Essential Blocks vs Kadence Theme Kit Pro
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| Feature | Essential Blocks v6.5.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Kadence Theme Kit Pro v1.1.16 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 200,000+ | — |
| Last updated | October 19, 2026 | — |
| Editions | Essential Blocks · Essential Blocks Pro ($) | Kadence Theme Kit Pro ($) |
| Pros | Large block library with patterns for the block editor; WooCommerce product grid and add-to-cart blocks; Works within the standard WordPress block editor | Each module can be enabled separately; Hooked Elements place content anywhere in the theme with display conditions; WooCommerce product and cart enhancements in the same package; No usage tracking |
| Cons | Several blocks and features are marked PRO; Feed and AI blocks call third-party services and need keys or accounts | Requires the Kadence theme to be active; Updates and support need a StellarWP licence key; Elements and advanced pages are stored as custom post types tied to Kadence |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Block library registered from block.json files, WooCommerce product grid and add-to-cart blocks, Fluent Forms block, NFT gallery block fed by OpenSea, Openverse image search block, AI features through an OpenAI API key, Pro-only blocks and conditions flagged is_pro ($) | Extra header elements: account, search bar, contact, widget areas, extra navs ($), Conditional headers by page, language or post type ($), Hooked Elements custom post type with display rules ($), Advanced pages (custom 404 and similar) ($), Mega menu ($), WooCommerce addons: sticky add to cart, cart notices, archive options ($), Header, body and footer scripts ($), Infinite scroll for archives ($), Serve Gravatars from the local server ($), Dark mode switch ($), Breadcrumbs shortcode ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | WP Insights usage tracker (opt-in) | — |
| Social | Facebook Graph API, Instagram Graph API | — |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | WooCommerce ($) |
| Plugins | Fluent Forms | Kadence theme ($), LearnDash ($), Polylang ($) |
| Other | Google Maps API, OpenSea API, Openverse API, OpenAI API, Templately | — |
| Requires WordPress | 5.8 | 6.2 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 6.8.2 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| External services | graph.facebook.com, graph.instagram.com, maps.googleapis.com, app.templately.com, api.opensea.io, api.openverse.org, api.openai.com, send.wpinsight.com | licensing.stellarwp.com |
| Blocks | 60 | 1 |
| Shortcodes | — | 2 |