Are you looking for a WordPress theme builder that gives you total control over your website's design?
Creating a custom website with WordPress can be complex, and using a theme builder makes the design process easier.
In this article, we'll explore the top theme builders to help you find the right tool for your project. We’ll answer the following questions to make your decision easier:
- What unique features does each theme builder offer?
- What dynamic theme parts of a website do these builders allow you to design?
- What are the pricing options for each theme builder?
- Which theme builder offers the best user experience for beginners versus advanced users?
- What advantages do specific builders provide for integration with plugins like WooCommerce?
- How do these tools compare in terms of performance and SEO?
Let’s get started!
What Is a WordPress Theme Builder?
A theme builder is a WordPress plugin that allows you to customize your entire website's design without needing to code. Unlike traditional themes that often limit your customization options, theme builders give you full control over your site's appearance.
With a theme builder, you can:
- Create custom templates for different parts of your site, such as headers, footers, single posts, archive pages, and more.
- Use a visual, drag-and-drop interface to design these templates.
- Apply your custom designs site-wide or to specific pages based on the conditions you set.
- Work with dynamic content to create flexible layouts that automatically display your site's content.
- Customize WooCommerce pages if you're running an online store.
Theme builders typically work alongside your existing WordPress theme. Some, however, can completely replace your theme.
WordPress Theme Builders vs Page Builders
While theme builders and page builders share some similarities, they serve different purposes in website creation.
Page builders are ideal for customizing individual pages, while theme builders allow you to create and design your entire website. This includes parts of websites that are typically controlled by your theme.
Many popular WordPress plugins, like Breakdance, Elementor, and Divi, offer both page building and theme building features. This gives you the flexibility to create unique individual pages that go well with the overall site design.
Here's a quick comparison table to help you know the difference between the two:
| Feature | Theme Builders | Page Builders |
| Scope | Entire website | Individual pages |
| Templates | Create site-wide templates | Design one-off layouts |
| Building Blocks | Page title, header builder, loop builder, and more | Page-specific elements |
| Dynamic Content | Supports site-wide dynamic content | Limited dynamic content support |
Now that you understand what theme builders are and how they differ from page builders, let's explore some of the best WordPress theme builders available.
7 Best WordPress Theme Builders to Create Custom Website
There are many WordPress theme builders out there. Each one can help you create a custom website that fits your needs. But with so many options, it can be hard to choose the right one for your project.
To make things easier, we've put together a list of the best WordPress theme builders available. We'll look at what makes each one special, how much they cost, and what key features they include. Let’s start the list with the best theme builder in the business.
1. Breakdance
Breakdance is a modern and new WordPress theme builder that has quickly gained traction, powering over 25,000 WordPress sites in just two years.
The plugin comes with many powerful theme builder features. You can create templates for various parts of your site, including headers, footers, single posts, archives, categories, tags, authors, 404 pages, and search results. It also has powerful display condition options. You can use a mix of AND and OR conditions to fine-tune where and when these templates show up.
Its Post loop and Product loop builder are unique in the sense that they let you create fully custom grids with control over each element in the loop. The Post Loop Builder is not just limited to WordPress posts but also works with custom post types.
Breakdance is also known for its performance. It outputs clean, efficient code that translates to faster load times and better search engine rankings.
Despite its powerful features, Breakdance isn't just for experts. It has an intuitive user-friendly interface that beginners can handle too. This balance makes it a great choice for anyone wanting to create a fully customized website.
Breakdance Key Features
- Global styling system for consistent site-wide design.
- Intuitive templating system with powerful conditional display options.
- 145 pre-built elements, including specific elements for single posts and archive pages.
- Element Studio to create custom elements without coding.
- Deep WooCommerce integration for custom eCommerce sites.
- Unique Code Block that supports adding PHP, CSS, and HTML code to your website.
- Display dynamic data from different sources.
- Build beautiful header, footer, and mega menus using the same interface.
Breakdance Pricing
Breakdance offers flexible pricing options to suit different needs. It has a free version that lets you try out the page builder features of the plugin. For theme builder and other premium features, the paid plans start at $99.99/year for 1 site license. It also has a Pro Unlimited plan that costs $199.99/year for use on unlimited sites.
2. Oxygen
Oxygen is a powerful WordPress theme builder that takes a unique approach to website creation. Unlike many other builders that work alongside existing themes, Oxygen completely replaces your WordPress theme, giving you full control over your site's design from the ground up.
Oxygen's theme builder offers a visual, drag and drop interface that allows you to create custom designs for every part of your website. It's particularly popular among developers and advanced users due to its flexibility and code-friendly approach.
