Two developer favorites
GeneratePress vs Bricks: Hooks and Blocks Against a Visual Site Builder
Fifty-nine dollars a year covers 500 GeneratePress sites. Five hundred ninety-nine dollars, once, covers unlimited Bricks sites for good. Both are priced for people who build a lot of sites, and both care about lean output. They disagree about where a developer's working day should happen.
October 10, 2026 · 11 min read
The short answer
Choose GeneratePress if your developers like hooks, filters and blocks, your editors use the standard block editor, and you want one $59 yearly license for up to 500 sites as of October 2026. Choose Bricks if you want a visual builder that designs headers, templates, query loops and WooCommerce pages, from $79 a year or $599 once for unlimited sites.
On this page
- Same appetite for lean pages, opposite workbenches
- The fifteen-row scorecard
- Building one projects page in each
- Inline by default in both, and what changes when you flip the switch
- Cost per site for a freelancer, a studio and an agency
- A shop: toggles in a module against templates you design
- Two products in the middle of a renovation
- Who each suits, and our verdict by job
- If your hooks are already code, consider going all the way
Same appetite for lean pages, opposite workbenches
GeneratePress is a small classic theme with a large set of hooks. The free version handles layout, navigation, colors and typography in the Customizer. GP Premium adds Elements, which combine Hooks, Block Elements and a Page Hero into a block-based theme builder, and page layouts are meant to be built with the GenerateBlocks plugin (200,000+ installs) or GenerateBlocks Pro. A developer working in GeneratePress writes PHP in hooks or a child theme and lets editors stay in the ordinary block editor.
Bricks takes the opposite route. It installs as a theme, but the theme is a visual site builder written in VueJS 3, and almost everything happens inside it: headers and footers as templates, a Query Loop builder, a Menu Builder, popups, conditions, interactions, components, global classes and variables. A developer in Bricks thinks in front-end terms but works on a canvas, and editors who touch the site work there too, or in pages Bricks hands back to WordPress to render.
Both have serious followings among people who read their own page source. That is why this comparison is less about speed than about workflow, templating and the economics of running dozens of sites.
The fifteen-row scorecard
Rows were verified on October 6, 2026 from each vendor's pricing page, documentation, changelog and support forums. Performance lines quote the vendors and nothing more. We have not benchmarked either product, and a builder's score on a blank page tells you little about yours.
| GeneratePress | Bricks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing, as of October 2026 | Free theme; GP Premium $59, GeneratePress One $149 a year | No free version; Starter $79, Business $149, Agency $249 a year; $599 lifetime |
| Sites per license | Up to 500 on every paid product, client sites included | One, three or unlimited; local and staging installs not counted |
| Owner and support | EDGE22 Studios (Tom Usborne); premium help on its own forum | Codeer Limited, Cyprus; public forum with bug triage |
| Speed approach | Vendor says a fresh install adds under 10kb gzipped | Vendor claims top 'A' grades in Lighthouse and GTmetrix out of the box |
| CSS/JS delivery | Cached Customizer CSS printed inline; external file with GP Premium; no front-end jQuery | Inline styles by default; per-page CSS files optional; vanilla JavaScript |
| Builder model | Customizer, hooks, GP Premium Elements, GenerateBlocks for layout | One visual canvas for pages, templates, popups and loops |
| Header builder and mobile menu | No drag-and-drop header; mobile menu below 768px; slider in Menu Plus | Header is a template; Nav (Nestable) sets its own breakpoint |
| Dynamic templates | Elements with display rules; Template Engine announced for GP Premium 3.0 | Query Loop builder, conditions and components on every plan |
| WooCommerce | Works free; shop settings live in GP Premium's module | Visual templates for archive, product, cart, checkout and account |
| Page builder fit | Says it is compatible with Elementor and Beaver Builder | Replaces page builders; no statement on running one alongside |
| Block editor fit | Built for blocks through GenerateBlocks | Converts core blocks only; theme styles have leaked into the block editor |
| License terms and refunds | Annual, auto-renewing; 30-day refunds; no lifetime plan | 60-day guarantee on first purchase; 30-day grace on renewals; lifetime option |
| After you stop paying | Updates and support end with the yearly term | Keep using it after one paid year, without updates |
| Known issues | Elements exclusion rule empties after a page is deleted; CSS regeneration | 2.4.x regressions; CSS Sync edits lost; PHP 7.4 error in Account Page V2 |
| Long-term risk | Classic theme's place beside the new Template Engine unclear | Rapid releases with AI and MCP features in active development |
The row that surprises people is the first one turned sideways: neither product's license is a meaningful cost for a working agency. What costs money is developer time, and that depends on which workbench your team already knows.
