Gutenberg, the native WordPress editor, was introduced in February 2019 with WordPress 5.0. With this release, WordPress users could experience full site editing through the Gutenberg block editor.
The Gutenberg editor is now the default for any new WordPress installation. It makes creating posts and pages easier and far more intuitive than before.
This article is going to highlight some of the best Gutenberg themes on the market. We tried and tested over a hundred templates from across the web to come up with this list. Each represents the best of the Gutenberg themes in terms of design, speed, flexibility, and reliability.
If you’re looking for a great-looking Gutenberg theme that won’t let you down, it will be on this list!
Introducing the WordPress Gutenberg Editor
The Gutenberg editor changed the way you interact with WordPress. It comes with a new user interface that brings WordPress more into line with the popular drag-and-drop page builders such as Elementor.
Rather than a plain content editor window with spaces for headlines and content, you now have a new editor window with blocks.
Everything you can see on the screen (such as images, content, video, audio, galleries, buttons) is a block.
Each block can be customized individually, and you have a lot more freedom in terms of design and how you build a page.
It’s one of the biggest changes in WordPress since its release back in 2003.
Block Themes – The New Way of Building Your WordPress Websites
A block theme is a collection of blocks. In a block theme, everything from menus, header, footer, and content is a block.
Since each block is independently placed in the theme design, you can place a block anywhere within the page.
This allows for greater flexibility in design because each block can be customized as you wish. The blocks can come together as part of a larger design or have their own styling.
Blocks give you very fine control over how you can design a page and control the look and feel of your website.
Here’s a list of the blocks that theme builders can incorporate in a post template:
- Post Title
- Post Content
- Post Author
- Post Comment
- Post Comment Author
- Post Comment Date
- Post Comments
- Post Comments Count
- Post Comments Form
- Post Date
- Post Excerpt
- Post Featured Image
- Post Tags
As you can see, developers can mix and match these blocks to come up with exciting designs for their themes.
For users, this simplifies the process of changing theme design and functionalities by modifying specific blocks rather than switching themes.
If you wish to try block themes, we recommend starting with Twenty Twenty Two.
How Block Themes Differ From Regular Themes
On the surface, both block-based themes and regular themes might look similar in design and features.
The real differences lie under the hood.
Traditional themes are built using PHP templates that are contained within .php files.
In contrast, block themes use block templates that can be swapped out to change aspects of the theme.
For instance, you can create a header block template as header.html. Once it’s there, you can call it in all other block templates to ensure all blocks have similar headers.
This saves developers from the hassle of going through all PHP files to edit all references to block headers.
Another critical difference between the two types of themes is the absence of the Customizer from block themes.
Since everything, including the site logo, title, and tagline, is a block, you don’t need the Customizer to change them.
Simply edit the blocks, and you are good to go.
Similarly, you can change the colors and fonts with the Styling settings in the Admin area.
Top Gutenberg-Friendly WordPress Themes
Here is a quick list of the best Gutenberg friendly WordPress themes
| Theme Name | Active Installs? | Pricing | Our Rating |
| Astra | 1,653,898+ | Free / Starting from $47 €44 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Sydney | 100,000+ | Free/Starting from $69 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| OnePress | 100,000+ | Free/Starting from $99 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Zakra | 60,000+ | Free/Starting from $41 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Neve | 300,000+ | Free/Starting from $69 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Maisha | 4000+ | Free/Starting from $64 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Noto | 100+ | Free/Starting from $75 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Nisarg | 20,000+ | Free/Starting from $35 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Foodica | 6,000+ | Free/Starting from $69 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Aari | 700+ | Free | ⭐⭐⭐ |
If you’re planning a new website, you need to try out one of these Gutenberg-friendly WordPress themes for your project. This allows you to take advantage of the latest and upcoming changes that the WordPress team will introduce in the upcoming releases.
1. Astra
Astra is a popular option for building great-looking WordPress websites. The theme is fully compatible with the Gutenberg editor. You have a choice of 100+ starter and professional templates that you can use to build your dream website using Gutenberg full-page editing.
Astra is very flexible, and you can use it with all popular page builders such as Elementor, Brizy Builder, or Beaver Builder.
Astra is a modern, fast-loading, SEO-friendly theme that looks professional while needing very little design expertise. You can start by importing a website template and then customize the pages to suit your requirements.
The good thing is that you’d find a free or paid Gutenberg website template for any industry or niche you could name. Similarly, these templates are available in several designs, including minimal and dark options.
You can even use Astra to set up your WooCommerce store by importing a store or eCommerce template.
