Elegant Themes is the company behind Divi, one of the most used WordPress themes and page builders in the world, plus the Extra magazine theme and the Bloom (email opt-in) and Monarch (social sharing) plugins. One membership, $89 a year or $249 for life, covers all of them on unlimited sites.
I have used Elegant Themes products on client sites and my own since 2013. This review was fully updated in October 2026 for Divi 5, the current membership plans, and the Pro add-ons, and covers what you get, where it falls short, and who should buy it.
Elegant Themes Review Summary
| Products | Divi (theme and builder), Extra, Bloom, Monarch, Divi Dash |
| Price | $89/year or $249 lifetime, unlimited sites |
| Pro add-ons | Divi AI, Divi Cloud, Divi Teams, Divi VIP ($277/year bundle) |
| Best for | Freelancers, agencies, and site owners who want a visual builder |
| The good | Divi 5 is fast and flexible, lifetime deal is unmatched value, 2,000+ layouts, strong support |
| The bad | Lock-in to Divi if you ever switch, Extra and the plugins get fewer updates, AI and cloud cost extra |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 |
What Changed Since This Review Was First Written
In 2017 Elegant Themes sold 87 themes and six plugins. Today the company is all in on Divi. The old theme library (Nexus, Nimble, Origin, and the rest) has been retired, the Handheld, Maintenance Mode, and Shortcodes plugins are gone, and the lineup is Divi, Extra, Bloom, Monarch, and the new Divi Dash site management tool. The biggest change is Divi 5, a ground-up rewrite of the builder released in 2025 that removed the shortcode-heavy framework and made it far faster.
Divi Theme and Builder
Divi is both a theme and a visual builder that works with any theme (as the Divi Builder plugin). You design on the front end: drag modules (text, images, blurbs, sliders, forms, pricing tables, WooCommerce blocks and 200+ others) into rows and sections and style every detail with live preview. The Theme Builder lets you design headers, footers, post templates, and archive pages visually too, which is what made Divi a full site builder before WordPress had one.
Divi 5 rebuilt the engine. Pages load noticeably faster in the builder and on the front end, the output is cleaner, and the old shortcode lock-in is reduced (though you still cannot switch away without rebuilding). It also added nested modules, a redesigned interface, and better responsive controls.
Other things you get: 2,000+ pre-made layouts in 350+ packs, a global design system with presets, split testing (Divi Leads), role editor, and Sucuri-audited code. Divi is translated into 30+ languages with RTL support.
Extra Magazine Theme
Extra is the magazine theme, built on the Divi Builder with a Category Builder that lets you design category pages and the homepage the same way you design posts. It has review and rating boxes, post formats, custom widgets, and WooCommerce support. It is a good news or blog theme, but it gets fewer updates than Divi and has not yet moved to the Divi 5 engine, so check the changelog before building a big site on it.
Bloom: Email Opt-in Plugin
Bloom builds popups, fly-ins, inline forms, below-post forms, widgets, and content lockers, with 100+ templates, A/B testing, and stats. Triggers include time delay, scroll depth, after commenting, after purchase, and inactivity. It connects to all the major email services (Kit, Mailchimp, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, MailerLite, and more). It still works well but has not changed much in years; dedicated tools such as OptinMonster or Thrive Leads have more targeting options.
Monarch: Social Sharing Plugin
Monarch adds share buttons for 35+ networks in a floating sidebar, above or below content, on images, or as a popup or fly-in, with styling options and share stats. Like Bloom it is solid and lightly maintained. See our social sharing plugins comparison for how it stacks up against Social Snap and Novashare.
Divi Dash and the Pro Add-ons
Divi Dash is free with membership: a dashboard to manage updates, plugins, and client sites for unlimited WordPress installs, similar to ManageWP.
The Pro add-ons are a separate subscription ($277 a year for the bundle, or $212 a year on top of a lifetime license):
- Divi AI: generates text, images, code, and whole page layouts inside the builder.
- Divi Cloud: saves layouts and design elements in the cloud to reuse across every site.
- Divi Teams: seats and permissions for team members (4 included).
- Divi VIP: priority support with faster response times.
They are optional. Most bloggers do not need them; agencies building many sites usually find Cloud and Teams worth it.
Support and Documentation
Support is 24/7 live chat and tickets from the members area, which is a big improvement over the forum-only support of the early years. There is extensive documentation, a large YouTube channel, and a very active Facebook community and third-party ecosystem (child themes, extensions, Divi Marketplace). Updates are frequent, with Divi usually updated several times a month.
Elegant Themes Pricing
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Divi Yearly | $89 per year | Divi, Extra, Bloom, Monarch, Divi Dash, unlimited sites, support and updates |
| Divi Lifetime | $249 one time | Everything above, forever |
| Divi Pro Yearly | $277 per year | Everything above plus Divi AI, Cloud, Teams, VIP |
| Lifetime + Pro | $297 first year, then $212 per year for Pro services | Lifetime license plus the Pro add-ons |
Every plan covers unlimited websites, which is what makes it cheap compared with Elementor Pro or Kadence, where the price climbs with site count. If you will use Divi for more than three years, the lifetime plan is the obvious buy.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Divi 5 is a fast, capable visual builder and full site builder.
- One price, unlimited sites, and a lifetime option.
- Thousands of layouts and a huge third-party ecosystem.
- 24/7 chat support.
- Divi Dash for managing many sites is included.
Cons
- Switching away from Divi later means rebuilding pages.
- Extra, Bloom, and Monarch receive far less attention than Divi.
- AI, Cloud, and Teams are an extra yearly fee even on lifetime plans.
- The block editor has caught up for simple blogs; you may not need a builder at all.
Should You Buy Elegant Themes?
Yes, if you want to design pages visually, build client sites, or run several websites. Divi is the best value page builder package on the market, and the lifetime deal has no real competitor.
No, if you run a single simple blog. A fast block theme such as Kadence or Blocksy with the block editor is lighter and avoids lock-in. And if you only wanted Bloom or Monarch, buy a dedicated plugin instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Divi 5 free for existing members?
Yes. Divi 5 is a free update for every member, including lifetime license holders.
Can I use Divi on client sites?
Yes. All plans allow unlimited sites, including client sites, with no per-site license.
Is there a free trial?
No trial, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans, and a live demo of the builder on the Elegant Themes site.
Divi or Elementor?
Divi is cheaper for multiple sites and includes a theme; Elementor has a free version and a larger add-on market. Both are fast now; pick the interface you prefer after trying the demos.
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