At BrainWeb, we don’t just dabble in web design; we live and breathe it. Over the years, we have designed, developed, and deployed hundreds of bespoke websites for clients ranging from new local Norfolk businesses to larger companies across the UK. In that time, we’ve seen WordPress trends come and go. We’ve tested countless themes, wrestled with rigid frameworks, and experimented with every major page builder on the market.
Yet, despite the noise and the endless stream of “next big things,” there is one tool that remains the absolute staple of our development workflow: Divi.
It is the engine behind the vast majority of our portfolio, and for good reason. If you are an agency owner, a freelancer, or a business owner looking to take control of your online presence, you need to understand why Divi isn’t just a theme anymore—it is the most complete web design ecosystem available for WordPress.
Check out Divi by Elegant Themes here
Full Disclosure: We’ve included some affiliate links in this post. Basically, if you decide to grab a license through our link, we get a small “thank you” commission from Elegant Themes. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, and it helps us keep creating content. We are huge fans of Divi and use it for 99% of our work, so we’d be recommending it anyway!
The Divi Difference: How It Stacks Up Against the Competition
In the world of WordPress, the “Page Builder War” is often framed as a three-way battle between Divi, Elementor, and the native Block Editor (Gutenberg). While all have their merits, Divi consistently comes out on top for us when we look at the big picture: creative freedom, value, and long-term stability.
Divi vs. Elementor
Elementor is a fantastic tool, and we give credit where it’s due—it even has a free version that is great for hobbyists. However, for an agency or a serious freelancer, the free version rarely cuts it. You eventually need the “Pro” features (like the Theme Builder, Form Builder, and Popup Builder), and that is where the costs start to stack up.
Elementor Pro relies on an annual subscription model that scales with the number of sites you build. If you stop paying, you lose access to support, updates, and the ability to import premium templates. Over 5 or 10 years, those subscription fees can add up to thousands of pounds.
Divi, on the other hand, offers the “Holy Grail” of software pricing: a Lifetime License. You pay once, and you own it forever. Unlimited sites, unlimited updates, and unlimited support. For us at BrainWeb, this single factor has saved us a fortune in recurring licensing fees, allowing us to pass those savings on to our clients.
Functionally, Divi’s “Visual Builder” also offers a different design experience. While Elementor uses a fixed sidebar, Divi allows you to work across the full width of the screen with floating toolbars that stay out of your way until you need them.
Divi vs. The Block Editor (Gutenberg)
The native WordPress Block Editor has improved significantly, but it still feels like… well, a block editor. It is rigid. To get a truly custom design in Gutenberg often requires a stack of third-party block plugins, which can lead to compatibility nightmares and “bloat.”
Divi replaces that rigidity with a true Visual Design System. You aren’t just stacking blocks; you are manipulating pixels. You have granular control over hover states, responsive breakpoints (mobile/tablet/desktop), transforms, and scroll effects without writing a single line of CSS. While Gutenberg is great for writing a simple blog post, Divi is essential for building a brand.
Beyond a Theme: The Divi Ecosystem
One of the most common misconceptions is that Divi is “just a theme.” Years ago, that might have been true. Today, Divi is a comprehensive platform that handles everything from asset management to content creation.
1. Divi AI: Your New Design Assistant
The integration of Artificial Intelligence into Divi has been a game-changer for our productivity. Divi AI isn’t just a wrapper for ChatGPT; it is deeply integrated into the builder.
- Content Generation: Stuck on copy? Divi AI can write headlines, body text, and calls to action that are context-aware. It knows you are building a “Services” page for a “Plumber in Norwich” and writes accordingly.
- Image Generation: Need a specific stock photo but can’t find it? Divi AI can generate royalty-free images directly inside the module.
- Code Writing: This is our favorite feature. If you need a specific CSS effect that the builder doesn’t have a toggle for, you can ask Divi AI to “write code to make this button pulse on hover,” and it will insert the correct CSS automatically.
2. Divi Cloud: Dropbox for Web Designers
Before Divi Cloud, if we built a beautiful pricing table for Client A and wanted to use it for Client B, we had to manually export and import JSON files. Now, we save that layout to the Cloud. When we start a new site, we simply log in, open our Cloud library, and drag that pricing table onto the page. It’s an incredible time-saver that ensures consistency across all our projects.
3. The Marketplace
The Divi Marketplace is a thriving economy of third-party developers. Because Divi has such a massive user base, developers create amazing extensions. Need a complex booking system? A specific WooCommerce checkout flow? A 3D tilt effect? Someone has likely already built a Divi Module for it. This extensibility ensures that we never hit a “wall” where the client asks for something we can’t deliver.
The Future is Fast: Divi 5.0
If you are hesitating because you’ve heard rumors that “Divi is heavy,” let us put those fears to rest. The team at Elegant Themes is currently finalizing Divi 5, and it is a complete rewrite of the engine from the ground up.
Divi 5 is focusing on one thing above all else: Performance.
- No More Shortcodes: The new version moves away from shortcodes to a modern storage format, making the backend cleaner and faster.
- Instant Rendering: The builder loads almost instantly. Actions that used to take a second (like opening a settings modal) now happen in milliseconds.
- Backward Compatibility: Despite being a total rewrite, it is designed to be fully compatible with existing sites.
We are already testing the beta versions, and the speed difference is staggering. Investing in Divi now means you are future-proofing your sites for the next decade of the web.
Get Divi Today and Prepare for the Future
A Critical Component: Hosting Your Divi Site
Even the best-built race car won’t win on a dirt track. The same applies to websites. You can build the most optimized Divi site in the world, but if your hosting is slow, your visitors will leave.
Because we have built so many sites, we have worked with dozens of hosting providers. Here are our top three recommendations, depending on your needs:
1. BrainWeb Hosting (The Personal Touch)
Best for: Local businesses who want a “done-for-you” service.
If you don’t want to worry about cPanels, DNS records, or caching plugins, we are your best bet. Our hosting is fully managed. We know Divi inside and out because we use it every day, so our servers are tuned specifically for it. When you host with us, you aren’t just a number; you can pick up the phone and talk to the person who actually manages your server.
👉 View BrainWeb Hosting Packages
2. Kualo (The Ethical Choice)
Best for: The eco-conscious and charities.
We love Kualo for their commitment to the planet. Their hosting is powered by 100% renewable energy, and they are audited to ensure they are truly green. But don’t let the “green” label fool you—their technology is top-tier. They use LiteSpeed Web Server technology, which screams fast with Divi. If you are a charity, they even offer free hosting for eligible non-profits. It’s a fantastic way to host your site while reducing your carbon footprint.
3. Kinsta (The Performance Powerhouse)
Best for: High-traffic sites and mission-critical businesses.
If budget is less of a concern and you demand absolute maximum performance, Kinsta is the industry leader. They run on the Google Cloud Platform (Premium Tier), meaning your website sits on the same infrastructure as Google Search and Gmail. Their dashboard is beautiful, their “Edge Caching” makes Divi sites load instantly around the globe, and their support team is comprised of actual WordPress engineers. It is a premium service with a premium price tag, but for high-traffic sites, it is worth every penny.
👉 Explore Kinsta Managed Hosting
Final Thoughts
Building a website is an investment. You need tools that are reliable, powerful, and supported by a company that innovates. For us, that tool is Divi. It has allowed us to scale our agency, delight our customers, and build a sustainable business.
Whether you are building your first site or your hundredth, we can’t recommend it enough.