Kadence Feels Bloated Now — This Gutenberg Alternative Just Makes Sense

If you logged into your Kadence dashboard recently and felt like someone rearranged your entire house overnight, you’re not imagining it. Something big just happened. And not only you, but a lot of WordPress users are frustrated, confused, and looking for answers.

This post breaks down exactly what went down with Kadence and Liquid Web, and why it’s a real problem for your workflow. And, most importantly, what should be the Kadence alternative option you should go for for your Gutenberg block plugin as your block editor arsenal?

So, no more delay, and let’s get into it.

What just happened to Kadence

On May 12, 2026, Liquid Web quietly and chaotically began a massive consolidation process of its WordPress software portfolio.

Here’s the short version of this transition story: Liquid Web created an umbrella brand called StellarWP back in 2021, bringing together a collection of WordPress tools it had acquired over the years, like KadenceWP, GiveWP, LearnDash, The Events Calendar, IconicWP, SolidWP, and more. For years, these products lived as independent brands with their own websites, dashboards, and communities.

But that’s over now! This week, the worst thing has happened overnight! 

The dedicated websites for Kadence, LearnDash, The Events Calendar, IconicWP, GiveWP, and others were either taken offline or redirected to basic landing pages on Liquid Web’s domain. 

Yes! The  KadenceWP.com site, which is familiar to many WordPress users like you, has gone. And from then on, Kadence users have been facing extreme issues. Just imagine the login portal you’ve used for years, replaced by a new unified dashboard at software.liquidweb.com.

The consolidation centers on four core products going forward: Kadence for website building, LearnDash for e-learning, The Events Calendar for event management, and Give for fundraising. Everything else has been absorbed, renamed, or retired.

Liquid Web framed it as a simplification. Their users called it something else. Here’s someone’s view:

What actually changed and what it means for you

Let’s get specific, because the details matter here.

The dashboard switchover was a disaster. When users tried to access their accounts through the new portal, many couldn’t log in at all. Others got in only to find their lifetime license purchases missing. 

The “Web Creator Community by Kadence WP” Facebook group was flooded with the same panicked questions, and the moderator had to step in to slow down the repeated posts. Her message said it plainly somethign like that  “I understand the frustration — right there with you!”

Even users have raised this issue on forums like Reddit,

Popular standalone plugins are gone. SolidWP’s security tools are now “Kadence Security.” IconicWP’s WooCommerce plugins are now “Kadence Shop Kit.” Restrict Content Pro is now “Kadence Memberships.” MemberDash has been folded into LearnDash. 

Another worst thing is that you can no longer buy any of these as standalone products; their websites redirect to Liquid Web landing pages.

The pricing math got ugly for some users, too. Here’s a concrete example: SolidWP security alone used to cost $99/year. To get the equivalent tool now, you need Kadence Pro at $219/year. 

That’s a 2.2x price jump, and it forces you into the Kadence ecosystem whether you want it or not. If you only needed a security plugin and had no interest in the Kadence theme, you’re now paying more than double for features you didn’t ask for.

The terms of service changed in ways most users didn’t notice. The old Kadence license let you keep an archival copy of the software even after termination. The new Liquid Web Master Service Agreement removes that right entirely. 

Now, the access ends the moment your subscription expires. And, it also includes exceptional scenarios, for examples if a payment fails due to something as weird as an expired credit card issue. 

And the real unprofessionalism is that the change was announced without any urgency. Many users may find out about the redirect after noticing it.

These changes also bring heavy security concerns to the Kadence users, as they know retired products get security patches only until April 2027. After that, you’re on your own, or you’ve migrated to the new plan structure.

Why is this a real problem for your workflow

Let’s be clear, there isn’t any issue with these corporate consolidations. Acquisitions happen. In today’s world, most users can absorb these changes without much disruption. But this one hit differently, and here’s why.

If you’ve been paying for a Kadence lifetime license, you reasonably believed that meant something durable. You built sites on it. You recommended it to clients. You didn’t expect to wake up one day unable to find your downloads in a dashboard that didn’t exist yesterday.

If you relied on SolidWP for security or Restrict Content Pro for memberships, you now either accept a plan that costs twice as much and includes a theme you don’t need, or you start shopping for alternatives.

If you’re an agency that built a workflow around multiple StellarWP products, your familiar portals, your support contacts, your product changelogs, all of that shifted at once.

And if you’re evaluating Kadence for a new project right now? You’re walking into an ecosystem that’s still finding its feet after a chaotic transition. Also, remember that these plugins are now governed by new teams that are less user-friendly than they were six months ago.

None of that means Kadence is dead. The free theme and free Kadence Blocks plugin still exist and will continue to. But for anyone who’s frustrated or re-evaluating their block editor stack, this is a reasonable moment to look at what else is out there.

Enter GutenKit and why it deserves your attention right now

And, you look for an alternative option for your block editor-based website. And, here comes GutenKit, a Gutenberg block plugin built by Wpmet, the same team behind popular WordPress products like ElementsKit, MetForm, and ShopEngine. They have served over more than 3 million satisfied WordPress users.  

