I recently designed a client website using the infamous Beaver Builder plugin, including the Beaver Builder theme. If you need a WordPress page builder, I recommend you read this, my full Beaver Builder review – in which I pit it against Divi, Thrive Architect and the Headway WordPress theme.
As you could read in my recent Divi review, I originally wanted to use Divi, but ended up not doing so for various reasons.
I also looked into Make Plus, a WordPress page builder theme by The Theme Foundry. I wasn’t impressed with Make Plus at all, so this ain’t gonna be no Make Plus theme review, and I doubt I’ll ever write one.
How ’bout Beaver Builder vs Visual Composer?
I’ve worked with Visual Composer before… Frankly, to me Visual Composer is a typical, popular ThemeForest product: impressive features, bloated code. Just like the Avada theme et al.
What I’m always looking for when testing WordPress themes is one that truly is “piece-of-cake” to work with. Not just for me, but for anyone, even technically challenged clients, “befuddled” old-timers and such 🙂
With all that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at Beaver Builder.
What themes work with Beaver Builder?
Even though Beaver Builder is responsible for a large part of how your website will look, it is a WordPress plugin. And as such, you also need a theme, as the foundation of your website design and page building.
Virtually all themes work with Beaver Builder.
However, some WordPress themes are better suited than others, to gain max benefits from its page builder strengths.
What you need is a theme that first and foremost has a truly full-width page template available. Truly, in the sense that you’ll want its content area to span the whole 100% of the browser window, with no unnecessary padding or margins. This is so that the Beaver Page Builder can take full control of your web design and layouts.
Dynamik Website Builder + Beaver Builder plugin = match made in heaven
As an interesting, and perhaps somewhat novel alternative, you can use the Dynamik Website Builder theme. Dynamik has been made 100% ready for Beaver Builder! Just note that you’ll also need the Genesis theme from StudioPress to use Dynamik, so it might be a somewhat elaborate package to purchase, albeit a good one! And if you already happen to own and use Genesis and Dynamik Website Builder, it’s great to see that it supports the Beaver Builder plugin perfectly.
The Beaver Builder theme
The Beaver boys also make a complementary Beaver Builder theme. Tailor-made for optimal functioning with the Beaver Builder plugin, it strikes a good balance between feature-richness and “bloatlessness” – it does a lot very well, while keeping a simple, uncluttered UI.
First, I considered using Dynamik Website Builder as the theme for the Beaver Builder plugin. But in hope of extra swift deployment, I decided on the native Beaver Builder theme. The Beaver theme’s promise of “the perfect balance of power and simplicity” was exactly what I wanted and needed!
Oh, by the way, you can demo the Beaver Builder theme for free on their website!
Alternative good Beaver Builder themes are the bare bones Genesis theme framework (without Dynamik but with the free Genesis Dambuster plugin) or Genesis + one of the many fine StudioPress themes. Technically solid, design-wise elegant, leaving room for Beaver to work its magic.
Over half a million websites now use and depend on Beaver Builder’s codebase. If Billy, Justin, and I get fed up with technology and decide to start a rock and roll band (which, admittedly, we do joke about sometimes), the code will live on. The project doesn’t end with us.
Why GPL Products and Limited-Site Licenses Don’t Make Sense by Robby McCullough, Beaver Builder
There’s a new… Beaver… in town!
🙂
Use the WordPress editor – or leave it to Beaver Builder?
Global templates
One thing that was, at first, missing in Beaver Builder, was global templates. In Headway these are known as mirrored blocks and wrappers. Thankfully, row and module templates were recently been added to Beaver Builder. Bravo!
Beaver Builder = Less. Headway = More.
Even though this is specifically a Beaver Builder review, and not a Headway Themes review, I can’t help measuring Beaver Builder up against Headway. Especially since the sad “loss and demise” of Headway.
Compared to Headway, there’s much less to tinker with in the Beaver Builder plugin (and theme, for that matter).
Looking at the responsive design options in both Beaver Builder and Headway, the difference is obvious. Beaver Builder offers less options, Headway? A lot more. For most users, Beaver Builder has the best approach. To many, too many options are nothing but a potential headache. Figuring out breakpoints and their behavior, in Headway, is no easy task. Trust me: I’ve done an epic Headway online course, and the responsive options were challenging to make accessible and easy-to-understand.
Just like Alex Mangini from Kolakube wrote in this intelligent blog post (that I agree 100% with): theme makers should make the hard choices rather than put these choices upon the end user, who might not be very technical, or like me; does have technical skill, but prefers to NOT do technical stuff. I care about reaching your business and personal goals by creating killer content, expressing yourself fully, contributing to the world. A website, to me, is nothing more than a means to an end. A powerful one, but still useless without purpose-driven content.
Beaver Builder vs Divi Builder
How about Beaver vs the new Divi Builder plugin recently released by Elegant Themes?
The Divi Builder plugin is basically a product like the Beaver Builder plugin. It’s Divi, just without the theme.
I’ll be upfront: I believe Beaver Builder is vastly superior to Divi Builder!
First of all, the Beaver Builder plugin won’t leave a shortcode mess, unlike the Divi Builder plugin.
Usability-wise, Beaver Builder’s page builder smokes Divi’s page builder. Designing in Divi Builder is a somewhat abstract experience: you’re moving boxes around, inside WordPress’ (formerly wimpy, now Divi’ed-up) content editor. In Beaver Builder, you’re working direcly on the page itself. Both Divi and Beaver Builder can be called drag & drop themes, but only Beaver Builder can call itself a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get).
However, it can be argued that Divi’s more compact view, compressing the height of all page elements, can be a positive trait. That said, I’m confident most people will prefer Beaver Builder’s live preview, over Divi Builder.
Beaver Builder vs Thrive Architect
Pitting Beaver Builder vs Thrive Architect could be a full blog post in itself. For this project I deemed Beaver Builder a better fit, as Thrive Architect seems more marketing-geared, and too technical. While most Tai Chi Chuan instructors are generally fearless, I felt they’d be intimidated by Thrive Architect’s more advanced UI, powerful as it may be.
So I still haven’t tested Thrive Architect, but would love to hear YOUR take on it. Voice it in the comments section below! Other readers and I are keenly interested!
