Head-to-head · October 2026
Rich Text Formats vs Classic Widgets
Rich Text Formats comes out ahead, winning 5 of 8 head-to-head checks against Classic Widgets.
Rich Text Formats
BlaBlaBlocks Formats lets you enhance your Gutenberg editor with interactive rich text formats like tooltips…
Classic Widgets
Classic Widgets is an official plugin maintained by the WordPress team that restores the previous (“classic”)…
| Metric | Rich Text Formats | Classic Widgets |
|---|---|---|
| Active installs | 40+ | 2M+ |
| Downloads (30 days) | 157 | 57.5K |
| Download trend | +55.4% | +4.3% |
| Rating | 5/5 | 4.9/5 |
| Reviews | 2 | 272 |
| Health score | 78/100 | 56/100 |
| Last updated | 1 month ago | 10 months ago |
| Tested up to | WP 7.1.3 | WP 6.9.10 |
| Support resolved | 100% | 0% |
| Requires PHP | 7.4+ | 5.6+ |
| First released | Sep 2025 | May 2021 |
Daily downloads, last 90 days
Rich Text FormatsClassic Widgets
Choose Rich Text Formats if…
You care most about download trend, health score and last updated.
- Actively developed — last update 1 month ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (40+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
Choose Classic Widgets if…
You care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
- One of the most-used plugins on the web — 2M+ active sites
- Loved by users — 4.9/5 from 272 reviews
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.9 (latest is 7.1)
Both compete in: gutenberg
FAQ
Rich Text Formats vs Classic Widgets: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 10, 2026
Which is better, Rich Text Formats or Classic Widgets?
Rich Text Formats comes out ahead, winning 5 of 8 head-to-head checks against Classic Widgets. Choose Rich Text Formats if you care most about download trend, health score and last updated. Choose Classic Widgets if you care most about active installs, downloads (30 days) and reviews.
Is Rich Text Formats more popular than Classic Widgets?
Classic Widgets is the more popular of the two with 2M+ active installs, compared with 40+ for Rich Text Formats.
Can I use Rich Text Formats and Classic Widgets together?
Both plugins cover gutenberg, so most sites only need one. Running two plugins that do the same job can cause conflicts and slow your site down — pick the one that fits best and remove the other.
Are Rich Text Formats and Classic Widgets free?
Yes. Both are free to download from the official WordPress.org plugin directory. Either may also offer paid upgrades from its developer.
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