Block editor (Gutenberg) is getting better and better, but many WordPress users still prefer using a page builder plugin to build websites. If you are the member of the group, I have compiled a list of the best page builder plugins for WordPress, free and paid.
The vast majority of WordPress users prefer using a page builder plugin instead of block editor for a wide range of reasons. But the most common one is that block editor doesn’t offer a good enough page editing experience.
Many of them still consider block editor a content editor instead of a page builder. Also, in many cases, users are forced to install a plugin to add a certain element or to achieve a certain design style.
A simplest instance. You need to install a plugin only to add an icon. Want to add a form? You also need to install yet another plugin.
With a page builder plugin, meanwhile, you only need to install a single plugin to achieve many things. Plus, you have more advanced design options and a better editing experience.
Shortcuts ⤵️
- Do you really need a page builder?
- Features to look
- Free page builder plugins
- Paid page builder plugins
- Summary
Do You Really Need to Use a Page Builder Plugin to Build a WordPress Website?
This is really an endless debate. As mentioned in the opening section, block editor is getting better and better to build pages for your website.
It now comes with extra features like spacing control to set padding and margin, typography settings (you can even now use a font from Google Fonts), box shadow and so on.
But again, some WordPress users keep considering it a content editor (just like Classic Editor).
If you compare it with a page builder plugin (if you don’t lie to yourself), block editor is left behind in many areas.
Editing experience is the biggest issue with block editor. It is a great editor to create and edit content. It offers a more modern interface and smoother editing experience than the Classic Editor.
But to create a page?
Page builder plugins offer a better experience and more design options than block editor.
But everyone has a choice. If you really want to use a page builder to build your WordPress website, here are some of the best options that you can use.
But first, let’s find out some crucial features you need to look in a page builder plugin.
Features to Look in a Page Builder Plugin
Most WordPress page builder plugins come with a visual editor with a drag-and-drop editing experience. You can easily drop an element to the canvas area and make the adjustments via the settings panel.
That’s the essence of using a page builder plugin.
But that’s not the only thing you need to look when picking a page builder plugin. Not all page builder plugins really have better features than the block editor.
First and foremost, make sure that the page builder you want to use has the design elements you want to use the most on your design.
If you often add a contact form, for instance, make sure it has an element to add a form. If you want to optimize your design for a specific screen size, consider choosing a page builder that has a custom breakpoint feature.
Template library is also a worth considering feature if you want to get a website done more quickly.
Here are some key features you need to look in a page builder plugin:
- Responsive design capability
- Custom breakpoint
- Template library
- The design elements it has
- Layout options (flexbox, grid, etc.)
- Its ecosystem
- Compatibility with WordPress themes
- Compatibility with other WordPress plugin
- Third-party service integration (email marketing platform in particular)
List of Free Page Builder Plugins for WordPress
| Key highlights | Usage stat | |
|---|---|---|
| Elementor | The most popular page builder plugin. Super easy to use. Offers tons of useful features. | 8,000,000+ live websites |
| Breakdance | A great alternative to Elementor. Also easy to use and has tons of useful features. | 25,000+ live websites |
| Beaver Builder | Minimalist interface and easy enough to use. | 200,000 live websites |
| Visual Composer | A great solution if you are looking for a page builder that is integrated with Unsplash. | 20,000 live websites |
| Brizy | A lightweight page builder. Great to create landing pages. | 30,000 live websites |
| Themify Builder | Super lightweight. Offers tons of useful design elements. | 4,000 live websites |
| SeedProd | A great solution to build landing pages. | 9,000 live websites |
1. Elementor
Elementor is the king of page builder plugins, whether you like it or not. It is the most-used page builder plugin by far.
What makes Elementor so popular is because it offers a super easy to use editor. It offers a centralized panel to do everything. From adding a new design element (called widget), editing the content of the design element, applying design styles and so on.
You can even use the same panel to set site title, site logo, favicon and other site-level settings.
Elementor also has a well-established ecosystem thanks to its openness nature. Third-party developers are allowed to develop add-ons to fill the gap that Elementor has.
