Why I Prefer Bricks Builder Over Elementor and Divi (Especially for Class-Based Design)
As a web designer based here in Manhattan, Kansas, I’ve worked with just about every WordPress builder you can name: Elementor, Divi, Oxygen, and now Bricks Builder. While each has its merits, I consistently find myself reaching for Bricks—especially when I want my projects to be clean, scalable, and deeply class-oriented.
Bricks vs. Elementor and Divi: The Class-Based Difference
- Class-First Workflow: Bricks lets me apply classes globally and locally with ease. For someone obsessed with maintainable CSS and scalable builds, that’s huge. Elementor and Divi can do “custom CSS,” but their primary workflow is usually inline styles and individual element settings, which makes clean, reusable classes an afterthought.
- Cleaner Markup: When I inspect the output from Bricks, I see organized, minimal markup where my class names make sense. Compare that to Divi or Elementor, where the code output often feels bloated and harder to manage (both for styling and long-term site health).
- Easier Global Styling: In Bricks, I can lock down design systems—spacing, type, color—with well-named CSS classes. Elementor and Divi both take a more visual, point-and-click approach; it looks easy at first, but as projects grow, it can create headaches for consistent updates.
- Better for Devs & Designers: If you want to actually “speak CSS” and future-proof your website, Bricks makes it straightforward. Divi and Elementor are great for drag-and-drop beginners, but the class-based system in Bricks is a major step up for real development.
Real Example from My Workflow
Recently, I built a site for a local Kansas client that needed rapid changes, long-term scalability, and team content updates. Using Bricks, I set up a suite of BEM-style classes, structured everything for logical editing, and let the client’s team safely tweak content without breaking design. If I’d tried the same in Elementor or Divi, it would’ve required far more workarounds, custom CSS, and manual fixes.
Manhattan Fitness Studio: Rapid Theme Rollouts
A local gym needed a full site update to reflect seasonal promotions and changing classes. With Bricks Builder’s class-based controls:
- I spun up new landing pages in under a day by reusing BEM-style classes I’d already established.
- Made global adjustments to layout and color schemes with minimal fuss—no digging through dozens of inline settings.
- The client’s team could update class schedules and news posts without risking site-wide design issues.
Brewery Website Refresh: Branding Consistency
When revamping a regional brewery’s website, brand consistency mattered as much as creative freedom. My workflow leveraged Bricks, Automatic CSS, and MicroThemer together:
- Set up brand color palettes and spacing tokens globally in Automatic CSS.
- Created reusable classes in Bricks for headings, callouts, and menus—applied everywhere in seconds.
- Used MicroThemer for pixel-perfect, on-the-fly visual tweaks while screensharing design sessions with the brewery’s marketing lead.
Local Nonprofit: Accessible, Editable, and Fast
A Manhattan-area nonprofit needed a site that not only looked professional but was also easy for volunteers and staff to update. With Bricks:
- Classes defined for all key blocks (events, donation forms, resources) ensured a unified look and feel throughout the site.
- Staff use the safe, locked-down editing areas to post news or edit text, while I handle advanced design—no risk of breaking templates or global layout.
- The site passed accessibility checks thanks to clean, semantic markup.
These are just a few examples of how a class-based, carefully structured workflow pays off for my Kansas clients. Bricks Builder, alongside tools like Automatic CSS and MicroThemer, gives me the flexibility to move fast, keep sites maintainable, and empower clients to take control.
Final Thoughts
For me, Bricks Builder isn’t just another tool—it’s the right foundation for sites that need to last and scale. If you care about clean code, class-based styling, and efficient site management, Bricks stands out far above Elementor and Divi. That’s why it’s my go-to for modern WordPress projects here in Kansas.
— Anthony Richter
