The theme is the foundation for the look and feel of any WordPress site, so choosing a theme is one of the first things you do when building a website. Personally, I nowadays mostly use an FSE theme like Greenlight Pro, in which you can (and have to) build every aspect of your site with Gutenberg blocks.
However, a lot of people prefer to use a classic theme in which you set up the look and feel of your site using the customizer. In this article, I compare the most popular classic themes, which also work great with page builders like Gutenberg, Elementor and Brizy. All these themes have both a free version and a paid version.
In this extensive WordPress Theme comparison, I put the most popular WordPress themes literally next to each other. I compared all relevant features for Astra, OceanWP, Kadence, Blocksy and Neve. All of these WordPress themes have hundreds of thousands of users.
I only looked at the features the theme itself offers, whether or not with an official “add-on plugin”. For example, Blocksy needs the Blocksy Companion plugin for certain featuress, Neve needs their own Orbit Fox plugin and OceanWP even has several add-on plugins available. Every theme also requires you to install a plugin to access the premium features.
Many features that are not available by default in the theme or the official add-on plugin can of course be added with third-party plugins or custom code (for example Google Analytics or custom sidebars), but this has not been taken into account in the comparison below.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Available in free version of this theme | in free version |
| Available in premium (paid) version | in premium version |
| Not available in this theme (free or premium) | Not available |
| Astra theme |
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| OceanWP theme |
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| Kadence theme |
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| Blocksy theme |
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| Neve theme |
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| Basics |
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| Set maximum content width | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Override global settings on a per page base (sidebar, header, footer etc) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Global colors | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Different color on hover | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Padding and margin setting | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Choice of multiple units such as px, (r)em, %, vw, vh | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Support for clamp functions | not available | not available | in free version | in free version | not available |
| Support for variables | not available | not available | not available | in free version | not available |
| Social media follow icons | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Social media share buttons | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in free version | in free version |
| Breadcrumbs | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | not available |
| Sidebars |
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| Choose between sidebar left, sidebar right or no sidebar | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Separate sidebar settings for blog, pages, posts and woocommerce | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Set sidebar position for mobile (above or below content) | not available | in free version | not available | in free version | not available |
| Sticky sidebar (stays in the viewport while scrolling) | in free version | not available | in free version | in free version | not available |
| Add custom sidebars | not available | in free version | in premium version | in premiumversion | in premium version |
| Conditional sidebars (e.g. only show for posts in certain category) | not available | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Header |
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| Header builder which lets you design your own header | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Choose between multiple header templates | not available | in free version | in free version | not available | in free version |
| Sticky header (stays at the top of the screen while scrolling) | in premium version | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Shrinking header (shrinks the header as user scrolls) | in premium version | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Transparant header | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Mega menu | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Add icons to menu items | not available | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in free version |
| Separate builder for the mobile menu (off canvas) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Multiple nav menu elements (eg #1 for main menu and #2 for utilities menu) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Button widget | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Overlay search function (magnifying glass icon instead of search box) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Show live search results as you type | in free version | not available | in premium version | in free version | not available |
| Contact info widget (address, phone number, email) | not available | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Off canvas menu on desktop (hamburger button like on mobile) | in premium version | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in free version |
| Multiple conditional headers (e.g. setting a different header on blog pages) | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Login / my account widget | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in free version | in premium version |
| Recaptcha for login widget | not available | in premium version | in premium version | not available | not available |
| Light / Dark mode switch | in premium version | not available | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Custom HTML widget | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Add widget area (for WordPress widgets or plugins) | in free version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Footer |
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| Footer builder which lets you design your footer yourself | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Choose from multiple footer templates | not available | not available | not available | not available | in free version |
| Sticky footer (stays at the bottom of the screen) | in premium version | in premium version | not available | not available | in premium version |
| Multiple conditional footers (e.g. set a different footer on blog pages) | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Scroll to top widget | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Shortcuts widget (bar with useful links that sticks at the bottom) | not available | inot available | not available | in premium version | not available |