Things I like about Beaver Builder, that it does nicely
Intelligent, adaptive design
In line with Alex Mangini’s aforementioned blog post, Beaver is clever by design. Instead of first having to select whether I want to activate footer widgets, and then the amount of columns, I could simply put widgets in the footer widget areas. Or not. Brilliantly elegant! So if I only put a widget in Footer Column 1, that widget will stretch to the full width of the page. If I also put a widget in Footer Column 2, I’d have… you guessed it: two columns, and so forth. Smart, simple design. Bravo Beaver – you’ a badass lil’ beast!
Solid default styling
Specifically, plenty of padding and margin. Lack of sufficient padding is something seen on most DIY-designed websites, and something the theme framework should take care of. Non-designer people just don’t seem to pay enough attention to the empty space around their content. It’s VITAL to a balanced, elegant end result though!
Easy to override default styles
Unlike certain other WordPress theme frameworks, it was easy to override the default styles. I didn’t need to use .custom classes or !important at all.
You can fool-proof your website!
If you’re doing sites for clients, you can set the minimum capability/user role needed to add, delete or move page elements around. This means your client can edit various page elements, but not mess up the site layout! VERY cool and something Headway could learn from.
Great support
Support from the Beaver guys’ was attentive, dedicated and competent.
Things I don’t like about Beaver
Yearly renewal at only 40% off
In general, I don’t like paying for annual license renewals for WordPress plugins, WordPress, or any other subscription really:)
Who does? I’m sure you agree:)
Regardless, as a business owner since 2002, I also know how vital a healthy, steady cash flow is, for any business to survive in the long run. And we all wanna support the developers who create our preferred solutions to the challenges we face as website owners / online marketers, right?
Still, paying anything above 50% (of the original purchase pruce) for an annual renewal feels too greedy to me. At 50% the balance tips towards feeling like I’m paying “almost the original, full cost, again”.
30-40% of the purchase price seems fair, for an annual update.
Regarding Beaver Builder – it’s a “40% discount on annual renewals” – that’s stingy. A 50, 60, or 70% discount would feel more right, IMO.
And what’s more: you ONLY get the discount if you renew within TWO WEEKS, after it expires.
So if you’ve been traveling, are frantically busy or just plain forget to renew within 2 weeks: you’re expected to repay full price. Really?
On a personal note, yours truly recently renewed his Beaver Builder Pro license for the fourth time (I’ve been using Beaver Builder since 2015). However, I did so late at night, on the last day I could get the renewal discount. Despite having set up reminders, reality is, I’m just too busy to make it a top-priority to renew such licenses.
Phew. Glad I made it:)
And yeah, I do get it! The two-week limit is to get existing users to renew. An urgency trigger. But hey – either let us renew when we want – OR give us a bigger annual renewal discount for renewing promptly.
Percentages – NOT pixels (for margins and padding)
Especially important for responsive web design, is the ability to set margins and padding in percentages – not pixels. That way everything scales a lot better. The layouts becomes more elastic. It saves a lot of work. I began working this way after reading Rafal Tomal’s take on it.
No global styling of buttons
Buttons should be styled globally, for a consistent look, across your whole website.
For this, I actually like Divi’s and PageLines DMS’s approach, where buttons and text are either on light or dark background. That’s all you have to think about, the software does the rest. Simplicity at its best.
Turning off the layout builder “chrome”
I miss a button to fully and completely turn off the layout builder. To quickly test hover effects etc.
Verdict: is Beaver Builder worth it?
In the end, I enjoyed working with Beaver Builder so much that I can absolutely say it’s my favorite WordPress page builder. It has a perfect combination of flexibility and power, while still offering superb ease-of-use!
In short, I can honestly and wholeheartedly sum up my Beaver Builder review like this:
Are you in need of a WordPress page builder? Leave it to Beaver Builder 🙂
Comments? Step forward please, voice ’em below!
Victoria Fisher says
Hi, we are a not for profit organization getting ready to re-build our website from the ground up. (our current site is WHACK!) We have a separate WordPress.com that we just purchased for this specific reason. I need to know if BB is compatible with WP.com (not .org). Thank you for your prompt response~ Victoria
Lizy says
I have read your posts on DIVI and this one on Beaver Builder. I appreciate the input. I would like to suggest that you style your links so they open in new tabs. It was very frustrating that every time I hit a link your blog post disappeared. Especially because there are many links and I wanted to review several side by side.
Jas Velasco says
Hi Oliver, once again, thanks for your amazing post. I have a few concerns, I’m building an ecommerce website for my store. I already own one, launched in Shopify, but it’s too simple for what I’m looking forward, something like rei.com. What are your suggestions to build a similar site like that? The most impressive feature rei.com has is their search and filter system.
I already own an ElegantsTheme anual suscription, but I’ll love to hear suggestions since I’m not very convinced of building the site with divi. Should I get Beaver plus what theme for that kind of website? Thanks for reading!
Cheers from Mexico.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Jas
If Shopify doesn’t meet your needs, you could go the WooCommerce route, though I’d personally rather simplify/ease my shop-expectations/requirements if at all possible, so I could use Shopify. I do realise that’s not always possible, though.
For a WooCommerce site, I’d recommend Elementor or Beaver Builder (plus Beaver Themer) as both of those page builders have strong WooCommerce integration and features. Elementor may have the edge though. They’ve been adding some killer WooCommerce features recently!
Theme-wise, I’d go for a customized (by a pro web developer / web designer) theme built from scratch. Lean. Or perhaps one built on the official Storefront theme.
=)
Oliver
Zengo says
Thanks for the elegant posts. I have a question since I am new to WordPress. What happens to the theme when you use page builders (BB) when it is updated. Does BB essentially create a child theme. I am quite knowledgable in HTML CSS and a bit of JS and PHP.
I have played with WP modifying functions etc. on a local server but never ventured beyond that. Your help and clarification will be appreciated.
Cheers 🙂
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Zengo
Thank you for the compliment:)
Nothing happens to the theme (neither parent nor child theme) when you use a page builder. The page builder works inside the content area only.
… Unless you use some of Elementor’s theme builder features, or Beaver Themer (an official Beaver Builder add-on). But still at that point, the page/theme builder only hacks/hooks into the theme, without touching it. So the theme can be updated freely.
