Rashedul Islam

Can’t decide between Elementor, Divi, Bricks, or others? We review the best 11 WordPress page builders of 2024 to help you select the ideal tool for your website. Learn all about the pros, cons, pricing, and performance benchmarks of each in detail.

Back in the early WordPress days, it took a lot of knowledge in PHP, HTML, and CSS to build a custom layout. Then came the age of shortcodes, which was messy and broke all the time. Today, we live in the golden age of the “No-Code” revolution.Page builders democratized web design by allowing individuals, from hobbyists to agency owners, to drag, drop, and publish stunning websites.

For years, Elementor sat on the throne as the undisputed king of WordPress page builders. It has over 10 million active installs and is the standard by which all others are measured. But is it still the best?

The landscape has shifted. Performance-focused builders like Bricks are challenging Elementor’s code output. Gutenberg is maturing into a full-site editor. Divi is overhauling its engine.

Whether you’re building a website in 2024/2025, one decision needs to be made: which page builder you’re going to use. This guide goes beyond surface-level comparisons. We will deep-dive into 11 different page builders, comparing them against Elementor to help you decide which ecosystem belongs on your server.

The Benchmark — Elementor

Before we compare the challengers, let’s establish the baseline. Why is Elementor the market leader, and what are its current vulnerabilities?

Elementor Overview

Elementor launched in 2016 and shook things up with its live, frontend visual editor that was actually fast – for the time – and intuitive. It’s a “freemium” model, with the free version surprisingly robust, and the Pro version unlocks full theme building capabilities.

Key Features

1. Theme Builder: Visually design your headers, footers, 404 pages, and archives.
2. Ecosystem: Thousands of third-party add-ons like Crocoblock, Essential Addons, etc. extend functionality.
3. Global Widgets: Change a widget in one place, and it updates everywhere.
4. Global Widgets: Change a widget in one spot and it updates globally.
5. Cloud Hosting: Recently, Elementor turned towards providing its own cloud hosting solution.

The Pros

1. The Community: Because it’s the most popular, there’s a tutorial for everything. If you get stuck, it’s solved instantly with a Google search.
2. Design Freedom: This is arguably the most user-friendly interface for beginners.
3. Free Version Utility: You can build a decent site without paying a dime.

The Cons

1. DOM inflation: Elementor is infamous for wrapping elements within numerous div tags. This can lead to increased DOM size and hurt Google PageSpeed scores when not optimized.
2. Performance: Elementor is heavier compared to other new builders. It loads more assets by default.
3. Price Increase: Over the years, the pricing structure has gotten costlier for agencies using it.

Verdict: Elementor is the Jack of All Trades. It is perfect for beginners and agencies who need to churn out sites fast using templates.

Now we will review 10 more page builders, from established giants to the performance-obsessed newcomers.

1. Divi (Elegant Themes)

The Designer’s Playground

Divi is the oldest and the most fierce competitor to Elementor. Unlike Elementor, that is a plugin first, Divi started as a theme, though it also has now a builder plugin version.

The Key Difference:

Divi features an interesting visual style. Where Elementor uses a sidebar for controls, Divi implements floating modals and inline controls.

Pros:

• Lifetime Pricing: This is the “killer feature” of Divi. You can pay once for lifetime access to unlimited sites. No subscriptions.
• Design Options: Divi offers incredible control over animations, scroll effects, and shape dividers by default.

Cons:

• Shortcode Lock-in: If you deactivate Elementor, you leave behind messy formatting. If you deactivate Divi, you leave behind a sea of [shortcodes]. This makes migrating from Divi a nightmare.
• Speed: Historically, Divi has been very slow, and their recent updates have improved this significantly.

Who is it for? Freelancers who want to buy one license and use it on 100 client sites forever.

2. The Speed Demon (The Elementor Killer?)

Bricks is the word of the year. A more recent theme-based builder on Vue.js, it was specifically created with the code bloat of Elementor and Divi in mind.

