Elementor vs Gutenberg in 2025: Which to Use for WordPress
Article
The two dominant ways to build WordPress pages: Elementor and Gutenberg. In 2025 the gap between them has narrowed considerably — but the choice still matters.
Gutenberg (block editor)
Upsides: built into WordPress (free), lighter for PageSpeed, Full Site Editing, and the direction WordPress itself is going. Actively developed by Automattic.
Downsides: a steeper start for beginners, fewer ready-made design blocks, FSE still rough in places.
Elementor Pro
Upsides: genuinely intuitive drag-and-drop, Theme Builder, Popup Builder, WooCommerce Builder and a large template library. Excellent for designers.
Downsides: $59+/year, roughly 300 KB of extra JS and CSS, slower PageSpeed unless you optimise.
Effect on PageSpeed
Plain Gutenberg: mobile PageSpeed 90–95 with no optimization.
Elementor: mobile PageSpeed 60–75 unoptimised, 85–90 after work.
Which to choose in 2025
Gutenberg if: it is a new project, performance matters, you plan an FSE theme.
Elementor if: you have a designer who knows it, you need the Popup Builder, or you build landing pages.
Need help with WordPress? Elementor Pro setup or custom Gutenberg block development.