Need a tool to create a unique WordPress site from scratch but don't know how to code AND don't have the budget to hire a professional website designer?

Join the club. 

I've got the perfect solution.

Elementor – the all-inclusive solution to creating, managing and hosting your WordPress site. And word has it that it's a fantastic page builder that saves a ton of time and money.

But is Elementor really that good?

Well, that's exactly what I'll be discussing in this Elementor review. I'll look at its features in detail, including the drag-and-drop editor, widget and template libraries, hosting, advanced web creation capabilities, customization, integrations, and much more.

Let's dive right in and see if this plugin is the one you've been looking for all along.

Our Verdict – Is Elementor Worth Uusing?

I like Elementor because it goes beyond worth using to add impressive value that saves time, money, and frustration. The platform provides users with instant access to all design aspects, making web design easy and fast.

You want it straight?

Elementor is totally worth the hype.

It's an amazing WordPress add-on with countless free templates and Elementor widgets. That means you can start using the Elementor dashboard without signing up for a yearly subscription.

Moreover, the front-end page builder, live editor, pre-designed templates, and clean interface make page building and website creation a breeze. 

But what really makes Elementor popular is it:

• Has a forever free version (Elementor Core)

• Integrates with any WordPress theme

• Offers an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor 

• Includes unlimited customization options with 30+ basic widgets and 30+ basic templates

• Doesn't require coding knowledge 

• Allows users to easily build responsive websites

Hang on.

If the free version sounds a bit too limited, you can simply upgrade to the premium version of Elementor Pro. 

You'll get access to:

• 90+ Basic and Pro widgets

• 300+ Basic and Pro templates

• 60+ Pro Website Kits

• Native marketing features

• Advanced customization options

• Dynamic content

• WooCommerce builder

• Premium support team

• and more.

In short, Elementor lives up its reputation of being one of the best WordPress page builders on the market. And by the time you reach the end of this hands-on Elementor review, you'll see why.

Want to try Elementor? Click here to give it a shot!

Elementor – An Overview

Let's start this review by looking at the free version of Elementor. We'll discuss the Pro version later on. 

What is Elementor Used For?

Elementor is an all-in-one plugin solution that helps you create unique and more visually appealing websites. With this drag-and-drop page builder, you can produce all kinds of pages, including landing pages, sales pages, custom contact forms, and more.

Wait. 

That sounds pretty much every plug-in pagebuilder, right?

So what's so unique about THIS plugin?

What makes Elementor the perfect one for me is you'll be up and running in mere minutes even if you have zero coding knowledge – unlike other competitors out there!

There's more.

Elementor's flexible customization allows you to create all kinds of unique WP sites with its advanced styling, layout options, and design elements. Now you can tweak different aspects until you have an awesome site. 

What are Elementor's Core Features?

Elementor provides all the features you need to give your website high-end designs and advanced-level capabilities. It's so easy to add anything to your pages; buttons, popups, progress bars, you name it. There are 90+ widgets and infinite design options with the user-friendly Elementor popup builder and form builder.

But to give you an idea of what the platform has to offer, here are some of Elementor's unique professional features:

• Template Library

• Export / Import Templates

• Mobile Editing

• Shape Divider

• Video Lightbox

• Box Shadows

• Background Overlays

• Hover and Entrance Effects

• Heading Effects

• Image Effects

• Text Editor

• Video

• Button

• Image Box

• Testimonials 

• Animations

• Shape Dividers

• Icon

• Icon Box

• Redo / Undo

• Social Icons

• Gradient Backgrounds

And much much more. 

So you've got everything you need for designing your posts and pages with this Elementor version.

What are the Main Benefits of Using Elementor?

The default WordPress editor doesn't have a lot of design options. Plus, you can't see how the design layout looks until you click the preview button.

This is what's different about Elementor.

Elementor's visual interface lets you see everything in real-time, from design to inline editing. That means that the entire process is completed directly on the page, without the need to go to preview mode.

