Starter Templates vs Kadence Blocks
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| Feature | Starter Templates v4.7.9 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Kadence Blocks v3.8.0.2 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 1M+ | 600,000+ |
| Last updated | October 20, 2026 | October 22, 2026 |
| Editions | Starter Templates · Essential and Business Toolkits ($) | Kadence Blocks · Kadence Blocks Pro ($) |
| Pros | Large library of free website and section templates; Works with Elementor, Spectra, Beaver Builder and the block editor; Onboarding installs the needed plugins | Over 20 blocks with design controls inside the native editor; Advanced form block with MailerLite and captcha options; Free core plugin, with an optional separate Pro plugin |
| Cons | Premium templates need a toolkit licence key; AI builder and image features call external services | Some blocks and features need Kadence Blocks Pro; Form integrations contact third-party services once configured; Prebuilt library and subscribe forms call kadencewp.com |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Full website template import, Import of site options from a template, AI website builder, Plugin install and activation during onboarding, Licence check for premium templates ($) | Registers more than 20 custom blocks, such as accordion, tabs and advanced button, Advanced form block with AJAX submission and field sanitising, Captcha verification for Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile and hCaptcha, Option to load Google Fonts locally and swap display, Google Maps block, Lottie animation and vector custom post types, Prebuilt design library REST endpoints, Built-in icon library used by icon and button blocks, Checks for a Kadence Blocks Pro licence key and product licence |
| Integrations | ||
| — | MailerLite | |
| Plugins | Elementor | — |
| Other | ZipWP API | Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha, Google Fonts |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6 | 6.6 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | Only if you agree |
| External services | api.zipwp.com, fonts.googleapis.com, ipwho.is, api.ipify.org, credits.startertemplates.com, app.zipwp.com, websitedemos.net | connect.mailerlite.com, api.mailerlite.com, www.kadencewp.com, plugins.svn.wordpress.org, licensing.nexcess.com, software.liquidweb.com, herald.nexcess.com, licensing.stellarwp.com, www.google.com, challenges.cloudflare.com, api.hcaptcha.com, js.hcaptcha.com, fonts.googleapis.com, telemetry.stellarwp.com, content.startertemplatecloud.com |
| Blocks | 1 | 60 |