Do you want to disable the fullscreen editor in WordPress?
After the update, WordPress 5.4 now opens the post and page editor in fullscreen mode by default. While this distraction-free mode offers a clean and easy to use experience, some users may want to go back to the regular compact view.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily disable the fullscreen editor in WordPress.
Why WordPress Switched to Fullscreen Mode for The Editor?
WordPress introduced a new editor called The Block Editor (aka Gutenberg) in WordPress 5.0. This new editor allow users to use blocks for common elements and create beautiful content layouts.
It also mimics how your article or pages will look by using the same fonts and colors as your WordPress theme.
However, an admin menu on the left and one on top made it look a bit cluttered. There were just too many options on the screen, which you don’t need if you are focusing on writing content.
To deal with this, the WordPress core team decided to make the editor fullscreen by default, so users can have a distraction-free writing experience.
Now, it’s important to note that this fullscreen mode is nothing new. It was already there, and users were able to turn it on / off.
What’s changed now is that the fullscreen mode will now be the default view when writing posts in WordPress.
How to Disable The Fullscreen Mode for WordPress Editor (Easy Way)
It is super easy to turn off the fullscreen mode for block editor in WordPress.
Simply edit a post or page and click on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner of the screen. This will display the settings menu for the post editor.
From here, you simply need to click on the ‘Fullscreen Mode’ to turn it off.
Post editor will instantly exit the fullscreen mode, and it will start showing the admin sidebar and the top toolbar.
WordPress will store your fullscreen mode preference in your browser’s temporary storage.
However if you switched to a different browser, used incognito mode, or accessed the admin area from a different device, then you’ll again see the fullscreen editor.
If you use multiple devices, user accounts, or browsers to access your WordPress admin area, then this may be a little annoying to switch it back every time.
This next method helps you fix that, permanently.
Permanently Disable Fullscreen Mode in WordPress (Snippet)
This code first checks if a user is viewing an admin area page. If they are, then it checks the status of the fullscreen editor.
If the fullscreen editor is enabled, then it simply turns it off.
You can still manually turn-on the fullscreen mode from the post edit screen, and your post editor would work just fine.
However, if you return back, then it will automatically turn it off. This behavior applies to all users who can access the post editor on your website.
We’ve been working with the Gutenberg block editor for a long time across multiple websites, so we know that it can feel restrictive by default.
WordPress offers a set of essential content blocks like Paragraph, Image, Button, List, and more. However, you can extend these options using plugins that add more blocks to the editor.
In this article, we’ll share some of WordPress’s best Gutenberg block plugins that you can try.
What Is the WordPress Block Editor?
The WordPress block editor is the default content editor that comes with WordPress. It lets you build your posts and pages using a system of blocks.
For a typical blog post, you will have many paragraph blocks, some heading blocks for subheadings, and some image blocks.
There are also several default blocks to add other commonly used web elements such as lists, columns, groups, galleries, and more.
If you’ve been creating WordPress sites for many years, you will likely find the block editor a significant change from the classic editor.
Some users have chosen to disable the block editor and keep the classic editor. However, we recommend using the block editor. It offers many valuable features and is more user-friendly.
The block editor lets you add elements to your posts and pages that aren’t possible in the classic editor.
For instance, you can add tables to your post or add a call-to-action button without writing HTML code.
7 Most Useful Time-Saving Default WordPress Blocks
The block editor already includes built-in blocks for all types of content elements.
These blocks make it accessible to add common elements, such as tables, galleries, buttons, and more. In the older versions of WordPress, you had to install plugins to add these common web elements.
Here are some super helpful default WordPress Gutenberg blocks you can use immediately.
Button Block: This lets you add call-to-action buttons to your WordPress pages and articles.
Media & Text Block: This lets you add images and text side-by-side. Doing this with the old Classic Editor was a confusing task for beginners.
Cover Block: You can add stunning cover images to your posts and pages. See our guide on the difference between cover images vs. featured images.
Table Block: This lets you easily create basic tables in WordPress posts and pages. For advanced tables with search, sorting, and ordering features, we still recommend the free TablePress plugin.
Embed Blocks: The block editor includes many embed blocks for popular websites. You can use them to easily embed tweets, YouTube videos, and more.
Shortcode Block: This lets you easily add shortcodes to your WordPress posts and pages. This means the block editor is fully compatible with plugins that provide a shortcode.
Besides these, there are many other blocks that you can explore and try without using a plugin.
