---
title: "WordPress 7.1 Adds Tabs, but Not a Table of Contents. Do You Still Need a Blocks Plugin?"
url: https://nexterwp.com/blog/do-you-still-need-a-gutenberg-blocks-plugin/
date: 2026-08-10
modified: 2026-08-10
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "Gutenberg blocks plugin still worth installing? WordPress 7.1 adds a core Tabs block on August 19, but no table of contents. An honest core vs plugin audit."
image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/StWb2MyMzUUlZ2DlRO-E-UHP7cOlZsEk2dJGNb7Mcrziy3AK_zFQvRAg77SXYTfPCHSL-fAHOuU2sOyCNK_4Vg-1024x640.png
word_count: 2054
---

# WordPress 7.1 Adds Tabs, but Not a Table of Contents. Do You Still Need a Blocks Plugin?

## Key Takeaways

- WordPress 7.1 ships a native core/tabs block on August 19, 2026, so sites that installed a blocks plugin only for tabs can probably remove it after upgrading.
- core/table-of-contents stays __experimental in Gutenberg 13.3 since 2022, so WordPress 7.1 still does not ship a table of contents block.
- Responsive styling in WordPress 7.1 lets users set different padding, font sizes, or layout per breakpoint without custom CSS.
- Interactive state styling in WordPress 7.1 adds hover and focus styling from the block interface without custom CSS.
- Nexter Blocks still covers features core does not replace, including auto-generated and sticky table of contents, dynamic content from ACF, Pods or Toolset, popup builder, mega menu, and form builder.

 

A reader emailed us the week WordPress 7.1 hit release candidate with a fair question: “Core has tabs and a table of contents now. Why am I paying for a blocks plugin?” We went to check the second half of that sentence before answering, and it turned out not to be true.

Tabs are real and they arrive on August 19. The table of contents block is not arriving. It has been sitting behind an experimental flag since 2022 and it is still there today. That gap between what people believe core ships and what core actually ships is worth about $39 a year in either direction, so it is worth getting right.

This is the honest audit. It includes the cases where you should delete your blocks plugin, because those cases exist and pretending otherwise would waste your time.

Table of Contents

![The WordPress block editor where the core Tabs block appears in the inserter from version 7.1](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/StWb2MyMzUUlZ2DlRO-E-UHP7cOlZsEk2dJGNb7Mcrziy3AK_zFQvRAg77SXYTfPCHSL-fAHOuU2sOyCNK_4Vg-scaled.png)The block editor is where this decision actually gets made. Everything below is about what is in that inserter and what is not.

## The Short Answer

WordPress 7.1 gives you a native Tabs block on August 19, 2026. It does not give you a table of contents block, and there is no shipped date for one. If tabs were the only reason you installed a block library, you can probably remove it after you upgrade. If you use that library for a table of contents, dynamic content, popups, a mega menu, or forms, core still does not replace it.

The more interesting change in 7.1 is not tabs at all. It is responsive styling and interactive state styling landing in core, which removes two of the oldest reasons to reach for a third party block plugin.

## What WordPress 7.1 Actually Ships on August 19

WordPress 7.1 reached Release Candidate 1 on August 5, 2026, which is the hard string freeze for the cycle. Final release is scheduled for August 19, 2026. As of today the current stable version is 7.0.3, released August 6, so anyone reading this on a normal production site does not have the Tabs block yet.

The 7.1 Beta 1 announcement describes the Tabs block plainly as “a new block for organizing content into clickable tabbed panels instead of showing everything at once.” In the core block reference it is registered as `core/tabs` in the design category, with no experimental flag on it, which is the technical confirmation that it ships to everyone rather than sitting behind a feature gate.

Alongside it, 7.1 brings responsive styling so you can set how a block looks at different screen sizes without writing custom CSS, interactive state styling for hover and focus, a Playlist block, a new media editor modal with client side processing for HEIC, AVIF and WebP, a persistent admin toolbar in both editors, and an expanded Abilities API.

***Also Read:** [WordPress 7.1: What's New and What Got Deferred](https://nexterwp.com/blog/wordpress-7-1/) covers the full release including the features that slipped again.*

## The Table of Contents Block Has Been Experimental Since 2022

This is where the common assumption breaks. A Table of Contents block does exist in the Gutenberg repository, and it is documented in the core block reference, which is almost certainly why people believe it shipped. But its block definition carries an experimental flag:

`// packages/block-library/src/table-of-contents/block.json
{
"name": "core/table-of-contents",
"title": "Table of Contents",
"category": "design",
"__experimental": true
}`

That single line is the whole story. A block marked `__experimental` is not registered in a standard WordPress install. It only appears if you install the Gutenberg plugin and turn on experiments, which is not something to do on a live site. Compare it to the Tabs block, whose definition has no such flag, and to `core/accordion`, which also ships clean.

