Astra
Brainstorm Force · Freemium · 4.9/5
A lightweight multipurpose theme with a huge library of importable starter sites for almost any niche.
Ka
Kadence
by Kadence WP
A block-first multipurpose theme with a strong header and footer builder plus matching block plugin.
4.9MultipurposeFreemium
This link may earn us a commission. It never changes our rating.
What Kadence is
A block-first multipurpose theme with a strong header and footer builder plus matching block plugin.
It sits in the multipurpose part of the theme market and is sold by Kadence WP on a freemium basis. A theme decides your layout, your typography and a large slice of your page weight, so it is the hardest thing on a WordPress site to change later.
Before you commit, record a speed test of your current site, then run the same test after you switch, on the same page, so you can see exactly what the new theme costs you.
What Kadence looks like
The official screenshot from the WordPress.org theme directory, as published by the theme authors.
See it running on a live demo site at the WordPress.org preview.
Real user ratings
Score
4.9/5
Reviews
455
Active installs
500,000+
Downloads
6.1M
Latest version
1.5.2
Last updated
2026-07-24
Figures come straight from the public WordPress.org theme directory API for version 1.5.2. You can check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing.
Where Kadence ranks elsewhere
| Publisher | List | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Elegant Themes | Best WordPress Themes | #2 of 6 |
| Themeisle | Fastest WordPress Themes | #2 of 9 |
| NitroPack | Best WordPress Themes for Core Web Vitals | #5 of 8 |
Positions are read from the published articles themselves, so they reflect that publisher's order rather than ours. Lists get re-ordered over time, so follow the link if you want the current version.
What changed in the latest version
v1.5.1Latest release
- fix: prevent fatal in woo_extra_body_classes on taxonomy archives
v1.5.0
- Tweak: When Kadence Shop Kit's Image Swap module is active, the "Product Image Hover Switch" setting is now disabled to prevent conflicts.
- Tweak: The AI Starter Templates notice has been temporarily removed.
v1.4.5
- Fix: Archive Title color reset not working in Customizer
Release notes are the developer's own words, published on WordPress.org. Read the full changelog
How to install Kadence
Try the live demo first, then install from the official source. It takes about five minutes.
Live demo
Open previewWhere to download it
Kadence is in the free WordPress.org theme directory, so you can install it straight from your dashboard, or grab the zip from the listing.
The free version is enough to launch. The paid add-on from Kadence WP unlocks the extra layouts and modules.
Install it
- 1In your WordPress admin, open Appearance then Themes and click Add New.
- 2Search for "Kadence", then click Install on the listing by Kadence WP.
- 3Click Activate once the install finishes. Your live site now uses Kadence.
- 4Prefer to upload it? Download the zip from the WordPress.org listing, then use Appearance, Themes, Add New, Upload Theme.
Set it up after activating
- 1Run the theme's own setup wizard or starter site import if it offers one, on a fresh site only.
- 2Set your logo, colours, fonts and menus under Appearance then Customise or the site editor.
- 3Create a child theme or use the theme's own custom CSS panel so updates never overwrite your work.
- 4Set global colours, fonts and container width before you build any pages.
- 5Import a starter layout if one fits, then strip out demo sections you do not need.
- 6Take a speed test before and after the switch on the same page so you can see the real cost.
Always try a theme switch on a staging copy first if the site is already earning.
Pros and cons
- Header, footer and typography controls are unusually deep for a free theme.
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 455 WordPress.org reviewers.
- There is a free version you can trial before paying.
- 500,000+ active installs, so tutorials and fixes are easy to find.
- Works with the block editor and the mainstream page builders.
- You get the most value only when you also run Kadence Blocks, which adds another moving part.
- Switching themes later means rebuilding page layouts, so choose deliberately.
How to use it
- 1Install the theme from Appearance > Themes, then activate it on a staging copy first.
- 2Create a child theme or use the theme's own custom CSS panel so updates never overwrite your work.
- 3Set global colours, fonts and container width before you build any pages.
- 4Import a starter layout if one fits, then strip out demo sections you do not need.
- 5Replace demo images with compressed WebP versions sized for the slot they sit in.
- 6Run a before and after check on our speed test so you can see the real page cost.
How it compares
Other multipurpose themes we recommend, with their public WordPress.org score where one exists.
| Theme | Rating | Reviews | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadence | 4.9/5 | 455 | Freemium | Header, footer and typography controls are unusually deep for a free theme. |
| Astra | 4.9/5 | 6,548 | Freemium | Ships very little CSS and JavaScript out of the box, so pages stay fast even on shared hosting. |
| Blocksy | 5/5 | 873 | Freemium | Very complete free tier, including content blocks, header builder and dark mode. |
| Neve | 4.7/5 | 1,283 | Freemium | Good balance between speed and ready-made starter layouts. |
| OceanWP | 4.9/5 | 5,717 | Freemium | Shop layouts, off-canvas filters and product quick view work without a page builder. |
| Avada | n/a | n/a | Premium | Prebuilt demos cover almost every industry, so launches are quick. |
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