If you’re trying to find an easy way to build your WordPress website, we’ve put together the best WordPress page builders and compared them. WordPress page builder plugins are super handy if you want a professional-looking website FAST!
WordPress page builders enable you to create, edit and customise your website without needing to learn to code. But with the amount of page builder plugins available, how will you know which is the best one to use? That’s why we’ve taken the time to install each page builder plugin mentioned in this article to give you an honest and unbiased opinion of it.
Why use a drag and drop page builder for WordPress?
If you’ve never created a blog or website before, building your website from scratch can be overwhelming. Although WordPress is a powerful place to build a website, it can take sometime to learn. Even now I still struggle with elements of it and I’ve been using it for years.
When you download a theme from WordPress or other sources, customising it can be difficult without any coding knowledge. When you’ve used other website builders like Wix and Weebly, you may wish that WordPress had drag and drop functionality.
Although WordPress isn’t a drag and drop website builder, you can install plugins that make it so. As you can imagine, because WordPress is open-source, there’s plenty of great (and not so great) plugins available. This is why I felt the need to compare them! Below is a list of the best drag and drop page builders for WordPress (in no particular order).
What about WordPress block editor (Gutenberg)?
The WordPress block editor (also known as Gutenberg), recently became WordPress’s default editor. As the name suggests, the block editor uses blocks (or elements) that you can drag and drop onto your site.
People seem to be questioning whether the block editor counts as a page builder in itself. If so, would there be any need for other drag and drop page builder plugins?
If you’re looking to create beautifully designed WordPress websites and layouts, my suggestion is to use a page builder plugin. The block editor, although good, isn’t a match for the list below.
Potentially in the future you could combine some plugins with Gutenberg and not have to spend money on a drag and drop editor. However, in its current state, I would suggest using one of the recommended plugins below.
#1: Divi
Divi is a plugin for WordPress that combines a drag and drop theme creator and page builder. Divi is incredibly easy to use which is why I love it so much (and recommend it). There’s well over 20 templates to get started with to kickstart your inspiration.
Divi is a perfect option for beginners due to its WYSIWYG nature. It’s visual editor makes it easy to get started on any website in minutes. Whilst you’re developing your site, you can preview all of your work immediately without having to save drafts and click on separate previews.
There’s almost 50 content modules to play around with (and use of course). You can drag and drop these anywhere on the layout of your site, and remove them in the same way. You can customise each element and there’s even advanced settings if you’re feeling adventurous.
One the features I find unique about Divi is the fact you can save layouts for later use. If you’ve created something that you love but don’t want to use it right now, simply save your Divi layout and retrieve it another time.
Although the Divi builder supports the Divi theme, you can use it with any WordPress theme making it very versatile.
For just £71 per year, you’ll have unlimited access to Divi, Extra, Bloom, Monarch and more. Alternatively if you want lifetime access it will cost you £198 as a one off fee. This is easily one of the most affordable page builder plugins on the market.
#2: Elementor
You’ve probably heard of Elementor before. It’s extremely popular for many WordPress users. Elementor is a live drag and drop page builder. You can see your changes in real-time as you’re creating and editing your website.
Creating sections is really easy. All you need to do is choose the number of columns for each section and get cracking! The drag and drop functionality is pretty self explanatory. A selection of widgets are available to use; simply drag and drop them onto your site.
One of Elementor’s defining features for me is the extent of their widgets. There’s SO many to choose from including basic text widgets, sliders, testimonials, icons and social media. You can customise each widget within its own settings, as well as using third party widgets. By third party I mean other plugins that aren’t Elementor.
Much like Divi, Elementor comes with a selection of templates to start building from. If you’re stuck for inspiration, these are a good place to start. You can edit any of the elements on the templates or replace them with a choice of your own.
Elementor does have a FREE version, but it’s limited. You’ll have access to 30 basic widgets and the page builder, but nothing else. The pro version starts from £39 per year for 1 site. Or £79 per year for 3 sites. If you want to use Elementor on up to 1,000 sites it will cost you £158 which is only slightly less than Divi’s unlimited lifetime plan.
#3: Beaver Builder
Beaver Builders is pretty great from the offset. There’s an onboarding tour to get you stared so you can quickly learn the interface. The premium page builder is very fast and powerful and boasts a live drag and drop interface.
