A while back, I set out to browse through all the interesting opinions about WordPress’ block editor and how it’s meeting user needs these days. What I was interested in wasn’t so much the historical record of how the block editor started – back then called Gutenberg – but rather how well it’s working for people now.
The results were…mixed, to say the least. Some people said it was great, while others called for it to “be stopped” and even went as far as describing it as “a plague on humanity.” 🤷♂️
What stood out to me, though, was that many of those opinions came either from WordPress professionals – people building sites for others – or from prosumers – WordPress power users tinkering with things for themselves.
While those perspectives are undoubtedly valuable and important, it got me thinking: what does the end user really think of the whole block experience these days?
I’m talking about bloggers, writers, site owners – people who are simply creating content on a WordPress website.
I think this perspective is worth exploring because it represents the actual “end users” of WordPress. These are the people we’re ultimately building all these sites for. And, dare I say (don’t hate me for this), their opinions are arguably more important than those of anyone who “knows how the sausage is made,” so to speak. It’s kind of like comparing what a car factory worker thinks about a car versus what the person buying and driving that car thinks.
“Okay, Karol, have you proven your point? Is the block editor actually awesome?”
Not even close. 😃
But let me not get ahead of myself. Here’s the full story:
The dataset
To gather all the opinions, I started with the database I had from my previous research. This time, I focused specifically on opinions that either came from bloggers or addressed features and perspectives related to creating content – things like writing and blogging – not building or designing a site.
It’s also worth noting that I only included opinions published from 2022 onward to ensure we’re looking at the most up-to-date impressions of the block editor.
In addition to that, I browsed through forums to find some fresh opinions on the same topic.
📢 Altogether, I ended up with around 50 opinions discussing the editor’s content creation, writing, and blogging features and abilities.
👍 Out of those, 26 were positive, 19 negative, and 4 were mixed.
That’s roughly a 50/50 split, which, interestingly, lines up with what I saw when I looked at a broader range of opinions – those covering “all things block editor.” The sentiment remains evenly divided.
What also stood out to me, much like in my earlier research, is just how passionate people are about this topic. Those who love the block editor really love it. And those who hate it…well, they hate it with just as much passion. There’s very little in-between. The “meh” crowd seems to be surprisingly small.
Now, let’s dive into some of my favorite takes:
Block editor opinions hall of fame
What’s your favorite one? 😉
Common themes and overall sentiment
As you can see, there’s a lot to unpack. I’ve done my best to pull out some common threads from these opinions and highlight the main themes.
Here’s what comes up the most:
Positive experiences first
To be honest, I did expect to see more positive opinions than I did. But the ones found still indicate that a lot of people are genuinely happy with the changes Gutenberg has brought to WordPress.
About 52% of the feedback collected expressed positive experiences, and I could really feel the enthusiasm from some users who’ve embraced what the block editor offers plus their amazement that other users can have a totally different opinion.
1. Ease of use and intuitiveness
One of the things I kept coming across was how users appreciate how straightforward the editor feels. People mentioned that the block-based structure makes it easier to create content without feeling lost, especially for beginners or those who don’t know how to code.
Some opinions related to…
Empowering non-coders:
“It’s made creating content more visual and user-friendly, especially for those who aren’t into coding.”
“Makes designing posts and pages easy without technical skill.”
Smooth learning curve for new users:
“Clients who manage their own content love it. The ones learning it for the first time also.”
“If you’re used to writing in the classic editor, the new one will be difficult. New users will love it.”
Confidence in editing:
“I really enjoy it, especially how easy it is for clients. Being able to just click in and edit the text directly without the possibility of breaking anything is wonderful. It gives them the confidence to make changes.”
“Editing content is a breeze.”
“I like to edit with it; it makes building pages and posts easy.”
“Being able to just click in and edit the text directly without the possibility of breaking anything is wonderful. It gives them the confidence to make changes.”
I can understand why this resonates with users. Editing in WordPress used to feel a little rigid unless you were comfortable with the backend and the TinyMCE way of things. But this feedback really shows how Gutenberg makes website editing feel approachable – even for people who’ve never done it before.
2. Enhanced content creation
This was another theme I noticed right away. People really seem to love how Gutenberg has made it easier to create visually rich and engaging content.
