21 Top WordPress Page Builders Compared (Most Popular List)
Creating a website used to require significant technical skills, often by a professional web developer. The process involved intricate coding, and without knowledge of languages like CSS and HTML, your options were limited.
WordPress page builders have transformed this landscape, making website creation more accessible and efficient. They allow even those with no technical background to easily design and launch websites with simple drag-and-drop actions.
Some of the best WordPress page builders include Kadence, Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, and Thrive Architect.
WordPress is the most widely used platform for website development. It is further improved by its extensive selection of page builders. In this guide, you’ll learn about some of the best user-friendly WordPress page builders.
What is a WordPress Page Builder? A WordPress page builder is a tool that simplifies website creation, eliminating the need for complex coding. It enables the construction of sophisticated websites quickly, even for those without web design or development experience.
These builders offer a range of pre-designed elements that can be effortlessly integrated into your website through drag-and-drop, allowing you to achieve professional-level results affordably.
Over the years, I’ve tested and used many page builders on our sites and for clients. And I continue to test, break, and write tutorials about WordPress themes, builders, and plugins.
Here are some hand-picked WordPress templates (free and premium).
21 Top WordPress Page Builders
Here is my shortlist of WordPress page builders.
1. Kadence Theme
Kadence comes with a powerful free version. This includes the starter templates, patterns, and Kadence Blocks for building custom WordPress pages.
Best WordPress Page Builder For: Beginners will especially benefit from it’s easy interface. Experienced site builders will love the powerful Kadence Blocks Pro function. I haven’t found a customization that Kadence can’t make.
I started using Kadence last year (2023) and I really like it. This site (WPBuilt) is built on Kadence. I purchased Lifetime Full – one payment for access to all features, forever.
The free theme is powerful enough to build a great site. And while the free version is great, you can also upgrade later and get even more function.
- Upgrade to Essentials ($149/yr) for Block Pro, Theme Pro, and more patterns and starter templates.
- For the full package, upgrade to Kadence Full ($219/yr) for everything in Essentials, plus Cloud, Conversions, WooCommerce Shop Kit, child theme builder, and all plugins and future products.
Kadence Features:
- Starter Templates: Begin building using a starter template. Then choose your fonts, colors, and photos. They are slick and a great way to learn the Kadence.
- Intuitive Interface: Even though I hadn’t used it before, I was able to easily build a site from scratch. It works within the WordPress Customize interface. If you know WordPress, you won’t have any trouble with Kadence.
- Price: Free to $219 per year. My recommendation is to get the free theme and try it out. If you like the workflow, buy either the Essential or Full package (depending on how many additional functions you need).
- Kadence Integrates With Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder, WooCommerce, LearnDash, LifterLMS, bbPress, TutorLMS, Give, Restrict Content Pro, and The Events Calendar.
Here’s a great guide to building with Kadence starter templates.
2. Elementor
Elementor is a highly popular drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress, offering a visual editor for easy page design.
It’s free to download with a Pro version starting at $59, enhancing functionality for more complex sites.
I’ve been an Elementor Pro user since last year (2023). I like the powerful features but it wasn’t super intuitive for me.
The interface allows for real-time editing and viewing, with a theme builder to customize templates using dynamic content widgets. The standard package provides essential widgets for high-quality page designs without the premium cost.
- Best WordPress Page Builder For: Elementor is best for developers with some experience in web development. I didn’t find the interface as intuitive as Kadence or WordPress itself.
- Price: Free to $399 per year. For single-site owners, the Essential plan ($59) is all you’ll need. Run 3 sites on Elementor for $99. Or up to 25 sites for $199/year.
- Healthy Ecosystem: Elementor is a super popular page builder. There are dozens of great tools and developers to help add even more function. Here are some additional tools for Elementor.
- Lots of Great Tutorials: Because of its popularity, there are hundreds of great tutorials for customizing with Elementor. For example, here’s how to install Elementor Pro, import Elementor templates, and set equal column height in Elementor.
Here’s a glimpse of building with Elementor.
3. Divi
Divi, by Elegant Themes, is more than a theme—it’s a comprehensive design framework with a vast array of layouts and content modules.
Launched in 2013, Divi offers endless design possibilities, making it a favorite among both novices and developers. The annual subscription is $89, providing access to additional features and tools.
4. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder enables quick, custom website creation with user-friendly elements suitable for beginners. It includes a range of templates and supports WooCommerce for online stores.
Available in a free lite version, the premium starts at $99, with a white-label option for agencies at $399.
5. Gutenberg
This editor is built into WordPress (since 5.0). You can use Gutenberg elements as provided inside the WordPress dashboard.
For beginners, this is a good place to start. It works smoothly inside of WordPress. You don’t even have to install a plugin or theme. Just install WordPress and start building.
And once you get the hang of it, consider adding Kadence Blocks and Kadence Theme.
6. Astra
Astra is a very popular page builder for WordPress. And they come with a library of more than 250 pre-built templates. These templates are great for getting some ideas flowing – or just load the template and add your logo and info.
Astra is fully customizable (colors, fonts, headers, layouts, etc) and integrates with WooCommerce.
7. OceanWP
OceanWP is one of the fastest-growing WordPress Themes, running more than 1,000,000 websites. And OceanWP has over 6,900,000 downloads from the WordPress Plugin Repository.
OceanWP templates ensure your website is fully responsive on mobile, has fast page loading times, WooCommerce compatible, and comes equipped with built-in SEO and RTL readiness.
