Pros and Cons of Essential Blocks: How Good Is It Really?

The Gutenberg block editor was first introduced at the end of 2018. Since then, it has become an essential part of every WordPress website. Though some people use it for page designing, most people still use popular page builders for creating complex landing pages.

But when it comes to writing and publishing blog content, Gutenberg is still irreplaceable. However, why aren’t all people still inclined to use this default editor for all purposes? It’s not able to create complex types of content, whether it’s for posts or pages.

Essential Blocks is one of those plugins that has been developed to enhance the default editor with many advanced blocks and useful features. In this blog post, I’ll take you through the pros and cons of Essential Blocks.

So, if you are looking for such a custom block plugin, this blog post will highly benefit you. Because it will help you decide whether to use the Essential Blocks plugin. Let’s get started!

What Is Essential Blocks and How Does It Work?

Essential Blocks is a freemium block plugin created by WPDeveloper. It comes with 70+ custom blocks. With them, you can build sliders, post grids, pricing tables, and more in just a few clicks. It works smoothly with all WordPress plugins with a fast loading speed.

The plugin also includes AI writing & image generation, advanced animations, WooCommerce integration, and ready-made block patterns and templates. Currently, the plugin has 200,000+ active installations, which is constantly growing.

Once you install and activate it from the WordPress plugin directory, all its blocks appear inside the Gutenberg editor. You can add them one by one to the editor to craft the content you want. After that, you can stylize their color, font, layout, animations, and other things as needed.

Get a detailed overview of the Ultimate Blocks plugin.

Comparing Essential Blocks to Other Gutenberg Block Plugins

Below I have covered a quick comparison between Essential Blocks and other popular block plugins on WordPress.org. Let’s take a quick look at them.

Pros of Essential Blocks: Advantages

Now, it’s time to get into the main discussion. Here, I’ve covered the pros of the Essential Blocks plugin comprehensively in the following write-up. Keep reading!

1. Offering 70+ Custom Blocks

Essential Blocks gives you more than 70 custom blocks. These blocks cover everything from fancy headings to video embeds. They work like ready-made tools. Just add to the editor what you need, such as a testimonial carousel or FAQ accordion, and so on.

After that, you can stylize them, choose animations, z-index, and anything you like. The process is almost similar to the default block editor. Each block has built-in presets to help you start fast.

Bloggers especially love the content filter block for sorting posts by tags, keeping sites clean and organized. This big collection means less clutter, more creativity, and a smoother design experience.

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2. Global Styling and Typography

The global styling feature lets you control your site’s colors, fonts, and text sizes in one place. When you change a style once, it updates everywhere automatically. It also includes Google Fonts for a professional look. Users say this feature saves hours when working on big sites.

Because it keeps everything consistent. For multilingual websites, it works well with WPML, keeping styles in sync across languages. You can easily adjust typography for headings, paragraphs, or buttons and preview changes live.

This helps you keep your site’s design clean, consistent, and professional from the start.

3. Modular Control for Performance

Modular control is one of the best parts of Essential Blocks. You can turn on only the blocks you need and disable the rest. This keeps your website lightweight and fast. As I tested its performance on testwp, it scored high on Google’s speed metrics without needing extra optimization plugins.

If you don’t use certain blocks, like maps, you can switch them off to reduce load time. Developers love this because it prevents site bloat and keeps performance high, even on shared hosting. A faster site means happier visitors and better SEO rankings.

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4. Extensive Template Library

Essential Blocks has an integration with the Templately plugin. It includes 5,500+ templates, both for Elementor and Gutenberg. Among them, 2,500+ templates are for Gutenberg. So, if you are thinking of readymade templates for the block editor, Essential Blocks can help in this case.

These templates cover everything from homepages to online stores. The free version has a smaller set, but still includes useful basics. You can import templates, change their colors or text, and publish them instantly. Most users say that these templates often inspire them with new design ideas.

5. Translation-Ready and WPML Compatible

Every block in Essential Blocks is translation-ready. It works smoothly with WPML, so you can easily create sites in multiple languages. It also supports right-to-left languages like Arabic.

You can make a French or Spanish version of your site, and the blocks adapt automatically. No broken layouts or style issues. This makes Essential Blocks a top choice for international websites and multilingual teams.

6. Full Mobile Responsiveness

Essential Blocks are fully responsive, meaning they look great on any device, like desktop, tablet, or mobile. You can adjust layouts for different screens with built-in responsive tools. The sliders let you set breakpoints for smaller devices to prevent zoom or overlap problems.

This not only improves user experience but also helps with SEO, as Google rewards mobile-friendly websites. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve tested several demo sites built with Essential Blocks using Google PageSpeed Insights, and I found that their mobile optimization score is excellent.

Check how to create a website with Elementor.

