The list in brief
1. Best overall: Bluehost
2. Best plugin: Elementor
3. Best for beginners: Beaver Builder
4. Best all-in-one theme: Divi
5. Best for landing pages: SeedProd
6. Best free builder: Visual Composer
7. Best for themes: Themify
8. Best for developers: Themeum
9. Best for ecommerce: Oxygen
FAQs
How to choose
How we test
Website builders make building websites easier. When it comes to finding the best website builders for WordPress, the popular content management system (CMS), you're spoilt for choice. WordPress's open-source plugin architecture allows you to use thousands of free or low-cost plugins, and the best website builders often provide WordPress site creation, so you might struggle to narrow down your options.
WordPress 6.4.3, the first WordPress update in 2024, brought several bug fixes and security updates, so there's never been a better time to start using the CMS. Look for the best website builders that are specifically tailored for WordPress. Many WordPress page builders have intuitive, drag-and-drop editors that require no coding knowledge.
We've rigorously tested all the top website builders for WordPress available today, evaluating and comparing each on its ease of use, pricing, features, and versatility. Read on to discover the best website builders for WordPress.
The quick list
Eager to find the best website builder for WordPress without diving deep into the details? Here’s a concise overview of the top website builders, highlighting their standout features. For a more in-depth look, follow the links to the full reviews.
The best website builder for WordPress
Bluehost’s WordPress website builder seamlessly combines the platform’s best features with its user-friendly block builder. It offers over 300 themes, WooCommerce integrations, and a drag-and-drop editor perfect for beginners.
The best overall website builder plugin for WordPress
Elementor stands out with its vast selection of editing tools and flexibility in design. Catering to beginners and developers, it offers a drag-and-drop builder with instant editing and many templates.
The best beginner-friendly WordPress builder
Beaver Builder is renowned for its clean code and user-friendly interface. With a vast template selection and responsive editing, it ensures your site looks great on all devices.
The best multipurpose WordPress theme
Divi offers a real-time advanced visual builder, allowing users to see their site as they design. It has over 2,000 pre-made layouts and extensive customization options.
The best website builder for WordPress landing pages
Tailored for high-conversion landing pages, SeedProd offers a powerful builder with 150 templates, email marketing integrations, and a versatile drag-and-drop page builder. It’s a top choice for landing pages.
The best free website builder for WordPress
Visual Composer offers a beginner-friendly approach with its “tree view” organization. While the free version provides a taste of its capabilities, the premium plans unlock more templates and advanced tools.
The best website builder for WordPress themes
Themify has been a favorite since 2010, offering slick themes and plugins. With 60 preset layouts and customizable animation effects, it provides a unique touch to WordPress sites.
The best website builder for WordPress developers
Launched by Themeum, WP Page Builder is lightweight and offers a range of add-ons. It’s simple enough for beginners but also provides custom CSS options for advanced users.
The best WordPress website builder for ecommerce
Oxygen stands out with its lifetime support and one-off payment plans. Its drag-and-drop builder is beginner-friendly but it also offers advanced tools for seasoned developers.
The top 3 website builders for WordPress
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The best website builders for WordPress of 2024 in full
Best overall
Bluehost's WordPress website builder was launched in August 2021 and brings the web host's experience to site building. It balances WordPress’s best features with its own, easy-to-use, block builder. Plans include features such as WooCommerce online sales integrations, over 300 themes to choose from, and much more.
Its drag-and-drop editor is ideal for beginners, and each of the premium packages has managed WordPress hosting from Bluehost at no extra cost, covering unlimited sites. With this, installations and plugins are kept updated, and users also get a free domain for a year, alongside a free SSL certificate.
There's no free version of WordPress website builder. Four plans - Basic, Choice Plus, Online Store, and Pro - start at $3.95 a month and range up to $17.95 a month. You sign up for 12 or 36 months, with your first term available at up to 60% off the regular price. These three plans also include features such as blog post management and email marketing tools.
In more detail, the Pro plan adds WooCommerce support, while Online Store includes appointment bookings, subscription sales, and discount code generation. Both of these more expensive plans also provide an additional 30 premium templates.
