8 Best WordPress Page Builder Plugins (2023 Edition)

What is the Best WordPress Page Builder Plugin?

Selecting an apt page builder plugin for your WordPress site can enhance your web design journey. Over the past few years, the realm of WordPress page builder plugins has experienced tremendous growth. Now, most of the contemporary builders offer features like drag-and-drop interfaces and extensive theme customization capabilities. In this article, we’ll deeply explore the key features, advantages, disadvantages, and pricing of various popular plugins.

1. Elementor Pro

Elementor Pro emerged in 2016 and significantly revolutionized the WordPress page builder scene. Unlike many of its contemporaries that operated on the backend, Elementor Pro introduced a live, frontend editor, making it stand out. Today, it boasts a user base that extends to over 13 million websites.

Key Features:

• Widgets: Easily craft web pages using over four dozen unique widgets.
• Landing Page Templates: Access to an array of pre-designed page templates.
• Block Templates: Convenient pre-designed sections including CTAs, About sections, and more.
• Global Options: Establish global color and font settings for consistent design across templates.
• Template Library: A repository allowing you to save and reuse your designs.
• Theme Builder: Enables design and customization of headers, footers, 404 pages, and other vital website elements.
• Popup and Form Builders: Lead generation and contact form creation tools.
• WooCommerce Integration: Comprehensive tools for e-commerce, including product page design.

Pros:

• It’s easy to learn and user-friendly.
• Features a drag-and-drop interface that simplifies nested designs.
• Compatible with a wide variety of themes.
• Functional across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Extensive third-party theme and plugin integration capabilities.
• Versatility allows users to design individual pages or entire websites.
• Offers a blank page template that eliminates headers and footers for a streamlined design.
• The Global widget facilitates creating a reusable widget template.
• Comes bundled with a free theme, the Hello theme, allowing for complete website design using just Elementor Pro.
• Supports motion effects, animations, and customizable section dividers.
• Allows padding and margin adjustments.
• Templates are transferable across WordPress sites.
• Provides a feature to add team notes to specific design elements.
• Contains a compact Navigator overlay for easy navigation.
• Includes a Favorites widget list for quick access to preferred widgets.
• Developer-friendly with provisions for custom CSS.
• Round-the-clock support for users.

Cons:

• Lacks a lifetime subscription option.
• No white label solutions available for developers and agencies.

Pricing: Elementor Pro starts at $59/year for a single website, going up to $99/year for three sites. They also offer tailored plans for WordPress professionals and agencies. Every plan comes with a reassuring 30-day money-back guarantee.

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2. Thrive Architect

Thrive Architect made its debut shortly after Thrive Themes was established in 2013. It was pioneering in offering a frontend live editing feature, making codeless web design incredibly simple. Its intuitive design interface made web page creation accessible even for those without a technical background.

Key Features:

• Building Blocks: Over two dozen unique widgets for varied page designs.
• Landing Page Templates: A rich collection of over 300 pre-designed landing pages.
• Smart Landing Pages: Specialized landing page templates with global styling options.
• Block Templates: Pre-designed sections that can be added anywhere on a page.
• Personal Template Library: A space to save and reuse your unique designs.
• WooCommerce Widgets: Tools to add products, shopping carts, and other e-commerce features to pages.

Pros:

• Features an exceptionally intuitive editor that’s easy to navigate.
• Provides a drag-and-drop design interface.
• Compatible with a majority of themes.
• Functions across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Allows creation using adjustable columns.
• Offers a feature to begin designs from scratch without headers, footers, or sidebars.
• A handy Navigator bar for easy navigation between different page areas.
• Incorporates motion effects and dynamic animations.
• Abundance of conversion-centric features available.
• Seamless integration with Thrive Suite and other Thrive Themes plugins.
• Supports custom CSS for more tailored designs.
• Provides 24/7 support to users.

