Advanced WordPress Backgrounds

by nK

82 Quality Score

Active Installs

20/30

30,000 active installs is modest but reasonable for a single-purpose, design-focused plugin, putting it well behind block-suite giants like Spectra and Kadence.

Update Freshness

25/25

An update dated June 2026 and testing confirmed against WordPress 7.0 indicate the developer is actively maintaining the plugin for current and upcoming core releases.

User Rating

14/15

A 96 out of 100 from 44 reviewers is an excellent score, though the small sample size means it reflects strong opinions from a limited group of users rather than broad consensus.

Support Health

8/15

Only 3 support threads exist, with just one marked resolved, which gives very little data to judge responsiveness and likely reflects a low volume of issues rather than a proven track record.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Compatibility is the strongest area, scoring full marks thanks to the WordPress 7.0 test tag, a PHP 7.2 minimum, and a WordPress 6.2 floor that covers the great majority of running sites.

Scores higher than 87% of indexed plugins

About

Easy to use advanced Parallax, Image and Video backgrounds block plugin with parallax and video support.

Active Installs 30k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.8/5

Last Updated 2026-08-26 6:35pm GMT

Requires WordPress 6.2+

Tested Up To 7.1

Requires PHP 7.4+

Security History

1 known vulnerability, all patched

1 Medium

Most recent: September 10, 2024

View details ▸

What It Does

Advanced WordPress Backgrounds adds Gutenberg blocks that let you set parallax, still image, or video backgrounds on any container or section of a page. You can pull videos from YouTube or self-hosted files, tweak parallax depth, and layer content on top, all without writing custom CSS. In practice it turns the otherwise plain block editor into a tool for building visually rich, full-width hero sections and product showcases.

Who It's For

This plugin fits designers, agencies, and small businesses that want scroll-driven visual effects on landing pages, portfolios, real estate listings, restaurant sites, or event pages without touching code. It is most useful on sites where a small number of high-impact pages drive conversions, rather than on large content-driven blogs. A basic comfort level with the Gutenberg block editor is enough to get results.

Who Should Skip It

If your site is mostly text articles, a WooCommerce store with hundreds of SKUs, or you already use a full page builder like Elementor, Spectra, or Kadence, you do not need this plugin. Adding it on top of those stacks will duplicate functionality and add weight to your pages.

The Bottom Line

Advanced WordPress Backgrounds is a focused, well-maintained plugin that delivers exactly what its name promises: parallax, image, and video backgrounds inside Gutenberg, with an outstanding 96/100 user rating. Its main weaknesses are a modest install base and very thin public support history, so you are betting on a small developer team. It is worth installing on a staging site first, and it pairs nicely with a broader block suite rather than replacing one.

Pick Spectra if you want parallax and backgrounds bundled with 70+ other blocks so you can run a single suite instead of mixing specialists.

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 89/100

Pick Kadence when you want polished row, section, and background controls alongside a full design system, and you prefer a vendor with 600,000 installs.

Starter Templates – AI-Powered Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 89/100

Pick Starter Templates if you need ready-made full site designs that already include parallax sections, rather than building them block by block.

Classic Widgets 89/100

Classic Widgets solves a different problem (restoring classic widget screens) and is only relevant if you need widget compatibility while running Gutenberg.

PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 88/100

Pick PublishPress Blocks when your priority is controlling who can use which blocks, not adding rich backgrounds.