Choosing between Divi vs Elementor is one of the most common decisions WordPress users face. Both are top-tier page builders, but they provide very different creative experiences from the ground up.
In this article, we’ll put these two builders to the test alongside Breakdance, a popular modern alternative.
In a hurry? Here’s a quick comparison of what each builder brings to the table.
| Feature | Divi | Elementor | Breakdance |
| Best For | Agencies valuing a lifetime deal | Beginners & ecosystem lovers | Pros wanting built-in power |
| Interface | Floating UI | Fixed Sidebar | Fixed Sidebar |
| Free Version | No | Yes | Yes |
| Performance | Good | Good | Excellent |
| WooCommerce | Good | Good | Excellent |
| Pricing | $89/year (Unlimited sites) | $59/year (1 site) | $99/year (1 site) |
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Table of Contents
- Performance
- Interface Difference
- Customization Options
- AI Features
- Unique Features
- WooCommerce and Theme Builder
Divi Builder Overview
- Huge library of 2,500+ templates
- Built-in A/B split testing
- Lifetime pricing on an unlimited-site plan
Divi, created by Elegant Themes, offers a flexible visual builder tightly integrated with its own theme. It is famous for its lifetime pricing model and its massive library of pre-designed “Layout Packs” that allow rapid website creation from a full-screen, flexible design canvas.
Elementor Overview
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
- Vast third-party addon market
- Powerful Popup Builder in the Pro version
Elementor is a popular WordPress page builder, known for its intuitive interface that features a fixed sidebar. It comes with a generous free version, which is perfect for beginners.
Breakdance Overview
- Excellent performance and clean code output
- Best-in-class, native WooCommerce builder
- 145+ built-in elements to reduce plugin bloat
Breakdance is a modern page builder that is built with a primary focus on performance. It aims to reduce reliance on third-party addons by including an impressive 145+ elements, a powerful form builder, and advanced design features natively within the builder.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to see how these builders perform in a head-to-head comparison.
Divi vs Elementor vs Breakdance: Which Builder Should You Choose?
1. Divi vs Elementor: Speed and Performance
Performance is a non-negotiable aspect of a modern website. It directly impacts everything from user experience to search engine rankings.
A builder’s quality can often be measured by the code it produces. A builder with lightweight, clean code leads to faster load times, while bloated code with excessive div wrappers and high HTTP requests will slow your site down.
To see how these three builders compare, we measured their output on an identical test page. The chart below visualizes the results across four key metrics. For Page Size and Requests, a shorter bar is better. For PSI Scores, a taller bar is better.
The results are clear. Breakdance produces a significantly lighter page (199 KB vs Divi’s 576 KB) with nearly half the HTTP requests. This leaner output is why it scores so highly on both desktop and mobile, achieving near-perfect scores without any manual optimization. Its modern architecture avoids the “div-ception” common in older builders, leading to a much cleaner Document Object Model (DOM).
Divi and Elementor are quite closely matched, with Elementor creating a slightly smaller page size but Divi making one less request. Both achieve solid scores, but they rely on their own performance settings and often external caching plugins to get there. This clearly tells us that while you can make a Divi or Elementor site fast, Breakdance is fast by default.
2. Divi vs Elementor: Ease of Use
Beyond performance, the day-to-day experience of using a page builder is what truly matters. Let’s look at what it feels like to actually build with each of these builders.
Divi Builder Interface and Ease of Use
When you start a new page, Divi gives you three clear options:
- Build the page from scratch.
- Import a pre-made layout.
- Clone an existing page.
The editor itself is a full-screen experience where you can use inline editing to type text directly on the page. Its structure is built on Sections, Rows, and Modules, and the interface uses helpful color-coding to make it clear which element you’re currently editing.
To add an element, you click a “+” icon on the canvas, which brings up a list of Divi’s “Modules.”
When you edit a module, its settings appear in a movable popup window that floats over your design. The settings panel is organized into three tabs: Content, Design, and Advanced, and you have the flexibility to drag the panel wherever you like.
