WordPress is the most widely used Content Management System (CMS) or website platform on the Internet. A big reason for that is its accessibility for all differing levels of technical acumen. Even if you don’t know the first thing about code, you can get a decent website up and running with the help of page builders.
Page builders are far inferior in nearly every technical aspect compared to custom-coded sites. However, there is nothing wrong with page builders—if we’re truly honest about what they are and what to expect from them. The pervasive problem is that companies, agencies, and even developers are passing off websites built with page builders as custom websites and calling it “web development,” all while charging exorbitant prices for builds that involve zero lines of actual code. At best, it’s unintentional misrepresentation. At worst, it’s dishonest.
In this post, I’ll discuss the problems with page builders as they relate to code, maintenance, site speed, and security, as well as how you can protect yourself from overpaying for a templated site when what you expected was a custom, hand-built web solution.
Code Bloat
The biggest issue with page builders to me is code bloat. Bloated code refers to a theme being unnecessarily long, often stuffed with features and scripts that load whether you’re using them or not. This causes the site and their pages being unnecessarily heavy leading to slower load times. That excess weight is usually at the root of most of the problems associated with page-builder sites—particularly in areas like maintenance, scalability, security, and performance (which we touch on later).
Nobody wants code bloat, including the page builders themselves, but it is a necessary evil in the creation of them. The business driver of page builders to satisfy any and every type of business regardless of industry, content, size, etc. Naturally if you are trying to satisfy everyone, there is going to be a little weight.
Think of it like this. If someone is told to go build something in a house, but they aren’t told what or what type of house it is until they arrive at the site, that person needs to be prepared. When they go to the job, they are going to bring as many things as they can to prepare. This includes tools from ladders to a single allen wrench, raw materials like lumber and steel, and decorative pieces like paint samples and crown molding. As one can imagine, the load the page-builder has to carry can be substantial. Additionally, when they are asked to do the job, they will move slower as they try to rummage through everything to get the necessary resources. And to top it all off, the page-builder needs to bring tools that make it easier for a non-builder to be able to execute and use the creation later.
In other words, bloat isn’t a flaw—it’s the cost of flexibility.
A page-builder works the same way. They need to be ready for most any situation so a lot of resources need to be ready. Does this mean that page builders can’t be lean? Not necessarily. There are methods to disable features and overwrite some settings for faster load times and less code bloat. But a lot of features are dependent on other features, so it takes a high level of technical acumen. If a developer is able to do that, that effort and budget is better spent toward building a site from scratch. But also, it defeats the purpose of having a no-code option in the first place.
In other words, bloat isn’t a flaw—it’s the cost of flexibility. That tradeoff—convenience versus control—is what makes page builders both powerful and problematic.
Maintenance and Scalability Issues
When you initially launch a website, the work has just begun. To get the most out of your website, there is usually an ongoing maintenance component. Websites – custom or page-builder – are living entities that need updates, adjustments, troubleshooting, etc. You can think of it like a car needing regular oil changes.
Because page builders evolve quickly—with frequent updates to add features or patch vulnerabilities—sites using them must keep up to avoid compatibility issues. Page builders have a lot of moving parts—plugins, scripts, and custom features all working together. If those aren’t updated regularly, things can break or conflict more easily.
Custom-built sites are often more stable over time because they don’t rely as heavily on outside tools (at least they shouldn’t). They still need maintenance, but there’s less risk of things breaking when updates roll out.
If I’m working with a custom-coded site built by another developer and a client asks for a new feature, I can say yes with close to 100% certainty that I can do it. If it’s a page-builder, I can often still say yes—but there’s always a chance something won’t fit or function cleanly and it usually takes longer.
The other long-term aspect of your website to think about is scalability. Your business is going to evolve and grow, so your website should do the same. Whether it is adding new features, building tools/calculators, connecting with a CRM, or whatever technological dreams you may have, page builders don’t guarantee safe passage on that journey.
When it comes to enhancing a page-builder site, there are usually two options:
- Add a paid plugin or extension, which can increase complexity and raise compatibility risks.
- Try to layer in custom code. But because page builders rely on so many scripts, custom code doesn’t always play nicely—especially if the page-builder isn’t fully up to date.
