I wrote the first version of this in 2022, comparing Elementor, Divi and WPBakery. I've redone it because it was missing what is now the serious candidate: the block editor that ships with WordPress.
Before the comparison, the important part: a visual builder is a layer between you and your content. It's very convenient and it has two costs that don't appear on the licence: weight (they all add CSS and JS to every page) and lock-in (remove it one day and your content is full of strange markup).
The block editor (Gutenberg)
It's included, adds no extra weight, and the content stays as clean HTML. With a block theme you can control global design without plugins.
For: free, fast, no lock-in, and it's where WordPress is heading.
Against: less fine control on complex layouts and a different learning curve if you come from drag and drop.
Who for: content sites, blogs, corporate sites that care about speed.
Elementor
By far the most widespread. Huge community, templates for everything, endless add-ons.
For: quick to learn, tutorials for everything, and you'll find someone who can work on it anywhere.
Against: it adds the most weight. A simple page can end up loading hundreds of kilobytes of CSS and JS it never uses. And the good parts are in the paid version.
Who for: people who will maintain the site themselves without touching code and value convenience over milliseconds.
Divi
Theme and builder in one, with an annual licence for unlimited sites. Interesting if you build a lot of websites.
For: price at volume and direct visual editing.
Against: it locks you in the hardest. Content fills up with proprietary shortcodes, and leaving Divi means rebuilding the pages.
Who for: agencies with many similar projects and clients who won't migrate.
WPBakery
The classic bundled with thousands of purchased themes. I wouldn't pick it for a new project today: it shows its age, it's heavy, and there's little reason to prefer it.
When you'll meet it: inheriting a site built years ago. In that case, removing it isn't trivial and you have to weigh whether it's worth it.
What I pick
- Content or corporate site where speed matters: the block editor.
- Client who'll edit alone and wants full layout freedom: Elementor, with the discipline not to install twenty add-ons.
- Many similar projects with the same agency behind them: Divi can pay off.
- A site that has to be very fast: none of them. A custom theme or a static site.
The question that decides
It isn't "which has more features" but who will touch this site in two years. If it's you and you don't code, a builder gives you autonomy and earns its weight. If there's a technical team, the extra layer only adds problems.
Got a builder-based site that's slow?
Write to [email protected] and I'll tell you whether it can be fixed or whether rebuilding is cheaper.