WordPress is a widely-used tool for website building. 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.
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 can come in many forms. One of the most common WordPress websites is:
- 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 websites are primarily focused on 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.
- Business website
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. They can be thought of as a business profile, but not online.
- Membership Websites
Content creators (i.e., Youtubers, Online Artists, etc.) might want to add something extra for their most fervent supporters or followers. They may want to offer extra, exclusive content they are willing to pay a fee for.
A WordPress membership website is a good way to go about this. 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. 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.
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
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. Even then, E-learning websites have already existed during the BC (Before COVID) era.
Students can take an online course, track their progress, download research materials and more through e-learning websites. Although it takes more effort to set up an elearning website using WordPress, it is rewarding for those who are eager to share their knowledge.
- Invitational websites
Even invitations have gone online now. Thanks to the power of the internet, you can create websites for that personal event of yours. 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.
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Daniel on his YouTube channel Design Break. 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 WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
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 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 be used to integrate marketing and payment methods. 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. 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. There will be occasions when a premium plugin is worth the cost. 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
By its nature, WordPress does not have a built-in backup function. A lack of backup can lead to major headaches. As such, backup plugins can be the solution to those potential headaches.
In the event of a hack or security breach, backups are important. It allows you to quickly replace deleted data or bring your website back into a save state prior to the attack.
- WordPress Security Plugin
WordPress’s popularity andubiquity make it a popular target for hackers. Hackers use malicious programs to hack WordPress sites and gain access to all their data.
This is where WordPress Security plugins come in. They offer multiple solutions to prevent these attacks. Some limit login attempts to a website to stop brute force attacks. Others offer a more comprehensive and sophisticated way to ward off these attacks.
Whatever your preference, the key to finding the best WordPress security plugin is security and convenience.
- WordPress SEO Plugin
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process by which your website becomes more visible to many audiences. With proper SEO settings, your website can be found easier in searches through search engines such as Google and Bing!
SEO is a business in and of itself. With the number of websites that pop out day by day, the competition for Google’s front pages is brutal. If you want your website to gain traction, adding a great SEO plugin may help you with that.
SEO plugins are able to give you tips and automate repetitive tasks such as content creation.
- WordPress Form Plugin
WordPress Form Plugins allow you to add robust forms for your websites. These forms can come in the shape of contact forms, surveys, donation forms, and file uploaders.
Forms allow site visitors to enter their personal information. 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
For WordPress E-commerce, an ecommerce plugin is a must. E-commerce websites are designed to sell products. However, your website won’t be able to do this if it doesn’t have the right plugin.
E-commerce plugins allow you to transform your website into an online store. It can provide you with a lot of tools and resources. Some e-commerce plugins even come with online payment capabilities integrated.
- WordPress Design Plugin
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 can allow you to tweak your WordPress Page to the limit.
Nevertheless, not everyone has the necessary knowledge to code. This may seem like a high barrier of entry for WordPress users. But, WordPress wouldn’t be as popular if it had a high barrier to entry.
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.
A lot of these plugins removed the coding requirement for building websites. Through their drag-and-drop interface, almost everyone and their mum can build a website over at WordPress, with little to no coding knowledge. (although knowledge of coding still offers a lot of advantages).
These plugins have also helped speed up the process of creating websites. WordPress users, or at least sites using WordPress, are growing in number every day.
Now those are only a few types of plugins that we recommend adding to your website. There are many other types of plugins available, but they can be used in a situational or optional manner.
WordPress is currently home to over 60,000 plugins or more to choose from, and it is up to you to find what works best for you.
Installing WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins can be installed very easily. It does not involve much and can be done almost instantly.
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.
You will find a page called Installed plugins. This is where you can find the currently installed plugins on this particular WordPress Site. You might see plugins installed even if you don’t have any plugins or you are new to this page.
Because some plugins are included with WordPress Installations, this is possible.
Click on the “Add New” link to upload a plugin. This will let you search for plugins in the WordPress.org Plugin directory. There are also links you can click to look at featured, popular, and latest plugins available. You can also mark your favorite plugins here.
Once you have located your preferred plugin, click the “Choose File” button. Next, locate the zip file of your plugin 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. 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: 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 launched in mid-16 and has been in the WordPress Plugin Library ever since. 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 didn’t let this success stop them. They continued to grow and create new ways to keep Elementor current with the latest trends.
