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In our 2025 Elementor review, we take another look at one of the most popular page builders for WordPress.org. With over 17 million users worldwide, Elementor has established itself as a leading solution for creating custom WordPress websites without coding knowledge. (For other options, check out our best website builders roundup.) Techradar reviewers have spent thousands of hours testing 140+ website builders to bring you expert insights.
Elementor operates as a WordPress plugin that transforms how you build websites. It offers both free and premium versions, with the Pro version unlocking advanced features like theme building and WooCommerce integration. While we rate Wix as our top pick for the best website builder in 2025, Elementor excels specifically within the WordPress ecosystem.
The platform has grown significantly since its 2016 launch by Israeli founders Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein. Today, it powers over 5% of the top million websites globally and remains the most popular WordPress plugin with over 10 million active installations.
Elementor: 2-minute review
Elementor delivers a powerful WordPress page building experience that balances ease of use with professional capabilities. The platform’s visual drag-and-drop editor lets you see changes in real-time, making website creation intuitive even for beginners. Its extensive widget library, template collection, and design system ensure you have the tools needed for professional-looking sites.
The company has built a strong reputation in the WordPress community since 2016. Elementor Ltd. secured $15 million in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners in 2020, demonstrating investor confidence in their approach. Their “Hello” theme framework and expert network further cement their position as a comprehensive WordPress solution provider.
What is Elementor?
Elementor is a visual page builder plugin designed specifically for WordPress websites. Think of it as a design tool that sits on top of your WordPress site, letting you create custom layouts by dragging and dropping elements onto your pages. Instead of writing code or being limited by your theme’s design, you can build exactly what you envision.
The platform works through three main building blocks: sections, columns, and widgets. Sections act as containers for your content, columns divide those sections vertically, and widgets are the individual elements like text, images, or buttons that you add. This structure gives you complete control over your page layout while keeping the process simple and visual.
Features
Elementor offers an impressive array of features that cater to both beginners and advanced users. The free version includes essential widgets, templates, and the core drag-and-drop functionality. You get access to basic design controls, responsive editing tools, and a solid foundation for building professional websites without spending a penny.
Elementor Pro significantly expands these capabilities with advanced features like the Theme Builder, which lets you design every part of your site including headers, footers, and archive pages. The WooCommerce Builder provides extensive e-commerce customization options, while the Form Builder and Popup Builder add essential conversion tools. Dynamic content capabilities allow you to create personalized experiences by connecting your designs to various data sources.
The platform’s widget ecosystem is particularly strong, with the Pro version offering up to 86 specialized widgets compared to the free version’s more limited selection. Motion effects, custom CSS options, and advanced design controls give you professional-level customization capabilities. The revision history feature provides peace of mind during the design process, while the notes system facilitates team collaboration.
What makes Elementor different from other page builders is its third-party ecosystem. Numerous addon developers create specialized widgets and functionality extensions, giving you access to even more design possibilities. However, we’d like to see better built-in SEO tools and more advanced animation options that some competitors offer. The pricing is justified given the feature depth, especially for the Pro version’s comprehensive toolkit.
Tools
Elementor is a game-changing addition to the WordPress website builder, empowering users to create professional-grade websites with unparalleled ease and efficiency. It features localization support, image design, and even code generation. Here are some features we loved the most:
AI writing assistant
The built-in AI writing assistant offers contextual suggestions based on the widget you’re using, helping you create compelling copy for your website in a matter of seconds. Whether you need to generate headlines, product descriptions, or blog introductions, Elementor AI’s writing assistant has you covered.
Image generation and editing
With Elementor AI, you can create unique, eye-catching images tailored to your website’s needs. Simply describe the image you want, and the AI will generate multiple variations for you to choose from. You can also edit existing images, remove backgrounds, and add generative fill to enhance your visuals.
Custom code generation
Elementor AI makes coding accessible to everyone, even those without extensive programming knowledge. The AI can generate custom CSS and HTML code snippets based on your requirements, allowing you to add advanced functionality and styling to your website with ease.
Elementor also offers Conditional CSS Loading. This helps you create a leaner, faster website by analyzing active widgets and features to ensure that only necessary CSS is loaded.
Translation support
Elementor AI supports 25 different languages, enabling you to create multilingual websites and reach a global audience. The AI writing assistant can translate your content into various languages, ensuring that your message resonates with visitors from around the world.
Seamless integration
AI Copilot is natively integrated within the Elementor editor, allowing you to access and utilize all AI-enabled tools without switching between different platforms. This helps streamline your workflow and improve productivity when working on complex projects.
Style
Elementor offers advanced style tools that will help you create a website that looks and works exactly how you want. For example, the floating bar and contact button features allows you to create fixed bars and contact buttons that stay visible to users as they scroll through the page.
Variable fonts also allows you to adjust the weight and width of fonts in single increments, making it easy to have your text look and feel exactly how you want it.
Ease of use
Elementor’s visual editing experience makes website building accessible for all skill levels. A drag-and-drop interface lets you see changes in real-time as you build, eliminating the guesswork that comes with editing on WordPress’s block editor, Gutenberg.
You simply drag widgets from the left sidebar onto your page canvas and watch your design come to life instantly. The interface splits cleanly between the editing panel and live preview, while features like right-click support, navigator mode, and the “Finder” tool help you work efficiently.