With block editor, you also get access to block patterns. These are pre-configured sets of blocks that allow you to add entire sections to your content, making content creation faster and more efficient.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the best WordPress blocks offered by WordPress plugins. These plugins will simply add new blocks and allow you to extend the functionality of the default WordPress editor.
Best Gutenberg Blocks Plugins for Your WordPress Site
There are two types of WordPress block plugins available on the market. We will cover both of them:
Single-Purpose Block Plugins
Gutenberg Block Libraries
Single-purpose plugins are mostly popular WordPress plugins. Many of them have been in the market for a long time. They specialize in one specific feature and usually provide a powerful block to add content in WordPress.
For example, WPForms is a popular WordPress form plugin for making powerful forms in WordPress. It offers a WordPress block to add contact forms, surveys, order forms, payment forms, and more in your posts and pages.
On the other hand, there are block collection plugins that combine many different content elements in a single plugin.
For example, Genesis Pro gives you 16 additional premium blocks. These include a pricing table block, testimonial block, profile box block, and more.
Single Purpose Block Plugins vs. Block Library Plugins
Now that you know the options, you might wonder if one is better. Here are some essential points to consider.
Single-purpose block plugins add only one feature, but they offer the most comprehensive set of options and integrations. They’re often the best solution for what you’re trying to do.
Block library plugins include a collection of different blocks for different purposes. However, these blocks are not as fine-tuned as the single feature blocks. While they offer a lot of blocks, they may not be as robust.
Another disadvantage of using block suites is that they can add unnecessary clutter to your block list.
With that said, let’s look at the best WordPress Gutenberg block plugins.
WPForms is the most user-friendly WordPress form plugin on the market. It allows you to easily create simple contact forms and more powerful forms like interactive polls, surveys, order forms, and more on your WordPress site.
WPForms offers a block for adding WordPress forms to your posts and pages.
With WPForms, you can create many forms, including survey, contact, email sign-up, and login forms.
You can accept online payments through your forms via Stripe and PayPal, with no additional transaction fees. Even the free version of WPForms allows you to collect Stripe payments, and it only charges a 3% transaction fee.
Why we recommend WPForms: Forms make any website more engaging, and WPForms makes it very easy to add them anywhere on your posts and pages using a block instead of using shortcodes or writing code. In addition, it is a powerful form builder that allows you to create all sorts of forms for your website, including credit card payment forms.
Pros
Easy-to-use form builder with drag-and-drop interface
Dozens of templates to quickly create forms in WordPress
Allows you to accept payments online easily.
Cons
You need a premium version for more features.
Advanced users may want to use custom CSS to style forms.
Author Profile Block – Easily add an author profile box to posts or pages.
Pricing Block – Build beautiful pricing tables in WordPress.
Share Icons Block – Add social share buttons to your posts and pages.
Testimonial Block – Include customer testimonials to help drive sales.
Genesis Blocks also has a pro version, Genesis Pro. This gives you new blocks, 26 pre-built full-page layouts, 56 pre-built sections, and much more. If you want to create a beautiful and effective website quickly, it’s a great solution.
Genesis Blocks is owned by WP Engine, one of the leading managed WordPress hosting companies. They offer premium StudioPress themes that integrate seamlessly with the Genesis Blocks plugin.
Genesis Pro subscription will also give you access to all premium StudioPress themes.
Pros
13 additional blocks for the default WordPress editor
Pre-built layouts to create different types of content
56+ pre-built sections to use anywhere in your posts and pages
Cons
Shows Genesis Blocks above default blocks in the add block panel
Some users may find it difficult to distinguish between default patterns and the plugin’s advanced layouts.
It also comes with a collection of custom blocks that you can add to your website. These blocks are purpose-built to give your posts and pages an SEO boost.
You will get access to the following custom blocks:
AIOSEO Table of Contents – Lets you easily add an SEO-friendly table of contents to your articles.
AIOSEO Breadcrumbs – Add breadcrumb navigation with the right schema markup manually without writing code or editing the theme.
Establish E-E-A-T – Helps you comply with Google’s E-E-A-T ranking signals with Author Bio, Author Name, and Reviewer Name blocks.
Local SEO blocks: Add local SEO blocks to show business info, opening hours, and location map.
AIOSEO – FAQ – Add an FAQ section in your articles with the right schema markup to boost search rankings.
All in One SEO further extends your writing experience by adding a powerful headline analyzer, SEO analysis, and AI-powered SEO title and description generator.