You can experience the true power of Gutenberg blocks by installing The Ultimate Gutenberg Blocks Library plugin that extends your design options with a collection of free Gutenberg blocks.
Pros of Astra:
- Very user-friendly and simple to use
- Fully compatible with WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Both free and premium templates look professional
- Pages load quickly with no render-blocking jQuery
- Huge selection of layout options
Cons of Astra:
- Sheer number of features takes a while to learn
Astra Pricing
Astra has a free and a premium version starting at $47 €44 .
Opinion of Astra
Astra is a top performer whether you’re using the WordPress Gutenberg editor or not. Themes are top class, the entire setup is very easy to use and there are more features included than most other themes.
2. Sydney
Sydney is a modern Gutenberg theme with great colours and a nice flow down the page. The demo is set up as a business theme but is flexible enough to be customized to suit most uses.
Sydney has some nice graphics, lots of page layout options, a straightforward menu and attractive contact page. Well worth checking out.
Pros of Sydney:
- Modern design with nice colours
- Smooth flow down the page
- Plentiful page elements to choose from
- Fully compatible with WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Sydney:
- Most suited to business websites
- More expensive than Astra
Sydney Pricing
There is a free version of Sydney and three premium plans starting at $69 per year.
Opinion of Sydney
Sydney is an attractive design with a lot going for it but the premium costs a lot and you only get access to a single theme. You need to upgrade to the $99 plan to open up the rest of the range.
3. Kadence
Kadence is a Gutenberg-compatible WordPress theme that offers a wide range of customization options, making it a good choice for those who want to create unique websites.
Kadence is easy to use and comes with a variety of features, including a responsive design, multiple layout options, and support for WooCommerce. It features more than 100 website demos, designed to deliver a great user experience.
Pros of Kadence:
- Lightweight and fast-loading theme
- Full control over page layout
- Comes with pre-built website templates
- The modern designs look very professional
- Reasonable pricing for the pro version and membership
Cons of Kadence:
- The template library is not very extensive
Kadence Pricing
Kadence is free to download. The Pro version starts from $79
Opinion of Kadence
Kadence is a lightweight fast loading Gutenberg theme. It’s well-built and good for starting off, but it could use some more template variety.
4. StudioPress Themes
StudioPress themes are well-known for their clean look, fast loading times, and mobile-friendly responsive designs.
StudioPress themes come with Genesis blocks that make it easy to customize a website, making them a great choice if you want to create a unique design. All themes include a collection of easy-to-use block patterns that you can import with a single click.
All the themes here look lean and professional. Great for any business looking to build their online presence.
Pros of StudioPress:
- Gives you full control over website layout
- Lightweight and fast-loading themes
- You can pick any theme from the StudioPress library and work with it
- The designs are minimalist and professional
- Fully responsive and loads fast
Cons of StudioPress:
- Expensive premium version as you need to buy Genesis Pro to unlock all the features
StudioPress Pricing
The pricing of themes varies anywhere from $59 upwards. If you want to unlock all its features, you need to go with Genesis Pro which costs $360.
Opinion of StudioPress
All StudioPress themes are excellent. They look lean and have a lot of customization options. The upgrade to Genesis Pro is expensive as compared to others though.
5. Frost
Frost is a sleek and minimalist Gutenberg compatible WordPress theme. It is completely free and offers block and site templates that you can activate with one click. It is built by the same team behind StudioPress.
The theme is pretty new to the market and has a long way to go. It does feature a lot of customizable block patterns. However, it does not have any website templates that you can import like others.
While it was declared as open-source, it is not available in the WordPress repository. You currently have to download the theme from the website.
Pros of Frost:
- Lightweight theme
- Minimalist and elegant designs
- Responsive and loads fast
- Comes with fully customizable block patterns
- Useful if you want to build your own design
Cons of Frost:
- Does not have templates
- Not available in the WordPress repository which makes it hard to find
Frost Pricing
Frost is open source and is free to download.
Opinion of Frost
Frost undoubtedly has a lot of potential. It is minimalist, loads fast, and is designed to work seamlessly with Gutenberg. A great choice if you know your way around the block editor. It does have a small learning curve if you are a beginner though.
6. Go Theme
Go is a free WordPress theme created by the hosting company and domain registrar GoDaddy. It’s simple to use, with an elegant touch of minimalism that will make your site stand out from others!
It works very well with the block editor, especially when combined with the CoBlocks plugin. It’s a companion plugin acquired by GoDaddy itself.
Both the theme and the plugin are free and available in the WordPress repository.
