Visual Composer Vs Elementor Vs BeBuilder: The Best Option
June 11, 2024
Essential Web Designer Skills for Success
June 13, 2024As web designers, we're always on the hunt for efficient tools to craft stunning websites. When I first discovered Visual Composer, it felt like a game-changer. But, as the landscape evolves, so do our needs. That's why exploring Visual Composer alternatives is crucial for keeping our designs fresh and functional.
BeBuilder, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi by Elegant Themes, and Gutenberg have risen as powerful contenders, each offering unique features to elevate your web design experience. Whether you're in search of a drag-and-drop editor or tools for advanced custom fields, understanding these alternatives can transform how you approach your projects.
This article will guide you through the top alternatives, highlighting tools like BeBuilder, Thrive Architect, WPBakery Page Builder, and Brizy. By the end, you'll have a solid grasp on which tools fit your WordPress themes and website customization needs, setting the stage for seamless, responsive design and optimized page builders.
Ready to elevate your web design game? Let's dive in.
The Best Visual Composer Alternatives
| Page Builder | Drag-and-Drop Interface | Responsive Design | Advanced Customization | SEO Optimization | Pre-built Templates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BeBuilder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beaver Builder | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Divi Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| InstaBuilder | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Elementor Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Brizy | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Live Composer | Yes | Yes | Limited | No | Yes |
| Thrive Architect | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SeedProd | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Themify Builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Oxygen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MotoPress Content Editor | Yes | Yes | Limited | Limited | Yes |
BeBuilder
Number one on this list and in the market is BeBuilder. BeBuilder is hailed as the best Visual Composer alternative you can use. It comes as part of the website builder platform BeTheme.
BeTheme’s prebuilt website sections come with features that address most of the design and content decisions you are likely to face. These features and functions include
- Home page and internal page layouts
- Basic website structure
- Image and text placement
This doesn't mean that a single prebuilt website will meet every single client’s needs. Hence, BeBuilder offers 100s of these prebuilt sections to choose from. These sections are organized into categories like Call-to-Action, Contact, and more.
BeBuilders admin toolbar is also well organized. Frequently used admin actions are displayedto the left of your screen, just like your settings toolbar. BeBuilder's backend builder makes it easy to optimize your pages for search, add sliders to your website, and so much more.
And, what about the e-commerce capabilities of this page builder?
BeBuilder Woo
With BeBuilder Woo you can create beautiful monetized sites with your product(s) and shop templates. So, there is no need to settle for customizing the defaults provided by WooCommerce or the theme.
BeBuilder's Pricing Structure
Unlike other page builders, none of BeBuilder's prebuilt sections or templates are gated. This means you'll never pay anything besides a one-time fee of $59.
BeBuilder's Main Features
- WooCommerce ready
- Mega Menu
- Custom Font Uploader
- Unlimited menus
- Awesome Layouts Generator
- 4 different grid layouts
- Over 100 predefined sections
- Seven different header versions
- Over 650 prebuilt websites
- Over 80 elements
- Widgetized Top Area
Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is another great WordPress page builder plugin. It uses an intuitive custom frontend page builder interface but doesn’t stray too far from the core WordPress user experience.
Beaver Builder also offers a useful selection of content modules and a library of high-quality page templates.
Anyone who has used the WordPress Live Customizer tool will be acquainted with its side panel layout. This can make Beaver Builder easier to work with than some other Visual Composer alternatives. When designing a page, you can drag and drop items around your custom layout. Clicking on a page element opens up a settings panel that lets you customize how it looks and functions.
A drawback of Beaver Builder is that it doesn't come with an inline text editor. This means you'll need to type into a pop-up panel rather than editing text directly on the page. Of course, all changes are displayed in real-time.
Key Features of Beaver Builder
- Creates SEO optimized pages
- Frontend editing in real-time
- Customizable templates
- An easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface
- Shareable and reusable
Beaver Builder also comes with very powerful modules that can even build Q&A and FAQ pages. Pricing for Beaver Builder starts at $99.
Divi Builder
This drag-and-drop page builder plugin was once only accessible to Divi Builder users. But, this WordPress theme from Elegant Themes is now available as a stand-alone plugin for all well-coded WordPress themes.
