Elementor vs Kadence Blocks
Elementor and Kadence Blocks are both WordPress page-building tools, but they take different approaches: Elementor is a standalone visual builder with its own editing interface, while Kadence Blocks is a library of blocks that work inside WordPress's native Gutenberg editor. Elementor holds a much larger install base - an estimated 18.4 million active installs against Kadence Blocks's 650,000 - and is currently the #1 ranked plugin on WordPress.org overall.
That scale gap doesn't mean Kadence Blocks is a lesser tool for the job it's built for. Elementor replaces the WordPress editor with its own environment, which gives it broader design control but adds more to load on the page. Kadence Blocks works within Gutenberg itself, which tends to mean a lighter footprint at the cost of some of Elementor's more elaborate design tooling.
Quick verdict: Choose Elementor if you want the widest possible design control and are comfortable with a heavier, standalone builder. Choose Kadence Blocks if you'd rather stay inside the native WordPress editor with a lighter-weight set of blocks.
Elementor vs Kadence Blocks at a glance
Numbers above are StatWP's own estimates, derived from WordPress.org's bucketed reporting rather than an exact figure the directory publishes, and update automatically rather than reflecting a fixed snapshot.
Feature and starting price at a glance
| Feature | Elementor | Kadence Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Core method | Standalone visual builder, replaces the default editor | Block library that extends the native Gutenberg editor |
| AI tooling | AI site planning, content, image, and code generation | Not a core focus |
| Ecosystem scope | Hosting, domains, email deliverability, multi-site management | Design blocks plus optional security, commerce, and membership add-ons |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Starting premium price | Not disclosed on the homepage - varies by plan (Elementor Pro / Elementor One) | $99/year (Essentials plan) |
Kadence's entry tier is design-only at $99/year; its security, commerce, and membership tools sit in higher tiers ($299–$499/year). Elementor's pricing wasn't disclosed on its own marketing homepage at the time of writing - check elementor.com directly for current Pro pricing.
What does Elementor actually do?
Elementor's own site positions it as a full web-creation platform, not just a layout tool:
Drag-and-drop visual editor with pixel-level design control.
AI Site Planner for generating sitemaps and wireframes.
Built-in image optimization, Core Web Vitals tooling, and accessibility checks.
Cloud hosting, domain management, and transactional email delivery as add-on services.
It markets itself as “the professional standard for web creation,” positioned for agencies and larger builds as much as individual sites.
What does Kadence Blocks actually do?
Kadence's own site positions the blocks as the design layer of a broader, modular ecosystem:
30+ premium blocks plus global color and typography controls for on-brand design.
A header and footer builder inside the native editor.
200+ starter templates for faster page assembly.
Higher tiers add security (firewall, 2FA, backups), WooCommerce store tools, and membership/subscription features - explicitly positioned as replacing several single-purpose plugins.
Kadence markets itself on consolidation - one vendor across design, security, and commerce - rather than page-building depth alone.
What features does each one have that the other doesn't?
Elementor's advantage is depth of visual control and an AI-assisted design workflow that Kadence Blocks doesn't attempt to match, since Kadence intentionally stays inside Gutenberg's simpler editing model.
Kadence Blocks's advantage is staying lightweight by building on the native editor instead of replacing it, plus a tier structure that can absorb security and commerce plugins you might otherwise run separately.
Which should you actually use?
If you need maximum design flexibility - custom animations, fine-grained layout control, an AI-assisted build process - Elementor's standalone builder is the more capable tool for that job. If you'd rather keep pages lighter and stay inside WordPress's native editor, with the option to consolidate security and commerce tooling under one vendor later, Kadence Blocks is the closer fit.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Elementor and Kadence Blocks?
Elementor is a standalone page builder that replaces the WordPress editor with its own interface. Kadence Blocks is a library of blocks that works inside the native Gutenberg editor rather than replacing it.
Is Kadence Blocks better than Elementor?
Not universally - Elementor offers deeper design control and a much larger install base; Kadence Blocks offers a lighter footprint and native-editor compatibility. The better fit depends on how much design depth you need versus how light you want the page.
Does Elementor slow down a WordPress site?
It can add more overhead than a native-editor approach, since it loads its own builder framework - Elementor's own performance tooling (image optimization, adaptive loading) is aimed at offsetting that.
Can I use Kadence Blocks with any WordPress theme?
Yes - it's built to work inside the standard Gutenberg editor, so it isn't tied to a specific theme, though it's designed to pair naturally with the Kadence theme.
See the live, current numbers for either plugin any time on StatWP's Elementor page or StatWP's Kadence Blocks page, or run this comparison yourself with StatWP's compare tool.