There is no doubt that WordPress is one the most popular content management systems (CMS) on the internet. However, if you are looking to create a more dynamic and visually appealing website, there are a number of plugins visual page builders available that can help you do just that. In this article, we will provide you with a full list of all of the available page builders for WordPress, so you can make an informed decision on what Page Builder to use. We will also give you our unbiased view as to which of the visual builders are the top contenders and the ones worthy of you consideration.
What is a WordPress Visual Page Builder?
Visual page builders are a great way to easily create custom designs for your WordPress site. Instead of having to use code, you can simply drag and drop elements onto the page and see the changes happen in real-time. This makes it easy to get the look you want without having to learn any coding skills.
1. Elementor Builder
Elementor is by far the leading WordPress visual builder powering more than 7% of the internet with 10 million active installs. It was created in 2016 by Yoni Luksenberg & Ariel Klikstein, former founders of web design and development agency.
This WordPress Visual Builder is popular for a reason. The developers have created an expandable plugin that is one of the easier ones to use use drag-and-drop builder with over a hundred built-in widgets in the pro version of the software. Even more importantly, Elementor is an extremely powerful visual builder thanks to its support for dynamic content built-in as well as a large collection of third-party addons that provide endless functionality. With Elementor you can build just about any time of website thanks to its expandability and expansive built-in functionality.
Over the past few years the developer of Elementor has come under a lot of scrutiny from the community for the relatively snail pace of development and address the users concerns. Flexbox support is still limited and buggy and there is currently no support or planned support for CSS Grid.
Regardless, of all the builders on this list, Elementor receives our highest recommendation thanks to the large third-party support and features.
Key Features of The Elementor Builder
- 100+ widgets in the pro version.
- Wide third-party support allows you to create very powerful websites.
- Great community support thanks for its wide adoption.
- Dynamic content features are built-in.
- Support for custom breakpoints.
- Easy to use interface with lot’s of options.
Pricing Details for Elementor
Check out our complete pricing guide for Elementor for the different levels available. In summary however, prices start from $59/year for one website and can go up to $399/year for up to 1000 websites. There is no lifetime deals available.
2. Bricks Builder
Bricks was founded by Thomas Ehrig and Luis Godinho, both veteran WordPress Plugin developers. Their philosophy when creating Bricks was to provide the WordPress community with a visual builder that was built for performance, customizability, and design.
As such, one of the best things about Bricks is the plugin’s performance. Bricks consistently obtains grade “A” performance scores across all of the major speed tests thanks to its clean semantic markup. It also achieves this by having a built-in smart lazy asset loader for images and videos so the user doesn’t not need to load them until they come into the user’s viewport. The plugin also allows you to disable scripts that WordPress may load by default, but may not be necessary for your website – things like emojis and certain embeds for example. Finally, Bricks developers further achieve excellent speed performance by loading fonts as needed, eliminating the need for forcing the user to load unnecessary font variants. There is a lot more under the hood, so we recommend you visit their website to get additional details.
Another winning feature of the Bricks Builder is that it offers a clean user interface that gets out of the way, while providing a lot of advanced widgets built right into the product. This includes a powerful dynamic looper builder that even to this day is lacking from even some of the most widely supported WordPress Builders on this list.
Finally, since Bricks is a newer visual builder, the developers have the benefit of using newer technology and programming methodology, allowing for fast development. So far, the speed at which the development team is able to iterate, has been impressive. However, taking that into consideration, since Bricks is a relatively new comer in the WordPress visual builder field, the amount of third-party support is lacking when compared to the other competitors. To help you get the most out of Bricks, we created a comprehensive list of the best Bricks Visual Builder addons and plugins, which is constantly updated as new third-party addons are developed.
Overall, we rank Bricks as one of the best Visual Builders for WordPress users and is one you should definitely consider.
Key Features of Bricks Builder
- Visual full site editing.
- Custom Breakpoint support.
- Strong dynamic content support, including ACF and JetEngine.
- Creates revisions on every save so you can go back in time.
- Set fonts globally or individually.
- Built-in predesigned templates to speed up design process.
- Works with Gutenberg so you can use both simultaneously.
- Create your own Elements with PHP, CSS and HTML.
Pricing Details for Bricks Builder
Bricks is available exclusively as a lifetime deal. $99 for one website and $299 for unlimited websites.
3. WPBakery
WPBakery Page Builder is the self-proclaimed #1 WordPress Page Builder plugin, with over 4.3 million users. It was formerly known as Visual Composer. It is both a front-end and backend page builder, with responsive functionality and an intuitive, though outdated interface.
WPBakery has been around for over 10 years, which means that the product has a lot of support and a huge knowledge based of articles that can help you when you are in a pinch. This also means that the page builder has enough features to enable you to deploy a wide range of themes and blocks to design your site. In combination with countless third-party add-on modules, you are able to provide you with your website a distinctive appearance with more than 250 add-on integrations.
