Astra Theme Review [I Tested on My Live Site And Found Some Real Insights]

How We Tested Astra?

I recently migrated my BloggersPassion site to Astra from GeneratePress. The reason is the lifetime pricing advantage. I tested Astra in a live project with 300+ contents, multiple plugin combinations, and a lot of customization. 

P.S I really appreciate how Astra revamped my site design. Here’s before and after versions:

Our Testing Environment:

• WordPress Version: Latest Stable Version
• PHP Version: Latest Stable Version
• Hosting: WPX
• Testing tool: Lighthouse
• Builder Tested: Gutenberg
• Caching Plugin: None
• CDN: Disabled

Throughout this review, I focused on answering the questions:

• How fast is Astra compared to other popular themes?
• Does Astra add unnecessary code or bloat?
• Is Astra still a good choice in the age of AI website builders?
• How much value do you actually get after paying for Astra Pro?
• What happens if you decide to switch away from Astra later?

My goal was to find out how Astra performs when viewed as a long-term business investment rather than just another WordPress theme.

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Astra WordPress Theme Overview

Most people still think Astra is a WordPress theme. That was true a few years ago.

Today, Astra is much bigger than that.

Astra theme was introduced in 2017 by Brainstorm Force, the creators behind other well-known WordPress plugins such as Spectra, Convert Pro, and Schema Pro.

Astra stands as one of the most beloved and lightweight themes within the WordPress community with more than 1 million active installations and 5,000+ 5-star ratings on WordPress.

What started as a lightweight WordPress theme has now evolved into a complete website-building ecosystem. The theme is still at the center but it is now supported by a collection of products that are designed to work together.

Here’s what the Astra ecosystem looks like today:

• Astra Theme
• Starter Templates
• Spectra Page Builder
• Astra AI Website Builder
• WooCommerce Enhancements
• Premium Design Modules

This changes the buying decision completely.

Now Astra offers a picture where you are stepping into an ecosystem where templates are imported, pages are built, and AI-generated websites can be launched from just one dashboard.

Here are some of the key features offered by the WP Astra theme:

So in this review, we will analyze if the whole Astra ecosystem is worth it or not.

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How Fast Is Astra Really?

Speed is probably Astra’s biggest selling point.

Let’s see the reality.

For this test I installed Astra on a clean WordPress setup running on WPX Hosting. Gutenberg was used as the page builder and unnecessary plugins were avoided so that Astra could be evaluated in the right way.

The following metrics were measured during testing:

Theme	LCP	CLS	INP
Astra	2.2s	0.0	173 ms

Raw numbers can be confusing when viewed without context.

A low LCP score indicates that the main content becomes visible quickly. A low CLS score means that the layout remains stable while the page is loading. 

When all four metrics perform well a website feels responsive and smooth. 

Now if you see in the above screenshot, the core web vitals score of my 301 websites are visible and all are on the green side. This is rarely seen specially for the mobile visitors.

Astra shows why they are known for performance. It is as much as capable of the GeneratePress theme. 

What impressed me most was not the final score itself. It was the consistency.

Many WordPress themes start fast on a fresh installation but performance gradually declines as more plugins and design elements are added. 

You will be surprised to see that during this test I have installed and running 33 plugins.

Astra feels different because the whole site remains lightweight. The code has been optimized and unnecessary assets are not loaded aggressively.

Of course a theme alone cannot guarantee such good performance. 

Hosting quality still matters and poor optimization practices can slow down any website. However Astra gives you a strong starting point which is exactly what most site owners need.

What Happens When an Elementor Is Added?

This is where things become interesting.

Most Astra websites on the internet are running Elementor rather than the default WordPress editor.

To understand the impact I compared the same website using Gutenberg and Elementor under the same setup.

Setup	Performance Score
Astra + Gutenberg	99/100
Astra + Elementor	92/100

The difference is not surprising at all.

Gutenberg is built directly into WordPress so fewer assets need to be loaded. Elementor added the extra CSS files and JavaScript resources which naturally increase page weight. As a result some performance is lost even though Astra itself remains lightweight.

That said, the results were better than I expected.

Astra paired with Elementor still delivered a score above 90 for a visual page builder. That’s a good score though!

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How Many Plugins Does Astra Actually Replace?

How many paid plugins did I need to stop buying after migrating to Astra? This is the big question I have thought about before installing the Astra theme.

This matters because WordPress costs rarely come from the theme itself. They usually come from the extra plugins that are purchased year after year to add missing functionality.

To answer this question I reviewed Astra premium features and compared them with some of the most commonly used WordPress plugins. 