That said, the heart of Elementor is still in its functionality as drag and drop builder. It does this function well. It operates in a “what you see is what you get” approach. This approach makes it easier to see how the website will look while you are 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 also known for its flexibility as a plugin. It can be used anytime with whatever current WordPress theme you are using. It even comes with its own theme builder that allows you to make your own WordPress themes that suits your taste and needs.
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.
Elementor would not be a top-ranked website builder for WordPress if it could only do so much.
As such, here are some of Elemetor’s best 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.
Now, to explain the block a little deeper, these blocks are the so-called elements that build the webpage 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. 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. From there, you can do further edits, such as deleting and adding certain elements to take the page to the look that you want.
- Available Templates
Templates are a must-have for any page builder. 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. With templates, work and development on newer websites can come faster for the price of sites having a samey look.
All templates in Elementor are editable. You can also edit their styling options. So you do not have to worry about websites looking the same when utilizing templates in your work.
Elementor offers many professionally designed templates. For both beginner and veteran users to use. 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. Good thing that Elementor lets these styling options accessible to many people. What’s more, there is no need to have coding knowledge to do this.
- Convenience
Elementor’s many tools make web page building easy. Even better, support is available in just 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. Such an ability can keep your website up-to-date and fresh.
- WooCommerce Builder
WooCommerce, an open-source plugin for e-commerce, is mainly used with WordPress. Most of its customer base includes merchants that use WordPress as their main site. This includes online merchants of all sizes.
WooCommerce and WordPress have an almost symbiotic relationship, so it is very simple to integrate WooCommerce into WordPress.
With Elementor, you could enhance your WooCommerce store through its customizability 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. Popups are so disliked that their creator had to apologize for all the problems it caused.
Popups can be a great lead conversion tool if used correctly. Elementor Pro users have access to a popup creator that can be used as a lead conversion tool.
Elementor’s popup creator allows you to create your popup with the same tools as the webpage builder. You can even set the triggers on when and how these popups appear.
Elementor Price
If you are already impressed by Elementor’s features, you will be even more impressed by its price. Elementor lets users enjoy at least 80% the plugin’s capabilities for a low price of only $0.99!
That’s right! You can use most of Elementor’s functions & features for free if you put them on your WordPress website.
That said, Elementor also offers Pro plans with some features, such as the Popup builder behind a paywall. If you are interested, the Elementor Pro consists of three types of plans. Each has its own 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
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
More than 100+ basic and pro widgets
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
1000 Pro Website Activations
100+ Basic and Pro Widgets
300+ Basic and Pro Templates
60+ Pro Website Kits
Theme Builder
WooCommerce Store Builder
Landing Page Builder
VIP Support
Elementor Expert Profile |
Elementor Pros and 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 provides plenty of features to create the best WordPress web page. These tools are very simple to use.
- Elementor’s page builders are an upgrade to the WordPress Builder in terms of functionality and accessibility
- Elementor 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 work with all devices. You can also fine-tune each device’s design if you wish.
- Speaking of fine-tuning, Elementor provides the ability to modify alignments, margins, and padding values
Cons
- There are times when the custom styling (especially for links) gets buggy
- There are times when Elementor’s default typography and color settings remain persistent and cannot be staged
- The different margin values can make it difficult to fix misaligned elements.
- There is a possibility of Elementor slowing down the loading times of different websites.
Elementor Versus Divi
Divi Builder: The Crowning Jewel of Elegant Themes
Among the multitude of Themes available in the WordPress theme shop is “Elegant Themes.” Throughout the years, Elegant themes have built up an active user community and a growing ecosystem, transforming it into one of the biggest players in the WordPress World.
Among their products is the Divi Theme, which is their flagship product. Divi is crucial to Elegant Theme’s success due to its functionality in its drag-and-drop website builder.
It was only a matter time that Elegant Themes provided the builder as an additional plugin.
They did. The Divi Builder plugin was released. This means that anyone can access the exact same builder that helped Divi Theme become one of the most popular WordPress themes. Divi even made sure that the plugin is available no matter the theme you use.
Divi Features
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.
Divi’s interface now works in a “what do you see is what you get” mode. This eliminates the problem of back-end developers who don’t know how Divi will look until you make a switch to preview.
