WPBakery vs Elementor Comparison: Which Is Better for Your Project?

In the world of website building and design, choosing the right page builder is key to your online success. WordPress WPBakery vs Elementor is a common dilemma as they are two of the most popular and widely used WordPress page builders. WPBakery lets you create beautiful websites in just a few clicks using its pre-made templates and drag-and-drop functionality.

Here we will provide a comparison between the two to help you decide which page builder is best for your website.

Both WPBakery and Elementor offer basic features that are available at all pricing tiers, so you don’t need to upgrade to premium plans to get the essentials.

What are Page Builders

Page builders are essential tools for creating stunning WordPress websites. They allow users to structure and design responsive pages without coding skills. With a page builder, users can select, rearrange, and style their site exactly as they want. Popular page builders like Elementor and WPBakery offer a lot of features.

Using a page builder simplifies the web design process, making it accessible to all levels of users. Whether you’re a beginner looking to create a personal blog or an experienced developer working on a complex business site, a page builder can help you achieve a professional look in no time. The drag-and-drop functionality allows you to see changes in real-time so you can see your design come to life exactly as you imagined.

When choosing a page builder, you need to consider factors like user interface, features, and pricing to get the best fit for your website needs. Elementor and WPBakery, for example, each have their own strengths. Elementor is known for its intuitive interface and extensive customization options, while WPBakery has a robust set of content elements and a huge template library. Knowing these differences will help you choose the right tool for your project.

What is WPBakery?

Formerly known as Visual Composer, this is a popular drag-and-drop builder plugin used in WordPress design and development services. It’s known for its versatility and ease of use, making it a favorite among many WP users.

WPBakery Page Builder Overview

It started as Visual Composer, one of the first drag-and-drop tools for WordPress. The builder allows users to create custom page layouts in a visual way without writing code.

It has frontend and backend editing capabilities so users can design and manage their website’s content in any way they want. Both Elementor and WPBakery are page builders, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Elementor is best for beginners because of its free plan, while WPBakery might be preferred by more advanced users.

Key Features and Benefits

• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Simplifies the page-building process with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface for all levels of users.
• Wide Range of Elements: Comes with a huge array of content elements and templates to build complex and diverse page layouts.
• Third-Party Add-ons: A large ecosystem of third-party add-ons and extensions to enhance its functionality and design options.
• Responsive Design Options: Tools to create mobile-responsive websites so they’re compatible with various devices.
• Compatibility: Generally compatible with most WordPress themes, so users have flexibility in choosing their website design. Also compatible with popular plugins like WooCommerce and Contact Form 7.
• Custom Fonts: Enhances the versatility and customization capabilities of WPBakery so users can create unique designs that match their brand.
• Layout Tools: WPBakery’s layout tools simplify the process of building and customizing WordPress sites for both basic and complex design requirements, so overall user experience is enhanced.

Typical Use Cases and User Base

WPBakery is popular among beginners and intermediate developers. Its ease of use and flexibility make it suitable for a wide audience, including bloggers, small business owners, and web developers. WPBakery simplifies the process of creating and customizing WordPress sites for clients, so it’s accessible for users of all technical expertise.

Use Cases:

• Business Websites
• Blogs and Personal Sites
• Landing Pages and Marketing Sites
• E-commerce Sites

WPBakery stands out for its ease of use, plugin compatibility, and a lot of features, so it’s a robust tool for various web projects in the WordPress ecosystem.

What is Elementor?

What is Elementor?

A highly popular and widely used page builder for WP, known for its user-friendly interface and customization options. It has grown rapidly in popularity and is now a top choice for many users. For those considering transitioning from Elementor, here is a step-by-step guide on converting to Gutenberg.

Elementor Page Builder Overview

Elementor was created to give users an advanced yet user-friendly tool for website design and development. It stands out for its real-time drag-and-drop interface, so users can see changes as they build. Elementor also has inline editing so users can edit content directly on the front end of the page, unlike WPBakery, which requires pop-ups for editing.

The tool has a lot of widgets and templates to create professional-looking websites without coding. It’s responsive, so websites look great on all devices. Elementor also allows dynamic content, so users can customize beyond standard templates to create highly personalized and functional websites.

