Elementor Review 2025: Complete Guide

Looking for an honest Elementor review in 2025? You’ve come to the right place. After extensively testing Elementor Pro across dozens of websites over the past 5 years, we’re sharing everything you need to know about the world’s most popular WordPress page builder.

Elementor has transformed how millions of people build websites. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced developer, this comprehensive Elementor Pro review will help you decide if it’s the right tool for your needs. We’ll cover features, pricing, performance, pros, cons, and honest comparisons with alternatives.

By the end of this Elementor review, you’ll know exactly whether Elementor is worth the investment in 2025 and which version (Free or Pro) suits your requirements.

What is Elementor?

Elementor is a drag-and-drop visual page builder plugin for WordPress that allows you to create custom website designs without writing code. Launched in 2016, it has quickly become the most popular page builder with over 10 million active installations on WordPress.org alone.

Unlike the default WordPress block editor (Gutenberg), Elementor provides a true WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing experience. You design your pages in real-time, seeing exactly how they’ll look to visitors. Every element can be customized with pixel-perfect precision.

Elementor comes in two versions:

• Elementor Free: A fully functional page builder with 40+ widgets
• Elementor Pro: Premium version with 100+ widgets, Theme Builder, and advanced features

Elementor History & Growth

Elementor was founded by Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein in 2016. They identified a gap in the WordPress ecosystem: existing page builders were either too complex, too slow, or required coding knowledge. Their mission was to create a page builder that anyone could use.

The growth has been remarkable:

• 2016: Elementor Free launched on WordPress.org
• 2017: Elementor Pro released with Theme Builder
• 2018: Reached 1 million active installations
• 2019: Popup Builder and WooCommerce Builder added
• 2020: $15 million funding, reached 5 million users
• 2021: Launched Elementor Cloud Website
• 2022: Acquired Flavor Studios, added Loop Builder
• 2023: AI features integration began
• 2024: Full AI suite released, 10+ million active users
• 2025: Enhanced AI, improved performance, new widgets

Elementor’s success attracted significant investment. In 2020, they raised $15 million in Series A funding, and the company has continued to grow with hundreds of employees worldwide.

Elementor Free Features

Elementor’s free version is surprisingly powerful. Unlike many “freemium” plugins that cripple the free tier, Elementor Free provides genuine value and can be used to build complete websites.

Visual Drag-and-Drop Editor

The core of Elementor is its visual editor. You work directly on your page, dragging widgets from a sidebar and dropping them where you want. Changes appear instantly – no saving and previewing required. The interface is intuitive enough for beginners yet powerful enough for professionals.

40+ Free Widgets

Elementor Free includes over 40 widgets covering essential website needs:

100+ Pre-Designed Templates

Elementor Free includes access to over 100 professionally designed templates. These cover various industries and page types including landing pages, about pages, contact pages, and more. Templates can be imported with one click and customized to match your brand.

Mobile Responsive Editing

Every design in Elementor is automatically responsive, but you have full control. Switch between Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile views to adjust layouts, font sizes, spacing, and visibility for each device. You can hide elements on specific devices or completely rearrange layouts.

Section & Column System

Elementor uses a section-column-widget hierarchy. Sections are full-width containers, columns divide sections horizontally, and widgets go inside columns. This structure provides flexibility while maintaining organization. You can nest sections, create complex layouts, and adjust column widths precisely.

Style Controls

Even in the free version, styling options are extensive:

• Typography controls (font family, size, weight, line height, letter spacing)
• Color picker with opacity
• Background options (solid color, gradient, image)
• Border and border radius
• Box shadow
• Padding and margin
• CSS filters (blur, brightness, contrast)

Motion Effects

Basic animations are included free: entrance animations (fade, zoom, slide), hover effects, and scrolling effects. These add visual interest without requiring any code.

Elementor Pro Features (Complete Guide)

While Elementor Free is capable, Elementor Pro unlocks the plugin’s full potential. Here’s everything you get with the premium version:

Theme Builder

This is arguably Elementor Pro’s most valuable feature. Theme Builder lets you design every part of your WordPress theme visually:

• Headers: Create custom headers with menus, logos, search bars, and more
• Footers: Design footers with widgets, contact info, newsletter signups
• Single Post Templates: Control how blog posts display
• Single Page Templates: Create custom page layouts
• Archive Templates: Design category, tag, and author pages
• Search Results: Customize search results pages
• 404 Pages: Create custom error pages

With Theme Builder, you don’t need to purchase a premium theme. You can use a lightweight starter theme like Hello Elementor and build everything yourself. This gives you complete control over your site’s design.

WooCommerce Builder

For e-commerce sites, WooCommerce Builder is essential. You can customize:

• Single Product Pages: Design product layouts with custom galleries, tabs, and upsells
• Shop/Archive Pages: Create custom product grids and category pages
• Cart Page: Style the shopping cart
• Checkout Page: Optimize the checkout experience
• My Account Pages: Customize customer account areas
• Thank You Page: Design post-purchase pages

This level of WooCommerce customization typically requires expensive themes or custom development. Elementor Pro puts it in reach of anyone.

Popup Builder

Create any type of popup without additional plugins:

• Modal popups
• Slide-ins
• Full-screen overlays
• Hello bars (notification bars)
• Fly-in forms

Each popup can have display conditions (show on specific pages), triggers (on load, on scroll, on click, exit intent), and advanced targeting rules. This replaces expensive popup plugins like OptinMonster.

