Webflow vs Elementor: A Hands-On Comparison (2021)

Fashionable web site constructing options have simplified the method of making web sites. With a user-friendly drag and drop web page builder, you may construct knowledgeable web site in minutes with no prior information of coding or designing.

One on-line web site constructing service that’s making numerous noise currently is Webflow. The service boasts an easy-to-use web site builder, eCommerce assist, and a beneficiant assortment of pre-made web site designs.

Nevertheless, the most well-liked web site constructing answer on-line continues to be WordPress. It’s a versatile content material administration system that may be tremendously expanded via themes and plugins similar to Elementor.

Elementor is a complicated WordPress web page builder plugin that has a loyal following within the WordPress neighborhood. It’s a strong instrument that provides you every little thing it’s essential construct an internet site.

I just lately printed an in depth comparability of Webflow and the core model of WordPress that examined the professionals and cons of every answer. Webflow’s web page builder is extra superior than the default WordPress block editor, however how does Webflow rise up towards a contemporary WordPress web page builder similar to Elementor?

On this article, I’ll evaluate Webflow with Elementor and present you what every gives.

What Is Webflow

Webflow is a web-based web site constructing service that launched in San Francisco in 2013. To compete towards established on-line constructing providers similar to Squarespace, Webflow developed their distinctive visible designer. It’s a contemporary answer that has many styling choices and you can begin your individual web site design from a big assortment of pre-made web site designs.

The attraction of Webflow is that it’s an all-in-one web site answer. It could actually prevent time as a result of it handles most web site administration duties for you, similar to webhosting and web site updates.

For a month-to-month price, you need to use Webflow to construct blogs, enterprise web sites, portfolios, on-line outlets, and extra. It’s free to enroll to Webflow, and you’ll solely be charged should you determine to publish your web site on-line.

What Is Elementor (and WordPress)

WordPress is an open-source content material administration system that was launched in 2003. It grew in reputation as a running a blog answer, however its plugin system shortly allowed builders to develop performance and set up WordPress as the most well-liked web site constructing answer on-line.

The WordPress plugin Elementor was launched in 2016 and is now lively on over 5 million web sites. It’s a complete design answer that transforms WordPress.

With Elementor, you acquire entry to a contemporary frontend drag and drop web page builder, a complicated templating system, and builders for popups, themes, and the eCommerce plugin WooCommerce. Over 300 official web site templates can be found for Elementor and there’s an lively neighborhood that provides you entry to extra Elementor designs and performance.

Ease of Use

The consumer expertise of constructing an internet site with Webflow and Elementor is comparable in some ways, however there isn’t a denying that if you wish to construct an internet site utilizing WordPress and Elementor, it’s essential be ready to undertake a extra hands-on method.

First, let’s take a better have a look at how simple it’s to construct an internet site with Webflow and Elementor.

Webflow

Webflow has tremendously simplified the method of launching an internet site.

You may signal as much as Webflow in seconds utilizing your Google account or, should you favor, enter your electronic mail, password, and title. Webflow will then cater the service to you by asking about your technical expertise and the kind of web site you wish to construct.

As soon as signed up, merely choose to create a brand new challenge.

Utilizing HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript, the Webflow Designer offers you all of the instruments to create knowledgeable web site. You can begin with a clean canvas if you want, however in most conditions, it’s higher to pick out a pre-made web site template and customise it the best way you need.

This provides you a place to begin in your design and it’ll assist familiarize your self with how the Webflow Designer works.

I’ve discovered the Webflow Designer to be a pleasure to make use of. If in case you have used web page builders earlier than, you’ll really feel proper at residence. Novices ought to have the ability to familiarize themselves with all choices by merely spending time modifying a pre-made template.

Sadly, Webflow isn’t nice for writing lengthy articles, however I’ll develop upon this later.

All design and content material is dealt with by the designer.

Every part else in Webflow takes place within the challenge settings space. You may handle normal settings, internet hosting, billing, web site backups, and extra from right here.

Elementor

While a hosted model of WordPress is obtainable on-line, to construct an Elementor-powered web site, you will have to do three issues:

1. Buy an internet site internet hosting plan
2. Set up the self-hosted model of WordPress
3. Set up the Elementor WordPress plugin

To put in WordPress manually, it’s essential obtain WordPress, create a database via your internet hosting account, after which run the well-known 5-minute WordPress set up. Fortunately, you should not have to put in WordPress manually anymore as web site internet hosting firms assist you to set up WordPress on the click on of a button.