Key Features and Benefits

• Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Editor: The builder’s ease of use is one of its greatest advantages, so even beginners can create beautiful websites.
• Huge Template Library: Comes with a large collection of pre-designed templates that can be customized to any need.
• Responsive Design Control: Offers full control to adjust and optimize websites for mobile, tablet, and desktop.
• Powerful Widgets: Includes various widgets to add features like sliders, testimonials, and social media integrations.
• Theme Builder: Allows users to design entire themes, headers, footers, and blog post layouts so users have full design control over the site.
• Enhanced Content Creation: Elementor’s tools simplify content creation, tasks like translations and design-related code generation.
• Custom Fonts: The inclusion of custom fonts enhances the versatility and customization capabilities of Elementor so users can create unique designs that match their brand.

Typical Use Cases and User Base

Used by a wide range of users from DIY website builders and bloggers to professional web designers and developers.

Use Cases:

• Professional Business Sites
• Creative Portfolios
• E-commerce Platforms
• Custom Landing Pages

The builder’s feature set and interface make it a great tool for building many types of websites.

WPBakery vs Elementor Comparison: Which Is Better

Features	WPBakery	Elementor
Interface and Ease of Use	More friendly for developers.	Friendly for beginners and even developers.
Pricing	Starts at $59.	Starts free.
Elements and Widgets	50+ widgets available.	40 available for free. 100+ with the paid version.
Compatibility with themes and plugins	Works seamlessly with popular themes and plugins.	Compatible with a wide range of themes and plugins.
SEO functionality	Short codes may impact SEO.	Excellent SEO functionality, slight page load impact.
Template library	100+ templates available.	100+ templates available
Support	Great support + community support.	Responsive support + thriving community.

Ease of Use

User Interface Comparison

• WPBakery: Offers a backend and frontend editor. The backend editor might feel less intuitive to modern users, but it provides detailed control.
• Elementor: Primarily a frontend, drag-and-drop editor with a real-time live preview, making it highly intuitive.

Learning Curve for Beginners

• WPBakery: Slightly steeper learning curve due to its dual-editor system, with the front-end editor enabled by default. While WPBakery is user-friendly, it has a moderate learning curve because of its coding flexibility and interface design, which may require beginners to invest some time to become proficient.
• Elementor: Generally considered more beginner-friendly due to its straightforward, live-editing interface.

Workflow Efficiency for Experienced Developers

• WPBakery: Offers more control to developers comfortable with shortcodes and backend editing.
• Elementor: Streamlines the design process, especially with its extensive widget library and template kits.

Design Capabilities

Design Options and Flexibility

• WPBakery: Good range of design options, but can be limiting in advanced design scenarios.
• Elementor: Superior flexibility with more advanced design capabilities.

Templates and Blocks

• WPBakery: Wide range of templates available through third-party sources. WPBakery allows users to create web pages using various content elements, including text blocks, which can be easily added and customized to enhance the overall design and functionality of a website.
• Elementor: Extensive library of pre-built templates and blocks.

Customization and Styling Options

• WPBakery: Offers a decent range of styling options, but may require custom CSS for advanced styling.
• Elementor: Superior styling options with more control over details.

Elements and Widgets

Variety and Quality

• WPBakery: Good selection of elements, but quality can vary across third-party add-ons. WPBakery allows users to customize and manipulate various page elements without requiring coding skills.
• Elementor: Larger selection of high-quality widgets and elements.

Extensibility with Third-Party Addons

• Both offer extensive third-party add-ons, enhancing their functionality and element variety.

Elementor vs WPBakery Performance

WPBakery vs Elementor Speed

• WPBakery: Can be heavier, potentially impacting load times. Additionally, WPBakery can lead to performance issues, such as frustrating loading times for users.
• Elementor: Generally optimized for performance, though page size can become an issue with excessive widget use.

Code Quality and Page Output

• WPBakery: Generates more shortcodes, which can affect code cleanliness.
• Elementor: Produces cleaner code, beneficial for long-term site maintenance.

Responsiveness and Mobile Optimization

Tools for Mobile-Friendly Designs

• Both provide tools to adjust designs for mobile, but Elementor offers more intuitive and finer control.

Responsive Design Controls and Preview Options

• WPBakery: Basic responsive controls.
• Elementor: Advanced responsive design controls and preview options for different devices. Users can easily download Elementor from the WordPress dashboard.

WPBakery Page Builder vs Elementor: SEO Considerations

SEO Features and Plugin Compatibility

• Both are compatible with major SEO plugins like Yoast, but Elementor’s cleaner code structure might offer a slight edge in SEO. Utilizing built-in SEO features can enhance rankings and contribute to business growth by improving visibility in search engines.

