Elementor vs Bricks Builder is one of the most argued-about questions in WordPress circles right now. Someone asks which page builder to use in 2026. Within minutes, the comments split into two camps: the Elementor loyalists and the Bricks Builder converts. Both sides have a point. That’s exactly why this comparison is worth doing properly instead of just picking a winner and moving on.
I’ve built sites on both. Here’s what actually matters when you’re weighing Elementor vs Bricks Builder for your own project, not the marketing copy version.
Elementor vs Bricks Builder: The Quick Answer
Elementor is still the better choice if you want the largest ecosystem and the gentlest learning curve. It also has templates for almost anything. Bricks Builder is the better choice if speed and clean code matter more to you than convenience. It’s also the better fit if you’re comfortable thinking in CSS classes rather than clicking through visual panels. Neither is objectively “better.” They’re built for different priorities.
If that’s enough for you, great. If you want to know why, keep reading.
What Bricks Builder Actually Is
Bricks isn’t a plugin that sits on top of your theme the way Elementor does. It replaces the theme entirely. That single architectural decision explains most of the differences you’ll read about below, from page weight to how templates are structured. Because Bricks doesn’t need to work around an existing theme’s markup, it can generate leaner HTML by default.
It launched a few years ago as a developer-focused alternative to the mainstream builders. Since then, it’s grown a loyal following among freelancers and agencies who build a lot of sites. Shaving milliseconds off load times is a point of pride for that crowd.
Performance and Core Web Vitals
This is where the Elementor vs Bricks Builder debate gets interesting, and where Bricks has built its reputation. Elementor wraps widgets in multiple nested divs to support its visual styling and responsive system. That has historically meant more DOM elements and more CSS than a hand-coded page would need. Bricks, by contrast, renders closer to semantic HTML with far fewer wrapper elements around the same content.
In practical terms, a simple hero section built in Bricks will usually output noticeably fewer DOM elements than the same section built in Elementor. The gap shrinks with careful use of Elementor’s containers and global styles. It doesn’t disappear entirely, though. If page speed is a priority for you, it’s worth reading our guide to improving Elementor performance alongside this comparison.
Elementor has responded to this criticism directly. Its more recent versions moved away from the old section-and-column layout system. They now use Flexbox and CSS Grid based containers instead. This cuts down on unnecessary markup and gives you more control without needing custom CSS. It’s a real improvement. But it’s catching up to where Bricks already was, rather than leapfrogging it.
For interaction speed specifically, the two builders also take different technical approaches. Elementor’s frontend still leans on jQuery for a lot of its interactive elements. Bricks is built on a more modern JavaScript framework instead. If you’re optimizing for Interaction to Next Paint, that architectural choice does show up in testing, particularly on lower-end mobile devices.
Ease of Use and Learning Curve
Here’s where the tables turn on the Elementor vs Bricks Builder question. Elementor’s visual, click-and-drag interface is deliberately built so a non-technical business owner can update their own site without breaking anything. Widgets are labeled clearly, spacing controls are visual sliders, and there’s rarely a moment where you need to know what a CSS class even is. If you’re brand new to the platform, our guide to transitioning to Elementor covers the basics.
Bricks assumes more. Its class-based workflow mirrors how a developer would actually write CSS: you create a class, style it once, and apply it everywhere you need that style. That’s powerful once you understand it. Updating fifty buttons means editing one class instead of fifty buttons individually. But it’s a genuinely steeper starting point for someone without a web development background.
If you’re building a site for a client who’ll be logging in to update their own blog posts, that difference matters more than any benchmark.
Ecosystem and Add-ons
Elementor has been around longer and has the numbers to show for it. It offers a massive library of third-party add-ons, pre-built templates, and integrations with nearly every marketing tool you’d want to connect. If you need a very specific, niche widget, there’s a good chance someone has already built an Elementor version of it.
