Building a WordPress website can be an exciting yet challenging task, especially when deciding which approach to take in terms of theme development. Should you opt for a custom-coded theme using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), dive into the world of block-based builders, or stick with powerful, yet traditional builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder? Each option has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and understanding these can help you make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and technical requirements.

In this guide, we’ll explore the pros and cons of each approach. Remember there is no right or wrong answer here, but one approach might be a better fit for your needs. By the end of this post, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which approach might be the best fit for your next WordPress project.

Custom-Coded Themes with ACF

What Are Custom-Coded Themes with ACF?

Custom-coded themes are built from the ground up using WordPress’s core capabilities, PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a popular WordPress plugin that allows developers to add custom fields to posts, pages, and custom post types, enabling developers to craft a completely pixel-perfect and lightweight design while allowing non-developers to update content and custom fields from the backend WordPress interface.

Advantages of Custom-Coded Themes with ACF

1. Complete Control Over Design and Functionality: Custom-coded themes give your WordPress developers complete control over every aspect of your website. They can create a unique design tailored to your brand that is perfectly matched to any mockups, and they are not limited by the constraints of a pre-built theme or builder. Furthermore, by using a custom theme, developers can easily add custom functionality without fighting the prebuilt functionality of a theme and they can add custom fields and options with ease using ACF.
2. Lightweight Performance: Since custom-coded themes are built from scratch, they are typically more lightweight and faster than themes created with any builders. WordPress devs can optimize every line of code to ensure the site runs smoothly, resulting in the best performance and load times possible.
3. Scalability and Flexibility: With a custom-coded theme, you can easily scale your website as your business grows. Whether you need to add new features, integrate with third-party APIs, or expand your content management capabilities, custom coding provides the flexibility to do so.
4. Security Control: Custom-coded themes give developers more control over security since they don’t rely on third-party plugins and builders as much, which can introduce vulnerabilities. The devs have full control over the code, allowing them to implement best practices for security. Of course, your WordPress development team needs to understand security well since more of the security know-how will be their responsibility.
5. Tailored User Experience: A custom-coded theme allows WordPress designers to create a user experience that is perfectly aligned with your target audience. You can design intuitive interfaces, streamline navigation, and ensure that every element of the site serves a purpose without any extra bloat.

Disadvantages of Custom-Coded Themes with ACF

1. Higher Development Costs: Building a custom-coded theme from scratch requires a higher level of expertise and more time, which translates to significantly higher development costs compared to using any sort of page builder. If you’re on a tight budget, this might be a significant consideration.
2. Longer Development Time: Custom coding a theme takes longer than using a builder, as every aspect of the site needs to be developed individually as very little is prebuilt. Furthermore, when new features or layouts are required after launch, they can cost significantly more to implement since their is not prebuilt options or features available like in a visual paghe builder. Additionally, if the theme is not compatible with a third party plugin out of the box, these could increase the feature build time.
3. Dependence on Developer Expertise: Custom-coded themes require a high level of technical expertise to build and maintain. If you don’t have a web developer on your team, you may need to rely on an external agency or freelancer for ongoing support, which can be costly.
4. Limited Ease of Use: Custom-coded themes are not as user-friendly as builders, especially for non-technical users. Updating content or making changes to the site may require the assistance of a developer, which can be a drawback if you need to make frequent updates. Changing anything outside of the fields and options built out by the developers will not be possible without editing code which can make a small tweak or layout change more involved than with a visual builder.
5. Potential for Over-Engineering: There’s a risk of over-engineering with custom-coded themes, where developers may create overly complex solutions that are difficult to maintain. It’s important to strike a balance between functionality and maintainability.

Block-Based Builders

What Are Block-Based Builders?