But wait. There's more!

Elementor has thousands of design options and pre-built widgets for any type of page imaginable.

The live visual drag-and-drop builder is one of the top benefits of this plugin. It offers the flexibility you need to effortlessly design and customize your WordPress website, even if you don't have CSS or HTML knowledge.

What Do I Need to Run Elementor?

To run Elementor, you must use WordPress 6.0 or greater. In fact, it's better if your host supports PHP version 7.4 or greater and MySQL version 5.6 or greater.

You'll also need a WP Memory limit of at least 256 MB for Elementor and Elementor Pro only. But it's recommended to have 512 MB or 768 MB for optimal performance.

Our Detailed Elementor Review

With the intro out of the way, it's time to dive deeper into this honest Elementor review. 

Let's take it from the top and learn about the drag-and-drop interface.

Elementor's Interface

When you want to create a custom post or page, you'll start from the default WordPress editor.

Once you click on this button, you can use the Elementor page editor, which will look like this:

As you can see, the drag-and-drop interface is clean and intuitive. And it's beginner-friendly, so you'll be up and running within minutes. All you need to do is choose one of the professionally designed templates and customize it.

Before you start editing, let's take a moment to understand how Elementor's interface works. The basic design structure consists of three main parts:

Sections

Sections divide the page into horizontal rows. A page can have as many sections as you want. When editing a template, each section is outlined in a solid border when hovering over it.

Columns

Columns divide the sections into vertical portions. Each section can have one or more columns. When editing a template, each column is outlined in a black dotted line.

Widgets

Widgets allow you to add content elements inside a column. Elementor provides countless drag-and-drop features you may need to build your custom post or page. To add a new module, simply click, hold, and drag the widget to where you'd like to add it.

Style

You can change the settings and design of the section, column, and widget. All you need to do is select it to open the settings in the sidebar. For example, if you want to edit a button, here are the options:

With this quick tour of the Elementor editor, you'll be able to understand the features that I'll discuss in the next section. 

Features and Benefits that Make Elementor Stand Out

Now we can start the fun part –  What makes Elementor such an awesome tool? 

Besides answering this question, I'll also touch on the benefits and rewards you'll get when using this plugin.

Ready to get started? Get Elementor now!

Template Library

If you're anything like me (no design skills AT ALL, like… even remotely), then you'll need some help. And Elementor has got your back.

Elementor's design library is the biggest, baddest, rudest damn library west of the Mississippi. You'll have access to design capabilities to let you build any type of page from scratch.

From entire website templates to blog post template options, everything you find in the template library offers a completely responsive design. This means all your designs will look great no matter which device it's viewed on.

The free version includes more than 150 templates, and more than 300 in the Pro version. Elementor Pro offers higher-quality premium templates.

So yes, you've got a lot of choices!

The templates library consists of Pages and Blocks that you can use to design your WordPress site.

• Pages are full-page designs you can import and tweak to match your requirements.

• Blocks are pre-made drag-and-drop design sections you can use on your pages.

You can simply browse through the collection and find the one you need, or search for it by page type, template name, or tag. Here's a video from Elementor showing how to use the template library:

Furthermore, you can archive templates, blocks, and even custom designs to reuse later on.

Inline Text Editing and Real-Time Previews

Because all the edits on your page are made in real-time and from the front end, you can instantly see exactly what the page will look like in the browser. So there's no need to save the changes on the single post template and preview it before publishing. 

I'd say that inline text editing and real-time previews are both very convenient features that greatly improve as well as speed up the design process.

Undo / Redo and Revision History

The whole fun in designing is making mistakes and learning from them. That's how you discover new ideas!

But suppose you want to undo or redo changes. On web pages designed with Elementor, that's easy too. 

Elementor comes with a built-in Revision History section where you can trace changes, move back and forth between them, or go back to a previous version. So no matter what alterations you make, you can always return to the version you want, meaning your hard work is never lost.

