Can Elementor be used with any Theme? (Simple Answer)

Every beginner who start their online website journey looks at WordPress. This is because of many reasons like the Guides, Tutorials, Blogs and communities.

The biggest advantage or WordPress is that it is a nocode environment that offers the same options but without code.

A beginner when creates a WordPress website, he/she start their designing journey in the first phase.

While choosing among the thousands of themes, and a theme builder. A question that arisies in their minds is that can elementor be used with any theme.

To answer this question, sitebuilderhq is here with this article. So let’s get started.

Can Elementor be used with any Theme?

The answer is a big “Yes” because most of the themes out there are compatible with Elementor unless they are made by a good developer.

The flexibility of theme is a question to whether it is compatible to that theme or not. First lets look at what Elementor is.

 

1. Introduction

Elementor is a popular drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress, designed to help users create, customize, and style their website content in an easy and user-friendly way.

The plugin is freemium, meaning there is a free version as well as Elementor Pro with additional advanced features.

The advanced features in Elementor Pro include a theme builder, global widgets, and website design features such as headers, footers, and custom block creation.

Elementor Free does not have a theme builder, but it can be used with any theme. However, it is important to ensure that the theme you want to use Elementor with is compatible.

Theme compatibility is an important consideration as it can affect the level of integration, features, design, and layout options available when using Elementor.

Some themes are specifically designed to work with page builder plugins, while others have been built without consideration for such plugins. Next, we will look at the requirements for using Elementor and what to look for in a theme to ensure compatibility.

Also, the process of setting up a theme and using Elementor to customize it will be discussed. Finally, some popular themes that are known to be compatible with Elementor will be highlighted.

By the end of this document, you will have a better understanding of the importance of theme compatibility for Elementor and be able to make an informed decision when choosing a theme for your WordPress website.

1.1. Overview of Elementor

Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder plugin for WordPress.

This means it gives you the ability to create web pages by using custom modules. The free version of the plugin offers a good selection of design tools and elements.

However, the Pro version provides additional features and functionality. Elementor works by replacing your current theme’s default design with its own.

This may cause a conflict. Because of this, Elementor is designed to be used with higher-quality themes. When it works with any WordPress theme, it attaches an additional ‘Edit with Elementor’ button to it.

This allows you to open and edit the page with this plugin. However, you should look to install Elementor with well-coded themes. This is because they follow WordPress standards.

Also, the theme needs to be Elementor-compatible to guarantee a smooth user experience. By using Elementor with a strong theme, you can make the most of the design capabilities. Also, you can use it to create a truly customized website.

There are some improved features of Elementor Pro including more advanced design options. Also, you can create pop-ups and work with WooCommerce products.

However, these come with a cost. The free version is a great introduction to the plugin and is ideal for beginners. As mentioned, Elementor can be used with any theme.

However, it is important to know that themes can include their page builders. Some examples of this are Divi, Themify, and Themeco. Also, different themes provide varying levels of customization. The most basic themes have limited space for change.

Premium themes like Avada give the overall design to the user. As a result, there are lots of reviews and comparisons of Elementor out there. If you are a first-time user, it can be helpful to look at feedback from others.

Also, think about how you want to use it. For example, is it for a personal blog or a commercial site? Finally, if you do not like the results, then you can change to a new theme. This is without the danger of losing your current content.

1.2. Importance of Theme Compatibility

It is highly recommended that you use a theme that is fully compatible with Elementor if you are planning on making use of the page builder to create and design your WordPress website.

Although there may be a vast array of themes to choose from, it is essential to take the time to research any potential themes and ensure that the one you decide to use has been specifically designed with Elementor in mind.

Not only will this result in a better user experience, but it will also ensure that you can take full advantage of both the page builder’s features and your chosen theme’s functionality.

Furthermore, the benefits of using a fully compatible theme, such as responsive design, Elementor plugin compatibility, and a fully customizable website, mean that your website is better prepared for potential future changes or updates in terms of design and functionality.

Another consideration as to why theme compatibility is important is to ensure that every aspect of the website can be customized using the page builder.

By using a theme that is known to work well with Elementor, you can be confident that every part of your website can be tailored to meet your needs and the requirements of your business. Some themes will restrict the extent to which certain elements of the site can be edited using a page builder like Elementor, often to encourage the user to upgrade to a premium version of the theme.

However, by choosing a theme that is completely compatible with Elementor, you can take full advantage of the page builder’s functionality and create a website that meets your exact specifications.

This is especially important for businesses; flexibility in content creation and the ability to customize every aspect of a website can play a crucial role in helping a business to effectively market its products or services online.

One of the reasons why it is so important to ensure that the theme you are using is compatible with Elementor is to ensure that your website remains responsive.

Using a theme that is not compatible with Elementor can result in responsiveness issues due to the fact that the page builder will not be able to fully utilize the theme’s responsive features.

On the other hand, Elementor-compatible themes will ensure that your website is displayed correctly and uniformly across all devices, as Elementor will be able to make use of the theme’s built-in responsive design measures.

Factors to Consider

Elementor can be used with any theme, but choosing a compatible theme and considering its limitations is essential.

