Pros and Cons of Page Builders

There are a lot of page builders out there — Webflow, Squarespace, Wix, Divi, Gutenberg, and a handful of others. But for this post, I want to focus on WordPress and, more specifically, the debate I hear all the time:

Should you build your site with a page builder like Elementor? Or should you invest in a fully custom theme?

I’ve worked with both approaches for years, and like most things in the web world, there’s no single right answer. Each comes with its own strengths, limitations, and tradeoffs. My goal here is to help you understand those differences so you can make a decision that actually fits your needs.

‍

Let’s Start with Elementor

I’ll be honest:
I love Elementor.

It has come a long way since the early days. The integration with tools like Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), WooCommerce, and a growing ecosystem of addons has made Elementor incredibly powerful — far more customizable than most people realize.

It hits a really nice sweet spot:

• easy enough for a non-technical user to update their own pages
• flexible enough for a developer to build something fully custom

If you’ve ever tried editing a WordPress site that was hard-coded into a template, you know how painful it can be to change even a single line of copy. Elementor solves that. You can visually build sections, adjust layouts, drag in widgets, and preview everything in real time — and as a developer, I can create reusable templates so one design powers multiple pages without extra effort.
‍

‍

Pros of Elementor
‍

• Easy for non-developers to use
• Integrates beautifully with ACF
• Great WooCommerce support
• Tons of widgets and design options
• Quick to build and iterate
• Flexible enough for custom design work

To put it simply: it gives you control without requiring you to write code every time you need to make a change.

‍

Cons of Elementor

As much as I like Elementor, it’s not perfect.

• It’s not the lightest builder out there — there’s code bloat
• You may need additional plugins to unlock certain functionality
• More plugins means higher yearly costs and additional maintenance
• Performance can take a hit if you don’t optimize things correctly with a caching plugin like WPRocket or Perfmatters

The good news is that most of these issues are manageable. Smart caching, compression, image optimization, and a clean hosting environment can take a bloated Elementor site and make it run pretty smoothly. But if raw performance is your top priority, you’ll want to keep these things in mind.

‍

Now, Let’s Talk About Custom-Built Themes

A fully custom WordPress theme is the complete opposite of a page builder. Instead of dragging and dropping modules, everything is built from the ground up — the layout, templates, structure, logic, and styling.

This approach is often used for larger websites, platforms that need very specific functionality, or companies with strict design systems.

‍

Pros of a Custom Theme
‍

• Extremely clean code
• Faster performance (no page builder overhead)
• More control over every detail
• Better long-term scalability
• No reliance on third-party builder plugins

Because there’s no visual builder loading scripts or styling behind the scenes, a custom theme is almost always going to be lighter and more efficient. Developers love this because they can build exactly what the project needs without compromise.

‍

Cons of a Custom Theme

This is where reality kicks in.

• Longer development time
• Harder to update unless you’re technical
• Simple changes sometimes require developer involvement
• No visual interface for everyday edits

This last point is important.

For many clients, not being able to update their own site is a real pain point. Even changing a headline or adding a new page can require custom coding if it's not built for flexibility.

That’s not a deal-breaker for everyone, but it’s something to think about.

‍

So… Which One Should You Choose?

Here’s the simple version:

If you want:

• the ability to update your own site
• fast build time
• flexibility
• integration with ACF and WooCommerce
• and a balance of control + ease-of-use

→ Elementor is usually the right choice.

If you want:

• maximal performance
• a fully tailored codebase
• a developer-driven approach
• or you’re building something complex enough that a builder would get in the way

→ A custom theme makes more sense.

Neither option is “better.” They’re just different tools for different needs.

‍

My Approach

I use Elementor for many WordPress builds because it gives my clients control while still allowing me to create custom layouts, reusable templates, and ACF-driven content. Most of the businesses I work with are small to medium sized, where speed and cost typically outweigh ultra-optimized custom performance — and Elementor hits that balance perfectly.

That said, if you’re a large organization with high traffic and the ability to invest more time and resources, a custom theme may be the right route. It gives you tighter performance engineering, deeper flexibility, and more scalability.

If you're unsure which approach makes sense for your situation, feel free to reach out. I’m always happy to walk through the trade-offs, even if we don’t end up working together.

‍