Two Approaches to Building WordPress Pages
The WordPress editing landscape in 2026 centers on two distinct approaches: Gutenberg, the native block editor built into WordPress core, and Elementor, the third-party visual page builder used on millions of sites. Each tool reflects a different philosophy about how content should be created and managed. For more information on Elementor, you can visit the Elementor Help Center.
Gutenberg focuses on content-first editing using a block-based system that ships with every WordPress installation. Elementor provides a visual, drag-and-drop interface with pixel-level design control. Understanding their strengths, limitations, and trade-offs helps you choose the right tool — or decide when to use both.
Interface and Editing Experience
Gutenberg's Block Editor
Gutenberg presents a clean, document-focused interface. You work directly in the content area, adding blocks for paragraphs, headings, images, lists, and more. The sidebar provides block-specific settings. The experience feels closer to writing in a word processor than designing in a visual tool.
In 2026, Gutenberg has added inline editing improvements, a command palette for fast block insertion, and better drag-and-drop support. The learning curve is gentle for content creators familiar with text editors.
Elementor's Visual Builder
Elementor opens in a separate editing panel with a live preview of your page. You drag widgets from a sidebar onto your design canvas, adjusting layout, spacing, colors, and typography with visual controls. What you see in the editor is what visitors see on the front end. For developers looking to extend Elementor, the Elementor Developer Docs provide valuable resources.
This WYSIWYG approach is intuitive for visual thinkers but can feel overwhelming due to the sheer number of options available. The Elementor Pro version adds even more controls and widgets.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Gutenberg (Core) | Elementor Free | Elementor Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content Blocks/Widgets | 90+ core blocks | 40+ widgets | 100+ widgets |
| Visual Drag & Drop | Basic (improved in 2026) | Full WYSIWYG | Full WYSIWYG |
| Theme Builder | Full Site Editing | No | Yes |
| WooCommerce Builder | Basic blocks | No | Yes |
| Popup Builder | No (needs plugin) | No | Yes |
| Form Builder | No (needs plugin) | No | Yes |
| Dynamic Content | Via block bindings | Limited | Full dynamic tags |
| Responsive Controls | Basic breakpoints | Desktop, tablet, mobile | Custom breakpoints |
| Global Styles | theme.json system | Global colors/fonts | Global widgets + styles |
| Price | Free (included in WP) | Free | $59 – $399/year |
Performance Impact
Performance is a decisive factor, especially with Google's Core Web Vitals influencing search rankings. Here is how each editor affects your site:
Gutenberg's Performance Profile
Gutenberg generates clean, semantic HTML with minimal inline styles. Block styles are loaded from the theme's stylesheet, and unused block CSS can be dequeued. The result is lean markup that performs well out of the box. A typical Gutenberg page adds less than 30KB of editor-related CSS/JS to the frontend.
Elementor's Performance Profile
Elementor generates more complex markup with wrapper divs, inline styles, and its own CSS framework. Even with Elementor's performance improvements in recent versions (reduced DOM output, deferred script loading, and unused widget CSS elimination), an Elementor page typically adds 150-400KB of CSS/JS to the frontend.
This does not mean Elementor sites cannot be fast. With proper optimization — caching, CDN, image optimization, and selective asset loading — Elementor sites can achieve strong Core Web Vitals scores. But it requires more effort compared to Gutenberg's inherently leaner output.
Learning Curve
For content creators (writers, marketers, editors), Gutenberg's block editor is straightforward. Adding text, images, and basic layouts requires minimal training. Advanced features like block patterns and Full Site Editing have steeper curves.
Elementor is more intuitive for visual design work. Non-technical users can create complex layouts without understanding CSS concepts because Elementor abstracts spacing, alignment, and responsive behavior into visual controls. However, mastering Elementor's full feature set — dynamic content, conditions, custom CSS, motion effects — takes considerable time.
Template and Pattern Systems
Gutenberg Block Patterns
WordPress ships with a growing library of block patterns — pre-designed content sections you can insert and customize. The WordPress.org pattern directory offers thousands more. Patterns use native blocks, so they are lightweight and consistent with your theme's styling.
Elementor Templates
Elementor includes a template library with hundreds of pre-designed pages, sections, and blocks. Elementor Pro expands this with a theme builder that lets you design headers, footers, single post templates, and archive pages visually. Third-party template kits add even more options.