Building one projects page in each
Say a builder wants a page that lists recent projects, shows a banner only on service pages and hides a promo for logged-in customers. Here is roughly how each tool handles it.
In GeneratePress
- Lay out the listing with blocks: the core Query Loop block or GenerateBlocks in the editor
- Add the banner as a GP Premium Block Element and set display rules for the service pages
- Hide the promo with a condition written in PHP, or an Element rule if it fits
- Keep anything bespoke in a child theme, versioned like any other code
In Bricks
- Build the listing with the Query Loop builder, styled with global classes
- Make the banner a template or component and attach Bricks conditions
- Attach a condition that hides the promo from logged-in users
- Keep reusable pieces as components shared across pages
Bricks does more of it without code. GeneratePress does more of it in code, which some teams prefer because code can be reviewed and versioned. Each has a sharp edge. In GP Premium, an Elements exclusion rule goes blank when the excluded page is deleted or unpublished, and the element then disappears from every page with no warning, a bug the reporter says has been open for years. See GeneratePress Elements not displaying. In Bricks, conditions live inside builder data, so a canvas that will not open blocks every edit; start with Bricks builder not loading.
Inline by default in both, and what changes when you flip the switch
Here the two agree more than their fans admit. GeneratePress caches its Customizer CSS in the database and prints it inline unless GP Premium's General module switches the Dynamic CSS Print Method to External File. GeneratePress staff describe the external file as 'arguably better but not by a lot' when an optimization plugin is running, and note the CSS may need regenerating after changes. Bricks also prints its generated styles inline until you choose External Files under Bricks > Settings > Performance, which writes one file per page and offers a Regenerate CSS files button.
The difference is scope. GeneratePress generates a small amount of CSS for a theme frame and leaves page styling to GenerateBlocks and whatever else you install. Bricks generates styles for every element, class, palette and template on the site, so its CSS setting carries more weight. On scripts, both avoid jQuery on the front end: GeneratePress loads it only in Customizer controls, Bricks runs on vanilla JavaScript. The settings by name are in the GeneratePress speed guide and the Bricks speed guide.
Fonts are worth a minute too. Free GeneratePress loads Google Fonts from Google unless you host them yourself or buy Premium's Local Font Library, a common cause of GeneratePress fonts not loading after a change. Bricks' Font Manager downloads Google Fonts to serve locally, though an open bug report says it fetches every unicode-range variant. When either tool's CSS refuses to refresh, try GeneratePress CSS not updating or Bricks CSS not updating.
Cost per site for a freelancer, a studio and an agency
List prices as of October 2026, assuming each renews at list price. GeneratePress lists only annual, auto-renewing plans with no renewal discount mentioned. Bricks publishes yearly plans plus a one-time lifetime plan.
| GeneratePress | Bricks | |
|---|---|---|
| One site | $59 a year for GP Premium | $79 a year (Starter) |
| Three sites | $59 a year; the license covers up to 500 | $149 a year (Business) |
| Twenty client sites | $59 a year, or $149 for GeneratePress One with GenerateBlocks Pro | $249 a year (Agency), or $599 once |
| Five years, twenty sites | $295 for GP Premium, $745 for GeneratePress One | $1,245 on Agency, or $599 lifetime |
| Refunds | 30 days | 60 days on first purchase; 30-day grace on renewals |
GeneratePress wins the license math almost everywhere, and the lifetime Bricks plan narrows the gap for an agency that intends to stay. The terms differ in a way that matters for client handover, though. Bricks lets you keep using the product after cancelling once you have paid a full, non-refunded year; updates stop. GeneratePress renews yearly with no lifetime option. More detail is in GeneratePress pricing, Bricks pricing and our notes on GP Premium license and update problems.
