Welcome to the ultimate guide for selecting the best WordPress themes in 2024. If you’re building a WordPress site, choosing the right theme is like picking the perfect outfit for a job interview. It’s not only about looking good. It’s also about finding the fit that shows off your content in the best light possible.
One thing to keep in mind is that you will need both a theme and a builder. Our top picks come with both. Some of the additional themes we reviewed further down this page do not and you would need to select a builder to go with those themes. Or you can code your site by hand.
The Summary
Our Top Pick: Divi
Divi from Elegant Themes stands out as one of the only truly multipurpose WordPress themes on the market with millions of users across the globe.
It comes with a sophisticated drag-and-drop builder, The Divi Builder, that allows you to customize everything on your site — without coding anything yourself.
But, it’s not the features on their own that make this our top pick. It’s Divi’s pricing that takes it over the top for us.
Divi Pro offers a $249 lifetime subscription. You pay once and can use Divi forever. Divi has no restrictions on the number of websites you use it on. This adds up to a lot of savings. Dave Ramsey would be proud.
This is an exceptional theme and builder with an unbeatable price. In 99% of cases, Divi is capable of doing everything you need it to do when it comes to custom design.
The only drawbacks to Divi are that it doesn’t allow a designer to create divs within divs (which can limit layout control), and you’ll need a designer with coding knowledge to get the most out of it – but this is also true of most themes and builders.
Runner Up: Elementor
Elementor edges into our rankings as a close second and boasts a solid reputation among WordPress users. Like Divi, it also comes with both a theme and a builder.
Elementor started as a website builder and that remains their core focus. The builder is also a drag-and-drop builder and has a lot of great features. One of our favorites is that they have pre-built sections you can drop into your site. This is different from templates or layouts that are pre-built pages.
What a pre-built section allows you to do is start from scratch and add each section individually. So, if you play your cards right, you could have a custom website without designing anything from scratch.
The theme is free for anyone to use, but the builder is pricey. One site costs $59/year. Not bad. But once you have more than 25 sites, you’re looking at $399/year.
In our opinion, in a straight comparison between Elementor and any other builder — looking at features and ease-of-use, but not pricing — Elementor would win.
But we’ve also talked to a lot of business owners over the years and cutting costs is a constant theme. With pricing in mind, we think Divi is a better option for most people.
Elementor doesn’t offer a lifetime license. Divi does. Plus, once you have more than 25 sites you’ll need to upgrade to the Elementor Agency plan, which costs $399 per year.
The Deep Dive
What’s a WordPress Theme?
There are a few main parts in a website: WordPress, a host, a theme, a builder, and (most likely) a template or layout. They’re all related, so let’s walk through them and see how they fit together.
To make this simple, let’s compare building a website to building a house.
WordPress is kind of like the plot of land you’re building the house on. It’s also called a CMS (Content Management System) which means we’re managing the content with WordPress. In other words, it’s basically where all the “stuff” in the site is going to live.
A host is the neighborhood the plot of land is in. If you choose a good host (we use Kinsta), it’s like moving your website into a gated community.
A theme is the foundation of the house. You want a good, strong foundation so the website doesn’t glitch. And one that doesn’t have excess code or anything that will slow the site down.
A builder allows you to design your website rather than coding it. These days, most people aren’t handwriting code for their websites. They’re using a builder that displays the design and allows us to change the design on the front end without interacting with code. The builder then takes the design we want and writes the code in the background to make that happen.
In our house comparison, a builder is kind of like if you were using an app to decide where you want walls, rooms, or bathrooms and someone was running around and building that as you moved things around in your app.
And, finally, the template or layout. These are typically pre-built pages, or sometimes entire websites, that already have sections, images, blocks of text, etc. and are ready to go. Most builders come with these pre-built layouts to help you build a website faster. And also provide a bit of inspiration.
Why Are Themes Important?
Choosing a free WordPress theme (or opting for a premium WordPress theme) can dramatically change the process of building your website and affect the end result.
A theme impacts how you’ll go about designing and building your site, the code that’s at the core of the website, and even its loading speed on tablets and mobile devices.
Plus, with the right theme, integrating popular page builders and setting up e-commerce services through platforms like WooCommerce becomes a breeze. With the wrong theme, it can be a nightmare.
How We Picked
We chose our top picks based on a few different factors like features, ease of use, quality of the end result, price, and relative value.
First, every website built on WordPress requires a theme and a builder. Unless you’re going to hand-code your site, which we don’t think is practical or necessary these days. So we required our top selections to provide both.
On top of having a sophisticated theme builder, they also had to have powerful design tools that grant tons of control over page layouts and a variety of design settings.
Next, they had to use WYSIWYG builders. WYSIWYG stands for “what you see is what you get.” In other words, our top picks had to offer visual page builders that would allow anyone to start building a website without having to know how to code.
Our top picks met all these conditions. The rest of our recommendations might not have met all of those, but we still made sure they included all of the following:
- High Speed And Performance: Each recommendation has a lightweight framework that keeps your landing pages loading quickly across all devices.
