If you’re someone who’s looking to build their first website and does not have the resources to have it custom-built from scratch then going for a WordPress content management system is the next best option for you. Thousands of businesses all around the world trust WordPress CMS to build their initial website as users can easily pick up the foundations of web design and develop powerful web pages using the built-in WordPress page builder.
However, as you master WordPress fundamentals, you might notice that there aren’t many customization possibilities available in the native WordPress page editor. Thus, you must incorporate a page builder extension into your website if you want to completely personalize the web pages.
In this article, we’re going to discuss how to use a WordPress page builder effectively and what are the best page builder options out there.
WordPress Page Builder: How to Use
WordPress already comes with pre-built themes that you can use to decorate your complete website. These templates, although they do provide a starting point to your web design team, aren’t very adaptable. Your developers will not have enough freedom with the default themes when it comes to changing the look or functionality of your WordPress pages. This is where a WordPress page builder comes into the picture.
Using a page builder plugin allows you to create and alter your page layouts in WordPress. They are added to your account and utilized to create new pages based on the theme of your website. With page builders, you can easily give your website page a distinctive look, feel, and functionality even if you are completely new to website design and building.
Now, there are lots of WordPress page builder options available out there but you need to be careful while choosing the one that best meets the needs of your business. There are a few things you must consider while comparing web builders if you’re new to WordPress. Let’s explore a few things you need to think about before choosing a page builder for your website-
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Compatibility
The compatibility of the page builder with your current WordPress theme should be one of your top priorities. Otherwise, you’ll have to modify the theme of your website, which can be expensive and time-consuming. If you’re having difficulties with theme compatibility, search for builders that are compatible with all WordPress themes so you can easily change the appearance of your website.
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Builder Type
There are two main categories of building methods to choose from when it comes to WordPress page builders.
In the first category, which is a drag-and-drop method, users can click and drag a collection of modules into their layout. The builder automatically changes the page and design depending on where the user drags the module. This approach is extremely user-friendly and makes web design simple for those with little to no web design experience.
The other sort of builder requires users to enter HTML code to create their websites. You may completely personalize every aspect of your website with this choice, but it does require a basic grasp of coding and web design.
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Mobile Responsiveness
Just because a builder is simple to use and integrate doesn’t necessarily mean that it would be responsive on a mobile interface. Thus, you need to make sure that the builder you choose is responsive and can be viewed in a mobile preview. You need to make sure that whatever builder you’re choosing lets your website design work on mobile phones and tablets. If not, then you need to choose a different builder that can adapt to various screens such as mobiles, laptops, tablets, etc., and can improve the responsiveness of your design.
Now that you are aware of the qualities to look for in a WordPress page builder, let’s examine some of the top choices for 2022.
Best WordPress Page Builders
1. Elementor
Elementor is one of the most widely used WordPress drag-and-drop page builders with more than 5 million downloads worldwide.
- Elementor’s free version offers 90+ widgets and more than 300 in-built layout options which allows you to build a feature-rich website without having to install any additional WordPress plugins.
- For instance, the fundamental widgets in Elementor include exciting features such as a process bar, social media icons, and an image carousel.
- Moreover, it also offers many helpful theme components such as a site map, search bar, and comments.
- The free version also includes a special feature that enables you to construct both ‘maintenance’ and ‘coming soon’ pages to tell your site’s users of the upcoming launch.
- To help you reach a global audience, Elementor is bilingual and supports both left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL) languages.
The premium version of Elementor offers 24/7 assistance and cutting-edge features like custom CSS and motion effects. Additionally, you may use a theme builder with Elementor Pro to create your entire website from a single interface. The premium version also has widgets for WooCommerce as well as contact, subscription, and login forms.
Elementor is ideal for those who wish to create a useful website quickly because of its scalability and a simple drag-and-drop interface. They also offer video guides showing you how to use Elementor to build a homepage and a blog.
Pricing:
You can get the premium version i.e., Elementor Pro for as little as $49 per year for support of one site and $199 per year for support of 1,000 sites.
Source: Elementor.com
2. WP Page Builder
WP Page Builder is a drag-and-drop builder that comes with 60+ pre-designed blocks, 8 extensions, and 27 layout packs that make the process of website building way easier.
- The drag-and-drop user interface is simple to comprehend. You can see a visual sample of the website on the right side, and there is a sticky sidebar with settings for add-ons, blocks, layouts, libraries, and tools on the left.
- You can also add components, resize columns, and adjust margins & padding using the drag-and-drop slider, or you can pick from more than 60 pre-built blocks.