| Typography |
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| Set global typography | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Separate typography settings for H1 to H6 | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Extensive typography settings (line height, letter spacing, transformation) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Separate settings for tablet and mobile | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Google Fonts | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Load Google Fonts locally (GDRP compliant) | not available | in free version | in free version | in premium version | in free version |
| Upload custom fonts | not available | not available | in premium version | in premium version | in free version |
| Adobe Typekit fonts | not available | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Font Awesome icons | not available | in free version | not available | not available | in premium version |
| Blog |
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| Choose from multiple layouts for the blog page | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Masonry blog layout | in premium version | in free version | not available | not available | in free version |
| Inifinite scroll (automatically load more posts ) | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in free version | in premium version |
| Choose from multiple layouts for single blog posts | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Adjust featured image size | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version | not available |
| Show or hide specific metadata (author, date, categories) | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Reorder meta data | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Last updated meta data | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Using custom fields as meta data (e.g. ACF) | not available | not available | not available | in premium version | in premium version |
| Show post title in hero with featured image as background | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Related posts | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Next / previous post navigation | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Author box (widget with information about the author) | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Reading progress bar | not available | not available | not available | in premium version | in free version |
| Read time indication | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| WooCommerce |
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| Multiple layouts for the shop and category pages | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Multiple layouts for the single product page | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Infinite scroll on shop and category page | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in free version | in premium version |
| Ajax add to cart | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Shopping cart icon in header | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Off canvas cart / mini cart | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Wishlist | not available | not available | not available | in premium version | in premium version |
| Quick view | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Off canvas filters (filter button) | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Floating add to cart (sticks to the top of the page when user scrolls) | not available | not available | not available | in premium version | in premium version |
| Related products & Upsells | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in premium version |
| Show product images as carousel (on single product page) | not available | not available | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Advanced features |
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| Newsletter subscription form | not available | in free version | in premium version | in free version | not available |
| Cookie consent bar | not available | in premium version | not available | in free version | in free version |
| Facebook timeline widget | not available | in free version | not available | not available | not available |
| Instagram widget | not available | in free version | not available | not available | not available |
| Custom 404 page | in premium version | in free version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Insert templates using hooks | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Show templates in popup (e.g. by clicking on button) | not available | in free version | in premium version | not available | not available |
| Automated triggers for popup (after x seconds, scroll %, exit intent) | not available | not available | in premium version | not available | not available |
| Extra Gutenberg blocks | in premium version | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Extra Elementor widgets | in premium version | in premium version | not available | not available | |
| Google Analytics integration (without plugin) | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in free version |
| Add custom code snippets to head, body and footer | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in free version |
| White label | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version | in premium version |
| Export / import settings | not available | in free version | in free version | in free version | not available |
| Demo templates / sites |
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| 1 page demo layouts | in free version | in premium version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Complete site layouts with multiple pages | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Demo templates for Gutenberg | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Demo templates for Elementor | in free version | in free version | not available | in free version | in free version |
| Support |
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| Extensive documentation available | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Video documentation available | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Support for free users | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version | in free version |
| Pricing premium version |
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| 1 website, per year | $ 69 | $ 35 | $ 99 | $ 69 | $ 69 |
| 10 websites, per year | $ 89 | $ 80 | $ 169 | $ 99 | $ 69 |
| Unlimited* websites, per year | $ 89 | $ 143 | $ 399 | $ 149 | $ 69 |
| 1 website, lifetime (no annual recurring costs) | $ 319 | $ 141 | $ 899 | $ 199 | not available |
| 10 websites, lifetime (no annual recurring costs) | $ 399 | $ 320 | $ 899 | $ 299 | not available |
| Unlimited* websites, lifetime | $ 399 | $ 572 | $ 999 | $ 499 | not available |
* Most themes don’t offer an unlimited websites package, but a maximum of 1000 websites. However, the change you’ll ever build 1000 websites isn’t that big, so I’ve counted that as unlimited 😉 OceanWP however has a maximum of 300 websites.
