Starter Templates vs Page Builder by SiteOrigin
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 | Page Builder by SiteOrigin v2.38.0 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1M+ | 400,000+ |
| Last updated | October 20, 2026 | October 19, 2026 |
| Editions | Starter Templates · Essential and Business Toolkits ($) | Page Builder by SiteOrigin · SiteOrigin Premium ($) |
| Pros | Large library of free website and section templates; Works with Elementor, Spectra, Beaver Builder and the block editor; Onboarding installs the needed plugins | Responsive row and column layouts built by drag and drop; Works with standard WordPress widgets; Usable in the classic editor, block editor and widget areas |
| Cons | Premium templates need a toolkit licence key; AI builder and image features call external services | Premium add-ons are sold separately from SiteOrigin; Layouts library fetches templates from siteorigin.com; Some extra widgets come from the separate SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 1 |
| 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 ($) | Drag-and-drop row and column builder, Standard WordPress widgets inside layouts, Layout block for the block editor, Layouts library download and browse, siteorigin_widget shortcode, Compatibility with Yoast SEO and Rank Math, Compatibility with Polylang, Premium upgrade link ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| E-commerce | — | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | Elementor | Yoast SEO, Rank Math, Polylang, WPML, Advanced Custom Fields |
| Other | ZipWP API | SiteOrigin layouts library |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6 | 5.9 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.0.0 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| External services | api.zipwp.com, fonts.googleapis.com, ipwho.is, api.ipify.org, credits.startertemplates.com, app.zipwp.com, websitedemos.net | layouts.siteorigin.com, s.wordpress.com |
| Blocks | 1 | — |
| Shortcodes | — | 2 |