… Unless you’re using a theme that isn’t by default supporting Beaver Themer and have added a few code modifications to enable it to work with Beaver Themer.
PS: if you haven’t already read my post Beaver Themer Review – the Limitless Pill for Beaver Builder – give it a read:)
Oliver
stephen says
Ive read your article comparing beaver builder, Divi, Beaver Builder, and Elementor- what Im getting from youtube reviews is that Devi is not a good choice if you are building a site beyond a few pages ?? Do you agree – or would agree that Beaver would be better for larger website ??
Stephen
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Stephen
I agree. Beaver Builder (or Elementor) trumps Divi Builder, due to their theme builder features. Read more about it in this post and this post.
Thank you for commenting and asking!
Oliver
Sergey says
Thanks for your review. You have tons of great information on Beaver Builder. I used it to develop several websites and agree that it is a great plugin for the non technical DIY person.
Oliver Nielsen says
Thanks for the kind words Sergey:)
“In Beaver We Trust” 🙂
Oliver
JK Roberts says
As a financial advisor, one of my roles is helping others establish their new businesses. An online presence is obviously necessary. I purchased Beaver Builder because it offered drop and drag capabilities in Word Press. It also appeared to be a cost-effective solution when compared to subscription-based solutions.
This is not the case. Shortly after my license expired, Beaver Builder lost all functionality. The company’s website claims that “Beaver Builder doesn’t stop working just because your license expires.” After a Word Press update, I was left with zero ability to make any changes. In fact, the software doesn’t even start after the change.
When you look at other services, they start with monthly subscription fees running from $5 to $12 a month. Beaver Builder costs $16.66 when you consider that updates are required (and yes, the only solution the company offered was for me to pay for an upgrade). Considering how tight the budget can be for a new business, I can’t justify recommending Beaver Builder.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi JK Roberts
I’m sorry to hear about your troubles. Still, I doesn’t sound like a problem with Beaver Builder, nor its expired license – which you should of course renew. Always keep all your WordPress plugins up-to-date.
What happened sounds more like WordPress getting stuck in maintenance-mode – something that can happen for many reasons. I experience it occassionally too. Can happen when you update any plugin. Often happens due to server issues. I can’t recall ever having experienced it while updating Beaver Builder.
Finally, for you and anyone reading this, here are Beaver Builder’s official words regarding expired licenses (grabbed from their FAQ):
Oliver
Amanda says
Hey Oliver – I’ve been scouring the Interwebz for this but haven’t been able to find a clear answer, so I’m hoping you may able to answer it! Really the main functionality out of any visual builder I use at the moment what I’m going to want to get out of it is this: the ability to create unique category pages without having to touch the actual codebase. Can BB do this? If you’re able to say definitively yes, I’d be happy to pay for the plugin. Thanks! Amanda
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Amanda
That’s what Beaver Themer, an add-on for Beaver Builder, is for. It’ll let you create unique category pages and similar archive pages, plus lots of other stuff.
=)
Oliver
D says
What prevents me from using BeaverBuilder is the lack of layouts. I see a few home page layouts and some other various page layouts, but don’t they have any full fledged full website layouts, like what you’d see on a ThemeForest theme? And the stylings and functionalities look a bit dated honestly. I dunno. Maybe I’ll have to give it a try sometime. I just find it a pain having to modify so many things and install a bunch of plugins to get a more modern look and functionality. It would be great to have some great looking full site layouts ready to go from the start. I typically revert to using visual composer based themes from Themeforest because the themes are way more versatile and modern; though poorly coded and supported. Just my two cents. Thanks for the read.
Oliver Nielsen says
That’s because Beaver Builder (and other page builders like Divi Builder and Thrive Architect aren’t themes – they’re page builders:)
They’d need to be themes to be able to do a full “site in a box” kinda thing.
Unless you use the Divi theme of course:)
You have a good point though: page builders make it easy to make pages, but a finished theme has its merits too. A quick start being one of them.
Thrive Themes are rumored to soon release their new theme. One that will include many of Thrive Architect’s page building features. Will be interesting to see!
=)
Oliver
Emma says
Hi Oliver!
Super interesting post, thanks for such a deep dive. I was looking at the Thrive one you mentioned in the article. It looks very slick – prettier than Beaver – does it work as well as BB? I didn’t see any updates about how you or others liked it so just wanted to check in.
Thanks!
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Emma
I prefer Beaver Builder over Thrive. Another interesting option however, is Elementor. Working on an Elementor review as I write this:)
Oliver
martha says
hi Oliver, I’m interested in your Elementor review as I’ve now read the Divi/beaver builder ones now. If you have one where can I find it? cheers
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Martha
Here’s the Elementor review – and here’s a comparison of Elementor’s theme builder vs Beaver Themer by Beaver Builder 🙂
Enjoy!
Oliver
Peter O. says
Great article and interesting replies. I’ve been a long time HeadwayThemes user and Divi Builder plugin users. Now that Headway has been forked and updated by BloxThemes.com, I’m thinking that’s my best approach for a theme.
As far as the page builder plugin, I’m now looking at BeaverBuilder plugin.
I also have used the Divi Theme version 3.x, which has a great WYSIWYG drag-n-drop page builder. It’s great for simple, pretty, small sites. But the Divi theme can get to be a hair-ball when things get big and complicated.
Beaver is coming out with their Beaver Themer, but I don’t know what that is. And, there’s a Beaver 2.0 out in a few weeks.
I have both feet planted firmly in the air. That leaves me with deciding for a more conservative, tried and true combo. BloxThemes (updated from Headway version 3.8.x) plus Beaver plugin.
If I was adventurous, I’d try the Dive Theme with the Beaver plugin.
Ideally, I’d like to just use one awesome, flexible and productive combo. What’s your go-to, tried and true tool-set?
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Peter
Sorry for the delayed reply.
I’m a Beaver Builder guy these days. Beaver Builder plugin + theme.
Funny you mention not knowing what Beaver Themer is – I’ve been wondering about that too when I first heard about it 🙂
=)
Oliver
JoshL says
Hey Oliver,
Today I dove into a rabbit hole trying to figure out what I need to buy to redesign a site I admin for my church. I feel like it’s a very simple site, but I need to ensure that I can alter the page elements and have some good control over the slider on the home page. If the current theme was responsive, I wouldn’t even bother with a redesign 🙂
My search for a new theme quickly came of with Divi and in looking for unbiased reviews, I came up with several of your blog posts. Considering I’ll probably not be the site admin forever, I don’t want to lock them into Divi in case there are theme/design changes in the future.
