Elementor is probably the most popular and user-friendly WordPress page builder out there. The WordPress plugin offers unlimited design possibilities.

Moreover, the free version of Elementor is good enough for many users.

But, if you have been using Elementor for a while, you might have thought, “Should I stick to the free version or shift to the pro one?”.

In this Elementor free vs pro review, you will learn:

  1. How is the Elementor pro version of the WordPress page builder different from the Elementor free version?
  2. When should you shift to the Elementor pro version
  3. The pricing structure of Elementor pro

Let’s dive in.

Elementor Free vs Pro: Prominent Differences

Let’s talk about the features that set both versions apart.

For starters, when you upgrade to the Elementor pro version of the software, you obviously get additional add-ons.

But, that’s about it; everything else remains the same. So, when you upgrade, it doesn’t affect any of your existing web pages.

Elementor Pro Widgets and Features

If you have ever used Elementor free version, you would recognize the following widgets.

Elementor free
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Source: Elementor.com

These are the essential widgets that you need to create a professional website. So, they are more than enough in many cases.

But, of course, there is a pro version of the plugin that offers more widgets. Below is an image showing the Elementor pro widgets that you get when you become a pro user.

elementor pro
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Source: Elementor.com

But, that’s not it. When you upgrade to the Elementor pro version, you also get the following WooCommerce builder widgets.

elementor woocommerce
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Source: Elementor.com

You won’t probably require all of these widgets. But, they add to the ease and functionality of your WordPress site.

Moreover, Elementor pro offers so many features that you won’t have to use some other plugins, which will keep things simple.

For instance, Elementor pro’s form builder widget eliminates the need for a dedicated form builder plugin. Similarly, you will be able to showcase your latest blog posts in a grid using the plugin’s posts widget.

Using just the two widgets, you’d be avoiding two different plugins. This will also ensure a faster-loading website.

You don’t have to get Elementor pro to get more widgets, though. Plugins like Ultimate Addons for Elementor also add more features to your free website builder’s arsenal but require more plugins.

Unlock the Template Library with Elementor Pro

Elementor comes with a lot of gorgeous templates and blocks that you can use as starting points for building web pages.

But, most of these templates are limited to Elementor pro users only.

Elementor template library
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Source: Elementor.com

Similarly, Elementor blocks are pretty useful when you want to change different sections of a web page.

For instance, maybe a template you like doesn’t have a specific section. You could add that section wherever you want on your site.

elementor blocks
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Elementor Visual Form Builder

elementor form builder
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Source: Elementor.com

One of the most important reasons why designers opt for Elementor pro is its visual form builder widget.

It’s effective and easy to use. Plus, you don’t have to install any third-party plugin to create eye-catching forms.

After all, lead generation is the backbone of any online business. And, great-looking forms help you with lead generation.   

Advanced Customization

elementor theme builder
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Source: Elementor.com

Using Elementor pro theme builder, you can control every little aspect of your website’s design and functionality.

The best thing is, you don’t need any coding knowledge or experience. With Elementor, everything is as easy as drag and drop, literally.

You can create single posts, single pages, customer headers, and custom footers with ease, irrespective of what WordPress theme you are using.

Not only that, but with Elementor’s WooCommerce builder, you can even change the appearance of your online store as well.

Post Builder

Blogging is an incredibly effective way to generate high-quality leads. And, a well-designed blog post catches users’ attention and keeps them hooked to the content.

Elementor’s post-builder lets you design attractive posts and offers a lot of templates to work with.

With Elementor Pro, you have the flexibility to completely design your website’s header and footer. The plugin comes with more than 25 header-footer blocks that you can customize according to your needs.

Moreover, these blocks work with virtually every WordPress theme.

But, you don’t have to use these header and footer templates. Elementor Pro also allows you to build these areas of your website from scratch.

elementor popup builder
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Source: Elementor.com

The Elementor Pro popup builder lets you create all types of popups, including:

  • Lead capture forms
  • Subscription forms
  • Announcements
  • Ad banners
  • And, more

You can work with different popup templates to create a customized one for yourself. Plus, Elementor lets you showcase these popups on certain pages in response to particular triggers.