- WP Page Builder also comes with a library system that allows the users to build and save design blocks for usage on any page in the future which helps in maintaining the website’s consistency and cutting down on creation time.
You can also buy the premium version of the WordPress Page Builder. The premium version comes with added benefits such as access to upcoming extensions, priority support, and plugin updates. However, it doesn’t matter if you choose the paid or free version, your website will be responsive, mobile-ready, and compatible with any WordPress theme.
Thus, due to its abundance of pre-designed templates and simple editor, this page builder plugin is perfect for users who don’t want to invest a lot of time in site design.
Pricing:
The Pro edition costs between $39 per year for a single domain and $500 for an unlimited lifetime license. It is available through annual or lifetime payments.
Source: WP Page Builder
3. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a great choice for a business that’s looking for a drag-and-drop WordPress page builder with a live visual editor. Even if you stop using the page builder, you can change themes without losing your content thanks to this feature. Instead, it will keep your content and graphics where they are in the WordPress editor.
- Beaver Builder also functions as a landing page plugin. It includes landing page designs for a variety of business types from startups to bigger businesses.
- The ability to support the WPML translation plugin is another noteworthy feature. With it, worldwide users can access your website.
- It also provides an official add-on called Beaver Themer that allows you to design and customize any aspect of your website, including headers, footers, HTTP 404, and search pages.
- Users of Beaver Builder can store their templates and use them on as many websites as they want.
- Using WordPress integrated import/export tools, users may also move themes and share layouts with others.
- With Beaver builder’s developer-friendly modules and widgets, you can expand and customize the website once you become accustomed to its drag-and-drop page builder.
Although the free edition of Beaver Builder has a lot of capabilities, upgrading to the ‘Agency package’ will provide you access to a multiverse network. It includes white labeling to replace, alter, and change the core templates and allows various admins to configure the plugin. However, if you’re creating landing pages for small enterprises, web agencies, or online portfolios, you can remain with Beaver Builder’s free edition.
Pricing:
Prices for Beaver Builder range from $99 to $399 per year. If you want more control over the page builder, especially if you create websites for numerous clients, think about upgrading.
Source: Beaver Builder
4. Themify Builder
This flexible and free WordPress page builder plugin is simple to use.
- It has a drag-and-drop user interface and includes capabilities including a customizable layout system and personalized customization.
- There are more than 40 pre-designed page layout options in Themify Builder. Profile websites, fashion blogs, dining establishments, and websites for professional education are a few of the designs.
- Any WordPress theme may be used with the builder’s free editors as it has many necessary third-party connectors like those with WooCommerce, Yoast, Disqus, and Mailchimp.
- It also offers the ability to copy and paste modules and rows between pages as well as the ability to undo and redo changes.
- Additionally, you can reuse your layouts and create backups using the import-and-export tool, and you can instantly see all the changes thanks to the live preview.
For beginners who seek a simple and risk-free experience, Themify Builder is undoubtedly one of the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builders.
Pricing:
Themify Builder offers a premium package for $39 that includes more than 25 add-ons. A contact form, a slider for eye-catching transition and animation effects, an audio playlist, and a countdown to the debut of your goods and services are among the additions.
Source: Themify
5. Divi
Divi is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) page builder. It has a visual drag-and-drop interface that enables users to add, remove, or rearrange objects while seeing the effects right away. It is simple to use and excellent for beginners, but because of its custom CSS control features, it is also appropriate for developers.
- By using the code editor, which has syntax highlighting, auto complete, find and replace, and error reporting, a developer can modify the website in this manner.
- Divi Builder offers over 800 pre-made layout designs and over 100 full-website packs for individuals who seek quick and simple website construction.
- There are landing page designs for everything from online shops to events. It also includes more than 40 modules for adding blogs, forms, galleries, and calls to action.
- Additionally, you can manage and save an infinite number of custom designs for use on later pages.
- By just clicking and typing right on the pages, users of the Divi Builder can create draught pages on the front end.
- The hover state style is another noteworthy aspect. You can do things like make hover effects and turn modules into interactive parts using it.
To reduce editing time, the Divi Builder offers users tools including bulk editing, a color manager, and copy-and-paste styles.
Pricing:
The Divi Builder has two different payment tiers: an annual subscription costs $89, and lifetime access costs $249. Both packages include updates, premium support, unrestricted access to the website, and access to other items.
Source: Divi
6. Brizy
The primary reason why Brizy is a lot different from other drag-and-drop page builders is that it offers the option of choosing between a hosted and self-hosted service. Similar to Elementor or Beaver Builder, Brizy allows you to use the plugin directly on your WordPress website.
