Free WordPress themes have come a long way. Many now rival premium options in design, features, and performance. Whether you’re starting a blog, launching a business site, or building a portfolio, there’s a quality free theme for you.
We’ve curated 24+ of the best free WordPress themes for 2026. Each theme on this list is genuinely free (not crippled demos), regularly maintained, and suitable for real websites.
How We Selected These Themes
Our criteria for the best free WordPress themes:
- Active Development – Updated within the last 6 months
- Positive Reviews – 4+ stars on WordPress.org
- Good Performance – Fast loading without bloat
- Responsive Design – Works on all devices
- Gutenberg Compatible – Works with the block editor
- Actually Free – Usable without forced upgrades
Best Free WordPress Themes by Category
Morning Time Lite (Editor’s Choice)
Balances functionality with beautiful design. An A96% speed grade makes it one of the fastest free themes. Perfect for family blogs, personal journals, and lifestyle content.
Key Features
- A96% speed grade performance
- Multiple post formats
- Clean SEO-friendly code
- Beautiful typography
- Responsive design
- Premium upgrade available
Best For: Personal bloggers, family journals, and lifestyle content creators who want the fastest free WordPress theme available.
Makenzie Lite
Dynamic and visually stunning. Perfect for handmade shops, craft blogs, fashion, and lifestyle content. Easy setup with just a few clicks.
Key Features
- Dynamic magazine layout
- Craft and lifestyle focused design
- Easy few-click setup
- Visual content showcasing
- Responsive design
- Premium upgrade available
Best For: Fashion bloggers, craft shops, and lifestyle content creators who want a visually dynamic magazine-style theme.
Charitas Lite
Built for charities, churches, and nonprofit organizations. Features donation button integration, event displays, and clean design that builds trust.
Key Features
- Donation button ready
- Event display support
- Multilingual ready
- Clean trust-building design
- Responsive layout
- Premium features available
Best For: Nonprofits, churches, and charitable organizations that need a free theme with donation and event features.
Magazine Lite
Flexible and modern. Perfect for magazines, lifestyle blogs, travel sites, and photography portfolios. Fresh design with standout features.
Key Features
- Flexible magazine layout
- Travel and photography portfolio support
- Fresh modern design
- Content-focused typography
- Responsive design
Best For: Online magazines, travel bloggers, and photography portfolios that need a flexible, content-rich layout.
Astra
The most popular free WordPress theme with over 1 million active installations. Astra weighs under 50KB and delivers exceptional performance. Works seamlessly with all major page builders including Elementor, Beaver Builder, and the Gutenberg block editor.
Key Features
- Under 50KB lightweight footprint
- 1 million+ active installations
- Compatible with all major page builders
- Extensive starter site library
- WooCommerce ready
- Schema.org markup built-in
Best For: Beginners and businesses who want maximum flexibility with page builder compatibility and a massive library of starter templates.
Neve
A fast, lightweight theme from ThemeIsle with a mobile-first approach. Neve offers one-click starter sites and works beautifully with Gutenberg, Elementor, and other page builders.
Key Features
- Mobile-first responsive design
- One-click starter site imports
- AMP compatible
- Header and footer builder
- WooCommerce integration
- Fast loading performance
Best For: Users who want a mobile-first theme with quick setup through starter site templates and broad page builder support.
Kadence
A modern, block-first theme built for the Gutenberg editor. Kadence offers a powerful header/footer builder and extensive design controls without needing a page builder plugin.
Key Features
- Block-first Gutenberg design
- Header and footer builder
- Global color palette system
- Typography controls
- WooCommerce support
- Starter template library
Best For: Users committed to the block editor who want deep Gutenberg integration without relying on third-party page builders.
Blocksy
A Gutenberg-first theme with dynamic layouts and advanced customization. Blocksy offers a visual header builder, content blocks, and deep WooCommerce integration in its free version.
Key Features
- Gutenberg-first approach
- Visual header builder
- Dynamic content blocks
- Deep WooCommerce integration
- Performance optimized
- Custom post type support
Best For: Designers and creative professionals who want advanced customization and dynamic layouts through the block editor.
Hestia
A material design theme with modern one-page layouts and smooth scrolling. SEO-friendly and compatible with page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder.