Though you do have to spend a little bit time configuring a WordPress web site, web site upkeep has been considerably lowered through the years. Immediately, WordPress can routinely replace your web site themes and plugins, and managed WordPress internet hosting firms present safety and backups for you.

WordPress is ideal for publishing long-form weblog posts and articles. The default editor is known as the block editor. Writing within the editor is a rewarding expertise as you may go full-screen and take away the choices panel on the right-hand facet of the web page.

WordPress lets you fashion content material within the backend by way of the block editor utilizing blocks. There’s an amazing number of blocks out there within the editor and it’s also possible to customise your web site utilizing the WordPress theme customizer. From a design viewpoint, nonetheless, these options are useful however restricted.

Step ahead Elementor.

Elementor fully transforms WordPress. It offers you a full suite of design parts to customise your web site design and content material. You’ll admire how highly effective the Elementor consumer interface is as soon as you might be conversant in it.

In distinction to the WordPress block editor, all adjustments happen within the frontend of your web site. This lets you see adjustments in real-time.

Like Webflow, many pre-made blocks and templates can be found that can assist you get began. Nevertheless, Elementor’s templating system offers you higher management over layouts.

Ease of Use – Winner: Webflow

As soon as every little thing is about up, you’ll discover Elementor is simply as simple to make use of as Webflow, however Webflow’s hosted service is undoubtedly simpler to configure and keep than a self-hosted WordPress web site.

Design Expertise

Now, let’s take a look on the web site templates which might be offered and the design instruments which might be out there to you.

Webflow

If you create a brand new challenge in Webflow, you can begin with a clean canvas, a free web site design, or a premium web site design. Webflow additionally has a showcase part the place you may clone designs from others and additional designs could be discovered on the third-party web site Flowbase.

On the time of writing, Webflow gives over 500 pre-made web site templates throughout classes similar to design, weblog, eCommerce, pictures, and extra. Nearly all of designs usually are not included in your Webflow plan and retail at round $49 or $79 every. Nevertheless, 100 or so designs are free to obtain they usually’ve been created to the identical excessive commonplace as their premium counterparts.

Sadly, Webflow doesn’t assist you to change designs as there isn’t a theme system in place. Which means if you wish to change to a different web site design, it’s essential create one other web site.

Which means when you have a weblog with 1,000 articles, you can not merely change your weblog design. It is advisable create a brand new challenge after which switch all content material over. It’s fully impractical.

Webflow’s designer wraps round your web site so that you could see proposed adjustments in real-time. If you click on on a component on the web page, the right-hand panel will load further styling choices such because the structure, border, CSS, and extra.

On the prime of the consumer interface, you may preview your design with totally different units, outline the canvas space, undo and redo adjustments, export code, share your challenge, and publish your web page. The left-hand facet is the place you add content material to pages. You may add design parts, pages, and collections in addition to entry an current library of media for symbols, photographs, and fonts.

Components can be found for including sections, types, buttons, sliders, and full layouts — nonetheless, there’s solely a restricted variety of parts.

Elementor

When Elementor is activated for a weblog submit or web page, you will note a folder icon on the backside of the canvas space. Clicking on that icon will load the Elementor library.

The library has a big assortment of pre-made blocks and pages. Any design you save could be accessed from the My Templates web page. The free model of Elementor offers you entry to quite a lot of blocks and over 30 web page templates, however should you improve to Elementor Professional, you unlock over 300 pre-made blocks and templates.

Not like Webflow, you may change between designs at any time and you need to use third-party WordPress plugins similar to Starter Templates so as to add lots of of further free templates.

Elementor locations all controls at one facet of the web page (left by default). On the backside of this panel, you will note icons for settings, viewing the construction and historical past of the web page, previewing the design in numerous units, and saving the design.

If you click on on a component in your web page, the primary panel will present choices to change content material, alter colours, results, superior settings, and extra.

With no parts chosen in your web page, the primary panel exhibits all content material parts. There are over 40 parts out there and 50 extra are added should you improve to Elementor Professional. Although there’s nothing you may’t create with the weather on supply, 1000’s of additional parts could be added to Elementor by putting in one of many many Elementor add-on plugins.

Design Expertise – Winner: Elementor

Novices will admire the simplicity of selecting a template in Webflow after which modifying it utilizing its highly effective Designer, however you may’t change templates in a while. You’ll should maintain enhancing the one you began with, which is a restriction of Webflow’s templating system.

Elementor’s consumer interface takes a little bit longer to be taught, nevertheless it has many extra content material parts and could be expanded additional utilizing WordPress plugins. Not like Webflow, you may change your template at any time.

Content material Administration System (CMS)

On this part, we’ll look into how nicely Webflow and Elementor (WordPress) function as a CMS.

