Building a modern, professional, and functional website can seem like an overwhelming task, especially for those without coding experience. That’s where website builders come in handy, and for WordPress users, one of the most popular choices is Elementor Pro.
As a premium version of the widely used Elementor plugin, Elementor Pro offers a robust suite of tools designed to help users build highly customizable, visually stunning, and responsive websites with ease.
But is Elementor Pro worth the investment? What features does it offer that set it apart from other WordPress page builders?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive deep into Elementor Pro’s features, performance, ease of use, pricing, and much more to help you determine whether it’s the right tool for your website.
What is Elementor Pro?
Elementor Pro is a premium drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress that allows users to create complex web pages without needing to know how to code. Building on the free version of Elementor, which offers a powerful set of tools for page building, Elementor Pro adds advanced functionality, more widgets, and customization options to take your WordPress site to the next level.
Released in 2016, Elementor quickly rose to prominence in the WordPress ecosystem, becoming one of the most popular page builders with millions of active installs.
The free version of Elementor offers a solid foundation, but Elementor Pro gives users access to a wide array of additional features that dramatically enhance its flexibility, design capabilities, and overall power.
Why Choose Elementor Pro Over the Free Version?
While the free version of Elementor is quite capable for basic websites, Elementor Pro is designed for users who need more customization, functionality, and design control. Elementor Pro unlocks premium templates, advanced design elements, and tools that are essential for creating professional-grade websites.
Here are some of the key reasons why users upgrade to Elementor Pro:
- Advanced Widgets: Elementor Pro offers over 90 widgets compared to the basic 40+ widgets in the free version.
- Theme Builder: Elementor Pro allows you to design every aspect of your site, including headers, footers, and post templates, without relying on your WordPress theme.
- Popup Builder: Create custom popups that integrate seamlessly with your website, complete with advanced targeting options.
- Global Settings: Manage global design settings such as colors, fonts, and layouts for consistency across the site.
- WooCommerce Builder: For those running e-commerce websites, Elementor Pro offers WooCommerce widgets and templates for building product pages, shop archives, and checkout pages.
- Form Builder: Design custom forms and integrate them with email marketing services.
Key Features of Elementor Pro
Let’s break down the features that make Elementor Pro such a powerful page-building tool.
1. Drag-and-Drop Editor
The core of Elementor Pro is its drag-and-drop editor, which allows you to visually design your website in real-time. You can add, move, and customize elements on the page simply by dragging them into place, making it incredibly user-friendly for both beginners and professionals alike. No coding knowledge is required to create stunning designs with this feature.
Elementor Pro’s editor is intuitive and fast, offering real-time previews of your changes, so you know exactly how your website will look across devices before you hit publish.
2. Theme Builder
One of the most compelling features of Elementor Pro is its Theme Builder, which gives you complete control over the design of your entire WordPress site, not just individual pages. You can customize headers, footers, post templates, archive pages, search results, and more, all within the same interface.
This feature is especially useful for users who want to move away from restrictive themes and have full creative control over their site’s appearance. With the Theme Builder, you can create a completely custom look without having to switch between WordPress themes or edit any code.
3. WooCommerce Builder
For those running an e-commerce store using WooCommerce, Elementor Pro offers a powerful suite of tools to design and customize your shop pages, product layouts, and checkout experiences. It includes WooCommerce-specific widgets such as product grids, price tables, and add-to-cart buttons, allowing you to create a fully tailored shopping experience for your customers.
The WooCommerce Builder is perfect for online stores looking to differentiate their design from the standard WooCommerce templates. You can build unique product pages, highlight bestsellers, and even design custom product category pages with ease.
4. Popup Builder
Popups are an essential part of online marketing, whether you’re using them to capture email addresses, promote sales, or share announcements.
Elementor Pro Popup Builder allows you to create beautiful, responsive popups that integrate seamlessly with your site design.
The Popup Builder offers a range of targeting options, including triggers based on user behavior, such as exit intent, scroll percentage, or time on page. You can also control who sees the popup by setting display conditions based on factors like page, post type, or user role. This level of control helps ensure that your popups reach the right audience at the right time.
5. Advanced Widgets and Elements
Elementor Pro comes with a wide variety of widgets that expand the functionality of your site far beyond what’s available in the free version. These widgets allow you to add advanced elements like:
- Forms: Create fully customizable contact forms, registration forms, and lead generation forms that can be integrated with email marketing services such as Mailchimp or ConvertKit.
- Slides: Build engaging image or content sliders to enhance the visual appeal of your pages.
- Price Tables and Lists: Display pricing plans in a professional format, perfect for service-based websites or SaaS companies.
- Testimonials: Showcase customer reviews and testimonials in an attractive way.