The third option
Athena CMS, with AI agents on staff.
Not a theme and not a blank Next.js repo. The content system we put behind every custom site: plain fields, a real preview, every version kept, and AI agents that handle the chores a plugin only nags you about.
- PicassoImages
- ApolloSite analysis
- AresCompetitor watch
- PrometheusContent holes
- AtlasPage depth and structure
- DelphiAI search visibility
and 12 more agents. Two come with Athena; the rest are monthly add-ons.
A shop: toggles in a module against templates you design
GeneratePress approaches WooCommerce as settings. Its GP Premium module adds a cart in the menu, a mini-cart, product columns, element toggles for shop and product pages, a sticky add-to-cart panel, shop colors and a distraction-free checkout that is on by default. Product page structure stays WooCommerce's own. That suits a store that wants a tidy default and little custom design.
Bricks approaches WooCommerce as design. Every plan includes a visual builder for the product archive, single product, cart, checkout (including a multistep Checkout v2), account pages, quick view, variation swatches and notices. Version 2.4 added modular Cart, Checkout and My Account v2 elements and a Woo Setup Wizard, and also brought a critical error in Account Page V2 on PHP 7.4 for at least one user. Whichever you choose, a store deserves staged updates; our WooCommerce repair service handles the mornings when that did not happen.
Two products in the middle of a renovation
Buy either today and you are buying into a transition. GeneratePress has said GP Premium 3.0 will bring a Template Engine replacing Elements for fully block-built sites, with GenerateBlocks Pro 2.8 arriving first; Design Systems for GB Pro 2.8 was announced on September 22, 2026. The free theme has not seen a wordpress.org release since December 1, 2025, and its docs now file it under a 'classic theme' heading. The vendor has not said how long the classic route continues.
Bricks is renovating at speed. Version 2.4 arrived on September 16, 2026 with AI-assisted site editing and the Bricks Browser, followed by 2.4.2 on September 28. The bug forum filled with reports: SVGs missing from the new media manager, images not loading, the experimental CSS Sync feature discarding custom CSS edits, theme styles bleeding into the block editor, and threads about MCP and the Abilities API. Several were fixed quickly. The lesson for both is the same: pin versions, test on staging, and update on purpose.
Who each suits, and our verdict by job
GeneratePress fits teams who
- Write PHP comfortably and want custom logic in versioned code
- Want editors in the standard block editor with nothing new to learn
- Run many small sites and want one license for up to 500 of them
- Prefer a theme that changes rarely and stays out of the way
Bricks fits teams who
- Think in components and classes but would rather design visually
- Need query loops, conditions and popups without extra plugins
- Design custom WooCommerce templates from product page to account area
- Want to stop renewing with a one-time unlimited-site license
| Our pick | Reason | |
|---|---|---|
| Content site or blog | GeneratePress | Tiny theme, block editor for writers, little to maintain |
| Marketing site with heavy design | Bricks | Designs, templates and interactions without custom code |
| Directory or catalog of custom posts | Bricks | The Query Loop builder and conditions do the heavy lifting |
| Agency running 100+ small sites | GeneratePress | One $59 license covers up to 500 sites |
| Designed WooCommerce store | Bricks | Every shop template is designable on every plan |
| Client who edits weekly | GeneratePress | Block editor beats a builder canvas for occasional editors |
Agencies that want Bricks set up properly can talk to our Bricks developers. Comparing other pairings? Kadence vs Bricks, Genesis vs GeneratePress, Bricks vs Elementor and the theme comparisons hub cover them.
If your hooks are already code, consider going all the way
A GeneratePress developer already writes PHP in hooks and a child theme. A Bricks developer already thinks in components and global classes. Both are halfway to building the site as an application, yet both still run it on WordPress: a PHP server, a database, a public admin login and updates applied live. When the site needs custom data, account areas, integrations or pages generated by the hundred, that half step is where cost and risk collect.
