12 Best Free WordPress Themes For 2016
As more and more online surfers prefer using their mobile devices for Internet browsing than desktop computers, it’s imperative that your site is accessible across all the devices and platforms. Of course, a mobile site can help you reach to the increasing mobile user base in a hassle-free manner.
But, considering the fact that majority of traffic still comes from a desktop computer, you’ll need to maintain both your existing desktop and newly created mobile website. This can turn out to be a pretty expensive deal. However, turning your site layout into a responsive design can help in making your site accessible to all mobile devices without spending chunks of money.
In fact, the search engine giant “Google” recommends making use of responsive design to attain top ranks in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). So, if you’re still running a non-responsive WordPress site, then it’s high time to transform your site into a responsive one. Thankfully, there are many excellent responsive WordPress themes available online – that can be used for setting up a responsive site in no time.
Here in this post, I would like to introduce some of the best free responsive WordPress themes that you shouldn’t miss to use in 2016.
1. Twenty Sixteen
Let’s start with the new default WordPress theme, Twenty Sixteen. The theme is designed with the mobile first approach on a fluid grid – that makes it look good on the device it is being accessed on.
The Twenty Sixteen theme is a modernized take on the typical WordPress layout – containing a horizontal masthead along with an optional sidebar on the right side. Basically, the theme looks a lot different compared to the popular WP theme.
Most importantly, the theme adds some unique touch to the standard WordPress blog layout. Additionally, it provides custom color options that render the ability to create a Twenty Sixteen theme based on your preferences.
2. Flatolio
Created by aThemes, Flatolio is a responsive theme designed for creating WordPress portfolio sites with a flat-style design.
Most importantly, the theme uses a combination of parallax scrolling effect, rich animations and vibrant color scheme that makes the theme perfectly fit the need of businesses planning on launching their product (ideally an app) to the market in an aesthetically pleasing way.
Another great aspect of Flatolio is that comes loaded with a responsive youtube player – that make sure that all your website videos adjust to any mobile device used for accessing the site.
3. Omega
This is the right theme for people wanting to have a responsive WordPress site built on HTML5.
The theme features a simple yet robust design that can be adjusted to create any type of WordPress site using its child theme. It’s a search engine optimized theme since it is based on SEO best practices and is coded in compliance with semantic markup.
What’s more? Some fantastic features of this theme include multisite support, translation ready, and child theme support to name the most important ones.
4. Moesia
Moesia is yet another theme from aThemes ideally suited for building responsive business site. The theme features a minimalistic yet modern looking design that can easily grab viewers’ attention. It has a long scrolling effect help visitors understand what they should do next, which helps in rendering best possible user experience to visitors.
Moesia theme contains several blocks that can be used by businesses to display their services or products. Also, there are many sections well-suited for adding testimonials, social sharing buttons, and other options.
This a highly customizable theme that allows you to select your choice of Google font to typography and a plethora of color options to choose from.
5. Destro
If you want to create a responsive magazine-style WordPress website, then Destro will likely suit your needs. You can change the main page of the theme using any one of the three available home page layouts.
Destro also appears as an ideal theme for users who favor placing advertisements on their site. That’s because, the theme comes with sections that can be used for placing ads of size 300×250 and 125×125.
Furthermore, you can even change the color of the theme according to the 8 pre-defined color schemes/skins like Black, Red, Pink, and more.
6. Arcade
It’s a mobile-ready theme and adjusts to fit any device screen size. What makes this theme stand out is the full-page header image – that helps add a visual appeal to the Arcade theme.
Furthermore, it is a search engine optimized theme that comes with a broad range of impressive features like image carousel, jumbotron (i.e. a bold and sticky title box), drop-down menu and many more.
The best part is that you can add social sharing buttons at the top of the site’s header section, which increases the possibility of getting more social shares from visitors. Also, it helps in making tweaks to the theme in real-time using the Customizer and so on.
