Are you in search of the perfect WordPress starter theme for builders?
A WordPress starter theme helps programmers begin with a strong basis. It may well develop into the bottom in your theme improvement course of and provide you with head begin.
On this article, we’ve handpicked among the greatest WordPress starter themes that builders can use to create their theme from scratch.
What Is a WordPress Starter Theme?
A WordPress starter theme is a clean theme with minimal design parts and a fundamental or completely no structure. These themes normally include essentially the most generally used templates in a WordPress theme.
They’ve code to show posts, archive pages, single posts, and feedback, however with minimal or no styling. This enables theme builders to shortly begin including their very own types and construct a brand new theme, with out having to code an internet site from scratch.
You should do not forget that starter themes don’t include styling, so you aren’t in a position to make use of them as they’re with out customization. Nonetheless, they can be utilized as a mother or father theme.
Utilizing a Starter Theme for Builders in WordPress
You possibly can simply use a starter theme to construct your personal theme with WordPress. It’s the greatest web site builder available on the market and is utilized by over 43% of web sites on the web.
WordPress is a self-hosted and open-source platform that provides you full inventive freedom to construct an internet site based on your liking.
To get began, you have to a internet hosting account the place all of your web site recordsdata will likely be saved. After that, you have to get a website identify, which will likely be your web site’s tackle on the net like wpbeginner.com or http://www.instance.com.
We suggest choosing Bluehost for internet hosting as a result of they’re one of many largest internet hosting firms on the planet and an formally beneficial WordPress internet hosting supplier.
Plus, they’re providing a HUGE low cost to WPBeginner readers with a free area identify and SSL certificates.
After you have bought a internet hosting plan, you possibly can transfer on to putting in WordPress. Then, you possibly can examine our step-by-step information on find out how to make a WordPress web site.
Now, it’s time so that you can choose a starter theme which you can construct upon. You possibly can choose any theme from our knowledgeable picks beneath. For those who need assistance putting in them, then you possibly can see our tutorial on find out how to set up a WordPress theme.
Why Belief WPBeginner?
At WPBeginner, we’ve a devoted group of individuals with over 16 years of WordPress expertise underneath our belt.
Our WordPress specialists totally evaluate every theme featured in our showcases and take a look at it on demo web sites. To study extra, see our full editorial course of.
That being mentioned, let’s check out among the greatest starter themes for WordPress that you need to use in your theme improvement.
1. Astra
Astra is a premium WordPress theme for builders. It comes with quite a few starter themes and templates to launch an internet site shortly.
The starter themes by Astra are constructed for various enterprise niches, and also you’ll most definitely discover a excellent demo web site to match your necessities. Plus, the theme is optimized for code and presents highly effective design choices, Google Fonts, and button presets.
Astra even has built-in dropdown carts, grid settings, gallery choices, and an off-canvas sidebar for WooCommerce. These options might be useful if you’re constructing a starter theme for a web-based retailer.
In case you are a newbie in search of one thing useful to start out with, then Astra will make issues rather a lot simpler for you.
2. SeedProd
SeedProd is the perfect WordPress theme builder available on the market, and it comes with a drag-and-drop builder and 300+ premade templates. It presents a selected starter theme template that builders can use to create their very own theme from scratch.
It permits a single-click import for any template which you can then customise with its builder and use options like customized sections, world types, and superior structure choices.
Moreover, SeedProd may combine with electronic mail advertising and marketing providers, making it the only option for constructing a starter theme with none coding.
3. Genesis
Genesis is a WordPress theme framework by StudioPress that may present a strong basis for constructing a customized theme. It comes with a 1-click theme setup with tons of helpful sources, demo content material, plugins, and Gutenberg blocks.
You possibly can make the most of the 6 structure designs, featured content material widgets, customized web page templates, and highly effective theme choices panel. Plus, it focuses on code high quality and efficiency, making it a perfect alternative for builders who wish to construct an Search engine marketing-friendly web site.
StudioPress is now part of WP Engine, the preferred managed WordPress internet hosting firm. You may get this framework together with all 35+ StudioPress themes if you join WP Engine internet hosting to create an internet site.
Bonus: WPBeginner customers additionally get an extra 20% OFF. Get began with WP Engine as we speak!
4. Underscores
Underscores might be the preferred of all of the WordPress starter themes. It comes with a minimalist design and is tremendous light-weight, with solely important theme recordsdata and functionalities.
This starter theme is written in HTML5 and CSS and is totally free. The clear code is supposed to get out of your method and allow you to shortly construct a standard-compliant WordPress theme. It additionally presents template tags, actions, and hooks to additional assist builders.
Moreover, Underscores has an lively neighborhood and in depth documentation, making it tremendous straightforward to construct a theme.
5. Sage
Sage is a contemporary WordPress starter theme primarily based on Gulp, Bootstrap, and Bower. It makes use of a Theme Wrapper, which helps you keep away from repeating the identical code in each template.
It additionally comes with Tailwind CSS integration to permit builders to construct layouts shortly. Plus, Sage presents template tags, actions and hooks, and block editor assist.
It’s actively maintained and has a powerful following amongst WordPress front-end builders.
6. Understrap
Understrap is a WordPress starter theme primarily based on Underscores and Bootstrap 4. It comes with a cell responsive design and grid framework making it tremendous straightforward to customise.
Moreover, it has a light-weight basis and presents a Sass (CSS pre-processor) integration to create extra organized stylesheets.
UnderStrap can also be totally suitable with WooCommerce, which makes it an amazing alternative for a web-based retailer.