Divi’s Visual Content Editor continues to be upgraded. The latest version provides a more accurate picture of the visitor’s point of view when viewing your content.
This implies that website developers will be able to work faster as it removes the need for switching to previews. This eliminates the frustration associated with incorrect 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.
Divi allows you to customize the way your website works, according to your preference and comfort.
- 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. You can now customize headers, footers and category pages as well as product templates and other areas of the website to suit your needs.
Even blog posts could be customized through templates. They can be automatically applied to all blog posts or just a selection. If you want, you can even use the Display rules feature to automate templates and formatting of posts depending on their category.
This functionality allows for dynamic content to be added to existing static content. It can also enhance interaction with WooCommerce content.
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 be used to replace functionality on WordPress pages that use other plugins. 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.
It also means a cost reduction, especially if you are using 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.
You can also find different versions of these modules. This adds spice to your website design. 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. These high-quality templates can be used to begin their design process or, if satisfied, can be used as-is.
In terms of variety, they have a decent number, somewhere between 200 to 400. This is not true for website layouts. That means each layout contains more than one page.
These can also target specific types of websites, such as websites for agencies, freelancers, eCommerce stores, and construction companies. 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. 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. 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.
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. This allows for more efficient job division but increases the chance of the website’s main settings being changed accidentally. As the saying goes, “Too many cooks may spoil the broth.”
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 can make your web pages stand out. 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. You can then add any content that breaks the post container.
This full-width does not just apply to images. You can include videos, texts, headers, menus, and more.
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. The one plan provides a yearly access and the other grants lifetime access.
Yearly Access | Access for Life |
$89/Year | $249 for 1 |
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Divi Pros and Cons
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 is available with an additional WordPress theme
- Divi provides more than a hundred stunning templates to choose from. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Cons
- Longer pages are more difficult to work with.
- Divi’s inline editing options can be better
- Divi is not perfect. This usually manifests when making more complex layouts
Elementor Versus WPBakery
WP Bakery: The Builder Formerly Known as Visual Composer
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. 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 offers about 40 content elements, each of which can be used for designing your page layout. These include text blocks, social buttons, video players and other blocks that are common to page builders. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
WPBakery also uses a drag-and-drop page builder to style your pages. Using this builder, you can style your website’s backend and front end. You 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:
- Light and easy to use interface
- Frontend and Backend Editor
- Multilingual ready
- Templates that can be saved for later use
- Responsive websites that work on mobile and PC
- Your own “content elements”
- Object-oriented code
- Huge addon support
The thing with WPBakery though is that it is more of a hassle to use. Even if you are a technical person, it is not very user-friendly. It is built on a shortcode architecture that can be a massive liability.
Although it has helper text to help with the basics, most of these are poorly executed to the point of inaccuracy. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
It’s also just plain unreliable. It has erratic previews and is riddled with bugs. 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 |
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WPBakery Pros and Cons
Pros
- WPBakery allows you to save your templates for later use
- It works with most themes
- It has a multilingual interface
- Includes various content blocks to help you build your website
- It can be integrated with many add-ons to enhance its functions WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- It allows users to access the control panel via their role.
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
One of the more famous names in the WordPress page builder space is Beaver Builder. Beaver Builder is a popular choice because of its drag-and-drop page builders and simple-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.
Despite having a theme of its own, Beaver Builder (the plugin) is compatible with any WordPress theme. You can continue using your existing WordPress theme while you develop and design your site. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
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. 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. You can place text and images wherever you like with this builder.
- Beaver Builder offers full front-end editing. This allows you to view your work while you are working on it. This is akin to the “what you see is what you get” approach of other page builders.
- Beaver Builder eliminates the need to code when building websites. HTML or CSS, you don’t need it with Beaver Builder. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- Beaver Builder can be used with all WordPress themes. 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.
- A Beaver Builder plan comes with more than 50 ready-made page templates for users. Of course, this includes templates for pages with a specific purpose. Be it a landing page, a welcome page, or a normal comment section; Beaver Builder has got you covered.
- Beaver Builder offers 30 content elements and modules for working with pages. These will be your key to building your pages, and each will have its function to play. These modules include headings, buttons and galleries.