Pros of Go:
- It has an elegant design
- Lightweight and fast
- Responsive
- CoBlocks plugin helps with customization
- Free to use
Cons of Go:
- Not a lot of details are available on the WordPress repository page
Go Pricing
The Go theme is free to download and use.
Opinion of Go
Go is a well-developed and beautifully designed theme. It works well with Gutenberg. However, the repository page lacks information regarding the theme so a lot is left up to the user.
7. Winning Agent Pro
Winning Agent Pro is a real estate Gutenberg theme.
It’s well-designed with a coffee-colored default scheme and a listings search and filter element placed high on the home page. It makes an excellent first impression, thanks to a beautiful header and colors that immediately capture visitors’ attention. As you scroll down, the rest of the content unfolds in a beautifully flowing design.
Pros of Winning Agent Pro:
- Fully compatible with WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Ideal for its niche
- IDX compatible
- Use the powerful Genesis Framework
Cons of Winning Agent Pro:
- Expensive
- The theme is open source but you need to pay for it to work with Genesis
Winning Agent Pro Pricing
Winning Agent Pro costs $79 as a one-off fee.
Opinion of Winning Agent Pro
Winning Agent Pro is a great looking real estate theme. The colours are warm, the filter feature works well and the entire theme has a professional look to inspire confidence.
8. Music
Music, as the name suggests, is built around artists, bands and performances. It makes an instant impact with a video header and music player and while autoplay videos are controversial, it is a good way to make an impact!
The rest of the design mixes black with a strong blue contrast colour that also makes a statement. This can be changed to suit your band or brand though. The audio player is sticky, there is a store element, gallery and everything an artist would want to see on a page.
If you are looking to create a music website, this theme will definitely bring it to life.
Pros of Music:
- Exceptional WordPress theme for Gutenberg
- Strong music features with excellent page design
- Excellent use of colour and empty space
- Pages flow seamlessly
Cons of Music:
- Autoplay video and audio is controversial at best so the theme may lose impact without it
Music Pricing
Music costs $59 but you have to pay an extra $10 if you want the Photoshop images included within the demo
Opinion of Music
Music is a superb Gutenberg optimized WordPress theme with great colours, a nice page layout and everything a band would want to see. Not much to complain about really.
9. Neve
Neve is a popular WordPress theme for Gutenberg. It comes as a free or premium version and, as you would expect, you get the best out of it when you pay. Like Astra, Neve comes with a wide range of demo templates covering most uses. Each uses colour, white space and layout to great effect and would be a credit to any business.
Neve is also fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor as well as Elementor, Brizy, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, SiteOrigin and Divi Builder. One thing you’re not short of here is choice!
Pros of Neve:
- Very flexible theme compatible with most page builders
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Wide range of professional-looking themes
- Designed to load quickly
Cons of Neve:
- Most demo themes look the same
Neve Pricing
Neve has a free option and three premium plans starting at $81 per year up to $306 per year.
Opinion of Neve
We rate Neve highly for performance and flexibility but the demos all tend to look the same. It would require more work to personalize Neve than many other demos in this list.
10. Maisha
Maisha is an excellent theme that uses an almost monochrome design with a nice pop of colour for buttons and elements. The demo has a black and white image header and page elements with an orange contrast colour. This works well, as would other colours you might choose.
The rest of the page has been created with a real eye for design and the target demographic. It is demonstrative without being too emotional and has all the elements you would need to create a call to action.
Pros of Maisha:
- Deceptively simple but effective page design
- Monochrome with pop of colour works well
- Page flow and balance is good
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Maisha:
- Narrow focus
Maisha Pricing
Maisha costs from $59 to $199 as a one-off fee.
Opinion of Maisha
Maisha is an excellent Gutenberg theme that has all the ingredients a charity website could need. It is genuinely difficult to criticize anything about it.
11. Zakra
Zakra is one of the best free Gutenberg themes out there and also has a premium version. It’s a strong theme with a nice contrast colour with grey background and simple graphics in the demo. The free version uses the Agency layout to deliver a strong template useful for a range of businesses.
Zakra has 10 free demos and more premium ones. Layouts include most page elements you would need, plus a couple of extras. It is fully compatible with Gutenberg and most page builders and loads credibly quickly for a free theme.
Pros of Zakra:
- Very effective design in the free theme
- Well designed premium themes covering more niches
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Designed with page speed in mind
Cons of Zakra:
- The demo website currently doesn’t work so you cannot see the templates in action
Zakra Pricing
There is a free version of Zakra and four premium plans priced between $49 and $199.
Opinion of Zakra
The free version of Zakra is superb. It’s a very competent design with a nice flow and all the page elements you could need. The premium themes take that even further.
