100 Best Free WordPress Themes

Stylemix Editorial Team

6 years ago

Criteria for Choosing the Best Free WordPress Themes

To be realistically skeptical, choosing the best design template is a personal domain. Mostly, the authors of such lists never specify the criteria by which themes are chosen. That’s why those selections should be called: “List of themes most liked by the author” or even “Around the corner templates.”

To choose the best design templates on objective grounds is almost impossible. The thing is that there are no universal criteria for selecting themes even for sites of the same type.

The contrast in tastes makes it meaningless to evaluate the visual appeal. It is useless to make lists of the best themes on technical specifications. All the design templates from the official WordPress catalog meet the requirements of the community. And you will not be able to compare free WordPress themes by individual parameters either.

For instance, you can not rate the templates by download speed because this characteristic depends not only on the quality of the theme but also on server parameters, published content and site settings.

Choosing themes by functionality is also a useless task. Even different projects of the same type need different functions. In addition, all templates have the same functionality to a large extent.

The popularity or the number of installations can hardly be called a valid and even completely objective sign of a good template.

The top four in the list of the most popular are the default templates of the Twentieth family: Twenty Seventeen, Twenty Sixteen, Twenty Fifteen and Twenty Fourteen. These are great free WordPress themes owing their popularity to the installation on new sites by default, however.

In this selection, there are only free templates since WordPress is a non-commercial project. If you are interested in commercial themes, they can be found on the websites of the recommended developers. If the developer is not included in the list of approved by the community and the theme is not represented in the official catalog, there is no guarantee that the template meets technical and safety standards.

The selection presented below can be considered a subjective-objective rating of templates. Themes are selected according to the following criteria:

Visual appeal;
Customization;
Set of technical characteristics;
Functionality.

In the characteristics of the template, the following criteria are indicated: rating, the download speed of the internal page of the site, important theme features.

The loading speed is measured by the example of a site that works on virtual Linux hosting. The Pingdom service was used for the measurement.

Blog templates

This section presents the best free WordPress themes for startups, bloggers, portfolio.

1. Realistic

A minimalistic theme in the style of Material Design. Characteristics:

Rated 4 out of 5 stars, over a thousand installations.
Loading speed 1.65 seconds.
There is a choice of a sidebar, related posts, a social widget Follow Me.

2. Triad

Theme for classic blogs in the style of Material Design. Options:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
Loading speed 1.13 seconds.
Five areas for widgets, a hamburger menu.

3. Twenty Sixteen

The default WordPress 2016 theme was created specifically for bloggers. Characteristics:

A rating of 4 stars, more than 800 thousand installations.
Loading speed 522 ms.
Three zones of widgets, including two under the content.

4. Shuban

A blog theme in the style of Material. Characteristics:

4.5 stars, more than 600 installations.
Loading speed 686 ms.
Two sidebars, five zones for widgets.

5. Yosemite Lite

Theme for blogs with a simple and pleasant design. Parameters:

Not rated, more than 600 installations.
The download speed is 575 ms.
Widgets in the sidebar and footer, fixed sidebar.

6. The Clean Blog

A modern visually appealing theme for a personal or commercial blog. Details:

5 stars, more than 700 installations.
Page loading in 694 ms.
Design without sidebar provides full focus on content. Flexible appearance settings.

7. Skil

Ultraminimalistic theme for blogs. About Skil:

Unrated, more than 300 installations.
Download speed – 1.57 seconds.
Widgets in sidebar and footer, hamburger menu, choice of left or right sidebar.

8. Scaffold

A simple and visually appealing theme for bloggers. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The page loads in 639 ms.
The ability to add photos to the header, flexible color settings.

9. MH HealthMag

A classic blog theme. About the template:

Unrated, more than 1000 installations.
Loading speed 676 ms.
12 zones of widgets, including the ability to set a widget or ad within a post.
Supports special widgets. Flexible layout settings and colors of the site.