So all this has led to your recommendation for Beaver Builder. But I’m also reading the rec for Genesis and/or Dynamik, so I want to make sure I’m aware of all the pieces I need to buy. The home page customization is pretty important for me and it seems like this support is what needs to be built into the _theme_ while a builder plugin is what will give me control over site layout etc. I can code my way out of anything with python, but choosing which tools I need to make a pretty website is killing me!! Any suggestion? Thanks in advance.
Angela says
PS. As embarrassing as this is, I also want to let you know, it took me so long to get back to you because I had closed your page and a hard time remembering where to find you. I had read so much information on Beaver Builder on many websites that day and it took me a while to find you. Sorry again. Wasn’t trying to be insensitive.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Angela
No problem. I’d soooo love to have a subscribe to comments function on my blog. It’s just not supported by the Rainmaker Platform, on which my site is hosted.
=)
Oliver
Angela says
Hi Oliver,
And thanks for your thoughtful response!
1. I understand on Helvetica. And, I can use Typekit right? My intention is to use Genesis Framework, Dynamki Website Builder, Beaver Builder, and CSS Hero. So, would it be easier to use a font plugin?
2. Good!
3. Thanks 🙂
4. You mean on my own sub domain, right? Why do you recommend Simplero over say, Zippy Courses or similar plugins?
5., 6., and 7. I initially was thinking to build it and then have a web developer code it because the last time I built a template and had a company code my design, they built it in DIVI and it ended up that various features stop functioning… Sigh! So, I felt I may need to do it myself and then have it redone to clean up the code as I am no coder. Thinking, of course, that this would be the most cost effective way to get it done since I can not afford thousands of dollars to have it built from scratch.
However, it appears these platforms are working pretty well for developers and so they may not be creating bloated code.
My preference would be to build it and have a coder make some customizations (and clean it up if need be).
I was one of the first Rainmaker Beta users. Had 2 accounts at a super friggin great rate. It didn’t work out so well for reasons I’ll gloss over and I decided that was not the route for me.
Thanks again for you help.
Sincerely,
Angela
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Angela
1. You can easily integrate Typekit on that combo. No font plugin needed. Would be overkill.
4. Yup, your own subdomain. Design will be different from your main site, but you can match colors, and if you’re CSS-clever, your can customize it even more. Those online course spaces in Simplero are simple but super functional and easy to use (for you, and more importantly: your users).
What separates Simplero (aff. link) from services like Zippy Courses and Teachable, is its holistic approach: it’s a complete system for selling and delivering your content. Including management of f.e. an affiliate program, run by you. I’m aware that Teachable also has that feature, but Simplero has so much more: popups, hello/welcome bars, email marketing, invoicing, amazing stats on how your business is doing, how your leads are converting, and more. All in a UI that is so sexy that, to this day, I still get a warm feeling just from using it. It’s the kind of UI you wake up in the morning and really WANT to use.
Calvin the creator of Simplero is BIG on bringing your spirit and purpose into your business, and he has thoroughly succeeded in “embedding” that… ehm… almost ethereal feel into the product. Simplero FEELS so good to use.
If I didn’t have my web design background and wanted to have everything on my own site/domain: I’d be using Simplero. And been happy doing so.
… hmm, come to think of it, there was another reason I chose Rainmaker: it integrates with Taxamo, which I wanted, to ease my EU VAT MOSS burdens.
5-7. Rainmaker has matured a lot. Though it’s not as elegant as Simplero. Still elegant nevertheless, however.
Divi caused you headaches too? Feel free to elaborate. I’m very interested in hearing more.
If you choose to have a web developer do work for you, you have to be sure it’s someone who knows the tools on an expert-level, and adheres to the standards of those tools. You’ll shoot yourself in the foot with a developer who thinks that because he can do PHP, HTML and CSS, that he (or she) can easily work in Genesis, Beaver Builder, et al. Such developers do all kinds of crazy hacks.
Find someone specializing in your chosen tool/platform.
If you choose Simplero, your main website will be a WHOLE LOT SIMPLER to create and maintain. All the billing/commerce stuff will be handled in Simplero. For what it’s worth, you could host the main site on WordPress.com or the new StudioPress Sites (aff. link) for that matter. By that I mean: the requirements will be that simple.
Whatever you do: steer clear of Easy Digital Downloads. I’ve never quite tried something that was THAT problematic. WooCommerce is better, but still a pain. Every time you update a plugin for one of the many extensions you’ll end up using: something may (and often will) break.
Just my 2… nah… 5 cents;)
Oliver
Angela says
Hey Oliver,
Thanks for the info and guidance for my site. I’ll definitely head your advice.
I am curious if you might be interesting in build the site? If so, please feel free to email me at the address listed.
Sincerely,
Angela
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Angela
Thanks for writing back! Sorry for my delayed reply.
I’d be very interested developing your site – but a couple months ago, I quit all freelancing in order to free up time for my blogging and product development. I’m humbled that you’d consider my services. ??
=)
Oliver
Angela says
Hi Oliver,
Thank you for your reply. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
I understand and wish you the best on your new business model!!
I’ve been working on my site and have a good foundation built for the homepage. If you’re unavailable for some “polishing up” work, maybe you could recommend someone?
Sincerely,
Angela
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Angela
Can’t recommend any at the moment, sorry.
Cool book title by the way! “Naked, Nailed and Built to Stick” 🙂 Looks interesting! Limiting beliefs are indeed holding many people back from trusting their dreams and intuition. Good subject!
Note: I could hear the roar in the front page video, but there was no sound when you spoke.
=)
Oliver
Angela says
Hi Oliver,
Nice post. And witty, too! Glad I found you 🙂
Hey, I’m no pro web designer or developer but I have created a theme using Artisteer a few years back and pretty intuitive picking up and using various programs. I’m looking at building a site and came across WPMUdev’s Upfront and now Beaver… hence found your post.
Can you tell me which you might recommend to build my site?
