Elementor vs Visual Composer Website Builder Comparison

WordPress is used by many people worldwide because of its customization choices, and simplicity. Popular page builders such as Elementor and Visual Composer have made editing websites easier than ever. In this article, I’ll compare Elementor vs Visual Composer so you can see how they are different and what features each brings.

Editing WordPress site wasn’t always easy. In the past, knowing how to update a site properly, add changes, and customizations required skills and knowledge.

Today, customization doesn’t take much effort. There are plenty of effective WordPress plugins and widgets that can help you get the job done. Customization strategies have changed since page builders were first introduced.

Page builders such as Brizy, Beaver Builder (check Beaver Builder free vs pro), Elementor, WPBakery, Thrive Architect, Oxygen, Divi, and others make editing simple.

It can be difficult to know which page builder is the right one for you as there are so many choices available. I’ll review the options and features that Elementor and Visual Composer offer in this article to help you decide which one of the two best meets your needs.

NOTE: I have also compared Elementor vs Oxygen, Elementor vs WPBakery, Elementor vs Beaver Builder, Elementor vs Wix and Elementor vs Divi, so be sure to check those comparisons also.

 

Elementor Overview

Elementor ease of use and variety of features have helped it grow in popularity in recent years. You can create high-quality professional sites relatively quickly using Elementor pro or free version.

 

elementor pros and cons

 

The plugin includes a live mode. This option allows you to see changes as they occur in real-time. Elementor also gives you a complete history of all edits you’ve made to all website pages. It also includes a nice selection of pre-built templates and several unique elements.

Elementor has free and paid versions. The paid version has more additional widgets and functions. Elementor’s paid edition includes a call to action buttons, image carousels, star ratings, Facebook widgets, menu anchors, social icons, and other useful features.

 

ELEMENTOR FREE vs ELEMENTOR PRO

blank-page
  • NAME
  • PRICE
  • Template Library
  • Export / Import Templates
  • Mobile Editing
  • Shape Divider
  • Video Lightbox
  • Box Shadow
  • Text Shadow
  • Background Overlay
  • Hover Animation
  • Entrance Animation
  • Heading
  • Image
  • Text Editor
  • Video
  • Button
  • Image Box
  • Testimonials
  • Icon
  • Icon Box
  • Social Icons
  • Image Gallery
  • Image Carousel
  • Icon List
  • Counter
  • Progress Bar
  • Tabs
  • Accordion
  • Toggle
  • Alert
  • HTML
  • Shortcode
  • Menu Anchor
  • Sidebar
  • Google Maps
  • SoundCloud
  • Divider
  • Spacer
  • Columns
  • Background Gradient Effect
  • Revision History
  • Blank Canvas Template
  • Maintenance Mode
  • Page Settings
  • Element Hover
  • Redo / Undo
  • Forms
  • Slides
  • Posts
  • Portfolio
  • Embed Anywhere
  • Global Widget
  • Custom CSS
  • Pro Templates
  • Price Table
  • Price List
  • Countdown
  • WC Products
  • WC Elements
  • WC Categories
  • WC Add to Cart
  • Flip Box
  • Masonry Layout
  • Blog Pagination
  • Ken Burns Effect
  • Share Buttons
  • Form Integrations
  • Login Widget
  • Animated Headline
  • Facebook Widgets
  • Blockquote
  • Nav Menu
  • Media Carousel
  • Call to Action Widget
  • Custom Fonts
  • Header & footer builder
  • Dynamic single post & archive page design
  • ACF & Toolset integration
elementor free vs pro comparison
  • ELEMENTOR FREE
  • FREE
elementor pro vs elementor free
  • ELEMENTOR PRO
  • Paid version is $49/year for one site, $99/year for three sites, $199/year for 25 sites, $499/year for 100 sites and $999/year for 1000 sites.

There are also third-party Elementor add-ons that can be integrated, such as Master Addons for Elementor, Plus Addons for Elementor, Jet Plugins, Stratum Elementor Widgets, various WooCommerce Elementor addons, etc.

