If you don’t already know, Page Progressive is a big fan of the Divi theme and builder for WordPress. We’ve been using it for over a decade and it’s been a game changer for our clients. We want you to know that big things are coming for Divi users! Elegant Themes is gearing up for the launch of Divi 5, a major update that reimagines the builder’s architecture from the ground up. This isn’t just a performance patch or a visual refresh—Divi 5 is packed with powerful new tools that will change how we build and manage websites.

Among the most exciting features announced so far are:

  • Preset-based Design

  • Design Variables

  • Advanced Units

Together, these new capabilities will streamline your design workflow, create more consistency across projects, and significantly reduce development time—especially for agencies or freelancers managing multiple sites. Best of all, Divi 5 comes with a major speed boost to the Divi Builder interface, making it faster and smoother than ever.

Let’s dive into each of these features and explore how they’ll transform the way we build with Divi.

Preset-Based Design: Build Once, Apply Anywhere

If you’ve ever had to apply the same styles across multiple modules, rows, or pages, you know how repetitive and time-consuming it can be. That’s where Preset-based Design comes in.

With Divi 5, you’ll be able to create global presets for any module or section. Think of presets as style blueprints—you define a design once, then apply it to any module with a single click. Want all your buttons to use the same color, size, and hover effect? Create a preset. Need consistent styling across pricing tables or testimonial sliders? Apply a preset.

Why It Matters:

  • Consistency: Presets ensure your branding and design rules are applied uniformly across your entire site.

  • Speed: Drastically reduce the time spent copying styles or manually updating modules.

  • Efficiency: Need to change the style of all buttons on a site? Update the preset, and every module using it updates instantly.

Presets are especially powerful for agencies managing large or multisite setups. You can maintain strict brand guidelines without micromanaging every design detail.

 

Design Variables: CSS-Level Power, No Code Required

Next up is one of the most developer-friendly additions to Divi 5: Design Variables. This feature introduces a way to define reusable values—like colors, font sizes, spacing, or breakpoints—across your website.

If you’re familiar with CSS variables (like --primary-color), this will feel right at home. But the best part? You don’t need to touch code to use it.

Divi 5 lets you set and manage these variables inside the Builder UI. You can define a primary color, a heading font size, or a mobile breakpoint just once and reference it throughout your designs. When you update the variable, it updates everywhere it’s used—automatically.

Why It Matters:

  • Site-wide Control: Change a core value in one place and watch the entire site adapt instantly.

  • Better Scalability: Perfect for larger projects where managing color palettes or typographic scales manually becomes a headache.

  • More Professional Workflows: Design Variables bring Divi one step closer to tools used by professional developers and designers.

It’s like having the flexibility of a custom-coded theme, but in a visual environment anyone can understand and use.

Advanced Units: Responsive Design Made Easy

Modern web design lives and breathes flexibility. The more responsive your layout is, the better your site performs across devices. Divi 5 introduces Advanced Units, a new system that allows you to go beyond pixels and use units like em, rem, %, vw, vh, and clamp() directly in the builder.

Instead of being locked into fixed measurements, you’ll have complete control over how elements behave in different environments. Want your headings to scale based on the viewport? Use vw or clamp(). Need consistent spacing based on typography size? Use em or rem.

Why It Matters:

  • Flexible Layouts: Design components that respond beautifully across devices without complex workarounds.

  • Modern Best Practices: You can now build like the pros using fluid typography, scalable spacing, and dynamic sizing.

  • Precision Control: Fine-tune every aspect of your layout with industry-standard tools built right into the UI.

Advanced Units will be a game-changer for designers looking to create high-performance, responsive sites without writing a single line of code.

Bonus: Divi Builder Is Getting Way Faster

While these new design tools are stealing the spotlight, don’t overlook one of the biggest under-the-hood improvements: Divi 5 dramatically improves the speed and responsiveness of the Divi Builder interface.

According to Elegant Themes, the entire backend of Divi has been re-engineered for performance. This means:

  • Faster module loading

  • Quicker page rendering

  • Smoother dragging, resizing, and editing

Whether you’re working on a massive homepage or juggling multiple modules in a complex layout, you’ll notice the difference immediately. This isn’t just about convenience—it’s about productivity. Less waiting means more building.

A New Era for Divi Users

With these new features, Divi 5 isn’t just catching up to modern web standards—it’s leaping ahead.

  • Preset-based Design will save countless hours of repetitive styling.

  • Design Variables will give you power and control previously reserved for developers.

  • Advanced Units will unlock responsive design like never before.

  • And the performance improvements will make the builder feel lighter, faster, and more fun to use.

Whether you’re a freelance designer, agency owner, or in-house web manager, Divi 5 will empower you to do more—faster, and with less friction.

If you’ve ever felt limited by the visual builder or found yourself fighting the interface to get professional results, Divi 5 will feel like a breath of fresh air. These updates are all about making your life easier while delivering more powerful results to your clients or brand.

Final Thoughts

Divi 5 is shaping up to be one of the most important updates in the platform’s history. With a completely overhauled engine and a suite of advanced new design tools, it’s more than just a facelift—it’s a whole new way of working.

If you’re already a Divi user, get ready to level up your workflow. If you’ve been on the fence, this might just be the release that makes you take the leap.

Stay tuned for more updates as Divi 5 rolls out—we’ll be covering tutorials, best practices, and real-world applications to help you make the most of everything this new version has to offer.