Cascade CMS vs. Elementor

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cascade CMS
Score 5.4 out of 10
N/A
Cascade CMS (formerly Cascade Server) by Hannon Hill is a content management system, with built-in tools to help users eliminate stale content, increase digital outreach, and promote end-user adoption and accountability. Cascade CMS is designed for decentralized web teams in most major industries, including higher education, government, healthcare, and technology. Included is Clive, an engagement and real-time personalization tool for collecting information and using it to craft personalized…N/A
Elementor
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Elementor is a Wordpress page builder and creative toolkit featuring a drag and drop live editor, 100+ widgets, and tools to landing pages and popups.
$11.99
per month
Pricing
Cascade CMSElementor
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Lite
$11.99
per month
Basic
$14.99
per month
Business
$24.99
per month
Grow
$32.99
per month
Expert
$149.00
per year
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cascade CMSElementor
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices reflect deployment via WordPress. Options are also available for use with WooCommerce. A discount is offered for annual billing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cascade CMSElementor
Considered Both Products
Cascade CMS
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade Server is miles ahead in usability and reliability. With DNN, I had to jump through hoops to add and edit content, and trying to customize was not easy.
Chose Cascade CMS
Fewer outages with Cascade. The templates are better and easier to navigate.
Chose Cascade CMS
Our latest round of CMS evaluations we looked at OmniUpdate, Drupal, and Wordpress as possible CMS choices. It quickly became apparent that all of the upper tier products seemed capable of managing strong websites, but upon a deeper investigation of our needs Cascade rose to …
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade CMS focuses on managing content and gives you the tools to display this content any way that is needed. While it may lack some features/extensions found in other popular platforms, the user management, workflow and template engine are the best you can get.
Chose Cascade CMS
There are several fine CMS products on the market, and each serves its purpose. For our needs, Cascade CMS is the best alternative.

Chose Cascade CMS
We selected Cascade server seven years ago, and the CMS environment at the time was clearly different than it is today. We decided to go with a vendor solution rather than a free solution because the long term cost in hosting a free solution is not, in fact, free; we've found …
Chose Cascade CMS
Because the (bad) Cascade decision was made quickly by a small team, we have a larger team and a longer timeline, with a growing list of functionality that we expect a replacement system to have. We've been looking into a number of other products to replace Cascade. Highest on …
Chose Cascade CMS
  • The learning curve is minimal compared to Drupal.
  • Implementation is easier
  • Cascade Server is secure
Chose Cascade CMS
I didn't have any input when it came to buying/using Cascade server. In fact, before using Cascade I wasn't aware that such a website management system existed! I imagined it was going to be much more complicated--editing individual code and CSS page by page, with very involved …
Chose Cascade CMS
Hannon Hill was chosen because of the architecture with the Cascade engine being separated from the published pages providing stability and security. The company is also focused on primarily higher education, the user group and feature set. The releases are always …
Chose Cascade CMS
The version of Sitecore that I use right now doesn't have a UI showing the assembled web page. That suits my current company's needs, but for most people, they want to see their changes within the tool as they make them, visible within their web page. Cascade Server does that …
Chose Cascade CMS
WordPress offers a wide range of prebuilt templates, but Cascade Server offers great customization for folder structures and workflows.
Chose Cascade CMS
We felt the overall level of customization that Cascade Server allowed us was the deciding factor in our selection. Its users and groups management was also very robust and provided us a better system, and overall better access, for content managers in our organization.
Chose Cascade CMS
In my limited experience with WordPress, I found it difficult to retrofit to use as a content managements system for a website. It's a great blogging solution and could easily be used to manage an organization's press releases.
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade Server was the software I was required to learn. I have no further experience or suggestions for this software, other than its usage in basic website development functions. AutoCAT software allows for immediate access to basic functions of design, as well as the …
Chose Cascade CMS
This is my first foray into web-content management, and I am using it simply because my supervisor required me to.
Chose Cascade CMS
I have not used any other products similar to Cascade Server at my current position.
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade was the College of Liberal Arts and the department's choice. I was a front-end user and web content developer. I know Cascade is widely used at the College and at other colleges and departments, but I do not know the reasons they selected Cascade.
