The Best WordPress Theme for Web Agencies

Every WordPress developer has a theme graveyard. The “this is definitely my new stack” purchase that lasted six months. The builder that was supposed to change everything. The theme you bought on AppSumo that you keep meaning to try.

But most of us also have one or two tools we keep coming back to — not because they’re perfect, but because we know them well enough that they stop being an obstacle and start being an extension of how we think.

This post is a summary of a Tuesday Toolbox discussion inside The Admin Bar community, where 136 agency owners and freelancers shared the WordPress themes they reach for most often — and why they keep coming back.

The results were more spread out than most Tuesday Toolbox topics. But a few clear camps emerged.

The Most Mentioned WordPress Themes

These themes came up repeatedly in the discussion:

• GeneratePress
• Bricks
• Kadence
• Astra
• Divi
• Hello Elementor
• Blocksy
• Breakdance / Oxygen

A number of other themes came up as well (we’ll get to those).

Why Agencies Choose These WordPress Themes

GeneratePress

The community’s most-used theme — by a noticeable margin.

GeneratePress came up more than any other theme in this thread, and it generated some of the most enthusiastic responses. The common thread across all of them: it’s lightweight, it gets out of the way, and when paired with GenerateBlocks it handles almost anything.

“GeneratePress. If you can do it in CSS you can do it with GenerateBlocks.”

Andrew Vincent

“GeneratePress/GenerateBlocks with my own child theme (which I seem to need less and less).”

Addison Hall

“GeneratePress is the only reason I still use WordPress.”

Roberto Briceño

Peter Melling captured the loyalty well: “Every time I think of moving, they improve it and I stay. The CSS sync between the UI panel and raw CSS panel is great.” Tro Bakerdjian builds with CSS variables in the child theme stylesheet and pairs it with GenerateBlocks’ CSS mode. Sup Riya has been on it since the add-on days and is excited for GP 3.0.

The one honest critique: Melbod Salimzadeh made the case that GeneratePress sometimes requires CSS for things other themes handle with UI controls, and that the interface is “super boring” compared to more modern options like Blocksy. Fair point — GeneratePress is a developer’s theme, not a point-and-click experience.

Gregory Murch is on GeneratePress but looking for better WooCommerce block support. Worth watching as GP 3.0 develops.

Best fit: developers who want a lightweight, performance-focused foundation they can control precisely with CSS and GenerateBlocks — and don’t need the theme itself to do heavy lifting.

Bricks

The builder-as-theme that’s won over a devoted following.

Bricks came up as the second most-mentioned option in the thread, and the tone around it was notably enthusiastic. Members who’ve switched to Bricks tend to talk about it the way people talk about finally finding the right tool.

“Only one: Bricks.”

Gabriela Agata

“Bricks. The recent developments are top banana! I have looked before and found Bricks just works for me.”

David Langston

“Just Bricks which installs as a theme.”

Barnabas Chris

Bricks functions as both builder and theme — there’s no separate theme layer, which appeals to the same instinct behind Breakdance and Oxygen. Carl Kruck uses Bricks for his managed sites and GeneratePress for older customer-managed sites. Caroline Golden and Michelle Sullivan both mentioned using Bricks or Hello/Astra depending on the project.

Andrea Apperti switched from Hello Elementor to Bricks specifically for “more flexibility and better results in general.” Joris Jedamzik uses Etch for new sites but has older sites on Bricks. Jason Howard, Chris Foti, Adit MB, Lucian Pascu, Wernich Kay, and several others mentioned it without elaboration — which at this volume is its own kind of endorsement.

Best fit: developers who want a capable, full-control builder that eliminates the theme layer entirely and don’t need to hand editing over to clients.

Kadence

The theme everyone’s waiting to see the future of.

Kadence came up often — but the tone was different from GeneratePress or Bricks. Almost every Kadence mention in this thread came with a qualifier. “Still holding on.” “Hanging in there.” “Crossed fingers.” “Too many red flags.”

“Still holding on to Kadence and hoping for the best.”

Christi Yarema

“Kadence + crossed fingers.”

Massimo Villa

“I’m sad to have given up on Kadence for new builds.”

Alison Barrows Ronn

The context: Kadence has been going through a significant transition following its acquisition, and the community has noticed. John Serbell used it alongside GeneratePress until 2024, then dropped it as GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks added more features. David Zack recently switched from Astra to Kadence but is “fighting more and more to get Astra to work as expected” — suggesting some members are arriving just as others are leaving.

Not everyone is bearish. Ajay D’Souza still finds it powerful even at the free version, “despite all the noise and issues.” Angela Bowman recommends it to beginners. Brett Atkin reaches for it when he knows a client won’t be making updates. And Pete Fairclough is still on it without apparent complaint.

Best fit: agencies comfortable with where Kadence currently stands, or those recommending it to beginners who need a gentler onboarding. For new builds, most members in this thread are looking elsewhere.

