What are the very best WordPress blog themes of 2022? It’s a question countless bloggers have on their minds right now as they look to ensure that their website continues to look fresh and appealing in the face of ever-increasing design trends.

It’s also a question that can sometimes feel impossible to answer, especially with a seemingly infinite number of options out there to choose from. 

If that’s a problem you’re struggling with right now, this guide is for you. 

Having successfully built up a multi-million dollar portfolio of content websites, I’ve tried and tested scores of WordPress blog themes over the years, many of which proved to be of a very high standard. 

The ten themes I’m about to share with you today, however, are the ones I truly consider to be the very best of the best. 

Whether you’ve just learned how to set up a WordPress blog and now you’re in search of the perfect theme for the first time, or whether you’re an established blogger whose site is ready for a makeover, these are the ten themes that are going to ensure you maintain a website that looks great and functions flawlessly throughout 2022.

Top 10 Best WordPress Blog Themes 2022

1. Astra

Used by over 1.6 million websites and boasting 4,800+ positive reviews, the makers of the Astra theme certainly aren’t kidding when they say that it’s the most popular WordPress theme of all time. 

What is it that makes this such a popular choice among bloggers and website owners?

Simply put, it’s that the theme takes everything you could ask for in a theme and combines it into one affordable package. 

Weighing in at under 50KB, it’s one of the fastest themes on the Internet, with the use of Vanilla JavaScript in place of standard jQuery, ensuring that your blog always performs at its best. 

It also looks the part too. 

The enormous collection of 180+ website templates offers unique, attractive designs for practically every niche. 

These themes can also be completely customized with Elementor, Gutenberg, or any number of other WordPress website builders, meaning it’s also straightforward to use for both experienced WP users and novices alike.

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

The Astra theme is available in a free version, though this does offer limited features and functionality.

The ability to edit colors, typography, spacing, and more are all restricted in the free version, while full-width, max-width, and fluid site layouts are entirely unavailable. 

Indeed, while using the free theme may be a good start if you simply want to test things out, or if you’re happy with an attractive-but-basic design, serious WordPress bloggers would do well to pay for the premium version, which is available in three different packages: 

PLAN NAME	PLAN DESCRIPTION	PLAN PRICE
Astra Pro	Enables access to all of the free features plus: Advanced blog layouts Advanced header and footer builders Advanced typography Custom layouts and hooks Native AMP Support Product layouts Premium support. And more.	$49 p/a
Essential Bundle	Includes the Astra Pro package plus: WP Portfolio plugin Ultimate Addons for either Elementor or Beaver Builder Unlimited access to all 180+ templates.	$169 p/a
Growth Bundle	Includes the Essential Bundle plus: Convert Pro plugin Scheme plugin Ultimate addons for both Beaver Builder and Elementor (no need to choose between them) Membership to Skill Jet Academy Free access to any future products. All of the prices above are charged per year, though you can choose to pay for lifetime usage, in which case you’ll pay the following rates: Astra Pro – $239 Essential Bundle – $499 Growth Bundle – $699.	$249 p/a

3. Pros and Cons of Astra

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4. How to Get Started With Astra?

Step 1: To get started with the Astra theme, first head to wpastra.com and hit the “Download Now” button.

Step 2: Next, select your preferred plan and click ‘Buy Now.’

Step 3: From there, create an account by entering your name, email, and a password.

Step 4: Finally, you’ll be able to decide whether you want to opt in or out of the VIP care priority support package (you’re opted-in by default), which costs $29 extra per year.

Step 5: With that done, all you have to do is enter your payment details, download the theme files and install them to your WordPress site.

Step 6: Don’t know how to do that? You may find my tutorial on how to install a WordPress theme helpful.

2. OceanWP

If we’re talking value-for-money alone, then OceanWP can certainly stake a claim as being one of the very best WordPress blogging themes available in 2022. 

The premium plans are not only substantially less expensive than Astra’s plans but also pack in an extensive array of features, including more than 220 stunning templates that will really create a professional look for your new blog. 

However, what I really like best about this one is just how vast the customization options really are.

Every single last detail of each template can be endlessly tweaked and fine-tuned in moments thanks to seamless integration with Elementor and Gutenberg, meaning it will take no time at all to ensure that your new website really shines in 2022. 

