What Is Elementor Pro, How Does It Work & Why Do You Need It?

Elementor Pro is the premium version of Elementor, a drag-and-drop page builder plugin that allows users to create and design websites on WordPress without learning to code. Now that you have the most basic answer to the burning what is Elementor Pro question, let’s dig into the importance of this tool in web design.

From conceptualizing the design and layout to selecting the right content and function, building an entire site from scratch can be an overwhelming experience. As a drag-and-drop builder with an extensive library of pre-built templates and widgets, Elementor Pro simplifies and streamlines the various aspects of building WordPress websites. 

Although you can create websites with just the free version of Elementor, the advanced version offers more features for a smooth web design experience. Continue reading to learn about the benefits of the tool, the main differences between Elementor free vs. Elementor Pro, and what premium features the latter provides for website owners.

Key highlights

• While Elementor’s free version allows creating websites with a minimal budget, the Pro version offers premium features that offer seemingly limitless design possibilities.
• Elementor Pro’s theme builder allows full customization of WordPress themes and enables users to create custom templates for specific website sections, such as headers and footers.
• With Elementor Pro’s advanced widgets and integrations, WordPress users can enhance website interactivity and functionality without learning code or using additional WordPress plugins like pop-up and form builders. 

Elementor free vs. Elementor Pro: Should you choose the paid or free version of Elementor?

If you are interested in designing your own website, you might be considering Elementor. Choosing between Elementor free vs. Pro might seem like a dilemma, but, in reality, it all comes down to your requirements. Let’s discuss the key benefits of each version.

Cost efficiency: The greatest benefit of the Elementor free version

Elementor Pro is not free. So, the no-charge attribute is the main attraction of the free version of the tool. This version includes basic elements, including headings, text boxes, images, social media icons, buttons, etc., and widgets.

The free version offers access to a library of pre-made templates and enables you to incorporate your own logo, custom fonts, color palette and other branding elements to create a unique website. The best part is you can create and modify the layout, design and content in real-time with the Elementor editor, which makes it a much better alternative than the default WordPress editor. 

That said, enhancing your website’s user experience may require more advanced features and functionalities that the free version simply cannot offer. 

Advanced features: The greatest benefit of the Elementor Pro version 

While the free version of Elementor can help you create functional websites, it does not include access to some advanced customization and styling features. For example, creating custom headers, footers and dynamic templates for your WordPress theme is restricted in the free version. In contrast, users can make this happen with the Pro version. 

You can customize nearly every aspect of your site and even add custom CSS code to uniquely style various website elements with Elementor’s theme builder, available only to Pro users. Before we get to the most essential benefits of the Pro version, let’s quickly look at the pricing of the tool.

Elementor Pro pricing plans

With its extensive design customization and integration features, it should be no surprise that the Elementor plugin comes with a price tag. Elementor pricing is structured as an annual subscription model and varies based on the number of websites or licenses allowed. 

The Essential Plan at $59/year allows you to activate Elementor Pro on only one website. For $99/year, the Advanced Plan of Elementor lets you use the tool on up to 3 websites, while at $199/year on the Expert Plan, you can activate it on 24 websites. 

You can also subscribe to an Agency Plan that lets you use Elementor on up to 1,000 websites for $399/year. Ultimately, the plan you choose depends on how many websites you’re looking to build and maintain using the tool. 

Four features that make Elementor Pro worth it

Elementor’s free version can get you up and running, but Elementor Pro offers advanced features and functionalities that can take your website to the next level. If you’re still on the fence about the paid version, here are the key Elementor Pro features that make it all worthwhile.  

Feature #1: Theme builder 

Creating a unique website that aligns with your brand identity may require advanced design customizations beyond what Elementor’s free version provides. Meanwhile, purchasing Elementor Pro gives you access to the theme builder feature, which allows full customization of your WordPress theme. 

You can create custom headers, footers and page templates for different parts of your website, be it product pages, archive pages or single-post pages. And to streamline the design process, you can make these templates reusable on multiple pages across your entire website.

The theme builder also allows you to create more complex layouts specific to a page. For example, if you run a photography website, you can create custom layouts for portfolio pages that display photos and provide filters or sorting options to enhance the user experience. 

With this level of customization, you can create a cohesive website tailored to your unique business needs. 

Feature #2: Advanced widgets and integrations

The premium version of Elementor offers 90+ pro widgets that save time and effort while expanding the possibilities of what you can create on your own website. 

You do not need custom code or separate plugins to create interactive and dynamic elements such as contact forms, sliders, carousels, pricing tables and testimonials.

And with Elementor Pro’s integrations with other tools and platforms, you can seamlessly connect your website to external services like email marketing and CRM systems. For example, you can integrate subscription forms directly with your email marketing provider to automate form submissions. 