Why we recommend All in One SEO: It provides essential blocks for local SEO, Author Bio, Table of Contents, and FAQs, which helps you improve your articles for search rankings. Additionally, it has in-editor writing tools, powerful schema markup support, and comprehensive SEO features. All these features make it highly useful for any WordPress website.
Pros
The most comprehensive SEO toolkit for WordPress
Custom blocks that give you an SEO boost
Additional tools in block editor to improve your content creation process from an SEO perspective
Cons
You will need the paid plan to unlock its true potential
Smash Balloon is the best social feeds plugin for WordPress. It makes adding social media posts to your site incredibly easy. For instance, you can use it to create a custom Instagram photo feed.
Smash Balloon gives you a block for adding each social media feed. For example, you can simply drag and drop the Facebook block into a post or page to add your Facebook feed. You don’t need to enter any shortcodes.
Each plugin is 100% mobile responsive and looks great out of the box. It automatically matches your WordPress theme’s fonts and styles.
Why we recommend Smash Balloon: The default social media blocks in WordPress are not very helpful. You cannot even embed Instagram and Facebook posts in WordPress properly. However, for many websites, social media can be an important source of traffic or revenue. Smash Balloon helps you bring your social media to your WordPress website.
Pros
Offers easy-to-add blocks for your social media feeds
Combine multiple social feeds
Choose from different layouts and styles
Cons
The all-access plan is a bit expensive but gives you access to all pro plugins for unlimited websites.
OptinMonster is the best lead generation tool for WordPress. You can use it to create many campaigns, including popups, slide-ins, spin-to-win coupon wheels, light boxes, and inline campaigns.
The inline campaigns can be added to your posts and pages in just a few clicks using the OptinMonster block.
You can use inline campaigns to quickly and easily embed an eye-catching email signup form on your page.
Additionally, you could use OptinMonster’s content locking feature to lock the content below the inline campaign.
Why we recommend OptinMonster: The default WordPress blocks are quite limited when it comes to the marketing needs of a website. OptinMonster helps users change that by easily embedding lead generation, special offers, and other personalized campaigns in their posts and pages. See our full OptinMonster review to learn more.
Pros
Helps you convert website visitors into customers
Comes with several campaign types and dozens of templates
Powerful display rules allow you to show personalized messages to your users
Cons
You’ll need a paid plan to unlock its full potential
WP Call Button is a single-purpose block plugin that helps you easily add a click-to-call button on your WordPress site.
Aside from adding clickable phone numbers on your contact page, WP Call Button also has a smart floating call button. This lets you add a highly visible click-to-call button on all pages of your website for mobile users.
This helps you get more phone calls and close more sales for your business. It also works with any professional business phone service that you may be using.
The WP Call Button smartphone buttons have built-in click tracking with Google Analytics, so you can easily see which pages on your site are performing the best.
The phone button block has many customization options, so you can easily customize the call button to match your website design.
Why we recommend WP Call Button: There is no default block to easily add a phone number with a call to action button. Users can manually create one, but what if they need to change the phone number later? WP Call Button block helps fix that issue by providing an easy way to generate phone leads from a website.
Pros
Allows you to easily add a phone number to your website
Create effective call to action buttons and generate phone leads
Spectra, formerly known as the Ultimate Addon for Gutenberg, is the most widely used Gutenberg blocks library plugin.
Created by the people behind the popular Astra theme, this plugin is actively installed on over 600,000 websites.
It includes over 30 Gutenberg blocks, including the following:
Info Box Block – Add an info box with an image, heading, and description.
Multi Buttons Block – It lets you add multiple buttons within a single block.
Team Block – This allows you to create a team section with photos.
Price List Block – This lets you easily create a price list like a restaurant menu.
Testimonial Block – Useful to add testimonials on your website.
An advantage of using this plugin is that it comes with built-in support for the Astra theme and all its starter sites and Template Kits. This means you can import a starter site and use the block editor to create beautiful layouts.
Why we recommend Spectra: It offers a comprehensive set of blocks, patterns, and templates to make the website creation process easier and quicker for beginners. Each block has extensive customization options that let users control design aspects without dealing with code.
Pros
Comes with 30+ blocks for the block editor
Template kits allow you to easily insert entire sections and quickly build websites
Offers handy customization options for each custom block
Cons
Adds an action bar to the editor (which you can hide from settings)
Pricing: Starting at $49 per year or $199 for a lifetime license. A free version is also available.
The default Gallery block in WordPress is quite basic and does not allow you to share the same image galleries outside the editor.