Webflow

If in case you have learn my Webflow vs WordPress comparability article, you’ll know that Webflow will not be the most effective content material administration system. There are, nonetheless, some positives.

In Webflow, all content material is managed via the Webflow Designer. All you need to do is click on on any a part of the web page, be it a paragraph or a header, and begin enhancing. If you accomplish that, primary formatting choices will seem to make the textual content daring or italic or convert it right into a hyperlink.

Within the web page settings space, you may shortly bounce between settings and add password safety, alter search engine optimisation settings, and add customized code. It’s a lot faster to make adjustments like this than in WordPress.

As mentioned in my comparability of Webflow and WordPress, Webflow can be utilized to create on-line outlets should you improve to one of many Webflow eCommerce plans. Remember to try that article to see how their eCommerce options evaluate 🙂

There are numerous areas the place Webflow simply fails miserably as a CMS.

With the ability to edit pages straight works nice for headlines and quick captions, however not for lengthy items of textual content. What’s extra puzzling is that there’s a restriction of 100 pages. Even if you buy the costliest plan Webflow gives, you might be nonetheless restricted to 100 pages.

Different content material is classed by Webflow as Collections. This contains weblog posts, classes, authors, and extra. All of those assortment gadgets are added via a not-so-user-friendly settings space. With weblog posts, for instance, you can not even format the textual content or simply insert hyperlinks or photographs into your article. That is undoubtedly a significant black mark towards Webflow.

Like pages, some restrictions are in place with assortment gadgets too. If you happen to go for the fundamental month-to-month plan, the performance will not be out there in any respect, and should you select the CMS plan, you might be nonetheless restricted to solely 2,000 gadgets.

Elementor

The Elementor WordPress plugin doesn’t have its personal content material administration system. Subsequently, it’s essential create content material in WordPress after which fashion the posts and pages utilizing Elementor.

WordPress is a improbable platform to publish content material on. Not like Webflow, there aren’t any restrictions on what number of posts and pages you add to your web site, and with customized submit sorts, you may develop WordPress in lots of bizarre methods (e.g. combine Webflow into WordPress!). That is how WordPress can energy on-line outlets, membership web sites, directories, and extra.

By utilizing the primary WordPress menu, you may handle your posts, pages, and customized submit sorts, and make any adjustments you want.

Like Webflow, Elementor lets you modify textual content straight within the canvas space. When textual content is chosen, a formatting bar will seem with choices to make textual content daring, underlined, and italic. This bar additionally helps you to add a hyperlink, headers, and lists.

There may be rather more management right here than Webflow. When textual content is chosen, you may bounce over to the primary panel and insert media, drop caps, and columns and alter styling settings similar to colours and borders.

For long-form content material, similar to weblog posts and in-depth articles, I like to recommend switching from Elementor’s textual content editor again to the WordPress block editor so that you could take pleasure in distraction-free writing in a minimalistic consumer interface.

Content material Administration System – Winner: Elementor (WordPress)

In terms of including content material, the distinction between Webflow and Elementor (WordPress) is evening and day. Elementor is by far the higher answer.

High quality of Assist

Good assist is one thing that it’s best to at all times issue into your determination.

Webflow

I imagine most individuals will have the ability to create an internet site in Webflow and have it printed on-line inside a number of hours. Nevertheless, if there’s any specific function you might be uncertain of, I like to recommend visiting Webflow College. Webflow has carried out a improbable job build up an in depth information base there that options lots of of programs, classes, and video tutorials. Suggestions are recurrently shared on the Webflow Weblog too.

In case your web site goes offline, it’s best to examine the Webflow Standing Device to see which providers are operational. Ought to you may have a particular downside, you may ask for assist from fellow Webflow customers via the Webflow Dialogue Discussion board, nonetheless if the problem is vital, it’s best to open a assist ticket.

Webflow advises that they do their greatest to reply to every request with a customized reply inside 24-48 enterprise hours, however additionally they be aware that Webflow assist is just out there Monday via Friday from 6:00 am to six:00 pm Pacific Time. That is disappointing because it signifies that any assist tickets raised on a Friday will not be addressed till the next Tuesday.

Elementor

One main advantage of constructing an internet site with WordPress is the neighborhood. The recognition of WordPress lets you get assist from many dialogue boards and teams on social media platforms similar to Fb.

Premium WordPress assist providers are widespread too. Nevertheless, for vital points, most WordPress customers depend on their internet hosting firm for assist. The usual of assist varies, however most internet hosting firms supply 24/7 ticket assist and a few present phone assist as nicely.