10. Publisherly

Theme for blogs with built-in social buttons. About Publisher:

Unrated, more than 400 installations.
Loading in 538 ms.
Five zones for widgets, the ability to change the text in a footer through a customizer.

11. Dax

A free WordPress blog theme with an attractive and comfortable page structure. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 500 installations.
The speed is 538 ms.
4 zone widgets, flexible appearance settings.

12. Lana Site

Theme for blogs with the possibility of expanding functionality. About the template:

Not rated, more than 600 installations.
Loads in 3.8 seconds.
Five zones for widgets, fixed menus, flexible settings of appearance and functionality.

13. BasePress

A neat blog theme with Material Design elements. Properties:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 2.83 seconds.
Six widget zones, the ability to add an image into the header, the choice of the right and left sidebar, the layout without the sidebar.

14. ClubBlog

Visually attractive theme for blogs with the magazine content layout on the main page. Characteristics:

Unrated, more than 700 installations.
Loads in 1.76 seconds.
Two zones for widgets, the ability to upload a logo into the header

15. Blog Way

Great theme for those who chose the path of the blogger. About the template:

5 stars, more than 2000 installations.
Loads in 1.18 seconds.
Five widget zones, widget with biography of the author. Choice of a layout, adds an image to the header, customized color scheme.

16. Bookmark

Theme for blogs with a layout without a sidebar. Opportunities and assessments:

Unrated, 400+ active installations.
Loading in 824 ms.
The ability to add an image into the header, a zone of widgets in the footer.

17. Bhari

A minimalistic theme for bloggers. About the template:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 1.07 seconds.
Six options for the layout, color settings, adding an image into the heading.

18. Wellington

A simple and visually attractive blog-theme. About the template:

5 stars, more than 8000 installations.
The speed is 556 ms.
Three widget zones, unique widgets for displaying content, choice of the right and left sidebar, choice of the layout of the main page.

19. Azalea

A blog-theme with a minimalistic design. Details:

5 stars, more than 2000 installations.
Loads in 1.58 seconds.
Four zones for widgets, loading an image into the header, choice of the left and right sidebar, pagination on the main page.

20. Sanse

Theme for blogs without sidebar with content organization on the main in two columns. Characteristics:

Unrated, 800+ installations.
The speed is 1.81 seconds.
Four zones of widgets, color scheme settings, an image in the header.

Themes for content projects

Most of the classic blog templates are suitable for content projects. Themes with convenient and visually attractive blocks for announcing content from different categories are most likely chosen for media sites.

21. Elif Lite

The theme for content projects in the style of material Design with the organization of content on the main page in the type of Masonry Grid. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 300 installations.
Loading in 2.74 seconds.
The choice of the layout, the right or left sidebar, the image in the header. Display related publications, flexible appearance settings.

22. SpiderMag

Theme for news and thematic resources. About the template:

Unrated, 400+ installations.
Loads in 3.48 seconds.
Slider, 10 zones of widgets, pre-installed widgets for advertising. Special widgets for promoting content.

23. Telegraph

Minimalistic theme for the media and content projects. Details:

Unrated, 1000+ installations.
The speed is 2.36 seconds.
5 zones for widgets, displaying posts from a given category in a visually appealing block on the main page.

24. Zomer

Theme for content projects without a sidebar with content organization on the main in three columns. Detailed:

Unrated, more than 500 installations.
The speed is 2.36 seconds.
Two zones of widgets, the choice of a color scheme.

25. Daily Insight

A classic theme for the media. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 700 installations.
Loads in 1.20 seconds.
7 zones for widgets, special widgets for announcing content. Slider, blocks of actual and thematic content, color scheme settings.

26. Cassions

A magazine theme with a minimalistic design. Detailed:

Three stars, more than 600 installations.
The speed is 1.25 seconds.
Six zones for widgets, special widgets for promoting content on the main page. The choice of the color scheme, the image in the header.

27. Magazine Plus

Theme for news resources and other content projects. Details:

5 stars, more than 3000 installations.
The speed is 625 ms.
Eight widget zones, a slider, special widgets for announcing content. Choice of a layout, flexible appearance settings.