Plugins Astra Can Replace:

Plugin Category	Needed
Header Footer Builder	No
Custom Layout Plugin	No
Menu Plugin	Maybe
WooCommerce Enhancements	No
Sticky Header Plugin	No
Blog Layout Plugin	No
Custom Typography Plugin	No
Color Management Plugin	No

Astra eliminates the need for design related plugins. That’s what I found.

Advanced headers can be created directly inside Astra. Sticky navigation can be enabled without installing another plugin. Custom layouts can also be built while WooCommerce stores receive several enhancements that would otherwise require additional purchases.

This creates a cleaner website experience over time. Every plugin that is removed reduces maintenance work and fewer update conflicts are likely to occur.

And yes, it saves me a lot of money.

This means Astra real value extends far beyond its purchase price. Many themes only change the appearance of your website Astra can also reduce the amount of software that needs to be installed and managed over the long term.

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Top Reasons to Choose Astra for WordPress

Some of the benefits i have seen after settled down to Astra:

1. Use On Unlimited Websites :

You can use the Astra theme on unlimited sites which is one of the biggest benefits of Astra themes.

Astra also provides a “forever free” version that offers exceptional features and customization options.

You can create both WordPress and WooCommerce websites using the free version of Astra.

Click here to download Astra for FREE

2. One of the FASTEST WordPress Themes

Astra stands as one of the fastest WordPress themes available. I have previously demonstrated the Astra speed test on my subdomains.

Page speed is a pivotal factor for SEO. If your focus is on driving traffic through SEO, it is imperative that your website loads quickly.

Fortunately, both Astra-free and Pro versions have been built for speed.

Astra sites require less than 50KB of resources as compared to the standard 100KB resources needed by other WordPress themes.

Astra uses Vanilla JavaScript that prevents render blocking jQuery.

Astra’s theme is well-coded. The sites using Astra load in less than 0.5 seconds.

3. Astra Starter Sites

Astra gives you access to over 300 ready-to-import website templates. Many of these templates are available for free but a few are premium templates.

The templates cover all kinds of niches like travel, blog, magazines, portfolios, and few more. The great thing is you get almost equal free templates along side the premium ones. At the time of writing this article, I am seeing that 166 templates are free and 215 of them are paid.

You can use these pre-made websites with major website page builders like Gutenberg, Elementor, Builder, and Brizy for further optimization.

All these FREE ready-to-import templates are conversion-optimized websites that are built for speed and conversions. 

These starter sites are divided into various industries:

• Finance
• Business
• Restaurants
• Blogs
• Magazine
• Hotel & Travel
• Real Estate
• E-commerce
• Community
• Photography
• Web Design

You can visit this page to check out all Astra’s Starter Templates, which are available for free.

4. Customization 

You can customize every part of your website with the Astra theme.

You can customize from the design options to layouts to fonts, colors, background images, and almost anything.

You want to build a WordPress site or a WooCommerce site, you can do any kind of customization:

• Display options for page title, breadcrumb, etc.
• Update product category, title, price, short description, etc.
• Hover options for product images
• Add a mini cart in the site’s header
• Typography options for the individual product page
• Color options (change the base color, product catalog cog, or individual product color).

You can explore Astra’s documentation guides, which comprehensively cover customization across ten distinct categories. These resources will assist you in efficiently navigating and personalizing your websites.

You can find all customization options in the WordPress theme customizer. You can preview any modifications you make in real time. You can easily switch between preview modes, whether it’s desktop, tablet, or mobile, ensuring your website looks great on all devices.

5. Extend Astra with Pro Modules

On the Astra welcome page, you’ll find an option to use Astra Pro Modules. It shows you 17 options that you can use to unlock the full power of the Astra theme. 

You can simply toggle the options you want to use on and off.

6. SEO-friendly WordPress Theme

As you can see in my performance score, Astra is really fast .

You can optimize your website for search engines effectively by using Astra architecture which adheres to the best SEO practices. Astra includes the necessary Schema.org markup you need for enhanced SEO performance.

7. Page Builder Integrations

One of the biggest benefits of choosing the Astra theme is that it integrates with almost every page builder, including Elementor, Gutenberg, Beaver, and Brizy.

Astra is exclusively designed to work effortlessly with the following page builders.

Ultimate Gutenberg Blocks Library: This is the most powerful Gutenberg blocks library (which is also free) that helps you customize your site using the WordPress Gutenberg editor. 

It works seamlessly with the Astra theme, where you can add anything, including buttons, price lists, social share buttons, and testimonials, without any code.

Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder: If you’re using Beaver Builder, the Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder is a must-have resource. You get access to over 60 custom modules, including features like Row Separator, Modal Popup, and Advanced Posts Grid, enhancing your website-building capabilities.

You’ll also get over 40 ready-to-use full demo websites (which is a flagship feature of Astra) to quickly create any kind of website. 

