What's the best WordPress page builder? That's the question everyone asks. But there's a more important question most guides skip entirely: do you even need one?
I have a very strong opinion on page builders. And I'm not shy about it.
I hate page builders. I think they're awful for many, many different reasons.
When we build a website for a client at FatLab, we do not use page builders unless it is specifically requested. And even then, I usually disagree with the client's reasons for wanting it.
We've used Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Bricks, and others. We definitely have experience. We maintain many websites that were built with them and can certainly support them.
But our actual approach? We use Advanced Custom Fields and custom themes to maintain content.
We've rebuilt, I would say, over a hundred websites that were previously built on page builders.
Now, before you dismiss this as one developer's personal preference, understand something: most content about page builders is written by affiliates or the builders themselves.
They're financially motivated to tell you these tools are great.
I'm telling you what we actually see when maintaining 200+ WordPress sites. I'm answering the question most guides skip: Do you even need a page builder at all?
Why Clients Want Page Builders (And Why They're Wrong)
The number one reason clients want page builders is that they don't want to be locked into a template system.
Maybe they had a custom website before and didn't like having to call a developer every time they wanted a different landing page. Or a new page layout. Or something different with colors.
Here's the problem with that thinking:
A professional organization or business shouldn't be creating a crazy number of different pages and layouts.
This is my philosophy on building websites: You should have a limited number of page templates so users get a consistent feel.
On every page, they need to know where to find the navigation. What to look for. How things are structured.
The information on that page will speak for itself. Different images, different video, different text, different assets. That's what tells your story. Not different colors. Not a different page template on every page.
I'm not saying you can't have 10 custom post types with 10 different templates. If that's what your site calls for, then by all means.
But you shouldn't have 10 or 15 different layouts just because you wanted to do something different.
This is what brand strategy and customer, member, or constituent experience are all about.
The Brand Strategy Lesson
Someone like me, who spent the earliest days of their career amongst large public relations agencies, saw large companies literally spend millions of dollars to create brand strategy guides.
They would deliver these when we built a website, ensuring we used only their four colors and two fonts. Everything was brand consistent.
I found that incredibly impressive. I thought that was absolutely right.
Coca-Cola is always red and white, right? And it's expected to be in a certain font. Same thing with Ford: blue and white in a specific font.
When they change those, that is literally a million-dollar, multi-month, if not multi-year exercise. They don't willy-nilly create a different-looking page on their website without really thinking it through.
Now, we're not all Ford. We're not all Coca-Cola.
But we can take lessons from these guys. There's a reason they are good at what they do and why they spend so much money doing it. They have the data to back this up.
The Problem with "Creative Freedom"
I always feel like page builders allow people to get creative. And though creativity is wonderful, being creative with your website isn't necessarily a great idea.
This is one of the biggest thorns in my side: people wanting page builders for greater creative freedom.
When I strongly believe that if this were your personal blog, that would be fine. But this is your corporate or association brand. And it must be kept stringent. You must follow the rules.
When we build a website with ACF fields and strict CSS styling and limited fonts, we are following the rules.
Page builders allow you to break the rules whenever you want. Without the ability for a single executive to decide that they like the color red, even though their corporate color is orange.
The Counter-Argument (And My Rebuttal)
"Well, you can set up styles, blocks, and templates inside the page builders."
You can. And that's fine.
But we can do it without the garbage code, without the bloat, without everything else.
Because if you do all that and you do it religiously, which no one actually does, then you're kind of defeating the whole point of this nastiness called a page builder.
You're better off with a slick, efficient, well-written custom theme that leverages ACF fields and clean CSS.
The Three Biggest Problems with WordPress Page Builders
Problem 1: Performance
The amount of divs inside of divs inside of divs inside of divs is insane. And it is absolutely not exaggerated.
Every one of those divs is also applying inline styling and inline CSS. This stuff is ridiculous.
Documented reality: Elementor outputs 3-4x more code than Gutenberg for identical page designs. Approximately 356 div elements versus 77. HTML payload of approximately 99 KB versus 28 KB.
Problem 2: Updates
Every time I update one of these with a whole bunch of plugins and add-ons, I am absolutely scared it's going to break the front-end display.
Some page, some part of the header, the footer, the navigation, whatever.
And it's happened. It's happened plenty of times.
Problem 3: Usability (For Developers)
What I can do in custom code, layout, and CSS in a couple of minutes might, without exaggeration, take me an hour to figure out in the page builder.
Why? Because I need to understand the page builder's interface, navigate nested settings, work around the builder's structure, and work within its limitations.
What We Find When We Inherit Page Builder Sites
We typically find that they not only use a page builder but also a whole bunch of add-ons and additional plugins to do other things.
I can't tell you how many websites we've inherited that have 50 plugins or something like that, plus all the Beaver Builder add-ons or Divi add-ons.
The "Developer" Who Wasn't
A client came to us a while back and said, "Hey, we had this developer build our website."
As it turned out, this person was not a developer. They never once touched one bit of code, markup, or CSS. They did absolutely everything within the WordPress admin.
