A WordPress page builder or visual layout is a type of software that helps you design web pages easily. Here’s a comparison of our five favorite WordPress page builders.
With these visual layouters, instead of having to edit HTML or PHP files, you can add or move elements on the page, all within a visual interface. That is why they are often called drag and drop.
Why use a Page Builder?
People have long had two options to create a website: use a CMS (content management system) like WordPress, or a page builder like Weebly or Wix.
WordPress is currently the most popular CMS, and it offers a lot of premium themes with great designs. However, the CMS is not that user-friendly when it comes to design, and users need to know how to edit the code to modify WordPress themes. However, a page builder plugin eliminates the need for any programming skills as they offer a visual drag-and-drop interface.
Such user interfaces allow you to freely place elements such as text, widgets or tools on the pages.
Due to their ease of use, page builders or visual layout designers are rapidly growing in popularity. Page builders are a great way to create a website without the hassle.
And using a CMS like WordPress is still the best option to have a truly powerful website, as it gives us the opportunity to create web pages using a visual drag and drop interface, by installing one of the page builder plugins. Now let’s see our favorites.
The best WordPress page builders
1.
Elementor is one of the most famous WordPress page builders or visual layout designers to date. Despite its relatively recent release in 2016, this plugin has already achieved over a million active installs.
This WordPress page builder has a free version, which does not have as many features as the premium one. There are three premium plans to choose from: Personal, Business, and Unlimited.
The Personal plan is $49 and only accepts one website. If you are just starting out, this plan will be the best for you. For three sites, you can purchase the Business plan for $99. The Unlimited plan, on the other hand, accepts any number of websites for $199. All plans are yearly.
The free version of Elementor gives you 40 templates and 30 basic widgets. The free widgets include cool features like image carousels and custom HTML elements. Some items are seemingly trivial but aren’t available with the free plan, like Facebook items, price lists, and navigation menus.
If you plan to open one, the paid plans are better. In addition to 22 professional widgets, you also get 18 WooCommerce widgets. You can also access Elementor marketing integrations like MailChimp and HubSpot.
Aside from the fantastic offerings above, Elementor has some unique features. Responsive web pages are not something new, but with Elementor you can even hide elements on the mobile version of the site.
To facilitate batch design, Elementor allows you to edit widgets that are present on all pages at once. This way you don’t need to modify each page individually for those elements. You can also make header and footer templates to save even more time.
When you disable a page builder, it usually leaves shortcodes behind; the codes behind your widgets. Elementor leaves none of that. However, the style of the texts is maintained.
two.
SiteOrigin is a lightweight and simple page builder plugin compared to Elementor. However, it is one of the most prominent as it currently has more than a million active users.
SiteOrigin isn’t just simple; it is also free even though it offers a premium version. The free version has 23 widgets (including post carousel, image and video slider, and pricing table) and 25 templates. Some people may not be satisfied with the limited selection of widgets that SiteOrigin offers. However, it is compatible with most WordPress widgets.
The premium version is available for a one-time payment of US$29. Very good price, right? Along with your purchase, you get an additional 17 widgets, email support, and free future updates. Some of the additional widgets are enhancements to the free ones, while others are exclusive to the premium version. They include a parallax image slider, custom post type builder, and widget animation.
What makes SiteOrigin unique is its editor. Contrary to many other page builders, this one has two. First, there is the live editor, which allows you to see changes in real time. Aside from that, you can also edit or add pages through the WordPress backend.
The live editor has two panels: editor and preview. You can’t edit in the preview pane, but with SiteOrigin you get undo and redo features not available in other WordPress page builders.
SiteOrigin is even better if you understand CSS (cascading style sheets). CSS is a programming language that modifies the display of HTML elements. Every time you edit a widget, you can add or modify its CSS styling.
Unfortunately, SiteOrigin doesn’t delete everything when you disable it, and some buttons usually leave a shortcode behind.
3.
Despite not having as many active downloads as the previous two visual builders, Beaver Builder is not a new name in the industry. More than 500 thousand WordPress websites use this page builder today.
There are two versions of Beaver Builder: lite and paid. The lite version is free; and while it includes some useful features, it only has five widgets: text editor, photo, video, sidebar, and HTML element. This last feature allows you to use shortcodes to embed WordPress widgets. The lite version does not have any template.
The paid version of Beaver Builder is available in three annual subscription plans: Standard ($99), Pro ($199), and Agency ($399). All of them allow you to use Beaver Builder for an unlimited number of websites. However, the Pro plan adds multi-site capabilities; and the Agency plan has multi-site network settings and a white label feature.
The multi-site capability allows you to reconfigure the layout with just a few clicks every time you create a new site. If that’s not enough, the multi-site network setup gives you the same authority, but for one network.
The white label feature is good news for web design companies. With it you can use Beaver Builder as if it were your own service by replacing the Beaver Builder and texts with your own.
The paid version has 24 additional widgets, including the post carousel, post slider, and a subscription form. Plus, you get 56 templates to get you started.
Like SiteOrigin, Beaver Builder lets you get creative with CSS customization. Other than that, you can interact with your site preview in the visual editor. You can even edit texts directly on it.
Beaver Builder does not leave shortcodes after deactivation.
Four.
Don’t let Live Composer’s lack of popularity fool you. It is definitely a tool worth considering. It has more than 50 thousand active installations and a very high rating in the WordPress plugin directory.
For those who don’t have a big budget, Live Composer is a good option. This WordPress page builder is almost completely free. You get a functional drag and drop editor with live preview and compatibility with a , completely free.
The free version offers you 40 widgets, such as tabs, accordion menu, testimonial box and more. On top of that, you get a portfolio website template and a blank template.
There is an extension pack that has 12 premium widgets like custom post type and before/after image sliders. The price depends on the number of sites. The annual subscription costs $49 for one site, $79 for five sites, and $99 for unlimited sites.
In addition to the extension pack, you can also find WooCommerce extensions. This is the same price as the standard extension pack and helps to create a complete online store website. You get unique templates for product pages, a product listing grid, checkout page, and customer account.
Other than that, Live Composer can co-exist with most and does not leave shortcodes after deactivation.
5.
As the name implies, this is a WordPress landing page generator. A landing page is where people land immediately after clicking on a link or banner ad. This page should only contain the most essential information about your site, and it has to convince people to stick around and find out more. This is critical to improve marketing.
The PluginOps page builder comes in three flavors. There’s the Beginner plan, which is $3.66 per month for a domain; the Advanced plan, which is US$4.99 also for a domain; and the Business plan, which is $10.99 for three domains.
The difference between the Advanced and Beginner plans is the subscription feature. With the Advanced plan you can create both popup and full page forms.
Other than that, this WordPress page builder offers a visual editor with a drag and drop layout like the others on this list. Regardless of the plan you use, you receive 28 widgets that include custom JavaScript, CSS, and shortcode areas.
Summary
Now you are ready to create a WordPress site with a page builder. Most of them, like the ones in the list above, offer a live editor feature, while also offering different widget packages with varying prices. That is why you should choose the one that suits your needs. If you have questions or want to suggest other page builders, leave a comment below!
Gustavo is passionate about creating websites. He focuses on the application of SEO strategies at for Spain and Latin America, as well as the creation of high-level content. When he is not applying new WordPress tricks you can find him playing the guitar, traveling or taking an online course.
Facebook Comments
Disqus