You can easily undo any changes with the following two methods:

Simply press CTRL-Z in Windows or CMD-Z in Mac to undo your last action.

Or, you can access the history panel by clicking on the History icon at the bottom.

This provides your history – Actions and Revisions.

Under the Actions tab, you’ll see a list of elements added and the types of changes you've made. This will help trace back your steps.

Every time you update a page, a new revision is created. Under the Revisions tab, you’ll see a list of all the versions of a page that were created. It mentions the date, time, and creator of the revision. Now you can easily switch between revisions and revert to any previous one. 

Massive Library of Elementor Widgets

Elementor has an ever-growing selection of widgets. 

What does that mean for you?

Once you install Elementor, you have endless creation possibilities for your site. So you'll find widgets for basic web page elements, like a progress bar or star ratings, or opt for more advanced elements to create beautiful websites when you purchase Elementor Pro. 

Here's a list of the essential widgets available in the free version that you may need for your WordPress site:

Here's a list of the Elementor Pro widgets if you're looking for more creative freedom:

The Pro plan also offers widgets for theme elements such as headers, footers, breadcrumbs, etc., to help you build and customize other aspects of your WordPress site. 

And if you want to design a complete online store, there's a library of WooCommerce widgets too.

Saves You Countless Hours

As an advanced WordPress page builder, there are several ways Elementor beats most other page builders by saving you time. 

When I first started using it, I saved 5 hours a week. But that's my story. Imagine the time you could save if you have multiple sites?

So what features helped save my time? 

Elementor lets you build beautiful websites, create custom forms, embed YouTube Videos, build a quick test site, and more. But additional features like pre-built templates and blocks, inline text editing, and real-time previews, really facilitate the creation and editing process. You can add elements or tweak page aspects and see the effects immediately.

On top of that, Elementor has a huge ecosystem around it, so third-party developers are constantly working on creating more useful add-ons and templates to reduce the time WordPress users need to launch a website.

Design Entire Themes

One of my favorite features of Elementor is its unique Theme Builder. However, it's only available on Elementor Pro. 

So what's so special about it?

Elementor's Theme Builder makes the web design process entirely visual and code-free. It's like a web design cheat code. 😉

With Elementor's theme-building features, you'll be able to customize, modify, and manage the core elements of your theme across multiple pages, including the header, footer, single post template, global page templates, product page, blog archives, etc.

Elementor users get instant access to all design aspects, which means designing your website couldn't get any easier – and quicker.

I haven't come across many themes or plugins that offer such a solution.

Build a WooCommerce Store

Want to create your own WooCommerce store?

No problem!

Elementor Pro can help, irrespective of your WordPress theme.

You can use any of the pre-designed product page templates from the library, or create a custom product page from scratch using the WooCommerce Widget I mentioned earlier.

Using the WooCommerce Builder which is quite similar to the Elementor Theme Builder, you can quickly design both single product pages and your shop archive page(s).

So go ahead and add elements like product titles to prices, add-to-cart buttons, and upsells to your pages.

Create Popups

Popups are a great way to catch visitors' attention by announcing a sale, offering special coupons, or launching a new product line.

Or you can use popups as forms to help convert visitors into customers or gather information about your target audience. 

Elementor Pro features a flexible popup builder. It's easy to build a popup and form as there's no coding required. Simply use the same visual, drag-and-drop popup builder to create unlimited custom popups or forms.

You can build different types of popups and discover more efficient marketing solutions, from email opt-in to login/registration to CTA. Plus, you can control the size and place they are displayed, such as: 

Elementor's popup builder allows you to set popup trigger rules. For example, a popup can be displayed after:

• X seconds

• A certain amount of content is scrolled 

• X number of clicks 

• A specified time of inactivity

• X pages viewed

Furthemore, you can limit aspects, such as: 

• The number of times a popup is displayed 

• Show popups only to visitors from a particular location

• Specific device users 

Third-Party Marketplace

Looking for additional features beyond the official Elementor Pro add-on?