Envira Gallery will enable you to keep your Galleries separate and add them to any post or page.
The plugin is fully compatible with the block editor and has a native block to instantly embed galleries.
Envira Gallery includes advanced features like watermark protection and image proofing. It also has seamless integration with WooCommerce to let you sell your photos.
Why we recommend Envira Gallery: Out of the box, the WordPress Gallery block is quite limited. Envira Gallery allows users to make the visual elements of their website pop out with multiple styles and visual effects. Additionally, the plugin makes it easier to showcase photos without impacting performance. To learn more, see our detailed Envira Gallery review.
Pros
Creates beautiful image galleries for your website
Kadence Blocks is another great WordPress block collection plugin. It comes with some of the most commonly used blocks and helps you add more functionality to your content editor.
The plugin is available in both free and premium versions. The free version has 23 custom blocks, including the following:
Row Layout Block – Insert content blocks in one or multiple columns in a row.
Tabs Block – Lets you create horizontal or vertical tabs and customize them.
Accordion Block – Create beautiful accordions within your content.
Icon List Block – Lets you create attractive lists with custom icons instead of default bullets.
The plugin allows you to deactivate the blocks that you will not use. Doing so keeps your editor clean and lightweight.
It also includes a Design Library, which comes with a collection of block patterns and full-page layouts that you can add to any post or page.
If you like these blocks and want more from Kadence Themes, you can buy their pro plugin or membership plan.
Why we recommend Kadence Blocks: It offers an impressive selection of custom blocks that allow users to extend the functionality of the block editor. The collection includes all the common design elements used in WordPress layouts, making it quite helpful during site creation.
Pros
Extensive set of blocks for commonly used design elements
Ready to use patterns and page layouts for building websites quickly
Works with most popular WordPress themes
Cons
Paid plans are a little expensive.
Pricing: Free, with paid upgrade starting at $149.
Created by the team behind ThemeIsle, a popular WordPress theme company, Otter includes blocks you’ll need to go beyond your theme’s layout options.
There are more than 23 WordPress blocks included in this plugin. Here are some of the useful blocks:
Section Block – Allows you to build layouts using columns like in page builder plugins.
Google Maps Block – This lets you embed Google Maps on your website.
About Author Block – Allows you to show an author bio box on your website.
Sharing Icons Block – This lets you add social sharing icons to your WordPress articles easily.
In addition to the Gutenberg blocks, the plugin also includes block patterns and layouts to help you create stunning pages quickly.
There is also an AI block that connects to OpenAI and can be used to generate content and layouts.
Why we recommend Otter Blocks: It includes a decent set of custom blocks missing from the default WordPress editors. These blocks make it easier to create custom content layouts and highly engaging websites with no design skills.
Pros
An excellent collection of blocks with commonly used design elements
Easy to use and less intrusive than some other plugins on this list
Beautiful patterns library with useful sections to quickly insert into your posts and pages
Cons
Patterns library and block options are not as extensive as some other options on this list
Pricing: Free with a paid version starting at $49.
Notification Box Block – This allows you to add a simple notification box in your articles.
Why we recommend Ultimate Blocks: It offers a decent collection of custom blocks that are helpful in writing engaging content or making custom layouts. See our complete Ultimate Blocks review for more details.
Pros
A decent collection of custom blocks
Easy to use and offers a clutter-free experience
Offers a review block with schema markup support
Cons
Some blocks are locked and available with pro version
Pricing: Free paid version starting at $49 per year.
The plugin helps you to create professional web pages easily and quickly.
Here are some of the advanced Gutenberg blocks.
Columns Manager Block – Predefined responsive columns to let you add multi-column content in WordPress.
Map Block – This lets you embed Google Maps in your posts and pages.
Counter Block – Allows you to showcase numbers like total sales in an attractive manner.
Tabs Block – This lets you add content in tabs easily.
Advanced List Block – Create visually attractive lists with custom list icons and styles.
Several common forms blocks – Including contact forms, newsletter forms, and login / registration forms.
The plugin also gives you advanced block control options to activate blocks as per user roles.
The Advanced Gutenberg plugin is maintained by PublishPress, the folks behind several popular WordPress plugins for editors and publishers.
Why we recommend Gutenberg Blocks by PublishPress: The custom blocks included in the plugin include some unique blocks unavailable in other collections. The plugin’s developers specialize in creating WordPress tools for publishers.
Pros
Excellent set of additional blocks
Clutter-free user interface that doesn’t hijack the default editor
Fast with a minimal performance impact
Cons
Login forms showed up even when a user was already logged in.
