Explore the top front-end WordPress editors for seamless site design. Learn which tools make creating your site easy and fast!
Approximate read time: 6 minutes
Designing and managing a WordPress site doesn't have to be a chore (though it can feel like it!).
But what if you could skip all the backend and technical stuff and edit your site from the front end? That would make things a bit less boring.
That's where a WordPress front-end editor comes in.
Whether you're building entire pages, creating blog posts, or updating user-generated content (UGC), these tools make it much easier. And anyone can use them — from bloggers and business owners to developers and designers
In this post, we've gathered the best plugins to help you meet your website goals. This list of plugins will save you time and headaches for various uses on your site. Hopefully, you'll find something that fits your needs.
Let's dive in.
Best front-end WordPress editors
1. Formidable Forms
Best for: Developers, website owners, and small business owners who need an easy way to edit and display user content.
Formidable Forms is well-known for its WordPress form plugin abilities.
You can build any form you need in only a few clicks with its drag and drop form builder (and library of 150+ form templates). But where it shines as a WordPress front-end post editor is its ability to create posts and pages, while also allowing users to edit posts from the front-end.
For example, users could submit and edit their blog posts (featuring images, meta descriptions, post content, etc.). You can also control their permissions, roles, and more.
You can add custom fields to match your website's specific needs. For example, if you need a certain piece of information or something specific to your site, you can create a custom field to include it.
No need to give them access to the backend and risk security issues.
This also works for:
- Classified ads
- Business directories
- Real estate listings
- Recipes, journal entries, and more
And you can take this a step further with Formidable Views. This add-on allows you to display the form data any way you want. So, you can create custom solutions to match your business's needs with just a bit of time.
These extra features make Formidable Forms the best front end editor for WordPress.
Pricing: Formidable Forms has a free online form builder. But front-end editing is available in Formidable Pro in its Plus plan or above. Plans start at $99.50/year.
2. Elementor
Best for: Designers, bloggers, and small business owners who want an easy drag and drop builder for websites.
Elementor is one of the most popular WordPress front-end editors for a reason.
It's simple, powerful, and easy for beginners or experts to use. Anyone can design stunning websites and WordPress themes with no coding knowledge. And with hundreds of pre-built templates, you can get a website up and running faster. Add things like forms, sliders, galleries, and timers to improve the user experience.
One huge feature is its AI Copilot, which does all the hard work for you when creating a site. From designing the website to generating copy and images — the AI Copilot saves you even more time.
One of the biggest worries is the generic content AI generates. But AI Context helps you stay on brand and clear for your audience.
Pricing
Elementor has a free version and a paid version. Plans start at $59/year.
3. Live Composer
Best for: Users who want to design and edit their WordPress site entirely from the front-end.
Live Composer follows the drag-and-drop theme, working exclusively from the front end of your site. You can see your changes in real time, making it perfect for bloggers, designers, and small business owners.
You can easily add text, images, videos, and more with a few clicks. Or instantly add it with a pre-built template to save you time. Plus, it's completely free! It's an open-source website builder, so you get many of the top features of other builders at no cost, which definitely makes it a contender for the best WordPress front-end editor.
While it lacks some of the polish and advanced features of paid WordPress front-end editors, it has enough power to work in most situations.
Pricing:
Live Composer is completely free! However, an extension pack with more features costs $69/year.
4. Divi
Best for: Designers, agencies, and small business owners.
Divi is more than just one of the best page builder plugins.
It's a complete design system with tools to help you create beautiful, professional websites that stand out. Like the others, it has a drag and drop builder perfect for beginners and experienced designers.
As you make your changes, you can see them in real-time, making it easy to see what they will look like on the front end. You can also pick from various design settings with different animations and gradients. It also lets you split-test different designs to compare how different features work, like fonts, colors, etc.
It also has AI integration with Divi AI, which can help you create a website from a simple prompt.
All of these features can help save you tons of time (and money) compared to developing it yourself.
Pricing:
Divi plans start at $89/year for basic features or $655/year for its Pro features.
5. User Submitted Posts
Best for: Website owners who want to allow easy guest posts, images, or content on their site.
User Submitted Posts (USP) is a lightweight front-end post editor for WordPress.
While you won't be building any WordPress websites or dragging and dropping different elements, it does allow you to do a lot.
And that starts with its form builder, where you can create front-end forms that help users submit posts, images, and other media to your website. This is perfect for blogs, forums, or even directories. You can also control who can submit content using different user roles.
This makes it easy to keep things secure and working on your site by now allowing someone too much power or access to your WordPress dashboard.
Pricing: USP has a free version and a paid version. Paid plans start at $60/year.
Which front-end WordPress editors meet your needs?
Front-end editors make managing your WordPress site easier, faster, and more enjoyable.
Whether you need a dynamic content editor like Formidable Forms or a page builder like Elementor, a plugin can help.
So, if you're ready to simplify your workflow, try out these tools and see how they help. Then, let us know which is your favorite in the comments below!
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