---
title: Elementor
slug: elementor
product: Elementor
excerpt: 'An independent expert review of Elementor: the €5 plan has no custom CSS
  or eCommerce, and the plugin plans get zero credits — so half the features are off.'
created_at: '2026-09-14T00:00:00Z'
updated_at: '2026-09-14T00:00:00Z'
---

**[Elementor](https://findstack.com/go/elementor)'s two plugin plans include "0 One credits" — and credits are what unlock AI generation, image optimization, site accessibility, cookie consent, and email deliverability.** So on Essential at €5 and Advanced Solo at €7, that entire half of the feature list is not gated behind a higher tier; it is simply switched off. Elementor's pricing page is really two products side by side, and the €5 headline belongs to the smaller one.

- **What it is**: The most widely used [website builder](https://findstack.com/software/website-builder) plugin for WordPress, now also sold as a hosted all-in-one platform.
- **Best for**: WordPress users who want visual design control, and — on the One plans — hosting and optimisation bundled.
- **Pricing**: Essential €5, Advanced Solo €7, One €15, One Agency €36 per month billed annually. Verified July 2026.
- **The honest catch**: Custom code and CSS, popups, and eCommerce features are all excluded from the €5 plan.

## What Is Elementor?

Elementor is the drag-and-drop editor that made WordPress design accessible without touching a theme file. Its Theme Builder, dynamic content, and form builder let you construct headers, footers, archives, and templates visually, and it has become the default recommendation for anyone who wants design control inside WordPress.

![Elementor's pricing page showing Editor Pro plans — Essential at €5 and Advanced Solo at €7 — beside All in one web creation plans One at €15 and One Agency at €36, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.](https://assets.findstack.com/k4fjt66txatthshbgy5px36wrhyx)

The 2026 page splits into two families. **Editor Pro plans** are the plugin: you bring your own WordPress hosting and get the editor. **All in one web creation** bundles hosting, AI generation, image optimization, accessibility tooling, cookie consent, and email deliverability into a single subscription measured in "One credits".

A 30-day money-back guarantee applies across the range.

## How Elementor Works

- **Two product families** — the plugin, and the hosted all-in-one platform.
- **Credits are the third meter** — 0 on plugin plans, 25,000 and 350,000 monthly on the One plans.
- **Sites ladder** — 1 site on Essential and One, options up to 25 on Advanced, unlimited on One Agency.
- **Widget counts differ** — 57 on Essential, 85 on every plan above.
- **The One plans state their renewal price** on the card itself.
- **A 30-day money-back guarantee** on all plans.

## Elementor Pricing

Captured from Elementor's pricing page in July 2026 on the euro price list with annual billing.

| Plan | Year one | Renewal | Sites | Credits/mo | Custom CSS | eCommerce |
|------|----------|---------|-------|------------|------------|-----------|
| **Essential** | €60 (€5/mo) | €60 | 1 | 0 | No | No |
| **Advanced Solo** | €84 (€7/mo) | €84 | 1 (3 and 25 available) | 0 | Yes | Yes |
| **One** | €180 (€15/mo) | **€228** | 1 | 25,000 | Yes | Yes |
| **One Agency** | €432 (€36/mo) | **€540** | Unlimited | 350,000 | Yes | Yes |

![Bar chart of Elementor's annual costs: Essential €60, Advanced Solo €84, One €180 in year one rising to €228 on renewal, and One Agency €432 rising to €540.](https://assets.findstack.com/k5lhtw1vjlm72n8iyold9z5dhhbp)

What actually decides your plan:

- **Essential cannot do custom code or CSS.** For a design plugin aimed at people who want control, that is the most surprising exclusion on the page — along with the Popup Builder and eCommerce features. Essential gives 57 widgets, the Theme Builder, dynamic content, and forms. Anyone who expects to write a line of CSS needs Advanced Solo at €7.
- **Zero credits means zero optimisation features.** Both plugin plans show "0 One credits", and Elementor states that credits unlock AI generation, image optimization, site accessibility, cookie consent, and email deliverability. Those are not tier-gated features you could buy up to — without credits they are unavailable, which is what separates the two families.
- **Elementor prints the renewal price, and you should read it.** One is €180 in year one and **€228 a year afterwards**; One Agency is €432 then **€540**. That is 27% and 25% higher respectively. Stating renewal on the card is genuinely uncommon — several vendors in this category advertise a first-year discount and leave you to discover the real rate — so credit where it is due, but budget from €228.
- **The two plugin plans have no promotion at all.** Essential and Advanced Solo carry no strikethrough, so €60 and €84 are the standing rates rather than introductory ones.
- **Elementor values its own bundled components.** The One card lists image optimization at €60/yr, site accessibility at €120/yr, and email deliverability at €60/yr — €240 of stated value inside a €228 renewal. That is Elementor's own valuation rather than an independent one, but it is at least an arithmetic claim you can check against buying those tools separately.
- **One Agency is the agency answer.** Unlimited sites and 350,000 monthly credits — 14 times One's allowance for 2.4 times the price. If you build sites for clients, that ratio is the argument.

## Who Should Use Elementor

- **WordPress users wanting design control.** The clearest case, and why Elementor became the category default.
- **Agencies building client sites.** One Agency's unlimited sites and large credit pool is priced for exactly that.
- **Small businesses wanting one bill.** The One plans fold hosting, optimisation, and accessibility into a single subscription.
- **Anyone needing accessibility and cookie consent.** Both are bundled on One rather than bought as separate plugins.

