The best WordPress starter theme based on the most powerful frameworks in the world: '_s' (by Automattic, the main people behind WordPress development), Twitter Bootstrap (the most popular HTML, CSS, and JS framework for developing responsive, mobile first projects on the web) and Font Awesome (or Fontawesome, a full suite of 675+ pictographic icons for easy scalable vector graphics on websites). This theme, like WordPress, is licensed under the GPL. You can use this theme as base for your next WordPress theme project and you are allowed to remove the link at the footer or do whatever you want. Your feedback on how we can continuously improve this WordPress Starter Theme Bootstrap will be highly appreciated. Page templates includes Right-sidebar (default page template), Left-Sidebar, Full-Width, Blank with container, Blank without container Page. Other features - Currently using Bootstrap v4.0.0 , Widgetized footer area, WooCommerce ready, Compatible with Contact Form 7, Compatible with Visual Composer, Compatible with Elementor Page Builder. This theme will be an active project which we will update from time to time. Check this page regularly for the updates.
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This is a review of the top blank WordPress theme choices.
What is a Blank WordPress Theme?
Blank WordPress themes are boilerplates that serve as a starting point for developing your own custom theme, which is why they’re also called “starter themes” and (less commonly) “naked themes”.
Blank WordPress themes come with basic WordPress PHP, CSS, and HTML code and theme files already filled out for you.
Free Bootstrap WordPress Themes is a responsive grid established framework that helps novice and respectable designers enhance website straightforwardly. It’s a famous entrance-end framework that works efficiently in building a responsive and cell-ready website. Attractive WordPress bootstrap theme templates – Apart from being responsive, the WordPress bootstrap theme templates are attractive as well. These website theme templates would certainly go a long way in improving the overall tone of your website. WordPress bootstrap background theme templates – All websites come with a background. Bootstrap is actually similar to a WordPress theme, in that it serves as a way for developers to create something without beginning from scratch. After all, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel if something has already been created for you to start with. So Bootstrap is simply the tools that were used to make these WordPress themes.
Unlike theme frameworks, most of the files in a blank WordPress theme are meant to be modified based on your needs.
Why Use Blank WordPress Themes?
Blank WordPress themes speed up your workflow by reducing the amount of code you need to write. Having a skeletal foundation means you don’t have to do the same initiation process over and over every time you need to start creating a new theme.
In addition, using a blank WordPress theme lowers the chances of you forgetting critical files or code required for a theme to function properly.
Some blank WordPress themes will also have useful integrated features like responsive layouts and sample data to help you test your theme.
Below is an overview of the 10 best free blank/starter WordPress themes I could find.
1. Roots
Roots is an excellent open source WordPress starter theme. It’s built with HTML5 Boilerplate and Bootstrap (if you don’t need it, you can replace or remove it). It also has Grunt files for quickly compiling LESS code and combining your CSS and JS files.
A nifty feature of Roots is its Theme Wrapper, which helps you avoid having to write the same code in multiple files.
Check out themes built using Roots at the Roots Gallery. Get started with Roots by heading over to the project’s official docs.
Demo | Download Page (github.com)
2. Underscores
Underscores, or _s, is a free blank WordPress theme developed by Automattic, the creators of WordPress.
It has five layout templates. Unfortunately, Underscores doesn’t have a pre-built responsive layout, so you’ll have to create one.
The tutorial series by ThemeShaper (a major WordPress theme development company) will help you learn how to create WP themes using Underscores.
Download Page (underscores.me)
3. Bones
Bones is a free blank theme built on top of HTML5 Boilerplate. It’s responsive, and developed under the Mobile First philosophy.
WPtuts+ has an excellent Bones tutorial to help you get started with this awesome starter theme.
Download Page (github.com)
4. HTML5 Reset WordPress Theme
This blank theme helps you start off on the right track towards producing a semantic and structurally-sound HTML5 WordPress themes. For example, the post template included in the HTML5 Reset WordPress Theme incorporates the hNews microformat to help search engines better understand your content.
Wordpress Bootstrap Theme Generator
Download Page (github.com)
5. HTML5 Blank WordPress Theme
This is a Web-performance optimized blank WordPress theme for developers. The HTML5 Blank WordPress Theme comes with useful custom theme functions such as a dynamic sidebar as well as boilerplate code for using WordPress’s Shortcode API in your themes.
Demo | Download Page (html5blank.com)
6. HTML5 Boilerplate for WordPress
This open source project took the popular HTML5 Boilerplate and converted it to a blank WordPress theme.
The HTML5 Boilerplate for WordPress project uses a modern HTML5 blog structure based on Opera Web evangelist Bruce Lawson’s recommended structural markup for blogs:
Source: html5doctor.com
Download Page (github.com)
7. Naked WordPress
This blank WordPress theme is great for people who want to learn how to develop themes.
The Naked WordPress theme is commented in-line so that as you’re building your WordPress theme, you understand what’s actually going on. It’s like a WordPress tutorial + starter theme combined.
Demo | Download Page (bckmn.com)
8. WP-Flex
Bootstrap 4 Wordpress
WP-Flex is a responsive blank WordPress theme. It’s got serious features that web developers will appreciate, such as sample data for unit testing and strict compliance with the official WordPress theming guidelines.
Demo | Download Page (github.com)
9. JointsWP
JointsWP is built on top of Foundation 5 (a major front-end development framework alongside Bootstrap).
You have the option to use the Sass version, or just plain CSS version if you want.
Demo | Download Page (jointswp.com)
10. BlankSlate
BlankSlate is probably the most simple, minimalist blank/boilerplate theme you can get your hands on. BlankSlate is the middle ground between creating WordPress themes entirely from scratch and using a big starter themes like Roots or Underscore.
Download Page (wordpress.org)
Summary Table
Site | Repo | License | Developer | Popularity* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roots | GitHub | Custom | Roots | 5469 |
Underscores | GitHub | GPLv2 | Automattic | 4254 |
Bones | GitHub | WTFPL | Themble | 2945 |
HTML5 Reset WordPress Theme | GitHub | Uknown | Tim Murtaugh | 1091 |
HTML5 Blank WordPress Theme | GitHub | MIT | Todd Motto | 938 |
HTML5 Boilerplate for WordPress | GitHub | The Unlicense | Zencoder | 748 |
Naked WordPress | GitHub | Unknown | Joshua Beckman | 214 |
WP-Flex | GitHub | GPLv2 | Dennis Gaebel | 131 |
JointsWP | GitHub | Uknown | Jeremy Englert | 82 |
BlankSlate | GitHub | GPLv3 | TidyThemes | 18 |
*Popularity was calculated by summing up the number of people who watch, have starred and have forked the project on GitHub as of January 7, 2014.
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