Quick Answer: Elementor Pro vs Free
- Elementor Free: Best for simple sites, landing pages, personal blogs
- Elementor Pro: Essential for business sites, e-commerce, custom themes
- Key Difference: Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, Popup Builder (Pro only)
- Price Gap: Free ($0) vs Pro ($59-$399/year officially)
- Our Verdict: Pro is worth it for serious websites – get it at best price here
Trying to decide between Elementor Pro vs Free? You’re not alone. With over 10 million active installations, Elementor is the world’s most popular WordPress page builder – but choosing between the free and paid versions can be confusing.
In this comprehensive comparison, we’ll break down every difference between Elementor Free and Elementor Pro. By the end, you’ll know exactly which version suits your needs and whether upgrading to Pro is worth your investment in 2025.
We’ve used both versions extensively across hundreds of websites, so this isn’t theoretical – it’s based on real-world experience building everything from simple blogs to complex e-commerce stores.
Quick Comparison: Elementor Pro vs Free
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the key features:
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Widgets | 40+ | 100+ |
| Templates | 100+ | 300+ |
| Theme Builder | No | Yes |
| WooCommerce Builder | No | Yes |
| Popup Builder | No | Yes |
| Form Builder | No | Yes |
| Dynamic Content | No | Yes |
| Motion Effects | Basic | Advanced |
| Custom CSS | No | Yes |
| Global Widgets | No | Yes |
| Role Manager | No | Yes |
| Premium Support | Community | Priority |
| Price | $0 | $59-$399/yr |
What You Get With Elementor Free
Let’s be clear: Elementor Free is genuinely powerful. Unlike many “freemium” plugins that cripple the free version, Elementor provides real value at no cost.
Visual Drag-and-Drop Editor
The core editing experience is identical in Free and Pro. You get the same intuitive drag-and-drop interface, real-time preview, and responsive editing controls. Changes appear instantly – no saving and refreshing required.
40+ Free Widgets
Elementor Free includes essential widgets for building complete pages:
- Heading
- Text Editor
- Image
- Video
- Button
- Divider
- Spacer
- Columns
- Inner Section
- Accordion
- Tabs
- Toggle
- Progress Bar
- Counter
- Image Gallery
- Image Carousel
- Icon
- Icon Box
- Star Rating
100+ Free Templates
The template library in Free includes over 100 professionally designed templates covering landing pages, about pages, contact pages, and more. One-click import and full customization.
Mobile Responsive Editing
Full responsive controls are included free. Switch between Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile views to adjust layouts, font sizes, spacing, and element visibility per device.
Style Controls
Even free users get extensive styling options:
- Typography (font family, size, weight, line height, letter spacing)
- Colors with opacity control
- Backgrounds (solid, gradient, image)
- Borders and border radius
- Box shadows
- Padding and margin controls
- Basic entrance animations
Free Version Limitations
However, Free has significant limitations:
- Cannot design headers, footers, or blog templates
- No WooCommerce customization
- No popup creation
- No form builder (need separate plugin)
- No dynamic content from database
- Cannot add custom CSS to elements
- Community support only
What Elementor Pro Adds
Elementor Pro unlocks features that transform it from a page builder into a complete website design system. Here’s everything Pro adds:
Theme Builder – Design Everything
The single biggest Pro feature. Theme Builder lets you visually design:
- Headers: Custom navigation, logo placement, mega menus
- Footers: Multi-column footers, widgets, copyright
- Single Post Templates: How blog posts display
- Archive Templates: Category, tag, author pages
- Search Results: Custom search results layout
- 404 Pages: Custom error pages
With Theme Builder, you don’t need a premium theme. Use the free Hello Elementor theme and design everything yourself.
WooCommerce Builder
For online stores, this is essential:
- Custom single product page layouts
- Shop/archive page designs
- Cart page customization
- Checkout page optimization
- My Account page styling
- Thank you page design
Popup Builder
Create any popup type without additional plugins:
- Modal popups
- Slide-ins
- Full-screen overlays
- Hello/notification bars
- Exit intent popups
Advanced triggers: on load, on scroll, on click, exit intent, after inactivity. Display conditions let you target specific pages or user types.
