Stuck on Elementor, Divi or WPBakery: what are my options?
A page builder is an add-on that lets you lay out WordPress pages by dragging blocks around. Elementor, Divi and WPBakery are three of the best known. They are good tools, and they are the reason many business owners could build a site without a developer. The catch is that your page layouts are saved in the builder's own format. That only matters on the day the licence lapses, an update goes wrong, or you want to move.
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The short answer
A page builder such as Elementor, Divi or WPBakery saves your page layouts in its own format. Switch the builder off and your words and photos are still there, but the layout goes and the text needs tidying. You can renew the licence and update properly, move the pages to the editor built into WordPress, or rebuild the site on another platform. WaTo Consulting in Adelaide does all of these. Renewing is often the cheapest fix. Any move off the builder means rebuilding the pages.
What a page builder ties you to
Layouts in the builder's own format
The columns, spacing, buttons and banners on each page are saved the way that builder understands them. WordPress on its own cannot read that format. Switching the builder off does not leave you with a normal page.
What is left when it is switched off
It depends on the builder and the version. WPBakery's own help pages say bracketed codes, called shortcodes, show on the page in place of the content. The maker of Divi says the same of Divi 4. Divi 5 saves pages in a newer format and has a tool to convert older ones.
A licence on top of hosting
Elementor's basic version costs nothing and its Pro version is charged by the year. Divi is sold by the year or as a single payment. WPBakery is a single payment, with a yearly renewal for support and automatic updates. Whichever applies, it is a separate bill from your hosting.
Updates that depend on the licence
Elementor says a lapsed Pro licence means Pro can no longer be updated, and that updating the basic version without Pro can cause problems. WPBakery says a copy that came bundled with a theme is updated by the theme's author, so you wait on them.
Extra weight on every page
A builder loads its own code on each page so the layouts display properly. That adds weight, and on a busy page it can slow loading. A well set up builder site can still be quick. It takes more care to keep it that way.
A good tool that needs looking after
None of this makes page builders a poor choice. They let people who are not developers build and change a real website. Like the rest of WordPress they need a current licence and regular updates. A website maintenance plan covers that.
Signs you are stuck
- The builder licence lapsed some time ago and the updates stopped arriving.
- The builder version on your site is years old and nobody wants to touch it.
- Pages scramble or the editor will not open whenever the builder updates.
- Nobody remembers the login for the account the licence was bought under.
What to do if you think you are stuck
- Find out which builder you have. Log in to WordPress and look at the Plugins list and under Appearance, then Themes. Elementor and WPBakery show up as plugins. Divi is usually installed as a theme. Write down the version number next to it.
- Track down the licence account. Search old emails for a receipt from the builder's maker. The licence often sits in the account of whoever built the site. If WPBakery came bundled with your theme, the theme's author is the one who supplies its updates.
- Take a backup before anything changes. A backup is a saved copy of the whole site. Make one before you renew, update or switch anything off. If a change scrambles the pages, you can go back to how the site was that morning.
- Try the update on a copy first. A builder that is several years behind should not be updated on the live site in one jump. We update a copy, check each page, then repeat it on the real site. Our website rescue and repair service handles this.
- Then decide whether to stay or move. If the updated site works and you are happy editing it, staying is a sound choice. If it still fights you, look at moving.
Your options, and how WaTo can help
- Renew and update properly. This is often the cheapest fix. The licence is renewed in an account you control, the builder is brought up to date with care, and the site carries on as it is. We repair and maintain WordPress sites, including ones built with a page builder.
- Move to the editor built into WordPress. The pages are laid out again without the builder, so there is one less licence and less weight on each page. Our custom WordPress builds are made this way, without page-builder bloat.
- Rebuild off WordPress. Any move off a builder means laying the pages out again. That makes it a fair time to compare a WordPress rebuild as a code site, which is a site written in plain web code. A typical site takes about a week.
- Pick a simpler editor. If you still want to change the site yourself, we also build on VoxelSite, where you click on words and photos to change them, and on Sitejet, a drag-and-drop website builder.
- Your words and photos can always be carried over. The layout is the part that gets rebuilt. We have been Adelaide owned and operated since 2001.
Related questions
Will I lose my content if I turn the page builder off?
Your words and photos stay in WordPress. The layout is what goes, and the text usually needs tidying before the page is fit to show. With WPBakery and Divi 4, the makers' own pages describe bracketed codes appearing where the content was. Take a backup first and test on a copy of the site.
My builder licence has lapsed. Will the site stop working?
Usually it keeps running as it is. What stops is the supply of updates. Elementor says a site without a renewed Pro licence cannot update Pro and may have limited use of Pro features. Over time the builder falls behind the rest of WordPress, and that is when pages start to break.
Is renewing really cheaper than moving?
Often, yes. A renewal and a careful update keeps every page you already have. Moving means each page is laid out again by hand. Moving starts to make sense when the site needs a refresh anyway, or when the builder keeps causing breakages after it has been brought up to date.
Do I have to leave WordPress to get off a page builder?
No. WordPress has its own editor built in, and pages can be rebuilt in that. You keep the same login, the same hosting and any shop or booking features. A shop or membership site is usually better staying on WordPress.
Can I swap one page builder for another?
You can, but each builder saves layouts in its own way, so the pages are rebuilt in the new one. You would also be taking on a new licence. It is worth doing only if the new builder fixes a real problem the old one has.
How do I choose between a code site, VoxelSite and Sitejet?
It comes down to how often the site changes and who makes the changes. Our guide on your options for leaving WordPress compares them side by side. You can also book a call and we will talk it through.
How WaTo can help with this
- Website rescue and repair
- Custom WordPress builds
- WordPress rebuild
- VoxelSite websites
- Sitejet websites
Not sure which way to go
If your site is tied to a page builder and you are not sure what to do, get in touch or call us on (08) 7123 0805. Tell us which builder it uses, when it was last updated and how often you change the pages. We will say whether we would renew, move to the WordPress editor or rebuild, and why.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
