What are the best WordPress themes for 2021?

The Genesis framework is primarily designed for Web integrators with a mastery of child theme customization, PHP, CSS, etc. It allows web designers to create very lightweight (i.e. very rapid) custom WordPress sites, while meeting WordPress’ standards. Although their full-option package includes a lot of child themes, it’s not a theme in the graphics sense of the term IMO. It does not include a page builder. Rather, it’s a good base for doing custom work. This WordPress framework is ideal for you if you require high performance and are adept at CSS, PHP, and the WordPress Codex.

→ Download Genesis

A complete theme: both simple and complex.

Thanks to its page builder (Divi Builder), it’s accessible to beginner webmasters who haven’t necessarily mastered web design (CSS, etc.). Modern sites and pages can be created by clicking and dragging. Theme option configuration or page building with the Divi Builder are accomplished using a simple and powerful interface.

Thanks to a WordPress code that’s been perfectly coded by the Divi team (ElegantThemes), this theme (and child theme) is also easily customizable for web integrators with experience in PHP, WordPress Codex, etc… Right up my alley. For even the smallest, most specific need, I can always find a bit of PHP code with a quick Google search that just needs to be copy-pasted into my functions.php file, and I’m good to go!
Thanks to Divi, it’s been ages since I’ve had to agonize for hours over WordPress themes that don’t meet WordPress standards (which are yet so simple and logical).

⭐️ As you can see, Divi is the best of the best IMO! I’ve been using it for over 5 years on all my sites, from the simplest to the most complex… and even for my sales funnels !

Still not convinced?
Check out the more than 180 page layout designs included in Divi for free: don’t tell me these graphics templates aren’t incredible! 😀

🏷 Exclusive discount available through 19 September 2021 using my affiliate link:

→ Download Divi

A theme that’s comparable to Extra, and a great option for a blog or magazine project. It is the all-time best seller in the ThemeForest Blog and Magazine themes category.

This theme, created in 2013, is regularly updated.

The “tagDiv composer” (Newspaper’s page builder) is sometimes labelled “too complex” and the community often reports slowness issues with this theme, even with high-performing Web hosting.

However, it is a good theme with a lot of functionalities and detailed documentation worth taking the time to read.

Numerous “demo” web designs use this theme.

→ Download Newspaper (tagDiv)

Avada is one of the most popular themes on the Envato marketplace, racking up nearly 500,000 sales on ThemeForest.

Avada is intended to be very too flexible, even without knowing any code (lots of settings).

It uses a very large number of prefabricated “design” demos and dozens (hundreds?) of graphical personalization options. All you have to do to change your site’s appearance is click on the interface.

Alas, this makes the theme very sluggish, at all levels.

Avada is often criticized because it takes 10 minutes of searching just to figure out where to change such-and-such color, font size, etc.

On the flip side, you may find yourself attracted by its very affordable price tag.

→ Download Avada

GeneratePress is a free WordPress theme that’s quickly climbing the ranks!

GeneratePress is a responsive, rapid, and lightweight WordPress theme (less than 1 Mo when compressed). It meets the needs of those who need a rapid, well-SEO-optimized site with good ergonomics.

GeneratePress can serve as a solid foundation for any WordPress site, but alas, it does not offer a page builder. You can, however, install the favorite page builder of your choice or use WordPress’ default page builder, Gutenberg.

Its free version, available at WordPress.org, has been installed over 300,000 times! But to get more done with this theme, you’ll need to opt for the paid version.

→ Download GeneratePress

Up until 2016, this was my second-favorite theme, mainly for its simplicity and light weight.

Today I use nothing but Divi!

Enfold truly deserves its position in 6th place among the most popular WordPress themes.

It does have a few overly simplistic demos, but no biggie. Created in 2013, the theme is still actively maintained and supported by its team. The support forum is responsive and already loaded with useful information.

Enfold is particularly useful if you’re looking to create clean, lightweight sites, as it allows sites to load very rapidly.

Enfold is much easier to get the hang of than it’s older brother, Avada, for example. It also costs less than Divi, so that may be tempting as well if you’re just starting out with WordPress…

→ Download Enfold

Developed by Brainstorm, a highly-skilled team of Indian developers, Astra is the new upstart that no one saw coming!

Though its first version was only launched 3 years ago, this previously-unknown WP theme has blown all past records out of the water, catapulting to unheard of success.

Just like GeneratePress, it uses a “freemium” model (a theme with both free and paid versions). As a result, it’s reached over 1 million active installations! 😮

Lacking inspiration? This theme gives you the option of importing prefabricated templates (from an extensive gallery). You can install your favorite page builder, such as Beaver Builder, Brizy, Divi or Elementor. But above all, this is very lightweight theme, especially if you’re sticking with WordPress’ basic builder, Gutenberg.

