Gutenberg Editor vs. The Classic Editor

For some years now, WordPress users used the classic editor. Following the release of WordPress 5.0, the Gutenberg Editor has become the standard editor. The new editor has been named after Johannes Gutenberg, the man who invented the printing press. It comes with a unique and attractive set of features & has become quite popular in the recent past. However, many users still prefer the classic editor. The new version allows users to choose between the classic and Gutenberg editors.

Before trying to compare the two editors, let us first discuss why the new editor was introduced in the first place.

Reasons for introducing the Gutenberg Editor

Following are some of the reasons why WordPress introduced the Gutenberg Editor:

1. The key idea behind the Gutenberg editor was to allow users to create rich content without having much knowledge of CSS and HTML.
2. The printer invented by Gutenberg in the 15th century made use of blocks. Similarly, the Gutenberg editor makes use of a block concept. It makes use of little blocks or sections for creating a page.
3. Features that were complex to handle in the classic editor have been made easy. This ensures that a user can do all this without using plugins.

Pros and Cons of the Gutenberg Editor

The following are some of the pros and cons of the new Gutenberg Editor.

The Pros

1. Gutenberg editor has an innovative block concept, which is easy and fun to use.
2. The new editor makes it easy to add images to your page.
3. It has an innovative tool for drag and drop design. This makes it easier for users.
4. Customizing content is now easier. Custom blocks can be created, and plugins can be used easily.
5. There is more screen space on the editor;increasing convenience for users.
6. The editor is mobile-friendly and much more accessible to use than the classic editor.
7. The process of embedding videos, images and other such content is now fast, and there is no need to use a plugin for this.

The Cons

1. Incompatibility of the various themes and plugins is an issue with the Gutenberg editors.
2. There is no support from markdown in the beta version.
3. The APIs are still in the development stage.
4. For those who were used to the classic editor, working with blocks can be cumbersome. It requires an effort to learn the concepts and put them into practice.
5. The classic editor allowed you to straightway start with the writing. Gutenberg makes it compulsory to work with blocks.

Comparing the Gutenberg Editor with the Classic Editor

The following comparison highlights the differences between the Gutenberg editor and the classic editor.

1) Interface

The major difference between the two editors is that the Gutenberg editor makes use of a drag and drop interface. This is a major difference when compared to the classic editor. Drag and drop allow users to work with blocks and drag them and move them to any part of the page seamlessly. The new editor allows users to create full-width images. They can also experiment with the placement of images.

2) Content creation

The classic editor provides a plain area for typing text and creating content. The Gutenberg editor, however, is more of a canvas than a plain area. The use of blocks is highly beneficial here while adding content.

3) Plugin usage

In the classic editor, plugins had to be used for many of the functionalities. The Gutenberg editor eliminates the need for plugins for many functions. Inserting a table, adding a contact form is now easier and can be done directly from the editor without the need for using plugins.

4) Performance

When it comes to performance, the Gutenberg editor does well.   The speed of the editor is good even while working with multiple tabs. Adding text and images and editing them is a smooth experience, thanks to the superior performance of this editor.

5) True WYSIWYG

While using the classic editor getting a page preview required an extra effort. However, the Gutenberg editor is real “What You See Is What You Get”. You can see the content as it would appear on the web page. This makes it easy to work with blocks.

Which is better?

When one compared the Gutenberg editor with the classic editor, it is clear that the Gutenberg editor has a large number of new features that makes it much easier to work with. The interface and the overall experience is better while using Gutenberg. However, a little bit of learning is needed to get used to the concept of blocks. Those who were using the Classic editor for a long time may need time to get adjusted to this concept.

The classic editor will be supported until 2021, by then everyone needs to get used to Gutenberg.