Which One Is The Best?

Are you trying to figure out which is the best page builder for WordPress: Thrive Architect vs Divi?

Whether you’re creating your very first website, or if you’re contemplating upgrading the design of your website, choosing the right WordPress page builder tool for your needs can be the difference between a smooth sailing experience, or hours of frustration. 

In this article, I’ll be comparing two major players in the market: Thrive Architect and Divi. Let’s dive in!

The Importance of Choosing the Right Page Builder

Before I dive into comparing these builders, I want to share why I think choosing the right one really matters. I learned this the hard way in my own web design journey.

A page builder isn’t just another tool in your toolkit – it becomes your creative partner. When I’m designing websites, my page builder shapes everything from how I bring my ideas to life, to the nitty-gritty of SEO, load times, and user experience. The right one can help you build that dream website without needing a computer science degree (trust me, I don’t have one!) or spending a fortune on designers and developers.

I’ve seen it firsthand – pick the right builder and you’ll feel empowered to grow your business and create exactly what you want. Pick the wrong one, and you might find yourself like I once did – spending countless frustrated hours trying to switch to a different platform.

Let me help you avoid that headache and find the page builder that’ll work best for you.

Thrive Architect vs Divi, Which Should You Choose?

To help you decide, I’ll be examining two leading landing page builders – Divi and Thrive Architect – and drawing comparisons in the following categories:

• Ease of Setup/Use
• Templates and Web Design Options
• Conversion-Focused Elements
• Additional Features and Functionality
• Integration and Compatibility
• Customer Support and Documentation
• Pricing

At the end of my breakdown, I’ll tally up the scores and make my final recommendation. 

Ready to take a deep dive into these top page builder plugins? Let’s go!

Ease of Setup/Use

I’ve learned a great page builder needs to get you started without any fuss. The best ones simply disappear into the background while you work – they’re intuitive enough that you can focus on creating beautiful pages instead of wasting time figuring out how to use them. Let’s take a look at what the first impression of each plugin was, after install.

Divi Ease of Setup/Use

Divi’s interface, in my opinion, is a bit complicated.

If you’re new to WordPress, or need a tool with an easy-to-understand setup, you might struggle with Divi initially.  

Divi is an expansive WordPress tool, equipped with a lot of tools to help you build a website. As a result, there’s a lot going on in their backend. You may need to visit the knowledge base a couple of times to find your way around.

In terms of the page builder, Divi offers colorful drag-and-drop functionality that allows you to see real-time changes as you edit your page.

This builder offers a lot of modules and options for in-depth customization, but you’ll need to do a lot more clicking to access these modules and modify them. If you’re an experienced WordPress user – particularly a developer or web designer – I would say give yourself 30 to 45 minutes to familiarize yourself with the platform.

For beginners, I would recommend setting aside more time.

As such, I’ve awarded the Divi page builder an ease of setup/use score of 7 out of 10.

Thrive Architect Ease of Setup/Use

First off, getting started with Thrive Architect is straightforward.

You don’t need to be a tech whiz or a coding genius to create stunning landing pages. Once you’ve installed the plugin, you can create or open any WordPress and a new option will appear in the Block Editor — a green button with “Launch Thrive Architect”.

Clicking this button will take you to the plugin’s front-end drag-and-drop builder to design your pages, and you’re on your way. Plus, you can see your changes in real-time, so you’ll know what a live preview of your page will look like at all times.

Thrive Architect’s editor is literally What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG). When you drag a design element onto the page, it appears instantly, ready for you to customize – which you’ll use the options in the left sidebar to get done.

I’m giving Thrive Architect a score of 9 out of 10 for ease of setup/use.

Templates and Design Options

As someone who’s built dozens of sites, I’ll tell you that templates aren’t just a nice-to-have – they’re absolutely important. The difference between a decent builder and an outstanding one often comes down to their template library. Having a rich collection of pre-designed layouts means I can kick off projects quickly and customize from there, rather than staring at a blank canvas wondering where to start. Let’s see how these builders stack up when it comes to their design libraries.

Divi Templates and Design Options

Divi truly shines when it comes to the variety of its design offerings. With over 200 website elements, 200 full website packs, and an impressive library of more than 2,000 pre-made designs, Divi gives users a leg up in building beautifully-designed websites.

Whether you’re crafting a portfolio, an e-commerce site, a blog, or a corporate website, Divi will likely have a pre-made design that fits your needs.

For the sheer variety and quality of its templates and design options, Divi scores a perfect 10 out of 10.

Thrive Architect Templates and Design Options

Thrive Architect focuses on conversion-optimized designs. In simpler terms, this builder’s templates are designed to help you land leads and sales.

While it doesn’t boast as vast a library as Divi, it centers on what truly matters – designs that make.

With over 350 specialized landing page templates for sales, opt-in pages, thank you pages, and more, Thrive Architect prioritizes quality over quantity. Plus, it offers over 810 block templates that can be mixed and matched to create unique layouts.