If you happen to’re trying to be taught extra about how the Elementor WordPress plugin works, it’s best to go to the Elementor assist space. Like Webflow, Elementor gives an in depth quantity of written and video tutorials that can assist you perceive the way it works. There may be additionally an lively Elementor Fb group with round 100,000 members.

Elementor Professional prospects can get direct assist via a assist ticket system that’s working 24/7.

High quality of Assist – Winner: Elementor

Each Webflow and Elementor present prospects with a lot of tutorials to elucidate how their merchandise work. You may count on good assist from each firms. Nevertheless, I believe Webflow’s restricted assist hours is just not ok, particularly when different hosted web site constructing providers supply 24/7 assist.

Value of Constructing a Web site

The price of Webflow vs Elementor will depend upon many components — let’s see them intimately.

Webflow

While Webflow is clear about how a lot their service prices, their pricing coverage is unnecessarily difficult.

To publish an internet site with Webflow, it’s essential choose an account plan and a web site plan. The Starter account plan is free and lets you have two web site initiatives in your account. That is the plan you’ll be assigned when making a free account with Webflow.

The Lite plan prices $16 per 30 days if paid yearly. This plan will increase the full variety of initiatives to 10 and allows you to export code and switch initiatives to others.

The Professional plan prices $35 per 30 days if paid yearly. This plan permits an infinite variety of initiatives and options white labeling and web site password safety. Staff plans are additionally out there from $35 per group member.

So the price of Webflow’s account plan will largely depend upon what number of web site initiatives you plan to create, nonetheless web site plans will depend upon what site visitors you obtain and what options you want.

If paid yearly, the price of a Webflow retails at $12 per 30 days for the Primary plan, $16 per 30 days for the CMS plan, and $36 per 30 days for the Marketing strategy. These plans enable 25,000, 100,000, and 1,000,000 month-to-month visits, respectively.

Remember to be aware the various restrictions that these plans have. For instance, the Primary plan doesn’t function collections, which signifies that you can not publish weblog posts. Additionally, you will have to improve to their higher-tiered Marketing strategy to permit customers to add recordsdata in types. As famous earlier on this article, all plans are restricted to 100 pages too.

If you wish to add eCommerce performance to your web site, it’s essential choose an eCommerce web site plan. If you happen to pay yearly, these retail at $29 per 30 days for the Customary plan, $74 per 30 days for the Plus plan, and $212 for the Superior plan.

The costlier plans assist you to add extra merchandise to your retailer, take away the transaction price of two%, and improve the yearly gross sales quantity restrict.

As you may see, the price of Webflow is dependent upon the variety of initiatives you wish to create, the site visitors you count on, the options you want, whether or not you pay month-to-month or yearly, and whether or not you wish to promote in your web site. For a easy web site, nonetheless, it could solely value you $12 per 30 days to make use of Webflow.

Elementor

If you wish to use Elementor to design web sites, you will have to think about the price of internet hosting a WordPress web site and whether or not you wish to improve to Elementor Professional.

The self-hosted model of WordPress is free to obtain. Nevertheless, it’s prudent to think about any anticipated further prices similar to internet hosting and premium WordPress plugins you wish to use in your web site.

In our article on low cost WordPress internet hosting, we confirmed that internet hosting firms similar to Hostinger are providing WordPress internet hosting for as little as $0.80 per 30 days. It’s fairly superb that you could host a WordPress web site for such little cash, nonetheless I might usually advocate paying a little bit extra to go along with an organization that gives higher reliability and assist.

SiteGround’s entry-level plan solely prices $6.99 per 30 days, while WP Engine’s plans begin from $22.50 per 30 days, and Kinsta begins from $30 per 30 days. Store round to see which firm fits your funds and necessities.

Elementor grew in reputation as a result of the free model of their WordPress plugin had few restrictions. This core model is greater than able to constructing stunning web sites and you’ll add further parts and performance freed from cost utilizing third-party WordPress plugins.

The professional model of Elementor retails at $49 per 12 months for a one-website license, $99 per 12 months for a three-website license, and $199 per 12 months for a 1,000-website license. Aside from the variety of web sites which might be supported, all plans supply the identical options.

For round $four per 30 days, Elementor Professional provides 50 extra parts, 300 extra templates, and round a dozen full web site templates. It additionally provides builders in your theme, types, WooCommerce, and popups.

I imagine Elementor Professional is a good worth, however I might at all times advocate utilizing the free model of the plugin first after which upgrading as soon as you might be certain it’s the answer for you.

