Higher-level elements cost extra
Menus, forms, sliders, galleries, accordions, and more come from the Breakdance Elements and Forms add-ons, or you need to hand-code them.
Ready to move beyond Oxygen?
Mosaic is one system, a real theme, a real builder, and a native design system, all built to work together from day one. Build faster. Ship cleaner. Scale without rebuilding.
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Difference
Why switch to Mosaic?
Instead of assembling a separate theme and separate add-ons, Mosaic gives you one complete system that works for any skill level, right out of the box.
- 1
One complete system, not assembled from add-ons
Oxygen ships without many native elements, like menus, sliders, and accordions. They come from the Breakdance Elements add-on, $49.99/year, or coded yourself. Forms need a separate add-on too. Mosaic includes every element in every plan.
- 2
A real theme foundation instead of a blank canvas
Oxygen disables your active theme, no guided setup, just an empty structure. Mosaic ships three ready-made themes (Gibraltar, Monolith, Blank) and a getting started Wizard that previews your choices using your own content.
- 3
One system since launch, no rebuild required
Oxygen 6 shares roughly 80% of its codebase with Breakdance, a builder for a different audience, with no official way to bring an Oxygen Classic site into Oxygen 6. Mosaic is one system, built as one system, from launch.
- 4
Built for every kind of creator, without the developer-only wall
Oxygen ships with no onboarding wizard or guided setup, just an empty canvas built for developers who already know what they're doing. Mosaic has a learning curve too, but a hobbyist, a designer, and a developer can all work in it.
- 5
A native design system from day one
Oxygen's native Variables handle site-wide styling, but the Breakdance Elements add-on runs its own separate system that doesn't sync, by Oxygen's own admission. Mosaic's classes and variables are native in every plan, applied consistently site-wide.
- 6
A free first year, not a disposable demo
Oxygen has no free plan, only a demo site that's deleted after about a week, so trying it for real means a paid lifetime purchase upfront, with no trial period at all. Mosaic's Personal and Creator plans are free for the entire first year, before you pay anything.
Problem
Common problems with Oxygen
Oxygen gives you real control. The friction shows up when core pieces, elements, forms, and style management, live behind separate add-ons and tiers instead of one system.
No free tier
The only free option is a demo site that's automatically deleted after about a week. Trying Oxygen for real means a paid lifetime purchase, with no trial period.
No path from Oxygen Classic
Existing Oxygen Classic sites can't be converted to Oxygen 6 natively. The only options are a third-party converter or a manual rebuild from scratch.
Recurring add-on costs
Once the launch bundle closes, each Breakdance add-on (Elements, Forms) reverts to $49.99/year, stacked on top of the "lifetime" license.
Built for developers first
There's no wizard or guided setup, just an empty canvas from the first login. Oxygen's own positioning is upfront that it isn't designed with beginners in mind.
Separate style systems
Breakdance add-on Elements' separate style system doesn't sync with Oxygen's Variables, causing inconsistent styling by Oxygen's own admission.
Solution
How Mosaic is built differently
Mosaic gives you that same real control, but stays visual and works for any skill level. Everything ships included, nothing locked behind a tier or add-on.
All elements included natively
Menus, forms, sliders, accordions, tabs, and more ship native in every Mosaic plan. Oxygen keeps these behind separate paid add-ons or hand-coded.
Free for a full year
Mosaic's Personal and Creator plans are free for the entire first year. Oxygen's only free option is a demo site that gets deleted after about a week.
No migration debt to inherit
There's no official way to bring an existing Oxygen Classic site into Oxygen 6, only a full manual rebuild. Mosaic launched as one product, with nothing older to inherit.
One flat price, no reverting fees
Every Mosaic plan includes the complete feature set from day one, with nothing to unlock later or pay extra for. Oxygen's add-ons revert to a yearly fee later.
Built for every skill level
Mosaic has real depth and its own learning curve, but a hobbyist can start visually today, and a developer can go as deep as they want, without hitting a wall.
Site-wide styling, built in
Mosaic's class system styles every element type automatically, like headings. Oxygen has no equivalent, only manual classes or a paid add-on.
comparison
See the difference in real projects
This isn't about which tool is more capable, Oxygen already proves itself there. It's about what ships included, what costs extra later, and how much guidance you get along the way.
