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Best Free WordPress Themes Available in 2021
If you’re new to WordPress, it may seem natural to believe that if a free WordPress theme appears similar to what you had in mind for your website, it’ll be a good fit. Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that straightforward. That’s why, in today’s post, we’ve laid down a strong checklist of criteria you can use to ensure that the free WordPress themes you’re considering are a good fit. We’ve also compiled a list of what we consider to be the top free WordPress themes currently available this year.
In 2021, what should you look for in a free WordPress theme?
WordPress is a free, immensely powerful, and incredibly versatile platform for creating websites, blogs, online stores, and other online projects.
However, with that power and flexibility comes an inescapable level of complication. Complexity that has grown over time and, if ignored, might put WordPress theme users’ sites at danger of security breaches, search engine penalties, and a slew of other troubles and inconveniences big and little.
In practise, this means that if you’re searching for a WordPress theme (even a free WordPress theme), you need to make sure you’re obtaining a high-quality product that keeps up with the WordPress platform’s evolving development standards.
A excellent WordPress theme in 2021 will meet need to meet the following criteria minimum level:
1.Best WordPress theme is Secure or not
Secure code – you don’t need to be a cybersecurity specialist. The simplest way to do this is to use the official WordPress Repository to get your free WordPress theme. As a result, you won’t have to worry about whether or not the theme you’re selecting is safe. If it’s in the repository, it’s already been through a thorough quality-control process. Above and beyond these safeguards, some of the top WordPress themes will hire WordPress security professionals to evaluate their themes independently.
2.Best WordPress theme is Serious continuous development or not
WordPress hasn’t gotten so complicated that amateurs can’t design and maintain high-quality themes and plugins. But it isn’t simple. Not everyone who can create a theme can also maintain and support it at a high enough level for it to be considered a viable alternative for users.
3.Best WordPress theme is Compatibility with key plugins or not
Essential WordPress Plugin Compatibility – Plugins unlock the true power of WordPress by extending what you can accomplish with it (for example, build an online store with WooCommerce) or improving current core features.
Example:
Using Yoast SEO to optimize your pages for search). Some fantastic examples can be found in our list of key WordPress Plugins. Then, double-check that any theme you’re considering will work with all of the plugins you’ll need for your website.
4.Best WordPress theme is Compatibility with key page builders or not
The good news is that if a WordPress theme is in the official repository, it’s already compatible with the world’s most popular page builder–WordPress’ native Gutenberg. However, a large proportion of WordPress users still prefer to utilise more mature and powerful builders instead of or in addition to Gutenberg.
5.Best WordPress theme is Compatible with other page builders, translators or not
It’s a good idea to start with a theme that works with all or some of the most popular page builders, such as Divi, Elementor, Beaver Builder, and others.
Because the majority of the world does not understand English, it should be a basic need of WordPress themes in 2021 for people to be able to utilise it in their own language. They should also be able to offer their information to others in numerous languages while they’re at it.
6.Best WordPress theme has been in Market with Good Review or not
Positive social proof, such as positive reviews, is the best indicator that a theme creator has passed the first large filter of “serious continuous development.” The longer they’ve been promoting their concept and the more favorable social proof signs they have, the better.
Example:
The amount of five-star reviews is the most crucial, but other factors include the number of downloads, the “last updated” date (which should be recent), the number of open help requests, and the strength of the user community, to mention a few.
7.Best WordPress theme is Good User Experience or not?
This one is a little tricky but good user-experience design is very important. What matters most, in the end, is that you enjoy the user experience–not some reviewer. However, I’ve seen that truly awful user-experience design often shows up in theme evaluations and popularity. Beyond that, it’s critical that while you’re using the theme, it makes sense to you, that you can quickly discover crucial elements, and that you meet your design objectives.
Example:
If you want to be absolutely certain that you prefer working with one theme over another, you may need to do some testing on a local install with dummy content.
8.Best WordPress theme has the Support Options or not?
Support options that are useful – with free themes, this usually entails a community forum and documentation. That’s fine if the documentation is up to date and reliable enough to be useful.
9.Best WordPress theme is Responsive or not?
Design possibilities and/or high-quality responsive and mobile designs – Responsiveness has long been regarded as a need for high-quality WordPress themes. That remains true today. However, we’ve progressed past responsiveness as a noteworthy feature. Now, a theme should not only be responsive, but also totally mobile optimised.
10.Best WordPress theme is of Ease of Design or not?
A pre-made design or design features that allow you to customize it to match your individual requirements . A good WordPress theme should carefully evaluate the design aspects required by its intended users in order to build a functional WordPress website.
Example:
If the theme is for an online store, for example, it should have a strong interaction with WooCommerce (or another ecommerce platform) and have consistent styling for any features that the plugin or service will bring to the site. Shop pages, product pages, cart pages, account pages, and so on are examples.
10 Best Free WordPress Themes for 2021
We don’t blame you if thinking through all of the above requirements while browsing endless lists of free WordPress themes seems intimidating. That’s why we decided to compile a brief list of topics that we compared to the criteria we’ve just established. Regrettably, not every theme on the list satisfies all of the criteria. However, we’ve attempted to emphasize those occasions so that you can decide for yourself whether it’s worth skipping one thing in favor of another.
