Breakdance vs WPBakery

Breakdance and WPBakery represent a choice between modern performance and legacy reach. Breakdance emphasizes superior speed and dedicated WooCommerce tools for pros. WPBakery tempts users with a low upfront cost but sacrifices site speed and modern license clarity.

Breakdance
Breakdance

Top-Tier, Blazing Fast WordPress Visual Builder.

Ciroapp review
4.6
#3 in Page builder for WordPress

Breakdance is an exceptional visual builder that provides superior speed, performance, and total creative control for WordPress users. We confirm its reputation for seamlessly handling complex dynamic data and building powerful WooCommerce stores efficiently. Overall, this builder stands out as a top-tier alternative to popular rivals, offering immense power wrapped in an easy-to-use interface.

Pros

  • Achieves superior performance, speed, and SEO benefits.
  • The intuitive design is incredibly easy for new users to learn quickly.
  • Offers total creative control and limitless design freedom.
  • Includes full templating power for professional WooCommerce stores.

Cons

  • Customer support inconsistently addresses major, long-standing technical bugs.
  • Reports of critical bug resolution taking months without developer communication.
  • Some specialized support answers are reportedly unhelpful or dismissive.
Pricing
$0/mo
Free trial
Money-back60 days
Best for
Professional WooCommerce store owners seeking faster loading speeds, Freelancers or agencies prioritizing clean code and modern component workflows, Users needing advanced built-in forms and popup creators natively
WPBakery
WPBakery

A Legacy WordPress Builder, Needs Updates.

Ciroapp review
2.5
#7 in Page builder for WordPress

We acknowledge WPBakery is a legacy page builder offering a rare lifetime license for its core functions and serving millions of sites. However, external feedback highlights significant concerns regarding chronic technical issues, performance constraints, and opaque licensing models concerning crucial features like premium support. Overall, while the tool is usable for non-technical users building basic sites, we recommend caution due to poor user experiences reported around customer service and technical debt.

Pros

  • Lifetime license with free core updates included.
  • Highly compatible with virtually any WordPress theme.
  • Intuitive drag-and-drop editor designed for non-technical users.
  • Widely adopted, used on over 5.8 million websites historically.

Cons

  • Significant issues reported with customer support responsiveness and availability.
  • Licensing structure is confusing regarding 'lifetime' access for key features and support.
  • Users report that the builder severely harms page speed and overall site performance.
  • Heavy reliance on shortcodes makes content migration challenging and complex.
Pricing
$69–$499/lifetime
Free trialYes
Money-back15 days
Best for
Agencies requiring a low upfront investment for multiple sites (up to 10), Users comfortable with legacy builders who prioritize maximum theme compatibility, New developers seeking a drag-and-drop tool who only need basic functionality forever
Quick verdict
Choose Breakdance if you run a significant WooCommerce store and prioritize site speed and modern built-in features like forms and popups
Choose WPBakery if you need a one-time purchase across 5-10 sites and can tolerate long-term performance drawbacks and mandatory annual support fees

AboutBreakdance

Breakdance is the best visual website builder available for WordPress. It's built to give you total creative control right out of the box. The platform emphasizes superior performance and SEO, ensuring incredibly fast load times. If you have data in the WordPress database, Breakdance handles it easily with its powerful dynamic data features. It truly transforms your WordPress editing experience. 💡

AboutWPBakery

WPBakery is the trusted #1 Page Builder Plugin for WordPress, chosen by over 5,800,000 websites globally. It's an award-winning tool that lets you manage and build sophisticated content easily. You can design stunning pages using responsive, mobile-ready layouts that work seamlessly. The best part? It integrates perfectly with any WordPress theme you choose. 💡 This solution is ideal for anyone looking for powerful design control without needing programming knowledge.

Highlights

Quick winners by category at a glance.
Ease of Use
Breakdance is modern, highly intuitive, and easy to learn for new builders. WPBakery is often called unstable and buggy by long-term users.
Feature Set
Both have elements, but Breakdance includes essential forms and popups built-in. WPBakery forces users to purchase extra plugins for many key marketing features.
Value for Money
Breakdance offers clear, transparent annual pricing with powerful tools included. WPBakery limits its lifetime license, forcing annual fees for crucial features.
Performance & Reliability
Breakdance is built for speed and clean code, strongly favoring SEO performance. WPBakery is notorious among users for significantly slowing down WordPress sites.
E-commerce Capabilities
Breakdance is specifically optimized for fast WooCommerce builds using specialized Dynamic Data. WPBakery is only compatible, lacking that deep operational focus.
Integration Options
Breakdance supports Elementor migration and marketing tool connection. WPBakery works with virtually any theme, WPML, and Yoast SEO.
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Feature Comparison

