As 2018 is close to the finish line, it is time to prepare for the new year. We wanted to take a moment to look back and reflect on last 12 months, highlighting the biggest milestones of Visual Composer Website Builder.
This year was a busy one - we delivered exactly ten updates and with those came plentifully of new features, elements, and templates. We asked for your feedback and you delivered. Many of your suggestions have turned into features, which you are so great at using while building pretty websites. To properly salute this fine year, let’s enjoy the following highlights!
Header, Footer, Sidebar Editor
This is one of the biggest features we shipped this year and probably the most requested. Visual Composer Header, Footer, Sidebar editor let you create an unlimited number of templates with unique designs. This tool-set works just like a theme builder allowing you to build your whole site from top to the bottom thus enjoying the website creation process to the fullest.
Custom Page Layouts
One more theme builder hero - Visual Composer Custom Page Layouts is a handy tool that gives you an option either to select one of the predefined page layouts from the layout selector or proceed with the default one. This gives you total freedom in website building as you are no longer limited by default WordPress theme layouts.
Global Templates
The Global Templates add-on was introduced in order to let you place pre-built templates such as contact information, hero section, header, footer, etc. as independent elements on your pages. This means, when you modify these templates, they update automatically across all pages where they were used. One click is all it takes to update new information across the entire site.
Export/Import Templates Add-on
We created the Export/Import Templates add-on so you can migrate your saved templates from one Visual Composer website to another. This is special to all developers to have an option for faster layout migration between the development and production sites. Just one more feature that is created to let you work smarter not harder.
Compatibility Elements
To complement the Visual Composer Compatibility program, we have delivered and optimized compatibility with other popular WordPress plugins. From MailChimp, Caldera Forms, Captain Forms and Contact Form 7, to Envira Gallery, Layer Slider, and Gutenberg editor - we make sure you have an easy access to these and many other plugin elements straight from your Visual Composer Website Builder editor.
GPL Compatibility
It is important for us to stay compatible not only with the popular plugins but also follow the WordPress community standards. With a recent update, we are also pleased to announce that Visual Composer Website Builder is GPL compatible.
WordPress itself was built on the GPL license, which works to ensure the rights and freedoms that the entire community can benefit from. We at Visual Composer are proud to offer these same freedoms to our users. This means that anyone is free to use the Visual Composer API to develop own WordPress custom projects - themes and add-on, as well as follow GPL projects on the GitHub.
Developers API
In the middle of the year, we presented you something special - Visual Composer API. With this, we opened a whole new chapter of our never-ending story. Developers API gives you an option to create your own custom elements that allow you to build WordPress add-ons.
It was not long before the first third-party Visual Composer Website Builder add-on was released. Essential Add-on for Visual Composer Website Builder created by Sike offers visually and technically nice features.
If this made you inspired, you are welcome to create your own custom elements for Visual Composer Website Builder. Also, there is a nice tutorial of “How to Create Custom Elements Using Visual Composer API” tutored by a developer Nikita.
Theme Integration
Visual Composer Theme Integration feature was specially developed to thrill the WordPress theme developers who now have the opportunity to include the world’s class website builder in their themes.
There are a lot of benefits when you integrate Visual Composer Website Builder into your themes. The one you will love is the fact that theme integration doesn't cost you anything - it is free!
Visual Composer Starter Theme
Visual Composer Starter theme made a blast in early 2018 by joining the official WordPress Theme repository. With thousands of active installs, it instantly became one of the most popular new WordPress themes offering a clean and simple design that can be easily aligned with any brand and products.
By continuing to work on improving the theme, soon enough we were happy to announce a compatibility between Visual Composer Starter theme and WooCommerce. With all the basic online store pages defined and an easy-to-use customizer available, it has never been easier to set up the online store.
Every Update Counts
Adding headline features to Visual Composer Website Builder is always exciting but even small changes can make a big difference. Our goal is to improve your overall experience with Visual Composer Website Builder. Alongside the bigger updates we released in 2018, we also have been working on tons of other features. Here are our top smaller updates:
- Instagram-Like Filters;
- Disable Column Stacking;
- Color Picker;
- Copy/Paste Rows & Columns;
- Sticky Row Option;
- Responsive Row Layouts;
- Show Element When Sticky.