The user interface is straightforward, but is no longer accessible. It can take a long time to bulk-load posts, and the application is slower than comparable alternative solutions.
Key Features of WPBakery
- Can be used with any WordPress theme.
- Responsive design ready.
- A massive library of templates is available to help you get started quickly or you can create your own.
- Shortcode mapper allows you to add 3rd party shortcodes.
- Custom Post Types support.
- Extendable via WPBakery Page Builder API.
- Advanced grid builder – display posts, portfolio, and any other custom posts type or media in grid or masonry grid.
Pricing Details of WPBakery
WPBakery costs $56 for use on a single site or $299 for use in a single SaaS application.
4. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is yet another popular plugin for WordPress that provides you with drag-and-drop tools to create a visual impactful website. The learning curve to the Beaver Builder page generator is challenging at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes becomes second-nature to use. In fact, the plugin is used in over 1M websites worldwide.
One of the best features about Beaver Builder is that the layouts are actually generated in HTML as opposed to short codes, so you can always go back into your designs if you ever cancel Beaver Builder and be able to edit your layouts right in code. What’s not to love?
Lastly the the team behind Beaver Builder is highly engaged with the community and provides excellent customer service.
Key Features of Beaver Builder
- Unlimited websites even at the lowest tier.
- Visual drag and drop-builder.
- SEO friendly and mobile responsive.
- Can be used with any theme, including the popular Astra and Genesis themes.
- Can be white-labeled (at the higher pricing tier)
- Client editor mode – keeps client from messing up your design.
- Generates HTML and CSS layouts, instead of shortcodes.
Pricing Details for Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder offers 4 different pricing options starting with Standard: $99/yr for unlimited sites. Unlike other builders, Beaver Builder hides additional features and functionality behind higher-tier pricing options. For example, Pro gives you the Beaver Builder Theme and Multisite Capable at $199/yr. 40% discounts are available for renewals.
5. Oxygen
Oxygen is being developed by Soflyy, the team behind the popular WordPress plugin, WP All Import, so this plugin has a phenomenal team behind it with a great track record.
The Oxygen Visual Builder is near the top of the visual builders on this list when it comes to a beautiful, modern looking and feeling interface. In fact, we think that this is one of the plugin’s selling feature. Like the other builders on this list, the Oxygen page builder is a drag and drop builder that lets you create custom pages for your website. You can use the builder to create new pages, or to edit existing pages. However, having said all of that in terms of the user interface, because of all of the powerful capabilities offered by Oxygen, there might be a bit of a learning curve at first.
Another Oxygen’s stand out feature is its loading speed, with the basic installation getting A grades on GTMetrix as well as Pingdom’s speed test. We also love that Oxygen has a lot of dynamic content implementation built-in such as repeaters and loops.
Key Features of Oxygen Page Builder
- Lifetime license for unlimited websites.
- Powerful visual drag and drop-builder.
- Modern user interface.
- Powerful WooCommerce integration.
- Global colors so you can edit them in one place.
- Supports dynamic data with repeaters and loops.
- Client editor mode for easy client transition.
- Built with fundamental HTML elements.
- Lifetime support.
Pricing details for Oxygen
The Oxygen Page Builder offers two pricing options both offering a lifetime license and unlimited websites. The first is $129 one-time fee for limited functionality, while the more pricey option costs $399, but gains you WooCommerce Integration, Gutenberg Block Builder, Simplified Client UI and Composite Elements.
6. Brizy Builder
Like a lot of the drag-and-drop visual builders on this list, the founders of Brizy Builder have a background in creating WordPress templates. In this case, Brizy Builder was built by the team behind ThemeFuse.
Generally speaking, Brizy is a powerful WordPress page builder that makes it easy to create professional looking websites without any coding knowledge. It has a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to easily add and rearrange elements on your pages, including text, images, videos, and more. Additionally, Brizy has global styling features that allow you to quickly change the look and feel of your entire website with just a few clicks. This means that you can easily launch full site redesigns without having to go through and update each page individually. As the developer’s state on the website’s homepage: Brizy is a Builder for Non-techies.
Brizy feels next-gen thanks to its intuitive interface that features smart context menus. You can tell the developers put real work into making sure that the software felt natural to use, while at the same time being snappy and powerful. And the development team have not sat on their laurels either, they’ve continued to add functionality and to fine tune the user experience to the point where we feel Brizy is a very solid performer compared to the other heavy hitters.
An important thing to note is that although Brizy offers dynamic functionality, for those looking to create truly advanced websites that push dynamic content, we think that Brizy falls behind the likes of Bricks and Elementor.
Overall, Brizy is a great tool for anyone looking to create a beautiful and functional website for their business or personal use.
Key Features of Brizy Builder
- Clean User Interface – you can tell the developers value the user experience.