It outputs lean, clean code and is incredibly fast in performance. As it’s focused more on developers, its interface is a bit complicated and will require you some time to get used to it. The advanced interface means that you get 1-to-1 control over the styles of elements, which allows you to create true bespoke designs.
Oxygen Key Features
- Design unique headers and footers for different sections of your site.
- Integrate dynamic data from custom fields and other sources into your designs.
- WooCommerce integration allows you to customize your online store's design using the same interface.
- Visual CSS Flexbox and Grid controls for precise layout design.
- Create custom Gutenberg blocks visually for use in the WordPress editor.
- Write CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP directly inside the builder.
Oxygen Pricing
Oxygen offers a one-time payment plans, which is unique in the WordPress theme builder space.
- Basic Plan: $129 for unlimited websites.
- WooCommerce Plan: $149 and includes WooCommerce integration.
- Ultimate Plan: $179 and includes Gutenberg block builder.
All plans come with lifetime updates and support.
3. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is a popular WordPress page builder that also offers theme building capabilities through its Beaver Themer add-on. While the core Beaver Builder plugin focuses on page-level design, Beaver Themer extends these features to allow you to create custom templates for your entire WordPress theme.
With Beaver Themer, you can design headers, footers, archive pages, and single post layouts using the same drag and drop interface that Beaver Builder is known for. This combination provides a comprehensive solution for those who want to customize both individual pages and site-wide elements.
Although the interface is drag-and-drop, it may feel a bit outdated due to its floating toolbars and panels. If you're accustomed to modern page builders like Elementor, you might need some time to adjust to Beaver Builder's interface.
Beaver Builder's main strength lies in its reputation for stability and reliability. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. The steady feature growth results in a dependable platform, but the cautious approach means it might lack some cutting-edge features found in newer theme builders.
It's important to note that the theme building features are not included in the core Beaver Builder plugin. You'll need to buy the Beaver Themer add-on separately to access these capabilities, which could be a drawback for some users.
Beaver Builder Key Features
- Apply custom templates to specific pages or posts based on various conditions.
- White labeling options to rebrand the builder for client sites.
- Includes a Posts module, but requires HTML, CSS, and shortcodes for custom loops.
- Generates SEO-friendly output, helping with search engine optimization efforts.
- Part layout type to display pieces of content in various areas outside the content area.
Beaver Builder Pricing
Beaver Builder offers several pricing tiers, but you'll need both Beaver Builder and Beaver Themer for full theme building capabilities. The Beaver Builder pricing starts at $99/year and the Beaver Themer costs $147/year on top of this. The add-on comes included with the higher tier Ultimate plan, which costs $546/year.
4. Divi Builder
Divi Builder, created by Elegant Themes, is a popular WordPress theme and page builder combo that includes theme building capabilities. While it started as a standalone theme, Divi has evolved into a page builder that allows you to customize every part of your WordPress site.
The Divi Builder's theme building features allow you to create custom templates for headers, footers, post layouts, and archive pages. What sets Divi apart is its extensive library of pre-built layouts, making it an excellent choice for users who want a head start in their design process.
The theme builder supports dynamic content and offers conditional logic, allowing you to control when and where specific content appears on your site.
As one of the older options, Divi's interface might feel slightly dated to users familiar with modern page builders that use fixed panels. Divi relies heavily on floating icons and panels, which may require some adjustment for new users.
Divi Builder Key Features
- Create global elements and styles for consistent design across your site.
- Access over 350+ pre-built website layout packs to jumpstart your design process.
- Control user access to various Divi features, perfect for client sites.
- Optimize your designs with built-in A/B testing functionality
- Import/Export theme builder elements to easily share or replicate on other sites.
Divi Builder Pricing
Divi offers two pricing plans and they’re available for both yearly and one-time payment. The Divi Basic plan costs $89/year or $249 for lifetime access with a one-time payment. There’s also another plan that comes with additional cloud services and it costs $277/year or $297 today and then $212 from next year.
5. Elementor
Elementor is one of the most popular WordPress page builders, and its Pro version includes a powerful theme builder. It’s known for its user-friendly interface and allows you to design every part of your WordPress site without touching a line of code.
The theme builder in Elementor Pro allows you to create custom templates for various parts of your website, including headers, footers, single posts, and archives. It comes with various theme building widgets such as Post Title, Post Info, Featured Image, Author Box, and more.
While Elementor is known for its user-friendly interface and rich feature set, it does have some limitations. Websites built with Elementor are often known to have performance issues unless used along with a caching plugin and powerful hosting.
It also offers limited conditional options for templates. You can only use a collection of AND rules, without the ability to create OR rules or combinations of both. This restriction may be limiting for certain use cases.
Elementor Key Features
- 15 theme builder widgets to allow you to create custom theme parts.
- Design and display custom popups with advanced targeting options.