Also, do not forget to explore theming features specific to certain themes as this may lead to practical and cosmetic opportunities when editing a website using Elementor.

Furthermore, it is important to keep up-to-date with the theme updates and ensure that the theme and the plugin are still compatible, otherwise if a theme gets out of date, this may lead to potential security risks.

Also, when creating a website for a client, they may find it hard to edit the website via Elementor, as some theme customizations may prevent clients from utilizing Elementor features.

The performance impact on page load speed is another limitation to take into account when using Elementor with any theme.

Due to the plugin’s high customizability and dynamic content loading, Elementor might extend the loading time of a certain page when compared to other websites built on a theme without page builders.

As a result, the website may run more slowly and can experience lags when users interact with it.

As mentioned on the official Elementor website, it is recommended to use Elementor with a modern, developer-friendly, and dynamic theme.

However, taking into consideration the popularity of this page builder, many WordPress themes today declare that they are “Elementor-friendly”. These themes, as the developers claim, will support Elementor and will contain Elementor demos.

For example, when an Elementor demo is deployed through these themes, the website that you want to build will look like the Elementor demo, which is editable using Elementor.

By doing so, users can lay the groundwork for the website using the features and the design that they like. This indicates that there are themes that are specifically designed and developed to work with Elementor.

On the other hand, some themes may contain a lesser or greater number of Elementor features, and theme customizations via Elementor may also vary.

Furthermore, theme compatibility is important because poorly coded themes or those using unconventional coding practices can cause issues with page builders.

With themes that are not compatible with Elementor, certain features may not exist or work correctly.

The theme should offer enough customization options for a seamless integration with Elementor.

First and foremost, you need to make sure that your WordPress environment meets the minimum requirements of Elementor.

These include a WordPress 4.7 or higher version, a PHP version of 5.4 or higher, and a memory limit of 256 MB or higher. Elementor is not as flexible and easily adaptable as it appears to be on some themes.

Therefore, you will need to ensure that the environment where the Elementor site is going to be developed fulfills all these requirements. Also, the memory limit of your computer is influential in the performance of Elementor on a particular theme during the development stage.

Elementor is known for its beginner-friendly interface and advanced design features. However, it may not be the perfect solution for every website. When considering whether a specific theme can be used with Elementor, there are certain factors that you need to take into account. This includes Elementor plugin requirements, theme compatibility, and customization options.

2.1. Elementor Plugin Requirements

Elementor’s documentation outlines a specific set of server requirements for the plugin to run optimally.

First, your site should be running on a server that uses PHP version 7 or greater and MySQL version 5.6 or greater. These are the minimum requirements; however, it is recommended that you use the latest supported versions of PHP and MySQL.

These versions are more likely to receive active support and security patches. Your server should also have the mod_rewrite Apache module installed, as Elementor requires pretty permalinks to be enabled in order to function correctly.

Most modern servers and WordPress hosting providers already have this module enabled. Although not required, your server should have a memory limit of at least 256 megabytes.

This is because page builders like Elementor require more memory compared to the majority of the other plugins.

Having a higher memory limit will allow you to perform more complex actions without running out of memory.

Finally, it is recommended to have the PHP time limit set to at least 300.

This time limit is the maximum amount of time that your site will spend on a single script; having a higher time limit will help Elementor perform more complex operations without being interrupted.

These are the guidelines published by the Elementor team, and you should check that your server meets these requirements before installing the plugin.

It is also worth noting that these requirements may change over time to reflect both the development of the WordPress environment and the Elementor plugin itself.

2.2. Theme Compatibility with Elementor

When we talk about Elementor being compatible with any theme, theme compatibility is one of the most essential aspects. If a theme is not coded correctly and doesn’t follow WordPress theme development standards, it may not work properly with Elementor.

Some themes may have limited features when you use Elementor. But if your theme works with Elementor, you are going to get a great web design experience.

However, when you use a theme that has a good and clear code structure along with proper WordPress theme standards, you will have a seamless and smooth web design experience with Elementor, such as easy editing, fast loading, and mobile responsiveness.

To check whether a theme is compatible with Elementor, simply browse to that theme’s page and find the ‘Requires: WordPress Version, tested up to, Compatible up to’ information. Each theme’s page is approved by the WordPress theme review team and the theme’s developer cannot provide false information.

If that theme is compatible with Elementor, it will clearly state that this theme is compatible with the newest version of Elementor. On the other hand, if a theme is not compatible with Elementor, the development team will tell you that you should avoid using Elementor with this theme.

Theme development is a complex and personalized process. As there are so many different theme providers and designers, coding quality and standards may vary significantly.

There is no standard theme compatibility list that we can refer to. However, Elementor has outlined brief guidelines on what a theme should follow to be compatible with the plugin.

First, the theme should have a correct DOCTYPE and HTML tag. Additionally, the theme’s stylesheet should contain the required theme header tags and use WordPress standard CSS naming rules.

Also, the theme should have basic theme templates like index.php, comments.php, and wp-link, etc. The final one is that the theme should provide a well-structured and valid PHP template file.

