Filter Query Block Pro has become a favorite at our agency—we use it on nearly every build (including the review filters on this site). It’s a fast, Gutenberg-native way to add faceted filters, search, and sorting to any Query Loop. If you’re building modern WordPress sites without legacy page-builder baggage, FQBP is one of the cleanest ways to ship usable archives, directories, and resource libraries—no code required. Strong ACF support and URL-based AJAX filtering are the standouts. The trade-off? It’s intentionally Gutenberg-only, so classic-theme/page-builder purists should look elsewhere.
Overall score: 9.0/10
Overview
- Setup & Onboarding – 10/10
- Editor – 9/10
- Performance – 10/10
- Features – 9/10
- Docs & Support – 8/10
- Pricing & Licensing – 8/10
Setup & Onboarding – 10/10
Onboarding is spot on. Install the plugin, drop in your license, and you’re rolling. The real win: you can take any Query Loop you already have and upgrade it with Filter Query Block Pro—just pick the taxonomies/ACF/meta fields you want to filter by, and publish. No shortcodes, no template surgery, just go live. The default style looks great and fits on most sites.
Editor – 9/10
The editor experience is rich without feeling alien. You get granular control over filter behavior (single/multi-select, placement above/left, filter types), full text/label customization, and flexible sorting options. The block also has a helpful bar in the editor, so that it is easy to select it.
For filters, you can:
- Pull all terms from one or more taxonomies (e.g., Categories, Tags), or curate specific terms only.
- Add filters from ACF or any custom meta field.
- Pair with sorting (date, title, meta/ACF, etc.) and optional search.
Gotcha: If you place more than one filter/feed on the same page and duplicate a feed, open the block Settings and click “Update ID.” If you don’t, the duplicated feed may respond to the first feed’s filters.
Overall, the block leans on native Gutenberg controls, which keeps it familiar and consistent. The trade-off is sheer depth: there are a lot of toggles. Plan to skim the essentials first (Display & Controls, filters, sorting), then refine the edge cases.
Performance – 10/10
The plugin keeps things lean by loading assets only on pages where the block is present. First load is server-rendered (via the Query Loop), so content is crawlable and appears quickly. Subsequent interactions—filtering, sorting, search, and pagination—run over lightweight AJAX (which you can disable if needed), keeping the UI snappy while preserving SEO.
For large datasets, the plugin adds an internal database cache, reducing query time and making repeated filter requests feel instant.
Why it feels fast
- Conditional assets → no site-wide bloat
- SSR first paint → SEO-friendly, better TTFB
- AJAX interactions → smaller payloads, fewer reflows
- Built-in DB cache → accelerates heavy/filter-dense archives
You can tell there’s been real care put into performance.
Features – 9/10
As a true extension of the Query Loop, this covers nearly every real-world use case we’ve thrown at it. In our view, Query Loop is one of Gutenberg’s most powerful blocks—and this plugin slots right into that workflow.
What stands out
- Layouts: Filters above the list or in a left sidebar; we’ve used both—for docs (left layout) and simple news feeds (top layout).
- Styling: Sensible built-ins, but we usually keep the standard style and fine-tune via CSS variables (well-documented).
- Responsive by design: Filters collapse to a dropdown on smaller screens (with a selected count badge). You can also force dropdowns/popup everywhere—or run popup on mobile, pills on desktop. The popup layout is really neat and unobtrusive.
- Filter sources: Whole taxonomies or hand-picked terms; plus ACF/meta fields when you need custom logic.
- Sorting & search: Easy to add; works alongside filters without fuss.
All told, it hits the sweet spot: comprehensive without feeling bloated, and flexible enough to match most design systems with a few CSS variables.
Docs & Support – 8/10
The website offers extensive, well-written documentation. It would, however, be great to see some video tutorials. We contacted support and got a fast, helpful reply—no complaints there.
Pricing & Licensing 8/10
This really feels like it belongs in core—ideally as part of the Query Loop block. For now, it’s a pro-only plugin, so you’ll have to swallow the extra cost. For us, it’s a no-brainer given how much time it saves.
Final verdict
Filter Query Block Pro does exactly what it promises—and does it well. It turns any Query Loop into a fast, filterable, searchable archive with minimal setup and a native Gutenberg feel. Performance is excellent (SSR first load + snappy AJAX, plus DB caching for big datasets), the feature set covers real-world use cases (ACF/meta, taxonomy terms, responsive pills/dropdowns), and the editor experience is powerful without feeling alien. Documentation is solid, support is quick, and while we’d love some video walkthroughs and a lighter price tag, the time it saves makes it an easy recommendation for block-editor sites.
Overall score: 9.0/10
Get Filter Query Block Pro here.