Site tool · Free
Add "Projects", "Team" or "Listings" to WordPress from one screen, give them their own categories, and pick them as the Source of an Elementor 4 Loop Grid. No functions.php, free.
The short answer
Post Type Builder is an Animation Addons for Elementor extension that works as a custom post type builder for Elementor: you create custom post types and taxonomies in wp-admin without code, and they are ready to query from a Loop Grid. Labels, URLs, admin visibility, permissions and REST API settings sit behind one optional switch.
The result is a normal WordPress post type that any theme or plugin can read.
| Plan | Free |
|---|---|
| Type | Site tool (wp-admin: Animation Addon > CPT Builder) |
| Works on | The whole site. New public types appear wherever a widget lists public post types, such as the AAE Loop Grid Source control and the Code Snippet page rules |
| Main controls | Plural Label, Singular Label, Post Type Key, Taxonomies, Public, Hierarchical, Active, Advance Configuration (tabs: General, Labels, Visibility, URLs, Permissions, REST API) |
| Engine | WordPress register_post_type() and register_taxonomy(), called for you on every page load |
| Editor preview | Not an editor panel. Save the type, then reload the Elementor editor to see it in Loop Grid Source |
| Limits | Post Type Key: lower-case letters, underscores and dashes, max 20 characters; a key that already exists is refused. Administrators only. Display needs a grid widget such as the AAE Loop Grid |
| Plugin version | Animation Addons for Elementor 4.3 · Last updated October 2026 |
Demo variations
Ideas you can build today with Post Type Builder, free in Animation Addons, on Elementor 4's own elements. The settings on each card are a good place to start.
A three-column grid of project cards.
A team grid in the order the office manager sets.
Three stacked sections (Breakfast, Lunch, Cakes) of dish cards.
A single-column "What's new" page, newest release first.
A filter bar above a card grid; picking "Riverside" updates the cards in place.
Features
Every point below is a real control in the Post Type Builder screen or part of how it works. Nothing here needs custom code.
The CPT Builder has two tabs, Post Types and Taxonomy. Link them from either side: a taxonomy's Post Types field or a post type's Taxonomies field.
Post Type Key and Taxonomy Key are checked as you type, with a "Key Already Exist" warning if WordPress already uses the key.
Most sites only need the labels, key, Public and Active. Turn on Advance Configuration ("I know what I'm doing, show me all the options.") to reach six tabs of WordPress settings.
The URLs tab holds URL Slug, Archive, Archive Slug, Feed URL and Pagination, so no rewrite code. The Visibility tab sets Show In Admin Menu, Menu Position, Menu Icon (a class name such as dashicons-portfolio) and Exclude From Search.
Post types in an imported template register on import, so entries land in the right type.
Step by step
Six steps from switching it on to publishing. The bold names are the exact labels you will see on screen.
Download freeIn wp-admin, open the Extensions tab of the Animation Addon dashboard and switch on Post Type Builder under Utility Extensions.
Open Animation Addon > CPT Builder, stay on Post Types and add a new post type.
Fill Plural Label ("Projects"), Singular Label ("Project") and Post Type Key ("project"). Leave Public and Active on and save.
Optional: on the Taxonomy tab, add "Project Type" with Taxonomy Key "project_type", tick Projects under Post Types, and save.
Add a few entries from the new "Projects" menu.
Open a page in Elementor 4, drop in the AAE Loop Grid and choose Projects under Source.
Honest comparison
What each option has, side by side. Where the other choice is the better fit, we say so.
| Feature | Post Type Builder + AAE Loop Grid | register_post_type() in functions.php | Elementor 4.3.3 Atomic Loop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create a post type | Form in wp-admin, free | PHP in a theme or custom plugin | Uses existing content; sources are Posts, WooCommerce Products, Post taxonomy and Product taxonomy |
| Create a taxonomy | Taxonomy tab, same screen | Separate register_taxonomy() call | Same sources as above |
| Key checks | Format rule and duplicate warning as you type | None until something breaks | n/a |
| Change URLs, labels, REST, capabilities | Fields under Advance Configuration | Edit the argument array and redeploy | n/a |
| Grid plan | AAE Loop Grid is free and lists every public post type | Needs a grid widget | Atomic Loop needs Elementor Pro |
Compared with Elementor 4.3.3 (September 2026).
Types registered in code or CPT UI also appear there.
Who it's for
The people who get the most out of it, and what they use it for.
That hand clients a "Projects" menu instead of a page edited by hand.
Building directories and team pages on Elementor Free.
Who need a release-notes list without a developer ticket.
FAQ
Use the Post Type Builder in Animation Addons for Elementor. Switch it on in the Animation Addons Extensions dashboard, open CPT Builder, and fill Plural Label, Singular Label and Post Type Key. Save, add entries, then pick the new type in the Animation Addons Loop Grid Source control in Elementor 4. No PHP and no second plugin are needed.
Yes. Post Type Builder is a free extension in Animation Addons for Elementor, and so is the Loop Grid that displays the entries, including every Advance Configuration tab. Animation Addons Pro only adds extras on top, such as Loop Filters widgets for visitor filtering or animation extensions on the cards.
Yes. The Animation Addons Post Type Builder registers ordinary WordPress post types, so it does not depend on Elementor Pro. On Elementor Free with the Atomic Editor on, the free Animation Addons Loop Grid can query the new type. Elementor's own Atomic Loop needs Elementor Pro, which is why the AAE Loop Grid is the natural free way to show these entries.
The Animation Addons Post Type Builder is a wp-admin tool, not an editor panel, so reload the Elementor editor after saving a new type. Only administrators can open it. Post Type Key accepts lower-case letters, underscores and dashes, up to 20 characters, and refuses a key already in use, such as "page". Pick a specific key like "project".
Entries stay in your database, but WordPress stops registering the type while the Animation Addons Post Type Builder is off, so its admin menu and front-end pages disappear. Switch the extension, or the type's Active switch, back on and everything returns. Turning it off deletes nothing.
The Animation Addons Post Type Builder can turn on WordPress's built-in Custom Fields box through the Supports list. For structured field groups such as price or client name, use the Animation Addons Custom Fields extension (Pro) or a field plugin such as ACF. The Animation Addons Dynamic Tags extension (Pro) can read ACF fields inside Elementor 4 elements.
More answers in the FAQ · Documentation · Free vs Pro
Pairs well with
What works well with Post Type Builder on the same page or template.
The free atomic grid that lists your new post type under Source.
Add field groups to the post types you build here (Pro).
Give visitors taxonomy, field and search filters over the grid (Pro).
A portfolio layout that also lists public post types.
Load a script only on your new type's single pages.
Free in Animation Addons for Elementor. Build the type, then pick it in a Loop Grid.
