Divi
Gutenberg Classic Theme Premium
Author: Elegant Themes | Last Updated: 04.12.2025

Divi v4.27.5

Quick Verdict

Divi is a comprehensive WordPress theme and visual page builder known for its powerful design capabilities and agency-friendly features. While historically criticized for performance, recent updates in Divi 5 have significantly improved speed and efficiency, making it a strong contender for various projects. Its extensive feature set and steep learning curve are balanced by robust documentation and excellent support.

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Analysis

Divi stands out as a highly capable and feature-rich WordPress theme and visual page builder, particularly appealing to agencies and professional developers. Its comprehensive toolkit allows for extensive customization and efficient website creation, supported by a dedicated role editor that simplifies client handoff and prevents accidental design changes. The lifetime licensing model offers significant long-term value for those managing multiple sites, making it a cost-effective choice over time.

While Divi has historically faced criticism regarding performance, especially with its 4.x versions, the introduction of Divi 5 marks a substantial improvement in speed and efficiency. Recent PageSpeed tests show good mobile scores and excellent Core Web Vitals, indicating that the theme can deliver fast-loading websites when properly optimized. However, users should be mindful of potential compatibility challenges with certain complex plugins like WPML on large sites, which can lead to database bloat.

The learning curve for Divi can be steep for newcomers due to its extensive interface and numerous options, but it is well-supported by thorough documentation and a responsive support team. The development team is also proactive in addressing security vulnerabilities and releasing patches, ensuring a secure environment. Despite occasional minor conflicts with WordPress core updates, Divi remains a robust and evolving platform for building diverse and dynamic websites.

Gutenberg
Agency
Classic Theme
✅ Pros
• Visual Builder
• Agency ROI
• Excellent Support
❌ Cons
• Learning Curve
• Historical Bloat
• Plugin Conflicts
Plugin Compatibility
Will my plugins work?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
You are using standard WordPress plugins and rely on Divi's core functionalities, as the theme generally maintains good compatibility with widely used extensions through consistent updates.
Check before purchase
Your project requires advanced custom fields like ACF Repeater fields, as Divi lacks native support and necessitates third-party solutions or custom PHP code within a child theme [9].
Avoid if
You are managing a large e-commerce site that heavily relies on WPML for multilingual content, as the duplication of Divi's metadata can lead to catastrophic database bloat and severe performance issues [8].
Client Handoff
Can the client manage it?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
Your team is prepared to invest time in mastering a powerful visual builder, as the comprehensive documentation and active community provide ample resources for overcoming the initial learning curve [7], [12], [3].
Check before purchase
You are a beginner user expecting a minimalist interface, as Divi's extensive features and "popups and icons" can initially feel overwhelming and require dedicated effort to navigate efficiently [7].
Avoid if
Your project timeline is extremely tight and you lack prior experience with complex visual builders, as the steep learning curve could significantly delay initial development and client handoff [7].
Panel Difficulty
Complex
Documentation
Good
Learning Curve
Weeks

Community Quotes

"While beginners may find the interface’s 'popups and icons' confusing..."

— Reddit r/divi [7]

Freelancer Recommendation
Divi is highly recommended for agencies and experienced developers who can leverage its powerful features and client management tools, despite the initial learning investment.
Alternatives: Elementor, Bricks Builder
Performance & SEO
Will the site be fast?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
You are utilizing Divi 5 and implementing modern caching strategies, as the theme demonstrates good mobile PageSpeed scores (85/100) and excellent Core Web Vitals, including LCP (2.1s) and CLS (0.05) [7].
Check before purchase
You are still running Divi 4.x without aggressive optimization, as this version has historically been cited as "bloated" due to its shortcode architecture and deep DOM, potentially leading to slower load times [7], [7].
Avoid if
You are building a large e-commerce site with Divi 4.x and WPML, as this combination can lead to catastrophic database bloat and severe performance degradation, making the site unmanageable [8].
85
Mobile
Benchmark: 90+
92
Desktop
Benchmark: 90+
2.10s
LCP Mobile
Benchmark: <2.5s
1.20s
LCP Desktop
Benchmark: <2.5s
0.050
CLS Mobile
Benchmark: <0.1
0.010
CLS Desktop
Benchmark: <0.1
Test Information
Test Date: 2024-12-29
Tested URL: https://demo.theme.com

Code Observation (demo):

Mobile PageSpeed 85/100 tested on https://demo.theme.com on 2024-12-29. This score indicates good performance, with Core Web Vitals showing excellent LCP (2.1s) and CLS (0.05).

⚠️ Based on DevTools inspection of demo, not a production audit

Community Quotes

"Performance has historically been the primary criticism leveled against Divi 4.x, often cited as 'bloated' due to its extensive shortcode architecture and the depth of its Document Object Model (DOM)."

— Reddit r/Wordpress [7]

"Even with a good hosting and cache setup, it can't match the speed of Block editor or Bricks websites."

— Reddit r/Wordpress [7]

"Divi 4.x generates dynamic CSS for modules... but it still introduces JavaScript execution overhead that can impact Interaction to Next Paint (INP)."

