Planning to create a WordPress website for your online business? With thousands of options in the WordPress repository, the selection process can quickly become an uphill task.
Finding the right theme involves considering multiple factors, including plugin compatibility, loading speed and customization options.
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to 11 of the best free WordPress themes that will enable you to build a powerful small business website.
Moreover, we’ll look at their key features and customization options and answer some frequently asked questions.
What to look for in a free WordPress theme
While using a free WordPress theme can save you some money, not all free themes are created equal.
Some look great on the surface but have underlying issues that could turn out problematic down the road. Consider these essential factors when choosing a theme that’s both functional and visually appealing:
- Responsiveness: The best free themes can automatically adapt to any screen size, so users can have a seamless browsing experience. Globally, mobile devices accounted for 58.33% of website traffic in the first quarter of 2023. As a result, choosing a responsive WordPress theme is a necessity.
- Compatibility: Chances are, you’ll need to use select plugins to extend the functionality of your theme or access advanced customization. As such, the theme you choose must be compatible with other plugins, such as Gutenberg. A theme that isn’t compatible can result in errors or glitches.
- Performance: A fast-loading theme can impact user experience and conversions, among other factors. If your website takes longer than five seconds to load, 37% of users will leave. So, you need to opt for a theme that’s built for speed — a lightweight design and high scores on speed tests are a few good indicators of a fast and reliable theme.
- SEO friendly: Your choice of theme can influence your rankings on search engines, according to Google’s John Mueller. You can use plugins like Yoast SEO to make your website SEO friendly. Plus, you can check whether your theme is poorly coded using tools like Total Validator.
- Updates: An up-to-date theme is more secure and helps your website perform at peak levels. Plus, updates ensure your theme is compatible with the latest version of WordPress. So, be sure to choose a theme that’s regularly updated.
- Customization: To craft your website exactly the way you want, it must be customizable. At the minimum, most free themes allow you to modify your color scheme, page layouts and fonts. Some offer more advanced options, including the ability to add custom Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Choose a theme with enough customization options to ensure it meets your specific requirements.
- Support: Although free themes rarely offer the same kind of support that’s usually available with premium themes, they should at least have video tutorials or documentation to help you out when needed.
Best free WordPress themes
- WP Astra
- Kadence
- Blocksy
- OceanWP
- Sydney
- Neve
- Hestia
- Vantage
- Zakra
- Responsive
- Phlox
Each theme that made it to our list was compared against the criteria mentioned above. Many of the best free WordPress themes are multipurpose, while some are built for specific niches, such as eCommerce.
You’ll also find that most of them include a responsive layout to ensure you don’t miss out on mobile traffic.
Astra
Astra is one of the most popular free themes available, with over 1 million active installations and 5 stars on WordPress.org. You won’t encounter any hurdles when getting started since it provides a wide range of templates to choose from.
It boasts a visual builder that lets you customize your website without a single line of code. You have many customization options, including adjusting font sizes based on the device, tweaking the colors on your sidebar and footer and using a header and footer builder.
Astra also includes multiple widget options, such as those for social media links.
When setting up your eCommerce store, you can choose from four container layouts. However, advanced WooCommerce features like product galleries and the quick view option are only available with the Pro plan.
In terms of speed, it loads in under a half-second and weighs less than 50 KB. And it’s compatible with tools like Yoast SEO and Contact Form 7.
Although Astra provides plenty of features in its free plan, many of its advanced features are tucked away in its Pro plans.
Features:
- Fast
- Right-to-left (RTL) and translation ready
- Responsive
- 700+ Google Fonts
Best free WordPress theme for: Loading speed.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $59/year.
Kadence
Kadence is a great theme that comes loaded with features and is suitable for beginners and experts alike.
It offers no-code prebuilt starter templates for multiple niches to cut back on time. On top of this, you’ll get access to lightweight custom blocks that let you build your website to your exact specifications using the native WordPress editor.
In terms of customization, you’re spoiled for choice. You can change backgrounds, access a variety of layout options, set global color palettes, modify your design to adapt to any screen size and more.