This guideline helps theme developers fully understand what they should do to make their themes work with Elementor.

However, please note that even if a theme meets all the requirements, there may still be issues or bugs. In this case, users should contact the theme’s support team and let them know about the issue. Theme developers can then update the theme and provide fixes.

This good cycle of feedback and updates between users, theme providers, and developers helps to ensure that we are always making our web design experience a better one.

2.3. Theme Customization Options

Besides choosing a theme that is compatible with Elementor, the theme should offer enough customization options to make it your own.

A theme is a great way to start designing a website, but without the ability to make it your own, you are limited in how creative you can be.

Fortunately, Elementor is designed to work hand in hand with your theme so you can customize it to your heart’s content.

With Elementor, you are no longer limited to just a few basic customization options. Elementor allows website developers to go in and edit the code, whether that’s the header, footer, template file, or styling.

With Elementor, almost everything about the website can be adjusted to suit the specific needs of the web developer and the people they are making the website for.

However, it is important to be aware that using Elementor with your theme will invariably result in some restriction of what the final layout looks like. This is typically down to the theme’s built-in customization options.

For example, a theme may have an options panel that might allow users to select from a small number of Google fonts for the header. If you are not a developer or a website designer, then a theme and Elementor combined are just fine for making a great-quality website.

Many professional themes out there have many customization options, so you end up with a top-quality theme and a top-quality result with Elementor.

If a developer were to look at creating a theme for distribution, then using something like GeneratePress as a base theme and Elementor to enable the website owner to really make it their own would result in a top-quality, extremely professional theme which could be used to make many different types of websites.

So, even though as a developer you may be restricted by the customization options of a particular theme, using Elementor really can open up a wealth of creative possibilities.

3. Popular Themes Compatible with Elementor

You might ask what the most popular and favorite themes are in the Elementor world. Many reputable WordPress themes today entirely give support to Elementor.

Some even make their business based on this fantastic page builder plugin. Thanks to Elementor, anyone who is new to WordPress can get their site up and running within hours, yet still achieve a high-quality, professional result.

One of the most important decisions users will make is the choice of theme. The following is a list of some popular themes that are compatible with Elementor: Astra, Kadence, GeneratePress, and Blocksy.

3.1. Astra

In a nutshell, Astra is just a clear choice when it comes to using Astra with a ready-made theme. Not only does it offer users a dedicated and user-friendly ecosystem, but the synergy between Astra and Elementor also gives users satisfaction and enjoyment during the development work on WordPress.

Also, with the help of a ready-made theme like Astra that is particularly built to be fully integrated with Elementor, the scope of power that can be brought to your website will be limitless.

As someone who is not a seasoned developer or does not have any prior coding knowledge, it’s a very wise choice to use a ready-made theme like Astra with such a powerful visual page builder like Elementor.

Another reason for using Astra with Elementor is that it allows you to take full control over how the entire layout should look across different areas of the site.

With the Elementor Theme Builder, you can craft your own theme more easily and intuitively visually and without any coding skills.

For example, you could customize a blog, single posts, archives, search results, footer, 404 page, header, etc. using Elementor, and the choices are endless. Also, there are special features such as the mega menu. When the nav menu built with Astra is set to the full-width layout, secondary menu items could be displayed as a mega menu.

However, Astra Pro provides more choices for all the mega menus and we could assign layouts built using Elementor to a menu item. This means that any customized mega menu content could be built and styled visually using Elementor.

There are several reasons why Elementor and Astra are the #1 starter sites for building your website, and why it’s recommended to use Elementor with a ready-made theme.

Firstly, Astra gives you the ability to turn off the theme’s default header and footer, which comes in handy when you want to create a header or footer using the Elementor canvas and use them throughout the site. This also means that any header or footer built in Elementor will stretch the full width of the browser, whereas default theme settings with Astra won’t allow this.

3.2. Kadence

Recently, another popular Elementor theme has emerged – Kadence. As well as a Kadence companion plugin – the Kadence Blocks plugin. This provides additional blocks to be used in Gutenberg – Kadence is fully compatible with Gutenberg and offers site builders even more options for content creation.

Kadence itself is a relatively new theme, originally launching in October 2019. It’s been in active development ever since, updated regularly with new features and improvements.

The theme is immensely popular in the WordPress community and boasts an impressive rating of 5 stars on the WordPress theme directory.

As the theme grows and evolves, however, the way it’s built could shift and change – so it’s important to be aware that any features listed here may grow, diminish, or change over time.

As of the Elementor page built version 2.5.0 – Kadence is listed as one of the Elementor “perfect” themes – this means that it provides full compatibility with Elementor.

As previously mentioned, Kadence comes with a companion plugin – the Kadence Blocks plugin. This allows site builders to take advantage of even more custom blocks to enhance page building.

As Gutenberg continues to grow with the release of WordPress 5.0 and beyond, it is becoming clear that having a suite of custom blocks to use within the editor can be a real advantage when it comes to content-building productivity.

Although Kadence and the Kadence Blocks plugin offer great potential, if you’re looking for a totally smooth experience with the fewest bugs and the least troubleshooting possible, it’s worth considering using one of the officially recommended Elementor themes such as “Astra”.

