A Review of Atomic Blocks: Gutenberg WordPress Block Collection Plugin

As we continue our review of block collection plugins, it’s always good to go over what we’ve already reviewed. We’ve reviewed Stackable and CoBlocks.

Today we’re going to look at the block collection plugin called Atomic Blocks. It was originally developed by developer Mike McAllister of Array Themes fame. Mike recently joined the Studio Press and WP Engine team, as they acquired Atomic Blocks.

I have followed Mike’s work for quite a while, and with the craftsmanship he used to build his other products, I knew that Atomic Blocks would be a great plugin that I would find useful.

As another block collection plugin, Atomic Blocks provides you with a series of blocks and tools that allow you to design custom and beautiful looking sites without the need for any additional tools.

Before we get to the video review of my first look into the plugin, I wanted to mention that not only did they create a plugin, but they also built a theme, Atomic Blocks Theme. We’ll cover that in a bonus section below, but the video is showcasing it first.

In the video below, you will see my first impressions with Atomic Blocks and the companion theme, Atomic Blocks Theme. 

There you have it. That’s my first impressions of Atomic Blocks and the companion theme. Together, I think they work really well. I would need to dig deeper maybe on a project or with my theme of choice to see what it would look like in a real-world use case.

Overall, I found the experience to be similar to that of page builders I have used in the past. I am specifically thinking about Beaver Builder and the various communities that sprung up around it.

Key Features in Using this Plugin

Using the section and layout block, you can browse designs by category search and even sections and layouts to a favorites tab for quick access later. 

Installing the Atomic block plugin gives you the only collection of beautiful Insite building blocks that help you customize your page layout. It also helps you to increase engagement and get results for your business. Atomic blocks provide everything from customizable buttons, to beautifully-designed page sections and full-page layout designs via the section and layout block.

Atomic Blocks includes an advanced columns block and it’s very similar to the default columns block. There are just subtle differences to the blocks in how you change the width of the columns. One thing I would like to see in a column block is the ability to change the order when on mobile and tablet devices. It’s something you could do within Beaver Builder (and I would assume other non-Gutenberg page builders).

Creating Layouts with Atomic Blocks

Out-of-the-box it comes with a number of pre-designed sections and layouts to help you quickly make pages. With the layout selector, you can choose from the block list or the layout button at the top of each page. There are sections for header, three services, media and text, text list / image, team members, testimonials, and contact information with map.

There are also two product launch designs layouts available to you, so if you are in the process of launching a new product or business, you can use one of these pre-designed layouts. When you are wearing multiple hats, it makes it incredibly useful having pre-designed layouts. It’s one of the reasons I like the Beaver Builder community so much.

What Type of Blocks are Included?

• Section & Layout Block – Block Demo (NEW!)
• Advanced Columns Block – Block Demo (NEW!)
• Newsletter Block – Block Demo
• Pricing Block – Block Demo
• Post Grid Block – Block Demo
• Container Block – Block Demo
• Testimonial Block – Block Demo
• Inline Notice Block – Block Demo
• Accordion Block – Block Demo
• Share Icons Block – Block Demo
• Call-To-Action Block – Block Demo
• Customizable Button Block – Block Demo
• Spacer & Divider Block – Block Demo
• Author Profile Block – Block Demo
• Drop Cap Block – Block Demo

Price?

The price of Atomic Blocks is free. It’s available in the WordPress Plugin Repository, and you can get it set up with a few clicks. The companion theme, Atomic Blocks Theme, is also free and can be installed via the WordPress Theme Repository.

Who Should Use this Plugin?

Atomic Blocks is a great plugin that features a number of blocks that you can use without much hassle. I really like that this block collection set really augments the core blocks that come with WordPress. Because of this, I think anyone that is looking to use the WordPress block editor should consider Atomic Blocks an immediate install.

But there are some caveats. Take a look at my video review for more details about where I think Atomic Blocks can improve both in the usability of the plugin and some added features.

As an added bonus, Atomic Blocks also has a theme conveniently called the Atomic Blocks theme. It has a clean and beautiful minimalistic design with a single column layout that’s flexible and responsive. Which makes it perfect for any size screen or mobile device.

Bonus: Atomic Block Theme 

The Atomic Blocks theme is designed to help you get started with the Atomic Blocks plugin and the new WordPress block editor. They integrate seamlessly together, so you’ll know a combination of theme options and block options that really mesh well together.

It has elegant styles for all of the default editor blocks such as photos, galleries, quotes, columns, and more. The theme supports the new editor’s wide alignment styles for content that spans the full width of your page.

It goes without saying that the Atomic Blocks theme also easily integrates with the Atomic Blocks plugin, which adds page building blocks for the new WordPress editor. Atomic Blocks also adds customizable content block such as testimonial, notice, profile, customizable button, accordion, and more

It also has several handy theme options like content width, font selection, font sizes, logo upload, and more, to help tweak your site to your liking.