7. Visibility and Advanced Controls

Essential Blocks includes advanced visibility settings and design controls. You can choose to show or hide blocks on certain pages or devices. There are options for Z-index (to control layers), overflow (to crop content), and opacity (for fade effects).

You can place menus behind banners or create smooth fade-ins without writing CSS. Designers use these tools to add creative effects like scroll-based popups or layered visuals. These small touches give your site a professional, custom look with simple controls.

8. AI-Powered Content Generation

In the Pro version, you get AI-powered tools to generate text and images directly inside the editor. Just type a short prompt like “write a blog intro about travel,” and it instantly creates content you can edit. This saves a lot of time for writers and marketers.

You can also use AI to fill sections like headings, intros, or call-to-actions. It’s a big help for both beginners and professionals who want to speed up their content creation process.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to choose the best page builder plugin for WordPress.

9. Excellent Customer Support

Essential Blocks offers excellent customer support for both free and Pro users. Free users get help through the support forum, while Pro users have access to quick live chat and ticket support. About 95% of users rated their support experience as positive.

The team responds fast, usually within hours, and updates the plugin regularly based on user feedback. Many users call it a ‘lifesaver,’ especially when they face tight deadlines. This reliable support builds strong trust among its community.

Cons of Essential Blocks: Weaknesses

Now, it’s time to cover the limitations of the Essential Blocks plugin. As said above, like anything else in the world, Essential Blocks also has some limitations. Let’s take a look at them below.

1. Occasional Bugs After Updates

Sometimes, new updates can bring small bugs. A few users in 2025 noticed issues like blocks not saving properly or styles changing after updates. Some also faced small form errors that needed quick fixes or rollbacks.

The good news is that the Essential Blocks team usually solves these problems fast through their support forum. Still, these small issues can interrupt your work if you are on a tight deadline.

2. Lacks Advanced Features Compared to Rivals

Essential Blocks covers most design needs, but it still misses some advanced features that top rivals like Spectra or Kadence offer. For example, it doesn’t include built-in pop-up builders, form builders, or deep dynamic content options without extra plugins.

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3. Requires an Extra Plugin for Templates

The free version of Essential Blocks doesn’t include all the 3,000+ templates—you’ll need the Templately plugin to unlock the full library. While the free templates cover the basics, advanced layouts are locked behind the paid plan.

Some users also mentioned that importing templates can sometimes clash with existing styles due to theme issues. This can make the setup heavier and slightly slower. Competing plugins often include more ready templates for free, which gives them a small edge here.

4. Some Blocks Have Mobile Issues

A few blocks, especially grids or layouts, may not always look perfect on smaller screens. Some elements overlap or hide incorrectly on mobile without custom CSS tweaks. The Essential Blocks team regularly updates to fix these problems, but small display issues can still happen.

For websites that depend heavily on mobile traffic, you might need to double-check your layouts. It’s not a major problem, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Best Use Cases of Essential Blocks

Now, you might be thinking of where Essential Blocks would be useful. To help you out, I have listed and discussed some use cases of the plugin below. Keep reading!

a. Creating Engaging Blog Posts

For bloggers, Essential Blocks is a great tool. You can use advanced headings, post grids, or carousels to make your posts look attractive and easy to read. The built-in AI helps you write intros or summaries quickly, while SEO tools improve your rankings.

b. Building E-commerce Product Pages

Essential Blocks works very well for WooCommerce stores. You can use product grids, pricing tables, and carousels to display items beautifully. Filters help customers sort by price or category, and responsive designs keep everything neat on mobile.

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c. Designing Landing Pages with Templates

The template library is perfect for building landing pages fast. Just import a layout, add your content, and you’re done. The Pro version’s 3,000+ templates cover all types of businesses, from blogs to agencies. You can also use AI to write text for your landing sections and add animations for better visuals.

d. Developing Multilingual Websites

Essential Blocks works perfectly with WPML and other translation plugins. You can create pages in different languages without losing any design or style. It even supports right-to-left languages like Arabic. It’s an easy way to reach a global audience and increase website traffic.

e. Customizing Interactive Elements

Essential Blocks includes many interactive elements such as accordions, tabs, and hotspots. These make your pages more engaging and fun to explore. You can layer sections with Z-index or use popups for special offers, without writing a single line of code.

Visit this guide on how to group blocks in WordPress.

Conclusion

Essential Blocks is an excellent plugin that turns the Gutenberg editor into a more powerful website builder. It’s one of the block plugins you can choose and use with utmost confidence for a great performance. But since nothing in the world is beyond limitations, I have explored its weaknesses along with positive sides in this thorough post.

But still, compared to numerous Gutenberg block plugins, these cons are minor issues. Now, if you still have any unanswered questions in your mind, let me know through the comment box below. I will try my level best to answer you with viable resources and information.