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Elementor Pro Review:

If you’re looking to give your WordPress website and the associated content within it a custom design without having to dedicate endless hours to development, then a builder plugin could be a great thing to add to your development toolbox. It can be difficult to decide which WordPress builder is right for you. There are so many options on the market, and buying and testing them all could get expensive and time consuming. We’ve put together this Elementor Pro review to help you see what it has to offer, and if we’d recommend it. We hope you can learn more and see if it’s the right choice to add to your WordPress toolbox. Without further ado, let’s dive into the Elementor review!

Initially released a few of years ago, Elementor Pro is a dynamic website builder plugin for WordPress. The plugin helps website developers ranging from seasoned industry veterans to complete novices. Elementor allows users to create clean, professional looking websites. Since its initial release, the dedicated development team behind Elementor Pro has been working tirelessly to improve their platform. Their effort shows in the form of great developer-friendly updates.

What is Elementor?

Elementor is a page builder WordPress plugin. The plugin was created to allow WordPress developers to have the ability to work on development projects in a way that is lightweight and far easier to use with a variety of WordPress themes. Elementor has much more flexibility and functionality when compared to traditional web development tools. The drag-and-drop page builder was created by the team at Pojo Themes. The team created it with the thought of making WordPress development more accessible for everyone. The best part is that the plugin can help create beautiful sites regardless of the users experience level.

Elementor Pro was just released roughly three years ago. However, the free version of Elementor has been available for use since the middle of 2016. While releasing a free product before its paid counterpart might seem backwards, Elementor’s team did this intentionally. By doing this, it gave them the unique opportunity to perfect the basic functionalities. The free plugin also allowed Elementor to learn what users wanted for their more powerful Elementor Pro version. Due to this unique approach, Elementor Pro works and feels like a mature WordPress tool. However, it is one of the newer drag-and-drop page builder plugins to be released.

How Does Elementor Pro Work?

We realize that an Elementor pro review wouldn’t be much help to those of our readers who aren’t familiar with how this unique plugin works. Therefore, we’d like to take a step back to provide an overview of the great features provided by Elementor Pro.

In short, Elementor is a WordPress plugin that allows for an improved process for frontend website development. It gives users the ability to transform websites with a user-friendly, drag-and-drop operation. This might not sound like a big deal, but it is. They have developed ways to enhance their builder in more practical ways than others. Building software like Wix and SquareSpace are honestly no comparison. 

However, the creation and release of user-friendly web page builders for WordPress represented a dramatic shift within the web development industry. It allowed developers and regular users alike to thrive. Previously they either had to rely on a clunky standard interface, a strong understanding of front end web programming, or a combination of both to create beautiful WordPress websites.

Elementor Free Version Features

     

Elementor also has a free version. This version was their initial offering to the market when it first launched. I remember being contacted by their team asking me to promote it, but it had only around 10 or so features at the time of it’s initial launch.

Elementor offers tons of great features within their free drag and drop plugin today. The free version of Elementor includes the ability to customize website headings, columns, image galleries, and so much more. Many individuals looking to put up a simple website will find that the free Elementor plugin provides enough widget options to satisfy their needs.

However, veterans who choose to upgrade to Elementor Pro will not be disappointed at all. Elementor Pro allows users to take their development process to another level. There are a considerably larger amount of Pro level widgets, and many of them significantly reduce the time it takes to design a website.

Upgrading to Elementor Pro

Upgrading to Pro will not just grant you access to more great tools and features. It will also grant you access to future updates and features that Elementor rolls out. This is great consider Elementor is always innovating and improving their builder. I cannot overstate just how much innovation they’ve had in such a short time. For starters Elementor Pro allows you to create some of the following:

• The ability to create advanced navigation menus.
• Seamlessly integrate Facebook or WooCommerce functionalities.
• Build professional-grade online portfolios and so much more.

Additionally, Pro users will gain access to a curated selection of high-quality templates. They can be imported onto your web page and customized to make them reflect your unique design tastes.