No problem!

If there's anything Elementor can't do, just integrate it with another tool and BOOM it'll do it. That's what makes it so good!

Go ahead and browse the list of all tools that Elementor integrates with and find the extensions for your business.

Right-Click Features

The right-click feature is one of the most unique Elementor tools. It's a convenient editor feature for this page builder plugin, making the process much faster.

A right-click option appears on every page, section, column, and widget handle.

For instance, if you right-click on the following element:

You'll see the following:

Now you can duplicate, copy, and paste it anywhere on the same page or on multiple pages as well! All in just a few clicks!

Dynamic Content 

To unlock this feature, you'll need to upgrade to Elementor Pro.

With dynamic content, you can take content from your website and automatically insert it into your Elementor designs. Now that's one powerful feature to have, especially when you need a lot of dynamic content.

The widget's content will be populated with content from custom fields on your site. Moreover, any changes will be updated automatically across your site.

For instance, if you've selected a particular font, it will be used in all your site titles. So while the text in your titles dynamically changes according to the page that's being viewed, the font stays the same.

But beyond these set dynamic widgets, there's also support for customizing the WordPress “loop” in version 3.8. Elementor Pro. This provides you with total control over how you list blog posts and custom content.

Custom CSS

Generally speaking, Elementor offers more control over the style, page layout, and design settings than other WordPress page builders.

For example, you'll access advanced options such as:

• Motion effects 

• Background

• Border 

• Custom positioning 

• Shape dividers

And more.

But if these built-in settings aren't enough, Elementor Pro provides you the freedom to tweak your design. Now you can add your CSS directly to individual elements.

This allows you to make changes to your site's appearance, such as its fonts, colors, layout, background, borders, and anything else that you couldn't change within the drag-and-drop builder.

In short, CSS customization capabilities offer more control over the way your WordPress site looks. However, this feature is more relevant to those who are familiar with coding.

What really makes this feature convenient is that you write the actual CSS code without leaving the interface. That means you can easily customize every Section, Column, and Widget without having to learn any coding language.

Multilingual Sites

Connecting with different target audiences across the globe may require you to change the language of your website. Both Elementor and Elementor Pro allow you to seamlessly build pages in another language.

Elementor supports 59+ languages within its framework and it's compatible with right-to-left (RTL) languages such as Hebrew and Arabic. 

Furthermore, since Elementor supports RTL typography, developers can add other RTL languages.

You may also choose to use translation plugins like WPML or Polylang.

Team Collaboration

Collaboration is essential, whether building out an entire site or creating a long-form blog post. With this understood, Elementor's team collaboration feature ensures your team is always connected, regardless of what you're working on.

I'm all about optimization, and streamlining communication is something I can really get behind. In my opinion, most Elementor alternatives don't focus on this enough.

Think about it this way – if you're building out tons of websites, this will save you countless hours of back-and-forth conversations and frustration.

Elementor Performance and Speed Review

Whether you're working with the free or pro version, we know Elementor is a great tool for building custom content sites. But what about performance and speed?

Is Elementor slow?

You didn't come here for a solely positive Elementor review. You want the facts and that's precisely what I'm giving you.

One of the tradeoffs of having so many incredible features is that Elementor does tend to bloat pages. It's not as light as the native WordPress Editor and other Elementor alternatives.

For instance, they've been optimizing the DOM tree and are adjusting dynamic asset loading to minimize what's loaded for every page.

Is there something better than Elementor?

If you're looking for something better than Elementor, you'll be hard-pressed to find it. However, I've heard that Divi is a solid alternative to Elementor. Similar to Elementor, Divi lets users build WordPress sites with a drag-and-drop interface. Personally, I use Elementor and enjoy its features enough that I'm not worried about finding an alternative.

The Elementor team understands that performance is essential, especially for those installing Elementor to build unlimited sites. This is why they focus on lessening the page builder's impact.

