In this article, I have created a list of 10 best free WordPress themes to make your next big site.
But, before going further, let me ask you something.
Should you choose a free WordPress theme or a premium one?
All themes, free or premium are mobile responsive, contain basic SEO optimized code, and provide different types of customization options. Whereas, premium themes have an upper hand with extra features, pre-made templates, and guaranteed support.
But, if you are a beginner, and want to kickstart your work with a minimum budget, it is okay to go with free themes at first.
I have provided the list of 10 best free WordPress themes that have great reviews, ratings, provide tons of features, and offer a decent-level of free support to their customers.
The list of 10 best free WordPress themes are;
- Astra theme
- Hello theme by Elementor
- OceanWP
- GeneratePress
- Neve WordPress theme
- Kadence theme
- Blocksy
- Sydney WordPress theme
- Zakra theme
- ColorMag
All free WordPress themes are available on the official directory. But finding the perfect theme is only some people’s cup of tea, as there are thousands of them!
If you are curious about how I made this list, don’t worry! I have your back.
I am happy to share and explain the process of creating this list.
How I’ve Created The List of 10 Best Free WordPress Themes?
So, here you go!
To begin with, I wanted to find the top free WordPress themes currently popular in the market. So, I started by visiting the official theme directory at WordPress.org and looked for the “popular” tab to find the top 30 – 40 themes.
But I didn’t stop there!
I wanted to ensure that the themes included in the list were popular and high-quality. So, I filtered out all the themes with over 10,000 active installs and 100 reviews.
After shortlisting popular, high-quality themes, I tested them on a demo site, assessing their performance with sample content. Studying each theme’s loading speed, design, layout, and usability.
The result?
A carefully curated collection of the best free WordPress themes available for you.
The process is ordered according to the popularity of each theme, so you can easily see which are the most popular among users.
Whether you are starting a blog or building a website, these themes will provide a great starting point and help you achieve the look and feel you seek.
10 Best Free WordPress Themes
If you are ready, let us start with our list.
Astra Theme
Astra is a WordPress theme that has quickly gained popularity among website owners and developers due to its minimalist design and impressive performance. The theme provides you with basic features out of the box, which you can customize according to your needs by enabling or disabling modules.
One of the best things about Astra is its compatibility with popular page builders plugins such as Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, Brizy, and the Gutenberg editor.
The theme also offers starter sites for each of these builders, allowing you to build your website quickly and modify it to your liking with unlimited color options.
Astra’s lightweight design and impressive performance makes it a popular choice among users.
The theme’s total page size is less than 50 KB, resulting in faster loading speeds, better SEO, and a better user experience.
Astra offers more than 200 pre-made starter sites with its free version, making it an excellent choice for creating all types of websites, including eCommerce sites and personal blogs.
Also Check
Astra WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | Astra Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 1+ million |
| Total number of reviews | 5,250 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 5/5 |
| Best features | lightweight, 400+ starter templates |
| Best for | all kinds of websites |
| Yearly price | $47 to $187 |
| Lifetime price | $227 to $937 |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 4/5 |
| Customization | 5/5 |
Astra is a freemium theme, with the paid version starting from $49 per year or $239 for a lifetime license.
Check out Astra’s downloads per day.
With over 1 million plus downloads and a 5/5 rating, Astra is a reliable and customizable option for all kinds of websites.
Hello Theme by Elementor
Hello by Elementor, is a free WordPress theme designed with the Elementor page builder plugin. This lightweight theme is ideal for users developing a WordPress site with Elementor, as it is fully compatible with the plugin.
The theme has been developed and tested by the team that created Elementor, so you can be assured of compatibility and smooth performance. It has a minimalist design, and the features allow you to create a custom website from scratch.
While Hello Elementor doesn’t come with pre-made templates, you can easily access a vast library of templates from the Elementor template library. Provided you have a pro license.
