WPBakery Page Builder Review: Best for Existing Stacks, Not Every New Build

WPBakery shortcodes only render when the plugin is active. If WPBakery was deactivated: (1) reactivate WPBakery to restore normal display; (2) if you want to remove WPBakery, you must manually rebuild each affected page with the replacement builder before deactivating; (3) the “WPBakery Cleanup” or “Remove WPBakery Shortcodes” plugins can strip shortcodes from page content (leaving only the text content, losing all layout); (4) this is the “shortcode lock-in” problem inherent to WPBakery’s shortcode-based architecture.

WPBakery editor loading failures: (1) verify PHP memory limit is at least 128MB (256MB recommended); (2) check the browser Console for JavaScript errors — WPBakery uses extensive JavaScript for the backend interface; (3) plugin conflicts are common — deactivate other plugins and test with only WPBakery active; (4) theme conflicts occasionally prevent WPBakery from loading — test with a default WordPress theme; (5) clear all WordPress object caches and browser cache.

WPBakery responsive controls are per-element in the element settings. For each row/column: (1) open the row/column settings and look for the “Responsive Options” tab; (2) configure how many columns show per row on tablet and mobile (e.g., full-width single column on mobile); (3) adjust font sizes and spacing per breakpoint; (4) use WPBakery’s “Hide on” options to hide specific elements on mobile that clutter the layout; (5) CSS Grid settings control the responsive column behavior — configure the grid width for tablet and mobile breakpoints.

In the WPBakery backend editor, click the “Templates” button in the editor toolbar. Select “Save” or “Save Current Layout as Template” to save the current page layout. Give it a name and save. The template appears in the Templates panel for reuse on other pages. When editing a new page, open the Templates panel and select your saved template to insert it as the starting point. WPBakery templates save all element configurations and styling within the template.

WPBakery provides a developer API for creating custom elements. Create a PHP file in a plugin or theme that uses vc_map() to register the custom element: vc_map(array(“name” => “My Custom Element”, “base” => “my_custom_element”, “icon” => “icon-wpb-row”, “category” => “My Widgets”, “params” => array(array(“type” => “textfield”, “holder” => “div”, “heading” => “Title”, “param_name” => “title”)))); Then create the shortcode output function: add_shortcode(“my_custom_element”, function($atts) { return “

“; });

Yes — for new site builds, Elementor or Divi are recommended over WPBakery. Elementor provides a superior visual editing experience, better performance optimization tools, and more active development. If you are maintaining an existing WPBakery site, the migration cost (rebuilding all pages) may outweigh the benefits for an established site. For new client projects where choosing the builder is optional, WPBakery is rarely the optimal choice in 2025 compared to modern alternatives.

There is no automatic WPBakery to Elementor converter that accurately migrates complex layouts. The practical approach is: (1) install Elementor; (2) rebuild pages one by one in Elementor, using the old WPBakery pages as design references; (3) once all pages are rebuilt, deactivate WPBakery. Some third-party tools claim to assist with migration but results are typically imperfect. For sites with many pages, prioritize rebuilding the most important pages (homepage, key landing pages) and handle secondary pages as needed.

Usually yes, and that flexibility is one of its selling points. In real projects, the quality of the experience still depends on how well the theme was built around it.

Compare it against Elementor, Beaver Builder, SiteOrigin, and Breakdance. WPBakery often wins when an existing theme already depends on it, not necessarily when choosing from a blank slate.