28. Deadline

Theme for content projects with an emphasis on readability of content. Details:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
Loads in 1.04 seconds.
Five widget zones, displaying content from selected categories in a visually appealing format on the main page.

29. Typist

Minimalistic theme with an excellent typography. Characteristics:

Unrated, 600+ installations.
The speed is 972 ms.
Choice of the right or left sidebar, settings of the width of the page, a pre-installed Follow Me widget and choice of a color scheme.

30. Haxel

Theme for content projects with a giant header and parallax effect. About the template:

Unrated, more than 1000 installations.
Loads for 985 ms.
Four widget zones, a slider, blocks for promoting content from selected categories. Choice of a layout: a classic blog or grid in two and three columns.

31. SuperNews

A theme with flexible appearance settings. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 5000 installations.
The speed is 1.64 seconds.
Eight zones for widgets, pre-defined areas for advertising, very flexible settings for the appearance of the main and internal pages.

32. MH Joystick lite

A theme with a convenient organization of content on the main page. Details:

Unrated, more than 2000 installations.
The speed is 1.84 seconds.
Slider, choice of layout, image in header.

33. VT Grid Mag

Theme for content projects with minimalistic design. About the template:

5 stars, 600+ installations.
The speed is 1.26 seconds.
Choice of the position of the sidebar, selection of the grid on the main in two or three columns, flexible color settings.

34. MagZen

A universal theme with a design convenient for content projects. Characteristics:

4 stars, more than 700 installations.
The speed is 1.75 seconds.
Eight widgets-zones, displaying posts from the selected category on the main page. Announcement of the latest publications in the form of a news ticker, flexible appearance settings.

35. Numinous

Theme for content projects, ready for monetization with the help of advertising. About the template:

5 stars, more than 900 installations.
The speed is 1.52 seconds.
Five widget zones, including a special sidebar for WooCommerce. Choice of color scheme, flexible settings for displaying content on the main page.

36. Bezel

Theme with the organization of content on the main page in a grid with two columns. Details:

Unrated, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 635 ms.
Choice of the right and left sidebar, the image in the header.

37. Newsbuzz

A magazine theme in the style of Material Design with flexible settings of functionality and appearance. About the template:

5 stars, more than 700 installations.
Loads in 1.20 seconds.
Eight widgets-zones, customization of the main page, choice of the color scheme.

38. BlackWhite Lite

Classical magazine theme. Characteristics:

Unrated, more than 900 installations.
Loads for 697 ms.
Eight zones for widgets, widget for advertising in the header, customization of the main page, choice of the sidebar positioning.

39. NewsPro

Theme for news resources. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 600 installations.
The speed is 1.25 seconds.
Announcement of content in the news ticker format, widgets for advertising and promotion of content. Slider and carousel on the main.

40. NovaPress

Theme with the organization of the content on the main in three columns. About the template:

4 stars, 900+ installations.
Loads in 1.73 seconds.
In the free version customization options are limited.

Templates for corporate sites

For a corporate website, you can use almost any WordPress theme. But you better choose from the specialized templates.

41. Decree

A corporate theme the developers of which emphasized the rigor and solidity of the appearance. Characteristics:

Unrated, 200+ installations.
Loads for 756 ms.
Phone and conversion button in the header, slider on the main, section for the portfolio.

42. Business Page

Corporate theme with a full-screen slider. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 300 installations.
The speed is 717 ms.
Widget for counting the number of subscribers, a full-screen slider on the main, custom header, a choice of the layout.

43. Twenty Seventeen

The default WordPress 2017 theme was developed for corporate sites. Details:

4.5 stars, more than 1 million installations.
Loads in 1.49 seconds.
Photo or video in the site header, choice of color scheme and layout, customization of the main page.

44. VW hospital Lite

Theme for medical institutions. It can be also used in other industries. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 400 installations.
Loads in 1.02 seconds.
Slider, blocks “Our services”, “Search Specialist”, “Contact us” on the main.

