Elementor WordPress Tutorial: Free vs Pro, Features, and How to Use It (2025)
Why Choose Elementor for Your WordPress Site?
With WordPress, one name consistently stands out among developers and newcomers alike: Elementor. Moreover, it’s an incredible drag-and-drop page builder plugin that not only makes building websites easy, but also offers professional-level control and flexibility.
Who Can Benefit from Elementor?
Whether you’re a business owner, blogger, or developer, Elementor assists you in creating custom layouts without ever writing a single line of code.
Related: Best WordPress Themes for Elementor in 2025 ????
What You’ll Learn
What is Elementor?
How Elementor Works
Key Features: Free vs Pro
How to Install and Get Started
Pros and Cons
Elementor for Developers
What is Elementor?
Elementor is a WordPress page builder plugin that allows you to build websites in real-time with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor. Since its launch in 2016, Elementor has powered over 10 million websites. As a result, it stands as one of the most widely used tools in the WordPress ecosystem.
Unlike the Gutenberg or Classic Editor, Elementor provides you with an actual “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” (WYSIWYG) experience.
Read more on Elementor’s official website
How Elementor Works
Once installed, Elementor swaps out the default editor for a live visual one. Here’s the process:
Select a page or post to edit.
Press Edit with Elementor.
Drag widgets (text, images, buttons, videos, etc.) onto the canvas.
Customize styling (fonts, spacing, animations).
Preview changes immediately, then publish.
Use Elementor to construct:
Landing pages
Blog layouts
Contact forms
Hero sections
Full WordPress websites
Tip: Use Elementor with WPForms for high-end form-building.
Elementor Free vs Elementor Pro
✅ Elementor Free
Great for simple sites, personal blogs, or small businesses just starting out.
40+ Basic widgets
Responsive controls
Drag-and-drop live editor
Basic templates & blocks
???? Elementor Pro (Paid)
Ideal for developers, agencies, & expanding businesses.
90+ Pro widgets (Forms, Sliders, Price Tables, etc.)
Theme Builder (make headers, footers, single posts, etc.)
WooCommerce Builder
Popup Builder
Custom fonts/icons
Global styling
Premium templates & support
Pricing (2025):
$59/year for 1 website
$199/year for 25 websites
$399/year for 1,000 websites
Want to save money? Try trusted GPL Clubs for Elementor Pro, but use them at your own risk.
???? How to Install Elementor on WordPress
To install Elementor Free:
In your WP Dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.
Search for “Elementor”.
Hit Install Now, then Activate.
To install Elementor Pro:
Buy a license at elementor.com
Download the Pro ZIP file.
Upload through Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Activate and link your license.
Bonus: Take full advantage of compatibility and super fast performance with the Hello Elementor theme.
???? Benefits and Drawbacks of Elementor
✅ Benefits
No Coding Needed
Live Editing to see it live instantly
Huge Widget Library
Responsive Design Features
Massive Community backing and templates
❌ Disadvantages
Can be Slow if not optimized
Steep Learning Curve for beginners
Locked Pro Features
Locked Pro Features
Shortcode Lock-in if changing later
Performance tip: Use Elementor in combination with a caching plugin such as WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache.
???? Elementor for Developers
Is Elementor for power users? Yes.
Add custom widgets through Elementor’s API & Hooks
Connect with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
Apply Custom Post Types and dynamic templates
Construct global templates using the Theme Builder
Enhance client hand-offs with reusable sections and kits
Guide: How to Construct Custom Elementor Widgets
🧱 An explanation of Elementor widgets The essential components for creating any layout are Elementor widgets. Widgets enable the creation of dynamic content blocks, simple images, and headings. While Elementor Pro unlocks more than 90 sophisticated widgets, such as forms, pricing tables, countdown timers, flip boxes, and WooCommerce elements, Elementor Free offers over 40 essential widgets for basic functionality, including text, photos, icons, and videos. Moreover, because each widget is customizable, you can easily change fonts, colors, margins, padding, and even add motion effects to create a unique design. You may save a ton of time by exporting and saving your widget settings for use on other websites. Do you want more authority? With PHP, hooks, and Elementor’s Widget Base class, developers may start from scratch and design unique widgets.
🔧 Pro Tip: Speed Optimization for Elementor Sites
While Elementor gives you creative freedom, heavy designs can slow down your website. Here’s how to keep things fast:
- Stick to lightweight themes like Hello Elementor or Astra
- Disable unused widgets in Elementor settings
- Compress and lazy-load images
- Use caching plugins like LiteSpeed Cache, WP Rocket, or W3 Total Cache
- Minify CSS/JS and enable GZIP compression
Regularly test your performance with tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights and follow their suggestions.