Elementor vs. Gutenberg: Which One Should You Choose?

If you are building a WordPress site, one of the biggest decisions you will face is choosing the right page builder. And let’s be honest—it’s not always easy. For most people, the choice comes down to two big names: Elementor and Gutenberg.

Both Elementor and Gutenberg have become incredibly popular. They are used by millions of WordPress users and have completely changed how people create websites.

But picking the right one for your site can feel tricky. Each has its own pros and cons, and the “right” choice really depends on what you’re looking for—whether that’s ease of use, design flexibility, or how fast your site loads. So, how do you decide?

Let’s break down the key differences and help you figure out which one is the better fit for your site.

Overview of Gutenberg and Elementor

Before we dive deeper, let’s cover the basics of both tools to give you some context.

What is Gutenberg?

Gutenberg is WordPress’s native block editor, introduced to simplify content creation. It uses a block-based approach, allowing you to drag and drop different types of content (like text, images, and buttons) into your pages and posts. While it started out as a simple editor, Gutenberg is constantly evolving, with more features being added to give users greater control. Its main focus is on performance and seamless integration with WordPress themes.

What is Elementor?

Elementor, on the other hand, is a standalone WordPress page builder plugin that’s popular for offering extensive design control. Its drag-and-drop interface lets you design pages visually without touching a line of code. Elementor is known for giving users far more customization options than the default WordPress editor, with a wide range of widgets, templates, and layout options. It comes in both a free version and a Pro version, which unlocks additional advanced features for more ambitious designs.

Key Features Comparison

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key features that set Elementor and Gutenberg apart, so you can get a clearer idea of what to expect.

Ease of Use

One of the first things you will notice is how different the user interfaces are. Elementor is all about flexibility with its drag-and-drop functionality, making it intuitive for users who want to visually build their pages from scratch. You don’t need coding skills to get a professional-looking site.

Gutenberg, by contrast, focuses on simplicity. It uses a block-based system, which is straightforward for those familiar with WordPress. However, it doesn’t offer the same level of flexibility as Elementor, especially if you are looking for pixel-perfect customization.

Customization and Design Control

When it comes to design freedom, Elementor is the clear winner. It offers a wide range of advanced design tools that let you control virtually every element of your page, from fonts and colors to complex layout adjustments. Elementor even allows you to override your theme’s design settings, giving you full control over the look of your site.

Gutenberg, on the other hand, works within the structure of your theme. It’s great for making simple changes, but you are more limited unless you extend its functionality with third-party plugins. That said, Gutenbergis evolving, and new plugins are adding more customization options over time.

Block vs. Widget Approach

One major difference between the two is how they handle content structure. Gutenberg is built around blocks—you can insert blocks for text, images, videos, and more to create your page. Each block can be customized, but the level of customization is relatively basic.

Elementor uses widgets, which offer more advanced functionality. Widgets allow for greater design control and offer more flexibility in terms of layout, animations, and interactive elements. Essentially, widgets are like blocks on steroids.

Live Editing Experience

Elementor stands out with its real-time visual editing. As you design your page, you can see exactly how it will look to visitors. This makes it easy to tweak things on the fly and ensures your design matches your vision.

Gutenberg, however, doesn’t offer the same level of live editing. You work in the editor interface and rely on the preview button to see how your content will look. It’s a bit less intuitive, especially for those who prefer immediate visual feedback.

Performance and Speed

Speed is crucial for any website, and this is where Gutenberg shines. Since it’s a native WordPress editor, Gutenberg is lightweight and generally faster than Elementor. It doesn’t add much extra code to your site, which helps with page load times.

Elementor, while feature-rich, can be heavier on your website’s performance. The additional code for all its features, widgets, and customizations can slow down your site, especially if not optimized. However, Elementor does come with built-in tools like minification and lazy loading to help mitigate this.

