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18 Fastest WordPress Themes to Improve Website SEO in 2024

There’s a sea of WordPress themes out there, from simple, free options to fancy, feature-packed exclusives. With so many choices, picking the right one can feel pretty overwhelming. But if you’re all about making your site smooth and fast to give streamlined experience to your users, focusing on the fastest WordPress themes out there can really help you grow your website’s audience. By choosing a theme that’s built for speed is a smart move—it can make your site more enjoyable for visitors and give you a leg up in the SEO department.

Let’s dive into a curated list of 18 super speedy WordPress themes that are perfect for anyone looking to give their website a speed boost. Plus, I’ll share some tips on how you can check a theme’s speed for yourself and squeeze even more performance out of your site.

Top 8 Free Fastest WordPress Themes

Now, we should also take a note that the performance of the website also depends on your web hosting plan. It is important to make sure to use a plan that offers enough SSD, bandwidth, and RAM resources and, preferably, a WordPress optimised server.

Now, let’s take a look at each of the free fastest WordPress themes individually.

1. ASTRA

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 98% (GTMetrix), 99 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 1 million+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: Numerous starter templates, WooCommerce-ready
  • Best Suited For: All kinds of websites
  • Price: Freemium

Astra stands out as one of the swiftest WordPress themes available, boasting over a million downloads and a flawless rating of 5 out of 5. In our evaluation using GTMetrix, Astra demonstrated impressive performance, fully loading in just 1.4 seconds with a 98% performance score, attributed to its minimal page size of 43.6KB and only eight HTTP requests. Its stellar performance continues with PageSpeed Insights, especially for mobile pages, where it scored 99 and showcased a speed index of 2.8 seconds, affirming its status as an exceptionally fast and responsive WordPress theme.

Designed to cater to a wide array of websites, including e-commerce platforms, freelance portfolios, and online courses, Astra provides a wealth of starter templates. As a theme that’s ready for WooCommerce, it’s perfectly equipped for those looking to craft a swift-loading online store. When it comes to customization, Astra doesn’t hold back; it offers an extensive selection of typography settings, featuring over 700 Google Fonts, and an unlimited palette of color options, ensuring a perfect blend of style and brand alignment.

The premium version of Astra is available at $47 annually or a one-time fee of $249 for a lifetime license, all backed by a 14-day money-back guarantee.

2. NEVE

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 98% (GTMetrix), 100 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 200,000+
  • Rating: 4.8/5
  • Notable Features: compatibility with page builders, mobile-optimized
  • Best Suited For: all kinds of websites
  • Price: freemium

Neve stands as an exceptionally lightweight and versatile WordPress theme, achieving a remarkable 98% in GTMetrix performance evaluations, and astonishingly loading the site in merely one second. Its minimal page size of 32.4KB contributes to its lightweight stature. In PageSpeed tests, Neve notched a perfect score of 100, accompanied by a speed index of just 1.8 seconds, positioning it as the quickest WordPress theme featured here.

With an array of over 30 ready-to-use starter templates, Neve ensures a swift setup process. The theme’s compatibility with the Gutenberg block editor and five renowned page builders, including Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Divi, makes customization straightforward and versatile.

Neve’s premium offerings begin at $59 annually or a one-time payment of $189 for a lifetime license, which includes access to custom layouts, headers, and enhanced blogging features. For those looking for even more, the Business plan is available at $99 per year or $159 for a lifetime license, providing additional benefits like a WooCommerce booster module and priority support, ensuring an optimized and well-supported website experience.

3. SYDNEY

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 97% (GTMetrix), 95 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 100,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: parallax background, Google Font options
  • Best Suited For: business websites
  • Price: freemium

Sydney is an excellent free WordPress theme tailored for business websites. With a light footprint of just under 90KB, it impresses with a swift loading time of 1.1 seconds according to GTmetrix tests. Its performance on mobile devices is notable as well, securing a 95 score from PageSpeed Insights and loading in 3.4 seconds on the speed index. While it might not claim the title of the fastest WordPress theme, Sydney is undeniably competitive in speed.

The theme’s free version is generously equipped with three pre-designed templates, engaging parallax backgrounds, and compatibility with popular page-builder plugins. Users have a rich palette of over 600 Google Fonts at their disposal, along with the choice between a static header or a slider header, adding to the theme’s versatility.