- Responsive Design: They all offer excellent responsive design right out of the box, so you can be confident that your site looks great on any screen size.
- Beginner-Friendly: New users can get started with any of these recommendations without prior design or development experience.
- Color Customization: Users must have extensive control over the color schemes of site elements to keep branding consistent across different pages.
- Regular Updates and Support: Security updates and dedicated support are important to keep your data and website safe and functional.
- Plugin Compatibility: All recommendations are compatible with a broad variety WordPress plugins.
- Builder Compatibility: Recommendations that don’t include their own builder still work well with popular editors like Gutenberg, Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Brizy.
- Simple, Clean Design: All recommendations start with a clean and simple layout that’s ideal for a wide range of stores.
All themes on this list provide a balanced mix of user-friendliness and advanced functionality. Any of them is a prime choice for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to make a significant impact online.
Just keep in mind that you’ll end up paying more for themes that don’t include a builder, since all websites require a way to edit page layouts and settings.
Our Top Pick: Divi
Rating: 4.8 Stars on Capterra (1070 Reviews)
Why Divi is the Best WordPress Theme
Divi from Elegant Themes stands out as one of the only truly multipurpose WordPress themes on the market with millions of users across the globe. Its suite of powerful design tools makes it the perfect WordPress theme for many types of businesses, ranging from B2B websites to personal blogs.
Divi offers super straightforward pricing with value that’s hard to beat. They offer a lifetime license (that’s on sale for only $219 right now) which allows you to create an unlimited number of websites using the Divi builder.
The builder itself is super modern and easy to use, and doesn’t obscure the canvas when working in the front-end editor. It allows you to customize almost everything on your site and makes building responsive and mobile-friendly sites simple.
The theme shines for its ability to create custom widgets, page layouts, and header and footer layouts that adapt seamlessly across all devices.
It also comes with hundreds of pre-built layouts, like these:
Divi Pricing
Divi has an attractive pricing model with two options. Right now users can choose between a $219 lifetime subscription (usually $729) or a $70 annual subscription (usually $89). Buying this premium theme guarantees access to all future updates and premium support for the duration of your subscription.
Divi: Benefits And Drawbacks
At ClearBrand, we consider Divi the swiss army knife of WordPress themes. We believe it’s the best theme overall, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Here are some pros and cons to consider before purchase.
Divi Benefits
- User Experience: The front-end builder is clean and easy to use without sacrificing access to settings. A floating module gives users control over design settings without reducing canvas size or obstructing views while you work on designing pages.
- Modern Builder Design: The builder itself feels up-to-date and intuitive to use. Theme settings are clearly labeled, which simplifies navigation when building.
- Pricing: Divi offers a lifetime license that allows you to create an unlimited number of websites. It’s the best option for agencies who want to avoid purchasing multiple licenses in order to work with multiple clients.
Divi Pro Drawbacks
- Builder Restrictions: While Divi grants near-total control over page design, it does have some limitations. Unlike Elementor, Divi doesn’t let designers create a div within a div (a row within a row), which can limit page layouts.
- Hiring A Designer May Be Necessary: It’s true that new users can get started in Divi pretty easily. But to get the very best out of the builder, it helps to have someone on your team familiar with general code and CSS.
Runner Up: Elementor
Rating: 4.7 Stars on Capterra (806 Reviews)
Why Choose Elementor?
Elementor edges into our rankings as a close second and boasts a solid reputation as the number one most purchased website platform for WordPress users.
Like Divi, it also comes with both a builder and a theme. The builder looks a little outdated at first glance, but it’s extremely capable.
One of its best features is the ability to create divs within divs, which allows designers complete control over page layouts. In this area, it has an edge over Divi.
Elementor is arguably the best builder on the market. The only reason it doesn’t take the top spot is because of its pricing.
Elementor doesn’t offer a lifetime license. Divi does. Plus, once you have more than 25 sites you’ll need to upgrade to the Elementor Agency plan, which costs $399 per year.
That said, Elementor does provide greater control over layouts than Divi.
Unless you’re an agency serving hundreds of clients and in need of total layout control on every single website, it probably makes more sense to purchase Divi.
Elementor Pricing
Elementor only offers annual packages. They start at $59 per year and go up to $199 per year if you need up to 25 websites. Any more than that and you’ll need their agency plan, which costs $399 per year.
Elementor: Benefits And Drawbacks
We love the Elementor builder. It’s probably the best builder out there and a great option for anyone who doesn’t mind the price. If you’re concerned about price, Divi may be a better choice.
Elementor Benefits
- Unrestricted Design Options: Elementor grants virtually unlimited customization when it comes to page layouts. Users have full control over every element on each page, and there are no restrictions to the number of divs (rows) you can add to a page with this builder.
- Compatibility And Upgrade Options: Elementor is the best-selling website design platform for WordPress. That means it comes with a huge number of compatible themes, plugins, and resources users can install to access designs and animations and take full control over the user experience.
Elementor Drawbacks
- Editor Layout: The Elementor builder uses a sidebar on the left-hand side of the screen and has many floating settings. The sidebar is clunky and old-fashioned and reduces the size of the canvas, making it harder for designers to work effectively.