- Beaver Builder ensures that all your resulting websites will be compatible with any screen. As such, you can be sure that your developed website will be responsive.
- Beaver Builder is also compatible with WooCommerce. As such, you can develop your WooCommerce content through the special content elements Beaver Builder offers. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- Beaver Builder is also not stingy. 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 and Cons
Pros
- Beaver Builder allows users to create their own webpages.
- Beaver Builder is easy to use.
- Beaver Builder offers full drag-and drop builder support.
- Beaver Builder is flexible and lenient. You can even use default WordPress widgets inside Beaver Builder’s Content blocks WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- 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 costs $99. They do offer a Lite version which costs 0$.
- 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 does not allow users to add custom CSS code 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. Webflow’s primary goal is to make it easy for web designers to create websites. Using webflows allows web designers to build responsive websites through browser-based visual editing software. Webflow allows you to write the code as you work on your website. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Webflow is said to offer more benefits than WordPress. Webflow offers more creativity, more security, and easier use for users.
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. These templates can be used to build websites as you would with most websites.
Webflow also makes it easy for you to access these templates. They can be categorized and grouped according to which type of website they are intended for (portfolios, blogs, SaaS), etc. You can also search them using popular tags, languages, and other methods.
- Although Webflow is not as user-friendly for first-time users, it provides a great onboarding tutorial that allows users to familiarize themselves and explore the Webflow Environment. It might take getting used to, but Webflow provides a great user experience once you learn it. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- Webflow has an intuitive interface. The main builder of Webflow is broken into three sections to make it easier for you to access. You will be able to produce web pages faster and more efficiently the more you become familiar with Webflows workflow.
- 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 even guides non-SEO experts to optimize their website’s SEO ranking for more traffic and conversion.
- Webflow has impressive eCommerce features that can be used to build a functional and attractive online store. Just building the page alone is easy, as there are eCommerce templates to help you get started. 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 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. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Webflow eases up the blogging process and puts it in a more organized manner.
- You can be sure that your data will remain safe and secure with Webflow. 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.
Webflow is also SOC-2-compliant. This means the builder can adhere to high standards of security and confidentiality.
Webflow also automatically updates and saves backups of your files. Webflow automatically updates your files and stores backups of them so that you are confident, if something goes wrong, you’ll be able to quickly get your files back.
Webflow Price
You can avail webflow with their no-cost plan. This allows you to use webflow on two projects with full designing and can publish said projects on their website of Webflow.io. 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. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
The Site plan offers everything there is needed to build a basic website. Webflow offers 2 types of these plans. 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 | Sites that have higher traffic are best | This product is ideal for businesses and includes exclusive features |
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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 | Important additional resources are required for higher volumes of business. | For businesses aiming to breach and grow |
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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. One includes the aforementioned free plan, while the other 2 are paid plans. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Starter Plan (Forever FREE) | Lite ($16) | Pro ($35) |
Includes everything you need to start building with Webflow. | Export your code and unlock more pages for unhosted projects | Ideal for designers, freelancers and anyone who needs more projects and premium features |
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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. Here they are:
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 has a very strong visual design tool that can rival everything that you can do with code
- Very flexible pricing plans, which are also customer friendly. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Cons
- You can only customize the code.
- There are many plans available and it can be confusing. If you don’t pay attention, you might end up choosing the wrong plan.
- It is quite a learning process due to the fact that WordPress is a completely new environment. There are also new, powerful features.
- Some plans include traffic limits.
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”. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
As with the usual “modern” website builders, Thrive architect is also doing the drag-and-drop gimmick. As such, it is geared toward beginners and helps veterans speed through making websites.
Thrive also offers an impressive library of templates for users to help them get started or get inspiration for what they’re going to do.
Surprisingly, Thrive Architects focuses on creating websites that convert. As such, most of the templates mentioned earlier have the purpose of lead generation and conversion to your WordPress Page.
Thrive Architect Features
Thrive Architect, like most modern WordPress page builders has many features. However, for this overview, we will focus mainly on the main ones.
- Thrive Architect is a plugin that works with all WordPress themes. This is despite Thrive Architect coming with its own WordPress Theme called Thrive Suite. Therefore, you can use Thrive Architect in combination with the thousands of themes available in WordPress.
