Classic Editor

92 Quality Score

Active Installs

30/30

With 9 million active installs, Classic Editor is one of the most installed WordPress plugins ever made, reflecting massive demand for the classic editing experience.

Update Freshness

25/25

The plugin was last updated in May 2026 and is tested against WordPress 7.0, indicating it is actively maintained and ready for the current WordPress core.

User Rating

15/15

A 98 out of 100 rating across 1,242 reviews is exceptional and suggests broad user satisfaction, with very few complaints about functionality.

Support Health

8/15

With only 13 total support threads and a 7.7% resolution rate, the public support channel is sparse, likely because the plugin does very little that can break and core team involvement has historically been hands-off.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Requiring only PHP 5.2.4 and WordPress 4.9, the plugin is compatible with essentially every modern WordPress host and configuration.

Scores higher than 99% of indexed plugins

About

Enables the previous "classic" editor and the old-style Edit Post screen with TinyMCE, Meta Boxes, etc. Supports all plugins that extend this screen.

Active Installs 8M+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.9/5

Last Updated 2026-05-28 1:51am GMT

Requires WordPress 4.9+

Tested Up To 7.0.4

Requires PHP 5.2.4+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

Classic Editor restores the previous TinyMCE-based editing interface in WordPress, swapping out (or providing an option to swap out) the block editor introduced in WordPress 5.0. It brings back the familiar Edit Post screen, meta boxes, and toolbar, ensuring that any plugins, shortcodes, or workflows built for the old editor continue to function. Administrators can allow users to choose their preferred editor or force one across the site.

Who It's For

This plugin is ideal for site owners, publishers, and content teams who prefer the speed and simplicity of the classic editing screen over Gutenberg's block-based workflow. It is especially valuable for legacy sites with custom meta boxes, classic-editor-dependent plugins, or editorial workflows built around shortcodes and quicktags. Newsrooms, bloggers, and small business sites with many older posts will benefit most.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone already comfortable with the block editor, or building new sites that will rely on block-based themes and plugins like Spectra or Kadence Blocks, does not need this plugin. Installing it can also create confusion for collaborative teams where some members expect blocks and others expect a single long text area.

The Bottom Line

Classic Editor earns an overall quality score of 85.85/100 and remains the de facto choice for anyone who simply wants the old TinyMCE editor back without fuss. With 9 million installs and a near-perfect user rating, it does one job and does it well, though the weak support metrics matter less here because the plugin is small and stable. Install it if you need classic editing; skip it if you have moved on to Gutenberg or a full builder.

Pick Elementor if you want a visual front-end page builder for designing full layouts rather than just reverting the post editor to classic mode.

Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 95/100

Choose Spectra if you want to keep the block editor but need many additional custom blocks for advanced page building.

Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 93/100

Pick Shortcodes Ultimate if you want to enrich classic editor content with ready-made shortcode elements like buttons, tabs, and sliders.

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 89/100

Choose Kadence Blocks if you want a lightweight block-based toolkit that gives the block editor much more design flexibility without leaving Gutenberg.

Starter Templates – AI-Powered Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 89/100

Pick Starter Templates if you need ready-made full site designs to import rather than focusing on the editor experience itself.