Last but not least, it provides integration with popular third-party plugins, including WooCommerce, Gutenberg and LearnDash.
All in all, it offers more features than usual with its free version and has 5 stars on WordPress.org.
Features:
- 900+ Google Fonts with premium version
- Mobile-responsive blocks
- SEO optimized
- Ready-made starter templates
- Drag-and-drop header and footer builder
Best free WordPress theme for: Quickly building your website.
Pricing: Free (with limited features). Premium version starts at $59/year.
Blocksy
Blocksy is an ideal choice for any business website, including an online shop.
It brings with it a plethora of features, unlike many free themes.
For starters, it integrates with various popular plugins, like Gutenberg and WooCommerce, and provides an array of starter sites you can import with one click.
Second, Blocksy is highly customizable. You’ll get sticky sidebars, Google Fonts, a header and footer builder, custom widgets and modifiable colors. Its many customization options accord you the freedom to design your dream website.
The theme is also optimized for speed and SEO — its speed scores are impressive. Plus, it has a 5-star WordPress.org rating.
Features:
- WooCommerce ready
- Responsive
- Over 900 Google Fonts
- Video tutorials
Best free WordPress theme for:Free features.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $49/year.
OceanWP
OceanWP provides one-click website demo templates to help you launch your website in record time.
It includes a variety of blog and eCommerce features. It offers multiple blog layouts (e.g., grid and list layouts). You can display your content in one or multiple columns and choose from several pagination options.
With regard to eCommerce, it offers single products tabs style, a quick view feature and a sticky Add to Cart button. Many other free themes include such eCommerce features in their pro plans.
The features don’t end there. It also offers a sticky header, parallax footer, custom menu widget and typography and color settings.
OceanWP is compatible with popular page builders like Brizy. Plus, it’s lightweight and fast.
It’s easy to see why it has a 5-star rating on WordPress.org and over 700,000 users.
Features:
- RTL and translation ready
- Mobile responsive
- WooCommerce ready
Best free WordPress theme for:ECommerce websites with blog sections.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $54/year.
Sydney
Getting started with Sydney is pretty straightforward — it has three starter site templates on hand to get you up and running quickly.
It offers several features, including six blog layouts, three mobile header layouts and a sticky menu. In addition, it’s compatible with the Gutenberg block editor and has 5 stars on WordPress.org.
However, you’ll need to sign up for the pro version to unlock additional customization options and features.
Like most of the best free WordPress themes, it integrates with third-party plugins like Beaver Builder.
Features:
- Gutenberg and translation ready
- SEO friendly
- Lightweight
Best free WordPress theme for: Freelancers and businesses.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $69/year.
Neve
Neve is a lightweight theme known for its mobile-first approach. The 5-star theme prioritizes speed and performance — it weighs only 28 KB and loads in less than 1 second.
It provides over a dozen free importable starter site templates (but only a few for WooCommerce).
And thanks to its integration with various page builders, such as Visual Composer, you can customize your online store to match your needs.
On top of this, Neve is compatible with AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), enabling your customers to enjoy a seamless browsing experience on mobile.
However, as with Sydney, you’ll need to upgrade to the pro version to make the most out of Neve’s offerings.
Features:
- RTL and translation ready
- SEO friendly
- WooCommerce integration
- AMP ready
Best free WordPress theme for: Mobile optimization.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $99/year.
Hestia
Like Neve, Hestia is a popular ThemeIsle WordPress theme. This Gutenberg-ready one-page theme is optimized for SEO and loads fast.
In terms of customization, you can adjust the colors, rearrange sections and, better yet, see the changes in real time.
Compatibility with major drag-and-drop page builders like Divi and Beaver Builder enables you to build your eCommerce store exactly how you want.
Unfortunately, one-click starter site templates aren’t available for free with this 5-star theme.
Features:
- Fast
- Responsive mega menu
- WooCommerce integration
- Translation and RTL ready
Best free WordPress theme for: Bloggers and small business websites.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $99/year.
Vantage
Vantage is a feature-rich responsive theme created by SiteOrigin.