As you navigate Bluehost's website builder, you'll appreciate the seamless integration with WordPress, allowing you to switch between Bluehost's intuitive drag-and-drop interface and the more extensive WordPress platform with ease. This flexibility is especially valuable if you're already acquainted with WordPress and wish to leverage its wide array of plugins and themes.
However, this comes with the trade-off that some WordPress plugins aren't compatible with Bluehost's builder, necessitating a workaround. In such cases, builders like Wix and Squarespace offer in-house features that are less reliant on external plugins, possibly providing a smoother experience for those seeking an all-in-one solution.
Bluehost's builder offers an array of templates and stock photos, streamlining the design process, but it also places a cap on creativity by limiting customization compared to standalone website builders. For instance, the base plan doesn't include ecommerce capabilities, which are standard with platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce, making those builders a better option if your primary goal is to set up an online store without needing to upgrade plans.
Bluehost combines WordPress, hosting, and an easy-to-use interface for competitive prices. The only negative is that the builder is less flexible with site layout, but the huge range of content options ensures it ranks at the top when it comes to website builders for WordPress.
Read our Bluehost WordPress website builder review.
Read our Bluehost hosting review.
Best plugin
With millions of installations, Elementor is popular and reliable, and available in free and paid versions, with the latter offering increased customization and more. Catering to beginners and developers at both ends of the competency scale, the basic free plan enables you to test the platform out before you spend.
Among key features are a drag-and-drop builder with instantaneous editing, revision history, a finder function, a builder for creating advanced marketing popups, and desktop and mobile site settings. All paid plans also come packaged with premium customer support if you need help.
The $59 Essential plan gives you access to a widget catalog, over 300 site templates and full template kits, and the WooCommerce builder for those who want an online store. This supports one site and offers full access to the editor. The Expert plan ($199 a year) supports three sites, while the Agency plan ($399 a year) grows this to 1000.
Unlike some website builders that restrict you to a backend interface, Elementor allows you to see your changes in real time. This means that as you adjust text, swap out images, or experiment with different layouts, you can immediately see the impact of your edits without switching back and forth between editing and preview modes.
You can enhance the user experience on your site with interactive elements like motion effects and image carousels, which are not as robust or easy to implement in builders like Squarespace or Wix. However, keep in mind that the most intriguing widgets and features are reserved for the Pro version, which comes at an additional cost.
The collaboration tools in Elementor are a significant advantage if you're working with a team. Sharing your progress and receiving feedback is streamlined, saving you valuable time and ensuring that everyone involved is on the same page. This feature is especially valuable compared to platforms like Squarespace, where team collaboration isn't as straightforward or seamlessly integrated.
For those with more experience, you can add custom CSS or HTML code, while integrated landing page and form creation tools offer additional marketing features. One downside is the basic free version's limitations, as you don't get access to any of these advanced tools. The builder's user interface can also be confusing and take time to get adjusted to using.
Best for beginners
Beaver Builder has been a leading option for WordPress for a while, and has a reputation for clean code, meaning fine-tuning sites is simpler. Its free version acts as a brilliant introduction to the software beyond its helpful live demo online.
The free plan, while quite limited, offers six editing modules, namely text, HTML, video, audio, images, and sidebar. Across all three paid options, you get responsive editing, so you can toggle between different views of your site to make sure it works on desktop as well as it does on a mobile device.
Paid packages start at $99 a year with the Standard plan, with 29 additional modules, optional WooCommerce integration, and dozens of customizable templates for pages including landing, about, and services pages. You get unlimited site connections, premium support for your first year, and can access the 300+ premium templates and design elements.
The three two more expensive plans - Pro ($199 a year), Agency ($399 a year), and Ultimate ($546 a year) add more features, including white labeling capability, multi-site network settings, and more.
The level of intuitive design control Beaver Builder offers isn't found in every WordPress page builder. However, you might find the selection of modules limited compared to Elementor or Divi, which offer a wider range of elements for your pages.
You can modify the layout based on your design preferences, such as opting for a fixed sidebar, which enhances the overall design experience.