A core feature of Divi Builder is its drag-and-drop functionality. It also features a pricing table module for creating eCommerce websites. And you can add slideshows to your pages and posts. With this plugin, you can create multicolumn and row layouts for your pages and posts. You can then populate these pages and posts on various content modules.
Another useful feature of this Visual Composer alternative is its email opt-in forms module. This module allows you to put email subscription forms for newsletters in custom layouts.
Do you want to be able to publish testimonials from your satisfied clients or customers? Divi Builder can help with that. While the page builder's user interface is simple, it does have a learning curve.
The Pricing Structure of Divi Builder
Divi Builder's pricing plans include a yearly access plan and a lifetime access plan. Yearly access costs $89 per year, while the lifetime plan is accessed via a one-time payment of $249.
InstaBuilder
This drag-and-drop SiteOrigin type page builder offers many editing options. It has an Adobe Aviary SDK-powered visual editor, which comes with effects for editing and redefining images.
InstaBuilder lets you turn images into logos and use predefined features like
- Header images
- Page separators
- A call-to-action button
The page builder is designed for cross-platform devices, so you can use email affiliates to generate traffic from mobile devices.
With InstaBuilder, you can access different niches when running lead generation campaigns. Its analytical tools will help you track the progress of your campaigns. And, the plugin supports statistical reporting to help you make better campaign decisions.
Another feature of this page builder is its opt-in integrations for lead-generating forms. These customizable opt-ins act as a firewall on your page. They can include elements like buttons and video clips.
This building tool also helps you with quickly generating legal pages like
- Terms of service
- Disclaimers
- Privacy policy
Do you want a page builder that lets you include social sites and social engines on your landing pages? InstaBuilder can help with that!
InstaBuilder's Pricing Structure
InstaBuilder's three pricing plans/ licenses include
- 3-site license -$77
- Unlimited license – $97
- Developer license – $197
Elementor Pro
Are you looking for a Visual Composer alternative that feels like a part of WordPress? Elementor's visually appealing design and user interface make it easy to work with.
Clicking any element on your page displays the corresponding controls in the page builder's sidebar. Depending on the element you select, this tool's context-sensitive panel enables you to
- Edit text
- Customize the layout
- Upload images
- Etcetera.
Although there’s no inline text editing, the changes you make through the sidebar are instantly applied to your page. Elementor’s pro version features
- Over 100 pro templates
- Forms
- Pricing table
- Global widget
- Slides
The paid version of Elementor Pro integrates well with WooCommerce. It has 4 elements especially meant for WooCommerce. So, if you want a page builder only for WooCommerce, Elementor is a no-brainer.
With this option, you get a limited free version that lets you experience the plugin before buying it. Elementor's pricing starts at $49 per year and goes up to $99 per year for three sites . Any plan you choose includes one year of free updates.
Brizy
This is a fairly new WordPress page builder designed with a modern interface and many high-quality templates. You can edit your pages from the frontend without complicated menus by clicking on the text and changing it like in MS Word.
If you want to go beyond customizing your posts and web design, use Brizy's Pro version. Like Visual Composer, you can edit other footers or headers with just a few clicks.
What if you have a group working on your website? Brizy provides role management so that you can decide who can edit what.
Brizy works without shortcodes. No messy codes get left behind if you disable the page builder.
Another interesting Brizy feature is its global blocks. These elements can be set centrally and made available to your other websites via the cloud. Just make sure your cloud compliance is up to date. You can use a global block to announce an event. This announcement will display automatically across all your websites with that global block.
Brizy is available in a free version with limited functionality. The Pro version is available for $49 per year. There are also other lifetime plans starting from $149.
Live Composer
Live Composer is a free WordPress plugin that can be downloaded through its official site. This open-source plugin has a frontend drag-and-drop interface that requires zero coding skill. With a frontend page builder and solid WordPress compatibility, this option is a top Visual Composer alternative.
The frontend page builder enables you to edit in real-time. This helps you to create pages that are both stylish and optimized for conversions.
Live Composer offers two themes to help you to get started with your design, and it has a specific WooCommerce integration for $69.
