GeneratePress
Tom Usborne · Freemium · 4.9/5
A famously small performance theme built for people who care about page weight above all else.
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Page Builder Framework
by David Vongries
A tiny performance theme designed to sit underneath Elementor, Beaver Builder or Gutenberg.
4.9PerformanceFreemium
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What Page Builder Framework is
A tiny performance theme designed to sit underneath Elementor, Beaver Builder or Gutenberg.
It sits in the performance part of the theme market and is sold by David Vongries 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 Page Builder Framework 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
131
Active installs
10,000+
Downloads
941K
Latest version
2.11.10
Last updated
2026-04-13
Figures come straight from the public WordPress.org theme directory API for version 2.11.10. You can check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing.
Where Page Builder Framework ranks elsewhere
Page Builder Framework does not appear in the published "best of" lists we track from WPBeginner, TechRadar, Kinsta, Themeisle and similar sites. That is not a mark against it - those roundups are short and skew towards the biggest names.
What changed in the latest version
Page Builder Framework does not publish a changelog we can read automatically, so check the vendor's own release notes before you update a live site.
How to install Page Builder Framework
Try the live demo first, then install from the official source. It takes about five minutes.
Live demo
Open previewWhere to download it
Page Builder Framework 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 David Vongries unlocks the extra layouts and modules.
Install it
- 1In your WordPress admin, open Appearance then Themes and click Add New.
- 2Search for "Page Builder Framework", then click Install on the listing by David Vongries.
- 3Click Activate once the install finishes. Your live site now uses Page Builder Framework.
- 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
- Under 50KB of theme assets on a typical page.
- Rated 4.9 out of 5 by 131 WordPress.org reviewers.
- There is a free version you can trial before paying.
- Works with the block editor and the mainstream page builders.
- Most styling controls live in the premium add-on.
- 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 performance themes we recommend, with their public WordPress.org score where one exists.
| Theme | Rating | Reviews | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page Builder Framework | 4.9/5 | 131 | Freemium | Under 50KB of theme assets on a typical page. |
| GeneratePress | 4.9/5 | 1,427 | Freemium | The base theme is tiny and loads only the modules you actually enable. |
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