Top 15 Fastest WordPress Themes in 2024 (Based on Testing and Data)

What are some of the important factors you should know before choosing one of the fastest WordPress themes for your website?

While there are lots of WordPress themes that are fast, many offer almost no customization. This can be overwhelming for beginners because users then have to rely on plugins or manually code the features they need.

As more features are added, the theme can get slower which defeats the purpose!

This can be a frustrating experience for anyone who wants to customize their site to match their specific needs.

Fortunately, there are some great fast WordPress themes that offer a ton of customization options.

This article will help you choose the fastest WordPress theme to launch a fast-loading, SEO-optimized and highly-customizable website.

The right WordPress theme will ensure your website is fast, secure and reliable at all times. And, at the same time provide an optimal user experience.

Quick Summary of the Fastest Loading WordPress Themes [FREE + Paid]

Speed is everything online and all themes in this post deliver impressive turns of speed. Here’s how we rate them.

1. Astra – Total page size: 48kb – loads in 400 milliseconds
2. Sydney – Total page size: 72kb – loads in 441 milliseconds
3. OceanWP – Total page size: 280kb – loads in 568 milliseconds
4. Page Builder Framework – Total page size: 95kb – loads in 463 milliseconds
5. Neve – Total page size: 28kb – loads in 407 milliseconds
6. GeneratePress – Total page size: 50kb – loads in 525 milliseconds
7. Schema – Total page size: 201kb – loads in 423 milliseconds
8. Hestia – Total page size: 286kb – loads in 413 milliseconds
9. Airi – Total page size: 318kb – loads in 618 milliseconds
10. Hello – Total page size: 300kb – loads in 393 milliseconds

Theme name	Pricing	Our rating	Default page size / Loading speed
Astra	Free / From $47 €45 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	48kb / 400 milliseconds
Sydney	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	72kb / 441 milliseconds
OceanWP	Free / From $49 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	280kb / 556 milliseconds
Page Builder Framework	Free / From $58 per year	⭐⭐⭐	95kb / 463 milliseconds
Neve	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	28kb / 407 milliseconds
GeneratePress	Free / From $59 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	50kb / 525 milliseconds
Schema	Free / From $49 per year	⭐⭐⭐	201kb / 423 milliseconds
Hestia	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	286 kb / 413 milliseconds
Airi	Free / From $59 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	318kb / 618 milliseconds
Hello Elementor	Free	⭐⭐⭐	300kb / 393 milliseconds
Simple	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	2.33MB / 959 milliseconds
Hirebee	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	1.91MB / 3.5 seconds
Mesmerize	Free / From $69 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	415kb / 785 milliseconds
X	$59 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	1.55MB / 2 seconds
Blocksy	Free / From $49 per year	⭐⭐⭐⭐	118kb / 764 milliseconds

What to Look For in the Fastest WordPress Theme

There are a few things every WordPress theme should have, including:

Speed

Let’s face it, nobody likes a slow loading website. It affects the user experience, increases bounce rates and reduces conversions.

Both Google and Facebook have emphasized the importance of fast-loading web pages. Both now favor websites and stories (web pages) that load faster.

Page speed is also an important search engine ranking factor for SEO according to Google.

As you can see, there are many reasons to ensure that your website loads fast.

Flexible Customization Features

As you build your website and add more functionality, your theme should give you the option to customize and personalize based on your needs.

Your requirements will change over time as you scale your business. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the WordPress theme you use is feature-rich and you’re also easily able to add more content and updates over time.

Most WordPress themes usually include the option to download or create a child theme.

The benefit of installing and using a child theme is that it retains all modifications even if you update the theme. It’s very useful if you are constantly updating your website and adding new features!

Page Builder Compatibility

Not so long ago, website building was a laborious, time-consuming and expensive task that required tons of coding.

You had to be proficient in PHP, HTML and CSS to build a functional website, and perhaps even required the help of an experienced developer.

That has all changed thanks to the rise of WordPress page builders.

Web developers and designers can now create and launch websites incredibly quickly, and as a result are now creating more customers and generating more income.

There are many page builders on the market and we all have our favorite. It helps a lot if your WordPress theme is compatible with the page builders you’re most comfortable with as it will make the design process much easier.

Plugin Compatibility

In addition to the theme, your website requires a slew of WordPress plugins such as Yoast SEO for SEO, WP Rocket for caching, LearnDash for course-creation, and so on.

