Elementor has dominated the WordPress page builder market for years — over 12 million active installations, a huge ecosystem of third-party widgets and an entire industry of freelancers who can work with it. In recent years, however, two serious alternatives have established themselves: Bricks Builder, developer-oriented and known for clean, fast code, and Breakdance, the younger performance-focused challenger. In my training sessions I mainly teach Elementor — for good reason, more on that shortly — but I now regularly hear the question "what about Bricks or Breakdance, actually?" Here is my honest comparison of all three, without Elementor tunnel vision.
The three page builders at a glance
Elementor (free tier + Pro from $59/year for one website, up to $399/year for agency licences covering up to 1,000 websites; the new "Elementor One" bundle sits at around $228/year): the market leader with the largest plugin and template ecosystem, the most third-party add-ons and the biggest community. A visual editor, directly in the front end, extremely beginner-friendly.
Bricks Builder (annual licences from $79/year for one website up to $249/year for unlimited websites; plus an "Ultimate Lifetime" licence at $599 one-off with lifetime updates and support): a developer-oriented architecture that produces considerably leaner HTML output than classic page builders. Popular with agencies and freelancers who prioritise performance and code control.
Breakdance (single website licence $99.99/year, unlimited websites $199.99/year with a permanently fixed price; plus a free entry tier with basic features): the youngest of the three, likewise performance-focused, but with a considerably more accessible, no-code-friendly interface than Bricks. A smaller but growing ecosystem.
Comparison at a glance
| Criterion | Elementor | Bricks Builder | Breakdance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price per year | €0 (free) / $59 (Pro) | $79 | €0 (Basic) / $99.99 |
| Price for unlimited sites | $399/year (Agency) | $249/year or $599 lifetime | $199.99/year |
| Learning curve | Very shallow | Steep (developer-oriented) | Shallow to medium |
| Code cleanliness/performance | Medium (many wrapper divs) | Very good (lean HTML output) | Very good |
| Plugin/widget ecosystem | Huge (thousands of add-ons) | Growing, but considerably smaller | Small but solid |
| Theme builder features | Yes, mature | Yes, very flexible | Yes, modern & clearly laid out |
| Community size | Very large (Facebook, forums, YouTube) | Medium-sized, very active (Discord) | Small, growing |
| German-language resources | Many (including my own courses) | Few | Very few |
Elementor — the safe standard for most people
Strengths: No other page builder has a comparable ecosystem. For practically every problem there is a ready-made widget, a template or a tutorial — including in German. Freelancers and agencies who know Elementor can be found on every corner in Austria and Germany. That is not a side issue: if you ever want to hand your site over to someone else or have it extended, finding a successor is most straightforward with Elementor. The visual editor is also built so that even less technically confident clients can maintain content themselves after a short introduction — which is exactly what I teach in my courses.
Weaknesses: The HTML output is more deeply nested than with Bricks or Breakdance — more wrapper divs, more CSS classes, and a tendency towards a little more ballast. With clean hosting, good caching and the right performance settings this is quite manageable in practice, but it demands somewhat more care than the leaner alternatives. The AI features now cost extra separately.
When to choose Elementor: For solopreneurs, SMEs and anyone who wants to work on the content themselves or bring in an agency or freelancer later. For anyone who wants access to a huge add-on ecosystem without programming themselves. More on this in my fundamentals article Elementor – the best page builder for WordPress? and in the broader comparison Elementor versus other page builders.
Bricks Builder — the choice for performance-focused developers
Strengths: Bricks produces noticeably leaner code than Elementor — fewer nested containers, less superfluous CSS. For developers who work a lot with custom code, dynamic data and complex query loops, the native integration of conditions, variables and query builders is a genuine advantage. The licence structure with its lifetime option is cheaper in the long run for agencies looking after many client sites than recurring annual fees.
Weaknesses: The learning curve is considerably steeper. Bricks thinks in structures, classes and variables — for someone without a technical background, getting started is noticeably less comfortable than with Elementor. The ecosystem of third-party add-ons has grown, but remains a fraction of what exists for Elementor. And if you later hand your site to another person, the pool of Bricks-experienced freelancers in German-speaking countries is noticeably smaller than for Elementor.
When to choose Bricks: For agencies and developers who build and maintain sites themselves, for whom raw performance and code control matter more than a broad plugin ecosystem, and who consciously accept the steeper learning curve. Less suitable if the client is meant to work on the content themselves.
Breakdance — the tidy newcomer
Strengths: Breakdance combines much of the performance advantage of Bricks with a considerably more accessible, tidier interface. For teams that want fast, clean code without accepting a steep developer learning curve, that is a genuine niche. The integrated form and popup system and a modern theme builder are already included in the standard plans, without having to buy additional add-ons.
Weaknesses: The ecosystem is still small compared with Elementor — fewer third-party templates, fewer tutorials, barely any German-language resources. As a younger product there is less long-standing practical experience in the community, and for very specific requirements (niche widgets, exotic integrations) a ready-made solution is often missing that has long existed for Elementor.
When to choose Breakdance: For smaller teams and somewhat more technically confident self-employed people who want a lean, modern tool without Elementor's abundance of features (and without its ballast), and who can live comfortably with a smaller ecosystem.