For managing page structure, Divi offers two powerful views. The Layers panel provides a simple tree view of your page’s hierarchy.
You also get a unique Wireframe View that transforms your visual design into a clean, block-based structure. This makes it easy to see your layout at a glance, drag and drop entire sections, and manage complex pages without visual distractions.
Elementor Interface and Ease of Use
Elementor is famous for its clean, predictable interface. When you create a new page, you are given three options:
- Design your page from scratch.
- Import a template from the library.
- Use Elementor AI to generate a layout.
The interface provides a clear, two-part workspace with your live page preview on the right and a fixed control sidebar on the left.
The core building blocks of Elementor are Sections, Columns, and Widgets. The Widgets are the actual design elements you place inside the columns. You can add them to a page as simply as dragging them from the sidebar.
Although it supports basic inline editing for text, the vast majority of customization happens in the sidebar’s organized Content, Style, and Advanced tabs.
It also includes a built-in search bar at the top of the widget panel to let you find specific widgets quickly.
It also supports a right-click menu that offers essential shortcuts, such as the Navigator panel that provides a tree view for managing complex pages.
Breakdance Interface and Ease of Use
When you start a new page in Breakdance, you can import a template or begin designing from scratch on a clean, modern canvas.
The interface feels familiar, with an element list and properties panel on the left. However, its workflow is built for speed. You can press Cmd/Ctrl + A to instantly search for and add any element using just your keyboard, which dramatically speeds up the building process.
Its structure is also more flexible from the start. Inside a Section, you are immediately given the choice to add Columns, a full CSS Grid, or basic Divs, offering more advanced layout control upfront.
You’ll find individual element settings organized into three tabs represented by icons. The main difference here, compared to Elementor and Divi, is that Breakdance features a fully searchable properties panel. Instead of scrolling through endless style options to find a specific control like “border-radius” or “font-weight,” you can simply type in the search bar to filter the settings instantly.
Breakdance also includes a built-in Global Style feature that allows you to control colors, typography, forms, and even WooCommerce-specific elements for your entire website from a single panel.
3. Divi vs Elementor: Styling and Customization Options
When building a website, having control over how every element looks is what turns a basic template into something truly unique. Let’s explore how Divi, Elementor, and Breakdance handle styling and design customization.
Divi Styling and Customization
Divi organizes its styling options within the Design tab of each module’s settings window. You’ll find extensive controls for typography, colors, sizing, spacing, borders, shadows, and filters.
One standout feature is Divi’s visual sizing controls. You can often adjust margins, padding, and spacing by dragging directly on the canvas, which provides an intuitive, visual way to fine-tune your design without entering specific pixel values.
Divi also offers Global Colors and Global Fonts that help establish design consistency across your site.
However, where Divi takes a unique approach is with its Module Design Presets system. This feature allows you to save any module’s complete design as a preset that can be applied to other modules of the same type throughout your site.
What makes presets particularly useful is that you can modify them at one instance and it instantly updates all modules using that preset with a single click.
Divi also has Find & Replace and Extend Styles features. Find & Replace lets you locate all instances of a specific design value (like a color or font size) and replace them across your page. Extend Styles allows you to take a style setting from one module and apply it to all modules of the same type on the page or within a section.
For advanced customization, Divi provides custom CSS options in the Advanced tab of every module. You can also apply various visual effects, including scroll effects, transforms, and animations, to create dynamic, engaging designs.
Elementor Styling and Customization
Elementor provides a wide range of styling controls that are accessible right from its fixed sidebar interface. When you select any widget on your canvas, the Style tab reveals a wide range of design options specific to that element.
For individual widgets, you’ll find controls for typography, colors, backgrounds, borders, shadows, and spacing. These options are organized logically, making it easy to find what you need. Most importantly, almost every styling property can be adjusted independently for desktop, tablet, and mobile views, giving you precise control over responsive design.
Where Elementor truly differs is in its Global Styling system. Through the Site Settings panel, you can define Global Colors and Global Fonts that serve as your design system foundation. Once set up, these global values appear as selectable options throughout the editor, making it easy to maintain brand consistency.
