Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

Payload CMS VS Elementor

Compare Payload CMS VS Elementor and see what are their differences

SalesTarget.ai
All-in-one AI sales engine: discover 50M+ leads, scale cold email, manage CRM, and close deals faster with Co-pilot. featured
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Payload CMS logo Payload CMS

Headless CMS and Application Framework built with Node.js, React and MongoDB

Elementor logo Elementor

Elementor is a front-end drag & drop page builder for WordPress.
  • Payload CMS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-10

Built with React + TypeScript, Payload is a free and open-source Headless CMS. Finally, a CMS that works the way you do. No black magic, all TypeScript, and fully open-source.

  • Elementor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-04

Payload CMS features and specs

  • Headless CMS
    Payload CMS is a headless content management system, allowing for flexibility in how content is delivered and displayed across different platforms.
  • Customizability
    It is highly customizable, enabling developers to tailor the backend and content management experience to specific project requirements.
  • Developer-friendly
    Built with modern technologies such as Node.js and React, Payload CMS is designed to be intuitive and efficient for developers.
  • Open-source
    Payload CMS is open-source, providing transparency and the ability to contribute to its development or modify it according to your needs.
  • Rich Media Support
    It supports a wide range of media types, making it easy to manage and deliver rich content.
  • Advanced Access Control
    Payload CMS includes advanced access control features, allowing for fine-grained permissions and security settings.
  • Extensible API
    The CMS provides a powerful and extensible API, facilitating seamless integration with other services and applications.

Possible disadvantages of Payload CMS

  • Learning Curve
    As a powerful and highly customizable CMS, it may have a steeper learning curve for developers unfamiliar with its ecosystem.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    Setting up Payload CMS initially can be more complex compared to some other CMS solutions that offer more out-of-the-box simplicity.
  • Smaller Community
    As a relatively newer and niche CMS, Payload CMS has a smaller community compared to more established CMS platforms, potentially limiting available resources and third-party plugins.
  • Hosting Requirements
    Being a Node.js application, it may require specific hosting environments that can support Node.js, which might not be as widespread as hosting for PHP-based systems.
  • Performance Overhead
    Complex customizations and integrations can introduce performance overhead, requiring additional optimization and scaling efforts.
  • Documentation
    Depending on the level of functionality required, the available documentation might not cover all edge cases or complex scenarios, leading to potential challenges during development.

Elementor features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Elementor features a drag-and-drop interface that is user-friendly for both beginners and experienced developers, making website building straightforward and intuitive.
  • Design Flexibility
    With a wide range of design options, templates, and widgets, Elementor offers extensive customization capabilities. Users can easily create highly unique and professional-looking designs.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Elementor integrates well with many popular WordPress plugins and themes, enhancing its functionality and allowing for easy addition of various features.
  • Responsive Design
    Elementor provides tools to ensure that websites look great on all devices, with built-in responsive design settings that allow customization for different screen sizes.
  • Regular Updates
    The Elementor team frequently releases updates and new features, continuously improving and expanding the platform's capabilities.

Possible disadvantages of Elementor

  • Performance Issues
    Elementor can sometimes lead to slower website performance, particularly if many widgets and third-party plugins are used simultaneously, which can affect load times.
  • Premium Features
    While the free version of Elementor is robust, many advanced functionalities and widgets are only available in the Pro version, which requires a paid subscription.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its ease of use, new users may still face a learning curve due to the sheer number of customization options and features available.
  • Theme Compatibility
    Elementor may not be fully compatible with all WordPress themes, which can result in design conflicts or require additional customization.
  • Limited SEO Tools
    While Elementor offers basic SEO settings, it lacks some of the more advanced SEO tools found in specialized plugins, necessitating the use of additional SEO plugins.

Analysis of Payload CMS

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Payload CMS is a good option for many use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Payload CMS offers a modern and flexible headless architecture, which allows developers to create custom content management experiences using JavaScript and Node.js.
  • It provides a clean and intuitive admin interface that is designed to be easily customizable to fit different client needs.
  • Payload CMS includes built-in features like access control, versioning, and a robust API, which makes managing content efficient and secure.
  • The developer-centric approach means it's highly extendable and works seamlessly with modern development workflows.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking a customizable, JavaScript-based headless CMS.
  • Projects that require a flexible content infrastructure and easy integration with other JavaScript libraries or frameworks.
  • Teams looking for a CMS that can scale with their application and development needs.
  • Organizations that need advanced content management capabilities such as complex access control and content versioning.