As with some other drag and drop page builders, you can see your changes as you make them. I found it was really easy to use, dragging and dropping elements from the sidebar. You can also customise any of the elements by clicking on them to make them more to your own liking.
Regardless of what you want to use Beaver Builder for, there’s elements to suit almost every user. From sliders to carousels, buttons to content blocks. You’ll find over 30 templates to get you started if you want something pre-built.
Beaver Builder is compatible with the latest version of WordPress (which is always a relief). You can try out a live demo of Beaver Builder before you buy it. The standard plan will cost you £79 but won’t include Beaver Builder themes or be multisite capable. The Pro version costs £158 and Agency costs £317.
#4: Visual Composer
Visual Composer‘s site builder is very user friendly and offers a simple drag and drop tool. You can use the available elements to build your website the way you want it.
It offers a front end editor so you can see your changes as you make them. Unlike any of the other plugins mentioned in this list so far, Visual Composer gives you the option of advanced editing. You can edit your logo, headers and footers, menus and more.
When you drag and drop an element on your site, you can edit the element. This allows you to customise anything in the way you want to. The editor itself is easy to use and understand. You can add and edit backgrounds, carousels, slideshows, videos etc.
I’ve used Visual Composer with many WordPress themes and can vouch for its compatibility. You can switch and change themes without worrying about losing your data. There’s support for the new Gutenberg editor, Yoast SEO, and Google Fonts.
Visual Composer have a free version of their plugin which gives you lifetime access but of course has limitations. Pricing plans start from £47 per year which gives you access for one website, premium elements, templates etc. For 3 websites it will cost you £118, or £277 for agencies with unlimited websites.
#5: Themify
Themify is actually a theme shop where you can purchase said themes. Themify Builder is included with all themes but you can install it separately as a solo page builder.
Themify Builder has a selection of pre-built modules to get you started with straight away. My experience of it is that it’s very intuitive and easy to use. My only real gripe with it is that a lot of the modules require you to install other plugins for them to work.
Themify comes with over 40 layouts that are ready to use. Of course you can customise them, but if you want something out of the box, it’s there for the taking. There’s plenty of versatility, with themes covering gyms, restaurants and even online stores.
Themify Builder is quick to get the hang of. You can build landing pages within minutes and get your site live in a few simple steps. Similar to Divi, you can make changes to your site in the live environment. I’ve never had any issues with Themify and found it to be very reliable.
The Themify Builder is free to download and works with any WordPress theme. If you want a theme to go with it, 1 theme will cost £47 and offer 1 year support. If you want a bit more for your money the Master Club will cost you £71 and comes with 42 themes, photoshop files, plugins and more. The Lifetime Club costs £198 and as it says on the tin, lasts a lifetime.
#6: SiteOrigin
SiteOrigin is one of the more popular site builder plugins, statistically. It has over 1 million active installations as it offers a responsive drag and drop page builder experience that’s easy to use. When I’ve used SiteOrigin, regardless of the device I was using, the page builder ensured the layout was responsive (great for SEO).
One of the main reasons SiteOrigin is so popular is because it’s free. Who doesn’t love free?! Some users have reported that they’ve struggled with getting used to the plugin to begin with, but once you get used to it there shouldn’t be any issues.
With SiteOrigin you can use WordPress’s own widgets to your hearts desire. The plugin comes with a few of its own widgets too, but you can install any others should you wish. One of my favourite features of SiteOrigin is the history tool. You can undo and redo changes you’ve made so you don’t have to worry about losing any work.
The Best WordPress Page Builder Plugins
Comparing the best page builder plugins for WordPress was very enjoyable. I mean, at times it wasn’t easy, as they all have really good points to them. Going through each one, the clear winner for me has to be Divi.
Divi is ideal for beginners and experts alike. There’s plenty of content modules, templates, and their drag and drop functionality is one of the best. A lifetime licence will cost you £198 and gives you some awesome features. If you’re building lots of sites, I’d highly recommend it.
That being said, I certainly wouldn’t dismiss the other drag and drop page builder plugins. They all have their own unique features which may suit some users better than others. They are most definitely worth a look at, even if you opt for a free version (or trial if they offer it).
So, that’s it – the best WordPress Page Builders compared (for 2019 so far). I’m going to keep my eyes peeled and will keep testing out and installing plugins throughout the year. If things change or if I discover anything new, I’ll be sure to update this list.