The WordPress Gutenberg editor makes it easy to design a website. But if you want your website to shine, you need more than defaults — you need a blocks plugin.
WordPress’s massive ecosystem offers hundreds of block editing plugins that cater to a wide variety of use cases. To make it easier for you to pick an option, we’ve combed through every plugin available and curated a list of the best blocks plugins for WordPress websites.
Gutenberg: The WordPress Block Editor
The Gutenberg editor, aka the WordPress block editor, is the new content editor introduced with WordPress version 5.0. It replaces the classic TinyMCE editor and brings a block-based, modular approach to editing posts and pages in WordPress.
Gutenberg organizes standard page elements such as images, tables, paragraphs, and buttons into blocks. These blocks act like virtual Legos you can add, arrange, and organize in the WordPress editor.
A block-based approach eliminates the need for shortcodes and custom HTML to design attractive websites. Doing so makes web design more approachable for users without technical expertise.
The Gutenberg block editor is part of WordPress’s long-term move towards Full Site Editing. More recently, with the launch of WordPress 5.8, WordPress introduced the ability to manage site widgets using the block editor.
The Gutenberg editor bridges the gap between the classic editor and a page builder plugin like Elementor or Divi. It provides ease of use and customization while maximizing site performance with minimal page bloat.
WordPress gives you everything you need to build an attractive website — a simple user interface (UI), a massive plugin ecosystem, and an extensible codebase.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that 43.1% of the world uses WordPress to power their websites.
However, the default WordPress block editor isn’t equipped to push the limits of web design without code. But here’s the good news — WordPress lets you extend its content editing features using block plugins.
How WordPress Block Plugins Work & Why You Need Them
WordPress block plugins improve the functionality of the Gutenberg editor. They add new blocks and template libraries that make it easier to customize content.
The most common use-case for a blocks plugin is adding custom WordPress blocks to the available default block, but you can also add block patterns and improve the block editor interface using these plugins.
For example, the default WordPress heading blocks lets you customize the block type, text alignment, and text font and color. But it doesn’t let you customize the styling for highlights. You’ll need custom CSS for that.
In contrast, a block plugin like Kadence Blocks lets you customize text highlights through its Advanced Heading block. You can change settings such as the highlight color, background color, opacity, border, and padding for each block individually.
The bottom line is a blocks plugin adds convenience to your content editing process. It lets you do more with the default block editor while spending less time writing custom CSS and HTML.
Best WordPress Blocks Plugins
- Genesis Blocks
- GenerateBlocks
- Kadence Blocks
- Stackable
- Blockons
- PublishPress Blocks
- Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg
- Getwid
- CoBlocks
- Ultimate Blocks
- Otter
- Gutentor
1. Genesis Blocks
Price: Free (with limited features); The premium plan starts at $360/year.
Genesis Blocks is a set of AMP optimized blocks and block patterns that enhance the content editing experience of the default WordPress editor. Although it’s designed for StudioPress themes, you can use it with any WordPress theme that supports the default block editor.
The Genesis Blocks plugin gives you access to 15 block types, four pre-built page layouts, and eight pre-built sections. You don’t need to build pages and sections from scratch. You can use a pre-designed template and customize it to suit your site and branding.
Key Features of Genesis Blocks:
- Newsletter Block
- Section Block
- Pricing Block
- Inline Notice Block
- Accordion Block
- Share Icons Block
- Customizable Button Block
- Author Profile Block
Best Blocks Plugin For: WordPress blogs using AMP
2. GenerateBlocks
Price: Free (with limited features); Premium plans start at $39/year.
GenerateBlocks is the most minimalistic blocks plugin on this list. It only offers five different block types out of the box. However, the beauty of this plugin is you can create virtually any design using these five blocks.
This Gutenberg plugin is unique because it generates minimal CSS and its HTML structure is extremely simple. Moreover, it lets you use custom inline SVGs. You don’t need third-party services like Font Awesome. These features ensure top-tier performance.