Stackable is a free WordPress block library plugin with beautiful custom blocks and a design library for WordPress sites.
It includes more than 43 easy-to-use blocks for Gutenberg.
Here are some of the excellent WordPress blocks offered by this plugin.
Container Block – Allows you to combine different blocks in a single row.
Feature Grid Block – This lets you showcase your product features or portfolio in stylish grid layouts.
Team Members Block – This lets you showcase your team members with their positions, duties, and specialties.
Video Popup Block – This lets you add full-screen video popups for YouTube and Vimeo videos.
Stackable also offers impressive effects and background options. You can use image and video backgrounds, fixed images, gradient background effects, and more.
Why we recommend Stackable: The plugin offers beautifully designed blocks with styling options to easily customize them. It also has a larger collection of blocks than some other plugins on this list.
Pros
Large collection of custom blocks for your WordPress website
Extensive customization options for individual blocks
Dozens of block designs, UI kits, and wireframes to instantly add to your website
The plugin lets you customize your blocks with ease. You can change fonts, set the margin and padding, pick colors, and more.
In addition, some of the blocks offer advanced features like image filters and animation effects.
Why we recommend CoBlocks: If you are looking for a decent collection of custom blocks without compromising how the default editor looks, then this might be the plugin for you. It is easy to use and blends in with the default blocks.
Pros
A decent collection of useful custom blocks
Animation and image filter effects may come in handy for some elements
Blends in the block editor without altering the default UI
Cons
A smaller set of blocks than some other plugins on the list
Advanced Editor Tools used to be called TinyMCE Advanced. It’s a popular plugin that enhanced the old classic editor with more formatting options.
Now, it also supports the newer Gutenberg block editor.
Advanced Editor Tools offers additional formatting and styling options in default blocks. For example, you will see new formatting buttons in the toolbars with the ability to choose fonts. You can also adjust which buttons you want to see in the toolbar.
Why we recommend Advanced Editor Tools: Many folks migrating from the older editor still had content that they could edit in the classic editor block. For those people, this plugin offers an option to switch to the block editor while still using the classic editor inside it.
Pros
A better alternative to the classic editor
Extends classic editor block editor with more formatting options
Easy to use inside the block editor
Cons
Lacks styling options that you would get with custom blocks
Pricing: Free
Some Honorable Mentions
Besides the ones we mentioned above, there are many Gutenberg blocks plugins on the market. Here are some honorable mentions you can use as alternatives to the above-listed plugins:
Among the block library plugins, Genesis Blocks is the best option, with Spectra being the close second.
We hope this article helped you find the best Gutenberg blocks for your WordPress site. You may also want to see our handpicked list of the best Gutenberg-friendly WordPress themes and our comparison of the best WordPress membership plugins to create & sell online courses.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
WordPress has come a long way since it first launched in the early aughts. As the most popular content management system, it has become a dominant force online, powering nearly half (a whopping 43%) of the web.
While checking facts can be fun, they can also provide value to those who don’t yet know WordPress’s worth, or appreciate its reach.
If you’ve ever had trouble convincing clients WordPress isn’t just for bloggers—these share-worthy tidbits can effectively lend credence to the platform’s prolific presence.
What follows is the mother lode of most interesting stats and facts about WordPress, divided into the following categories:
Starting us off are some general WordPress stats regarding usage, co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s company Automattic, plus a few other morsels.
#1. WordPress was first released in 2003, which means 2023 will mark its twentieth anniversary. Wow! – WordPress.org
#2. While WordPress first found its niche as a blogging platform, it has evolved far beyond that, supporting a myriad of other web content, like mailing lists, forums, galleries & portfolios, membership sites, business sites, learning management systems (LMS), online stores, and pretty much any market you can think of. – Wikipedia
#3. The most current version of the software is currently being run on only about half (53%) of WordPress websites. – WordPress.org
WordPress core version stats.
#4. Major core updates of WordPress get released every 150 days, on average. – CodeinWP
#5. WordPress version 5.9 has had more than 103 million downloads at the time of this writing—and still counting. – WordPress.org
#10. WordPress tracks the embeds of partner services like Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and more. – WordPress.com
WordPress stats on embedded partner services.