45. Enlighten

Theme with wide customization possibilities. Details:

5 stars, more than 3000 installations.
The speed is 1.38 seconds.
Contact information in the header, information about the company and selected publications on the main page.

46. Book Landing Page

Corporate theme adapted to the sale of infoproducts. Characteristics:

3.5 stars, more than 900 installations.
Loading in 647 ms.
The ability to turn the main or other static pages into conversion landing pages. Banner, reviews, testimonials on the main.

47. Pranayama Yoga

A corporate theme that is suitable not only for yoga teachers. Details:

5 stars, more than 800 installations.
The speed is 642 ms.
Banner, conversion promo section, information about services on the main. Testimonials, information about the company on the main.

48. Integral

Classical corporate theme. Details:

4.5 stars, more than 3000 installations.
The speed is 1.83 seconds.
Flexible appearance settings, testimonials section, seven widget zones.

49. SKT Design Agency

Business theme for the design agency and other types of organizations. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 916 ms.
Color scheme settings, image in the header, slider and blocks for promoting content or sections of the site on the main page, contact information in the header.

50. Education Hub

Theme for educational institutions which is great for business sites. About the template:

5 stars, more than 10 000 installations.
The speed is 848 ms.
Contact information and quick links in the header, flexible appearance settings, slider.

51. Enliven

Universal business theme. Details:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
Loading in 655 ms.
Fixed header, conversion landing on the main page, flexible settings of appearance and functionality.

52. Bluestreet

A popular business theme. Details:

5 stars, more than 7000 installations.
The speed 821 ms.
Banner on the main page, typography settings, color scheme selection, contact information in the header.

54. Sento

A corporate theme with a minimalistic design. About the template:

3.5 stars, more than 2000 installations.
The speed is 650 ms.
Nine widget-zones, choice of layout, three types of sliders, blocks for promotion of site sections.

54. Innovation Lite

Business theme with a slider on the main. Details:

4.5 stars, 1000+ installations.
The speed is 729 ms.
Fixed header, slider, portfolio, “Our team” section.

55. Travelify

A universal theme that can be used for corporate websites. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 20 000 installations.
The speed is 1.32 seconds.
Slider, the choice of color scheme, the image in the header.

56. Busiprof

Corporate theme for organizations. Characteristics:

5 stars, 1000+ installations.
Loads in 1.36 seconds.
Infobar, slider, the announcement of content or services on the main.

57. Baton

Corporate theme in a material style. About the template:

5 stars, 800+ installations.
The speed is 653 ms.
Choice of the layout, the width of the content area, the color scheme. The ability to turn the main page into converting landing page.

58. Sauna Lite

The feminine theme for specifically aimed business. Characteristics:

Unrated, 200+ installations.
The speed is 1.76 seconds.
Slider on the main, the choice of the layout, the zone for the announcement of sections of the site or products on the main page.

59. Restau Lite

Theme for catering establishments. Details:

Not rated, 200+ installations.
The speed is 815 ms.
Choice of color scheme, banner and gallery on the main page.

60. Resortica Lite

Theme for hotels and tourist complexes. About the template:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
Loads in 1.33 seconds.
Banner, testimonials, conversion block on the main page.

Themes for online stores

When choosing a theme for an online store you need to evaluate not only the appearance but also compatibility with the ecommerce platform for instance WooCommerce or Ecwid. In this section, instead of screenshots of the publication page, there are screenshots of the product card.

60. Storefront

The default WooCommerce theme. Characteristics:

4.5 stars, more than 100 000 installations.
The speed is 1.47 seconds.
Flexible appearance settings, section for promoting goods on the main page, the image in the header.

61. Shopper

A popular ecommerce theme. About the template:

5 stars, 1000+ installations.
The speed is 1.48 seconds.
The choice of the layout, image in the header, flexible appearance settings, convenient search by products.