JetElements, Element Pack and Essential Addons are some of add-ons that you can use to enrich your editing experience with Elementor. With these add-ons, you can add more creative design elements like before-after image, table, interactive chart and so on.
Another reason why Elementor has gone to become the most popular page builder is because it offers a free version.
I have published a dedicated post covering the differences between Elementor Free and Elementor Pro you may want to read.
Elementor Pros:
- Super easy to use
- Extensive design options
- Tons of design elements
- Extensible via add-ons
- Well-established ecosystem
- Compatible with nearly all themes
Elementor Cons:
- Requires pro version to unlock some features
- A bit cluttered editor since the AI era
- Too many upsells
2. Breakdance
Breakdance is a feature-rich page builder plugin, which is also released as a freemium product. However, the free version of Breakdance is not available on WordPress.
Instead, you can only download the free version Breakdance on its official website.
The free version of Breakdance offers lots of useful features. First, you can access more than 50 design elements, including the Form element which you can use to create a form.
Second, you can also use its popup builder although the trigger types are limited to element click.
Third, you can create a custom template for your site parts like header, footer, and single post.
Yes right, you can use its theme builder feature for free although the elements you can add are limited.
Breakdance offers four container types which you can arrange your design element: Section, Column, Grid, and Div.
It also has a feature to disable the theme on your website so that you can use Breakdance to design the entire parts of your website.
I have published an in-depth review of Breakdance in case you want to learn more about it. In the review, I compare all the features available in the free version and pro version of Breakdance.
Breakdance Pros:
- Easy to use
- Tons of design elements
- Tons of design options
- Advanced responsive editing feature
- Useful pre-made templates
- Complementary features (form builder and popup builder)
Breakdance Cons:
- Doesn’t support add-on
- Requires extra effort to install
3. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is also released as a freemium plugin. Compared to Elementor and Breakdance, the design elements available on the free version of Beaver Builder are fewer. In Beaver Builder, a design element is called a module.
Beaver Builder doesn’t offer page templats on the free version. Some modules offered by the pro version of Beaver Builder are form, pricing table, slider, blog post, social icons, map and so on.
Although the modules available on the free version are very limited, Beaver Builder is a great option if you are an agency as you can use one license for as many sites as you want.
As a comparison, one Elementor license can only be used for a single site.
Beaver Builder has an add-on called Beaver Themer which you can use to create layouts for archive pages, template an entire post type, search pages and 404 pages.
The add-on is only available on the pro version.
Beaver Builder Pros:
- Minimalist
- Easy to use
- Tonds of design options
Beaver Builder Cons:
- Tiered pricing plans
- The free version is too basic
4. Visual Composer
Visual Composer is another page builder that is released as a freemium product. Thus, you can use it for free although there are limitations here and there.
Same as Beaver Builder, the free version Visual Composer also comes with limited design elements, but you can unlock the custom CSS feature with the free version.
If you have CSS knowledge, you can leverage this feature to add custom style to your design.
You can apply custom CSS locally on a specific element.
Apart from custom CSS, you can also insert JavaScript code snippets to your design, which is quite useful to enter tracking code.
Visual Composer Pros:
- Relatively easy to use
- Complete enough feature
Visual Composer Cons:
- A bit painful to access pre-made templates
- Unnecessary integrations
5. Brizy
If you love something minimalist, Brizy might suit you. It is a lightweight page builder that is compatible with any theme.
At first, you will feel that the editing experience offered by Brizy is a bit similar to Gutenberg where it presents a floating formatting bar for text and other elements.
A dedicated settings panel is also available to access more advanced design options. The panel also lies at the right side just like Gutenberg.
Brizy offers way more design options than Gutenberg, however. It also comes with advanced features like global settings, advanced responsive editing and so on.
Template library is also available to allow you to create a page more quickly.
Brizy Pros:
- Lightweight editor
- Easy to use
- Complete enough features
- Tons of design options
- Global elements
- Global settings
Brizy Cons:
- The free version is too basic
- The editor is painful on smaller screen
6. Themify Builder
Themify Builder is a page builder plugin developed by Themify, a WordPress theme and plugin developer. This plugin is available as an integral of the themes developed by Themify and as a standalone plugin.
