Bricks vs Elementor: performance in WordPress

Introduction

Elementor has earned an almost legendary reputation among WordPress users: its drag-and-drop interface and its extensive template library have allowed millions of people to create sites without touching a single line of code. However, would it still be the best option if your page works today, but tomorrow starts showing signs of slowness or maintenance complications? By contrast, Bricks Builder, which appeared in 2021, has arrived with a more ambitious proposition: not only to match Elementor’s ease of use, but to surpass it on key points such as performance, code quality and native features. In this article, we invite you to question whether you are building a site “just for today” or one that can stay agile and scalable for years.

Performance and Speed: The Ultimate Duel

When a browser receives a web page, the first thing it does is “read” the HTML code and organize it into a tree of nodes called the DOM (Document Object Model). Imagine that the DOM is the floor plan of your house: if it is full of irrelevant rooms and hallways, guests will take longer to figure out how to get to the main living room. Elementor, although it has improved with the adoption of Flexbox containers, still generates multiple layers of <div> that increase the depth of the DOM. For example, for a simple heading, Elementor may wrap it in several <div> before reaching the final text, which, multiplied across every section or widget, turns the “floor plan” into a maze that slows down site loading — even requiring around 34 HTTP requests and a page size of 1.7 MB on an average site with Elementor Pro.

Bricks Builder, on the other hand, was designed from scratch to produce semantic, minimalist code. It uses Flexbox and CSS Grid natively, which translates into flatter, lighter structures: in some cases, a basic Bricks site records only 6 HTTP requests and about 0.19 MB of page size, allowing 100/100 scores in PageSpeed Insights without extra adjustments. This is reflected in tangible improvements in Core Web Vitals, the metrics Google today considers fundamental for SEO and user experience.

Why does it matter?

• Fewer layers of <div> = a faster browser.
• Fewer HTTP requests = shorter load times.
• A better Core Web Vitals score = more visitors who stay and better search rankings.

Code Quality: Building on Solid Foundations

Think of your website as a building: if the beams are rusty or badly welded, any future extension will be a nightmare. Elementor, having evolved for years to maintain compatibility with older versions, drags along a certain “dead weight” in its code generation. Although the arrival of Flexbox in the builder has relieved part of this excess, intermediate containers still persist that inflate the DOM and complicate the stylesheet. Many developers comment that to override a simple style in Elementor, you often have to resort to !important or extremely specific selectors, mechanisms that break the natural “cascade” of CSS and generate what is known as “CSS debt” in the long term.

Bricks, by contrast, bets on a class-first approach, where each element can have reusable global classes and CSS variables defined from the interface. The introduction of the “Selector Detector” tool in Bricks 2.0 even lets you visually pick any node on the canvas and create precise selectors without diving into layers of <div>. That way, customizing styles is as intuitive as pointing with the cursor and writing the necessary CSS rules, with the certainty that the resulting code will be semantic and sustainable.

Benefits of clean code:

1. Consistent performance: Less “divitis” means less work for the browser.
2. Simple maintenance: Understanding and modifying styles or structure is faster when you are not navigating a maze of containers.
3. Future-proof scalability: Integrating frameworks like Tailwind CSS or Atomic CSS is simpler when the class base is transparent and predictable.

Native Features: More Power Without the Need for External Plugins

If you have ever built a site with Elementor, you will know that for every post comparison, advanced menu or sophisticated popup, you normally end up installing one or several additional plugins: do you want a query builder (Query Loop)? You need an add-on. Do you want a nested menu with accessibility options? Another extra plugin. Every extension adds weight and possible conflicts to your installation.

A. Integrated Tool Suite in Bricks Builder

1. Query Loop Builder - Lets you display any type of content (posts, users, custom fields) directly in the builder, without writing code or installing third-party extensions. You can, for example, create sliders or WooCommerce product listings with a couple of clicks.
2. Advanced Menu Builder - Design desktop and mobile menus with full support for nested structure and accessibility, all from the same editor. No more patching things up with menu plugins that usually force you to add extra code or shortcodes.
3. Popup Builder - Instead of turning to external solutions, Bricks lets you create and segment native popups, adding conditions to show or hide elements based on user behavior.
4. WooCommerce Builder - Do you want to control the design of the product page, the cart, the user account or the checkout page? In Bricks you do not need another plugin: every part of your store is designed visually.