Think of the page templates as a solid start. You don’t need to worry about structuring your page – we’ve already done it for you.

You can hop in and start moving sections around, adding new elements – or entire block sections – until your design looks exactly the way you want it to look.

You’re in control here.

Conversion Focused Elements

In my years of building websites, I’ve learned that pretty designs alone don’t pay the bills – it’s all about turning those visitors into customers. That’s where conversion elements become your secret weapons. Think smart stuff like testimonials that build trust, countdown timers that create urgency, and lead forms that actually work. 

These aren’t just fancy add-ons – they’re the difference between a website that looks good and one that actually drives business. Let’s see which builders give you the tools to turn your visitors into loyal customers.

Divi Conversion Focused Elements

Divi comes with a wide array of modules that can aid in driving conversions. It includes the standard conversion-focused elements like testimonials, call-to-action buttons, and email opt-in forms.

Additionally, it provides modules like a pricing table, contact form, and social follow buttons. However, compared to some other builders, Divi lacks pre-made design templates for its modules. More module designs are available from third party developers on the Divi Marketplace, but this comes with additional fees. For its collection of conversion-focused elements, Divi scores 7 out of 10.

Thrive Architect Conversion Focused Elements

Thrive Architect, designed with a focus on conversions, excels in this category. It provides all the standard conversion elements such as call-to-action buttons, testimonials, and pricing tables – complete with an array of design options for each.

But where Thrive Architect truly stands out is its advanced conversion tools. It comes with a comprehensive suite of lead generation forms, countdown timers, and even the ability to run A/B testing right from the page builder using Thrive Optimize.

Additionally, Thrive Architect offers specific conversion-focused templates, like sales pages and opt-in pages. For its excellent array of conversion tools, Thrive Architect earns a score of 10 out of 10.

Additional Features and Functionality

While the core functionality of page builders is to help you create beautiful, responsive websites, it’s the additional features and functionality that can truly help you build the perfect website for your business. Let’s compare our three contenders.

Divi Additional Features and Functionality

Divi offers a host of additional features that make it an appealing option. For starters, it provides integrated split testing right out of the box, advanced display conditions, and custom CSS control. Divi also has built-in modules for WooCommerce.

Unlike Thrive Architect, Divi lacks built-in templates for its most useful modules. 

However, it’s worth noting that Divi has the Divi Marketplace, where you can purchase additional themes, extensions, and layouts, for an additional fee. Divi’s diverse set of features gives it a score of 7 out of 10, but I wish it came with more built-in templates for those features.

Thrive Architect Additional Features and Functionality

Thrive Architect is not just about building beautiful websites, it’s about building beautiful websites that perform. It boasts features and functionalities tailored to meet the needs of marketers and conversion-focused entrepreneurs, such as fully customizable, pre-designed blocks, which can be dropped into your page designs for rapid implementation.

Thrive Architect also offers the unique ability to customize colors and fonts for pre-built landing pages across the entire page with just a few clicks – a huge time-saver for those who need to get their work done quickly.

Thrive Architect integrates seamlessly with other Thrive tools that provide several powerful features like quizzes, advanced lead generation opt-ins, and A/B testing to fine-tune your content. These functionalities are extremely useful for conversion optimization but note that to access these features, you would need to upgrade to Thrive Suite.

While this may seem like an additional cost, the value Thrive Suite brings in terms of increased conversions and efficiency makes it a fantastic investment. You’ll get an all-in-one marketing toolkit that has been specifically designed to boost your WordPress website’s performance, attract more leads, and get more engagement. When you consider the immense value you’ll get from Thrive Suite, it’s not just a sensible choice, it’s a no-brainer.

For those looking for a set of features specifically designed to aid in conversion optimization, Thrive Architect is the top choice among these contenders. I give Thrive Architect a score of 8.5 for overall features and functionality.

Integration and Compatibility

For page builders, their compatibility with different themes, plugins and other third-party tools and services can greatly impact your WordPress site’s functionality. Let’s see which page builder offers the most compatibility with other tools.

Divi Integration and Compatibility

Divi generally works well with the majority of WordPress themes and plugins. As for integrations, Divi offers in-built support for popular email marketing services like Mailchimp, Aweber, and ConvertKit.

It also integrates with WooCommerce, allowing you to easily build an online store.

However, Divi’s integrations with learning management systems are somewhat limited compared to Elementor and Thrive Architect. Taking all of this into consideration, Divi receives an 8 out of 10 for integration and compatibility.

Thrive Architect Integration and Compatibility

Thrive Architect also fares well on the compatibility front, working with most WordPress themes and plugins without major issues. On the integrations side, Thrive Architect has an edge, particularly for marketers. It integrates with a wide range of email marketing services including Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Drip, and AWeber.

Like Divi, Thrive Architect also offers integration with WooCommerce.

