Divi vs Elementor 2026: An Honest Comparison From Someone Who’s Deployed Both at Scale

Last updated: January 27, 2026

Affiliate Disclosure: I have affiliate relationships with both Elegant Themes (Divi) and Elementor. I get paid if you click my links and buy. That said, I’ve been doing this long enough to know that recommending garbage destroys trust faster than any commission check can rebuild it. Everything below is my honest assessment based on actual testing and nine years of deploying WordPress sites in production environments.

TL;DR: The 60-Second Version

Divi 5 will be released soon (February 26, 2026) and it’s a genuine ground-up rewrite – not marketing fluff. The performance improvements are real: 84% less JavaScript, 94% less CSS in controlled tests. But “controlled tests” is doing heavy lifting there. Elementor’s been quietly shipping Editor V4 improvements throughout 2025, and their Flexbox Containers have closed the performance gap significantly.

Quick Verdict: Best Page Builder For…

• Best for agencies (10+ sites): Divi — $249 lifetime vs $3,990/10 years with Elementor Agency
• Best free option: Elementor — Functional free tier for demos and budget projects
• Best long-term ROI: Divi — Lifetime license eliminates recurring costs
• Best third-party ecosystem: Elementor — Larger add-on marketplace and community
• Best out-of-box performance: Divi 5 — Aggressive optimization defaults enabled automatically
• Best for existing Elementor teams: Elementor — Retraining costs outweigh licensing savings
• Best WooCommerce value: Divi — WooCommerce features included in base; Elementor requires $99+/year tier
• Best for minimizing lock-in: Divi 5 —Block-based storage format leaves cleaner content on deactivation

Decision Tree

1. Do you need a free version? → Elementor (Divi has no free tier)
2. Managing 10+ client sites? → Divi Lifetime ($249 one-time)
3. Team already trained on Elementor? → Stay with Elementor (switching costs exceed savings)
4. Core Web Vitals critical for SEO? → Either works if configured properly
5. Building WooCommerce stores? → Divi (included) or Elementor Advanced+ ($99+/year)
6. Need white-label? → Divi + Ghoster ($47-147) or Elementor One Agency ($599/year)

The rest of this article covers the details. Skip to whatever section matters for your situation.

What’s in This Guide

• The Big Picture: What Actually Changed in 2025-2026
• Does Divi or Elementor Affect Page Speed? Real Performance Data
• Which Page Builder Has Better Core Web Vitals?
• Divi vs Elementor Pricing: The 10-Year Cost Nobody Talks About
• Is Divi or Elementor Better for Agencies?
• Divi vs Elementor for WooCommerce: Which One Won’t Tank Your Store?
• What Happens If You Want to Leave? The Lock-In Reality
• Security Track Record: Vulnerabilities You Should Know About
• The Verdict: Who Should Use What
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Big Picture: What Actually Changed in 2025-2026

I’ve been deploying WordPress sites since before Elementor existed, back when Divi was one of the few visual builder options that didn’t make you want to throw your laptop. Both tools have evolved dramatically, but 2025-2026 marks the biggest architectural shift either has seen.

Divi 5: They Actually Rewrote It

Elegant Themes announced Divi 5 back in November 2022 and finally shipped it on February 26, 2026. This wasn’t an incremental update-they rebuilt the entire thing from scratch using React 18.

The three changes that actually matter:

No more shortcodes. Divi 4 stored layouts as shortcodes, which meant your content turned into unreadable bracket soup if you ever deactivated the plugin. Divi 5 uses a block-based storage format similar to Gutenberg. Deactivate it, and your content stays relatively intact.

Dynamic module loading. Previously, Divi loaded its entire CSS and JavaScript library on every page regardless of what modules you actually used. Divi 5 only loads code for modules present on each specific page. Elegant Themes claims this cuts baseline JavaScript from 276kb to 45kb.

React-based editor. The visual builder now runs on React instead of custom PHP rendering. The editor is noticeably faster-I’m seeing 2-3 second load times on complex layouts versus 8-10 seconds in Divi 4.

Elementor Editor V4: The Quiet Overhaul

While Divi was making headlines with their rebuild, Elementor was shipping incremental improvements that added up to a significant architectural change. Editor V4 started rolling out in version 3.29 (Q2 2025) and introduced:

CSS Variables system. You can now define global size variables that cascade through your entire design. Change one value, update everywhere. This eliminates the redundant CSS that made Elementor sites bloated.

