What Is Elementor? WordPress Page Builder, Plans and AI
By Joris van Huët · Elementor's own site
The short answer: if one WordPress site needs forms that keep their submissions, plus popups, the Advanced Solo plan at $84 a year is Elementor's entry point; the $60 Essential plan builds forms but does not store submissions, and Elementor One, $180 for the first year, adds AI, image optimization and cookie consent (pricing file, checked on 26 October 2026). Elementor is a visual page builder for WordPress, with a free core plugin, paid Pro and One plans, an AI agent called Angie, and hosting sold on its own.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission through some links on this site. It does not change what this page says.
What to count first:
- The renewal, not the first invoice. For example, three years of One cost $180 + $228 + $228 = $636, because the first year is discounted and renews at $228, per the pricing file. Three years of Advanced Solo at today's $84 would be 3 x $84 = $252.
- The sites you already run. Advanced covers 3 sites for $108 a year and Expert 25 for $204, per the same pricing file; an agency with dozens of client sites prices One Agency instead.
- The credits you will burn. One includes 25,000 credits a month; an AI action costs 1 to 40, an optimized image 10, an email 10, and unused credits lapse, per the pricing file. Check the balance after month one.
What Elementor does
The Editor is a drag-and-drop builder on top of WordPress: a Theme Builder for headers, footers and templates, dynamic content, a Form Builder, popups and WooCommerce pages. The homepage adds AI that prompts full pages and sections in the site's design system.
Elementor One adds services paid in shared credits: AI generation, WebP and AVIF image conversion, accessibility fixes, a cookie consent banner and transactional email. Angie is a separate agent plugin with a free plan, whose Super Admin Mode runs bulk edits and SEO fixes and confirms a plan with you before it acts, per the Angie page.
Who it fits
Teams on WordPress who want visual control of every page without a developer, and agencies, which get unlimited sites on One Agency.
It fits less well a site that needs only text and images, which WordPress's own editor handles for free. One does not include hosting; Elementor Host is bought separately.
Prices, checked on 26 October 2026
From the Elementor pricing file, billed annually, in USD:
| Plan | First year | Renews at | Sites | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | $60 | Not stated | 1 | Forms without submissions; no popups |
| Advanced Solo | $84 | Not stated | 1 | Popups, custom code, submissions |
| Advanced | $108 | Not stated | 3 | As Advanced Solo |
| Expert | $204 | Not stated | 25 | As Advanced, more cloud templates |
| One | $180 | $228 | 1 | 25,000 credits a month |
| One Agency | $432 | $540 | Unlimited | 350,000 credits a month |
The core Editor plugin is free, and the 30-day money-back guarantee covers annual plans. Two lines on the pricing page explain how the bundle earns its keep: One's first-year price sits beside a regular rate of $228, and the credit cost of each action "remains dynamic and may change, applying to all plans regardless of purchase date", per the pricing file, so the vendor keeps the right to reprice what your credits buy after you have paid for them.
Divi, Gutenberg and Thrive Themes
- Divi licenses unlimited sites for $89 a year or $249 once, per its pricing page. Site count decides it: for one site Elementor's Advanced Solo is cheaper, for twenty Divi is.
- Gutenberg, the WordPress block editor, has been WordPress's default editor since version 5.0 in December 2018, per the WordPress documentation. It decides when blocks are enough and no plugin licence is wanted.
- Thrive Themes sells eight conversion plugins and a theme builder as a suite for up to 5 sites, $299 for the first year, per its pricing page. Choose it for quizzes and built-in A/B tests, Elementor for design range.
Where to begin
Install the free Editor and build one page before buying; the Form widget guide shows what the paid form does. How to use Elementor sends a form's leads into a CRM.
FAQ
Is Elementor free?
The core Editor is. Pro widgets, the Theme Builder, the Form Builder and popups start with the paid plans.
Does Elementor One include hosting?
No. The pricing FAQ says One runs on any compatible WordPress host and Elementor Host is a separate offering.
Do One credits roll over?
No. They reset every month, and running out means waiting for the next month or moving up a tier, per the pricing file.