It's also important to note that it's definitely possible to build a fast-loading website with Elementor.

I built my own website with Elementor and it still passes Core Web Vitals. Other Elementor users have, too.

Bottom line? Even though it may take some extra optimization, you can still build fast-loading sites loaded with Elementor features.

Elementor Cloud Website Review: Is Elementor's Hosting Legit?

Elementor as a WordPress plugin is valuable and includes loads of awesome features. But what if you don't currently have a WordPress site?

My situation was different. I built my first Elementor cloud website because I'd heard it makes things easier. And this couldn't be more accurate.

Elementor Cloud Website is like a user-friendly WordPress site starter kit. It has everything you need to get your site established and ready to start building. Here's more information about the features and pricing:

This all-in-one solution comes in a neat package ready to go. Web hosting and everything else for one price makes this a no-brainer.

No headaches dealing with WordPress data and I don't have to take on nearly as much responsibility. It's a win-win.

How Easy is it to Learn Elementor?

By now, you've got a pretty good idea about how cool these Elementor features are.

Okay, let's face the elephant in the room.

So exactly how easy is it to learn how to use the Elementor interface?

Very easy!

Here's why …

Overall, the Elementor page builder is fairly easy to learn. You simply need the time to understand the page/structure hierarchy and how to use its features. And that's true for any new tool.

So take the time to explore Elementor free before subscribing to the paid version.

Elementor Security

Any secure website will have a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. This digital certificate is responsible for encrypting the data exchanged between your server and browser, keeping all information entered on your site confidential.

Elementor has an SSL certificate. So you won't have to wonder if your website is fully secure and data protected.

Worried about malicious software programs?

Viruses, Trojans, ransomware, and worms are a pain to deal with, especially when left to run rampant on a site.

Real-time scanning for malware threats makes Elementor an absolute warrior among page builders. This scanning service offers immediate protection while providing a detailed report containing recommendations for handling any potential threats found on your website.

Customer Support

Elementor provides several customer support touchpoints.

You can:

• Read the extensive online documentation and guides to learn everything about this page builder plugin

• Browse through FAQs

• Watch tutorial videos and webinars  

• Reach out to the social media Elementor community on Facebook and GitHub

• Email a support ticket

Besides all these options, Elementor Pro users can get premium live chat support 24/7 as well.

Elementor Pricing

Elementor has a free and paid version. Let's look at each one more closely.

Elementor Free Version

The free version of Elementor is ideal if you're still looking for the right website builder and want to test the platform. It comes packed with all the necessary features you need to create a memorable experience, including the drag-and-drop editor, responsive design, a vast collection of basic widgets and templates, etc.

Even though it offers basic features, it's pretty powerful. However, if you're looking for advanced features that far exceed the native WordPress editor, there are multiple paid subscription plans with different pricing structures to match your budget.

Keep in mind that Elementor Pro doesn't replace the free version. It's simply an add-on to extend Elementor, so you can continue to use the same interface but with more features.

Essential

The cheapest paid Elementor plan comes with a $59/year price tag.

With this plan, you get all the basic features, 50 additional Pro widgets, the theme builder, dynamic content, the form builder, and premium support for one website.

Advanced

For up to 3 sites, the Advanced plan costs $99/year. And it's the most popular Elementor plan.

In addition to everything in the Essential plan, you'll have access to another 32 Pro Widgets (82 total), the popup builder, custom code and CSS, e-commerce features, and collaborative notes.

Expert 

Priced at $199/year, this plan is for up to 25 sites.

Besides the features highlighted above, you'll get an Elementor Expert Profile. Besides getting additional help on your projects, you can also showcase the ones you've completed in Elementor to get new clients.

Agency 

This is the biggest subscription plan – up to 1,000 sites for $399/year.

The Agency plan includes everything in the other plans, making it perfect for high-growth agencies.