Impact on Search Engine Rankings

• Dependent more on content and overall website optimization. Both builders are capable but require proper SEO practices.

Pricing and Value for Money

Free vs. Premium Versions

WPBakery: No free version; only paid website builder plans.

Elementor: Offers a powerful free website builder version, with premium plans providing additional advanced features.

Pricing Structures

• WPBakery: Single license purchase.
• Elementor: Annual subscription model with different tiers.

Long-Term Value

• Elementor: Generally considered to provide better value, especially with its robust free version.

Support and Community

Customer Support and Documentation

• Both offer good customer support, but Elementor has more extensive documentation and tutorials available.

User Community

• Elementor: Larger, more active community, providing a rich source of shared knowledge and third-party resources. Additionally, Elementor boasts a large user community that offers extensive support through customer centers, knowledge bases, video academies, and active user contributions.
• WPBakery: Established user base, but community engagement is less dynamic.

Integration with Other Plugins

Compatibility

• Both work well with most WordPress plugins, including WooCommerce. Choosing the right WordPress theme is key to seamless integration with popular page builders like WPBakery and Elementor.

Integration with Marketing Tools and CRMs

• Elementor has better integration capabilities, especially with modern marketing tools and CRMs.

Real-World User Experiences

Websites Built with Elementor:

If you’re interested in learning how to seamlessly convert your Figma website design into a WordPress site using Elementor, check out this comprehensive guide offered by ProCoders.

• The New Yorker: This iconic magazine’s website uses the builder for its online presence, with a mix of news, culture, and entertainment content.
• Goodreads: A popular website for book lovers, with user-generated book reviews, recommendations, and a community for readers.
• TripAdvisor: This famous travel platform is known for its huge collection of traveler reviews and opinions on accommodations, restaurants, experiences, and more.
• Evernote: The popular note-taking and organization app’s website is also built with the tool, showcasing its features and offerings.
• Sonic Drive-In: This popular fast-food chain’s website, showing their menu and promotions, is another example of an Elementor-built site.

Elementor and WPBakery both add functionality to a WordPress website with powerful widgets and customization options.

Websites Built with WPBakery:

• TechCrunch: A leading technology media website, with the latest tech news and information, uses WPBakery for its layout and design.
• Harvard University: The famous educational institution’s official website also uses WPBakery for some of its web design.
• The Next Web (TNW): A popular site for international technology news, business, and culture, built with WPBakery.
• WWE: The official website of World Wrestling Entertainment, with wrestling news and entertainment, is built with WPBakery.
• Toyota Brazil: The Brazilian branch of the automotive giant uses WPBakery for its website, showing its vehicles and services.

Bottom Line: So while both are good WordPress page builders, Elementor is more user-friendly, more flexible, and more modern.

Choosing the Right Page Builder

Choosing the right page builder depends on various criteria, including user interface, features, and pricing. Elementor and WPBakery are two popular WordPress page builders with different strengths and weaknesses. Elementor is known for its simple user interface and huge library of templates, making it a favorite among beginners and those who prefer a more visual approach to web design. Its drag-and-drop editor and real-time preview capabilities make it easy to create stunning websites without any coding skills.

On the other hand, WPBakery boasts a more extensive template library and over 50 content elements, providing a wide range of options for customization. It offers both backend and frontend editing capabilities, giving users flexibility in how they design and manage their website’s content. This makes it a preferred choice for developers who appreciate detailed control and are comfortable with shortcodes and backend editing.

When selecting a page builder, consider your website needs, skill level, and budget to make an informed decision. If you’re a beginner or prefer a more visual and intuitive design process, Elementor might be a better choice. However, if you need more advanced customization options and are comfortable with a slightly steeper learning curve, WPBakery could be the right fit.

It’s also essential to read reviews, compare features, and try out demos to find the best page builder for your project. By doing so, you can ensure that the tool you choose aligns with your design goals and provides the functionality you need to create a successful WordPress site.

Conclusion

WordPress Elementor vs WPBakery each offer unique strengths and cater to different user needs and preferences. While the former shines with its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and strong community support, the latter holds its ground with its own set of loyal users who appreciate its specific functionalities and editing style.

Choose wisely and, when in doubt, come to ProCoders for help!