Compare key features side by side
Core Editor Type
Breakdance:Visual Builder (Modern)
WPBakery:Drag-and-Drop (Legacy)
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Performance/Speed Focus
Breakdance:High priority (Fast builds)
WPBakery:Low (Known performance issues)
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Licensing Model
Breakdance:Yearly Subscription (Free plan available)
WPBakery:One-time Payment (Lifetime core)
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AI-Assisted Content
Breakdance:Yes (Separate purchase)
WPBakery:Yes (Free for 1st year)
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Built-in Form Builder
Breakdance:Yes (Advanced)
WPBakery:No (Relies on 3rd parties)
Breakdance
Built-in Popup Creator
Breakdance:Yes
WPBakery:No (Relies on 3rd parties)
Breakdance
Dynamic Data Support
Breakdance:Yes (Database-wide)
WPBakery:No data provided
Breakdance
Specialized WooCommerce Tools
Breakdance:High Focus (Fast e-commerce builds)
WPBakery:Compatible only
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Element Count
Breakdance:145 Built-In Elements
WPBakery:80+ pre-defined layouts
Breakdance
Custom Element Development (IDE)
Breakdance:Yes (Element Studio)
WPBakery:Yes (API available)
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Dependency on Shortcodes
Breakdance:Low/None
WPBakery:High (Difficult migration)
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Theme Compatibility
Breakdance:Designed for WordPress
WPBakery:High (Works with any theme)
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Upgrade Path from Elementor
Breakdance:Yes (Smooth)
WPBakery:No
Breakdance
Standard Support Included
Breakdance:Premium support (with license)
WPBakery:Premium support (Free for 1st year)
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Money-Back Guarantee
Breakdance:60 days
WPBakery:15 days
Breakdance
Feature Comparison Summary
6
Breakdance
9
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0
WPBakery

Features Overview

We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.

Performance & Speed

Breakdance builds are fast and performant; WPBakery is widely known for slowing sites down significantly.

Breakdance

Breakdance is designed from the ground up for speed and SEO results. It ensures WooCommerce stores load incredibly fast for better visitor experiences. Breakdance prioritizes clean output, which significantly improves overall site performance. WPBakery users frequently report that the builder severely harms page speed. This performance hit impacts SEO and user experience negatively over time. WPBakery's underlying structure often adds unnecessary bloat. The key trade-off lies between modern optimization (Breakdance) and legacy code structure (WPBakery). Speed is the first major casualty when using WPBakery. If your business depends on strong Google page rankings, Breakdance is the only viable choice here.

Pricing Model

Breakdance uses transparent yearly subscriptions; WPBakery sells a confusing lifetime license.

Breakdance

Breakdance uses a standard yearly renewal model, starting from a free plan up to $145 annually. Pricing is straightforward: you pay for the license and get all features and support. Breakdance offers solid value for consistent annual use. WPBakery sells a "lifetime license" up front, but this only covers core updates. Access to WPBakery AI, templates, and support costs $59 annually after the first year. This confusing structure frustrates many WPBakery users. Breakdance’s model is pay-to-play but clear; WPBakery's model contains hidden annual costs for essential tools. Always calculate the long-term cost; WPBakery adds $59 per year quickly eroding the lifetime license value.

E-commerce Focus

Breakdance is tailor-made for WooCommerce; WPBakery offers general WordPress compatibility only.

Breakdance

Breakdance focuses heavily on WooCommerce, delivering fast visual editing for stores. It leverages Dynamic Data support to pull specific product information easily. Breakdance enables swift building of dynamic shop pages. WPBakery confirms it offers good WooCommerce compatibility, allowing design customization. However, it lacks the specific tools and performance optimizations Breakdance provides for heavy e-commerce. WPBakery’s structure can struggle with larger, data-rich store sites. Breakdance offers integrated e-commerce speed advantages, while WPBakery treats it as just another compatible plugin. For a professional online shop, Breakdance provides a much stronger foundation for growth and speed.

Built-in Marketing Tools

Breakdance has advanced built-in Forms and Popups; WPBakery relies entirely on buying extra plugins.

Breakdance

Breakdance includes an Advanced Form Builder and a Built-In Popup Creator free with the license. Users can run targeted promotions and capture leads quickly using Breakdance's integrated tools. This reduces the number of third-party plugins needed significantly. WPBakery does not feature these tools directly within the core builder elements. Users must purchase and integrate third-party solutions for forms and professional popups. This adds cost and complexity to maintaining the WordPress site. Breakdance offers an all-in-one approach to lead generation, saving plugin search time and integration headaches. Fewer plugins mean faster pages and fewer conflicts, which is a major win for Breakdance users.

Data Portability

Breakdance supports Elementor migration easily; WPBakery creates huge shortcode debt lock-in.

Breakdance

Breakdance explicitly offers a smooth upgrade path for users migrating from Elementor. The builder helps transition existing layout structures cleanly. Breakdance prioritizes making the switch easy for a modern editing experience. WPBakery relies heavily on proprietary shortcodes to define page layout and content structure. If you ever try to deactivate WPBakery, your content becomes an unusable mess of code. Users warn that migrating away from WPBakery is a nightmare. The underlying code structure in Breakdance gives you freedom; WPBakery essentially locks you into using the plugin forever. Choosing Breakdance avoids vendor lock-in issues protecting your long-term content investment.