The Key Difference:

Performance: Bricks outputs clean semantic HTML. No unnecessary div wrappers are added. The class management system is also built in, so it feels like a visual version of Webflow.

Pros:

1. 100/100 PageSpeed: With Bricks, getting perfect Lighthouse scores is extremely easy.
2. Developer-friendly: It has a query loop builder and natively supports dynamic data better than Elementor.
3. No Bloat: It only loads the CSS/JS required for the specific elements on the page.

Cons:

1. Learning Curve: It is less “drag-and-drop” and more “visual coding.” You need to understand Flexbox and CSS Grid to use it effectively.
2. Young Ecosystem: There are fewer third-party add-ons compared to Elementor.

Who’s it for? Developers and SEO specialists for whom site speed is paramount.

3. Beaver Builder

The Reliable Old Guard

Beaver Builder has been around for a long time. It’s not the flashiest, nor is it the most feature-rich, but it’s rock solid.

The Key Difference:

Stability: Beaver Builder rarely has updates that break websites. It is focused on the core experience and not on “feature bloat.”

Pros:

1. Clean Code: Even after you uninstall Beaver Builder, your text remains in HTML blocks, unlike Divi’s shortcode mess.
2. White Labeling: Excellent for agencies who want to brand the editor for clients.
3. Agency Friendly: Unlimited site licenses are available on standard plans.

Cons:

1. Dated UI: This interface feels a bit like WordPress from 2015.
2. Expensive: The theme builder, Beaver Themer, is an add-on for which you pay extra.

Who is it for? Enterprise clients and agencies who value stability over flashy new features.

4. Oxygen Builder

The Developer’s Tool

Before Bricks came along, Oxygen was the go-to for performance. It completely disables the WordPress theme system, giving you total control.

The Key Difference:

This is not a theme, nor a plugin, in the usual sense; this is a site replacement engine. What you’re doing is writing code visually.

Pros:

• Total Control: If you can code it, you can build it in Oxygen.
• Efficiency: Extremely lightweight output.
• Pricing: Historically offered a lifetime deal, though this has changed/fluctuated.

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve: If you don’t know what a div or span is, then you shouldn’t be using Oxygen.
• UI Experience: The editor may load a bit slowly at times, even though the frontend is fast.
• Uncertain Future: The team behind Oxygen recently launched a competitor, Breakdance, which created community concern about the long-term support of Oxygen.

Who is it for? Hardcore developers who want the power of hand-coding with the speed of a visual interface.

5. Gutenberg (The Block Editor)

The Native Solution

Gutenberg is not a plugin, it’s WordPress Core. It is a block-based editor that has been replacing the Classic Editor since WordPress 5.0.

The Key Difference:

Zero technical debt. You don’t have to install heavy external plugins. It is the future of WordPress, as dictated by Automattic.

Pros:

1. Free: It comes with WordPress.
2. Performance: Generally faster than any page builder because it is native.
3. Future Proof: All plugins and themes are optimizing for Gutenberg first.

Cons:

1. UI Limitations: It’s clunky. Drag and drop isn’t as smooth as Elementor.
2. Styling limitations: You often need add-on plugins like GenerateBlocks or Kadence Blocks to get the design control Elementor offers natively.

Who is it for? Bloggers and minimalists who want a lightweight site and zero plugin dependencies.

6. Breakdance Builder

The “Elementor” for the Oxygen Era

From the same team that created Oxygen, Breakdance is a brand-new page builder: another Elementor competitor. It seeks to be as user-friendly as Elementor but as clean as Oxygen.

The Key Difference:

It removes the technical barrier of Oxygen. It offers 130+ built-in elements, way more than in Elementor’s base version, without requiring add-ons.

Pros:

1. Bloat-Free: No need for any third-party add-ons. All-in-one.
2. WooCommerce Support: Great default styling for shops.
3. Performance: Significantly faster than Elementor out of the box.