1. Twenty Twenty-One
Every year, WordPress.org publishes a new free theme to highlight the platform’s advancements and capabilities to that point. It’s a fantastic tradition that serves as a helpful resource for the entire community while also indicating the platform’s overall direction. This year’s theme, Twenty Twenty-One, is no exception.
This theme is built entirely in Gutenberg, WordPress’ own native page builder / block editor, in addition to checking every tick on the criterion list above. It’s more of a blank canvas approach, with the goal of giving you complete control over as many design components as possible. Because that can be tough to visualise before you’ve done a lot of work with it, Twenty is a good place to start.
2. Neve
Themeisle’s Neve is a multipurpose, feature-rich free WordPress theme. It’s a versatile theme that may be used for a variety of purposes, including ecommerce, blogging, small enterprises, and more. It also works with Elementor, Brizy, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, SiteOrigin, and Divi, and is Gutenberg ready with unique block styles. It should work with any well-coded WordPress plugin as well.
Where Neve appears to be attempting to distinguish itself from the competition appears to be in search engine optimization and website loading speed. It’s mobile-friendly and AMP-ready, so every page looks great and loads swiftly on any device.
3. OceanWP
With over 700,000 active instals, OceanWP is one of the most popular free WordPress themes in the WordPress Repository. And, from the outside, it appears that the popularity is well-deserved. It meets all of the requirements we set out above. It also includes 15 free website demonstrations and eight free addons to help you get started with your website. If you upgrade to their premium plan, you’ll have access to an extra 88 demo sites and 12 extensions.
OceanWP (and many of these themes) provide the notion that you can get started for free and never have to worry about changing your core WordPress toolset because you can just upgrade to the latest version.
4. Zakra
Zakra by ThemeGrill is another versatile theme that places a strong focus on builder compatibility and pre-built starter sites. Apart from the fact that it isn’t Accessibility-Ready, it meets all of the other criteria listed above. As a result, it’s a fantastic free WordPress theme.
It’s worth mentioning that Elementor appears to be the most popular of the builders Zakra supports, including Gutenberg. Particularly in terms of the quantity and quality of available beginning sites. This is fantastic news for Elementor fans, but if you’re not one of them for whatever reason, you might want to double-check that you have all of the necessary resources.
5. Blocksy
Blocksy by creativethemeshq is a Gutenberg first theme that works well with other popular builders too. It’s news starter site above is a great example of how they’re really pushing the boundaries of what can be done with Gutenberg in terms of complex dynamic layouts.
Under the hood the Blocksy team boasts an emphasis on “the latest web technologies.” With a focus on speed, minimal theme “weight,” and modern browser compatibility. The one key criteria that seems to be missing is Accessibility-Ready.
6. Responsive
CyberChimps’ Responsive appears to accomplish everything. They support Schema.org microdata, bbPress, BuddyPress, LearnDash, Sensei, and ALL major builders, in addition to checking all of our criterion boxes. Depending on your option, all of their (15) free beginning sites can be used with Gutenberg or Elementor.
Responsive may be the most multifunctional of all the multipurpose free WordPress themes on this list, thanks to its thorough Gutenberg integration and integrations with other strong plugins.
7. Kadence
Kadence’s Kadence’s Kadence’s Kadence’s Ka WP is last on the list, although it is far from last. It has stormed into the scene as a recent newbie to the WordPress Repository (November 2020), accumulating 90 five star ratings and 30,000+ active installations. This theme appears to cram the greatest power and value into a free package, even on a list consisting of really strong free themes like this one.
Kadence not only meets all of our criteria, but it also includes features that are generally only available as part of a premium upgrade. features such as a header and footer builder, global font and colour options, and deep integrations with a number of sophisticated plugins for ecommerce, ecourses, and more
8. Storefront
Storefront by Automattic is another free WordPress theme whose objective is to serve as a useful resource while also demonstrating the power of WordPress. What’s achievable in this scenario using WordPress and WooCommerce, Automattic’s leading ecommerce plugin for WordPress. Storefront, like Twenty Twenty-One, takes a minimalist approach to design. It works similarly to an empty container for your products, allowing you to add only the design aspects that your site requires rather than eliminating the default styles first. You can use the WordPress customizer, a builder plugin of your choice, or a child theme to construct your website when you’re ready. There are a variety of solutions available, ranging from free to paid.
9. GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a popular free WordPress theme that is rapidly gaining traction. Speed, performance, and builder compatibility are all top priorities for them.
They’ve also gone all-in on the WordPress block editor, but they also support Elementor and Beaver Builder, among other popular builders. Their Site Library demonstrates what each of the three alternatives can do. However, you’ll need to upgrade to GeneratePress Premium to receive access. The screenshot above shows a pre-designed demo created with the WordPress block editor from their Site Library. That’s quite impressive! GeneratePress users can create designs that are just as original and appealing. If they can’t, there are always professionally developed choices available as an upgrade.
10. Astra
For years, Astra has been a force in the WordPress theme world (not just the free WordPress theme world), and the numbers prove it. Astra has over a million active instals, according to the official WordPress Repository! So, what’s the deal with this free theme’s popularity?
It all starts with a solid foundation of features and code quality. It meets (nearly) all of the criteria given above, just like the other themes on this list. Unfortunately, the Accessibility-Ready classification is absent.
Astra is a great alternative for anyone who want to start a WooCommerce store, even if it doesn’t match all of the fundamental criteria.
