The most important difference
Elementor is a plugin. You install it alongside a WordPress theme, with Elementor Pro adding advanced design and site-building functionality. This makes it possible to use Elementor with a wide selection of themes and to adopt it gradually.
Bricks is a theme. Installing Bricks means making it the active presentation layer of the website. Its builder, templates and theme-level controls are designed as one system.
That distinction affects migration and project planning. Moving away from either visual builder requires rebuilding builder-controlled layouts, but replacing Bricks also means changing the active theme. Elementor can remain separate from the theme, although switching away still requires replacing Elementor templates and page layouts.
Ease of use
Elementor
Elementor is usually easier for a first-time visual-builder user. The free plugin provides a practical way to learn the interface before purchasing Pro, and its panel-and-canvas editing model is familiar to a large number of WordPress professionals.
This also helps when handing a website to a client. A client may already recognise Elementor, and it is relatively easy to restrict their work to changing text, images and other page content. Complex Elementor sites can still become difficult to maintain when widgets, nested containers, custom CSS and multiple add-ons are used without a consistent system.
Bricks
Bricks is visual, but its strongest workflow rewards knowledge of HTML structure and CSS. Classes, variables, pseudo-classes, responsive breakpoints and reusable components are prominent rather than hidden.
A beginner can build with Bricks without writing code, but a user who understands CSS is more likely to benefit from what differentiates it. For developers, that learning curve can become an advantage because it encourages reusable rules instead of styling every element independently.
Ease-of-use winner: Elementor.
Design systems and reusable styling
Both builders support global styles and reusable content, but Bricks places a stronger emphasis on a class-based design system. Its Class and Variable Manager supports organising, renaming, locking, importing and exporting reusable styling values. Bricks 2 also uses Components for reusable builder structures.
Elementor provides global colours, fonts, templates and reusable elements, while its newer editor generation expands class-based styling. However, the exact workflow can differ depending on whether a site uses the established editor or newer Editor V4 features.
For a marketing team designing individual landing pages, Elementor's widget-led workflow may feel more direct. For an agency creating a repeatable system across templates and dynamic content, Bricks' CSS-oriented approach is often more natural.
Design-system winner: Bricks.
Theme building and dynamic content
Elementor Pro's Theme Builder can create headers, footers, single templates and archives. Its dynamic-content system integrates with custom-field tools including ACF, allowing stored WordPress data to populate templates.
Bricks also supports full-site templates and dynamic data. Its Query Loop Builder can retrieve posts, users, media and custom-field data, and Bricks documents integrations with ACF, Meta Box, JetEngine, Toolset, Pods and ACPT. Conditions and interactions are included in its paid plans.
Both products are suitable for custom post type websites, directories and other structured builds. Bricks gives technical users more query and structural control inside one system. Elementor may be more attractive when the project already depends on Elementor integrations or when editors need its familiar interface.
Dynamic-content winner: Bricks for developer control; Elementor for ecosystem compatibility.
WooCommerce, forms and popups
Both builders can visually design WooCommerce areas and create forms and popups.
With Elementor, these features depend on the chosen Pro plan. Elementor's current pricing page shows WooCommerce, popups, custom code and other advanced features as unavailable on its entry Essential plan but included on higher qualifying plans.
Bricks includes its WooCommerce Builder, Form element, Popup Builder, Query Loop Builder and conditions/interactions across every paid licence. Its pricing tiers primarily change the number of licensed websites rather than unlocking different builder features.
Elementor still has an advantage when a project requires a particular third-party Elementor integration or widget. Bricks has a growing add-on ecosystem, but buyers should confirm that every required integration exists before choosing it for a client build.
Built-in feature value winner: Bricks. Integration breadth winner: Elementor.
Performance
Bricks is commonly selected for performance-conscious projects because its workflow encourages reusable classes and it combines the theme and builder. That does not prove that every Bricks website is faster than every Elementor website.
Real performance depends on the layout, hosting, fonts, images, third-party scripts, plugins, caching and the person building the site. A disciplined Elementor build can perform well, while an overloaded Bricks build can still be slow.
Until WPResources runs a controlled benchmark using equivalent pages and environments, the responsible conclusion is:
- Bricks provides a technically attractive starting point for lean custom builds.
- Elementor performance depends heavily on build discipline and the surrounding plugin stack.
- Do not choose solely from vendor or community benchmark claims.
Performance verdict: Bricks has the architectural advantage, but no universal speed result is claimed here.
Pricing and licensing
Elementor offers a free WordPress plugin and paid plans starting from $49 per year at the time of this review. Features and website limits vary between paid tiers, so the cheapest plan should not be assumed to include popups, WooCommerce features or every dynamic-content capability.
Bricks currently lists:
- Starter: $79/year for 1 website.
- Business: $149/year for 3 websites.
- Agency: $249/year for unlimited websites.
- Ultimate Lifetime: $599 once for unlimited websites.
Bricks states that all plans include the complete feature set, while local and staging installations do not count against licence limits. There is no downloadable free version, although Bricks provides an online trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
For one simple site, Elementor's free version or entry plan reduces the initial cost. For an agency that needs advanced features across many websites, Bricks' unlimited annual and lifetime options are easier to calculate.
Lowest entry cost: Elementor. Agency and long-term licence value: Bricks.
Ecosystem and client handoff
Elementor's scale is a practical advantage. WordPress.org reports more than 10 million active installations for the free plugin. That creates a large pool of tutorials, freelancers, templates and compatible products.
Bricks is aimed more directly at professional site builders. Its official feature set includes custom elements, action hooks, dynamic data, classes, variables and reusable components. These are valuable for an agency that will continue maintaining the website, but a non-technical client may need a more controlled editing workflow.
If a client already has a functioning Elementor website, rebuilding it solely to move to Bricks rarely makes commercial sense. If you are starting a new custom site and the developer will remain responsible for maintenance, Bricks deserves serious consideration.
Which builder should you choose?
Choose Elementor for a small-business or marketing website
Elementor is the safer recommendation when rapid visual editing, a large template ecosystem and straightforward client familiarity matter more than a developer-centric CSS workflow.
Choose Bricks for a custom dynamic website
Bricks is the stronger fit when the website uses custom post types, custom fields, query-driven templates and a carefully managed design system.
Choose Elementor for an existing Elementor estate
Consistency is valuable. Agencies already maintaining many Elementor websites should not introduce another builder without a clear operational benefit.
Choose Bricks for a new developer-managed agency build
The class-based workflow, full feature set and unlimited-site licensing can make Bricks attractive when a technical team controls the build and ongoing maintenance.
Elementor vs Bricks: final recommendation
Choose Elementor when accessibility, familiarity and ecosystem breadth are the priorities. It remains the easier recommendation for beginners, content teams and businesses that want to find support easily.
Choose Bricks when you want a more developer-oriented system for a new custom WordPress build. Its classes, variables, components, query tools and licensing make it particularly compelling for technical freelancers and agencies.
For many WPResources readers, the decision is less about which builder is objectively better and more about who will maintain the site. Elementor is easier to hand over broadly. Bricks is often better when a skilled builder retains responsibility for the system.