This little Kadence vs Divi test was interesting although not definitive.

The Kadence vs Divi test set out to compare two of my favorite WordPress website builders. For the past couple of years I have primarily used the Divi builder. However, within the last several months I’ve switched to primarily using Kadence WP.

This website MyOnTheRoad.Net was rebuilt going from Divi to Kadence.

Building sites with Divi is quite enjoyable, but I thought Kadence might have some advantages. When I first started using Kadence I noticed an improvement in speed and accessibility ratings. I thought it might also have a little advantage for doing search engine optimization. So far I have not seen any improvement in SEO, if anything it now requires a little bit more effort to get a 100 on Google Lighthouse.

Kadence vs Divi Results — Best speed for the Kadence vs Divi During this Test.

This Kadence vs Divi comparison is done using each company’s standard layouts.

This is my first Kadence vs Divi comparison, but I don’t think it will be the last.

I am using the Google Lighthouse Webmaster Tool.
Testing each theme was done using a clean install/instance of WordPress. I did three tests. I had a standard security plugin along with a coming soon plugin installed for all the tests. In the first test I used the theme/layout and any plugins they added with their standard layout.

Then I added an accessibility and SEO plugin. Next I added a meta description to the home page. I only ran the test on the home page.

Test:

The theme and the company’s layout package.
The components of test one with the addition of an accessibility and SEO plugin
Same as above but with the addition of a meta description.

First we look at Kadence WP and its starter Template.

The starter template was a very quick install for the Kadence layout. You need to add your email and agree to their terms of service then one click to install.

After setting up the site and adjusting a few things in the WordPress customizer I tested the site in Google Lighthouse / webmaster tools.

I have to say, I was disappointed with the results. The speed was okay, but the accessibility and SEO left something to be desired.

The first look is at Kadence in the Kadence vs Divi comparison.

I then added an accessibility plugin and a SEO (search engine optimization) plugin.

The next test was done by adding a meta tag to the homepage description.

Some things that I did not do is add alt tags to the images. This would have improved accessibility and SEO scores considerably. In addition I did leave most of the lorem ipsum text. I think the starter layouts in both themes also had some issues with labels and naming conventions.

One problem I have found in the past is that the Kadence theme prevents links being opened in a new tab when the WP Accessibility plugin is used. There are a few features I like about this plugin and it’s fairly easy to use.

I did the same test for Divi.

Divi has been rebuilt and is now much faster than it used to be. I find the new Divi is about twice as fast as the old version.

There are a lot of hidden features within the Divi builder.

All the features can make Divi seem more complicated to use. But, if you like building websites it is a fun builder to use. I find using Divi enjoyable and it enhances the creative experience. One of the biggest drawbacks with Divi is, even though it is now faster, it is still not fast.

Something that surprised me with this test is how much the speed varied with Divi. It ranged from the not good old Divi score to an acceptable new Divi speed.

A look at Divi in our Kadence vs Divi comparison.

As I rebuild many of my sites with Kadence I’ll do a before and after web vitals test comparing Divi with Kadence. Comparing fully built websites will give more useful information than a simple test like the one I’m doing here. I might find that for some sites I still like Divi better.

At this point I’m still using Divi for certain website builds. However, I am starting to lean towards Kadence more and more as the default WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor is improved.

Okay, you ask, who is the winner in the Kadence vs Divi shootout.

Kadence vs Divi conclusion?

Well, neither one.
Kadence did much better on speed and best practices. Divi did the best on accessibility and SEO. Again this is not a definitive test, or even a good test, but it is the test I ran as a baseline evaluation using a raw starter package.

Comparing Kadence vs Divi, the conclusion

This is not a scientific test. It is a quick download of the Kadence starter template and the Divi starter layout. I think we can see the problem right off by acknowledging these are starter packages, not fully developed sites. It’s a place to start, there is still a lot of work to be done, even when using the starter packages. However, using a template or premade layout does cut the development time by giving a framework or design to start with.

I hope you found the Kadence vs Dive comparison interesting, even if it’s not definitive.