At the time of this writing, there are already more than 20 high-quality templates available exclusively for Elementor Pro users. These templates cover the areas of website home and landing pages, menu templates for the food service industry, “About Us” pages, and so much more.  Once you’ve selected a template that fits your needs you can get started quickly.

Other themes are also integrated with Elementor to get sites up quickly. Other starter sites templates have also been created for powerful themes like OceanWP or AstraWP. We will dive into them more later on within this post.

Within the Elementor Pro ecosystem, elements are tools that work much like traditional WordPress widgets. However, elements can be made to be far more dynamic than conventional widgets. They can be included within your page designs and customized throughout Elementor Pro in any way you see fit. Pro also grants you quick access to tools like counters, image carousels, and Google Maps integration. As is the case with all of Elementor’s features, adding an element to your webpage is as easy as dragging-and-dropping it to the location in which you’d like it to be added.

Elementor Features

Another important factor is that Elementor Pro users are not limited to the elements provided by the Pojo Themes team. If you’d prefer to utilize standard WordPress widgets or those from other third-party plugins, you can do so quickly through seamless integration with your existing page designs within Elementor Pro. This is a tremendous hidden benefit. It opens up a vast array of creative web development opportunities. It can be especially helpful for those looking to combine tried-and-true WordPress widgets with Elementor.

If you’re interested in learning more about all of the fantastic features included with Elementor Pro, we highly suggest doing some additional research after reading through the rest of our review. While we’d love to highlight all of the great tools provided by Elementor Pro, doing so could easily warrant a couple lengthy blogs on such features themselves. For now, I’ll cover what some of them are in the images below.

       

Elementor Pro: Nicely Complements Starter Sites

By and large, one of the most notable advantages associated with the purchase of Elementor Pro is the newfound ability to turn standard (and often bland) starter sites into visually stunning and highly engaging professional-grade websites. Two of the most popular options for example are AstraWP and OceanWP. By leveraging the ever popular AstraWP theme it allows each and every WordPress developer, regardless of their skillset, to have access to a premium looking design that you’re free to edit to fit your personal tastes.

This clearly helps to reduce the amount of time developing your site significantly. These quickly setup starter sites allow you to create nearly endless creative opportunities. AstraWP and OceanWP both have premium site options. These are perfect for WordPress users looking to take a starter site to a whole new level.

If you wanted to create an entire website with the free versions of AstraWP and Elementor you could. This could potentially save a significant amount of money in the long run. Additionally, you could still end up with a highly professional looking website design while saving time.

However, developers looking to take this route should keep in mind the need for paid web hosting services. These expenses are necessary for those not planning on utilizing a dedicated in-house server to keep their website running smoothly. For a list of hosting recommendations feel free to check out the resources page of our site.

Elementor Hello Theme

Elementor works great with the starter sites mentioned above, and just about any theme for that matter. I mentioned the Elementor team originated as Pojo Themes, a theme design studio. These theme building skills allowed them to create their very own Hello theme. This theme is said to be the fastest theme that works with Elementor from the team themselves. The best part about it is that it’s absolutely free to use.

Elementor Community and Support

As is the case with any new tool, Elementor’s functionality can sometimes feel a bit foreign to new users. In general, this leads to common difficulties and pain points. Elementor is one of the easiest drag-and-drop website page builders on the market today. That has helped Elementor form a vibrant and robust community of developers around the project.

In fact, Elementor has a large and highly active community on Facebook. The community does a great job of making sure that web developers who are new to the world of Elementor and Elementor Pro feel right at home. Web developers with years of experience likely understand the benefits that such an online community can provide. However, newer WordPress users tend to feel a bit apprehensive when joining online forums. I recommend reading through the previously asked questions within the Facebook group. This helps avoid asking the same question repeatedly and potentially angering regular users within the group. 

Docs and Videos

Thankfully, even the most novice developer can rest assured that the community built around Elementor and Elementor Pro is accepting. The Elementor community is also very supportive overall, regardless of whatever experience level they may have. Such a vibrant online community is bolstered by a great set of documentation resources maintained by the Pojo Theme development team, which you can visit here – Elementor Docs.

