Page builders have become the disdain for some and a savior for others. Regardless of your point of view, page builders are here to stay.
But, you’re reading this because you’ve probably already decided to take the plunge into page builders yourself.
Jump straight to the conclusion, Elementor vs Divi (2019 update)
So, it’s not a question of whether or not a page builder is right for you, but which one to choose.
Maybe you’re an absolute beginner, novice or WordPress hobbyist looking to take your your website to the next level in styling. Perhaps you’re a WordPress developer looking to use your time more efficiently by saving yourself hours of hand coding stylistic changes into your editor.
On one hand, page builders are a godsend for those who don’t know how to code but want to create beautiful websites.
On the other hand, developers complain that page builders add unnecessary weight and bloat, slows down a website’s speed, wrecks SEO and leaves behind a mess of shortcodes to clean up should you choose to change your page builder or even the theme itself.
Besides, what real developer would even contemplate the thought of using a page builder? Using page builders are a lot like riding mopeds, both can be fun until your friends see you with one.
Joking aside, in this blog post I’m not going to go into the argument of whether or not page builders are good or bad.
But only to compare two of the most popular WordPress page builders today, Elementor and Divi.
Unlike other reviews, there will be no declared winner. By the end of this comparison you should know which WordPress page builder is best for you.
Frontend interface
Let’s start with the frontend interfaces. Both page builders are drag and drop, meaning you simply click on the desired element, then drag it into the position you want it to appear on your web page and drop it into place. It’s as easy as that.
Divi
Divi has their elements displayed right on the page layout itself.
Basically, you just select the desired element and rearrange it in the order you’d like it to appear on the page.
You can even add extra elements from the additional modules included with the package.
Elementor
Whereas with Elementor, your elements are for the most part, provided in the left-hand column, thus giving you an empty canvas looking layout. You then select the desired element and arrange them in the way you want them to appear on your page.
As with Divi, you can also choose additional elements to add from the extra modules included in your package, Basic or Pro (the Pro version gives you many more elements to choose from).
Content modules
Both page builders provide you with added modules that you can use to enhance the look of your web pages and add more functionality to your website.
Divi
All Divi modules are included in their package.
Elementor
Unlike Divi, Elementor includes some of their modules with their Free Basic Package and then provides you with many more modules when you buy their Elementor Pro.
User reviews & experiences
After looking on Facebook and Twitter for comments by users about their experiences and not finding much, I decided to head on over to Reddit where I found way more comments than I needed nor cared to list, but here’s a few to get an idea:
Divi
Elementor
Reddit thread: Divi or Elementor?
Here is an interesting thread on Reddit discussing this very same topic. Check it out!
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wordpress/comments/8ktvah/new_to_wordpress_divi_or_elementor/
Which WordPress Page Builder Is Best For You?
There are many reviews out there comparing and contrasting various page builders on the market today. Originally, I had wanted to do a Divi vs Elementor head-to-head competition and choose the ultimate winner.
But page builders aren’t so cut and dry. It seems when one comes out with an update and improved features, then the other soon follows suit and vice versa.
Many of these improvements and new features are similar, if not the same, which makes it difficult to declare a true winner. However, both are unique enough in their strengths and weaknesses for you to be able to decide for yourself which one is best for you.
There are those in the developer community strongly opposed to using page builders all together, since the main drawbacks are jumbles of messy short codes, slower page loads as well as unnecessary weight and bloating of otherwise cleanly coded themes. However, whether we like it or not, page builders for the time being, are here to stay.
Which page builder is best for you actually depends on, not only your needs, but your experience and skill level as well. In the end, I believe the following two are the most important deciding factors between them, and they are different.
The two factors are: ease of use / user friendliness and price.
Ease of use / user friendliness
Divi
Divi is one of those themes/page builders, that users seem to either love or hate. One of the main advantages of Divi’s page builder is that although, it is an agnostic page builder and can be used with mostly any WordPress theme, it was originally built for the Divi theme itself. So updates of both the theme and page builder perfectly coincide with each other.
Another advantage of Divi is that they bundle the plug-in with their theme and not separately. This doesn’t seem to inflate the price in comparison to Elementor and I believe it’s Divi’s way to pull users into their world.
