Congrats on making it this far in your WordPress theme hunt! If you're reading this, you've probably spent hours scrolling through theme libraries and comparing features. Now you're down to the final two: Kadence and Astra.
Smart choice, honestly. Both themes are absolute favorites in the WordPress world, and there's a good reason why they keep popping up in "best WordPress themes of" lists everywhere.
But here's the thing – having two excellent options can actually make the decision harder. Do you go with Kadence's modern approach, or stick with Astra's proven track record?
Don't worry, we've got you covered. We'll break down everything you need to know about both themes – from speed and customization to pricing and support. By the time you're done reading, you'll know exactly which one fits your project.
Ready to finally pick your winner? Let's dive in.
Overview of Kadence & Astra
Kadence
Kadence has quietly become one of WordPress's rising stars, pulling in around 2,500 downloads daily and boasting over 200,000 active sites. Not too shabby for a theme that's still building its reputation!
What makes Kadence special? It's all about that clean, modern approach. The team behind it (now part of the LiquidWeb family after being acquired in 2021) really knows their stuff when it comes to speed and performance.
Here's what's cool about Kadence – even the free version packs a serious punch. You're not getting some watered-down teaser; you get a genuinely capable theme that can handle most websites without breaking a sweat.
The theme plays incredibly well with Kadence Blocks (their custom block plugin), creating this seamless building experience. Plus, it's designed to work smoothly with popular page builders, SEO plugins, and eCommerce setups.
Think of Kadence as the new kid on the block who's already proving they belong with the big players.
Astra
Now here's the heavyweight champion of the WordPress world. Astra isn't just popular – it's massively popular, with over 2 million active installations and a whopping 6,000 daily downloads. Those numbers don't lie!
Created by BrainStorm Force (the folks behind some other WordPress favorites), Astra has earned its stripes as the most-loved non-default theme ever. We're talking 5,000+ five-star reviews here – that's some serious user love.
What's Astra's secret sauce? It's incredibly versatile and works with pretty much everything. Whether you're using Elementor, Beaver Builder, or any other page builder, Astra just gets out of the way and lets you build.
The theme is also lightning-fast thanks to its lightweight design and smart use of Vanilla JavaScript instead of the heavier jQuery. This means your site loads quickly, and your visitors (and Google) will thank you for it.
Think of Astra as the reliable workhorse that's been around long enough to figure out what actually works. It's got the track record to prove it can handle whatever you throw at it.
Difference between Kadence & Astra
SEO Friendliness
Good news – both themes take SEO seriously, so you're not making a wrong choice either way. But they do have slightly different approaches to getting you those sweet Google rankings.
Kadence focuses on smart resource management with its "Intelligent Load" feature. Think of it as having a really efficient assistant that only brings you what you need, when you need it. Scripts and CSS files only load when they're actually being used, which keeps things speedy.
Astra takes the lightweight champion approach – we're talking less than 50KB out of the box! That tiny footprint means your pages can load in as little as 0.5 seconds on a fresh WordPress install. Pretty impressive stuff.
Both themes nail the SEO basics: clean code structure, local Google Font loading, schema markup, and accessibility compliance. They also play nice with Core Web Vitals (Google's performance metrics that actually matter for rankings).
The bottom line? Astra might have a slight edge in pure speed thanks to its featherweight design, while Kadence wins points for its intelligent resource loading. But honestly, both will give your SEO efforts a solid boost – it really comes down to which approach feels right for your project.
Customization
Astra really nails the user experience when it comes to customization. The interface is clean and intuitive – you can see how everything is organized logically in the WordPress Customizer without feeling overwhelming.
What stands out is how Astra gives you that dedicated dashboard section where you can access quick settings, starter templates, and useful plugins all in one place.
The "Quick Settings" panel is particularly smart, letting you jump directly to the most common customization tasks like site identity, colors, and typography without digging through menus.
The page-level customization options are a nice touch too – being able to toggle elements like headers, sidebars, and featured images on individual posts gives you granular control without needing extra plugins. It's the kind of thoughtful design that makes you wonder why other themes don't do this by default.
Astra keeps things simple but powerful, which explains why it's so popular with beginners who want professional results without the complexity.
Kadence takes a more comprehensive approach to customization, as you can see from these screenshots. The dedicated Kadence dashboard gives you quick access to all the major customization areas – Global Colors, Branding, Typography, Header Layout, Page Layout, and Footer Layout – all neatly organized on one screen.
What's interesting is how Kadence structures its customizer panel. You get more granular controls with sections like Blog Posts, Search Results, and Homepage Settings that aren't typically found in other themes.
The sidebar shows an extensive list of customization options, though this can make navigation feel a bit overwhelming compared to Astra's streamlined approach.
The trade-off is clear: Kadence gives you more control out of the box, but you'll spend more time learning where everything is located. Some users might find themselves clicking through multiple tabs to find specific settings, whereas Astra keeps the most common options front and center. It's the difference between a Swiss Army knife and a regular knife – more tools, but more complexity to manage.