Any WordPress theme you choose must be compatible with the WordPress plugin you will use.

Support

Any WordPress theme you install should have the necessary information to help you install and use that software, including adequate documentation, install guides, tutorials, FAQs and support forums.

If you purchase a premium version of any WordPress plugin, you can expect personalized 1-1 on email support and in some cases live chat support as well.

How We Tested Fastest WordPress Themes?

To ensure the most accurate results, we’ve kept the test consistent. We installed each theme on individual fresh WordPress installations.

All the default plugins and themes were removed before we began the tests to ensure there was no plugin or theme slowing down page load speeds.

Here’s the speed test setup that you can replicate:

• All themes are completely bare bones
• Remove all templates or template plugins apart from the one you’re testing
• Keeping the out of the box setup intact, there are no modifications to sidebars, headers, or CSS
• Testing was done on a US-based shared hosting server to emulate the setup of the majority of WordPress websites.

Your choice of hosting can make a significant difference in your website load speed. So along with a lightweight WordPress theme, also choose the fastest hosting that you can go for.

Fastest WordPress Themes to Consider in 2024

Let’s get started with a detailed comparison of the fastest WordPress themes.

1. Astra

Astra has a default page size of 48kb and loads in 400 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Astra created and maintained by the team at Brainstorm Force — Astra is now used on over 1,000,000 websites and has over 5,000 5-star ratings.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with all page builders (Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, Brizy, SiteOrigin, Divi). Additional add-ons or integrations are available for Elementor and Beaver Builder.
• Plugin compatibility — It works with most WordPress plugins with additional Integrations for LifterLMS, LearnDash,Toolbox and others.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Both Astra (free version) and Astra Pro (premium version) are compatible with WooCommerce. Astra comes pre-built with breadcrumb functionality which helps you provide simpler user navigation for your eCommerce website.
• Lightweight and fast — The default setup of Astra is only 50kb in size. This ensures that your website is lightweight giving you more freedom to add elements to your site. It also gives you a super-quick website that loads within less than a second.

Additional WooCommerce customization options are included in Astra Pro — grid settings, off-canvas sidebar, gallery options, infinite scroll, a dropdown cart, sales bubble styles, distraction-free checkout, and so much more.

• Responsiveness — The theme works well on mobile devices and tablets.
• SEO optimized — Astra comes with built-in schema markups making it an SEO friendly theme. Also, it integrates with popular SEO plugins (Yoast SEO, Breadcrumb NavXT, RankMath).
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

Astra is fully customizable and there are many options including color, layouts, typography, blogs, archives, headers, footers, widgets and menus.

The premium version includes additional customization options — 800+ Google fonts, enhanced color customization options, multiple blog layouts, multiple header designs, flexible footer layouts, white-labeling option.

• Child theme — You can download a child theme for free.
• Multilingual support — Astra is both translation and (right-to-left language) RTL ready. It also allows you to translate your theme into another language simply by adding a PO (portable object) and MO (machine object) language file.

Speed and performance:

The default Astra setup scores an A grade from GTmetrix with just 400ms of load time.

Astra provides a clean and performance-optimized code that ensures blazingly-fast loading times.

Weighing in at less than 50KB, compared to 300kb for most WordPress themes, means load times are as low as 0.5 seconds.

Here’s a Google Page Speed test with that scores 100%.

Astra uses Vanilla JavaScript and removes render-blocking which also helps with fast-loading.

Your website needs to load as fast as it can, and we fully understand how even a few milliseconds matter to conversion rates.

With the recent updates to Astra, the theme is even faster than ever before. Our development team has worked hard to ensure that even the subtlest of tweaks are implemented for improved performance.

Astra pricing:

Support:

• Dedicated knowledge base in-depth articles, and video tutorials that explain each and every feature.
• 24/7 dedicated email support.
• A dedicated Facebook group with over 26,000+ active members.

2. Sydney

Sydney has a default page size of 72kb and loads in 441 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by aThemes — Sydney is now used on over 100,000 websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with most page builders (Elementor, SiteOrigin, Visual Composer, Beaver Builder). Sydney also has a special integration with Elementor.
• Plugin compatibility — Follows WordPress coding best practices, making sure that it works well with most WordPress plugins.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Only the premium version (Sydney Pro) is compatible with WooCommerce.
• Responsiveness — Works well on all devices. It also offers cross-browser support (Chrome, Firefox, IE9+, Opera).
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live preview makes editing easier.