1. I want to use custom fonts like Baskerville and Helvetica Neue and typekit to access Proxima Nova.
2.My blog will be mostly if not all video.
3. My homepage will feature a video that’s about 2 minutes long with an video intro before play button arrives like on zendesk homepage (desktop view not mobile).
4. I’ll sell digital downloads, courses and coaching.
5. And I’m pretty picky about being able to completely customize the look of the site.
6. And I likely will need to hire someone like yourself to further customize some features
7. I wondered if I may even need to pay a professional to take my design and code it in a more “professional” platform? Although it sounds like that won’t be necessary based on this post.
Thx for your help. And if you’d like contact me personally at the email listed if you’d like to give a quote on providing support to develop the site with me.
Have an amazing day!
Sincerely,
Angela Baumbach
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Angela
Thanks for reading and commenting!
1. If you want a commercial font like Helvetica Neue to work cross-platform (on Mac, Windows, Linux) you’d need to license it from Linotype. Else you can’t embed it. But with that out of the way, it should be possible to embed any web font, no matter which theme you pick.
2. No problem in Beaver (and most other themes I’d reckon).
3. On zendesk’s site it seems to be a background video that plays upon page load, with the video button appearing slightly delayed. Can be done in Beaver Builder.
4. You’ll need a WordPress plugin for that. But if you’re willing to have the courses served on a sub-domain, i.e. not directly on your own site, I’d recommend Simplero.
5.Beaver Builder is quite flexible. But still: know that flexibility to the degree that you can get whatever look you want, down to the last little pixel; will make everything more complex. A theme like Headway (which I sadly currently can’t recommend) is more flexible than Beaver Builder (and Upfront for that matter) – but at the cost of increased complexity, which also often leads to more bugs, troubleshooting, etc. Bottom line: Kill Your Darlings!
6. You may need to, yes.
7. A more professional platform? Which one? You could consider doing it on the Rainmaker Platform – a hosted WordPress “remix” with lots of additional features without too much complexity. It’ll also let you sell courses and digital downloads, and has various themes which support their Styles editor – a UI for setting various global design settings for the chosen theme. Their upcoming (currently in open beta) Visual Page Builder is pretty spiffy/powerful, mimicking something like Beaver’s and Divi’s page builders.
Let me know whether the above has been helpful. Further questions are welcome!
=)
Oliver
mike says
Hello. Thank you for this post, as I am evaluating Beaver Builder as a platform builder for the new year.
Do you, or anyone else, have experience with the Agency / Multisite version offered by Beaver Builder? I have 11 clients I would like to bring over to whatever platform I end up going with – plus I hope to add many more this year. I was wondering how easy, functional, and versatile it is.
For example: One function I would like to see is a multi-role for a User. Some users work across departments. So for the department she is in charge of she needs to be an Editor; however, she may also contribute content for another department, so needs the role of an Author for that section.
On the Administrative end (which is just as important for me), I wonder how easy it is to add sites, themes, backups, etc.
Thank you.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Mike
Really good questions!
I have used Beaver Builder in a WordPress multisite environment and can report that, to me personally; it’s been a 100% enjoyable ride:)
Regarding multiple roles for users, look into the great WordPress plugin User Role Editor. It is compatible with WordPress’ multisite features. More info on that right here.
Overall, regarding WordPress multisite:
It’s quite easy once you get the hang of it and get domain mapping to work on your specific hosting setup. The only problem I’ve experienced was when a plugin update to the Domain Mapping plugin messed up the… well… domain mapping… so none of the sites would load. Fixing it required going back to the previous version. The troubleshooting was the most cumbersome part. That said, the Domain Mapping was only updated very rarely, and since WordPress 4.5 should no longer be needed.
I hope that helps?
=)
Oliver
Olivier says
Hi there
Thank you for this post.
Due to the mess in Headway Theme team / support and everything, I was looking for a “Theme / Layout Builder” alternative.
Divi, BB and such are more like PAGE builder actually, even if you may figure some tricks to do the job, and even the theme are not very customizable when it comes to nav, header or footer. At least not as Headway (IMHO).
With Headway you just have to design a layout with wrappers, and all others pages, posts inherit this template unless specified otherwise.
Very handy when you use tools to autocreate / populate pages (like product pages)
Customization of Header, footer, navigation are not very strong regarding design with DIVI and BB theme if I am right.
In fact BB and DIVI are a nobrainer when it comes to populate the “content” section. But it seems that everyone struggles with the default template layout. So we have to use Headway or Genesis + Dynamik for those parts.
Just bought Generatepress to test it out. Not sure it can be as good as those combos
Just wanted your opinion about that
Thanks Olivier
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Olivier:)
You’re absolutely spot on: the Headway theme is definitely more flexible than the Beaver Builder theme.
And layout inheritance (based on WordPress’ standard template hierarchy) in Headway is a big time-saver. It’s “templates the way templates are meant to work”.
On the other hand: that flexibility isn’t always needed. Web design is full of conventions, fads, trends and tendencies. A good theme (like f.e. the Beaver Builder theme) can offer a selection of these, and 8 out of 10 jobs/websites will be possible to make.
Then there’s the “odd” jobs/websites. The ones with animated navigation or menu items in a circle or what have you… For those, a tool like Headway (when in a stable, bug-free state) can be a good choice. Heck, even DIYthemes Thesis 2 can do a killer job. So can a custom coded WordPress theme, which is a good option for those jobs, as such a custom coded theme (if done properly) will be future-proof and fast in a way few, if any, WordPress theme frameworks can match. A custom child theme on top of Genesis is also a viable option.
Regarding headers, footers and navigation in Divi vs Beaver Builder:
The Beaver Builder theme’s options for the headers and navigation strikes a good (almost perfect) balance, between flexibility and usability. You can do several different types of header/navigation layouts, easily. Divi is more rudimental and rigid in this regard.
Different fools different tools:)
=)
Oliver
Emilio says
Hi have you tried the new divi 3.0? The visual interphase seems good
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Emilio
Not yet, but planning to test it thoroughly and write about it. Hopefully within the coming two weeks. Stay tuned – and thanks for commenting!
=)
Oliver
Juan Carlos Partidas says
Hi Oliver
I have a friend who is very happy with a theme from Themeforest called Bridge. Besides the fact you have to buy an individual license for every project she likes the drag and drop Visual Composer. Have you tried Bridge? If so, do you consider it as good as Headway? Better? Worst?