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade is a significant improvement over WebCRMA in virtually all respects: more powerful and intuitive user interface, better multimedia integration, and a a greatly improved function set in terms of editing, reviewing, and publishing content. Although I did not play a role …
Chose Cascade CMS
It wasn't my personal choice to go for Cascade Server for my organization. But as I already said, Cascade Server is good for managing parent child websites which are uniform in design. I guess the level up to which uniformity can be maintained and traffic can be handled by …
Chose Cascade CMS
Cascade Server provides more formatting features. It pretty much provides all the features that a standard web service portal has and the website is written in complex programming languages such as c# or VB .Net, JAVA, J2EE, JSP etc. At the same time, Cascade Server provides …
Chose Cascade CMS
I have used DreamWeaver before and that was much more difficult and stressful to use. Cascade Server is a dream (no pun intended).
Elementor
Chose Elementor
In the wordpress environment Elementor is by far the best builder, there are new things coming to market like Breakdance, but their time is still to be decided in the future. Also overall in the entire web builder category, Elementor is unbeatable, having the power of WordPress …
Chose Elementor
I prefer it to most of them because it's cost effective and I really like WordPress a really good feature base to build websites on. Bricks is WP-based too, but I find Elementor easier to use.
Chose Elementor
We initially chose WYSIWUG web builder as the key platform for all website development projects. While we still rate the product almost an 8.5/10, we found much better SEO (Search engine optimization) outcomes through wordpress and accordingly migrated to the same. Going …
Chose Elementor
Elementor is a bit of a different platform than, say, easyTithe, Robly, and Apptivo, but it is comparable to Shopify. I feel like Elementor and WooCommerce are a lot easier to use than Shopify, and it doesn't come with such high fees. For our business, it was no choice! …
Chose Elementor
We've used Divi and Enfold as well, both of those have a similar goal for visual editors and usability and work well - but Elementor feels more polished and has great support.
Chose Elementor
We weighed Elementor against the classic/native WordPress editor and Gutenberg. Elementor provides more functionality and with a greater ease of use than its competitors.
Chose Elementor
Actually, we switch to Squarespace after working with Elementor for a year. Squarespace is giving us best results and more freedom to make changes or add new stuff to the site
Chose Elementor
I use Optimize Press on a business website. It has a conceptually similar WYSIWYG page builder. They provide a sales funnel capability with their theme, which is why I use them.
Chose Elementor
I have used the built-in Gutenberg content builder and Visual Composer before. Neither of these are truly "front-end" page builders. They allow you to build with blocks the content you want, but you can not see it live as you design it. That is the true value Elementor has …
Chose Elementor
Thrive leads and thrive architect is a pain to update, they've changed version and name in recent years. I am unable to update because every time there was an upgrade or new release of the plugin it caused issues with my website's functionality which has left me stuck updating …
Chose Elementor
I previously used Wix with another company, and when I switched companies, the company I switched to was already using WordPress/Elementor. I could have switched the company to Wix if I had wanted to, but I enjoy the flexibility that Elementor allows, something that Wix isn't …
Chose Elementor
I ended up asking Elementor for a refund so I could use another theme. They were quick to refund me and ask what they could do better in the future. I ended up choosing OShine, which worked great for me, but now I wish I would've gone with Oxygen as it seems to be a little tiny …
Chose Elementor
Elementor is relatively cheap and easy to use, but comes with a number of performance issues which ruin the experience in the long run. Right now, we've switched to Webflow and Unbounce for the same ease of use, but with improved performance
Chose Elementor
We wanted to use WordPress and not depend on the Tilda with annual fees, so we installed wordpress and bought a template on Envato market, and the selected template already had a built-in Elementor, which I just tweaked to fit my needs. Also we don't want to learn a completely …
Chose Elementor
Elementor stuck out as the clear leader for their online support and ease of use. Wordpress has started to adopt some of the core features of Wordpress, which means that they must have been good and seen as a clear necessity, but the Elementor still has the clear lead on …
Chose Elementor
I tried a couple of website builders for Wordpress and Visual Composer was the only other that I considered using. Elementor is a better product like the price difference proves. I will choose Elementor whenever possible because it makes sense from a business perspective.