It integrates with Page Builder, which provides drag-and-drop functionality so you can quickly build your website (and view changes in real time).
If you’ve got advanced technical skills, you can use its robust CSS editor to achieve a unique look and feel.
It provides you access to an array of widgets, many of which are for WooCommerce (e.g., WooCommerce product search) to help you boost sales.
And compared to the other themes on our list, its premium plans come with lower price points.
However, it lacks a variety of starter templates to choose from.
Features:
- Responsive design
- Retina ready
- Google Fonts
Best free WordPress theme for:Design control.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $29/year.
Zakra
Zakra is a great choice for anyone looking to launch an eCommerce website.
There are over 30 free importable starter templates to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect design for your online store.
Moreover, it offers compatibility with a dozen WordPress plugins and page builders, including Gutenberg, WooCommerce, Yoast SEO and Jetpack. So not only can you build your website to your liking, but you’ll also rest easy knowing your store is secure.
When it comes to design options, it provides basic blog, typography, header and footer options. Premium plans will give you access to more customization options and multiple widgets.
Zakra also has a 5-star rating on WordPress.org.
Features:
- Fast and secure
- WooCommerce integration
- SEO friendly
- Compatibility with 12 plugins
Best free WordPress theme for: Launching an eCommerce website.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $69/year.
Responsive
Responsive is a lightweight and responsive theme built by Cyberchimps.
The theme provides over 100 free importable starter templates to choose from, making it easy to find one that works with your branding. Plus, it was designed with a focus on speed. In fact, its Google PageSpeed score is 93%.
It’s compatible with many plugins, including WooCommerce, Beaver Builder, Mailchimp and Yoast SEO.
The customization opportunities include header and footer settings, unlimited color options and Google Fonts.
Features:
- Fully responsive
- Translation ready
- SEO friendly
- Fast
Best free WordPress theme for: Easy customizations.
Price: Free (with limited features). Premium plans start at $47/year.
Phlox
Phlox is an award-winning theme with a modern design and a 5-star rating on WordPress.org.
In addition to over 40 free one-click demo sites for different niches, the theme features a collection of page templates for your homepage. Plus, you get a live customizer that lets you see any changes you make in real time.
And thanks to the responsive design, you can rest assured that your website will adapt to any screen size.
The customization opportunities are commendable for a free WordPress theme.
It offers multiple slider options, numerous post formats, over 30 widgets, a sticky header, typography options, animated sections and image preloading.
The theme is also designed to seamlessly integrate with tools like Yoast SEO and WooCommerce.
Looking at its offerings, it’s easy to see why it made it to our list of the best free WordPress themes.
Features:
- Lightweight and responsive
- Translation and RTL ready
- Fast
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant
Best free WordPress theme for: Real-time design updates.
Price:Free (with limited features). Premium plan starts at $39.
Final thoughts: 11 best free WordPress themes for your website
At the end of the day, a well-selected theme supports growth, boosts conversions and aligns with your brand identity. Once you’ve identified the theme that best fits your needs, test it out before you go live.
Another important factor in your website’s success is choosing reliable web hosting. So, why not partner with Bluehost?
Our learning curve is small, and you’ll get access to a wide range of features.
And with our one-click WordPress installation, you’ll kick-start a thriving online business in no time.
Check out our WordPress hosting plans and WooCommerce hosting options today.
FAQs about the best free WordPress themes
A safe and secure theme doesn’t include security vulnerabilities hackers can exploit. So, you’ll need to ask yourself the following:
● Is it regularly updated?
● Does it have good user reviews?
● Is it well-coded?
● Is it compatible with the plugins you use?
Not necessarily. Many free themes have paid versions that offer the same codebase and functionality. The main difference between free vs. premium themes is the extra features or support that come with the paid version.
The best free page builders for WordPress include Gutenberg, Beaver Builder and Page Builder by SiteOrigin.
Some of the advantages of using a free WordPress theme include:
● It’s cost-effective
● The free themes listed in the WordPress directory have been vetted
● It allows you to test-drive what a theme has to offer before committing to a paid theme