- Drag & Drop builder – build sites with easy to use drag-and-drop features.
- Global Colors & Fonts – set it styles and fonts in one place and reuse throughout the site.
- Optimised for Mobile – create sites that look good on mobile and desktop.
- 100+ Pre-Made Templates – get a jumpstart on your website with the built in templates
- Some Built In Integrations – some interesting built-in integrations.
Pricing Details for Bricks Builder
Prices for Brizy start at $49/year with Lifetime options available from $149.
7. Divi Website Builder
Divi Website Builder was created by Elegant Themes, a company founded in 2008 by Nick Roach. Elegant Themes is a team of designers and developers who create high-quality WordPress themes and plugins. In addition to Divi Website Builder, Elegant Themes also offers a range of other popular WordPress products, including the Extra Magazine theme, the Bloom email opt-in plugin, and Monarch Social Sharing.
Like other WordPress builders on this article, Divi Website Builder allows users to easily create and customize professional-looking websites without any coding knowledge. It features a drag-and-drop interface, a wide range of design elements and templates, and integration with popular WordPress plugins such as Advanced Custom Fields, WooCommerce, WPFunnels, and Gravity Forms.
One of the main benefits of Divi Website Builder is its flexibility and versatility. It allows users to create custom designs from scratch or use pre-designed templates and elements to create a unique and professional-looking website. It also comes with a range of advanced features such as the ability to create custom headers and footers, and to design custom blog and portfolio layouts.
Key Features of Divi Page Builder
- Drag-and-drop Interface – advanced drag and drop interface lets you easily manipulate the elements on the Widgets on your website.
- Inline Text Editing – add text styles and edit copy inline.
- Save & Manage Your Designs – save your designs so you can easily reuse them in other pages to stream line your work.
- Hover State Styling – a unique feature that allows you to setup hover designs on almost any element.
- Responsive Editing – tailor your website to any number of breakpoints or use your own.
- Border Options – advanced border editing via context menu.
- Transform Controls & Effects – very powerful CSS transform and effects tool that will let you get creative with your website layouts.
- Advanced Code Editing – add CSS to any element, page of the theme as a whole.
- Animations – extensive effects library to add movement to your site.
- Sticky Headers – advanced sticky header functionality built right in.
- Built In Split-Testing – a unique feature that any marketing person will appreciate.
- Access to Divi Marketplace – get unlimited access to thousands of layouts, themes and extensions.
Pricing Details for Divi Page Builder
Divi is a very affordable builder, given all of the features you get built-in. Annual passes are $89/year and lifetime access is as little as $249.
Additional Drag-and-drop Visual Page Builders for WordPress
In this article I listed the WordPress Builders that I have been personally able to use and test over the pat few years. However, those are not the only WordPress builders available. In order to have a complete reference for you, below you’ll find an additional drag-and-drop page WordPress page builders.
Though I have not personally used the options below, it does not mean that these builders are not high-quality products. You should check them out and see which one is right for you.
- Avada from Themefusion
- BoldGrid
- GeneratePress
- GenesisPro
- Page Builder Sandwich
- SiteOrigin
- SeedProd
- Thrive Architect
- Visual Composer
- Themify Builder
- WP Page Builder
- Zion Page Builder
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best visual builder for WordPress?
The obvious answer will always be: it depends on your use case. However, we strongly feel that Elementor leads the pack here and will work for any WordPress designer regardless of experience with the WordPress platform. If you are on a tight budget, Bricks is a great alternative choice thanks to the low lifetime price currently offered. Take advantage while its still available.
Why use a visual builder for WordPress over traditional theme development?
The biggest benefit of using a visual builder is that it cuts development time significantly as you are able to preview your work visually in real time. In addition, thanks to the pre-developed widgets, advanced features like sliders or tabs are built-in and don’t require painless development work to setup.
Are WordPress Visual Builders Better than Squarespace?
Although Squarespace has come a long way from being a simple visual builder and now offers some dynamic functionality, WordPress Visual Builders gives you the ability to create your websites via drag-and-drop, with the added benefit of having access to a completely customizable CMS with thousands of plugins that give you a lot any functionality you might need.
Should I Use Wix or a WordPress Visual Builder When Creating a Website?
Though on the surface the Wix platform looks easy to use and is a good choice for any beginner web designer, as soon as you are faced with the need for more complex functionality, you might hit a brick wall. For greater flexibility, a WordPress Visual Builder gives you the many benefits of Wix (drag-and-drop editor), with the functionality of a more powerful CMS.
Should I Use a Visual Builder If I Can Already Develop WordPress Themes?
WordPress Visual Builders will help you get the job done much faster allowing you to focus your energy and development skills to creating more advanced features for your clients that you would otherwise not be able to offer.
Are there any free WordPress Visual Builders?
Yes. Elementor offers a fairly robust version of their plugin that allows you to create a functional website without having to spend a dime.