→ Download Astra

This is a well-ranked theme on ThemeForest, specializing in e-commerce.

While almost all of the aforementioned themes are compatible with and optimized for WooCommerce, if you’re looking to launch an online store, you may want to look into Flatsome.

You can install multiple styles (demo content) with a single click. The front-end page builder is relatively simple to use, though I do tend to prefer Divi Builder. Many of the functionalities are synchronized with WooCommerce (live search engine, add to cart, favorites, etc.).

This theme is starting to show its age, as it was created in 2013 and updates tend to be less supported than the other themes mentioned above.

Also keep in mind that if you choose this theme, you’ll be locked into this Page Builder, as it’s not interchangeable. So although it’s an excellent WooCommerce theme, you’ll want to be quite sure of your choice before building your entire site with Flatsome.

→ Download Flatsome

This theme was created in 2012 and is still around!

It’s a very clean, modern, ergonomic, fast-loading, customizable, flexible, and functional theme for news, magazine and blog sites.

It is updated several times a year, and has many (perhaps too many) settings accessible via the WordPress dashboard.

This theme also has its own dedicated WordPress widgets, as well as its own Page Builder (watch out again for the lock-in effect though, be sure of your choice). The page builder is not particularly advanced, though the theme is compatible with WooCommerce. Also, only a few “graphics styles” are offered.

Nevertheless, the team of developers seems to be quite responsive and efficient, which is noteworthy.

This theme’s strength seems to be the ease with which you can create blogs and magazines in languages with non-Latin alphabets (Arabic, etc.).

→ Download Sahifa

Probably one of the themes with the most graphics demos (over 500) This is particularly useful for those who want to create websites with lots of different topics but have no web design skills (or no inspiration 🙂 ). It’s also very easy to customize!

The theme was created in 2014 but is frequently updated, with good, responsive support.

BeTheme is completely compatible with Elementor‘s page builder.

This theme would easily be ranked higher in this list if sorted by quality rather than popularity.

If you like Elementor, then give BeTheme a try, they deserve it!

→ Download BeTheme

Also an excellent theme, very visual, and ideal for online WooCommerce stores.

Lots of very nice demos included.

Without a doubt one of the best WordPress themes around.

That being said, the page builder and installation of “demo styles” is fairly complex. You’ll have to read the documentation and get yourself used to the Salient universe. But when you see what a finalized Salient site look like, I’m sure you’ll find it worth the effort… 🙂

This theme has gone down a bit in popularity this year compared to its competitors, but it’s still very well supported and kept up-to-date by its developers.

If you immerse yourself in the Salient universe, you’ll be able to produce some gorgeous sites, very graphic, and will probably end up adopting this theme for good.

→ Download Salient

Created in 2014, Bridge is a Retina Ready theme that’s suitable for all types of WordPress sites, and built on the powerful (and flexible) QODE framework.

Like Avada, it’s sometimes criticized for being too complex as far as theme options, particularly upon initial installation. You will need to read the documentation thoroughly.

This theme is compatible with the WPBakery (Visual Composer) and Elementor page builders.

The Bridge theme is regularly updated by its team.

Check out the demos available for importing to see if one of them fits with your WordPress project.

→ Download Bridge

This theme used to use “Visual Composer”  as a page builder, which unfortunately is quite difficult to master as far as page builders go.

However, like many others, The7 has adapted and is now also completely compatible with both Elementor and Gutenberg.

It includes a few too many “technical” options, but makes up for this flaw with the presence of a Design Assistant that will help you start customizing your site with relative ease..

This theme was launched in 2013 and has been fairly well-maintained to date. However, some users complain that the theme can be slow in loading pages.

→ Download The7

You’ve probably heard of OceanWP before. It’s the theme that just keeps getting more and more popular!

This theme is fairly recent (2017) and its popularity comes from its use of a freemium model. A free version is available at WordPress.org, but of course, for professional use, you’ll need to switch to the premium version.

The theme is easy to install (design assistant) and easy to customize using the WordPress dashboard. It loads rapidly and is well-optimized for SEO. It’s often updated, well-documented, and has good technical support for premium customers.

As with Divi, premium clients can purchase a lifetime license (one-time payment for life) which is a big plus for those looking to avoid recurring payments.

→ Download OceanWP

This WordPress theme offers absolutely dazzling modern effects.

Originally, its “Visual Composer” page builder was quite complicated to get the hang of, especially compared to competitors like Divi Builder. The theme was primarily oriented towards experienced web integrators rather than beginners.

