Tools we use:

Page Builders

Page Builders allow you to visually create your page through drag and drop design. There are several great drag and drop page builder plugins available for your church's website. They allow you to customize every component on your site without writing a single line of code.  Think of it as boxes inside of boxes inside of boxes.

Each of these plugins is the best of the best. It really comes down to preference. Also, Beaver Builder and Elementor have free versions in the WordPress plugin repository that you can play around with before committing.

For the past three years Beaver Builder has been my go-to page builder. Beaver Builder is an intuitive, user friendly page builder. It has revolutionized my workflow when designing a new website. I am a raving fan! After working with close to a dozen page builders, in my opinion, nothing touches the Beaver Builder ecosystem (builder, themer, theme, addons).

  • Live front end page builder.
  • Best support for a plugin I've experienced.
  • Great Addons via PowerPack and UABB.
  • Template library (also in the addons).
  • Works with any theme.
  • Use Themer to create custom post type layouts, headers, and footers.
  • Use on unlimited number of sites.

Price Structure:
Page Builder (Standard): $99/yr with 40% renewal discount
Page Builder + BB Theme (Pro): $199/yr with 40% renewal discount

Beaver Themer: $140/yr with 40% renewal discount

Elementor emerged about a year after Beaver Builder did. They are very comparable products. I feel that Beaver Builder is easier to use and more developer friendly while Elementor has more visual appeal and can be used without much tweaking to achieve a more stunning design.

  • Front end page builder.
  • Extensive designer features (without touching any CSS)
  • Template and Block library.
  • Current design trend savvy.
  • Visually appealing front end builder.
  • Create custom post layouts, headers, footers using the builder.
  • Their 'version' of Themer isn't an extra purchase.

A drawback for me is that Elementor doesn't have a dedicated theme like BB and only their top tier has unlimited sites (which isn't a big deal unless you are building multiple sites).

Price Structure:
Page Builder + Theme Builder: $49/year with 25% renewal discount

Divi is one of the original names in Themes + Page Builder combos for WordPress. It has years of history and a huge base of users. Unlike some other 'originals' Divi has continued to innovate along the way. The biggest perk of using this page builder is that you get ALL of Elegant Theme's plugins and themes, not just the Divi Builder.

  • Options just for churches! Our friends at Churchly have integrated the Church Pro plugin with Divi to make building your church site even easier.
  • Very customizable theme (can be a little overwhelming if you dive in head first).
  • Buying the theme comes packaged with Divi's page builder and other helpful plugins. Great 'bang for your buck.'
  • Support isn't amazing, but the community around Divi makes up for it.

Price Structure:
Divi: $89/yr or $249/lifetime
Churchly: $99/yr

Don't Use These

Knowing what NOT to use is sometimes as important as know what TO use. Save yourself some time, money and frustration. Now, innovation is the name of the game in WordPress world. If you think some of these have upped their game and can compete with something like Beaver Builder or Elementor, drop me a line and I'll give it another swing! Honestly, some of these wouldn't be bad if the options above weren't so flipping good!

  • WP Bakery (Visual Composer)
  • Site Orgin
  • Themify Builder
  • Cornerstone (X Theme)
  • Brizy
  • Anything built for just one theme.