Bob’s Favorite: Blocksy theme
Blocksy is my personal favorite WordPress theme. Both the free version and the paid pro version offer a lot of features, the interface is very user-friendly, everything looks great and the prices of the pro version are reasonable. In addition, new features are added very regularly and the support is excellent.
Only the number of demo sites is still quite limited, but there are new ones added regularly and they are are available for various page builders.
Get Blocksy ThemeAstra theme
With over 1 million active installs, Astra is one of the most popular WordPress themes of all time. Nevertheless, the above comparison shows that Astra offers a bit less features than some other themes. On the other hand, there is a lot of documentation available on how to add a feature that is not included in the theme by default, but for that you usually have to use a piece of code or a plugin.
Furthermore, Astra has a huge number of demo sites, which allow you to import a complete website with 1 click. After that, you only have to edit the templates. The Astra demo sites are available for various page builders: the default Gutenberg editor, Elementor, Brizy and – as the only theme on the list – Beaver Builder. That, in combination with their attractive prices, explains why Astra is so popular.
Get Astra ThemeOceanWP theme
OceanWP is also quite popular with about 500,000 active installations. That number did decrease quite a bit over the years though; when I first published this article in 2021, it had 700.000 active installations. That may be because the customizer feels a bit outdated, it isn’t as modern and slick as Blocky’s for example.
Also, OceanWP does things different from others. For example:
– OceanWP doesn’t have a built-in header/footer builder, but you CAN create a custom template and set it as header / footer. Since you can use Gutenberg (or any Gutenberg add-on you like) to build your header and footer, this gets a green check.
– The same goes for some other functionality, like custom sidebars, popups and social share buttons. You have to install extra plugins for that, but those are free and by OceanWP thus a green checkmark. However, it is some extra work and clutters your plugins screen. On the other hand, one might argue that’s a good thing because it makes the core plugin lighter (no bloat for things you don’t use).
– You can also adjust a few things separately for the mobile menu, but that is less flexible than in Astra and Blocksy.
– There is a wishlist setting in the customizer, but the wishlist functionality needs a third party plugin so therefor it has a red check.
In the speed test, OceanWP stood out because of the somewhat lower score on mobile. I took the test several times, but OceanWP continued to score “only” 87 on mobile. That is of course not a bad score, but it is significantly lower than the other themes. The loading time on mobile is also a lot higher at 2.7 seconds than that of the other themes.
OceanWP does offer a LOT of functionality in their free version though, and in particular the yearly pricing for the pro version is quite competitive.
Get OceanWP ThemeNeve Theme
Neve is also a pretty popular theme (200.000 active installs) with a lot of features. Some features (such as the social sharing buttons, the reading progress bar and the cookie notice) only work with their free Orbit Fox plugin (also from ThemeIsle, the company behind Neve).
ThemeIsle also has a Gutenberg addon called Otter Blocks, but I have not included its functionality in this comparison.
All licenses are for an unlimited number of websites, but if you want extensive WooCommerce settings you pay € 149.00 per year, and if you want white label and Otter Blocks Pro, the price goes up to € 259.00.
Get Neve ThemeKadence Theme
Many people in the WordPress community are raving about the Kadence theme, which comes with its own Gutenberg addon plugin Kadence blocks. And I can understand why; the Kadence theme has quite a few green ticks, which means that it offers quite a few features in the free version of the theme. However… not as many as Blocksy.
The premium version can’t compete with Blocksy Pro either in my opinion. For example, the Kadence WooCommerce Shop Kit contains a number of interesting features, but “basic” things like a wishlist function seem to be missing.
Kadence’s pricing system is also interesting; the lower prices packages don’t include all of the pro addons. For example, if you want the Shop Kit addon of the Conversions addon (for building popups), you need the most expensive package ($ 299 for 25 websites or $ 399 for 1000 websites). The lifetime package does include everything but is quite expensive compared to the other themes.
Get Kadence Theme
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