WordPress sites are the backbone of the internet. More than 70% of the websites use WordPress.org for building and maintaining their web presence. The reason is that it is amazingly versatile with thousands of free and premium themes and every possible plugin and addon that transforms it into anything you wish – from an online store to a news site.
However, the one drawback of this choice is that you need to be an expert at coding if you want to change the themes and tweak them a bit here and there to suit your purpose. Fear no more since WordPress has a plethora of page builder software both free and premium that can sort this problem out with drag and drop page builders.
We review the very best five WordPress page builders.
5 Best Drag and Drop WordPress Page Builder Plugin
1. Divi Builder
We have not saved the best for the last. The Divi Builder is in one word impressive. It has been developed by Elegant Themes, and you can use the themes to create a blog or a commercial website. There is complete support for WooCommerce (WordPress online store solution) inside it.
It is a great drag and drop web builder. This means you have to create a wireframe prototype of your website using software or plain paper and ink and then drag elements from the toolbar and drop it in the workspace. If you are looking for a frontend solution that is responsive and allows you to have complete freedom, this is for you. It is slightly expensive at $89 per year but offers an enormous number of features that set it apart.
There are 46 content modules, and some of the most essential are
- Great drag and drop builder
- Email forms
- Contact forms
- Testimonials
- Pricing charts
- Sliders
- Media players
- Google Map integration
- Social Media integration
and several more like these.
They help by reducing the number of plugins you would need later and improves the page load speed. You can use Divi Builder to work on their native themes or those created by a third party.
In brief, it offers you the most extensive control over your web design possible.
They help by reducing the number of plugins you would need later and improves the page load speed. You can use Divi Builder to work on their native themes or those created by a third party.
In brief, it offers you the most extensive control over your web design possible.
2. Elementor
Though not as powerful as Divi, the Elementor page builder is a capable plugin. Though quite new, launched in 2016, it has been used to build over 4 million sites and has a rating of 4.9 from over 4800 reviews. That is quite a testimonial.
Elementor is all about speed. You get instant feedback about your web page layout. You do not have to guess what the frontend will look like while you are tending to the backend. It shows up instantly. Elementor has a content area where you drag and drop elements from a bar on the left and the usual control and settings bar that allows you to preview your website on various screen resolutions etc.
Its biggest USP is that you do not have to struggle to master it. It is as easy as using Wix and Weebly. Import a theme from their library, tweak it, add content, and publish. You can also save the template and use it for more webpages and apply it to another website. It is very suitable for sites that would be accessed by smart devices with smaller screens.
You can adjust padding, column width, and various other aspects with no trouble.
3. WP Page Builder
The WP Page Builder is free. It also allows you to do most of the stuff that premium web builders do. The presence of a clean and modern interface is welcome. There is no clutter, and the simplicity is refreshing. It can work on both the back end and front end without any problem. It is clear that the developers have put in serious work.
Often the complaint about page builders is that they slow down the site by adding clunky lines of code. That is hardly the case with WP Page Builder. With over 30 modules to choose from, you are not going to need any extra plugin for the basic needs of social media sharing or email form.
Usually, free builders do not offer a carousel. WP Page Builder has a really nice one that allows you to set up visually pleasing sliders. There are also features like Accordion that will enable you to collapse text. Others include a price table and a great looking image gallery.
You can make it responsive in a device-specific way, and with a fantastic collection of page layouts, you would often find what you are looking for is premade.
4. Beaver Builder
With 400,000 installs, Beaver Builder is quite famous. Is it the best? Not by a long shot, and that accolade goes to Divi. But Beaver Builder is more than adequate for most purposes.
First of all, there is no need for you to know how to code at all. Beaver Builder has 30 attractive themes that can be altered using its superbly efficient editor.
There is no need to hit Preview since it will show you a live version of what your web page looks like at all times.
The built-in WordPress editor is rather clumsy. Beaver Builder steps in to allow you to design the webpage to suit your needs with the most exceptional accuracy. You can also seamlessly change themes without losing the layout.
With a wide variety of customized functions, you do not have the need to clutter up your code with lots of extra plugins. Use the Editor Mode if you want complete control through HTML and CSS. There are several types of buttons, tabs, forms that make your site look pleasing and professional without making a lot of effort.
5. WPBakery Page Builder (previously Visual Composer)
If you want to streamline the process of web development, you could try WPBakery Page Builder. There is no need to wrap your brain around endless lines of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Visual Composer has existed since 2011. In 2017 the WordPress page builder was renamed WPBakery.
It allows you to work effortlessly and arrange the site into rows and columns. The editor enables ready access to both the backend and front end. There are numerous templates already existing inside the plugin, and all that you need is to arrange the elements just as you want, change the color, font, add text, image, and hit publish.
For ease of use, the Elements are categorized as Content, Social, Structure, Widgets, etc. you have at your disposal over 40 CSS animations that bring out the best in each element. There is a reasonably steep learning curve, but once you are past that, WPBakery Page Builder is a dream to use.
WPBakery Page Builder has made it super easy to use plugins such as WooCommerce and Yoast SEO. At $46, it is quite affordable and brings you the convenience of a full-fledged page builder at a low cost.
What’s Next?
During the review, each of these WordPress page builders was tested thoroughly. They are unique in their own way and being drag and drop type, it may seem that they all offer the same USP.
However, the convenience of Divi Builder is hard to surpass. With 100 themes and 46 modules, you get every possible variation of what you want without any hassle.