Block-based builders, like the native WordPress Gutenberg editor, Kadence, GenerateBlocks and others, allow users to build websites using visual blocks. Each block represents a different element, such as text, images, buttons, or widgets, and can be easily rearranged or customized into the necessary layout. Block-based builders are considered the future of theme and content management from Automattic, the team behind WordPress. Keep in mind, block-based builders do not have to support full-site editing for changing things like headers, footers and global site options. Many block-based builders instead utilize a hybrid approach through the use of a classic theme instead of a full-site editing theme (FSE). That is not the topic of today’s post, but you can read more about FSE versus classic and hybrid themes in this post.

Advantages of Block-Based Builders

1. User-Friendly and Flexible Interface: Block-based builders are designed with usability in mind. The drag-and-drop interface allows even non-technical users to build and customize pages and layouts without needing to write code. You can create a variety of layouts and designs using pre-built blocks or customize blocks to fit your needs.
2. Native Integration with WordPress: As block-based builders are often integrated directly into WordPress (like Gutenberg), they tightly work with the platform’s core features, more so then other methods. This ensures better compatibility and fewer issues with updates in most cases.
3. Faster Development: Building a site with a block-based builder is faster than custom coding, although not as fast as traditional visual builders in most cases. You can quickly create pages, add content, and customize layouts, making it an ideal choice for projects with tight timelines.
4. Lightweight and Fast: Because block-based builders utilize WordPress core, they load much less third party code than traditional page builders in most cases, although they still may not be as fast as a custom-coded theme using ACF.
5. Cost-Effective: Since block-based builders require less time and expertise to use, they can be more cost-effective than custom-coded themes. This makes them a great option for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.

Disadvantages of Block-Based Builders

1. Limited Customization: While block-based builders offer flexibility, they still have limitations compared to custom-coded themes. You may find it challenging to implement highly specific or complex design elements without resorting to custom code.
2. Potential Performance Issues: Block-based builders can introduce additional code and scripts, which may slow down your site. While they are almost always more optimized than traditional builders, they can still impact performance, especially on larger sites.
3. Learning Curve: While block-based builders are user-friendly, there is still a learning curve, especially for those new to WordPress. Understanding how to effectively use blocks and customize them can take some time.
4. Still in Development: Block-based development is still actively in the works at Automattic which means certain features are still not fully baked out and may have bugs or other issues at times.
5. Less Control Over Code: Unlike custom-coded themes, block-based builders don’t offer full control over the underlying code. This can be a drawback if you need to make specific adjustments or optimizations to your site’s performance.

Traditional Builders: Elementor and Beaver Builder

What Are Traditional Builders?

Traditional builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder and Divi are drag-and-drop page builders that allow users to create complex layouts and designs without writing code. These builders offer a wide range of powerful, pre-built templates, widgets, and customization options.

Advantages of Traditional Builders

1. Fast Customization: Traditional builders offer extensive customization options. Web designers can create intricate designs, add animations, and customize many aspects of your site without needing to write code. Furthermoee, once launched, developers have nearly complete creative control over the design without writing code or requesting changes from developers.
2. Wide Range of Templates: Builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder come with a vast library of pre-built templates. These templates can be easily customized to fit your brand, allowing agencies to quickly create professional-looking pages. Note not only agencies use these prebuild themes as you can start from a blank canvas and get very close to building out base don a finished design mockup as well.
3. Ease of Use: Traditional builders are designed to be user-friendly, with intuitive interfaces that make it easy to drag and drop elements onto the page. Even non-technical users can build complex pages with relative ease.
4. Extensive Plugin Ecosystem: Traditional builders have a large ecosystem of plugins and add-ons that extend their functionality. Whether you need advanced forms, sliders, or e-commerce capabilities, you can find plugins to enhance your site which minimized cost and time to implement new features greatly.
5. Active Community and Support: Builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder have large, active communities and extensive support resources. This means you can find tutorials, forums, and documentation to help you troubleshoot issues and learn new techniques.

