Divi 5 vs KrafterPRO!
Divi 5 just got a serious design system upgrade. So why do you still need KrafterPRO?
Let me explain with a simple analogy.
Divi 5 is like a fully equipped workshop. It has all the tools — the saw, the drill, the sander. Everything you need to build something great. But when a client walks in and says "I need a house by Friday", the workshop alone won't save you. You still have to design every room from scratch, figure out the layout, source the materials, and build it piece by piece.
KrafterPRO is the blueprint, the pre-cut materials, and the finishing kit — all in one. You still use the same workshop. You just spend your time building, not figuring out where to start.
Here's what that looks like in practice.
Divi 5 now generates fluid clamp typography, spacing, and layout widths automatically. That's genuinely impressive — and it's a feature worth celebrating. But here's what it doesn't do:
It doesn't tell you which values to use. It doesn't give you a semantic color system with grayscales already structured. It doesn't pre-style every module for you. It doesn't give you dark mode and light mode out of the box. It doesn't hand you a ready-to-launch starter site. And when the project is done, it doesn't give you a styleguide or a handoff document to give your client.
That's not a criticism of Divi. That's just the difference between a tool and a system.
One more thing most people overlook.
When you finish a client project, what do you hand over? Most Divi users hand over a WordPress login and hope for the best. With KrafterPRO, you hand over a professional handoff document and a styleguide built from their actual site. That's the kind of finish that gets referrals. That's the kind of detail that justifies premium pricing.
Divi 5 is the best page builder it's ever been. KrafterPRO makes sure you're getting the most out of every project you build with it.
Thanks for this detailed comparison. You’ve put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into KrafterPro, and I really appreciate that. I’m sure you’ll get those few teething problems under control. You’ve helped me make up my mind: I’m going to keep using KrafterPro.
Thanks again, Mak! 👍👍👍
Awesome! This table should be on diviuniversity.com and KrafterPRO page no? it's pretty clear that it helps a LOT to have KrafterPRO :)
Jorge Nava You're Right, I will be adding it.
I will continue using KrafterPro because I know that like Elegant Themes, Mak and team will continue to update and improve features. I'm still digging into all that the KrafterPro interface provides.
Just my two-cents, if at all possible, KrafterPro can work in conjunction with Divi 5 as far as, maybe you need to tweak or adjust the variable and preset defaults in KrafterPro, but like myself you want all the other Agency bells and whistles that come with this complete design system.. It would be nice to have a selectable "Reset" or "Clear" current variables and/or presets, etc. and then you are free to create your own and save them. Manually of course you can do this now, adjust, remove, add, etc. But to stay competitive, that is what I would add.
The KrafterPro system, as a one person freelancer, is too good to pass up, when time and money is of the essence. The defaults are fine for 75% of my clients. Ones that need a bit more specialization, I can adjust the variables and presets accordingly, but the above would be a nice solutions for those few that need me to essential - start almost from scratch. I'm sure Mak already has a roadmap to address all of Divi 5's updates as they hit. But it takes time.
Keep doing what you're doing - I'll be supporting and promoting KrafterPro for the long haul.
Marni Derr Thank you 😀
Ich habe eine Frage: Ist Krafter PRO nur etwas für neue Divi-5 Projekte oder bringt es Sinn, das auch in migrierte ( von Divi 4 zu 5) Projekte einzubinden? Wenn ja, wie ?
Now in English, sorry I have a question: Is Krafter PRO only intended for new Divi 5 projects, or does it make sense to integrate it into migrated projects (from Divi 4 to 5) as well? If so, how?
It would be great to see a detailed video tutorial taking a web site created in divi 4 and migrating it to Divi 5 while integrating KrafterPro.
I appreciate Mak's dedication and the many hours of work he has put into KrafterPro and will continue to do. However, after the latest Divi update, I do have my reservations about whether Mak's extensive work is truly worthwhile. I am currently experimenting on two sites: one with Divi and one with KrafterPro. The more I delve into Divi 5, the more doubts I have about using KrafterPro permanently. I always look forward to the next updates for Divi 5. I wonder more and more if KrafterPro brings much more added value than Divi 5.
I think, if the evolution of Divi 5 continues, that KrafterPro will no longer be necessary at all and will not be able to offer any added value.
I get the impression that it is not Mak's fault that new bugs appear every time he releases a new version of KrafterPro, but rather that it is a fact that Divi 5 is constantly being updated and Mak has to implement those changes so that they can work together seamlessly.
I am not a programmer, quite the opposite, and I could and certainly might be wrong.
I ended up with Mak back then for the Divi course, which I found fantastic and still consider one of the best. I think that if he were to create a course again based on that, building a website from A to Z, with all the possibilities Divi 5 has to offer, he could achieve something very beautiful and unique. Then he would also immediately be rid of all those emails, angry or not, that he no longer has to answer.