Within the Elementor documentation, developers will find in-depth answers to questions. These topics range from how to install Elementor properly to how to go about troubleshooting common development issues. If you need help setting up Elementor pro on your website please visit Elementor.com and follow our video below.

As if these resources were not enough, there is also an excellent and informative newsletter for the Elementor community. The newsletter covers everything from product updates and innovative features to popular news around the WordPress web development community. With such a vibrant and supportive community surrounding Elementor and Elementor Pro, new users can rest assured that they will never have to feel lost when learning their way around this great web page building tool.

Pricing: Elementor vs. Divi, Brizy, and Beaver Builder

When choosing the right web development products to invest in, the cost tools can be a reoccurring concern. While the free version of Elementor will cost users nothing upfront, those looking to upgrade to Elementor Pro should be ready to pay $49 for a one website license. While this is the lowest upfront cost of any WordPress builder when comparing it against Divi, Brizy, and Beaver Builder there are somewhat hidden costs that often get overlooked when doing this quick comparison.

For example, while Elementor Pro is only $49 for a one website license. This total fee rises to $99 for three website license. For an unlimited number of websites the cost is $199. This might sound like a great deal, but developers will have to pay 50% of the original price of their Elementor Pro subscription for every year after their first year using the product. This might not seem like much money, but it can really add up in the long run.

However, web page builders like Divi, Brizy, and Beaver Builder tend to charge a slightly higher upfront fee. They also manage to provide the ability to use these web development tools in perpetuity afterward with little-to-no additional costs associated with the use of these products. Some even offer a lifetime license which can be useful to take advantage of.

License Limitations

In terms of pricing, Beaver Builder is an excellent example of just how expensive Elementor Pro can become. Take the standard package offered by Beaver Builder, which comes in at $99. This is double Elementor Pro’s standard $49 offering. While this makes Beaver Builder look far more expensive on the surface, the standard package offered by Beaver Builder comes with a license for use on unlimited websites. Elementor Pro on the other hand only gives users one license for half the price.

When comparing just these two Beaver Builder is the clear winner for those planning on using a page builder on multiple websites. In terms of pricing options as Elementor Pro runs $199, or double the price of Beaver Builder. Granted, this will unlock all of the impressive benefits associated with Elementor Pro on multiple different websites.

The Elementor builder also no longer comes with a truly unlimited plan. Now their top plan has a limit of 1,000 sites. This should be enough for anyone, but cuts down on the potential abuse of licensing issues for people who want to sell their license keys for a profit.

If you’d like to learn more about Beaver Builder, Divi, or Brizy check out our reviews on each builder!

Elementor Pro Review: Final Thoughts

Elementor Pro has a lot to offer. I personally have used Elementor on several of my websites. Right now Elementor is the best WordPress builder. I say right now because I believe that Brizy has a chance to challenge it in future years. However, it won’t be easy as Elementor has a big head start and is always improving. Additionally, Elementor has a very strong development team and community in place that I currently think Brizy is lacking. For me, these are the three best builders on the market today and you can’t go wrong with any of them. 

With that being said, recurring pricing has to be considered. If Elementor offered a lifetime option, even if it were expensive, I think it would be a huge selling point. However, if you’re going to be developing a lot of sites the recurring cost has very little effect on your big picture goals.

I truly think that all of the builders I cover on this website are worth checking out and experimenting with. With Elementor in particular there is a free version so you have nothing to lose by trying that out.

I like the Elementor builder slightly more than the others right now. However, Elementor’s not the perfect fit for everyone. I’m honestly much more comfortable with Divi after using it for years. I also mentioned I love the direction Brizy is going. Thrive Architect could be right for certain business oriented individuals. Themify or the Beaver Builder might be a fit for others with specific goals as well. It pays to play with each builder and figure out which feels best to you. With Elementor you can get a feel for how it operates on a small scale for absolutely free.

At This Time my Final Rating for Elementor Pro is a 9.5 out of 10 stars

Comment Below

We hope that you have found this Elementor Pro review to be helpful. Have you tried out Elementor or Elementor Pro? We’d love to hear your own Elementor Pro review below based on your experience with the plugin. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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