Choosing the right WordPress theme is crucial for beginners looking to create a unique and functional website without diving deep into coding. This guide highlights the best customizable WordPress themes that are easy to use, highly adaptable, and support various page builders like Elementor. Here’s a quick overview:
- Astra: User-friendly, with drag-and-drop functionality and extensive customization options.
- GeneratePress: Offers simplicity and flexibility, with a focus on performance.
- Kadence: Known for its ease of use and creative design options.
- Divi: Provides a visual builder with real-time editing and numerous design templates.
- Hello Elementor: A minimalist theme designed to work seamlessly with the Elementor page builder.
- Neve: Offers a simple setup with drag-and-drop features and comprehensive design choices.
- OceanWP: Focuses on device responsiveness and supports various page builders.
- Zakra: A beginner-friendly theme with drag-and-drop page building and a supportive community.
- ColorMag: Ideal for magazine-style sites, offering easy customization and device responsiveness.
- Sydney: Tailored for businesses, offering easy drag-and-drop page building and full compatibility with Elementor.
These themes are chosen for their ease of use, flexibility, community support, and compatibility with popular page builders, making them perfect for beginners looking to craft a unique online presence.
Why Customization Matters
When you’re new to WordPress, being able to change your site easily to fit what you’re imagining is super helpful. Without needing to know how to code, you might think you can’t do much to make your site look good. That’s where themes that let you change a lot of stuff come in handy.
These themes help you:
- Showcase Branding and Personality: Change colors, fonts, and layouts easily to make your site look like it’s truly yours.
- Stand Out with Unique Design: Make your site look different from others, showing off your style.
- Enhance User Experience: Adjust how your content looks and how people navigate your site to make it easy and fun to use.
In short, being able to customize lets you turn a basic theme into a site that really shows off what you or your business are all about.
Ease Matters Too
Having lots of options to change things is great, but if it’s hard to figure out how to make those changes, it can be frustrating.
It’s best to choose themes that are not only flexible but also easy to use. Themes like Avada, Astra, and Newspaper are good because they have simple controls that let you change things without getting lost.
Build Your Skills Over Time
Starting with a theme that lets you customize a lot means you can learn more as you go. At first, you might use simple templates, but as you get better, you can start making your own designs.
For example, Astra has easy-to-use templates, but you can also create your own layouts. And with Divi, you can see changes happen right away as you edit, which helps you learn by doing.
To sum up, if you’re new to making websites, picking a theme that lets you change a lot of things easily is a big help. It means you can make your site look great without needing to learn coding, and you can keep improving it as you learn more.
How to Pick the Right WordPress Theme for Beginners
When you’re looking for a WordPress theme that’s easy for beginners to customize, here’s what to keep in mind:
Easy to Use
The theme should be easy to get the hang of. This means you can change how it looks and works without a headache. Look for themes that let you drag and drop parts of your page and edit things right where you see them, like with Elementor or the WPBakery builder.
Lots of Ways to Make It Yours
Choose themes that give you lots of freedom to play around. This includes being able to move sections around, pick different styles, and change colors or fonts to make the website feel like it’s really yours.
Works on All Devices
Your theme must look good on phones, tablets, and computers. It should automatically adjust so everyone visiting your site has a good experience, no matter the device.
Plays Well with Others
Make sure the theme works well with popular tools and plugins, like page builders or WordPress plugins for extra features. This means you can add cool stuff to your site without running into problems.
Support When You Need It
It’s great when there’s a bunch of people using the same theme who can help you out. Look for themes with a good support community. This means you can find guides, get help when you’re stuck, and learn from others easily.
Picking a theme that’s right for beginners means finding one that’s simple to use but also lets you do a lot with it. Keeping these points in mind will help you find a theme that makes it easy to bring your website idea to life, whether it’s a creative site, tech site, or online store.
Top Customizable WordPress Themes for Beginners
1. Astra
Ease of Use
Astra is super easy for beginners. It uses a drag-and-drop system, so you can move things around on your website just by pointing and clicking. You don’t need to know any coding to change things like:
- How your site looks
- The colors
- The font (the style of your text)
- Where widgets (little blocks that do different things) go
The controls are straightforward. You can see your changes as you make them, which is great for trying out new looks.
Customization Options
Astra lets you change a lot of things to make your site look just how you want. You can adjust:
- The top and bottom parts of your pages
- How your pages are set up
- Where sidebars (extra info areas on the side) are
- The details in your content
- The style of your text
- The colors
If you know a bit about coding, you can do even more, like tweaking the design with your own code. But you don’t need to know coding to make Astra work for you.