A Next.js build finishes the trip. Components, routing, redirects and metadata live in one codebase; pages are prerendered and served from a CDN; dependencies are pinned and tested before deploy. It costs more up front and needs a developer for structural change, which a GeneratePress or Bricks shop has anyway. Athena CMS, included with every site we build, gives editors plain fields and a real preview, while agents such as Atlas flag orphan and thin pages and Aegis checks daily for intrusions. Read GeneratePress vs Next.js and Bricks vs Next.js, the migration guides for GeneratePress and Bricks, or ask about a WordPress to Next.js build.
Questions people ask before they call
Both vendors make strong speed claims: GeneratePress says a fresh install adds under 10kb gzipped, and Bricks claims top grades in Lighthouse and GTmetrix out of the box. Neither describes your site. GeneratePress plus GenerateBlocks and Bricks can each produce lean pages; the difference shows up in what you add. Build the same real page in both on staging and measure, as our PageSpeed Insights guide explains.
Not as Bricks elements. Bricks says its Gutenberg conversion works only with standard WordPress core blocks, not third-party blocks such as GenerateBlocks. You can let WordPress render individual pages instead of Bricks, so GenerateBlocks pages can keep working while you rebuild them, but mixing the two long term adds a second layout system to maintain.
No. GeneratePress sets the header and navigation through Customizer options and hooks, and below 768px the navigation becomes the mobile menu. GP Premium's Menu Plus adds a breakpoint slider, a separate mobile header, sticky navigation and an off-canvas panel. In Bricks, the header is a template you design visually, with the mobile breakpoint set on the Nav (Nestable) element.
Bricks' terms let you keep using it after cancellation once you have made at least one successful, non-refunded yearly payment; updates stop. GeneratePress's plans are annual and auto-renew; if you cancel, the free theme keeps working, and updates and support for the premium plugins end with the term. Either way, a frozen plugin on a site that keeps updating is a risk worth planning for.
Usually GeneratePress, because clients edit in the standard block editor and the theme rarely changes underneath them. A Bricks site can be handed over too, but its canvas assumes knowledge of classes and templates, so plan training and decide who may edit what. Our hosting and maintenance plans can take the update testing off the client's desk either way.
Keep reading
- Blocks against a builderKadence vs Bricks: Blocks Your Team Can Edit, or a Canvas Your Developer OwnsKadence vs Bricks: a free block-first theme against a paid theme that is a builder. Who edits, where layouts live, October 2026 prices and a verdict.
- Developer's dilemmaBricks vs Elementor vs Next.js: For Builders Who Already Think in CodeBricks vs Elementor vs Next.js for agencies and owners: 16 rows, license terms as of October 2026, cost categories and how each exit really works.
- Code the browser must readWordPress Themes With the Least CSS and JavaScript, and How to Check YoursWhich WordPress themes ship the least CSS and JavaScript: inline vs file CSS, per-block loading, jQuery, builder assets, icon fonts and a DevTools test.
- GeneratePress troubleshootingGeneratePress Mobile Menu Not Working: Find the Layer That BrokeGeneratePress mobile menu not working? Check script optimizers, the off-canvas panel, the Menu Plus mobile header and the 768px breakpoint, in that order.
- GeneratePress, fasterGeneratePress Speed: Tuning a Theme That Starts SmallGeneratePress speed, honestly: dynamic CSS caching, the print method, fonts, the 768px menu and the plugins that outweigh a sub-10kb theme, fixed in order.
- GeneratePress, reviewedGeneratePress Review (2026): A Theme That Wins by Doing LessGeneratePress review, checked October 2026: free vs GP Premium, the 768px menu, WooCommerce, the coming template engine and who should skip it.
- Everything in WordPress Theme ComparisonsSee the section
Choose your workbench with a second opinion
Tell us what you build, how many sites you run and who edits them. We will recommend GeneratePress, Bricks or a custom build, with the reasons in writing.
Which of these sounds like you? (pick any)
Rather talk now? Call (210) 346-0848.