12. Divi
Divi is another strong showing with over a hundred Gutenberg themes and counting. Each design is built with a great eye for colour, layout and white space. Pages load quickly and include most page elements you’re likely to need. All designs are compatible with Gutenberg and are fully responsive too.
The Divi theme collection is a real mixture covering most niches. They can be installed quickly and customized with ease using a page builder or Gutenberg so there is something here for everyone.
Pros of Divi:
- Strong selection of demo themes covering every niche
- Well designed layouts with a great eye for detail
- Load quickly and fully responsive
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Divi:
- A little more expensive than some
- A steeper learning curve than other themes
Divi Pricing
Divi costs $89 per year or $249 for lifetime access.
Opinion of Divi
Divi is a superb theme with a selection of professional looking templates. Those themes look professional and are easy to use but you definitely pay for the privilege.
13. Inspiro
Inspiro is designed for filmmakers, artists and photographers. It features a strong header that supports YouTube, Vimeo and self-hosted videos as well as images. The rest of the demo pages feature elements that could support those target customers as well as real estate and business.
Layouts are very slick with a smooth flow and lots of elements to grab your attention. Each works seamlessly and creates a great impression. You could of course remove all these elements or make the most of them depending on your needs.
Pros of Inspiro:
- Makes a strong first impression with the video header
- Gallery layouts are also powerful
- The different demos suit their target niche well
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Inspiro:
- Autoplay video is not very popular, especially with mobile users
Inspiro Pricing
Inspiro costs $79 per year for the theme and support.
Opinion of Inspiro
We like Inspiro a lot for its striking design and customizable features. You do have to wonder how much of that initial impact would be lost when you remove the autoplay video though.
14. Vigour
Vigour is an accomplished WordPress Gutenberg theme for gyms or sports organizations. It’s a great theme with a strong main header colour scheme. Things lighten up down the page but the same colours feature in other areas to maintain the look. It’s a great page to look at.
Vigour will work with Gutenberg, Beaver builder, Elementor or Divi and includes a range of features and page elements to help build out your site however you want. We think Vigour is definitely one of the better gym website templates out there.
Pros of Vigour:
- Strong initial impact with those header colours
- More traditional white background still includes those colours for continued impact
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor as well as Beaver builder, Elementor and Divi
- Very customizable
Cons of Vigour:
- Cheapest price only includes single theme
Vigour Pricing
Vigour costs $34 for the single theme or $48 up to $174 for access to the full range of themes.
Opinion of Vigour
We think Vigour is one of the best gym/sports themes around for Gutenberg right now. The combination of bold header and transition into white background is masterful and works very well indeed.
15. Essence Pro
Essence Pro is a very chic design. It uses bright white fonts over a dark background image to create a great first impression. A stylish menu section also helps with that. Scroll down and well-designed content boxes with subtle shadow effects really bring the page to life.
A nice colour palette in the demo is very effective, as is the unfolding layout that would easily let you tell your story. This is another Genesis Framework theme so will work quickly and provide Gutenberg compatibility out of the box.
Pros of Essence Pro:
- Uses the Genesis Framework to great effect
- Strong fonts and colour scheme
- Great design for storytelling
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Essence Pro:
- The Genesis Framework comes with its own slight learning curve
- Expensive Price
Essence Pro Pricing
Essence Pro costs $129.95 complete with Genesis.
Opinion of Essence Pro
Essence Pro is a superb design with a great layout and all the right elements in all the right places. If not for the price, we would have no problem offering an unconditional recommendation for it.
16. Ultra
Ultra from Themify is another strong WordPress theme for Gutenberg. It’s a flexible theme with a wide array of features and customization options. There is a lot to get to grips with here but few other themes offer as many opportunities to make it truly your own.
The Ultra demos cover most niches and offer a wide range of layout types to choose from. The template loads quickly, is built with the Themify page builder and is Gutenberg compatible.
Pros of Ultra:
- Strong demo templates covering most niches
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- The Themify Builder is almost as good as Elementor or Brizy Builder
- Wide range of layout options and page elements
Cons of Ultra:
- The Themify Builder is another page builder you have to learn
Ultra Pricing
Ultra costs from $59 for the single theme up to $89 per year for access to all themes.
Opinion of Ultra
Ultra is second only to Astra in terms of design, ease of use and sheer volume of options and features. It’s a very strong showing and definitely one of the best Gutenberg themes here.
17. Noto
Noto is an intriguing blog design from Pixelgrade. It’s one of the more original Gutenberg themes here for its layout alone. It’s uniqueness is in the irregularity of the content blocks. We are so used to seeing neat rows of content that the sight of something less regular immediately makes you take notice.