Cons:

1. Pricing: It’s expensive – subscription-based, and there’s currently no free version to rival Elementor Free.
2. New: It’s still gaining market share. Who is it for? For users of Elementor

Who is it for? Elementor users who are tired of buying 5 different addons to get the features they need.

7. Thrive Architect

The Marketer’s Weapon

Thrive Themes is only about conversion. They don’t care about being a “general” web designer; they care about selling.

The Key Difference:

It comes with pre-loaded conversion-focused elements: countdown timers, lead generation forms, guarantee boxes, and webinar registration pages.

Pros:

• Landing Page Templates: Hundreds of professionally designed templates that encourage conversion.
• A/B Testing: Built-in split testing engine via Thrive Optimize.
• Integration: Seamlessly integrates with every email marketing tool imaginable.

Cons:

• Proprietary: It creates a very specific ecosystem. Doesn’t play well with other generic themes at times.
• Style: Many of the templates appear somewhat “salesy” or even dated when set against the modern design trends.

Who is it for? Affiliate marketers, course creators, and businesses focused on lead generation funnels.

8. Visual Composer (Website Builder)

The Reborn Pioneer

Note: Do not confuse this with WPBakery. WPBakery is the old legacy plugin while the Visual Composer Website Builder is its newer, modern React-based application.

The Key Difference:

It offers a “Tree View” navigator that many developers love, and focuses heavily on cloud-based assets.

Pros:

1. Cloud Hub: With Cloud Hub, elements can be downloaded from the cloud to keep the size of your plugin small.
2. Insights: It has a content analysis tool built into the builder, like Yoast, to help with SEO.

Cons:

1. Cost: The free version is very limited.
2. Performance: Still struggles with heaviness of code compared to Bricks or Gutenberg.

Who is it for? Users who used the old WPBakery and want a modernized, familiar upgrade path.

9. Brizy Builder

The UX Innovator

Brizy entered the market with the objective of decluttering the interface.

The Key Difference:

The “Inline” experience: Brizy tries to minimize sidebars. Most controls appear right on top of the element you are editing.

Pros:

1. Global Styling: Best-in-class global color and typography management. Change your brand color with one click.
2. Brizy Cloud: Brizy can be used as a plugin inside WordPress or as a hosted SaaS like Squarespace/Wix. It’s a very unique hybrid model.
3. Sync: Saved blocks can be synced across different client sites.

Cons:

1. Features: It lacks the depth of Elementor Pro.
2. Bugs: Historically, updates have been a bit buggy compared to Beaver Builder.

Who is it for? Agencies handling a lot of small business clients who require a SaaS-like experience.

10. Zion Builder

The Performance Alternative

Zion Builder is close to Bricks. It focuses on speed and flexibility.

The Key Difference:

It’s somewhere in between Elementor and Oxygen. It’s faster than Elementor but a bit more accessible than Oxygen.

Pros:

• Pricing: Very competitive pricing.
• Speed: excellent code output.
• Theme Builder: Total control over headers/footers.

Cons:

• Market share: It has a very small community; it is difficult to find tutorials compared to Elementor.
• Pace of Development: Updates may be slower compared to the big giants.

Who is it for? Budget-conscious users who want performance but cannot afford the higher-tier builders.

11. SeedProd Builder

The King of Maintenance Mode now page builder
SeedProd started as a “Coming Soon” page plugin. It was so good, they expanded it into a full page builder.

The Key Difference:

It is arguably the lightest builder with regard to features-vs-speed for simple sites. It doesn’t try to do everything.

Pros:

1. Spam protection: Built-in Google ReCaptcha.
2. Subscriber Management: It can collect emails locally without an email provider.
3. Simplicity: You simply cannot “break” your site with SeedProd.

Cons:

1. Simplicity: You simply cannot “break” your site with SeedProd.
2. Limitations: You cannot easily create complex dynamic websites with it, like real estate listings. This is for static landing pages and simple themes only.