- Learning Curve: Elementor’s has tons of features. But that means there’s a lot to learn. New users might find the platform daunting even when working in the visual builder.
- Price: Elementor doesn’t offer a lifetime license, and anyone who needs more than 25 websites is looking at a price tag of $399 each year.
Also Great: GeneratePress
Rating: 5.0 Stars on WordPress (1,404 Reviews)
So far in this review, we’ve been balancing the features, pricing, and function of the themes we’ve been looking at. Being a marketing agency, we also need to consider systems, scalability, and replicability for anything we use.
But sometimes we dream. And in our dreams, GeneratePress makes an appearance.
GeneratePress has a rating of 5.0 stars with over 1,000 reviews on WordPress. Impressive.
Its claim to fame has long been its speed. It’s a lightweight theme, which means there’s less to load, so it loads faster.
It very well might be the best WordPress theme out there. And the base version is free. Though, you would need a builder to make that work. If you pay for GeneratePress, you get a builder but it’s clunky compared to our top picks.
This is where things start to leave the balancing act we’ve been attempting.
In a dream world, we’d love to combine GeneratePress with a builder like Elementor. We think it would be a great one-two punch. It would be a fast site with a great, user-friendly builder.
But, we have to ask: why?
Why not use the Hello Elementor theme that is free, fast, and tailored to the Elementor builder?
For the same price as GeneratePress, why not buy the Divi Theme + Builder, instead?
And this is why GeneratePress only shows up in our dreams.
The only way we see GeneratePress making any sense is in one of three scenarios:
- You’re a total nerd and want the absolute best at any cost (don’t worry, we’re nerds, too)
- You want to use the Elementor builder and don’t want to use the Hello Elementor theme
- You don’t care if your theme and builder are user-friendly
Yes, you can build a blazing-fast website with GeneratePress. But you can do that with our top picks, too. And you’ll enjoy the process more with Divi or Elementor.
GeneratePress Pricing
If you opt for GeneratePress, you’ll choose between a $59 annual plan or a one-time $259 lifetime payment. Both options offer access to premium support, regular updates, new modules, and essential bug fixes.
GeneratePress Benefits
- Access To Premium Support: Reliable customer support means you have help when you need it and often respond to inquiries in just a few hours.
- Insanely Fast Loading Times: GeneratePress is known for speed. It’s extremely lightweight which means it keeps your site loading quickly on all devices.
- Refund Policy: A 30-day refund policy provides peace of mind and risk-free investment.
GeneratePress Drawbacks
- No Demo Content: The free version lacks demo content for import into new sites, potentially slowing development.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
- Limited Integrations: Integrating third-party apps and plugins can be more challenging than with other themes due to native support limitations.
- Support Is Only Through Email: GeneratePress doesn’t have a dedicated team to provide support over the phone, and they don’t offer support through social media either.
Other Free And Premium WordPress Themes We Looked At
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to selecting the perfect WordPress theme for your website (although Divi Pro comes pretty darn close).
What works extremely well for one company may fall flat for another—and that’s perfectly okay.
With that in mind, we’ve listed our honorable mentions below. You’ll find both free and premium themes that offer a range of features, designs, and functionalities that stand out in their own right.
WordPress Themes With Dedicated Builders
Remember: the ideal WordPress theme comes with both a design layout (theme) and tools you can use to edit your website (builder).
We recommend choosing a theme that includes a builder from the options below before considering themes that don’t come with builders. It will save you money in the long run, and simplify the process of getting started.
Salient
Rating: 4.81 Stars on ThemeForest (6,513 Reviews)
Salient is a WordPress theme known both for its sleek looks and rich functionality. It has some of the highest-quality pre-built animations you’ll find in a theme.
Salient also includes over 425 section templates in their library and tons of stunning demo content with a high-end feel. You can use these to customize your site however you’d like without coding or building anything yourself.
It comes with its own visual page builder based on the WPBakery builder for easy landing page setup.
The biggest drawback to using Salient is the fact that users have to buy an individual license for every website where the theme is used. This makes it less than ideal for agencies, but shouldn’t make a big difference to businesses that only need to develop a single website.
Other than that, the biggest concern is that this theme receives frequent updates. Normally, that’s great. But Salient gets a lot of updates. Sometimes more than one per day! If you’re not vigilant about staying on top of them all, you risk downtime or breaking your site.
Salient Pricing
The theme kicks off at $60 for a regular license that allows you to use the theme on a single website. This gets you the theme, future updates, and access to support from the developers.
Salient Benefits
- Template Variety, Animations, And Demo Content: Salient packs over 425 section templates and lots of high-quality demo content, which means tons of room for site customization.
- Built-In Page Builder: Comes with its own visual builder, aiming for drag-and-drop ease.
- Display Flexibility: Recent updates brought in more control over where and how content displays, plus animations for columns.
Salient Drawbacks
- Occasional Builder Issues: The Salient page builder is a tweaked version of WPBakery builder, which can complicate site updates and scaling.