7. WP Rig
WP Rig is one other WordPress starter theme and improvement package that helps you construct themes which might be extremely optimized for efficiency.
It comes with a construct course of that lints, optimizes, and minifies your code for higher efficiency. WP Rig additionally lazy hundreds your photographs till they’re within the consumer view to spice up web page load time.
The theme may even combine with Gulp to automate repetitive duties in your improvement course of, equivalent to compiling Sass and minifying JavaScript and CSS.
8. Catch Starter
Catch Starter is a monochrome WordPress starter theme for builders. It comes with a set of options, together with a content material slider, portfolio, providers, and testimonials.
Plus, it presents a theme choices panel, customized widgets assist, and favicons, making it excellent to kickstart your improvement with WordPress.
Catch Starter can also be tremendous beginner-friendly and translation-ready. We suggest utilizing this theme if you wish to create a multilingual web site.
9. Highstarter
Highstarter is a light-weight starter theme with out libraries or frameworks. It presents many customization choices for the header picture and helps nested drop-down submenus, pagination, and breadcrumbs.
The theme has a cell responsive design, RTL language assist, and hooks and filters to assist builders.
General, it’s a nice starter theme if you wish to create a minimalist theme that prioritizes code high quality and efficiency.
10. Beans
Beans is an progressive WordPress starter theme for builders. It’s extremely versatile with responsive content material and adaptive photographs.
The theme is Search engine marketing-friendly and constructed with an final frontend library to arrange and customise your web site. As a substitute of pre-built layouts, Beans presents reusable elements like content material sections, sidebars, and headers.
It additionally allows you to create customized submit varieties and add new functionalities to your web site utilizing shortcodes.
11. JointsWP
JointsWP is a rock-solid WordPress starter theme. It’s primarily based on the Basis 6 framework and is available in CSS or Sass variations.
The theme additionally has an choices panel, customized widgets, and youngster theme assist. Plus, it might probably combine with Gulp to automate improvement duties.
12. Nebula
Nebula is a sophisticated WordPress starter theme that’s extra like a theme framework. It has customized performance like a advice engine for 404 and no-search-result pages, autocomplete search, and extra.
Its’ easy syntax code may function a studying supply for brand spanking new builders.
13. Generic
Generic is a minimal WordPress starter theme. This theme is right for constructing customized web sites in your prospects or utilizing it as a base to create a brand new theme.
It’s tremendous Search engine marketing-friendly and comes with its personal light-weight CSS grid, making it an amazing alternative for all types of internet sites.
14. BlankSlate
BlankSlate is an easy and intensely versatile WordPress starter theme that’s designed with builders in thoughts.
Whereas it’s easy, it comes with a robust basis in your themes to depend on. It makes use of semantic HTML code and in addition presents customized CSS types and Search engine marketing optimization.
15. Gantry
Gantry is a robust WordPress theme framework for builders. It means that you can create CMS-friendly themes shortly.
It’s an open-source software program with rather a lot to supply, together with mega menu assist, a structure supervisor, theme inheritance, a user-friendly interface, and extra. Plus, it comes with a visible menu editor and limitless undo/redo characteristic, making it a brilliant highly effective theme.
16. Air-Light
Air-Light is a minimalist WordPress starter theme primarily based on Underscores. It’s totally useful with minimal design choices, leaving room for builders so as to add their very own types to create a brand new theme.
Moreover, the plugin is totally suitable with customized submit varieties, the block editor, and plugins like Superior Customized Fields (ACF) that may allow you to construct customized fields in your web site.
17. Responsive
Responsive is a free starter theme that gives 100+ Elementor and WordPress block templates.
It may well additionally assist with search engine rankings as a result of it’s totally optimized for Search engine marketing and helps schema markup. Plus, the theme can combine with common plugins like BuddyPress, WooCommerce, and LearnDash to construct any type of web site you need.
18. Tonik
Tonik is a tremendous starter theme that comes with the Sass and CSS frameworks to simplify styling for you. It additionally makes use of Webpack to handle, compile, and optimize theme recordsdata.
Tonik additionally presents enhanced templating and PHP namespaces. Plus, it allows you to construct youngster themes, making it an amazing place to begin for builders.
19. Blockbase
Blockbase is a well-liked starter theme by Automattic that helps full web site modifying. It makes use of block templates to outline your web site construction, together with header, footers, navigation menu, and extra.
It additionally comes with world types and PHP integration, making it an amazing block theme for builders.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions About Starter Themes
Listed below are some questions which might be regularly requested by our readers about WordPress starter themes.
1. Who ought to use starter WordPress themes?
Ideally, a starter theme ought to be utilized by builders and internet designers who’ve understanding of improvement and wish to create a customized theme.
These themes should not a sensible choice for customers with no coding data as a result of they primarily supply minimal styling the place you must add customization with coding.
In case you are a newbie in search of an internet site theme, then you possibly can take a look at our knowledgeable picks for the preferred WordPress themes.
2. Do these themes include assist or documentation?
Among the extra common and premium starter themes supply in depth documentation and assist to assist arrange the theme in your web site.
Nonetheless, if you’re going for one of many free starter themes, then you have to take into account that assist and documentation will likely be restricted and will even be unavailable in some circumstances.
3. Can builders totally customise these themes?
WordPress starter themes are constructed for full customization. They arrive with a minimalistic structure and supply full inventive freedom to builders to construct their very own themes.
We hope this text has helped you discover the perfect WordPress starter themes for builders. You may additionally wish to try our different WordPress guides for starter themes and enterprise websites.
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