There’s a lot of appreciation for how you can just drop in blocks – text, images, videos – and arrange them however you want without needing any extra plugins or custom coding.
Intuitive and code-free design:
“Transforms content creation, making it intuitive and code-free. Allows for unique layouts in posts, improves workflow.”
“You can easily create content without loading third-party blocks.”
Efficient media handling:
“I’ve come to appreciate Gutenberg for streamlining my publishing workflows. It allows me to copy-paste from Google Docs without cleaning up junk HTML and makes adding images faster by letting me drag them directly into posts.”
“Gutenberg is ideal for bloggers seeking creative post layouts but struggles with building sophisticated landing pages, as it’s not designed for that purpose.”
3. Improved workflow and efficiency
Efficiency was another topic that came up a lot. People talked about how Gutenberg has saved them time, whether that’s by simplifying repetitive tasks or just making it easier to focus on the actual content.
“It’s much better for writing blog posts than the old editor. I can’t imagine going back.”
“The Gutenberg editor makes my life easier as a developer and my writers’ lives easier. Writers also get a decent instant preview of what they’re doing.”
“I’ve come to appreciate Gutenberg for streamlining my publishing workflows.”
“While it’s not ideal for advanced design, it’s been a huge timesaver for writing and content creation.”
“Writing tools easy to use, great for drafting articles.”
4. Performance benefits
Another thing that stuck was users mentioning performance. Some specifically talked about how much faster and smoother Gutenberg feels compared to the old editor.
Fast, reliable and mature:
“Unlike any other editor, the editing side loads fast. It’s a better experience than the old ways of editing content in WordPress.”
“It is a pretty reliable and mature content editor for the end user.”
Optimized for blogging:
“It’s much better for writing blog posts and making basic tweaks than Elementor.”
“I am converting all my posts to it. Time to write is not better, not worse, equal.”
“If you run a blog then it’s perfect. I love it as a blogging tool.”
5. Positive impact on client experience
One of the better things I read was how much the block editor has helped people who manage websites for others. It seems to be great for making things easier for clients to update their own content without feeling overwhelmed.
“Clients who manage their own content love it. The ones learning it for the first time also. Others like the change from classic or Elementor as well.”
“I really enjoy it. Especially how easy it is for clients.”
“New users will love it.”
6. Encouraging creativity and flexibility
Lastly, I noticed that people talked about creativity. Gutenberg seems to encourage users to experiment with different layouts and designs, without making it complicated or intimidating.
“Gutenberg is ideal for bloggers seeking creative post layouts.”
“Transforms content creation, making it intuitive and code-free. Allows for unique layouts in posts.”
“It’s lived up to its promise by making content creation more intuitive and flexible. It provides a better experience than Classic Editor especially for creating complex layouts and rich content.”
My take on the positive feedback
The ease of use, the time-saving features, the way it helps non-technical users and clients feel confident – these are real wins for the block editor.
Sure, it’s not perfect, and it might not be the right tool for every use case, but it’s clear that for a lot of people, Gutenberg has made writing and creating content in WordPress simpler and more enjoyable.
Negative experiences
As much as some users appreciate Gutenberg, we certainly can’t ignore the significant chunk of feedback – about 40% of the opinions I gathered – that reflects dissatisfaction with the editor.
Many of the concerns revolve around how Gutenberg impacts the writing process, usability, and productivity.
Here’s what I found to be the most common themes:
1. Disruption of writing flow
One of the biggest complaints I came across was how Gutenberg’s block-based system interrupts the natural flow of writing. For many users, the need to deal with individual blocks for every paragraph, heading, or section felt jarring and unnecessary.
Fragmented writing experience:
“Every time I use it, I scream at it. Why do I need every paragraph as a separate block? It’s annoying to work with.”
“It’s a shocker for anyone who wants to write posts of more than one or two paragraphs. There is not a single writer in the world who creates their content with only one paragraph visible at a time.”
Hindrance to creativity:
“It is not designed for writers – it is literally impossible to be creative with it and just let your words flow. I have never met a single writer or creative who can work with it.”
“Still a nightmare. Even for writing simple posts. It kills focus and clogs flow.”
Difficulty with basic text manipulation:
“You can’t italicize 3 paragraphs of text at once with ctrl+i.”