This year brought our yet best website editor - it is now easier than ever to create your most stunning website. In addition, there are multiple element Design Options created and released - one of the most powerful features of Visual Composer Website Builder. Image and Video background, Parallax effect, Shape divider, CSS Animation, and so many more styling options there at your fingertips.
New Projects Started
Just before entering the second quarter of 2018, we launched several projects that complemented Visual Composer Website Builder as a world’s class WordPress plugin.
Affiliate Program Launched
The launch of the Affiliate program was a logical step and another achievement in our journey to deliver the best WordPress product. This program is a great opportunity for WordPress niche affiliates to earn extra income by promoting a product favored by thousands of WordPress users. With a 40% commission, we offer one of the top affiliate programs in the industry.
Translation Portal Launched
Users from all around the world choose Visual Composer Website Builder as their tool to build their WordPress sites. The Translation Portal was a logical next step. So, all the translators, you are welcome to help translate Visual Composer Website Builder to your language and be a part of making it even better.
Extended Customer Support
By default our Premium users get dedicated support provided by our professional developers, however - every Visual Composer user can find support via channels that have been handed over to our users all year long:
Everyone can feel supported by our community that extends with each day.
Your Visual Composer Stories
This year, you created loads of amazing websites. They all are elegant and a great inspiration to others to start creating their own beautiful sites.
We are so inspired by your passion, creativity, and drive and want to showcase every masterpiece that is made by using our website builder. In the middle of 2018, we started an initiative to publish showcases of websites designed with Visual Composer Website Builder. Here you can get inspired by these collections: Summer showcase and Autumn showcase.
Your Top 5 Visual Composer Website Builder Elements
These are the most popular content elements that you have downloaded from the Visual Composer Hub and found useful in your website creation process:
- Basic Menu;
- Featured Image Post Grid;
- Flip Box;
- Classic Accordion;
- Testimonial.
Our Stories
Just like you, we are working hard and having fun. 2018 has been a great ride delivering new features, as well as expanding our knowledge by visiting interesting events all around the world. Here are some of our exciting moments:
Participating in WordCamp 2018
Earlier this year we visited Belgrade for #WCEU, and just arrived back from #WCUS in Nashville. Lots of new connections revealed and future projects planned.
Visual Composer Team’s Spring Camp
In the springtime, we all went to a week-long spring camp in Lithuania. Full with ideas and feature requests, we spent a quality time brainstorming, discussing and having fun. The outcome? Global Templates add-on - one of the major features was launched proving that fun times can really lead to productivity! 
Annual Hackathon
Each year Visual Composer team gets together to create something new and exciting in the annual Bastille Day Hackathon. This year we worked on high requested migration tool and our Starter Theme WooCommerce support. See how we did on Visual Composer Hackathon video.
Visual Composer New Branding
Very recently we were thrilled to share the exciting news about Visual Composer new look - with a new logo at the forefront! As we continue our evolution and growth, we wanted Visual Composer brand to represent our new vision and go hand in hand with the product development.
2018 was an incredible year! It was a year of growth and change for Visual Composer. We are excited about the direction we are heading as a company and we look forward to sharing our stories with you in the next year. 2019 will mark a start of new features, some of which you can find out now.
Q1 2019 Roadmap Sneak Peek
As we move further into 2019, there are fresh ideas in our box to be delivered. Take a moment to discover what will soon become a reality for the Visual Composer:
- The migration add-on from the WPBakery to Visual Composer;
- Custom Header and Footer option for dynamic pages;
- Inline editor improvements;
- Blocks templates;
- and much more.
Want to be part of this next year?
Create your website with Visual Composer Website Builder and become a part of our amazing community.
I’m confused and I guess I came to the partty late. What’s the deal with WPBakery and VC? I have Bakery but haven’t used it in about 7 months or so. What’s the background were you not the same company
Hello Zelda,
Visual Composer Website Builder and WPBakery Page Builder are both independent products made by the same team.
WPBakery Page Builder is only for the content part, while with Visual Composer Website Builder you can create a complete website (including Headers and Footers.)
You can know more about the differences and a table comparison in this link:
https://visualcomposer.com/help/faq/visual-composer-website-builder-vs-wpbakery-page-builder/
Have a nice day!