Would you rather not guess, but genuinely master the right page builder at your own pace? In my online course I show you Elementor from the ground up — including the points where beginners typically get stuck. → To the online course
Direct comparison: the details that often get overlooked
| Feature | Elementor | Bricks Builder | Breakdance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual editor in the front end | Yes | Yes (with structure panel) | Yes |
| Global design settings | Yes (kit) | Yes (class system) | Yes |
| Dynamic content / query builder | Pro feature, solid | Very powerful, native | Solid, growing steadily |
| Popup builder | Pro feature | Add-on/third party required | Integrated |
| Form builder | Pro feature | Add-on required | Integrated |
| Custom CSS classes | Yes | Core concept of the tool | Yes |
| WooCommerce builder | Pro feature, mature | Community add-ons | Growing |
| Loading time overhead (roughly) | Medium | Low | Low |
| AI features | Separate add-on | Not native | Partly integrated |
| Export/switch to another builder | Laborious | Laborious | Laborious |
The same applies to all three tools: switching page builder later is possible, but always involves extra work, because each tool stores its content in its own data format. That is one of the main reasons I take the decision at the start of a project so seriously.
Prices compared (as of 2026)
- Elementor: free tier for basic features; Pro from $59/year for one website; price tiers by number of websites up to $399/year (Agency, up to 1,000 websites); the "Elementor One" bundle (hosting + Pro + AI allowance) around $228/year; AI features separately from about $3.99/month.
- Bricks Builder: annual licences from $79/year (1 website) through $149/year (3 websites) to $249/year (unlimited); plus an "Ultimate Lifetime" licence at $599 one-off for unlimited websites with lifetime updates and support — often cheaper in the long run for agencies with many projects.
- Breakdance: free Basic plan; single website licence $99.99/year; unlimited websites $199.99/year, with the price fixed for existing customers even in the event of future increases.
All three providers adjust their prices regularly — the figures given are as of the time of this article. Before buying, it is always worth a quick look at the provider's current pricing page.
Who is each one suited to?
Beginner / solopreneur: Elementor. The visual editor can be learned in one or two afternoons, the ecosystem of templates saves time, and if you do need help later, someone who knows Elementor is easy to find.
Small business with its own content team: Elementor or Breakdance, depending on how technically minded the team is. Anyone who has several people working on content and wants plenty of ready-made building blocks usually gets there faster with Elementor. Anyone who prefers a smaller, tidier tool and values lean code without accepting a steep learning curve will find a good balance in Breakdance.
Agency / developer: Bricks Builder, if raw performance, code control and complex dynamic setups are the priority and the team has already taken on the learning curve or wants to. For agencies that also take on Elementor projects from existing clients, or whose clients are meant to work on the content themselves, Elementor often remains the more pragmatic choice.
My conclusion
For most of my clients — solopreneurs, SMEs, people without a developer background — Elementor remains the standard recommendation in 2026. Not because it is technically the most superior tool, but because for this audience the combination of ecosystem, availability of freelancers and a low barrier to entry counts for most. Anyone building a website who may want to hand it on or have it extended benefits enormously from the fact that "knows Elementor" appears on every second freelancer profile.
At the same time I do not want to be dishonest: Bricks Builder demonstrably produces cleaner, faster code, and if you develop yourself or are an agency with a clear performance focus, that is a legitimate and good reason to prefer Bricks. Breakdance is a serious middle path for anyone who wants some of those performance advantages without accepting the steeper Bricks learning curve — with the compromise of a smaller ecosystem.
There is no universally "best" tool here — only the question of which priorities are the right ones for your project and your audience.
Frequently asked questions
Which page builder do you teach in your courses?
Elementor — for the reasons given in the conclusion: ecosystem, availability of freelancers and a low barrier to entry for my audience.
Is Bricks Builder really noticeably faster than Elementor?
With an identical layout and a clean implementation, Bricks generally produces less HTML overhead. With good hosting, caching and the right performance settings, though, the difference narrows considerably for Elementor. More on the levers in the pillar article WordPress Page Speed 2026.
Can I switch from Elementor to Bricks or Breakdance without rebuilding everything?
No, not without extra work. All three tools store content in their own data formats — switching practically always means rebuilding pages. Do not plan it "on the side".
Does Breakdance need additional plugins for forms and popups?
No, both are already integrated in the core product — unlike Bricks, where an add-on or third-party plugin is usually needed for this.
Is the Bricks lifetime licence worth it compared with the annual plans?
For agencies with several ongoing projects and a long period of use, the lifetime licence usually pays off after two to three years. For a single website an annual plan is often the lower-risk choice.
What if I simply cannot decide?
Start with the audience question, not the tool question: who will maintain the site in the long term? If the answer is "me, without a developer background", Elementor is almost always the right answer. If you are unsure, I am happy to go through this with you in detail in my online course.
As further reading, my comparison Gutenberg/FSE vs. page builder also fits, in case you are still weighing up whether you need a page builder at all. You will also find an overview of all tool comparisons on my collection page WordPress tool comparisons 2026.
If you decide on Elementor and want to learn it properly instead of laboriously clicking your way through it, my online course is the direct route: practical, with the stumbling blocks I know from hundreds of hours of training. → To the online course
Image source, featured & inline: illustrations created specifically in the pletzenauer design (no stock photos).
Elementor Pro: If this comparison leads you to choose Elementor, the route to the Theme Builder and forms runs through the Pro version. View Elementor Pro
I have since compared the two pairings with Elementor individually and in more depth: Elementor vs. Bricks and Elementor vs. Breakdance.
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