It’s almost a year since my last round up of free WordPress themes, and there are certainly some great new themes out there, most now with a full screen look.
As ever, I’ve not tested all the themes, though all the themes look like they are from genuine trusted sources. Where themes have a pro version, I’ve had a look to see that the free versions are still worthwhile but it’s worth comparing free and pro versions to see what the difference is. Often the free version will have more limited colour, typography and page layout options, no slider or limited slides, less widgets or widget areas, and a new trend seems to be to offer WooCommerce compatibiltiy for the pro but not free version.
I have linked themes to their WordPress depository page if they are in it, but for themes that are not in the WordPress depository you may want to check them with the Plugin or check the theme files at . So let’s get started:
Nirvana is one of the most impressive free themes around at the moment.
‘a framework of over 200 settings in a user-friendly interface, a very effective responsive design, easy to use typography equipped with Google fonts, all post formats, 8 page templates (magazine and blog layouts included), 12 widget areas and a presentation page complete with an editable slider and columns’.
Good contemporary theme from WooThemes.
‘Storefront is an intuitive & flexible, free WordPress theme offering deep integration with WooCommerce’.
Well reviewed theme offering a more feminine or vintage look.
‘Sugar and Spice is chic, feminine theme created with wedding blogs and wedding industry in mind. Features include option to upload your own logo & favicon, customizable colors and background, 3 different layout options. And guess what – it’s responsive too! Perfect for wedding related businesses – event planners, florists, photographers, cupcake shops or bakeries. Showcase your brand with style!’
Sensible from Modern Themes is a free theme with a contemporary look and an impressive range of features and options that are often excluded from free themes such as color options and Google Fonts. Go pro for just $15 to get a slider and extra features.
‘Sensible is a responsive, multi-purpose theme which can be used for any type of website. It is a flexible theme which can be used to help build an online presence with attractive features. We made this theme with everyone in mind. Business? No problem. Agency? Knock yourself out. Just trying to get a blog up? This theme is perfect for it. This theme is completely customizable through the WordPress Theme Customizer’.
BLDR is another free feature packed contemporary theme from Modern themes with a Pro version packing in more for just $18.
Bootstrap based Guardian packs in a lot for a free theme and is Woo commerce compatible.
‘Guardian is an incredibly superfine multi-purpose responsive theme …. It has 4 page layouts, 2 page templates, five widgets available (one sidebar, four footers), and using the sidebar widget also enables you to make a two-column design. In addition, footer widget display is automatically adjusted depending on how many are used.In header area and footer of the theme offers Social Media Links to add your Social Links here. Guardian focusing on business template, awesome Caroufredsel slider, Powerful but simple Theme Options for full CMS control option to match your logo & website, wide layout, light & dark color skin, translation ready and many more.’
Spacious from Themegrill is a modern feature packed theme, with a pro version for those that need even more. It is one of the most reviewed free themes in the WordPress depository and consistently well reviewed.
‘Spacious is an incredibly spacious multipurpose responsive theme coded & designed with a lot of care and love’.
A theme tailored towards cafes and restaurants. Good free version but also a Pro version with extra features.
‘Auberge is responsive, retina-ready, modern restaurant and café WordPress theme. Supports Beaver Builder page builder plugin, Jetpack plugin to create a food menu, Schema.org markup…..’
(for bookings, the following well reviewed and free plugin is recommended by the theme, )
An attractive versatile and contemporary theme from Athemes with very good documentation. The free version is packed with features, impressive for a free theme, with even more options and features in the pro version.
‘Sydney is a powerful business theme that provides a fast way for companies or freelancers to create an awesome online presence. Sydney brings plenty of customization possibilities like access to all Google Fonts, full color control, layout control, logo upload, full screen slider, header image, sticky navigation and much more. Also, Sydney provides all the construction blocks you need to rapidly create an engaging front page’.
An attractive theme with WooCommerce particularly in mind.
‘The Dustland Express WordPress theme is a fully styled WooCommerce theme that offers a lot for free… from the selection between 2 different headers, 2 different blog layouts to changing the theme to any color of your choice. Integrated with some powerful plugins such as SiteOrigin’s Page Builder which allows you to build any page layout required, Contact Form 7 which allows you to easily add contact forms to your website and more. Not building an online store? The Dustland Express theme is also great for building a simple business website and creating an online presence for yourself.’
available for just $15.
A green and pleasant theme from Fruit Themes.
‘Gardenia is a premium quality WordPress theme for GREEN as base color hence this can be used in Garden Niche, Go Green type programs and companies having Green color in their Brand. Gardenia is a mobile responsive and SEO friendly theme’.
The free version looks good but a pro version is also available. This includes colour options where green is not the only colour for those that aren’t able to or would prefer not to code in changes.
This blog uses the wordpress.com version of Hemingway, and my main and walking website use the .org version. It’s a clean, simple, well reviewed and modern theme.
‘Hemingway is a clean, beautiful and responsive two-column theme for bloggers. Features responsive design, retina-ready assets, full-width header image with parallax scrolling effect, custom accent color, custom logo upload, custom widgets (video, Flickr and Dribbble), page templates and translation-ready code’.
Well reviewed and well documented theme, although it’s called light, no pro version is available as yet, and the free version has a good range of features and options.