Kadence is well established as a top choice for Elementor users, and support and development are always active, meaning any changes in the development of the theme can be leveraged to make it even better for Elementor integration!

3.3. GeneratePress

With GeneratePress, a free version of the theme is packed with features and it can be easily extended with the premium module. GeneratePress is multi-purpose yet lightweight and stable.

It comes with a clean and validated HTML, built-in schema.org structured data, and lightning-fast load times. Besides, GeneratePress is fully compatible with Elementor.

Also, with the GeneratePress premium module, you can add controls for a layout, provide custom hooks and filters, or even import and export the settings. Such premium modules are essential and will unlock many more new features.

However, those features mentioned above are just a fraction of what GeneratePress can offer.

By using the GeneratePress Premium version, there are many more customizing options such as multiple site libraries, elements, hooks filters, etc.

However, most importantly, any pro modules will be added to the existing GP Premium and that will make GeneratePress even more advanced.

Otherwise, for websites that do not require Elementor, you can simply design everything with GeneratePress and the Gutenberg. Gutenberg is a new post editor in WordPress and it has been just released as a plugin in late 2018.

With GeneratePress, it will add many more features and customizations, similar to Elementor. All in all, GeneratePress is a theme that is suitable for most web developers and can be easily accessible to both novice and experienced users.

The extensive features and good front-end and back-end performance truly make it stand out from the rest and it is definitely worth investing in the GeneratePress Premium. Therefore, users can build the website professionally and efficiently, and at the same time, it brings more satisfaction to you and also the clients who use your website.

3.4. Blocksy

Blocksy is a lightning-fast and lightweight WordPress theme. It’s also very developer-friendly and absolutely perfect for any kind of website. But for users preferring an intuitive and graphical approach, Elementor is absolutely the way to go.

For example, once a user publishes a new page created with Elementor, it is not shown in the Blocksy page list. Some users might wonder why they can’t edit their pages or posts in the Blocksy way. That’s because the new page created with Elementor uses the Elementor canvas.

To resolve this problem, a user can edit their page using the WordPress editor and they can change the template from “Elementor Canvas” back to “Default Template” or “Elementor”. Now, the user can use the customized page list and they can easily edit the existing pages or posts in Blocksy.

When using Elementor with Blocksy, one thing to remember is that no style improvement applies ever. This is because when a user creates a new page using Elementor, it completely overrides the default page.

All the styles and preferences they made will be dedicated to the new page and it will have no style inheritance from the global settings and Blocksy customizer.

Default themes such as Blocksy work absolutely fine with Elementor. The block editor provided by Blocksy lets users design beautiful pages without the need for an additional page builder.

However, for more complex designs and advanced features, users should use Elementor in combination with Blocksy. In order to use Elementor, users need to change the page template from “No Elementor” to “Elementor”. Then, users can start using Elementor to visually design the page according to their requirements.

4. Steps to Use Elementor with Any Theme

Installing elementor is very easy. There are two methods to install Elementor on your WordPress Website. Let’s look at the easy one first.

4.1. Install the Elementor plugin.

First, go to the WordPress Dashboard.

You can find it by typing “yourdomain.com/wp-admin” in your web browser address bar.

Type your username and password.

Scroll down and on the left side, you can see “Plugins“.

Click it and then click “Add New” at the top. When the “Add Plugins” page is opened, you will see a search bar on the right side.

Enter “Elementor” and press the “Install Now” button. After the installation, click the “Activate” button on the same page.

Now the Elementor is activated. It’s time to install Elementor by following the same process.

When the installation is completed, you can see the Elementor in the WordPress Dashboard on the left side like with the other options such as “Pages” or “Appearance”.

Now you are ready to use Elementor Page Builder! Click Pages on the left and then click on “Add New”.

Now you will recognize that there are two different builders on the same page you can see the “Edit with Elementor” and “Edit with WordPress Customizer”.

By clicking “Edit with Elementor”, you will see a blank page and the Elementor editor will be opened.

You can just drag and drop the little elements from the left side and spice up your website with different features.

With Elementor, creating a whole new web page is a piece of cake.

4.2. Choose a Compatible Theme

For example, some themes may have a ‘bare bones‘ design purposefully created to work seamlessly with page builders, such as Hello Elementor.

But if a theme has a pre-built website that is designed to work best with a default WordPress editor, it might lack some modern page-building functionality like Elementor.

Therefore, it’s important to do comprehensive research before deciding on the selection of themes.

However, if a certain theme is not compatible with the latest version of Elementor, an error message will show up and you won’t be able to edit with Elementor.

Each theme has a different level of ‘Elementor-friendliness’, it’s not just about whether a theme is compatible with Elementor or not.

After you have chosen your theme, install and activate it just like you did for the theme used in previous steps.

Finally, remember to make sure that the theme you are using is compatible with the installed version of Elementor. In this case, the Elementor Hello theme is used which is not a problem at all because it is one of the best themes for Elementor.

If your current theme is not compatible with Elementor, it’s recommended to use a template purpose-built for Elementor.

