Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements vs Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor

Building new pages with Gutenberg? Explore VovaBlocks, a focused collection of native marketing and content blocks from the creator of Shortcodes Ultimate. View VovaBlocks → About Shortcodes Ultimate Shortcodes Ultimate is a WordPress shortcode plugin for adding tabs, accordions, buttons, FAQs, sliders, carousels, lightboxes, columns, boxes and other reusable content elements without coding. It is ideal for site owners who want richer content layouts and practical UI elements without switching to a full page builder. Use Shortcodes Ultimate in the Block Editor, Classic Editor, widgets and template files. Generate shortcodes visually, preview the result before inserting it, and reuse the same elements across posts, pages and existing shortcode-based content. Trusted by hundreds of thousands of WordPress sites, Shortcodes Ultimate helps you replace multiple single-purpose UI plugins with one maintained toolkit. Explore live examples What you can build With Shortcodes Ultimate, you can quickly add common WordPress content elements such as: Accordions and FAQ sections Responsive tabs CTA buttons and download buttons Boxes, notes and callouts Columns and layout helpers Sliders and carousels Lightboxes for images and custom content Post lists and dynamic content blocks Spoilers, toggles and expandable content Media embeds and visual content blocks Instead of installing a separate plugin for every small content element, Shortcodes Ultimate gives you one maintained toolkit for everyday WordPress content tasks. Works with modern and classic WordPress workflows Shortcodes Ultimate works with the Block Editor, Classic Editor, widgets and template files. You can insert shortcodes manually, use WordPress shortcode blocks or use the built-in shortcode generator to configure elements visually. This makes the plugin useful for: Site owners who want to improve content without coding Bloggers and affiliate publishers who need reusable CTA and content blocks Agencies and freelancers maintaining multiple WordPress sites Developers who want shortcode-friendly output in templates Existing sites with older content that already uses shortcodes Why use Shortcodes Ultimate? 50+ ready-to-use WordPress shortcodes Visual shortcode generator Live preview Works with the Block Editor and Classic Editor Shortcodes can be used in posts, pages, widgets and template files Responsive elements that work with your theme Built-in Custom CSS editor Developer-friendly hooks and documentation Free version available on WordPress.org Pro version available for advanced shortcodes, extra styles and premium support Why shortcodes still matter in WordPress The WordPress Block Editor is great for visual content editing, but shortcodes are still useful when you need portable, reusable content elements that work across different parts of a WordPress site. Shortcodes are especially helpful when you want to: Reuse the same content element in many posts or pages Add dynamic content inside widgets or templates Maintain older WordPress sites that already use shortcodes Work across Classic Editor and Block Editor workflows Add content elements without switching to a full page builder Keep common UI elements available through a simple text-based syntax Shortcodes Ultimate is designed for these practical workflows. It gives you a large collection of ready-made shortcodes and a visual generator, so you do not need to write shortcode syntax manually unless you want to. Free and Pro The free version of Shortcodes Ultimate includes a large collection of useful shortcodes for everyday WordPress content tasks. Shortcodes Ultimate Pro adds advanced shortcodes, additional styles, Content Slider, Pricing Table, Testimonials, Shortcode Creator, Elementor support and premium support. Compare Free and Pro Useful links Documentation Live Examples Pro features Support

Spectra Blocks is a complete rebuild of Spectra on WordPress’s modern core-block APIs – an AI website builder built directly into the Block Editor. Describe the page you want. Zip AI, our AI companion plugin, generates a complete first draft using Spectra blocks right inside the Block Editor. You install and connect it in a couple of clicks from the AI area in the Spectra Blocks dashboard. From there, you edit everything the normal way – no separate builder, no proprietary layout system, no plugin you have to keep forever just to keep your site working. That’s the whole idea: get the speed of an AI builder without giving up the editor WordPress already gives you. If you’re already using the original Spectra plugin, it hasn’t gone anywhere – it’s now called Spectra Legacy, and it keeps working and keeps getting maintenance updates. Spectra Blocks is a separate, new plugin. You move to it whenever it makes sense, not because you have to. What you can do with it Generate a full page from a text prompt Generate individual sections (hero, pricing, FAQ, testimonials, etc.) instead of a whole page Rewrite or improve copy on an existing page Convert an existing HTML page into native Spectra blocks Fine-tune every block afterward using the native block editor — colors, spacing, typography, layout Why Spectra Blocks Rebuilt on core, not built around it. Spectra Legacy was one of the first block plugins ever built – before many of today’s WordPress APIs existed, so it had to build a lot of that groundwork itself. Spectra Blocks takes the opposite approach: it’s built directly on WordPress’s modern core-block APIs, so it naturally stays in step with WordPress as the platform evolves. AI where it actually helps. Zip AI removes the blank-page problem. You still make the final call on every layout, section, and line of copy – the AI gets you a strong starting point, not a locked-in template. Composable, not bloated. Instead of dozens of single-purpose blocks, Spectra Blocks gives you a smaller set of flexible blocks plus Extensions that add advanced design controls on