So, when someone picks GutenKit as an alternative to Kadence, it can be a comprehensive option. Even better than Kadence in many scenarios. Here are some features that Kadence may have missed, but are exceptionally served by GutenKit: 

• GutenKit includes a dedicated Breadcrumb block that allows visual renaming of labels (like the homepage) directly from the editor without touching functions.php.
• GutenKit Interactions module allows applying hover states with versatile animation effects.
• GutenKit enables the dynamic insertion of specific custom fields, post tags, and author information natively into its gallery and grid blocks.
• GutenKit features a highly flexible Testimonial block that supports multi-column grid and slider layouts directly within its block settings.
• GutenKit’s advanced Query Loop Builder allows combining multiple post types and custom parameters within a single loop layout.
• GutenKit’s typography blocks allow specific targeting of sub-strings for distinct colors, highlights, or motion effects.
• GutenKit includes advanced Display Conditions, allowing blocks to be shown or hidden based on precise dates, times, user roles, and devices.
• GutenKit’s advanced styling tab includes comprehensive text shadow, border, and typography controls for all list items.
• GutenKit provides 6 predefined custom breakpoints to set granular visibility and dimension controls across every block.
• Features a dedicated Timeline block for manual chronological layouts and a Post Timeline for dynamic queries.
• Includes a native, lightweight Image Comparison block in the free tier for interactive sliders.

Yes, in the cases below, GutenKit outsmarts Kadence blocks. They’ve spent years building plugins at scale, handling large user bases, and maintaining the kind of infrastructure that serious WordPress users need.

The core idea behind GutenKit is simple: give you page-builder-level power inside the native WordPress block editor, without the page-builder-level performance penalty.

That means no jQuery dependency. No bloated scripts loading on every page. CSS and JavaScript only load for the blocks you’re actually using. The result is a genuinely lightweight plugin, not just a marketing claim.

What does it give you to work with? More than enough:

• 65+ fully customizable blocks — from containers and headings to mega menus, image accordions, post grids, and pricing tables
• 900+ pre-designed templates — full-page layouts, section templates, and block patterns ready to import
• Full Site Editing (FSE) compatibility — design headers, footers, page templates, and site-wide elements directly in the block editor
• Mega Menu builder — create multi-dimensional navigation menus with submenus, images, accordions, and custom blocks, all inside Gutenberg
• Query Loop builder — dynamic post displays with filtering by post type, taxonomy, date, author, and more
• Dynamic Content — pull in post titles, author names, custom fields, and user data directly into blocks
• Six custom responsive breakpoints — design for mobile, tablet, laptop, desktop, widescreen, and landscape mode separately
• Copy-paste block styles — apply the same visual style across blocks without rebuilding from scratch

And crucially, GutenKit works with any WordPress theme that follows standard development practices, block themes, or classic themes alike.

That last point matters more than it might seem right now.

GutenKit vs Kadence Blocks — the honest comparison

Here’s where we lay it out side by side. No spin, just what’s actually different.

At this point, the block count looks like a win for Kadence on paper. But context matters! Many of Kadence’s blocks are designed to work best within the Kadence theme ecosystem. If you’re running a different theme, or you want the flexibility to switch themes later, that count shrinks in practical terms.

GutenKit’s theme-agnostic approach is a genuine structural advantage, especially right now, when locking yourself into any single ecosystem feels riskier than it did a year ago.

On price, GutenKit Pro starts at $35/year versus $99/year for Kadence Essentials. And the Essentials plan doesn’t include the security, shop, or membership tools that used to be separate products; those are now behind the $219/year Kadence Pro gate. GutenKit keeps its pricing simple and its scope focused on what it does: great Gutenberg blocks.

For agencies specifically, GutenKit’s white-label option is a feature Kadence simply doesn’t offer at any tier.

Who should make the switch and who shouldn’t

Let’s be real about this, because not everyone is in the same situation.

GutenKit makes strong sense if you are:

• Starting a new WordPress project and haven’t committed to a Gutenberg block plugin yet
• An agency building client sites and want white-label capability
• Currently on Kadence Blocks free and re-evaluating before committing to a paid plan
• Running a non-Kadence theme and finding that Kadence Blocks doesn’t integrate as cleanly as advertised
• Simply burned by the licensing chaos and want a fresh start with a team that has a track record of treating users well

You should think carefully before switching if you are:

• Already running 30+ client sites on Kadence with heavy customization, a full migration is a real project and deserves proper planning
• Using Kadence-specific patterns, templates, or the Kadence theme’s built-in header/footer builder extensively, some of those won’t have a 1:1 equivalent to move to
• Mid-project on something that’s already 80% done, finish first, then evaluate

The honest answer is: if you’re already deep in the Kadence ecosystem and things are working, there’s no urgency to rip it out. But if you’re evaluating your stack for new work, or you’re one of the users who got hampered by this migration, GutenKit is the most direct and capable alternative available right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

The bottom line

The Kadence and Liquid Web situation isn’t a catastrophe, but it is a disruption. Prices went up for some users. Terms got less friendly. Familiar dashboards disappeared overnight. And thousands of people who thought they had a stable, long-term tool in their stack are now wondering what to do next.

GutenKit doesn’t ask you to take a leap of faith. The team has a million-install plugin that proves they know how to build for WordPress at scale. The free version is enough to evaluate seriously. And the Pro tier is priced in a way that makes sense without forcing you into tools you don’t need.

If you’re re-evaluating your Gutenberg stack right now, GutenKit is worth 20 minutes of your time. Start with the free version, build something with it, and see if it fits.

That’s all the convincing it should take.