Performance is another area where Beaver Builder shines. It's a lighter option compared to other popular builders, contributing to faster page loading times—a critical factor for both user experience and SEO.
Best all-in-one theme
Divi operates on the front end of your site in real time, and its advanced visual builder allows you to see exactly what your site will look like once published. Released in 2015, the builder can be used with any WordPress theme for custom, advanced sites.
Aimed at newcomers to web design and experienced pros, Divi allows for the editing of shapes, fonts, colors, and more across 40 content elements. These range from audio to images, and blogs to portfolios, with options for making sweeping sitewide changes. There are over 2,000 premade website layouts packaged in Divi from which to choose.
Divi Pro is an additional set of features that adds AI tools, cloud storage, and premium support.
Divi is now available as a one-off purchase at $249, with a lifetime Divi Pro membership bringing the price to $365. Or, you can pay yearly for an Elegant Themes subscription, the cheapest of which is $89 a year for a recurring subscription, and the most expensive is $287 for Divi Pro. One negative here is that there's no free trial or free plan, there there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. All plans include a range of advanced features, themes, and plugins covering email and social networking.
Unlike some other builders, Divi allows you to create and apply different layouts very granularly across your website. This level of detail extends to all types of content, whether it be pages, categories, or posts, granting you a powerful suite of tools for site customization. However, this control comes with complexity; the visual editor can be particularly challenging for users who are not developers, with a steeper learning curve and a more clunky interface than competitors like Elementor.
The builder boasts an elegant aesthetic, with neat icons and a clean admin interface. You'll also discover shortcuts and time-savers that can speed up your workflow, a feature that developers may find particularly useful. However, one notable downside is Divi's reliance on shortcodes, which makes it a less flexible option if you ever decide to switch themes, as your content may be left with unusable code.
The drag-and-drop editor utilizes a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) style, so site elements can be placed exactly where intended. More experienced users can add custom CSS code, but all of this means plans are quite expensive and some advanced tools are too complex for novice users.
Best for landing pages
SeedProd is aimed at users who want to create landing pages on WordPress sites for high conversions, meaning it sits apart from the remainder of this guide. Nevertheless, it's one of the most powerful and cheapest builders available, with all plans including 150 templates, email marketing integrations, subscriber management, and full access to its drag-and-drop page builder.
With four plans ranging from $39.50 a year up to $239.60 a year, SeedProd's builder includes a range of landing page templates covering sales, leads, webinars, 404 errors, and much more. The cheapest Basic plan includes 100 templates and 20 page blocks, while the more advanced plans add photo library access, WooCommerce support, domain mapping, and priority support on the top Elite plan.
While there's no free version, all paid plans have a 14-day money-back guarantee, and the editor is mobile responsive, so all sites created with it are optimized.
Accessibility and control are standout features with SeedProd. With access controls, you can easily manage who can view your in-progress pages, which is particularly handy for staging environments or client previews. However, one potential downside is the learning curve associated with these features, especially if you're new to website management.
Seamless integration with marketing tools like Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp, and Sendy means that despite not being able to create a whole site, SeedProd is top-level for landing pages.
Best free builder
Visual Composer offers a beginner-friendly, easy-to-use website builder for WordPress sites, allowing you to customize individual pages or site-wide headers and footers with functionality. It utilizes a "tree view" akin to Photoshop, for extra organization and flexibility, while it offers free-forever and paid versions.
The free version is ideal for testing out the platform, and while it's limited to 30 elements and 10 templates, without a series of global design tools, it's a top free option. Its basic drag-and-drop editor is simple to use, and across five premium plans, you can gain access to hundreds of premium templates and add-ons.
Shared features of all the premium plans include the Visual Composer Hub, a cloud library of elements updated every week with new content including templates, extensions, and blocks. A pop-up builder is also included, so you can tailor promotional pop-ups to conversion goals.
Visual Composer's unique offering includes a wide range of elements and templates that cater to various niches. The addition of premium elements and the ability to integrate with WooCommerce make Visual Composer particularly appealing if you're aiming to create a comprehensive e-commerce platform. But if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option with robust e-commerce features, you might consider checking out builders like Divi, which offers lifetime access for a one-time fee.
