The Best WordPress Themes for Personal Blogs in 2025 [Updated]

Blogging has always been one of the prominent ways of earning money online. And who doesn’t want money? You need a platform, a zest of passion, and a pinch of technical know-how to learn WordPress. As we all know, WordPress is the most popular CMS, and the reasons why it is considered the best blogging platform are clear. However, for a beginner, it’s easy to get lost among thousands of WordPress blog themes. Even experts struggle with it. So, to help fellow bloggers, we have decided to do the heavy lifting. We have compared some WP templates and compiled a list of the best of the bunch.

Not all bloggers work in the same domain, and not all themes serve the same purpose. A fashion blogger has different expectations than someone with an online business portfolio. We have covered which themes are best for these purposes and what makes these themes click or tick. We have also mentioned our favorite picks to help you make an informed decision, and pick the right option. 

Viral News

Viral News is like the little red dress of WP blog themes – somewhat elegant, timeless, and nice looking for every occasion. Whether you are dreaming up a personal blog or thinking of launching a news or magazine website, this WordPress blog theme is a go-to favorite for everyone. Viral News is one such WP theme that helps you create a website that you have always wished for. But with uniqueness and style, it will undoubtedly make some headlines for you.

Features: 

• 12 demo layouts
• 10 fully-customizable block layouts  
• Has blocks for advertisements 
• Available with WordPress Business Plan 
• 5 widgets 
• 20+ magazine-based elements 
• SEO-optimized 
• AMP-optimized 

Pricing: Freemium, Pro model starts at $69

Pros:

Customization 

You can import the demo layouts with a single click, each with a different aesthetic. By using this theme, you can turn a blank canvas into a goldmine. Unlike others, this theme gives you plenty of options to experiment with and to ensure that your website tells your story in your own way.

Responsive Design 

You need your website to look uniform across all devices and your readers to have an excellent user experience. This WordPress blog theme works well on multiple platforms, which means your words are reaching the audience no matter where they are.

Easy Monetization 

Suppose your blog has started gaining attention from all visitors. Now, it’s time to monetize the page. Viral News has dedicated advertisement slots where you can place Google Adsense/ ad network ads. These slots are strategically placed, thus optimizing the CTR without compromising the user experience. 

Cons 

Learning Curve 

Although it is a user-friendly WordPress theme, there’s still a bit of a learning curve. Technical knowledge will help you navigate the theme quite well, but as a beginner, you may stumble. 

Is it good for Adsense or affiliate marketing? 

Viral News is good for Adsense because it optimizes user experience and aesthetics. A good user experience will ensure your readers don’t bounce or get overwhelmed by ads. Therefore, you get the best of both worlds, maximum traffic and monetization aspects. 

Why Choose This Theme?

Viral News has been downloaded 10,000+ times among all the WordPress blog themes. It is developed by Hashthemes and has an active community for support. If you plan to create a news/ magazine website, Viral News is a good option. 

Downloads Bazaar Rating: 4/ 5  

Astra 

If you consider WordPress as your home, then Astra is your foundation, it’s powerful, flexible, and customizable. It can be used to create an array of websites, including personal blogs and portfolios. For a good reason, we are giving Astra the second position in our list of WordPress blog themes. It isn’t just a theme, it’s a blank canvas that you can modify as per your vision.  Bloggers love it, and so do NASA and Google, as per its official page. Its lightning-fast performance not only tells your story but heightens it to the next level. When you choose this, you are no longer following a trend—- you are setting it. 

Features

• Compatible with page builders like Elementor 
• Flexible customizer 
• Lightweight and high-performance 
• Custom layouts 
• Limited availability of eCommerce features in the free version 
• Limited access to integrations and plugins in the free version 
• Starter templates available  

Pros 

Customization-friendly 

Astra is one of the most customizable WordPress blog templates in the marketplace. You can play around with the typography, colors, and fonts to create a website that matches your expectations and personality. Your website can truly be the art of Picasso, which engages and captivates your audience. 

Lightweight 

A lot of WordPress themes become heavier when you add elements, Astra is the exception. Websites built with this theme load quickly across all browsers and devices, and offer an intuitive experience to readers. 

Beginner-friendly 

It comes with 150+ starter templates, which is basically like a virtual playground for a newbie blogger. If you don’t have the time and expertise and want to get started right away, you can do so. We have already mentioned that Astra is customizable, hence, you don’t have to worry about changing the layout later. 

Continuously Updated 

The development team is continuously working to make the theme more accessible and flexible than its previous version. This ensures your website stays compatible with the latest WordPress updates and remains secure against vulnerabilities.  

Cons 

Limited Availability of Features in Free Version 

While the Free version has features to make a blogger’s job easier, it does not give full control to the person. For example, they cannot modify their site’s whitelabel (copyright text) while using the unpaid theme. Also, it does not provide the full spectrum of customization for sidebars and top menus (you cannot choose sticky menus).   

