JetEngine Gutenberg Review: Essentials You Need to Know

Lana Krupnik
8 min readMay 28, 2021

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Sometimes you don’t need all those fancy little things that popular visual builders bring with them. You want to launch a lightweight and minimalistic website with a high page loading speed, and this website should be functional in the first place. Most likely you decide to stick with WordPress native editor, Gutenberg, and it will be a nice idea because it guarantees low server loads.

Still, Gutenberg alone is not enough if you want to build a complex website, not just a one-page blog. You might feel the need to ransack WordPress to find and bind tens of plugins to enable necessary functionality. But it isn’t necessary as long as the JetEngine Plugin for Gutenberg exists.

In this JetEngine Gutenberg review, I will explain why JetEngine can replace more than 10+ other plugins, why you should use it if you want to build a website with the advanced structure, and what peculiarities this plugin has.

Table of Contents

  1. JetEngine Gutenberg Dynamic Toolkit
  2. JetEngine Gutenberg Features
  3. Pros and Cons
  4. Costs
  5. JetEngine’s Gutenberg Features at a Glance
  6. Conclusion

JetEngine Gutenberg Dynamic Toolkit

Native WordPress editor became way more flexible than before, providing a block content approach. It has an impressive set of blocks for creating static content. Yet, JetEngine’s dynamic Gutenberg blocks can enrich and simplify content creation without making the website heavy.

Listing Grid widget

Grid is a familiar and convenient card arrangement that gives a wider picture of the content presented on the site. JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg provides an essential Listing Grid widget that displays the listings for posts, taxonomies, terms you build in organized layouts.

Gutenberg is not about styling, so here you can choose some very minimalistic settings. Apart from a simple grid or list, you can create an Injections layout, which will include the elements of different available layouts.

Map listing

Gutenberg in conjunction with Map listing widgets allows you to combine listing items and metadata in a map and display it on the frontend with all needed clickable markers. It doesn’t matter which content you want to showcase, — CPT, meta fields, or taxonomy — now it is possible in Gutenberg.

Also, you can display a Google Map on your website just by adding the Google API key in the admin panel. Don’t worry if you have the map created with other plugins or included in a theme, a specific switch option will change any to JetEngine map to avoid conflicts.

Lastly, Map listing widget allows you to set the map according to your preferences, choose the markers, and put the necessary type of controls — Zoom, Street view, Fullscreen, etc.

Dynamic Terms widget

This widget will help you to output taxonomies in listings. Choose any term to showcase the value, for example, default WP taxonomies, the ones created in JetEngine, or Woo product taxonomies. Everything will be displayed flawlessly.

If the meta field’s value or content is absent, you can use Hide if value is empty option to not to display the field on the front-end.

Dynamic Repeater widget

This one is developed specifically for displaying the data from the meta fields of a repeater type. If you have some repeating fields for CPTs or taxonomies that need to be inserted in various parts of the website, it can be done with one widget. Put it where it is necessary and pull out the data you entered once.

The widget displays content of all meta fields types, such as Text, Date, Time, Datetime, Textarea, WYSIWYG, Select, Number, Iconpicker, Gallery, Switcher, Radio, Colorpicker, Posts, Radio, Checkbox.

The format of each field is configurable, you just need to apply an appropriate macros.

Dynamic Meta widget

The Dynamic Meta widget is used to output the metadata of the post, e.g., publication date, author, comments’ number, and add them to any listing under the post title or thumbnail.

Dynamic Link widget

Use the Dynamic Link widget to add permalinks to the posts and to redirect the users whenever it is needed. When you click on the field displayed with Dynamic Link Widget, you can:

  • configure the link to archive or single page (Permalink source);
  • set the link to the Options Page;
  • click Delete current post link, then set the Confirm deletion message and add the link to the page after the post deletion with Redirect after delete option;
  • configure the widget to open the link in a new window.

Dynamic Image widget

This widget’s name is self-explanatory: the featured image of the post dynamically and conveniently. Dynamic Image widget outputs the images from all meta fields of Media type you used in CPTs, meta boxes, Options Pages, and from default WP posts.

Dynamic Fields widget

Dynamic Fields widget displays meta fields data in Gutenberg. You can output the information from default fields Post/Term/User/Object Data; from meta field content if the option MetaData is enabled; by inserting ID of the specific meta field; from Options Pages. Also, having set the Relations, you can display the data of related posts and specify CPT.

Calendar widget

With the Calendar widget, you can organize a dynamic calendar, using Gutenberg editor. Pull the data from the meta fields of various types and display them on the frontend. Also, insert clickable listing items there to provide detailed information on each upcoming event.

Order Form widget

It is a convenient tool to build an order form of any complexity. Here you add the required fields, buttons, etc., and specify the way of content display. Apart from this, you can enable caching and apply AJAX or standard reload options.

JetEngine Gutenberg Features

All those dynamic blocks aren’t the only reason why we love the JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg. It also has modules and features that improve website development experience without negative pagespeed impact.