‘A light weight clean and simple WordPress theme for everyday use. Bunch of useful features like, responsive design, united color schemes, slider with lots of options, fast to learn administration panel layout, plus, clean and easy visual design and it’s all free’.
A modern looking theme with an excellent looking free version and a souped up premium version, both of which are WooCommerce compatible.
‘Pinnacle is a bold theme with versatile options and multiple styles. This theme is loaded with features and tools that allow full creativity to be released into a unique site. Built with a modern flat design, its fully responsive layout make for easy navigation on mobile/tablet displays. Pinnacle is perfect for any kind of business, online store, portfolio, or personal site. It is fully compatible with woocommerce and gives you a unique layout for an ecommerce site. Pinnacle was built and designed by Kadence Themes’.
Transcend from CPO themes comes with a full range of options and features. There is no pro version and you have many premium type features built in including WooCommerce compatibility.
‘Transcend is a refined premium WordPress theme specially focused on online businesses wanting to strengthen their online presence. If lets you quickly create a homepage full of dynamic elements, so you can get started right away.
It comes with support for a complete portfolio, together with categories and tags so you may organize your content with total freedom. As with our other portfolio themes, you can use it to showcase all types of media: slideshows, galleries, plain images or even videos!’
Business is a free theme from Graph Paper Press, specialists in WordPress themes for creatives.
‘Business is a free WordPress business theme created specifically for freelancers, studios, agencies and small mom and pop stores’.
A free flexible theme with plenty of options from Siteturner, offering ‘free WordPress themes’ at ‘premium quality’.
‘A flexible, fantastic looking theme for WordPress that’s going to bring your website the cutting edge design and professional look it deserves. Versatile and just as well-matched to a creative presence as a corporate one, theJump Right In theme for WordPress is built strong on a responsive, mobile-first foundation of HTML5 and pure CSS3. Slim and fast and ready to go out of the box. Take advantage of a variety of advanced theme options accessible through WordPress’s theme customizer. Preview unlimited color changes, upload backgrounds and layout your homepage instantly and on the fly.
Another free clean versatile theme with plenty of options from Siteturner, offering ‘free WordPress themes’ at ‘premium quality’.
‘The Now We’re Talkin’theme for WordPress is built strong on a responsive, mobile-first foundation of HTML5 and pure CSS3. Slim and fast and ready to go out of the box. Take advanctage of a variety of advanced theme options accessible through WordPress’s theme customizer. Preview changes to color, backgrounds and layout instantly and on the fly. Upload your logo, customize your homepage and more’.
Enlightenment is an impressive free theme from One Designs offering premium type options and settings.
‘Our flagship multipurpose theme powered by Enlightenment Framework. With a clean, modern and responsive design backed by a powerful and flexible code base. Showcase any type of content anywhere. Create unlimited layouts. Customize all templates to your preference’.
Another clean premium type free them with a very good range of options and features, but with a focus on simplicity too.
‘AccessPress Basic is an lightweight, faster, clean and easy to use theme. You can use it for your business, portfolio, bloggin or for any type of website you want to create. It has two site layouts, 5 blog display layout, 5 Page/Post layout, 13 widget areas. It has has a got 1 page template for your home page. Comprises of easy to use slider’.
Quark is based on the Underscores (_s) and TwentyTwelve themes, and is a starting block to customise your own theme. very well reviewed.
‘Quark is your basic building block for creating beautiful, responsive custom themes. It’s not a convoluted or confusing framework that’s hard to learn or even harder to modify. It’s a simple and elegant starter theme built on HTML5 & CSS3. Its base is a responsive, 12 column grid. It incorporates custom theme options that are easy to modify, a set of common templates, support for WordPress Post Formats and the gorgeous, retina friendly Font Awesome icon font. Quark is WooCommerce compatible, Multilingual Ready (WPML) and translated into Spanish, German and French’.
A simple, clean, well-reviewed theme.
‘Baskerville is a beautiful, responsive and retina-ready masonry theme for hoarders. It’s the perfect way to showcase your posts, videos, images and galleries, and share your favorite quotes and links’.
A clean full screen theme from InkHive with WooCommerce integration. Good features but premium version also available for under $25.
‘Professional is fantastic WordPress multipurpose theme with a lot of features and a wonderful design. A creative template with beautiful animations and a user friendly layout. You are bound to fall in love with this theme’.
Another lean clean theme from InkThemes with WooCommerce integration. Good features but premium version also available for under $25.
‘Bose is a powerful multipurpose WordPress theme. A theme packed with features to help you create a masterful website. With Woo-commerce Integration, it is suitable for those who are planning to begin their online venture. A clean and simple design aids in reducing the load off the servers as well. This theme is a must if you wish to create a powerful and elegant website with some awesome features’.
A slightly more boxed in look for the WooCommerce compatible theme
‘Take full control of your site with Tyros. A user-friendly, modern, mobile responsive theme for a professional business or an online e-commerce store, fully compatible with WooCommerce, comes with a slider, a touch-friendly carousel for your WooCommerce products and articles, masonry tile grid blogroll, preloaded with appealing colors, background patterns, fontawesome icons and bootstrap, along with 7 widget placeholders. Very easy to customize with theme options screen. Includes multiple calls to action to direct your site visitors attention to products or pages. Everything you need to create a complete website’.