Elementor Pros and Cons

Pros

• Has a live visual page editor
• Works as a front-end visual page builder
• Various easy-to-use functionality features
• Numerous editing tools, including popular drag-and-drop editor
• Lots of customization options
• Quick, lag-free design experience
• Allows users to build custom page layouts and designs without coding experience
• Responsive design with customizable elements for any device
• Has a free plan

Cons

• Can only be used on WordPress websites
• Elementor may slow down site speed
• Has a slight learning curve for newbies

Why Upgrade to Elementor Pro

If you get Elementor free, this budget-friendly plan includes extensive design opportunities. The easy-to-use interface and visual drag-and-drop editor are ideal for beginner website owners who:

• Need to design basic posts and landing pages.

• Don't want to deal with custom CSS codes.

But is it enough to build a thriving business? 

Nah.

While you can comfortably use the free version in the beginning, you'll need a more advanced website with more features to scale your business. 

That's where Elementor Pro can help.

Now you can:

• Work with dynamic content

• Build a custom theme

• Create global widgets

• Produce popups and forms

• Add pricing tables

• And much more.

So if you're looking for more than just a page builder, then it's time to upgrade to Elementor Pro

Elementor Pro Features and Benefits

Elementor Pro comes with an assortment of features that make designing beautiful websites faster, better, and more efficient. If you're serious about building an online business, you need to get it.

But one of the best benefits of Elementor Pro is that you don't need to use a lot of additional page builder plugins. This reduces the chances of plugin incompatibility issues and time required to learn each new builder plugin.

I've mentioned several already. But to give you a clearer picture of what you'll have access to in Elementor Pro, here's a short list of some impressive features you'll use with this upgrade:

• 300+ designer-made templates

• 100+ widgets

• Theme Builder to help you design/edit your entire website

• Create and save default templates and designs of widgets

• Dynamic content that pulls information from custom fields within your designs

• Global settings (fonts, colors, and widgets) that help create a cohesive site design and appearance

• Popup builder and templates

• Intuitive visual form builder

• WooCommerce builder

• Live custom CSS

Is Elementor the best page builder? 

Elementor is a great builder with plenty of design flexibility. And it's way better than the regular WordPress editor. 

But since Elementor is a WordPress plugin, that means it only works on WordPress sites.

So for anyone who doesn't have WordPress, there are dozens of other page builder tools with the same drag-and-drop editor and design capabilities that Elementor has.

I'm listing some of the best page builders that could work for you. Some of these can be used to build full-on websites like Elementor, others simply help with landing pages and funnels.

• Hubspot

• Leadpages

• Instapage

• Clickfunnels

• Unbounce

• Beaver Builder

• Wishpond

Final Thoughts: You Should Upgrade to Elementor PRO

I recommend the free version if you want to create basic landing pages or add some flair to your current core pages. 

And especially if you want to explore everything that Elementor has to offer. Once you understand the potential of this plugin and how it will help create future designs, you should upgrade to the Pro version of Elementor.

More specifically, who should consider getting Elementor Pro?

You should definitely upgrade if you:

• Are a marketer and are serious about building better-performing websites. 

• Build sites for clients on a regular basis.

• Need global widgets that can be reused on multiple pages.

• Have or are creating a WooCommerce store.

• Feel comfortable using CSS.

If this sounds like you, get Elementor Pro today.

But Does Elementor Live up to the Hype?

Yes, it does.

Elementor's drag-and-drop page builder is intuitive and user-friendly. It offers full control over the design of your WordPress website – without requiring coding knowledge.

So it's not surprising that Elementor is the most popular WordPress plugin. After all, it's a dependable solution for designers and front-end developers all around.

But why do I like Elementor?

Because it's packed with tons of features that allow me to build a professional-looking website. Plus, I avoid having to add other plugins to my site and still get the same functionality as Elementor. 

But what really seals the deal for me is that, for less than $60 a year, I can create anything on my website without the need for any coding. That means any beginner on a small budget can easily take their website to the next level with Elementor.

Install Elementor and tell me what you like about the platform!