For those seeking enhanced functionality, the pro version is available at $59 annually or a one-time fee of $249 for a lifetime license. Sydney Pro enriches the user experience with exclusive features such as a single-page layout, video header, contact information in the footer, and full compatibility with WooCommerce, making it an ideal upgrade for eCommerce projects.

4. OCEAN WP

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 95% (GTMetrix), 87 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 700,000+
  • Rating: 4.9/5
  • Notable Features: WooCommerce integration, cart pop-up, floating add-to-cart bar, quick view functionality
  • Best Suited For: eCommerce websites
  • Price: freemium

OceanWP is a versatile and swift-loading free WordPress theme that stands out for its optimization for speed and seamless integration with WooCommerce.

According to GTMetrix, OceanWP showcases an admirable loading time of 1.6 seconds alongside a 95% performance rating, a notable achievement given its page size exceeds 200KB. Its performance on mobile devices slightly lags, with a 4.2-second load time on the speed index and an 87% overall score. Despite this, OceanWP remains a strong candidate for those looking to create an eCommerce store, even if it doesn’t claim the title of the fastest theme available.

This theme is well-equipped for online stores, offering WooCommerce features that are designed to boost sales. These include a native cart pop-up and a floating add-to-cart bar for smoother shopping experiences, as well as a quick view feature that allows users to see product details without leaving the page.

For those seeking additional functionality, OceanWP offers a range of extensions that can be purchased individually or as part of a bundle with the premium version of the theme. Starting at $39 per year, the premium version unlocks access to over 100 premium starter sites, expanding the possibilities for your website.

5. WRITEE

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 97% (GTMetrix), 89 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 10,000+
  • Rating: 4.8/5
  • Notable Features: social media sharing, pagination options
  • Best Suited For: blog or magazine theme websites
  • Price: freemium

Writee stands out as an exceptionally quick WordPress theme, perfect for blogs or magazine sites. GTMetrix testing reveals a total page size of 182KB and 16 HTTP requests, with the site fully loading in just 1.6 seconds, earning a 97% performance score for its desktop version.

Even on mobile, with a PageSpeed score of 89, a speed index of four seconds, and a 2.8-second time to interactivity, Writee demonstrates impressive speed. This theme doesn’t skimp on features either; it offers access to over 600 Google Fonts and includes built-in social media sharing buttons. Users can enjoy pagination and a wealth of layout customization options, along with nine distinct pre-made templates available in the free version, each showcasing a unique layout style.

Starting at a reasonable $39.99 per year, the premium version of Writee expands its offerings with an array of widgets for the footer, social media, and custom widget areas. Both versions boast WooCommerce compatibility, making Writee an excellent choice for bloggers looking to monetize their site by selling products.

6. AIRI

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 97% (GTMetrix), 85 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 20,000+
  • Rating: 4.9/5
  • Notable Features: Google Fonts, blog layout options
  • Best Suited For: all kinds of websites
  • Price: freemium

Airi stands out as a remarkably fast and versatile WordPress theme. In GTMetrix tests, it scored an impressive 97%, fully loading in just 1.6 seconds. This is particularly notable given its nearly 300KB page size and 19 HTTP requests.

On mobile devices, however, Airi’s performance takes a slight hit, with an 85 score from PageSpeed Insights and a speed index of 4.1 seconds, indicating a slower response compared to other themes listed here. The time to become fully interactive is marked at 3.3 seconds, which is a tad longer as well.

The free version of Airi offers a solid selection of demo layouts suitable for a variety of website types. Being an Elementor-compatible theme, it seamlessly integrates with the WooCommerce plugin, making it an ideal choice for crafting an eCommerce site.

For those seeking additional features, Airi’s premium version is available for $59 annually or $249 for a lifetime license, backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. The pro version enriches the user experience with an expanded array of demo layouts, blog configurations, and additional footer customization options, enhancing the versatility and appeal of your website.

7. TWENTY TWENTY

Theme Stats: 

  • Speed Test Result: 94% (GTMetrix), 79 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 1 million+
  • Rating: 4.3/5
  • Notable Features: integrated with WordPress installation
  • Best Suited For: personal blogs, simple websites
  • Price: free

Twenty Twenty, a default theme included with WordPress installations, may not dazzle with features but stands out for its speed among WordPress themes.

GTMetrix testing has yielded positive outcomes, with a performance score of 94% and a full load time of 1.9 seconds, remarkable considering its total page size of 273KB. This theme embraces the WordPress block editor, enabling the creation of dynamic landing pages and the application of custom designs with ease.