The Theme Style feature takes this even further. It allows you to set default styles for buttons, form fields, images, and other common widgets from the same panel. When you need to update your site’s look, you simply update these global settings once, and the changes are reflected throughout your entire website.
Like Divi, Elementor also supports custom CSS at both the widget level and site-wide level. You can also add motion effects like entrance animations, parallax scrolling, and mouse tracking effects to create engaging, dynamic experiences.
Breakdance Styling and Customization
Breakdance brings a more modern, complete approach to styling that’s built around the concept of Global Styles.
It gives a panel where you can define colors, typography, spacing scales, container widths, buttons, form fields, and even WooCommerce-specific styles, all from one centralized location. These settings automatically apply to all elements throughout your site, creating consistency without manual work.
For individual element styling, you’ll find options organized into clearly labeled sections for layout, typography, spacing, effects, and more. Breakdance also supports custom code directly within elements. You can add CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and even PHP using the Code Block element, giving you complete customization freedom that goes beyond what Divi and Elementor offer out of the box.
For responsive design, Breakdance provides controls to adjust styles for different screen sizes. You can easily toggle between device views and make targeted adjustments that only apply to specific breakpoints.
The builder also includes design effects like transforms, transitions, filters, and animations that you can apply to any element.
4. Divi vs Elementor: AI Integration and Features
Artificial intelligence is changing how we build websites, making tasks that once took hours now possible in minutes. Let’s see how Divi, Elementor, and Breakdance have integrated AI into their builders.
Divi AI Integration
Divi Builder has AI integrated directly within the modules where you need it.
When it comes to layout generation, Divi AI offers a “Generate Section With AI” option when adding a new section. You describe what you need, and Divi AI creates a section complete with rows, modules, and initial content. It can even generate a complete web page based on a text description.
It also includes an AI Code Assistant to help you create CSS, HTML, and JavaScript that’s fine-tuned on the Divi codebase.
When working with any text-based module, you’ll see a “Generate Content with AI” button. You can describe what you need, specify the content type, set the tone, add context, and include specific keywords for SEO. Once generated, you can refine the text with options to rewrite, rephrase, lengthen, shorten, or simplify. Divi AI supports content creation in over 26 languages and can translate into more than 100 languages.
For images, it lets you generate custom visuals in various styles, and you can specify the size and aspect ratio to fit your layout. Beyond creation, it also comes with editing features like image inpainting, canvas expansion, and upscaling.
Elementor AI Integration
Elementor integrates its AI tools directly into the visual editor, which makes them feel like a natural extension of your workflow.
For layout generation, Elementor AI can create container structures from simple text prompts. You describe the layout you need, and the AI offers several options built with your site’s global styles. It also features an AI Copilot that intelligently suggests the next wireframe layout based on the content you’ve already added.
The AI Code Assistant helps with custom CSS and HTML, even automatically including the correct selectors to ensure your code applies properly.
When it comes to text, the AI is built right into the text fields of widgets. It can remember your brand’s tone of voice from examples you provide in the Site Settings, ensuring consistency. Once generated, you can easily refine the text by adjusting its length, simplifying it, or correcting grammar.
Its image AI lets you create visuals from text prompts, with options for style and aspect ratio. The editor also includes tools to enhance images, remove backgrounds, clean up unwanted objects, or even extend an image’s canvas.
Breakdance AI Integration
Breakdance’s AI features are delivered through a dedicated plugin that is powered by OpenAI and requires you to use your own API key.
Its standout feature is one-click section writing, which uses contextual awareness to populate all the text within an entire section or container at once. You can also generate custom CSS for your elements using the AI Assistant.
For text editing, you can access the AI via an icon within the editor. You can guide it with a description of the section or refine individual text elements after generation. Breakdance offers powerful tools like reusable custom prompts called macros, the ability to generate multiple content variations, and a text locking feature to protect certain text from being overwritten during bulk updates.
