Speed Comparison: Exploring The Blazing-Fast Divi 5 Visual Builder
In this post, I’ll walk through the performance improvements within the Visual Builder that make Divi 5 faster than any previous version. Everything about the Divi 5 Visual Builder has been optimized for speed. Now, let’s explore how this will impact your web design workflow and why you’ll never want to return to slower page builders again.
What Makes Divi 5 Different?
Divi 5 is more than just an incremental update; it’s a complete rewrite of Divi’s core technology, reimagined with a focus on performance, stability, and scalability. This fundamental shift led the developers to rethink how the Visual Builder operates, making it significantly faster and more powerful. Although Divi 4 was already widely used across millions of websites, its architecture was over a decade old. While improvements were continuously made, the time had come for a new foundation.
The buildup of technical debt had resulted in slower load times, re-rendering delays, and occasional instability, particularly with complex layouts. To resolve this, the Divi 5 team started from scratch, optimizing the entire framework for speed and future scalability. The results speak for themselves: everything in Divi 5 is faster, from loading the builder to making edits and previewing changes.
1. Improved Visual Builder Re-Rendering Speeds
When you work with a tool all day, speed matters. Even the tiniest delay compounds over time. In previous versions of Divi, designers sometimes had to wait a split second for the Visual Builder to respond when adding new elements or adjusting styles. This was especially noticeable when working on long documents (with dozens of sections filled with modules and custom styling).
Notice the style flicker on D4 (left), where the button takes milliseconds to apply the styles from the duplicated section fully. This is on top of being slower than D5 (right) to duplicate the section.
With Divi 5, re-rendering speeds have been dramatically improved, allowing you to work without lag. The Visual Builder responds instantly when you add a new module, switch view modes, or adjust styles. This level of responsiveness makes a huge difference, especially when working on complex designs that require a lot of fine-tuning.
But what exactly has changed to make the builder so much faster?
The Technology Behind Faster Re-Rendering
The only way to achieve this level of improvement was to start from scratch. We took everything we learned over the past decade of Divi development and created a new application using modern technology, eliminating years of technical debt. We spent time auditing different interactions and identifying bottlenecks. We are still doing that, and Divi 5 is getting faster with each update.
Moving away from shortcodes also helped make traversing complex designs more efficient. In tomorrow’s post, we’ll discuss why the shortcode framework had to go and how Divi 5 is doing.
Can you spot the difference in the following comparison video? It highlights another big improvement in Divi 5: improved performance when editing presets! In Divi 5, presets are class-based. With all preset elements sharing the same class, fewer re-renders are needed in the builder, and less CSS is needed on the front end.
2. Faster Loading Times (No More Double Reloads)
A major frustration with older versions of Divi was the double reload that occurred when launching the Visual Builder, often triggered when third-party modules and plugins inadvertently added dynamic data to the Visual Builder’s cache. This issue became so widespread that the double reload became a common pain point. Divi 5 eliminates this issue by being so fast it no longer requires caching. With no caching in place, there’s no risk of cache invalidation, and the double reload is completely gone. Loading times have been enhanced across the board. In speed tests comparing Divi 5 to Divi 4, Divi 5 loaded so quickly that it bypassed even the new preloader animation. This improvement is particularly valuable for designers working on larger projects, where previously, opening a large project in the Visual Builder could take several seconds to fully load.
Removal of All Interface Animations
One of the standout changes in Divi 5’s redesigned interface is the removal of all animations. Previously, animations provided visual cues during interactions with the builder, such as adding modules or switching view modes. Although these animations added a playful touch, they also caused slight delays in the design process, especially on slower systems. Divi 5’s design philosophy emphasizes minimalism and functionality. The interface is designed to serve users without distractions, allowing for a seamless design experience that prioritizes speed and efficiency.
In Divi 4, subtle animations like fade-ins, fade-outs, and slide effects could make the UI feel slower and less responsive. Divi 5 adopts a speed-focused approach, removing these animations to enhance responsiveness. The interface now centers entirely on functionality, ensuring that every action within the builder happens as quickly as possible.
Final
Thoughts
Divi 5 marks a major advancement in speed and performance. Now more powerful and responsive, Divi offers blazing-fast re-rendering, quicker load times, and a builder that emphasizes utility over style. These improvements streamline workflows for everyone from solo web designers to large development teams, making design faster, smoother, and more efficient. For users familiar with Divi 4, Divi 5 will feel incredibly fast in comparison. And this is just the beginning; as the Divi 5 framework continues to evolve, the builder will only become faster and more capable. The future of web design with Divi is rapid and promising. In the coming days, more information will be shared about Divi 5’s move away from shortcodes, its site migration system, and developer-specific features.