When making a website with WordPress, you need a proper page builder that makes things much easier and smoother. While there are quite a few page builders out there for you to choose from, a lot of people often end up choosing between Elementor and Beaver Builder.
Both of these page builders have quite a massive following due to their quality, an abundance of features, and general ease of use. However, the problem comes when you are not sure about which one of the two to choose from.
Of course, picking one of them does not mean that switching to the other one is out of the question forever. However, changing your mind and switching to the other one can be difficult, and there will likely be a lot of changes that you have to make.
It is much easier to simply pick the one that will be better for you straight from the start.
Now, in order to be able to make that choice, you must first know all there is to know about the two builders, as well as how do they compare.
To help you with that, we will now compare them in this Beaver Builder vs. Elementor review, and see if one is obviously better than the other, as well as what features may be different.
Beaver Builder vs. Elementor Overview
In this review, we will compare different aspects of both page builders, including:
With that in mind, let’s start off with the interface.
Interface
The interface is an important aspect of a page builder, as it makes a large impact on your general experience.
In order to be able to navigate the builder easily, and learn how to use it as quickly as possible, the interface needs to be fast, user-friendly, and without bugs and glitches.
Of course, these two would not be nearly as popular as they are if they suffered from these issues, so these are not the problems you will have to worry about.
Even so, their interfaces do differ in a certain amount, and that is what might influence your decision when it comes to choosing which one to use.
Beaver Builder Interface
Beaver Builder is loved by many because it lets you see a full preview of your page at any point, which makes it very easy to see the end result. That way, you can immediately see if you like your page’s design and look.
You can place all of the controls and options into the builder’s top bar, and there is even a quick way of adding new rows and modules in clicking on the “+” icon, which is also located on the top bar.
Simply choose what you wish to add, and drag it to the page.
This drag-and-drop functionality makes it extremely simple to organize your page in any way you want. All modules can be quickly edited in a pop-up that appears once you click the + icon.
However, another nice touch is the fact that you can easily pin this window on the side if it makes it easier for you to navigate the builder’s options.
If you wish to enter and edit text, Beaver Builder allows that as well, although it is a relatively recent feature.
Elementor Interface
When it comes to Elementor’s interface, the builder offers a similar bar on the side where you can choose what you add.
This builder’s sidebar is on the left, while Beaver Builder’s sidebar is on the right part of the screen.
Elementor also allows you to hide the sidebar when you want to take a view of your page in full-width.
Adding new elements to the page is the same as we have mentioned at Beaver Builder — simply click on what you wish to insert, and drag it to the editing part of the interface.
Elementor also provides some additional options and settings, such as undo/redo feature, and it keeps an entire history of all actions during the current session.
All of the extra options are also located on the sidebar, meaning that all of the commands and options are in the same place.
Modules and Widgets
In the next segment of our Elementor vs. Beaver Builder comparison, we will talk about modules and widgets that the two have to offer.
That’s where the first difference between the two lies, since Elementor calls them Widgets, while they are Modules at Beaver Builder.
Of course, the name you use to call them is not that important — what is important is how these two page builders handle these elements.
Beaver Builder vs Elementor – Modules and Widgets
This time, let’s start by taking a look at what Elementor has to offer. The builder features three different elements, known as:
- Sections
- Columns
- Widgets
They are all of the different sizes, with Sections being the largest ones. Sections can contain Columns, or Widgets directly, or you can put a Column inside a section, and Widget inside a Column.
Sections also let you organize a larger portion of the page, and change whatever you wish, including the content, background, and alike.
When it comes to Columns, they go inside sections, and they split its design vertically.
Finally, there are Widgets, which are the smallest of the three, and they hold the actual content that you are inserting into the page. That can include anything from tables and charts to plain text, images, and alike.
Now, Elementor’s free version features only 28 widgets, which is a decent number, although not that impressive. However, if you purchase a premium version, the amount of total widgets jumps to 58, which is significantly better.
Of course, you can add even more if you include additional add-ons, but that’s only if you really dislike the ones that come as part of a package.
Next, let’s see how Beaver Builder handles its own elements. The first thing to note is that there are also three of them, and the philosophy is pretty much identical, only under different names. Beaver Builder offers:
- Rows
- Columns
- Modules
Just like Elementor’s Sections, Rows are the largest of the three and they allow you to influence the part of the page that the Row contains. You can change the color of the background, influence spacing, and alike.
The second-largest elements are called Columns, just like what we have seen with Elementor. They are contained within rows, and they allow you to divide the page vertically.
