$99 Websites + Website Design: 20+ Best Free WordPress Blog Themes

So, you have a fantastic idea for a new blog, but the prospect of shelling out for a professional WordPress theme is daunting, especially if you’re operating on a limited budget. If all you can spare is money for hosting, then a free WordPress blog theme is going to be an ideal option for you.

Instead of spending a lot on a theme you can’t really afford right away, you can instead opt for a free theme that allows you to display your blog content in a stylish way. And often, free themes are still chock full of features that unless you want to add some advanced functionality at a later date, you might not even require a premium theme.

Top Sources for Free WordPress Blog Themes

WordPress theme directory — Free WordPress blog themes on the WordPress.org

When you’re hunting down free WordPress blog themes, there’s no need to panic. Honestly, WordPress.org offers up plenty of free options to pursue. The official WordPress theme directory is chock full of outstanding theme options that you can download and install on your website immediately and without spending a penny. A great aspect of this is you’ll find many themes listed here are “lite” versions of the premium themes. So if you eventually want to upgrade, that’s often a possibility as well.

Free WordPress theme on ThemeForest — Free WordPress themes on ThemeForest

It’s also important to note there are free WordPress themes available on ThemeForest that rotate out on a regular basis, so that’s well-worth checking out, too.

Best Free WordPress Themes for Blogs

If you find you need more features than what’s offered in the free themes detailed here, there are tons of premium blog WordPress themes available as well on ThemeForest. And you’ll find they fit a variety of budget needs. With that caveat out of the way, let’s explore our list of some of the best free WordPress blog themes.

Premium WordPress blog themes on ThemeForest

1. Twenty Twenty-One

First on our list is the Twenty Twenty-One theme. It’s the current default theme that comes with WordPress when you first install it and works with the built-in block editor, Gutenberg. It’s pretty bare bones but that’s precisely its appeal, allowing your content to shine. It has a soft color scheme, simple features, and a complementary layout.

2. Astra

Next on our list is Astra. This speed-optimized blog theme for WordPress is free and powerful, allowing you to create any kind of site you want, from the personal blog to the online shop. It’s super lightweight, SEO optimized, and compatible with all the top page builder plugins currently on the market. It works with top plugins as well.

3. Go

Another theme you should consider is called Go and is described as a Gutenberg-first theme that offers a slew of straightforward features that make it easy to create a beautiful blog website with minimal effort.

4. Inspiro

Inspiro is another free blog theme that offers a straightforward design and layout for creating a website that’s heavy on photos and videos. It includes fullscreen areas for supporting videos, page builder integration with popular choices like Elementor and Beaver Builder, and you can even use it to build an aesthetically-pleasing portfolio. And for a free theme, it really is loaded with features like WooCommerce support.

5. OceanWP

OceanWP is another great option that offers a lightweight website theme that you can customize to suit your specific needs. It offers everything you need to build a blog with proper SEO optimization and page builder compatibility. However, it also includes features and tools for creating a corporate site, portfolio, or WooCommerce online store.

6. GeneratePress

Or you could consider GeneratePress, another lightweight WordPress theme that places a heavy focus on speed and functionality. This theme is performance optimized and works seamlessly with Gutenberg. It also offers compatibility with top page builder plugins as well including Elementor.

7. Hestia

Hestia is another blog WordPress theme that offers a modern design suitable for a wide range of websites including personal blogs, online stores, and niche business sites. The one-page design offers a variety of options including eCommerce integration, portfolio options, parallax effects, photo galleries, and more. Plus, it’s compatible with Elementor and is SEO-friendly.

8. Ashe

Or you could consider Ashe, another minimal blog theme that offers a bit of a rustic style that can be used for personal blogs, photography sites, portfolios, and more. It can be customized to suit any niche and even includes WooCommerce integration, a fullscreen slider, and an Instagram slider widget. Ashe works with page builder plugins, too.

9. Chic Lite

Chic Lite is another WordPress theme that is well-suited to building a blog. It possesses a feminine design that can be used personally and professionally. It also includes several customization features like unlimited colors, Google Fonts, and Instagram integration.

10. Signify Dark

Another free WordPress blog theme you might want to consider is Signify Dark, which offers a darker and moodier design than some of the other blog themes on this list. This is a child theme of Signify, which has a corporate style. This theme can be used for personal and professional uses and includes a wide range of features including a portfolio, testimonials, sliders, featured content, and more.

