Released in 2018, WordPress block editor (aka Gutenberg) radically changed the way people create posts and pages on WordPress. Whether you love it or hate it, you probably use it.
In this post, we’ll give you a list of the 9 best Gutenberg add-ons to make the best out of the block editor.
Gutenberg
Since WordPress’s inception, their editor hadn’t changed much. New website builders emerged, such as Wix and Squarespace, which had a more visual, intuitive, and, well, modern way of creating content. That made some people point out WordPress was becoming out of date. And that’s when the new editor came.
Gutenberg’s main difference with the Classic editor relies on the inclusion of blocks. Some useful default blocks you will find on Gutenberg are:
- Embed blocks: easily embed tweets, Youtube videos, Instagram posts, and more.
- Columns blocks: create multi-column layouts for your blog post.
- Button block: add CTAs.
Most Gutenberg add-ons or plugins add new, custom blocks for you to experience with. So you can build beautiful pages on your website without any coding skills.
However, this isn’t enough for some people who have grown used to the Classic Editor. So let’s take a quick look at some of the pros and cons of the block editor:
Pros: Shows your content in a format closer to how it will look on the front end. It also gives more options for customizing your content.
Cons: It might add unnecessary code and even break certain sites.
Nevertheless, the editor is constantly being updated and improved, so their current issues might be quickly fixed.
And what’s more, Gutenberg offers great opportunities for your site.
Although some people still don’t find it attractive, it’s important to consider the Classic Editor might not be an alternative forever.
For now, it’ll be available at least until December of 2022. If you’d like to keep on using the Classic Editor after that, there’re plugins like Disable Gutenberg that are just for that.
Best Gutenberg Add-ons
Some plugins focus on one single powerful feature while others are block-collection plugins and offer a lot of blocks. In the list above, there’s both. You’ll also find both free and paid options.
1. Gutenberg Blocks – Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg
The Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg is a complete package of unique and creative blocks that take the hassle out of the website building process. Their block library is huge and lets you do anything, from designing attractive How-to pages to displaying some amazing client feedback. Here are some of its blocks, to mention a few:
- Section: Add background videos.
- Advanced columns: create attractive rows with customizable columns.
- Book quotes or blog quotes. You can include a “tweet this” option.
- Contact form 7 styler.
- Content timeline.
- Price list.
With this plugin, you can also get professionally designed 20+ pre-built free starter sites built.
Pricing:
It’s free! You may contribute to the plugin on GitHub.
2. WPForms – Best Gutenberg Block for WordPress Forms
WPForms is a user-friendly WordPress plugin that helps you create a wide range of different forms from the more basic (survey forms, login forms, email sign-up forms) to the more advanced forms (form abandonment, conversational form, and more). Among WPForm’s many features, you’ll find Spam Protection, which basically prevents spam from being submitted.
Moreover, this add-on is perfect for your digital marketing strategy because it easily integrates with email marketing tools like Mailchimp, e-commerce plugins, and CRM software.
Pricing:
According to your number of sites, you might want to go with a low plan or a higher one.
- Basic: $39,50 per year. Use on 1 site.
- Plus: $99,50 per year. Use on 3 sites.
- Pro: $199,50 per year. Use on 5 sites.
- Elite: $299,50 per year. Use on unlimited sites.
3. Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks
Perfect for web designers, Stackable transforms Gutenberg into a page builder. Some of their powerful custom blocks are icon list block, accordion block, notification block, and feature grid block. With their add-on, you can use image and video backgrounds, gradient background effects, and more.
Stackable has seamless integration with some essential third parties like Google Fonts, Toolset, and Blocksy. It also has a very user-friendly and manageable UI.
And if you are concerned about your website speed as much as its design, don’t worry! Stackable helps you achieve high Core Web Vitals and higher SEO ranking by optimizing your website performance.
Pricing:
- Free forever. Basic features.
- Personal: $49 per year. For a single site with premium features.
- Business: $99 per year. Three sites.
- Agency: $149 per year. Unlimited sites.
- Agency lifetime: $499 one-time.