top of them. Fewer moving parts, less to maintain, more design freedom. Native by design. Everything is built and edited in the WordPress Block Editor, and your content is stored as standard block markup: no shortcodes, no proprietary page format, no separate interface to learn. Key Features AI page generation – describe a page, get a full first draft in native blocks AI section generation – generate individual sections instead of full pages AI content rewriting – improve or rewrite existing copy in place HTML-to-blocks conversion – turn an existing HTML page into native Spectra blocks Extensions – advanced spacing, border, shadow, and responsive controls for Spectra blocks Container block – build any custom layout by nesting core, Spectra, or third-party blocks inside it Design Library – ready-made patterns (info boxes, testimonials, pricing tables, comparisons, and more) built entirely from Spectra blocks, so you’re not starting from scratch Global Styles – set colors, typography, and spacing once, apply them site-wide Popup Builder – build popups using the same native blocks Animations – fade, slide, zoom, flip, and more, applied directly to blocks Build with Zip AI Zip AI is the AI companion for Spectra Blocks, and it’s how most people will start a page. You install and connect it from the AI area in the Spectra Blocks dashboard, then generate right inside the editor. Here’s what it actually does: Full-page generation – give it a prompt, get a complete page draft Section generation – generate just a hero, pricing table, FAQ, or any other section Content improvement – ask it to tighten, rewrite, or expand existing copy HTML conversion – upload an existing HTML page and get it back as native blocks Global Styles setup – when you build with AI, Zip AI sets up your site’s colors, typography, and spacing as Global Styles automatically, so everything stays organized and editable afterward Every layout Zip AI produces is made entirely of Spectra Blocks. That means it’s fully editable afterward – nothing is locked behind an AI-only interface. A note on pricing: the core plugin, all blocks, and all Extensions are completely free and don’t require an account. AI features come from Zip AI, a separate free plugin you install and connect from the Spectra Blocks dashboard. Using AI requires a ZipWP account and runs on credits, including for Spectra Blocks Pro users. AI requests are processed by the ZipWP service. See ZipWP’s terms of service and privacy policy. How Spectra Blocks Works Spectra Blocks doesn’t ship dozens of single-purpose blocks the way Spectra Legacy did. Instead, it gives you a focused set of flexible blocks, plus Extensions that add advanced design controls to WordPress’s own core blocks. Text and Buttons are Spectra’s own content blocks. The Text block handles everything from headings (H1 to H6) to paragraphs, and the Buttons block creates fully customizable button groups. Extensions for core blocks add advanced spacing, border, shadow, and responsive controls to the core blocks you already use, like Image. You keep WordPress’s own blocks and get more design power on top. Container is the foundation for custom layouts — nest any block inside it, including core WordPress blocks and other plugins’ blocks. Layout and content blocks include Accordion, Tabs, Slider, List, Icon, Separator, and Google Map. Dynamic and engagement blocks include Post (grid, masonry, and carousel layouts), Countdown, Counter, Modal, and Popup Builder. Design Library provides pre-built patterns for testimonials, info boxes, pricing tables, and comparisons, all built from Spectra Blocks. Missing a block you used in Spectra Legacy? It’s probably not gone – it’s just built differently now. A testimonial is a Container with an Image, Text, and Buttons inside it. A pricing table works the same way. If you’d rather use the original dedicated block exactly as it was, Spectra Legacy still has it. Compatibility Works well with these themes: Astra Spectra One Kadence GeneratePress Blocksy Neve Flatsome Works well with these plugins: WooCommerce SureCart Gravity Forms Fluent Forms LearnDash Tutor LMS Yoast SEO The Events Calendar GiveWP PrestoPlayer SureMembers MemberPress Easy Digital Downloads Spectra Blocks works with any standards-compliant WordPress theme. It has been tested for compatibility with WPML. Coming from Spectra Legacy? Spectra Legacy (the original plugin, published as “Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg”) isn’t going anywhere — it keeps getting maintenance updates, compatibility fixes, and security patches. Spectra Blocks is a separate new plugin, not an update to your existing install. Running both side by side is normal during a transition: existing pages keep working on Legacy while you build new ones in Blocks. Once no pages use Legacy blocks, you can deactivate it. A few things to know when you move: Global Colors, Typography, and default block settings are not shared between the two plugins — you’ll set them up fresh in Spectra Blocks. Custom CSS written for Legacy block classes will need updating for any sections you rebuild in Spectra Blocks. Legacy pages are unaffected as long as Legacy stays active. Rebuilding a page doesn’t change its URL, so links and SEO stay intact. There’s no deadline. For new projects, start with Spectra Blocks — it’s the actively developed version. Support Need help? We’re here for it. Support forum: use the Support tab on this page Documentation: available from your WordPress dashboard once the plugin is installed Community: Facebook Group – Web Creators by Astra Found a security issue? Please report it responsibly through our security disclosure process rather than in a public forum post – see the FAQ below for details. Source Code This plugin’s JavaScript and CSS are built from source files using standard WordPress build tools. Plugin Source Block source files are located in the src/ directory (excluded from the distribution zip for size). Admin dashboard source files are located in admin/assets/src/ (also excluded