Ultimate Addons for Elementor: If you’re already using Elementor page builder, this plugin is a must for you as it’s the most popular Elementor Addon, which offers a ton of Elementor themes and widgets. 

It also gives you access to a wide range of website design options, along with over 100 pre-made templates to create any website.

8. White label feature

Most WordPress themes (including premium themes) don’t offer a White Label feature.

The white-label feature allows you to rebrand the Astra theme as your own product. 

You can utilize this feature to maintain the confidentiality of the WordPress theme you use to create websites for your clients.

The white-label feature is only available to Astra Pro users. 

9. Ease of Use:

I have been involved in the WordPress CMS industry for years. So I don’t feel any issues in managing and configuring a theme.

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Astra: Pro Vs Free

Honestly speaking, I found Astra’s free version is extremely amazing. Astra’s free version offers many features typically found only in the paid versions of other themes.

However, Astra’s premium version provides even more powerful features compared to its free version.

Astra Pro offers you 18 incredible modules that enhance your website’s functionality and design options.

If you want to unlock even more powerful features of the Astra WordPress theme, you should upgrade to the premium version.

We’ll talk about some of those modules briefly so you’ll know what exactly you can do with Astra Pro.

• Colors & Background: Helps you customize the colors on any part of your website, including header, footer, content, blog, and sidebar.
• Typography: The module helps you quickly customize your fonts
• Spacing Module: This lets you configure your spacing for margins and paddings.
• Blog Pro module: You can customize your blog and archive pages by displaying an author bio or loading a previous blog post under the current one.
• Custom Layouts Module: Helps you easily save custom layouts for your website’s header, footer, 404 pages, etc. 
• Site Layouts Module: helps you quickly manage your website’s overall layout, which will be applied to your site’s outer wrapper.
• Scroll to Top Module: You can add a scroll to the top button at the bottom left or button right of your page if you’re creating long-form content.
• Footer Widgets: You can customize your website’s footer area however you want.

You’ll also find Integration Modules for WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, LearnDash, and LifterLMS, which are helpful if you’re selling physical or digital products from your website.

Now you can decide whether Astra Pro is worth your money or not.

Astra Pro plans also come with a 14-day no-risk money-back guarantee. So if you’re not happy with their theme or features, you’ll get a 100% refund of your purchase.

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Astra WordPress Theme Price

Astra offers both free and pro versions. You can download the free version from here.

To be honest, if you are looking for long term value then you should only consider lifetime plans. Infact, this is my primary reason to shift here. Otherwise I was totally happy with the GeneratePress.

All the Astra Pro plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee and there’s no restriction on how many sites you can install the Astra theme on.

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Pros & Cons of Astra Theme

Here are the pros and cons of using the Astra theme.

Pros:

• It’s a super-fast WordPress theme
• Astra is compatible with almost all the major WordPress page builders, including Elementor, Beaver, and Gutenberg.
• Gives you access to over 800 pre-made website templates
• Astra Pro pricing packages are affordable as they start just at $79 per year
• It’s mobile-responsive and SEO-friendly
• It also offers a free theme which is sufficient for most WordPress beginners 

Cons:

3 Best Astra Theme Alternatives That Are Equally Good  

1. GeneratePress:

GeneratePress is one of the best alternatives to the Astra theme. The reason is similar performance. But they doesn’t offer any lifetime plans.

Features:

• Gutenberg Ready
• You can use the theme on up to 500 websites
• Fully translated over 30+ languages
• Access to premium modules
• Access to the site library
• 1 year of updates and support on the yearly plan
• Lifetime support and updates on their lifetime plan

Grab GeneratePress Today! OR Explore GeneratePress vs Astra Comparison

2. Divi Theme

Divi combines a customizable WordPress theme with a robust visual page builder, making it a flagship product from Elegant Themes.

Features:

• Prebuilt Layouts (370+)
• 200+ Built-in modules or elements
• 2600+ ready to use templates
• Built-in AI design tools
• Conditional logic

Pricing: Divi doesn’t offer a free version. You only have two options to grab it: Yearly plans (start from $89/yr) or Lifetime plans (start from $279)

3. KadenceWP

Kadence WP is an entire powerhouse that includes an AI website builder, WordPress theme, and lots of other WordPress plugins.

Features:

• Header Addons
• Conditional Headers
• Hooked Elements
• WooCommerce Improvements
• Ultimate Menu
• Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode
• Infinite Scroll
• Header/Footer Scripts
• Custom Fonts

Pricing: Kadence WP has a free theme option to try, but if you want to experience their full-fledged theme with all the features then you can try their plus plan that costs you $99/year.

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FAQs About Astra Theme

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the WP Astra theme.