Looking for the best free WordPress blog themes? To make it a lot easier for you to search the thousands of free themes at WordPress.org, we’ve curated twelve of our absolute favorite free blog themes for WordPress, with screenshots of both the desktop and mobile demo sites.
In this piece, we’ll review twelve of the best free WordPress blog themes, highlighting their key features, and offering some advice on why you may want to use each one for your next blogging site.
Let’s get to it!
Best free WordPress blog themes
1. Neve
First off, our own Neve is a lightweight starter theme for building almost any website. It’s lightning-fast, and you can easily customize it to your specific requirements. In addition, it works with practically all of the most popular page builders (e.g., Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, etc), which means your coding ability (or lack thereof) won’t be a barrier to creating the perfect blog.
Key features ⚙️
- It’s lightweight and looks great on mobile.
- The theme’s structure and code are optimized for search engines.
- You can see real-time changes when editing.
Plus, its 100+ free blog templates (entire pre-built sites) make it easy to get up and running in a snap. In just one click you can have a pre-built blog set up with dummy content that you then only need to tweak to make it yours. It’s an enormous time saver.
The bottom line is that if you want to build your WordPress blog to your exact specifications, Neve is the best free blog theme for you. However, if you’re looking for additional features – such as custom layouts, premium starter sites, and priority support, then you’ll want to consider…
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ Neve Pro plans range from $69.00 to $259 per year.
💡 Neve FSE: If you love the native WordPress Block Editor and want to build your blog using Full Site Editing (FSE), then check out the block theme version of Neve – Neve FSE. It’s one of the best free WordPress themes for blogs available.
2. OceanWP
Another great theme to consider for your next blogging site is OceanWP. Not only is it clean and easy to use, but it also includes a developer-friendly codebase ripe for customization.
Key features ⚙️
- A jam-packed extension library means you can enhance the theme’s functionality without code.
- Lets you edit settings for tablets and mobile devices.
- Works with most popular page builders (such as Elementor and Beaver Builder.)
Given its ease of use out of the box, and the scope for customization, OceanWP could be the ideal WordPress theme for blogging.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ OceanWP Starter extensions bundle starts at $26 per year and Ocean Ecommerce plans start at $29 per year.
3. Astra
Next up, Astra is great for building an easy and customizable website. It offers a beautiful simplicity for showcasing content, as well as for selling products online.
Key features ⚙️
- It’s extendable through premium add-ons.
- The theme is AMP-compatible, meaning it’s mobile-friendly out of the box.
- For online stores, Astra is also WooCommerce-ready.
Compared to other free WordPress blog themes, Astra’s large library of free blog templates (pre-built sites) makes finding the ideal look and feel for your blog site a cinch. Overall, Astra is a great theme for blogs wishing to also delve into ecommerce. While the theme is free, there is a…
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ Premium version, ranging from $49.00 to $149 per year.
4. Rishi
A multipurpose theme at the core, Rishi can make for a great WordPress blogging theme thanks to its pre-built templates that you can easily tweak and turn into a fully functional blog.
Key features ⚙️
- Optimized to load fast.
- Pre-built starter sites for blogging.
- Compatible with the WordPress block editor, Elementor, WooCommerce, and more.
- Drag-and-drop header and footer builder.
Rishi comes with four free blog and magazine templates, offering basic blogging features for simple/minimalist blogs. If you are not happy with the free package, you can always buy the premium version of the theme.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ The premium version of Rishi starts at $49 per year for one blog. It includes premium starter sites and advanced blogging extensions.
5. Cenote
Cenote is a gorgeous blog theme that comes with three template variations for blogs. Apart from the clean design and customization options, the Cenote theme loads fast and is optimized for the search engines.
Key features ⚙️
- Compatible with WooCommerce so you can sell products or services via your blog.
- Works with the most popular page builders – Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and SiteOrigin.
- Provides one-click import for demos.
Cenote comes with a library of nine ready-made demos for blogging (three of them are free). The demos cover many purposes such as fashion, technology, health, charity, or interior. If you are looking for design flexibility and variation, you might want to try this theme. The fact that you can customize it with your favorite page builder is also a plus.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ If you are interested in any of the premium demos, you can upgrade to the premium theme that costs $48 and includes one year of support and updates.
6. Poseidon
As a Greek-God-inspired blog theme, this option is near-perfect for showcasing your content – especially if you also use crisp and captivating visuals. It offers a full screen image carousel, offset by plenty of negative space. This makes Poseidon great for mixed-content blogs, as the inherent design lets your posts and pictures shine.
Key features ⚙️
- It provides a full screen carousel.
- Design is crisp and simple.
- Easy on the eyes due to the use of negative space.
Of course, Poseidon is a free WordPress blog theme. However, you can also get a…
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ Premium version starts at €49.00 for one blog. The higher level plans depend on the number of blogs needed and the level of support.