Feature #3: Pop-up builder

One of the appealing pro features of Elementor is its pop-up builder. Pop-ups are attention-grabbing overlays you can leverage on your website to generate leads and drive conversions. 

With Elementor Pro’s pop-up builder, you can easily create different types of pop-ups, from lightbox pop-ups to slide-ins, full-screen overlays, etc. And you do not even have to design from scratch, as you can use any of the vast pop-up templates as a starting point and make modifications as desired.

You can customize your pop-ups’ layout, typography, colors and spacing to match your brand aesthetics. Additionally, you can add various elements like images, buttons, forms, videos and countdown timers to improve their effectiveness.

Beyond customizing the pop-up content, you have precise control over where, when and to whom your pop-up is shown. You can set display conditions based on predefined trigger options such as user behavior, exit intent or user role. 

Feature #4: WooCommerce builder

The WooCommerce store builder is a powerful feature of Elementor Pro that enables users to enhance the design and functionality of WooCommerce online stores. 

You can create unique store designs that reflect your brand identity using the intuitive drag-and-drop Elementor interface and the extensive styling options available. 

What’s more, you have full control over the product display, pricing, add-to-cart buttons and other elements, making it possible to create visually stunning and conversion-focused product pages. 

Elementor Pro’s WooCommerce Builder also offers dynamic content options that allow you to create a more personalized and engaging shopping experience for your customers. 

How to use Elementor Pro most efficiently

You already know you can leverage Elementor Pro to bring your creative visions to life. But how can you maximize the plugin’s potential to create professional, impactful websites that help you achieve your online goals? Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Plan and organize your design
• Use widgets and create templates
• Employ dynamic content
• Update Elementor and use premium support 

Plan and organize your design 

Using Elementor Pro efficiently requires laying a strong foundation for a streamlined and systematic workflow. This starts with having a clear vision of how you want your site to look and function. 

A clear understanding of your website’s structure, layout and content can help you make better use of the available tools and resources, as you’ll know exactly what elements to include and where to place them. 

This clarity helps you focus on implementing the necessary elements and functionalities, so you can avoid unnecessary revisions and speed up the design process. 

Take advantage of global widgets and templates

One of the best ways to save time and ensure consistency across your site is by using Elementor’s global widgets and pro templates. Global Widgets is a Pro feature that allows you to create reusable elements like headers, footers or call-to-action buttons. 

When you create a widget and set it as global, any changes made to that widget will automatically reflect on all instances throughout your website, eliminating the need to manually update each instance individually. 

You can also get a headstart in the website design process with Elementor Pro’s vast library of pre-designed website templates. Start by choosing a template that aligns with your design vision and customize it to suit your specific needs using Elementor’s visual drag-and-drop editor. 

Utilize the dynamic content feature

Dynamic content is an Elementor Pro feature that allows you to automatically connect content or data from your WordPress database to your design. For example, if you want to add a site title across your website, you can manually write it on your website’s pages. That said, if your site’s title changed in the future, you’d have to edit each page individually to reflect the updates, which would be a hassle. 

However, you do not have to worry about this if you use the site title widget. This is a dynamic widget that automatically retrieves the site title you assigned in the WordPress customizer. Basically, anytime your site’s title changes, the new title is dynamically retrieved and updated across your website, helping you save time and effort.

You can further boost design efficiency by adding other dynamic elements to your WordPress websites, such as your site logo, post title, feature image, content and so on.

Stay updated and utilize support resources

Developers regularly release Elementor Pro plugin updates. It’s important to constantly update the tool to access new features, improvements and security patches to enhance your web design workflow. 

You can also leverage Elementor’s premium support, which includes 24/7 live chat and hands-on support if you encounter challenges or need clarifications. 

Elementor Pro license for all WAcademy clients

By now, you already know you can create a custom, professional website with Elementor Pro all by yourself. However, as a small business owner, you may have to juggle multiple responsibilities, and dedicating significant time to designing an entire website might not be feasible. WAcademy is ready to jump in and help you out with this issue.

WAcademy interns are trained to design small business websites, and they can do it for free. Yes, you read that right. Because our interns require experience to build their web design portfolios, they partner with SMEs (small and medium enterprises) that need business websites. 

Under the supervision of experienced web designers, our interns work closely with SMEs to create unique websites that reflect their unique brands. With over 30,000 websites under our belt, we can confidently say that our interns have what it takes to turn your ideas into reality. And they can do it in just 20-30 business days!

While hosting is outside the scope of the web design project, our partner Getspace can offer an amazing hosting package. It includes WordPress website hosting, domain name, SSL certificates, professional email inboxes and also a complementary Elementor Pro license (Essential Plan). With this, you will be able to run and maintain your website autonomously once it is fully designed. 

Are you excited to take us on our offer? Click the button below to register for your spot in the WAcademy program!