Despite its lack of extensive features and somewhat larger page size, the convenience of having a swift theme like Twenty Twenty pre-installed with your WordPress setup cannot be understated. It’s an excellent choice for those looking to establish a straightforward site or blog without the hassle of extensive theme hunting.

8. HELLO by ELEMENTOR

Theme Stats:

  • Speed Test Result: 99% (GTMetrix), 100 (PageSpeed Insights)
  • Downloads: 500,000+
  • Rating: 4.7/5 
  • Notable Features: perfect compatibility with Elementor and WooCommerce
  • Best Suited For: building a WordPress site with Elementor
  • Price: free

Hello Elementor shines as an exceptionally swift WordPress theme, boasting a minimal page size of just 21KB and tailored optimization for the Elementor page builder.

This theme impresses with a rapid loading time of merely 0.9 seconds and achieves a near-perfect GTMetrix performance score of 99%. Its performance on mobile devices is equally commendable, securing a flawless score on PageSpeed Insights, complemented by a brisk speed index of 2.1 seconds.

Given its seamless WooCommerce integration alongside its remarkable speed and efficiency, Hello Elementor stands as an outstanding choice for anyone looking to create a thriving eCommerce storefront.

Top 9 Premium Fastest WordPress Themes

If you’re open to investing in your website, premium WordPress themes can provide a wealth of customization options far beyond what their free counterparts offer. Let’s explore the benefits and features that the fastest premium WordPress themes bring to the table.

1. GENERATE-PRESS

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 300,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: premium support, dynamic hero image 
  • Best Suited For: various kinds of websites
  • Price: $59/year or $129/lifetime license

GeneratePress is a premium WordPress theme known for its quick loading times. It features 50 ready-to-use demo sites, enabling you to swiftly launch your projects.

This theme boasts WooCommerce compatibility, along with a specialized module that enhances customization capabilities for your eCommerce site. Leveraging an eCommerce demo site with GeneratePress allows for the effortless creation of a sleek and operational online store.

Moreover, GeneratePress introduces premium elements like dynamic hero images and a sophisticated hook system. Bloggers will appreciate features such as infinite scroll and a masonry layout option.

Designed to be translation-ready, GeneratePress also supports right-to-left (RTL) languages. Available at $59 for an annual subscription or $129 for a lifetime license, this theme can be used on up to 500 websites. The purchase includes one year of access to updates and support.

2. BIMBER

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 14,000+
  • Rating: 4.8/5
  • Notable Features: dark mode, smart plugin integration
  • Best Suited For: viral magazine websites
  • Price: $59/regular license

Bimber stands out as one of the quickest WordPress themes available, equipped with over 20 ready-made demo sites. These allow you to craft a viral marketing website in under a day, complete with sharing buttons and categories for trending topics.

Designed with speed in mind, Bimber utilizes minified and modular CSS and JavaScript, minimizing file sizes for faster loading. It intelligently integrates plugins, loading them only as needed, and supports various caching plugins to enhance page speed further.

For media files and widgets, Bimber employs an advanced lazy loading technique, which postpones loading images and videos until they are in the viewer’s sight.

Additionally, Bimber is fully compatible with WooCommerce and introduces a user-friendly front-end product submission feature, streamlining the process for users to post their listings.

3. DIVI

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 700,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: drag-and-drop page builder, built-in A/B testing, choices of pre-made layouts
  • Best Suited For: various types of websites
  • Price: $89/year or $249/lifetime license

Divi is renowned as one of the top multipurpose WordPress themes, balancing speed with responsiveness and a wealth of customization opportunities. It introduces the unique Divi Builder, a drag-and-drop interface, along with support for animations to add an engaging, interactive element to your site.

The heart of Divi’s appeal lies in its unparalleled customization capabilities. The Divi Builder empowers you to tweak virtually every aspect of your website, offering over 40 versatile elements like sliders, call-to-action buttons, blogs, forms, and more to enrich your site’s functionality and aesthetic.

Moreover, Divi provides access to over 100 complete website packs, encompassing more than 800 ready-to-use website layouts. An innovative feature within Divi is its built-in split testing tool, enabling you to experiment with different designs to discover which delivers the optimal user experience.

While Divi may not claim the title of the fastest WordPress theme, it strikes an impressive balance between speed and the ability to tailor a website to your precise needs and vision.