While the demo is for a blog, it could easily be used as resume theme. The design is simple with white background and pastel colours and includes most features you would expect to see on the page.
Pros of Noto:
- Genuinely interesting design and layout
- A viable blog or resume website design
- Designed with Gutenberg in mind
- Pages load quickly and are responsive
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Noto:
- The asymmetrical design may not work for everyone
Noto Pricing
Noto costs $75 per year or $112 for a lifetime licence.
Opinion of Noto
We consider Noto one of the most original Gutenberg themes in this list. Its appeal won’t be as universal as some but the originality should definitely work in your favour.
18. Getwid Base
Getwid is a minimal lightweight WordPress theme designed for Gutenberg. It is built to work with the Getwid plugin, which is a collection of custom Gutenberg blocks.
Using this theme, you can easily create a wide variety of websites, including agencies, startup sites, product landing pages, and more. Everything is completely customizable, making it a powerful and flexible choice.
Pros of Getwid Base
- Free to use
- Tons of premade block patterns
- Lots of customization options
- Fully compatible with Gutenberg
Cons of Getwid Base
- Primarily for use with the Getwid plugin
Getwid Base Pricing
Getwid is completely free.
Opinion of Getwid Base
If you want to use the premade Getwid blocks plugin, this theme is an excellent choice.
19. Palmeria
Palmeria is a free theme designed for booking websites. This makes it ideal for hotels, doctors, and other websites that need to schedule meetings or appointments.
It integrates with the WordPress Booking Plugin by MotoPress, making it a solid choice for any serious project.
Pros of Palmeria
- Elegant design
- Dedicated support
- Easily import sample data
- Free
Cons of Palmeria
- Mainly aimed at integrating with the MotoPress booking plugin
Palmeria Pricing
Palmeria is free to use.
Opinion of Palmiera
If you are creating a booking site for a hotel or other business, Palmeria is a beautiful and elegant choice for those on a budget.
20. Aari
Aari is a very simple, minimal theme designed for bloggers. It has unlimited colors, is fully responsive, and also includes useful elements like a post carousel and image lightbox.
Despite being a free theme, Aari is kept up to date and includes the option for carousels, custom widgets, custom sidebars and other creative elements.
Pros of Aari
- Minimal, elegant design
- Simple to use
- Carousel, sidebar template, and other helpful features
- Free
Cons of Aari
- Aimed only at bloggers
Aari Pricing
Aari is completely free to use.
Opinion of Aari
Looking for a very simple, minimal blog theme? Aari is definitely a great no-nonsense choice.
21. Business Trade
Business Trade comes as a free Gutenberg theme or premium. It’s a design based around business but is flexible enough to suit many industries. It’s a colourful design with two very different demos to choose from. Both use colour and layout well and deliver a professional appearance.
The free version of Business Trade offers most elements you look for but has limited customization options. Buying premium opens up everything so you can chop and change as you need.
Pros of Business Trade:
- Both a free and a premium option
- Well designed for their niche
- Pages load quickly
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Business Trade:
- Designs don’t make the same impact as some
Business Trade Pricing
Business Trade has a free and a premium version. Premium starts at $55 for a single site licence increasing to $299 for unlimited licences.
Opinion of Business Trade
Business Trade is a good but not amazing design. You could make it something special with a little work but the design isn’t as impactful as some of these others.
22. Gutenberry
Gutenberry is a minimalist Template Monster theme that delivers a tranquil first impression. Lots of white space, an off-white background and pastel colour scheme combine to create a very relaxed experience.
This is a flexible theme that could suit many niches. As the name suggests, it’s a WordPress Gutenberg theme that comes with 6 distinct demos, lots of page elements and the ability to build out your pages however you like.
Pros of Gutenberry:
- Serene design with nice flow
- Attractive pastel colour scheme
- Flexible pages to suit a wide variety of uses
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Gutenberry:
- Pastel design is not suitable for everyone
Gutenberry Pricing
Gutenberry costs $59 for a single site licence.
Opinion of Gutenberry
Gutenberry is an attractive design that could work well for a number of niches. The pastel colours provide a relaxed tone which could resonate well with the right audience.
23. Foodica
Foodica is an effective food-oriented WordPress theme for Gutenberg. We like the use of white space and content blocks a lot. While the food element is mainly achieved through imagery, the inclusion of recipe cards and an index adds extra power to any foodie website you want to build.
The layout has a nice flow with a selection of page elements including blogs, features, images, galleries and those recipes. It’s a largely monochrome design with colour being provided by images but it works very well.