- Too Dependent On Updates: Updates occur fairly often. But skipping them might lead to functionality or compatibility issues down the line.
- Element Update Delays: Users have reported that changes to fonts or elements do not always show up right away.
- Responsive Design Hiccups: User reviews have mentioned that the responsiveness of this theme is not always consistent across all devices.
Avada
Rating: 4.78 Stars on ThemeForest (26,000 Reviews)
Avada by ThemeFusion has established itself as one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market because of its massive array of premade templates and interesting features. For example, color inversion offers cool design options that can be changed in a few clicks.
Avada is also a website builder that works well for beginners without coding experience.
It’s a good theme for the business owner who wants to create a professional-looking website without hiring extra help.
The builder lets users adjust theme settings directly from the page builder, and it comes with 38 demo sites that users can import to get started with design.
But it’s not perfect. If you’re using Avada to build your first website, you may find that the builder has a really high learning curve.
Avada also doesn’t offer refunds. So if you try it and hate it, there’s no turning back. Unless you want to spend extra money buying additional tools and themes.
Finally, Avada had some serious security issues in 2023. Theme Fusion has since cleaned up its act and patched the holes, but businesses who are concerned about data leaks and security should consider their track record before committing to Avada.
Avada Pricing
Avada licenses are available through ThemeForest for $69 with the option to extend support by a full year for $21 more.
Avada Benefits
- Extensive Template Library: Avada boasts a vast collection of premade templates, allowing for quick site setup with a professional look.
- Unique Design Options: Features like color inversion provide a simple way to dramatically change your site’s appearance.
- Front-End Customization: The theme customizer and Avada Builder are quite capable, and offer the ability to make real-time edits to live sites.
- Regular Updates: Avada keeps your site at the cutting edge with frequent updates that introduce new features and improvements.
Avada Drawbacks
- Learning Curve: Users who have never built a website may find the Avada Builder complex, especially compared to more straightforward options like Elementor and Divi.
- No Refunds: Once you’ve downloaded Avada, there’s no option for a refund.
- Security Concerns: Despite its popularity, Avada faced security issues in 2023. Users who need to handle sensitive online information may want to consider this before purchasing.
Themify Ultra
Themify Ultra turns the complex process of building a site into an intuitive, creative experience.
It comes with its own drag-and-drop builder to simplify the customization process without sacrificing flexibility,
It has some unique capabilities – like the ability to use an image slider as a background and stick any element on your website to keep it front and center.
Themify Ultra also includes a library where you can save modules and rows to streamline your workflow if you work for an agency or design websites for more than one client.
While these are cool features, they’re not necessarily ones that make Themify Ultra an obvious choice.
The biggest con with this theme is the fact that it has a confusing design interface. It’s easy to become overwhelmed when given so many options, especially if you’re trying to build a site without a team of designers.
Themify Pricing
Starting at $59 for a single theme, Themify Ultra has a low enough price to make it accessible for individual projects.
The lifetime license costs $249. It provides access to all current features and future updates, so it’s easy to make sure your website evolves with the times.
Themify Benefits
- Dedicated Add-Ons And Plugins: The Themify Builder is fine-tuned to work with themes like Ultra offers support for a number of dedicated plugins that bring extra functions to your website.
- Unique Design Options: Use an image slider as a striking background or apply sticky elements to keep important navigation within reach.
- Save and Reuse Modules And Rows: With a library for saving modules and rows, you can streamline your workflow, making site updates or expansions more efficient.
Themify Drawbacks
- Confusing Interface: The interface may challenge beginners due to its depth of options.
- Locked Features: Premium features are essential if you want to take full advantage of Ultra’s potential, but they often require a paid plan.
- Coding Skills Necessary: Advanced customization might require basic coding skills, limiting users who don’t wish to hire a designer.
Hub
Rating: 4.9 Stars on ThemeForest (492 Reviews)
Hub is a comprehensive toolkit designed for building standout websites.
It’s rich with resources and offers more than 60 pre-built websites and over 500 section templates, alongside 100 inner pages.
Having access to so many options means that you can bring virtually any design vision to life quickly and efficiently without knowing how to code a website.
Hub also addresses the need for flexibility in navigation by providing four pre-defined menu styles.
Hub also makes it possible to display custom content on top of category pages, which adds a layer of sophistication to how information is presented.
This is all great, but Hub has a couple of drawbacks as well. First, it’s notoriously difficult to get in touch with the developers if you have problems with the theme.
Platforms like Divi and Elementor respond to support requests in just a couple of hours on average. The team at Hub can take up to seven days to get in touch. Let’s face it: if you own a business, that’s unacceptable.
The other downside to using Hub is that it’s only available through ThemeForest, meaning you have to purchase an individual license for any site that uses this theme. Not a big deal if you’re only building a website for yourself. But for agencies, costs add up fast.
Hub Pricing
Purchase Hub for use on a single site through Themeforest for $59. Additional licenses can be purchased if you wish to use the theme on more than one site.
Hub Benefits
- Packed With Pre-Built Content: Hub comes packed with design resources and pre-built elements to make designing your next site simple.
