The native WordPress editor is good enough until you need your first table.

Then the pain begins. Columns, custom styles, code insertion: all of this requires either manual HTML or separate plugins. Half an hour per page is spent on formatting alone. When content is prepared by multiple authors with different skill levels, the result falls apart after the first theme update.

We selected 4 free plugins that cover key scenarios: from enhanced TinyMCE to 25+ Gutenberg blocks. Each is compatible with WordPress 6.8, updated in 2026, and with proper configuration won't conflict with the others.

💡 Quick overview:

• Enable Advanced Editor Tools and get 4 customizable formatting toolbars in the classic block, plus built-in tables without extra plugins
• Install Ultimate Blocks and add 25+ custom Gutenberg blocks: table of contents, countdown timer, buttons, testimonials, all out of the box without a developer
• Activate Classic Editor and restore the familiar TinyMCE if Gutenberg breaks your layout or conflicts with your stack
• Install Black Studio TinyMCE Widget and edit sidebar text with the same visual editor you use in posts

Comparison table

1. Advanced Editor Tools

Advanced Editor Tools (formerly TinyMCE Advanced), a plugin from Automattic, the team behind WordPress itself. According to WordPress.org, it has 200,000+ active installs and a 4.5 rating. Adds up to four customizable formatting toolbars to the classic editor.

In practice, this means: tables, font families, superscript and subscript, find and replace, everything appears in the interface without a line of code. For Gutenberg, the plugin adds a Classic Paragraph block: inside it, the familiar TinyMCE works with all the advanced tools. This is convenient when you need to embed a complexly formatted fragment directly into a block page.

Pros:

• Up to 4 customizable toolbars, keep only the buttons you need
• Classic Paragraph block for Gutenberg with the full TinyMCE set
• Import and export settings between sites
• Built-in table editing without a separate plugin

Cons:

• Doesn't add new Gutenberg blocks, only extends Classic Paragraph
• Settings are hidden in Settings → Advanced Editor Tools, not immediately obvious for beginners

Price: free, lifetime updates.

• Download: 🔗 Advanced Editor Tools on WordPress.org

2. Ultimate Blocks

Ultimate Blocks: 25+ additional blocks for Gutenberg in one plugin. Table of contents, content filter, countdown timer, call-to-action buttons, tabs, testimonials, a block with schema markup for reviews. Everything assembled out of the box, without a developer.

The plugin solves a specific pain point: what used to require three or four separate solutions now lives in one. A styled button, a countdown timer on a landing page, a clickable tweet, a couple of clicks and you're done. In our experience, Content Filter is particularly useful in niche blogs where readers come for different types of content.

Pros:

• 25+ blocks in one plugin, fewer points of failure and load on hosting
• Built-in schema markup for reviews (Review block)
• Content Filter: visitors filter content by categories on the fly
• Frequent updates, active support

Cons:

• Gutenberg only, doesn't work with the classic editor
• Abundance of blocks may overwhelm the insert menu for beginners

Price: free, Pro version available with additional blocks.

• Download: 🔗 Ultimate Blocks on WordPress.org

3. Classic Editor

Classic Editor, an official plugin from the WordPress team. Restores the classic TinyMCE editor and completely hides the Gutenberg interface. This isn't a transitional stopgap, but a full-fledged tool for those whose workflow is tuned for the classic editor.

The plugin is supported at least until 2027. It has 6 million active installs on WordPress.org. The administrator chooses the default editor for all users or allows each author to switch between Gutenberg and Classic Editor for each post individually. A post opens in whichever editor it was last edited in.

Pros:

• Official support from the WordPress team, won't be abandoned
• Flexible switching policy: site-level, role-level, and individual post-level
• Doesn't conflict with plugins not adapted for Gutenberg
• Time-tested, 6 million active installs

Cons:

• In "default" mode, completely disables Gutenberg, blocks and FSE unavailable
• Doesn't add new features, simply returns the old editor as is

Price: free.

• Download: 🔗 Classic Editor on WordPress.org

4. Black Studio TinyMCE Widget

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget adds a new widget type to the admin panel, a visual editor based on TinyMCE. Edit sidebar content exactly as you would a post or page: with formatting, media, and switching to HTML in one click. According to WordPress.org, the plugin has 100,000+ active installs and a 4.8 rating.