You can check the “WordPress Theme Detector” to find out what theme a website is using. Once the detector identifies the theme, you can search and find it to purchase.

Next, go to “Elementor Settings” to check if your theme is compatible with Elementor.

In the WordPress dashboard, go to “Elementor” and then “Settings”. Click a tab called “General” and check the option “Enable the Safe Mode“.

A message will appear to warn you that your current theme doesn’t declare Elementor support.

First, install and activate the theme that you want to work within WordPress. In the WordPress dashboard, go to “Appearance” and then “Themes“. Click on “Add New” and search for the theme that you want to install. Click on “Install” and then “Activate”.

4.3. Customize Theme with Elementor

First, create and publish a basic Elementor-generated layout in WordPress. The pre-made Elementor layout includes the content and the design of the page, but you may want to customize the theme templates – Header, Footer, Single Post, and Archive.

The purpose of using Elementor with any theme is that you have full control over the look and feel of your website. In the admin panel, click on ‘Elementor’ and then ‘Custom Theme Options’.

Input the custom attributes for the web page. In the ‘Edit Page’ screen, under ‘Page Attributes’ choose the right template for the page. Every piece of your website can be customized using Elementor. First, from the WordPress Dashboard navigate to Templates > Theme Builder.

Click Add New and select the type of template you want to create. For example, the ‘Single’ template. You will be shown the Elements area, where the different sections of your site are listed.

By default, you will see the Header, Footer, and the Single section. Select the part of the website you want to edit, for instance, the ‘Single Post’.

The Elementor Canvas or Full Width Template removes the header and footer areas of the website and uses the Elementor or Elementor Pro theme builder layout.

First, make sure to enter a new page name. Then, click on ‘Edit with Elementor’. This will take you to the Elementor environment, where you can start designing the page.

For instance, you can set up the content structure, and add new sections to the page. Using the options in the Elements area, you can also add new pieces of your website to the page, such as a blog/post title, featured image, or a sidebar. Elementor theme with any theme Customizing a theme using Elementor is the best feature of Elementor.

In addition to creating content with Elementor, when you start customizing themes with Elementor, you will enjoy a design experience like no other.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Elementor team introduced the first beta version of their new Theme Style feature.

This industry-first feature allows designers to fully manage their theme’s styles, including typography and color – right within Elementor.

With Theme Style, designers can now create a theme that’s truly their own with less hassle. At the moment, Elementor officially supports the standard ‘Customize’ WordPress screen and meta fields.

This is a standard way of storing theme options via Customizer in WordPress. From the admin panel, you can easily set your website appearance. For the Elementor plugin, it’s like injecting a dose of steroids. Enjoy!

5. Benefits of Using Elementor with Any Theme

Using Elementor with any theme offers great benefits, such as design flexibility, an enhanced page-building experience, and seamless integration with plugins.

First, design flexibility.

Elementor offers unlimited design possibilities and the freedom to control all aspects of a webpage’s design without having to use a theme’s custom design options.

This is because Elementor is designed to work independently regardless of which theme is installed, allowing you to use it with any theme.

Not being restricted by a theme’s fixed design settings, and being able to use Elementor’s advanced design features such as shape dividers, the ability to add custom CSS, and the ability to preview animations in real-time means that Elementor empowers you to create truly unique and custom designs with any theme.

Second, using Elementor can greatly enhance the experience of building different web pages across a website. It eliminates the need to use the standard WordPress editor and allows for a live visual editing experience.

What sets it apart from most other well-known page-building plugins is this live editing feature. This means that you can see exactly how the content will look and adjust the design to fit your personal preferences, rather than having to first save the changes and then load the webpage in order to see the results.

Additionally, the drag-and-drop interface is much smoother when using Elementor, which enables the easy placement and resizing of different elements such as text, images, and video embeds.

Third, Elementor has an incredible number of different widgets that can be used to display various types of content.

However, some popular themes (such as Twenty Seventeen or Avada) have their own custom widgets or features that will only work with the standard WordPress editor, and so may not be entirely compatible with Elementor.

On the other hand, when using Elementor with any theme, you have access to all of the widgets and features that it provides, meaning you can take advantage of more complex or visually appealing content options.

Also, using Elementor with any theme can help to make sure that the pages designed with Elementor are as future-proof as possible.

This is because the content and layout are built with a leading page-building tool and are not tied to the specific features of one theme.

As a result, no matter what theme is currently active, the content will remain editable and the layouts will stay exactly how you designed them in Elementor.

With these great benefits, it is easy to see why Elementor is such a popular choice for designers and clients alike.

5.1. Design Flexibility

Elementor provides design flexibility, so you can unleash your creative imagination and design any kind of website, no matter how complex.

With Elementor, you can customize each individual aspect of your theme, including the header, footer, and blog. Elementor’s advanced features and custom design settings enable you to take control over the layout and page design.

For example, you can easily create a custom header and footer using the Elementor theme builder. This process involves three simple steps – selecting the “Header” or “Footer” template type, choosing a structure, and designing the custom header or footer using Elementor’s drag-and-drop editor.