Learning curve depends on your background, but most users find Elementor approachable compared to other WordPress page builders. Basic tasks like adding text, images, and buttons are straightforward — you can click directly on text to edit it inline, just like any word processor. However, more complex features like moving sections or customizing layouts may initially feel overwhelming for complete beginners.
Pricing
Plan | Starting rate (paid annually) | Renewal rate (paid annually) |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0/month | $0/month |
Essential | $4.99/month | $4.99/month |
Advanced Solo | $6.99/month | $6.99/month |
Advanced | $8.25/month | $8.25/month |
Expert | $16.99/month | $16.99/month |
Elementor’s pricing structure is straightforward and competitive, at least within the WordPress page builder market. The free version provides substantial functionality for basic websites, while the paid plans scale based on the number of sites you need to build. The Essential plan at $59 annually covers single-site needs, making it accessible for small businesses and personal projects.
The higher-tier plans offer excellent value for agencies and freelancers managing multiple client sites. The Expert plan supports up to 25 websites for $199 annually, which breaks down to less than $8 per site. All paid plans include the same core Pro features, with the main differentiator being site limits rather than feature restrictions. The 30-day money-back guarantee provides risk-free testing of the premium features.
Support
Elementor offers several support channels to assist users with their website building needs. The primary method of contact is through email support, where users can submit tickets detailing their issues or questions. Elementor also provides a comprehensive knowledge base and help center, featuring tutorials, guides, and FAQs to help users troubleshoot common problems.
In addition to email support, Elementor offers a live chat feature for quick assistance. However, some users have reported mixed experiences with the responsiveness and efficiency of the live chat support. While the company claims to provide 24/7 support, there have also been instances where users have waited several days for a response to their tickets.
Despite these inconsistencies, many users praise the support team for their helpfulness and professionalism when addressing concerns. Elementor’s support agents are generally knowledgeable about the product and try to provide clear guidance to resolve issues.
Security
Elementor includes an SSL certificate as standard, so you can rest knowing that your website is protected from most garden-variety threats. You also get malware scanning, to protect your data against viruses, worms, or ransomware which can be used to gain access to sensitive information.
Real-time scanning for malware threats prevents malicious attacks before they get a chance to happen. In addition to the immediate protection offered by its scanning service, Elementor also provides a detailed report after every scan along with recommendations on how to address any potential threats found on your site.
Alternatives
Weebly is an all-in-one website builder that makes it easy for anyone to create a professional website without the need for coding or design skills. It features drag-and-drop functionality that allows users to customize their websites with ease, and also includes access to hundreds of free themes and templates.
Squarespace is another popular website building platform that offers users drag-and-drop customization options. It provides an easy way for people with little or no coding experience to create beautiful websites with ease. Squarespace also provides access to hundreds of free templates and themes, and has an impressive array of ecommerce features that make it easy for businesses to set up online stores.
Wix is one of the most popular website building platforms on the market today with over 110 million users worldwide. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes customizing your site easy, as well as access to hundreds of free templates and themes. Wix also includes powerful ecommerce features, such as payment integration and invoicing capabilities, so businesses can easily set up online stores on their sites.
Elementor: Summary
Elementor’s new AI-powered assistant is a gamechanger for the platform’s usability, making it possible to create websites quickly and effortlessly without investing in a steep learning curve. We particularly liked the ability to generate raw HTML and CSS using prompts, which is a level of freedom unseen in most WordPress focused AI website builders.
However, many of Elementor’s most useful AI features are locked behind a Pro or AI subscription, which can get pretty expensive as your website continues to grow. Still, it’s a great choice for established businesses and agencies who are willing to pay extra for the additional creative freedom.
Elementor: FAQs
Does Elementor require coding knowledge?
No, Elementor is designed specifically for users without coding experience. The visual drag-and-drop interface lets you build and customize websites by simply clicking and dragging elements into place. However, if you want advanced customizations, the Pro version does allow you to add custom CSS and HTML code for more sophisticated designs.
Can I use Elementor with any WordPress theme?
Yes, Elementor works with virtually any WordPress theme. The Pro version’s Theme Builder feature even lets you override your theme’s design completely, giving you full control over headers, footers, and other template parts. For optimal performance, Elementor recommends lightweight themes like their own Hello theme, GeneratePress, or Astra.
Will Elementor slow down my website?
Elementor can impact site speed if not used carefully, but it’s generally well-optimized for performance. The key is avoiding excessive widgets and add-ons on a single page. Using a good hosting provider, caching plugins, and optimized images will help maintain fast loading times. The platform includes features like dynamic rendering and optimized asset loading to minimize performance impact.
What’s the difference between Elementor free and Pro?
The free version includes basic page building functionality with essential widgets and templates. Elementor Pro adds advanced features like the Theme Builder for customizing your entire site, WooCommerce integration for e-commerce stores, form building capabilities, popup creation tools, and access to premium templates and widgets. Pro also includes priority support and regular feature updates.
Can I migrate away from Elementor if needed?
While Elementor creates custom layouts that are tied to the plugin, you can export your content and recreate designs in other builders if necessary. However, the process isn’t automatic and requires manual work. We recommend thoroughly testing Elementor with their free version or 30-day money-back guarantee before committing to large projects.
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