Cons:

• It’s relatively more expensive, especially when looking to replace other tools like Elementor Pro or Divi.
• Essential features like the theme builder and opt-in form builder are available only as separate plugins.
• No lifetime subscription option is available.
• The renewal prices for continuous support and updates are relatively high.
• Lacks a white label solution.

Pricing: Initial pricing is set at $99 for the first year, followed by $199 for subsequent renewals. They also offer bundles in collaboration with Thrive Optimize, their A/B testing plugin, priced at $199 initially and $399 for renewals. Both these plans cater to a single site license. Additionally, Thrive Architect is available with the Thrive Suite, a comprehensive package of site building and marketing plugins. This option is priced at $299 for the first year, followed by a renewal fee of $599, and covers licenses for up to five websites. All these options are backed by a solid 30-day money-back guarantee.

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3. Beaver Builder

Beaver Builder, in comparison to the likes of Elementor and Divi Builder, has witnessed a more gradual growth trajectory. However, it has cemented its position in the industry. Their primary offering is the page builder, but they also provide a specialized theme and a theme editor for more extensive customization.

Key Features:

• Modules: Over two dozen distinct modules to craft landing pages.
• Landing Page Templates: A curated collection of landing page designs.
• Pre-Built Rows: Pre-designed section templates for efficient page building.
• Template Library: A dedicated space to save and reuse your designs.
• Theme Builder: A tool (available at an additional cost) to edit parts of your theme.
• WooCommerce Modules: Tools to enhance e-commerce product pages.

Pros:

• All their plans cater to an unlimited number of sites.
• Features a drag-and-drop interface complemented by live frontend editing.
• Compatible with most WordPress themes.
• Available for pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Simplifies margin and padding adjustments.
• Offers lead generation tools through the Subscribe Form module.
• Provides a white label option for agencies.
• Caters to developers with custom CSS options.

Cons:

• Their theme is not bundled with all plans.
• Access to the theme builder requires additional payment.
• Offers fewer templates compared to some competitors.
• Lacks global style options for the page builder. Instead, these are only available for the Beaver Builder WordPress theme.
• Development pace is slower compared to other page builders.

Pricing: Beaver Builder’s pricing begins at $99/year. However, to gain access to Beaver Builder’s official theme, one needs to opt for the next tier priced at $199/year. They also offer agency-specific plans, as well as an option that includes the theme builder plugin, which is priced separately at $147. All their offerings come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Additionally, they also provide a limited free version.

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4. SeedProd

Originally, SeedProd was known for its maintenance mode and “coming soon” plugin features. However, after being acquired by Awesome Motive in 2018, it underwent a significant transformation. Now, it’s a comprehensive page and website builder while still retaining its original utilities.

Key Features:

• Building Blocks: A collection of over 90 unique design elements.
• Landing Page Templates: An array of more than 180 pre-designed landing pages.
• Theme Builder: Customization tools for creating and editing themes.
• Maintenance Mode and Coming Soon: Tools to create “coming soon” and “under maintenance” pages.

Pros:

• Features an intuitive interface that’s easy to navigate.
• Offers drag-and-drop functionality for easy design.
• Compatible with most themes.
• Works across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Bundled with maintenance mode and coming soon page tools.
• Integrates seamlessly with popular email marketing services.
• Supports custom CSS.

Cons:

• Offers a more complex pricing structure compared to competitors.
• Lacks a comprehensive template selection.

Pricing: SeedProd’s pricing starts from $39.50. They also offer advanced plans for business and agency needs. Every plan is backed by a 14-day refund policy.

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5. Divi Builder

Divi Builder was introduced by Elegant Themes, initially as a flagship WordPress theme. Later, in 2015, Divi Builder was launched as an independent plugin. Even though it faced challenges in its early stages, especially concerning user experience, it has now evolved into one of the premier drag-and-drop page builders available.

Key Features:

• Modules: More than 200 unique website elements to enhance design capabilities.
• Design Templates: A vast collection of over 2,000 design templates.
• Theme Builder: Comprehensive tools to design and customize WordPress themes.