63. Basic Store

Theme for the store with a minimalistic design. Characteristics:

Unrated, more than 700 installations.
The speed is 943 ms.
Image in the header, blocks for promotion of new products, as well as products from the selected categories, fixed header

64. Shopress

Theme for stores with a stylish design. Details:

Unrated, 600+ installations.
The speed is 718 ms.
The image in the header, slider, promo-block on the main page.

65. ClassicRGB lite

A theme with minimalistic design and minimal settings. Characteristics:

Unrated, 300+ installations.
Loading in 820 ms.
Gallery of goods on the main page, sidebar on the left.

66. BuzzStore

Visually attractive theme for shops. Characteristics:

5 stars, 1000+ installations.
Loads in 1.32 seconds.
Promo widgets on the main page, choice of layout, color scheme settings.

67. Hypermarket

Ecommerce theme with a unique design. Details:

5 stars, 600+ installations.
The speed is 2.93 seconds.
The design of the product card is aimed at demonstrating the bright images of the goods.

68. StoreOne

Ecommerce theme with a slider and a gallery of goods on the main page. Characteristics:

Unrated, 1000+ installations.
Loads in 3.95 seconds.
Gallery of goods on the main page, contact information in the header.

69. Craze

Developers recommended theme for clothing stores, books and electronics. Characteristics:

5 stars, 700+ installations.
The speed is 2.63 seconds.
Contact information in the header, promo-blocks on the main page.

70. Jstore

Theme for stores. Details:

5 stars, 400+ installations.
The speed is 3.39 seconds.
Banner and the latest products on the main page, image in the cap, color settings.

71. MetroStore

Ecommerce theme with beautiful animation. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 2000 installations.
Loads in 4.10 seconds.
Slider on the main page, picture in the header, convenient navigation.

72. Sabino

Ecommerce theme for different types of stores. Details:

Unrated, 3000+ installations.
The speed is 3.37 seconds.
Color scheme and typography settings, page layout selection.

73. Bento

Developers positioning the theme as a universal corporate-class solution. Details:

4.5 stars, more than 7000 installations.
The speed is 3.91 seconds.
Very flexible functionality and appearance settings.

74. Fluid Magazine

Theme for shops with female audience. Characteristics:

4 stars, more than 400 installations.
Loads in at 4.29 seconds.
Slider on the main page, promo-blocks for the goods from the selected categories.

75. Fashion Store lite

Multilingual theme for shops. Characteristics:

Unrated, more than 600 installations.
The speed is 3.61 seconds.
Gallery of goods on the main page, eight widget-zones.

Themes for portfolio sites

Portfolio can be made using any WordPress template. But you can take advantage of cool specialized themes.

76. Click

A theme with a convenient organization of content on the main and category pages. Characteristics:

Unrated, 200+ installations.
Loads in 4.19 seconds.
Slider on the main, promo-blocks of publications from selected sections

77. Hamilton

Theme with a minimalistic design and orientation to the publication of vivid photos. Characteristics:

5 stars, 600+ installations.
Loads in 2.75 seconds.
Hamburger menu, visually attractive format for displaying content on the main and category pages.

78. Portfolio Lite

A minimalistic and visually oriented theme. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 4.09 seconds.
An image in the header, a slider with two modes of content demonstration.

79. NovelLite

Theme for corporate sites and portfolio. Characteristics:

4 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 1.53 seconds.
Six widget zones, fixed header.

80. Bizwhoop

A universal theme for corporate websites, portfolios and stores. Characteristics:

Unrated, 300+ installations.
The speed is 729 ms.
Slider, promo-blocks, converting block on the main page.

81. Noah Lite

Portfolio template for photographers, designers, illustrators. Details:

3 stars, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 2.03 seconds.
Content on the main is organized in the form of a gallery of works.

82. Oncanvas

A template with a minimalistic design and aim for visual content. Characteristics:

Unrated, 300+ installations.
The speed is 654 ms.
Six widget zones, flexible color scheme settings.

83. Kurama

A universal theme that can be used for a portfolio site. About the template:

5 stars, 1000+ installations.
Loads for 959 ms.
Flexible appearance settings. Different kinds of photos can be displayed as the image in the header on the publication pages.