#11. The name “WordPress” was suggested by Matt Mullenweg’s friend, Christine Tremoulet, and was immediately well-received. Once she confirmed the domain name was available, that clinched it. – Web.Archive
#12. Technically, anyone can edit or add to the WordPress core code, since it’s classified as open-source software, licensed under the GPL. – WordPress.org
#13. Automattic officially owns WordPress, however the WordPress Foundation—a non-profit organization founded by Matt Mullenweg—owns and manages WordPress, WordCamp, and related trademarks. – WordPress Foundation
#14. Automattic employs 1,979 people, who work on a large number of projects in addition to WordPress. – Automattic
#15. There are 205 (and counting) translations available for WordPress. – WordPress.org
#16. WordPress systems being run on the English language sit at 49.2%. – WordPress.org
WordPress locale stats.
#17. English is also the most used language to write content on WordPress, coming in at 71%. – WordPress.com
#18. The WordPress CMS has a 64.2% market share of all known CMS’s. – W3Techs
#19. Because employees rarely worked out of Automattic’s physical office in San Francisco, they closed it in 2017. – Quartz
#20. Quite a few Fortune 500 companies use WordPress, including Microsoft, Target, The Walt Disney Company, Coca-Cola, and PlayStation. – WordPress.org, Steerpoint, WPExplorer
#21. WordPress sites make up 30.3% of the top 1,000 websites in the world. – Digital
#22. There are at least 30,462,105 live websites using WordPress, with the highest numbers found in these three countries: The United States (8,858,380), The United Kingdom (769,864), and India (375,206). – BuiltWith
#23. “WordPress” gets googled around 2.7 million times every month. – KWFinder
#25. WordPress accounts for roughly 500+ (compared to Shopify and Squarespace’s 60-80) new sites being built daily, in the top 10 million sites on the web.– CodeinWP
#26. The number of WordPress.com websites that are launched daily is 50,000. – DMR
#27. WordPress resides at the very top of the most-downloaded software list. In fact, WordPress version 4.9 has had an insane number of downloads—over 260 million. – DisplayWP
#28. The average annual pay for a WordPress Developer in the United States is $64,308 a year. Annual salaries range from $24K to $106.5K, with the majority of these between $45.5K (25th percentile) to $75.5K (75th percentile). Top US earners (the 90th percentile) make $94K annually. – ZipRecruiter
#29. WordPress has more than 500 times fewer employees than Amazon. – Automattic
#30. WordPress websites get more unique visitors a month (@163M) than Twitter (@156M)―to the tune of seven million more. – Digital
WordPress Community
The WordPress community is made up of a diverse set of people, skill sets, and websites. These WordPress stats are all about the community behind the CMS.
#31. Automattic has had 100,907 DMCA takedown notices (trademark infringement complaints), and 29.09% of copyright notices where some or all content was removed. [Time period: Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2021.] – Automattic
#33. Some of the world’s top print publications use WordPress as their online home. That includes news sites, fashion & entertainment, business & tech, and more. Some examples: USA Today, Time, Fortune, Chicago Sun Times, The New Yorker, Reuters, Variety, People, & Vogue. – CodeinWP
#34. What do Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, Wil Wheaton, Sylvester Stallone, Usain Bolt, and the Dallas Mavericks have in common? Aside from the obvious—they’re famous in their respective fields (music, acting, sports)—they all have websites that use WordPress. – CodeinWP
#35. WordPress is not only used by bloggers, businesses, and publications, but also educational institutions, and even governments. – WPMU DEV
#36. One quarter of WordPress users make a full-time living off of the CMS. – Kinsta
WordPress Events
#37. The WordPress community helps to organize a number of events around the United States, and the world at large. The majority of these events are known as “WordCamps”, but there are additional spinoff events within the community, and WordPress conferences put on by bigger companies. – WordCamp Central
#43. WordCamp 2014 was the last official annual conference of WordPress developers and users to take place in San Francisco, having been replaced with WordCamp US.– WordCamp Central
#44. Besides city-specific WordCamp events, there are a number of niche WordPress events that include WordPress for Publishers, WooConf, LoopConf, WP Campus, and A Day of REST. – Torque Mag
#45. All WordCamp organizers and speakers are unpaid volunteers, doing it because of their passion for and dedication to the WP community. – WordCamp Central
#46. The WC events are not-for-profit, and aim to be accessible to all attendees, with things like closed captioning and ticket scholarships. – WordCamp Central
#47. WordCamp events are extremely economical—sponsorships and donations make this possible, keeping ticket prices low (usually less than $40) for a 2-day event where you get high-quality speakers and networking opportunities. – WordCamp Central
#48. If you miss a WordCamp event, you can catch session recordings for free on WordPress.TV. – WordPress.TV
State of the Word sessions are saved and watchable on WordPress.TV.