Unlike Divi and Elementor, Breakdance AI does not currently include features for creating images or generating full design layouts.
5. Divi vs Elementor: Theme and WooCommerce Builder
A modern page builder should do more than just design page content; it needs to give you control over your entire site, including dynamic pages. Let’s look at how all three builders handle this critical feature.
Divi Theme and WooCommerce Builder
Divi includes a full Theme Builder that lets you create custom templates for headers, footers, blog posts, pages, archives, and product pages using the same visual interface you’re already familiar with.
It supports dynamic content through its specialized modules, letting you pull in post titles, featured images, author information, and custom fields. You can set display conditions to control where templates appear, and even exclude them from specific pages. The conditional logic system lets you apply templates based on post types, categories, tags, and other WordPress taxonomies.
For WooCommerce stores, Divi provides 25 dedicated modules covering important elements like product images, prices, add-to-cart buttons, related products, and product tabs. You can design custom product pages with complete control over layout and styling. The builder also lets you customize shop pages, category archives, and individual product templates.
However, Divi’s WooCommerce Builder has some limitations. It lacks built-in modules for advanced features like product filters and mini carts, which means you’ll need third-party plugins for these features. The checkout and cart page customization options are also more limited compared to what you might expect. The conditional display options also don’t include advanced rules based on user purchase history or cart contents.
Elementor Theme and WooCommerce Builder
Elementor Pro introduced its Theme Builder in 2018, and it’s evolved into one of its most powerful features. You can design templates for headers, footers, single posts, pages, archives, search results, and 404 pages. The builder includes specialized widgets specifically for theme building, such as Site Logo, Post Title, Post Excerpt, Featured Image, Author Box, and Post Navigation.
What sets Elementor’s Theme Builder apart is its Display Conditions interface. You can set multiple conditions using AND logic, making it easy to show templates only on specific post types, taxonomies, or even individual pages.
For WooCommerce Builder, Elementor Pro offers over 35 dedicated widgets covering product information, images, pricing, descriptions, add-to-cart buttons, breadcrumbs, and more. The builder also includes a Loop Builder feature, which is particularly powerful for creating custom product grids and archive layouts.
However, customization of cart and checkout pages is limited as these rely on single widgets that don’t break down into individual editable components. Another drawback is the lack of global styling for WooCommerce widgets, meaning if you want consistent button styles across all product pages, you’ll need to style each instance manually or use custom CSS.
Breakdance Theme and WooCommerce Builder
Breakdance takes a modern, developer-friendly approach to theme building. It comes with a unique feature to let you completely disable your WordPress theme and rely entirely on templates you create within the builder.
The Theme Builder in Breakdance lets you create templates for all major site areas: headers, footers, blog posts, pages, archives, and WooCommerce pages. What makes it particularly powerful is how deeply integrated it is with Breakdance’s Global Styling system.
Display conditions in Breakdance are also robust. You can combine multiple conditions using AND/OR logic, use dynamic data, and even write custom PHP to determine when and where templates should appear. This level of control is typically only found in pro-level tools.
Where Breakdance truly excels is WooCommerce integration. It offers 34 dedicated WooCommerce elements that cover everything from basic product information to advanced features like product filters, comparison tables, and custom product loop builders. For cart and checkout pages, Breakdance provides individual elements for each component, giving you granular control over the design. What makes this even more powerful is that its Global Style feature extends to all WooCommerce elements as well, a feature absent in Divi and Elementor.
6. Divi vs Elementor: Unique Features
Beyond the core features that all three page builders share, each plugin includes some unique features that can influence your decision. Let’s explore what sets each builder apart.
Divi Unique Features
Divi includes several unique features that focus on improving workflow efficiency and providing specialized tools for designers and agencies.
For marketers, it comes with built-in A/B Testing through Divi Leads. This allows you to test variations of modules and set goals. Divi shows different versions to your visitors and provides detailed analytics to help you see which performs better.