Responsiveness
Astra looks good on phones and tablets right away. Your site will automatically change size to fit the screen it’s being viewed on.
Page Builder Compatibility
Astra works well with tools like Elementor, Divi, and others that let you easily add and move content around. It means you won’t have trouble using these tools together with Astra.
Community Support
Astra is used by over a million people, so there’s a big group of users out there to help you. You can find guides, videos, and groups online to get help when you need it.
2. Generate Press
Ease of Use
GeneratePress is super straightforward and user-friendly. It’s got a drag-and-drop feature, so you can easily move things around on your site without needing to know how to code. Plus, it shows you the changes as you make them, which is really handy for beginners.
Customization Options
With GeneratePress, you can tweak a bunch of things like colors, backgrounds, fonts, and how much space things take up. You can also play around with the layout. If you’re a bit more advanced, you can use special tools (hooks and filters) for even more custom changes. And yes, it works great with page builders like Elementor.
Responsiveness
GeneratePress makes sure your site looks good on any device, automatically adjusting to fit phone or tablet screens without extra effort from you.
Page Builder Compatibility
It’s not just about Elementor; GeneratePress also gets along well with other builders like Beaver Builder and Brizy. This means you can pick the tool you like best to work on your site.
Community Support
Since GeneratePress is a popular choice, there’s a lively community forum where you can find help, ask questions, and share tips with others. It’s a great place to learn more and get support when you need it.
3. Kadence
Ease of Use
Kadence is super user-friendly, perfect for people just starting with WordPress. It comes with a drag-and-drop feature, which means you can move things around on your webpage just by dragging them with your mouse. You don’t need to know any coding to start making changes. Here are some things that make Kadence easy to use:
- Simple settings panel – Easily change colors, fonts, and how your site is laid out
- Live customizer – Watch your edits happen in real-time
- Drag-and-drop builder – Rearrange your site without needing to code
- Starter templates – Quick-start your site with ready-made designs
You can quickly get a professional-looking site ready, even if you’re new to this.
Customization Options
Kadence lets you change a lot of things on your site without needing to dive into coding, including:
- Colors – Change the colors of your background, text, buttons, and more
- Typography – Pick different fonts and sizes
- Layouts – Adjust how your site is structured
- Headers & Footers – Customize the top and bottom sections of your site
- Widget Areas – Control where your widgets appear
- Individual Page Settings – Set up different layouts for different pages
If you’re more experienced, Kadence also offers deeper customization options like hooks, filters, and the ability to override templates with code. But for most users, the basic settings are more than enough.
Responsiveness
Kadence makes sure your site looks good on any device, automatically adjusting to fit screens of phones, tablets, and desktops. You can even tweak how your site looks on mobile separately from the desktop version.
Page Builder Compatibility
Kadence works well with major page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Brizy. This means you can use Kadence’s customization options along with these easy-to-use page builders.
Community Support
Kadence has a big community of users and an active support team. There are lots of tutorials, videos, and forums where you can get help and share tips with others.
4. Divi
Ease of Use
Divi is great for beginners who want to make their websites look professional. It has a simple system where you can drag items around to change your pages, and you see what you’re doing right away. Divi also offers:
- A clear way to edit text directly on the page
- The ability to go back if you change your mind
- Easy-to-understand settings
- Guides and how-to videos
This makes it easier for beginners to put together their own unique website designs.
Customization Options
Divi lets you change a lot of things easily, including:
- Layouts – You can pick from lots of ready-made designs or make your own.
- Design – Change the look of your site with different colors, spaces, and borders.
- Typography – Adjust the text style and size.
- Shapes & Effects – Add your own pictures, animations, or special effects.
- Advanced – If you know how, you can tweak the site more deeply with code.
You can really make your website look the way you want with these tools.
Responsiveness
Divi makes sure your website works well on phones and tablets. It changes the size and layout of your content to fit smaller screens.
Page Builder Compatibility
Divi works well on its own with WordPress. You can also use it with other website builders like Elementor.
Community Support
Divi has a big group of users online where you can get help, share tips, and find tutorials. There are over 100,000 people in the Divi community ready to help out.
5. Hello Elementor
Ease of Use
Hello Elementor is all about making it simple for anyone to put together a website that looks good. You can drag items like text, pictures, and videos right where you want them. No need to know how to code at all!
Here’s what makes Hello Elementor user-friendly:
- Easy drag-and-drop editing
- See your changes happen live
- Lots of ready-to-use templates
- Works great on phones and computers
- Helpful guides and how-tos
Customization Options
With Hello Elementor, you can change:
- How your pages are set up
- Colors, fonts, and the space around things
- The look of buttons, boxes, and more
- Add your own style with CSS if you want
This lets you play around with your site’s design without needing to code.