For instance, showing a popup form right when your page fully loads.

WooCommerce Store Builder

elementor woocommerce builder
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Elementor pro’s WooCommerce builder lets you customize every aspect of your store’s design, irrespective of the WordPress theme you are using.

Some of the most useful widgets include:

  • Add to cart button
  • Upsells
  • Product title and description
  • Product stock
  • Product stock
  • Product price
  • Product rating

You could also use already-built templates to create custom elements for your store.

Integrations

Elementor Pro lets you integrate other marketing and CRM tools into your site seamlessly. Here are a few examples:

  • AWeber
  • Convertkit
  • ActiveCampaign
  • HubSpot
  • MailChimp
  • Zapier

WordPress Plugins

  • Rank Math
  • WooCommerce
  • YOAST
  • Toolset
  • LearnDash

There are a lot more extra features that you get with Elementor pro. Here are a few more:

Live custom CSS: While the free version of Elementor allows you to add custom CSS to any page, the pro version lets you make changes to the individual widgets and sections.

Custom fonts: You can even add custom fonts when you are an Elementor pro user.

Motion effects: You could create gorgeous motion effects with the Elementor pro version. These include:

  • Parallax effect
  • Rotate
  • Scale
  • Transparency
  • Blur
  • 3D tilt

Global widgets: Saves a lot of time when you intend to use the same widgets on multiple pages.

Embed Anywhere: This Lets you embed Elementor templates anywhere you want on your site.

This was all about the additional features you get when you upgrade to Elementor pro.

Let’s now take a look at Elementor free vs pro in a tabular form.   

Elementor FeaturesElementor FreeElementor Pro
Drag and drop editorYesYes
Number of Widgets3090+
Theme builderNoYes
Mobile editingNoYes
Premium supportNoYes
Custom fontsNoYes
Custom CSSNoYes
Sliders and carouselsNoYes
Popup builderNoYes
Sticky elementsNoYes
Social buttons and IntegrationsNoYes
Form widgetNoYes
Call to action widgetNoYes
Theme elementsNoYes
Header and footerNoYes
404 pageNoYes
Single postNoYes
Archive pageNoYes
Role managerNoYes
Contact formsNoYes
Subscription formsNoYes
Login formNoYes
Sticky headerNoYes

When Should You Stick to Elementor Free?

You will be happy with the free version of Elementor if:

  • You just want to design basic websites and don’t need advanced Elementor features like forms and pricing tables
  • You don’t need to edit individual sections and widgets with custom CSS
  • Your theme is a flexible one. Good themes allow you to customize the look and feel of your site

Elementor Free VS Pro: When Should You Upgrade?

You will be happier with Elementor pro when you:

  • Want to create complex web pages and content without using code
  • Want to use WooCommerce builder to create online stores. Elementor pro WooCommerce widgets provide great flexibility
  • Like using CSS for individual widgets and sections of your website
  • Want to create your theme using Elementor pro theme builder
  • Would like to use all the available templates
  • Plan to use global widgets

Elementor Pro: Pricing

Of course, the free version comes completely free, without any strings attached.

Elementor pro comes with a lot of great widgets, enabling you to control almost every aspect of your website.

But, it doesn’t come cheap.

The yearly price of the website builder depends on two main factors:

  • The number of websites you want to create with it
  • The kind of support you want to get

elementor pricing
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Source: Elementor.com

So, it’s pretty clear that you don’t need to invest more than $49/month if you just want to create a single website.

The price can be significantly higher when you add more websites to your plan.

Elementor Free VS Elementor Pro – Final Verdict

Although Elementor free has limited features, it offers everything you need to create a professional website.

If you are new to Elementor, you don’t need to stress out about choosing between its free and pro version.

It’s completely free to get started, so start using the plugin and see if it works for you.

Whenever you feel the need for using advanced widgets and additional features, you can purchase the Elementor pro version.

All you’d have to do is pay for the plan you want and upload the pro version’s file to your site.

So, whether you should stick to the free version or upgrade to a premium one comes down to your requirements.

With final words, I hope this article helps you decide whether you should upgrade to Elementor pro or you will stick to the Elementor free version.

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