Now, I know you might be thinking, I don’t need the theme since I work with different themes etc. However, the advantages of working with one theme, one page builder specifically built for that theme and becoming an expert on it are too numerous to list here.
Elementor
Elementor’s rise in the WordPress page builder, plug-in universe has been nothing short of meteoric. It is now used on over 1 million websites and counting. This is in just under 2 years and for good reason.
Elementor is not only simplistic in design, but it’s also very intuitive and easy to use. This makes it ideal for first time WordPress users.
For experienced web developers looking to give page builders a shot, Elementor doesn’t seem to leave a mess of shortcodes behind unlike numerous reports from Divi users.
Plans and pricing
Divi
Divi also allows you to use not only the page builder plug-in but the theme as well on unlimited websites. Whether you go for their yearly package at $89 a year or the one time, lifetime price of $249, it’s an incredible deal.
Not only for the page builder itself, but for the themes and updates too. Although, Divi doesn’t have a free version, they do have a 30-day money back guarantee.
If you’re comfortable dealing with shortcodes or you want to become an expert in one theme and matching page builder then Divi is for you. This powerful combination can be used to duplicate multiple websites either for yourself or for clients.
Elementor
Even though the paid versions of Elementor Pro are more expensive than Divi, they are able to hook new and first time page builder users in with their free basic version. As with Divi, this is Elementor’s way of pulling users into their world as well.
However, one of the biggest gripes for using Elementor Pro is the pricing. At $49 per year you are limited to one website and the $99 per year only gives you an additional two websites.
Their $199 for unlimited websites is also per year only, unlike the $249 one time, lifetime price for unlimited websites that Divi offers. Divi even bundles their themes into the package.
Bottom line, Elementor is good for inexperienced web designers with little to no coding experience, who want to take their web developing skills to the next level.
For more seasoned web developers, adding Elementor can save countless hours of hand coding stylistic changes, without having to deal leaving too many messy shortcodes in your wake to deal with later on should you decide to change themes, page builders or simply ditch page builders all together.
Divi vs Elementor: How do they match up?
Divi | Elementor | |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin or theme? | Divi comes in both as a WordPress plugin as well as a WordPress theme. In fact, when you buy one, you get both, since the plugin is not sold separately. | Elementor comes as a WordPress plugin only and works with most themes (list here) that respect the coding standards of WordPress. |
| User friendly frontend editing interface? | Divi’s page builder has something for everyone. If you’re a beginner, you’ll quickly find the basic elements of this page builder very easy and quite intuitive to use. If you are an experienced developer you’ll soon discover all the advanced features that will help you create dynamic web pages for your clients, without the countless hours of writing the code yourself. | The beauty of the Elementor page builder is in its simplicity. As soon as you activate the plugin, you’ll see the interface is very easy and self-explanatory. Just drag and drop the elements onto the blank canvas, then fill in your content. You can also play around with the design and animation modules until you get the look you’re after. |
| Content retention after deactivation? | Yes, after you deactivate the plugin, the content you’ve created with it remains. However, none of the styling and formatting does, only shortcodes. And those short codes can be messy. | Yes, the pages and content created with Elementor should remain the same even after the plugin is deactivated. Although, some styles and formatting heavily depends on Elementor and may not work as well. Deactivating it may affect quite a number of the styles and formats used. However, the page still looks quite readable even with a some of the shortcodes left behind. |
| Speed and performance? | In reports from users and when compared to other page builders, Divi seemed a little slow in comparison. This is mainly due to the file sizes of all the modules and options for functionality this plugin has. So in many ways you are sacrificing speed for optionality. | Considering the options that users have in creating web pages and the simplicity that this plug-in offers, it’s Speed and Performance is right up there with the best of them. They accomplish this by actually making the file sizes a user has to download smaller, thus increasing its Speed and Performance. |
| Shortcode functionality? | If you’re into shortcoding, then this plugin is for you. Divi seems to have a short code for everything. They even have a library for them. Whatever the main features of this page builder doesn’t contain or can’t do, there will definitely be a shortcode out there for it. However, this can also create some problems. If you decide to stop using the page builder, or migrate to another one, you may be leaving behind a rough sea of shortcodes in your wake to sort out. | Elementor doesn’t have a shortcode library like DIvi. Although, they do have a widget that can be used for any shortcode including shortcodes from third-party plugins as well as shortcodes from saved templates. |