As well as creating new designs, you can apply custom headers and footers to specific pages, posts, or the entire website “conditions”.

Replacing the standard theme header or footer with an Elementor custom design is as easy as selecting “Elementor Canvas” or “Elementor Full Width” from the dropdown menu in the page settings. Furthermore, Elementor has a responsive editing toolkit that lets you customize your website to look perfect on any device.

The element visibility settings allow you to show or hide specific elements according to the device type – desktop, tablet, or mobile.

This means that you can create a truly custom mobile menu, optimize the appearance of images, or restructure complex content to suit different screen sizes. With this level of design flexibility, the only limitation is your own creativity.

5.2. Enhanced Page Building Experience

The improved page-building experience is one of the main benefits of using Elementor with any theme.

Elementor provides a live frontend page editor, allowing you to make changes to your content in real time. You can see exactly how the content will look to your visitors as you create it.

The page-building interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate. All of the Elementor design options are grouped together on the left-hand side, while the content live preview occupies the remainder of the screen.

When you hover over any of the content, column, or section options on the live preview, a blue tab and edit icon will appear.

You can click on these icons to start editing that particular piece of content. There is no need to click on an ‘edit’ button and load a new screen; you can make changes to your content without ever leaving the live preview.

This speeds up the design process and removes a layer of complexity that exists with some other WordPress page builders. The Elementor interface is fully responsive and changes to fit different screen sizes and resolutions automatically, which is particularly useful for people who are designing their own websites and may not have access to large monitors.

Moreover, Elementor allows you to view the mobile and tablet versions of your site, so you can ensure that your page looks great on all devices. This is becoming increasingly important, as Google now predominantly uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking.

By enhancing the page-building experience, Elementor offers a range of useful design tools and features to help you build stylish and responsive-looking pages more easily.

This includes a choice of over 90 different widgets (such as headings, text blocks, images, videos, icons, progress bars, testimonials, carousels, social media icons, and many more) and over 300 pre-designed templates.

Overall, the enhanced page-building experience means that users can spend less time searching through different menus and screens and more time creating and editing content in a way that is intuitive and tailored to their own design preferences.

5.3. Seamless Integration with Plugins

Like with any plugin, and especially with page builder plugins, one consideration when choosing a theme is to make sure that the plugin integrates with the theme properly.

Sometimes a plugin may not work properly with a theme’s layout, and this is often a concern with some of the more well-known page builder plugins like Visual Composer and Divi Builder.

However, this is not so much of an issue with Elementor as it states clearly on its website that it can work with any theme.

I’ve also read a few blog posts about Elementor, and I remember one that talked about its compatibility with well-known themes.

A lot of page builders are made to be compatible with as many themes as possible, and to help with that they often have documentation on how to make sure a theme works properly with the plugin.

This can include stuff like making sure that a theme has the correct setting to have a full-width page – something that is on the Elementor documentation.

However, I discovered that a page builder’s integration with well-known themes comes down to how well the page builder has been made. It’s often the case that the more advanced theme developers will work with a page builder company to make sure that the theme works with the plugin.

A few of the more well-known themes that Elementor works with, and mentions on their website, include Astra, OceanWP, and Genesis. These themes often have a demo that is built using Elementor, and some of the features of the themes allow for extra features in Elementor itself.

So if fully taking advantage of a page builder’s capabilities is really important to you, it’s worth considering a theme that is built with the plugin in mind.

Also, one of the blog posts I read on the Elementor website, says that the theme needs to register the supported features of the page builder, something that is a common occurrence with WordPress.

This means that the page builder can then utilize the theme’s features, including any extra customization options that are available to the theme.

That’s why some well-known themes advertise as being integrated with a page builder because the developers have worked to make sure that the two work together seamlessly. This means that using Elementor’s theme builder or other dynamic functionality will integrate well within the theme and work as intended, like when adding new areas to the site.

Overall, the plugin provides information in the WordPress Customizer to check if the current theme has theme support for Elementor – in a live demo of the plugin when choosing to create a new page.

Like what I mentioned before, I think that’s really useful as it can show the user if the theme doesn’t properly support Elementor. However, whatever theme is chosen and how well it already integrates with Elementor, it is always important to make sure that the theme is compatible with the version of the plugin that is being used.

I find that updates to themes and plugins are pretty regular with WordPress and this can unfortunately lead to compatibility issues. A theme that is compatible with a page builder plugin may not take account of version updates, and that can lead to problems when using the day-to-day functionality of the plugin.

This is something that has actually happened to me in the past, as I used a theme that had support for Visual Composer but it required an older version. I experienced some visual issues, like columns not working properly, and this was down to the way that the theme was developed.

So it would always be worthwhile checking the project roadmap and seeing if the developers are actively supporting the theme’s development and keeping up with plugin updates.

This is discussed by Mack (2017), who writes about some of the similar issues I’ve experienced with some other page builder plugins.

He also talks about how some developers create a workaround to fix issues for users and says that often the conflict is down to the developer’s heavy reliance on shortcodes within the theme.

6. Limitations and Considerations

It is worth noting that many themes have elements and different features bundled in with the theme.