#49. WordCamp Europe 2017 had a record attendance with more than 1900 people from 79 countries. – WP Tavern
#50. There are 1,288 Meetup groups and 750K+ members for WordPress scattered throughout the globe. – Meetup
#52. The WordPress community has a stellar selection of free and paid themes for users to choose from, with options for purposes as varied as a Pokemon Game Portal, to car repair shops. Though free themes don’t necessarily mean low quality, premium themes tend to be easier to customize out of the box, with more features and support for implementation. The following WordPress stats are all about themes and their use.
#53. There are a lot of variables that will affect the overall cost of a WordPress site, such as the scope and scale of your site, the level of customization and design involved, the type and quality of services you select, and the type of hosting you go with. However, the average upfront cost for a WordPress website ranges from $75 to $115,000, then plan on about $75-$15,000 per year for ongoing maintenance costs. – WebFX
#54. WordPress has released a new, free, default theme annually, with a naming convention reflective of that year, starting in 2010—with Twenty Ten. (The exception being 2018, which was skipped). – Elegant Themes
WP Theme Twenty Ten.
#55. The earliest default WordPress themes were known simply as “WordPress Classic” and “Default” (or Kubrick). – Elegant Themes
#56. The average premium theme costs $59. – CodeinWP
WordPress theme price stats.
#57. The average theme subscription membership (i.e. TeslaThemes, Themes Kingdom) comes in at around $115 for one-year’s access. – CodeinWP
WordPress theme shop stats.
#58. Divi and Astra are the two most popular WordPress theme installations, with 6% (Diva) & 5% (Astra) of the market. – BuiltWith
WordPress theme usage stats.
#59. There are dozens of theme designers on the ThemeForest marketplace who have sold $1M+ in themes through the platform. – Envato
#60. In fact, Envato’s total community earnings have now surpassed $1.3 billion USD across all its sites, since it was first established over 15 years ago. – Envato
#61. Divi has been translated into 32 languages, and is live on 2,262,231 websites (1M+ of which are in the United States). – ElegantThemes, BuiltWith
#62. Based on reviews, the best free/responsive themes include Neve, Airi, Hestia, ColorMag, OnePress, OceanWP, Sydney, Astra, OnePage Lite, and Customify. – CodeinWP
#63. To customize or modify an existing WordPress theme without losing the ability to upgrade that theme, child themes are often used. The concept of parent and child theme was formed to solve the issue of losing custom styling and changes made during theme upgrades. – WPMU DEV
#64. The first WYSIWYG editor for WordPress—which allowed technophobes to post content quickly and creatively—was created by Shane Melaugh and Paul McCarthy. – ThriveThemes
#65. The block editor in WordPress, Gutenberg, was officially released with the 5.0 core WordPress version. – Ma.tt
WordPress Plugins
#66. WordPress plugins add additional functionality to an existing WordPress website. While some are considered clear winners that benefit just about any type of WordPress site, others are pretty forgettable. Reviews and word-of-mouth from fellow WordPress developers can be good guides, in addition to the following related WordPress stats.
#67. There are over 59,000 unique plugins for WordPress available to download, with new ones added to the WordPress Plugin Directory on a daily basis. – WordPress.org
#68. Jetpack and Akismet, both created and maintained by Automattic, are the most installed free plugins. – WordPress.org
#69. Akismet catches an average of 7,500,000 pieces of spam per hour. – Akismet
#71. Hello Dolly, created by Matt Mullenweg and introduced in May of 2004, was the first plugin ever created for WordPress. Every version of WordPress since has come preinstalled with it, making it iconic. A simple visual serving lyrics from the song made famous by Louis Armstrong, it serves no real function (and is safe to delete). – James McAllister Online
#72. Bookly PRO, FileBird, and Slider Revolution are three of the best selling paid WordPress plugins. – CodeCanyon
#74. WooCommerce, an e-commerce plugin from Automattic, powers 29% of all online stores. – Built With
WordPress e-commerce stats.
#75. WooCommerce has been downloaded nearly 200 million times. – WordPress.org
#76. There are a massive amount of WooCommerce extensions for customizing WooCommerce, such as payment processing, shipping, and subscriptions. Look at these numbers: WooCommerce’s site = 750; CodeCanyon marketplace = 1,426; the WordPress Plugin repository = 1,000+. That doesn’t even include the many independent websites that sell WooCommerce extensions. – WooCommerce, CodeCanyon, WordPress.org
WordPress Security
WordPress Security is a priority among website owners. With the increasing number of vulnerabilities and attacks that happen every minute, anyone can be a victim of these breaches: individuals and companies, big and small.