4. ZAKRA

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 50,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: drop-down menu styling, mobile menu customization
  • Best Suited For: all kinds of websites
  • Price: starts from $52/year or $149/lifetime license

Zakra is a speedy WordPress theme boasting 30 high-quality starter demos that are ready for import. This versatile theme is well-equipped with performance optimization features to ensure your website runs smoothly.

It offers a wide array of advanced customization options for its design, including varied styles for drop-down menus, mobile menu enhancements, and an extensive selection of header designs. Additionally, Zakra can be effortlessly tailored to serve as a blogging platform.

Pricing for this efficient WordPress theme begins at $52 annually. For those looking to utilize Zakra across multiple websites, there’s the convenience of upgrading to a more comprehensive plan, making it a flexible choice for your web development needs.

5. CUSTOMIFY

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 50,000+
  • Rating: 4.8/5
  • Notable Features: visual header and footer builder, compatibility with several page builders
  • Best Suited For: all kinds of websites
  • Price: $59/year

Customify stands out as one of the quickest WordPress themes featured here, characterized by its lightness, optimization, and adherence to superior coding practices for enhanced SEO performance.

This theme comes with a user-friendly interface that simplifies the customization of your site’s header and footer, aligning them seamlessly with your overall design theme.

Offering a wide array of ready-to-use templates, Customify enables a quick start to your website projects. Moreover, as a versatile theme, it supports integration with eight distinct page builders, allowing for extensive customization to meet your unique needs.

6. HESTIA PRO

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 100,000+
  • Rating: 4.8/5
  • Notable Features: compatibility with caching and minification plugins
  • Best Suited For: various websites
  • Price: starts from $69/year or $99/lifetime license

Hestia Pro ranks among the swiftest WordPress themes available, thanks to its streamlined and optimized coding. Its compatibility with leading caching and minification plugins further enhances your website’s speed.

Creating a website with Hestia Pro is a breeze, given its compatibility with Gutenberg and numerous widely-used WordPress page builders. With a rich selection of starter templates designed for various needs, launching a rapid-loading WordPress site becomes straightforward and hassle-free.

The theme features a fully customizable homepage, which you can tailor to your preferences with ease. Additionally, it includes frontpage sections for portfolios and pricing, making it perfect for showcasing your work or products right from the start.

Hestia Pro provides lifetime support even on its basic plan, ensuring you have the help you need at any time. Moreover, a comprehensive library of video tutorials is available to assist you through the website construction process, adding an extra layer of support for users.

7. PAGE BUILDER FRAMEWORK

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 20,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: performance configuration, child theme generator, responsiveness customization
  • Best Suited For: all kinds of websites, page builder utilization
  • Price: $59/month or $248/lifetime license

Page Builder Framework is a streamlined WordPress theme designed with speed in mind. It boasts a lightweight design, tipping the scales at under 50KB, while ensuring full responsiveness across devices.

The premium iteration of this theme enhances your website’s performance through integrated settings aimed at streamlining your site. It accomplishes this by removing unnecessary WordPress features such as embeds, emojis, and RSS feeds, contributing to a faster loading speed.

Compatibility is a key strength of the Page Builder Framework, which seamlessly works with a variety of drag-and-drop page builders like Divi, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and Visual Composer. This speedy theme is also ready for eCommerce projects, supporting both WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.

In terms of customization, the premium version doesn’t hold back, offering advanced options like mega menus, custom sections, hover effects, and more. An innovative feature is the responsive breakpoints customizer, which allows detailed control over your site’s responsiveness.

Moreover, this theme is prepared for global audiences, being translation-ready and compatible with WordPress multilingual plugins. The inclusion of a child theme generator tool enables the creation of custom, white-labeled themes based on Page Builder Framework’s core functionalities, adding a personal touch to your site.

8. THE 7

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 200,000+
  • Rating: 4.7/5
  • Notable Features: premium elements for Elementor and WPBakery
  • Best Suited For: any websites
  • Price: $39/regular license ($2950/extended license)

The7 stands out as one of the most adaptable and rapid WordPress themes available. It’s designed to be fully responsive and SEO-friendly, enhancing both the performance of your website and its visibility on search engines.

For customization ease, The7 is compatible with both Elementor and WPBakery page builders. A standout addition, The7 Elements, introduces numerous new elements to these builders, including enhanced integration with the Elementor Pro Theme Builder, additional post types, and upgrades for WooCommerce.

