Beaver Builder vs Elementor Comparison 2026
Beaver Builder and Elementor are both WordPress plugins, but they leave different things behind. Beaver Builder's entry tier is $89 a year and keeps content as ordinary WordPress content if you ever switch the plugin off. Elementor's entry tier is cheaper, $5 a month billed annually for one site, and includes a theme builder and dynamic content from the start, but its output carries the shortcode lock-in that makes migrating a site harder later.
A WordPress builder that leaves clean markup
Landing pages built inside WordPress
At a glance
- Elementor starts cheaper, at $5.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Beaver Builder | Elementor | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $89 | From $5 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Not stated |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Beaver Builder
A WordPress builder that leaves clean markup
Beaver Builder is the WordPress page builder chosen by people who care what happens when it is switched off: content stays as ordinary WordPress content rather than collapsing into shortcodes. Licences are annual and cover unlimited sites from the second tier. The white-label option lets an agency hand a site over without its own tooling being visible. The template library is smaller than the flashier builders, which is the trade for the markup being sane.
Our note
Choose this over Divi or Elementor when the site may outlive your involvement with it, because the shortcode lock-in is the thing that hurts a client two years later. If nobody will ever migrate the site, the cheaper unlimited licences elsewhere are the better arithmetic.
Elementor
Landing pages built inside WordPress
Elementor is a visual builder for WordPress, so the landing page and the site it belongs to are the same installation rather than two subscriptions pointing at each other. Templates, a theme builder and dynamic content come on the cheapest plan. Popups, custom CSS and the ecommerce widgets arrive one tier up. Everything here assumes WordPress is already running somewhere, and the hosting bill is separate from this one.
Why people weigh these two
- Elementor instead of Beaver Builder
- The other big WordPress page builder, from $5; far more ready-made layouts, with Beaver Builder's counter being what is left when a builder is switched off.
- Beaver Builder instead of Elementor
- Beaver Builder is also a WordPress builder and leaves clean markup rather than Elementor's own format, priced from $89 against Elementor's $5 starting price.
Which one should you pick
Elementor is for the lower starting price and the faster path to a working landing page inside an existing WordPress install. The entry tier is $5 a month billed annually for one site, though Advanced Solo at $7 a month is the realistic starting point, since that is where popups and custom CSS actually arrive. Hosting is separate either way: this is a plugin, not a hosted platform.
Beaver Builder costs more to start, $89 a year at its entry tier against Elementor's $60, but it is the one built for a site that might outlive your involvement with it. Content stays as ordinary WordPress content rather than collapsing into shortcodes, which is the thing that hurts a client two years later when somebody tries to migrate or switch builders. Pick it for a handover. Pick Elementor instead to save money on a site you intend to keep running yourself.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Beaver Builder or Elementor?
- Elementor. Its entry tier is $5 a month billed annually, or $60 a year, for one site, against Beaver Builder's $89 a year at its own entry tier. Advanced Solo at $7 a month is the tier most people actually need, and it is still cheaper than Beaver Builder.
- What happens to the content if I stop using either plugin?
- With Beaver Builder, it stays as ordinary WordPress content, since that is the entire reason people choose it. Elementor's output carries shortcode lock-in, so a site built on it is harder to migrate away from later.
- Do I need my own WordPress hosting for these?
- Yes, for both. Neither price includes hosting. Beaver Builder and Elementor are plugins that run inside a WordPress install you already have running somewhere, so the real cost is the licence plus a host.
- Which should an agency pick for a site it might hand over later?
- Beaver Builder. Its markup stays ordinary WordPress content when switched off, which matters two years later when a client wants to migrate. Elementor is cheaper up front, but the shortcode lock-in makes that same handover harder.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.