Flexibility and Add-ons

Elementor is known for its vast ecosystem of third-party add-ons and templates. You can find a library of pre-built templates and extra widgets that extend Elementor’s functionality, giving you even more design flexibility.

Gutenberg’s block library is growing, and plugins like Spectra are enhancing its capabilities. While it doesn’t yet have the extensive third-party ecosystem that Elementor does, it’s catching up quickly, and new add-ons are constantly being developed to make Gutenberg more versatile.

Responsiveness

With so many users browsing on mobile devices, responsiveness is more important than ever. Elementor offers advanced responsive design controls, letting you easily tweak your site’s appearance on different devices like desktops, tablets, and mobile phones. You can even hide or display certain elements based on the device.

Gutenberg has basic responsive settings, but it’s not as advanced as Elementor. Most of the responsive design relies on your theme’s settings rather than the block editor itself, giving you less control over how your site looks across devices.

Compatibility with Themes and Plugins

Elementor is designed to work with almost any WordPress theme and plugin. It gives you full control over your design, no matter which theme you are using. This flexibility is one of the reasons Elementor is so popular.

Gutenberg, being part of WordPress itself, integrates seamlessly with most WordPress themes and plugins. However, since it’s built to follow your theme’s structure, you have less control over the design unless you use a theme that’s specifically built for block editing or enhance Gutenberg with plugins.

Pricing Comparison

Gutenberg

• Free Features: Gutenberg comes as the default WordPress block editor, so it’s completely free to use with WordPress. You can create pages and posts using its block system without paying anything.
• Limitations: While Gutenberg is free, its features are more basic compared to Elementor. For advanced customization or design features, you may need to use third-party plugins or add-ons, some of which may come at a cost.

Elementor

• Free Features: Elementor offers a free version that includes basic widgets, templates, and design capabilities. It’s enough for simple page designs, but you’ll be limited in terms of customization and advanced functionality.
• Pro Version: Elementor Pro offers more advanced features, including premium widgets, theme builder, WooCommerce builder, pop-up builder, and more. It comes in tiered pricing:
  • Essential: $59/year for 1 website.
  • Advanced: $99/year for 3 websites.
  • Expert: $199/year for 25 websites.
  • Agency: $399/year for 1,000 websites.

Use Cases: Who Should Choose Which?

Choosing between Elementor and Gutenberg depends on your specific needs and experience level. Let’s break down which users each tool is best suited for:

Beginners

If you are new to WordPress or website building, Elementor is a better choice. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly, allowing you to create visually appealing websites without any coding knowledge. Elementor provides pre-designed templates and extensive design options, making it easier for beginners to build professional-looking sites quickly, without being overwhelmed by technicalities.

Advanced Users and Designers

For advanced users and designers who want more control over performance and SEO, Gutenberg is the superior option. Its block-based editor offers a lightweight and highly customizable framework, making it ideal for building complex layouts without sacrificing speed. With Gutenberg, experienced users can fine-tune their designs and content structure while ensuring their site remains optimized for performance.

Agencies and Developers

Agencies and freelance WordPress developers will likely prefer Elementor for its flexibility and time-saving features. Elementor’s Pro version comes with pre-made templates, widgets, and the ability to create custom design systems that can be reused across multiple projects. This makes it an excellent choice for agencies managing multiple clients, as it speeds up the design process without sacrificing quality.

E-commerce Sites

If you are building an online store, both builders can work, but Elementor may have the edge due to its integration with WooCommerce and its ability to create visually appealing, customized product pages. While Gutenberg does offer WooCommerce blocks, Elementor provides more control over product layouts and sales pages, which can lead to a more engaging shopping experience.

Content Creators and Bloggers

In case your primary focus is content creation—such as blogs or editorial websites—Gutenberg could be a more straightforward solution. Since it’s lightweight and integrated into WordPress, it’s easy to write, edit, and manage content without needing extensive design features. Gutenberg’s focus on speed and performance is also a bonus for content-heavy sites.

