Nowadays, it’s easy to build a website without the need to hire a developer. There are modern tools that have made it as simple as dragging and dropping to create the features you want. Using a WordPress page builder, you can create outstanding websites without any professional help.
Why You Should Use a WordPress Builder
There are many WordPress themes available in the market that will fit your workflow. Some are comfortable with this, but it doesn’t really give you the look and feel you want. You need more customization to bring the idea you had in mind to live. However, most WordPress themes have limited customization options.
A WordPress page builder is the best way to create the kind of layouts you want. You don’t have to be a tech whiz to use one. Here are several factors you should have in mind before choosing the best page builder to create your site.
- Features – This is what makes a page builder unique. You need to know which one has better features than the others. For example, some come with inbuilt templates while others offer awesome animation effects.
- Compatibility – Remember you’re working with a WordPress theme, so the page builder plugin must be compatible with the theme you are using.
- Responsiveness – The page you create has to look good on both mobile and web layouts. The best WordPress page builder should allow you to create responsive, mobile-friendly layouts.
- SEO – Your site has to be indexed by search engines for your content to reach more people. A good WordPress page builder should create SEO friendly page layouts. You can also combine them with the Yoast plugin for SEO.
That said, let’s look at the best WordPress page builders.
Beaver Builder
There’s a lot to love about Beaver Builder. Other than the ability to create fully responsive designs, you can also take it a notch further and use custom CSS on each element. That’s a win for designers.
For those who use WordPress for e-commerce, it also supports WooCommerce. It’s also not restricted to any theme, it supports all of them. You’ll enjoy working with it, as soon as you see how responsive it is and its lightweight components. You can also save your layouts or reuse them in this WordPress Page Builder.
Pros
- Top-notch support – BB is focused on providing excellent customer service so that designers and developers maximize usage of their products.
- Developer-Oriented – First of all, the wide range of templates save time for developers. The ability to reuse modules globally even when developing other websites is the ultimate way to maximize productivity you get to do more in a shorter period.
Cons
- Quite expensive – Though there is a free version, that option has very limited features. You can, however, get the standard version at S$99. The pro version costs S$199 while the agency version costs a whopping S$399 per year. This is very expensive, especially when you compare it with the highest tier Version in Divi that only costs $249.
- Loads with every action – this can be annoying especially when you are used to fast response times of builders like Elementor.
The Divi Builder
Divi comes with a wide array of elements you can drag and drop into your webpages. You can also edit it live and see the result in real-time without having to switch to the dashboard. Its premade layouts are modern and eye-catching. This is a plus for web designers since they don’t have to start from scratch. This way, designers can be more productive by saving and re-importing their layouts. Its collapsible design view also makes it easy to focus on the section you are working on.
Pros
- Great User Interface: Divi’s intuitive UI is the best of all page builders. Everything is well positioned. Similar elements are marked using the same colour on the design view.
- Great Price: Divi is reasonably priced. It doesn’t have a free or trial package. But you can pay an annual fee of S$89 or a one-off fee of S$249. Either option gives you access to all products by Elegant Themes, including access to all themes, updates, and plugins.
Cons
- A bit slow: The ease of use and a fantastic U.I comes at a cost especially when you have a slow internet connection. There’s a lot that goes on in the background, but if you have good internet speed, you won’t even notice it.
- Stores content as short codes: When working with Divi, you’ll notice that all updates are stored as short codes. This makes it hard to switch to another page builder or theme.
Elementor
Elementor features live editing allowing you to drag and drop elements and see the changes you make, live. Reverting of accidental changes using, undo and redo changes is also possible while using Elementor. It also supports WooCommerce.
Pros
- Clean and fast UI – Elementor has a very neat user interface. It has simple colours that are placed at the right spot that gives the user a pleasurable experience. Changes applied can be seen instantly. The drag and drop feature do not lag as well.
- Responsive design – Every webpage created using Elementor automatically adjusts when loaded into different devices. It also has an instant testing tool for different views i.e. desktop, tablet, and mobile. It helps you determine whether the layout is the right fit for your site before activating it.
Cons
- Quite expensive – The personal bundle goes for S$ 49. However, it has plenty of restrictions and can only be used on one website. The Business bundle costs S$99 per year but can only be used to design three websites. You can also get the unlimited version at S$ 199/year.
- Occasional bugs – developers sometimes experience bugs with text fonts, which might be annoying.
Themify Builder
Themify has over 60 layout and prebuilt effects that you can choose from, to create any layout you can imagine with ease. It’s easy to use this builder. First, import the layouts you want to use. Then add the content you want for your site by replacing the default images and text. With that, you’re good to go.
Again, you don’t have to start from scratch.
In this WordPress page builder, you work from the compact backend interface to build various modules using the drag and drop feature. To see your results, you have to switch to the front end where you can also make live edits.
Thrive Architect
If you’re looking to create a conversion-centered website, Thrive Architect is an ideal choice for you. It was developed by Thrive themes, an online marketplace for WordPress themes and plugins to convert potential customers.
When you purchase this theme, you get 271 prebuilt landing page templates with everything you need. Whether you want to create a blog posts, a good-looking landing page, or even a sales page there’s plenty to choose from.
Site Origin
Like the other WordPress page builders featured in this article, Site Origin also features live editing with drag and drop components. It also supports custom CSS and a history browser to undo or redo changes as necessary. It is also compatible with most themes and is completely free.
Pros
- Mature plugin – It is by far the oldest plugin with a myriad of features that have evolved over the years.
- Absolutely Free
Cons
- Requires an extra widget bundle – Before using it to build web pages, you must download a widget bundle and install it. This adds more complexity for developers since it is unnecessary.
- Boring U.I – Free things are not usually the best. A lot of emphasis is placed on functionality rather than making the U.I easier to use as well.
WPBakery Page Builder for WordPress
Last but not least, WP Bakery is one of the most advanced in the market. It has both front and backend editors and is useful for creating responsive web designs. One can also implement advanced options such as parallax effects and smooth scrolling.
Pros
- Responsive design – Just like Elementor and Divi, WP Bakery has responsive design settings that don’t need any skills to use. This makes it easier for developers to create good web designs.
- Extensive functionality – There’s a variety of features available when using either the backend or the front-end editor. It also has a well-designed user interface making it easy for developers to come up with good web designs.
Cons
- Quite expensive – An extended license costs S$245 per year. However, it’s limited to only one SaaS application. The regular license costs S$45 per year but can only be used on one website.
- Stores content as short code.
Our Recommendations
Every builder has a drag and drop functionality that can build any web page. The key to choosing the best WordPress page builder is to consider what makes it stand out. From the choices above, we have found Beaver Builder to be the best option for creating fantastic website layouts.
With its inbuilt templates, you can create stunning web pages from the ground up. It’s all about customizing the templates to create the look and feel you want.
We hope this article is a good reference for you to pick a WordPress page builder to work with.
Nonetheless, virtually all website page builders have limited features and so customizing the template to suit your brand will not be possible. Hire a professional web designer in Singapore to create a custom and responsive website pages. With a custom design, you are sure that your website will stand out from the crowd. Get in touch for more details about web design in Singapore.