Finally, Modules are just another name for Widgets, and they include the same things, such as images, text, and alike.
However, when it comes to the quantity of offered Modules/Widgets, Beaver Builder is not nearly as good as Elementor.
This page builder’s free version provides you with only 6 modules. Purchasing a Pro version gives you an additional 24, which puts the total at around 30.
Obviously, this is around 28 modules/widgets fewer than what you get with Elementor, but you can add extra ones through addons, so in the end, the difference is not really that big.
Templates (Elementor Wins over Beaver Builder!)
Next, let’s take a look at the templates and their functionality.
Both of the two page builders allow you to use templates to speed up the process of creating your site’s pages. With templates, you don’t have to start from scratch, and most of the time, you will only need to make minor manual changes.
In some cases, you can even start inserting content immediately, provided that the templates already look the way you want them to look. Luckily, both Elementor and Beaver Builder already offer pretty great templates that most users end up being pretty satisfied with.
Let’s take a look at what each of the two has to offer in greater detail
While Beaver Builder does offer templates, they are only available as part of its premium version. In other words, if you were hoping to use it for free, you will not be able to use them, unfortunately.
As for the premium version, there are two different types — content page templates (25 of them), and landing page templates (31 of them).
Of course, if you wish to create your own templates, you can always do so, and save them for later use.
Now, whether you have a free version of BB, or a premium one and you simply do not like the offered templates — you can always add a plugin or two and add dozens, or even hundreds of new ones.
The best plugins will also come at a price, but the price is usually not that high, and most of them are quite affordable, such as Ultimate Addons.
As for Elementor, this page builder also has two different categories in which its templates are divided. The first one is called Pages, and it offers total page design, so all you need to do is add your content.
The second one is called Blocks, which includes templates for sections of a page. In a way, these are mini-templates that save you the trouble of adding your own sections, columns, and widgets.
Unlike Beaver Builder, Elementor also provides templates as part of its free version, which is yet another point for this solution. You get 40 different page templates and even more block templates.
However, if you purchase the premium version, you will get hundreds of additional ones for both categories, which is significantly more than what Beaver Builder offers.
On top of that, add-ons are still an option, meaning that you can have more templates than you will ever need with this page builder. One add-on that you may want to consider is Astra’s Starter Sites, but there are many more of them for you to choose from.
Styling
Once your web page is functional, you might also want to make it look good, which is where various styling options get to shine. Of course, there is no need to overdo it, and some things do not need to be styled via page builder — your theme will do the trick for stuff like typography, colors, and alike.
However, page builders also have their own styling options that you should definitely use if you want your page to stand out.
When it comes to Elementor, the page builder has numerous global styles, and it allows you to modify them in different ways. Its styles will likely overpower your theme’s styles unless you disable this option in the builder’s settings.
If you do, then your theme’s styles will kick in, and you won’t have different pages with different styles. Otherwise, your site would not look very professional and consistent.
Of course, this depends on the site and your own desires, so you can choose to leave things as they are. That’s one of the great things about Elementor — it lets you customize your pages however you want.
You can customize specific widgets, columns, or even entire sections if that is what you wish. Meanwhile, Elementor will let you change content, meaning that it will allow you to change size and alignment; style, where you can change things such as typography or color; and use Advanced styling, where you can add animations, custom padding, Z-index, and alike.
The styling options are very easy to understand and use, and Elementor goes into great detail, even allowing features like custom CSS or responsive controls.
On the other hand, when it comes to Beaver Builder’s styling, the first thing to note is that this page builder does not try to be dominant like Elementor. In other words, it will allow your theme’s styles to remain, instead of overriding them by default.
You can still do it if you wish, of course, but Beaver Builder’s styles will not kick in automatically, without you setting them manually.
Now, when it comes to styling itself, you can style any aspect of the page, be it a row or a module. All you need to do is select one of them, and you will get a popup with various options, neatly arranged in a number of tabs.
The tabs that will emerge typically depend on which module you have selected, but some options will remain the same in all situations.
These include things like typography, style, or advanced settings that include previously mentioned responsive controls, or custom margins, and similar options. Beaver Builder also allows you to apply styles to different devices simply by using device icons, which is a quicker way of modifying your page and content.
While we have seen most of this before, at Elementor, it is important to note that Beaver Builder also has a unique feature that makes it stand out. This is the ability to create responsive breakpoints that you can fully customize, and that will apply to all content created by Beaver Builder.
Themes
If you wish to use your page builder to design more than just a page or two and design the entire site from them, you will likely find that theme building is one of the most important features. A lot of people choose to do this, as page builders make the WordPress website designing as easy as possible.