Pros of Foodica:
- Nice design with a relaxed feel
- Great use of white space
- Simple but effective palette
- Recipe card and index features
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Foodica:
- Includes nothing that makes the theme stand out from the crowd
Foodica Pricing
Foodica costs $69.
Opinion of Foodica
We like Foodica a lot. It’s a fresh, clean design that keeps things simple. The downside is that you will have to leverage your imagery hard to make it stand out.
24. Landing
As its name suggests, Landing is a landing page theme for Gutenberg. The theme comes with a selection of demos covering a range of uses and designs. Each of which could be easily customized to suit your needs or you could build one from scratch using the Themify drag and drop page builder.
Designs are colourful and attractive, which is essential for landing pages. The theme is very flexible and contains a few neat animation options for grabbing attention.
Pros of Landing:
- Strong landing page templates with modern elements
- Colourful and attention-grabbing features
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Flexible page features with customizable elements
Cons of Landing:
- Designed mainly for landing pages rather than full websites
Landing Pricing
Landing costs $59 for the theme or $69 including Photoshop images.
Opinion of Landing
Landing is a decent Gutenberg theme designed for landing pages. It includes a range of demos that cover most requirements along with opportunities to customize each.
25. Gutenberg Starter
Gutenberg Starter is a crisp minimalist Gutenberg theme. It begins with a strong header slider with striking image and flows into a clean, white page with frameless content blocks. The demo includes animations for a little extra impact.
The design is great. It’s simple but effective, uses modern fonts, lots of white space and a soft colour palette. The theme also has a built in store compatible with WooCommerce.
Pros of Gutenberg Starter:
- Accomplished minimalist design
- Great use of fonts and images with frameless blocks
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Includes WooCommerce blocks for a functioning store
Cons of Gutenberg Starter:
- Will require strong images to carry the minimalist design
Gutenberg Starter Pricing
Gutenberg Starter costs $59 for this theme or $99 to access all themes.
Opinion of Gutenberg Starter
We think this is one of the better minimalist Gutenberg themes. The simplicity works well while the balance of soft colours and modern fonts creates a feeling of comfort throughout the page.
26. Nisarg
Nisarg is another of the free Gutenberg themes we think worthy of note. There is also a premium version that offers many more options. This is a straightforward blog theme that has been designed to be very comfortable and easy to read. A lot of the initial impression is thanks to the main image but you could change that to suit your own tastes in seconds.
The rest of the theme is very straightforward with a traditional blog layout with grey background and white content blocks. While not as fully featured as some other Gutenberg themes in this list, it’s an excellent blog theme worth trying.
Pros of Nisarg:
- Simple but effective blog layouts
- Free version is excellent
- Premium version adds more options
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Nisarg:
- Not as flexible as some of these other Gutenberg themes
Nisarg Pricing
Nisarg has a free version while premium costs $35.
Opinion of Nisarg
Nisarg is a very competent blog theme that looks modern while creating a relaxed look. We think it’s a great alternative to more complicated designs.
27. OnePress
OnePress is a free Gutenberg theme with a premium version that adds a lot more features. Both designs are responsive, load quickly and deliver a crisp, clean experience.
OnePress has a nice flow with alternative white and grey backgrounds that work so well. A blue contrast colour in the demo works well and can be customized in seconds. Graphics and animations add a little interest while the optional parallax element adds character.
Pros of OnePress:
- Free version is genuinely usable with a little work
- Premium adds a lot more features
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Modern crisp design could work anywhere
Cons of OnePress:
- None worth mentioning
OnePress Pricing
OnePress has a free version and a premium version accessible for $99 per year.
Opinion of OnePress
OnePress is a theme we rate highly whether you use the free version or the premium version.
28. Magazine Pro
Magazine Pro from StudioPress is a monochrome design with a slight colour pop from the green colour in the demo. Pages load quickly, the magazine layout works well on different screen sizes and the overall impression is of a very competent template.
Magazine Pro is built using the Genesis Framework which provides a lot of scope for building a website. It’s fast, powerful and an excellent option as long as you don’t mind a slight learning curve.
This is a perfect magazine WordPress theme if you are looking for one.
Pros of Magazine Pro:
- Clean and crisp magazine style design
- Subtle colour pops from contrast colour
- Allows the content to sing
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Magazine Pro:
- Will need strong images to really stand out
- The Genesis Framework comes with its own slight learning curve
Magazine Pro Pricing
Magazine Pro costs $99.95 complete with Genesis.