from distribution). The compiled, production-ready assets are in build/ and admin/assets/build/ respectively. Source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/brainstormforce/wp-spectra-blocks To build from source: npm install && npm run build — compiles block JavaScript and CSS. cd admin && npm install && npm run build — compiles the admin dashboard React app. Third-Party Libraries The following pre-compiled third-party libraries are bundled in assets/: Swiper (slider functionality) — Source: https://github.com/nolimits4web/swiper — License: MIT AOS (Animate on Scroll) — Source: https://github.com/michalsnik/aos — License: MIT Bundled Library Source Source code for each bundled library and third-party utility used by this plugin: lib/gutenberg-templates/dist/ and lib/gutenberg-templates/inc/block/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-gutenberg-templates (build: npm install && npm run build) lib/nps-survey/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-nps-survey (build: npm install && npm run build) lib/zipwp-images/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-zipwp-images (build: npm install && npm run build) lib/astra-notices/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/astra-notices (plain PHP, ships unbuilt) vendor/enshrined/svg-sanitize/ — Source: https://github.com/darylldoyle/svg-sanitizer (plain PHP, ships unbuilt) admin/assets/build/dashboard-app.js — bundles the @bsf/force-ui admin UI components — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-admin-ui (build: npm install && npm run build in the admin/ directory) External Services This plugin connects to the following third-party services under certain conditions: Google Maps (maps.google.com) The Google Map block embeds a map on the frontend using the public Google Maps embed URL (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=...&output=embed). No API key is required and no data is sent from the server. The request is made by the visitor’s browser each time a page containing the block is rendered; the address entered in the block is included in the URL so Google can return the matching map tile. Service URL: https://maps.google.com/maps Terms of Service | Privacy Policy ZipWP API When the AI features are enabled and authorized, the plugin communicates with the ZipWP API for AI-powered content generation and template library features. User site URL and content prompts are sent to generate suggestions. Service URL: https://api.zipwp.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy ZipWP (app.zipwp.com) When the user clicks “Authorize”, “Sign Up”, “Manage Plan”, or “Buy Credits” in the Spectra Blocks AI dashboard, the browser is redirected to the ZipWP web app for authentication, account management, or billing. The redirect is user-initiated; no plugin-originated data is sent until the user interacts with the linked pages. Data sent includes only what the user enters on the ZipWP web app itself (login credentials, billing details); the plugin passes a site identifier in the return URL so the ZipWP dashboard can complete the round-trip after sign-up. Service URL: https://app.zipwp.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy Starter Templates Credit Server When AI features are enabled, the plugin checks the credit balance for AI content generation features. Service URL: https://credits.startertemplates.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy Brainstorm Force Store When the “Get Spectra Blocks Pro” upsell is displayed in the admin dashboard, pricing information is fetched from the Brainstorm Force store. This request is made by the administrator’s browser, not the plugin server. Service URL: https://store.brainstormforce.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy Unsplash When using the AI-powered image library, images may be fetched from Unsplash. The bundled ZipWP Images library downloads free stock photos based on user-selected keywords. Image URLs and attribution data are retrieved from the Unsplash API. Service URL: https://unsplash.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy WordPress.org When installing recommended plugins or themes from the admin dashboard, the plugin uses the standard WordPress.org API to download packages. Service URL: https://downloads.wordpress.org/ Privacy Policy WebsiteDemos.net When the Starter Templates library is enabled, template data may be synced from the WebsiteDemos.net service. Service URL: https://websitedemos.net/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy YouTube The admin dashboard settings page embeds tutorial videos from YouTube using the privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). Videos are loaded only when a user clicks play on the admin dashboard. No user data is sent until playback is initiated. Service URL: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy BSF Analytics When the user opts in to share anonymous usage data, the bundled BSF Analytics library sends non-personal site environment data (WordPress version, theme, active plugins) to help improve the plugin. Service URL: https://analytics.brainstormforce.com/ Privacy Policy BSF Metrics When the user submits an NPS (Net Promoter Score) survey response from the admin dashboard, the bundled NPS Survey library sends the feedback to the BSF Metrics service. Service URL: https://metrics.brainstormforce.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy Brainstorm Force Support When verifying plugin license status, the bundled Starter Templates library may communicate with the Brainstorm Force support portal. Service URL: https://support.brainstormforce.com/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy Spectra Blocks News (wpspectra.com) The admin dashboard “What’s New” panel fetches an RSS feed from wpspectra.com to display plugin announcements and release notes. This request is made by the administrator’s browser, not the plugin server. No user data is sent. Service URL: https://wpspectra.com/whats-new/feed/ Terms of Service | Privacy Policy