Are you trying to figure out the best option for you: WordPress Theme vs Page Builder?
Well, this is the blog post for you.
We take things one step further and propose a third option to consider: WordPress theme builders.
Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, and this guide breaks them down for you.
Keep reading to learn about the difference between a WordPress theme, theme builder, and a page builder, to find out the best option for creating your website.
WordPress Theme vs WordPress Theme Builders: What’s the Difference?
This section delves into the differences between a theme and a theme builder, and why you should consider using the latter.
What is a WordPress Theme?
Simply put, a WordPress theme is a collection of files that work together to create your website’s design. These files include your site’s layout, default templates for your posts and pages, fonts, colors, menus, sidebars, and other design elements.
The white portions of this diagram illustrate the areas themes typically manage. The content section is often dynamically populated (which is why it's crossed out, but the theme will control details like its layout width.
WordPress offers a variety of free and premium themes. Some are tailored for specific industries, while others can be used for any type of business or niche. You can also purchase a theme from a third-party platform like ThemeForest.
You MUST install and activate a theme on your WordPress website. This is done under the Appearance >> Themes tab on your WordPress dashboard.
Some of the most popular themes include Astra, Divi, and Hello Elementor.
Hello Elementor Theme
Themes are convenient because they already come with everything you need to set up your WordPress site - from pre-designed layouts to matching color schemes and typography. However, they come with very limited customization options, often restricting you to basic changes like colors, fonts, and minor layout adjustments.
If you want to make significant changes to your theme's layout or want to add extra design elements, you'll need to dive into PHP, CSS, and JavaScript coding. This means editing template files, understanding WordPress hooks and filters, and potentially breaking your site if you make a mistake.
For most beginners and busy business owners, this isn't just inconvenient - it's a significant barrier that can halt your website's evolution and limit your brand's online growth.
Which is why we recommend using a WordPress theme builder instead. These visual design tools eliminate the need for coding knowledge while giving you the freedom to create exactly what you envision for your website.
What is a WordPress Theme Builder?
The biggest reason why you might want to use a theme builder on your WordPress website instead of a pre-designed theme can be stated in one word: flexibility.
A WordPress theme builder is a tool that allows you to control every aspect of your website’s theme and design from the front end.
This is what you get:
- Complete Design Freedom: Build a custom WordPress layout you can imagine without touching code - from unique headers to custom product pages and everything in between.
- Dynamic Template Creation: Create different templates for specific pages, posts, or content types that automatically apply to new content.
- Save & Reuse Elements: Build a library of custom sections, buttons, and widgets that you can instantly drop into any page of your site.
- Real-Time Visual Editing: See exactly how your changes look as you make them, with point-and-click editing right on your webpage.
- No Coding Required: Make advanced customizations that would normally require PHP, CSS, or JavaScript knowledge using an intuitive visual interface.
But for any WordPress tool on the market claiming to be a “theme builder”, to actually work as a fully functioning
theme builder…
...it must be developed as a WordPress theme — NOT a plugin.
If a “theme builder” tool can’t be installed and activated as your actual theme, how is it supposed to manage all of your theme-dependent features?
The truth is that “Theme Builder” plugins CAN'T.
They usually require fragile, multiple-instance workarounds that don't apply themselves universally across your site. If you then want to change a theme feature, you'll have to modify all these different instances — which becomes a website maintenance nightmare!
But if you’re using a theme builder like Thrive Theme Builder, this isn’t a problem you’ll have to worry about.
Thrive Theme Builder is an actual WordPress theme (installed in the Themes section of your WordPress site) that gives you the power to customize ALL your theme features — down to the last crucial detail — with an intuitive
drag-and-drop editor.
Building Your Website with a WordPress Theme Builder: Pros and Cons
When it comes to creating a WordPress website, theme builders have revolutionized how we approach web design. Unlike traditional themes that lock you into pre-made designs, theme builders give you the power to craft your website exactly how you envision it. Let's explore the key advantages and disadvantages of using these powerful tools to build your WordPress site.
Theme Builder Pros
- Ease of use: Create your own custom theme without needing to code or creating a child theme to make modifications
- Extensive customization options: Tailor a unique web design for your brand
- Design flexibility: Modify any aspect of your theme – headers, footers, page templates, etc.
- Time-saving: Make quicker modifications with less hassle
- Consistency: Use a theme builder’s templates to maintain a uniform look across your website
- No need to hire a developer: For small business owners building on a tight budget, theme builders are the perfect way to build a solid WordPress site
Theme Builder Cons
- Performance impact: Some theme builders can bloat your website, so be sure to pick one that prioritizes clean code and site speed
- Learning curve: Despite being user-friendly, your theme builder of choice might require time to learn how to navigate it
- Compatibility issues: There is a risk of potential conflicts with other WordPress plugins, website builders, or widgets..
You Should Use a Theme Builder If You…
If this sounds like you, then you need Thrive Theme Builder.
Thrive Theme Builder makes it super easy for you to create a customized structure for your website.
I’m a big fan of the theme builder’s setup wizard, which helps you set up your site in 30 minutes (or even less). You also get a selection of high-quality themes to try out and customize to match your business’s brand.
Which means you aren’t getting a generic WordPress theme that will look like 100s of other sites out there. Instead, you get everything you need to make a website that is uniquely yours.
Everything You Need to Know About WordPress Page Builder
This section breaks down what a page builder plugin is and how these tools can help you high-quality webpages for your small business site.
What is a WordPress Page Builder?
A WordPress Page Builder is a plugin that allows you to create and customize the design of individual web pages on your WordPress website.
It's designed to help users build a professional-looking website without needing to have knowledge of coding.
You can use this tool to build homepages, sales pages, WooCommerce store pages, and other types of landing pages.