Before WordPress 4.8, text in widgets was entered only as plain HTML. The plugin closed this gap back in 2011 and remains relevant today. Now the native Text Widget provides basic formatting, but Black Studio TinyMCE Widget wins with its full set of TinyMCE tools, the same ones as in the classic editor. For sidebars with multi-level content, this is a noticeable difference.

Pros:

• Full TinyMCE visual editor directly in the sidebar
• One-click switching between Visual and HTML
• Works with both Gutenberg and the classic editor
• 100,000+ installs, stable 4.8 rating

Cons:

• Solves a narrow task: only widgets, doesn't affect posts and pages
• Overkill for simple sidebar text, the native Text Widget is sufficient

Price: free.

• Download: 🔗 Black Studio TinyMCE Widget on WordPress.org

How to combine plugins: scenario matrix

You can use multiple plugins from this collection on one site. Here's how it works in practice.

• Working in Gutenberg, need more formatting → Advanced Editor Tools + Ultimate Blocks. The first provides fine text control via Classic Paragraph, the second adds custom blocks.
• Gutenberg doesn't suit you, returning to classic → Classic Editor + Advanced Editor Tools. TinyMCE with four formatting toolbars, no blocks.
• Everything works, but need to enhance the sidebar → Black Studio TinyMCE Widget to any configuration above.

Don't install Classic Editor and Ultimate Blocks simultaneously: the first disables Gutenberg, the second only works in it. There's no point in such a combination. And don't duplicate functionality: if Advanced Editor Tools is already installed for tables, a second plugin with tables will only add conflicts for no reason.

If you're just learning WordPress editors, start with this WPBeginner video. In 21 minutes you'll see how Gutenberg works, how it differs from the classic editor, and how to build pages from blocks without coding. All the plugins in this collection become clearer when you know the basics.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Why install an editor plugin, isn't the basic one enough?

The basic editor is sufficient for a simple blog. When a post needs tables, columns, a countdown timer, or styled buttons, the plugin search begins. Ultimate Blocks covers these tasks in one package instead of three or four separate solutions. Each extra plugin: load on hosting and a potential conflict.

Is Classic Editor still relevant in 2026?

Yes. The plugin is updated by the WordPress team, it has over 6 million downloads according to the directory, support is guaranteed until 2027. In practice, thousands of sites run on the classic editor due to compatibility with old themes or specific plugins. As long as WordPress doesn't remove backward compatibility with TinyMCE, Classic Editor will survive.

Can you use Advanced Editor Tools and Ultimate Blocks together?

Yes, this is one of the best combinations for Gutenberg. Advanced Editor Tools enhances text formatting via Classic Paragraph, while Ultimate Blocks adds structural blocks: countdown timer, testimonials, tabs. They don't overlap in functionality and don't conflict.

How does Black Studio TinyMCE Widget differ from the standard Text Widget?

Text Widget provides basic formatting: bold, italic, link insertion. Black Studio TinyMCE Widget: full-fledged TinyMCE with tables, media, HTML switching, and the same formatting toolbars as in the post editor. If the sidebar has more than two sentences, the difference is immediately noticeable.

What to do if the editor stops working after installing a plugin?

Disable all editor plugins, enable one, test. If there's a conflict: a specific plugin is to blame, most often two editor plugins active simultaneously. If the problem persists, a caching plugin or CDN is holding an old version of the editor scripts: clear the cache.

What to install in 2026

If you work in Gutenberg and build complex pages, take Ultimate Blocks as the base and add Advanced Editor Tools for fine text work. In our experience, this combination covers most needs without a single paid plugin.

If Gutenberg causes only problems, Classic Editor + Advanced Editor Tools restores the familiar TinyMCE with extended toolbars. Not pretty, not trendy, but predictable as a hammer.

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget: a targeted tool for the sidebar. Install in any configuration, it doesn't conflict with anything.

Choose for your task, not for someone else's rating. If in doubt: start with one plugin, test on a draft, and only then add the next. Write in the comments which editor plugin is currently in your stack.