One of OceanWP’s standout attributes is OceanWP Templates – pre-designed templates ready for installation with just a few clicks.
8. Page Builder Sandwich
Page Builder Sandwich is an affordable and basic plugin that is easy enough for anyone to use, offering a straightforward way to design websites with drag-and-drop functionality.
The premium version expands the toolset with additional icons, Google Maps customization, and more for $29.
9. Brizy Page Builder
Brizy, a modern builder by ThemeFuse, features a clean interface and has 180+ pre-built design templates.
It is a true white-label solution for design agencies.
The basic version is free. The one-site Pro plan is $108/yr. Or build 10 sites for $588/year with the Agency plan.
10. Live Composer Site Builder
Live Composer is a free drag-and-drop builder with over 40 content modules. WooCommerce support is available for $69, with premium extensions for additional customization options.
11. Nimble Page Builder
Nimble is a smaller developer that also uses the native WordPress live customizer. Nimble is running on 50,000 sites.
You can edit any page (or page type) across your site. This includes home, single page or post, archive pages, search results, and 404 pages.
The basic version is free, and you can get pro for $39/year.
12. Themify Builder
Integrated into Themify themes, this builder is available for free with a premium option for advanced layouts and animations.
It offers extensive customization capabilities for developers and an unlimited layout version control.
13. MotoPress Content Editor
An affordable option at $39, MotoPress Page Builder offers a range of templates and supports WooCommerce. It’s suitable for managing multiple sites with options for personal or developer bundles for extended functionality.
14. Page Builder by SiteOrigin
SiteOrigin offers a free and premium ($29) version of its page builder, including a widget bundle for various design elements.
It’s compatible with other builders and widgets, offering both front-end and back-end editing. The premium version adds more capabilities and support options.
15. WP Page Builder
Introduced by Themeum in 2018, WP Page Builder is designed for ease of use with a straightforward interface. It features a comprehensive toolbar, functional blocks, and a library section for efficient design.
The builder is free, with advanced design options available through custom CSS.
16. WP Bakery
Listed as the top page builder plugin, with 5,800,000 sites running WP Bakery. My experience has been less than positive. I’ve seen client sites run super glitchy with this plugin.
I haven’t built a site with WP Bakery, yet. But I’m open to try. I’ll update here once I give it a workout myself.
17. Visual Composer
Visual Composer, developed by WP Bakery, caters to intermediate and advanced developers with a wide range of layouts, widgets, and add-ons.
Free or premium is $49, it includes a three-view editor for comprehensive design control, suitable for both coders and non-coders.
18. GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a lightweight, mobile-friendly theme that doubles as a page builder, ideal for beginners. It allows easy addition of sections and content, enhancing the visual building experience.
The theme is free, with a premium upgrade at $59 for additional modules and customization options.
19. Oxygen
Oxygen is a flexible builder for more experienced users, allowing integration with other builders and featuring an interface similar to Photoshop.
Oxygen Builder gives full control of your WooCommerce store, has a custom header builder, and has drag and drop editing (like all page builders).
Priced at $129 (Basic) and $179 (Ultimate) with full WooCommerce integration and Gutenburg block builder. It supports advanced coding options and unlimited site usage.
20. Thrive Architect
Thrive Architect is developed by ThriveThemes, a developer popular with niche site builders.
One great feature is their 350+ predesigned landing page templates.
21. Brix Builder
Brix Builder is quite new to me and I have yet to test it yet. It boasts “unrivaled visual full site editing”, which is pretty standard with a WordPress page builder.
A feature that stands out to me is their menu builder. Many page builders overlook mobile menus and, as a result, come out looking like an afterthought. Their menu builder looks fully customizable.
This one is one I want to test and I’ll share my thoughts here once I do. Annual cost ranges from $79 (1 site) to $249 (unlimited sites).
Other WordPress Page Builders: King Composer, Cornerstone Page Builder, and Frontend Builder.
Related WordPress Themes and Frameworks
Trellis Framework: Trellis isn’t actually a page builder but a framework with some prebuilt themes available. This is developed by Mediavine, one of the better ad networks. The framework is designed for speed, to combat the slowness from display ads. I’ve run this framework on some of our sites for years with good experience. It is fast and it sacrifices some function to have a faster load time.
Genesis Pro: I’ve used Genesis for years, and reviewed it many years ago for About.com. While it isn’t the worst option, it is kind of dated. If you get hosting with WPEngine (highly recommended), you get free access to this theme.
Learn more about customizing WordPress in our tutorial section.
4 Reasons to Use a WordPress Page Builder
WordPress page builders will significantly streamline your workflow as a developer.
Here are some key advantages of a drag-and-drop WordPress page builder:
- Reusable Templates: Beyond simplifying website construction, page builders allow you to craft and save templates. This means you can easily reuse designs, enhancing efficiency for future projects.
- Diverse Feature Set: Manually adding complex features is laborious, even if you’re adept at coding languages. Page builders come equipped with a set of pre-built feature blocks, ready to be integrated into your designs.
- Quick Edits and Style Changes: Client requests for modifications can be addressed quickly, bypassing the need for time-intensive manual coding.
- Efficient Mockup Creation: In the initial phases of a project, crafting mockups is standard practice. Drag-and-drop themes expedite this process, enabling you to present a broader array of options to your clients swiftly.
Choosing the Right WordPress Builder
The best builder depends on your needs, budget, and skill level. Each option offers unique features and capabilities, ensuring a fit for every type of user.
Did I miss one? Please share your favorite WordPress page builder below.