Key Features
- One-page layout with smooth scrolling
- Material design aesthetic
- SEO-friendly code
- Page builder compatible
- WooCommerce ready
- Translation ready
Best For: Small businesses and startups that want a modern one-page layout with smooth scrolling and material design aesthetic.
GeneratePress
Under 30KB and blazing fast. GeneratePress focuses on clean code, accessibility standards, and extensive customizer options. A developer favorite.
Key Features
- Under 30KB lightweight footprint
- Full Gutenberg support
- Extensive customizer options
- Accessibility ready (WCAG 2.0)
- Developer-friendly hooks and filters
- Fast performance
Best For: Developers and performance-focused users who want the lightest possible theme with extensive customization through code.
OceanWP
A feature-rich multipurpose theme with deep WooCommerce integration. OceanWP includes a library of demos and works with all major page builders.
Key Features
- Multipurpose demo library
- Deep WooCommerce integration
- Page builder compatible
- Responsive design controls
- SEO friendly
- Translation ready
Best For: Users building eCommerce sites or multipurpose websites who want extensive features in a free theme.
Storefront
The official WooCommerce theme built by Automattic. Storefront is designed specifically for online stores with deep integration into every WooCommerce feature.
Key Features
- Official WooCommerce theme
- Built by Automattic
- Deep WooCommerce integration
- Clean, conversion-focused design
- Responsive storefront layout
- Child theme ecosystem
Best For: Online store owners who want the most reliable WooCommerce compatibility from the team that builds WooCommerce itself.
Easy Store
An attractive eCommerce theme with elegant design and great user experience. Developer-friendly code with product showcase layouts.
Key Features
- Full WooCommerce compatibility
- Product showcase layouts
- Shopping cart integration
- Developer-friendly code
- Responsive eCommerce design
Best For: Online store owners who want a free, WooCommerce-ready theme to start selling products immediately.
Go (by GoDaddy)
Designed specifically for the block editor with custom colors, editor styles, and WooCommerce compatibility. A Gutenberg-first approach backed by GoDaddy.
Key Features
- Gutenberg-first design approach
- Custom color options
- Editor style support
- WooCommerce compatible
- Responsive and modern
Best For: Users who want a theme built specifically for the Gutenberg block editor with deep integration and custom block styles.
Ashe
A clean, modern blog theme with Instagram feed integration and multiple layout options. Ashe focuses on readability and visual storytelling.
Key Features
- Clean blog-focused design
- Instagram feed integration
- Multiple post layout options
- Featured slider
- Responsive design
Best For: Personal bloggers and lifestyle writers who want a visually appealing theme with social media integration.
Hueman
A highly-rated magazine theme with flexible layouts and sidebar options. Hueman is built for content-rich sites that need strong organization.
Key Features
- Magazine-style layouts
- Flexible sidebar options
- Featured posts slider
- Content organization tools
- Responsive design
Best For: Content-heavy blogs and online magazines that need strong layout organization with sidebar flexibility.
Writee
A clean, minimalist blogging theme focused on readability. Writee puts your words front and center with thoughtful typography and simple navigation.
Key Features
- Minimalist blog design
- Focus on readability
- Clean typography
- Simple navigation
- Responsive layout
Best For: Writers and content creators who want a distraction-free reading experience for their audience.
NewsMag Starter
A news-focused theme with structured content layouts for journalism and news sites. Features category-based sections and breaking news displays.
Key Features
- News-focused layout
- Category-based content sections
- Breaking news display
- Author profiles
- Responsive design
Best For: News sites, online newspapers, and journalism blogs that need structured, category-driven content presentation.
Twenty Twenty-Five
The official default WordPress theme for 2025 and beyond. Twenty Twenty-Five is a pure Full Site Editing theme where every aspect of your site is editable using the block editor.
Key Features
- Official WordPress default theme
- Full Site Editing support
- Block-based template system
- Style variations included
- Accessibility ready
Best For: Users who want the most stable, well-supported theme with deep integration into WordPress core and Full Site Editing.
Make
Features a built-in drag-and-drop page builder without needing additional plugins. Make lets you create custom layouts directly in the WordPress editor.
Key Features
- Built-in drag-and-drop builder
- No page builder plugin needed
- Custom layout creation
- Multiple content sections
- Responsive design
Best For: Users who want drag-and-drop page building without installing additional plugins.