Astra

The reliable workhorse with a long track record.

Astra came up consistently throughout the thread — less flashy than Bricks, less embattled than Kadence, and with a large enough user base that it rarely needs defending. Most Astra users mentioned it alongside a builder: Elementor Pro, Beaver Builder, or just a child theme with custom code.

“Astra Pro with a child theme specific for client project.”

Jeff Mackey

“Astra, I use Beaver Builder + Themer. I stay with Astra + BB as they are very compatible, and I got sick of changing from one to another.”

Dave Barber

“Astra Pro with custom child theme.”

Kenson Clarke

Alex Celeste uses Astra Pro with a child theme per site for tweaks and custom code. Bryan Thompson’s journey — Astra → GeneratePress → Kadence → GeneratePress — is a recognizable arc. René Sejling and Rufo Reyes mentioned it simply and without caveat, which at this point might be the highest compliment.

Elsie Gilmore flagged The7 as a cautionary tale worth noting: existing license holders are no longer getting automatic updates through Envato. A good reminder that theme licensing arrangements can change.

Best fit: agencies with existing Astra setups or those who want a proven, stable foundation to pair with their preferred page builder.

Divi

The longtime market leader with a renewed second act.

Divi has been around long enough that it has its share of detractors — but it also has an enormous installed base of loyal users, and Divi 5 (a ground-up rewrite) has shifted the conversation.

“Divi is my go-to after hundreds of sites for flexibility and ease of use for clients. I feel like as far as theme builders go they all are fairly similar now. So for me it’s speed, flexibility and how easy it is for a customer to make simple updates.”

Jeane Sumner

“Divi 5. I’ve been using it since early beta. Definitely happier with it than Divi 4. The Divi 5 UI is a lot more powerful, and things are where I expect them to be.”

Rob Watson

“Lots rip on Divi but I’ve never had a client not understand how to use it.”

Brett Atkin

The client usability argument for Divi is real and came up repeatedly. For agencies where clients make their own updates, Divi’s familiarity is a feature, not a compromise. Johan Linder uses both Divi 4 and 5. Benjamin Alicea is on Divi 5 and plans to try Bricks. John Marra is eyeing Divi 5 as a possible landing spot after Kadence.

Naz Haque moved from Hello/Astra with Elementor to Divi years ago and hasn’t looked back. Stanford Griffith uses both Divi and Oxygen depending on the project.

Best fit: agencies whose clients need to make their own content updates, or those with deep Divi muscle memory who’ve found Divi 5 worth the upgrade.

Hello Elementor

The invisible theme for Elementor shops.

Hello Elementor is less a theme and more an absence of theme — a minimal foundation designed to let Elementor Pro do all the work. For agencies built around Elementor, it’s the natural pair.

“Hello Elementor for almost all our WP projects since 2023, mainly because there’s never anything breaking when you update it.”

Pascal Garneau

“Hello, the rest is Elementor or code, or a mix of the two.”

Manuel Serrenti

Pascal Garneau’s team switched to Hello + Elementor Pro in 2023 specifically for update stability — the combination just doesn’t break. Ivan Bosev, Sherri Lavigne, Greg Schueler, and Kyle Peter Alexander all use it without further explanation. For Elementor shops, there’s not much to explain.

Amanda Shedonist has been on Hello + Elementor Pro for years and loves “the ease and speed,” though she mentions still building occasional shortcodes for specific needs. She’s curious about Divi 5 after reading the thread.

Best fit: agencies built around Elementor Pro who want a stable, invisible foundation that never introduces conflicts or update issues.

Blocksy

The modern, clean alternative gaining ground.

Blocksy came up from several members as a genuine alternative to the GeneratePress/Astra/Kadence tier — and the advocates are enthusiastic about it.

“Blocksy! Its native blocks are underrated.”

Rio Thaba Pratama B.

“For me the first option is Blocksy. Not because GP is bad — GP is good for a project that has not limited time, so things can move happily with CSS — but I prefer Blocksy as it’s modern, clean code and truly stable.”

Melbod Salimzadeh

Melbod’s comparison to GeneratePress is the most useful framing: Blocksy is for those who want a more modern UI and more built-in UI controls, without needing to write CSS for every small thing. Nathan Baldwin, Kho Siong Thong, Marion Paolo Abagar, and Sherissa R all use it — a solid showing for a theme that doesn’t dominate headlines the way the top-tier options do.

Best fit: developers who want a lightweight, modern theme with a cleaner UI than GeneratePress — especially for block-based builds where native block support matters.

Breakdance / Oxygen

The themeless approach from the same company.

Breakdance and Oxygen both operate without a traditional theme layer — Oxygen is the established product, Breakdance the newer, more accessible sibling from the same team (Soflyy). Members using either tend to be firmly committed to the approach.

“Breakdance builder, or Oxygen Builder (same company but different builders).”