4. Envira Gallery
With over 3,000,000+ downloads, Envira is a great option for designers, photographers, and developers. You can easily create SEO-friendly images and video galleries on your website with this plugin. You don’t need coding skills to use it but for developers interested in more customization, there’s a CSS addon available.
Envira Gallery makes your life easier with its watermark protection and image-proofing features. It also integrates with WooCommerce so you can sell your photos if you want to!
Pricing:
- Basic: $29 per year. 1 site.
- Plus: $69 per year. 3 sites.
- Pro: $99 per year. 5 sites.
- Lifetime: $299 per year. Unlimited sites.
5. OptinMonster
OptinMonster is one of the best lead generation tools for WordPress. Since 2020, the OptinMonster Gutenberg block for embedding inline campaigns on your posts and pages is available for you to add to the block editor. With their plugin, you can build popups, slide-ins, lightboxes, and more, without the need to write code. Just insert their block and choose the right inline campaign from the list.
Pricing:
You’ll notice OptinMonster is more expensive than the rest of the add-ons on this list.
- Basic: $14 per month. 1 site.
- Plus: $20 per month. 2 sites.
- Pro: $47 per month. 3 sites.
- Growth: $80 per month. 5 sites.
6. CoBlocks
CoBlocks is a powerful yet lightweight Gutenberg add-on that’s developed by GoDaddy. The plugin is the perfect combination of additional blocks and page builder functionalities. It includes multiple blocks that let you play with every tiny setting until you’ve made your page perfect. Some of these blocks are:
- Accordion Block.
- Click to Tweet Block.
- Masonry Gallery Block.
- Shape Divider Block: split up your content with beautiful dividers.
- Social Profiles Block.
You can tailor each block to your taste using the custom controls and settings: change fonts, set margin and padding, pick colors, and more.
Pricing:
CoBlocks is completely open-source which means it’s free! It also means it’s built with developers in mind and any developer interested in the project can contribute to the add-on on GitHub and join the party.
7. Qubely
Another great Gutengerg add-on is Qubely, which gives a beautiful and uniform styling to your WordPress websites. They have more than 30 blocks, including:
- Google Map
- Timeline
- Media card
- Team carousel
- Countdown
- Progress bar
You can check out on their website how each one would look on your page. With Qubely’s powerful builder, you’ll also design simple and complex layouts, adjust columns, and combinate them as you wish.
Qubely also helps you bring a uniform style to your site with its global typography and color settings. Set colors and typography once and apply them anywhere!
Pricing:
- Individuals: $39 per year.
- Freelancers: $59 per year. Includes 5 site licenses.
- Agencies: $99 per year. Unlimited sites.
Besides the annual payment option, Qubely offers a 1-time lifetime payment. The plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee and don’t renew automatically.
8. Toolset Blocks
With Toolset Blocks, you can design dynamic templates without any coding. You just build a template using blocks and all the posts that use that template will display the correct relevant content.
How diverse is their design block library you may ask? Well, they have more than 25 blocks, including related products, conditional (display or hide elements), breadcrumbs, and audio.
Pricing:
- 1 Site: $69 per year.
- 3 Sites: $149 per year.
- Unlimited Sites: $299 per year.
9. CodeMirror Block
Finally, the last plugin in these best Gutenberg add-ons list is CodeMirror Block. This add-on, like its name suggests, differs from the others we mentioned in that it requires coding knowledge. CodeMirror Block it’s dependent on the open-source CodeMirror library and it’s useful for any developer.
Some of its key features are:
- Code syntaxis highlighted.
- 56 themes.
- More than 100 programming languages.
- Works also on the android mobile browser.
- Lightweight and fast.
Pricing:
It’s completely free. If you want to support the advancement of the plugin, you can donate to it.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the 9 best Gutenberg add-ons to have an amazing WordPress experience and design your website just like you want to. In this post, we mentioned:
- Gutenberg Blocks
- WPForms
- Stackable
- Envira Gallery
- OptinMonster
- CoBlocks
- Qubely
- Toolset Blocks
- Code Mirror Block
Some of them offer more blocks than others, some are free and others require payment. But they all have the highest quality and will help you take your website to the next level.
So tell me in the comments: have you tried any of these Gutenberg add-ons?
What are your thoughts on the block editor? I’m curious!
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