ZoloBlocks Review: A New Gutenberg Block Editor With 30 Rich Blocks

Gutenberg. The block editor probably needs no introduction. Since its launch in 2018, it has become a staple for anyone building a site on WordPress—even those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy can get the hang of it.

But as good as Gutenberg is, its users could benefit from even more flexibility and options. That’s where block editor plugins like ZoloBlocks come into play.

ZoloBlocks is an advanced plugin that adds more functionality to your Gutenberg site builder. It comes with 30 unique blocks and features designed to streamline website creation.

But is ZoloBlocks worth it? How do you use its features effectively? What about its pricing?

In this post, I’ll do a hands-on review of ZoloBlocks to help you determine if it’s the right tool for you.

ZoloBlocks: Overview and Key Features

ZoloBlocks is a new plugin for the Gutenberg Site Builder from BDThemes, a reputable company in the WordPress development space. It offers a clean UI for easy site customization and high-quality ready-made templates for your site.

ZoloBlocks is designed for speed and efficiency. It’s faster than any other concurrent page builder and offers a familiar environment for maximum comfort. Its Gutenberg core also makes it compatible with any WordPress theme and supportive block. ZoloBlocks is designed for speed and efficiency.

Key features:

• 30 unique blocks: Add a variety of new blocks to your Gutenberg editor.
• Advanced button: Create stylish buttons for better user engagement and interaction.
• Advanced icon box: Add informative and attractive icon boxes to highlight key points.
• Image gallery: Showcase your photos or products beautifully with customizable layouts.
• Pricing table: Display your pricing plans in a clear, attractive, and organized layout.
• Social share: Enable visitors to share your content easily across social media platforms.
• Form builder: Build interactive forms for collecting user data efficiently.

Hands-On With ZoloBlocks

In this section, I’ll give you an overview of how to install and start using ZoloBlocks on your WordPress site.

First, download ZoloBlocks and upload it to your WordPress dashboard. Here are the steps:

1. Visit ZoloBlocks’ official site or its WordPress.org page. Download ZoloBlocks. You’ll find a zip file in your Downloads folder.
2. Log in to your WordPress dashboard. Next, head over to Plugins and click Add > Upload Plugin.
3. Upload the zip file and install the plugin. Once it’s installed, activate it.
4. Once done, you’ll find ZoloBlocks in your WordPress menu.

Zolo Blocks Template Library (AI Templates Coming Soon)

The Gutenberg patterns library was great from the start, but it’s limited in templates. That’s why I’m excited about the ZoloBlocks Template Library. It gives you a huge selection of ready-made patterns that make your life easier.

In this library, you’ll find full page templates, landing pages, sections, and headers and footers. These starter templates let you build a complete site right after installing ZoloBlocks.

Soon, the ZoloBlocks Template Library will have AI features. You’ll be able to use AI to create block templates based on your needs.

Using Different Blocks

After installing ZoloBlocks, I opened its dashboard and saw the welcome message. Next, I clicked on the Blocks tab and activated all the blocks for my website.

Activating the blocks meant that I could use any of them while building a new landing page for a specific purpose.

I tested a few of these blocks to see how they function. Here’s my experience:

Advanced Button block

I wanted to use an advanced button for promoting a sale on my site. So, I tested the block to see its features.

First, I typed “/container” and selected the single-column layout. Then, I added the Advanced Button block, customized the text to “20% OFF,” added a URL, and chose a shopping cart icon.

In the Style tab, I adjusted the font, borders, and colors for normal and hover modes. I also set the button alignment and enabled the URL to open in a new tab. You can tweak these settings to make your button eye-catching and interactive.

Pricing Table block

Next, I tested the Pricing Table block as I wanted to create a clear pricing section on one of my pages.

I selected the block and started customizing. I edited the service name, price, description, and features. I adjusted the badge and action buttons, aligned content, and repositioned buttons.

In the Style tab, I tweaked the typography, borders, colors, and padding for each section. I also set the normal and hover colors for the text and background.

Finally, I duplicated the table for different pricing options. Here’s how it came out:

Accordion block

Moving on, I wanted to use an Accordion block to create interactive FAQs on my site. So, I tested it to see how it works.

First, I typed “Accordion” in the block selector and added it to my page. The Accordion block came with default settings, which I customized. I changed the title of each accordion item and added content to the paragraphs.

I could add different blocks like images or sliders within each accordion. I set the initial open item and allowed multiple accordions to open at the same time. I also customized the open and close icons.

In the Style tab, I adjusted the borders, padding, margins, and background colors. I customized the typography and colors for the accordion title and icons. Finally, I set the active item styles.

