Visual Builder100K+ users

Oxygen Builder Alternative for Next.js & Astro

A developer-focused WordPress visual builder with 100K+ users that replaces themes entirely. Learn how to take Oxygen's developer-first philosophy to its logical conclusion with modern frameworks.

TL;DR

You don't need Oxygen Builder after migrating to Next.js or Astro. Modern frameworks give you full control over your design system with React components and Tailwind CSS—no page builder overhead, no theme lock-in, no license renewals. See the alternatives below.

Official docs: Next.js Documentation · Astro Documentation

The Problem with Oxygen Builder

Oxygen's selling point—replacing the WordPress theme system entirely—ironically creates deeper WordPress lock-in. All design is stored in post meta, making it impossible to edit without Oxygen active. While Oxygen outputs cleaner code than Elementor, it still generates CSS dynamically from stored JSON, impacting TTFB. The learning curve is steep for a WordPress plugin, and if you're going to learn a complex tool, modern frameworks offer more. Oxygen's acquisition and the launch of Breakdance have raised questions about long-term support.

Modern Alternatives

Next.js + Tailwind CSS

Oxygen developers already think in components and CSS—Next.js + Tailwind is the natural evolution.

framework

Pros

True component architecture
Full CSS control via Tailwind
No WordPress overhead
TypeScript support

Cons

Code-only workflow
No visual builder
Requires JS/React skills

How to Implement

Oxygen developers will find Next.js familiar. Each Oxygen component becomes a React component, selectors become Tailwind classes, and conditions become JS logic.

Astro + React Islands

For Oxygen sites that are mostly content with some interactive sections, Astro's island architecture is the perfect fit.

framework

Pros

Zero JS by default
Use React only where needed
Incredible performance
Clean output

Cons

Different paradigm
Smaller ecosystem
No visual builder

How to Implement

Build static pages in Astro and add React components with `client:load` or `client:visible` only where interactivity is needed.

Tailwind CSS + Radix UI

Oxygen users who love fine-grained CSS control will appreciate Tailwind's utility-first approach with Radix's unstyled primitives.

library

Pros

Complete styling control
Accessible primitives
No framework opinions
Perfect for custom designs

Cons

More assembly required
No visual design tool
Requires strong CSS knowledge

How to Implement

Use Radix UI primitives for interactive elements (dialogs, dropdowns, tabs) and style everything with Tailwind CSS—similar to Oxygen's approach but without WordPress.

Webflow

For Oxygen users who want visual building without WordPress, Webflow offers similar design control with cleaner architecture.

builder

Pros

Visual design with CSS control
Class-based styling
No WordPress dependency
Built-in CMS

Cons

Monthly subscription
Platform lock-in
Can't self-host

How to Implement

Oxygen users will find Webflow's class-based styling system familiar. Rebuild your Oxygen designs in Webflow's canvas.

Migration Steps

Export Oxygen's design data—it's stored as serialized JSON in post meta (ct_builder_shortcodes)

Parse the JSON to extract component structure, styles, and conditions

Map Oxygen components to React equivalents: ct_section → <section>, ct_div → <div>, ct_headline → <h*>, ct_image → Image

Convert Oxygen's selector-based styles to Tailwind utility classes

Rebuild Oxygen's reusable components (Re-usable Parts) as React components

Migrate dynamic data connections to headless CMS queries or API routes

Recreate Oxygen's conditions system as React conditional rendering

Port any custom CSS/JavaScript from Oxygen's code blocks to your component files

Deploy and test performance—expect significantly faster TTFB without PHP/MySQL overhead

Frequently Asked Questions

Oxygen already outputs clean code—why switch?

Oxygen's output is cleaner than most builders, but it still generates CSS dynamically, requires PHP rendering, and stores designs in WordPress post meta. True clean code means writing actual HTML/CSS/JS files that you version in Git, not JSON stored in a database.

I chose Oxygen because I hate WordPress themes—what now?

You'll love the modern approach even more. Next.js and Astro don't have a "theme" system to fight against. You build exactly what you want from components up—which is what Oxygen promised but with WordPress overhead.

What about Oxygen's dynamic data feature?

Oxygen's dynamic data (pulling from custom fields, ACF, etc.) is replaced by headless CMS queries. Use Sanity GROQ queries, Payload CMS REST API, or GraphQL to fetch dynamic content. It's more powerful and not limited to WordPress's data model.