The standalone version is available for free. If you are interested in using the plugins developed by Themify, you can buy the bundled version of Themify Builder.
Themify Builder itself is a feature-rich page builder plugin. It comes with features like flexbox layout, form builder, custom CSS to responsive editing where you can easily disable or enable a certain element on a specific device or two.
The editor of Theme Builder has a breadcrumbs feature to make it easier for you to switch between row, column and the actual design elements.
Animation features like entrance animation, sticky effect and CSS transform are also available.
The best part of Themify Builder is that all of its features are accessible on the free version. With its free version, you can also create a form and connect it with services like Mailchimp, Mailerlite to ActiveCampaign.
Themify Builder Pros:
- Lightweight editor
- Tons of free features
- Tons of design elements
- Tons of design options
- Global styles
- Compatible with any WordPress theme
- Support third-party integrations
Themify Builder Cons:
- Steep learning curve for new users
7. SeedProd
SeedProd was originally designed to become a coming soon plugin, but it has evolved to become a full-fledged page builder plugin just like Elementor and other plugins above.
It also has a super easy-to-use visual editor with drag-and-drop experience, a responsive editing feature and a bunch of design elements. Pre-made templates are also available for quicker page creation.
SeedProd offers similar page editing experience as Themify Builder and Elementor where it has a centralized panel to do everything.
Some free design elements offered by SeedProd are button, image, video, list and text. Some other basic elements like icon are not available on the free version. SeedProd offers column as the largest container to arrange your design layout.
You can actually add a contact form to your page with the free version of SeedProd, but you are required to install WPForms.
Apart from WPFroms, some SeedProd features also require other plugins.
FYI. SeedProd and WPForms are owned by the same parent company, Awesome Motive. No wonder if some of SeedProd features require other Awesome Motive-owned plugins to work.
SeedProd Pros:
- Easy to use
- Responsive editing feature is available
- Compatible with any theme
- Useful JavaScript snippet inserter
SeedPros Cons:
- Too many plugin dependencies
- The elements on the free version are too basic
List of Paid Page Builder Plugins for WordPress
| Key highlights | Usage stat | |
|---|---|---|
| Divi Builder | The best solution for agencies and freelancers. Offers tons of design options to build professional websites. Has a well-established ecosystem. | 1,600,000+ live websites |
| WPBakery | A great solution to build a single project. | 2,000,000 live websites |
| Cornerstone | Offers tons of advanced design features. A great solution to build a single project. | 32,000+ live websites |
| Avada Builder | Tons of design elements to reduce the need of installing too many plugins. | 400,000 live websites |
| tagDiv Composer | A great solution to build a magazine-style website. | 90,000 live websites |
1. Divi Builder
Divi Builder is the third most used page builder for WordPress, right behind Elementor and WPBakery. It is used by over 1 million active websites on the internet.
Its developer company, Elegant Themes, is currently super busy developing the Divi 5.
Divi Builder is a bit different from other page builders on the list in terms of availability. It is available in two versions: as an integral part of the Divi theme and as a standalone plugin.
If you use the Divi theme on your website, then you don’t need to install an extra plugin to use Divi Builder.
In Divi Builder, a design element is called a module. Some modules that you can use when building a website with Divi Builder are pricing table, icon, blog, counter, countdown timer, tabs, slider, form, call to action, toggles and so on.
Divi Builder also comes with advanced features like global elements, global settings, custom breakpoint, custom CSS, client mode and so on.
If you want to create a landing page to collect leads (email addresses), Divi Builder allows you to connect your form with popular email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign and so on.
Divi Builder is not free, but you can try it first before you buy.
If you want to learn more about all the features offered by Divi Builder, I have published a dedicated review you may want to read.
Divi Builder Pros:
- Simple pricing plan
- Tons of design options
- Tons of pre-made templates
- Advanced responsive editing feature
- Well-established ecosystem
- Extensible
- Extensive dynamic content support
- Extensive third-party integration support
- Custom CSS
- Excellent support
Divi Builder Cons:
- No free version
2. WPBakery
WPBakery is a paid plugin that is marketed via CodeCanyon. It has one thing in common as Divi Builder.