Feature
Oxygen
Mosaic
What this means for you
Native elements
Menus, sliders, accordions, tabs, forms require paid add-ons, or to code your own
All elements included in every plan
Nothing to add on or pay for separately
Theme foundation
Disables your active theme, ships no theme of its own
Three ready-made themes, built on the same system as the builder
You start from a real foundation, not a blank canvas, so you're not building structure from scratch first
Design system
No automatic default styling, it needs manual classes, a plugin, or paid add-on
Built in class system automatically styles every element site-wide
Style once, it updates everywhere
Migration path
No official Classic to 6 converter, and the entire Classic add-on ecosystem breaks
Not applicable, one product since launch
Oxygen Classic users have to budget real time, or a paid tool, for the move
Learning curve
Developer-first by their own positioning, not built with beginners in mind
Has a learning curve, built for developers, designers, and hobbyists alike
A hobbyist can start styling visually today. A developer can go just as deep, without switching tools or hitting a ceiling
Getting started
No guided setup, straight into an empty canvas and a bare element list
A setup Wizard that previews your theme choices using your own content
You start building with direction, not a blank editor and no guidance
Pricing model
No free plan, only a demo deleted after a week. Trying it for real means a paid lifetime purchase, no trial.
Free for the entire first year on Personal and Creator, then lower annual pricing, with unlimited and lifetime options
Start free with nothing to lose. Oxygen's lifetime pricing only pays off once you're running a lot of sites
mindset
Built for different kinds of creators
Oxygen speaks fluent developer, and does it well. Mosaic speaks that same language, plus every other skill level building right alongside them, without anyone hitting a wall.
Developer
You think in systems, no abstraction layer in your way. Oxygen earns this with class-based discipline and Element Studio. Mosaic gives you the same depth, with consistency built in by default.
In practice
- Edit one button's default element class, every button updates
- Share one system with your designer, nothing lost in translation
- Build elements if needed, no Element Studio required for basics
- One theme and builder system, not bolted together
Designer
You want visual control connected to a real design system, not just a canvas. Oxygen's minimal native elements and class-based workflow can feel like friction when you want to style something right away.
In practice
- Elements pre-classed automatically, no setup before styling
- Guided theme setup previews your colors, fonts and content first
- Built-in class hierarchy, keeps large projects organized
- Full design library included, no add-on required
Builder
Running many client sites long term? Every Mosaic plan includes every feature already, so you're only ever paying for site count, not unlocking functionality tier by tier like Oxygen's plans.
In practice
- Every feature included at every tier, no separate add-ons
- Full design library and guided setup speed up every client build
- Preview redesigns privately, no separate staging site needed
- Try the real product free for a year first
Hobbyist
New to this, but want to do it right? Oxygen admits it isn't built for you, no guidance, just an empty canvas. Mosaic has a real learning curve too, but it's built with a beginner-to-pro path from day one.
In practice
- A Wizard walks you through your first real choices
- Visual building that teaches real web structure as you go
- Experiment in test mode, without touching your live site
- The same tool you keep using as your skills grow
FAQ
Mosaic as an Oxygen alternative
Straight answers to the questions that come up most when comparing Mosaic and Oxygen, from pricing and migration to what each one is actually built for.
Is Mosaic a good alternative to Oxygen?
If you want a class-and-variable system with a guided setup, a full design library, and one unified theme-and-builder foundation instead of an empty canvas, Mosaic is a strong fit. If you depend on Oxygen's established third-party marketplace or Element Studio for custom-coded elements, Oxygen remains a solid choice.
I'm on Oxygen Classic, should I move to Oxygen 6 or switch to Mosaic instead?
That depends on what you value. Oxygen has committed to supporting Classic long-term, so staying put is a stable option if you don't want to change anything. But there's no official migration path or add-on compatibility from Classic to Oxygen 6, so if a rebuild is coming either way, it's a fair moment to compare Mosaic too.
Can I migrate my Oxygen site to Mosaic?
There's no one-click import from Oxygen. You rebuild on Mosaic's class-and-variable foundation, starting from a full design library and guided setup rather than from zero. It is a real rebuild, not an automatic conversion.
Does Mosaic support WooCommerce like Oxygen does?
Not yet. Oxygen offers WooCommerce through a paid Breakdance add-on today. WooCommerce support is on Mosaic's public roadmap, queued in as a near-term priority, and like every other Mosaic feature, it will be included in all plans when it ships, not gated behind a pricier tier. If e-commerce is a requirement right now, Oxygen is the more practical choice.