Modern
A portfolio-focused theme with clean lines and visual emphasis on project showcasing. Modern puts creative work front and center.
Key Features
- Portfolio-focused design
- Project showcasing layouts
- Clean minimal aesthetic
- Image gallery support
- Responsive design
Best For: Designers, artists, and creatives who want a clean portfolio theme that emphasizes their visual work.
Pictorico
A photography and travel theme with full-width image displays and grid layouts. Pictorico is designed for visual storytellers who want their images to dominate the page.
Key Features
- Full-width image displays
- Photography grid layout
- Travel blog support
- Image-focused design
- Responsive photo galleries
Best For: Photographers and travel bloggers who want a theme that puts large, beautiful images at the center of every page.
Sydney
A business-focused theme with a customizable front page, parallax scrolling, and professional design. One of the most popular free business themes on WordPress.org.
Key Features
- Customizable front page
- Parallax scrolling sections
- Full-color controls
- Google Fonts integration
- Responsive business design
Best For: Freelancers and small businesses that want a professional-looking website with a customizable front page and parallax effects.
Breviter
A sleek portfolio theme with bold typography and minimal design. Breviter is built for creatives who want their work to make a strong visual statement.
Key Features
- Bold portfolio design
- Strong typography
- Minimal aesthetic
- Creative portfolio layouts
- Responsive design
Best For: Creative professionals and freelancers who want a bold, typography-driven portfolio to showcase their work.
Argent
A portfolio theme by Automattic with a focus on showcasing creative projects. Features Jetpack portfolio integration and a clean gallery layout.
Key Features
- Jetpack portfolio integration
- Clean gallery layouts
- Project showcasing
- Minimal design
- Responsive layout
Best For: Creatives using Jetpack who want seamless portfolio integration in a clean, gallery-focused theme.
Elara
A clean, elegant theme with a focus on simplicity. Elara works well for personal sites, small businesses, and professional portfolios.
Key Features
- Clean elegant design
- Versatile for multiple purposes
- Simple navigation
- Professional typography
- Responsive layout
Best For: Users who want a simple, elegant theme that works across personal sites, portfolios, and small business websites.
Free vs Premium WordPress Themes
When should you pay for a theme? Consider premium when:
- You need dedicated support – Free themes have community support only
- You want unique design – Free themes are widely used
- You need advanced features – Premium unlocks more options
- Your site generates revenue – Invest in your platform
Start free, upgrade when your needs justify the cost. WPlook offers upgrade paths from all our free themes.
How to Choose the Right Free Theme
1. Match Your Purpose
Choose themes designed for your type of site. A nonprofit theme works better for charities than a generic business theme.
2. Check Update History
On WordPress.org, check “Last Updated” date. Avoid themes not updated in over a year—they may have security issues.
3. Read Reviews
Look for themes with 4+ stars and recent reviews. Pay attention to complaints about specific issues.
4. Test on Staging
Install themes on a test site first. Check all features work before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are free WordPress themes safe to use?Themes from WordPress.org and reputable developers like WPlook are safe—they’re reviewed before listing. Never download “premium” themes for free from random sites; they often contain malware.
- What’s the best free WordPress theme overall?It depends on your purpose. For blogs, Morning Time Lite. For nonprofits, Charitas Lite. For general business, Astra or Kadence.
- Can I customize free themes?Yes. All WordPress themes can be customized through the Customizer, and most support custom CSS. Premium versions typically offer more customization options.
- Do free themes have SEO problems?Quality free themes from reputable sources are SEO-friendly. Avoid themes with bloated code or slow performance. All WPlook free themes are built with clean, SEO-optimized code.
Conclusion
Free WordPress themes let you build professional websites without budget constraints. Morning Time Lite for blogs, Charitas Lite for nonprofits, and Kadence for business sites are excellent starting points.
Ready to launch? Check our guides on how to make a website and the best WordPress hosting to get started.
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I have been using you theme named Makenzie, for long time and its awesome and super fast!
Thanks, @Gbwadl! Makenzie is one of our favorite themes. It’s an awesome theme!
Great! This free wordpress theme is awesome and using this any website builder can easily make and design.