Sydney gives you the option to customize multiple elements of your website (colors, typography, blogs, background images, sliders, headers, footers). The theme comes pre-packaged with 600+ Google fonts and 12 custom widgets.

The premium version (Sydney Pro) includes additional header options. It also includes custom Elementor blocks (timeline, carousel, pricing tables,and others).

• Child theme — You can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — 100% translation ready and it includes the necessary files to make the translation easier. It also integrates with Polylang.

Speed and performance:

We installed Sydney bare bones on a shared server with a fresh WordPress install and here are the results.

It is a close competitor to Astra in terms of speed, however the total page size is about 40% larger than Astra at 72kb. This can add to the load time when you customize your theme further.

Our overall impression is that Sydney is fast and responsive, and it’s ideally suited for small businesses and freelancers for quickly creating a one-page professional website.

The performance and speed will vary when you add plugins and add more content to your webpages, and also the use of caching and minification plugins.

Sydney pricing:

• Free — Sydney is a free theme with paid options.
• Sydney Pro Single — $69/year (Unlimited sites); 1 year of updates and support.
• Additional support after 1st year requires auto-renewal.
• 30-day moneyback guarantee.

Sydney support:

• Knowledgebase, dedicated support forums for Sydney (free) and Sydney Pro.
• Support is provided via the public support forums. All questions are to be posted on the forums and a dedicated aThemes support technician will respond there with the resolution.
• Priority email support available for Pro members.

3. OceanWP

OceanWP has a default page size of 280kb and loads in 568 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by the team at OceanWP LLC — the OceanWP theme is now used on over 700,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with most page builders (Elementor, Brizy, Visual Composer, Divi, Thrive Architect, BeaverBuilder, King Composer, SiteOrigin).
• Plugin compatibility — Works with most WordPress plugins. There is also a direct integration with MailChimp.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Comes pre-built with enhancements to help build a seamless eCommerce experience. The out-of-the-box WooCommerce features (Native Cart Popup, Product Quick View, Off-Canvas Filter) removes the need to install additional WooCommerce extensions or addons.
• Responsiveness — The theme works well on mobile devices and tablets.
• SEO optimized — Also compatible with popular WordPress plugin SEOPress.
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live preview makes editing easier.

OceanWP is fully customizable and there are many options to personalize color, layouts, typography, blog, headers, footers, widgets and menus.

The premium version allows you to further customize and personalize your website using the Core Extension Bundles.

• Child theme — You can download a child theme for OceanWP.
• Multilingual support — OceanWP supports (right-to-left language) RTL. Also compatible with popular language plugins (Weglot, WPML).

Speed and performance:

With just 518ms in the default setup, this theme offers a great foundation to start building your website.

Our overall impression is that OceanWP is a fast-loading theme that has great support for third-party plugins (Elementor, WooCommerce, WPML, WEGLOT, and others).

There is also an option to enable and disable dozens of JavaScript and CSS elements. Disabling the unwanted elements helps reduce the overall size of your webpage and helps to speed up your page load times.

OceanWP pricing:

OceanWP is a free theme with paid options (yearly and lifetime).

Annual pricing:

• Personal — $54/year (3 sites).
• Business — $89/year (6 sites).
• Agency — $159/year (50 sites).

All yearly plans receive 12 months of updates and support.

Lifetime pricing:

• Personal — $222 one-time (3 sites).
• Business — $356 one-time (6 sites).
• Agency — $636 one-time (50 sites).

All lifetime plans receive unlimited updates and support.

• All purchases (both yearly and lifetime plans) include 8 free extensions, 13 premium extensions, 13 free demo sites, and 60 Pro demo sites.
• All purchases (yearly and lifetime) also receive a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Ocean WP support:

• Extensive Document, FAQs.
• Priority email support is included in the premium subscription plans.