Malc Finch

“We use Breakdance which is themeless and we love that.”

Jes MW

Christian Strasser uses “No / Zero Theme (Breakdance)” — making the point that there’s no theme at all, just the builder. Darren Locke is also on Breakdance with zero theme. Stanford Griffith uses Divi or Oxygen depending on the project.

Best fit: developers comfortable with a builder-only approach who either have existing Oxygen setups or prefer Breakdance’s more modern interface.

Notable Mentions

These also came up in the thread:

• Etch — came up from multiple members (Alisha Thomas, Jason Eugene, Joris Jedamzik, Solomon Antonell, Alison Barrows Ronn) as a newer option gaining real traction for new builds.
• Beaver Builder Theme — Bianca Johnson has used it since 2019 and calls it second nature; Dave Barber pairs it with Astra
• Themeco Pro — Miroslav Medurić has used it since 2014 and gave the most thorough single-tool breakdown in the thread; a capable platform with a confusing history (see his comment for the full story)
• 10up WP Scaffold — Matija Ljevar forks his own theme from this starter for custom builds
• OceanWP — Ashley Streck pairs it with Elementor Free; a common combination for budget-conscious builds
• Flatsome — Karl Oddvar Steen uses it; one of the most popular WooCommerce themes on ThemeForest
• Avada — David Hoe uses it for all sites and noted he was curious why no one else mentioned it
• Twenty Twenty-Five — Rio Thaba Pratama B. mentioned it as a secondary option; worth noting that the default themes are increasingly capable for simple builds

Patterns We Noticed

A few things stood out across 136 responses:

• GeneratePress and Bricks are the clear leaders for developer-focused agencies. They came up more than anything else, and the sentiment around both was consistently positive. GeneratePress wins on longevity and the GP/GB ecosystem. Bricks wins on full-control, builder-as-theme architecture. These are the two tools that seem to have earned genuine loyalty rather than inertia.
• Kadence is in a trust moment. It came up frequently, but the anxiety in the comments was hard to miss. Members who’ve been on Kadence for years are uncertain about its direction. Some are staying. Many are quietly evaluating alternatives. Etch came up multiple times as where people are looking for new builds.
• The client usability question splits the room. Divi’s defenders consistently cite how easy it is for clients to make updates. GeneratePress and Bricks users tend to manage sites themselves or hand clients a simplified editing experience. The right answer depends almost entirely on your client service model.
• “Themeless” is a real philosophy, not just a feature. Breakdance, Oxygen, and Bricks all eliminate the traditional theme layer. Members using these tools tend to be deliberate about it — they’ve concluded that the separation between theme and builder creates unnecessary complexity.
• Ecosystem lock-in is real and often intentional. Hello Elementor users are on it because they’re Elementor shops. FluentBooking users are there because they run Fluent everything. Zoho Bookings users are there because they’re in Zoho One. The best theme for your agency might just be the one that fits cleanly into the stack you’re already running.
• Etch is the name to watch. It came up multiple times specifically as the destination for new builds from people leaving or reconsidering Kadence. It didn’t exist in most of these developers’ stacks a year ago. That kind of organic momentum in a community like this is meaningful.

How to Choose the Right WordPress Theme

These questions came up again and again in the thread — and they’re the right ones to start with:

• Will clients be making their own edits? (Yes → prioritize ease of use; No → optimize for developer control)
• Are you already committed to a builder like Elementor or Beaver Builder? (If so, your theme choice is largely made)
• Do you want a theme + builder combination, or a builder-as-theme approach?
• How much of your work do you want to do in CSS vs. UI controls?
• Are you building for performance and clean code, or for flexibility and client handoff?

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Themes for Agencies

What is the most popular WordPress theme among web agencies? Based on this community discussion, GeneratePress was the most mentioned theme overall, followed closely by Bricks. Both have strong followings for different reasons — GeneratePress for its lightweight foundation and CSS-first approach paired with GenerateBlocks, and Bricks for its full-control builder-as-theme architecture.

What’s the difference between GeneratePress and Bricks? GeneratePress is a traditional lightweight theme typically paired with the GenerateBlocks plugin for building. Bricks functions as both builder and theme in one — there’s no separate theme layer. GeneratePress tends to appeal to developers who want precise control through CSS. Bricks appeals to those who want a full visual builder without the overhead of a separate theme.

Is Kadence still a good WordPress theme in 2026? Kadence is still capable, and several members recommend it for beginners or simpler builds. But there’s visible uncertainty in the community about its direction following recent changes. Many agencies are evaluating alternatives for new projects while maintaining existing Kadence sites.

What WordPress theme is best for client-managed sites? Divi came up most often for client-managed sites, specifically for its intuitive editing experience and the fact that clients seem to understand it without much training. Kadence was also recommended for beginners. For agencies that prefer to keep clients out of the builder entirely, the theme choice matters less than the content editing workflow.