Free Lightweight Themes: Your WordPress theme is the basis of your site, which means that it plays an essential role in the speed of loading your site.
However, the best thing about WordPress is that you don’t have to open your wallet to get a fast-charging theme.
It has many free options, and we’ve put together some of the fastest free WordPress themes for you in this post. We will also do some speed tests for each subject to test this. Ready to start? Here are the ten fastest free WordPress themes we can find…
Read Also: Download Free Newspaper Theme
What Makes a Theme “Lightweight”?
If you are interested in how we have tested each topic, we will explain the methodology at the end of this post.
| Theme | Type | Active installs | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| GeneratePress | E-commerce | 80,000+ | 5.0 |
| Sarkari Bhaiya | Blog | 100+ | 5.0 |
| Hestia | One-page | 100,000+ | 4.8 |
| Sydney | Business | 200,000+ | 4.9 |
| ColorMag | Magazine | 100,000+ | 4.9 |
| Shop Isle | Ecommerce | 30,000+ | 4.5 |
1). GeneratePress
- Load Time: 1.967 s
- Downloads 2,459,423+
- Active websites 200,000+
- Happy customers. 50,000+
- File size on a fresh install: 108.4 KB
- HTTP requests on a fresh install: 11
GeneratePress is one of the fastest WordPress themes you’ll find. Period.
SECURE & STABLE
- The WordPress community leaders have independently reviewed our code and use the latest and most stable coding standards.
LESS THAN 30KB
- We believe that your site should start with the least possible footprint. This is why a default WordPress installation with our theme is less than 30 KB.
TOP-TIER SPEEDS
- Speed is one of the most critical aspects of your website. Thanks to our small footprint and clean code, we ensure you get started immediately.
2). Neve
A WordPress Theme for the Long-Standing Business
- File size on a fresh install: 206.0 KB
- HTTP requests on a fresh install: 11
- Fast and lightweight
- Flexible and easy to use
- Easy setup and sleek designs
- Reliable updates
- New features coming up
- Quality code and full support
100 Speed Grade
Google loves fast websites, so we ensure we get the best results in Pagespeed Insights performance tests.
Loads in Less than 1 Second
Our highest priority is to ensure that your site dashes. In a default installation, Nave took 0.6 seconds to load.
Reduced Weight
We have created a lightweight theme without sacrificing flexibility. The entire default WordPress installation is as small as 28 KB.
You also get page-level controls where you can:
- Change the number of sidebars
- Change the width, including a singular choice to specify a custom width percentage.
- Turn off the header, title, or footer.
In addition, Nave also comes with its site library that allows you to import any of the seven pre-built sites (these are built with Elementor ).
Currently, Nave is 100% free.
3). Zakra
- File size on a fresh install: 96.8 KB
- HTTP requests on a fresh install: 10
The Powerful and Multipurpose Zakra provides endless possibilities to create your site in no time. Its fast, secure, lightweight WordPress Theme and SEO-friendly structure guarantee outstanding success.
From the WordPress Customizer, you can control:
- Header layout
- Single layouts
- Colors
- Typography
- Etc.
There is no paid version of Zakra – everything is 100% free.
4). OceanWP
- Load Time: 1.886 s
- Size: 198 KB
- HTTP Requests: 18
Not to repeat me here, but OceanWP is another streamlined option with an equivalent basic approach to GeneratePress and Astra. It’s a lightweight base theme that you can customize to any niche imaginable (though it’s almost as light because of the other two)
Like Astra, OceanWP also offers free pre-built demo sites that you can import if you don’t want to start from scratch.
5). Writee
- Load Time: 1.536 s
- Size: 205 KB
- HTTP Requests: 17
Writer is a flexible and well-suited Premium WP blog theme for personal, food, travel, fashion, corporate, photography, technical, or any other excellent blog.
6). Primer
- Load Time: 1.476 s
- Size: 141 KB
- HTTP Requests: 14
Primer is a powerful free WordPress theme that brings clarity to your content. It comes with a fresh design and is fully compatible with all devices due to its responsiveness. Primer is one of GoDaddy’s free WordPress theme spaces.
7). Airi
- Load Time: 1.076 s
- File size: 543.6KB
- HTTP Requests: 19
Airi is a powerful, flexible, and lightweight theme for your company’s website. With a full-element integration, this multipurpose theme is an excellent choice for any business or standalone site.
With a modern look and customization opportunities, if you want to start a website from scratch, it’s even better to use world-class element design from our growing collection.
8). Page Builder Framework
- Load Time: 1.152 s
- File size: 206.8 KB
- HTTP Requests: 12
As the name implies, The Page Builder Framework is specifically designed to pair with your favorite page builder.
Using the WordPress Customizer, you can set up this theme:
- Your header
- Typography
- Blog layouts, including archives and singles
And you also get those page-level controls that let you:
- Go full-width
- Change the sidebar configuration
- Turn off the header and footer
- Hide page titles
That premium version costs $59.
9). ColorMag
- Load Time: 2.152 s
- File size: 880.0 KB
- HTTP Requests: 16
ColorMag is an accessible and responsive magazine-style WordPress theme. ColorMag currently empowers 110,000+ websites. Ideal for any editorial site, be it news, magazines, or blogs, the design style is versatile and flexible.
It comes with a 1-click demo import option for any available demo you want. The template is responsive, retina-ready, and SEO-optimized for a more efficient interface.
10). News Portal
- Load Time: 2.152 s
- File size: 1.5 MB
- HTTP Requests: 16
- Price: Free
- Current Version: 1.1.18
- Update Date: December 17, 2019
News Portal is a creative, responsive magazine-style Free WordPress Theme. The theme is fully responsive and optimized for all mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.
A theme contains 5+ widgets that are suitable for a magazine layout. You can quickly move the magazine widget to your desired location and give your site a perfect magazine look.
Features:
- Magazine Layout
- Responsive Design
- Highly Customizable
- Retina Ready
- Multiple Color Scheme
- Quality Code
- Multiple category color
- Awesome Support
- Plugin Compatible
The full widgets theme lets users manage the website using the easy-to-use widgets.
Conclusion
The best WordPress theme for your website doesn’t require you to have an arm and a leg. Free WordPress articles can only be as effective as premium options, often providing all the needed features. Once you choose the suitable template, the remaining part will register with a quality web hosting provider, start a blog, and generate quality content.
Hopefully, this tutorial was helpful. In the comments below, let us know if you face any issues.😊