4. Page Builder Framework

Page Builder Framework has a default page size of 95kb and loads in 463 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by David Vongries — Page Builder Framework is now used on over 20,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with most page builders (Gutenberg, Brizy, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, Divi, Thrive Architect, SiteOrigin).
• Plugin compatibility — Works with most WordPress plugins. They have dedicated integration with a few plugins (MailOptin, Rank Math, WP Compress). The premium version is also integrated with TypeKit.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Allows you to change your WooCommerce layout and comes pre-packaged with various customization options (product page, shop page, WooCommerce cart menu).
• Responsiveness — 100% mobile responsive, and works well on every device.
• SEO optimized — Follows the latest web standards (HTML5 and schema.org markup). It is also compatible with popular SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO, RankMath and SEOPress.
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

Page Builder Framework is fully customizable and there are many options for colors, layouts, typography, blogs, headers, footers, widgets, menus and custom sidebars.

The theme comes with its icon font. Shortcodes can be created and used for social media icons and YouTube videos.

Additional customization options are available in the premium version — custom font integration, Typekit integration and additional WooCommerce features.

• Child theme — You can create and download a custom child theme.
• Multilingual support — The plugin is translation ready and is fully compatible with WPML.

Speed and performance:

Page Builder Framework has been built with no-bloat. The theme is one of the fastest themes for WordPress and has an incredibly small footprint of less than 100kb.

It doesn’t use Bootstrap and instead comes with a minimalistic CSS framework, and this helps reduce the page load time.

The page fully loaded in just 463ms with the default setup.

However, the additional time to load is likely due to the larger total page size and a lot of scripts that need to be loaded on page load.

Page Builder Framework pricing:

• Free — (single site); No premium support.
• Premium Annual License — $58/year (unlimited sites); 1 year of updates and support.
• Premium Lifetime License —$248/one-time (unlimited sites); Lifetime updates and support.
• 14-day moneyback guarantee.

Page Builder Framework support:

• Knowledgebase and a dedicated Facebook group (Page Builder Framework Community).
• Premium email support offered by a web-based ticketing system.

5. Neve

Neve has a default page size of 28kb and loads in 407 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by ThemeIsle — Neve is now used on over 300,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with most page builders (Gutenberg, Brizy, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, Divi, SiteOrigin).
• Plugin compatibility — Works with most WordPress plugins. Also, compatible with popular caching and minification plugins.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Neve supports breadcrumbs for WooCommerce, helping with easier and simpler user navigation.
• Responsiveness — Compatible with AMP for WordPress, that helps your web pages load faster and creates an optimized mobile experience.
• SEO optimized — Supports popular SEO plugins (Yoast SEO, Rank Math, Breadcrumb NavXT, SEOPress).
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

Neve is highly-customizable and there are many options for colors, backgrounds, typography, blog, fonts, sidebar, headers, footers and buttons.

Neve also comes with 50+ ready-to-import starter templates.

Additional customization options are available in the premium version — Custom layouts, Elementor add-ons, Typekit integration, LifterLMS integration, LearnDash integration, white-labeling feature.

• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The plugin is translation ready and you can use any right-to-text language (RTL).

Speed and performance:

After completing a fresh install of Neve, we tested the performance of the theme using GTMetrix. Again, no caching or minification plugin was installed.

Neve is a fast theme with the total WordPress install as less as 28kb. An added advantage of Neve is the fact that it uses vanilla JS instead of a framework like JQuery.

This adds to the performance boost and enables a much more snappy website.

Neve pricing:

Neve is a free theme with paid options (yearly and life-time).

Annual pricing:

• Personal — $69/year (unlimited sites).
• Business — $149/year (unlimited sites).
• Agency — $259/year (unlimited sites).

All yearly plans receive 12 months of updates and support.

• All premium plan purchases include Elementor add-ons, custom layouts.
• All purchases also receive a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Neve support:

• Knowledgebase, 300+ product documentation, 200+ video tutorials.
• Priority support provided via email; 1 business-day reply.
• The Agency Plan will also receive additional live chat support.

6. GeneratePress

GeneratePress has a default page size of 50kb and loads in 525 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by the team at Tom Usborne — GeneratePress is now used on over 400,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with Elementor and Beaver Builder.
• Plugin compatibility — Built using the WordPress coding standards, and will work with most WordPress plugins.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Only the premium version has additional customization options for WooCommerce.
• Responsiveness — Works well across all devices. Also, compatible with Autoptimize for caching and minification.
• SEO optimized — Validated HTML, built-in schema.org structured data.
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

GeneratePress is highly-customizable and there are many options for colors, typography, fonts, sidebar, headers, footers and featured images.