- Cool Dedicated Add-Ons: Liquid Themes, the company that created Hub, offers several dedicated plugins that extend the theme’s functionality with things like booking services for scheduled events.
- Dedicated Page Builder: Hub comes with the Liquid Builder and claims that the builder was designed to work with Hub, but it’s also compatible with other builders like Gutenberg and WPBakery.
Hub Drawbacks
- Long Support Queues: The support response time can vary from one to seven days, potentially delaying project progress for users who need immediate assistance.
- Requires An Individual License For Each Site: Hub is available through Themeforest, but that means that users need to purchase a new license for every site that uses this theme. It’s not ideal for cost-conscious agencies who want to use it with multiple clients.
WordPress Themes That Require A Separate Builder
We didn’t make any of these our top picks because, while they’re beautiful themes, they don’t come with dedicated website builders. Which means you’ll need to purchase one separately.
Read the GeneratePress review above for more information on why we decided that the best WordPress themes should come with dedicated builders.
Astra
Rating: 4.7 Stars on TrustPilot (1,897 Reviews)
Why Astra is the Ideal Budget-Friendly WordPress Theme
Astra might not be the absolute cheapest option out there, but it stands out as one of the best budget-friendly choices for WordPress users. It’s the blend of speed, functionality and affordability that makes Astra a go-to for those looking to maximize their investment.
Astra loads extremely fast, and offers tons of value by combining a wealth of features into a capable product with an attractive price tag.
The theme itself has a sleek, modern design that makes it a perfect match for a wide variety of websites. It comes with different pre-built layouts to help you find the right presentation.
Astra also supports hooks for code injection, and you can use the Gutenberg page builder to alter layouts however you’d like.
Astra also offers a totally free version. It comes with many customization options, but fewer features than what paid tiers include.
This isn’t an immediate drawback in and of itself (after all, what would anyone expect?), but the fact that the free version comes with limited support makes it less attractive to companies that want to build a site for the first time.
And while we haven’t experienced it ourselves, some users have reported data loss when switching between Astra’s starter templates. Which is a disaster if you’re working on rebuilding or redesigning big sites.
Astra Pricing
Astra’s pricing is as user-friendly as its interface. Annual subscriptions start at $49 and go up to $149.
For those committed to the long haul, lifetime subscriptions range from $199 to $599, and purchase means you get for every update and new feature down the line.
Astra Benefits
- Wide Compatibility: Works seamlessly with leading web builders, including Beaver Builder, enhancing its appeal as a multipurpose WordPress theme.
- Super Fast Loading Times: Astra uses just 50k of resources, which means it loads almost instantly.
- Feature-Rich Free Version: The free theme alone provides ample customization options, supported by the WordPress block editor and custom theme options, making it highly adaptable.
- SEO Optimized Code: With built-in SEO optimization features, Astra helps your site rank higher on search engines so your content reaches a wider audience.
- Multiple Ways To Build: Astra works with
Astra Drawbacks
- Limited Support Provided With Free Plan: Users on the free plan miss out on chat support, which could be a setback for those requiring immediate assistance.
- No Builder Included: Although Astra works with the Gutenberg editor and other popular page builders, there isn’t a built-in builder included when you buy the theme.
- Data Loss With Starter Templates: Some users have reported issues with data loss when applying starter templates, which could be catastrophic for larger websites working on a redesign.
OceanWP
Rating: 4.9 Stars on WordPress (5,561 Reviews)
With a stellar 4.9 rating from over 5,000 reviews on WordPress, it’s clear that users appreciate the balance of simplicity and depth offered by OceanWP.
It’s a smart choice for small business websites, personal blogs, and even full-fledged e-commerce platforms thanks to lightweight code and flexible design.
OceanWP can be a bit complicated to install and set up compared to other themes that made the list. But they include thorough documentation that makes the process manageable.
Support channels are comprehensive, so users can easily get help if they’re struggling with the documentation – but none of these channels offer live support. OceanWP does have a knowledge base, and they host community forums where users can work together to troubleshoot issues. But responses in forums don’t always give you the fixes you’re looking for.
Overall, OceanWP is a solid choice. As long as you don’t opt for the free version, which is riddled with ads and notifications telling you to upgrade. Our only other complaint is that the theme options aren’t very organized, which can make it hard for designers to work efficiently.
OceanWP Pricing
OceanWP offers different subscription options to meet different needs and budgets.
You can start with the free version or choose a subscription ranging from $35 (annual) to $509 (lifetime) complete with all features.
All paid tiers provide access to premium support, regular updates, and advanced features to enhance your website.
OceanWP Benefits
- Free to Use: The base theme is 100% free, meaning you can take it for a test drive before you purchase.
- High Customizability: With OceanWP you can customize everything from Google fonts to page layouts to build a site that’s truly yours.
- Builder Compatibility: Works well with Divi, Elementor, Gutenberg, and other popular page builders for drag-and-drop simplicity.
- E-commerce Ready: Fully compatible with WooCommerce to make it easy to set up an online store.
