The Astra WordPress theme, developed by Brain Storm Force, is widely used and known for its fast loading speed. This multipurpose theme is not only fast but also fully customizable and visually appealing.
In this review, we’ll take a closer look at Astra’s features, flexibility, and user experience, and provide our final thoughts on its value for investment.
Astra is a lightweight and fully customizable theme, compatible with WooCommerce, that can be used to build any type of website. It boasts clean code and is super lightweight right out of the box, with the entire theme weighing less than 50KB after installation.
The Brains Behind Astra
Brain Storm Force, the creator of Astra, has been in the WordPress industry for over a decade and has established a reputation for producing high-quality, reliable, and user-friendly products. The company is comprised of a dedicated team of developers, designers, and more, who have a deep understanding of the WordPress platform and what its users need and want.
With Astra, Brain Storm Force has a mission to help its customers streamline the website development process and create amazing websites that serve their businesses.
Astra WordPress theme plans pricing
The core Astra theme is available for free on WordPress.org, but for more customization options, I recommend purchasing the Astra Premium plugin. The free version has limited settings in the WordPress Customizer and does not include access to the pre-made Site Library.
Astra Premium is affordably priced with three license options that offer the same content. The Astra Pro plan is priced at $47 per year, the Mini Agency Bundle is priced at $169 per year, and the Agency Bundle is priced at $249 per year. Additionally, with Astra Premium, you can use it on unlimited websites without any restrictions.
Astra Standout Features
Built for Performance and Speed
Website speed is a crucial aspect to consider. Astra stands out as one of the fastest themes available right out of the box. Its well-coded structure, combined with its feature-rich design, results in a super lightweight theme.
Studies have consistently shown that faster pages lead to higher conversion rates. Therefore, having a fast-loading website is essential for all types of websites.
Ranks well in Google
Many WordPress themes claim to be search engine friendly, but few can back them up with features that meet current SEO standards. Astra, however, stands out with its lightning-fast page speed that Google loves. Additionally, Astra includes Schema markup by default on every page, which is structured data that helps search engines understand the content of a website and display more relevant results to users.
Translation & RTL Ready
The Astra theme is one of the best options for websites serving non-native English speakers, as it’s easy to localize the site using Astra and even translate it into RTL languages like Arabic.
Pros:
- Fast loading time: Astra is one of the lightest themes, loading in less than 0.5 seconds, with fully optimized Vanilla JavaScript for speed.
- Style options: With Astra, you can customize anything on your website, with 20+ free starter templates and site builder integrations available in the free version.
- Website Layouts: Astra Premium has a Website Layout module, allowing you to control the overall design of the site with boxed, full-width, and fluid designs.
- Support: Astra Premium users have access to 24/7 support via chat, along with detailed articles, video tutorials in their knowledge base, and numerous filters and hooks for custom layouts.
- Page builder compatibility: Astra is compatible with various page builders, making it easy to create a professional-looking website without any coding experience.
- SEO-friendly: Astra is fully responsive and SEO-friendly, working with popular SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math. It also includes integrated SEO schema code.
Cons:
- Limited customization options and features on the free version.
- No live chat support option on the free version, although there are numerous free video and article guides available in their knowledgebase.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Astra is a highly recommended WordPress theme for those looking for a fast-loading, customizable, and SEO-friendly theme. The Astra Pro plan is worth the investment, as it offers even more styling and design options, premium support, and access to the site layout module. With the Astra theme, you can easily create a professional-looking website without having any coding knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns, Astra provides a 24/7 support team and a knowledgebase full of articles and video tutorials to assist you. Overall, Astra is a great value for the price and well worth considering for your next WordPress website.