For teams and agencies, it offers Advanced User Permissions that let you enable or disable access to specific modules, settings, or even the builder itself based on user roles. It also includes a Lock feature that lets you manually lock specific modules while still giving edit access to other modules on a page.
Divi also comes with some time-saving features like Multi-Select and Bulk Editing that let you modify multiple modules, rows, or columns at once and apply changes to common settings simultaneously.
Building on these efficiencies, Divi also includes some unique features in its individual modules. For example, the Contact Form module offers features such as built-in conditional logic. This lets you create dynamic forms by configuring how each form field behaves based on user input in previous fields.
Elementor Unique Features
Elementor focuses on collaboration and advanced functionality. It comes with a built-in Popup Builder that lets you create modals, slide-ins, and notification bars with precise targeting rules based on user behavior and page conditions.
For engagement, it has Floating Elements that keep buttons or bars visible as users scroll, perfect for maintaining contact options or promotional messages throughout the browsing experience.
If you’re managing social media presence, it includes unique Link In Bio widgets to create mobile-optimized pages with multiple clickable buttons.
If you’re working in a team, the Notes feature lets you add comments directly onto page elements for clear visual feedback during the design process.
Breakdance Unique Features
Breakdance focuses on clean code and developer-friendly features that give you deeper control. The Code Block Element stands out by letting you write CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and even PHP directly in the builder with live preview.
Another major advantage is the native Mega Menu Builder, which lets you create complex, multi-column dropdowns with any Breakdance element inside them.
For developers, Element Studio provides a built-in IDE for creating custom elements visually using HTML, CSS, and Twig, with AI assistance available.
Breakdance also offers unlimited custom breakpoints for precise responsive control, a powerful native Form Builder with multi-step forms and conditional fields, and advanced conditional logic built in natively.
7. Divi vs Elementor: Elements and Premade Templates
The building blocks you have access to and the starting points available can dramatically speed up your workflow. A comprehensive library of elements means fewer plugins to install, while quality templates help you launch projects faster. Let’s see what each builder offers.
Divi Modules and Premade Templates
Divi comes loaded with over 68 built-in modules right out of the box with any premium license. These include around 40 content modules for standard elements like text, images, and buttons, along with 25 modules specifically for WooCommerce and 3 structural modules. While the total number is less than Elementor Pro’s full widget count, Divi’s modules are well-designed and cover most common needs.
Where Divi truly excels is in its template library. It organizes its massive collection into over 350 Layout Packs of templates designed for specific website types. Each pack contains multiple themed page layouts, giving you everything you need to build a complete website. With over 2,500 individual page layouts in total, you can import an entire set for your project in one go. Divi also lets you save your own custom designs to build a personal library for future projects.
Elementor Widgets and Premade Templates
Elementor’s free version provides over 30 basic widgets covering essentials like headings, text, images, buttons, and icons. If you upgrade to Elementor Pro, you unlock 70 additional widgets for forms, portfolios, price tables, sliders, and more, plus dedicated widgets for theme building and WooCommerce.
Elementor also has a huge marketplace of third-party add-ons if you need something specific that’s not included natively.
For templates, Elementor offers full Page templates and Block templates (individual sections you can mix and match). The free version gives you access to a good number of templates, while Elementor Pro unlocks over 300 full-page templates and 100+ Template Kits, collections of themed templates. The variety is excellent, covering diverse industries and design styles. You can also save any of your own designs as reusable templates for future projects.
Breakdance Elements and Premade Templates
Breakdance takes a different approach by including an exceptionally comprehensive set of elements from the start. It offers 145 built-in elements divided into categories: 12 Basic elements, 32 Block elements, 5 Site elements, 6 Advanced elements, 13 Dynamic data elements, 5 Form elements, 11 Social elements, 32 WooCommerce elements, and 6 Other elements.
This massive collection means you rarely need third-party add-ons to add features to your site. Elements like Animated Heading, Image Box, Pricing Table, Header, and Custom Code come standard, meaning you get unique elements without plugin bloat.
