Divi vs Craft CMS
Divi or Craft CMS? We built the same site in both.
Short answer: pick Craft CMS if your site is content-heavy and you have a developer on retainer, and pick WordPress with Divi 5 if marketers will edit the site after launch. In September 2026, Marcus Zeal built the same 13-section homepage in both, in Craft CMS 5.11 from a single 569-line migration with zero plugins, and as 21 custom Divi 5.9 modules. Both demos are live below.
This page is the short version. If you want a straight answer for your own site, book a free 30-minute call and you will get one, even when the answer is Craft.
{ The short answer }
Divi or Craft CMS: which one is better?
It depends on who will be editing the site in month two. Craft won on the content model. Fields, entry types, Matrix blocks and tables are core, the whole site model lives in one versioned file, and a fresh database becomes the finished site with one command. There were no plugins to install and nothing to strip out. It is the right tool for a content-heavy site with a developer on retainer.
WordPress with Divi 5 won on the handover. Craft has no page builder and is not getting one, so moving a column or adding a section type is a developer ticket every time. In the Divi build the client drags sections, edits text in the panel and saves, and underneath sits custom code we control, module by module.
100
Lighthouse, all four
The Divi 5 build scored 100 for performance, accessibility, best practices and SEO. The Craft build on the same host scored 97 for performance.
0
Plugins in the Craft build
Everything in the Craft demo is core Craft. Our Divi builds keep the plugin count under ten for the same reason.
The Divi 5 build of the demo. Open it, then open the Craft build. The copy is filler on both; the editing and the motion are real.
{ What each costs }
What do Craft CMS and Divi cost in 2026?
Craft CMS is free on Solo with one user account. Team is $279 per installation for up to five users and Pro is $399 per installation for unlimited users, each plus $99 a year to keep receiving updates. Craft Commerce adds $1,199 plus $299 a year. Hosting needs PHP 8.2 and Composer, and a new major version every two to four years is a scoped project. Prices checked September 2026.
WordPress with Divi costs $89 a year or $249 once for unlimited sites and unlimited users, and runs on any WordPress host. Forms, commerce and memberships are one plugin away, and a major WordPress release is usually an afternoon. Updates, backups and security go to you, or to a care plan from $300 a month.
A Divi 5 site from Zealous Sites starts at $2,400 flat, theme license included, with a fixed price approved before work starts. Custom Divi modules like the ones in the demo start at $6,500.
{ Who should pick which }
Who should pick Craft, and who should pick Divi?
Pick Craft if your site is content-heavy, your content model is complex, you have a developer on retainer, and the people editing it want good forms rather than a canvas. Publications, universities, product documentation and multi-site groups with strict governance fit that well.
Pick WordPress with Divi if the people who own the site after launch are marketers, if layout changes need to happen without a ticket, if you will need forms, a store or a membership area, and if you want the widest pool of people who can work on it later.
If your only concern is performance or accessibility, both got there, and the build decided the score rather than the CMS.
{ Keep it growing: monthly care & retainers } · month-to-month, cancel anytime
Care
$300 / month
Keep your site updated, secure, and online.
- Core, plugin & theme updates
- Daily backups
- Security & uptime monitoring
- Small fixes
- Priority support
Best value
Grow
$650 / month
Maintenance plus steady monthly momentum.
- Everything in Care
- Monthly content & page updates
- Performance & SEO monitoring
- A dedicated dev block
- Monthly check-in
Dedicated
From $5,000 / month
A true extension of your team.
- Everything in Grow
- Larger dev allocation
- Roadmap & strategy planning
- Priority availability
- Quarterly reviews
Prefer to itemize? Build your own estimate on the pricing page.
{ FAQ }
Divi vs Craft CMS questions, answered.
Is Divi better than Craft CMS?
For a content-heavy site with a complex model and a developer on retainer, Craft often is. Structured content is native in Craft, the model can be versioned in code, and there is no pressure to install plugins. For a business whose marketing team edits the site, WordPress with Divi is the better fit, because layout changes happen in the builder instead of in a developer ticket.
Does Craft CMS have a page builder?
No, and Craft's design does not aim for one. Editors work in structured fields and Matrix blocks, which is a good content experience but not layout. In the Divi 5 demo the client moves sections, edits text and changes backgrounds in the Visual Builder without a developer.
Is WordPress less secure than Craft?
Patchstack's 2026 report put 91% of the WordPress vulnerabilities found in 2025 in plugins and 9% in themes, with six low-priority issues in core, which is why Craft's no-plugin stance is a real argument. We keep our Divi builds under ten plugins, build things like modals, sliders and team sections into the theme, and apply updates, backups and security through a care plan from $300 a month.
How much does Craft CMS cost compared to Divi?
Craft Solo is free for one user. Team is $279 per installation and Pro is $399 per installation, each plus $99 a year for updates, and Craft Commerce adds $1,199 plus $299 a year. Divi is $89 a year or $249 once for unlimited sites and users. A Divi 5 build from Zealous Sites starts at $2,400 flat with the theme license included. Prices checked September 2026.
Is Craft faster than WordPress with Divi?
Not in this test. On the same SiteGround host, the Divi 5 build scored 100 for performance in Lighthouse and the Craft build scored 97. The gap came from font subsetting on the WordPress side, not from the CMS. Both platforms can reach 100, and the build decides it.
Can you move a site from Craft to WordPress, or the other way?
Yes, in either direction, and Craft is on our shortlist for the right project. The free 30-minute call covers what your site runs, who edits it, and which platform we would build on. You get a straight recommendation either way, with a fixed price before any work starts. The full write-up covers both builds in detail.
Have a project in mind?
Tell us what you're building. You'll get a fixed price to approve before anything starts.