Elementor PROS:

  • The interface is straightforward and intuitive.
  • Elementor has an impressive template and block library to use.
  • The live mode allows you to see changes as they’re being made.
  • There are plenty of useful features in the free version.
  • You don’t need to worry about using any shortcodes that could create potential lock-in issues.
  • Elementor has an impressive amount of settings, options, and features.
Elementor CONS:

  • No white label option.
  • Not many header customization choices.

 

Visual Composer Website Builder Overview

Visual Composer Website Builder is an impressive and intuitive resource. It’s easy to use and has a straightforward drag and drop interface. Visual Composer brings a lot of features to improve the WordPress site-building experience.

Any edits to content management and visual hierarchy are conducted by watching your actions as they’re performed. You don’t need to hand-code any of the website sections. Visual Composer lets you concentrate on your design and other essential elements.

 

visual composer website builder overview

 

Visual Composer Website Builder isn’t the same as WPBakery Page Builder (check WPBakery review). Don’t confuse those two. WPBakery is one of the most-used WordPress page builder plugins. Both plugins are from the same developers, and WPBakery used to be called Visual Composer.

Original WPBakery Page Builder can be purchased on Codecanyon, but Visual Composer is now a unique entity, and is sold on its own website. WPBakery Page Builder and Visual Composer are totally different products. One of these products shouldn’t be used to replace the other.

WPBakery and Visual Composer are both made available for sale because they are individual items. Each one has somewhat identical but unique features and functions. You can’t replace one of these products with the other item and expect a seamless, simple transition.

WPBakery Builder is primarily used paGe building purposes, while Visual Composer is used in full site creation (including site headers, footers and other elements). Check Visual Composer vs WPBakery comparison for more details about differences.

 

WPBAKERY vs VISUAL COMPOSER

blank-page
  • VISUAL COMPOSER WEBSITE BUILDER FREE
visual composer website builder premium vs free
  • Name
  • Drag and Drop editor
  • Frontend editor
  • Tree view mode
  • Mobile editing
  • Inline text editor
  • Works with any WordPress theme
  • Custom Post Type support
  • Multisite support
  • Multilanguage ready
  • RTL compatible
  • Template management
  • Design Options
  • Element clone
  • Copy/Paste
  • Element custom name
  • Hide element
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Recent colors
  • Undo/Redo
  • Blank page wizard
  • Custom CSS
  • Custom JavaScript
  • Element replace
  • Icon libraries
  • Google Fonts
  • Grid Builder
  • Instagram-like filters
  • Parallax effects
  • Gradient background
  • Slideshow background
  • Carousel background
  • Zoom In/Out background
  • Video background
  • Element animations
  • Background image position
  • Shape divider
  • Box Shadow
  • Instant column resize
  • Column stacking
  • Reverse column stacking
  • Row full width/height
  • Responsive preview mode
  • Automatic responsiveness
  • Yoast SEO support
  • Shortcode support
  • WordPress widget support
  • Custom widget support
  • Header builder
  • Footer builder
  • Sidebar builder
  • Visual Composer page layouts
  • Global Templates
  • Template Export/Import
  • WooCommerce Support
  • Visual Composer Hub access
  • Gutenberg compatibility
  • Premium content elements
  • Premium templates
  • Blocks templates
  • Unsplash Stock Images
  • Post grid elements
  • Menu elements
  • Header elements
  • Footer elements
  • Compatibility elements with popular plugins
  • Facebook widgets
  • Pricing table elements
  • Tabs and Accordions
  • Pageable containers
  • Section element
  • Flip/Hover boxes
  • Testimonials
  • Syntax highlighter
  • Image carousel
  • Premium buttons
  • Online customer support
blank-page
  • VISUAL COMPOSER WEBSITE BUILDER PREMIUM

Visual Composer is a completely separate and independent resource. It was created with the most recent generation technology. Visual Composer Website Builder gives users a very responsive and intuitive interface.