7. Hemingway
This theme features a two-column design that’s well-suited for blog sites. It is clean, with a simple layout that draws attention to your content over everything else.
Key features ⚙️
- Clean two-column design.
- Full-width header image with a parallax scrolling effect.
- Plenty of customization for all but the most complex requirements.
This theme is perfect for many types of blogging sites, simply because it’s clean enough for simple blogs, but also extensible for more complex sites.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
❌ Unlike many of the WordPress themes for blogs on this list, Hemingway does not have a premium version. This makes it a good choice for bloggers on a budget.
8. Olsen Light
If you’re looking to create a lifestyle blog (for niches such as fashion or travel,) Olsen Light is a great choice. As well as its plethora of customization options, it also integrates with a number of bundled custom widgets to help give you almost everything you need to create your site.
Key features ⚙️
- Highly customizable and easy to use.
- Compatible with most popular page builders.
- Default design that offers a “high-end sheen” to blogs.
Olsen Light is a great way to create a website that’s well-designed and sophisticated. We’ve already mentioned lifestyle blogs, but it’s also a great choice for professional blogs, such as those featuring product or restaurant reviews.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ For regular updates and premium support, you’ll want the premium version, which costs $34.30 per year. Given the functionality under the hood, this is a very reasonable price for a blog theme of this caliber.
9. Lovecraft
This is another excellent WordPress theme for blogs. In fact, if you understand the literary reference, you’ll appreciate that it’s been created specifically for writers who blog. It has a default two-column design, however, it also features a full-width header image that rests beautifully above your content.
Key features ⚙️
- Two-column theme designed specifically for bloggers.
- Full-width header on the home page.
- Custom accents, logos, and styles to help enhance your site’s visuals.
This theme will have your blog up and running in no time. Its minimalist aesthetic is appealing for incorporating long posts and beautiful images.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
❌ Given its simplicity, you’d expect a premium version to be available. However, Lovecraft is one of those simple WordPress blog themes that’s intentionally simple by design. It’s not because the developers are keeping the good stuff locked away behind a paywall.
10. Writee
When it comes to personal blogs – and a bunch of great content about food, travel, fashion, or other lifestyle topics – Writee is worth your consideration.
Key features ⚙️
- Design that looks great on smaller screens.
- Full-width slider to showcase your content.
- Several custom widgets to help enhance your sidebar.
The charm of this theme is that its design belies its ease of use. In other words, Writee looks great, and lets you get cracking on creating content – ideal for new site owners.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ If the free version of this blog theme isn’t enough for you, there are a couple of premium plans to choose from that unlock additional features. For one site, a license will cost $39.99, while a five-site license will cost $97.99.
11. Tracks
This blog theme features a dark and minimalist design, and has a unique default look when compared to other free WordPress blog themes. Its stark layout is designed for photography, blogging, and magazine sites.
Key features ⚙️
- A minimalist design great for text-focused blogs.
- Image-based content also pops, which will suit creatives.
- The theme is compatible with WooCommerce.
Overall, Tracks works well for image-heavy blogs that prefer a darker color palette. Black-and-white and color imagery will definitely stand out here. As for pricing…
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ Tracks is a free blog theme, although there are a number of premium upgrades available to enhance your customization options – many go for $49 each, although the price may vary.
12. Hueman
Last but not least, Hueman is a theme with a slick and customizable design. What’s more, it’s mobile-friendly, which will suit readers on the move.
Key features ⚙️
- One of the most highly-rated free WordPress blog themes available.
- Three-column design helps you showcase a variety of content.
- The overall design is customizable and therefore versatile.
For blogging websites with a lot of content to display, Hueman may be a good choice. Its layout is going to be ideal for blogs using a “related posts” strategy to keep readers on site.
Upgrade available? ✅ ❌
✅ As with many of the other blog themes on our list, there’s also a premium version of Hueman available. For either $49 for one year or a one-time payment of $99, you’ll get enhanced support and unlimited site activations.
Conclusion 🧐
When it comes to building your website, there are many different free WordPress blog themes to choose from. Some of the best are simple, mobile-friendly, and customizable. Regardless, with the right theme, you’ll have your blog up and running in no time.
For example, with Neve you have a lightweight and fully-customizable option. On the other hand, themes like Cenote and Writee are perfect for simple blogs wishing to showcase content without fuss. Of course, which one you choose will depend on your personal tastes and what features you’re looking to get out of it. For example, some people prefer having access to free WordPress blog templates, while others don’t mind creating their layouts from scratch. Ultimately, you will have to decide the best blog theme for you.
Once you pick your theme, 🎨 you can follow our guide on how to safely change your WordPress theme, as well as some steps to take before and after changing your theme. After installing your new theme, your next step will be to learn how to customize it using the Customizer, or if you choose Neve FSE, then you’ll need to familiarize yourself with Full Site Editing (FSE).
Do you have any questions about any of these free WordPress blog themes? Ask away in the comments section below!
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