- Translation And RTL Ready: Supports common translation plugins like Weglot and WPML, making it possible to set up an online store and start selling products all over the world.
OceanWP Drawbacks
- Pushy Upgrade Ads In The Free Version: The free version displays notifications that encourage users to purchase more expensive packages. These can get annoying.
- No Builder Included: It works with the Gutenberg editor from WordPress, but doesn’t provide a dedicated builder.
- Disorganized Theme Options Page: The theme settings and options panel don’t feel super intuitive. They can be challenging to navigate until you’ve spent some time getting used to them.
- Poor Real-Time Support Options: OceanWP offers lots of different support options, but none of them are over the phone or through live chat. That means it could be difficult to get immediate assistance in the event of a site-breaking problem.
Kadence
Rating: 4.8 Stars on WordPress.org (204 Reviews)
Kadence is a theme that’s been well-received for its balance of performance and user-friendliness.
It comes with a drag-and-drop header and footer builder, but doesn’t include a full-blown website builder.
Both the free and paid versions stand out for being lightweight and feature-rich. Kadence is designed to be accessible to everyone, from those setting up their first website to seasoned developers looking for a high-performance theme with lots of control over different aspects of design.
Our favorite part of Kadence is that the free version still includes the custom header and footer builder, and the footer builder supports widgets as well as elements. That means that even free users can use widgets to add extra functionality and give their site a more custom look with little effort.
The paid version of Kadence adds support for features like header addons, custom fonts, and conditional elements. But their plugin support is limited if you compare them to more popular themes.
Speaking of support – queues after submitting a ticket tend to be long, and resolutions slow. Even for paying customers. If that’s not something you’re concerned about, then Kadence may be a fantastic option.
Kadence Pricing
Kadence offers a free version that’s surprisingly robust, with options to upgrade.
The premium plans peak at $219 per year, which includes full access to all features, including 8,000 AI credits, suitable for creating an unlimited number of websites.
Kadence Benefits
- Lightweight Design: Kadence has a light infrastructure that makes your site quick to load on any device.
- Starter Templates: Comes with a library of templates to ease the process of setting up your site.
- Accessibility Ready: Ensures your site is usable by everyone, reflecting thoughtful design.
- Free Advanced Features: The ability to edit headers and footers with Kadence Blocks adds versatility without extra cost.
- Compatibility Limitation: While highly customizable, Kadence might not have as broad a range of compatible third-party plugins as some other themes.
Kadence Drawbacks
- Plugin Compatibility: Kadence does not offer as many 3rd party plugins as many competitors.
- Support Speed: Support is notoriously slow to respond, even to paying customers.
- Coding Knowledge Needed: Font and typography adjustments can only be edited manually with CSS code.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
- Widget Problems: Some users have encountered issues with the widget editor. While the Classic Widgets plugin offers a workaround, downloading it is an extra step some users might find annoying.
Genesis Pro
Genesis Pro is a favorite for its reliability. It uses the same framework as other StudioPress themes, which makes switching between the 35 included child themes quick and easy. And as far as we know, it’s not plagued by the same data loss issues that users have reported with Astra.
Genesis Pro is developed with SEO optimization in mind as well. The theme includes its own SEO settings. Some would argue that this is unneeded and bloats the theme, but Genesis intelligently removes the built-in SEO settings when the theme recognizes you have an SEO plugin installed on your site.
With that in mind, Genesis Pro isn’t without its flaws. We haven’t heard anything about data loss when switching between different starter templates (or seen it ourselves), but we have seen sites lose functionality with new updates.
Genesis Pro Pricing
Monthly plans start at $24 per month for the most basic tier, and go up to $232 per month for their most expensive tier, the Scale plan.
Genesis Pro Benefits
- Built-In SEO Optimization Settings: Genesis Pro comes with integrated SEO settings that are intelligently removed when plugins like Yoast SEO are already used on your site.
- Framework Consistency: The Genesis framework provides a solid foundation that makes it easy to swap out other themes from StudioPress.
Genesis Pro Drawbacks
- Update Issues: In the past, updates have disrupted site functionality for some users.
- You’ll Probably Need A Developer: To leverage all of Genesis Pro’s features, you need a designer or developer who understands child theme creation, CSS, or PHP.
- Support Limitations: StudioPress doesn’t offer support for advanced customizations, such as child theme development, custom CSS, and PHP.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Neve
Rating: 4.5 Stars on WordPress.org (1,168 Reviews)
Neve is a responsive WordPress theme that strikes a balance between performance and ease of use.
It’s extremely light and fast, and the responsive design in the default templates works reliably.
The free version is great for those just starting out with web development, with the main drawback being the inability to edit and create custom footers.
More advanced options with full header capabilities are available on the pro version for seasoned web developers.
Neve Pricing
Neve’s free version provides a cost-effective solution for users on a budget.
For those seeking enhanced functionality, the Pro version starts at $69 per year for the lowest tier, scaling up to $259 per year for the Agency plan, which includes additional features and support.
The pro version of Neve is great. But the free version doesn’t let you get your feet wet with some of it’s most useful features, and neither version includes a builder.