Features:

  • Complex website structure — CPT, Taxonomies, Custom Fields, Relations, Options Page
  • Custom Content Types feature
  • Frontend forms functionality
  • REST API
  • Data stores
  • Query builder
  • Glossaries

Complex website structure

When you understand that default WordPress post types and taxonomies are not enough to build a website with a complicated structure, JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg comes to rescue. Using Custom Post Type, Taxonomy, Custom Fields, Relations, and Options features, you can elaborate the website’s structure in a sophisticated way. Set relations, organize the posts hierarchically, using taxonomies, add custom fields and enjoy smoothness.

Custom Content Types feature

CCT is a convenient way of keeping data from the meta fields in clear-cut tables. It implies the unified database, where you can store, search, edit, and delete items. The process of querying and filtering is simplified significantly within this approach. Also, it improves the project’s scalability and decreases the server loads.

Frontend forms

With the help of JetEngine, you can add a well-thought frontend form and improve the user engagement. The visitors will be able to fill in the field, attach their files, and submit the data.

Build frontend forms flexibly, using 10+ field types, applying the AJAX method or reload. Also, feel free to create multi-step forms or implement calculations, and set up smart notifications. Flawless integration with MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, and GetResponse will help to automate email campaigns.

REST API

Using REST API, you can organize a smooth interaction of your website with third-party apps and platforms. It presents sources in a format suitable for other devices and includes different interfaces.

JetEngine’s REST API works with Custom Content Types, so you can manage data remotely. Apply Endpoint management to organize the items, using GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE requests. Above all, you can display the REST API data with a Listing grid widget, placing it on any website page.

Data stores

Data Store is a convenient place for keeping the users’ data collections. This module allows the visitors to create Favorites, Wishlists, Bookmarks pages to save the items they liked.

Query builder

JetEngine’s Query Builder allows you to query data within one interface. You can organize complex queries, combine them on the backend in order to query data, filters, or sections on the frontend after. You can query CPT, CCT items, REST API, Terms, Users, Comments, SQL tables.

Glossaries

Inserting the options in the Radio, Select, and Checkbox meta fields is time-consuming in case you do this manually because each item needs a separate label and value. The same thing is about building forms, using Radio, Select, and Checkbox fields, where you need to use one list several times.

Glossaries functionality will be a magic wand here. You only create one list of the items with labels and values and then use it everywhere, even for multi-step forms and multichoice fields. Glossaries feature is also integrated with the ACF meta fields and JetSmarFilters.

Pros and Cons

JetEngine’s Pros

  • Include extraordinary functionality, like REST API, Data Stores, and unique inventions, like CCT and Glossaries
  • Works flawlessly with other JetPlugins
  • Doesn’t overload the server due to the small number of requests
  • Full-fledged plugin for building site — no need for other third-party addons
  • WooCommerce, ACF, RankMath, and Yoast integrations
  • 24/7 customer support and extensive Knowledge base

JetEngine’s Cons

  • No personal styling options inside, only with JetStyleManager
  • Limited subscription options
  • Advanced settings are confusing for the newbies
  • Not very convenient interface (mostly because of Gutenberg)

Costs

Crocoblock has four pricing options for you:

  • JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg itself costs $26 per year for 1 website. You can apply the plugin only for one project during one year. Simultaneously, product updates and constant customer support are guaranteed. When the subscription period ends, you have to renew it.
  • Upgrade to All-Inclusive plan — pay $130 per year for 1 website. All-Inclusive implies that apart from the JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg, you get 17 more JetPlugins in the pack to boost your business. The same product updates and customer support are guaranteed here too.
  • All-Inclusive Unlimited costs $265 per year, but it allows you to launch an unlimited number of projects. All other guarantees are similar to a simple All-Inclusive plan.
  • The Lifetime subscription costs $750, but you pay and get all 18 plugins,10+ dynamic templates, which you can use for an unlimited number of projects forever. Customer support and product updates go by default.

Also, you can rely upon a 30-day money-back guarantee, in case the plugins don’t satisfy your needs.

JetEngine’s Gutenberg Features at a Glance

Integrations

  • Elementor, Gutenberg, ACF, WooCommerce, RankMath, Yoast, JetPlugins

Dynamic widgets

  • 10

Custom fields

  • 18

Listing navigation

  • Load more
  • Pagination

Content Visibility control

  • Dynamic Visibility
  • Conditional Logic
  • Dynamic Function
  • Dynamic Tag
  • Macros
  • Queries

Data Stores

Profile Builder/Membership

REST API

Separate purchase

  • Yes

Price

  • $26

Max pricing

  • Lifetime subscription (18 plugins, 150+ widgets, 10+ dynamic templates) — $750

Conclusions

Our JetEngine Gutenberg review came to an end. Now you know why to choose JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg, and what unique features it can offer. Use it when you don’t need excessive designs and fancy tricks on your website. If you want to launch a minimalistic and lightweight website with a high page loading speed, pick JetEngine plugin for Gutenberg and keep your website clean.

If you already tried it, give me feedback in the comment section below.

xoxo, Lana

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