Flexbox Containers by default. The legacy section/column structure created nested wrapper divs everywhere. Containers produce single wrapper elements with native Flexbox layout. Smaller DOM, cleaner code.

Atomic components. Elementor broke down their widget architecture into smaller, reusable pieces. In practice, this means they can load only the specific functionality each widget needs rather than entire feature bundles. See the Elementor 3.24 developers update for technical details.

Does Divi or Elementor Affect Page Speed? Real Performance Data

Short answer: Yes, both affect page speed. Long answer: How much depends entirely on how you use them.

I’ve seen Divi sites score 98 on PageSpeed Insights and Divi sites score 34. Same builder, wildly different outcomes. The tool matters less than how it’s configured.

What the Vendors Claim vs What I’ve Measured

Divi 5 official claims (from Elegant Themes):

• Baseline JavaScript: 276kb → 45kb (84% reduction)
• CSS per page: 860kb → 54kb (94% reduction)
• Total Blocking Time: 0ms on demo site
• PageSpeed score: 100/100 desktop, 100/100 mobile

Elementor official claims:

• TTFB improvement: 50% faster between v3.18 and v3.22
• CSS reduction with optimizations: up to 668kb per page
• Optimized DOM output: Fewer wrapper elements

Here’s the thing-both vendors tested their own products under ideal conditions. Elegant Themes’ 100/100 score came from a demo site they built specifically to showcase performance. Elementor’s TTFB improvements were measured on their own infrastructure.

Real-World Testing Considerations

I can’t give you benchmark numbers for Divi 5 in production yet because it literally just shipped. What I can tell you is what to expect based on the architecture:

Divi 5 will perform well IF:

• You’re using their recommended hosting (they suggest 256-512MB PHP memory)
• You enable Dynamic CSS and defer jQuery
• You’re not loading 40 third-party Divi plugins that haven’t been updated for Divi 5 yet

Elementor performs well IF:

• You enable Improved CSS Loading and Optimized DOM Output
• You use Flexbox Containers instead of legacy Sections
• You enable Inline Font Icons to drop Font Awesome
• You’re not stacking a dozen Elementor add-on plugins

The pattern is the same for both: vanilla installations with proper optimization settings beat bloated installations with every bell and whistle enabled.

The DevOps Perspective

From an infrastructure standpoint, both builders add overhead that a hand-coded theme wouldn’t have. That’s the trade-off for visual editing.

What I look at when auditing page builder sites:

Database queries: Page builders store layout data in post meta and options tables. Complex pages can generate 50-100+ database queries. One migration case study I read showed a 35% decrease in database queries after moving from Divi to Elementor with no other changes. Your mileage will vary.

Server memory: Both builders recommend 256MB+ PHP memory limits. Divi 5 cut peak memory usage in half according to Elegant Themes, which should help on cheaper hosting. Elementor documentation suggests 512-768MB for WooCommerce sites.

Caching compatibility: Divi 5 resolved previous conflicts with Redis and Memcached object caching. Both work with WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, and CDNs-but you’ll need to configure cache exclusions for logged-in visual editing.

Which Page Builder Has Better Core Web Vitals?

Google’s Core Web Vitals thresholds for 2026 remain:

Both Divi 5 and optimized Elementor can hit “Good” on all three metrics. Neither will automatically do it for you.

Where Each Builder Struggles

Divi’s historical weakness: Total Blocking Time (TBT)

Divi 4 loaded heavy JavaScript that blocked the main thread, tanking TBT scores. Divi 5’s dynamic loading approach specifically targets this-their demo site shows 0ms TBT. Whether real-world sites with sliders, animations, and third-party integrations maintain that remains to be seen.

Elementor’s historical weakness: DOM size

Elementor’s section/column structure created deeply nested wrapper divs. A moderately complex page could have DOM sizes exceeding 1,500 elements. Flexbox Containers reduce this significantly, but only if you’re building new pages with containers-legacy pages retain the old structure.

Optimization Features Comparison

Both have the tools. The difference is Divi 5 enables most optimizations by default while Elementor requires you to toggle experiment settings manually.

Divi vs Elementor Pricing: The 10-Year Cost Nobody Talks About

This is where things get interesting for agencies.