Form Builder

Build advanced forms with conditional logic, multi-step forms, file uploads, and integrations with:

• Email services: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse
• CRMs: HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho
• Automation: Zapier, Webhooks
• Slack, Discord notifications

60+ Pro Widgets

Elementor Pro adds specialized widgets:

Dynamic Content

Display content dynamically from your WordPress database:

• Post title, excerpt, content, featured image
• Author information
• Custom fields (ACF, Pods, Toolset integration)
• Site information
• User data
• WooCommerce product data

Motion Effects Pro

Advanced animations including:

• Parallax scrolling
• Mouse track effects
• 3D tilt
• Sticky elements
• Custom CSS animations

Global Widgets & Styles

Save widgets as global and reuse them across your site. Edit once, update everywhere. Global styles let you define site-wide colors, fonts, and button styles.

Custom CSS

Add custom CSS to any widget, section, or page. This is invaluable for fine-tuning designs or implementing advanced customizations.

Role Manager

Control who can access Elementor and what they can edit. Useful for agencies managing client sites.

Elementor AI Features 2025

In 2025, Elementor AI has matured into a powerful assistant. Here’s what it can do:

AI Text Generation

Generate website copy, headlines, product descriptions, and blog content directly in the editor. The AI understands context – tell it your brand voice and it adapts. You can generate text for any text widget with prompts like:

• “Write a compelling headline for a digital marketing agency”
• “Create an about page introduction for a law firm”
• “Write product descriptions for handmade jewelry”

AI Image Generation

Create unique images without leaving Elementor. Describe what you need, and AI generates options. This is perfect for hero images, backgrounds, and illustrations when stock photos won’t do.

AI Code Generation

Generate custom CSS and HTML with natural language prompts. Ask for “a gradient border animation” or “a hover effect that scales the image,” and the AI writes the code.

AI Assistant

Get help with Elementor features, troubleshooting, and best practices. The AI can explain how to achieve specific design effects or suggest improvements.

AI Pricing

AI features require AI credits purchased separately or included in higher-tier plans. Elementor offers free credits to try the features.

Performance & Speed Analysis

A common concern with page builders is performance. Let’s address this honestly.

The Reality of Page Builder Performance

Yes, Elementor adds overhead compared to hand-coded HTML. Every page builder does. However, Elementor has invested heavily in performance optimization:

• Improved CSS Loading: Only loads CSS for widgets actually used on the page
• Font Optimization: Google Fonts are loaded efficiently with preconnect
• Lazy Loading: Images and iframes load as needed
• Reduced DOM: Cleaner HTML output than previous versions
• Flexbox Containers: More efficient than legacy sections

Performance Features

Elementor includes built-in performance tools:

• Optimized asset loading
• Built-in font preloading
• Lazy load background images
• Improved DOM output experiments

Real-World Performance

With proper optimization, Elementor sites can achieve excellent Core Web Vitals scores. Key factors:

1. Quality hosting: Use a good WordPress host (WP Engine, Cloudways, Kinsta)
2. Caching: Use a caching plugin (LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket)
3. CDN: Serve assets from a CDN (Cloudflare, BunnyCDN)
4. Image optimization: Compress and serve modern formats (WebP)
5. Minimal plugins: Don’t overload with plugins

Elementor vs Alternatives: Speed Comparison

Page Builder	Relative Performance	Notes
Elementor	Good	Improved significantly in recent versions
Divi	Moderate	Heavier than Elementor typically
Beaver Builder	Good	Clean code, but fewer features
Bricks	Excellent	Performance-focused, steeper learning curve
Gutenberg	Best	Native, but limited design capabilities

Elementor Pricing Breakdown

Understanding Elementor’s pricing helps you choose the right plan:

Official Elementor Pricing (2025)

Plan	Sites	Price/Year	Best For
Essential	1	$59	Single website owners
Advanced	3	$99	Small businesses, bloggers
Expert	25	$199	Freelancers, small agencies
Agency	1000	$399	Agencies, enterprises

What You Get

All Pro plans include:

• All Pro widgets (100+)
• Theme Builder
• WooCommerce Builder
• Popup Builder
• Form Builder
• Dynamic Content
• 300+ Pro Templates
• Premium Support
• 1 Year Updates

Better Value Option

Elementor Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Who Should Use Elementor?

Elementor is Perfect For:

Elementor Might Not Be For:

• Performance-Obsessed Developers: Hand-coded sites are lighter
• Very Simple Sites: A basic theme might suffice
• Headless WordPress: Page builders don’t apply
• Sites Needing Maximum Speed: Consider Bricks or custom code

Elementor Alternatives

While Elementor leads the market, alternatives exist:

Divi

ElegantThemes’ page builder with lifetime license option. More complex interface but powerful. Better for those who prefer all-in-one solutions with included theme.

Beaver Builder

Clean, developer-friendly builder. Excellent code output. Fewer features but more stable. Good for agencies prioritizing reliability over features.

Bricks Builder

Performance-focused builder gaining popularity. Excellent code output. Steeper learning curve. Best for developers comfortable with CSS.

Gutenberg + Blocks

WordPress native editor keeps improving. With block plugins like Stackable or Spectra, it’s a viable option. Best performance but less visual control.

Why Elementor Still Wins

Despite alternatives, Elementor remains the best choice for most users due to:

• Best balance of ease-of-use and power
• Largest ecosystem of addons and templates
• Most active community for support
• Continuous development and innovation
• AI features integration

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict: Is Elementor Worth It in 2025?

Who Should Get Elementor Pro?

• Anyone building a business website
• E-commerce site owners (WooCommerce Builder is essential)
• Bloggers wanting custom layouts
• Freelancers and agencies
• Anyone wanting popup and form capabilities without extra plugins

Who Can Stick With Free?

• Simple personal websites
• Testing and learning
• Sites that don’t need custom headers/footers

Related Articles