Our biggest issue with Neve is that free users can’t edit footers. This is a pretty basic function that we’ve seen in other themes with free versions (like Kadence).
And even paid users may have trouble getting Neve’s header sections to play nice with menu plugins.
Neve Benefits
- Pattern Library: A unique “patterns” section in the free version offers pre-designed sections, simplifying the design process.
- Customization Options: The theme provides a wide range of CSS customization options, enabling detailed control over your site’s appearance.
- Money-Back Guarantee: Neve offers a 30-day money back guarantee so you can try the pro version before deciding to fully commit.
Neve Drawbacks
- Footer Editing Limitation: In the free version, users are unable to edit the footer—a feature unlocked in the Pro version.
- Compatibility Issues: Some users have reported that Neve’s header sections may not integrate smoothly with certain menu plugins, potentially affecting site navigation.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Hestia
Rating: 5 Stars on WordPress.org (540 Reviews)
Hestia is a modern WordPress theme perfect for professionals. It’s as reliable as it is sleek.
The theme offers a blend of performance and image-centric aesthetics. It’s suitable for a variety of websites from business to personal blogs. It comes with starter sites developed for different niches, so you can easily find the best look for your brand.
It’s also compatible with many popular page builder plugins like Divi, Elementor, and the Thrive Theme Builder.
Hestia is a cool theme, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the pro version requires manual installation through Themeisle. Not a huge deal, but not simple enough for users who don’t know their way around a computer well.
Other cons to consider include the fact that support hours are limited to East Coast business hours, and tickets have an average turnaround time of 8 hours. That’s not as bad as some other themes, but in 2024, we don’t see a reason the development team can’t offer at least an AI chatbot to provide limited support during off hours.
Finally, experienced designers will find the layout options limiting. There are lots of features that should have been built into the theme. Instead, you’ll need to download plugins to get them. Which risks slowing your site if you add too many.
Hestia Pricing
There’s a free version for those who want to test the waters before making a commitment.
WordPress users who need more advanced features and support can purchase Hestia Pro starting at $69 per year, scaling up to $299 for the highest tier.
Hestia Benefits
- Niche-Specific Designs: Hestia Pro offers designs tailored for specific niches and provides a strong starting point with its demo content and layouts.
- Device-Specific Customization: The theme allows for individual font and style adjustments across different devices. If there are aspects of your site’s mobile responsive design you don’t like, you can change them with Hestia.
- Layout Flexibility: Hestia supports unique layouts for different pages, as well as universal settings for a cohesive site appearance.
- Visual Animations: The inclusion of dynamic visual animations in the Pro version makes websites feel super sophisticated.
Hestia Drawbacks
- Design Limitations: Some users with advanced design experience may find Hestia’s design capabilities restricted, with additional features often requiring plugins.
- Manual Installation: Users have to install the Pro version of Hestia manually from the ThemeIsle website. This isn’t a huge deal, but the setup wizard isn’t as intuitive as those for other themes.
- Limited Support: Hestia’s support team is only available from 9am-5pm EST, Monday through Friday, with an average response time of eight hours. If you need immediate support, you may want to consider a different theme.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Blocksy
Rating: 5 Stars on WordPress.org (802 Reviews)
Blocksy is a go-to for WordPress users seeking efficiency without sacrificing depth.
One particular area where it shines are headers and footers. Blocksy allows you to edit these with its intuitive builder that requires no coding experience.
It’s fully compatible with the Gutenberg editor from WordPress, and works well with other popular builders too – but it doesn’t come with its own dedicated option.
Blocksy offers paid plans with premium theme options too, and supports conditional display logic for elements across the site. This means you can show or hide elements based on specific conditions like user login status, page type, or device, making for a highly personalized user experience.
It offers both free and premium options. The premium option includes more features, and comes with multiple starter sites and blocks for quick and easy site setup.
They also offer refunds for the first license you purchase if you’re not satisfied, which grants the opportunity to buy and try the pro version before committing. But we still wish the free version had more features. Especially when it comes to advanced WooCommerce integration. Most of the WooCommerce features require the pro version.
Blocksy Pricing
With Blocksy, you have the flexibility to start with the free version. Or upgrade to the pro version, which runs between $69 and $149 annually. They also offer lifetime subscriptions from $199 to $499.
For users interested in a long-term investment, pricing for the lifetime license begins at $199.
Blocksy Benefits
- Try Before You Buy: Offers both a free version for beginners and a feature-rich pro version.
- Super Fast: Exceptional loading speed enhances user experience.
- See Changes Live: Live preview changes allow for real-time editing.
- Compliance Ready: Features like GDPR compliance and live search capabilities are built in to the theme’s basic functionality.
- Easy Social Sharing: Social media integration through the social media accounts pane makes linking your pages and sharing content easy.
Blocksy Drawbacks
- Limited Customization In Free Version: Some customization options may require the pro version, limiting flexibility in the free version.
- WooCommerce Integration In Free Version: Advanced WooCommerce features are locked behind the pro version. You have to pay to get access.
