Elementor Free vs Pro: what you actually get

Feature by feature, here is how Elementor Core (free) compares with the Elementor Pro plugin subscription — and where Essential stops short of the full Pro toolkit.

This article is about the WordPress plugin, not Elementor Hosting, Cloud, or Agency dashboards. Those are separate products. “Pro” here always means the paid plugin you install next to free Elementor.

What Free is, and what Pro is

Elementor (often called Elementor Core) is the free page builder from wordpress.org. Drag-and-drop editing, containers, a solid set of basic widgets, part of the template library, and responsive controls — enough to ship a landing page, a simple company site, or a portfolio.

Elementor Pro is a separate annual plugin licence. You install it beside Core and activate it with your licence key. It is not hosting and not a “cloud site.”

Inside Pro, plans still differ. Essential is the entry Pro plan and leaves out several tools (no WooCommerce Builder, no unlimited Popup Builder, no Custom CSS / Custom Code, limited form integrations and submissions, no ACF/Pods). Advanced Solo / Advanced / Expert unlock the full Pro feature set. Where that matters below, you will see Advanced+.

If Pro expires or you deactivate it, free Core stays — but Pro widgets and Theme Builder templates typically break or disappear on the front end. Plan renewals before launch day.

Quick comparison

Numbers (widget counts, marketing labels) shift between releases. Treat the official plan table as the source of truth; this is the practical split most builders care about.

Essential is still “Pro,” but it is not every Pro feature. If you need Theme Builder and WooCommerce, popups, or Custom CSS, Advanced Solo (one site) is usually the realistic starting point. See current plan names and prices ↗.

Page builder basics

The visual editor, Flexbox/Grid containers (and legacy sections/columns), responsive controls, entrance and hover animations, shape dividers, shadows, and background overlays ship with Free. You can build landing pages, About/Services layouts, and simple post content without Pro.

Free widgets cover the content core: Heading, Image, Text Editor, Video, Button, Icon / Icon Box, galleries and carousels, Tabs, Accordion, Toggle, Counter, Progress Bar, Maps, HTML, Shortcode, Spacer, Divider, Social Icons, and more. The exact list moves with versions; the idea stays the same — layout and content are Free.

Pro adds Forms, Posts, Portfolio, Slides, price tables, Call to Action, Nav Menu, Loop Grid, Lottie, Hotspot, Reviews, Table of Contents, Login, Share Buttons, Theme Builder widgets (Site Logo, Post Title…), and more. Essential exposes fewer Pro widgets than Advanced+.

With Free you design the content area. Header, footer, archive, and single layouts still come from your theme — unless you use Pro Theme Builder.

Theme Builder

Theme Builder is one of the main reasons people upgrade. You design the site shell visually: Header, Footer, Single, Archive, 404, Search Results, and (on Advanced+) WooCommerce templates. Display Conditions decide where each template runs.

On Free, Elementor only edits page/post content. Headers and footers stay with the theme (GeneratePress, Hello, and similar). That is a valid, common setup for brochure sites.

Theme Builder is available from Essential upward for the core template types. You do not need Elementor Hosting to use it — only the Pro plugin on a normal WordPress install.

Popup Builder

Native unlimited popups are an Advanced+ feature — not Essential. Modals, slide-ins, bottom bars, and full-screen designs built with Elementor widgets, plus triggers and display conditions.

Free has no built-in Popup Builder. Use a dedicated popup plugin, theme features, or keep things to links and anchors. If lead capture and exit-intent matter, budget for Advanced+ (or a third-party popup tool). Marketing copy that says “Pro = popups” often glosses over Essential — check your own plan.

Katka’s popup templates need the Popup Builder, so they assume Advanced Solo or higher. Browse the popup gallery once you know which plan you are on.

Forms

The Form widget is Pro. Field types, styling, and after-submit actions (email, redirect, webhook…) come with Pro; Form Submissions storage and CRM/marketing integrations (Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and similar) are typically Advanced+.

Free sites usually use Contact Form 7, WPForms, Fluent Forms, or another form plugin — embedded with a shortcode or the HTML widget. That is normal and professional.

One or two contact forms: Free + a form plugin is often enough. Many Elementor-styled forms with submissions and CRM hooks: Advanced+ consolidates the toolkit.