For example, let’s say a theme has a custom portfolio post type that comes with a set of custom fields – this portfolio post type would only work with that theme and those custom fields would not be editable using the Elementor page builder because the custom fields are not registered to the native WordPress installation but to that theme.

This can also mean that when you come to change your theme, the content that you added using those custom fields could be lost, as the custom fields are from the old theme, and it can be quite hard for a user without developer knowledge to find where that data might be stored in the database.

If a theme heavily relies on its bundled feature and has tight integration with its feature, you should think carefully when migrating from one theme to another and assess the amount of dependencies it has around the theme.

It is normal to expect some performance impact when a page builder is being used for editing and creating a page because page builders typically need to load additional javascript and CSS assets in the Editor to provide the live drag and drop and editing functionality.

Also, bear in mind that it is not just about the speed of the user visiting your site. Modern search engine crawlers like Googlebot now index a site in a similar way to that of a modern mobile browser.

This process of rendering and indexing pages called Mobile-First Indexing means that there may be some impact on how your website gets indexed and ranked on search engines if the page load speed is slow on mobile devices.

For every major release, Elementor is tested with the latest WordPress version and the default WordPress themes, and the update is always pushed out shortly after the new WordPress is out.

However, with thousands of WordPress themes on the market that can literally be built in any way, there may be some out-of-date and uncommon coding practices used in some themes that could potentially cause compatibility issues with Elementor page builder.

Also, some themes might use their own or a heavily customized version of jQuery javascript library or other common libraries, which can conflict with the jQuery that comes with WordPress, and that can cause errors in the backend when trying to use the Elementor live page builder.

This kind of issue can be complex to debug and it may need a good understanding of web development to find a solution so I always recommend reaching out to the theme developer or a professional developer when you encounter an issue like that.

Also when you are about to select a theme for a website, apart from the design and features, you should also consider the frequency of updates and the track record of the developer in terms of updating themes for new WordPress versions.

6.1. Theme-Specific Elementor Features

In terms of limitations, some themes come with their own unique set of features and settings, primarily built to be used with Elementor.

When using a theme marketed as an ‘Elementor’ or ‘Elementor-Friendly’ theme, users will find that a settings panel is included specifically for Elementor-based page creation.

This is typically attached to the editing screen within the WordPress admin and allows for wider control and management of page features and building elements.

The extent of these theme-specific features can range from things as trivial as fonts and color options all the way up to the restructuring of the WordPress editor entirely.

This means that features such as padding, margins, section structure, and standard site design properties are ‘taken out‘ of Elementor and are implemented as part of the theme structure, effectively giving users more control over design and layout but also locking them into using that theme for all future development.

The primary consideration for utilizing an ‘Elementor ready’ theme is the longevity and continuity of the theme – meaning that the governance of a given theme’s support for these features, its consistent updates and patches, and the availability of a developer community become a key factor in deciding whether to use that theme for a project.

By choosing to design primarily with Elementor and lessen the importance of theme-based feature controls, you can build a more future-proof design that is minimally impacted by changes to the design theme later in the product’s lifecycle.

However, this does mean that the theme-specific features are then effectively ignored and all brand-new features or structural alterations would need to be built from the ground up within the Elementor system.

6.2. Performance Impact on Page Load Speed

Finally, how does the theme affect the end user? If a theme/plugin installs a large number of scripts and styles (which is very common with builders and some themes), your users will have to download all of those regardless of what kind of page they’re visiting (if you don’t optimize things correctly).

Another factor of performance that’s easy to overlook is the number of database queries that happen on every page load. As WordPress is dynamic, all page visits need to check your database to figure out what bits of content to show.

Some builders and themes fire off a huge amount of complex queries, meaning each page they generate takes longer to build and render, which will make your load times longer.

This can be exacerbated on cheaper/shared/slower servers, where optimizing your database and its queries is essential – a fast server can help paper over the cracks of inefficient code and slower database lookups, but eventually, you’ll encounter performance issues if your site isn’t optimized for your server environment.

It won’t always be possible to view these yourself and make a judgment based on your own testing – sometimes, you might need to make a decision based on a theme or plugin’s advertising.

Look to see if the developers mention performance optimization, lazy loading (where elements only load as and when they’re needed, speeding up the initial page load), and whether their assets are served with proper versioning (to take advantage of caching where possible).

All of these things can hugely influence how much of an impact a theme and builder will have on your load times and overall performance, and can also show whether the development team actively works to address speed concerns.

Of course, there may be times when you’ve already started using a suite of plugins and a theme only to realize that performance isn’t great. If you’re struggling with speed issues, sources such as GTMetrix or Pingdom can give you a good insight into what’s causing the problem – they’ll tell you which assets are taking a long time to load, and through that, you can figure out which theme or plugin might be causing the slowdown.

Always be wary of uninstalling things without checking on a testing environment (see our Performance Benchmarks guide for info on setting one of these up) – you never know when something that was added and then removed can cause permanent damage to your site!

6.3. Theme Updates and Compatibility Issues

Since free themes do not have an options panel, users cannot easily modify the base theme settings. However, if users want to use a free theme with an Elementor integration that differs from the actual theme design, it can hinder effective styling and page building using Elementor.