With custom-coded sites, enhancements and pivoting is typically easier and more reliable—because the codebase is leaner and there’s less dependency on third-party tools. If I’m working with a custom-coded site built by another developer and a client asks for a new feature, I can say yes with close to 100% certainty that I can do it. If it’s a page-builder, I can often still say yes—but there’s always a chance something won’t fit or function cleanly and it usually takes longer.
Can you still grow with a page-builder? Absolutely. Just be prepared to pay more or run into occasional roadblocks. Can you maintain one? Yes—but it takes diligence. Skip updates for too long, and issues will start to pile up.
Performance
Performance—how fast a site loads and runs—is a key factor in web quality, and one where page builders tend to fall short over time. Custom-coded sites typically perform better than out-of-the-box page-builder templates—and that’s not exactly breaking news. As we covered in the code bloat section, page builders tend to generate far more code on the page than a custom build typically does.
And if the thought is, “I’m going to get a cheap page-builder and make it faster,” just know that there is a ceiling to how much you can optimize.
I’m not saying building with a page-builder automatically means a slow site, nor that every custom-coded site is fast—I’ve seen poorly built custom sites that drag too. Page builders can be fast, especially on simple sites with few components. But as a site grows in complexity, small performance gaps accumulate and become noticeable.
One area where page builders struggle is optimization. No site launches perfectly fast, and as a developer, I’ve done many speed audits on WordPress sites built with page builders. While some improvements are possible, there’s a ceiling: the theme and page-builder code bloat eventually become the bottleneck. Fixing this requires significant time, and even then, certain parts of the page-builder’s code can’t be optimized.
Custom-coded sites, by contrast, can be rebuilt and fine-tuned more freely. So if you’re thinking a cheap page-builder is a shortcut to a fast site, know there’s a hard limit to how much speed you can gain.
On a small scale, there may not be much noticeable difference, but as sites get larger and more complex, the difference becomes clear. And if the thought is, “I’m going to get a cheap page-builder and make it faster,” just know that there is a ceiling to how much you can optimize.
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Security Risks
Security is arguably the most important aspect of website quality. All websites–custom or page-builder–are susceptible to vulnerabilities and bad actors. However, page builders tend to be more prone to security issues.
While they’ve improved, page builders still carry a lot of code bloat. More code; more entry points that can be exploited. Even the most popular page builders have had security breaches. Examples include High‑Severity WooCommerce Bug (2023), Divi Authenticated User Bug (2020), Divi Authenticated User Bug (2024).
Custom-coded sites aren’t immune, but they’re generally leaner and less reliant on third-party code, which lowers the odds.
Like any page-builder, optimization is possible—but at the end of the day, reduced security is just another trade-off for the flexibility and quick turnaround they offer. Most of the time when I have dealt with page-builder sites that have been hacked, it is usually due the page-builder or its theme not being kept up to date by the site owner. So while page builders still carry risk, you can minimize it by keeping things regularly updated.
I’m not a dev! How do I know what I am getting?
Okay. You’ve heard all this about page builders and the pitfalls of assuming they’re “custom.” But chances are, you’re thinking, “I’m not a dev—how am I supposed to know and not get duped?”. Besides going with me as your dev (wink), there are some questions you can ask to help discern what you are ACTUALLY getting from a prospective web development partner.
- “Are you using a paid theme? Like Elementor or Divi?”
- If they say yes and are claiming a custom-built/coded site, this is a misrepresentation of their offering. They are not going to write one line of actual code, and you can save your money.
- “Are you using Gutenberg and building custom blocks?”
- Gutenberg is WordPress’s modern content editor—think of it as the latest and most flexible way to build pages natively in WordPress. The developer should answer yes. If they fumble or aren’t sure, they may be giving you a page-builder.
- “Are you using Advanced Custom Fields, or are you building React blocks?”
- Most custom-coded sites are built modularly, and these are two of the most popular approaches. If they say yes to either, there’s a good chance you’re actually getting a custom build.
Ultimately, if you’re still unsure, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to help vet a prospective partner—even if it’s not me.
TL; DR (written by AI)
- Page builders are not custom—often sold as such by agencies and devs.
- Come with code bloat → slower performance, SEO issues, security risks.
- Harder to scale or customize long-term without issues or extra cost.
- Custom-coded sites are leaner, faster, more stable, and truly flexible.
- All sites need updates—but page builders need more diligence to avoid problems.