Many designers have found themselves stuck at the crossroads of choosing between Beaver Builder and Divi. Both are giants in the world of visual page building, but they take very different routes to help you craft the website you want.      

Divi, from Elegant Themes, is a lot more than just a page builder – it’s a complete design system that blends theme and builder into one. The platform comes with a visual editor and a powerful new interface focused on speed, multitasking, and creative freedom. 

Beaver Builder is a dedicated plugin praised for its stability, modular approach, and clean, performance-first philosophy. While both offer the drag-and-drop tools you expect, their features, interfaces, pricing, and performance set them apart. 

Those ready to make a decision will find all they need right here! 

We’ll break down feature sets, user experiences, template libraries, module options, pricing, performance, and more. By the end, you’ll know exactly which builder fits your goals and workflow, and be ready to make your investment.

Key takeaways

• Divi offers advanced visual editing, more modules, and a larger template library, giving users greater creative control.
• Beaver Builder’s clean, user-friendly sidebar interface and fast learning curve make it ideal for beginners or those who value simplicity.
• Beaver Builder’s lightweight code ensures fast load times out of the box, but Divi’s latest update makes it the fastest page builder out there.
• Both builders support responsive design, but Divi provides more granular control with additional breakpoints.
• Divi’s lifetime plan offers long-term value for agencies or multiple sites, while Beaver Builder’s annual plans suit smaller projects.

User interface battle: Navigation, editing, and learning curves

For many, the choice between Divi and Beaver Builder comes down to how each handles the daily grind of website building. 

Divi brings a full visual builder with floating options panels, right-click menus, and hover-activated controls, letting you edit directly on the canvas with minimal distractions. 

This floating interface makes the most of your design space, but the sheer number of icons and hidden options may overwhelm a beginner. However, there’s no need to worry about learning everything all at once. A mass of online tutorials is available to take new users through processes one step at a time, and new features can be explored as your own skillset expands.

Beaver Builder uses a cleaner sidebar approach. Modules and settings live in collapsible side panels, keeping your workspace tidy and making it easier for beginners to find what they need.

With all that in mind, let’s take a glimpse at the granular details.

Theme building & global elements

Divi’s Theme Builder is included in every plan and lets you design headers, footers, and templates for any part of your site. Global modules and sections can be configured to update everywhere they’re used. 

Beaver Builder requires the Beaver Themer add-on for full site editing, offering global rows and modules, but with slightly less flexibility and more reliance on compatible themes.

Responsive editing

Divi 5 now features seven customizable breakpoints, giving you granular control over every device size. Just switch views, edit, and your changes stick to that breakpoint. 

Beaver Builder offers four breakpoints with responsive editing mode, letting you preview and tweak layouts for each device, though with fewer options for breakpoint customization.

Efficiency tools & navigation

Divi’s wireframe view and Layers panel make it easy to manage complex layouts, as you can instantly switch between visual and block-based editing. Divi also packs a suite of keyboard shortcuts, bulk editing, find-and-replace, and copy/paste tools for power users, all accessible via the Builder Helper overlay.

Beaver Builder’s outline mode keeps things simple for quick edits. It offers basic copy/paste and undo/redo, but lacks Divi’s depth in bulk operations and global style management.

UI friction & workflow

Divi’s right-click and hover actions, along with its floating panels, mean fewer clicks for many tasks once you learn the ropes. The initial learning curve is steeper, however. 

Beaver Builder’s straightforward sidebar and click-to-edit approach reduce UI friction for beginners, but may slow down advanced users managing large, complex sites.

Bulk editing & structure navigation

Divi’s global elements, find-and-replace, and bulk editing tools make site-wide changes fast, while Beaver Builder’s global rows/modules are more limited and require more manual updates. Divi’s nested element navigation is more advanced, especially for intricate layouts.

Screen size adaptability

Divi’s floating panels and responsive canvas scaling make it easy to work on any screen size, from laptops to ultra-wide monitors. Beaver Builder’s collapsible sidebar also adapts well, but offers less flexibility for ultra-wide or multi-monitor workflows.

Keep in mind your own needs when coming to a decision. If you’re building dozens of sites and crave efficiency, Divi’s advanced tools and shortcuts will likely save you hours. But if you value clarity and a gentle learning curve, Beaver Builder is tough to beat.

Template showdown: Comparing pre-built design libraries

Divi and Beaver Builder take very different approaches to libraries that can shape your entire workflow. 

Divi leads with sheer volume, offering over 1,800 professionally designed layouts, including complete website packs that bundle headers, footers, and all core pages for a unified look. 

