Elementor is the most popular WordPress page builder plugin. After digging deeper, you will find that it is more than a page builder. Elementor is a versatile plugin. It is capable of handling other plugins’ jobs. With a single plugin, you create a form, popup, notification bar, image gallery, coming soon/maintenance page, and so on.
In order to able to unleash the Elementor’s best potential, you need to use the pro version (read the differences between Elementor Free vs Elementor Pro). In addition to creating a WordPress theme without coding, you can also add components as mentioned earlier (form, popup, and so on) without installing an extra WordPress plugin. Fewer plugins mean less server resource consumption. Less server resource consumption means better site performance.
WordPress Plugins You Can Replace with Elementor
We have compiled some plugin types that you can replace with Elementor. Here is the list. If you are new to Elementor or haven’t heard about it, you can read the beginner’s guide we wrote.
1. Popup Builder
If you need to create a popup on your WordPress site and have Elementor Pro installed, you don’t need to install extra plugin since the Elementor Pro comes with a popup builder features. You can use the Elementor Pro’s popup builder to create any type of popup. From promotional banner, announcement, opt-in email, and so on. With a bit of creativity, you can even create a unique menu such as a full-screen menu, off-canvas menu, and so on. You can customize your popup using Elementor’s visual editor. Elementor offers tens of premade popup templates you can choose from.
The Elementor’s popup builder supports a wide range of trigger types.
- On page load
- On scroll
- On scroll to element
- On click
- After inactivity
- On page exit intent
You can set where a popup to appear on your website. Whether to the entire website or specific page(s) or post(s). There are also advanced setting options to show a popup after a certain amount of page views, traffic from a certain URL, and so on.
2. Form Builder
Contact Form 7 is a popular free plugin widely used by WordPress users to create a contact form. With Elementor, you don’t need to install it if you want to create a contact form on your website to minimize the amount of plugin installed on your WordPress site. The pro version of Elementor comes with a Form widget that you can use to create several form types. From a simple contact form to a booking form. There are over 10 field types supported by the Form widget.
You can integrate your form with marketing tools like Mailchimp, MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, and ConvertKit.
Currently, the Elementor team is working to improve the form builder feature. Next, you will be able to create multi-step forms in Elementor.
3. Marketing Plugin
As just said above. You can integrate your Elementor form with popular email marketing tools such as Mailchimp, MailerLite, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, and ConvertKit. You can create an opt-in email to build your email subscribers. No need to install an extra plugin.
4. Notification Bar
No need to install a notification bar plugin if you want to convey an announcement on your WordPress site. With the help of the Elementor popup builder feature, you can create a notification and set where it appears. Whether on the top bar, bottom bar, on the right side. Anywhere. You can also set on which page(s) or post(s) the notification to appear. You can add elements such as animated headline, counter, button, and so on to your notification.
5. Price Table and Pricelist
If you use your website to market your service then providing a price table will make it easier for your aspiring consumers to learn the service you offer as well as how much you charge for your service. For instance, if you have an online marketing agency, you can create price tables to display the plans you offer. Elementor Pro comes with a Price Table widget that allows you to effortlessly create a beautiful price table.
In addition, there is also a Price List widget that will be useful if you want to create a website for a restaurant or a coffee shop. You can use this widget to create a menu book on your website.
6. Image Gallery
Elementor has two widgets that you can use to create an image gallery: Basic Gallery and Gallery. You can use the Basic Gallery to create a very basic image gallery. While for the Gallery widget, you can use it to create a more advanced image gallery. The Gallery widget offers more layouts: Grid, Justified, and Masonry. It also allows you to create galleries with multiple tabs.
When clicking an image in the gallery, it will be displayed in a lightbox. There is also an option to enable the Lazy Load. You can also use the Gallery widget to display a WooCommerce product gallery.
7. Google Maps
When creating a page with Elementor, you can also add a map thanks to the Google Maps widget. Adding a map with Google Maps widget is pretty easy. You just need to enter the address you want to add to the Location field. No need to get a Google Maps API key.
The Google Maps widget of Elementor can only be used to create a basic map, though. If you need to create a more advanced map (such as a map with multiple locations or 360-degree virtual tour), you can install an add-on such as JetElements or Essential Addons.
8. Maintenance Mode/Coming Soon
Your website is not ready to launch yet or under maintenance? Don’t let your visitors down. Tell them that they can get back in days, weeks, or months once your website is ready. With Elementor, you don’t need to install extra plugin only to display a coming soon page or to let your visitors know that your website is being maintained. You can use the Elementor visual editor to create a beautiful coming soon/maintenance page template. You can add elements like a countdown, subscription form, and so on. Elementor has several premade coming soon/under construction message templates.
Once done creating the coming soon page/under construction message, you can go to Elementor -> Tools on your WordPress dashboard to set your site to maintenance mode. You can find the option to enable the maintenance mode under the Maintenance Mode tab.
9. Countdown Plugin
As just said above, you can add a countdown element when creating a coming soon page with Elementor. You can add that element using the Countdown widget. This widget is also useful when you are creating a notification bar to notify your visitors over a limited special offer. Two countdown types you can create are due date and evergreen timer. Once the countdown expires, you can set an action, whether to redirect your visitor to another page, hide the counter, or show a message.
10. Social Share Buttons
Most websites provide social share buttons to make it easy for visitors to share the page they are viewing. Elementor comes with a Share Buttons widget that you can use to add social share buttons to your website. You can add this widget anywhere. Whether on the single post template, on a page, on the footer. Anywhere. You can customize the share buttons to your liking.
In addition to Share Buttons, Elementor also comes with a Social Icons widget that you can use to display your social media accounts to make it easy for your loyal visitors to follow your social media accounts.
11. Slider
Want to add a slider to your website? No need to spend money on Slider Revolution or Master Slider since Elementor has a widget that you can use to do so. You can add multiple items to the slider. Each slide can have a solid background color or you can also set an image as the background. You can add content to each slide or disable it. There are several setting options to control the slider such as the transition, transition speed, pause on hover, pause on interaction, and son. You can add a slider anywhere on your page.
In addition to slider, you can also add an image carousel, which is great to display the logo of your clients.
12. Table of Contents
Table of Contents is a crucial enough element if you want to write a long article. It allows your visitors to instantly jump to a certain section of the article. Elementor comes with a Table of Contents widget that you can use to add a table of contents element to your page. This widget is great to be implemented on a single post template.
13. Payment
Payment plugin is crucial to monetize your website. Say you want to sell an e-book (or other digital product types). Naturally, you need to install a payment plugin to your WordPress website before you can sell anything. But with Elementor, you can sell your digital products without needing to install an extra plugin.
Elementor has two native widgets you can make use of: PayPal Button and Stripe Button. The PayPal Button, as the name suggests, can be used to accept payments via PayPal. While the Stripe Button can be used to accept payments via credit/debet cards. You can read our article to learn more about how to use these widgets to sell digital products in Elementor.
14. PayPal Donation
As mentioned above, Elementor has a native widget called PayPal Button. The widget supports three transaction types: checkout, donation, and subscription. That being said, you can use the widget to accept PayPal donations. No need to install an extra plugin. You can read our article to learn more about how to use the PayPal Button widget in Elementor.
The Verdict
Elementor is more than a page builder plugin. It is a versatile plugin that is capable of handling other plugins’ jobs. You can use Elementor to create beautiful popups, forms, image galleries, sliders, and so on. In order to be able to use all features offered by Elementor, you need to use the pro version which costs $49 per year per site. It is not an expensive price given that so many features you can get. You can replace several plugins with a single plugin. Save time, save money.