All three hosting packages offered by Brizy for the cloud give users access to the page builder. However, each builder comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages so you must have a clear idea of how you want to develop your website before choosing a builder.
- The brizy user interface is simple yet effective. It helps your website look fantastic on mobile devices and tablets with the help of its drag-and-drop functionality, real-time editing, and adaptable control.
- For site customization, it offers more than 25 widgets, pre-made layouts, blocks, and pop-ups. For example, there are layout options for portfolios, vacation websites, and landing pages.
- Additionally, there are more than 500 blocks included in Brizy’s collection, which are offered in both light and dark modes. They include functions that allow site visitors to provide their email addresses, like a pricing table or contact form.
- With its pop-up builder, you can also design interactive and captivating features while selecting their automatic triggers and display settings. A few automatic triggers include scrolling, idleness, and coming from a particular URL.
- Brizy also offers a picture and video filter to enhance the visual content, and the ability to modify the brightness, contrast, saturation, and colors.
- It also includes 4000+ vector icons to accommodate a variety of tasks and you may give various objects video backgrounds, animations, and box shadows.
Similar to Beaver Builder, Brizy provides developers and design firms with a plan with white-label options. Brizy is, all things considered, the greatest WordPress page builder plugin for beginners seeking a simple tool with a ton of design possibilities.
Pricing:
Prices for Brizy range from $49 per year to $299 for a one-time purchase. The least basic plan supports a maximum of three websites, while the more expensive plan allows for an infinite number of websites. It also has an option of the free version if you’re on a tight budget, however, the free version has considerably fewer features than the paid version.
Source: Brizy
7. Oxygen
Oxygen is a WordPress plugin that allows you to design your website without having to write any code. Its visual editor plugin offers scroll animations and a customizable layout. Its responsive control also allows you to adjust layout, spacing, and colors for various devices as well as conceal or reveal components. Thus, if you want a WordPress page builder that gives you complete control over how your website would look, then you must go with Oxygen.
- It offers more than 25 forms of animation to make the website more interactive. Their delays, trigger timing, and other factors are also adjustable.
- If you want a typography-driven design, then Oxygen gives you the option to use Google or Adobe fonts. If you want, you can also upload custom files.
- It is also simple to add icons. Oxygen allows users to upload unique icons in SVG format and also offers IcoMoon and LinearIcons. Thanks to Oxygen Global Colors, users can quickly change colors to get a uniform appearance throughout the entire website. Once you make a change to a global color, the entire site will take on the new design.
Moreover, using Oxygen over its many competitors has a ton of advantages. Some of those advantages include faster loading time, less bloat, sites having a cleaner markup, and overall, it gives the user more control over how they want the layout and design of their website to turn out. Additionally, Oxygen is a full-fledged website builder that allows you to design your website from scratch which includes everything from header to footer. On the other hand, most of its competitor tools are merely page builders.
Oxygen as a tool is built on the principle of only loading what’s needed. So, on a blank page, Oxygen only loads about 90 kilobytes, while all the other page builders load hundreds and thousands of kilobytes.
Also, it should be noted that Oxygen is a complete website builder on its own so it wouldn’t work on your existing WordPress theme. So, while your theme wouldn’t conflict with Oxygen, its layout and style won’t work while Oxygen is active on your page.
The Oxygen WordPress plugin offers a ton of flexibility and control overall. Having said that, designers and developers seeking a highly customized solution will benefit most from this plugin
Pricing:
All packages employ a one-time purchase method for pricing. The least expensive choice costs $99.
Source: Oxygen
9. SeedProd
SeedProd is a drag-and-drop WordPress page plugin that’s especially suitable for small business owners, marketers, and web designers.
- Its drag-and-drop interface makes the building process even easier.
- It includes essential pages like Sales, HTML 404, coming soon, and maintenance mode. The ReCAPTCHA also defends the website against spam and other automated attacks.
- SeedProd also provides layout navigation which functions as a page map and makes it simpler to access page settings and change the rows, blocks, and columns.
- Furthermore, it offers a “favorite” function that enables users to save page designs and sections and access them right away.
- You can also check the website on the live preview once you’ve finished changing the theme to make sure everything displays properly on desktops and mobile devices.
This page builder supports email marketing service providers like ConvertKit, Zapier, MailChimp, and ActiveCampaign to aid with lead generation. If you choose not to utilize them, you may still track subscribers using the function for managing subscribers to get visual information on subscriber counts.