- Unpredictable Support Queues: Support response times can vary, with some users reporting delays in assistance in their reviews.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Storefront
Rating: 4.5 Stars on WordPress.org (148 Reviews)
Storefront is one of the only free WordPress themes that allows users to integrate directly with WooCommerce. In fact, it’s developed and maintained by the same team that built the WooCommerce platform!
When you first install the theme, you’ll notice a minimalist approach to design. This is because Storefront is meant to work with child themes.
It comes with different color schemes you can use to personalize your site’s look, and it works with the most popular WooCommerce extensions.
Users have also reported great experiences with their support team (even on the free version), although we’ve never needed to reach out.
The only real issues with Storefront is that it doesn’t include a builder, and the default layout is a bit…boring. You’ll need to purchase something like Divi or Elementor to get the most out of the design.
That said, Storefront is free, so even after buying a builder, it’s possible to keep costs at a minimum.
Storefront Pricing
Completely free, Storefront is the right WordPress theme for anyone starting a WooCommerce site who doesn’t want to shell out tons of money right off the bat. Its no-cost approach lowers the barrier to entry for new online merchants. That said, there may be additional functionalities you want to add that require the purchase of plugins.
Storefront Benefits
- WooCommerce-Ready: The only free theme we’ve come across that directly integrates with WooCommerce and WooCommerce extensions.
- Extensible Design: The use of child themes for customization makes personalizing design touches possible without losing the ability to update.
- Plugin Compatibility: Works well with numerous Storefront-specific plugins and extensions, enhancing your site with features like Mega Menus and Parallax Hero.
Storefront Drawbacks
- Boring Default Design: The theme is free, and the design is clean. But it could be more interesting.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Breakthrough Pro
Breakthrough Pro stands on the solid foundation of the Genesis Framework, known for speed, security, and SEO-optimized code.
This is one of the best themes for new marketing agencies wanting to create a robust online presence without getting too deep into coding.
It supports custom widgets and layout options, a custom header, and allows you to create landing page templates.
And with full responsiveness across all devices, Breakthrough Pro keeps your website looking great no matter where it’s viewed.
While it doesn’t come with its own page editor, it’s compatible with popular page builders and allows for seamless customization of colors, fonts, and layout through the WordPress customizer.
While it’s a beautiful theme, Breakthrough Pro doesn’t include many options for portfolio pages and galleries. You can add images, but you can’t link them anywhere. If you’re a photographer or designer looking for a place to showcase your work, this makes optimizing galleries a hassle.
Breakthrough Pro Pricing
The theme itself comes at no cost.
Obtaining Breakthrough Pro through the Genesis Pro package costs a minimum of $20 per month, and provides access to 35 additional themes and tools for a comprehensive website solution.
Breakthrough Pro Benefits
- Genesis Framework Foundation: Offers a fast, secure, and SEO-friendly base for building your site.
- Agency-Friendly: Tailored for marketing agencies needing a professional online footprint. The ability to create landing page templates is particularly useful.
Breakthrough Pro Drawbacks
- Static Portfolio Page: The portfolio page can’t be made interactive. Images can be displayed in a grid format, but can’t be linked to other pages.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Authority Pro
Like Breakthrough Pro, Authority Pro from StudioPress lays its foundation on the Genesis Framework. That means you can count on having speedy performance, strong security, and SEO-optimized architecture from the start.
It’s another excellent choice for entrepreneurs and small businesses eager to carve out a professional space online without getting too deep into web development. The built-in form section simplifies lead capture and makes it easy to start collecting form fills without overthinking the architecture of your site.
Authority Pro is also WooCommerce-ready right out of the box, so setting up online stores is quick and simple.
If you’re a solopreneur looking to develop a site on your own, there’s only one issue – getting the most out of Authority Pro takes a decent amount of experience with CSS and custom code.
If you don’t have experience in these areas, you’re probably better off choosing another WooCommerce theme like OceanWP or Storefront.
Authority Pro Pricing
Authority Pro is accessible as a free standalone theme.
For expanded features and support, the Genesis Pro package begins at $20 per month. It unlocks this theme as well as a suite of additional themes and tools designed to improve your web presence.
Authority Pro Benefits
- Genesis Framework: Provides a secure, fast, and SEO-friendly foundation for your website.
- WooCommerce Pre-Styled: Ready out of the box for e-commerce ventures, making online store setup seamless.
- Built-In Lead Capture Features: Includes a built-in form section for easy lead generation, with additional widget spaces for enhanced functionality.
- Pre-Built Layouts: Offers three layout formats for page customization, and also supports Google fonts and pricing tables for a tailored website experience.
Authority Pro Drawbacks
- Customization Limits: While Authority Pro is flexible, deep customization requires CSS knowledge or professional help. This could be a barrier for those without technical skills.
- No Builder Included: Requires an external page builder for those looking for an all-in-one solution.
Still not sure which popular WordPress theme is right for you? Speak with a ClearBrand Marketing Specialist to learn more about how we can help you build a beautiful website full of customer-centric content that helps you sell.