84. Nikkon

A popular portfolio-template. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 8000 installations.
The speed is 1.38 seconds.
The choice of page layout, three slider formats, typography settings, contact information in the header.

85. Optics

Minimalistic design orientated on the publication of photos. Details:

1 star, 500+ installations.
Loading in 786 ms.
Image in header, color settings, gallery of works on the main page.

86. Oxane

Portfolio theme with stylish design and beautiful animation. Characteristics:

Unrated 600+ installations.
Loading in 995 ms.
Slider, choice of layout, typography settings.

87. Nitro

A universal theme that is suitable for creating a portfolio. About the template:

5 stars, 1000+ installations.
The speed is 1.11 seconds.
The choice of the layout, the image in the header, the choice of the color scheme, the slider.

88. WP Portfolio

A popular theme for corporate websites. Characteristics:

5 stars, more than 2000 installations.
Loads in 1.55 seconds.
The choice of the layout, the image in the header.

89. Attirant

Theme for the portfolio with a giant header. Details:

Unrated, 300+ installations.
The speed is 2.04 seconds.
Slider, promo-blocks, image in the header.

90. Seos Portfolio

Mobile screens portfolio template. Characteristics:

Unrated, 300+ installations.
Looading in 1.23 seconds.
Custom images in the header and on the main page, color settings, orientation on visual content.

Rare Themes for WordPress

In this section, templates with different functionality are presented, which differ in their creatively different appearance or capabilities.

91. Muso

Template for musical groups. About Muso:

5 star rating, more than 1000 installations.
The speed is 824 ms.
Music player, carousel posts, full-screen photo on the main.

92. Octothorpe

This template is for supporters of radical minimalism. Characteristics:

Unrated, 100+ installations.
Loads in 1.49 seconds.
Widgets in the footer, minimal customization possibilities.

94. Verbosa

Multifunctional template with flexible settings of appearance and functionality. Information:

5 stars, more than 4,000 downloads.
The speed is 1.18 seconds.
Masonry Grid, choice of layout, very flexible appearance settings.

95. Aladin

Corporate one-page website template with parallax effect. However, it can also be used to create a blog or website. Information:

Unrated, over 100 downloads.
The speed is 1.32 seconds.
16 widget zones, flexible appearance settings.

96. Sidespied

The template claims to be the strangest one. Focused on mobile devices, and on the big screen half of the page remains unused. The theme is for photo portfolios. Characteristics:

Unrated, more than 80 installations.
Loads in 1.69 seconds.
Orientation to mobile screens and visual content. Color settings.

97. Yuuta

Template for a photographer’s blog, portfolio, publication of visual content. Details:

5 stars, 1000+ downloads.
Loads in 1.13 seconds.
Large image in the header, minimal customization possibilities.

98. Zeal

Multifunctional theme with an unusual organization of content. Characteristics:

4 stars, more than 2000 installations.
Loads in 1.51 seconds.
Jambotron to showcase your favorite photos on the main page, flexible appearance settings.

99. Eryn

Template with unusual content organization. Details:

5 stars, 700+ installations.
The speed is 1.20 seconds.
Image in the sidebar, flexible appearance settings.

100. Burger Factory

A template with a radically minimalistic design. Characteristics:

5-star rating, more than 700 installations.
The loading speed is 509 ms.
Widget-zones in the sidebar and under the content, possibility of choice of the background color.

First, You Judge How Nice, Then You Judge How Wise!

No matter how you slice it this proverb is valid for websites so you need to choose a theme carefully! If you have long used a template from the list and can tell about its advantages and disadvantages write in the comments, please. If you also know cool free themes that are not included in the list tell us about them too. This will improve the Internet.

We hope this handlist has helped you to choose the best free WordPress themes and you found the article informative about each WordPress theme! We also created a selection of the amazing WordPress themes for business in different fields. You can not miss them!

What WordPress theme did you chose? Do you use the free WordPress themes? Share your impressions in the comments below!