Key Features of GenerateBlocks:
- Clean code
- Dynamic CSS
- Five flexible block types
- SVG icons
- Custom backgrounds and gradients
Best Blocks Plugin For: Blogs and websites seeking good performance and clean code.
3. Kadence Blocks
Price: Free (with limited features); Premium plans start at $69/year.
Kadence Blocks is a versatile blocks plugin that balances performance and functionality. It only loads JavaScript and CSS for the blocks specific to the page. That feature reduces the page size and ensures your website always loads instantly.
Kadence Blocks pushes the boundaries of what a blocks plugin can do in WordPress and gives you access to over 900 Google fonts and 1500 SVG icons. It also includes a helpful “Form” block that lets you design attractive forms without a third-party plugin.
Key features of Kadence Blocks:
- 16 unique block types
- Info Box Block
- Image Sliders
- Intelligent loading
- Configurable defaults
- Visibility control
- Custom content editor width settings
Best Blocks Plugin For: Bloggers, business owners, and ecommerce store owners — Kadence Blocks is perfect for everyone
4. Stackable
Price: Free (with limited features); Premium plans start at $49/year.
Stackable is one of the most comprehensive WordPress block plugins on the market. It offers 35 block types, including simple blocks — like headers and buttons — and advanced blocks like the “Team Members” block.
You can build any WordPress website using Stackable without touching a line of code. Besides its large array of blocks, it also provides hundreds of pre-designed blocks and UI Kit designs. And, that’s not all. Stackable also supports the WordPress Multilingual Plugin.
Key Features of Stackable:
- 35 block types
- Premade designs and UI Kits
- Page builder like features
- Testimonials Block
- Multiple third-party integrations
- It doesn’t use jQuery
- Supports CSS and JS minification from third-party plugins
Best Blocks Plugin For: Beginners designing blogs and business websites
5. Blockons
Blockons is a free, powerful, and very intuitive WordPress blocks plugin that streamlines the content creation process. Blockons offers 14 blocks to build your pages with, 3 of which are WooCommerce blocks, and more blocks being added constantly.
Along with WP editor blocks, Blockons also offers 3 Site-Addons to enhance your website even more. The 3 add-ons are a Back To Top button, a Website Page Loader, and a Page Scroll Indicator, with more add-ons coming soon too.
Key Features of Blockons:
- 14 different editor blocks
- 3 Woocommerce blocks
- Sliders and image gallery
- Site add-ons and website enhancements
Best Blocks Plugin For: WordPress users building business websites and online stores, who want more advanced blocks.
6. PublishPress Blocks
Price: Free (with limited features); Premium plans start at $49/year.
PublishPress Blocks is one of the best news-style block plugins on the market. Its “Content Display” block lets you showcase pages and posts using layout options such as List, Slider, Newspaper, Masonry, Frontpage, and Grid, and filter content by category, tag, and author.
PublishPress Blocks also includes a user-access permissions manager with the free version. You can use that feature to control block access for other site users for PublishPress’ and the default WordPress’ blocks.
Key Features of PublishPress Blocks:
- Content Display Block
- Contact Form Block
- WooCommerce Block
- User-role permissions
- Page builder-style block layout options
- Custom CSS snippet creator
Best Blocks Plugin For: Newspaper-style websites and blogs
7. Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg
Price: Free
If you’re a fan of the lightweight Astra theme, you’ll love this blocks plugin. Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg is a block editing plugin designed to simplify customizing the Astra theme. It provides a simple user interface that makes building custom websites effortless.
Over 300,000 WordPress sites use this blocks plugin, and it offers 27 unique block types, including a Contact Form 7 Styler. You can design attractive contact forms natively with this plugin.
Key Features of Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg:
- How-to Schema Block
- FAQ Schema Block
- Table of contents Block
- Lottie animations support
- Inline Notice Block
- Star Ratings Block
- Contact Form 7 Styler
Best Blocks Plugin For: Bloggers looking for an SEO-friendly blocks plugin
8. Getwid
Price: Free
Getwid is a WordPress Gutenberg blocks plugin that extends the default editor with over 40 blocks and 35+ pre-designed templates. What makes it unique is that it’s designed for both WordPress developers and first-time users.
