Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor

Spectra Blocks is a complete rebuild of Spectra on WordPress’s modern core-block APIs – an AI website builder built directly into the Block Editor.

Describe the page you want. Zip AI, our AI companion plugin, generates a complete first draft using Spectra blocks right inside the Block Editor. You install and connect it in a couple of clicks from the AI area in the Spectra Blocks dashboard. From there, you edit everything the normal way – no separate builder, no proprietary layout system, no plugin you have to keep forever just to keep your site working.

That’s the whole idea: get the speed of an AI builder without giving up the editor WordPress already gives you.

If you’re already using the original Spectra plugin, it hasn’t gone anywhere – it’s now called Spectra Legacy, and it keeps working and keeps getting maintenance updates. Spectra Blocks is a separate, new plugin. You move to it whenever it makes sense, not because you have to.

Why not just use a page builder?

Page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder wrap the WordPress editor in their own framework. That means their own shortcodes, their own rendering engine, and often their own way of doing things that doesn’t go away even if you switch themes or plugins.

Spectra Blocks doesn’t do that. It extends Gutenberg – it doesn’t replace it. Every layout Zip AI generates is made of real WordPress blocks. Your content is standard block markup in your WordPress database, edited in the same editor WordPress already ships with. No shortcodes, no separate rendering engine, no proprietary interface sitting between you and your content.

What you can do with it

• Generate a full page from a text prompt
• Generate individual sections (hero, pricing, FAQ, testimonials, etc.) instead of a whole page
• Rewrite or improve copy on an existing page
• Convert an existing HTML page into native Spectra blocks
• Start a new page with AI instead of a blank canvas
• Fine-tune every block afterward using the native block editor – colors, spacing, typography, layout

Why Spectra Blocks

Rebuilt on core, not built around it. Spectra Legacy was one of the first block plugins ever built – before many of today’s WordPress APIs existed, so it had to build a lot of that groundwork itself. Spectra Blocks takes the opposite approach: it’s built directly on WordPress’s modern core-block APIs, so it naturally stays in step with WordPress as the platform evolves.

AI where it actually helps. Zip AI removes the blank-page problem. You still make the final call on every layout, section, and line of copy – the AI gets you a strong starting point, not a locked-in template.

Composable, not bloated. Instead of dozens of single-purpose blocks, Spectra Blocks gives you a smaller set of flexible blocks plus Extensions that add advanced design controls on top of them. Fewer moving parts, less to maintain, more design freedom.

Native by design. Everything is built and edited in the WordPress Block Editor, and your content is stored as standard block markup: no shortcodes, no proprietary page format, no separate interface to learn.

Key Features

• AI page generation – describe a page, get a full first draft in native blocks
• AI section generation – generate individual sections instead of full pages
• AI content rewriting – improve or rewrite existing copy in place
• HTML-to-blocks conversion – turn an existing HTML page into native Spectra blocks
• Extensions – advanced spacing, border, shadow, and responsive controls for Spectra blocks
• Container block – build any custom layout by nesting core, Spectra, or third-party blocks inside it
• Design Library – ready-made patterns (info boxes, testimonials, pricing tables, comparisons, and more) built entirely from Spectra blocks, so you’re not starting from scratch
• Global Styles – set colors, typography, and spacing once, apply them site-wide
• Popup Builder – build popups using the same native blocks
• Animations – fade, slide, zoom, flip, and more, applied directly to blocks

Build with Zip AI

Zip AI is the AI companion for Spectra Blocks, and it’s how most people will start a page. You install and connect it from the AI area in the Spectra Blocks dashboard, then generate right inside the editor.

Here’s what it actually does:

• Full-page generation – give it a prompt, get a complete page draft
• Section generation – generate just a hero, pricing table, FAQ, or any other section
• Content improvement – ask it to tighten, rewrite, or expand existing copy
• HTML conversion – upload an existing HTML page and get it back as native blocks
• Global Styles setup – when you build with AI, Zip AI sets up your site’s colors, typography, and spacing as Global Styles automatically, so everything stays organized and editable afterward

Every layout Zip AI produces is made entirely of Spectra Blocks. That means it’s fully editable afterward – nothing is locked behind an AI-only interface.

A note on pricing: the core plugin, all blocks, and all Extensions are completely free and don’t require an account. AI features come from Zip AI, a separate free plugin you install and connect from the Spectra Blocks dashboard. Using AI requires a ZipWP account and runs on credits, including for Spectra Blocks Pro users. AI requests are processed by the ZipWP service. See ZipWP’s terms of service and privacy policy.

