Gutenberg already has many blocks you can use to build websites but Kadence Blocks adds many additional and customizable blocks that can enhance and improve website building easier with Gutenberg.
Although there are many great plugins for Gutenberg blocks, Kadence offers great and different blocks that work great and are Gutenberg-optimized.
In this review, I will show you what it can do, what features it has, and what benefits it offers over other plugins.
Table of Contents
What Is Kadence Blocks?
Kadence Blocks is a WordPress plugin that adds different blocks to Gutenberg and also includes a design library that consists of pre-made sections, page templates, and a recently added wireframing option.
It’s developed by KadenceWP, a great team behind the very popular WordPress theme Kadence. Kadence is one of the most customizable, lightweight, and fast themes that works amazingly with all the page builders.
So, they created the plugin for additional Gutenberg blocks and templates. Like the Kadence theme, it’s free and also has a pro version that offers more blocks and features.
How Kadence Blocks Work
It’s very simple to use the Kadence plugin. After the installation, there will be new blocks in the Gutenberg blocks list. Also, you can use pre-made sections, page templates, or wireframes from its design library.
You can use it with any WordPress theme. Because it’s made by KadenceWP, it doesn’t mean you have to use the Kadence theme.
Also Read: Astra Theme Review
It’s a Gutenberg blocks plugin and it can be used with any WordPress theme you want. But of course, it works the best with the Kadence theme and because it’s a great theme, you can use both together.
And the best thing is that you can use both – plugin and theme – for free. You get all the necessary features and options but for more, you can always buy and upgrade to a pro version.
Kadence Blocks Features
Now as long as we know what this plugin is and how it works, let’s dive in and let me explain all the features it offers. And it has a lot of great options and features even in a free version.
Gutenberg Blocks
One of the best things about this plugin is its blocks. It includes 25+ blocks and most of them are not included natively in Gutenberg. These blocks are feature-rich and highly customizable.
You can change almost everything for each block. Also, it offers pre-made layouts for different blocks. You can very easily create beautiful sections with these blocks.
One of the best and useful blocks is Row Layout which is included in a free version and with it, you can easily create custom rows that make it very easy to build custom sections for pages.
All the blocks are very high-quality and work without problems. The free version of the plugin consists of fifteen blocks such as table of content, countdown, icon, infobox, etc.
Well-optimized, great performance, unlimited customization – that’s what makes Kadence Blocks one of the best (if not the best) plugins for Gutenberg.
Premium vs Free Blocks
| Custom Blocks | Pro | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Row Layout | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Heading | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Gallery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tabs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accordion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Countdown | ✓ | ✓ |
| Table of Contents | ✓ | ✓ |
| Testimonials | ✓ | ✓ |
| Info Box | ✓ | ✓ |
| Posts | ✓ | ✓ |
| Icon List | ✓ | ✓ |
| Icons | ✓ | ✓ |
| Form | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Button | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spacing/Divider | ✓ | ✓ |
| Post Grid/Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Product Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Portfolio Grid/Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Image Overlay | ✓ | ✗ |
| Modal | ✓ | ✗ |
| Split Content | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Popup | ✓ | ✗ |
| User Info | ✓ | ✗ |
| Advanced Slider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pro Gallery Addons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pro Countdown Addons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pro Form Addons | ✓ | ✗ |
Sections
Another great feature of Kadence Blocks is its sections library which consists of amazing and professionally designed, pre-made sections. You can insert them with one click.
The library has sections for eight different categories and it has sections for free and premium versions. These are responsive sections with customization options.
You can insert them and change almost everything you want. You can choose different layouts, add colors, padding, custom CSS, and other settings.
Free sections are as professional and beautiful as premium sections. You can easily build full pages very fast with only these sections.
Not many Gutenberg plugins offer sections and it’s another benefit of this plugin.
All Sections Categories
- Feature
- Hero
- Form
- Pricing Table
- Tabs
- Accordion
- Testimonials
Starter Packs
Like many other themes or plugins, Kadence has its own library of templates. These are fully functional, pre-made websites for different purposes and styles of websites.
This is not a new feature because other Gutenberg or Elementor plugins have it. But Kadence has very beautiful and really professional templates and these templates can be imported straight from the library.
Also Read: Top 6 Gallery Plugins
Kadence offers 15+ starter templates for websites such as eCommerce, blog, corporate, learning, membership, etc. You can import the whole website or each page separately.
Although these starter templates work great with every theme, it’s better to use them with the Kadence theme. The performance will be better because they are optimized for each other.
Wireframe
But the most unique feature of Kadence Blocks that is not found on many other plugins is the option for wireframes. And wireframes can be inserted and used like sections.
The wireframe is a website design but without images or colors. When web designers create a design of a website, before they add colors, fonts, images, they create a website wireframe.
So, it’s a design in black and white. And Kadence added this feature to their blocks plugin and now you can create wireframes inside WordPress.
Wireframes are great, especially if you create websites for clients. You can quickly and easily build web designs without thinking about colors, images, or typography.
Kadence has nine different categories for wireframes. You can use wireframes for galleries, cards, pricing tables, forms, testimonials, etc.
If you decide to build websites Kadence, it’s better to use wireframes over sections because it will help you to create websites faster and then you can think about colors and other stuff.
This is a very great and new feature for WordPress and personally, I don’t know another plugin that has a wireframing option. So, one point to Kadence.
Pricing Plans
Although Kadence Blocks can be used free, it’s a premium plugin and offers different pricing plans with different features.
The premium version not only includes more Gutenberg blocks but also offers more templates and features such as Kadence AMP, Kadence Shop Kit, and more.
Kadence has three different plans for the premium version and each package has different features.
- Kadence Blocks Pro – It is the first and the least expensive package you can buy. Pluign can be used on unlimited websites and has additional features like pro blocks, pro addons, dynamic content, custom fonts, and more.
- Essential Bundle – This package also allows plugin to be used on any number of websites, has free updates and supports. Additionally with these plan you get pro version of the plugin and Kadence Theme, and pro templates.
- Full Bundle – The most expensive and powerful package you can buy. This plan includes everything that previous packages offer and also includes Kadence Cloud, Shop Kit, AMP, Child Theme Builder, etc.
Although a free version can be enough for many WordPress users, for more features and blocks it’s a good idea to upgrade to a pro version because you get more great features, pro templates, pro theme, etc.
Some pro blocks you get are video popup, product carousel, split content, user info, etc. Also, premium features such as animation on a scroll, dynamic content, custom fonts, and more.
Premium vs Free Features
| Custom Features | Pro | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Design Library | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intelligent Load | ✓ | ✓ |
| Responsive Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Layout Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Typography Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| 1500+ SVG Icons | ✓ | ✓ |
| Color and Background Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Configurable Defaults | ✓ | ✓ |
| Setting Visibility Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spacing Controls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Animate on Scroll | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Icons | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dynamic Content | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Fonts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pro Design Library Items | ✓ | ✗ |
| Page-Specific CSS and JS | ✓ | ✗ |
Conclusion
Kadence Blocks is an amazing Gutenberg plugin that increases the number of blocks and adds different useful features to it. You get pre-made sections, page templates, the wireframe tool, and different features. Has great customization options.
A free version is also a great plugin and works well with every good WordPress theme. But with a pro version you get more blocks, features, and also Kadence pro theme. With them, you can build beautiful, professional, and fast websites.