11. Yummy Recipe

Next up is Yummy Recipe, a WordPress blog theme designed for food blogs and recipe websites. This theme is optimized for mobile devices and SEO and works seamlessly with the Delicious Recipes plugin. It also includes plenty of customization options with regard to fonts, colors, and sections.

12. Fairy

Another free theme worthy of your consideration is Fairy, another minimal blog theme that is Gutenberg-ready and includes a wide range of customizer settings you can play with. It also comes with custom widgets for authors, sliders, banners, and social icons.

13. Polite Blog

There’s also the Polite Blog WordPress theme, which features a masonry layout and a blog page layout. It’s minimal in design and offers a simple way to present your content to the world. It also includes an off-canvas sidebar, a featured slider, promo boxe, and footer widgets. It’s actually the child theme of Polite, with a blog-specific focus.

14. Phlox

Next up is Phlox, another free WordPress blog theme that adds a lightweight theme to our list here. This one is highly customizable and can be used for sites outside of blogs, too, like magazines, agencies, businesses, and food sites. It integrates with WooCommerce and includes 30 widgets, RTL support, and 19 demo sites that you can import with a single click. It also works with the top page builder plugins like Elementor and SiteOrigin.

15. Personalistio Blog

Another option is the Personalistio Blog theme, which is perfectly suited for lifestyle bloggers but could be customized to suit just about any niche. The theme itself is well-optimized for SEO and for speed and offers a great combination of performance and design appeal. Customization options are plentiful, too.

16. Oh My Blog

Next up is Oh My Blog, another minimal blog design that’s ideal for personal and professional blogs alike. It offers a dark color scheme that could suit modern website designs well. It has a lot of typography options to choose from, too, and looks good on all devices. You can use this theme for corporate blog if it suits your niche though it would likely work best for a personal blog or even a small creative business.

17. Velux

Velux is another free WordPress blog theme worthy of consideration. It’s actually a child theme of Primer, offering a more sophisticated and luxurious design than the standard theme. It’s a great choice for upscale blogs, fashion sites, or even luxury eCommerce shops.

18. Redefined Blog

Redefined Blog is another free theme on our list that’s well worth a look. This theme is described as a great option for magazines and offers the features and customization options for online publications -- as well as a blog. It’s actually a child theme of the broader Refined Magazine theme and serves as a lightweight option for building a blog in any niche. It includes a one-click demo import, nine custom widgets, SEO optimization, a variety of page and post layout options, column support, and it’s Gutenberg-ready, too.

19. PhotoFocus

Or you might want to consider PhotoFocus, a free WordPress theme with a photography focus but that prioritizes multipurpose features. It would be ideal for an image-heavy blog, a freelance portfolio, or any other creative website. It comes with a variety of customizable sections like featured content and featured slider, hero content, and header media support. It’s also been optimized for performance and speed, making it a great choice for media-heavy blogs.

20. RebeccaLite

There’s also RebeccaLite, a blog theme that offers a stylish design that can be used for both personal and professional websites. This theme is mobile-friendly (of course) and is also SEO-optimized, so your published blog stands a greater chance of being seen. The design itself is minimal and modern but manages to remain interesting.

21. Flash

Or, you might wish to consider Flash, which is yet another multipurpose blog theme we think you should consider. This free WordPress blog theme is quite versatile and comes with a variety of demos that you can install with a single click thanks to the ThemeGrill Demo Importer Plugin. It also integrates well with the SiteOrigin Page Builder Plugin and WooCommerce, too, so you can take your website from standard blog to online store, portfolio, or generally a more feature-rich web experience for your visitors.

22. Bard

The last free WordPress blog theme on our list here today is the Bard theme, which is designed for personal blogs and multi-author blogs as well. It is billed as a multipurpose theme that can be used for any industry or niche and features a mobile-friendly and SEO-optimized layout as well. It comes with loads of features as well including a fullscreen slider, hero header, column support, Instagram sliders, and it’s Gutenberg-ready and GDPR compatible.

Launching a Blog Has Never Been Easier

And there you have it! This in-depth look at some of the best free WordPress blog themes will hopefully help you find a design that works for your next project. And remember that ThemeForest does offer new free themes each month to browse as well as a wide range of premium blog themes to consider as well.

Regardless of which theme you choose, good luck as you dive into creating your next blog!