The Visual Composer Theme builder lets you manage all of your site’s content, not just content for specific sections. You can choose the page layouts that you want. You can also create your own custom headers, sidebars, and footers.

Activating the Visual Composer Hub is strongly suggested. This resource helps you maximize the Visual Composer Website Builder experience. Visual Composer Hub lets you use additional elements, extensions, and templates. There are two variations of Visual Composer: the Visual Composer free edition and Visual Composer Premium.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER FREE vs PRO

blank-page
  • VISUAL COMPOSER WEBSITE BUILDER FREE
visual composer website builder premium vs free
  • Name
  • Drag and Drop editor
  • Frontend editor
  • Tree view mode
  • Mobile editing
  • Inline text editor
  • Works with any WordPress theme
  • Custom Post Type support
  • Multisite support
  • Multilanguage ready
  • RTL compatible
  • Template management
  • Design Options
  • Element clone
  • Copy/Paste
  • Element custom name
  • Hide element
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Recent colors
  • Undo/Redo
  • Blank page wizard
  • Custom CSS
  • Custom JavaScript
  • Element replace
  • Icon libraries
  • Google Fonts
  • Grid Builder
  • Instagram-like filters
  • Parallax effects
  • Gradient background
  • Slideshow background
  • Carousel background
  • Zoom In/Out background
  • Video background
  • Element animations
  • Background image position
  • Shape divider
  • Box Shadow
  • Instant column resize
  • Column stacking
  • Reverse column stacking
  • Row full width/height
  • Responsive preview mode
  • Automatic responsiveness
  • Yoast SEO support
  • Shortcode support
  • WordPress widget support
  • Custom widget support
  • Header builder
  • Footer builder
  • Sidebar builder
  • Visual Composer page layouts
  • Global Templates
  • Template Export/Import
  • WooCommerce Support
  • Visual Composer Hub access
  • Gutenberg compatibility
  • Premium content elements
  • Premium templates
  • Blocks templates
  • Unsplash Stock Images
  • Post grid elements
  • Menu elements
  • Header elements
  • Footer elements
  • Compatibility elements with popular plugins
  • Facebook widgets
  • Pricing table elements
  • Tabs and Accordions
  • Pageable containers
  • Section element
  • Flip/Hover boxes
  • Testimonials
  • Syntax highlighter
  • Image carousel
  • Premium buttons
  • Online customer support
blank-page
  • VISUAL COMPOSER WEBSITE BUILDER PREMIUM

Visual Composer’s free version has many great features that can be used to create and edit WordPress sites. Visual Composer Premium has additional advanced features. It also includes a convenient toolset for all of page building priorities. You can create unique sidebars, footers, headers, and landing pages. For more info you can check Visual Composer free vs premium comparison.

 

Elementor vs Visual Composer

Though Elementor and Visual Composer have some similarities, there are also many features in which they differ. Below I have split features into several categories to show what each plugin offers.

 

User Interface

User Interface is one of the very first things that should be evaluated when reviewing any tool. The interface is often a matter of personal choice. If you can’t understand or enjoy user interface, the odds are that you won’t like the tool either.

A good user interface is easy to understand and use. It should be something that you can comprehend relatively quickly. At least basic features. Page builder interface should help you achieve the goals for your website that you want to accomplish.

User interface isn’t the only key to a plugin’s success, but it’s an important element. The look or feel of an interface can sometimes mean a project’s success and failure.

 

ELEMENTOR

Elementor’s user interface is divided into the sidebar and the page/site live preview. You’ll find the sidebar on the left-hand side of  screen. You can create site pages using its settings, widgets, and elements.

The live preview option allows you to visually inspect items after they’ve been dragged and dropped into pages. To edit text, simply click on the text element that you want and make your changes. You can also use the sidebar to edit text.

 

elementor interface
Elementor editor example.

