Elementor vs Spectra (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Spectra grades higher than Elementor: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Spectra grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Elementor
Drag-and-drop page builder plugin and hosting for WordPress
Spectra
Block-based page builder plugin for WordPress
Which one is for you
Pick Elementor if
- Fits if your site is already on WordPress and you'd rather not edit code
- Works for freelancers building client sites, as Expert covers 25 sites for $17 a month billed yearly
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to look after WordPress, plugins and hosting at all
- Not for you if you like paying month to month, since Pro and One plans are billed yearly only
- Tight if you buy Essential, which stores no form entries and has no popups, custom code or store widgets
- Watch out: Elementor Host is a separate subscription that renews at list price and doesn't include a Pro license
- Watch out: One's $180 first year rises to $228, and its AI and email features run on monthly credits
Pick Spectra if
- Fits if you want more blocks in the WordPress editor you already use
- Works for people who also use Astra, as the bigger plans bundle it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted builder, because Spectra runs only inside WordPress
- Tight if you want the loop builder, popup builder or dynamic content, which are Pro
- Pricey if you take a toolkit: the introductory $199 and $279 a year renew at $299 and $429
- Watch out: each plan caps the sites it can be used on at 3, 10 or 1000
- Watch out: premium patterns and kits need the Essential Toolkit or higher, not Spectra Pro alone
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAElementorFair | 2.6GPASpectraGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its alternatives, Divi and the hosted builders. Advanced Solo, the plan with stored forms, popups and store widgets, is $7 a month for one site, billed $84 a year. That's the editor alone: Elementor Host is $15 a month in its first year, taking one site to about $22. | BSpectra Pro is $69 a year for 3 sites, about $5.75 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of a category that starts at $6.75. Toolkit plans are $199 and $279 a year, rising at renewal. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe free plugin has no time limit and builds real pages with the core widgets. But the theme builder and popups are Pro, and nothing goes live until you pay someone for hosting, since Elementor's plans don't include it. | BThe free plugin has the core blocks, such as container, text, buttons, accordion and tabs. A person with one site could live on it. |
| Features | CVisual editing with responsive controls, a theme builder for the whole site, forms, popups, WooCommerce page design and AI on the One plans. The gap is the one the listing names: it needs a WordPress site, and no editor plan includes hosting. | CBlocks for the WordPress editor, plus a loop builder, popups and dynamic content on Pro. Premium patterns and kits are not in Pro alone. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. The editor is drag-and-drop with global styles, but first you need WordPress running on a host, then the plugin, then Pro, so there's real setup and a learning curve. Elementor Host takes out the hosting step for another fee. | CNo rating on record. You assemble pages from blocks in the editor. |
| Platforms and integrations | BIt runs in the browser inside WordPress, works with WooCommerce and Google Analytics, and Elementor MCP connects sites to Claude, Codex and Cursor. No desktop or phone app is listed. | BWeb only, as a WordPress plugin, with Astra, Elementor and WooCommerce. |
| Best for | designing WordPress sites visually | extra blocks for the WordPress editor |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Elementor and Spectra. How we grade
Price against what you get
Elementor starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Spectra starts at $5.75 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Elementor starts $0.75 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 3 score higher than Elementor for less, and 3 score higher than Spectra for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Spectra also covers popups.
At a glance
| Elementor | Spectra | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year) | $69 per year for up to 3 websites |
| Free plan | The free Elementor editor plugin for WordPress, with drag-and-drop tools, key widgets and core site-building features. You supply WordPress and hosting. | Free Spectra plugin with core blocks such as container, text, buttons, accordion, tabs and post; Pro blocks and extensions are locked. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Elementor Ltd. | Brainstorm Force |
| Price read from | elementor.com | wpspectra.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Elementor
- Elementor needs a WordPress site; the plugin and Pro plans do not include hosting, and Elementor Host does not include a Pro license.
- Pro and One plans are billed annually, with no monthly option on the pricing page, and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Essential stores no form submissions and has no popups, custom code or ecommerce widgets.
- Elementor Host is a separate subscription, from $15 a month billed annually for one site ($180 the first year), and renews at list price.
Spectra
- Spectra runs only inside WordPress and is not a hosted site builder.