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

Like most blogging themes, OceanWP does come in a free version, but, once again, the features are somewhat limited. 

While it’s great for giving the theme a test run, to make the most out of this one requires you to invest in one of three affordable plans depending on how many sites you’re planning to use it on.

PLAN NAME	PLAN DESCRIPTION	PLAN PRICE
Personal	All three plans include the same key features: 7 x free extensions 14 x premium extensions 15 x free demos 210 x pro demos 12 x months of updates and support.	$43 p/a ($177 lifetime) for upto 3 websites
Business	7 x free extensions 14 x premium extensions 15 x free demos 210 x pro demos 12 x months of updates and support.	$87 p/a ($356 lifetime) for upto 6 websites
Agency	7 x free extensions 14 x premium extensions 15 x free demos 210 x pro demos 12 x months of updates and support.	$143 p/a ($580 lifetime) for upto 50 websites.

3. Pros and Cons of OceanWP

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4. How to Get Started With OceanWP?

3. GeneratePress

Much like Astra, one of the biggest selling points of the GeneratePress WordPress theme is its lightweight design and lightning-fast performance.

Weighing in at less than 30KB with 2 HTTP requests and no dependencies, this is the ideal theme for any website owner who ranks performance as their number one priority.

Not that blazing-fast loading speeds are all that GeneratePress has to offer.

The blogging and other website templates may not be the most remarkable on the planet. However, they still look good, function smoothly on all devices, follow WCAG 2.0 standards, and, above all, are relatively simple to edit using the themes own GenerateBlocks page builder plugin. 

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

The free version of GeneratePress has to be considered one of the best free WordPress themes around right now as it doesn’t compromise on speed or performance and has a decent number of templates to choose from.

However, you will still be limited in terms of styling controls, and you’ll also miss out on a number of premium features, including:

And more.

If you decide that you want these features, you can upgrade to the premium plan, which is available in two packages:

PLAN NAME	PLAN DESCRIPTION	PLAN PRICE
Pay Yearly	Both of these packages offer the same features, including: All premium features Unrestricted site library access Support and updates Use on up to 500 websites 30-day money-back guarantee.	$59 p/a
One-time Lifetime Payment	All premium features Unrestricted site library access Support and updates Use on up to 500 websites 30-day money-back guarantee.	$249.

3. Pros and Cons of GeneratePress

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4. How to Get Started With GeneratePress?

4. StudioPress

While some WordPress themes focus on how fast users can access your website, StudioPress takes a different approach to speed by empowering WordPress users to create stunning, search-engine-optimized websites in no time at all. 

To do this, your themes come with prebuilt, custom content sections and attractive, responsive full-page layouts that can be quickly modified in moments.

Elsewhere, the real highlight is the brand’s own Genesis Pro framework upon which your site is built. 

The framework is continually being worked upon and updated by the StudioPress team to ensure that your website always performs at its best. 

While using this approach may not be as beginner-friendly as you’ll find with some platforms, the combination of the efficient building process, great SEO-friendly templates, and top-level security features certainly make it one of the best WordPress blogging themes for developers.

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

There are two ways to get your hands on StudioPress themes.

If you’re hosting your site with WPEngine or Flywheel, you get free access to StudioPress themes.

If you’re hosting your website with another top-quality WordPress web hosting company, then you’ll need to pay for the Genesis Pro plan, which is unfortunately pretty expensive. 

The whole package costs $360 per year, but that does mean that you get access to all premium features, premium support, and every one of the StudioPress-made themes in their library.

3. Pros and Cons of StudioPress

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4. How to Get Started With StudioPress?

5. RivalingDivi

Rivaling the likes of Astra in the popularity stakes, Divi is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable WordPress themes around, at least in terms of brand recognition. 

The combination of 110+ premade websites and 800+ premade layouts, along with a critically acclaimed drag-and-drop website builder and a vast range of third-party extensions, makes it the ultimate tool for building your WordPress blogging website.

The best part is that all this comes in a very generously-priced package, making it one of the best value-for-money deals around right now. 

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

The pricing structure is one of the things I like best about Divi. 