Analysis of Elementor

Overall verdict

  • Elementor is a robust and flexible page builder that is well-suited for both beginners and experienced web designers looking for a user-friendly tool with a rich feature set. However, users should be mindful of potential performance impacts due to bloated code if too many widgets or complex layouts are used.

Why this product is good

  • Elementor is considered good by many users for several reasons. Firstly, it is a powerful drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress that allows users to design custom layouts without needing to write code. This makes it accessible for beginners and non-technical users. Additionally, Elementor offers a wide range of widgets and templates, supports responsive design, and integrates with many other WordPress plugins and tools. It also provides a Pro version that offers even more advanced features such as theme building, motion effects, and WooCommerce integration.

Recommended for

    Elementor is recommended for individuals and businesses who want to create visually appealing websites without extensive coding knowledge. It is ideal for freelancers, small business owners, and anyone looking to quickly design and deploy pages on WordPress. It’s also suitable for developers seeking a rapid prototyping tool with the ability to customize deeply using CSS and JavaScript.

Payload CMS videos

+ Add

Payload CMS

More videos:

  • Review - Building a Professionally Designed Website with NextJS, TypeScript, and Payload CMS - Episode 1
  • Review - Building a Professionally Designed Website with NextJS, TypeScript, and Payload CMS - Episode 2

Elementor videos

+ Add

Elementor Experts: All You Need to Know

More videos:

  • Review - Elementor Page Builder Plugin -- I was WRONG!!
  • Review - Elementor Experts vs Jetpack Pros? WordPress freelancers rejoice! 😲
  • Review - Elementor Pro Review - #1 Best Page Builder Plugin For WordPress? [INSIDE VIEW + SPEED TEST]
  • Tutorial - Elementor Page Builder Pro Review and Tutorial
  • Review - Introducing Elementor Experts: The New Discovery Network For Web Creators

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Payload CMS and Elementor)

Payload CMS

Elementor

CMS
43 43%
CMS
57% 57
Website Builder
0 0%
Website Builder
100% 100
Blogging
100 100%
Blogging
0% 0
Developer Tools
100 100%
Developer Tools
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Payload CMS and Elementor. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Payload CMS and Elementor

Payload CMS Reviews

  1. Alessio Gravili
    · Founder at Bonfire Leads e.K. ·
    Best Headless CMS

    Payload CMS is the most customizable & flexible CMS which exists

    🏁 Competitors: Strapi, Directus, Sanity.io, Prismic
    👍 Pros:    Everything can be customized|Swap out any admin components|Ability to create your own fields|Automatic graphql & rest api|Define collections & fields in code|Serverless support
    👎 Cons:    Does not support all databases yet
Best Node.js CMS platforms for 2022
Payload comes with built-in email functionality. We can use this to handle password reset, order confirmation, and other use cases. Payload uses Nodemailer to process emails.
Source: blog.logrocket.com

Elementor Reviews

Top 9 Elementor Alternatives in 2023
Elementor is an effective page-building tool, but it won’t suit everyone’s needs. Especially if you need more than one license, Elementor Pro plans can be expensive. Plus, it might not be optimized for your specific WordPress theme. When these issues arise, it can be beneficial to find an alternative tool.
Source: kinsta.com
7 Best Elementor Alternatives 2023
First off, if you’re looking for the best free Elementor alternative, then I would recommend starting with Brizy. While there are some other plugins on this list that offer free versions, Brizy’s free version is the closest to offering the same level of flexibility that Elementor’s free version offers. With the premium version, Brizy can also offer a number of features that...
Source: athemes.com
5 Best Elementor Alternatives for Building Beautiful Websites
In general, WordPress themes can be a good Elementor alternative if you’re primarily looking for an alternative to Elementor Theme Builder. A customizable one can give you a similar level of flexibility in a simpler package. Some, like the Neve theme on our list, even offer lightweight drag-and-drop header and footer builders.
Source: themeisle.com
22 Best Free Portfolio Website Builders 2021
Elementor is a versatile page editor that comes applicable to all WordPress users. If this is your CMS (content management system) of choice, do unlock even more possibilities for yourself with a powerful and free portfolio website builder. You can adjust and modify existing web design or you can easily come up with custom layouts that best resonates with you. Again, it’s...
Source: colorlib.com
10 Best Elementor Alternatives
Elementor is a leading WordPress page builder for building eCommerce websites and landing pages.
Source: rigorousthemes.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Payload CMS should be more popular than Elementor. It has been mentiond 93 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Payload CMS mentions (93)