 

On the bottom left-hand side of the screen, you’ll find the following settings that you can use:

  1. General Settings: These settings will display the page’s publish status, title, featured image, and other information.
  2. History: If you want to return to the last revision, you will use this setting. Only changes that have been made during your current session will be shown.
  3. Navigator: A pop-up navigation tree will appear once this setting has been chosen to make navigation easier for you.
  4. Responsive Mode: This setting will show how your site will look on cell phones, tablets and other mobile devices.

Hovering over a particular element and right-clicking will display additional options. You can view elements in the navigator, duplicate elements, delete elements, save elements as global elements (in Elementor’s pro), etc.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer Website Builder is a what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) frontend editor. This means you won’t have any placeholders to represent particular page blocks. You’ll be able to see your edits when you make them. You can ensure that all changes were made properly and are ready to be published before you leave the editor function.

Visual Composer’s editor interface is made up of the following components:

  • An element edit window
  • A frontend editor (that includes element control and intuitive drag and drop functionality)
  • A navigation panel
  • Settings
  • A tree view, and much more.

Changes can be made using either the tree view mode or frontend editor. The tree view allows you to navigate across the different elements on the page. This can save a lot of time and effort.

You can use the tree view navigation to see and interact with page content. The page layout will be presented in a complete and compact structure. It is also a way to edit how content will appear on mobile devices.

 

visual composer wordpress free
Visual Composer Website Builder interface.

 

The frontend editor allows you to align different elements using the drag and drop interface. You can also use the navigation bar to access various tools and options and use the element controls to alter elements accordingly.

Individual elements can be moved around pages by either dragging the element control icon or dragging the actual element. You can also use the Add Element window to drag and drop elements into the places where you want them to go.

All Visual Composer Website Builder elements have their own controls that can be used. The controls can vary according to the type of element that you’re using. There are three different control types: Column controls, Element controls, and Row controls.

Visual Composer’s premium edition has additional editing options. It includes a sidebar, footer, and header editor, which is a big selling point.

WINNER: I’m calling this one a tie. It really depends on your own indvidual preferences.

 

Available Elements

Elements are what’s used to create page builder pages. A good page builder should have all the elements that you’ll ever need to create appealing and effective website pages. Don’t forget about the functionality! It’s nice to have a lot of elements to choose from, but that doesn’t really matter if you don’t have the functions that you need.

 

ELEMENTOR

There are three basic types of elements in Elementor: sections, columns and widgets. Sections are ranked highest among the three element types. Each active section has columns and widgets.

Columns are ranked second. They’re right in the middle of the hierarchy. Widgets are last in the hierarchy. All widgets are located inside columns. Widgets consist of text, images and buttons. Layouts are created using various sections and columns.

Elementor’s free version has more than 30 different widgets. There are over 50 widgets included in Elementor’s pro version. As new versions of Elementor are released, the number of available widgets steadily increases.

 

best elementor elements
Some of available Elementor elements.

 

Columns can have as many widgets as you want. If you make style changes in a particular section, those changes are then carried over to all of that section’s content. The same also applies to any style alterations that are made to columns.

There are just a few differences. The first difference is that any style changes made to a particular widget stay within that widget. The second is that any style changes to columns won’t be transferred to items that lie outside of those columns.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer’s content elements are contained in content blocks (such as icons, buttons, text blocks, etc.). You can integrate these content blocks in your layout to create content for site pages. Going to the Navigation bar and clicking on the “Add Element” window lets you use the particular content element.

You can only place content elements in columns. You can drag and drop those elements to adjust the layout whenever you want. Visual Composer comes with a set of content elements. You will need to activate Visual Composer Hub Free (limited) or Premium version to unlock more content elements.

 

Visual Composer Website Builder paid
Visual Composer Hub consists of many ready-made templates, elements, and add-ons.

 

The elements are divided into the following logic groups: Basic, Media, Containers (contains only row/column element), Social, WordPress, and Content.

Over 100 different content elements are provided in Visual Composer. These elements can be used to complement current content or help you create an entirely new site. There are plenty of container, media, WordPress, social and other elements to meet your needs.

