Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi WordPress Page Builders Compared

Breakdance, Divi, and Elementor are all pretty popular WordPress page builders. We've compared their best features to highlight who they're really made for. Here's our honest comparison and review.

Angel Cuala

Updated August 20, 2023

breakdance divi elementor fighting

breakdance divi elementor fighting

Reading Time: 15 minutes

If you're looking to add more flexibility to your WordPress experience, consider swapping out the classic editor for a WordPress page builder. Without a doubt, Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi are some of the best builders on the market today.

To figure out the best WordPress page builder for your needs, it's important to examine their features and really figure out exactly what you're looking for.

Is it speed? features? pre-built themes?

Also it's very important to consider your own website building skills and budget. There's a lot to think about, but don't get overwhelmed. We put everything we know into comparing the three.

History and Background

Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi are pretty unique builders. The company and history behind each are quite interesting. Like new kids on the block, Breakdance has hit the ground running, showing great promise over the last year. Elementor is the popular choice, boasting the most users and being around for a damn long time. Divi keeps its appeal by offering a wide selection of ready-to-use website layouts, making it super easy for anyone to create a stunning website, even without coding skills.

Breakdance

Breakdance Builder was released in September 2022 by Soflyy, the same software company that created the Oxygen Builder (the more advanced page builder of the two). Initially, there was a decent amount of controversy among Oxygen users who thought Breakdance might replace Oxygen, but that's been cleared up as they're separate products completely.

Soflyy knows exactly what WordPress users want in a page builder. Breakdance has been making great strides, including the introduction of new templates, features, and community ideas. In under a year the builder has gained thousands of users & members across their social channels. It gets updated constantly fixing bugs & releasing new features. Learn more about Breakdance.

Elementor

When it comes to popularity, Elementor takes the crown as the most widely used website builder today.

Founded in 2016 by Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein, their success is evident in the tremendous growth of their user base. From powering 1 million websites in July 2018 to 13.4 million websites today, they're really massive.

Elementor has created a thriving community with over 140,000 members worldwide. Their official Facebook page has more than 230,000 followers. They have over 5 million active free installations across sites around the world

In 2022 alone, there were more than 220 meet-ups organized by Elementor users. It's huge. There's a massive community around it & has tons of support options.

Divi

Divi Builder, created by Elegant Themes, initially served as an exclusive feature of the Divi Theme until 2015. After that, it was released as a standalone WordPress page builder plugin.

Although Divi is only a year older than Elementor, it has a lot less users than Elementor at 4 million (compared to 13). Possibly because Divi doesn't have a free version, but I'm not quite sure.

Divi currently has over 2,000 premade website layouts, spanning across 10 categories. You can create stunning websites with 0 coding experience. Themes are a massive time saver for a quick WordPress website setup.

User Interface and Experience

Breakdance

When you dive into Breakdance, you'll be greeted with a user interface that's incredibly intuitive. You might get thrown off initially because Breakdance suggests disabling your theme. They ask you to do this so you fully build with Breakdance.

These sites are faster, don't include bloat, and a lot more responsive if you fully switch to building in Breakdance (compared to Breakdance built on top of some other theme).

Breakdance is designed with user-friendliness in mind, especially for beginners who have no coding knowledge. I've shown the builder to family members who were able to create their first website in just a few hours.

What's great about Breakdance is even advanced users can appreciate its simplicity. The drag-and-drop editor makes creating web pages a breeze. You can effortlessly add, delete, and rearrange elements on your pages.

Need to add some custom code? You can do that too.

Breakdance gives you the freedom to design your website exactly how you want it, starting from scratch.

Elementor

Elementor also has a fairly nice interface that goes easy on the eyes. The menu options are neatly placed on the left side, while the rest of the page offers a wide white space for your site design.

In the middle, you'll find two prominent buttons – one for adding a new section and the other for adding a new template. You can even hide the sidebar and enjoy a full-screen view of your actual web page.

Just like Breakdance, Elementor provides full theme-building support and is beginner-friendly. The main distinction is that Breakdance is themeless, while Elementor has a huge library with pre-built themes.

Also, if you opt for Elementor Pro (the paid version), you can take advantage of the Elementor theme builder, which expands your customization options even further.