Hello Theme Overview
| Parameters | Hello Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 1+ million |
| Total number of reviews | 101 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.6/5 |
| Best features | lightweight, deep integration with Elementor |
| Best for | users who are using Elementor Pro |
| Price | Completely free |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 4/5 |
| Customization | 4/5 |
This starter theme is best suited for users with experience in Elementor and CSS. It’s a great option for those who want to build a custom website with Elementor and enjoy a lightweight, optimized theme to work with.
Have a look at its downloads per day image below.
With over 1 million downloads and a 4.5/5 rating, Hello theme is a reliable and free option for users looking to build a WordPress site with Elementor.
OceanWP
If you’re looking for a feature-rich and customizable WordPress theme, OceanWP is an excellent choice.
With over 700,000 downloads and a 5/5 rating, it’s one of the most popular free themes.
Whether you’re building a personal blog or an online store, OceanWP’s 15 fully responsive theme demos will help you get started quickly.
What makes OceanWP stand out?
OceanWP’s WooCommerce integration and free extensions are the most loved features. You can expand the theme’s functionality with seven free extensions, including a featured slider, social media icons, and a custom sidebar.
Like Astra, OceanWP is a minimal and performance-oriented theme that allows you to choose which modules you need and fine-tune the individual aspects of your site.
It’s also adaptable to popular page builder plugins, giving you even more design options.
If you plan to launch an eCommerce store, OceanWP’s WooCommerce integration and native online store features, like shopping cart pop-up and multiple checkout options, make it an excellent choice.
While OceanWP offers many customization options, it’s more suitable for experienced users.
OceanWP Overview
| Parameters | OceanWP Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 700,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 5,442 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.9/5 |
| Best features | WooCommerce integration and free extensions |
| Best for | WooCommerce websites |
| Yearly price | $38 to $95 |
| Lifetime price | $155 to $382 |
| Ease of use | 3/5 |
| Design | 3/5 |
| Customization | 4/5 |
The out-the-box design may look tiny, but you can create a beautiful and functional websites with basic customizations.
Have a look at OceanWP’s regular downloads from WordPress.
OceanWP is a freemium theme, but premium bundles start from $38 to $95 per year and $155 to $382 for a lifetime license.
If you’re looking for a flexible, powerful, and customizable WordPress theme, OceanWP is definitely worth checking out.
GeneratePress
If you are looking for a lightweight and customizable theme for your business or eCommerce website, look no further than GeneratePress.
With over 500,000 downloads and a 5-star rating, GeneratePress is a freemium theme offering many features to help you build a unique and multilingual site.
One of GeneratePress’s notable features is its compatibility with various WordPress extensions, including caching plugins that make your website much more faster.
With nine widget areas and five sidebar layouts that are fully customizable, you can create a look that’s unique to your brand.
GeneratePress is also translated into 25 languages, making it a superb choice for those who want to build a multilingual website.
GeneratePress has decent stats of downloads per day on WordPress.
The free version of GeneratePress is limited in terms of theme options, whereas, the premium version offers extended customization options for those who need it.
For Your Information
GeneratePress Theme Overview
| Parameters | GeneratePress Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 500,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 1,395 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 5/5 |
| Best features | lightweight, dual sidebars, translates in 25 languages |
| Best for | business websites, portfolio websites, affiliate marketing websites |
| Yearly price | $59 |
| Lifetime price | $249 |
| Ease of use | 3/5 |
| Design | 3/5 |
| Customization | 4/5 |
GeneratePress offers an intuitive interface and excellent value for money, whether you are a beginner or an advanced user.
So if you’re looking for a flexible and multilingual theme for your business or WooCommerce website, GeneratePress is the top choice.
Neve WordPress Theme
Neve is a multipurpose WordPress theme with impressive 300,000+ downloads and a decent 4.8/5 star rating.
Its notable features include AMP readiness, SEO optimization, and lightning-fast loading times.
This theme is best suited for all kinds of websites, and it comes in a freemium package starting from $69/year.
With a page size of just 32.4 KB, Neve significantly reduces website loading times. It’s also compatible with WordPress accelerated mobile pages (AMP), making mobile loading faster using stripped-down HTML files.