The block first appeared in Gutenberg 13.3 in 2022. The request to stabilise it and move it into core is still open four years later. So when someone tells you core has a table of contents now, the accurate answer is that core has had one almost-ready for four years and still does not ship it.

![The WordPress block editor handbook, which documents every core block including Tabs and the experimental Table of Contents](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/witBcKbOOM_k9R14CipoNrfK0wgP0LSFHS_EjBz99fgboUg_Smy52iHKAj42us1DwUbeB-vElLwjWOaS2prEow-scaled.png)The core block reference lists both Tabs and Table of Contents, which is exactly why people assume both ship. Only one of them does.

***Also Read:** [How to Add a Table of Contents in WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/how-to-add-table-of-contents-in-wordpress/) walks through the three working methods, including the manual anchor route that needs no plugin.*

## The Two 7.1 Features That Matter More Than Tabs

If you are auditing whether to keep a block library, tabs are close to the least important thing in this release. Two other changes do more damage to the case for a third party plugin.

**Responsive styling.** Setting different padding, font sizes or layout per breakpoint without custom CSS has been a flagship selling point for every commercial block library for years. In 7.1 it is a core control. That is a genuine feature absorption, and it is the single biggest reason a lot of people installed one of these plugins in the first place.

**Interactive state styling.** Hover and focus styling from the block interface, again without custom CSS. Same story. If your plugin's value to you was “I can style a hover state without opening a stylesheet,” core now does that.

Neither of those made headlines the way a new block does, which is why the conversation fixated on tabs. For this decision they matter more.

## Core 7.1 Versus a Blocks Plugin, Feature by Feature

The table below compares WordPress 7.1 core against Nexter Blocks, which is our own plugin. Free and Pro are labelled because the difference decides the answer for a lot of people. All figures were checked against the WordPress.org plugin API and our own pricing page on August 10, 2026.

| Capability | WordPress 7.1 core | Nexter Blocks |
| ---------- | ------------------ | ------------- |
| Tabs | Yes, `core/tabs`, new in 7.1 | Yes, Tab Content (free) |
| Accordion | Yes, `core/accordion` | Yes, Accordion Toggle with FAQ schema (free) |
| Table of contents | No, still behind an experimental flag | Yes, auto-generated and sticky (Pro) |
| Responsive styling per breakpoint | Yes, new in 7.1 | Yes |
| Hover and focus state styling | Yes, new in 7.1 | Yes |
| Pricing table | No | Yes (free) |
| Data table with search and sort | No | Yes (free) |
| Dynamic content from ACF, Pods or Toolset | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Popup builder | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Mega menu | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Form builder | No | Yes (Pro) |
| AI text and image generation in the editor | AI Client plumbing in 7.0, user facing generation needs a separate plugin | Yes, ChatGPT and Gemini (Pro) |
Sources: WordPress core block reference and the 7.1 Beta 1 and RC1 announcements for the core column; the Nexter Blocks WordPress.org listing and nexterwp.com pricing for the plugin column. Checked August 10, 2026.

Read the third row and the sixth row together, because that is the actual shape of this. On tabs and accordions, core has caught up to something we already gave away free. On a table of contents, core has not caught up at all, and ours is a Pro block. Both of those are true at the same time.

## Three Cases Where You Should Uninstall Your Blocks Plugin

Every plugin you run is a maintenance and security obligation. If it is not earning that, remove it. Three situations where 7.1 makes a block library genuinely unnecessary:

- **You installed it for one layout block.** If your entire use was tabs, an accordion, or a set of columns, core covers all three after August 19. Rebuild those few instances and remove the plugin.

- **You installed it to style hover states or breakpoints.** Both are core controls in 7.1. This was a real gap and it is closed.

- **You are running two libraries at once.** This is more common than it should be, usually from theme demos. Two libraries means two sets of stylesheets and scripts on every page. Pick one, or with 7.1 possibly neither.

The honest counterpart to that list: if you remove a block library, blocks built with it stop rendering as designed. Audit which pages use it before you deactivate anything, and do it on a staging copy first.

***Also Read:** [How to Vet a WordPress Plugin Before You Install It](https://nexterwp.com/blog/how-to-vet-a-wordpress-plugin/) is the same discipline applied before you add the next one.*

## What a Blocks Plugin Still Does That Core Cannot

Core is a foundation, and it is deliberately conservative about scope. Several things are not on its roadmap in any near term way:

- **A table of contents.** The one that started this. Four years experimental, no ship date.

- **Dynamic content.** Pulling ACF, Pods, Toolset or native custom field values into a block. Core has Block Bindings moving in this direction, but not a full interface for it.