Responsiveness
Websites made with Hello Elementor look great on any device. They automatically adjust so everything fits perfectly, whether it’s on a phone, tablet, or computer.
Page Builder Compatibility
Hello Elementor is its own tool but also works nicely with most WordPress themes and plugins. This includes WooCommerce, which is great if you’re making an online store.
Community Support
Hello Elementor has a big group of users who are always sharing tips and helping each other out. Plus, there’s plenty of guides and tutorials to help you along. And if you get stuck, their support team is there to help.
6. Neve
Ease of Use
Neve is great for beginners who want a good-looking website without much fuss. It comes with a simple drag-and-drop tool that lets you put things where you want on your page. You’ll find features like:
- A preview feature that shows changes as you make them
- Websites ready to go from the start
- Easy-to-follow guides online
which means you can get started quickly without needing to know how to code. The setup is straightforward, and as you get more comfortable, you can explore more options.
Customization Options
Neve lets you play around with:
- How your pages are laid out
- The style of your text, including font type, size, and color
- The colors of your background, buttons, and text
- Widgets – little tools that add more functions to your site
You can adjust these to fit your style. If you’re more tech-savvy, you can use special codes to make even more changes. Plus, it works well with page builders like Elementor for those who want to dive deeper into customizing.
Responsiveness
Neve automatically adjusts so it looks good on phones, tablets, and computers. This means everyone visiting your site gets a good experience, no matter the device.
Page Builder Compatibility
It fits perfectly with Elementor, Brizy, Beaver Builder, and Visual Composer. This compatibility gives you more ways to tweak your site easily.
Community Support
There’s a helpful community online where you can find guides, talk about problems, and get help. This is great for when you’re stuck or just want to learn more.
7. Ocean WP
Ease of Use
Ocean WP is made to be simple for beginners. It has a straightforward setup where you can drag and drop things to build your pages, so you don’t need to know any code. Ocean WP also offers:
- Easy-to-use controls for changing page elements
- The option to undo mistakes
- A design that looks good on phones and tablets
These features make Ocean WP a solid choice for people just starting with WordPress. It’s easy to learn but still has lots of options.
Customization Options
Ocean WP lets you change:
- How your pages are arranged
- The colors, backgrounds, and textures
- The style of your text, like fonts and sizes
- The look of buttons, boxes, and other parts
- Settings for each page
It also works well with popular tools like Elementor, which gives you even more ways to make your site look how you want.
Responsiveness
Ocean WP automatically adjusts so it looks right on any device, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or computer. Everything sizes correctly.
Page Builder Compatibility
Besides working well with Elementor, Ocean WP is also compatible with Beaver Builder, Brizy, and others, giving you more options to tweak your site.
Community Support
Ocean WP is popular and has a lot of users. This means there’s a lot of help out there, including tutorials and forums, for both basic and advanced stuff.
8. Zakra
Ease of Use
Zakra is super simple for beginners. It comes with tools that let you click and drag items to build your site, so you don’t need to know any coding. Here are a few things that make Zakra user-friendly:
- Drag and drop to move content around
- See your changes as you make them with a live customizer
- Start with ready-to-use page designs
- Easy guides and how-tos to help you along
These features help you get your site up and running fast, even if you’re new to this.
Customization Options
Zakra lets you change things like:
- How your pages look and where widgets (little tools) go
- Colors, backgrounds, and text styles
- Details like buttons and galleries
- Settings for each page
- Use advanced CSS if you’re up for it
You can make your site look just right for your brand without needing to code.
Responsiveness
Zakra ensures your site looks great on any device. It automatically changes size to fit screens from desktops to phones.
Page Builder Compatibility
It’s compatible with Elementor, SiteOrigin, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and more. This means you can do even more with your site’s design.
Community Support
Zakra is popular and has lots of users. This means there’s a community forum where you can talk, find guides, and get help. It’s a great resource for when you need a hand or want to learn more.
9. ColorMag
Ease of Use
ColorMag is really straightforward for beginners. It has a simple drag-and-drop feature and a live customizer that lets you see changes as you make them. Here are some things that make it easy:
- You can move things around on your page just by dragging them.
- You see updates right away as you make them.
- It comes with pre-made designs you can start with.
- There are easy guides and videos to help you.
You won’t need to deal with code to get your site going.