The cloud-based Hub template and element library is also included. It allows you to download and use only the specific elements that you want. You don’t have to worry about slowing down your site with items that aren’t relevant. You can improve your website’s speed because you won’t need as many third-party plugins, add-ons or other additional assets.

WINNER: Visual Composer

 

Styling Options

You can make your site stand out with customized styling. Altering alignments, colors, fonts, and other elements are part of styling. The more time you put into changing your site’s style, the easier it will be to distinguish from your competitors’ sites.

 

ELEMENTOR

Elementor’s default settings will automatically integrate its global styles with your existing content. You can adjust these settings at any time. If you’d rather use your own WordPress style settings instead, you can always disable this function.

Elementor also lets you manage style settings for individual sections of your site. You can easily alter widgets, sections, and columns or override global settings if you prefer. All you need to do is to use the appropriate tab:

  • Advanced: This tab allows you to add responsive controls, custom margins and padding, a Z-index, animation, and other options.
  • Content: You can adjust element alignment, sizes, and other choices using this menu.
  • Style: This tab can be used to edit colors, typography, and other related functions.

 

elementor styling options
Example of some Elementor styling options.

 

There are so many styling selections in Elementor that I can’t possibly mention them all in this article. Besides the custom margins and padding option, a few other options that you may end up using on a regular basis are:

  • Custom CSS: You can use Elementor Pro to add customized CSS styles in specific widgets or sections of your site. Elementor’s free version allows you to integrate a CSS class or ID. However, it won’t let you apply specific style changes to any individual elements.
  • Responsive Control: You can use this option if you don’t want certain content to be displayed when your site is viewed on mobile devices.

The device icon can be another handy tool. It will let you apply assorted style selections to various devices (desktop computers, laptops, tables, cell phones, etc.).

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

The Design Options element is one of Visual Composer Website Builder’s most impressive features. It’s a specific set of parameters that all of the Visual Composer’s elements can use.

You can use Design Options to change or add styling of your content elements. This is accomplished by applying the most commonly used style effects and properties to those elements.

Visual Composer Website Builder has the following types of design options:

  • Container Design Options (for columns, rows, and sections)
  • Regular Design Options (for all other site elements)

All of your content elements can use Regular Design Options. These options include Onion control for borders, border radius, margins, and paddings. You can also use Regular Design Options to manage your CSS animation and backgrounds.

 

visual composer wordpress plugin

 

Container Design Options have all the usually expected Regular Design Options. They also include background styling features such as CSS gradient overlay, image slideshow, parallax effects and video background. Column and row elements can both use Container Design Options.

Using Design Options is simple. Start by choosing the particular content element that you want. Click on the “Edit” option from the dropdown menu that will appear. While you’re in the edit menu, look for the “Design Options” selection to access this feature.

WINNER: Both Visual Composer and Elementor have a nice assortment of style selections to choose from.

 

Templates

Templates are page designs that are already pre-built. They can help you to create site pages quicker. You can use these templates and avoid having to constantly start over from scratch whenever you want to create or add a new page to your website.

 

ELEMENTOR

Every time you create a new page in Elementor, you can choose if you want to use a template to create a page or add a section. There are about 40 templates in their free version. Elementor Pro includes more than 300 additional different block and page templates.

 

best elementor templates
Elementor has huge selection of templates.

 

You can use these templates by going to the “Add Template” selection. You’ll then be able to access Elementor’s template menu. Elementor has Block and Page templates to choose from.

Block templates are used to create specific page sections. Contact forms and CTA forms are two examples of block templates. Page templates are intended to be used for the entire page.

You can also create your own templates and save them to be used at a later date. Templates created by third parties can also be uploaded and added to your site if you’d like. There’s virtually no limit to the number of customization possibilities that you can have.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer has a nice selection of premium and free WordPress templates. Templates have predetermined structures. They are blocks with content elements that can be used at any time. You can go to the Navigation bar and select the template icon that uses the template feature in Visual Composer.

Visual Composer Website Builder has two types of templates: Predefined templates and User templates.

