Elementor is the leading WordPress visual page builder that completely changed the era of website development.
History of Elementor
Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein created Elementor, a Tel Aviv-based web design agency, in 2015. In June 2016, they published the first version of Elementor. After publishing the plugin in June 2016, it had 100K active installs in under 10 months. They created Elementor to make web design more accessible to professionals like themselves.
Source: Yoni Luksenberg
Yoni Luksenberg and Ariel Klikstein had many difficulties and problems in past ventures before launching Elementor. They designed WordPress themes and put in every ounce of effort they could, but they were unsuccessful. They were even rejected by ThemeForest, but they didn’t give up and just came up with a much superior option.
Today Elementor is the leading WordPress-based web creation platform, powering more than 9% of the internet with 15 million active installs. Elementor is one of the 10 WordPress plugins that has 5 Million or more active installs. It is the only plugin that only took only 4 years to reach 5 Million active installs, which is the fastest.
One of the first drafts for Elementor
Elementor at a Glance:
GitHub Stars – 5,700
Active installations – 10+ million
All Time Downloads – 332,874,773
Translation: 62 languages
Timeline of Events
2016 – Elementor Pro released in December
2016 – 10k Active Users in Under 3 Months
2017 – Achieved 300K active installs
2018 – Achieved 1 Million+ active installs
2019 – Introduced The Popup Builder
2019 – Launched Hello Elementor Theme
2019 – Achieved 3.5 Million active installs
2019 – Elementor Acquires Layers WP
2020 – Reached 5 Million active installs
2020 – Introduced Design Systems Features
2020 – Raised $15M funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners
2020 – 7 Millions website created with Elementor
2022 – Introduced Elementor Hosting
2022 – 12 Millions website created with Elementor
2022 – Introduced Loop Builder
2022 – Elementor Acquires Strattic
2023 – Introduced Elementor AI
Growth of Elementor
Elementor has almost 15 million active installs, according to the WordPress Plugin Directory. However, according to the Elementors website, the actual amount is 15 million. It is one of the top ten WordPress plugins with over 5 million or more active users. In addition, it is the only WordPress page builder with 15 million users.
Here is a graph showing how Elementor has grown through time:
Elementor has raised its first round of institutional funding — a $15 million round from Lightspeed Venture Partners. “Elementor’s growth is a wonderful example of the power of community and open-source software,” said Tal Morgenstern, partner at Lightspeed. “What we have achieved, thanks to our dedicated team and wonderful community, has been truly extraordinary.”Yoni Luksenberg, CEO of Elementor.
Elementor GitHub Project Overview
After WooCommerce, Elementor may be the only open source WordPress plugin that has so many active contributors. It has over 5700 stars on GitHub. According to the WordPress plugin repository, it has over 5 millions or more active installs. As WordPress Plugin Directory doesn’t display the accurate number after any plugin crosses 5 Million mark.
Number of commits between versions
Elementor boasts an impressive total of 26,645 commits on GitHub, showcasing the dedication of its developer community. Now, if we’re talking about the release that truly took the cake in terms of commits, it has to be Elementor version 3.0.0. This powerhouse release saw over 2,166 commits! So, what’s the secret sauce behind this remarkable figure? Well, it’s all about the incorporation of Design System Features, a brand-new Theme Builder, and some substantial Performance Improvements. It was a major game-changer.
Coming in as a strong runner-up is version 2.0.0, with nearly 1,190 commits. This version brought some fantastic additions to the table, including the Theme Builder, Locations API, and the Dynamic Tags feature.
Evolution of Contributors – Number of contributors between versions
When we talk about Elementor, we’re talking about a whopping 126 contributors – that’s right, 126 people who’ve dedicated their time and skills to make this project shine. Just to put things into perspective, this is a seriously impressive number, especially in the world of open-source WordPress projects.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the different versions of Elementor and the number of contributions they’ve received. Version 3.13.0 takes the spotlight here, boasting the highest number of contributions, clocking in at almost 33. That’s a pretty remarkable feat and a testament to the vibrant community of developers and contributors behind Elementor.
Files Changed Across Different Versions
When it comes to changes in files, Version 3.12.0 takes the crown. It had a whopping 1359 file changes, which is quite a transformation. What makes this version even more exciting is the introduction of the Mega Menu, featuring the shiny new Menu widget and some pre-designed templates based on Loop containers.