Getwid gives you access to a comprehensive list of features, including a Style Kit for easy theme development and a Mailchimp integration block to help you generate leads. Moreover, it packages it in a user-friendly interface that plays seamlessly with the default editor.
Key Features of Getwid:
- Content Timeline Block
- Video Popup Block
- Countdown Block
- Instagram Block
- Ready-to-use blocks and templates
- ACF support
Best Blocks Plugin For: Intermediate and advanced WordPress users looking for a blocks plugin with custom filters and meta query support
9. CoBlocks
Price: Free
CoBlocks is a popular WordPress blocks plugin built by GoDaddy. It offers an extensive set of WordPress blocks, including standard types like accordions and icons and unique blocks like the GitHub Gist block.
It bundles a free theme that leverages all the plugin features to make it easy for CoBlocks users to build WordPress websites. CoBlocks is unique because it’s licensed under the GNU GPL v2.0, allowing developers to contribute to the project and customize it for their clients.
Key Features of CoBlocks:
- Open source code
- Free companion theme
- Gif Block
- GitHub Gist Block
- Alert Block
- Services Block
Best Blocks Plugin For: Blogs and businesses needing a plugin that can easily design a services page
10. Ultimate Blocks
Price: Free
Ultimate Blocks is one of the best Gutenberg blocks plugins for marketers. It offers Review, Social Share, Star Rating, and HowTo schema blocks that make it easy to build attractive affiliate sites that convert.
Ultimate Blocks also includes pre-configured data markups to simplify building SEO-friendly websites and a Click to Tweet block that encourages visitors to share your content. With this blocks plugin, you can drive traffic and boost your social media game.
Key Features of Ultimate Blocks:
- Countdown Block
- Star Rating Block
- Progress Bar Block
- Review Block
- HowTo Block
- Schema-enabled Blocks
- Call to Action Block
Best Blocks Plugin For: Affiliate marketers looking for a user-friendly WordPress review block
11. Otter
Price: Free
Otter is a WordPress custom blocks plugin that includes a separate template library and extends the default block editor with 23 blocks for Gutenberg. It brings a user-friendly, drag-and-drop approach to content editing and makes it easy to design websites visually.
With a library of 50+ block templates, Otter simplifies your design decisions and helps you create unique layouts and attractive webpages in a few clicks. Its Google Maps block lets you customize the map design entirely. You can add and remove controls and even customize the color of the markers to match your branding.
Key Features of Otter:
- Contact Form Block
- About Author Block
- Sharing Icons Block
- Plugin Card Block
- Product Review Block
- Service Block
Best Blocks Plugin For: Blogs and business websites that offer services and need a pricing table
12. Gutentor
Price: Free
Gutentor blurs the lines between being a WordPress page builder and a Gutenberg block editor. It includes a nifty, one-click import feature that lets you import pre-designed JSON templates to your website.
Unlike most other block plugins, Gutentor takes a page builder-style approach to designing websites. You don’t need rows and columns to build your webpages. Just drag and drop a block into the editor, and you’re good to go.
Key Features of Gutentor:
- News Ticker Post Type
- Opening Hours Widget
- Timeline Widget
- Duplex Post Type
- Dynamic content loading
- Uses Transients API
Best Blocks Plugin For: WordPress users who want more than a traditional blocks plugin
Choosing the Right WordPress Block Plugin
As WordPress implements Full Site Editing, it’s likely to add more features to its default editor. Until then, a blocks plugin will help you build an attractive, fast-loading website without page bloat.
Our list of block plugins contains something for everyone — bloggers, marketers, and business owners. And if you’re looking to do more with your WordPress website, you can complement it with one of these plugins to elevate your online marketing strategy.