Customization Options
ColorMag lets you change a lot of stuff, including:
- How your pages are set up
- The colors, backgrounds, and buttons
- The style of your text
- Different parts of your page, like photo galleries
- Settings for each page
You can make your site look just how you want. If you know how, you can also tweak the CSS for even more control.
Responsiveness
ColorMag ensures your site looks good on any screen, adjusting automatically for phones, tablets, and computers.
Page Builder Compatibility
It’s compatible with page builders like Elementor, making it easier to customize your site even more.
Community Support
ColorMag is popular, so there’s a big community out there. You can find forums, tutorials, and tips from other users.
10. Sydney
Ease of Use
Sydney is made to be simple for people who are new to making websites. It includes a feature where you can drag things around on your page easily, without needing to know how to code. Plus, it offers:
- 18 ready-to-use designs to get started
- A way to watch your changes happen live as you make them
- Works with tools like Elementor
- Easy-to-follow guides and help
This means even if you’re new to WordPress, you can put together a professional-looking site without much trouble.
Customization Options
Sydney lets you make your site your own by:
- Letting you pick from different designs for the top of your pages, menus, and blog posts
- Allowing you to change colors, backgrounds, and the style of your text
- Giving you the option to add your own special coding
- Letting you change the bottom part of your site
This way, you can make the theme match your style without needing to be a design expert.
Responsiveness
Sydney’s design automatically changes to look good on all screens – whether it’s a computer, tablet, or phone. It adjusts so everything fits just right.
Page Builder Compatibility
Sydney works well with well-known page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Visual Composer. This means you can use these tools to add more personal touches to your site.
Community Support
Since Sydney is a popular theme, it has a lot of users who talk to each other, help out with questions, and share how to customize things. There’s also a lot of written guides to help you understand how to use it.
Comparative Analysis
When we look at the best WordPress themes for beginners, we should think about a few important things:
Ease of Use
Beginners need themes that are simple and don’t require you to know how to code. Themes like Astra, GeneratePress, and Neve are great because you can just drag and drop to change your site, and see your changes as you make them.
Customization Options
It’s important for themes to let you make your site look the way you want. This means being able to change fonts, colors, and how your site is laid out. Kadence and Divi are good choices because they let you change a lot without needing to know coding.
Responsiveness
Your site should look good on phones and computers. Themes like Ocean WP and ColorMag do this automatically.
Page Builder Compatibility
Being able to use tools like Elementor means you can customize even more. Themes that work well with these tools, like Newspaper and Sydney, give you more freedom.
Community Support
Having a lot of people who use the same theme can be really helpful. They can offer guides and tips. Astra, GeneratePress, and Kadence have big communities.
Astra is really user-friendly and lets you change a lot about your site. It’s great for beginners because it’s easy to use, and there’s a big community to help you.
Kadence is also easy for beginners, with lots of ways to customize your site and a supportive community.
GeneratePress is easy to use and gives you lots of control over how your site looks. Plus, there’s a lot of help available from its users.
Divi helps you make beautiful pages easily with ready-made designs and simple editing. It’s a good choice for beginners who want to make their site unique without coding.
In short, Astra, Kadence, GeneratePress, and Divi are the best for beginners because they’re easy to use and let you make your site look just how you want. They’re also great for learning as you build your site.
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Pros and Cons
Let’s break down the good and not-so-good points for some of the best WordPress themes for beginners:
| Theme | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Astra | – Super easy drag & drop setup – Lots of ways to make it your own – Big group of users for support |
– Might be a bit much for complete beginners with so many options |
| GeneratePress | – Simple drag & drop setup – Straightforward customizing – Active help forum |
– Not as many tweak options as others |
| Kadence | – Easy-to-use drag & drop – Lots of settings to play with – Friendly user support |
– May be too simple for folks who want more advanced tweaks |
| Divi | – Easy visual editing – Lots of premade designs – Large community |
– Can get slow with all the extras |
| Hello Elementor | – Really simple drag & drop – Works great with Elementor – Adjusts well to any device |
– Not as many custom options compared to some |
| Neve | – Easy drag & drop – Many style choices – Guides for starters |
– Not as much deep customizing |
| OceanWP | – Straightforward drag & drop – Adjusts well to any device – Lots of users to ask for help |
– Fewer customizing options |
| Zakra | – Easy drag & drop – Many style choices – Supportive community |
– Lacks a variety of starter designs |
| ColorMag | – Easy drag & drop – Simple to change things up – Well-liked by users |
– More basic features and options |
| Sydney | – Simple drag & drop – Good on any device – Supportive community |
– Fewer options than some other themes |
In short, Astra, Kadence, GeneratePress, and Divi are great for beginners because they’re straightforward to use and let you change a lot to make your site look unique. They have easy-to-handle builders, lots of ways to customize, and communities to help out.