 

visual composer site builder free
Examples of Visual Composer templates.

 

Predefined templates are templates downloaded from the Visual Composer Hub. These premium templates can be used whenever you want. You can find them in your Template window or from Blank Page Wizard.

Predefined templates allow you to replace current content. They are designed for site basics and can be used for a wide variety of purposes. Visual Composer lets you use the following types of predefined templates: block (or section) templates and page templates.

User templates let you use your current page as a template. All you have to do is to save that page. Go to the Template window to find all of your user templates. You’ll also find your predefined templates in this section. There are several filter options that can be used as well.

You can use specific templates to save layouts. Those layouts can then be used again in different posts, pages, or custom post types. The Visual Composer Hub houses all of your templates. The Hub is a cloud-based service that connects to site builder. This integration is made so that extra templates, extensions, and other content elements can be downloaded whenever needed.

WINNER: Both have something for everyone when it comes to templates.

 

WooCommerce Integration

Customizing WooCommerce shop page and store layout can take considerable time and effort. This is why it is good when a theme or plugin comes with built-in features for WooCommerce.

 

ELEMENTOR

Elementor’s WooCommerce Builder simplifies creating online stores. You can create effective and appealing store site in no time. You can use the Product Archive widget to determine which products will be shown in the list. You can also customize the appearance for each item in that list. Typography settings, color, columns, and other features can be altered to make online storefronts unique.

 

There are many WooCommerce elements you can add using Elementor.
Some of available WooCommerce elements you can use in Elementor.

 

You can also customize product search result pages. This makes it easier for your site visitors to find the items that they want to purchase.

There are plenty of additional widgets that you can use. Add to Cart, Additional Information, Breadcrumbs, Content, Data Tabs, Gallery, Images, Meta, Price, Product Title, Rating, Related, Short Description, Stock, and Upsell are some of the widgets at your disposal.

Menu cart is another extra widget. It allows you to integrate the “add to cart” button to headers. You can customize the button as you see fit. Anyone who clicks on the add to cart button will then see the pop-up menu that appears. The menu will display a list of all products that they added to the cart.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer Premium works very well with WooCommerce. You can create unique product pages if you have both WooCommerce and Visual Composer installed.

WooCommerce elements are available through Visual Composer Hub to create product pages. You can choose from the following element options:

  • WooCommerce Add To Cart
  • WooCommerce Best Selling Products
  • WooCommerce Cart
  • WooCommerce Checkout
  • WooCommerce Featured Products
  • WooCommerce My Account
  • WooCommerce Order Tracking
  • WooCommerce Product
  • WooCommerce Product Attribute
  • WooCommerce Product Categories
  • WooCommerce Product Category
  • WooCommerce Product Page
  • WooCommerce Products
  • WooCommerce Recent Products
  • WooCommerce Related Products
  • WooCommerce Sale Products
  • WooCommerce Top Rated Products

WINNER:  Both offer many WooCommerce customization options.

 

Theme Builder

Certain theme builder plugins only let you alter page and post content. Blog archive templates, single blog posts, footers, headers, and other theme-defined sections can’t be changed. Both Elementor and Visual Composer allow you to edit everything mentioned.

 

ELEMENTOR

Theme Builder was part of Elementor’s most recent update. You can use this function to customize site headers and footers. Pre-built templates are available, or you can start from scratch if you’d like. The headers and footers that you design can be designated for specific sections of the site or for entire website.

 

Using Elementor Theme Editor you can customize every part of website.
Using Elementor Theme Builder you can even customize headers, footers, 404 page, search results page, etc.

 

Elementor’s page builder interface is where you can create customized footers and headers. You get decide how headers will look, no matter what theme you select. The same interface can also be used to create custom headers, site logo menus, and other relevant content.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer Premium has the Header, Footer and Sidebar Editor. This editor’s interface is almost identical to the regular content editor. The only difference is that the header, footer, and sidebar editor’s height and width are geared toward sidebars, footers and headers.