Choosing from over 60 ready-to-use starter demos becomes an exploration in variety, encompassing everything from single-page layouts and e-commerce site templates to exclusive designs for Elementor and WPBakery. With The7’s one-click installer, deploying your selected demo site is effortless, ensuring a smooth start to your project.

9. WANIUM

Theme Stats:

  • Downloads: 2,000+
  • Rating: 5/5
  • Notable Features: countdown timer, one-page layout, pricing table builder, light and dark footer variations
  • Best Suited For: any types of websites
  • Price: $16/regular license ($2200/extended license)

Wanium is a versatile WordPress theme that stands out for its affordability, priced at just $16 for a regular license, making it a more budget-friendly option compared to other premium themes featured here.

With Wanium, you’re presented with 18 ready-to-go demo sites, and the flexibility to mix and match features from each using the WPBakery page builder. This flexibility extends to its design elements, offering 18 different header layouts and eight footer layouts, each available in both light and dark themes. A convenient color preset function allows for effortless customization of every element’s color.

Designed to support WooCommerce, Wanium includes a bespoke pricing table builder, positioning it as an ideal choice for those looking to launch an eCommerce site.

Additional functionalities enriching this theme include a one-page layout option, parallax scrolling for an immersive user experience, and a countdown timer module, among others.

10. BLOCKSY

Blocksy is an incredibly versatile and budget-friendly WordPress theme, available for a modest price that offers exceptional value compared to other premium selections on the market.

This theme provides access to an array of pre-designed demo sites, empowering you with the versatility to tailor features to your precise needs through the intuitive use of the WordPress Customizer. Blocksy boasts a diverse range of header and footer layouts, each with light and dark mode options, and introduces an easy-to-use color preset system for straightforward customization across your site’s elements.

Fully integrated with WooCommerce, Blocksy is equipped with specialized tools for creating an efficient eCommerce platform, including a customizable pricing table builder.

Among its other notable features are a sleek one-page layout, engaging parallax scrolling effects, and a dynamic countdown timer, making Blocksy a comprehensive solution for creating a sophisticated and highly functional website.

Benefits of Having a Fast Website

Website loading speed is a critical component of WordPress SEO. Google made it clear in 2010 by declaring page speed a significant ranking factor, and further emphasized its importance in 2018 by including mobile site speed in response to the surge in mobile searches.

A quicker WordPress site enhances the overall user experience and helps to reduce the likelihood of visitors leaving your site prematurely. An increase in page load time from one to three seconds can elevate the bounce rate by 32%.

For eCommerce websites, a faster page speed not only boosts the conversion rate but also significantly improves the shopping experience by allowing customers to browse through product pages without any frustrating delays.

Tips to Improve Website Speed

Selecting a responsive and swift WordPress theme is a foundational step in creating a website that loads quickly. However, the load time is also significantly influenced by the content’s size, especially with image and video files.

To enhance your website’s loading speed, consider the following strategies:

  • Compress files to decrease page size. This can be achieved by compressing CSS, HTML, and JavaScript files using tools like Gzip compression.
  • Optimize image sizes as high-resolution images can increase file size and slow down loading times. Tools such as JPEGmini can effectively reduce image file sizes without compromising quality.
  • Implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN), which distributes your website’s content across multiple data centers worldwide. This ensures that when users request content, it’s delivered from the nearest server, speeding up the loading process.
  • Utilize caching plugins, which save time by storing a copy of your page after its initial load. Subsequent visits to your page will load this cached version, significantly reducing load time by bypassing server requests.
  • Minimize URL redirects, as each redirect triggers an additional HTTP request, slowing down your site. Tools like SEO Spider can help identify and eliminate unnecessary redirects, streamlining your website’s navigation.

By adopting these methods, you can significantly improve your website’s loading speed, enhancing user experience and potentially boosting your site’s SEO performance.

CONCLUSION

We’ve explored some of the quickest WordPress themes to enhance your website’s performance and SEO rankings. The decision rests with you, but it’s crucial to select a theme that aligns with your website’s needs and offers the necessary features and compatibility. If you’re operating a store, it might be worthwhile to also consider specialized WooCommerce themes.

However, it’s important to remember that a fast WordPress theme by itself won’t solve all speed issues. To truly maximize your website’s speed, you should also focus on optimizing your site’s structure, compressing files, and leveraging a Content Delivery Network (CDN). These steps are essential for boosting your website’s loading speed further.