Page builders are a blessing.
For those of us who do not know how to want to code, drag and drop builders help us design pages effortlessly.
However, when it comes to picking the right page builder plugin, things can get tricky. With several leading products in the WordPress space — the most popular being Elementor, WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer), and Beaver Builder — having to choose one, can be tough.
But, worry not. We’ve got a detailed comparison guide that’ll help you compare the plugins on certain parameters:
- Page Builder Elements
- Customization Options
- Editing Control
- Settings
And at the end of this article, you’ll be able to zero down on the best page builder plugin for you. Let’s begin.
Elementor vs WPBakery Page Builder vs Beaver Builder
1. Page Builder Elements
Top page builders have a ton of ready-to-use elements. A large number means you have more options to create different structures. The common widgets available in all the three page-builders are:
- Rows, Columns, Sections
- Text, Headings
- Images, Video, Gallery
- Icons, Icons Group
- Icon/Image Box
- Button, CTA
- Image/Post/Content Slider
- Accordion, Tabs
- Testimonial
- Menu, Sidebar
- Social Buttons
- Progress Bar, Counters
These page builders go a step ahead and include ready-to-use templates which are essentially pre-set layouts for your pages that include these elements.
WPBakery contains the most number of page builder elements, with add-ons to the plugin such as Ultimate Addons by Brainstorm Force, offering an additional set of blocks. Although Beaver Builder contains the least number of elements, the set is good enough to design a clean and simple website.
| Elementor | WPBakery | Beaver Builder | |
| ELEMENTS | ~80 | >80 | ~30 |
| Pricing Table | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Separator | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Flip Box | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Animated Headline | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Button Group, Dual Button | ✓ | ||
| Timeline | ✓ | ||
| WooCommerce Elements | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
2. Customization Options
While it’s good to be able to choose the element you want to use, some control over its look and feel is even better. Most page builders offer the option to change the colors, font, background, margin, padding of these elements.
However, Beaver Builder comes with a unique visibility option to hide or show an element for guest visitors or logged in users.
| Elementor | WPBakery | Beaver Builder | |
| Custom Colors | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Custom Font | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Background Customization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Animations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shape Dividers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Margin and Padding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Visibility Options | ✓ |
3. Editing Control
Page Builders have to be easy to use. Interaction should be smooth and quick. And, you should be able to view changes you’re making in real-time. While this is a basic requirement that all three of the plugins meet, Elementor offers the best user-interface.
If you’re used to WPBakery or Elementor, Beaver Builder can seem a bit tricky to use. But then once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty good.
WPBakery is probably the slowest plugin out of the lot – especially when it comes to front-end editing, but then, it offers an alternative backend editor, which is unique.
| Elementor | WPBakery | Beaver Builder | |
| Front-end Editing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Back-end Editing | ✓ | ||
| Responsive Editing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edit and Save Templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Save as Drafts | ✓ |
4. Settings
Standard settings are present in all plugins. These options are good enough to create any kind of website. A word of advice, it’s always good to set your theme or branding colors as part of the global settings so that your elements blend well on your website.
| Elementor | WPBakery | Beaver Builder | |
| Use Selective Elements | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Translation-Ready | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Default Styling | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Global Settings | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Now that we’ve taken a look at how these plugins differ, let’s take a closer look at each.
Elementor Page Builder
Elementor, by far, is the simplest-to-use page builder plugin among its competitors. It’s immensely popular and offers a good set of elements even in its free version. The Pro version is leaps better than the free counterpart in terms of the number of structural widgets.
There are several extensions available for the Elementor plugin to increase the feature set. For example, Blocks Builder makes the plugin compatible with Gutenberg. Unlimited Elements offers an extensive list of advanced widgets like Hover Box, Timeline, Open-Close Hours, and more.
Elementor also integrates with several leading WordPress plugins and services like WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, MailChimp, HubSpot, etc.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Comprehensive template and block library
- Responsive editing and preview
- Feature-rich free version
- No shortcodes that lead to lock-in
Cons
- No Whitelabel version
- Limited header customization options
WPBakery Page Builder
When it comes to picking a page builder that has the most number of elements, WPBakery Page Builder (formerly Visual Composer) is the clear winner. It offers a plethora of blocks that you probably don’t need any extensions, even though you have options.
WPBakery offers every imaginable option to customize an element. It also has a set of ready-to-use templates you can use. This makes it very easy to devise highly creative and modern websites with the plugin.
But one infamous drawback of WPBakery is that it locks you in. The fact that it makes use of shortcodes means there’s a lot of messy codes left behind in case you ever decide to not use the plugin. WPBakery slows down the WordPress backend. But any serious impact on frontend performance is yet to be proven.
Pros
- Extensive element set and templates
- Multiple customization options
- Unique element list without extensions
- Social media elements
Cons
- Option overload
- Shortcodes lead to lock-in
- No free version
- Poor support
Beaver Builder
If you’re looking for a popular and highly-rated drag and drop page builder plugin, Beaver Builder might just be it. Although the free version has a bare minimum set of elements, it’s good enough to get you started.
Beaver Builder is light-weight, offers some one-of-a-kind features- like an option to save live page edits as drafts, the option to toggle elements based on login status, or a ready theme- and boasts of awesome support.
Along with the pro version of the plugin, it’s highly recommended to use an extension like Ultimate Addons, to build advanced websites. Regarding usability, UI can need some getting used to.
Pros
- Save edits as drafts
- Responsive editing
- Gutenberg compatibility
- Good support
- White-labeling option
Cons
- Limited elements set
- Basic customization options
Elementor vs WPBakery vs Beaver Builder: Final Thoughts
Out of the three, Elementor is a safe option. It’s got a good set of features, is easy to use, and has a formidable free version for you to try out. Even though it has limited features,
Beaver Builder is a great contender owing to its clean code and responsive support.
The reason for WPBakery’s popularity is that it is one of the earliest page builder plugins. It’s the most comprehensive of the lot but according to several reviews on the web, the most problematic too. Go for WPBakery if you want to build extremely advanced looking websites, or want minor control on all elements without having to touch a line of code.
Which page builder caught your attention? Are there any questions you have about Elementor or WPBakery or Beaver Builder? Tell us your thoughts.
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