Elementor vs Visual Composer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Visual Composer grades higher than Elementor: 2.8 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
Visual Composer grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on 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
Visual Composer
Drag-and-drop website 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 Visual Composer if
- Fits if you want a low-priced WordPress builder with a free version to start on
- Works for agencies, since the plans run to 20 and 1000 sites
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a trial of the paid plans, because there is none, only the free version and a demo
- Tight if you stay free: the Hub, theme builder and popup builder are paid
- Watch out: when a subscription ends, updates, the Hub and support stop
- Watch out: it works on WordPress.com only on the Business plan
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAElementorFair | 2.8GPAVisual ComposerGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BSingle is $49 a year for 1 site, about $4.08 a month, inside the cheaper quarter. Lifetime is $149 for 1 site. |
| 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. | BFree forever with no card: 30 elements and 10 templates. One person with a small 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. | BPro has 300+ elements, 200+ templates, a theme builder, a popup builder and a font manager. It covers the job of a WordPress builder. |
| 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 build the site yourself in a WordPress 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 WooCommerce and Unsplash. |
| Best for | designing WordPress sites visually | a WordPress builder with a cloud library of elements |
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 Visual Composer. 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. Visual Composer starts at $4.08 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Visual Composer scores higher and starts $0.92 a month lower. Of the other website and landing page builders on the chart, 3 score higher than Elementor for less, and 1 scores higher than Visual Composer 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
- Elementor also covers forms.
- Visual Composer also covers site audit, online store and popups.
At a glance
| Elementor | Visual Composer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year) | $49 per year for 1 website |
| 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 version, free forever with no credit card: 30 elements and 10 templates, without the premium theme builder, popup builder or WooCommerce support. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Elementor Ltd. | Visual Composer Website Builder |
| Price read from | elementor.com | visualcomposer.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.
Visual Composer
- Visual Composer runs only inside WordPress; the page notes it works on WordPress.com only on the Business plan.
- There is no free trial of the premium plans, though a free version and a demo exist; refunds are offered within 30 days.
- The plugin keeps working after a subscription ends, but updates, the Hub and support stop.
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.
Visual Composer
- Drag-and-drop editor
- A visual editor with a responsive preview, design options and a row layout system, with no coding required.
- Visual Composer Hub
- A cloud library listing 500+ content elements, templates, blocks and add-ons that are downloaded into a site on demand.
- Theme builder
- Premium plans add a theme builder, archive page builder, global templates, dynamic content and WooCommerce support.
- Popup builder
- Popups for audience capture are built in the same editor on premium plans.
- Insights
- An analysis tool for SEO and page performance is part of the premium plans, alongside a font manager and role manager.
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.
Visual Composer
Free$0
Page builder with 30 elements and 10 templates, without the premium Hub, theme builder or popup builder.
Single$49
per year for 1 website
300+ elements, 200+ templates, theme builder, popup builder, font manager, Insights and premium support.
Plus$99
per year for 5 websites
The same premium features for up to 5 websites.
Accelerate$149
per year for 20 websites
The same premium features for up to 20 websites.
Agency$349
per year for 1000 websites
The same premium features for up to 1000 websites; the page labels the price as new and lower.
Lifetime$149
one-time, for 1 website
Two years of support and lifetime updates for one website.
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.
Visual Composer
- Lifetime license
Lifetime license for one website
A one-time $149 payment covers one website with lifetime updates and two years of support.
- Other savings
30-day money-back guarantee
The pricing page offers a refund requested within 30 days of a new purchase.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Elementor or Visual Composer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Visual Composer is cheaper to start with: $4.08 a month when paid by the year, against $5 a month for Elementor. Elementor starts at $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year), and Visual Composer starts at $49 per year for 1 website.
Which has a free plan, Elementor or Visual Composer?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Elementor and Visual Composer 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.