It fits poorly for non-WordPress projects, where [Webflow](https://findstack.com/go/webflow) or [Framer](https://findstack.com/go/framer) are the right tools; for people wanting to write CSS on a budget, given Essential excludes it; and for high-performance hosting needs, where [WP Engine](https://findstack.com/go/wp-engine) is the specialist.

## Honest Pros and Cons

### Strengths

- **Renewal prices printed on the card**, which much of this category hides.
- **A genuinely cheap entry point** at €60 a year for the plugin.
- **The most mature WordPress editor**, with the largest template and add-on ecosystem.
- **Accessibility and cookie consent bundled** on the One plans.
- **Unlimited sites on One Agency**, priced sensibly for agencies.
- **A 30-day money-back guarantee** across the range.

### Limitations

- **Essential excludes custom code and CSS**, plus popups and eCommerce.
- **Plugin plans get zero credits**, so the optimisation suite is unavailable.
- **One renews 27% higher** than its first-year price.
- **Two product families on one page** makes the €5 headline misleading.
- **Only 57 widgets on Essential**, against 85 everywhere else.
- **You still need WordPress hosting** on the Editor Pro plans.

## Elementor Alternatives and How It Compares

- **[WordPress.com](https://findstack.com/go/wordpress-com)** hosts WordPress itself, with its own block editor rather than Elementor's.
- **[WP Engine](https://findstack.com/go/wp-engine)** is the managed-WordPress host you would pair with an Editor Pro plan.
- **[Webflow](https://findstack.com/go/webflow)** and **[Framer](https://findstack.com/go/framer)** give designers more control outside the WordPress ecosystem.
- **[Wix](https://findstack.com/go/wix)** and **[Squarespace](https://findstack.com/go/squarespace)** are the all-in-one builders that require no WordPress knowledge at all.
- **[10Web](https://findstack.com/go/10web)** and **[Duda](https://findstack.com/go/duda)** target agencies managing many client sites, 10Web on WordPress specifically.
- **[Hostinger](https://findstack.com/go/hostinger)** bundles cheap WordPress hosting with its own builder.

For a broader survey, browse our [website builder directory](https://findstack.com/software/website-builder).

## The Verdict

Elementor earned its position as WordPress's default visual editor, and on the design side it deserves it — the Theme Builder alone removes the need to touch theme files for headers, footers, and archive templates. What has changed is that the pricing page is now two products, and reading it as a single ladder from €5 to €36 will lead you to the wrong plan.

**The plugin plans include zero One credits**, and credits are what run AI generation, image optimization, site accessibility, cookie consent, and email deliverability. Those features are not something Essential has less of; they are something it does not have. And **Essential also excludes custom code and CSS, the Popup Builder, and eCommerce features** — which for a €5 design plugin is a real constraint, not a nudge. If you want to write CSS, Advanced Solo at €7 is your floor. If you want the optimisation and accessibility layer, One at €15 is.

Then read the renewal line, which Elementor deserves credit for printing. **One is €180 in year one and €228 a year thereafter** — 27% more — and One Agency goes €432 to €540. Several products in this category advertise a first-year rate and let you find the real one on your second invoice; Elementor puts it on the card. Budget from the renewal figure, note that the two plugin plans carry no promotion at all so €60 and €84 are simply the price, and if you build for clients, compare One Agency's unlimited sites against per-site licensing before anything else — 350,000 monthly credits for €540 a year is where its economics actually make sense.

## FAQ

### How much does Elementor cost?

On the euro price list captured July 2026 with annual billing: Essential €5 per month (€60 a year), Advanced Solo €7 (€84), One €15 (€180 in year one, renewing at €228), and One Agency €36 (€432 in year one, renewing at €540). The two Editor Pro plans carry no introductory discount; the two One plans do, and both state their renewal rate on the pricing card.

### What is excluded from Elementor's cheapest plan?

Essential at €5 a month excludes the Popup Builder, custom code and CSS, eCommerce features, AI generation, image optimization, site accessibility, cookie consent, collaborative notes, email deliverability, and site management. It includes 57 widgets, the Theme Builder, dynamic content, the form builder, and 10 cloud templates for one site. Advanced Solo at €7 restores popups, custom CSS, and eCommerce.

### What are Elementor's One credits?

They are the usage meter for the hosted platform's optimisation features — Elementor states that credits unlock AI generation, image optimization, site accessibility, cookie consent, and email deliverability. The One plan includes 25,000 monthly credits and One Agency 350,000. Both Editor Pro plugin plans include **zero** credits, which is why those features are unavailable rather than merely limited on them.

### Does Elementor's price go up after the first year?

Yes, on the One plans, and Elementor says so on the card. One costs €180 for the first year and renews at €228 a year — 27% higher — while One Agency costs €432 then renews at €540, 25% higher. The Essential and Advanced Solo plugin plans have no introductory discount, so their €60 and €84 rates are what you pay every year.

### Is Elementor better than Wix or Squarespace?

They solve different problems. Elementor is a plugin for WordPress, so you keep WordPress's flexibility, portability, and plugin ecosystem — and you take on managing hosting unless you buy a One plan. Wix and Squarespace are self-contained platforms that are easier to start with and cannot be moved elsewhere. Choose Elementor if you want WordPress; choose the others if you would rather not think about WordPress at all.