Future-Proofing

When choosing between Elementor and Gutenberg, it’s important to consider how each tool will evolve in the future. Both builders are constantly improving, but their development paths have some key differences.

Gutenberg’s Roadmap

As the native WordPress editor, Gutenberg is directly tied to the future of WordPress itself. The WordPress team is committed to enhancing Gutenberg’s capabilities, with ongoing improvements planned to make it more powerful and versatile. Future updates will likely focus on deeper integration with WordPress core features, improved customization options, and a broader range of blocks and templates.

The WordPress community has also been actively developing plugins that extend Gutenberg’s functionality, so it’s becoming a more viable choice even for more complex websites. Since Gutenberg is baked into WordPress, you can be confident that it will continue to evolve in sync with the platform, making it a solid long-term choice.

Elementor’s Growth

Elementor has built a large and dedicated user base, and it continues to grow in popularity. The team behind Elementor regularly releases updates to improve performance, introduce new features, and address any compatibility issues with WordPress. They are also keeping pace with Gutenberg’s advancements by offering more customization options, templates, and third-party integrations.

However, with Gutenberg gaining momentum and becoming more robust, Elementor faces increased competition. To stay ahead, Elementor is likely to continue innovating, offering features that cater to advanced users, agencies, and those needing higher levels of design control. Elementor’s dedicated support team and community-driven development ensure it remains competitive in a rapidly changing landscape.

Final Thought

Both builders are investing in their futures, but the key difference is that Gutenberg will always be part of WordPress’s core development, while Elementor must continue to innovate to maintain its edge. If you want something that evolves with WordPress, Gutenberg is a safe bet. However, if you need cutting-edge design features and are willing to keep up with Elementor’s updates, Elementor remains a strong and reliable choice.

Final Verdict: Which is Right for You?

Choosing between Elementor and Gutenberg ultimately depends on what you need from your website builder. Here’s a quick recap of which tool is best suited for different users:

Gutenberg is Ideal For:

• Advanced websites that need a streamlined, block-based editor without sacrificing performance. Gutenberg’s flexible structure allows developers to create dynamic layouts while maintaining fast load times and scalability.
• Content creators who need an efficient, user-friendly tool to publish articles, media, and other content quickly. Gutenberg simplifies the process, making it easy to produce visually appealing content without complex design steps.
• SEO & performance-focused users who want a lightweight solution that enhances their website’s speed and search engine rankings. Gutenberg’s clean code and optimized structure make it ideal for those looking to prioritize both SEO and performance.

Elementor is Ideal For:

• Designers and agencies who need advanced control over the design and layout of every page. Elementor gives you the flexibility to create highly customized, professional-looking sites without touching code.
• Businesses and e-commerce sites that need more complex features like WooCommerce integration, landing page design, or tailored product pages. Elementor Pro adds premium features that help create a polished, conversion-focused website.
• Users who prioritize design flexibility and want to build visually stunning websites with ease. Elementor’s vast template library and customization tools make it ideal for those who care deeply about how their site looks and feels.

Decision-Making Guide

• If you need simple, fast, and lightweight performance: Gutenberg is the way to go. It’s ideal for content-driven sites where speed and integration matter more than complex design elements.
• If design control and customization are your top priorities: Elementor is the better choice. Its flexibility allows you to create unique, personalized designs without needing advanced coding skills.
• Consider your budget: Gutenberg is free, while Elementor offers more features at a cost with its Pro version. If you’re on a tight budget and don’t need a ton of features, Gutenberg could save you some money.

Conclusion

Both Elementor and Gutenberg are excellent tools, but the best one for you depends on your goals. If you want maximum design flexibility and are willing to invest in premium features, go with Elementor. If you prefer simplicity, fast performance, and a solution that’s built into WordPress, Gutenberg is the way to go. Ultimately, both can help you build an impressive WordPress site, so it comes down to what works best for your specific needs.