Neve’s free template options cover a wide range of website purposes, including online shops, video blogs, and online portfolios.
Its SEO-friendly design is excellent for creating a fast-loading and high-ranking website.
If you want to get your website online quickly and use an out-of-the-box design that you can import within a few clicks, Neve is a great.
Despite being a newer creation, it has grown to become the flagship theme of its creators, Themeisle. Check out its daily downloads.
Neve has earned a spot on the popular tab of WordPress.org shortly after its launch and has maintained its position there ever since.
Neve Theme Overview
| Parameters | Neve Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 300,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 1,098 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.8/5 |
| Best features | AMP ready, SEO-optimized, free patterns, boosters |
| Best for | blogs, WooCommerce websites, and small businesses |
| Yearly price | $69 to $259 |
| Lifetime price | Not Available |
| Ease of use | 4/5 |
| Design | 4/5 |
| Customization | 5/5 |
With a modern design optimized for mobile devices, Neve loads fast and doesn’t consume much of your web server’s resources.
It offers 20+ free starter sites, with even more available if you upgrade from Lite to the premium theme.
Compared to other themes on the list, Neve does a better job of inviting users to pick a starter site right after installing the theme.
Check out its free patterns.
Neve is a free WordPress theme that’s easy to learn, powerful, and offers excellent value for money. It also integrates perfectly with Gutenberg and popular page builders in the market, making it particularly suitable for beginners.
Kadence Theme
Kadence WordPress themes can help optimize your website’s loading speed without sacrificing design options.
With over 200,000 downloads and a decent 4.9/5 rating, Kadence offers global typography, button, and color palette controls to help you customize your entire website’s design with just a few clicks.Â
Its 17 starter templates in the free version caters to different types of websites, from small blogs to enterprise sites.
Making it a versatile option for businesses and online shops.
Kadence’s drag-and-drop header and footer builder has a custom menu and shopping cart features, allowing you to create visually attractive and functional headers that stand out. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and Gutenberg, making it a top choice for beginners and online store designers.
Check its daily downloads of the free version from WordPress.
Kadence WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | Kadence Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 200,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 189 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.9/5 |
| Best features | Global controls for typography, colors, and buttons; header builder, footer builder, sticky sidebar |
| Best for | small business websites and eCommerce stores |
| Yearly price | $59 to $199 |
| Lifetime price | $699 for Lifetime Bundle |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 5/5 |
| Customization | 5/5 |
And the best part?      Â
Kadence is available as a freemium theme, with premium options starting at just $59/year. So why wait?
Try Kadence today and take your website to the next level.
Blocksy Theme
Blocksy is a popular WordPress theme with a wide range of features to make website building and customization easy and effortless.
With over 100,000 downloads and a 5/5 rating, it is a reliable option for WordPress users of all levels.
One of the most notable features of Blocksy is its dark mode option, which provides a sleek and modern look to your website. The built-in drag-and-drop header builder allows you to customize your website without coding knowledge.
The builder comes with several header elements, including social icons and a shopping cart, making creating a header that suits your needs easy.
Blocksy is a highly versatile and mobile-friendly WordPress theme, perfect for all websites, including e-commerce stores, blogs, and portfolios. Its compatibility with several page builder plugins allows for easy customization.
For Your Information
Plus, with a mobile header option, your site’s elements are arranged for optimal viewing on mobile devices.
Blocksy is a freemium WordPress theme, with prices starting from $49/year to $149 for a lifetime license. Positive reviews on the official WordPress directory prove its value for money.
Number of daily downloads of the free version from WordPress.
If you want to compare between two very identical themes for further reference, check the link below.
Detailed Comparison
Blocksy WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | Blocksy Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 100,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 741 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 5/5 |
| Best features | dark mode customizer, drag and drop header builder and footer builder, multiple widgets sticky sidebar, whitelabel, advanced features for blog page, archive page and single posts, all starter sites in free version |
| Best for | All types of websites |
| Yearly price | $49to $99 |
| Lifetime price | $149 to $299 |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 5/5 |
| Customization | 5/5 |
Blocksy is an excellent choice for beginners, Gutenberg fans, and e-commerce store creators.Â
Its user-friendly features and customizable options make creating a stunning website that suits your needs easy.
