What are the best free WordPress themes?

There are plenty of great free WordPress themes that cater to different needs. Here are some of the best:

1. Astra: A lightweight, customizable theme that’s perfect for blogs, portfolios, and even eCommerce. It works seamlessly with page builders like Elementor.

2. OceanWP: Ideal for any type of website, from simple blogs to complex online stores. It’s fast, responsive, and packed with features.

3. Neve: A modern, minimalist theme that’s highly customizable. It’s SEO-friendly and great for speed.

4. Hestia: Perfect for small businesses, startups, or blogs. It offers a sleek, professional design and integrates well with WooCommerce.

5. GeneratePress: Known for its simplicity and performance, it’s a great choice if you’re focused on speed and usability.

These themes are highly rated, versatile, and provide excellent design and functionality for free.

Astra

A top pick for 2024, Astra is fast, lightweight, and highly customizable.

Features: Tons of design options, works well with page builders like Elementor, and is SEO-friendly.

Best For: Blogs, business sites, e-commerce, and portfolios.

 OceanWP

Still a favorite, OceanWP offers great flexibility and fast performance.

Features: Plenty of demo sites, fully responsive, and has great WooCommerce support.

Best For: E-commerce stores, business websites, and personal blogs.

Neve

Perfect for 2024 websites that need to load fast and look great on any device.

Features: Clean design, mobile-ready, and works with most page builders.

Best For: Small businesses, startups, and blogs.

 Hestia

Hestia remains popular for its clean, modern design that’s perfect for startups and professionals.

Features: Simple one-page layout, WooCommerce-ready, and easy to set up.

Best For: Creative agencies, business owners, and online stores.

 GeneratePress

Still going strong in 2024, GeneratePress is known for its speed and simplicity.

Features: Clean and lightweight, easy to customize, and mobile-ready.

Best For: Personal websites, blogs, and small business sites.

Here are some of the best free WordPress themes available in 2024, known for their features, usability, and popularity:

1. Astra

Overview: Astra is highly regarded for its lightweight design and speed. It offers extensive customization options and is compatible with popular page builders.

Features:

• Over a million active installations.
• Excellent SEO performance.
• Multiple pre-built templates.
• Rating: 4.9/5.

2. GeneratePress

Overview: This freemium theme is known for its performance and accessibility, making it suitable for various types of websites.

Features:

• Block-based page builder compatibility.
• Customizable layout options.
• High PageSpeed scores.
• Rating: 5/5 with over 600,000 active installations.

3. Blocksy

Overview: A modern theme designed for Gutenberg and WooCommerce, Blocksy offers advanced customization options using React components.

Features:

• Dark mode feature.
• Extensive typography settings.
• Page-builder compatibility.
• Rating: 5/5 with over 100,000 active installations.

4. OceanWP

Overview: A versatile multipurpose theme that provides a range of customization options and is optimized for speed and accessibility.

Features:

• Built-in responsive settings.
• Support for WooCommerce.
• Multiple layout styles and typography options.
• Rating: 4.9/5 with over 600,000 active installations.

5. Kadence

Overview: Known for its fast performance and user-friendly design tools, Kadence is great for building captivating websites quickly.

Features:

• Header and footer builders for customization.
• Integrations with WooCommerce and LearnDash.
• Rating: Approximately 4.8/5 with around 300,000 active installations.

These themes provide a solid foundation for building a professional-looking website without incurring costs, making them excellent choices for both beginners and experienced users.

There are many high-quality free WordPress themes available that can help you create a beautiful and functional website without spending a dime. Here’s a list of some of the best free WordPress themes, suitable for various types of websites:

Astra

Best For: Blogs, portfolios, business websites, and eCommerce stores.

Key Features: Lightweight, fast, and highly customizable. It integrates well with popular page builders like Elementor and Gutenberg.

Why It's Great: Astra offers a range of demo sites that you can import to jump-start your design. It also has excellent SEO optimization and is compatible with WooCommerce.

Hello Elementor

Best For: Users who want to build highly customizable websites using Elementor.

Key Features: Extremely lightweight, designed specifically to work with Elementor, and provides a blank canvas for complete customization.

Why It's Great: Hello Elementor is one of the most minimal and flexible themes available, especially for Elementor users. It’s an excellent choice if you want to design your site from scratch using Elementor.

GeneratePress

Best For: Blogs, business sites, and personal websites.

Key Features: Lightweight, fast loading, and highly flexible. Offers a variety of customization options and integrates with major page builders.

Why It's Great: GeneratePress is focused on performance and accessibility, making it ideal for SEO-friendly sites. It’s clean, minimal, and provides a solid foundation for further customization.

OceanWP

Best For: Business websites, eCommerce, blogs, and portfolios.

Key Features: Highly customizable, WooCommerce support, and a range of demo sites. Also comes with built-in features like popups and sticky headers.

Why It's Great: OceanWP is a versatile theme with a focus on eCommerce. Its smooth integration with WooCommerce and ability to extend functionality with free and premium extensions makes it a solid choice for an online store.

Storefront

Best For: WooCommerce-based online stores.

Key Features: Designed specifically for WooCommerce, Storefront is a clean, minimal theme with excellent support for WooCommerce extensions.

Why It's Great: If you're planning to build an eCommerce store, Storefront is an excellent choice. It’s simple, fast, and integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce and its extensions.

Sydney

Best For: Business websites, freelancers, and agencies.

Key Features: Full-screen slider, Google Fonts, color customization, and custom widgets for services, testimonials, and employees.

Why It's Great: Sydney is a feature-rich theme for creating professional business websites. Its clean design and customization options make it ideal for agencies, freelancers, and small businesses.

Which Theme to Choose?

For a Business or Agency: Consider Astra, Sydney

For an eCommerce Store: Storefront, OceanWP, or Astra (for WooCommerce compatibility).

For Full Customization: Hello Elementor (best for Elementor users).

Ultimately, the best free theme for your WordPress site depends on your specific needs and preferences. These themes offer a great mix of design, functionality, and flexibility to build a professional site without breaking the bank.

When selecting themes on Wordpress it's important to remember a few things. 

1) The featured image on your theme isn't always the reality of what you can achieve, unless you use other plugins/add-ons, or buy the pro version. Remember, theme builders/owners are they to make money. 

2) Only select themes that have been tried and tested. i.e. they have been around for a reasonable amount of time, and they have a good level of high quality reviews.

3.  If you're using a page builder such as elementor or beaver builder, make sure your theme is compatiable with this. 

With this in mind, and being an Elementor specilaist I recommend the following lightweight themes. 

Astra and Hello Elementor

The reasons these themes are classed as lightweight is due to them being very basic in nature, allowing you to use the built in theme builders within the Elementor plugin.