The read · 26 Oct 2026
Elementor's add-on economy owns this category
The category is called Page Builders, but its top end is really a market for Elementor accessories. Eleven of the twelve most-installed plugins exist to extend Elementor, led by Ultimate Addons for Elementor at 2M+ installs. Page Builder by SiteOrigin, at 400K+, is the only standalone builder in that group. Nobody owns the category outright. The leader holds 15% of installs, and three rivals sit at 1M+ right behind it.
That fragmentation doesn't make the top soft. Essential Addons, Starter Templates, ElementsKit and Royal Addons have all shipped a release in the past week, and their ratings sit close to five stars. These are well-run products, and they compete on how often they ship. The weak spots sit a little lower, where Template Kit and Jeg Kit hold 400K+ and 300K+ installs on ratings of roughly 3.6 and 3.8 stars. If any large incumbent looks exposed, it's those two.
Newcomers get in through narrow doors
The plugins that are actually growing are small and specific. Mox Icons went from 40+ to 900+ installs, and Marquix, a marquee and logo carousel widget, climbed from 30+ to 200+. Polylang language switchers and a Divi 5 layout helper are moving too. That suggests the realistic way in is a single widget that fills a gap. A full add-on suite would have to fight incumbents who release every few days.
There's also a long tail to pick apart. Of 1,849 tracked plugins, about 200 are in poor health, and with downloads averaging 5,385 per plugin a month, there's still enough demand spread around to reward a well-maintained replacement in a specific niche.
Older corners are shrinking
WPBakery's add-on corner is contracting. Two of its small extensions lost installs this window, and Export & Import WPBakery Page Builder, with 9K+ installs, was closed on 2026-08-28 with no recorded reason. The largest closure was Nimble Page Builder, with 30K+ installs, closed on 2026-09-08, also with no recorded reason. ElementsReady Addons (3K+) followed on 2026-10-08, reason unknown, and RT Mega Menu (8K+) was closed on 2026-08-17 for a guideline violation.
Category downloads fell 19.5% over the window. The drop is real, but the data doesn't show why yet, and it's too early to say whether it's seasonal or a lasting slowdown. For now this is a moat at the top, with openings only at the edges.
