The Best WordPress Theme for Bloggers

Confession #1: I'm Picky

On this site I don't sell you a lot of stuff. Sure you can buy an eBook, or fill out forms for my coaching or public speaking, but the thing most people spend time doing on this site is reading my blog. So I'm perfectly happy writing about the best WordPress theme for bloggers.

I've used a lot of themes on this site over the last ten years and I'm happy to tell you that the themes that are available today are fantastic.

But I'm picky (and you already know what I'm running on this site). I should start there. And that's not where the confessions end…

Confession #2: I'm not a Designer

I'm also not a designer. Not by a long shot. I love the work that designers do. So much that I know when to step aside. They're fantastic. But I don't employ a designer for this blog (a fact you likely don't need articulated if you're a designer).

Why is this important? Because when we're talking about the perfect WordPress theme for bloggers, we can make the assumption that they're not designers either.

I'm not saying there are no designers who blog (because we know some who do). I'm simply saying that most bloggers aren't designers.

So we need a WordPress theme for bloggers that makes them look good without their direct help.

One last confession before we get into the list of top themes for folks who blog a lot.

Confession #3: Speed Matters Most

When you want to create a great experience for those who read your blog, you don't want them waiting for it to load. So slow themes suck. Also, Google hates them too. So good luck getting discovered with a slow blog.

What that means is you need a theme that loads quickly (while still looking good). And that leads us to our list of the best WordPress themes for bloggers.

The Best WordPress Theme for Bloggers

So here are my criteria for making it to this list.

1. They must load quickly.
2. They must support Page Builders and Gutenberg.
3. They must make blogs look fantastic.
4. They must have starter themes or a way to get started quickly.
5. They must have a free version to get started with.

It's not a big list. But it really does shrink the list pretty quickly. I know the third item should be first, but if the first two aren't there, it doesn't really matter.

So here are my top picks if you run a blog and are looking for a new theme.

Note: These aren't in a specific order. You'll love any and all of these.

Blocksy

I use Blocksy on this site and I love it. The truth is I had a hard time choosing between some of these great themes. But in the end, the interface and how easily it helped me make my site look good (to me), pushed me over the edge. They have the least number of starter templates. But they come with four different layouts for your blog, which is fantastic! When I was comparing the themes, this was lightning fast and beat out Astra (but I think since then, Astra has moved back into first).

Kadence WP

While Kadence doesn't have as many starter templates as Astra, it has several beautifully designed ones that really stand out. They don't have the look of the bundled set of starter themes you see all over the web. These have been crafted to really be perfect to get started with right away. If you're a recipe blogger, you would love this.

Astra

Astra has the largest set of pre-made templates, works with all the page builders and Gutenberg, and is really fast. Like I said above, they noted that I dropped them to second place several months ago and went to work. Or maybe they were already doing the work. Either way, they rolled out further optimizations that make it really fast. In other words, it makes picking from this list really tough.

GeneratePress

Then there's GeneratePress. I've told you before that I really love GenerateBlocks and use them on this site. I almost used the theme just to keep it all in the same family. They have a huge library of starter themes when you sign up for their Premium version. The price is worth it when you check out the number of blog starter themes they have.

So which one is the best?

I know. I told you I would tell you which one was the best. I think the answer will always be, “it depends.”

If you want a set of blocks that go with your theme, then the tight integration that you find with Kadence WP or GeneratePress is likely going to put them in the top spots.

If you care about speed and performance more than anything else, you might end up looking at Astra or Blocksy (with the other two close on their heels).

If you want beauty, I would look at Kadence or GeneratePress.

If you want choice, in terms of the number of options, then you're likely looking at Astra or GeneratePress.

See? It's not so easy to pick the best WordPress theme for bloggers, but hopefully this helps.