Gutenverg vs Elementor: In this article, we explore the pros and cons of these page-building plugins. Compare features, limitations, and pricing.
Page-building plugins for WordPress have been around for a few years now and when they first came out, they were truly revolutionary. Before, WordPress was similar to Blogger in that it only had a basic text editor. To adjust and edit your website, you had to download and install themes, which were just functionally skins and you had very limited control over the look and feel of your website unless you knew how to use HTML and CSS to design your website.
This all changed when Elementor, Beaver Builder, and a few other themes that had their own proprietary page building plugins came out. For the first time, users were actually able to design their website by dragging and dropping elements into place and editing the blocks of real-time and actually be able to visually see the changes they were making. It was truly revolutionary.
Why the Gutenberg editor is becoming the preferred choice for WordPress users
But WordPress paid attention to all of this and eventually developed its own Gutenberg editor, which is a block editor that you get with your WordPress installation. In this article, we will break down WordPress’s Gutenberg editor versus the Elementor page-building plugin. We will discuss the pros and cons and differences of each and which one you should use.
First, let’s talk about the price points between Elementor and Gutenberg. There is really no competition here because Gutenberg is completely free and it’s WordPress’s default block editor. Because it’s WordPress, you get access to all the plugins available in the WordPress ecosystem and a lot of these plugins add in additional blocks to help make designing your website quick and easy. One of the author’s favorite plugins is the Stackable plugin which adds just a bunch of different blocks that look amazing. One of the author’s favorite is these product boxes that he uses for affiliate marketing on all his websites.
Gutenberg vs Elementor: A comparison of the capabilities and limitations
Elementor by contrast has a free plan but it’s really limited. You can have access to the Elementor page-building plugin, but then you can’t edit your header or your footer unless you can find a workaround, which the author did in his tutorial video. Additionally, you can’t edit your blog roll and individual blog post pages. It has all these limitations to force you to upgrade. And because Elementor is really just a paid page-building plugin, they have various price points that you have to pay yearly for. In fact, Elementor just increased its prices and didn’t reduce any of these limitations. So, the author is going to have to say Gutenberg wins this one.
When it comes to limitations, to be honest, the author is just going to be ragging on Elementor now as Gutenberg is free and you can use any type of plugin. There’s no real limitation with Gutenberg. You’re not forced to use any specific plugin to get Gutenberg to work the way you want. The author really likes that Elementor by contrast has a free plan and their free plan is good to just try out Elementor. But the author just doesn’t like it, he doesn’t understand the limitations that they bake into it because he knows he understands it, he gets it. Okay, it’s to get you to upgrade, but you can’t even do basic things like you’re not technically able to edit your header and your footer. I mean technically you can, there’s a workaround that the author did in his Elementor tutorial video, but by default, you can’t.
The 10 moments comparing Gutenberg vs Elementor
- Gutenberg is completely free, while Elementor requires a paid subscription.
- Gutenberg is the default editor for WordPress, so it’s already integrated and easy to use.
- Gutenberg has access to all the plugins available in the WordPress ecosystem, allowing for more customization options.
- Gutenberg has a more intuitive and user-friendly interface.
- Gutenberg’s blocks are more flexible and can be easily rearranged, while Elementor’s elements are more rigid in their placement.
- Gutenberg’s blocks are responsive by default, while Elementor’s elements need to be adjusted separately for different screen sizes.
- Gutenberg’s blocks are more lightweight and faster to load, resulting in better page load times.
- Gutenberg is more SEO-friendly and has better accessibility options.
- Gutenberg’s blocks are more versatile and can be used in more ways, such as creating custom post types.
- Gutenberg has fewer limitations, and users are not forced to use specific plugins to achieve their desired design.
FAQ
Gutenberg is a block editor for WordPress that allows users to create visually appealing and functional websites by dragging and dropping blocks into place. It was developed by WordPress and is now the default editor for the platform.
Yes, Gutenberg is completely free to use and is already integrated into WordPress.
Gutenberg is a more lightweight and flexible option with better page load times, more intuitive interface, and more customization options. Elementor is a paid plugin with more rigid elements and more limitations.
WordPress has a dedicated Gutenberg Handbook that provides detailed documentation and tutorials on how to use the editor. Additionally, there are many online resources and tutorials available to help users learn to use Gutenberg.
Most WordPress themes and plugins are compatible with Gutenberg. However, some older themes and plugins may not be fully compatible and may require updates or adjustments to work properly with Gutenberg.
Which hosting is recommended for Gutenberg?
When it comes to hosting a WordPress website using Gutenberg, we recommend using a managed WordPress hosting service. Managed hosting services are specifically optimized for WordPress and provide added website security, performance, and support for the platform.
Some recommended managed WordPress hosting options include:
- WP Engine: This hosting service is known for its excellent performance and reliability, and offers a number of features specifically tailored to WordPress.
- Flywheel: Flywheel is a great choice for designers and developers, as it offers easy collaboration and management of multiple sites.
- Kinsta: Kinsta is another high-performance hosting service that provides excellent security and performance for WordPress websites.
It is also recommended to use hosting with the latest version of PHP and MySQL, as Gutenberg is built on top of the latest technologies and runs better on newer versions.
Ultimately, the choice of hosting provider will depend on your specific needs and budget, but these are all great options for a WordPress website using Gutenberg.
In conclusion, while page-building plugins like Elementor and Beaver Builder were revolutionary when they first came out, WordPress’s Gutenberg editor has caught up and in some ways, surpassed them. With the Gutenberg editor, you have access to all the plugins available in the WordPress ecosystem, it’s completely free, and it has very few limitations. If you’re on a budget, the author highly recommends using the Gutenberg editor instead of a paid page building
Are you ready to take your website to the next level with Gutenberg?
Contact us todayAlternatives to the Gutenberg and Elementor
Some alternatives to the Gutenberg and Elementor page builders for WordPress include Beaver Builder, Divi Builder, and Thrive Architect. Other popular options include Visual Composer, SiteOrigin Page Builder, and WPBakery Page Builder. These page builders provide drag-and-drop interfaces and a variety of customization options to help users create custom layouts for their website pages.
