[ad_1] Now that WordPress is a full-featured Content Management System (CMS), it needs more tools to help create stellar websites. The native Block Editor is a step in the right direction, but in this Elementor review, we’ll showcase the clear leading competitor to the platform’s creative vision. On the surface, Elementor is another in a long line of page builder plugins with increased scope over what WordPress offers out of the box. On close inspection, it’s almost a framework in itself. You could conceive a website and content using the functionality available, without breaking into WordPress’ toolset. For this Elementor review, we’ll look at how to use the page builder to develop layouts. What’s more, we’ll try and compare it to the Block Editor, and judge its future within the WordPress ecosystem. Elementor Review: Introducing the Page Builder Unless you’re super-new to WordPress, you’ll have heard of Elementor. After all, we’ve featured it on the blog many times over the years. It’s a page builder plugin at heart that has rocketed to become the most successful WordPress plugin of all time. It provides you with a strong and robust set of customization options to help take a literal blank page and turn it into a site matching your exact requirements. Digging deeper into what’s on offer, there are many strings to Elementor’s bow: Editing. You have a full suite of tools to help construct layouts, starting with the drag-and-drop live editor. There are a few cool User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) inclusions too, such as the Navigator and Finder. Design. Apart from the extensive layout options, you can also work with typography and colors as you would with a high-powered graphic design tool. Along with basic customization, you have almost limitless scope for adding interactive, dynamic animations, micro-elements, and much more. Marketing. Elementor includes a few different aspects to market your site. For instance, there’s a built-in form builder; a bunch of widgets to help you add a Call To Action (CTA), pricing tables, social media icons, testimonials, and more; counters; and much more besides. Element Builders. We’ve mentioned the form builder, but there’s also a comprehensive pop-up builder, WooCommerce builder, and theme builder too. The general goal of Elementor is to give you almost zero reason to go searching for another creative plugin on your site. The development team look to add all the practical features you need to build and launch your website. We’ll have more to say on each of these aspects later. For now, let’s discuss Elementor’s place within WordPress. How Elementor Fits Into the Rest of the WordPress Ecosystem Before Elementor was released, page builder plugins were functional and solid. The likes of Beaver Builder (see our review) ruled the roost, and the flexibility of that plugin is still evident today. Though, once Elementor arrived, it changed the game. There were more options to change every aspect of your site, and also so-called ‘front-end editing’ that showed how your site would look. The big talking point at the time centered around how adaptable the editor is when building layouts. You can be almost pinpoint accurate when it comes to implementing the ‘box model’ on your site. It’s a graphic designer’s (and front end developer’s) dream: Though, as Elementor has evolved, it’s gained more ground in areas outside of editing. For example, form plugins can’t rest easy – Elementor’s built-in form builder does away with the need for a third-party plugin. Other WooCommerce themes will sweat too, as Elementor lets you create a fully-functional store with its toolkit. In fact, almost no niche is safe when it comes to Elementor’s offerings. Because of this, the user base has shot up. It helps that there’s a huge community initiative too – almost as vibrant as WordPress itself. It’s understandable that WordPress’ top brass are hot under the collar. The Elementor team has come under fire due to misleading ads that undermine the WordPress project. Given that the Block Editor is front and center when it comes to WordPress’ key selling points, a solution such as Elementor bundled with its own blank starter theme is trouble. On the whole, the next phase of WordPress will be a fight between Elementor and the Block Editor. This is good for competition, although it could mean huge fallout in the near future. Elementor’s Competitors (And How It Stacks Up) As we’ve touched on, there are a few competitors chasing Elementor right now. The Block Editor is (of course) the primary target because it’s a native way of building a layout within WordPress. Right now, the Block Editor can’t touch the breadth and depth of Elementor’s functionality. Though, the core development team are all hand on deck to try and bring Full-Site Editing (FSE) to the masses sooner rather than later. When this happens, expect fireworks between leading WordPress figures and Elementor. There are also other page builders vying for attention – the most notable being Beaver Builder: This is another solution we’ve talked about before on the blog, and it has a different aesthetic and goals to Elementor. You could argue that Beaver Builder is more focused on building layouts, rather than becoming a framework within WordPress. Though, it’s fair to say there are hardcore fans of Beaver Builder as much as there are Elementor. The previous ThemeForest darling in the WPBakery Page Builder is falling behind as a go-to solution as well. Even a cursory glance at ThemeForest’s marketplace will show you that Elementor is mentioned just as much as the previous Visual Composer. There are a bunch of other page builders on the market, such as the Divi Builder, and even full themes such as Avada. Though, it appears as though there are two camps – plugins that lock you in using shortcodes and custom infrastructures, and those such as Elementor that don’t. The public is voting for no lock in, and it will be interesting to see what the likes of Divi, Avada, and even
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