Classic Editor +

by Pieter Bos

View on WordPress.org

83 Quality Score

Active Installs

21/30

With 40,000 active installs it is a mid-tier plugin, far behind alternatives like Classic Editor at 9 million installs.

Update Freshness

25/25

Last updated June 2026 and tested against WordPress 7.0, indicating the developer is actively keeping pace with core releases.

User Rating

15/15

A 98 out of 100 from 31 ratings is an excellent score, though the small sample size means it carries less weight than alternatives with thousands of reviews.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads opened is unusual; either the plugin works flawlessly out of the box or users have nowhere to turn when issues arise, which is a real risk for production sites.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Requires only WordPress 4.9 and PHP 5.6, making it one of the most backward-compatible options in this category.

Scores higher than 90% of indexed plugins

About

The "Classic Editor +" plugin disables the block editor, removes enqueued scripts/styles and brings back classic Widgets.

Active Installs 40k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.9/5

Last Updated 2026-08-16 5:31am GMT

Requires WordPress 5.5+

Tested Up To 7.1

Requires PHP 5.6+

Security History

1 known vulnerability, all patched

1 High

Most recent: January 24, 2022

View details ▸

What It Does

Classic Editor Plus restores the classic TinyMCE editor and classic widget screens, and goes a step further by removing Gutenberg-related scripts and styles from the frontend to reduce page weight. In practice it disables the block editor site-wide and strips leftover block CSS so pages load with less bloat. It is essentially a performance-focused alternative to the official Classic Editor plugin.

Who It's For

This plugin is best for site owners who want to permanently opt out of the block editor and clean up unused block-related assets at the same time, particularly on older or custom-coded sites. Agencies managing legacy WordPress builds, small business sites, and content-heavy blogs that depend on classic widgets will benefit most from the one-step rollback. It also suits developers who want full control over frontend output without writing custom code.

Who Should Skip It

If you only need to disable the block editor without touching frontend CSS or if you want the safety net of an officially maintained solution, the Classic Editor plugin (9 million installs) is a better fit. Users who actually want block editor features, or anyone relying on widget block patterns, should skip this entirely.

The Bottom Line

Classic Editor Plus delivers exactly what it promises, with strong ratings and modern compatibility testing. The lack of any visible support history is a real concern for critical sites, and the 40,000 install count is modest compared to top alternatives. It is a solid choice for users who specifically want both editor rollback and frontend cleanup in a single plugin, but risk-averse site owners may prefer the official Classic Editor plugin instead.

Related Plugins

Classic Editor 86/100

Pick the official Classic Editor if you want the safest, most widely trusted solution backed by the WordPress team and the largest user base.

Disable Gutenberg 88/100

Choose Disable Gutenberg if you want more granular control, such as disabling the block editor for specific post types or user roles.

Classic Widgets 89/100

Choose Classic Widgets if the only thing you need is to restore the classic widgets screen without disabling the block editor.

Advanced Editor Tools 86/100

Pick Advanced Editor Tools (TinyMCE Advanced) if you want to keep the classic editor but also add extra formatting buttons and editor features.

Widget Options 85/100

Choose Widget Options if you need advanced conditional logic for widgets, which is beyond anything this plugin offers.