Sydney WordPress Theme
Sydney is a freemium WordPress theme with over 100,000 downloads and a perfect 5/5 rating. It best suits businesses, agencies, and freelancers who want to create a modern and professional website.
This theme offers custom Elementor blocks, parallax background effects, and over 600 Google Fonts.
With responsive design options, WooCommerce integration, and different page templates, Sydney Pro is an excellent option for those looking for more advanced features.
Sydney has been an anchor in the popular tab of the WordPress.org theme directory for a while now and is officially recommended by the Elementor page builder team.
With its regular updates and deep WordPress Customizer integration, Sydney is a versatile and reliable option for any business website, agency, or professional portfolio.
Have a look at Sydney’s downloads per day.
Sydney WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | Sydney Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 100,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 677 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.9/5 |
| Best features | parallax background effect, WPML and Polylang integration, 6 starter sites in free, sticky header, multiple blog layouts |
| Best for | Service-oriented sites, SaaS websites, and WooCommerce websites |
| Yearly price | $69to $199 |
| Lifetime price | Not Available |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 4/5 |
| Customization | 5/5 |
Pricing for Sydney starts from $69/year, making it an excellent value for its range of features.Â
Try Sydney today and elevate your website’s design to the next level.
Zakra Theme
Zakra is a fast, fully responsive, and AMP-ready WordPress theme suitable for all websites.Â
With over 30 free starter-site templates and a one-click demo importer, customization is easy using the Elementor page builder plugin and custom CSS.
It also supports multilingual plugins like Polylang and WPML and offers customizable pre-built demos with elegant designs for various purposes.
Zakra theme’s downloads per day on WordPress.
Zakra WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | Zakra Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 60,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 553 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 5/5 |
| Best features | AMP-ready, boxed and comprehensive layout |
| Best for | Niche based websites, affiliate marketing sites, online shops |
| Yearly price | $59 to $209 |
| Lifetime price | $159 to $454 |
| Ease of use | 5/5 |
| Design | 4/5 |
| Customization | 4/5 |
Zakra is a freemium them, starting from $59/year to $159 for a lifetime license.
ColorMag WordPress Theme
ColorMag is a popular and speedy theme designed for online newspapers and magazines, featuring a news ticker header to display the latest headlines and a slideshow to showcase important news on the front page.Â
It’s WooCommerce-ready, allowing you to add a paid subscription service to your website, and it comes with multiple page layouts and configurations.
With advanced typography and more than 15 widget areas, this theme is optimized to handle a large content volume, making it a perfect choice for busy news websites.
Check ColorMag’s downloads per day.
ColorMag WordPress Theme Overview
| Parameters | ColorMag Theme Statistics |
|---|---|
| Number of active installs | 80,000+ |
| Total number of reviews | 1,477 |
| Ratings on WordPress | 4.9/5 |
| Best features | News ticker header and is WooCommerce-ready |
| Best for | Blogs, news websites, magazine publications, earning from Ad revenue |
| Yearly price | $59 to $169 |
| Lifetime price | $169 to $509 |
| Ease of use | 4/5 |
| Design | 3/5 |
| Customization | 3/5 |
Conclusion – Best Free WordPress Themes
So, there you have it!
Your website design is a crucial factor affecting your brand’s perception.
You can increase your credibility and conversion rates by choosing a professional, visually appealing, and responsive design.
Luckily, high-quality free WordPress themes offer an excellent starting point for launching your website. You can achieve incredible results without breaking the bank with pre-made templates and easy-to-use customization tools. It’s important to consider niche-specific themes, as they can save you time and effort.
Remember to choose a theme from the WordPress theme directory to ensure compatibility and responsiveness.
I hope you find your favorite from the list of best free WordPress themes.
Share your experience & thoughts with us in the comments section below.