It offers a one-time purchase so you don’t need to spend a monthly or yearly budget to keep using this plugin in the future. The price of WPBakery is cheaper than Divi Builder as it costs only about $74. However, one license can only be used for one site.
Just like other page builder plugins above, WPBakery also comes with a drag and drop visual interface that allows you effortlessly create a beautiful page in WordPress.
Some content elements offered by WPBakery are pie chart, accordion form, image gallery, tabs, slider, button and so on.
WPBakery also offers pre-made page templates to save you time in creating a page.
WP Bakery Pros:
- Tons of design elements
- Relatively easy to use
WP Bakery Cons:
- No free version
- A bit painful to access pre-made templates
3. Cornerstone
Cornerstone is also marketed via CodeCanyon like WP Bakery. Although it is not as popular as WP Bakery, Cornerstone has more features and is better than WP Bakery in many areas.
It has a more modern editor and way more design elements. In Cornerstone, you can add elements like flipbox, icon to modal popup. Unfortunately, there is no form element available. To add a form to your page, you still need to install a dedicated form builder plugin.
Cornerstone offers 7 container types to arrange the layout of your design. Flexbox container and grid container are available. If you prefer to use sections and columns, these two container types are also available in the editor.
If you are interested in using Cornerstone, its developer offers a free resource where you can try the editor for free.
Cornerstone Pros:
- Tons of design options
- Advanced responsive editing feature
- Extensive dynamic content support
- Custom CSS
Cornerstone Cons:
- No form element
- Pricey. Limited to one website per purchase
4. Avada Builder
Avada Builder is a page builder plugin that is built exclusively for the Avada theme. You can’t use it on other themes. The plugin is available as a bundle when you buy the Avada theme on Themeforest
Avada Builder is one of the required plugins you need to install before you can build a website with the Avada theme.
The page builder itself comes with tons of useful design elements. If you want to add a form to your design, you don’t need to install an extra plugin as Avada Builder already has the element to add one. You can even create a multi-step form with it.
There are over 120 design elements offered by Avada Builder in total. It also comes with advanced features like responsive editing and custom CSS.
Avada Builder Pros:
- Tons of design options
- Tons of pre-made templates
- Advanced responsive editing feature
- Extensive dynamic content support
- Custom CSS
Avada Builder Cons:
- Can only be used on the Avada theme
- Lack of third-party integration support
5. tagDiv Composer
tagDiv Composer has one thing in common as Avada Builder. It is also built exclusively for a theme — Newspaper. The plugin is also available in the Newspaper bundle when you buy the theme on Themeforest.
It is one of the required plugins you need to install before you can use the Newspaper theme to build a website.
tagDiv Composer is a bit different from other page builders on the list in terms of use. It is designed specifically to build a magazine-style WordPress website. It comes with some design elements (called shortcodes) aimed at displaying blog posts in a wide range of styles.
From grid style, list style to slider style.
However, you can also use tagDiv Composer to build a more static page just like homepage, about page, contact page and so on.
tagDiv Composer Pros:
- A great solution to create a magazine-style website
- Tons of design options
- Tons of pre-made templates
tagDiv Composer Cons:
- The editor is a bit clumsy
- Requires steep learning curve
Summary: Which Page Builder You Should Use?
Choosing a page builder for WordPress can be challenging due to so many options available. Just because a page builder is popular, it doesn’t mean you have to use it if it doesn’t fit your needs.
If you are an agency, for instance, Divi Builder could be the best option. It has a super simple licensing in which you can install Divi Builder on as many websites as you want with only a single subscription account.
The best part, it offers a lifetime membership to save yearly expenses.
Elementor, on the other hand, is still the best page builder when it comes to feature and flexibility. You can simply install an add-on to add certain features.
Other page builders on the list are also worth trying. To minimize the risk, you can always start from the free version during the testing period.
Or if the page builder you want to use is a paid product, you can take advantage of its trial version if available.