Value of Constructing a Web site – Winner: Elementor

If we’re speaking about value alone, Elementor is the higher choice as you may host WordPress with a dependable firm similar to SiteGround for less than $6.99 per 30 days. Even should you think about the price of shopping for Elementor Professional, the full yearly value continues to be lower than Webflow’s starter plan and it has far fewer restrictions.

Future Predictions

I’ve spoken in regards to the upsides and disadvantages to utilizing Webflow vs Elementor, however you will need to do not forget that this text is a mirrored image of how each options are on the time of writing.

The builders of Webflow and Elementor recurrently repair bugs, add new options, and refine their product.

Let’s evaluation how these merchandise might evolve sooner or later.

Webflow

In 2017, Webflow introduced a brand new community-based roadmap for future improvement. Quite than curating concepts from social media, assist tickets, and their neighborhood discussion board, Webflow created a devoted suggestion web site known as Webflow Wishlist.

Everyone seems to be allowed to submit their concepts for brand new options and adjustments to this Wishlist. Every concept could be voted up or down and is mentioned at size with builders and fellow Webflow customers. The perfect concepts are then added to Webflow’s improvement roadmap.

On the time of writing, three new options are in beta improvement and near being launched and 4 concepts are scheduled for future improvement.

Notable upcoming options are the flexibility to promote digital gadgets via Webflow and a desktop software to assist you to work in your Webflow web site offline.

Elementor

The builders of Elementor take suggestions on board from their giant neighborhood. You may observe new options which have been added to Elementor by way of the Elementor weblog. If you want, it’s also possible to check new options and provides suggestions to the Elementor group by putting in the Developer Version of Elementor.

Within the close to future, Elementor will likely be adopting a brand new pricing construction for Elementor Professional and introducing two higher-tiered plans for bigger firms. These will retail at $499 and $999 per 12 months, respectively.

Moreover, the Private and Plus plans will likely be renamed Important and Superior and anybody who purchases the Skilled plan will get assist and updates for 25 web sites as an alternative of 1,000.

The WordPress web page builder market is as aggressive as ever and with Elementor rising the price of their higher-tiered plans, the corporate should be sure that they proceed to refine their plugin (particularly as many Elementor Professional prospects are sad about these worth adjustments).

Maybe the largest menace to Elementor will not be from different web page constructing plugins, however from WordPress itself. Full web site enhancing is a function that’s deliberate for the core model of WordPress within the close to future and it could discourage many WordPress customers from utilizing third-party web page builders to design their web site.

Closing Ideas

I hope you may have loved this comparability between Webflow and Elementor. As you may have seen, each merchandise can be utilized to design stunning web sites and there are execs and cons to utilizing every answer.

If you happen to’re trying to publish a small web site or a easy on-line store, Webflow is a good answer. All you need to do is choose a pre-made web site template, add some content material utilizing their user-friendly Designer, after which customise the design. Webflow handles the remaining.

For bigger web sites, Webflow is just too restrictive to advocate presently. Upon getting chosen an internet site template, you may solely change to a different design by creating a brand new challenge. Publishing long-form content material is impractical too. I hope these are points that the corporate addresses over the following 12 months.

Webflow Execs:

• Very simple to make use of
• Webflow Designer can be utilized to construct stunning web sites in minutes
• eCommerce performance may also be added

Webflow Cons:

• Web sites can’t simply change the template they’re utilizing
• Limitation of 100 pages
• Onerous so as to add content material similar to weblog posts and articles

Constructing an internet site with WordPress does require you to be extra hands-on with web site upkeep, however there are fewer restrictions on what you are able to do, extra methods so as to add performance, and higher selections with who hosts your web site and who offers assist.

Elementor enhances WordPress considerably and lets you customise each a part of your web site design with ease. The WordPress block editor continues to be suggested for weblog posts and lengthy articles, however you may simply change between each editors.

I’ll say, nonetheless, that compared to Webflow and different WordPress web page builders, Elementor’s consumer interface takes a little bit longer to be taught and grasp. It’s a strong answer that doesn’t prohibit you in any method. It simply isn’t as beginner-friendly as Webflow Designer.

Elementor Execs:

• Giant assortment of pre-made blocks and layouts
• Highly effective consumer interface with an amazing number of blocks
• Wonderful third-party assist

Elementor Cons:

• Takes time to be taught the consumer interface
• Free model solely gives a restricted variety of pre-made designs

As at all times, I encourage you all to do your individual analysis and check Webflow and Elementor totally earlier than utilizing them on a dwell web site. This can assist you to make an knowledgeable determination as to which answer is greatest for you.

Good luck.

Kevin