Before we get into the differences between the two, we want to say that we love both options. However, there are definitely situations where one might be a better fit for you than the other. Let’s dive into our opinion on Elementor vs Gutenberg and hopefully help you decide which one is right for you.
What are Page and Block Builders?
Gutenberg, introduced in WordPress 5.0, is a native Block Builder that comes with WordPress. A block is essentially just that, an element that you can add and edit directly within a page or post. These blocks, however, are controlled by your theme for the overall look and feel.
On the other hand, Elementor is a Page Builder. You can add different blocks or elements, but you also have the freedom to break away from any restrictions that a theme might produce. However, with some knowledge in CSS, you can also overcome these issues in Gutenberg.
One major thing to note is that Gutenberg resides natively inside WordPress, while Elementor is a Plug-in. And WordPress has big plans for Gutenberg in the future to make it a best-in-class page builder as well.
Elementor vs Gutenberg – Which is easier to use?
This depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
If you are looking to build a quick, clean, simple site, Gutenberg hands down is the way to go. Like we said before, it comes with WordPress and is ready to go out of the box. With a simplistic interface, you can quickly choose the various blocks you want to use and start building. There is a simple add-on you can install for no cost for even more options, Gutenberg Blocks – Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg.
However, if you want to break away from your theme’s restraints, also known as your website skin, Elementor is the way to go. Now, if you have a background in web development and a solid understanding of CSS, you will probably disagree with this statement. But for many of us and those reading this, Elementor will offer the full customization you want with little in-depth knowledge of web development needed.
There are the initial hurdles of setting up Elementor and finding a theme that supports Elementor. We recommend Zakra, as a bare-bones theme that allows you to pretty much do whatever you like with Elementor.
Plug-in Compatibility
With Gutenberg, if you have issues with plug-ins it is most likely caused by your theme and not the plug-in itself. Seeing how Gutenberg is part of WordPress, and the plugins are written for WordPress, there haven’t been many documented issues with Plugins since the early release of Gutenberg.
Elementor, being a plug-in itself, does have some conflicts with plug-ins. However, the known list of conflicting plug-ins is short and can be viewed here. With new conflicting plug-ins, the developers over at Elemntor are pretty quick to resolve the issue.
Elementor works with *almost* every plugin, and especially with popular plugins such as WooCommerce and WPML. However, some plugins are incompatible with Elementor. Here we listed the known plugin conflicts with Elementor and added an alternative to almost each of them. If you experience compatibility issues with other plugins please let us know about them.
Source – https://elementor.com/help/known-plugin-conflicts/
Customizablity
Currently, page builders are more powerful. Not to say Gutenberg doesn’t have plenty of customization, but Elementor has more. Though rumor has it WordPress has big plans for Gutenberg in the near future, suggesting it will have page builder functionality.
With the simplicity of the drag-and-drop with dozens of unique settings for each element you place, we have to give this section to Elementor.
Speed
We don’t believe it is even possible for Elementor to win on this one. Though they may come close, Elementor is still a plug-in you are using to essentially code a site for you. These extra layers will always take more time to load than something natively built. This doesn’t mean though Page builder sites are slow.
For more complex page builder sites, we have found that you can greatly improve your site’s speed with the usage of a caching tool. We’ve had numerous experiences where a client’s site scored poorly on speed and was built with a page builder such as Elementor or Divi. With tools like WP Rocket, you can greatly improve your site’s performance.
So don’t feel like you have to throw in the towel and build a new site if you are having some speed issues. There are solutions out there to remedy this.
Cost
Well, you can’t beat free, making Gutenberg the winner for cost.
If you are wanting to use Elementor, pricing starts at $49 per site per year. Which, if you consider other premium themes and plug-ins, $49 a year is a pretty competitive price for what this plug-in offers.
Gutenburg Vs Elementor and the future of WP?
If we had to guess when WordPress releases a version of Gutenberg that can do everything these page builders can, that will be the end of page builder plug-ins. Although, with the constant changes to HTML and internet standards, who knows, there is always something these plug-ins could potentially offer that sets them apart still.
Our Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, try them out and pick which one you like more. They are both excellent solutions with slightly different ways of achieving the same goal.
On our internal team, we have team members that prefer Gutenberg and others that prefer Elementor. And for some clients, we go a completely different route with solutions such as Shopify for eCommerce.
Of course, if you find yourself stuck and need help building your website, our team would be happy to assist. Feel free to reach out to us anytime and we will do our best to create your dream site.