The theme and site builder only comes in one single plan, which offers all of the following:

The only thing you have to decide is whether you pay for yearly access at $67 p/y or lifetime access for a one-time fee of $187.

It’s simple, and above all, rather affordable when you consider how much value you’re getting with this theme. 

3. Pros And Cons of RivalingDivi

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4. How to Get Started With Divi?

6. Hestia

If the idea of huge website packs with multiple page layouts and designs feels too overwhelming and unnecessary for you, you may prefer to keep things simple with Hestia, a modern one-page WordPress theme with excellent blogging capabilities.

The sleek design can be fully modified within the WordPress default customizer, though it is fully compatible with all popular page builders, including:

Add in just enough features to ensure you have all the functionality you need without feeling overwhelmed by endless options, and what you’ve got here is a stylish, responsive theme that’s as easy for bloggers to manage as it is for readers to navigate their way around your content.

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

Hestia does come with a free plan, though like many of the best free WordPress themes, you’re going to find that some features are limited until you upgrade to the pro version. 

With this one, you get three options based on how many sites you want to use the theme with. These plans include:

PLAN NAME	PLAN DESCRIPTION	PLAN PRICE
Personal	All Hestia Pro features 1 x year of support 1 x year of updates. For one single website	$69
Business	All of the above plus: Starter sites Priority support. For up to three websites	$99
Agency	Everything in the business plan plus: White-label options Live chat support. For unlimited websites	$299

3. Pros and Cons of Hestia

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4. How to Get Started With Hestia?

7. Newspaper

The makers of the Newspaper WordPress theme proudly claim that it’s the number-one selling news theme of all time, and with 117,092 sales and 7,063, they may well have a good point. 

If you’re taking your blogging to the next level with a content-heavy newspaper or magazine-style website, this theme is going to be the answer to all of your prayers.

The front page design has numerous options for displaying content by featured posts, trending articles, categories, recently added blogs, and more, giving you the complete freedom to display all your well-created content in a way that truly best serves your readers.

Meanwhile, the excellent WooCommerce elements allow you to add a stylish and easy-to-navigate store to your news site, and, of course, who could forget the addition of some of the best free WordPress plugins like the tagDiv Opt-In Builder, an invaluable lead-generation tool for bloggers, writers, and small business owners. 

1. Key Features 

2. Pricing

Another thing I like about Newspapers is that there aren’t multiple tiered payment plans to choose from. 

Instead, you pay one flat rate of $60 for a standard Evanto license with six months of support from the developers. 

If you wish to extend that support by six months, you simply need to pay an additional $17.63.

3. Pros and Cons of Newspaper

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4. How to Get Started With Newspaper?

8. Soledad

Soledad is another premium-quality WordPress theme designed specifically for bloggers and magazine websites. 

Featuring a sleek, minimalist design that puts your best content front-and-center, the theme puts the emphasis very much on keeping things simple while at the same time packing in a plethora of post and page layouts that let you showcase that content in a way that most appeals to visitors.

Suppose you’re still a fan of using sliders. In that case, you’ll also find a lot to like, as Soledad comes with no less than 40 different slider designs to help you draw attention to your most important posts.

All being said, this may not be the most feature-rich WordPress blogging theme out there. Still, if layout options are your top priority, then you’ll undoubtedly find SoleDad tough to beat. 

1. Key Features 

2. Pricing

Like Newspaper, Soledad comes at a single price of $59 with six months of support and the option to extend support for additional six months for $17.63.

3. Pros and Cons of SoleDad

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4. How to Get Started With SoleDad?

9. Sahifa

Our third WordPress blogging theme from the Themeforest store comes courtesy of Sahifa, an option that focuses more on features and functionality than pure design aesthetic. 

That’s not to say that Sahifa is an ugly theme by any stretch. 

The magazine-like homepage has been fully-optimized to draw attention to your content. At the same time, the limited number of page and post templates all help ensure that content is well-presented in a way that appeals to readers.

Still, it’s the extensive array of features -from simple tools like one-click demo imports and BuddyPress integration to beautifully designed social counters, sticky navigation, and more- which help you build a blog that looks and functions just like the pros. 

1. Key Features 

2. Pricing

Sahifi is available from ThemeForest for $59, including the standard six-month support option. To extend this support to 12 months will cost you $17.63

3. Pros and Cons of Sahifa

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4. How to Get Started With Sahifa? 