 

header and footer editor website builder
You can edit any part of site that is theme controlled.

 

Before you can access the Header, Footer, and Sidebar Editor, you’ll need to go into the Visual Composer Hub and ensure that the Theme Builder add-on has been installed. Once you enter this editor, you can find additional design choices in the Navigation bar settings panel for the entire sidebar footer and header.

Visual Composer global header and footer controls allow:

  • Use theme default footers and headers.
  • Apply custom footers and headers to your entire website.
  • Apply custom footers and headers per post types.

Global controls allow you to adjust footers and headers. Footers and headers for custom post types, posts, pages, default WordPress pages (search result pages, 404 error pages, archive pages, etc.), and WooCommerce pages can be changed.

In some instances, it may be simpler to implement ready-to-use sidebars, headers, and footers. Visual Composer Hub has a convenient list of the sidebar, footer, and header templates that can be used. Start by going to Visual Composer Hub and download the sidebar, footer, and header templates that you want. You can then add those templates in your Header, Footer and Sidebar Editor.

WINNER: Visual Composer offers more customization options for headers, footers, and other parts of the site, usually controlled by the theme.

 

Available Add-ons

Add-ons are extensions and plugins created by third parties. They can enhance an existing plugin’s functionality.

 

ELEMENTOR

Elementor’s page builder already has plenty of helpful features. But there is also a huge amount of Elementor addons that provide even more creative possibilities.

Some Elementor addons have extra blocks, elements, and widgets that you can use in any of your designs. Other plugins have new design choices for current widgets or expand upon Elementor’s existing features.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Sometimes, an extra widget or template just isn’t enough. You may need additional functionality beyond Visual Composer’s current capabilities. The Add-ons section of Visual Composer Hub is where you’ll find exclusive extensions that you can download for free.

They include Global Template, Import/Export, Template Widget, Gutenberg Template Block, Dynamic Fields, Maintenance Mode, Theme Builder, Element Presets, Popup Builder, Role Manager, Premium Icon Libraries, Premium Design Options.

 

Visual Composer Hub has everything you need to custmize website.
Visual Composer Hub has everything you need to custmize website.

 

Visual Composer elements are only available for download to Premium version users. Visual Composer itself doesn’t have any third-party extensions or plugins.

However, it does have the Shortcode element that allows you to enter a specific shortcode so that you can add any third-party addon to your site layout. Visual Composer’s Premium version is also compatible with many well-known WordPress plugins.

WINNER: Elementor by far leads in the number of available third-party addons, extensions, elements, blocks, widgets, etc.

 

Unique Features

Certain plugins have their own unique features. These features can sometimes enhance the value of existing options.

 

ELEMENTOR

I like the fact that Elementor’s development team is committed to creating and releasing new features regularly. The Embed Anywhere feature can be used to embed templates that you’ve saved using a shortcode. Elementor designs can then be added to the sidebar, footer, or any other sections that accept shortcodes.

Another helpful feature is the Global Widget. Saving a design once allows you to use that same design in multiple website areas simultaneously. When using the global widget, any edits made to that design will be updated automatically wherever that widget is used on site.

Elementor also has an effective pop-up builder. The Elementor page builder interface allows you to design unique hello bars, full-screen displays, fly-ins and other types of pop-ups.

 

elementor popup templates examples
Elementor popup templates examples.

 

You can use those pop-ups and their corresponding variants to encourage site visitors to perform specific actions. You can ask them to sign up for the newsletter or view ads or announcements. There’s also a nice feature that can be used to place the site in maintenance mode by using a custom designed Elementor web page.

 

VISUAL COMPOSER

Visual Composer Hub is one of the best reasons to use Visual Composer. You can keep all of the add-ons, templates, and elements in their cloud storage. This helps you design a lightweight, clean, and quick site. You only download essential items. You won’t have to worry about bogging down the site with any unnecessary features or content.

