The negative impact of having a slow-loading website is not only will users leave your website, but 45% will admit that sites that load slowly give them a negative impression of the business. And what does all this mean? The answer is quite simple: less traffic, fewer sales, and lost revenue.
Did you know half your web visitors will leave your site if it takes more than six seconds to load?
Users these days want to meet their needs in the shortest time possible and Google has been rewarding websites that meet this need. Page speed has been among the top ranking factors for Google since 2010 for desktops and 2018 for mobile devices.
Here’s the good news, there is a way out. Using a light WordPress theme can help reduce load time. We have done the heavy lifting by preparing a list of eight WordPress themes that load fast, so you don’t have to test every theme you’re interested in. Strategically offers professional content writing and these results are based on real data.
Best Fastest WordPress Themes
Table of Contents
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the fastest WordPress theme!
Astra
Image: Astra https://wpastra.com/
Astra is one of the fastest-loading WordPress themes. It uses vanilla JavaScript, clean code, and eliminates jQuery to ensure fast load times. It has a default setup of 50KB, which makes the theme lightweight, allowing you to add other modules and still achieve a 91% and 100% loading speed rate.
What’s more, Astra is compatible with most WordPress plugins and integrations, which enables you to build many different sites from its 180+ templates.
The theme has a free forever version and annual and lifetime pricing, ranging from $47 to $937.
Page speed score: 99%
YSlow score: 92%
Full load time: 0.9%
Total page size: 107KB
Requests: 15
Ocean WP
Image: Ocean Wp https://oceanwp.org/
Ocean WP is another fast WordPress theme that’s lightweight and fully extendable, allowing you to boost the functionality of your site. The theme’s default page size is 280KB and loads in 568 milliseconds.
What’s more, with Ocean WP, you can enable and disable several JavaScript and CSS elements. This feature allows you to remove unwanted elements, which helps reduce the overall size of your webpage and consequently reduces load times.
Ocean WP is also SEO friendly, responsive and compatible with third-party plugins and integrations such as Elementor and WooCommerce.
Page speed score: 97%
YSlow score: 85%
Full load time: 1.9S
Total page size: 356KB
Requests: 29
Generate Press
Image: Generate Press https://generatepress.com/
Generate Press is one elegant fast-loading theme for WordPress sites. Its default page setup is just 39.8KB which gives you enough space to add all elements you need for your site.
The theme is multipurpose, SEO ready, and compatible with other plugins and page builders. It’s also responsive across all devices and comes with WordPress with real-time live preview, which makes editing the theme easy.
Generate Press has a free plan and a pro version that gives you access to all features for $59 per year or a one-time payment of $259. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Page speed score: 99%
YSlow score: 94%
Full load time: 1.435S
Total page size: 39.8KB
Requests: 10
Customify
Image: Customify https://pressmaximum.com/customify
Customify has a minimalist design that is sure to give your website users a great UX experience. Customify’s primary focus, and one you’ll love, is its advanced customization options. The theme comes with many site starters and demos you can customize to build a beautifully simple site in just a few clicks.
When it comes to speed, the theme doesn’t disappoint, either. It’s lightweight and has fast load times.
Customify also prides itself on amazing features like the ability to create sticky posts, a flexible header and footer, and a responsive structure.
Page speed score: 98%
YSlow score: 90%
Full load time: 1.5S
Total page size: 381KB
Requests: 19
Neve
Image: Neve https://themeisle.com/themes/neve/
Neve is a super fast WordPress theme with just a 28KB default setup. What’s more, it uses vanilla JS instead of JQuery, which helps boost load times.
The theme is easily customizable, allowing it to be used for multiple purposes. You can use it to build a site for your blogs, small business, startup, agency, firm, e-commerce store, and even a personal portfolio project.
The theme is responsive on any viewing device and is also SEO friendly giving you a head start on ranking on search results pages. Neve is highly extendable, allowing you to work perfectly with Gutenberg and the most popular page builders and plugins.
Neve has a free version which is perfectly acceptable. The pro version starts at $49 per month.
Page speed score: 99%
YSlow score: 93%
Full load time: 0.9s
Total page size: 28KB
Requests: 12
Zakra
Image: Zakra https://wordpress.org/themes/search/zakra/
Zakra is a multiple-purpose theme that will give you endless styling possibilities. You can use this theme for a range of project purposes, from building an eCommerce store to creating a beautiful portfolio to showcase your work.
Zakra is lightweight and has been built with a super fast interface. In addition, the theme is compatible with major page builders and other popular WordPress integrations. It’s also responsive and SEO friendly.
Zakra has a free plan and a pro package with added features starting at $49 per year.
Page speed score: 99%
YSlow score: 87%
Full load time: 0.6s
Total page size: 97.1KB
Requests: 16
Sydney
Image: Sydney https://athemes.com/theme/sydney/
Sydney is a fast WordPress theme and a close competitor of Astra.
The theme is perfect for companies or freelancers that want to create awesome websites that have plenty of customization options to build an engaging UX experience for their web users. Sydney also has a responsive structure and is compatible with page builders such as Elementor and Beaver Builder.
Sydney has a paid pro plan for $69/ per year and also offers a free version.
Page speed score: 99%
YSlow score: 87%
Full load time: 0.44s
Total page size: 92KB
Requests: 16
Hestia
Image: Hestia https://themeisle.com/themes/hestia-pro/#pricing
Last but not least, we have Hestia. Hestia is a modern one-page WordPress theme that provides full customization options over the design and structure of menus. The theme is multipurpose, allowing you to style it to fit your desired functionality.
Hestia is responsive, SEO friendly, and compatible with different integrations, plugins, and page builders.
This fast WordPress theme, like all the above, has a great free version as well as three different premium plans starting at $69 per year.
Page speed score: 97%
YSlow score: 87%
Full load time: 0.9s
Total page size: 201KB
Requests: 21
Elementor Addons
Elementor addons are plugins designed to extend the functionality and design capabilities of the Elementor page builder in WordPress. These addons offer additional widgets and tools that allow users to create more complex and dynamic websites without needing to code. They cover a broad range of features, including advanced sliders, form builders, animated text, pop-ups, and more, providing users with the flexibility to tailor their sites to their specific needs and preferences. Whether you’re building an e-commerce site, a portfolio, or a blog, Elementor addons can help you enhance your website’s functionality and aesthetic appeal.
Which is the fastest WordPress theme?
After going through this rundown of the leading WordPress themes in load speed, you may wonder which one you should select. Well, the themes discussed in this post are all great. Whichever you choose in this well-curated list will guarantee a fast load speed.
However, there is something to note. You’ll slow down your site load times on any of the themes as you customize and add unnecessary plugins, widgets, and unoptimized images. Therefore, be aware when editing your theme not to make it heavy. If you can do that, you’ll be on your way to a better user experience, more traffic, and more sales.
Andrej Fedek is the creator and the one-person owner of two blogs: InterCool Studio and CareersMomentum. As an experienced marketer, he is driven by turning leads into customers with White Hat SEO techniques. Besides being a boss, he is a real team player with a great sense of equality.