In conclusion, SeedProd is an excellent tool for building WordPress landing pages.
Pricing:
Prices for this drag-and-drop page builder range from $39.50 to $239.60 a year. However, a free, more constrained version is accessible through the WordPress directory.
Source: SeedProd
9. MotoPress
MotoPress’ simple front-end editor for WordPress works on making the user experience better and simpler.
- It allows you to effectively construct and structure pages & posts with its visual builder. You have the option to drag-and-drop pieces to construct a layout page or you can simply choose a layout from the pre-built design library.
- Its user-friendly toolset allows you to select backgrounds, borders, and colors. No coding skills are required to add buttons, movies, or text. Just incorporate MotoPress’s built-in components.
- MotoPress also offers a selection of premium add-ons with the WordPress page builder plugin to help enhance your website. With the extensions, you may add a custom countdown for future events or sales or an image hotspot to set animated pointers over images on your WordPress website.
Overall, the MotoPress drag-and-drop page builder is the right choice for businesses that are just starting and want to create a simple website for their company.
Pricing:
Prices for MotoPress Page Builder range from $39 to $139 per year. You can purchase all the premium extensions for $69 per year for 1 site or $179 per year for an infinite number of sites. Also, there is a free version if you want to try the tool before buying.
Source: MotoPress
10. SiteOrigin Page Builder
SiteOrigin Page Builder is a drag-and-drop page builder that aids in providing responsive, grid-based content which allows your website to respond to various devices with pixel-accurate precision. This page builder is compact and provides useful CSS capabilities for extra customization possibilities.
- The SiteOrigin page builder plugin is multilingual and works with several translation plugins.
- It also allows you to test and undo changes using the editor’s real-time preview and history browser. You can change row and widget styles, spacings, paddings, and borders with ease.
- SiteOrigin also provides free themes in addition to working with all WordPress themes to further simplify the website construction process for non-developer users.
- SiteOrigin offers a bundle of free widgets that you can use to add post carousels and contact forms to your website.
Depending on the layout you require, you can pick between Corp, Vantage, and Unwind. For those seeking a flexible, cheap tool, SiteOrigin Page Builder is the best WordPress plugin.
Pricing:
The plugin’s free edition gives you access to updates for a lifetime and can be installed on an infinite number of websites. However, the $29 year SiteOrigin Premium package offers additional widgets and add-ons to enhance the functionality of your website.
Block animations for rows and widgets, a lightbox to enhance photos, and parallax sliders for eye-catching scrolling effects are all available with an update. You will also receive free access to continuous updates and email assistance.
Source: SiteOrigin
11. Gutenberg by Kadence Blocks
The drag-and-drop content pieces of the block-based Gutenberg editor, which debuted with WordPress 5.0, are known as blocks. The WordPress page builder plugin Kadence Blocks improves the possibilities of the Gutenberg editor. For instance, users can manage the number, size, and content of the columns using the row layout block. Additionally, they can modify the design of their desktop and mobile websites to make them responsive.
- There are 12 unique blocks offered by Kadence Blocks for WordPress, including heading, gallery, and icon blocks. For instance, you may change the typeface of any heading on the page, including the font family and letter spacing, using the advanced heading block.
- Kadence Blocks is a pre-built library with more than 20 pre-designed pieces if you prefer using pre-made layouts. Simply adding your material and adjusting the style to reflect your business is all that is required.
For individuals who are familiar with the WordPress Gutenberg editor and want to advance their website, Kadence Blocks is the greatest WordPress page builder.
Pricing:
You can access premium features like a product carousel, on-scroll animation, use on an unlimited number of sites, and professional support by upgrading to the Pro version for $59/year.
Source: Kadence WP
12. Live Composer
Live Composer is a WordPress page builder that includes a visual composer that is extremely easy to modify. It is an open-source plugin that enables users to modify webpages as per their business requirements.
- You can simply build landing pages, portfolio projects, galleries, and news websites with the easy-to-use drag-and-drop feature.
- It allows you to build your website page by proving a blank canvas, however, you can also choose from the pre-built themes. Additionally, Live Composer is compatible with Gutenberg so that it won’t conflict with WordPress’ block editor.
- It also supports mobile-responsive designs to ensure that the content is displayed properly on all kinds of devices.
Downloading and using Live Composer is free of cost. However, one has to purchase the extension pack if they want to utilize additional features such as member-only sections, complex animations, and a Google maps module.
To put it simply, Live Composer can assist you in creating a range of web pages. So, once you’re comfortable with the tool you can think about getting the extension pack for an experience that is more feature rich.