The theme builder feature in Visual Composer is a standout, granting you the flexibility to customize headers, footers, and other dynamic areas of your site. Such extensive theme customization is not always available in other builders like Gutenberg.
For a single-website license, the $49 a year Single option is best, while there are plans covering five sites (Plus at $99 a year), 20 sites (Accelerate at $149 a year), and 1,000 sites (Agency at $349 a year). Other specialized features include WooCommerce blocks for online stores, while the only negatives are the simplistic editor and the drawbacks of the free version.
Best for themes
Themify's themes and plugins have been available since 2010, and continue to be downloaded by thousands of WordPress users. It makes sense then that Themify's website builder is one of the slickest around.
With 60 preset layouts including customizable animation effects, templates are sorted by theme and include designs for business, sports, education, fashion, music, and weddings.
In addition to the existing features, Themify offers builder add-on modules that provide further functionality to the page builder. This includes a WooCommerce builder, mosaic tile layouts, and parallax infinite scrolling capabilities.
When it comes to price, this is done by themes, with the Single Themes plan costing $59 a year. For $89 a year, the Master Club subscription offers 42 themes, 11 plugins, 25 add-ons and much more, with one year's support. Finally, the Lifetime Club plan, for a one-off $249 payment, gives access to all themes, plugins, and add-ons.
Unique to Themify is the ability to create and manage Global Styles, a feature that ensures design consistency while saving time on repetitive tasks, an edge over builders that lack this centralized style management. However, if you're a power user seeking an extensive suite of tools for complex interactions or data handling, you might find Elementor Pro a more robust alternative.
One standout feature of Themify is the ability to show or hide content based on device type, which not all builders offer. This capability allows you to tailor user experiences, ensuring your site remains efficient and visually appealing on mobile platforms. While the drag-and-drop interface is intuitive, creating intricate responsive designs might require a learning curve. Users looking for more granular control over responsive settings may consider Divi, which offers more detailed responsive editing options.
Best for developers
Released by Themeum in 2018, WP Page Builder is a lightweight and slick tool. Simply select one of the template layouts to act as your starting base, then tweak according to your preference using handy functions, including column and row manual resizing, unlimited undo/redo options, and the show and hide option.
This latter feature allows you to restrict particular elements from showing on specific devices. WP Page Builder has over 30 add-ons including flip box, testimonial carousel and image hover, and while this page builder is simple enough for users without coding knowledge or experience to use, there is a custom CSS option for coders keen to implement sophisticated design tweaks.
Across three paid plans, WP Page Builder offers site plans for Individuals, Freelancers, and Agencies. Individuals covers one site for one year for $39, offering updates for one year alongside priority email support; Freelancers offers the same features but for five sites for $59 a year; and Agencies for unlimited sites for $99 a year. All add-ons are included across all three paid plans.
Best for ecommerce
Lifetime support and updates with unlimited websites put Oxygen ahead of many rivals. What's more, its four plans, ranging from the entry-level $129 Basic license up to Ultimate at $179, are not annual subscriptions, but one-off payments. All four also come with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
The three more expensive licenses add in WooCommerce integrations, Gutenberg block builders, and other specialized tools. Though it doesn't offer a traditional list of website templates from which to choose, its versatile drag-and-drop builder is ideal for beginners and experts, with integrated developer tools and the ability to add custom CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP code snippets for adding advanced custom elements.
Extensive online and video tutorials include guides and how-tos covering, for example, creating exit intent popups and custom animated buttons. If there are any negatives, its slight complication when it comes to installation can be an issue, while beginners may struggle to familiarize themselves with the user interface due to the number of features available. The lack of a free plan or trial also makes it a little difficult to test before buying.
Using Oxygen Builder for WordPress provides a high level of control and flexibility when designing your website. Unlike many conventional page builders, Oxygen allows you to manipulate virtually every aspect of the site's design through its interface, which is especially appealing to developers comfortable with code.