Additional customization options are available in the premium version — WooCommerce customization, advanced menu options, additional color options, additional blog options.

• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The theme is translated in over 20 languages and supports (right-to-left) RTL languages.

Speed and performance:

GeneratePress offers a barebones setup of the default page with minimal visuals. The fully loaded default page is just shy of 50kb in size.

But it is slower than other themes mentioned earlier even with similar page size due to the CSS that loads behind the scenes.

GeneratePress has clean code, and the default WordPress install is less than 50kb. It only loads the scripts that are required for displaying the page correctly.

When the Autoptimize plugin is installed, it reduces the amount of CSS and JS files being loaded on each page and that’ll also make a huge difference to your page speed.

GeneratePress pricing:

• Free — GeneratePress is a free theme with a premium version.
• Premium – $59/year (500 sites) and 1 year of updates and support.
• Lifetime – $249 one-time payment (500 sites)
• Premium users will also receive a 40% renewal discount i.e. annual support after the first year will be $29.97.
• 30-day moneyback guarantee.

GeneratePress support:

• Knowledgebase, documentation.
• Dedicated priority support forums.
• Email support is also available.

7. Schema

Schema has a default page size of 201kb and loads in 423 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Schema is sold and supported by the marketplace MyThemeShop.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works well with Elementor.
• Plugin compatibility — Compatible with most 3rd party plugins.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Only the premium version has additional customization options for WooCommerce.
• Responsiveness — 100% responsive, so it works well on all devices and browsers.
• SEO optimized — Comes pre-built with Rich Snippets (schema markup) support.
• Customizations — The MyThemeShop customizer is installed when the theme is activated. It allows you to customize various elements of your website including colors, typography, background images, headers, footers, social buttons, and more. Schema also has an option that lets you insert ads easily.

The theme comes pre-packaged with 600+ Google fonts. It also includes multiple pagination options, a built-in AJAX search option.

• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The theme is translation ready and supports (right-to-left) RTL languages.

Speed and performance:

Schema is a well optimized theme that is super fast. With the default setup, this theme ensures that the most important elements are loaded quickly so users can begin interacting with the website.

Schema includes lazy loading and is built using Async Javascript, both of which help page speed.

There’s also an option to enable or disable cache prefetching. On a fresh install, the page size is 201kb which is 4x larger than the average page size of the themes above. But due to added optimizations, the theme continues to load almost as fast as other themes.

Schema pricing:

• Free — Schema is a free theme with paid options.
• Premium – unlimited sites — $49/year.
• Premium plan includes 1 year of updates and support.
• 30-day money-back guarantee.

Schema support:

• Extensive documentation.
• Support forum.
• 24x7x365 premium technical support via email.

8. Hestia

Hestia has a default page size of 286kb and loads in 413 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by ThemeIsle — Hestia is used on over 100,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with most page builders (Gutenberg, Brizy, Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, Divi, SiteOrigin).
• Plugin compatibility — Works with most WordPress plugins. Also, compatible with popular caching and minification plugins.

However, to enable the full functionality of the Hestia Pro theme (premium version), you need to install JetPack, WooCommerce, and WPForms Lite.

• WooCommerce compatibility — The premium version provides enhanced WooCommerce customization options (cart icon, infinite scrolling, distraction-free checkout).
• Responsiveness — Works well on multiple device types.
• SEO optimized — Built-in SEO optimization for better indexing and higher search rankings.
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

Hestia provides full control over the design and structure of menus. It comes with a responsive Mega Menu, making it easier to edit and customize your submenu content.

Additional customization options are available in the premium version — Video backgrounds, additional sections (pricing plans, portfolio, ribbons, testimonials), enhanced Elementor and Divi page builder compatibility, additional WooCommerce customizations, white-labeling feature.

• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The plugin is translation ready and you can use any right-to-text language (RTL). Also, compatible with popular language plugins (Weglot, WPML, Polylang).

Speed and performance:

Hestia is a well-designed theme for those who love the look of it. While it may not work for everyone, many people enjoy the default layouts.

With a fresh installation of this theme, you can see a fully loaded time of 413ms. However, the total page size here is 286kb with no additional customization.

This can add up quickly as you customize your theme further with plugins or widgets. So keep that in mind if you want to use Hestia.

Our overall impression is that Hestia is ideally suited to build simple websites for small businesses and freelancers with many customization options.