Opinion of Magazine Pro
We rate Magazine Pro for its simplicity and willingness to let your content shine. It will require strong imagery but those are a requisite of a good website anyway.
29. Decorist
Decorist is a minimal theme compatible with both Gutenberg and WooCommerce. The demo is designed with DIY or home décor in mind but could be customized to suit a range of niches.
The layout is clean and flows well. White space and strong image blocks work well while the red contrast colour and modern fonts combine to provide a very modern look. While compatible with Gutenberg, you can also use Elementor if you prefer.
Pros of Decorist:
- Modern design ideal for property or DIY
- Nice layout with strong content elements
- The contrast colour works very well
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Includes all elements for a store
Cons of Decorist:
- The theme is hard to fault
Decorist Pricing
Decorist costs $35 for a single theme or from $48 to access other themes.
Opinion of Decorist
We think Decorist is one of the stronger WordPress Gutenberg themes here. It uses great design, strong fonts and colours and a modern aesthetic to deliver a great impression.
30. Coursemaker Pro
Coursemaker Pro has a stylish greyscale design with a slight Scandi twist. While the theme is ostensibly for online courses, the page elements in the demo don’t really support that. There is a course page, but again, it isn’t the strongest. We listed it here because the design could really work for a standard website.
Greyscale is a good look. In this iteration, the shading in the images contrasts well with the stark white fonts and subtle contrast colours. The theme has been very well thought out.
Pros of Coursemaker Pro:
- Lovely greyscale design with nice page elements
- Stark white fonts work very well
- Frameless design is thoroughly modern
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Coursemaker Pro:
- We wouldn’t say the demo is suited for its stated niche
- Expensive
Coursemaker Pro Pricing
Coursemaker Pro costs $74
Opinion of Coursemaker Pro
It may seem as though we don’t like Coursemaker Pro but we do. We like it a lot. The design is superb and the greyscale theme works exceptionally well, perhaps just not for the niche it was intended.
31. Julia
Julia is a chic food blog theme with a pastel colour scheme and series of nice layouts. It’s one of the more relaxed Gutenberg themes with nice flow, comforting fonts and familiar layouts. All combine to create an excellent template.
Julia has a selection of demo layouts covering most of what you’ll need. It’s also fully customizable, works with WordPress Customizer, has a recipe index for ease of use. A very competent theme.
Bard Pricing
- Superb design with a relaxed feel
- Selection of layout options
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Julia:
- The chic design won’t be to everyone’s taste
Julia Pricing
Julia costs $75 per year or $112 one-off fee.
Opinion of Julia
We like Julia a lot and think it deserves its place in this list for the layout options alone. Add the nice colours and page balance and you have a strong contender on your hands.
32. Gutenix
Gutenix is another of the free Gutenberg themes worth trying. There is also a premium option that adds more of everything. It’s a clean design with lightweight pages, a selection of design and typography options and a very attractive aesthetic. It is surprisingly good for a free theme.
Gutenix provides a wide range of options, layouts, headers, footers and page elements. It works with Google Maps and comes with 30 demo templates with Gutenberg, Elementor and Brizy compatibility.
Pros of Gutenix:
- Clean modern designs covering every niche
- The free version is very usable
- Premium options offer many more features and options
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor, Elementor and Brizy
Cons of Gutenix:
- Developer not as well known as some others in this list
Gutenix Pricing
Gutenix costs $69 per year or $174 for a lifetime licence
Opinion of Gutenix
Gutenix is a strong Gutenberg theme with a lot to recommend it. Especially as both the free and premium versions offer such competent design.
33. Bard
Bard is a crisp, modern free Gutenberg blog theme with a premium option. Both versions exhibit very clean design with great use of white space, great page flow, strong modern fonts and a modest sidebar. It could be ideal for lifestyle or travel blogs.
The premium version comes with a range of demo templates, support for Google Fonts, WooCommerce, Gutenberg blocks, translation and all those things we look for in a theme.
Pros of Bard:
- Free version is pretty good
- Premium version adds a lot more flexibility
- Page balance and flow is top class
- The overall aesthetic is a great one
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
Cons of Bard:
- None to speak of
Bard Pricing
Bard is free or costs $29.99 for a single licence or $89.99 for a lifetime.
Opinion of Bard
Bard is a clean, modern blog theme with a lot to recommend it. It’s another of those themes that is all the better for its simplicity.
34. CosmosWP
CosmosWP may be last but it is certainly not the least of our WordPress themes for Gutenberg. It’s a strong showing with a wide range of professional-looking demo templates covering most business niches.