The downside is that themes with more options can seem a bit overwhelming at first. Simpler themes might not let you do as much. But overall, these themes are a solid starting point for anyone new to making websites.
Conclusion and Recommendations
After looking at different options, here are our picks for the best WordPress themes if you’re just starting out:
Best Overall Theme: Astra
Astra is great because it’s easy to use, lets you change a lot of things to make your site look just how you want, and there’s a lot of people using it who can help you out.
Best for Creative Sites: Kadence
Kadence is perfect for making sites that look cool and creative. It’s really good at letting you play with colors, fonts, and how things are laid out.
Best for Business Sites: GeneratePress
GeneratePress is awesome for business websites. It’s simple to set up and makes it easy to adjust your site to fit your brand.
Best for Building Skills: Divi
Divi helps you learn how to build websites by letting you see your changes as you make them. It has lots of designs and helpful tips to get better at using WordPress.
Best with Elementor: Hello Elementor
Hello Elementor fits really well with the Elementor page builder, making it a good choice if you want to easily tweak your site.
Most Beginner-Friendly: Neve
Neve is super straightforward and focuses on the basics, making it not scary for people who’ve never made a website before.
These themes are not perfect, but they’re a great starting point because they’re easy to use and let you do a lot of customizing on your own. We recommend trying their demos to see which one feels right for you.
Additional Resources
For more help with picking and tweaking WordPress themes, check out these resources from WP Winners:
Tutorials and Guides
WP Winners has a bunch of easy-to-follow tutorials and guides on stuff like:
- Finding the right theme for your site
- Making changes to themes without needing to code
- How to use popular tools like page builders
- Making your theme run faster
- Keeping your site safe
- Getting your site to show up better in search results
These guides are full of step-by-step instructions and useful tips for both new and experienced WordPress users.
Theme Comparisons
You can also find comparisons between well-known themes, looking at:
- How easy they are to use
- How much you can change in the theme
- Features that make your site load faster
- How they help your site rank better in searches
- Security features
These comparisons lay out the good and bad points of themes to help you decide which one is best for you.
Newsletter
Sign up for the WP Winners newsletter to get:
- News on the latest themes
- Updates about WordPress
- Suggestions for useful plugins
- Highlights from tutorials and helpful tips
Newsletter readers get ongoing advice on making the most of themes.
Forum
The WP Winners forum is a place where you can talk with others about themes and how to use WordPress effectively. You can ask questions, share what you’ve learned, and help each other make better websites.
Using these resources from WP Winners can help you build, customize, and improve your WordPress site with the right theme choices and expert advice.
Related Questions
Which WordPress theme is the most customizable?
When you’re looking to really make a website your own, some top themes that let you change a lot include:
- Astra – Offers many settings to tweak and works great with page builders like Elementor for even more custom looks.
- Divi – Easy for beginners with lots of layouts ready to use and a visual editing feature.
- Avada – Packed with design options and uses its own Fusion Builder for creating unique pages.
- OceanWP – Simple to adjust styles and layouts, and pairs well with Elementor.
- Beaver Builder – A drag-and-drop tool that also comes with templates to start from.
- Hello Elementor – Built to work seamlessly with the Elementor page builder, offering lots of flexibility.
These themes are great because they let you change many things without needing to know how to code.
Which WordPress theme is best for beginners?
For beginners, some friendly themes to start with are:
- Kadence – Easy to use with ready-made templates.
- Neve – Drag and drop features make it simple to set up.
- Hello Elementor – Works smoothly with Elementor for straightforward editing.
- Astra – Offers many customization options with helpful guides and support.
- Hestia – Comes with beautiful designs ready to go.
- OceanWP – Easy style adjustments through a simple options panel.
These themes are great for starting out because they’re easy to manage and look good right away.
How do I customize my WordPress theme for beginners?
To customize your WordPress theme as a beginner, follow these steps:
- Click on Appearance > Customize in your WordPress dashboard.
- You’ll see different settings on the left like color, fonts, and layout.
- Change these settings and watch the preview update on the right.
- Hit "Publish" when you’re happy with how it looks.
Start with simple changes like adjusting colors and fonts to make the theme feel like yours.
Which WordPress theme is best minimalist?
For a clean, simple look, these minimalist themes are great:
- GeneratePress
- Hello Elementor
- Neve
- Kadence Theme
- Botiga
- Inspiro Premium
- Border
- Minimal Pro
They have straightforward designs that you can easily make your own. GeneratePress and Neve are particularly good for beginners.