How to Use Elementor in WordPress for Free

Last modified: June 28, 2026

Elementor

Elementor is one of the most popular page builders for WordPress, and its free version is more capable than many people realize. You can build full pages, set up layouts, add widgets, and publish a polished site without spending a cent. That said, the free version does have real limits, and knowing exactly what you get (and what you don’t) saves a lot of frustration before you start building.

What Elementor Free Actually Includes

The free version of Elementor gives you a visual, drag-and-drop editor that works directly inside your browser. You see changes in real time as you make them, without needing to switch between a preview and an editing panel. It also includes responsive controls so you can adjust how your pages look on desktop, tablet, and mobile separately.

Elementor Free ships with over 40 widgets. The core set covers most common page needs: Heading, Image, Text Editor, Button, Image Box, Icon Box, Basic Gallery, Image Carousel, Icon List, Counter, Progress Bar, Testimonial, Tabs, Accordion, Toggle, Social Icons, Video, Map, Divider, Spacer, and the Section and Column containers. More recent versions also include the Container element, which uses CSS Flexbox and gives you cleaner, more flexible layouts.

You also get access to Elementor’s free template library, which includes hundreds of pre-built page templates and section blocks. These are a fast starting point if you don’t want to build from scratch.

How to Install Elementor for Free

Installing Elementor is the same process as any WordPress plugin. Here’s how to do it:

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Go to Plugins > Add New.
In the search box, type Elementor.
Find “Elementor Website Builder” (by Elementor.com) and click Install Now.
Once installed, click Activate.
Elementor will prompt you to run a quick setup wizard. Work through it to configure basic settings and connect your account (a free account is enough).

After that, any page or post will have an “Edit with Elementor” button. Click it to open the visual editor and start building.

Pair It With the Hello Theme

Elementor’s own Hello theme is worth installing alongside the free plugin. It is a minimal, lightweight theme that adds almost no styling of its own, which means Elementor has full control over how your pages look. Many themes add their own CSS that conflicts with Elementor’s output, causing spacing issues or unexpected font overrides. Hello avoids all of that.

You can install Hello the same way as any theme: go to Appearance > Themes > Add New, search for “Hello Elementor,” and activate it. It’s free and maintained by the Elementor team.

What You Can Build With Elementor Free

The free version is well-suited for building individual pages. Common use cases include:

Landing pages: service pages, lead capture pages, product announcements
Homepage layouts: hero sections, feature grids, testimonials, call-to-action blocks
About and contact pages: bios, team sections, contact info (though you’ll need a separate form plugin for the actual form)
Portfolio pages: image galleries, project showcases, client work displays
Blog post templates: within limits (see below)

The realistic expectation: Elementor Free controls the content area of individual pages. It does not control your site’s header, footer, sidebar, blog archive, search results page, or 404 page. Those are handled by your theme unless you upgrade to Elementor Pro.

What Elementor Free Does Not Include

This is where most people get tripped up. The free version intentionally leaves out a set of features that Elementor sells as part of its Pro plan:

Theme Builder: you can’t edit headers, footers, single post templates, archive pages, or the 404 page
Popup Builder: no built-in tool for creating modal popups or slide-in notifications
Form widget: the free version doesn’t include a native form builder
WooCommerce widgets: beyond very basic product displays, WooCommerce-specific widgets require Pro
Loop Builder: no way to create custom query loops for posts, products, or custom post types
Dynamic tags: you can’t pull in dynamic content like post titles, custom field values, or author names automatically
Flip Box and Slides widgets: these are Pro-only

Free Add-On Plugins That Extend Elementor Free

A whole category of third-party plugins exists specifically to add extra widgets and features to Elementor Free. Plugins like Essential Addons for Elementor, ElementsKit Lite, and HappyAddons are well-known examples. They add things like advanced sliders, post grids, WooCommerce product widgets, and more, all without requiring an Elementor Pro subscription.

These can be genuinely useful, but treat them as supplements rather than replacements. Each plugin adds its own CSS and JavaScript to your pages, which affects load speed. Pick one that covers your specific gaps rather than installing several.

