Coreprotect is very similar to Inspector, another plugin by Hassan.
LWC also has a successor, Keys. Though I am unsure if it works in the latest version of SpongeForge.
WorldEdit’s forge version for 1.8.9 works like a charm with Sponge, as Forge plugins can coexist with Sponge ones.
As for EssentialsCmds, it is still being maintained to the latest, if you still want to use it.