As for e-learning, Thrive Architect integrates with LearnDash, Wishlist Member, and of course Thrive’s own e-learning tool, Thrive Apprentice. Using Thrive Themes’ free automation tool, Thrive Automator, can expand integrations even more. This focus on compatibility and integration earns Thrive Architect a 9 out of 10.

Customer Support and Documentation

No matter how feature-rich or user-friendly a tool might be, there will always be times when you need a bit of help. This is where customer support and comprehensive documentation come into play. Let’s compare the customer support and documentation of Divi, Elementor, and Thrive Architect.

Divi Customer Support and Documentation

Divi offers an impressive support system. Users can easily reach out to the support team via live chat and email. Their response time is usually quick.

Divi’s documentation is also thorough, covering a wide range of topics in detail. They provide comprehensive written tutorials, along with video walkthroughs, making it easy for users to understand and solve problems. 

Divi also has a Facebook group, where customers can share their thoughts with the Divi community. Divi scores a 9 out of 10 in customer support and documentation.

Thrive Architect Customer Support and Documentation

Thrive Architect also offers strong customer support and comprehensive documentation. Support tickets are generally responded to in less than 24 hours. And Thrive Themes boasts a stellar support team, ready to help you figure out your challenges and get you back on the right track.

Thrive Architect’s documentation is exhaustive, covering all features of the tool in depth, and many articles include a helpful video tutorial.

Thrive Themes has a Facebook group where users can discuss issues. Thrive Architect also earns a 10 out of 10 in this area.

Pricing

While features, ease of use, and customer support are all crucial factors in choosing a page builder, pricing is an equally important consideration. After all, every tool needs to fit within your budget. Let’s take a look at the pricing plans for Divi, Elementor, and Thrive Architect.

Divi Pricing

Divi offers two straightforward pricing plans. The annual subscription costs $89 and gives you access to Divi, Extra, Bloom, and Monarch for unlimited websites. This means you’re not just getting Divi Theme Builder and page editing, but also a premium theme (Extra), an email opt-in plugin (Bloom), and a social sharing plugin (Monarch).

Alternatively, you can choose their lifetime access plan for a one-time fee of $249, giving you access to all these tools without any recurring costs. However, keep in mind the additional costs if you decide to purchase themes, extensions, and layouts from Divi’s Marketplace. Considering the value it offers, Divi scores a 9 out of 10 for its pricing.

Thrive Architect Pricing

Pricing is a crucial factor when it comes to choosing a page builder, but it’s essential to remember that it’s not just about the cost – it’s about value. Thrive Architect offers excellent value for your money, particularly when you consider its focus on conversion-optimized features and the potential increase in revenue.

For example, let’s say you market a $100 product to an audience of 10,000 people, and you make 200 sales.

That’s a conversion rate of 2%, and a total revenue of $20,000. 

Now let’s say Thrive Architect’s conversion features help you increase your conversion rate to 3%, a mere one percent difference. 

The increase to your bottom line? $10,000!

That’s the power of using a conversion-focused tool. 

Thrive Architect is priced at $199 per year, and you can get a significant discount of $100 for the first year. While this is on the pricier end, the potential increase in conversions and, consequently, the addition revenue it can bring makes it a highly cost-effective solution.

With Thrive Architect, you’re not just buying a page builder – you’re investing in a tool that could drastically boost your bottom line. So, when it comes to pricing, Thrive Architect scores a 9 out of 10, tying with Divi. 

Overall Scores for Divi and Thrive Architect

Having explored the ins and outs of each of these three powerful page builders, it’s time to tally up the scores and see how they stack against each other. Let’s take a look at the final scores for Divi, Elementor, and Thrive Architect.

Divi: 57/70

Divi scores well across most categories, with its extensive design options and conversion-focused elements adding to its overall score. Divi’s simple setup process and lifetime pricing option provide added benefits that few competitors can match. However, Divi falls short in the integration category, and some users find the user interface slightly more complex than Thrive Architect. 

Thrive Architect: 63.5/70

Thrive Architect shines in the conversion-focused elements and customer support departments. Its impressive ease of use and additional features make it a favorite among many users. However, offering fewer page templates compared to Divi slightly dents its overall score.

Which is the Best Page Builder: Thrive Architect vs Divi

When the dust settles on the drag and drop builder battlefield, one page builder stands out as a clear victor: Thrive Architect. Not only does it bring an easy-to-use interface to the table, but its strong focus on conversion-boosting elements sets it apart from the crowd.

Every design element and feature is there to ensure your website not only looks fantastic but also engages your visitors and encourages them to turn into customers. This focus on helping businesses thrive (pardon the pun) online makes Thrive Architect the ideal tool for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

In the end, the best website builder will come down to personal preference and depends on your unique needs and goals. Both of the page builders I examined here today offers a no-risk, 30-day money back guarantee, so why not check them out and see how they work for you? 

Click here to check out Thrive Architect today!