WPBakery Page Builder, a great editor for WordPress

WPBakery Page Builder, originally known as Visual Composer, is one of the most widely used page builder plugins in the WordPress ecosystem. Created as a tool to allow users to build complex layouts without writing code, WPBakery works through a drag-and-drop system that lets users drag elements such as text, images, buttons, galleries and columns directly onto the page, visually composing the structure in an intuitive way. For years it was the reference page builder for users purchasing premium themes on marketplaces such as ThemeForest, so much so that many themes included WPBakery as the default building tool, greatly contributing to its widespread adoption.

WPBakery works through a row-and-column system that allows users to create grid-based layouts visually, both through a frontend mode that displays the result directly on the page and through a backend mode with a more schematic but often more stable and responsive interface. Each element, called an “element” or “widget,” can be customized through option panels that allow colors, sizes, spacing and behaviors to be modified without touching a single line of CSS or HTML. This approach made WPBakery especially popular among web designers working with non-technical clients, because once the website is delivered, the client can independently edit the content without risking breaking the layout.

In recent years, WPBakery has had to face the growing competition from Elementor, which captured a large share of the market thanks to a more modern interface and a smoother user experience. WPBakery responded by updating its editor and trying to modernize its offering, but in the perception of many developers it remained tied to an earlier era of WordPress development. Nevertheless, its presence in some of the best-selling themes in the world and the huge number of websites built with this tool still make it a relevant and widely used plugin today, especially among those working with templates purchased on ThemeForest or managing projects inherited from previous years.