Pricing:
Prices for this single plugin, which includes all of these extensions, range from $49 to $99. Users can therefore control all of their extensions directly from the WordPress admin panel, downloading updates with a single click.
Source: Live Composer
13. Page Builder Sandwich
Page Builder Sandwich is an easy-to-use and intuitive WordPress plugin that helps in building perfect landing pages.
- It comes with a ton of pre-designed elements and landing page templates that help in building a stunning website quickly.
- Page Builder Sandwich comes with a selection of full-page layouts for everything from online forums to hotel & restaurant websites. All you have to do is change the color scheme or graphics in the template to suit your needs and your website is good to go.
- Page Builder Sandwich functions on the concept of shortcode mapping where you don’t have to manually write the code, which aids in creating pages quickly.
- The Page Builder Sandwich’s database contains hundreds of shortcodes from plugins like JetPack, bbPress, and ACF. Here, you aren’t required to write any code, all you have to do is select a shortcode from the offered list.
- You can select a WordPress theme from the WordPress theme repository or premium theme stores like ThemeForest and StudioPress.
- Page Builder Sandwich offers high-resolution vector icons for customizing your website. Additionally, by just copying and pasting the URL, you can embed media files.
Even while the page builder plugin has a free version, upgrading to the premium version will grant access to more sophisticated features like carousels, a countdown clock, and animations to highlight significant figures. Overall, if you want to quickly construct useful and attractive landing pages for WordPress, this is the finest page builder to use.
Pricing:
The Standard License for Page Builder Sandwich is available in two price ranges: $39 per year for a single site and $89 per year for unlimited sites. For one year, both packages include upgrades, email customer support, sophisticated design features, and premium content components.
Source: Page Builder Sandwich
14. Fusion Page Builder
Fusion Page Builder is a pretty basic tool and only includes the core functionalities of a page builder. It only allows you to modify and customize the WordPress theme’s content area. As a result of this, there aren’t too many features on the UI which makes it quite efficient, quick, and easy to use. It does, however, come with a number of extensions that you can install based on the needs of your business.
- It supports all WordPress themes and enables the free addition and creation of custom plugins.
- It also provides a free theme called Fusion Base that may be infinitely customized. It is an empty canvas made specifically to interact with the Fusion Builder plugin.
- Fusion enables the creation of components, repeatable layout elements across several pages, and templates.
- A gallery, blog, text, map, picture, sidebar, and menu elements are all included in the builder. Additionally, it enables the division of the material into multiple-column page layouts.
- A styling tab with a number of modification options is present for each element. Margin, padding, text color and alignment, font size, and CSS classes for more detailed design options are some of these.
Despite this, Fusion is the finest page builder for WordPress if you want a simpler and more cost-effective tool.
Source: Fusion Page Builder
4. Visual Composer
Visual Composer is a premium WordPress page builder. Its free version is the best choice for a business that’s just getting started. The website builder’s features are all unlocked by the premium version, though. It offers unrestricted use of the Visual Composer Hub, a collection of extensions and content components.
- Similar to Beaver Builder on this list, Visual Composer has an intuitive user interface and a drag-and-drop page builder.
- Undo-and-redo, copy-and-paste, and element-duplicating choices are a few of its characteristics. The editor in Visual Composer also allows you to alter the header, footer, and sidebar to create bespoke designs.
- There are numerous backdrops and animation effects in Visual Composer. Users can combine complex parallax kinds including fade, mouse-move, and tilt with a gradient, slideshow, or carousel background with this functionality.
- Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all social media platforms that are compatible with this page builder plugin. Additionally, it provides Instagram-like filters for making captivating photographs.
- Other connections include WooCommerce for online store capabilities and WPForms for gathering visitor email addresses. Additionally, Yoast, the most well-liked SEO plugin for WordPress, is compatible with Visual Composer.
- The drag-and-drop WordPress builder’s flexible design functionality enables users to adapt websites to different screen widths.
Pricing:
All Visual Composer plans are invoiced annually, with prices ranging from $49 for a single-site license to $349 for 1,000 sites. The plans include a pop-up and theme builder, a year of premium upgrades and support, as well as access to premium add-ons that contain hundreds of more widgets and templates.
Source: Visual Composer
Conclusion
Designing a website can be quite a daunting task and doing it with WordPress isn’t easy either. WordPress can be quite intimidating with the sheer amount of customization and flexibility options it offers. Thus, choosing a suitable page builder tool is the smart choice here. A page builder tool will save you the effort & cost of hiring a developer to create these web pages from scratch.