Their directory is simple. It contains addons, blocks, elements footers, headers, free stock images, sidebars, and templates that can be downloaded at any time. These items can be used for a wide variety of professional and personal projects. Visual Composer Premium users have unlimited access to Visual Composer Hub. They also receive new templates and elements for free every week.

 

Visual Composer popup builder.
You can use Visual Composer to create beautiful popups.

 

There is also option to add GIFs from Giphy using Visual Composer editor, popup builder, and various integrations with third-party tools.

WINNER: This is a tie. Both offer unique features that can be beneficial when creating sites.

 

What Happens When You Deactivate Plugin?

Some page builders use shortcodes. These shortcodes add modules to the pages that you’ve created with the particular page builder. You won’t see those shortcodes on your site as long as the page builder is active.

There are page builders that leave the shortcodes behind on the website when the page builder plugin gets deactivated. The process of eliminating those shortcodes and trying to re-create any content that was built using those page builders can be very complicated and time-consuming.

Lock-in occurs to the site when you deactivate the page builder plugin that you were using. It’s something that shouldn’t be ignored because it can significantly impact your site’s look and feel. In that case you will lose a page builder’s advanced styling after it’s been deactivated.

When you deactivate page builder two things can happen:

  1. Page builder leaves behind clean code after deactivation.
  2. Page builder leaves a mess of shortcodes to deal with after deactivation.

If you disable Elementor, you’ll lose styling, but content will still look “normal.” Like with Elementor, the same case is with Visual Composer Website Builder. Since the plugin is responsible for layout and element styling, removing the plugin may have a negative effect on your site look.

WINNER: Both plugins will not leave a mess of shortcodes when deactivated, but you will still lose styling and customizations made using them.

 

Pricing Differences

Elementor’s free version can be downloaded for free directly from the WordPress repository. It’s one of the best free page builder plugins available. Elementor Pro provides additional functions and features. It supplements the free version.

Elementor Pro can be purchased for $49/year for a single site. You can also buy the 3 sites plan for $99/year, Expert plan for 25 sites priced $199/year, Studio plan for 100 sites priced at $499/year and $999/year plan for use on up to 1,000 websites.

There are five licensing plans for Visual Composer. There’s a free version and a single site premium license that includes unlimited customer support and elements access for $49 per year. You can also buy the five site license for $99 annually, 20 sites license for $149/year, 100 sites license for $349/year and  or license that includes usage on up to 1000 sites for $849.

WINNER: Visual Composer offers cheaper plans.

 

Elementor vs Visual Composer Conclusion

Visual Composer is a very effective website builder plugin. It simplifies the site creation process and gives you many more design opportunities.

Visual Composer is a React-based tool. It isn’t based on shortcode, but it does have a shortcode element that can be used to apply WordPress shortcodes to site layouts.

Visual Composer has regular updates. It includes more than one hundred different elements, extensions, features, and templates to help create unique, professional sites.

Page layouts can be altered, and multiple page layouts can be applied. You can also adjust mobile editing choices. It works with Advanced Custom Fields, Gravity Forms, Gutenberg Editor, WooCommerce, Yoast, and many other well-known plugins.

Visual Composer was designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. Templates and elements follow the best current SEO practices.

There’s a free edition of Visual Composer that allows you to build a simple website and make a strong first impression. Visual Composer Premium is a great upgrade if you want dedicated customer support, regular updates, and unlimited access to all of the Visual Composer’s core features and functionality.

Elementor is a great plugin for those who want to manage their websites without editing or adding any code. Elementor makes creating beautiful, effective websites easy. It’s an appealing option even for those who have the technical knowledge and experience to code their entire site.

You can do almost anything using Elementor’s free version. I strongly suggest upgrading to one of their paid plans if you intend to use your site as your core business asset or if your primary business is creating websites for customers. The global widget option and being able to create your own themes makes the added cost very affordable in the long run.

Elementor’s free version can help you create basic styled pages, and it probably has the most features of any other free page builder version.

If you are deciding to go with Elementor or Visual Composer, I would suggest going with Elementor. Try the first free version, and if you like it, you can always upgrade to Pro.


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