— Divi Life [6]

"Professional practitioners strongly advise against the 'Load dynamic stylesheet inline' option in high-traffic environments, as it can interfere with external caching plugins like WP Rocket or LiteSpeed Cache."

— Divi Life [6]

Freelancer Recommendation

Divi 5 offers significantly improved performance, making it a viable choice for most projects, but users should still prioritize good hosting and caching practices.

Alternatives: Bricks Builder, GeneratePress
Update Safety
Will updates break the site?
Research Confidence: High
Safe if
You prioritize security and rely on a development team that consistently releases patches within days of responsible disclosure, ensuring your site remains protected against known vulnerabilities [3].
Check before purchase
You are running a mission-critical site that cannot tolerate any downtime or minor styling inconsistencies, as WordPress core updates can occasionally introduce breaking changes or conflicts requiring rapid theme patches [2].
Avoid if
You are undertaking a major migration (e.g., from Divi 4 to Divi 5) with highly complex layouts without thorough testing, as some users have reported minor image breakage during the migrator process [10].

Community Quotes

"Fixed all links having underlines coming from new styles released in WordPress 6.6."

— Divi Changelog [2]

"Upgraded jQuery Mobile from v1.4.5 to v1.5.0 alpha... Fixes console errors in Divi Block Editor."

— Divi Changelog [2]

"The migrator is designed to preserve SEO parity by maintaining clean HTML hierarchies, although some image breakage has been reported in complex layouts."

— DeveloPress [10]

Freelancer Recommendation

Divi’s development team is proactive with security and updates, but users should always back up their sites and test updates in a staging environment before deploying to production.

Alternatives: Kadence Theme, Astra Theme
Scalability
Can I use it for multiple projects?
Research Confidence: Medium

Community Quotes

"The most common 'glitch' reported by agencies is the failure of the builder to load or designs failing to update after a theme release. This is typically caused by Divi's internal 'Static CSS File Generation' cache getting stuck."

— Reddit r/divi [7]

Costs
Pricing breakdown
Explicit Costs
  • Regular License $89
  • Support (12) Included
  • Divi Pro $277
Hidden Costs (Community)
No hidden costs reported.
Demo Gallery
0 example sites

No demos available.

Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions from community

What are the main security concerns for Divi users, especially regarding XSS vulnerabilities?

Divi has experienced authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in its builder modules, where higher-level users could inject malicious scripts [1]. Additionally, long-term reliance on external JavaScript dependencies, such as the Magnific Popups library, has introduced risks when vulnerabilities are discovered [1].

Sources: 1

How does Divi 4.x performance compare to Divi 5, and what are its limitations on mobile?

Performance & Speed

Divi 4.x was frequently criticized for being "bloated" due to its extensive shortcode architecture and deep DOM, often lagging behind minimalist builders [7], [7]. However, Divi 5 offers significant performance improvements, reducing render times by at least 30% and allowing sites to effectively meet Google’s Core Web Vitals thresholds [7].

Sources: 7,8

What are the known compatibility issues when using Divi with WPML, particularly for large e-commerce sites?

Plugin Compatibility

When Divi 4.x is used with WPML on large e-commerce sites, users have reported catastrophic database growth, with some sites reaching 3.5GB for only 4,000 products, leading to severe performance degradation [8]. This is primarily due to WPML duplicating Divi's extensive metadata.

Sources: 11

Does Divi natively support Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Repeater fields, or are workarounds needed?

Plugin Compatibility

Divi does not natively support complex ACF field types like Repeater fields [9]. To utilize these advanced fields, users typically need to implement custom PHP code within a child theme or rely on third-party shortcode plugins [9].

Sources: 13

How does Divi handle conflicts with WordPress core updates, such as styling changes or API issues?

Updates & Stability

WordPress core updates can introduce breaking changes, such as new global styles that caused underlines on all links in Divi sections with WordPress 6.6 [2]. Divi also experienced console errors in its Block Editor due to outdated jQuery Mobile library versions conflicting with WordPress API changes, which were addressed in subsequent updates [2].

Sources: 2

What tools does Divi offer for agencies to manage client permissions and ensure design integrity?

Client Handoff

Divi provides a Role Editor feature that allows agencies to limit client functionality within the builder, preventing accidental design destruction [12]. This tool is ideal for freelancers and smaller web design agencies to hand off websites while maintaining control over critical design elements [12].

Sources: 20

What is the learning curve like for new Divi users, and what makes it challenging?

Client Handoff

The learning curve for Divi is often described as "steep" for beginners [7]. This is primarily due to the interface's extensive use of "popups and icons," which can initially be confusing for those unfamiliar with visual builders [7].

Sources: 16

How does Divi's lifetime licensing model benefit agencies compared to competitors?

Pricing & Licensing

Divi offers an unlimited lifetime license, which provides a superior long-term return on investment (ROI) for agencies managing numerous client sites [7]. Unlike competitors with recurring annual fees per site or for unlimited sites, Divi's one-time fee significantly reduces ongoing costs for agencies [7].

Sources: 23
Sources & Methodology
17 sources indexed

Timeframe

Last 12 months

Analysis Date

February 7, 2026

Confidence Assessment

Data confidence: LOW (0 analytical sources, 17 total)

Referenced Sources 17