“With it, text is a hassle. Every sentence, paragraph, and heading is a new block, making formatting a nightmare.”
As someone who’s spent time writing in various editors (anyone remembers Windows Live Writer here? – give it a shoutout in the comments), I understand how important it is to have a smooth, uninterrupted workflow.
2. Complexity and steep learning curve
For users who were comfortable with the classic editor, the transition to block hasn’t always been easy. Many described it as unnecessarily complex, particularly when performing simple tasks.
“Nobody wants to edit their text like a page builder. I don’t want to drag around my paragraph like it’s a block.”
“Clients struggle with things like making selected text a different color without changing the whole paragraph.”
“Issues with copy and pasting. I used to use arrow keys to navigate around my text; now it doesn’t work.”
“How the heck it auto bullet points copied text.”
Cumbersome editing process:
“Writing a simple post is a nightmare when all you need is text and add an image or two. Most of the other blocks are useless.”
“Bad, from trying to copy-paste simple blocks to how the heck it auto bullet points copied text.”
3. Technical issues and bugs
I also found plenty of comments about technical glitches. It seems that for some users, Gutenberg isn’t just frustrating in terms of design.
“It is too slow. It starts okay for short posts, but if you want to edit something longer, it is difficult to work on.”
“Text editing interface buggy.”
“I used to use arrow keys to navigate around my text; now it doesn’t work.”
“I’ve seen multiple content editors struggle with the UI.”
4. Accessibility challenges
Accessibility is an area where Gutenberg clearly needs improvement. It was tough to read feedback from users with disabilities who feel excluded from using the editor effectively.
“As a blind blogger who uses a screen reader, block editor is a clunky mess that slows down the creation and writing process and makes it harder to get anything done.”
5. User interface and design flaws
Several users described the block interface as cluttered and unintuitive. This can make navigating the editor feel overwhelming, especially for those who just want to focus on creating content.
“Block editor has too many distractions.”
“The UI for adding links is not good.”
“Gutenberg treats two very different tasks – editing text and designing a layout – as the same thing, and in doing so, it fails at both.”
Reading this feedback, I got the sense that for some users, Gutenberg tries to do too much at once. By attempting to combine layout design and text editing into a single tool, it feels like it’s spreading itself too thin.
6. Impact on productivity and workflow
Finally, one of the more disheartening themes I noticed was how the block editor has disrupted workflows for some users. For a handful of them, it’s even caused a drop in their productivity and willingness to create content.
“The new editor is at least 50% the reason I haven’t blogged consistently in years.”
“Complexity and lack of user-friendliness, leading to significant client dissatisfaction and backlash during upgrades.”
My take on the negative feedback
After reading through all of this, I can’t help but feel for the users who are struggling with the new editor. The block-based system clearly works well for some, but for others it feels like it adds unnecessary friction.
The frustrations with disrupted writing flow, technical bugs, and the lack of accessibility really stood out to me.
This feedback also highlights some real areas for improvement, especially when it comes to accessibility and simplifying the interface for writers. While Gutenberg has its fans, it’s clear that it still has work to do if it wants to win over its critics.
Final thoughts
The block editor has transformed how WordPress users create and manage content – that’s for sure – but its reception is clearly divided. While many praise its intuitive interface, multimedia integration, and efficiency for non-coders, others find the block-based approach disruptive, particularly users who prefer a seamless flow when woking on their sites. Accessibility challenges and technical bugs add to the frustration for some users, and those cannot be ignored.
For WordPress to truly meet its community’s needs, it must address these pain points. Offering a more traditional text editing option, prioritizing accessibility, fixing bugs, and providing better education could make Gutenberg more adaptable and user-friendly.
Ultimately, “blocks” are a bold step forward, but refining things through collaboration and user feedback will ensure it all becomes a tool that balances innovation with inclusivity.
Personally, I’m firmly on the “yay” side when it comes to Gutenberg. As a content creator, I genuinely believe it’s one of the best things WordPress has done for bloggers in the past decade. That said, I know my perspective comes from being a power user who’s always been comfortable navigating WordPress to get things done. I fully understand that my experience isn’t the same as the average site owner who just wants their damn site to operate properly.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! How has Gutenberg impacted your workflow or content creation process? Share your experiences, challenges, and tips in the comments below.
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