WooCommerce Builder

Full WooCommerce Builder — single product, archives, cart, checkout, My Account, notices, Menu Cart, product widgets — lives on Advanced+. Essential is positioned for sites without Elementor-built ecommerce.

WooCommerce can still run next to free Elementor: shop templates come from Woo + your theme, while Elementor handles landings and content pages. Designing every shop screen in Elementor needs Advanced+.

If you want the shop look designed in Elementor, Essential alone is usually not enough — compare Advanced Solo for a single store.

Dynamic content, ACF, and motion

Dynamic Tags pull WordPress data into widgets (title, excerpt, featured image, author, native fields). Native WP dynamic fields start with Essential-level Pro. ACF, Pods, Toolset-style integrations are Advanced+ on the official comparison.

On Free, widget content is static (or comes from shortcodes/plugins). There is no Pro Posts widget or Loop Grid — theme archives or another plugin handle lists.

Motion: Free has entrance and hover. Pro adds scrolling effects, mouse effects, sticky elements, and Lottie. Use motion lightly; check mobile and prefers-reduced-motion.

Custom CSS, templates, Loop, menus

Per-element Custom CSS, Custom Code snippets, and Global CSS are Advanced+ — not Essential, despite many tutorials saying “Pro.” Free CSS still works via the Customizer, a child theme, Additional CSS, or a snippet plugin.

Custom Fonts and Custom Icons are available in Pro (including Essential on the official table). Free usually relies on system/Google fonts and Elementor’s icon set.

Part of the Template Library is Free (blocks, export/import). Pro expands Pro templates and site kits. Global Widget (edit once, update everywhere) is Pro-only. Cloud templates are typically Advanced+.

Loop Builder / Loop Grid / Loop Carousel and the Nav Menu widget (including mega-style layouts) are Pro. Free menus come from the theme. Menu Cart is Advanced+ and Woo-related.

Role Manager, Notes, Assets

Role Manager (who can edit what in Elementor) and Notes (canvas collaboration) are Advanced+ / team features. The Assets / Elements Manager for disabling unused widgets, icons, or fonts can appear in Free as a performance tool — naming varies by version. If Free UI and Pro marketing disagree, trust your installed version plus the plan on your Elementor account.

When Free is enough — and when to buy Pro

• Free is enough for landings and brochure sites: few pages, theme header/footer, a separate form plugin, no custom single/archive design, no Elementor shop.
• Pro is worth it when the whole site lives in Elementor: Theme Builder header/footer/single/archive, Pro widgets, Global Widgets, stronger motion, Loop Grid for blogs or CPTs.
• Advanced+ when you need WooCommerce Builder, unlimited popups, Custom CSS/Code, ACF/Pods, form submissions/integrations, Notes, or Role Manager.
• Hybrid still works for many freelancers: Free Elementor + form plugin + optional popup plugin. Buy Pro when Elementor replaces those extras cleanly.

Add up the yearly cost of separate form + popup + theme-builder add-ons. On one site, Advanced Solo is often cheaper and cleaner than three paid plugins.

Common mistakes

• “Where is Form / Posts / Nav Menu?” Those are Pro widgets (and some need Advanced+). Check Plugins and Elementor → Licence.
• Assuming Essential = all of Pro. Popups, Woo, Custom CSS, ACF, form integrations, and Notes often need Advanced+.
• Deleting the theme header on Free. Free + theme header is normal. Do not rip out GeneratePress or Hello only because a video used Theme Builder.
• Letting Pro lapse on a live site. Pro widgets can break after expiry. Renew or replace Pro widgets with Free alternatives before that happens.
• Confusing Pro plugin with Elementor Hosting. Core + Pro run on any decent WordPress host. Cloud is optional.

Next steps

Want a guided walkthrough of the editor and Theme Builder? Start the free Elementor 101 course. If you already have Pro (Advanced+ for popups), browse Katka page kits and import-ready sections instead of rebuilding layouts from scratch.

Disclosure: links to Elementor plans on this page are affiliate links (rel="sponsored"). I may earn a commission if you buy. Elementor is a trademark of Elementor, Inc.; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elementor. Plan boundaries (Essential vs Advanced+) can change — confirm on elementor.com before purchasing.