Beaver Builder’s library is much smaller, with around 170+ responsive templates primarily focused on individual pages, landing pages, and modular row/section templates.

• Organization & discovery: Divi’s template library is highly organized, with search, categories, and tags, making it easy to locate the perfect layout for any niche or project. Website packs are grouped by industry and style, so you can import an entire branded site in a few clicks. Beaver Builder categorizes templates into landing pages, content pages, micro pages, and rows, but its system is more basic.
• Import process & customization: Divi’s import process is simple – select a template, preview, and import. Customization starts instantly, and you can swap out placeholder content and adjust settings with Divi’s visual editor. Templates are optimized for Divi’s responsive breakpoints, and imported layouts adapt well to various devices. Beaver Builder’s templates are also easy to import – via a click from the sidebar – but require more manual adjustment for full site consistency.
• Template adaptability & theme integration: Divi templates integrate with the Divi Theme, ensuring consistent styling across your site. Beaver Builder templates work with most WordPress themes but may need extra tweaks to match theme-specific settings, especially for headers and footers.

• Cloud storage & reuse: Divi Cloud is a standout feature, letting you save layouts, sections, and templates to the cloud and access them across all your projects. Beaver Builder offers saved templates and, with third-party add-ons like Ultimate Addons, a cloud template system, but it requires extra setup.

• Editing & saving workflows: Both builders let you modify and save custom templates for reuse. Divi’s workflow is more advanced, with in-library editing, bulk actions, and global updates for saved layouts. Beaver Builder’s saved templates are easy to manage but lack Divi’s depth in bulk editing and global style management.

Module comparison: Design flexibility and customization power

Modules are the building blocks of your page layouts, so the choice between Divi and Beaver Builder needs some careful consideration. 

Divi comes loaded with over 60 core modules, covering everything from sliders and testimonials to advanced WooCommerce elements and dynamic content. Beaver Builder ships with around 30 core modules, focusing on essentials like headings, images, buttons, and galleries, with more advanced modules available through premium add-ons.

• Unique modules & special features: Divi stands out with modules like the Filterable Portfolio, Blog, Pricing Tables, and WooCommerce integration – plus native A/B testing baked right into modules. Beaver Builder’s strengths lie in its flexible row and column modules, which make complex layouts easy to build, but it relies on third-party add-ons for more specialized content blocks.
• Styling depth: Divi offers an extensive range of styling controls for every module: spacing, shadows, borders, filters, blend modes, and more. Beaver Builder keeps things simpler, with essential styling options (colors, margins, padding, basic typography) but fewer advanced controls out of the box.

• Animation & effects: Divi’s animation engine is powerful, with scroll effects, hover states, transitions, and motion triggers available for every module. Beaver Builder offers basic fade and slide animations, but lacks the depth and variety of Divi’s effects.
• Custom CSS & developer options: Divi lets you add custom CSS at the module, row, section, or global level, with a live preview as you tweak. Beaver Builder supports CSS classes and IDs for each module, but custom CSS is generally added globally or via the WordPress Customizer.
• Form-building: Divi’s Form module has advanced field types, conditional logic, and deep styling options. Beaver Builder’s form module is more basic, but integrates well with popular form plugins for more complex needs.
• Conditional logic: Divi supports conditional display logic for modules, letting you show or hide elements based on user interactions or logged-in status. Beaver Builder’s conditional logic is limited, requiring third-party extensions for advanced use cases.
• Third-party ecosystem: Both builders have thriving third-party module ecosystems. Divi’s marketplace is larger, with a wide range of premium modules and child themes. Beaver Builder’s add-on market is smaller but highly curated, with popular packs like Ultimate Addons and PowerPack.

• Custom module development: Divi 5 introduces a new API for custom module development, making it easier for developers to extend the builder. Beaver Builder is known for its clean, developer-friendly codebase and offers detailed documentation for creating custom modules.

Divi delivers real module variety, design flexibility, and animation power, making it the choice for users who want maximum creative control. Beaver Builder’s approach is more linear, but can be expanded with quality third-party add-ons.

Performance impact: Speed, optimization, and site efficiency

Performance is a top priority for both Divi and Beaver Builder, but their approaches and results show clear differences, especially as sites grow more complex. 

Divi 5’s new architecture has delivered a major leap in speed, with a 2x improvement in front-end server rendering compared to Divi 4. This is thanks to a complete codebase overhaul, dynamic in-line CSS, modular JavaScript loading, and a host of micro-optimizations that keep even large, intricate pages running fast. 