- Add animations and parallax effects to enhance your site's visual appeal.
- Create custom forms with advanced fields and integrations.
Elementor Pricing
Elementor offers several pricing tiers, with the Pro version required for theme building capabilities. The pricing starts at $59 for 1 site, $99 for 3 sites, $199 for 25 sites, and $399 for 1000 sites. All of these prices are yearly.
6. Brizy
Brizy is relatively new in the WordPress theme builder market, but it has quickly gained popularity due to its user-friendly interface and innovative features. As both a cloud platform and a WordPress plugin, Brizy offers flexibility in how you build and manage your websites.
The builder focuses on delivering a streamlined editing experience, which may require some extra time to learn. Many options are represented by icons without tooltips or explanations, which can be initially challenging for new users.
The Brizy theme builder allows you to create custom templates for headers, footers, single post layouts, archive pages, and other theme elements. It integrates with popular custom field plugins like ACF, Pods, and Toolset to display dynamic content.
One of Brizy's standout features is its robust integration with various marketing platforms through its form builder. While the form builder offers numerous integrations, it lacks some of the advanced features. Specifically, it doesn't offer a conditional display of form fields or multi-step forms.
Brizy Key Features
- Offers a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface with over 36 design elements.
- Provides 500+ pre-designed templates for pages, blocks, pop-ups, and stories.
- Includes customizable animation options, including Lottie animations and scroll reveals.
- Comes with a white-label feature, making it suitable for agencies and freelancers.
- Save and reuse templates across multiple sites with cloud syncing.
Brizy Pricing
Brizy offers both a free version and several premium plans. The premium plans start at $59/year for 1 site. There are also other plans that cost $99, $199, and $299 a year and include 25, 50, and 100 site licenses respectively.
7. Full Site Editing
The WordPress Block Editor, also known as Gutenberg, is not a plugin but a core feature of modern WordPress versions. It enables users of block themes to use the Full Site Editing (FSE) feature and design various theme parts such as single post pages and archives.
Unlike traditional theme builders, the Block Editor is integrated directly into WordPress, offering a native design experience. It comes with various blocks for headers, footers, and other theme templates.
This integrated approach can lead to a more cohesive design process and potentially faster load times since it doesn't rely on additional plugins.
However, the Block Editor is still evolving. While it offers a lot of flexibility compared to Classic themes, it may not yet match the advanced features of some dedicated theme builder plugins. It's best suited for users who prefer a native WordPress solution and are comfortable with a block-based design approach.
Block Editor Key Features
- Native WordPress integration, no need for additional plugins.
- Query Loop block to design custom archive pages.
- Set global styles for colors, typography, and layout through the Site Editor for consistent design across your website
- Growing library of blocks and patterns for diverse design options.
- Easily switch between different block-based themes without losing content or layout.
Block Editor Pricing
As a core WordPress feature, the Block Editor and its Full Site Editing capabilities are completely free to use. There are no additional costs or subscriptions required.
Breakdance vs Other WordPress Theme Builders
After comparing the various theme builders, it’s clear that Breakdance stands out in several key areas. It includes features that are
- Performance: While older builders like Elementor and Divi struggle with performance issues, Breakdance is built using more modern technology and sleeker architecture. This results in faster load times and better SEO potential.
- Global Styling: Breakdance's approach to global styles is more comprehensive than most competitors, offering a level of consistency and efficiency that's hard to match.
- Display Conditions: While other builders let you use multiple AND conditions, Breakdance takes it a step further and lets you use a mix of AND and OR conditions to fine-tune where theme templates are displayed.
- WooCommerce Integration: Breakdance offers arguably the best WooCommerce integration of any theme builder, with dedicated global styles and elements for eCommerce sites.
- User Interface: While maintaining a user-friendly approach, Breakdance doesn't sacrifice advanced features, striking a balance that's rare in the theme builder market.
- Code Element: The Code element gives developers more freedom than most other builders, without sacrificing the visual building experience.
Choosing the Right WordPress Theme Builder for Your Project
Using a WordPress theme builder for your website development can be a game-changer. After taking an in-depth look at all of the best theme builders listed in this article, Breakdance comes out as our top recommendation for most WordPress projects. Its combination of powerful features, clean code, and user-friendly interface makes it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced users.
Breakdance's approach of replacing the WordPress theme entirely offers unparalleled flexibility. It comes with 145 in-built elements that eliminate the need for additional plugins. Its Post Loop and Product Loop builders give you customization at the element level, letting you design custom archive pages with ease.
Oxygen comes in as a close second, particularly for developers who want granular control over their site's code. While it may present a steeper learning curve for beginners, its powerful features make it an excellent choice for those willing to invest time in mastering its features.