5 Reasons why you should upgrade to Blocksy Pro
Blocksy emerged as one of the most popular WordPress themes of 2020. Apart from being lightweight, it is optimised for Gutenberg. It also works well with popular page builders such as Elementor and Beaver Builder. In November 2020, Blocksy launched its pro version. This article will discuss why you should upgrade to Blocksy Pro. But first, a quick look at the free version.
Why you should check out Blocksy’s free version first
If you have used the free theme, you will know that Blocksy is great for building your website with WordPress. It offers more features than other free WordPress themes and powerful features.
One of my favourite features is the way the menu builder works. It allows you to customise overlays and mobile menus with a few clicks. The header and footer editors are also easy to use with a simple drag and drop option. At the same time, it offers an array of customisation features. It also allows you to customise blog archive pages. This is not a common feature among WordPress themes.
If you are testing out Blocksy, ensure you try it with Gutenberg to see how powerful it is. Blocksy uses React, Babel, and Webpack to integrate with so many things. As a result, using Blocksy with Gutenberg is the best way to build your website.
Now, Blocksy has a pro version that is worth trying out. This version replaces the original Blocksy companion plugin. It includes several customisable design options to customise your content with ease. You can create anything from a portfolio site to an e-commerce store with the Pro version.
Video Review
Check out my Youtube video on five reasons why you should upgrade to Blocksy Pro.
1. Content Hooks (Blocks)
The first reason I recommend the Pro version is the hook system. Blocksy Pro offers content blocks (hooks). Hooks are content blocks that you can move around anywhere on the page. This includes not only Gutenberg but any content blocks. Of course, there are tools such as Astra Pro that do this well.
But, what makes Blocksy Pro different is the ease of use. The user-friendly interface also comes with a fantastic guide.
One of the best things about this feature is that you do not need any coding knowledge to apply Content Blocks to your website.
With the Content Hooks, you can enjoy features like the expiration feature. It allows you to set an expiration date for your content block. Once the time expires, the block will disappear. Another feature you get to use is the visibility feature. You can choose the devices on which you want the content blocks to appear, like desktops, tablets or mobile phones.
Another feature is the display page/post conditions which guide you in moving the block to anywhere on your site. These visual cues simplify your job and save time.
2. Custom Code Snippets
My second reason for upgrading to Blocksy Pro is the custom code snippets. Wondering what a code snippet is! This is a term used to describe a tiny amount of re-usable source code, machine code, or text. Examples of code snippets are Google Analytics and Facebook tracking codes, and Hotjar.
You don’t invest in a third-party plugin to add custom codes with the Pro version. Instead, it offers custom code placements in the header, body and footer placements. This feature makes it easy to insert your code in these placements.
The custom code snippets feature allows you to add JavaScript or CSS code snippets to your website. You can add them in two ways. First, globally, they will affect all the areas of your website. Or on a per-page/post basis, so they affect only that particular section of your website.
You can get more information on how the custom code snippets feature works from this Blocksy documentation.
3. Custom Headers and Footers
Headers and footers are critical elements of your website. Unfortunately, many themes do not offer conditional customisation of headers, footers, and sidebars. Yet, Blocksy’s version does this with the bonus of intensive customisation.
Depending on your content, with Blocksy Pro’s custom headers and footers feature, you can transform your header with a simple tweak. For example, you want to make the header and footer transparent on certain pages. You can also customise headers and footers for the entire website. Or set a condition to exclude a specific page.
To top it, you can set user conditions, for example, visible for only logged-in users.
Another add-on with the Pro version is access to more elements. The free version offers up to 6 footer widgets and nine header elements. But, the Pro version has opened up access to many more elements.
These include Widgets, Language Switchers, Desktop Menu Drawers, among others.
Another feature exclusive to the Pro version is the ‘Duplicate Header’ option. This feature enables you to clone the design of the existing header onto which you can customise to create a unique header for a given page.
4. Custom Fonts
We all know that fonts play a huge role in a company’s site. This is because they add value to the information you communicate to your audience. With custom fonts, you have the opportunity to utilise a beautiful combination of different types of fonts on your website. This improves typography and user experience.
With Blocksy Pro, you can upload any amount of custom fonts. Furthermore, you can use them within your typography options. these are accessible through the Blocksy theme customisation settings.
You can use Google fonts, upload custom fonts and use Adobe Typekit. All you have to do is paste your Project ID, and all the fonts within it will be readily available for you to use.
Note: Loading Google fonts off the Google server is not advisable if you want to conform with GDPR laws. Not only does this follow the regulations, but it is also actually faster. To be on the safe side, you are encouraged to load the fonts off your website.
5. Support for developers
As we use the Blocksy free theme, we must remember that it is all funded. That means people are coding and putting in the effort to make the Blocksy free version. However, they are the same people making the Pro version. By upgrading, you get extra features and above all, support the developers who created and maintained this fantastic theme for the WordPress community.
Apart from the features mentioned, below is some more information on Blocksy Pro that you should know.
Comparison between Blocksy Free and Pro
Here is a table comparing the features available in Blocksy free and Blocksy Pro.
| Features | Free | Pro |
| General features | ||
| Custom widgets | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Cookies notice module | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Content blocks (hooks) | ✔️ | |
| Custom code snippets | ✔️ | |
| Header features | ||
| Header builder | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Multiple conditional headers | ✔️ | |
| Footer features | ||
| Footer builder | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Multiple conditional footers | ✔️ | |
| WooCommerce features | ||
| Advanced single product layouts | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Quick view module | ✔️ |
How much does Blocksy Pro cost?
You could be wondering how much Blocksy Pro costs. It has different offers based on an annual payment basis and lifetime basis. Under the annual and lifetime basis are three available categories for customers. These are;
- Personal – 1 site license
- Professional – 5 sites license
- Agency – Unlimited sites license
| Basis | Annual license | Lifetime license |
| Personal | $49 for one site license | $149 for one site license |
| Professional | $69 for five sites license | $199 for five sites license |
| Agency | $99 for unlimited licenses | $299 for unlimited licenses |
Final Thoughts
We have enjoyed using Blocksy Pro for our clients’ sites. The upgrade from the free version has been working great so far. If you want to create an interactive, engaging site with the Blocksy Pro version, feel free to engage with us at MRK WP.