Pros:

• Provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface.
• Compatible with most themes.
• Operates across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Offers a variety of style effects and animations.
• Access to a comprehensive library of design elements and templates.
• Features a theme builder for complete website customization.
• Provides custom CSS options.
• Offers a lifetime subscription option.

Cons:

• Some users have reported performance issues, especially with extensive page designs.
• Requires the Divi theme to access the theme builder.
• The interface, especially for new users, can seem complicated.

Pricing: Divi Builder is priced at $89/year. They also offer a one-time lifetime access fee of $249. Both these options come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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6. WPBakery

WPBakery, once known as Visual Composer, initially provided a less intuitive page building experience. However, following its rebranding and multiple updates, it now offers a live frontend editing experience that can rival top-tier page builders.

Key Features:

• Content Elements: Over 50 unique content elements to enhance page designs.
• Design Templates: Pre-designed landing page templates.
• Element Presets: A set of pre-configured element designs.

Pros:

• Offers live frontend editing.
• Compatible with many ThemeForest themes.
• Provides a drag-and-drop interface.
• Works across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Offers custom CSS options.
• Provides a template management system for reusing designs.

Cons:

• Not as intuitive as some of its competitors.
• Requires additional plugins for certain functionalities.
• Can be heavy and impact site performance.

Pricing: WPBakery is available at a one-time fee of $64 on ThemeForest. This purchase comes with a 15-day refund policy.

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7. Brizy

Brizy might not enjoy the same level of popularity as some of its competitors, but it does stand out with its unique features, live editing, and theme-building capabilities.

Key Features:

• Design Elements: Over 45 unique design elements to enhance web pages.
• Landing Page Templates: Access to more than 100 pre-designed landing pages.
• Theme Builder: Tools to design and customize WordPress themes.

Pros:

• Features an easy-to-use interface.
• Provides drag-and-drop functionality for design.
• Compatible with most themes.
• Functions across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Offers high-quality template designs.
• Supports global style options.
• Includes tools for dynamic content creation.
• Offers custom CSS options.
• Includes a cloud auto-save feature for designs.

Cons:

• Doesn’t offer a lifetime subscription option.
• Lacks some advanced features found in competitors.
• Requires third-party plugins for certain functionalities.

Pricing: Brizy’s pricing starts from $49/year. They also offer more advanced plans for extended features and multiple site licenses. Every plan is backed by a 30-day refund policy.

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8. Themify Builder

Themify, similar to Elegant Themes, incorporated its page builder directly into its WordPress themes. This direct integration means users can easily customize their themes without needing any coding skills. Later, the builder was made available as a standalone plugin to increase its reach.

Key Features:

• Modules: Unique modules for easy webpage building.
• Theme Builder: Tools to design and customize WordPress themes.

Pros:

• Offers a drag-and-drop frontend editing interface.
• Compatible with most themes.
• Operates across pages, blog posts, and custom post types.
• Provides over 60 animations to enhance page interactivity.
• Supports global styling options.
• Offers custom CSS options.
• Features a compact panel for easy navigation.
• Comes bundled with a variety of addons for extended functionality.

Cons:

• Some users find the editor confusing at times.
• Lacks some advanced features found in competitors.
• Requires the Themify theme for complete theme building functionality.

Pricing: Themify Builder is priced at $89/year. They also offer a one-time lifetime access fee of $249. Both options are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Get Access to Themify Builder

Conclusion

While the WordPress block editor, also known as Gutenberg, offers a basic page building experience, dedicated page builder plugins provide a more detailed and versatile approach, especially when creating non-blog content. Choosing a builder that aligns with your specific needs and budget can greatly simplify your website creation process. It’s important to remember that even though Gutenberg is quite efficient for creating blog posts, standalone plugins offer a broader range of customization options and features. As you make your choice, always keep site performance in mind, ensuring that your hosting and optimization tools, like NitroPack, are effectively configured.