10+ Best Free WordPress Blog Themes for 2020 (Curated List)

Looking for the best free WordPress blog themes? To make it a lot easier for you to search the thousands of free themes at WordPress.org, we’ve curated ten of our absolute favorite free blog themes for WordPress, with screenshots of both the desktop and mobile demo sites.

Ten best free WordPress blog themes

1. Neve

Neve demo

First off, our own Neve is a lightweight starter theme for building almost any website. It’s lightning-fast, and customizing it to your specific requirements is immensely easy. Some of its key features include:

• It’s lightweight and great on mobile.
• The theme’s structure and code are optimized for search engines.
• You can see real-time changes when editing.

In addition, it works with practically all of the most popular page builders, which means your coding knowledge is no barrier to creating the perfect website. Plus, its one-click demo layouts make it easy to get up and running in a snap.

If you want to build your WordPress blog to your exact specifications, Neve is the best free blog theme for you. However, if you’re looking for additional features — such as custom layouts, premium starter sites, and priority support — plans range from $59 to $89 per year.

2. OceanWP

OceanWP demo

Another great theme to consider for your next blogging site is OceanWP. Not only is it clean and easy to use, but it also includes a developer-friendly codebase ripe for customization. Let’s take a look at some of its features:

• A jam-packed extension library means you can enhance the theme’s functionality without code.
• Lets you edit settings for tablets and mobile devices.
• Works with most popular page builders (such as Elementor and Beaver Builder.)

Given its ease of use out of the box, and the scope for customization, OceanWP could be the ideal WordPress theme for blogging. What’s more, there’s no premium version, so the full feature set is at your disposal. However, some of the extensions have a cost attached, but there’s of course no obligation to use them if your budget is small.

3. Astra

Astra demo

Next up, Astra is great for building an easy and customizable website. It offers a beautiful simplicity for showcasing content, as well as for selling products online. Here’s a rundown of Astra’s key features:

• It’s extensible through premium add-ons.
• The theme is AMP-compatible, meaning it’s mobile-friendly out of the box.
• For online stores, Astra is also WooCommerce-ready.

Compared to other free WordPress blog themes, Astra’s large library of pre-built sites makes finding the ideal look and feel for your blog site a cinch. Overall, Astra is a great theme for blogs wishing to also delve into e-commerce. While the theme is free, there is a premium version, ranging from $47–$219 per year.

4. Poseidon

Poseidon demo

Poseidon is a theme that’s near-perfect for showcasing your content, especially if you also use crisp and captivating visuals. It offers a full screen image carousel,  offset by plenty of negative space. This makes Poseidon great for mixed-content blogs, as the inherent design lets your posts and pictures shine. Let’s round up some of the theme’s key features:

• It provides a full screen carousel.
• The design is crisp and simple.
• The use of negative space makes your content easy to read.

Of course, Poseidon is a free WordPress blog theme. However, you can also get a premium version starting from $72.00. Beyond this, the cost depends on the number of websites needed and the level of support.

5. Hemingway

Hemingway demo

Hemingway features a two-column design that’s well-suited for blog sites. It is clean, with a simple layout that draws attention to your content over everything else. Some of its key features include:

• A clean two-column design.
• A full-width header image with a parallax scrolling effect.
• Plenty of customization for all but the most complex requirements.

This theme is perfect for many types of blogging sites, simply because it’s clean enough for simple blogs, but also extensible for more complex sites. Unlike many of the themes on this list, Hemingway does not have a premium version. This makes it a good choice for bloggers on a budget.

6. Olsen Light

Olsen Light demo

If you’re looking to create a lifestyle blog (for niches such as fashion or travel,) Olsen Light is a great choice. As well as its plethora of customization options, it also integrates with a number of bundled custom widgets to help give you almost everything you need to create your site. Here are some of its features:

• The theme is highly customizable and easy to use.
• It’s compatible with most popular page builders.
• A default design that will offer a ‘high-end sheen’ to your blog.

Olsen Light is a great way to create a website that’s well-designed and sophisticated. We’ve already mentioned lifestyle blogs, but it’s also a great choice for professional blogs, such as those featuring product or restaurant reviews.

Regardless, for regular updates and premium support, you’ll want the premium version, which costs $49. Given the functionality under the hood, this is a very reasonable price for a theme such as Olsen Light.

7. Lovecraft

Lovecraft demo

Lovecraft is another theme with a two-column design. Given the literary name, you’ll understand that it’s created specifically for bloggers. However, it also features a full-width header image. Let’s take a look at some of its features:

• There’s a two-column theme designed specifically for bloggers.
• You’ll get a full-width header on the home page.
• There are custom accents, logos, and styles to help enhance your site’s visuals.

This theme will have your blog up and running in no time. Its minimalist aesthetic is appealing for incorporating long posts and beautiful images. Given its simplicity, you’d expect a premium version to be available. However, Lovecraft includes its entire feature set out of the box.

8. Writee

Writee demo

When it comes to personal blogs – and a bunch of great content about food, travel, fashion, or other lifestyle topics – Writee is worth your consideration. Its key features include:

• A design that looks great on smaller screens.
• A full-width slider to showcase your content.
• The theme includes a few custom widgets, to help enhance your sidebar.

The charm of this theme is that its design belies its ease of use. In other words, Writee looks great, and lets you get cracking on creating content – ideal for new site owners. However, depending on your needs, there are also a couple of premium plans to choose from. For one site, a license will cost $34.99, while a five-site license will cost $99.99.

9. Tracks

Tracks demo

Tracks features a dark and minimalist design, and has a unique default look when compared to other free WordPress blog themes. Its stark layout is designed for photography, blogging, and magazine sites. Here are some of its features:

• A minimalist design great for text-focused blogs.
• Image-based content also pops, which will suit creatives.
• The theme is compatible with WooCommerce.

Overall, Tracks works well for image-heavy blogs that prefer a darker color palette. Black-and-white and color imagery will definitely stand out here. As for pricing, Tracks is free, although there are a number of premium upgrades available to enhance your customization options – many go for $49 each, although the price may vary.

10. Hueman

Hueman demo

Our final theme on this list is Hueman, which has a slick and customizable design. What’s more, it’s mobile-friendly, which will suit readers on the move. Here are some of its key features:

• One of the most highly-rated free WordPress blog themes available.
• The three-column design helps you showcase a variety of content.
• The design is versatile and customizable.

For blogging websites with a lot of content to display, Hueman may be a good choice. Its layout is going to be ideal for blogs using a ‘related posts’ strategy to keep readers on site.

As with many other themes, there’s also a premium version of Hueman available. For either $59 for one year or a one-time payment of $99, you’ll get enhanced support and unlimited site activations.

Conclusion

When it comes to building your website, there are many different free WordPress blog themes to choose from. Some of the best are simple, mobile-friendly, and customizable. Regardless, with the right theme, you’ll have your blog up and running in no time.

For example, with Neve you have a lightweight and fully-customizable option. On the other hand, themes like Poseidon and Writee are perfect for simple blogs wishing to showcase content without fuss. Of course, which one you choose will depend on your personal tastes and the kind of blog you’re writing, so browse around this collection and see for yourself!

Do you have any questions about any of these free WordPress blog themes? Ask away in the comments section below!