Divi

Divi takes a slightly different approach. When you launch Divi, you're presented with two options – the Default Editor and the Visual Builder. The Default Editor is the Classic Divi Builder, while the Visual Builder gives you a live visual preview which is easier to use & more flexible.

In Divi's Visual Builder, you won't find a sidebar on the left. Instead, you'll only see the elements (or modules) you need at the moment. Adding them to your page is a breeze with the various "+" icons available.

While Divi has tons of themes available for the builder, its interface might be a bit confusing for beginners or those who have gotten used to the standard WordPress editor.

Core Features & Intended Audience

Breakdance

Despite being new to the scene, Breakdance Builder packs a punch with everything it offers. You'll have access to a drag-and-drop editor, a full theme builder, a mega menu builder, a powerful form builder, and the ability to edit your entire site. Plus, with over 130 builder elements and seamless integration with WooCommerce, you'll have everything you need to create stunning websites.

Breakdance is particularly suited for beginners in the blogging and small business world who may not have much experience with website design. The "themeless" feature allows you to quickly build websites without any hassle. If you're a web developer, the Client mode is a game-changer, offering your clients the flexibility to edit text and images without impacting the overall design.

Elementor

Besides a form builder, popup builder, landing page builder, and dynamic content options, one of Elementor's standout features is its HUGE library of templates. When I started developing websites I used ThemeForest and was able to find years worth of themes to work with.

Elementor also has 300+ designer-made templates, tons of add-ons available, and offers a WooCommerce builder.

As an open-source page builder, Elementor allows developers to extend a website's functionality, making it another popular choice for e-commerce sites.

Divi

With 318 Layout Packs, over 2,000 full-page templates, and more than 250 pre-built elements, Divi gives you an extensive range of design options. You also have the option to purchase lifetime access with a one-time payment.

Unique Features

Breakdance

Breakdance stands out with its "themeless" option, giving you complete control over designing your website. You can customize headers, footers, and pages exactly the way you want. This feature also helps keep your site lean and free from unnecessary bloat.

On the other hand, Elementor allows you to use its Hello theme, a lightweight option using only 6KB of resources. Kind of the same idea here. I've had way better luck creating faster websites with Breakdance than Elementor. Most themes really just aren't made properly

Elementor

Elementor really wins in the theme/library. They also have something pretty unique: Elementor Hosting. It's a WordPress hosting service just directly provided by Elementor. They offer different pricing options, from Basic to Scale, depending on the number of websites you want to host with them.

Divi

Divi has a built-in page split testing. With the Divi Leads tool, you can create two versions of the same page to measure metrics. You can make changes to the headline, content, or the entire page.

Breakdance and Elementor also support split testing, but you'll need a third-party plugin to do it.

Customization and Flexibility

When it comes to customization, all three page builders - Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi - offer a great deal of flexibility.

You have the freedom to customize elements, page layouts, and templates according to your preferences. However, the level of customization and the steps involved may differ based on the specific features of each builder. Breakdance is relatively new, so you can expect some limitations compared to Elementor and Divi.

Performance and Optimization

Breakdance

Breakdance Builder has an advantage over Elementor and Divi when it comes to speed and performance. Its clean code and efficient architecture mean that you don't need to rely on a bunch of plugins.

This makes Breakdance super lightweight and free from unnecessary bloat, resulting in faster-loading pages. Not only does this enhance the overall user experience, but also page conversion rates.

Elementor

Elementor used to be known for its speed and performance, but that's taken a turn for the worse over the years. The culprit is often unnecessary scripts and plugins that add unnecessary weight to the site, especially with garbage themes. While some users attribute the issue to hosting, it's actually the extra code that gets loaded on pages that make things overly bloated.

Divi

When it comes to performance, Divi Builder tends to be the slowest among the three options. Despite having performance optimization features like the Dynamic Module Framework and Dynamic CSS, they are not enough to overcome the inherent issues.

Similar to Elementor, Divi has a lot of code and adds unnecessary CSS, and some users tend to install multiple plugins that serve the same purpose, further impacting performance.