Hestia pricing:

Hestia is a free theme with paid options (yearly and life-time).

Annual pricing:

• Personal — $69/year (single site).
• Business — $99/year (3 sites).
• Agency — $299/year (unlimited sites).

All yearly plans receive 12 months of updates and support.

• All premium plan purchases include Elementor add-ons, custom layouts.
• All purchases also receive a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Hestia support:

• Knowledgebase, 300+ product documentation, 200+ video tutorials.
• Priority support provided via email; 1 business-day reply.
• The Agency Plan will also receive additional live chat support.

9. Airi

Airi has a default page size of 318kb and loads in 618 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by aThemes — Airi is now used on over 20,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — All layouts are built using Elementor.
• Plugin compatibility — Compatible with most plugins. However, the Elementor plugin must be installed after activation. Also, it integrates with MailChimp for WP and Contact Form 7.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Relies on the customization features in Elementor and Elementor Pro.
• Responsiveness — 100% responsive, so works well on all devices and browsers.
• SEO optimized — Yes.
• Customizations — WordPress customizer with real-time live-preview makes editing easier.

Airi is highly-customizable and there are many options. The theme provides multiple demo layouts that can be installed in a single click.

Additional customization options are available in the premium version (Aria Pro) — additional WooCommerce options, blog layouts, menu options, footer settings, extra blocks.

• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The theme is translation ready.

Speed and performance:

We cleaned up the WordPress installation and installed the Airi free theme on it.

The speed test has been great with just 600ms of fully loaded time. The increased load time is due to the size of the default page standing at 318kb.

Based on the speed tests we did, Airi is fast-loading (less than 2 seconds), and it offers the necessary customization options to set up a business or freelance website.

Airi pricing:

• Free — Airi is a free theme with paid options.
• Airi Pro Single — $59/year (single site); 1 year of updates and support.
• Airi Pro Yearly Access — $99/year (single site); 1 year of updates and support. Also, the purchase provides you with access to all the themes available at aThemes.
• Additional support after 1st year requires auto-renewal.
• 30-day moneyback guarantee.

Airi support:

• Knowledgebase, dedicated support forums for Airi(free) and Airi Pro.
• Support is provided via the public support forums. All questions are to be posted on the forums and a dedicated aThemes support technician will respond there with the resolution.
• Priority email support available for Pro users.

10. Hello Elementor

Hello Elementor has a default page size of 300kb and loads in 393 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Created and maintained by the team at Elementor — Hello is used on over 900,000+ websites.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Ideally suited for Elementor page builder (since it’s built by the same team). The theme will always be compatible with the latest Elementor versions. It’s also compatible with Gutenberg.
• Plugin compatibility — Supports all popular WordPress plugins.
• WooCommerce compatibility — Can be used to build eCommerce websites when used in combination with the Elementor page builder.
• Responsiveness — Works well with any device.
• SEO optimized — Elementor page builder integrates with Yoast SEO.
• Customizations — Any design changes or customizations are controlled via the Elementor page builder plugin. The theme by itself offers no design options, no settings page, and no sidebars.
• Child theme — Yes, you can download a child theme.
• Multilingual support — Works seamlessly with other translation plugins; easy to create multilingual and (Right-to-left language) RTL sites.

Speed and performance:

Hello Elementor is a plain-vanilla theme for Elementor page builder. While this theme loads fast and has a 300kb page size by default, we have placed it last in the list for a reason.

This theme does not offer any page customization by itself. You’ll need to install Elementor and create your pages and templates from scratch.

While this may be great in terms of the customization possibilities, page builders can add to the load time if the pages are not done well.

As such, if you go with Hello Elementor for its speed, you will end up with slower and slower performance as you add more features and pages to your website.

That’s not to say that Hello Elementor is something to be skipped.

If you have a fast hosting server like SiteGround’s WordPress managed hosts, or A2 hosting in terms of shared hosts, then the impact of using Elementor may not be as pronounced as with other slower hosting companies.

Hello Elementor pricing:

Hello Elementor is a free theme.

Hello Elementor support:

• Knowledgebase articles.
• No additional email or web support.

11. Simple

Simple has a default page size of 2.33MB and loads in 959 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Simple is a free WordPress theme from Themify. Despite its name, this theme has a lot to offer, including a full screen video intro and full page images, yet still manages to load impressively fast.