Thanks in advance for your coments. : )
Lakewood says
I wonder how much of a priority Elegant themes are making a frontend page builder, it is something that I don’t think has been properly achieved, for the end user editing the the frontend is always prefered but is it truly necessary and is it actually better?
After playing around with themes such as UpFront and Beaver builder I still feel like something is missing or restricted.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Lakewood
I certainly believe frontend editing is the future. But agree we’re not fully there yet. It’s a difficult goal, but eventually we’ll get there. What frontend editing has going for it, is less abstraction. A more direct feel with what you’re doing. Is akin to photographing with a camera that has a viewfinder (or LCD screen, in modern times) vs shooting in blind, merely aiming the camera, then looking at the resulting picture, correcting your angle, re-shooting, checking, and so on – versus: seeing your picture, snapping it, knowing that your framing is as you intend it to be.
That said, some people are good at visualizing how f.e.their Divi site will look on the frontend, while placing the layout elements/blocks, in the backend. But to most “common folks” it’s a less desirable way to work.
What do you most feel is missing so far?
=)
Oliver
Paul Lacey says
Big fan of beaver builder.
Big fan of divi builder and to a lesser extent the Divi theme.
Big fan of headway.
Never tried genesis but have a pro bono project coming up and intend to get deep in those hooks and filter (you know just so I can say I have).
I have spent the last 2 years trying to zone in on the perfect tool combo for small and huge projects.
For a while I favoured divi (before the builder plugin was separate) for making super quick sites. Especially where a bit of compromise was fine on archive type views.
And I was using headway combined with beaver builder for the larger sites for headway total control over archive and custom post type single and archive views.
I was pretty pleaded about this… That was until I found something even better for both the big sites and the little.
GeneratePress
This puppy is awesome. I am a coder but this theme is what divi theme aspires too.
So my toolkit of late has been GeneratePress with Beaver Builder… And finally to solve a whole load of challenges… Combine these with WP Toolset.
To get the most out of GeneratePress you will want to re mortgage your house though…. The premium add on is a whopping $30 one off lifetime payment. It’s such a steal. The developer deserves a lot of recognition.
Go check it out.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Paul
Thanks for mentioning the Beaver Builder + GeneratePress combo. Worth checking out.
=)
Oliver
Albert says
Hey Oliver, this is very helpful. I’d appreciate it if you have a minute to answer this: when do you consider it is appropiate to use Genesis+Dynamik+BB and when the BB theme will suffice? Thank you!
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Albert
Good question – thanks for asking!
I’d say you can go quite far with the Beaver Builder theme, without coding. But if you wan’t much more control over minor layout details, and at that point, Genesis + some CSS, or Genesis + Dynamik: would be good routes.
=)
Oliver
Zach C says
Thanks a billion Oliver!
Appreciate ur reviews & replies to all the above comments.
I’m trying to build another website with my ‘basic’ CSS skills.
Been searching around 2 days, trying to compare & figure out which theme/builder to use.
Been contemplating between flatsome, genesis , DiVi, customizr, headway, whether headway with beaver or genesis+dynamik + beaver and Avada. The more i research, the more opinions there is & è headache.
Till I came across the above comments.
Your ‘make those complex things easier’ helps a lot.
That’s it. I’mtruly convinced, I will get beaver builder theme. (:
Thanks Oliver ~!
Oliver Nielsen says
You’re welcome Zach!
Headway would be a great choice IF ONLY they were still in business. The development has been stale for over a year, and I + most other Headway users consider it a dead project. Sadly so, as Headway was a one-of-a-kind theme.
Fortunately, there’s now Beaver Builder, which also happens to be much easier to use than Headway (and Divi for that matter).
Absolutely get Beaver Builder and the Beaver Builder Theme – I’m confident you won’t regret it.
Be sure to let me know how it works out for you!
=)
Oliver
Tyler W says
Hey Oliver thank you for the great review and run-down, very helpful and I’m definitely leaning more and more towards Dynamik + BB for developing client sites. I can hack apart pretty much any wordpress theme but this looks like it will be a real time saver and allow me to get exactly (or near) what I want in a fraction of the time and possibly leave things nice and clean for the client in the back-end.
I also like the idea of moving away from bloated / all-in-one solutions (avada etc) and keeping the code clean and snappy.
Thanks again,
Tyler.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Tyler! Good to hear! Thank YOU for reading:)
Oliver
Daniel Brown says
What’s your view on these WordPress builder Genesis, Thesis, TemplateToaster, Headway ?
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Daniel
Can you specify your question in more concrete terms?
Thanks:)
Oliver
Mike says
Do you think BB is a better choice than Avada? I know BB doesn’t have nearly has many features, but I understand it also doesn’t have the bloat that Avada has. Would you say that one could accomplish the same thing with BB as with Avada for a typical wordpress site with blog, woo commerce shop?
Also, this from their FAQ:
Can I modify my theme’s header and footer with Beaver Builder?
No. Beaver Builder’s page builder plugin is only intended to affect the content of your site, not the theme. But, the Beaver Builder theme (included with the Pro & Agency packages) is a very versatile theme framework that is simple to learn and very customizable.
The answer seems kind of ambiguous to me. First they say no, then they say but..the theme.. With Avada, I know I can customize the header and footer without doing any code. Can I do the same with BB?
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Mike
With the Beaver Builder theme, you can. But not with the Beaver Builder plugin. The Beaver Builder theme is an optional extra, if you need a theme that’s perfect for Beaver Builder.
The reason is: the plugin can only work inside the content area of your posts and pages. The header and footer are outside of those boundaries.
=)
Oliver
Chris Howard says
G’day Oliver
Just came across this. Great comparison. Particularly interested in your comparison to Headway. Like yourself, as a long time HW user, I am very impressed with it. However, I couldn’t see what the appeal of Beaver was. Your article helped me see things through different eyes, and it makes a lot more sense now.
I missed that altogether previously. Doh! I didn’t see how average users wanted tools to make their own sites with tools that were for them, not for designer/developers. You have some good suggestions in here for HW, which would be cool if they take on board.