Breakdance vs Elementor vs Divi Speed Test Results

In one of our earlier blog posts, we took a closer look at the performance of Breakdance and Elementor. Our findings indicated that Breakdance had a slight edge in terms of speed. We conducted the testing with and without WP Rocket to evaluate the impact of caching. Here's that same table:

Breakdance

Breakdance (WP Rocket)

Elementor

Elementor (WP Rocket)

FCP

511ms

488ms

523ms

539ms

Time to Interactive

547ms

  541ms

  548ms

  574ms

Speed Index

1.0s

606ms

1.1s

632ms

LCP

600ms

576ms

597ms

591ms

CLS

0

0

0

0

Fully Loaded

1.3ms

  967ms

1.8s

2.1s

Performance (GT)

93%

  96%

88%

90%

Structure (GT)

94%

  96%

80%

83%

Additionally, WPRocket and CodeinWP also conducted their own speed tests that show Elementor tends to be faster than Divi:

KPIs (mobile performance)

Divi

Elementor

PageSpeed mobile score

75/100

83/100

Total Loading time

4.9 s

  4.4 s

First Contentful Paint

3.3 s 

4.8 s 

Largest Contentful Paint*

4.7 s

3.3 s

Cumulative Layout Shift*

0.980 s 

0.026 s 

Speed Index

6.8 s

4.7 s

Total Blocking Time

110 ms

30 ms

Total page size

1.94MB

0.96 MB

HTTP requests

18

39

*Core Web Vitals

Table Credit: WP Rocket

Elementor

Divi

Loading time

0.653 seconds

 0.664 seconds

Page Size

140 KB

135 KB

Requests

28

14

Total page size

1.94MB

0.96 MB

Table Credit: CodeinWP

Here are posts of some frustrated Divi users who switched to either Elementor or Breakdance.

Integrations and Extensions

Breakdance

Among the three, Breakdance has the least number of integrations. This is not just because Breakdance is new, but also because you really don’t need a lot of them. Aside from WooCommerce, here are 4 free and paid add-ons for Breakdance users:

Elementor

Meanwhile, Elementor has the most free and paid add-ons compared to Breakdance and Divi. So far, there are at least 30 extensions for Elementor. Below are just some of the best ones:

  • Crocoblock
  • Designer Power Up
  • Dynamic.ooo
  • Mighty Addons
  • Elements Kits
  • Envato Elements
  • Essential Addons
  • Happy Addons
  • PowerPack
  • Premium Addons
  • ThePlus Addons
  • Ultimate Addons

You can view everything else on Elementor’s Addons page.

Divi

Divi lands second to Elementor in terms of the number of available extensions. Most of them are third-party plugins, with some being paid while others are free. Here's a few of them:

  • Divi Blog Extras
  • Divi Booster
  • Divi Carousel Module
  • Divi Essential
  • Divi Events Calendar
  • Divi Masonry Gallery
  • Divi Pixel
  • Divi Plus
  • Divi Social Sharing Buttons
  • Divi Supreme Pro
  • Divi Switch
  • Divi Toolbox

If you want to check out every extension, visit Divi’s Marketplace.

Community and Support

Breakdance

Breakdance may be young, but it has quite a quick growing community on social media. Currently, the Breakdance Facebook has an active membership of over 7 thousand. It's a great place to ask questions and get quick and helpful answers, even the CEO is active.

Builder also offers extensive documentation and video tutorials on their website and YouTube channel. While they don't provide 24/7 support, you can still reach out to them through their Contact page via email. Rest assured, if you ever need assistance, Breakdance has your back and won't leave you hanging.

Elementor

Elementor provides users with tons. There's a ton of YouTubers that also make videos on Elementor since it's just got such a large following. Officially, they have an extensive knowledge base, an Academy Learning Center, and an official YouTube channel with over 300k subscribers. On top of that, the Global Elementor Community FB group boasts a whopping 140K+ members, including 53 group experts. So I think it's safe to say you won't have to feel worried about support.

If you have an Elementor account, you can ask your questions through their Contact page. The best part is that Elementor Pro users receive Premium Support, available 24/7, great for newer designers or frequent developers.

Divi

While Divi Builder doesn't have an official Facebook group page, there are Facebook groups dedicated to the Divi Theme. Additionally, their official YouTube channel offers a wide range of video tutorials, although some may focus on WordPress plugins. Divi also provides helpful Documentation.

Divi does offer 24/7 Live Chat support if you purchase one of their paid plans. If you're looking for faster and enhanced support, becoming a Divi VIP member is an option, which costs $6 a month. 