Features of the Live Composer Page Builder
- Interactive tutorials to help you learn more
- A user access restriction feature to build membership pages
- Responsive website creation for mobile, desktop, and tablet
- Fully compatible with any WordPress theme
- Over 30 different modules - from simple buttons to complicated portfolios
Thrive Architect
This option is another of the best Visual Composer alternatives in the market. It's an affordable, straightforward, and user-friendly plugin that can be accessed for $97 per year.
Renamed from Thrive Content Builder, Thrive Architect is a solid WYSIWYG WordPress page builder.
It can be used independently and was designed especially for marketers and users looking to build an attractive landing page.
This SiteOrigin type page builder is not based on shortcodes. This means if you decide to disable the plugin, the format applied to the element will be lost, but the basic HTML will still be available.
A great advantage for marketers is the plugin's alliance with email marketing tools, social media platforms, and third-party services like
- Google.org
- Amazon Web Services
- And more
The current version of the page builder integrates with any theme.
Features that Set Thrive Architect Apart from Visual Composer
- Supports all sorts of elements for customization
- Several ready-to-go landing page templates
- Customization control of each page will display on different devices.
SeedProd
An attractive and engaging landing page is essential for websites that act as a lead generation, data capture, or conversion tool.
It could be wise to give SeedProd a go. It is a website builder specifically tailored to designing effective landing pages.
The plugin lets you create sales pages, coming soon pages, maintenance mode pages, opt-in pages, webinars, and much more. It also offers a live preview to view all the changes in real-time.
But what makes SeedProd stand out is its ease of use and clean interface. Anyone can start using the plugin, regardless of technical knowledge. Plus, there are many customization options to create pages the way you want.
Preset template pages include Lead Squeeze, Sales, Webinar, 404, and Coming Soon. SeedProd is designed to work hand-in-hand with other sales and marketing tools, including Sendy, Zapier, and Campaign Monitor. And SeedProd easily integrates with third-party email marketing services such as Constant Contact, Drip, ActiveCampaign, and others.
Pricing is $39.50 per year for the Basic plan.
Themify Builder
Another free WordPress page builder is Themify Builder, which offers a free download of the plugin that you can use on a theme of your choice. If you need more guidance, the plugin is also bundled with Themify.
The plugin allows you to edit your pages from the backend or the frontend. In both types of interfaces, you can freely move the modules around and customize them fully. You can arrange the modules in rows and columns and create grids with ease.
Key features
- Over 40 pre-designed layouts
- Support for rows, columns, and grid layouts
- The ability to create Layout Parts
- Over 60 animation effects
- Custom styling
- Variety of add-ons
- Support for custom code and shortcodes.
Themify is the best WordPress page builder for anyone who needs a page builder with flexibility. The plugin can be used with any theme. a great choice for developers who
A. want to speed up website development
B. create ready-to-go templates for their clients
You can get Themify Builder on its own for free. Included with a Themify theme, it is $59.
Oxygen
Like the above website builders, Oxygen can be used by non-programmers. With a drag-and-drop editor, flexible layouts, and a custom header builder, Oxygen is easy to use. Oxygen offers similar features to page builders presented in this guide, but the organization of tools and features is focused on three key areas:
- Visual website building
- WooCommerce store management
- Website performance and search engine optimization (SEO)
It works differently than similar WordPress page builders. Oxygen connects to WordPress as a plugin and creates a separate sandbox module, which replaces the WordPress interface so all the design takes place there.
The editor is sophisticated and comes with a fluid and intuitive user interface. You get a very large selection of high-quality designs and templates.
The page builder is also suitable for non-programmers, but its great strength is the support of PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and, of course, HTML. Unfortunately, Oxygen generates shortcodes that remain visible as garbage code when Oxygen is deactivated.
Users pay $129 once and can use Oxygen with lifetime updates for an infinite number of projects.
MotoPress Content Editor
MotoPress is available both as a free version and as a premium version.
The free version of the plugin comes with all the essential features, like over 30 content elements, frontend editing, and cross-theme compatibility.
However, for the MotoPress to become a great alternative to Visual Composer, you may need to buy the MotoPress Content Editor Pro.