Key features:

• Attractive fullscreen design for eCommerce – Modern layout and compelling images.
• Fully functioning store with attractive layout – Works well on any device and encourages you to browse.
• Video hero image works well – Include video while still loading fast to show and tell
• Works with Shopify – Designed for the Shopify Buy Button plugin rather than WooCommerce, which adds options.
• Free version – Simple has a free version so you can try before you buy.
• Loads fast despite large page size – Simple has a relatively large page size yet still manages to score well in GTMetrix.

Simple is a large page compared to many of these other WordPress themes, yet still manages to load in under a second.

Being able to include video and multiple images and still load fast is one of the many reasons we like this theme.

• Child theme — You can create a child theme with Simple.
• Multilingual support — The theme is multilingual ready.

Speed and performance

Simple has a default page size of 2.33MB, which is relatively sizable compared to the competition. Yet, it still managed an A grade.

Use it alongside a caching plugin on a fast host and there’s no reason why you cannot boost that even further.

You get to use rich media to engage shoppers and help conversion with an optimized theme that doesn’t disappoint.

Simple pricing

• Simple has a free version.
• Developer version costs $69 per year.

Simple support

• Simple has decent documentation for all users.
• There’s an FAQs section and forum.
• Premium users get email support.

12. Hirebee

Hirebee has a default page size of 1.91Mb and loads in 3.5 seconds according to GTMetrix.

That may sound a little slow, but as this is a fully functioning job site template, that’s pretty good. It’s also enough to score an A on GTMetrix and to impress our tester.

Key features:

• Fully operational job site theme – Hirebee includes many essential features including job listings, escrow, monetization options and more.
• Built using Foundation – Foundation is a web design framework that delivers excellent performance on any device.
• Modern design – Hirebee has a clean design with great use of colors, fonts and layout. It’s a pleasure to use.
• Includes user dashboard and workspaces – Provide a professional platform for freelancers with user dashboards and client/freelancer workspaces
• Levels up the blog-style layout – One layout option is a single column with sidebar, which is instantly familiar to just about everyone.
• Includes payment options built-in – Use Stripe to accept payments with ease using built-in tools and optional payment gateway plugin.

Hirebee is a WordPress theme with a single purpose, to deliver a fully functioning job or freelance website. It does it very well.

The theme includes most tools you’ll likely need when setting up and can integrate with most WordPress plugins too.

• Child theme — Yes, you can use a child theme with Hirebee.
• Multilingual support — The theme supports translation and any right-to-text language (RTL).

Speed and performance

Hirebee has a larger 1.91MB file size, but given how much is included, it still loads impressively quickly.

Page size could be reduced if you don’t need all the features and combined with performance optimizations, could load even faster.

Hirebee pricing

• Hirebee’s Standard plan costs $69.
• Hirebee’s Club plan costs $199 for all themes.

Hirebee support

• Hirebee has decent documentation and FAQ sections
• There’s also a forum for questions and answers
• Email support is available

13. Mesmerize

Mesmerize has a default page size of 415kb and loads in 785 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Mesmerize is developed by Extend Themes and is a very popular theme.

Key features:

• Infinitely customizable – Mesmerize is another WordPress theme that concentrates on customization with a number of tools to help you design something unique.
• 100+ predesigned blocks – If you want to customize a template, the theme offers over a hundred blocks to help.
• Works with the WordPress customizer – Keep things simple by using the built-in customizer to make any changes.
• Fully responsive – With over half of visitors using mobile, being responsive is essential. You get that and more with Mesmerize.
• WooCommerce compatible – If you want to build an online store, this theme is fully compatible with the all-powerful WooCommerce.
• Online demo – Mesmerize has its own online demo so you can have a play around without having to download or buy.

Mesmerize has a free and a premium version. Both perform well, with the main difference being features and support.

The theme offers lots of features and attractive layouts that don’t slow down page load times, which is a definite plus.

• Child theme — You can create a child theme.
• Multilingual support — The theme is multilingual ready with the right plugin.

Speed and performance

Mesmerize does have a larger page size than many in our list of the fastest WordPress themes at 415kb, but it still loads impressively quickly.

We’re guessing it’s optimized code and the use of the WordPress customizer that helps keep performance fast. Regardless of how, the theme is fast enough for most people!

Use a caching plugin or super-fast web host and you won’t be disappointed with load times.