Pricing

Breakdance

Breakdance offers a free version available for use on unlimited sites, just offering limited features. They also provide a free trial, but it's only applicable to a sandbox website, which means it'll get deleted about an hour after you quit. If you want all the features, upgrade to pro.

Breakdance Builder Pro has a single price plan of $149 per year which is expected to increase soon. This plan is suitable for unlimited websites, including client sites, and it comes with a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

While the price is reasonable, it might seem a bit high if you only have one website. I think it's well worth it though.

Elementor

Elementor follows a freemium pricing model, meaning it has a free version as well as the paid version called Elementor Pro.

Elementor Pro offers four pricing plans: ranging from $55 to $399 a year. All plans provide the same features but differ in the number of websites you can use them on. Unlike Breakdance, Elementor does not offer a plan for a truly unlimited number of websites.

Divi

Divi doesn't offer a free version, they just have two pricing plans: the lifetime plan for a $249 and the yearly plan for $89. Both plans allow Divi on an unlimited number of websites and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. In addition to full access to all features, you also get that 24/7 premium support we were talking about earlier.

Considering the pricing, Divi is generally cheaper than Breakdance, especially if you only have one website. Both Divi plans are also more affordable than Elementor's Agency plan, especially if you have a ton of agency websites.

Keep in mind that choosing the right page builder is not solely about the price. It's important to consider other so many other factors as well, such as the user-friendliness, speed, and potential of the page builder.

Breakdance

Elementor

Divi

Free Version

Premium Price

$149

  $59 / $99 / $199 / $399

  $89 / $249

Money Back Guarantee

60 Days

30 Days

30 Days

Unlimited Websites

Lifetime License

Yes*

* Divi Builder has two pricing plans – the year plan and the lifetime license.

Pros and Cons

When it comes to speed and performance, Breakdance takes the lead, surpassing both Elementor and Divi. If you prioritize a fast and efficient website-building experience, Breakdance is the way to go.

However, if you're looking for a wide range of templates and a plethora of add-on options, Elementor might be a better fit for you. It offers a vast library of templates and an extensive selection of add-ons to enhance your website.

Divi shines when it comes to budget-conscious users. It offers affordability and the convenience of sticking with the same page builder throughout your website-building journey.

On the downside, Elementor has limitations on the number of websites you can create, and some users have reported that it tends to slow down over time. As for Divi, while it has its advantages, it also has a steep learning curve, particularly for beginners who are new to website building.

Pros

Cons

Breakdance

  • Drag-and-drop interface

  • Beginner-Friendly

  • Very fast

  • Unlimited websites

  • 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee

  • No lifetime license

  • Limited design options

  • Few Add-ons

  • Limited customization options

  • Not cost-friendly if you have a few sites

Elementor

  • Drag-and-drop interface

  • Huge library of templates

  • Wide community and support

  • No lifetime license

  • Not so fast

  • Limited websites

  • Free version has very limited features

  • Not so beginner-friendly

Divi

  • Drag-and-drop interface

  • Huge library of templates

  • Unlimited websites

  • Lifetime License option

  • Lots of customization options

  • Built-in split testing

  • Not Beginner-friendly

  • Not so fast

  • No free version

  • shortcode-dependent (difficult to change theme)

  • No official Facebook group page

  • Poor community

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi are all good options to choose from if you want a powerful WordPress website. Each builder differs in their approach and target audience. When deciding which one to choose, you really do have to consider various before sticking with one, including your own skills.

Elementor and Divi have been around for years and have pretty much cemented themselves. Breakdance is relatively new and has plenty of room for improvement. Soflyy, the company behind Breakdance, has a wealth of experience with their first page builder, Oxygen, and they know their way around the game.

I'll admit, my personal preference is Breakdance. It's not only incredibly user-friendly but also impressively fast. I love it for WooCommerce as well. While Elementor and Divi may be more popular choices, I think Breakdance will eventually surpass them in the coming years. I genuinely believe that Breakdance is on its way to the top and will continue to get better and better, but the ultimate choice is up to you. Happy building!

Want to Learn Even More?

If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our free newsletter where we share tips & tricks on how to use tech & AI to grow and optimize your business, career, and life.


Written by Angel Cuala

Angel Cuala has been a full-time SEO writer since 2008 and writes about various topics. He has reviewed different products, including business software and AI tools. When not in front of his computer, Angel loves to cook and play chess.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments