The Elementor Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Elementor in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Elementor
The Insider’s Guide
Drag-and-drop page builder plugin and hosting for WordPress
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among website and landing page builders, read from Elementor’s own pages.
Made by Elementor Ltd. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Elementor’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Elementor’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 9 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade
Elementor is a visual drag-and-drop editor that runs inside WordPress, with a free plugin and paid Pro plans that add a theme builder, popups, forms, dynamic content and WooCommerce store design. The One plans bundle the editor with AI generation, image optimization, accessibility fixes, cookie consent and email delivery on a monthly credit pool. Elementor also sells managed WordPress hosting, Elementor Host, as a separate subscription.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Elementor, taken from its own pages and our grades.
If you're not, remember the price is only the editor: WordPress and hosting are on you, or on another subscription to Elementor Host.
- 1
Best for designing WordPress sites visually
If you're on WordPress already, it's an easy pick.
- 2
Paid plans start at $5 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year).
- 3
There is a 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 9 of 30
That is against the other website and landing page builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Elementor you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Elementor at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Elementor Ltd.
- Category
- Website & Landing Page Builders
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for designing WordPress sites visually
Elementor is the drag-and-drop editor that lives inside WordPress, with a free plugin and Pro plans from $5 a month for one site. If you're on WordPress already, it's an easy pick. If you're not, remember the price is only the editor: WordPress and hosting are on you, or on another subscription to Elementor Host.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Graded 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. Cheap for an editor, but hosting is extra: Elementor Host is $15 a month in its first year, taking one site to about $22. |
| Free plan and trial | C | The 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. |
| Features | C | Visual editing with responsive controls, a theme builder for the whole site, forms, popups, WooCommerce page design and AI on the One plans. Plenty. The gap is the one the listing names: it needs a WordPress site, and no editor plan includes hosting. |
| Ease of use | C | No 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | It 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Elementor is for
- Great if your site is already on WordPress and you're tired of fiddling with code
- Handy when you build sites for clients, as Expert covers 25 sites for $17 a month
- Good for WooCommerce shops that want their own product and checkout page designs
Who it is not for
- 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 plans are billed yearly only
- Tight if you buy Essential, which stores no form entries and has no popups
Good to know
Good for
- WordPress users who want to design pages visually without code
- Freelancers and agencies building many WordPress client sites
- WooCommerce shops that want custom product and checkout pages
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$5
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Elementor has a free plan. Paid plans start at $5 per month for 1 site, billed annually ($60 a year).
Graded against its alternatives, Divi and the hosted builders.
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.
The 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.
Read from elementor.com on Oct 17, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on elementor.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Drag-and-drop page builder plugin and hosting for WordPress. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, templates, no-code, forms.
Visual editing with responsive controls, a theme builder for the whole site, forms, popups, WooCommerce page design and AI on the One plans.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Claude
- Codex
- Cursor
- Google Analytics
Elementor is made by Elementor Ltd.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
9/30
Other website and landing page builders it is graded above
Elementor's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 9 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade, and level with 6.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 8 of 30) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $14 for the category: 4 of the 29 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 31 website and landing page builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Elementor’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 2 of 30
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 30
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 30
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 30
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 8 of 30
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 30 website and landing page builders. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Elementor is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Elementor you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 15 of the 30 other website and landing page builders grade higher. It costs $60 a year.
What you could make
- Templates and forms: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A builder that other people can use without writing code.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress, WooCommerce and Claude among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
What this rests on. Elementor’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Divi, WordPress.com, Webflow, Wix and Framer
The 5 tools Elementor is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Divi
From $89/yr
WordPress theme and visual builder sold as a yearly or lifetime plan.
- Elementor has a free plan. Divi does not.
- Divi can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Elementor also covers forms.
- 3.4GPA
WordPress.com
Free plan · from $4/mo
Hosted WordPress with themes, plugins and a free plan.
- Only WordPress.com lists iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Elementor also covers forms.
- WordPress.com also covers email campaigns.
- 2.4GPA
Webflow
Free plan · from $15/mo
Visual website builder with a CMS, hosting and code-level control.
- Elementor also covers templates.
- 2.8GPA
Wix
Free plan · from $17/mo
Drag-and-drop website builder with an AI agent and business apps.
- Only Wix lists iOS and Android apps.
- Elementor also covers forms.
- Wix also covers AI agents.
- 2.6GPA
Framer
Free plan · from $10/mo
AI website builder with a visual canvas, CMS and hosting.
- Only Framer lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Elementor also covers templates and forms.
- Framer also covers AI agents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Elementor free?
Elementor has a free plan. The free Elementor editor plugin for WordPress, with drag-and-drop tools, key widgets and core site-building features.
How much does Elementor cost?
Elementor lists 6 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Elementor work on?
Elementor is available on Web.
Does Elementor offer any discounts?
Elementor publicly lists the following: Birthday sale: 21% off the first year of One.
Does Elementor have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Elementor is listed for Web.
Does Elementor have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Elementor is listed for Web.
Is Elementor open source?
Elementor is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
What does Elementor integrate with?
Elementor's listing names WordPress, WooCommerce, Claude, Codex, Cursor and Google Analytics.
Who makes Elementor?
Elementor is made by Elementor Ltd.
What are the alternatives to Elementor?
The closest alternatives to Elementor in our directory are Divi, WordPress.com, Webflow, Wix and Framer.
How does Elementor compare with other website and landing page builders?
Elementor's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 9 of the 30 other website and landing page builders we grade, and level with 6.
Is Elementor good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Elementor C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $5 a month, against a middle price of $14 for the category: 4 of the 29 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Elementor?
To replace Elementor you would be making a builder that other people can use without writing code.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Elementor’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Elementor's own pages on 17 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Elementor Ltd. Prices change, so check elementor.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
1,880
Tools graded, in 47 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
1,880
tools graded
47
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Elementor, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/elementor
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Elementor: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/elementor
Know someone choosing between website and landing page builders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/elementor/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded website and landing page builders after Elementor, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Website & Landing Page Builders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 31 website and landing page builders we grade, compared
- WordPress.com Insider's GuideHosted WordPress with themes, plugins and a free plan3.4 GPA
- Wix Insider's GuideDrag-and-drop website builder with an AI agent and business apps2.8 GPA
- Carrd Insider's GuideOne-page website builder with yearly plans from $92.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Elementor’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Elementor is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Elementor Ltd. Prices and plans change: check elementor.com before you buy.