- **Site furniture builders.** Popups, mega menus, forms, header and footer building. The Site Editor handles templates, not these.

- **Commerce layout blocks.** Product grids, carousels and single product elements.

![The Nexter Blocks library page showing the full set of WordPress Gutenberg blocks split across free and Pro tiers](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/dNLSNmMj2RMQkK3oqYpBsnFcoRB8GdltFrTwMXIxveUaO5wpFNM6qM9J1unEEEitPnwxmIb2EFhB1dYcVGcWcA-scaled.png)Nexter Blocks ships 90+ blocks in total, 45+ of them free. The free and Pro split matters more than the headline number.

In Nexter Blocks specifically, the split runs like this. Free covers Flexbox Container, Advanced Heading, Accordion Toggle, Tab Content, Pricing Table, Data Table, Number Counter, Post Grid, Testimonial Reviews and the theme builder blocks, at 45+ blocks. Pro covers Table of Contents, Dynamic Content, the popup, mega menu and form builders, the WooCommerce store builder blocks, and in-editor AI, taking it to 90+. Plans start at $39 a year for a single site.

The plugin is on version 5.0.3 as of August 7, 2026, with 10,000 active installs and a 96 out of 100 rating from 90 reviews on WordPress.org. Those are honest numbers and they are much smaller than the libraries below, which is worth knowing when you weigh support and longevity.

![The Essential Blocks plugin for Gutenberg, one of the large third party block libraries](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Screenshot-2026-04-27-161806.png)Essential Blocks, at 200,000 active installs, is one of several libraries facing the same question this post asks.

For scale: Kadence Blocks reports 600,000 active installs on version 3.7.9, and Essential Blocks reports 200,000 on version 6.4.1. Both were updated in the first week of August 2026 and both test against WordPress 7.0.3, so the whole category is actively maintained.

***Also Read:** [Kadence Blocks vs Essential Blocks](https://nexterwp.com/blog/kadence-blocks-vs-essential-blocks-for-gutenberg/) compares the two largest libraries head to head if you are choosing between them.*

## How to Decide Before August 19

A short process rather than a verdict, because the answer genuinely differs by site:

- List which blocks from your library actually appear on published pages. Search your content for the plugin's block prefix rather than guessing from memory.

- Cross off anything on that list which core 7.1 now covers: tabs, accordions, columns, responsive styling, hover states.

- Look at what survives. If nothing does, remove the plugin. If a table of contents, dynamic content, a popup, a mega menu or a form is on it, core does not replace those.

- Test the upgrade on staging first. 7.1 is a major release and your block library will have its own compatibility update.

If you want to try the block-native route before deciding, our step by step guides for tabs and a table of contents both cover the no-plugin method first.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Does WordPress Core Have a Table of Contents Block?

No. A `core/table-of-contents` block exists in the Gutenberg repository and is documented, but its definition carries an `__experimental` flag, so it is not registered in a standard WordPress install. It has been in that state since Gutenberg 13.3 in 2022.

### When Does the WordPress Tabs Block Arrive?

With WordPress 7.1 on August 19, 2026. Release Candidate 1 shipped on August 5. The current stable release is 7.0.3, which does not include it.

### Can I Delete My Blocks Plugin After Upgrading to 7.1?

Only if everything you used it for is now in core. Tabs, accordions, responsive styling and hover states are. A table of contents, dynamic content, popups, mega menus and forms are not. Check which of its blocks your published pages actually use, and test on staging before deactivating.

### Will Removing a Blocks Plugin Break My Existing Pages?

Yes, for any content built with its blocks. Those blocks stop rendering as designed once the plugin is gone. Rebuild those sections with core blocks first, on a staging copy, then deactivate.

## Suggested Reading

- [How to Add Tabs in WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/how-to-add-tabs-in-wordpress/)

- [How to Add an Accordion in WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/how-to-add-an-accordion-in-wordpress/)

- [The WordPress Site Editor: A Complete Guide to Full Site Editing](https://nexterwp.com/blog/wordpress-site-editor/)

- [How to Use the Query Loop Block in WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/how-to-use-the-query-loop-block/)

- [5 Best Tab Plugins for WordPress Compared](https://nexterwp.com/blog/best-tab-plugins-for-wordpress/)

If you decide a block library still earns its place, you can compare the free and Pro tiers on the [Nexter Blocks free versus Pro page](https://nexterwp.com/free-vs-pro/), or browse the full set on the [Nexter Blocks](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/) page.

[Explore Nexter Blocks](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-blocks/)

#### Stay updated with Helpful WordPress Tips, Insider Insights, and Exclusive Updates – Subscribe now to keep up with Everything Happening on WordPress!

Subscribe