Elementor is a third-party page builder plugin you can install on WordPress.com sites alongside the WordPress editor, which is included with every site. This guide explains when to choose a page builder, how Elementor works with the WordPress editor, how your plan affects your Elementor designs, and where to get help.
This feature is available on sites with the WordPress.com Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans. For free sites, upgrade your plan to access this feature.
Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin that replaces the WordPress editor for the pages you build with it. You can install Elementor on WordPress.com the same way as any other plugin. Follow our guide to install a plugin.
Elementor is made by a third-party developer, not by WordPress.com. If you buy Elementor Pro from Elementor, you manage its license and updates with Elementor.
If you’re not sure whether a page builder plugin like Elementor is right for you, it can be helpful to start with the WordPress editor first. The WordPress editor is included with every WordPress.com site and typically has everything you need to build and edit your site, using blocks in a visual interface with no code required.
The WordPress editor gives you the following without an extra plugin:
- Blocks for text, images, buttons, columns, and other page elements.
- Ready-made block patterns you can add to a page and customize.
- The Site Editor, which lets you design your header, footer, and templates with a block theme.
- Video tutorials and help from WordPress.com support with every part of your page.
You can install a page builder plugin like Elementor when you need a feature the WordPress editor doesn’t offer, or when you’re moving a site that’s already built with one.
Elementor and the WordPress editor build pages in different ways. Adding WordPress editor blocks to a page built with Elementor, or Elementor content to a page built with the WordPress editor, can break the layout or change how the page looks.
To keep your pages working as expected, follow these guidelines:
- Edit Elementor pages with Elementor: Open a page you built with Elementor using the “Edit with Elementor” button.
- Edit WordPress pages with WordPress: Open a page you built with the WordPress editor using the Edit option.
- Edit your header and footer in one place: With a block theme, your header and footer come from your theme’s templates in the Site Editor. If you create a header or footer with Elementor instead, Elementor’s version replaces your theme’s on the pages it applies to. Edit whichever one your site uses.
- Test a theme change first: Switching your theme changes the header, footer, and templates around your Elementor pages. Try the new theme on a staging site (on eligible plans) before switching your live site.
Your Elementor designs stay on your site as long as your plan stays active, because Elementor needs a plan that supports plugins. If your plan expires and is removed from your site, plugins stop working, and your Elementor pages no longer show their designs.
Renew your plan before the end of the grace period to keep everything in place. If your plan has already been removed, follow our guide to renew and restore your site after a plan expires.
Help with Elementor comes from two places: WordPress.com supports the hosting your site runs on, and Elementor supports its plugin.
For hosting tasks on your WordPress.com site, follow these guides:
- Install a plugin, deactivate a plugin, or update a plugin.
- Clear your site’s cache.
- View your site logs.
- Restore your website from a backup.
- Access your server settings.
Contact Elementor support for help with the following:
- Building and designing pages with Elementor.
- Elementor widgets, templates, and settings.
- Elementor Pro licenses and Elementor accounts.
- Errors caused by Elementor’s own code.
Learn more about getting help with plugins and themes.