10. REHub

Last but not least, we come to REHub, a magazine and blogging template that is fully optimized for income generation. 

If your primary goal is to turn your blog into a money-making machine, you’ll certainly find a lot to like here. 

The theme features unique tools for affiliates, course-sellers, eCommerce sales, and more, with each feature fully customizable via full-site editing. 

Along with marketing-focused Gutenberg blocks and multiple attractive page-layouts, all this makes this a top choice for entrepreneurial bloggers.

1. Key Features

2. Pricing

ReHub is available via a standard Envato license from ThemeForest at $59 with optional extended support for $17.63.

3. Pros and Cons of REHub

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4. How to Get Started With REHub?

What to Look for When Choosing the Best WordPress Blogging Themes?

So, there you have it:

My pick of the top ten very best WordPress blog themes to use in 2022

Still, if you’ve read all that, you may still have more questions such as:

To answer all of those questions, here’s a look at the most important things to consider when choosing your next theme. 

1. Design Choices

While you may be happy with a theme that only offers one design layout if that layout happens to be outstanding, I believe that the best blogging themes for WordPress are those that offer an abundance of pre-built websites and layouts that you can use to create a truly unique looking site. 

When making my selections, I considered not just the quantity of design choices but also the quality, with those that offered the most high-quality templates scoring the biggest number of points. 

2. Ease of Use

Of course, it’s no use having an endless number of layouts to customize if doing so is so difficult that it starts to give you a headache. 

That’s why it’s always important to consider how easy it is to actually edit and customize both the design and settings of your theme.

Those that are compatible with page builders like WPBakery, Elementor, and Beaver Builder will always be popular choices as they take a lot of the hard work out of creating your site, though an easy-to-navigate theme options menu is always a big advantage. 

3. Responsiveness

If there’s one thing you absolutely don’t want to do, it’s buying a WordPress theme that isn’t mobile responsive. 

Sure, your site may look great on the laptop you’re using to create it, but if it looks and functions like garbage on your reader’s iPad or smartphone, then you’ll have wasted your money -especially since an ever-increasing majority of your readers are going to browsing your site from their smart devices.

Needless to say, each one of my top ten picks is a fully mobile-responsive theme. 

4. Plugin Compatibility

Some WordPress themes are known to conflict with a number of popular must-have WordPress plugins.

If you read user reviews that say the theme constantly clashes with things like Yoast or WPTotal Cache, it may be worth giving that one a miss and choosing something else. 

5. SEO-Friendliness

Finally, choosing a theme that is as SEO-friendly as possible is only ever going to serve you well. 

A theme that is lightweight performs fast, and includes various SEO features to help optimize your content is always going to be a better choice than a theme that is slow, bloated, and makes SEO more work than it needs to be. 

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Blogging Themes

Q1. How do you install a WordPress theme?

Ans. You can install WordPress via FTP or by going to your WordPress dashboard and selecting Appearance – Themes – Add New, then uploading the zip file and activating your new theme. 

Q2. Is it worth it to pay for a WordPress theme?

Ans. Usually, yes. While there are a lot of good free WordPress themes out there, most of them are limited in terms of features, designs, and functionality that you can only get with a premium theme. It’s also worth noting that paid-for themes tend to be better optimized and secure.

Q3. Do you have to pay for WordPress themes every year?

Ans. No. Although many theme developers sell their themes with a yearly plan, that doesn’t mean your website will stop working if you choose not to pay for an extra year. The yearly plans simply cover support and updates. 

Verdict 

So, with all that being said, which WordPress blog theme should you be spending your money on this year?

If you ask me, I say it all depends on your priorities.

If value-for-money matters most to you, you’ll find the combination of an enormous list of features and affordable pricing offered by OceanWP to be very appealing. 

If pure performance is your priority, you’ll find that they don’t come much faster nor more lightweight than the GeneratePress WordPress theme. 

However, if what really matters to you is simply getting the very best WordPress theme for your blog, then I’d recommend Astra as it combines everything you could possibly need in a WordPress theme – great performance, lots of features, SEO-friendliness, and responsive design- into one very attractively-priced package.