If you work with Elementor, sooner or later you’ll come across PRO Elements: a plugin that provides many Pro features without an Elementor Pro license. Is that legal? What are the differences? And who is each option right for? Here’s an overview of the key points.
What is PRO Elements?
PRO Elements is an open-source project based on the Elementor Pro code. It provides numerous Pro features – such as additional widgets, the Theme Builder, forms and popups – without the license activation otherwise required. You can find the project at proelements.org.
Important: PRO Elements is not an official Elementor product. It is neither developed by Elementor Ltd. nor officially supported, recommended or distributed by it.
Is PRO Elements legal?
Basically, yes. The project is released under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3) – the same family of open-source licenses that WordPress and many extensions are based on. The GPLv3 allows you to use, study, modify and redistribute software under the license terms.
This clearly sets PRO Elements apart from so-called “nulled” or “cracked” plugins, which are distributed illegally and often contain malicious code. Note: this article is a general overview and not legal advice.
The differences at a glance
| PRO Elements | Elementor Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | free | paid license |
| License | GPLv3, open source | commercial license from Elementor |
| Official support | no, community and your own know-how | yes, support from Elementor |
| Cloud templates and kits | partly unavailable | available |
| Updates | may be released with a delay | immediately with new Elementor versions |
The limitations of PRO Elements
No official support
With PRO Elements, you’re not entitled to Elementor’s customer support. If problems arise, you have to rely on the community, the project’s developers or your own knowledge.
No official cloud services
Features tied to an Elementor account or an active license may not be available – for example cloud templates, premium kits or other server-based services.
Updates may lag behind
Because PRO Elements is developed independently, updates sometimes arrive later than the official Elementor releases. After major Elementor updates, there may therefore be temporary compatibility issues. Tip: only update Elementor once PRO Elements has caught up – and make a backup first.
Which one is right for whom?
PRO Elements is an interesting alternative if you mainly need the advanced Elementor features and can do without official support and certain cloud services – for example for personal projects, club websites or just trying things out.
Elementor Pro has advantages for business-critical websites, online stores and client projects: official support, timely updates and direct compatibility with new Elementor versions.
And what about hosting?
Whether you use PRO Elements or Elementor Pro: both need considerably more server power than a simple blog. Elementor Pro requires at least 512 MB of memory. At servflix.com, you get 1 GB in every plan, plus NVMe storage, PHP 8.1+ and servers in the EU. We don’t offer an Elementor Pro license – but our plans are ready for both options. Learn more on our Elementor hosting page.
Note: PRO Elements is an independent open-source project and has no official affiliation with Elementor Ltd. Elementor and Elementor Pro are trademarks or products of their respective owners.