Current Pricing (January 2026)

Divi (Elegant Themes):

Elementor:

The Math Nobody Does

Let’s say you’re an agency managing 50 client sites over 10 years:

Divi Lifetime:

• Year 1: $249
• Years 2-10: $0
• Total: $249

Elementor Agency:

• Year 1: $399
• Years 2-10: $399 × 9 = $3,591
• Total: $3,990

That’s a $3,741 difference. For 50 sites over 10 years.

The per-site cost breakdown:

The Hidden Costs

Price tags don’t tell the whole story.

Training time: If your team already knows Elementor, switching to Divi means retraining everyone. At $50/hour for 20 hours per designer, that’s $1,000+ per team member. Factor this into your “savings.”

Ecosystem lock-in: Both builders have third-party plugin ecosystems. Divi’s is smaller but more curated. Elementor’s is massive but quality varies wildly. Budget for plugin costs-some essential features require paid add-ons.

Migration labor: Moving 50 sites from one builder to another is 10-40+ hours per site depending on complexity. At agency rates, this can dwarf any licensing savings.

When Elementor’s Pricing Makes Sense

Elementor wins on pricing when:

• You need a free version for quick client demos
• You’re managing 1-3 sites and $59-99/year fits your budget
• Your team has years of Elementor experience
• You need features only available in Pro (Popup Builder, WooCommerce Builder, advanced Dynamic Content)

Is Divi or Elementor Better for Agencies?

After working with agencies using both tools, here’s what actually moves the needle:

Client Handoff

Both builders allow role-based access restrictions, but implementation differs.

Divi approach: Global role settings, builder lock options, and now Divi Teams for managing permissions across multiple sites.

Elementor approach: Role Manager in Pro, with more granular widget-level restrictions in higher tiers.

Neither is foolproof. Clients will find ways to break things. I’ve seen beautifully locked-down Elementor sites destroyed by clients who discovered they could edit in Gutenberg. Document your handoff process regardless of which builder you choose.

White Labeling

Divi: No native white-label. Third-party solution (Divi Ghoster, $47-147) enables full rebranding.

Elementor: White-label only in Elementor One Agency plan (~$599/year). Not available in standard Pro tiers.

If white-labeling is essential for your brand, factor in either Divi + Ghoster or Elementor One Agency pricing.

Multi-Site Management

Divi Dash: Centralized dashboard for managing Divi sites, updates, and settings across your portfolio.

Elementor: No equivalent centralized management tool. You’ll need ManageWP, MainWP, or similar third-party solutions.

For agencies with 20+ sites, Divi Dash provides value that doesn’t show up in feature comparisons.

Support Response Times

Divi: 24/7 live chat support included in all plans. VIP support (30-minute response) available in Pro bundle.

Elementor: 24/7 ticket support for Pro users. Priority support in higher tiers. Live chat/WhatsApp only in Platinum tier.

I’ve hit dead ends with both support teams on complex technical issues. Neither is equipped to debug your custom code conflicts. For critical agency work, budget for a dedicated WordPress developer relationship.

Divi vs Elementor for WooCommerce: Which One Won’t Tank Your Store?

WooCommerce sites have unique performance pressures. Cart pages, checkout flows, product queries-all add overhead on top of your page builder.

WooCommerce Features Comparison

Divi 5 WooCommerce modules:

• 17 native product modules including Woo Breadcrumbs, Add To Cart, Product Gallery, Reviews, Cart, and Checkout
• Full Theme Builder integration for product pages and archives
• Dynamic Framework means WooCommerce modules only load when used

Elementor WooCommerce Builder (Pro Advanced+ only):

• Complete product page customization
• Shop archive templates
• Cart and checkout page builders
• Mini cart widget
• Product query integration with Loop Builder

Both can build fully custom WooCommerce stores. The key differences:

Access tier: Divi includes WooCommerce features in all plans. Elementor gates WooCommerce Builder behind Advanced plans and higher ($99+/year).

Performance overhead: WooCommerce itself is resource-intensive. Adding a page builder on top compounds this. Both vendors have optimized their WooCommerce modules, but real-world performance depends heavily on hosting, caching, and catalog size.

My Recommendation for WooCommerce

If you’re building a serious e-commerce operation (1,000+ products, high traffic), consider whether you need a visual page builder at all. Block themes with full site editing might serve you better with less overhead.

