulting websites will be compatible with any screen. Your website will therefore be responsive.
- Beaver Builder is also compatible with WooCommerce. Beaver Builder allows you to create WooCommerce content using the content elements. Create A Website With Elementor
- Beaver Builder is not cheap. In fact, it gives you the ability to import and export features. This allows you to reuse or share your designs with the wider community.
Beaver Builder Prices
Agency | Pro | Standard |
$399 | $199 | $99 |
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Beaver Builder Pros & Cons
Pros
- Beaver Builder allows users to create their own webpages.
- There is no learning curve when using Beaver Builder
- Beaver Builder’s full drag-and-drop builder offer front end editing support.
- Beaver Builder is flexible and lenient. Beaver Builder allows you to use default WordPress widgets within its Content blocks Create A Website With Elementor
- Beaver Builder offers many page templates that can be used as a starting point for pages.
Cons
- Beaver Builder is at a pretty steep price point. The cheapest plan costs $99. They do offer a Lite version which costs 0$.
- Beaver Builder’s capability is limited to whatever theme you have. Beaver Builder won’t be able do things the theme can’t.
- Beaver Builder doesn’t allow users to add custom CSS codes 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. There are many alternatives to WordPress for those who don’t like it. Webflow is one of these alternatives.
Webflow’s main focus is design. Its main target is to let web designers build websites as easily as possible. Using webflows allows web designers to build responsive websites through browser-based visual editing software. Webflow allows you to write the code as you work on your website. Create A Website With 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. Webflow’s features allow it to focus on becoming a service that caters first to designers.
- Over a thousand templates are available on Webflow, with 45 of them being 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. 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. Although it may take some time to get used to Webflow, you will find that it is a wonderful user interface once you are comfortable with it. Create A Website With Elementor
- Webflow also has a well-laid-out interface. Its main builder is divided into three sections for ease of access. The more you get used to Webflows workflow, the better and faster you can produce web pages
- Webflow offers great Search Engine Optimization capabilities. It is even easier since you do not need to add another plugin to ensure you are SEO-optimized. Webflow even guides non-SEO experts to optimize their website’s SEO ranking for more traffic and conversion.
- Webflow offers impressive eCommerce Features that are suitable for building a good and functional online store. It is simple to build a page, and there are templates that can help you get started. Both of these are free and paid.
Webflow also provides detailed instructions on how to build the site from its initial setup until its launch.
- Webflow also provides a proper Content Management System to help users group content that they are presenting to their audience. This CMS organizes resources, particularly when creating blog posts. Create A Website With Elementor
Webflow eases up the blogging process and puts it in a more organized manner.
- 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. You will receive a one-year free SSl certificate to encrypt 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
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. Of course, their free plan is free forever.
Webflow has a variety of plans that can be used to reduce the price. There are two types of paid plans.
There is the Site Plan, and then there are the account plans. Create A Website With Elementor
The Site plan offers everything there is needed to build a basic website. These plans are available in two types from Webflow. You can choose from four options in the basic plan. The cost starts at $12 per month. To find out the exact cost of each plan, you will need to contact Webflow Customer Service.
Basic | CMS | Business | Enterprise |
This is the best choice for sites that don’t require CMS | Best for blogs and other content-driven websites | Best for Higher traffic marketing sites | Best for companies and comes with 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. | Businesses looking to grow and breach |
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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.
There are three payment options available for individual plans. The first includes the free plan mentioned above, and the second two are paid plans. Create A Website With Elementor
Starter Plan (Forever FREE) | Lite ($16) | Pro ($35) |
Includes everything you need to start building with Webflow. | Export your code to unlock additional pages for unhosted project | Best for freelancers, designers, and people who need 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 | Contact customer support to inquire about the plan packages |
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Webflow Cons and Pros
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. Create A Website With Elementor
Cons
- There is limited code customization
- 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. It is a newer page builder in their environment, which has become their flagship page builder replacing the old “Thrive Content Builder.” Create A Website With 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 focuses on creating websites that convert. 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. Therefore, you can use Thrive Architect in combination with the thousands of themes available in WordPress.
- Thrive Architect also has a massive library for 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. Create A Website With Elementor
Thrive Architect and Thrive Themes focus on lead conversion and sales. Most of these templates are just as focused on sales. Expect a lot more sales-focused landing pages, and web designs.
- Thrive Architect has its own intuitive drag and drop page editor. This interface gives you a real-time, accurate view of the page’s design.
Builders can save time by using the WYSIWYG method. They no longer need to preview 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 can also integrate with a lot of 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
- You can also create pop-up overlays through Thrive Architect’s lightbox tool. Create A Website With 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
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. It even lets you 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 mainly focused on conversion and sales; as such, this is the perfect website builder for marketers and online businesses.
- Many websites are responsive to mobile devices, so you can rest assured that your website will be compatible with smartphones.
- It is a lightweight plugin that will not noticeably slow down the pages’ loading times.
- It has good and attractive pricing
- It can be integrated to a wide range of email service providers.
- Can work with Gutenberg (WordPress’ latest page builder) by adding Gutenberg blocks. Create A Website With Elementor
Cons
- The whole Thrive Suite is not available separately. If you already own a WordPress Theme, this will double your cost.
- Aside from that, You need to download Thrive Product Manager before you can even begin to plant a single element on the builder.
- Thrive lacks a lifetime payment option.
Special Mentions
Brizzy
Brizzy is another WordPress builder that lets you generate web pages of amazing design. It is also another drag-and-drop builder that requires zero coding knowledge. 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. 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
Brizzy is also lacking 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 |
Ideal for working with clients |
Perfect for White-label solutions |
Oxygen Builder
By nature, Oxygen builder is somewhat similar to Webflow. 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.
Website builders tend to be more appealing 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. There is a steep learning curve. This is, of course, perfect for a challenge.
Oxygen is also a great tool for web developers and designers who need to fine-tune every detail. 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. Create A Website With 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 One time payment) | WooCommerce Plan ($149 once-off payment) | Agency Plan ($169 once-off payment) |
Most flexible and powerful visual builder for WordPress | Visually build websites as well as WooCommerce stores | The ultimate for building websites for clients while using Oxygen |
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Gutenberg Builder
Although this is the main WordPress builder, most online consensus is unifying. Create A Website With Elementor
Plainly NO.
It’s very annoying.
Writing in it is a bit unwieldy as it forces you to turn each paragraph into separate 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 Create A Website With Elementor
Your choice of WordPress page builder is entirely up to you. 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 for you to save money and still get high quality work.
That said, you should keep in mind Elementor, which offers the best features while maintaining its free status.
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.