The pro version comes with priority support and updates, the ability to save and reuse styles, andto enable the editor for custom post types.
The MotoPress Content Editor utilizes MotoPress Add-ons, which cost you some additional money. Some of the add-ons available are Google Maps Pro, pricing table, contact form, countdown, etcetera.
The above elements are included in the purchase of Thrive Architect, Beaver Builder, and Elementor. But these modules are being sold as separate add-ons in both Visual Composer and the MotoPress Content Editor.
This adds up to the overall cost of the page builder. If you are willing to use MotoPress on a single site, it will cost you $39. And for unlimited sites, it’s $139. For most people, the five site license for $69 may be ideal.
FAQs about Visual Composer alternatives
What are some free alternatives to Visual Composer?
For free options, consider Gutenberg, SiteOrigin Page Builder, and Elementor's free version. These WordPress plugins provide robust features, from drag-and-drop editing to responsive templates. Each tool offers unique benefits, making them suitable for various web design needs.
Which alternative is best for beginners?
BeBuilder stands out for its user-friendly interface. Its intuitive drag-and-drop functionality simplifies the design process, offering accessibility even to those new to web development. It’s a go-to when you need straightforward page design tools.
Can you switch from Visual Composer to another builder without losing content?
Yes, migrating from Visual Composer can be seamless with Beaver Builder or Thrive Architect. These tools support content preservation, allowing a smooth transition. Ensure compatibility with existing WordPress themes to avoid disruption.
Are there alternatives that offer more advanced customization?
BeBuilder, Oxygen Builder and Divi by Elegant Themes provide advanced custom fields and extensive template customization. These builders are ideal for developers seeking more control over CSS and HTML editing.
What’s the best alternative for eCommerce websites?
For eCommerce platforms, Thrive Architect and Elementor Pro integrate smoothly with WooCommerce. They offer specialized content modules and custom page templates designed to enhance user experience and facilitate online sales.
Which alternatives provide the best SEO features?
BeBuilder, Elementor and Divi by Elegant Themes excel in SEO optimization. They incorporate structured data, meta tags, and other SEO-friendly elements, optimizing web page design tools to improve site visibility on search engines.
How do these alternatives handle mobile responsiveness?
BeBuilder, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and Thrive Architect prioritize responsive design. These tools offer features to preview and customize layouts across devices, ensuring a mobile-friendly experience for end-users.
What alternatives are known for fast site speed?
BeBuilder, Oxygen Builder and Beaver Builder are praised for their clean code and minimal bloat, contributing to faster loading times. They optimize performance, crucial for maintaining user engagement and SEO rankings.
How do you install these alternatives on WordPress?
Installing a new page builder is straightforward. Navigate to Plugins in the WordPress Dashboard, click on Add New, search for your chosen tool (e.g., BeBuilder, Elementor, Beaver Builder), and hit Install. Activate the plugin to start customizing your site immediately.
Are these alternatives compatible with all WordPress themes?
Most alternatives like Elementor, Thrive Architect, and WPBakery Page Builder offer extensive theme compatibility. However, always verify the support documentation to ensure seamless integration with your chosen WordPress themes before making the switch.
Conclusion
Exploring Visual Composer alternatives opens up a world of possibilities to refine and elevate your web design projects. Through tools like Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi by Elegant Themes, and Thrive Architect, you can unlock powerful features that enable advanced customization and intuitive drag-and-drop editing.
By integrating SEO optimization, responsive design, and user-friendly interfaces, these WordPress plugins empower you to create dynamic, visually appealing websites without delving deep into CSS and HTML editing.
Key takeaways:
- Embrace the versatility of different WordPress page builders.
- Leverage the specific strengths of each tool, whether it’s template customization, advanced custom fields, or seamless integration with WordPress themes.
- Enhance your web development workflow with visual editing tools that cater to both novices and seasoned professionals.
In adopting these page design tools, you'll transform how you approach web design, ensuring your sites are not only aesthetically flawless but also functionally robust and SEO-friendly.
If you enjoyed reading this article on the best visual composer alternatives, you should check out this one about Elementor vs Beaver Builder.
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