Are block builders even worth it?
Hey guys,
So I've been doing some research on block builders for a while, mainly because of my frustration over my personal struggle with building my website using the native Gutenberg builder combined with plugins. I've been working on my header for what seems ages, simply because I can't seem to get it just how I want it. But anyway.
I've read alot about block builders - mainly Gutenberg, GenerateBlocks, Astra, Kadence, Greenshift, Elementor and some others I can't remember at this moment - and the scope of opinions stretches far and wide. One guy says Kadence is the goat, while another swears by GenerateBlocks, as a third swears them all off and promises Gutenberg is simply the best. I've seen people talk about how they've switched from using a paid plugin to going back to Gutenberg because apparently it's getting much better.
Of course, I've also compared pricing. I'm a starter, and don't want to spend a ton of money on a paid plugin if I don't have to. But at the same time, I do wish to spend some if it helps me build the site I want. While one has a lifetime version that you only need to pay once, another has a yearly subscription or even a monthly subscription like Elementor. The monthly subs sound much cheaper, but generally aren't because you'd end up paying the same at the end of the year. ANY sub for that matter sounds like a bad deal, because wouldn't you be stuck with it for the rest of time?
I've been concidering GenerateBlocks for a couple days now, but I've read people saying that while it's very light, it's also limited. I don't want to be (too) limited, that's exactly why I'm concidering a paid builder. But at the same time, I also don't want my site to be too bloated.
So what would you guys say, are paid block builders worth the money for a starter that's quite nitpicky about how the site looks? If yes, which would you recommend?
Maybe some extra information would be handy. What I look for specifically is the following:
- Monthly and yearly subs are fine if I won't be stuck with them for the rest of my life, and I simply don't want to pay too much. But who does, right?
- Ease, perhaps. I've been breaking my brains over some things lately and I'm starting to notice it's giving me mental fatigue. Googling a lot, ChatGPT(useless), CoPilot(kinda useful)... But maybe that's just because I'm a starter and I'm only just learning all of this stuff?
- Not too limited. I HATE running into impossibilities. Impossible for me would be something that can't be fixed without the use of extra CSS, because I don't know CSS. I don't know HTML. Me know mouth words.
- For some reason I'm incredibly nitpicky about the header, especially the navigation menu. If websites don't navigate right or menus don't open right, I'm out. I love what I've seen of mega menus on some block builders, like GenerateBlocks'.
That's all I can think of, for now at least.
I'm curious about your opinions! Massive thanks in advance.
(I'm off to bed now so if I don't respond quickly you know why. 😄)