How Spectra Blocks Works

Spectra Blocks doesn’t ship dozens of single-purpose blocks the way Spectra Legacy did. Instead, it gives you a small set of flexible blocks, plus Extensions that add advanced styling to WordPress’s own core blocks.

• Core Spectra blocks (Paragraph, Heading, Image, Buttons) enhanced with Extensions for spacing, borders, shadows, and responsive design
• Container – the foundation for custom layouts; nest any block inside it, including core WordPress blocks and other plugins’ blocks
• Accordion – build FAQs and any expandable content
• Design Library – pre-built patterns for testimonials, info boxes, pricing tables, and comparisons, all built from core blocks and Containers

Missing a block you used in Spectra Legacy? It’s probably not gone – it’s just built differently now. A testimonial is a Container with Image, Heading, and Paragraph inside it. A pricing table works the same way. If you’d rather use the original dedicated block exactly as it was, Spectra Legacy still has it.

Who It’s For

• WordPress beginners who want AI to remove the blank-page problem, without locking them into a proprietary builder
• Freelancers and agencies building client sites faster, without adding a page-builder dependency clients will be stuck maintaining
• Bloggers and creators who want well-designed pages without hand-building every section
• WooCommerce store owners building product and landing pages that load fast
• Marketers who need landing pages shipped quickly
• Anyone leaving Elementor, Divi, or Beaver Builder who wants page-builder speed without the page-builder framework
• Existing Spectra users ready to move to the actively-developed version, whenever that makes sense for them

Performance

Spectra Blocks is built directly on WordPress’s core block APIs – not layered on top of them the way Spectra Legacy had to be, since many of those APIs didn’t exist yet when Legacy was built.

• Lighter editor overhead and a more responsive editing experience
• Cleaner, more semantic front-end code
• Loads only the CSS a page actually uses
• No proprietary rendering engine sitting between your content and your theme
• Built to stay in step with WordPress as the platform evolves, reducing the update-related breakage some users saw with Legacy’s custom controls

Compatibility

Works well with these themes:

• Astra
• Spectra One
• Kadence
• GeneratePress
• Blocksy
• Neve
• Flatsome

Works well with these plugins:

• WooCommerce
• SureCart
• Gravity Forms
• Fluent Forms
• LearnDash
• Tutor LMS
• Yoast SEO
• The Events Calendar
• GiveWP
• PrestoPlayer
• SureMembers
• MemberPress
• Easy Digital Downloads

Spectra Blocks works with any standards-compliant WordPress theme. It has been tested for compatibility with WPML.

Coming from Spectra Legacy?

If you’re already using Spectra (the original plugin, published under the “Ultimate Addons for Gutenberg” slug), here’s what you need to know:

• Spectra Legacy isn’t going anywhere. It keeps receiving maintenance updates, compatibility fixes, and security patches. There are no plans to remove it, and if that ever changes, we’ll give plenty of advance notice.
• Your existing site keeps working exactly as it does now. Nothing about the plugin you’re currently running changes.
• Spectra Blocks is a separate, new plugin. It’s not an update to your current install – it’s a different product, built for AI-first, composable page building.
• New features are being built in Spectra Blocks going forward. Zip AI and future capabilities are exclusive to this plugin.
• Running both at once is normal, not a mistake. Most people transitioning will run Spectra Legacy and Spectra Blocks side by side for a while – existing pages keep working on Legacy while new pages are built in Blocks. Each plugin only loads assets for the blocks a page actually uses, so this isn’t a heavy tax. It’s just not meant to be permanent – once a site no longer uses any Legacy blocks, you can deactivate Spectra Legacy.
• Global settings don’t carry over automatically. Global Colors, Global Typography, and default block settings are separate between the two plugins. You’ll set these up fresh in Spectra Blocks; your Legacy settings stay untouched.
• Custom CSS and code may need updating. Spectra Blocks uses new block markup, so custom CSS or code written against Legacy’s classes will need to be updated for any sections you rebuild in Spectra Blocks. Legacy pages are unaffected as long as Spectra Legacy stays active.
• Rebuilding a page won’t change its URL. Your links, menus, and SEO stay intact. The output is cleaner, more semantic HTML, which is generally a plus for SEO – just keep headings and URLs consistent as you rebuild.
• There’s no deadline to switch. Move whenever it makes sense for your workflow. For brand-new projects, we recommend starting with Spectra Blocks, since it’s the actively developed version – unless a specific block you need only exists in Legacy.

In short: Spectra Legacy is stable and supported. Spectra Blocks is where we’re building next. Both are safe choices – one just goes further.