User Experience

Breakdance is modern, intuitive, and efficient; WPBakery is often labeled outdated and unstable.

Breakdance

Breakdance is consistently praised for being easy to learn, fast, and highly intuitive to use. It provides a modern visual editing experience that significantly streamlines workflows. Users often call Breakdance the best available interface for WordPress builders. WPBakery reviews mention the editor can feel outdated and suffer from inconsistent actions. Users report broken previews and unreliable drag-and-drop functions, hindering design flow. The overall user experience of WPBakery struggles with modern standards. Breakdance provides a smoother, faster, and more reliable design environment than WPBakery. If you spend hours daily in your builder, the stability of Breakdance offers significant productivity gains.

Support and Stability

Breakdance support is included and solid; WPBakery support is widely reported as non-existent or inaccessible.

Breakdance

Breakdance provides premium support with the license, though some users report occasional slow responses. Overall sentiment indicates that when Breakdance support engages, fixes are solid and effective. Breakdance provides confidence in ongoing project stability. WPBakery support is a significant pain point for reviewers and is very hard to reach. You must pay $59 annually just to access WPBakery Premium support after the initial free year. Reviewers often rate WPBakery support as unacceptable. The reliability of getting help is vastly different between the two platforms. WPBakery's lack of consistent support jeopardizes the stability of your critical projects. Trust is crucial for mission-critical tools; Breakdance offers clearer support expectations than WPBakery.

Custom Elements

Breakdance offers Element Studio (IDE); WPBakery provides a traditional code-based developer API.

Breakdance

Breakdance includes Element Studio, a built-in element development IDE for WordPress users. This tool allows users to craft custom elements visually within the Breakdance environment. It makes custom component creation accessible to more users. WPBakery supports custom elements via a standard WPBakery Page Builder API. This integration is powerful but requires traditional coding knowledge and external tools. WPBakery caters strictly to skilled classic developers. Breakdance makes custom component building easier for semi-technical users. WPBakery requires users to adhere to traditional, heavier development workflows. If you need bespoke components, Element Studio in Breakdance is a huge asset.

Our Verdict

Objective guidance based on features, pricing, and user fit.

Breakdance clearly takes the victory in this comparison. WPBakery is a legacy builder that struggles with speed, support, and modern pricing expectations. Breakdance offers a superior, faster, and more feature-complete visual editing experience. It's simply the better choice for serious WordPress users. Breakdance’s superpower is performance, especially for professional e-commerce sites. It focuses on clean code and speed, preventing the performance penalties that often plague WordPress sites. Breakdance expertly packages essential tools like form and popup builders right into the core experience. WPBakery’s main strength lies in its low upfront, one-time payment structure for core features. If you manage 5-10 sites and need minimal functionality, WPBakery might initially appeal. However, WPBakery’s heavy shortcode reliance and mandated annual support fees create long-term headaches. The deciding factor must be long-term viability and performance. WPBakery’s poor user reviews regarding speed and support are nearly impossible to ignore. Unless low upfront cost is your absolute priority, Breakdance is the safer and faster investment. Choose Breakdance if site speed and integrated marketing tools matter to your business goals. Choose WPBakery only if you must maximize upfront licenses and can tolerate future maintenance issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which visual builder delivers better site speed: Breakdance or WPBakery?

Breakdance is built for high performance and speed, especially for demanding WooCommerce stores. WPBakery is notorious among users for causing significant page speed degradation. Breakdance is the clear winner for performance optimization.

Does WPBakery offer true lifetime access to critical features like support and AI?

No, only the core builder updates are lifetime with WPBakery. Premium support, WPBakery AI, and the Template Library require a $59 annual renewal. Breakdance includes premium support throughout your yearly subscription period.

Which builder is better suited for maximizing my WooCommerce store functionality?

Breakdance is designed specifically for fast, functional WooCommerce builds and includes specialized tools. It offers Dynamic Data support for deep product information integration. WPBakery is merely compatible but lacks Breakdance's deep e-commerce focus.

If I ever decide to change builders, is my content safe from lock-in?

Switching away from WPBakery is extremely difficult due to its heavy reliance on proprietary shortcodes. Breakdance produces much cleaner code, making future migration far less complicated. Breakdance offers superior content portability.

How does the editing experience compare between Breakdance and WPBakery?

Breakdance offers a modern, praised, and stable visual editing interface for fast work. WPBakery's editor is often reported as outdated, unstable, and prone to broken drag-and-drop actions. Breakdance provides a dramatically smoother workflow.

Does Breakdance offer a free pricing tier?

Yes, Breakdance offers a free plan starting at $0, though pricing details are limited online. WPBakery does not offer a free tier. However, WPBakery provides an online demo sandbox to test features before purchase.

Ready to Choose?

Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.