Most top page builder plugins also provide built-in design elements to drive conversions, e.g. countdown timers, popups, pricing tables, and more.
Using a WordPress Page Builder: Pros and Cons
Page Builder Pros
Thinking about using a WordPress page builder for your website? You're not alone! These handy drag-and-drop tools have become the go-to choice for creating websites without getting tangled up in code. While traditional themes can feel restrictive and custom coding might give you a headache, page builders offer that sweet spot in between.
Page Builder Pros
- Ease of Use: Simple drag-and-drop interfaces make it easy for anyone to design pages, regardless of their technical experience.
- Design Flexibility: Page builders offer a variety of options to create stunning, interactive landing pages beyond the limitations of the default WordPress editor or preset free themes (or even premium ones).
- No Coding Required: Eliminates the need for an in-depth understanding of HTML, CSS, or PHP to build engaging layouts.
- Time-Saving: Enables quick creation and editing of pages, significantly reducing building time.
- Pre-Built Templates: Many page builders come with a library of pre-built templates and blocks (modules), allowing for easier building from the backend of your website.
- Live Previews: Changes can be viewed in real time, allowing immediate feedback on your design choices.
- Responsive Design: Easy to create mobile-friendly, responsive layouts that adapt to different screen sizes.
Page Builder Cons
- Potential Slower Page Load Times: Page builders add extra layers of code to achieve their drag-and-drop functionality, which can slow down your website's performance compared to clean, custom code.
- Plugin Lock-in Effect: Once you build your site with a specific page builder, switching to a different builder or theme means rebuilding your pages from scratch, as the content remains tied to the builder's format.
- Steeper Learning Curve: Despite being marketed as beginner-friendly, a lot of page builders have their own interface quirks and workflow processes that take time to master effectively.
You Should Use a Page Builder If…
Unlock Your Website's Potential: Use a Page Builder and Theme Builder
Want to take your website from good to "wow, who built this?"
When you team up a WordPress theme builder with a page builder, you get the best of both worlds. Think of it as hiring an interior designer and a master decorator to work together on your dream home.
These two tools are like perfect teammates. Your theme builder handles the big picture stuff (think overall layout and style), while your page builder lets you get creative with individual pages. Together, they help you build a website that's not just pretty, but also uniquely yours.
Here's what makes this duo so powerful:
To make this powerful combo work smoothly, you'll need a theme builder and page builder that are truly compatible with each other.
Enter Thrive Theme Builder + Thrive Architect: the best website building duo for WordPress users.
Think of this combo as “web development made easy”.
Thrive Theme Builder helps you build and customize every aspect of your website design without typing a single line of code.
Thrive Theme Builder in Action
Once you’ve created your website’s structure, you’ll hop in and customize your web pages with Thrive Architect.
Thrive Architect in Action
No need to code. No need to purchase expensive add-ons. You get everything you need to build a stunning WordPress site.
You can purchase Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect as a bundle or as part of Thrive Suite, where you get access to eight additional premium plugins.
Next Steps: Create a Custom WordPress Theme in Minutes
The Thrive Theme Builder Setup Wizard is designed to help you put together your custom WordPress theme quickly.
Setup the wizard in Thrive Theme Builder.
- Some of the steps in the wizard include:
- Uploading a dark and light version of your logo
- Selecting a header and footer template
- Choosing a homepage template
- Picking a blog layout and blog post template
By the end of the Setup Wizard, you'll have created a clean website design that you can now go in and customize using Thrive Architect.
Now You Know the Difference Between a WordPress Theme and Page Builder…
By now, you should have a clear idea of what works best for you. Now it’s time to work on your actual website.
Here are four free tutorials to help you build your website the easy (and right) way:
- How to Create a Clean, Conversion-Focused Website
- How to Create a Membership Site on WordPress (Ultimate Guide)
- How to Build Your Perfect Personal Branding Website
- How to Start an Ecommerce Store: A Guide to Success
Thrive Theme Builder & Thrive Architect are the best tools for building your dream business website.
Whether you’re a blogger, solopreneur, course creator, or startup owner, you can use our tools to build any type of website with ease.
As you get more comfortable with the tools, you'll find it easy to create sales pages for your offers, and other types of pages to get more leads and customers.
So what are you waiting for?
Very helpful
nice website and great tool to use
As an experienced web developer, I really liked how this article clearly explained WordPress themes, theme builders, and page builders. It’s great to see both the pros and cons of each option laid out so simply. I’ve used your product and combining a theme builder and page builder has definitely saved me time and headache. Congrats on a well-written guide that’s helpful for both beginners and pros. Great job on making complex topics easy to understand!
Very easy to use this plugin with my MacBook Air!
Wow! I should probably give this a try 🙂
I’ve been a digital marketer for years, and Thrive has always been and always will be my go do Dev suite. it just gets better and better every quarter!
I love Thrive Themes. I’ve tried many other page builders and themes out there such as Divi, Elementor, Beaver, etc…..
What I like the most about Thrive Themes is that it’s so intuitive and simple to use. All the elements I need to create an awesome site are all there at a click of a mouse.
Not to mention how quick it is to go from A-to-Z with my website development. I literally can build a conversion based website within hours.
I love that it integrates with all of my tools with its own built-in automator that works like Zapier, plus there are built-in integrations with your email provider/service. The landing page creator, lead capturing features. I mean Thrive Themes has really thought about everything and they’re constantly improving the features.
I think I will try this for the next website I’ll build
I love the flexibility of using a page builder (thrive is my preferred). I couldn’t go back to using a regular old theme now.
Honestly, Thrive Theme Builder & Thrive Architect are not JUST a theme and page builder, the company is incredible at customer service and delivering amazing content to drive sales and profit. I’ve never seen a more dedicated company. I’ve been with Thrive for years and hope to be for many more!