  • Run Payload Jobs on Vercel (Serverless) — Step‑by‑Step Migration
    I recently did a video tutorial on using jobs and queues in PayloadCMS and the solution I provide will not work in a Vercel deployment, runs locally and will probably also run on Railway because those are actual servers. - Source: dev.to / 18 days ago
  • How to Run Payload CMS in Docker
    Payload is an open source backend framework and it is mainly used as a content management system. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • I Found Perfect CMS after Years of Trial and Error
    Payload, a CMS powered by Next.js, or Sveltia CMS, a Decap CMS alternative using Svelte, are examples of CMS that I recommend to avoid until they become framework agnostic. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • [Video] Payload CMS Custom Array Field Component
    Learn how to implement a custom tagging system in Payload CMS using the array field and a custom React component! This video walks you through building a dynamic tag input where users can add, remove, and manage tags directly within the Payload admin panel. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Firebase and Payload CMS: Early Look at a Client-Side Auth Strategy
    This post details a proof-of-concept integration of Firebase Authentication with Payload CMS, focusing on the client-side implementation using Next.js. The goal is to allow users to authenticate via Firebase's various sign-in methods and then use the resulting Firebase ID token to securely access data and functionality within a Payload CMS instance. This is a work in progress, and I welcome feedback and... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

Elementor mentions (61)

  • A list of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS offerings that have free tiers of interest to devops and infradev
    Elementor — WordPress website builder. Free plan available with 40+ Basic Widgets. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • 400+ Websites That I Use as a Web Designer/Freelancer - All Compiled and Categorized in One Place
    Elementor - As much as I hate Elementor after getting used to Webflow, it deserves a praise. You can build so much stuff with little-to-no knowledge with it on Wordpress. (One of My Favorites). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Best Website Builder? looking for reddit suggestions!
    Elementor is a fantastic plugin for WordPress that takes website building to the next level. It offers a visual, drag-and-drop editor that empowers you to create stunning and dynamic websites without any coding knowledge, I been creating some very cool websites with this plugin and wordpress and it been working well for me. I like to be able to have more control over my sites and unlike stuff like wix or shopify,... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Classic Themes with Block Patterns in WordPress
    WordPress is celebrating its 20th anniversary and it still powers millions of websites all over the world, so we can say that's an open-source software success story. The "WordPress multiverse" has been fragmented for a long time, due to a multitude of possible combinations of plugins and page builders like Elementor? But efforts to unify mainstream development and obsolete page builders doing full-site editing... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Seeking feedback on website & demo reels
    Regarding your theme 'Pixova Lite,' it hasn't been updated in more than 2 years. You might want to think about getting one that is actively maintained. Take a look at a page builder like Elementor. You'll have a lot more flexibility with design. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Payload CMS and Elementor, you can also consider the following products

Webflow - Build dynamic, responsive websites in your browser. Launch with a click. Or export your squeaky-clean code to host wherever you'd like. Discover the professional website builder made for designers.

WiX - Create a free website with Wix.com. Customize with Wix' website builder, no coding skills needed. Choose a design, begin customizing and be online today

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

SquareSpace - Squarespace is the easiest way for anyone to create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, e-commerce, domains, hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.

Strapi - Manage any content. Anywhere. The leading open-source headless CMS. 100% JavaScript / TypeScript and fully customizable.

WordPress.com - Create a free website or build a blog with ease on WordPress.com. Dozens of free, customizable, mobile-ready designs and themes. Free hosting and support.

Loading...