| Ready-to-use designs and layouts? | Divi has over 58 layout packs and they’re adding 2 new layouts every week, all right out of the box. This is just the beginning though. From those 58+ and counting premade layouts, you can make a variety of seemingly endless other layouts, all customised to suit your or your client’s web page needs. All savable, so you can use as your own custom templates. | Elementor has over 100+ pre-made and ready to use designs. On top of that you can also customise those original 100+ pre-made designs into countless other customised designed layouts. These designs are also savable. |
| Content modules | Divi comes with 46 content modules. Plus many other add-ons made from third-party developers. | Elementor comes with 29 content modules in the free Version + an extra 30 with the pro version. This is in addition to the many other add-ons made by third-party developers. |
| Theme compatibility? | The Divi page builder is compatible with most WordPress themes that respect the coding standards of WordPress (if you want to be sure just reach out to their support and ask). | Elementor is compatible with most WordPress themes that respect the coding standards of WordPress (if you want to be sure just reach out to their support and ask). |
| Plugin compatibility? | Yes. Although logically it works best with the Divi WordPress theme itself. | Yes. Because the Elementor plugin was designed as a page builder only, so it’s built to be used with most WordPress themes. |
| Support? | Divi has both online chat and email support. If chat is busy, they will email your answer to you. | Elementor has email only support. |
| Community? | Although, Divi doesn’t have a community forum on their website, they do have an active Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiviThemeUsers/ | Elementor doesn’t have a community forum on their website, but they do have an active Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Elementors/ |
| Free trial? | Divi doesn’t offer a free trial version. However, they do offer a 30 day money back guarantee if you aren’t happy with their product. | Elementor has a free version as well as a paid pro version. There is no free trial for the pro version, but it does have a 30 day money back guarantee. |
| Price? | Divi is $89 per year for unlimited sites. $249 is a one time payment for lifetime access and updates. | Elementor is $49 per year for 1 site. $99 is per year for 3 sites. $199 is per year for unlimited sites. |
So which WordPress page builder will you get?
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I used Divi several times (and bought the license) but I dropped it for Elementor PRO. Generally productivity and more efficient. I have access to many more CSS parameters without having to add code with Elementor, where with Divi I have to get hold of the code to get what I want.
Responsive and very accessible with Elementor and less complex than with Divi. But what I note since the use Elementor is that its evolution is fast and the new features are very oriented production and integration (Toolset, ACF, Pods …).
To conclude I note that today I develop a site in 2 times less time than before and this time earned I sell it elsewhere or I take the opportunity to supplement my knowledge!
Hi, nice article, thank you!
What you didn’t mention is that Elementor Pro has editors for Header, Footer and Page Templates for various types of pages. These features have been sneek-peaked for Divi as “Divi Theme Builder” but probably the Gutenberg thingy has distracted the developers. Admittedly there are fine third party Divi-plugins that add that functionality.
Second point: you repeatedly mention the “mess/sea of shortcodes”. This is only interesting if you leave a website as is, after changing Page Builders and/or themes. Hint: never a good idea. The shortcodes indicate the previous structure. If you don’t find that useful, there are plug-ins available to remove all Divi shortcodes in one sweep. I have the honour to have come up with the name of that plug-in: “Bye Bye Divi” 🙂
Speed: I have blazing fast Divi sites. If the hosting and caching are of good quality, the speed difference between E and D is neglectable for my average home page.
(For the record: I have 30, mostly Divi, sites running and I still love Divi although I recently started to throw Elementor in the mix, mainly to see how its Theme Builder delivers and to feel how it is without being ‘locked in’ by shortcodes that people are talking about. I’m not yet familiar enough with E’s interface to be able to give a fair comparison because I know Divi inside out.)
Great article. It really help me know that I had made the right choice with Divi, I have not made website in a long time so these new builder are new to me but Divi was the least expensive and I get a lot with the “free” version vs Elementor even what should be basic like a subscribe or email form you had to pay for the upgrade. However, Divi could be a little more concise for novice, they have lots of parts and not always clear on how they all work together, but seems like if I am going to invest the time to learn a builder, I am choosing Divi.
Hi What about thrive Architect i was planning to buy that, will you recommend?