Paul Huybrechts Thank you for this seriously. This is exactly the kind of honest feedback that pushes me to think harder and build better, and I'd rather have it said openly than whispered.
You're not wrong that Divi 5 is getting more powerful with every update. That's actually a good thing for all of us a stronger foundation means KrafterPRO can do more, not less.
But here's the distinction I want to make clearly: Divi 5 gives you the capability. KrafterPRO gives you the system.
Divi will NEVER:
- Pre-style every module for you.
- It won't give you dark and light mode presets out of the box.
- It won't hand you a semantic color system with grayscales already structured.
- It won't back up your entire design system variables and presets in a single file.
- It won't generate a client handoff document or a styleguide when the project is done.
- And it won't drop a new production-ready starter site into your library every single month (Based on a design system).
Those aren't features Divi is working toward. They're a different category of problem entirely workflow, speed, and professional delivery. That's the lane KrafterPRO is built for.
On the bugs you're right, and I won't sugarcoat it. Building on top of a platform that's actively evolving means I'm constantly adapting. That's the reality of this space. What I can tell you is that every fix makes the system more robust, and the roadmap ahead is the strongest it's ever been.
As for a course I hear you, and it's something I think about. But right now my focus is making sure KrafterPRO members are getting the most out of Divi 5 faster than anyone else. That's the commitment.
Keep experimenting with both. I'm confident the comparison will speak for itself. 🙏
When the Variable Builder was introduced in Divi 5, I was surprised to see how well and with what capabilities Elegant Themes implemented it. Suddenly, all the ideas I had envisioned during the development of KrafterPRO—and what KrafterPRO was supposed to achieve in a single variable-creation tool—were right there. It was the complete opposite of what Elegant Themes had previously achieved with their variable and preset manager.
However, when I looked closer at the overall package, my perspective shifted. The bulk creation of variables, along with the ability to specify prefixes and naming conventions, is truly praiseworthy and well executed. But that alone is not enough. The complete, well-rounded package is missing, and that is exactly what Mak has been building since the Divi 5 Alpha. The native management functions in Divi 5 are simply insufficient. The comparison list published by Mak illustrates this perfectly.
Everyone should ask themselves: "Do I want to create, save, manage, and maintain hundreds of presets myself? Do I want to spend time troubleshooting and fixing errors? Or do I want a tool that feels complete and unified, allowing me to focus on finalizing my designs and websites instead of acting as a preset creator? Do I really want to break my design flow just to focus on creating presets, modules, or variables before I can get back into the zone?"
Granted, everyone should learn, understand, and try to create their own variables and presets—if only to master Divi 5. Your own preset collection should grow. However, once you accumulate a significant number of variables and presets, you eventually lose track, especially as a beginner. Variables and presets can easily be deleted by accident because the management interface in Divi 5 is far too basic and impractical for handling a large volume. While it might suffice for a small one-page website, it falls short for medium-sized or expanding projects. Returning to a project after some time to develop it further is not made any easier by Elegant Themes' native tools; in fact, for many, it will result in chaos. I won't even start on agencies, who would otherwise have to build their own systems from scratch, costing immense amounts of time.
This does not mean Elegant Themes will stop working on Divi 5 or that they won't offer better management features in a future update. But by the time they do, KrafterPRO will have evolved even further, continuing to offer a way to work effectively, quickly, consistently, fluidly, and responsively. KrafterPRO has matured into a comprehensive Design System—offering far more than what a stock installation of Divi 5 provides right now. If you look closely at the many Divi 5 layout packs and website templates—many of which are carried over from Divi 4—you will notice they still rely heavily on hardcoded pixel values, fixed colors, and direct settings. Almost nothing has been designed or adapted to be natively responsive. The "new" Divi 5 workflow has barely been implemented there. KrafterPRO is already miles ahead in this regard and will continue to be.
Granted, KrafterPRO remains a third-party product. Like all third-party developers building around the Divi 5 ecosystem, it is subject to changes made by Elegant Themes and must constantly adapt. Bugs will always exist—in Divi 5, in KrafterPRO, and in every other piece of software or operating system. We all have to live with that. But for me, this specific third-party product delivers a complete and excellent experience, and I truly enjoy working with it. Having built sites since the Divi 5 Alpha while navigating all of its initial glitches, I can easily live with an occasional bug in a preset. If necessary, I can just create my own preset and fix the issue there. This allows me to use my own presets alongside KrafterPRO’s, or even derive my own custom versions from KrafterPRO so I don't have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks to the open system of variables and presets, everyone has this flexibility.
Then, of course, there is the price discussion. Not everyone will want to afford KrafterPRO. But that is a decision everyone must make for themselves. What value does such a system bring to my workflow? Am I ready to actually implement and fully leverage it? Both Divi 5 and KrafterPRO are growing up. Ultimately, if a product costs nothing, it usually holds no lasting value. What good is a product if it isn't constantly maintained, updated, and developed? In the end, the choice always remains with the user.