Divi’s built-in performance options let you defer JavaScript, inline CSS, and remove unused styles, all from the interface. You’ll have granular control over optimization without needing extra plugins. For a deep dive, check out our guide to Google’s Core Web Vitals.

Beaver Builder is known for its lightweight codebase, which benefits simpler sites and delivers fast load times with fewer HTTP requests. On basic layouts, Beaver Builder can edge ahead due to its minimal footprint. However, Divi 5’s optimizations mean it’s just as lightweight for simple builds and far more efficient for complex designs, thanks to smarter asset handling and server-side processing.

Divi 5’s backend improvements also reduce processing time by 40–80%, ensuring snappy dynamic content loading even as layouts become more advanced. Both builders handle responsive images and viewport-specific assets well, but Divi 5’s class-based presets and dynamic CSS give it an edge in minimizing front-end bloat and accelerating mobile performance.

Caching plugins like WP Rocket work just fine with both builders, but Divi 5’s built-in caching and optimization features mean less reliance on third-party tools for top scores. Properly configured, both builders can achieve excellent Core Web Vitals, but Divi 5 gives you more direct control over every optimization lever.

Pricing structures: Breaking down the cost of both builders

• Long-term value: Divi’s lifetime access at $249 is a one-time investment that covers unlimited sites, updates, and support forever. Beaver Builder’s annual-only costs accumulate year after year, especially for agencies or freelancers managing many sites. Over five years, Divi’s lifetime plan costs less than a single year of Beaver Builder’s Unlimited plan ($546/year).
• Usage rights: Divi allows unlimited site usage on all licenses, making it ideal for agencies and freelancers scaling up. Beaver Builder’s recent changes also allow unlimited sites on most plans, but support and updates may be limited by tier.
• Hidden costs: With Divi, you get the theme, builder, and all Elegant Themes products in one package. Beaver Builder now bundles Themer and its theme with all plans. Users may need to invest in plugins for extra functionality.
• Renewal consequences: With Divi’s lifetime plan, you never pay again and always receive updates and support. On yearly plans, missing a renewal means losing access to updates and support, but your sites keep working. Beaver Builder works similarly – you can use the plugin forever, but lose updates and support if you don’t renew.

Best value for different users:

• Freelancers/agencies: Divi’s lifetime plan is the clear winner for long-term savings and unlimited client projects.
• Single site owners: Both offer affordable yearly plans, but Divi’s all-in-one package may deliver more value with its bundled extras.
• Short-term projects: Beaver Builder’s annual plan is a low-commitment option if you only need a builder for a single project or year.

Which builder is best for designers and developers?

Both Divi and Beaver Builder offer strong toolkits, but Divi 5 offers more for those seeking deep customization and extensibility. Divi’s code output is clean, and its builder allows for granular custom CSS and JavaScript integration at the module, section, or global level. 

The Divi Module API and robust hooks system empower development teams to create reusable custom modules and integrate advanced functionality directly into the builder. Extensive developer documentation and a thriving ecosystem further support collaborative workflows.

Beaver Builder is known for its clean code and straightforward integration with almost any WordPress theme, making it a favorite for developers who value performance and simplicity. It supports custom CSS and third-party module development, but its API and extensibility options are less comprehensive than Divi’s. 

It’s also worth being aware of Beaver Builder’s recent foray into offering design services. This understandably caused concern among its core user base – agencies and designers – as the brand was essentially offering a service that competes with them. The service has since been repositioned as white-label solutions, which can be used to scale quickly and save time without needing to hire extra staff. But it’s left a bad taste in the mouths of many Beaver Builder aficionados, and it’s impossible to imagine Divi ever considering a similar tactic.

Take your Divi site to the next level with Divi Life extensions

After weighing the strengths of both builders, it’s fair to say that both builders offer different things to different people. 

Beaver Builder comes with simplicity and stability, but Divi unlocks a whole new level of creative and technical potential. Investing in the Divi ecosystem means you’re not just choosing a builder, but a platform that grows with you. 

And beyond native Divi’s own brilliant engine, you can add even greater functionality with the likes of Divi Life’s technical extensions. Our collection of performance-optimized plugins lets you add advanced features, dynamic content, and interactive elements without writing custom code for every project. You can save time and boost your billable efficiency.

While Beaver Builder’s template library is limited, Divi users get access to Divi Life’s massive collection of premium child themes and layouts, making rapid deployment easy for client sites. For agencies juggling multiple projects, the Divi Life All Access Pass is a cost-effective dream, offering far more value than Beaver Builder’s agency plans.

Ready to supercharge your Divi workflow? Explore what Divi Life has to offer and see how the right tools can take your project builds to new heights.