Mesmerize pricing

• There’s a free version of Mesmerize.
• Mesmerize Personal costs $69 per year for 1 site.
• Mesmerize Business costs $89 per year for 5 sites.
• Mesmerize Agency costs $179 per year for unlimited sites.

Mesmerize support

• Mesmerize has a knowledge base for free and premium users.
• It offers ticketed support for premium users only.

14. X

X has a default page size of 1.55Mb and loads in 2 seconds according to GTMetrix.

X was developed by Themeco and has been purchased over 220,000 times. It’s a popular theme and has been reviewed very well.

Key features:

• Recently updated – The X theme has been recently updated with a new look, new features and new responsive block controls.
• Quick start tools – If you’re using X to set up a website, you can build from scratch, use a built-in template or clone your existing website content.
• Supports dark mode – While niche, dark design can have a real impact if your brand can support it.
• Uses the Cornerstone front-end editor – The Cornerstone editor is an alternative to Elementor or Gutenberg and has some intuitive tools.
• Modern flat design – The default X templates exhibit very modern design with some smart touches and nice effects.
• Plugin compatibility — Works with most WordPress plugins and includes some within the package.

X is a very flexible WordPress theme with lots of features. The Cornerstone editor will mean something new to learn but it’s intuitive enough to be able to master quickly..

Despite being large, the template loads impressively fast even before being optimized. That bodes well for performance.

• Child theme — You can use a child theme with X.
• Multilingual support — The theme supports translation RTL languages.

Speed and performance

X has a default page size of 1.55Mb. While on the larger side, it still manages to score an A on GTMetrix with a 97% performance score.

Considering how much this theme packs in, that could be drastically improved with some optimization and a good caching plugin.

X pricing

• X costs $59 with 6 months of support.

X support

• X is a ThemeForest theme and is supported via that side and directly with Themeco.
• There is good documentation and a forum on the developer’s website.

15. Blocksy

Blocksy has a default page size of 118kb and loads in 764 milliseconds according to GTMetrix.

Blocksy is a free WordPress theme developed by Creative Themes and has over 80,000 installations.

Key features:

• Page builder compatibility — Works with Gutenberg, Brizy, Elementor and Beaver Builder.
• Designed specifically for performance – Blocksy has been designed from the very beginning to load fast, despite lots of features.
• Customization options – Blocksy includes a header builder and the ability to customize everything you see on the page.
• WooCommerce integration – The theme also integrates with WooCommerce to deliver impressive stores with minimal effort.
• Schema support – Blocksy includes full support for Google structured data and has schema built-in.
• Built using React and Webpack – Part of the performance capability of the theme is using modern code.

Blocksy does a lot for a free theme. There is a premium option of course and each delivers impressive performance and customization options.

Even though it supports multiple page builders, pages remain lightweight and maintain impressive load times. Exactly what we look for in a fastest WordPress theme!

• Child theme — You can create a child theme with Blocksy.
• Multilingual support — The theme is multilingual ready.

Speed and performance

Blocksy has a default page size of 118kb, which is pretty good considering how much there is on the page.

That gives it impressive load times which is partly down to code splitting, where code only loads on request rather than all at once.

The use of React and Webpack is reassuring. These are two new coding languages that can deliver exceptional performance.

Blocksy pricing

• Blocksy has a free version.
• Personal plans cost $49 per year for 1 site.
• Professional plans cost $69 per year for 5 sites.
• Agency plans cost $99 per year for unlimited sites.

Blocksy support

• Blocksy has good documentation and video tutorials for all users.
• There’s a Facebook community that seems quite helpful too.
• Premium users have access to ticketed support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: What’s the Best and Fastest WordPress Theme?

If you’re looking for a WordPress theme that’s reliable, fast-loading, SEO-optimized, ranks well with customers (based on WordPress reviews and customer testimonials) and doesn’t cost you a fortune — then consider the Astra theme.

Astra is one of the fastest WordPress themes, easy to customize, and comes with readymade templates. Here’s the best part – Astra is available for free.

As you grow your website and add more features, then Astra Pro will help you provide more customizations and personalization.

Neve offers similar customizability. It is a fast theme with a lot of customization options and a great alternative to Astra.

Which theme did you go with? Do you have a favorite theme that’s super fast with high customizability that can be added to the list? Let us know in the comments below!