But today, the theme has been updated to become 100% compatible with the Elementor page builder. Plus, the theme is regularly updated on ThemeForest.

One inconvenience however: you are restricted to 1 design style per domain, so make sure you choose your demo content carefully from the outset.

→ Download Jupiter

Like many of the themes on this list, X was created in 2013 but continues to be regularly updated.

X is another great, modern WordPress theme.

X’s success comes from its many premium plugins (included for “free” in its package): ACF Pro, Content Dock, ConvertPlus, Custom 404, Disqus Comments, Email Forms, Envira Gallery, Essential Grid, Estimation & Payment Forms, Facebook Comments, Google Analytics, LayerSlider, Modern Events Calendar, Olark Integration, Slider Revolution, Smooth Scroll, Exclusive!, Snippet and Soliloquy 😮

Not to mention a visual page builder in front end, which is not a bad deal at all.

Some may say this makes it far too bulky (this is no minimalist theme), but others find the wide variety of premium plugins attractive.

→ Download X Theme

Newsmag allows you to create a professional newspaper or online magazine style blog, or a blog on just about any topic – fashion, yoga, fitness, etc.

It was created in 2014 and is periodically updated by the team.

Its advantage: it is fully integrated with YouTube, making it perfect for creating a video blog!

It’s also easy to integrate ads such as Google AdSense via the WordPress dashboard.

It has good SEO optimization, loads rapidly, and has a reputation for being easy to get the hang of. However, there have been some recent complaints on ThemeForest about bugs and longer response times than usual from support.

→ Download Newsmag

Well well, what do you know, WordPress’ default theme makes an appearance in the ranks.

As its name indicates, this theme was born in 2017 (Twenty Seventeen) 🙂 but of course it is actively updated by the WordPress.org developer community to remain compatible with newer versions of WordPress.

If you’re a talented web designer (CSS, PHP, WordPress Codex, etc.), Twenty Seventeen is a great starter theme.

You’ll need to be good at custom development from scratch, so if you’re looking to flex your PHP, WordPress codex and CSS muscles, this is probably currently the best choice to start with.

→ Download Twenty Seventeen

This is a freemium theme that specializes in blogs & magazines. For a long time, it was the highest-ranked on WordPress.org with over 50,000 installations of its free version… however, this number is currently decreasing.

Don’t hesitate to give the free version a try before making a purchase, to get an idea of whether it’s the right fit for you.

→ Download Hueman

Oh, another default WordPress theme.

Same comments as those for Twenty Seventeen above.

→ Download Twenty Twelve

Impreza’s popularity is based mainly on its integrated Header Builder, which allows you to create a unique graphic header without any programming knowledge to speak of.

But this functionality is now available in the Divi theme as well, since a Theme Builder was added.

On the flip side, Impreza is sometimes criticized for its lack of options, its limitations, and for being somewhat behind its competitors as far as the web designs it generates and its dashboard ergonomics.

The theme is, however, periodically updated.

→ Download Impreza

Fairly easy to get the hang of. This one lets you create sales sites with ease thanks to a dedicated Landing Page builder.

OptimizePress is designed for marketers and for creating landing pages, sales pages, and subscription-based member portals: members-only spaces, private spaces, privileged (paying) members, sales funnels, launch pages, and so on. The theme includes dozens of prefabricated models (images, graphics, buttons, etc.).

In short, it’s WordPress’ alternative to solutions such as ClickFunnels, EasyHoster Tunnel or Systeme.io.

It is, however, decreasing in popularity due to the surge of competitors, such as Divi, that offer attractive sales page creation.

→ Download OptimizePress

This is a great, advanced WordPress theme for creating online magazines, newspapers, and news blogs.

This theme has been gradually climbing the ranks in this list. It offers over 60 graphics styles (there’s something for everyone).

It is also quite fast with particularly good SEO optimization.

→ Download Publisher

Second-to-last, this one just barely squeezed its way into the ranking.

The Voice theme was first introduced on the market in 2014, but updates are few and far between.

This blog-magazine theme is not as widespread as its competitors, but has garnered fans due to its unique structure.

It’s particularly suited to news sites and may interest you if you haven’t found what you’re looking for higher up the ladder.

→ Download Voice

Are you a minimalist? 🙂

Here’s just the challenge for you if you’re looking to create a more pared-down blog with a sober design, and spend more time focusing on your articles and content.

If you’re a fan of purity and simplicity, take a look at this one.

Focus is one of ThriveThemes’ best-sellers. And the ThriveThemes license gives you access to numerous plug-ins and resources. You can visit their site to find out more.

→ Download FocusBlog