- Toolkit prices are introductory; the page says all renewals are at full price, $299 and $429 a year.
- Premium patterns and kits need the Essential Toolkit or any higher plan, not Spectra Pro alone.
- Each plan limits the number of sites it can be used on: 3, 10 or 1000.
Key features
Elementor
- Visual drag-and-drop editor
- Pages are designed visually inside WordPress, with responsive controls for desktop, tablet and mobile and global styles for fonts and colors.
- Theme Builder and dynamic content
- Pro plans design headers, footers and templates for the whole site and pull WordPress content into them. Custom fields and post types start on Advanced Solo.
- Forms and popups
- A form builder sends leads to marketing tools and stores submissions from Advanced Solo up, where the popup builder is also included.
- WooCommerce store design
- Ecommerce widgets lay out WooCommerce product, cart and checkout pages. They are not included in Essential.
- AI and Elementor MCP
- One plans generate code, copy, images and layouts from prompts using monthly credits, and Elementor MCP connects sites to Claude, Codex and Cursor.
- Elementor Host
- Managed WordPress hosting on Google Cloud with a CDN, daily backups, staging and a free domain for the first year, sold apart from the editor plans.
Spectra
- Blocks for the WordPress editor
- Container, text, buttons, accordion, tabs, slider, countdown, Google Maps and other blocks work inside the native editor.
- Loop builder and dynamic content
- Pro adds a loop builder and dynamic content for displaying data across a site; both are marked Pro on the comparison table.
- Popup builder and animations
- Pro includes an advanced popup builder, animations, motion effects and responsive and display conditions.
- AI site generation
- The Essential and Business toolkits include ZipWP, which builds a WordPress site from a description, plus customization with prompts.
- Patterns and kits
- Premium patterns and 300+ kit templates import a full site in one click and need the Essential Toolkit or higher.
Plans
Elementor
Free$0
The basic Elementor editor plugin with drag-and-drop tools and core widgets, installed on your own WordPress site.
Essential$5
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year)
57 Pro widgets, Theme Builder, 10 cloud templates and forms without submission storage. No popups, custom code or ecommerce features.
Advanced Solo$7
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($84 a year)
85 Pro widgets, popups, custom code and CSS, ecommerce features and custom fields. Advanced is the same for 3 sites at $9 a month ($108 a year).
Expert$17
per month for 25 sites, billed annually ($204 a year)
Everything in Advanced across 25 sites, with storage for 5,000 cloud templates.
One$19
per month for 1 site, billed annually ($228 a year)
Editor Pro plus 25,000 monthly credits for AI, image optimization, accessibility, cookie consent and email delivery. First year advertised at $180.
One Agency$45
per month for unlimited sites, billed annually ($540 a year)
One for unlimited sites with 350,000 monthly credits shared across client sites. First year advertised at $432.
Spectra
Spectra Free$0
The free plugin with the core blocks, downloaded from the site.
Spectra Pro$69
per year for up to 3 websites
Pro blocks and extensions: loop builder, popup builder, dynamic content, global styles and motion effects. Lifetime is $319.
Essential Toolkit + AI$199
per year for up to 10 websites
Adds Astra Pro, premium patterns and kits, Ultimate Elementor Addons, AI site tools and 2 hosted sites. Introductory; renews at $299.
Business Toolkit + AI$279
per year for up to 1000 websites
Same toolkit with SureForms Agency, 5 hosted sites, 20 blueprint sites and VIP support. Introductory; renews at $429.
Ways to pay less
Elementor
- Other savings
Birthday sale: 21% off the first year of One
The pricing page shows One at $180 for the first year instead of $228, and One Agency at $432 instead of $540. Both renew at the regular yearly rate. No end date is given.
Spectra
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses on every paid plan
The pricing page has a Lifetime toggle: Spectra Pro $319 one-time, Essential Toolkit $549 and Business Toolkit $799, each shown against a higher list price.
- Other savings
14-day money-back guarantee
The pricing page offers a full refund within 14 days of purchase, no questions asked.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Elementor or Spectra?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Elementor is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $5.75 a month when paid by the year for Spectra. Elementor starts at $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year), and Spectra starts at $69 per year for up to 3 websites.
Which has a free plan, Elementor or Spectra?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Elementor and Spectra have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.