It is of utmost importance to keep current on the latest security updates and practices, to avoid being compromised by hackers. These stats should encourage you to pay attention to WordPress security compliance.
#77. About 30,000 WordPress websites are hacked or infected with some type of malware daily. – Patchstack
#78. Google blocklists around 10,000 websites a day. – Patchstack
#79. Of the 40,000 most popular websites that use the WordPress software, 73% are vulnerable to attack. – WP White Security
#80. Weak passwords account for 8% of WordPress sites that are hacked. – WP Manage Ninja
#81. According to WordFence, there are almost 90,000 attacks per minute on WordPress websites. – Wordfence
#82. With the increase of cyberattack data thefts, organizations want to spend more money on security. Some forecasts suggest that the market will reach $170.4 billion in 2022. – Blogging Forge
#83. WordPress brute-force attacks refer to the trial and error method of entering multiple username and password combinations over and over until a successful combination is discovered. – WPMU DEV
#84. In 2017, WordPress saw the highest volume brute-force attack to date. This aggressive campaign peaked at over 15 million attacks per hour, forcing Wordfence security to scale up their logging infrastructure to cope with the volume. – Wordfence
#85. File inclusion exploits are one of the most common ways an attacker can gain access to your WordPress website. Most examples point to vulnerable PHP scripts, though it’s also common in other technologies such as JSP, ASP and more. – Owasp
#86. Cross-Site Scripting or XSS attacks account for 60% of all security vulnerabilities on the internet. – Secure Coding
#87. The four most common WordPress malware infections are Malicious redirects, Backdoors, Drive-by downloads, and Pharma hacks. – Cheq
#88. SQL injections occur when an attacker gains access to your WordPress database and to all of your website data. – WPMU DEV
#89. The WPScan Vulnerability Database is an online version of WPScan’s data files that are used to detect known WordPress core, plugins, and themes vulnerabilities. – WP Scan
WordPress vulnerability stats.
#90. To date, the WPScan vulnerability database contains more than 28K vulnerabilities, 4,154 of which are unique. – WP White Security
For everything else that didn’t quite fit into the above categories, here are some final WordPress stats and facts for you.
#92. Wapuu is the official mascot of WordPress, created by Japanese artist, Kazuko Kaneuchi. It was inspired by Matt Mullenweg’s trip to Japan, and unveiled at WordCamp Fukuoka on February 19, 2011. – Torque, Webgaku
WordPress’s very own mascot, Wapuu.
#93. There’s a field guide & trading post for Wapuus, where you can find one for most WordCamp events, as well as many other special Wapuu categories. – Wapu.us
#94. Wapuu’s name was chosen through the Japanese WordPress group, which organized a poll in 2011 to collect ideas for naming it. Suggestions soon followed and were voted on. “Wappy” won, but due to a trademark issue, the runner-up “Wapuu” was chosen. – Wapu.us
#95. The WordPress Wiggle (accompanying song written by Jonathan Mann), is the unofficial dance of the WordPress people. – YouTube
#96. Starting from version 1.0, every major core release of WordPress (there are 42 to date) has been codenamed after well-known jazz musicians. – WordPress.org
#97. Those unfamiliar with the CMS are usually surprised to find that there are two very different versions of the software—WordPress.org and WordPress.com. – WPMU DEV
#98. WordPress VIP is a hosting solution for enterprise WordPress installations, and uses the agile content platform. – WordPress.com
#99. There are specific recommendations for running the components of WordPress software. The versions change, based on the content of new releases, but these core components are always necessary: PHP, MySQL OR MariaDB, and HTTPS. – WordPress.org
#100. “Code is Poetry”… The famous WordPress tagline, present since the first official release of the software, to this day remains in the default footer. – WPMU DEV
WordPress has certainly evolved over time. Countless reviews and continually increasing users show that it continues to grow in function and popularity.
Because it’s efficient and well-built, you can do a lot with very little knowledge, focusing instead on creating quality content for your site. Especially if you have a quality host or site management to maintain your site for you… you’ll rarely (if ever) have to sweat the small stuff.
On the flip side, if you are willing and/or eager to learn more about it, it can become a primary (or supplemental) source of income for you, as well as an in-demand field you can immerse yourself in.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for accuracy and relevancy. [Originally Published: September 2017 / Revised: May 2022]