Support

Need help? We’re here for it.

• Support forum: use the Support tab on this page
• Documentation: available from your WordPress dashboard once the plugin is installed
• Community: Facebook Group – Web Creators by Astra

Found a security issue? Please report it responsibly through our security disclosure process rather than in a public forum post – see the FAQ below for details.

Source Code

This plugin’s JavaScript and CSS are built from source files using standard WordPress build tools.

Plugin Source

• Block source files are located in the src/ directory (excluded from the distribution zip for size).
• Admin dashboard source files are located in admin/assets/src/ (also excluded from distribution).
• The compiled, production-ready assets are in build/ and admin/assets/build/ respectively.
• Source code is available on GitHub: https://github.com/brainstormforce/wp-spectra-blocks

To build from source:

1. npm install && npm run build — compiles block JavaScript and CSS.
2. cd admin && npm install && npm run build — compiles the admin dashboard React app.

Third-Party Libraries

The following pre-compiled third-party libraries are bundled in assets/:

• Swiper (slider functionality) — Source: https://github.com/nolimits4web/swiper — License: MIT
• AOS (Animate on Scroll) — Source: https://github.com/michalsnik/aos — License: MIT

Bundled Library Source

Source code for each bundled library and third-party utility used by this plugin:

• lib/gutenberg-templates/dist/ and lib/gutenberg-templates/inc/block/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-gutenberg-templates (build: npm install && npm run build)
• lib/nps-survey/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-nps-survey (build: npm install && npm run build)
• lib/zipwp-images/dist/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-zipwp-images (build: npm install && npm run build)
• lib/astra-notices/ — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/astra-notices (plain PHP, ships unbuilt)
• vendor/enshrined/svg-sanitize/ — Source: https://github.com/darylldoyle/svg-sanitizer (plain PHP, ships unbuilt)
• admin/assets/build/dashboard-app.js — bundles the @bsf/force-ui admin UI components — Source: https://github.com/brainstormforce/bsf-admin-ui (build: npm install && npm run build in the admin/ directory)

External Services

This plugin connects to the following third-party services under certain conditions:

Google Maps (maps.google.com)

The Google Map block embeds a map on the frontend using the public Google Maps embed URL (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=...&output=embed). No API key is required and no data is sent from the server. The request is made by the visitor’s browser each time a page containing the block is rendered; the address entered in the block is included in the URL so Google can return the matching map tile.
* Service URL: https://maps.google.com/maps
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

ZipWP API

When the AI features are enabled and authorized, the plugin communicates with the ZipWP API for AI-powered content generation and template library features. User site URL and content prompts are sent to generate suggestions.
* Service URL: https://api.zipwp.com/
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

ZipWP (app.zipwp.com)

When the user clicks “Authorize”, “Sign Up”, “Manage Plan”, or “Buy Credits” in the Spectra Blocks AI dashboard, the browser is redirected to the ZipWP web app for authentication, account management, or billing. The redirect is user-initiated; no plugin-originated data is sent until the user interacts with the linked pages.
* Service URL: https://app.zipwp.com/
* Data sent: only the data the user enters on the ZipWP web app itself (login credentials, billing details); the plugin passes a site identifier in the return URL so the ZipWP dashboard can complete the round-trip after sign-up.
* When: only after the user clicks an authorization / billing link in the plugin’s admin dashboard.
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

Starter Templates Credit Server

When AI features are enabled, the plugin checks the credit balance for AI content generation features.
* Service URL: https://credits.startertemplates.com/
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

Brainstorm Force Store

When the “Get Spectra Pro” upsell is displayed in the admin dashboard, pricing information is fetched from the Brainstorm Force store. This request is made by the administrator’s browser, not the plugin server.
* Service URL: https://store.brainstormforce.com/
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

Unsplash

When using the AI-powered image library, images may be fetched from Unsplash. The bundled ZipWP Images library downloads free stock photos based on user-selected keywords. Image URLs and attribution data are retrieved from the Unsplash API.
* Service URL: https://unsplash.com/
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

WordPress.org

When installing recommended plugins or themes from the admin dashboard, the plugin uses the standard WordPress.org API to download packages.
* Service URL: https://downloads.wordpress.org/
* Privacy Policy

WebsiteDemos.net

When the Starter Templates library is enabled, template data may be synced from the WebsiteDemos.net service.
* Service URL: https://websitedemos.net/
* Terms of Service
* Privacy Policy

YouTube

The admin dashboard settings page embeds tutorial videos from YouTube using the privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com). Videos are loaded only when a …