- Countdown Timers: Add urgency to your offers with countdown timers for sales and promotions.
- Animated Headlines: Catch your visitors’ attention with dynamic and animated headline options.
In total, Elementor Pro offers over 90 advanced widgets, each designed to help you add functionality and interactivity to your website without needing extra plugins.
6. Global Widgets and Design Settings
Elementor Pro simplifies the process of creating a cohesive website design by offering global settings. These settings allow you to define global colors, fonts, and typography, which can be applied across your site. This is especially helpful if you want to maintain consistency throughout your website without having to adjust individual elements manually.
You can also save Global Widgets, which are reusable design elements that can be updated in one location and automatically reflected across all instances where they’re used on your site. This is a massive time-saver for users managing larger sites with repeating elements, such as call-to-action buttons or testimonial sections.
7. Custom CSS
While Elementor Pro is designed to let you build complex layouts without needing to code, it still offers the flexibility to add Custom CSS to individual elements or entire pages. This feature is ideal for advanced users who want more control over specific design elements, providing a perfect balance between simplicity and customization.
8. Responsive Design Tools
In today’s mobile-first world, having a responsive website is critical. Elementor Pro allows you to design for different screen sizes using its responsive design controls. You can adjust font sizes, margins, padding, and visibility for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices, ensuring that your site looks great across all screen sizes.
With the responsive editing feature, you can even hide or display specific elements based on the device type, allowing you to create mobile-optimized content without sacrificing the desktop experience.
9. Integrations
Elementor Pro integrates with a wide range of third-party tools and services, making it easy to connect your site to email marketing platforms, CRM systems, and social media. Popular integrations include:
- Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign
- ConvertKit
- HubSpot
- Zapier
- Yoast SEO
These integrations allow you to automate tasks like email list building, lead tracking, and social sharing directly from your WordPress site.
Also Read: Top Fastest WordPress Theme
Performance and Speed
One common concern with page builders is that they can slow down your website due to bloated code and excessive resources. Elementor Pro has worked hard to address these concerns, and while it does add some extra weight to your site, the plugin is generally well-optimized.
That said, performance will largely depend on how you use Elementor Pro. Avoid overloading your pages with too many widgets or large images, and consider using performance optimization plugins (such as WP Rocket) to keep your site running smoothly. Elementor also includes features like lazy loading for images, which helps improve page load times.
Ease of Use
Elementor Pro is widely regarded as one of the easiest page builders to use, thanks to its drag-and-drop interface and real-time editing capabilities. Even users with no design or coding experience can create beautiful, professional websites with minimal effort.
The learning curve for Elementor Pro is relatively shallow, making it an excellent choice for beginners. However, advanced users will also appreciate the depth of customization available through features like the Theme Builder and Custom CSS.
Elementor also provides a wealth of documentation, video tutorials, and a vibrant community of users who can help you troubleshoot issues or provide design inspiration.
Elementor Pro Pricing
Elementor Pro is a premium plugin, and its pricing model is based on the number of sites you want to use it on:
All plans include one year of support and updates, access to all Pro features, and the ability to use the Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and Popup Builder.
While the free version of Elementor is great for small projects, Elementor Pro’s pricing is reasonable given the vast array of features it offers, particularly for web designers, agencies, and users managing multiple websites.
Pros and Cons of Elementor Pro
Pros:
- Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Editor: Easy to use for beginners while offering powerful features for advanced users.
- Theme Builder: Full control over every part of your website’s design without relying on your theme.
- WooCommerce Integration: Perfect for e-commerce sites, with customizable product pages and shop designs.
- Popup Builder: Integrated popup design and targeting without needing an additional plugin.
- Huge Widget Library: Over 90 widgets for enhanced functionality and design.
- Global Settings and Widgets: Maintain consistency across your site with global design options and reusable widgets.
Cons:
- Potential for Bloat: If overused, Elementor Pro can add some bloat to your website, which may slow down performance.
- Annual Subscription: While the pricing is reasonable, the fact that it’s subscription-based means ongoing costs for continued access to updates and support.
- Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While beginners will love the ease of use, mastering the more advanced features, like custom CSS or theme building, can take time.
Final Verdict: Is Elementor Pro Worth It?
Elementor Pro is an outstanding page builder for WordPress users who want to create custom, professional websites without touching a single line of code.
Its intuitive interface, combined with a vast array of advanced features, makes it a top choice for beginners, freelancers, agencies, and anyone looking to design beautiful, responsive websites.
For users who only need basic website functionality, the free version of Elementor might be sufficient. However, if you’re looking to build more complex websites, run an e-commerce store, or take full control of your website’s design and performance, Elementor Pro is well worth the investment.