Therefore, the only way to adapt a free theme to a specific design is by coding a child theme and setting everything up from scratch, which may be counterproductive.

On the other hand, free themes are made by independent developers or hobbyist users. Free themes are less likely to receive ongoing maintenance, added features, and regular updates that premium themes often provide.

In some cases, a theme may not be updated for an extended period, which could lead to incompatibility with the latest version of WordPress. This presents a significant disadvantage when using a free theme with a WordPress page builder like Elementor.

There are two main types of themes in the WordPress ecosystem, free and premium. Premium themes usually organize and incorporate the latest code innovations and standards such as HTML5 and CSS3.

Additionally, most premium themes come with a theme options panel for users to customize various aspects of their website’s appearance, like the header and footer styling. Premium themes are also updated systematically to support the latest versions of WordPress and to add new features while addressing any identified security vulnerabilities.

7. Hello Elementor: The Perfect Match for Your Elementor Page Builder Needs

While Elementor is compatible with most WordPress themes, Hello Elementor stands out as the ideal companion for the Elementor page builder. Here’s why:

Built by the same team: Developed by the creators of Elementor itself, Hello Elementor guarantees seamless compatibility and optimizations specifically for Elementor’s functionality.

You can rest assured knowing there won’t be any conflicts or unexpected behavior.

Lightweight and lightning-fast: Hello Elementor boasts a minimalistic design and unnecessary code stripped away, resulting in blazing-fast loading times. This is crucial for a smooth Elementor building experience and a positive user experience for your website visitors.

A blank canvas for your creativity: Unlike full-fledged themes with pre-defined styles, Hello Elementor offers a clean slate. This allows you the complete design freedom to unleash your creativity and build your website entirely with Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface.

Focus on performance and flexibility: By eliminating unnecessary features and styling, Hello Elementor keeps your website lightweight and adaptable.

This allows Elementor to take full control over the design and ensures your website performs exceptionally well.

In a nutshell, Hello Elementor acts as the perfect canvas for your Elementor creations. Its minimalistic approach, exceptional compatibility, and focus on performance make it the best choice for anyone who wants to build their website with the utmost flexibility and speed using Elementor.

7. Wrap-up

The compatibility of Elementor with any theme, as long as the theme is compatible with the plugin, was the main subject of this paper. This compatibility is important to ensure that all the features and functionalities of the plugin work seamlessly with the theme.

Throughout this paper, the requirements of the Elementor plugin, theme compatibility, and theme customization options were discussed. It is concluded that several popular themes are known to be compatible with Elementor, such as Astra, Kadence, GeneratePress, and Blocksy. To use Elementor with any theme, you need to install the Elementor plugin, choose a compatible theme, and customize the theme using Elementor.

Using Elementor with any theme offers benefits such as design flexibility, an enhanced page-building experience, and seamless integration with plugins. However, it should be kept in mind that there are limitations and considerations.

For example, there might be limitations in using global sections or dynamically generated content if a theme is not natively supported by Elementor.

Also, the theme might not provide enough of the various customization features that Elementor provides, which could limit the ability to create different styles and page layouts. Furthermore, when a theme is not in active development or does not support the latest code, it might stop working when the Elementor is updated if certain Elementor features are tightly coupled to the theme.

Similarly, if developers of a theme make major changes to it, content on the Elementor could be wiped and need to be recreated. Finally, it was noted that page build speed, particularly in mobile devices, could be seriously affected if not enough care is taken when customizing any theme via Elementor.

Also, it was stressed that it is important to remain aware of what the different themes offer and how they work concerning Elementor, as well as to ensure that the theme that is being used is still actively supported and developed.

In this way, it was finalized that while it is true that Elementor can be used with any theme as long as the theme is compatible, some limitations and considerations should be taken into account.

FAQ

ask us

anything


1. Can I use Elementor with any WordPress theme?

While not technically compatible with every theme, Elementor works with most WordPress themes. This is because it primarily utilizes the core functionalities of WordPress and doesn’t rely heavily on theme-specific code.

2. Are there any themes that work best with Elementor?

Yes, certain themes are explicitly designed to work seamlessly with Elementor. These themes often come with pre-built templates and functionalities optimized for the Elementor page builder. However, even with themes not specifically designed for Elementor, you can still use its core features for page building.

3. What are the potential downsides of using Elementor with some themes?

Some themes may have functionalities or styling options that might not work perfectly with Elementor. However, these issues are usually minor and can often be resolved with CSS code adjustments or by contacting the theme developer for compatibility updates.

4. What if I’m unsure about the compatibility of my theme with Elementor?

You can check the documentation of your specific theme or contact the theme developer to inquire about its compatibility with Elementor. Additionally, Elementor provides a list of recommended themes known to work well with the page builder: https://kinsta.com/blog/best-elementor-themes/

5. Do I need to change my theme if I want to use Elementor?

No, changing your theme is not necessary to use Elementor. You can continue using your existing theme and leverage Elementor’s page-building features to customize specific pages or sections on your website.