Form Builder
Build contact forms, signup forms, multi-step forms with:
- All field types (text, email, number, date, file upload, etc.)
- Conditional logic
- Multi-step forms
- Email notifications
- Integrations: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, HubSpot, Zapier, etc.
60+ Pro Widgets
Specialized widgets only in Pro:
- Pricing Table
- Price List
- Countdown
- Call to Action
- Reviews
- Nav Menu
- Mega Menu
- Site Logo
- Search Form
- Breadcrumbs
- Posts
- Portfolio
- Slides
- Table of Contents
- Testimonial Carousel
- Flip Box
- Hotspot
- Lottie
- Video Playlist
- Media Carousel
Dynamic Content
Pull content from your WordPress database into any widget:
- Post title, content, excerpt, featured image
- Custom fields (ACF, Pods, Toolset, JetEngine)
- Author information
- Site info (name, tagline, logo)
- WooCommerce product data
Advanced Motion Effects
Beyond basic animations:
- Parallax scrolling effects
- Mouse track animations
- 3D tilt effects
- Sticky elements
- Horizontal scroll
Custom CSS
Add CSS to any widget, section, or page. Essential for fine-tuning designs or implementing advanced customizations that aren’t possible through the visual controls.
Global Widgets
Save any widget as global, reuse across pages. Edit once, updates everywhere. Perfect for CTAs, testimonials, or any repeating content.
Role Manager
Control who can access Elementor and what they can edit. Useful for:
- Agencies managing client sites
- Teams with different permission levels
- Restricting access to certain features
Widgets: Free vs Pro (Complete List)
Widgets in Both Free and Pro
These 40+ widgets are available in both versions:
Heading, Image, Text Editor, Video, Button, Divider, Spacer, Google Maps, Icon, Image Box, Icon Box, Star Rating, Image Gallery, Image Carousel, Basic Gallery, Icon List, Counter, Progress Bar, Testimonial, Tabs, Accordion, Toggle, Social Icons, Alert, SoundCloud, Shortcode, HTML, Menu Anchor, Sidebar, Read More, Text Path, Container
Pro-Only Widgets
These 60+ widgets require Elementor Pro:
Theme: Site Logo, Site Title, Nav Menu, Search Form, Post Title, Post Excerpt, Post Content, Post Comments, Author Box, Post Navigation, Archive Title, Archive Posts, Sitemap
Marketing: Form, Login, Pricing Table, Price List, Flip Box, Call to Action, Media Carousel, Testimonial Carousel, Reviews, Countdown, Share Buttons, Blockquote
WooCommerce: Products, Product Categories, Add to Cart, WC Pages, Product Title, Product Images, Product Price, Product Rating, Product Stock, Product Meta, Short Description, Product Data Tabs, Additional Info, Related Products, Upsells
Dynamic: Loop Grid, Loop Carousel, Taxonomy Filter, Posts, Portfolio, Gallery, Animated Headline, Hotspot, Table of Contents, Lottie, Video Playlist, Code Highlight
Templates: Free vs Pro
Free Templates (100+)
Elementor Free includes over 100 templates covering basic page types:
- Homepage layouts
- About page designs
- Contact pages
- Services pages
- Landing pages
- Coming soon pages
Pro Templates (300+)
Elementor Pro adds premium templates including:
- Complete website kits (full site designs)
- Industry-specific templates (restaurant, gym, agency, etc.)
- WooCommerce templates
- Popup templates
- Header/footer templates
- Single post templates
- Archive templates
Pro website kits let you import an entire website design with one click, then customize to match your brand.
Theme Builder: Why It’s Worth Pro Alone
Theme Builder is the feature that makes Elementor Pro essential for serious websites. Here’s why:
Without Theme Builder (Free)
- Stuck with your theme’s default header/footer
- Blog posts look however your theme designs them
- Can only customize page content, not structure
- Need to buy premium themes for professional headers
- Limited control over archive/category pages
With Theme Builder (Pro)
- Design custom headers with mega menus, search, CTA buttons
- Create unique footers with custom layouts
- Control exactly how blog posts display
- Design category/archive pages
- Use free Hello Elementor theme for everything
- Apply different headers/footers per page
WooCommerce Builder: Essential for Online Stores
If you’re running a WooCommerce store, the WooCommerce Builder alone justifies Elementor Pro.