Bricks’ ecosystem is smaller, though it’s growing steadily. You’ll find fewer ready-made templates and fewer specialized add-ons. That sometimes means building custom elements yourself rather than installing a plugin. For some developers that’s a feature, not a drawback, since it avoids the plugin bloat that comes with stacking add-ons on top of Elementor. For others, it just means more work.
Pricing: Subscription vs Lifetime
| Factor | Elementor Pro | Bricks Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Annual subscription | One-time lifetime license |
| Entry cost | Roughly $59/year for one site | Around $99 one-time |
| Long-term cost (multi-site agency) | Adds up year over year | Fixed, no renewal |
| Risk if you stop paying | Lose updates and pro templates; site keeps working | No renewal risk, but depends on the company staying active |
For a single personal site, the yearly cost difference is small. For an agency managing dozens of client sites, it compounds fast. Elementor’s subscription model costs more over three to five years, but it also funds a larger team and a faster release cycle. Bricks’ lifetime pricing is the better deal on paper. The caveat is that you’re betting on a smaller company’s long-term stability. If cost is your main concern either way, see our breakdown of the cost of switching to Elementor.
What Elementor Has That Bricks Doesn’t (Yet)
Elementor’s recent additions are worth mentioning because they change the calculation. Elementor Copilot, its AI-assisted building tool, suggests layouts and can generate content directly inside the editor. There’s also a built-in accessibility checker that scans your pages for common WCAG issues and offers automated fixes. Bricks doesn’t currently have direct equivalents to either, though its more transparent, developer-friendly output arguably makes manual accessibility fixes easier to implement correctly in the first place.
Which One Should You Actually Choose?
Choose Elementor if you’re a beginner, you manage a site for a client who isn’t technical, or you rely heavily on third-party add-ons and templates to move fast. Choose Bricks if you’re comfortable with CSS, performance is a hard requirement rather than a nice-to-have, and you’re building sites where you control the entire stack.
A lot of agencies end up running both: Elementor for client-facing sites where ease of editing matters, Bricks for performance-critical projects like landing pages that need to load fast for paid ad traffic.
Switching Between Them
If you’re already running Elementor and considering a move to Bricks, know that it isn’t a simple export-import process. Elementor stores its content using shortcodes that stop rendering the moment you deactivate the plugin. A switch effectively means rebuilding your pages rather than migrating them automatically. Plan for that before you commit, and back up your site fully first. Our step-by-step Elementor migration guide covers the backup process in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bricks Builder actually faster than Elementor in real-world use?
Generally yes, particularly out of the box and before optimization. Elementor can close much of the gap with caching, a CDN, and careful use of its newer container system, but Bricks tends to require less extra work to hit strong PageSpeed scores.
Can I use Bricks Builder without knowing CSS?
You can, but you’ll get more out of it if you learn the basics of CSS classes. Without that knowledge, the class-based workflow feels less intuitive than Elementor’s visual controls.
Does switching to Bricks mean losing my WooCommerce setup?
Not necessarily, but WooCommerce templates and layouts built in Elementor won’t transfer automatically. You’ll need to rebuild your product, cart, and checkout templates in Bricks.
Is Elementor still worth it in 2026 given the competition?
For most non-technical users and agencies serving non-technical clients, yes. Its ecosystem, ease of use, and recent performance improvements still make it the more practical default for a lot of projects.
Mēs esam web izstrādes komanda, kas ikdienā strādā ar WordPress, WooCommerce, Elementor un vairāki desmitiem klientu vietņu — no restorāniem un viesnīcām līdz medicīnas iestādēm un ražošanas uzņēmumiem. toelementor.com izauga tieši no reālas nepieciešamības: klienti bieži vēlas pāriet no vecākiem page builderiem (WPBakery, Divi, Beaver Builder) vai citām platformām (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow) uz Elementor, nezaudējot dizainu, saturu vai Google pozīcijas.
Mūsu specializācija ir tehniskā SEO audita apvienošana ar praktisku migrācijas darbu — katru migrāciju pavada URL saglabāšana, 301 redirect kartēšana un pēc-migrācijas veiktspējas pārbaude, ne tikai vizuāla pārbūve.