If you’re building smaller WooCommerce sites where visual customization matters and performance is “good enough,” both Divi and Elementor work. Divi’s included WooCommerce modules and lower long-term cost make it attractive for agencies building multiple stores.

What Happens If You Want to Leave? The Lock-In Reality

This is the question nobody wants to ask until it’s too late.

Divi 4 (Legacy): The Shortcode Problem

If you’ve built sites with Divi 4, your content is stored as shortcodes. Deactivate Divi, and your pages display raw bracket soup:

[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.16"][et_pb_row...

This is recoverable-shortcodes can be parsed and converted-but it’s labor-intensive. Migration plugins exist, but none are perfect.

Divi 5: Cleaner Exit

Divi 5’s block-based storage format means deactivation leaves your content more intact. You’ll lose styling and layout structure, but the actual content (text, images, links) remains accessible.

This is a genuine improvement and removes one of Divi’s biggest historical drawbacks.

Elementor: The Wrapper Problem

Elementor stores content in post meta as JSON, with a fallback to regular post content. Deactivate it, and you get basic content-but wrapped in empty divs and stripped of structure.

Elementor’s “Export Content” feature doesn’t export to anything useful outside Elementor. You’re exporting templates that only Elementor can import.

The Honest Assessment

Both builders create lock-in. The question is degree.

Easier to leave: Divi 5, because of the block-based format.

Hardest to leave: Divi 4 legacy sites with complex shortcode structures.

Middle ground: Elementor sites retain basic content but lose all visual structure.

If minimizing lock-in is a priority, consider building your layouts with these tools but keeping core content (blog posts, product descriptions) in standard WordPress blocks with minimal builder formatting.

Security Track Record: Vulnerabilities You Should Know About

Both builders have had security issues. This is normal for popular WordPress plugins-larger attack surface means more researchers finding vulnerabilities.

Elementor Security History (2024-2025)

Pattern: Mostly XSS vulnerabilities, all medium severity, most requiring Contributor-level authentication to exploit. Full vulnerability history available at Wordfence Elementor Threat Intel.

Divi Security History (2024-2025)

Pattern: Fewer reported vulnerabilities than Elementor, similar severity range.

What This Means in Practice

Neither builder has had a critical unauthenticated vulnerability in the past year. Both respond to security reports and patch issues relatively quickly.

Your bigger security risks are probably:

1. Not updating WordPress, themes, and plugins
2. Weak admin passwords
3. Budget hosting with poor server security
4. Third-party add-on plugins with less rigorous security practices

Keep everything updated. Use strong passwords. Don’t install random add-ons from developers you’ve never heard of.

The Verdict: Who Should Use What

After all this analysis, here’s my honest recommendation matrix:

Choose Divi 5 If:

• You manage 10+ sites and want to stop paying annual licensing fees
• Performance optimization matters and you want sensible defaults out of the box
• You’re starting fresh (not migrating from Elementor)
• You need 24/7 live chat support included in base pricing
• You want WooCommerce builder features without paying for higher tiers
• You’re concerned about future lock-in and want cleaner content portability

Choose Elementor If:

• Your team already has Elementor expertise
• You need the free version for client pitches or budget projects
• You want access to the largest third-party add-on ecosystem
• You prefer Elementor’s visual interface (this is subjective but valid)
• You’re building a single site and $59/year is your comfortable budget
• You need features exclusive to Elementor (specific popup behaviors, form integrations)

Consider Neither If:

• You’re building high-performance sites where every millisecond matters-look at Bricks or block themes
• You’re a developer comfortable with code and don’t need visual editing
• You’re building mostly content-focused blogs where Gutenberg is sufficient

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

The Divi vs Elementor debate generates more heat than light most of the time. Both are mature tools that can build professional WordPress sites. Both have legitimate use cases.

What I’ve learned from nine years of deploying these tools: the builder matters less than execution. A skilled developer with either tool beats an amateur with the “better” option every time.

Pick the tool that fits your budget, team expertise, and workflow. Configure it properly. Keep it updated. Don’t obsess over synthetic benchmarks-focus on building sites that serve your users.

If you’re still undecided, start with Elementor Free to test the interface at no cost. If you’re going all-in, Divi’s lifetime license is the financially sound choice for anyone managing multiple sites.

Questions? Drop them in the comments. I read everything, even the angry ones.

This article contains affiliate links. See disclosure at top.

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