The integration with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) stands out, enabling you to create bespoke layouts with dynamic content that's tailored to your unique needs. Oxygen Builder also shines with its capability to centrally store templates, ensuring design consistency and efficiency across multiple pages and projects.
Despite its complexities, Oxygen Builder's ability to output cleaner code can be a significant advantage, potentially leading to faster load times and a more streamlined user experience. These functionalities underscore the oxygen Builder's suitability for users who want comprehensive design control and have the technical skill to leverage it, all at a competitive one-time pricing model that can be a cost-effective choice in the long run.
The best website builders for Wordpress Compared
| WordPress website builder plugin | Entry price | Free version? | Number of templates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluehost | $3.95 a month | ✖ | 300+ |
| Elementor | $59 a year | ✔ | 300+ |
| Beaver Builder | $99 a year | ✔ | 300+ |
| Divi | $89 a year | ✖ | 2000+ |
| SeedProd | $39.50 a year | ✖ | 150+ |
| Visual Composer | $49 a year | ✔ | 300+ |
| Themify | $59 a year | ✖ | 60+ |
| WP Page Builder | $39 | ✖ | 80+ |
| Oxygen | $129 | ✖ | None |
Website builders for WordPress FAQs
WordPress vs website builders: what's the difference?
Both WordPress itself (the native website builder for WordPress.com users is a separate product) and its many builder plugins, as well as website builders in general, can design, make, and publish sites. There are as many differences as there are similarities.
Website builders provide site creation, alongside technical management, web hosting, security tools, and a web domain. For users, the only thing to worry about is maintenance and design, with most platforms not requiring any coding knowledge. For this reason, builders are designed to be used by beginners with even limited technical experience.
On the other hand, WordPress is unable to be used without a third-party web host, due to being an open-source CMS. This does mean however that it offers increased technical freedom, and you effectively have control over every aspect of your site, though the levels of complexity often mean common website mistakes are made.
WordPress vs website builders: which is better?
Generally speaking, beginners should use a website builder if thinking about putting together a site; but the best website builders for WordPress bridge the gap, offering beginner-friendly site creation via the CMS.
How to choose the best website builder for WordPress
The best website builders for WordPress are easy to use. A user-friendly interface, intuitive design elements, and clear instructions go a long way to making site creation simple.
You want a website builder that allows you to customize your website to meet your specific needs. This includes the ability to add and edit pages, change the layout and design of your site, and add plugins and widgets.
Choose a website builder that is fully integrated with WordPress, so you can easily manage your website content using one system. The best builders also ensure that pages load quickly for users.
Select a WordPress website builder with good support and documentation so troubleshooting any issue is straightforward. Finally, ensure you choose a builder with robust security features that protect your website from hacking threats.
How we test the best website builders for WordPress
When we review website builders for WordPress, we analyze each service's WordPress-specific features and tools, as well as study the installation process and the webpage editor's ease of use. To do this, we create a custom site with the plugin or builder: we can only review the builder adequately for you by building a website ourselves.
When we create a website on WordPress from scratch, we can also judge how simple or complex it is for different user experience levels. Some builders and plugins are designed for beginners, while others require more advanced WordPress experience.
As WordPress can often require web hosting (specifically WordPress sites created via plugins), we sign up for a basic shared hosting service separately and then undertake the site creation process. After doing this, we then monitor and record the site's uptime and server response times over a two-week period, because your site's performance is integral, and you could lose business and money if it's offline.
Should the WordPress builder or plugin offer ecommerce tools, we'd examine its store creation processes and features: if not, we'll look at platform-specific elements in detail. We'll also undertake an in-depth analysis of pricing plans, and trial the service's customer support responsiveness and knowledge.
Next steps with WordPress, website builders, and web hosting
With site creation, you'll need to choose a domain name and register your domain. Once your site has been built, make sure you implement website security.
In terms of your site's look, feel, and resources, you might want to find free website content, and you'll certainly want to make your site accessible and understand web SEO.
I also suggest that you undertake website audits, and if you're considering writing or adding blog content, we offer guidance on how to start a blog.
For more tips on building sites on WordPress, see the differences when comparing web hosting vs WordPress vs website builders.