- Thrive Architect has a large library of plugins. The Thrive architect team ensures that all of these templates are kept at a higher quality. These editable templates can help speed up the design process when making web pages. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Thrive Architect and Thrive Themes focus on lead conversion and sales. These templates are almost all focused on sales. So expect a lot of sales-focused landing pages and webpage designs.
- Thrive Architect also has its own intuitive drag-and-drop page editor. This 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.
Besides, Thrive can’t boast about being conversion focused if they cannot provide the proper and adequate tools to do so.
- Thrive is also compatible with many third-party services. Mailchimp, Facebook and Zapier are all examples.
- Thrive offers tutorials and educational content for beginners to help them learn about content-making that is focused on selling.
- Thrive Architect’s lightbox feature allows you to create pop-up overlays. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
- Thrive Architect allows you to create an auto-scrolling website. Although this feature is somewhat limited in its use, it can be used to create a unique website.
- Thrive Architect supports coders by adding custom HTML 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. You will need to purchase their Thrive Suite package to use Thrive Architect.
Thrive offers two payment options: Quarterly or Yearly.
Thrive Suite Quarterly | Thrive Suite Yearly |
$99 per Quarter | $299 per Year |
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Thrive Architect Pros and Cons
Pros
- It features an intuitive design that makes it easy to use. You can even visualize your designs in real time.
- Helps you create content that is unique on the Internet
- Not just webpages, but it comes with high-quality landing page templates. Because they are organized in sets, it is easy to find the perfect template.
- It is focused primarily on conversion and sales, making it the ideal website builder for online marketers and businesses.
- Most websites are mobile responsive, so you can be sure that your website is smartphone compatible
- It is a lightweight plugin that will not noticeably slow down the pages’ loading times.
- It is affordable and well-priced
- It can be integrated with a large amount of email service providers.
- You can use Gutenberg (WordPress’ latest page builder) with Gutenberg blocks. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
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 lacks a lifetime payment option.
Special Mentions
Brizzy
Brizzy is another WordPress builder that lets you generate web pages of amazing design. You don’t need any coding knowledge to use it. As such, you can compare it with the big three of Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi.
As with most builders, Brizzy does well as a simple builder. However, there are some areas where it could be more effective.
For one, Brizzy does not have a developer APi. As such, you cannot have third-party extensions 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. This isn’t a major problem, but it makes Brizzy less reliable than other builders who have robust and complete documentation.
Brizy’s documentation is also not as extensive. So in most cases, people asking or needing help might find themselves scratching their heads.
Brizzy pricing is as follows:
Personal | Freelancer | Agency |
$49 per year | $99 per year | $199 per year |
Ideal for personal work |
Perfect for working with clients |
Perfect 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. Non-techies should not use oxygen because it is complex.
Most website builders are more inviting to a wider audience. This includes people who have no idea how coding works or just how the works in general. Oxygen seems to be the exception to that rule.
Despite this, Oxygen allows both designers and experienced users to create amazing websites.
Basically, Oxygen should only be used by people who want to learn website development. There is a steep 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 gives you the tools to control all aspects of your website, including its pieces.
For beginners or those who want a simpler user experience, this is not the best option. WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
The price of Oxygen is prohibitive. It doesn’t even have a demo. What it has is a 60-day money-back guarantee. You can always return the Oxygene product if you’re not up to the challenge.
Basic Plan ($99 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 and WooCommerce shops | The ultimate for building websites for clients while using Oxygen |
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Gutenberg Builder
While this is WordPress main builder, majority of online consensus is united: WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
Plainly NO.
It’s very annoying.
It is difficult to write in because you have to break up each paragraph into its own blocks. It has a mind of its own.
Finally, even with all the efforts made to improve its performance it still falls behind, especially when it comes to creating large posts.
There is a reason why WordPress page builder plugins were created. The default plugin is not recommended.
Verdict WordPress Elementor Alternative Free
At the end of the day, your choice of WordPress page builder or page builders, in general, is up to your preference. They might be experts in one area.
It is a great idea to pick a WordPress theme that suits you first and then go with the page builder that comes with it. This is a great way for you to save money and still get high quality work.
Elementor offers the best features and is free to use.
However, if there is one thing that you can learn from this review, let it be this:
Save yourself the headache and avoid Gutenberg, WordPress’ default builder.