Disadvantages of Traditional Builders

1. Performance Impact: Traditional builders can significantly impact your site’s performance. They often add a lot of extra code, which can slow down load times and affect user experience. Optimizing a site built with a traditional builder can be challenging.
2. Over-Reliance on Plugins: These builders often rely on a variety of plugins to achieve specific functionality. This can lead to compatibility issues, and managing plugin updates and conflicts can become time-consuming.
3. Less Flexibility with Custom Code: While traditional builders offer a lot of customization options, they don’t provide the same level of code flexibility as custom-coded themes. If you need to implement highly specific features or optimize the site’s performance, you may find it limiting or near impossible.
4. Potential for Bloated Code: Traditional builders can generate bloated code, which can make your site harder to manage and maintain in the long run. This can also negatively impact SEO and open the website up to more security issues.
5. Higher Costs Over Time: While traditional builders can be cost-effective on certain projects, the reliance on premium plugins and the need for ongoing maintenance can increase costs over time.

Which Approach Is Right for You?

Choosing between a custom-coded theme with ACF, a block-based builder, or a traditional builder like Elementor or Beaver Builder ultimately depends on your specific needs, budget, and technical expertise.

• Custom-Coded Themes with ACF are ideal for businesses that require a high level of customization, performance, and security. They offer complete control over design and functionality but come with higher initial development costs and longer timelines. They also limit your ability to change future layouts or features without developer assistance.
• Block-Based Builders are a great middle-ground solution, offering a balance between customization and ease of use. They are suitable for businesses that need a flexible, user-friendly interface and want to build a site at a lower cost while still being lightweight compared to traditional builders. While they offer a good degree of customization, they might fall short for complex requirements.
• Traditional Builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder are perfect for users who want a powerful and highly customizable tool to manage the website and content without needing to dive into coding. They offer a wide range of features and templates that can make creating the website as low cost and fast as possible. However, they can negatively impact site performance and may lead to bloated code, making long-term maintenance more challenging.

Key Considerations for Your Decision

1. Project Scope and Complexity: If your project requires a unique design or complex functionality that isn’t easily achievable with pre-built solutions, a custom-coded theme with ACF might be the best choice. For more standard projects where speed and ease of use are priorities, block-based or traditional builders may be more appropriate.
2. Budget Constraints: Custom-coded themes generally come with higher upfront costs due to the time and expertise required to build them. If your budget is limited, a block-based builder or traditional builder can provide a more cost-effective solution, allowing you to allocate resources to other areas like content creation or marketing.
3. Timeline: If you need your website up and running quickly, traditional or block-based builders are the way to go. Custom coding, while powerful, requires more time, which could delay your project’s launch if you’re working with tight deadlines.
4. Long-Term Maintenance: Consider how much control you want over your site in the long term. Custom-coded themes provide the most control and can be more secure, but they require a higher level of expertise to maintain and do not allow you to manage content as easily. Builders offer ease of use but may lead to technical debt over time, especially if the site becomes bogged down by performance issues or plugin conflicts.
5. User Experience: Think about who will be managing the site after it’s built. If you or your team are not technically inclined, a builder that offers a user-friendly interface may be the best option. On the other hand, if you have access to a development team, a custom-coded solution can offer a more tailored user experience for your visitors.
6. SEO and Performance: Custom-coded themes generally offer better performance and SEO benefits since they are more lightweight and optimized. Builders, especially traditional ones, can introduce extra code that might slow down your site, potentially impacting your search engine rankings and user experience.

Final Thoughts

The decision is not a one-size-fits-all choice. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the best solution depends on your specific needs, goals, and resources.

At Inspry, we understand the importance of making the right decision for your business. Whether you need a fully customized solution that offers complete control and scalability or a user-friendly builder that allows for quick and efficient site creation, we’re here to help you navigate the options and find the best fit for your project.

If you’re unsure which direction to take, feel free to reach out to our team. We’re happy to discuss your needs and help you make an informed decision that will set your website up for success.