Makes me realise I myself must revisit my own tools, especially Architect, and consider how I can make them more friendly to average users. Architect was always intended as a developer/designer’s tool, so I’ve had a few refunds to non-devdes types who just couldn’t wrap their head around it.
Thanks again for the insight. Much food for thought.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Chris!
I strongly believe that MANY things in our world, currently considered difficult, complex or “needing expert assistance”; can be made much MUCH simpler.
Furthermore, I believe VERY strongly that the future belongs to those who can make those complex things easier.
Why? Because they empower people. To do things themselves.
This especially applies to creative endeavours (like f.e. building a website) as creative endeavours:
1. are intrinsically fulfilling to do, in their own right.
2. can be fun for people to do.
3. allow people to express themselves. Always better done when one can directly work the process and thereby control its outcome. We all wanna be that dude/guy/girl/woman who put our hand in the wet cement so we can say: I was/am here/there. We wanna be as visible online as we are offline/IRL. Online is IRL, nowadays. We all live a large part of our lives online, you know.
Express Yourself – as that ol’ NWA song goes;-) (or Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Rhythm Band – whom the NWA sampled from)
=)
Oliver
Peter Brauneis says
Dear Oliver
I have used BB for more than a year and I am quite happy with it, basically for the same reasons as you. BB has some known incompatibilities, e.g. galleries. You can read about this at: https://www.wpbeaverbuilder.com/knowledge-base/known-incompatibilities/
Also some more features, e.g. hover effects, would be great to have on BB galleries.
Searching for options/alternatives, I came accross a quite interesting grid solution: UberGrid by karevn on Codecanyon. So far (4 months) it seems to be fully compatible with BB.
Have great day! Greets from Zurich.
Peter
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Peter
Thanks for sharing!
Oliver
Jason says
THANKS for a great review. Am so glad that you mentioned Dynamik+BB combo.
I am currently using Dynamik + BB, this combo seems to be highly recommended by many experienced developers out there as a stable platform with clean code that allows me to create my own theme.
My question is what are some of the things that we can do with Dynamik? I am not a coder, so right now my only use for Dynamik is to create custom sidebars for different pages, set up some layouts and site structures by creating custom widgetized areas etc. Other than that I rarely use Dynamik.
I would say once I have created the initial theme or set up for my site using Dynamik, then 95% of the time my work is done using BB.
Since I am not a coder and starting from scratch learning wordpress, I suspect I am missing out on a lot of the potentials and functionalities that Dynamik can do.
2 questions
1) I would like to hear from others what are some of the things that they do using Dynamik?
2) Is Dynamik really necessary? I feel that I am adding an extra layer unnecessarily if all that it does is to help me create custom sidebars and widget areas.
Thanks
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Jason
Great questions! I can understand why you ask.
First up: Dynamik Webssite Builder may be overkill for your needs. I myself chose using the Beaver Builder theme exactly because it’s a simple theme that does what it needs to do, and doesn’t overlap with the Beaver Builder plugin – something that can’t be said when using Beaver Builder with Dynamik or Headway, as the latter two are powerful themes, with many layout options and such.
Anyway, what Dynamik can do, that you may be wanting to experiment with:
The responsive design controls in Dynamik are quite flexible. Its Custom CSS tool and Front End CSS Builder helps you write custom CSS. You can also build/design custom Genesis child themes with it, that can be exported and f.e. sold as separate Genesis child themes, if you were so inclined.
Overall, Dynamik is a meaningful, good fit for Beaver Builder, as Dynamik’s weakness is its layout capabilities. Using widget areas for site-layout is weak, and in my opinion a leftover of how WordPress could be… coaxed… to do layouts, before more advanced, user-friendly products like Beaver Builder hit the scene.
Where Dynamik shines, is when it comes to styling your site. Colors, fonts, margins, padding. All easily controllable in Dynamik. Beaver Builder as a plugin can do some of that, but Dynamik takes it a step further.
=)
Oliver
Dale says
Curious if you have used Enfold. It’s become a favorite of ours. Tried Divi. Thought it was great, but just not enough to switch… “this close” to trying a beaver.
Oliver Nielsen says
Hey Dale
Haven’t really used Enfold. It’s too much of a “super-über-theme” vs a “flexible’n’fast framework” to me. But I’m interested in your take on its pros and cons, so feel free to share your experiences!
=)
Oliver
David Innes says
For the record I’ve just built a site with Enfold and while I’d say it’s probably a no brainer for a lot of people it’s been miserable trying to get it to match the (meticulous) specs of the designer who selected the theme.
As I say that’s probably not a problem for anyone who’s willing to just stick to the modules inside the builder and not try and get very creative.
One thing that Beaver Builder has all over Enfold is the ability to add CSS IDs and classes to modules and containers. Case in point: my designer wanted vertical lines dividing columns: If you could add a CSS class to a column a dividing line would be no problem. Without one you’ve got to wade through the generic Enfold classes hoping you can come up with a combination that works for all cases. (For the record the Enfold authors say “just” create individual cases for each page ID. (e.g. .page-id-451…, .page-id-452…, etc.) Which doesn’t scale well if the client will be adding their own. And is an even bigger toothache if, like this particular client, they’re using WPML to have multiple versions of each page in multiple languages.)
I’ve gone on long enough but I’ll just say that working with Enfold has reminded me just how much I appreciate working with Beaver Builder instead. 🙂 It’s mostly very easy, and where it’s not (as in pixels instead of percents or ems, above) it’s for practical technical reasons rather than lazy or stubborn ones.
Don’t tell anyone but on more than one occasion this year I’ve rebuilt a new maintenance client’s site in Beaver Builder rather than continue wrestling with their Divi theme or try and track down their registration key codes so I can update their #!%#!#% out of date WPBakery Visual Composer plugin that never updates when the $!%# ThemeForest theme that depends on it does.
While I’m at it I’ll mention that you’re right — Beaver Builder works very well with the Dynamik theme (when I need a lot of customization) and almost flawlessly with BB’s standard Beaver Builder theme (for more routine sites.)
Oliver Nielsen says
Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences re: Enfold vs Beaver Builder, David. Interesting reading and much appreciated!
=)
Oliver
Juan Partidas says
Hey guys!
For a newbie like me, to try to learn not only Headway, but also other software like Beaver Builder looks like a lot of work to do, but I can see how much the extra plugin might help.