Security Vulnerabilities
Elementor, over the course of its five-year journey, encountered only 25 security vulnerabilities. Considering the complexity and rich feature set of this plugin, that’s a pretty commendable track record.
This is just a snapshot of the security journey of Elementor. It’s reassuring to see a plugin with such a wealth of features maintaining a relatively low number of security flaws over the years.
| Version | Vulnerabilities | CVSS | Researchers | Date |
| 3.5.4 | DOM-Based iFrame Injection | 6.1 | Miguel Santareno | July 19, 2023 |
| 3.13.2 | Authenticated(Contributor+) Arbitrary Post Type Creation via save_item | 5.4 | Rafie Muhammad | May 22, 2023 |
| 3.13.1 | Missing Authorization to Settings Update | 5.4 | May 12, 2023 | |
| 3.12.1 | Authenticated(Administrator+) SQL Injection via ‘replace_urls’ | 6.6 | Sanjay Das | April 24, 2023 |
| 3.5.5 | Unauthenticated DOM-based Reflected Cross-Site Scripting | 6.1 | Rotem Bar, Gal Nagli, Tomer Zait | June 13, 2022 |
| 3.6.0 – 3.6.2 | Missing Authorization to Remote Code Execution | 8.8 | Ramuel Gall | April 13, 2022 |
| 3.4.7 | DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting | 6.1 | Joel Beleña | March 23, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via title_html_tag | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via html_tag | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via title_size Parameter | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via header_size | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via title_size | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.1.3 | Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via html_tag | 6.4 | Ramuel Gall | March 17, 2021 |
| 3.0.13 | Unrestricted SVG Uploads | 6.4 | November 25, 2020 | |
| 2.9.13 | Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 6.4 | Th3 Hidd3n 0n3 | July 7, 2020 |
| 2.9.8 | Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 5.4 | Jeremy Buis | June 5, 2020 |
| 2.9.8 | Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 5.4 | Jeremy Buis | June 5, 2020 |
| 2.9.7 | Authenticated Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 6.4 | Jerome Bruandet | April 21, 2020 |
| 2.9.5 | Authorization Bypass | 6.5 | Jerome Bruandet | March 31, 2020 |
| 2.9.2 | Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 6.4 | yzy9951 | February 26, 2020 |
| 2.8.4 | Reflected Cross-Site Scripting | 6.1 | Teacish | January 29, 2020 |
| 2.7.5 | Stored Cross-Site Scripting | 6.4 | Marc-Alexandre Montpas | January 29, 2020 |
| 2.8.3 | Cross-Site Scripting | 7.2 | January 19, 2020 | |
| 2.7.4 | Arbitrary File Upload | 8.8 | Sam Thomas, Kyle Fleming | October 28, 2019 |
| 1.7.12 | Missing Authorization | 8.8 | James Golovich | November 27, 2017 |
In conclusion, Elementor’s journey from its inception in 2015 to becoming the leading WordPress visual page builder with over 15 million active installs today is nothing short of remarkable.
The timeline of Elementor’s growth speaks volumes about its success, with key milestones like the introduction of Elementor Pro, achieving millions of active installs, and strategic acquisitions like Layers WP and Strattic. It’s evident that Elementor has continually evolved to meet the needs of its users.
When we delve into Elementor’s GitHub project, we see an active and dedicated community of contributors, with over 5700 stars on GitHub. The number of commits between versions is a testament to the continuous improvement and innovation behind the scenes. Notably, version 3.0.0 stands out with a staggering 2,166 commits, fueled by the addition of Design System Features and Theme Builder.
Elementor’s security record is commendable, with only 25 vulnerabilities identified over its five-year journey. This is a reassuring sign of a plugin that prioritizes user safety while offering a feature-rich experience.
In a world where open-source projects often rely on community support, Elementor shines with 126 contributors, showcasing the strength of its developer community.
All in all, Elementor’s evolution and success story are a testament to the power of innovation, community, and a commitment to excellence in web design. As it continues to grow and adapt, we can expect even more exciting developments from this game-changing WordPress page builder. Cheers to the future of Elementor!