Installed Beaver Builder. Installed 50 plugins. Added all the Beaver Builder add-ons. Never wrote a single line of code.
Page builders let point-and-click users pretend they are developers. And that is not always or hardly ever a good thing.
The Long-Term Reality
The biggest problem with page builders over time is simply bloat.
For sites that aren't very active and make only a few changes a month, this isn't a big deal.
However, sites that use page builders and are very active can build considerable database bloat over the years, not to mention what's loaded into the browser window.
The Windows PC Analogy
It's kind of like an old Windows PC. It's just going to get slower over the years.
It doesn't mean anything's fundamentally wrong with it, but you are going to see a decline in performance as the database fills up with the bloat these things introduce.
It's not plain text. It's divs inside divs inside divs inside divs. It's a big mess.
The Serialized Data Problem
Some of them use serialized data, which makes maintenance hard.
The more serialized data you have, the harder it becomes to migrate sites, work with them, and query the database.
The Add-On Licensing Nightmare
The maintenance burden I talked about earlier includes the add-on and commercial markets, which allow both the original publisher and the community to build additions to the builders.
Some of these are open source and free, and others are licensed.
Typically, an add-on isn't purchased until it is needed, and the licenses aren't synced.
From a maintenance perspective, we end up with a scenario where some plugins need updates or the core needs an update, but the licenses are out of date, or maybe one license to one add-on is up to date.
That simply doesn't happen with a custom theme. It's a much simpler, easier maintenance process.
Vendor Lock-In: The Migration Horror
Something that people need to understand: there is no migration tool from one vendor to another.
We have handled large-scale migration projects for clients who want to move from one page builder to another or from a page builder to a custom theme.
The sad truth is, we're going to have to copy and paste from page to page. There is no automated way to do this.
We have moved sites that contain thousands of pages, and it's simply a time-intensive process that certainly adds to the cost of a rebuild.
So, the more pages and the longer time a website has been around when someone chooses a page builder, the more complex that migration is going to be.
When WordPress Page Builders Actually Make Sense
Despite everything I've said, page builders have their place. But that place is very limited. If you're searching for the best page builder for WordPress, here are the scenarios where they work.
Scenario 1: The Hybrid Marketing Approach
I've had clients who've used a hybrid approach.
They understand and respect the importance of my talk about brand and universal user experience. But maybe they're active in marketing, building landing pages, and need that freedom to create new layouts without paying a developer.
What we do is ensure that the builder is loaded only on a specific section of the website. The one the client wants the builder on, not on standard pages or posts.
This allows us to use ACF and have high-performing websites on our service pages, blog posts, membership pages, and product pages. While still allowing the flexibility the client is looking for to run their marketing campaigns.
Scenario 2: Short-Term Political Campaign Websites
I have political clients who run campaigns for short periods.
They literally buy a domain and put up an issue-based one-page website that becomes part of their marketing promotion.
Used on Capitol Hill. Sent to members for donation requests. Part of marketing promotions.
The client I'm thinking of has an Elementor unlimited license, and we basically set those up for them very quickly. They have a designer on staff.
These are not websites we're concerned about performance on, because they're one-page websites with poignant information and a call to action.
The website usually comes down within a few months, or even weeks, after the campaign ends.
I think those campaign-level websites certainly work very well.
When They DON'T Make Sense
Organizations should avoid using page builders if they're concerned about performance and consistency.
For FatLab's target audience, associations and organizations with long-term needs, I will always recommend a custom-built website using a solution like ACF over a page builder.
When done right, custom development is:
- Easier to use
- Easier to manage
- Has a longer lifespan (higher ROI)
- Leaves flexibility for third-party integrations, features, and growth over time
The page builder is going to lock you in, and the trade-off for ease of use might be more perceived than real.
WordPress Page Builder Comparison: If You Must Use One
For detailed reviews of each builder, see our individual guides: Elementor Review, Divi Review, Beaver Builder Review, and Bricks Builder Review. For head-to-head comparisons, see Elementor vs Divi, Elementor vs Beaver Builder, Divi vs Beaver Builder, and Gutenberg vs Elementor.
Beaver Builder (The Worst)
By far, it's Beaver Builder. I hate Beaver Builder.
I think it's horribly developed. It causes all kinds of problems. Massive upsell on add-ons and additional plugins. Creates massive bloat.
Elementor (Second Worst)
Elementor is fine, but I'm not a big fan.
The licensing scheme can get confusing between their add-ons and the pro version. Also, I'm not a fan of the new AI elements being introduced. I think we shouldn't mix content creation with content management, at least not yet.
Divi (If I Had to Choose)
It'd definitely be Divi. I find it easier to use. It seems to have a lot straight out of the box without adding a whole slew of plugins. It's an affordable plugin.
Also, Divi plays nice when we use a hybrid approach, where we build one section of the website with the page builder while the rest is more controlled.
