Okay folks, you’ve been building WordPress themes with Elementor and it’s been working pretty well. But maybe you’re starting to feel limited or have some pain points with it. Or perhaps you’re just looking to expand your toolkit. Well either way, it’s time you checked out some solid Elementor alternatives for theme building.
In this post, we’ll take a peek at a few of the top options, from lightweight to more fully-featured. You’ll get the run down on their standout features, strengths and weaknesses, and how they stack up to Elementor. We’ll talk about pricing, learning curves, customization possibilities, and more. The goal is to equip you to make an informed decision about the best Elementor alternative for your specific theme building needs. Shall we dive in?
Why You Might Want an Alternative to Elementor
Elementor is a popular page builder for WordPress, but it may not suit all your needs. Here are a few reasons you might want to consider an alternative:
You want more customization options. While Elementor offers a lot of flexibility, some builders provide even more granular control over content elements, styling, and templates. You may prefer something like Divi Builder, Beaver Builder or Oxygen Builder which offer a bit more customization.
You need more developer-focused features. Some page builders have additional features aimed at developers like custom post types, taxonomies and REST API integration. If you’re building complex themes, check out options like Beaver Builder, Brizy or Oxygen.
You want a lightweight option. Elementor can be resource-intensive, which may impact your site’s performance. Look at lighter-weight alternatives like GeneratePress, Astra or OceanWP which also have basic page building functionality built-in.
You prefer a front-end editor. Some builders like Divi, Beaver Builder and Brizy allow you to edit content directly on the frontend of your site. This WYSIWYG approach may suit you better than Elementor’s backend editor.
You need multilingual support. Elementor does offer some multilingual features, but builders like Divi, Beaver Builder, and Oxygen have more robust support for building multilingual sites. They integrate well with plugins like WPML, Polylang and Weglot.
You want lifetime access. While Elementor is free to use, their pro modules are sold on a yearly subscription basis. Some builders like Divi, Beaver Builder and Brizy offer lifetime licenses which could save money in the long run.
In the end, it comes down to your specific needs and preferences. Elementor is a great option for many, but for some the alternatives may be better suited. Comparing the features, customization options, ease of use and cost will help determine the best page builder for your next WordPress theme or site.
Top 5 Elementor Alternatives for Building WordPress Themes
Some of the best Elementor alternatives for building WordPress themes are:
Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a popular WordPress theme builder that is easy to use. It has a drag and drop interface to create responsive page layouts. You get access to professionally designed templates and the ability to save your own for reuse. It integrates with popular page builders like Elementor and works with any WordPress theme. The pro version adds features like role-based access control, custom modules, and white labeling.
Divi
Divi is an all-in-one WordPress theme and visual page builder. It provides over 40 content elements to choose from like sliders, galleries, contact forms, and more. You can build custom page layouts using the drag and drop builder and save them as templates to reuse. Divi comes with dozens of pre-made layouts for blogs, shops, portfolios and other pages. The Divi Builder plugin can be used with any WordPress theme. Divi is a popular choice for agencies and freelancers.
Thrive Architect
Thrive Architect is a frontend drag and drop page builder plugin for WordPress. It provides over 50 content elements and blocks to create custom page layouts. You get access to many conversion-focused templates for sales pages, opt-in forms, and landing pages. Thrive Architect integrates with email marketing services like MailChimp and AWeber. The pro version unlocks additional features like 404 pages, header/footer builder, and popups.
Oxygen Builder
Oxygen is a drag and drop page builder plugin for WordPress with a modern interface. It gives you full flexibility to build custom page layouts and post templates. Oxygen has a library of elements like sliders, tabs, accordions, and more. You can save sections and rows as global blocks to reuse across pages. The pro version provides additional features like conditions, states, and dynamic data. Oxygen works with any WordPress theme.
Brizy Builder
Brizy is an easy to use visual page builder for WordPress. It allows you to create responsive page layouts by dragging and dropping content elements. You get access to many ready-made templates, blocks, and sections that can be customized. Brizy integrates with WooCommerce, LearnDash, and other popular plugins. The pro version unlocks white-labeling, popup builder, forms, and global blocks. Brizy can be used as a standalone page builder or together with the Brizy WordPress theme.
Key Differences Between Elementor and Popular Alternatives
Elementor is a popular drag and drop page builder for WordPress, but it’s not the only option. Some alternative page builders have different strengths that may suit your needs better.
Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a bit more developer-focused than Elementor. It has more features aimed at custom theme building and development. The interface is also a bit more complex. However, it results in more flexibility and control. Beaver Builder integrates well with WordPress and has a lot of extensions and integrations available. If you want to build complex custom themes, Beaver Builder is a great choice.
Divi
Divi focuses on beautiful pre-made layouts and styles to help non-developers build great looking sites quickly. It provides a large library of pre-made sections, pages and templates to choose from. You just drag and drop the elements you want, customize the colors and content, and you have a professional page. Divi isn’t quite as flexible as Elementor or Beaver Builder though. It’s a bit limited if you want to build truly custom designs. However, for quickly assembling a stylish site, Divi can’t be beaten.
Thrive Architect
Thrive Architect, from Thrive Themes, is another popular page builder plugin for WordPress. It has a simple drag and drop interface with many styled elements, sections and templates to choose from. A big focus of Thrive Architect is conversion optimization. It provides many tools to help capture emails, get more shares and increase sales on your site. If you want an easy to use page builder that helps boost conversions, Thrive Architect is a great choice.
In the end, the page builder you choose comes down to your needs, skills, and priorities. Elementor can work for many uses but its alternatives have strengths that may match your needs even better. Comparing the differences in features, flexibility, pre-made options and integrations can help determine the right solution for your next WordPress theme or project.
Conclusion
So there you have it – some great options beyond Elementor if you’re looking for alternative site builders to use for crafting custom WordPress themes. Each platform brings something unique to the table based on features, templates, ease of use, and more. Just remember to consider your specific needs and goals before choosing one. And don’t be afraid to give a couple a test run to get hands-on and see which builder feels like the best fit for you and your workflow. With the right theme builder choice, you’ll be pumping out beautiful, conversion-focused WordPress sites in no time!