Chose Elementor
Before Elementor, I developed our site using the WordPress plugin Divi. While the editor was great, I found that the site load times (even with image optimization) were unacceptably slow. The Elementor editor is on par with Divi (better in way[s], less intuitive in others), but …
Chose Elementor
Before using Elementor we used Divi by Elegant Themes, and the biggest improvements are in load speed and reduced bloat. Elementor editor loads faster and makes web design a more enjoyable process. I would highly recommend Elementor over Divi. It’s also helpful that Elementor …
Chose Elementor
We've used everything from Divi to Brizy to Gutenberg and beyond. For us, Elementor ticks all the boxes. Though Divi has its fanbase, it doesn't allow a client to switch easily down the road whereas Elementor does. Divi and Elementor were our final two choices as we went …
Chose Elementor
I am not finding the builders that I have used in the past in the prepopulated area. The builders that we have used in the past include Divi, Beaver Builder, WPBakery, Instapages, as well as the classic editor and Gutenberg. I will say that Beaver Builder is probably a close …
Chose Elementor
I tried Visual Composer and Divvy and no one is at the level of Elementor. It is very intuitive and easy, highly recommend.
Chose Elementor
Elementor is relatively inexpensive for the features offered. It's simpler than some competitors and allows teams to play around with site content without overwhelming them with sophisticated features.
Chose Elementor
WP Bakery and Divi both serve similar needs, but we have chosen to go full-tilt with Elementor due to the excellent infrastructure, support, and value it brings.
Features
Cascade CMSElementor
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Cascade CMS
8.0
Ratings
1% below category average
Elementor
6.9
Ratings
16% below category average
Role-based user permissions8.00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
Cascade CMS
7.1
Ratings
7% below category average
Elementor
3.0
Ratings
87% below category average
API7.00 Ratings4.00 Ratings
Internationalization / multi-language7.30 Ratings2.00 Ratings
Web Content Creation
Comparison of Web Content Creation features of Product A and Product B
Cascade CMS
7.1
Ratings
8% below category average
Elementor
7.9
Ratings
2% above category average
WYSIWYG editor6.10 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Code quality / cleanliness6.00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Admin section8.00 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Page templates9.00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Library of website themes5.50 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Mobile optimization / responsive design7.00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Publishing workflow9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Form generator6.40 Ratings4.00 Ratings
Web Content Management
Comparison of Web Content Management features of Product A and Product B
Cascade CMS
6.9
Ratings
6% below category average
Elementor
6.2
Ratings
17% below category average
Content taxonomy8.00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
SEO support7.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Bulk management9.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Availability / breadth of extensions6.00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Community / comment management4.80 Ratings7.00 Ratings
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Cascade CMSElementor
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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Enterprises
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User Ratings
Cascade CMSElementor
Likelihood to Recommend
9.9
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
6.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
2.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cascade CMSElementor
Likelihood to Recommend
Cascade Server is well suited with it's WYSIWYG editor being better than most editors that I have used in other systems. In context, editing makes adding content easy compared to the last CMS I used where you had to wing it and view the page outside of the CMS to see if it was correct. The ability mix HTML, CSS, and the Script of your choice anywhere and with ease.
The scenarios were Cascade Server is less appropriate would be in the use of compilers or programs like Visual studio. You need to go out of Cascade Server and go to other environments to perform tasks and then copy the result to Cascade Server. You can write directly in Cascade Server, but it's easier to do in and editor that is specific to a function.
Read full review
I would recommend this for the ease of use and price. It is a good value for any website developer or designer to be able to create multiple websites a year with super simple coding. If you've got a way to speed up your website without using WP Rocket, then it's even better! I think this software is specifically made for someone with a coding background and would recommend that you have a background with Wordpress to make using this software even easier
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Pros
  • Very easy-to-use. I trained over 200 users, and never once heard someone say that it was difficult to figure out. People generally left the training excited to get started managing their content.
  • Technology independent. We were able to put any language into it that our customers required: .NET, classic ASP, PHP, static HTML.
  • Customer Support. The Hannon Hill team was truly amazing when it came to helping their customers, including us. They always went above and beyond to fix issues, help customers figure out complex methods for using Cascade Server, and general support.
