Getting Started with WordPress
First, you need to make sure that you are using the best blogging platform.
Self-hosted WordPress.org is the perfect platform to start your blog because it gives you lots of freedom, flexibility, and control. We have a useful guide on the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
WordPress.org is open source. It comes with support for thousands of free templates (called themes) and extensions (called plugins) that help you grow your blog faster. Take a look at our article on why you should use WordPress to learn more.
You can use our step by step beginner’s guide on how to start a WordPress blog for full instructions on getting started.
Although many WordPress themes are free, you will need to pay for a domain name for your site. This is your site’s address on the internet.
You’ll also need WordPress web hosting. This is where your site is built online.
The great news is that WPBeginner readers can get a fantastic deal with Bluehost, one of just 3 hosts officially recommended by WordPress.
Bluehost offers a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and a large discount on web hosting. Simply go through our link to Bluehost and you’ll get this deal automatically.
Once you are up and running, it’s time to pick a theme for your website. There are lots of excellent premium themes out there. However, there are also some great free themes that will help you minimize the cost of building a WordPress website.
You can choose a theme from our expert selection below and then follow the instructions in our how to install a WordPress theme guide to set it up properly.
Let’s take a look at some of the best free WordPress themes that you can install on your site.
1. Astra
Astra is a fully customizable and free WordPress blog theme. It includes starter sites that are suitable for personal blogs, portfolios, business blogs, and even eCommerce websites. It’s responsive and works perfectly with all the best page builders out there.
It comes with built-in support for WooCommerce to easily add an online store to your blog if needed. It’s also translation-ready and can be used to make blogs in any language.
Astra is a lightweight theme with tons of colors options. It has all Google fonts built-in. You can find the theme options, such as logo upload, in the WordPress live customizer.
2. OceanWP
OceanWP is one of the most popular free WordPress themes. It includes lots of features that you normally only see in premium themes.
OceanWP can be used for any kind of website, including blogs, magazines, business websites, or eCommerce stores.
It includes multiple layout choices, fullwidth pages, 2 navigation menus on the top, custom logo support, multiple sidebar areas, beautiful image galleries, and more. It is super flexible but still very easy to set up. It also has live customizer support.
3. Hestia
Hestia is a highly flexible and responsive theme for all types of websites. It comes with an easy setup wizard and a companion plugin which adds testimonials and services sections to your website.
It can be used with popular page builder plugins and is ready for WooCommerce out of the box. The homepage can be easily set up using the live theme customizer. You can just add sections and rearrange them with drag and drop.
4. Bento
Bento is a powerful multipurpose WordPress blog theme with tons of features. It works really well with most page builder plugins and it’s suitable for use as a business theme.
For a free WordPress theme, Bento comes packed with great customization options. All of them can be accessed using the WordPress theme customizer. You won’t need to know any CSS code to get your site looking just the way you want.
5. Go
Go is a blog theme with a minimalist approach to design. It’s a simple WordPress blog theme with a welcome message and call-to-action buttons in the header.
Go is designed to improve readability and offer a great user experience. It uses clean typography and handles featured images really well. Also, you can easily add a contact form using any popular contact form plugin.
6. Blocksy
Blocksy is a fast, lightweight, and richly featured free WordPress theme designed to be fully compatible with the WordPress block editor. It has multiple page types and can be used to create all sorts of websites, including eCommerce sites, restaurant sites, blogs, portfolios, and more.
It works perfectly with popular page builder plugins like Elementor and also has full WooCommerce integration. There’s a built-in lazy loading system to keep your site as fast as possible. Even better, Blocksy will look great on all devices and is retina ready too.
7. SiteOrigin Unwind
SiteOrigin Unwind is a free multipurpose WordPress theme with full WooCommerce support. Designed with a minimalist style, Unwind is highly customizable using the SiteOrigin Page Builder plugin.
It comes with multiple page layouts, custom header, background, and color support.
8. Hemingway
Hemingway is a clean WordPress blog theme featuring a 2-column layout and a full-width header image area with a parallax effect.
It lets you upload your own logo, supports custom widgets, includes page templates, and more. It’s also retina-ready, meaning it’ll look great on high-quality smartphone themes. All the theme options are quick to set up.
9. Neve
Neve is a free WordPress blog theme that works really well for business sites and online stores. It’s also a great option for a personal blog. There’s a navigation menu along the top, with a search bar. You’ll also find built-in social sharing buttons and a featured content slider.
It has a minimalist layout with beautiful colors and typography. You can easily customize Neve. It’s compatible with popular page builder plugins like the Elementor page builder, Divi page builder, and Beaver Builder.