Tips for Getting the Most From Elementor Free

A few practical habits make a real difference when you’re staying on the free plan:

Use the Container element instead of Sections and Columns. Elementor’s newer Flexbox Container gives you more layout flexibility and produces cleaner HTML than the older Section/Column system. Enable it under Elementor > Settings > Features.
Add a separate form plugin for contact forms. WPForms Lite and Contact Form 7 are both free, work well alongside Elementor, and let you drop a form anywhere on a page using a widget or shortcode.
Use the free template library early. Browse available section blocks when you’re setting up a page. Many of them are well-designed and save hours compared to building from a blank canvas. You can import a section and then swap out the content for your own.
Keep your page count reasonable. Elementor stores each page’s layout data in the database. On shared hosting, very large numbers of Elementor pages can slow things down. Focus Elementor on your key pages and use your theme’s default templates for simpler posts.
Stick with the Hello theme to avoid CSS conflicts. Even if your current theme claims Elementor compatibility, Hello is the safest choice if you’re building custom layouts.

Elementor Free vs Pro: When It’s Worth Upgrading

The free version handles individual page building well. If you only need to design specific pages (a homepage, a services page, a landing page or two), free is enough for the long term. Many small business sites run entirely on Elementor Free without any issues.

Upgrading to Pro makes sense when you need control over your entire site’s structure. If you want a custom header with its own layout, a footer that matches your brand, a consistent single post template for your blog, or WooCommerce product pages that match the rest of your design, those features require Pro. The same applies if you need the Popup Builder, dynamic tags for custom fields, or the Loop Builder for custom post type archives.

A useful benchmark: if you’re editing your header in your theme customizer and wishing you could use Elementor there instead, that’s the clearest sign Pro is worth the cost. If you’re happy leaving the header to your theme and just want control over page content, the free version will take you a long way. You can also read more about Elementor in WordPress to understand how the plugin fits into a full site setup before deciding.

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Why Use Elementor?

There are numerous reasons why so many website builders will use Elementor for their websites. For one, it can be a good way to customize a theme’s design to get it perfect. You can add call-to-actions, videos, media, text, or buttons to any location on the page, creating a page that will help you bring a message to the audience.

At the same time, you can use Elementor to improve your website’s performance. By moving a call-to-action to above the fold position, you can improve your website’s conversion rate. And you can make your website look more attractive.

How Much is Elementor?

The base plugin for Elementor is free. This allows you to use the plugin and create customizations with ease. However, you won’t get full functionality or all the templates that you might want to have for your website.

Therefore, many people who are wanting additional functionality look to add additional extensions to the plugin. And this is when the cost of using Elementor can get high. Therefore, you need to look at other options.

How to Get Extensions for Free

There are options to get your Elementor extensions for free. Some developers have created numerous extensions that include some of the features that are often on the premium features. There are numerous extensions like this, but they can be harder to find.

We’ve created some blog posts that feature some of these free options. You can also use the search feature on the plugins to find these extensions. But it can be difficult because these extensions are often a group of features and not always mentioned in the name. Therefore, you need to take time to research what the extensions include and what they don’t.

Problems with Free Extensions

One of the big problems with having free extensions, or using lots of premium extensions is that you are adding more coding to your website. Therefore, you get significant issues with loading times. And therefore, you can slow down your website. Therefore, you need to ensure that you need the function for your website.

There are also ways that you can speed up your website’s performance with other plugins and changes to the website. For example, using a VPS or cloud-based server is a really good way for you to improve your website’s speed.

Final Word: How to Use Elementor in WordPress for Free

Elementor’s free version covers a lot of ground: drag-and-drop layouts, 40+ widgets, and the ability to build full pages without code. For a straightforward informational or portfolio site, the free version handles most of what you need.

Where you’ll hit limits is with WooCommerce stores, dynamic templates, and marketing features. The WooCommerce Single Product builder, for example, lets you design custom product page layouts that apply across your whole store. That’s an Elementor Pro feature. See our guide on editing WooCommerce product pages in Elementor if you’re evaluating whether to upgrade. For popup triggers, the Form widget with email integration, and role-based visibility, Pro is also required. Think about which of those you actually need before deciding.

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