Starter Templates vs Elementor
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Starter Templates v4.7.9 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Elementor v4.3.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.5/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1M+ | 10M+ |
| Last updated | October 20, 2026 | October 13, 2026 |
| Editions | Starter Templates · Essential and Business Toolkits ($) | Elementor · Elementor Pro ($) |
| Pros | Large library of free website and section templates; Works with Elementor, Spectra, Beaver Builder and the block editor; Onboarding installs the needed plugins | Drag and drop editing with global styles and kit settings; Reusable components and nested layouts; Usage tracking is opt-in and off by default |
| Cons | Premium templates need a toolkit licence key; AI builder and image features call external services | Forms, theme builder and popups need the Pro edition; Large plugin with many modules and admin screens; Some AI features prompt for upgrade or credits |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 3 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Full website template import, Import of site options from a template, AI website builder, Plugin install and activation during onboarding, Licence check for premium templates ($) | Visual page editor, Kit with global site settings and styles, REST routes for editor documents, Responsive frontend styles, Site editor for templates, Reusable components, Global classes, Nested tabs and accordion widgets, Opt-in usage tracking |
| Integrations | ||
| Social | — | YouTube and Vimeo |
| Plugins | Elementor | — |
| Other | ZipWP API | Elementor usage tracking API |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | api.zipwp.com, fonts.googleapis.com, ipwho.is, api.ipify.org, credits.startertemplates.com, app.zipwp.com, websitedemos.net | my.elementor.com, ms-8874.elementor.com, assets.elementor.com, go.elementor.com, elementor.com, api-eu.mixpanel.com, cdn.mxpnl.com, editor.elementor.com, assets.stg.elementor.red, assets.dev.builder.elementor.red, plugins.svn.wordpress.org |
| Blocks | 1 | — |
| Shortcodes | — | 1 |