Without WooCommerce Builder (Free)
- Product pages look like default WooCommerce
- Limited customization without code
- Shop page is basic grid
- Checkout is standard WooCommerce layout
- Need expensive WooCommerce themes or plugins
With WooCommerce Builder (Pro)
- Custom product page layouts (image galleries, tabs, upsells)
- Design unique shop/category pages
- Optimize cart page for conversions
- Streamline checkout experience
- Custom thank you pages
- My Account page styling
Conversion rate improvements from better product pages and checkout can pay for Elementor Pro many times over.
Popup Builder: Replace Expensive Plugins
Dedicated popup plugins like OptinMonster cost $9-$49/month. Elementor Pro’s Popup Builder is included.
Popup Types You Can Create
- Email signup modals
- Exit-intent offers
- Welcome mats
- Announcement bars
- Cookie consent notices
- Age verification gates
- Login/register popups
Advanced Targeting
- Show on specific pages/posts
- Target logged-in vs logged-out users
- Device-specific popups
- Referrer-based targeting
- Trigger after scroll percentage
- Show after X seconds
- Exit intent detection
Form Builder Comparison
Elementor Free: No Forms
Elementor Free doesn’t include form functionality. You need a separate plugin like:
- Contact Form 7 (free, basic)
- WPForms Lite (free, limited)
- Gravity Forms ($59-$259/year)
- Ninja Forms ($99-$499/year)
Elementor Pro: Full Form Builder
Built-in forms with everything you need:
- All field types
- Multi-step forms
- Conditional logic
- File uploads
- Email notifications
- Submission actions
- Integration with Mailchimp, ConvertKit, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, Drip, and more via Zapier
Pricing Breakdown
Elementor Free
Price: $0 – Forever free from WordPress.org
Official Elementor Pro Pricing
| Plan | Sites | Price/Year |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | 1 | $59 |
| Advanced | 3 | $99 |
| Expert | 25 | $199 |
| Agency | 1000 | $399 |
Better Value: PluginTheme
Get Elementor Pro at Best Price
Why pay full price? Get the same Elementor Pro with all features for a fraction of the cost.
- Full Elementor Pro license
- All Pro widgets & features
- Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, Popup Builder
- Regular updates
- Instant activation
Who Should Use Elementor Free?
Elementor Free is sufficient if you:
- Building a simple personal site – Portfolio, resume, hobby blog
- Creating landing pages only – Single-page sites, squeeze pages
- Testing Elementor – Learning the interface before committing
- Tight budget – Absolutely cannot invest in Pro
- Using a theme with good header/footer – Don’t need Theme Builder
- No e-commerce – Not selling products online
- Using separate form plugin – Already have Contact Form 7, etc.
Who Should Upgrade to Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro is essential if you:
- Building a business website – Need professional, custom design
- Running WooCommerce – Must customize product/shop pages
- Want custom headers/footers – Design complete themes visually
- Need popups – Email signup, announcements, offers
- Building client sites – Freelancers and agencies
- Want forms integrated – Don’t want separate form plugins
- Need dynamic content – Custom fields, database content
- Want professional support – Priority support access
- Building multiple sites – Expert/Agency plans scale better
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Verdict: Elementor Pro vs Free
Our Recommendation
Choose Elementor Free if: You’re building a simple personal site, testing Elementor, or have zero budget. It’s genuinely capable.
Choose Elementor Pro if: You’re building anything beyond a basic personal site. Business sites, e-commerce, client projects – Pro is essential.
Bottom Line: The Free version is excellent for learning and simple projects. But for serious websites, Elementor Pro’s Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and Popup Builder provide value that far exceeds the cost.
Ready to Go Pro?
Get Elementor Pro at the best price and unlock the full potential of WordPress design.
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