No Chat Support 

Astra free WordPress theme does not offer extensive support to Free version users. If you get stuck or have a question regarding the template, you cannot use the live chat. However, it offers extensive documentation which can be your guide in this matter. 

Pricing

Astra, along with the Free version, has 3 other variations, Astra Pro ($49), Essential Toolkit ($79), and Business Toolkit ($149).

Is it a Good Choice for Affiliate Marketing or Adsense?

Astra is one of the few WordPress blog themes that works with both options. The starter templates are developed with Adsense in mind, which means strategically placed ad spots. These ads will not disrupt the design, content, performance, or user experience, you can be sure about that. 

Astra’s responsive and SEO-friendly design might also help with affiliate marketing conversions. You can use it to create comparison tables, product showcases, and other features for affiliate marketing blogs. 

Downloads Bazaar Rating: 4.5/5 

Halva 

Halva is an authentic classic WordPress theme that serves elegance and user-friendliness. Its custom layouts, menus, and color palettes create a fusion between minimalism and modern designs. This free blog website template is perfect for food bloggers and photographers, who want to share delicious recipes and cooking tips.  

Features

• Minimalistic, responsive design 
• Additional widgets 
• Compatible with Contact Form 7

Pros 

User-friendliness 

Halva’s intuitive interface will make anyone feel right at home, be it a seasoned blogger or a novice. You can customize the blocks, and play with supported post categories until you become familiar with them. 

Responsive layouts

The responsive design offers a seamless experience across different platforms, thus reducing bounce rates and disruptions. With this theme, you can present your culinary inventions to your audience, irrespective of their location. 

SEO-Optimized 

SEO-friendliness is one of the reasons for which Halva is counted among the best WordPress themes for blogs. This is a secret ingredient that might help your page rise to the top and bring more visitors. 

Monetization 

This theme enables bloggers to monetize the site through Google Adsense and affiliate marketing. The minimalistic layout helps with ad integration and creating amazing product review blogs for affiliate marketing. 

Cons 

Plugin Dependency 

While being a great theme, Halva might need additional support, which might not be great for a simple blog setup.  

Absence of Support

Unfortunately, this theme does not come with user support or documentation. Your only place to ask questions is the community forums or Discord channels.  

Pricing: A free plan is available, and the premium starts at $35. 

Download Bazaar Rating: 4

Generate Press 

If Viral News is the red dress, then Generate Press has to be an attractive little black dress. It stands out from other free WordPress blog themes, like a fashionista. Like Astra, Generate Press is a lightweight theme but differs in style and layout. If you are building a custom portfolio from scratch or a hobby blog, this might be the best option. 

Features 

• High speed 
• Compatibility with Page Builders 
• WooCommerce integration 

Pros 

Customization 

If you are a pro at customization, you will be sailing through this, and creating a masterpiece at the same time. You can get it down to exact specifications, and the aesthetics, thus creating a vision for your readers. But if you are a beginner, you will still end up with a professional website, if you experiment with it.  

Documentation 

This documentation is there to help you with any questions you might have about the theme, or to troubleshoot issues. You will be able to build a well-functioning website in no time after going through the step-by-step guidelines.  

Monetization Aspect: Both Adsense and affiliate marketing are possible 

Cons 

Limited Design Options 

Although you get a pretty decent number of features to try while creating a website, you might have some limitations. You might also need to use CSS if you are going for the customization. 

More Reliance on External Page Builders 

The drag-and-drop feature is lacking, to be honest, and you need to work with external page builders to create a perfect website. Also, it is quite difficult to integrate third-party plugins into the template. 

Pricing: Starts from $59

Downloads Bazaar Rating: 4.5/5 

Our Picks: 

• Astra 
• Generate Press 
• Viral News (Honorary Mention)

When you start your blogging journey, you begin by searching for free WordPress blog themes. But the price is not the only factor here, you also consider design, customizability, and monetization aspects. We want to make this task easier, that’s why we have compiled this list. After trying numerous themes, 2 themes stood out the most, Astra and Generate Press (Viral News is an honorary mention). Astra is a powerhouse that offers customization and flexibility and is a good choice for hobbyists and new bloggers. It’s SEO-optimized and lightweight, which means your website’s performance will be optimized.

Generate Press is also beginner-friendly, but you need a little bit of patience and technical knowledge while navigating it. We have compared it to a little black dress, which means it can be used to create almost every website. However, we strongly recommend using website builders such as Elementor or Thrive Architect to create visually appealing websites. This theme offers ample opportunities for that.

Both Astra & GeneratePress WP themes are downloaded in high numbers and come with extensive documentation. They offer multiple monetization options for bloggers, through affiliate marketing and Adsense.  

If you want to create a news/ magazine website, Viral News might help you with that. It has all the markings of a great theme but still has a long way to go. In terms of monetization, Google Adsense is the perfect choice. One thing is for sure, you are setting yourself up for success when you go with either of these choices. 

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