The Accordion block helped me organize information neatly and make my site more user-friendly.

Chart block

Charts are a key feature for business, blogs, and eCommerce sites. ZoloBlocks offers a chart block that handles everything with the help of WordPress.

You can create pie, bar, area, line, and donut charts. You can either upload CSV files directly to your site or build a database within the block menu.

It’s a simple yet effective way to showcase results or performance over time.

Newsletter block

Many sites require a newsletter to engage with their audience, and ZoloBlocks didn’t disappoint when it comes to creating one.

I tested the newsletter block by adding it to my page and selecting a style. The block allowed me to customize the fields for name and email.

I adjusted the button style, deciding whether to place it separately or within the input field area. This gave me flexibility in design.

The content section lets me customize the icon, button text, and placeholder texts. I also set up success, warning, and error messages.

In the Style tab, I tweaked the font style, colors, borders, and padding for the fields and buttons. This made the newsletter block visually appealing and functional.

Overall, the ZoloBlocks newsletter block provided an efficient way to create an engaging newsletter form for my site.

There are plenty of other blocks you can try to improve the functionality and visual appeal of your site.

Container [Grid builder]

If you think flexbox containers are just for page builders, think again. With ZoloBlocks, you can access a flexbox container block that’s as robust as those found in other page builders.

The flexbox container block includes layout structure, container width, content width, and all the flexbox properties like direction, alignment, and justification. This means you can easily place any block in the container and maintain a dynamic page structure.

And soon, the developer will be adding a ‘Grid Builder’ feature to flexbox. That means you’ll be able to create content grids while mixing in flexbox elements. It’s a feature worth waiting for.

Google Map

Want to show live Google Maps on your site? Maybe your store location or branches around the city? You can do that with the Google Map block by ZoloBlocks. It connects directly to your Google account with an API for real-time location sharing.

Just connect the API, set the location’s latitude and longitude, and add a custom marker description. You can even place multiple markers across the map from this block. Plus, you can customize what shows on the display.

Image Compare

Ever needed an image comparison feature in WordPress? Now you can use the Image Compare block in Gutenberg to create comparison content easily.

This ZoloBlocks feature lets you pick two images for a single frame with a draggable bar for side-by-side comparison. You can adjust how much of each image is visible, change opacity, and tweak the appearance style.

Tabs

Keep your content organized with the Tabs block from ZoloBlocks. This feature lets you create tabbed sections on your webpage, making it easy to display information compactly and clearly.

Tabs are a handy tool for creating unique content styles. You can stack any blocks inside the tabs to show a variety of content. It’s a powerful content-building feature for WordPress.

ZoloBlocks Other Tabs

ZoloBlocks offers a range of settings to enhance your site-building experience. Here’s a quick overview of what you can do:

• Welcome: Start here to explore the features.
• Blocks: Manage and customize your blocks.
• Extensions: Add extra functionality to your site.
• API Settings: Configure API options for more control.
• Settings: Adjust various settings to optimize your site.
• Editor Options: Tailor the editor to your preferences.

Zolo Block Settings

If you open the plugin’s Settings, you’ll get options like:

• Site Visibility: Control the visibility of your site.
• Theme Fonts: Customize the fonts used in your theme.
• Default Container Width: Set the default width for container blocks in the editor.
• Enable SVG Upload: Upload SVG files to the media library for use in your blocks.
• Enable Smooth Scroller: Add smooth scrolling for a better user experience (PRO feature).
• Enable Pattern Export: Export your block patterns in JSON format.
• Enable Pattern Import: Import block patterns for easy reuse.

Why Not Just Use Another Plugin?

Why use ZoloBlocks? There are many plugins, so why another one?

Well, most plugins aren’t compatible or flexible with Gutenberg. Here’s why you should try ZoloBlocks:

• Affordable: ZoloBlocks has competitive pricing for its Pro Plan and a forever-free Core version
• Simple to Use: ZoloBlocks is easy to learn. You can master it in a few hours.
• Compatibility: Use ZohoBlocks on any WordPress theme (and take advantage of add-ons).
• Fast Performance: ZoloBlocks is optimized for speed and won’t cause lag issues on your site.
• Support and Updates: ZoloBlocks offers great support and regular updates, adding new features quickly.

ZoloBlocks Pricing

ZoloBlocks is free to download and use (for now). Given its functionality, the developer may decide to introduce premium features or pricing tiers in the future.

Final Verdict

There you have it—everything you need to know about ZoloBlocks and how it improves the Gutenberg experience.

With 30 blocks and a range of customization options, it brings flexibility and creativity to your website design.

So, get started with ZoloBlocks and see how it can elevate your web design projects.

Get ZoloBlocks