CosmosWP uses modern design elements with white space, contrast colours and imagery. Each demo serves a different niche but looks largely the same. That’s a good thing if one of the demos suits your requirements. The template works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder and Visual Composer too.
Pros of CosmosWP:
- Very flexible theme with a multitude of customizations
- Works with Gutenberg, Elementor, Beaver Builder and Visual Composer
- Fully compatible with the WordPress Gutenberg editor
- Wide range of demo templates ready to go
Cons of CosmosWP:
- Demo templates all look very similar
CosmosWP Pricing
CosmosWP costs $39.99 for a single site up to $199.99 for unlimited.
Opinion of CosmosWP
CosmosWP offers a strong showing with a range of great designs. Templates are flexible and cover most industries. They do all look a little similar though so would take a little more customization than others.
Installing a Gutenberg-Friendly WordPress Theme
Installing a Gutenberg-friendly WordPress Theme is very straightforward. We’ll use Astra as the example but the process should be very similar regardless of the theme you use.
- Purchase and download the theme from the developer
- Decompress the folder on your computer until you get the ‘themename.zip’ file.
- Log into WordPress.
- Select Appearance from the left menu of your WordPress dashboard.
- Select Themes and the Add New button.
- Select the Upload Theme button at the top of the page.
- Select Choose File and select the ‘themename.zip’ file.
- Select Install Now and Activate once uploaded.
You should now see your theme within the WordPress themes menu and perhaps a side menu entry on the left.
Using Demo Data to Build Your Site
Now you have the basic theme ready, you can use demo data to copy the website you saw originally. We will use a free Astra demo site in our example.
- Select Appearance from the left menu of your WordPress dashboard.
- Select Starter Templates and select the demo site you want to import from the main window.
- Select the Preview Site button to make sure it’s the correct demo.
- Select the blue Import Complete Site button on the right.
- Select your import options from the popup box and select Import.
Demo site import takes a minute or two but once done, you should see the pages and posts for the demo in your WordPress dashboard. Now you can customize your site however you like!
Summary of Gutenberg-Friendly WordPress Themes
While we appreciate that the WordPress Gutenberg editor hasn’t been universally welcomed, we think it’s the best thing to happen to WordPress in years. It is now easier than ever to build and customize pages, which has to be a good thing.
Talking of good things, this selection of the best Gutenberg themes make the most of the power of Gutenberg and modern design to deliver a range of top performing websites for every conceivable use.
Which Theme Should You Choose?
So which of these themes should you choose? The short answer to this is that you should choose whatever theme resonates most with your tastes or the brand in question. However, there are some standout Gutenberg themes to choose from.
Astra delivers the widest range of tools and page features for a very reasonable price. Even the free Astra templates look professional enough to use. Step up to premium and you unleash the full power of their design team!
Also worthy of note is Foodica. While it has a much narrower appeal, it uses current design trends to deliver an achingly good food blog template.
Other Gutenberg themes worth considering include CosmosWP for its flexibility and Music for its industry-specific features.
To be completely honest, you won’t be sorry if you choose any of the many Gutenberg themes in this list!
What do you think of the list? Have any Gutenberg themes to recommend?
10 comments
When Gutenberg newly released I always thought why to change something which is already in good shape. But as time passed I started to think it’s good to have one thing for many tasks. Both classic editor and Gutenberg are great and it’s better to have more options.
Anyway, I was looking for a Gutenberg theme for my affiliate website and guess what I’m already using the Astra theme.
Awesome, Ester! 🙂
Glad to hear your thoughts.
Nice list of websites, especially Astra with Gutenberg and Gutenberg block plugin. Posts on my websites look extremely modern and eye-catching.
Astra and Gutenberg combo looks marvelous, definitely suggest it for Gutenberg lovers
Great list looked for Gutenberg compatible theme in the music niche and got exactly what I was looking for.
Very informative post, it saved my lot of time to do some testing. With the pros and cons of each theme I’m able to decide the theme that I want for my blog.
Been using a Gutenberg theme for a while now! But I have learned a lot from this article that I haven’t read from other.
Well researched and explained in this article.
The new WordPress version was a blast especially with a Gutenberg ready WordPress theme.
Great list
My website now looking stunning, without doing much. I don’t even have to use page builder now, and it’s super fast.
It is quite a bit later than the last comments, and I am creating a new site and thinking about full-site editing. I am currently maintaining sites with Astra and IceCold themes, and started the new site with Chaplin, but as new features keep coming out for full-site editing (FSE), I am thinking about changing to a fully FSE theme—the catch is that we really want to have a forum, or actually a series of them for our 4 issues-based task forces. This article found me a few to investigate, thanks!