The ACF Approach: FatLab's Alternative
For a deeper dive into why we recommend custom development, see our complete guide: Page Builders vs Custom Themes.
At FatLab, ACF basically allows us to designate parts of a template that can be changed on a page-by-page basis.
We can create a title, a content block, or multiple content blocks, and then use the template and CSS to control how they look on the front end.
Instead of having to choose the right module, install new add-ons, or figure out how to put something inside something else with the builders, you end up with a short survey in the administration area. You fill everything out.
ACF fields are incredibly easy to use and very robust. You fill them out. Most of the time, you're dealing with just text, though they can certainly handle images and other assets.
Then we rely on the front-end template and CSS to render them in a professional, templated, branded manner.
Is ACF Harder for Clients?
I'm going to argue that ACF is actually easier for non-technical clients because it gives you a survey.
You fill out the data on the back end, and it appears perfectly on the front end every time.
Whereas the page builder, though it advertises ease of use and flexibility, you're going to have to learn it. And they're not super friendly. They may be flexible, but they're not super friendly.
You can end up with things embedded inside of things, embedded inside of things, and it becomes a nightmare to figure out.
The ACF field method is literally just working your way through the fields and making sure they're all filled out. And then hitting publish.
The Cost Reality
At the end of the day, for us, the page builder site versus a custom theme site probably won't be very different.
For an organization or company with a healthy budget, buying a website that costs between $7,000 and $20,000, the cost difference between a developer using a page builder versus ACF really isn't going to be that big of a deal.
Therefore, the decision shouldn't be made on budget alone, but rather on your developer's consulting advice and on how you plan to use and administer the site for years to come.
The Wix/Squarespace Alternative
I'm going to complicate this a little bit, and my opinion is that if you're considering a page builder, maybe you don't go with WordPress.
Wix, Squarespace, and other services like that have gotten incredibly powerful over the years. Their ability to build a point-and-click website for a brochureware site is pretty incredible nowadays.
If you need a page builder for a brochureware site that doesn't change all that often, then it's not a decision between custom development and page builders.
It might be a decision between page builders and services like Squarespace, Wix, or others.
My Honest Assessment
In my opinion, page builders have their place, but that place is very limited.
It's limited to organizations or companies that:
- Want the ownership of a WordPress website
- Aren't willing to go to Squarespace
- Want the absolute flexibility that a point-and-click editor provides
- Are not worried about brand cohesiveness or universal user experience
That's a very narrow audience.
Page builders promise flexibility, power, and self-management. And depending on how you use your website and who's in charge of administering that, those things may or may not be true.
What I Tell Clients
If someone comes to me and says, "Hey, I want an Elementor-based site," that's okay. We can certainly do that. My team of developers can absolutely do that. We have delivered Elementor-based sites.
I will talk to them about my philosophy and fully admit that it is my job as a consultant and developer to give them my opinion on what I think is best.
However, it is their money, their website, and their project at the end of the day.
And if they feel that Elementor is a good decision for them, I certainly won't argue with them to the end of days.
Maybe they've worked with Elementor before and are very comfortable with it. My arguments about ease of use, flexibility, and bloat are just not concerns to them. The ACF approach does sound restrictive to them, and they simply want that Elementor-based site.
We will consult them based on my opinion and reach a decision. And if, at the end of that, Elementor is the way they go, then we can certainly accommodate that.
Making the Right Choice
Here's the framework I'd use:
For professional organizations with healthy budgets: Custom development with ACF. Easier to use, easier to manage, longer lifespan, higher ROI, better for integrations and growth.
For lower budgets and static sites: Consider Wix or Squarespace over WordPress page builders. You'll get better performance and easier management.
For marketing teams needing rapid landing page iteration: Hybrid approach. Custom theme for the main site, page builder isolated to landing pages only.
For short-term campaign websites: Page builders work fine. Performance doesn't matter as much when the site comes down for weeks or months.
What to Do Right Now
If you're considering a page builder for your professional organization:
Stop and ask: Do I even need one? Most guides skip this question because they're written by affiliates or the builders themselves.
Consider the long-term cost: The rebuild we'll do in 3-5 years when performance becomes unmanageable might cost more than doing custom development right now.
Think about brand consistency: Are you Coca-Cola or Ford? Do you have brand guidelines? Page builders make it easy to break your own rules.
Evaluate ACF as an alternative: For organizations with long-term needs, custom themes with ACF are easier to use, easier to maintain, and perform better.
Our Recommendation on WordPress Page Builders
When we build a website for a client, we use custom themes with Advanced Custom Fields. Not page builders. If someone asks what's the best WordPress page builder, my honest answer is: probably none of them.
Not because we can't work with page builders. We can, and we do. We maintain many sites built with them.
But after 15 years of managing WordPress sites, rebuilding over 100 websites without page builders, and inheriting sites with 50+ plugins built by a "developer" who wrote not a single line of code, we know what works long-term for professional organizations.
And it's not a page builder.
If you're currently using a page builder and looking for alternatives, see our guides on Elementor Alternatives and Divi Alternatives.