For templates, Breakdance currently offers 38 modern, high-quality full website templates that cater to different industries. While the number is smaller compared to Divi or Elementor, each template features a fresh, contemporary design and serves as an excellent starting point.
It also includes specialized WooCommerce templates with essential pages like shop, product, and archive pages within each pack.
8. Divi vs Elementor: Customer Reviews
Real user experiences highlight what works well in practice and where each builder might fall short. Let’s look at what users are saying about Divi, Elementor, and Breakdance.
Divi Builder Customer Reviews
Divi has an impressive 4.9 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot based on over 24,000 reviews. Users consistently praise both the builder and the support experience.
Many reviewers highlight the builder’s flexibility. One user shares:
The VIP support stands out in reviews and is often talked about. Another customer shared:
Elementor Customer Reviews
Elementor maintains a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot. Users appreciate its modular approach and responsive design options, though support experiences vary.
Positive reviews highlight the plugin’s capabilities. One user says:
However, some users express frustration with support limitations. One critical review states:
The mixed feedback suggests that while the product itself is good, support quality can be inconsistent.
Breakdance Customer Reviews
Breakdance maintains a solid 4.4 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, with enthusiastic users praising its performance and ease of use.
Users frequently mention speed and design freedom. One reviewer states:
Another user shares:
9. Divi vs Elementor: Pricing
Budget plays an important role in choosing the right page builder for your projects. Here’s how Divi, Elementor, and Breakdance compare:
Divi Pricing Plans
Divi doesn’t offer a free version but provides straightforward pricing with unlimited website usage.
| Plan | Price | Websites |
| Yearly Access | $89/year | Unlimited |
| Lifetime Access | $249 one-time | Unlimited |
Elementor Pricing Plans
Elementor offers a free version with basic features, while Pro plans unlock Pro widgets and advanced features.
| Plan | Price | Websites |
| Free | $0 | Unlimited |
| Essential | $60/year | 1 |
| Advanced Solo | $84/year | 1 |
| Advanced | $99/year | 3 |
| Expert | $204/year | 25 |
| Agency | $399/year | 1000 |
Breakdance Pricing Plans
Breakdance offers a free version with basic features and two premium plans with all features included.
| Plan | Price | Websites |
| Free | $0 | Unlimited |
| Studio | $99/year | 1 |
| Agency | $199/year | Unlimited |
Divi vs Elementor vs Breakdance: Which is Better?
After testing Divi vs Elementor along with Breakdance across performance, features, and pricing, here’s what you need to know:
| Choose This | If You Need | Key Advantage | Watch Out For |
| Divi | Unlimited sites with fast wireframing |
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| Elementor | Easy start with huge ecosystem |
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| Breakdance | Modern builder with top performance |
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The decision comes down to what you value most. Building multiple client sites? Divi’s unlimited usage at $89/year is unbeatable. Want to start for free with tons of tutorials? Elementor makes sense. Need a modern builder with top-tier performance? Breakdance delivers what the others can’t.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you use Elementor and Divi together?
You can install both plugins on the same WordPress site. However, it’s generally not recommended. Using both simultaneously can lead to conflicts, especially with shared styling or scripts, which can cause poor performance or unexpected design issues. It’s best to use one dedicated builder per website.
2. What is the disadvantage of using Elementor?
The main disadvantage of Elementor is its performance on complex, feature-heavy pages. As you add more widgets and elements, the page editor can become slow and laggy. Additionally, the free version is very limited, and essential features like Theme Builder and custom forms require you to purchase a Pro plan.
3. What are the disadvantages of Divi?
Divi’s disadvantages include a lack of a free version, which requires an upfront investment. Its floating interface can feel less intuitive than Elementor’s fixed sidebar, especially for beginners. The builder can also produce slower page load times on complex layouts compared to more modern, lean builders.
4. What is the best WordPress page builder?
Breakdance is the top WordPress page builder for modern websites. It is built with performance as a top priority, resulting in faster-loading pages. With its huge library of built-in elements and deep WooCommerce integration, it often eliminates the need for extra plugins.
