Essential Blocks vs Qi Blocks
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Essential Blocks leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #283, ahead of Qi Blocks at #678. Over the last 7 days Essential Blocks slipped 1 place and Qi Blocks slipped 1 place. Essential Blocks has the largest install base, roughly 1.7× the next: 100K+ active installs against 60K+ for Qi Blocks. Downloads this week: Essential Blocks 73,236 and Qi Blocks 8,089. Ratings: Essential Blocks 4.9★ from 216 and Qi Blocks 5★ from 5 reviews.
| Metric | Essential Blocks | Qi Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #283 ▼ 1 | #678 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 60K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 73,236 | 8,089 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (216) | 5★ (5) |
| Last updated | Oct 27, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 6.5.2 | 1.5.4 |
| Best rank on record | #272 | #671 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2018 | Sep 2022 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 6 | 2 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Essential Blocks or Qi Blocks?
By active installs, Essential Blocks: 100K+ sites run it against 60K+ for Qi Blocks, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 31, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Essential Blocks or Qi Blocks?
Essential Blocks, at #283 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Qi Blocks at #678. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Essential Blocks or Qi Blocks alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.