Page builders like Bricks, Elementor, and others have built thriving ecosystems around them. Third-party developers create addons that extend functionality, add new elements, and promise to supercharge your workflow. It’s a compelling pitch: “Install our plugin and get 50+ new elements!”
But there’s a dark side to this ecosystem that doesn’t get talked about enough. Many of these addons are abandoned within months or a year of their release, leaving users with broken functionality, security vulnerabilities, and money spent on tools that no longer work.
The Business Model Problem
Creating a page builder addon is relatively easy. The barrier to entry is low: you build some custom elements, wrap them in a WordPress plugin, and sell it. Developers can launch addons quickly and start generating revenue.
The problem is that maintaining an addon is a different story. Page builders update frequently, sometimes breaking compatibility. WordPress itself evolves. Security threats emerge. Users expect support and new features.
Many addon developers don’t plan for the long term. They ride the initial wave of sales, then move on to the next project when the work becomes too much or the revenue slows down. The addon enters a slow death: no updates, no support, no compatibility fixes.
What Happens When an Addon Dies
When an addon you depend on gets abandoned, several things can go wrong:
Broken functionality - New versions of the page builder may drop support for old APIs. Your carefully designed pages might start throwing errors or displaying incorrectly.
Security vulnerabilities - Abandoned plugins don’t get security patches. They become liabilities sitting on your site, potential entry points for hackers.
No support - When something breaks, there’s no one to ask. The developer has moved on, and the official support forums become ghost towns.
Wasted money - You paid for a subscription or a lifetime license that promised ongoing updates. Now you’re left with nothing.
Migration headaches - If the addon was central to your site design, removing it means rebuilding entire sections. This is especially painful if you used it for client work.
The Bricks Example
Bricks has become one of the more popular page builders in the WordPress space, particularly among developers who want clean, performant code. Its ecosystem has attracted many third-party developers creating addons, elements, and templates.
But the same pattern appears repeatedly: new addons launch with fanfare, attract early adopters, then fade away. Some developers release multiple addons and abandon all of them. Others disappear after a single update that breaks compatibility with a newer Bricks version.
The irony is that Bricks itself is a paid product. Users already pay for the builder, then pay more for addons that claim to enhance it. When those addons die, users feel scammed — doubly disappointed.
Why This Keeps Happening
A few factors contribute to this problem:
No barrier to entry - WordPress allows anyone to publish a plugin. There’s no quality control or long-term commitment requirement.
Oversaturated market - There are too many similar addons competing for attention. Many developers try to capture market share quickly rather than build sustainable products.
Lifetime deals - Many addon developers offer lifetime licenses as a sales tactic. Once they’ve collected those one-time payments, the incentive to maintain the product drops significantly.
Buyers don’t research - Users often buy addons based on flashy marketing or YouTube tutorials without checking the developer’s track record or long-term viability.
How to Protect Yourself
If you use page builder addons, here are some strategies to minimize risk:
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Check the developer’s history - Have they maintained other plugins? Do they have a track record of regular updates?
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Avoid lifetime deals - Annual subscriptions create ongoing incentive for developers to maintain their products.
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Limit dependencies - Don’t build your entire site around a single addon. Use core page builder features when possible.
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Test before committing - Run the addon on a staging site before buying. Check how it handles updates.
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Join communities - WordPress Facebook groups and forums often surface abandoned plugins quickly. Learn from others’ experiences.
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Consider the open-source alternative - Gutenberg and the WordPress block editor have a different ecosystem. While not perfect, core WordPress features don’t get abandoned.
This addon problem is part of a larger pattern in the WordPress ecosystem. The same dynamics appear in theme marketplaces, plugin bundles, and SaaS products. The enshittification that affects social media platforms also affects the tools we build our websites with.
The most resilient approach in my opinion is to depend as much as possible on core functionality and well-established tools. The flashy new addon that promises to solve all your problems might be gone in a year. The basic features built into your page builder will likely still be there.
Building a website is an investment. Make sure you’re not betting on tools that will leave you stranded!