For a detailed look at Elementor's full capabilities, read our comprehensive Elementor guide for 2026.
WooCommerce Integration
If you run an online store, editor choice significantly affects your workflow:
- Gutenberg + WooCommerce: WooCommerce provides dedicated blocks for product grids, cart, checkout, and account pages. The checkout block system introduced in recent versions works well for standard stores. Customization beyond the provided options requires block development or CSS.
- Elementor Pro + WooCommerce: Elementor Pro offers a dedicated WooCommerce builder with widgets for custom product pages, shop archives, cart pages, and checkout flows. You can design every aspect of the shopping experience visually.
Portability and Lock-in
Content portability matters when you want to switch themes or editors:
| Scenario | Gutenberg | Elementor |
|---|---|---|
| Switching themes | Content preserved, styling adapts | Content preserved (independent of theme) |
| Deactivating the editor | Content remains as HTML | Shortcodes visible, layout breaks |
| Migrating to another CMS | Clean HTML export | Complex shortcode cleanup needed |
This is Gutenberg's significant advantage: because it generates standard HTML stored in the post content, your content remains readable and functional even without the editor. Elementor content, while functional within WordPress, creates dependency on the plugin being active.
When to Use Gutenberg
- Content-focused websites: blogs, news sites, documentation
- Sites where performance is a primary concern
- Projects that need long-term content portability
- Teams already comfortable with WordPress's native tools
- Sites using block-based themes with Full Site Editing
- Budget-conscious projects (no additional plugin cost)
For a hands-on introduction, see our complete Gutenberg guide for 2026.
When to Use Elementor
- Design-heavy websites: portfolios, agencies, landing pages
- WooCommerce stores needing custom product page designs
- Sites requiring popups, forms, and marketing features in one tool
- Non-technical users who need visual design control
- Projects with tight deadlines (template library speeds up development)
- Client projects where the client needs an intuitive editing experience
Using Both Together
Many sites in 2026 use a hybrid approach: Gutenberg for content-heavy pages (blog posts, articles, documentation) and Elementor for design-focused pages (homepage, landing pages, product showcases). This gives you the performance benefits of Gutenberg where it matters and the design flexibility of Elementor where you need it.
For a broader comparison of WordPress page builders including Divi and other alternatives, read our WordPress page builder comparison for 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Elementor and Gutenberg on the same site?
Yes. You can choose which editor to use on a per-page basis. Many sites use Gutenberg for blog posts and Elementor for key landing pages. WordPress does not force you to use one editor exclusively.
Does Elementor slow down my website?
Elementor adds more CSS and JavaScript than Gutenberg, which can affect load times. However, recent versions have improved performance significantly with reduced DOM output and selective asset loading. With proper caching and a CDN, Elementor sites can still achieve strong performance scores.
Is Gutenberg replacing Elementor?
Gutenberg's capabilities are expanding with each WordPress release, but it serves a different purpose than Elementor. Gutenberg focuses on content creation with design capabilities, while Elementor focuses on visual design with content capabilities. Both tools continue to develop and maintain large user bases.
Which editor is more suitable for WooCommerce?
For standard stores with minimal customization, Gutenberg's WooCommerce blocks work well. For stores requiring custom product page layouts, branded checkout experiences, or visual merchandising, Elementor Pro's WooCommerce builder offers more design control.
Can I migrate from Elementor to Gutenberg?
Migration is possible but requires effort. You need to recreate page layouts using blocks, as Elementor's shortcode-based content does not convert to blocks automatically. Several plugins assist with this process, but manual review is necessary to ensure quality.
Do I need Elementor Pro, or is the free version sufficient?
The free version covers basic page building with 40+ widgets. You need Pro for the theme builder, WooCommerce builder, popup builder, form builder, dynamic content, and custom breakpoints. Most serious projects benefit from Pro's features.
Which editor has a larger ecosystem of add-ons?
Both have extensive ecosystems. Elementor has hundreds of third-party add-on plugins offering additional widgets and templates. Gutenberg benefits from a growing library of block plugins plus the entire WordPress.org pattern directory. Elementor's ecosystem is currently more mature, but Gutenberg's is expanding rapidly.