Naturally, both of these page builders offer theme building, and you will likely have excellent experience no matter which one you choose. Even so, they still take different approaches to the issue, which is why this aspect needs to be compared as well.
For example, if you choose Beaver Builder, you will have to purchase an additional extension called Beaver Themer. This will add a new option called Themer Layouts, where you have to choose the Title, Type, and Layout whenever adding a new theme.
After that, you can choose if you wish to apply the new template to a specific section of your site, or to all of its content. Beaver Builder even allows you to choose whether or not you wish to assign a certain design to a certain user. You will also notice that a new section has appeared on the side, called Themer Modules. This allows you to insert content while you are building the design.
There are plenty of options for you to consider and use, and they make the experience rather enjoyable.
As for Elementor, you will not have to buy a separate extension. Instead, Elementor Pro will allow you to add theme building through a simple add-on that is available for premium users.
Once you add it, you will be able to create different parts of a theme in the My Templates section of the page builder. Adding a new template allows you to choose different options, such as which part of the theme will be replaced by a custom theme. Naturally, you can name it in order for it to be easier to manage in the future.
You can build a new design from the ground up, or you can speed up the process a bit by choosing one of the pre-built blocks and take it from there.
You won’t have any trouble with the UI, as it is exactly the same as Elementor’s regular interface. Basically, you only get an additional option, while everything else remains the same.
Finally, you can choose where to apply for the new design. You can simply choose to apply it on the entire website, or you can be more precise, and choose a specific post format, post type, or a category of blog posts.
Elementor vs Beaver Builder – Prices
Finally, it is time to talk about the cost of using the two website page builders, and the prices are quite different, so this might be the deciding factor for a lot of people.
The first thing to note is that both builders offer free versions, as we have mentioned several times before. We have also mentioned that both of the free versions are somewhat limited, although it is quite obvious that Elementor free will provide you with more options, even if you don’t pay for a premium account.
Many of the features that you don’t get with a free version can be replaced by add-ons, although these add-ons may not always be free, or even cheap. Still, it is entirely possible to make website pages for free, although some of the more advanced features will be missing.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the prices.
Beaver Builder offers three different plans, and no matter which of them you choose, you can use the builder on an unlimited number of websites. These include:
- Standard plan, which costs $99
- Pro plan, which costs $199
- Agency plan, which costs $399
As mentioned, even the standard plan can be used on as many websites as you desire. However, you should note that there is no support for multiple sites. When it comes to the Pro plan, you get everything that you get with the standard plan, but also multisite support, and even Beaver Builder theme.
Finally, if you also wish white-labeling, that is something that only comes with the agency plan. It costs a little extra, but it might be worth it, depending on what you need.
It should also be noted that none of these plans is a lifetime plan, and while they do have a money-back guarantee, if you change your mind, you will only have 30 days to demand a refund. Also, we mentioned before that theme building requires an additional extension that will cost $147, and it will be available for unlimited sites. It is a pricey builder, but many find it worth the money.
As for Elementor, this page builder also features three plans. While they are considerably cheaper, only one of them can be applied to unlimited sites. Here are the prices:
- $49 for a single website
- $99 for up to three websites
- $199 for unlimited websites
Like with Beaver Builder, these are not lifetime options, and the refund guarantee only lasts for the first 30 days from the moment of purchase.
And, as mentioned, you get a Pro version add-on for theme building if you require it, but other than that, Elementor’s free plan allows you quite a few options, while it costs nothing to use it on as many sites as you want.
Beaver Builder vs. Elementor: Which is better?more
For more detailed information about these two website page builders, read our Elementor review and Beaver Builder review.
Now, the last, and likely the most important question is — which of the two builders is a better option? Unfortunately, it is not so easy to provide an answer.
Both of the page builders have their strengths and weaknesses, as we have seen. In a lot of cases, they offer the same features and options, although under different names or in different places.
Elementor does offer significantly more templates and elements, even when it comes to its free version, and it is cheaper if you want a Pro version. Alternatively, Beaver Builder is more expensive, but each of its plans works on unlimited websites, whereas Elementor supports 1, 3, or unlimited sites, depending on which plan you are willing to buy.
Basically, if you only plan to create a single site — Elementor is probably better for you. If you wish to create multiple sites and you can afford to pay a little extra, Beaver Builder is a pretty great option. And, as mentioned, you can likely make a site just the way you want it to be by inserting add-ons that will provide you with missing options, although the chances are that you will have to pay for them, as well.