I found on Youtube this video, that you could find interesting:
Beaver Builder and Headway Intro Tutorial https://youtu.be/slrEJ8Adazw
Have a great day!
Oliver Nielsen says
Thanks for posting Juan, very helpful of you:)
Oliver
Mariah says
So basically I just spent 2 hours all over the internet comparing themes & plugins because I’ve had an influx of clients wanting more power over their websites. I came across divi and left it as an option, along with Avada. Thank god I came across your post! I’ve heard great things about Beaver Builder & I already use the Genesis Framework so this article is EXACTLY the information I’ve been looking for. I love the flexibility of Genesis, as a front-end developer & now Beaver Builder is going to make it easier for clients to tweak some things on their own, without sacrificing the important behind the scenes aspects.
You also mentioned BB + Dynamik is a match made in heaven. I’ve been googling that too. Add them to the Genesis Framework and we might just have the best thing that’s ever hit the internet, developing wise & sanity wise hahahaha
Thanks for all the information and comparisons.
Oliver Nielsen says
I’m glad it was of use Mariah! Stay tuned, more is coming on Beaver and Divi in the coming weeks;)
Oh, and Happy New Year btw!
=)
Oliver
Paul Pyle says
Oliver, I’m working on rebuilding our site to full width using BB. I have Genesis, Dynamic, Dambuster and am using one of the BB themes. Dynamic is the active theme on the site, but when I’m using BB their theme is the one I’m editing. Am I doing something I shouldn’t having Dynamic and a BB theme? I guess I’m really getting confused as to what I’m doing and would appreciate your comments.
Thanks,
Paul
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Paul
You can use Dynamik Website Builder with the Beaver Builder plugin. Not with the Beaver Builder theme. Not with a Beaver Builder child theme. The latter will always reference its intended parent theme, i.e. the Beaver Builder theme. This leaves Dynamik unused and untouched.
I hope that clears it up Paul? Let me know!
=)
Oliver
Robby says
Hi Oliver. Great article. I’ve been meaning to come by and leave a comment for awhile now. 🙂
First and foremost, thanks so much for taking the time to put together such an in-depth review.
We are working on fixing a few of your dislikes! Particularly, the global button styling is an area where we have some cool ideas.
Pixels vs. Percentages is a tough one for us. In a perfect world, percentages are generally preferable. But, because Beaver Builder has to work with any theme, the relative nature of %, ems, and rems, makes things very difficult. Using Pixels gives us the most control. Percentages for margins and paddings (as opposed to fonts) might be a bit easier to implement, though. We’ll keep that one in mind.
We’ll keep doing our best to make Beaver Builder better. This kind of feedback is extremely helpful. Thanks again!
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Robby
Thanks for stopping by to comment. Glad to read you’re working on making buttons easier to manage in Beaver Builder. Many themes / theme makers don’t realise how cumbersome buttons can be, for non-techy people, and that they regularly need to create such buttons for all their changing products, services, promotions, etc.
Also thanks for enlightening me on the more tricky aspects of percentages and making Beaver Builder work seamlessly with any theme. Simple solutions are often complex on the inside. I can see that’s also the case here:)
You’re doing good work with that long-toothed little fella, I’m sure it’ll keep on getting better and better in the coming months:)
Oliver
mike says
Great article. I too have started using the Beaver Builder, however, I’m using it with Headway. That way I’m creating my home page template and interior page template with Headway and then using Beaver Builder to layout the content area of interior pages. It’s working great. Clients are loving the ability to work on their pages, but I have the header, navigation and footer locked in with Headway. It’s a match made in heaven and the Beaver Builder was the piece that was missing when using Headway.
I’m planning on trying out the Beaver Builder Theme soon, but so far, I’m all in with this great combination.
Thanks for the in-depth article!
Oliver Nielsen says
Hi Mike
Thanks for chiming in! I get the impression it’s a good combo, as you’re not the first one to mention you like using Headway with Beaver Builder.
I must admit I’m somewhat of a purist, so I tend to be reluctant to mix overlapping tools. I’d love to see Headway Themes to take some steps towards making it easier to lock certain elements in place, so lower user roles, or certain users (i.e. the clients) can’t make a mess.
I’d also love to see Headway Themes include more ready-made blocks. As is now, Headway leans more towards generic blocks like f.e. the huge, extremely powerful Content block, which can do SO much, and that’s great, but what many users need, are blocks like:
“Call-to-action”
“Callout”
“Hero Header”
etc
– so that they don’t have to “put the pieces together in their head” as to how they can accomplish making f.e. “a hero header with a call-to-action”. Having made a huge Headway video tutorial series (Headway Hero) I get to learn so much about what Headway users are struggling with. The task of making “a hero header with a call-to-action” triggers thoughts like:
“should I use the Header block?”
“perhaps I can use the Text block”
“or maybe the… hmmm… Conte… ehm… I’m lost”
I had hoped they would take the above steps with Version 4, but they’ve instead opted to improve the UI of existing functionality. I therefore see Headway 4 more as an evolutionary, rather revolutionary, major version update.
They’re doing what they do best though: a super designer-friendly web design app, true drag’n’drop, yet very lean, fast code. And that’s what I like about Headway, so it’s not bad at all, I just see them losing a lot of competitive ground to products like Beaver Builder and Divi, for reasons outlined here.
Me, I find it exciting times, since my focus with my work and blog is rooted in a deep belief that anyone should be able to design their own, unique, beautiful website, AND that the only limiting factors are:
1. Great learning experiences (hence I do an online course, striving to do just that).
2. Technological innovation. Beaver, Divi, Thrive, Headway, Grid.io, et al: they’re all innovating at warp speed, and to think of the major leap we’ve seen with these tools in just the last five years – is truly astonishing!
=)
Oliver
Stephen Mellor says
Hey there,
Lovely blog post.
I’d like to be another voice that chimes in with a fondness for Beaver & Headway combo. I’m using it on all our sites now. Headway gives me the layout that I need as a web designer whilst Beaver allows me to hand over the page layouts to clients when it’s done. As a ‘WordPress Wizard’ in my local business community, I feel a pressure to make sure all of my work is spot on, that the code is light and that non-standards compatible elements are kept to a minimum. With these tools, I can do that.
All the best,
Steve