B. Conditional Logic and Native Interactions

• Conditions: Show or hide content based on criteria such as the user’s role, the current page or even custom field values, without writing a single line of JavaScript.
• Interactions: Create animations or triggers (on click, on hover, on reaching a certain scroll point) natively, without depending on “custom code” or premium plugins.

C. Efficient Workflow

• Copy and paste between domains: Transfer complete designs or individual elements between different projects, saving hours of rebuilding.
• Keyboard shortcuts and context menu: An abundance of shortcuts to speed up common tasks (save, duplicate, delete), and a right-click menu that saves you from having to go back and forth through the interface.
• Quick search: Find settings or elements in seconds, avoiding manually navigating through tabs and panels.

In short, Bricks consolidates into a single package features that in Elementor involve multiple plugin installations or paid extensions. The immediate effect is a lighter site, with less redundant code and less risk of conflicts when updating.

Flexibility and Real Control for the Creator

A. Advanced Code Customization

For projects where every detail counts, Bricks allows you to incorporate custom HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP anywhere: globally, per page or even per element. Thanks to the “echo tag” ({echo:mi_funcion_php}), you can display dynamic output from PHP functions directly in element fields, with no patches or hacks.

In addition, with the Selector Detector in Bricks 2.0, you just click any node on the canvas to generate an immediate CSS selector and apply styles. This makes it easier to integrate Bricks with popular frameworks (Tailwind, ACSS) and guarantees that your site is as unique as you need it to be, without sacrificing performance.

B. Secure SVG Uploads

WordPress blocks SVGs by default for security reasons, but Bricks enables them with automatic sanitization. If you want to skip it, you can use the bricks/svg/bypass_sanitization hook and define allowed tags or attributes through filters. This flexibility avoids depending on external plugins that often expose vulnerabilities.

C. API Key Management

In Bricks, all API keys (Google Maps, reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, Cloudflare Turnstile) are managed from a single Settings section. This way, when you create an advanced map or protect a form against spam, you only have to paste the corresponding key in Bricks > Settings > API Keys. This minimizes the scattering of settings and reduces the risk of forgetfulness.

D. Builder Capabilities by Role

Bricks 2.0 offers more than 50 individual permissions to determine what each role or user can do inside the editor. For example, you can allow a collaborator to edit only certain elements, while the administrator has full control. Elementor proposes a more basic Role Manager (edit content, upload JSON, or no editor access), but for granular adjustments it is necessary to turn to plugins like PublishPress Capabilities.

This developer-centered architecture turns Bricks into a theme development framework, ideal both for personal projects and for agencies that require consistency, scalability and absolute control.

A Fair, Future-Oriented Pricing Model

Buying a web creation tool should not feel like a gym membership you never use. Bricks Builder proposes a Lifetime One-Time Payment (Ultimate Lifetime) of $599 for unlimited sites, including all future updates and technical support. In contrast, Elementor uses a tiered annual subscription model that, in the long run, can become burdensome for agencies or professionals who manage multiple projects.

5-Year Comparison (unlimited license):

This overview highlights that, for those who manage several sites or plan to maintain projects in the long term, Bricks becomes an investment instead of a recurring expense. In addition, the Bricks philosophy (transparent business model, public roadmap and 60-day refund guarantee) reinforces the community’s trust.

Conclusion: Reflection and Call to Action

If you have made it this far, it is likely that you are already questioning whether Elementor is still the best choice for your project. Elements such as cleaner code, integrated native features, an optimized workflow and a pricing model without annual subscriptions are strong reasons to renew your approach to WordPress. Bricks Builder is not just an alternative: it is the natural evolution of visual builders, focused on performance, maintainability and real flexibility for developers and technical users.

Before deciding on a change, ask yourself:

Am I building a site just for today, or one that stays fast, scalable and easy to maintain for years?

We invite you to try Bricks Builder with no commitment in its free online trial: try.bricksbuilder.io. You will see for yourself how, in a couple of clicks, you can create a lightweight site, with semantic code and all the tools that in Elementor sometimes require third-party extensions. The real difference is felt when the project grows, needs change and speed or ease of adjustment stop being a luxury and become priorities.

Build today with tomorrow in mind. Give Bricks Builder a chance and see how your site stops being a collection of stacked plugins and becomes an optimized, clean, future-oriented web work.

This article is a machine translation of the Spanish original.

• WordPress
• Web Performance
• Web Development