7. Mobius
Mobius, as the name suggests, is a theme designed specifically for developing mobile-optimized WordPress site – be it a new site, a personal blog or an entertainment website. In fact, it is hand-coded using mobile-friendly markup and CSS.
One great aspect of this theme is this theme is that it can be utilized only for mobile view together with WordPress Mobile Pack plugin.
A few salient features of the Mobius theme include native support for non-web fonts, widget ready, and three different skins – that maximizes your customization possibilities.
8. Launcher Theme
A Coming soon theme can come in handy for your WordPress site that is yet to be released for public use. While there are many choices available online when it comes to selecting a Coming Soon WordPress theme, but I personally find the Launcher theme from MyThemeShop worth considering.
It’s a fully responsive theme that comes with an influential theme options panel. What makes this theme worth a look is its simple yet eye-catchy design that features a rocket with time left for the launch of your site.
It even comes with a subscription form option that will help your users get any update regarding the website.
9. Albar
Albar is a responsive WordPress theme suitable for building a multi-purpose website (ideally a business site). The theme design looks plain and at the same time stylish thanks to the cool slider and image carousel displayed on the homepage.
This theme gives control over choosing whether you want to present your site in a full-width or boxed layouts. It comes with several customization options, but the most notable ones are the unlimited color choices and dozens of fonts. It even enables you to change the position of the sidebar in your theme as per your needs.
The best part! It does not contain unnecessary bloat that makes the theme loading time blazing fast. Lastly, it also helps in adding extra functionality, including WooCommerce integration, page builder plugins, and more.
10. Perfetta
Want to start up a food-inspired blog for foodies? Then, the Perfetta WordPress theme is worth a try. It features a simple and clean design, but one that will quickly catch the fancy of your visitors.
What makes Perfetta a wonderful theme for creating a food blog is its captivating one column layout containing large-size feature images – appropriate for showing food-based images that help provides a more enhanced reading experience. Moreover, the content is placed at the center without any sidebar that avoids distracting readers from the page.
The theme has a responsive layout and adapts well to a device for any screen size or resolution.
11. Storefront
The e-commerce industry is booming, and thus, retail businesses can maximize their profit by embracing an eCommerce solution (i.e. an online storefront). So, if you want to build a good looking e-shop without spending a lot of money, then the Storefront WordPress theme befits your needs.
The theme easily integrates with eCommerce plugins such as WooCommerce unlike other e-commerce themes online. That’s because, the theme is developed by WooThemes. And so, you won’t be facing any WooCommerce compatibility issues.
Storefront theme can be accessed and viewed on multiple devices since it is designed using a fully responsive layout. The best aspect of the theme is that it is bloat-free and only support the features and functions that you need in your site. It comes with several layouts – that help in launching an e-shop in any niche.
12. ColorWay
ColorWay is an elegant, responsive theme that can be used for creating any business or personal site. It comes with a single click install feature that helps in installing the theme a breeze. You just need to click on the activate button, and you’ll have an entirely functional site with dummy content.
The ColorWay theme options panel allows customizing the theme logo, favicon, and text in the footer section.
So, in case you want to create a beautiful WordPress site for different niches, then ColorWay by InkThemes.com may prove the best fit for you.
Conclusion
Using the above discussed responsive WordPress themes will help in providing your mobile visitors with an enhanced and cutting edge experience. Make sure to pick a theme that best suit your needs, and proceed with downloading and installing the theme.
Great collection and all themes are attractive and adorable.
Nice post Sophia! Very informative for everyone especially designers and developers
Thanks for a great list.
Thanks for sharing an amazing collection of WordPress themes. They look fresh and all of them have a different feel about them. I hate it when I see several themes that I fancy. It’s hard making the choice! I would share some other latest amazing.
Awesome list . Thanks for sharing that with us.
Awesome list. Thanks for sharing great list.
it is a very informative blog… looking forward for more such blogs