Who is it for? For those starting a product or simple business site requiring it up today.

Comparative Analysis – How to Choose?

With 11 options, the choice can be paralyzing. Let’s break it down by category.

1. The “Price” Factor

If you are on a budget:

1. Winner: Gutenberg. It’s free and native.
2. Runner Up: Elementor Free. It provides the most features within a free version.
3. Best Value: Divi. One payment for lifetime access on unlimited sites is unbeatable math for agencies.

2. The “Performance” Factor: Core Web Vitals

If you need to pass Google Core Web Vitals immediately:

1. Winner: Bricks Builder. It is the current gold standard in terms of speed.
2. Runner Up: Breakdance / Oxygen. Both output minimal code.
3. Loser: Divi / Elementor. Both require a lot of optimization (caching plugins, image compression) to get high green scores on mobile.

3. The “Ease of Use” Factor

If you are a complete beginner:

1. Winner: Elementor. The interface is intuitive: drag, drop, done.
2. Runner Up: Beaver Builder. Very hard to mess up.

4. The “Ecosystem” Factor

Whenever advanced functionality is required; for example, a booking system or complex animations:

1. Winner: Elementor. If there is something that exists in WordPress, it probably has an Elementor Addon for it.
2. Runner Up: Gutenberg. The block library is growing exponentially.

The Technical “Bloat” Debate

Word count expansion opportunity: explaining the technical architecture. Understanding the difference between Elementor and a builder like Bricks requires a short explanation of DOM Size.
The DOM, or Document Object Model, is a tree structure of your HTML tags.

Elementor Approach: In developing a simple text heading, Elementor might wrap it in a Section > Column > Widget > Wrapper > Heading. That means 4-5 layers of code for one piece of text.
Bricks/Oxygen Approach: They could return Section > Heading. Two levels.

Why does this matter?

Google crawls your page. If your DOM is huge (3,000+ nodes), the browser takes longer to “paint” the page. On a high-end MacBook, you won’t notice. On a $100 Android phone on 3G internet? The Elementor site might lag, while the Bricks site loads instantly.

The elementor:
To reduce this bloat, Elementor has released “Flexbox Containers” and “Grid Containers”. If using Elementor in 2024, you must use Containers to compete with the newer builders.

Why is Elementor Page Builder so popular?

5. The Future – AI and Page Builders

No comparison would be complete without mentioning Artificial Intelligence.

1. Elementor AI: Elementor has aggressively integrated AI. It has become possible with the help of Elementor AI to generate images, write copies, even write Custom CSS directly inside the editor.
2. Divi AI: Divi can generate entire layout sections based on prompts.
3. ZipWP by Adam Preiser: A brand new AI tool that creates full websites in 60 seconds, using Gutenberg patterns.

Elementor currently has the most robust integration if you depend heavily on AI for your content creation.

Making Your Final Decision

The battle of “Elementor vs. Other Page Builders” does not have a single winner. That all entirely depends on who you are.

Choose Elementor if:

• You are either a beginner or a design-focused agency.
• You need access to the largest library of templates and tutorials.
• You want to build a site quickly and are willing to install a caching plugin that handles speed.

Choose Divi if:

• You are freelancing, building more than 50 sites a year, and do not want to pay any monthly subscriptions.
• You take a more visual, artistic approach to design.

Choose Bricks Builder if:

• You are an SEO specialist or developer.
• You care about 100/100 PageSpeed scores.
• You want clean code that is future-proof.

Choose Gutenberg if:

• You are a blogger.
• You want zero plugin dependencies and maximum security.

The page builder era is evolving. Elementor is not the only shark in the tank. While it remains the most popular choice, due to its massive ecosystem, builders like Bricks and Breakdance are rapidly stealing market share by solving the one thing Elementor struggles with: performance.

Assess your needs, check your budget, and choose the tool that empowers you to create.