  • Annual User's Conference. This was a great event that brought Cascade Server enthusiasts together, and the entire Hannon Hill staff was present and available for customers to talk 1-on-1 with.
Read full review
  • Theme builder (header, footer, site parts)
  • Forms, with options for what to do with form submissions after they've been submitted (email, collect , push to EMS)
  • Easy to use widgets for things that would otherwise need coding manually (sliders, carousels, flip boxes etc.)
  • Pre-built templates
  • Dynamic conditions for content display
Read full review
Cons
  • Not much that I can add here, except that as a non-programmer, it can be a bit overwhelming to understand all the options and capabilities of the system. We have programmers who have been able to do almost anything we need with the system, but I can't understand it!
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  • Could definitely use an AI bot for ad-hoc customer queries
  • Very limited Wdgets available in free version - If you have complex pages, go pro
  • Ensure robust internet speed (50 MBPS bare minimum) to be able to operate it. Below 8 GB RAM is not advised
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Likelihood to Renew
Changing systems would require too much effort. Our institution is using Cascade Server, WordPress and Drupal but we only serve 2200 students so we have 1 too many content management systems. Reflecting on current technical resources we would like to drop down to 2. This effort hasn't moved forward because of the extensive work required to migrate content and train users in a new system.
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Elementor is critical to our ongoing success and providing our clients with world-class websites
Read full review
Usability
Cascade CMS is completely usable on mobile devices, we can train our content editors in a single 2-hour session, and we support 1,000 users with a very small team.
There is a level of complexity for the system administrators, site managers and web programmers who implement templates and content types. But the complexity is neither arbitrary nor inconsistent – and once learned provides a powerful environment within which we can develop robust sites that are beautiful and powerful, yet easy for our content editors to manage.
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Elementor is one of those website builders that is really easy to get started with. The drag and drop features make it easy to create attractive and creative webpages for even the non-website designer. Some of the features available are not easy to find or easy to discover when you first start using Elementor. Practice makes perfect.
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Reliability and Availability
Amazing customer service and VERY customizable.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
Does a great job.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
They have always regarded any question or problem we encountered as very important. We have never felt that they ignore or downplay any issue and not once has anything been left unresolved. They also hold an annual conference where users are invited to attend and share their experiences and wisdom with the entire Cascade community. And with the care and support the provide, we all feel a part of that community.
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There support is slow and at times can be frustrating and this is why many prefer to air out their frustrations within the Facebook group community. I tend to give up as when I'm working on something and something goes wrong I need the help straight away. I do not have the patience to wait anymore.
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In-Person Training
Training was helpful.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
Still needed that physical help
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
The key to any CMS implementation is PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Proper planning with Cascade can increase your satisfaction exponentially once the site migration/creation is complete. When all is said and done, your implementation can make your site run like a Yugo or Maserati. Be smart and deliberate in your decisions. Drive the Maserati. It is already paid for.
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The business team has to stick to its core competencies - Our key turning point occured when we delegated webpage design challenges to a tech. firm with specific mandates (including a certain degree of internal control). Once the initial go-live was completed, the agency trained us on internalizing ad-hoc and tactical change work
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Alternatives Considered
Cascade CMS focuses on managing content and gives you the tools to display this content any way that is needed. While it may lack some features/extensions found in other popular platforms, the user management, workflow and template engine are the best you can get.
Read full review
Compared to other providers, Elementor can be easy to use and learn, allowing you to build professional websites in a fraction of the time it takes to build websites with other sites. The AI feature can help non-tech people to easily understand and build a website that is SEO and Google search compliant.
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Scalability
I used it only a few times.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Initially, ROI was positive - because we completely redesigned the website when we implemented Cascade.
  • Over time, the inability to keep up with the latest interactive tools has reduced visitors time on site.
  • Also over time, the difficulty of use has led to less buy-in by backend users, leading to outdated pages, little timely information, and lower visitors.
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  • Our sales have really grown over the past five years of using Elementor. We went from fulfilling less than five orders a month to now 10-15 per months. And we are a small bulk food store with a small audience.
  • We have been able to add plug ins along with Elementor to customize our products, store, and pages.
  • We haven't done as much with SEO and Elementor. I feel like this is one area that we could probably do better.
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