Essential Blocks vs Spectra Legacy
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Essential Blocks v6.5.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details | Spectra Legacy v2.20.5 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 200,000+ | 1M+ |
| Last updated | October 19, 2026 | October 9, 2026 |
| Editions | Essential Blocks · Essential Blocks Pro ($) | Spectra Legacy · Spectra Legacy Pro ($) |
| 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 | Large free set of content blocks for the block editor; Popup builder and starter template library included in the free code; Styling blocks for Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms |
| Cons | Several blocks and features are marked PRO; Feed and AI blocks call third-party services and need keys or accounts | Receives security and compatibility fixes only, with no new features; AI and template features depend on a credit-based ZipWP service |
| 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 ($) | Free content block library (post grid, FAQ, gallery, timeline and more), Popup builder with a spectra-popup post type, Styler blocks for Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms, Block template library fetched from a remote templates server, AI content generation through Zip AI (credit-based), Google reCAPTCHA keys for form blocks, Upgrade prompts for Spectra Legacy Pro ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Analytics | WP Insights usage tracker (opt-in) | — |
| Social | Facebook Graph API, Instagram Graph API | — |
| E-commerce | WooCommerce | WooCommerce |
| Plugins | Fluent Forms | Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms |
| Other | Google Maps API, OpenSea API, Openverse API, OpenAI API, Templately | Google reCAPTCHA, ZipWP, Spectra credit server |
| Requires WordPress | 5.8 | 5.6 |
| 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 | graph.facebook.com, graph.instagram.com, maps.googleapis.com, app.templately.com, api.opensea.io, api.openverse.org, api.openai.com, send.wpinsight.com | api.zipwp.com, credits.startertemplates.com, app.zipwp.com, websitedemos.net, metrics.brainstormforce.com |
| Blocks | 60 | 17 |
| Shortcodes | — | 1 |