Ease of Use
Astra keeps things beautifully simple with its straightforward customizer and clean interface. It's like having a well-organized toolbox where everything is exactly where you'd expect it to be. The learning curve is practically flat, making it perfect if you want to jump in and start building without any fuss.
Kadence offers a bit more depth right out of the gate, with more built-in customization options and advanced features readily available. Think of it as having a Swiss Army knife instead of a basic screwdriver – more options, but still intuitive to use.
If you want the quickest path from zero to website, Astra wins. But if you don't mind exploring more built-in features, Kadence gives you more control from day one.
Performance
Now here's where the rubber meets the road – and the test results speak for themselves. Looking at these speed tests, there's a clear winner when it comes to raw performance.
Kadence absolutely crushes it with a blazing 506ms load time and a solid B grade (86/100). Compare that to Astra's 3.89-second load time and D grade (69/100), and you can see why Kadence is making waves in the performance community. Kadence also keeps things lean with just 4MB page size versus Astra's hefty 10.2MB.
What's really telling is that Kadence achieves this speed while still packing in more features out of the box. Astra's reputation for being lightweight seems to be more about its core code rather than real-world performance with actual content. If site speed is a priority for your project (and it should be), Kadence takes this round hands down.
Starter Templates
When it comes to pre-built templates, Astra clearly wins the numbers game with over 180 free options versus Kadence's 68. Astra also supports more page builders (Elementor, Gutenberg, Spectra Pro, and Beaver Builder) and even throws in AI-powered site generation with ZipWP.
Kadence keeps things simpler with fewer but well-crafted templates, though you're stuck with just Gutenberg and Elementor. If you're a Beaver Builder fan or want maximum template variety, Astra's your pick. But if quality over quantity is your thing, Kadence's focused approach works just fine.
Theme Customization
Looking at these customizer panels, both themes give you plenty of room to make your site truly yours. The interface layouts are clean and organized, making it easy to find what you're looking for without getting lost in endless menus.
Astra keeps its customizer streamlined with clear sections like Global, Header Builder, and Site Identity. The color palette system is straightforward – pick your colors and you're good to go.
Kadence takes a slightly different approach with more granular controls right upfront, including advanced options for backgrounds, typography, and layout settings that give you finer control over every detail.
Both themes unlock even more customization power in their premium versions, but honestly, the free versions already pack more options than most users will ever need. The real difference comes down to how you like to work – Astra's simplified approach versus Kadence's more detailed control panels.
Third-Party Plugins & WooCommerce Integrations
Both themes play well with others when it comes to plugin compatibility. Whether you're running an online store, building a course site, or just need your favorite SEO plugin to work smoothly, you're covered with either choice.
For WooCommerce stores, both themes offer solid integration with cart customization, checkout styling, and layout options. The catch? The really useful WooCommerce features are locked behind their premium versions, so you'll need to upgrade if you want those advanced store customization options. Both also work seamlessly with popular page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder, plus eLearning platforms like LearnDash and LifterLMS.
The bottom line is there's no clear winner here – both themes have built their reputation partly on being plugin-friendly. Your choice won't limit what tools you can use to build your site.
Page Builders
Both themes play nicely with the major page builders, so you're covered whether you prefer drag-and-drop building or sticking with WordPress's default editor. Astra works with Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy, and Gutenberg, with the Astra + Elementor combo being particularly popular among users who want more visual control.
Kadence supports the same page builders but really shines when paired with Gutenberg. The team has put serious effort into making Gutenberg actually useful with their Kadence Blocks plugin, which adds way more functionality than the basic WordPress blocks. If you're planning to use Gutenberg as your main editor, Kadence is probably the better choice.
The main limitation with Kadence is that their starter templates only work with Gutenberg and Elementor right now, so Beaver Builder and Brizy users miss out on those quick-start options. Astra gives you more template flexibility across all builders.
Speed and SEO
Both themes prioritize speed and SEO, but they take slightly different approaches. Astra keeps things ultra-lightweight at under 50KB and uses Vanilla JavaScript instead of heavier libraries. It comes packed with SEO features like built-in schema markup, AMP compatibility, mobile-first design, breadcrumbs, and optimized header tags right out of the box.
Kadence focuses on smart resource loading – only loading what you actually need on each page. It includes basic schema markup and is AMP compatible, though there's a catch: the Kadence Blocks plugin isn't fully AMP-friendly, so you'd need their separate AMP plugin if that matters to you.
Both themes follow SEO best practices with clean code and fast loading times. Astra gives you more SEO features immediately, while Kadence takes a more minimalist approach that you can enhance with plugins as needed. The performance difference between them is likely negligible for most websites.
Third-Party Plugins & WooCommerce Integrations
Both themes play well with others when it comes to plugin compatibility. Whether you're running an online store, building a course site, or just need your favorite SEO plugin to work smoothly, you're covered with either choice.
For WooCommerce stores, both themes offer solid integration with cart customization, checkout styling, and layout options. The catch? The really useful WooCommerce features are locked behind their premium versions, so you'll need to upgrade if you want those advanced store customization options. Both also work seamlessly with popular page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder, plus eLearning platforms like LearnDash and LifterLMS.
The bottom line is there's no clear winner here – both themes have built their reputation partly on being plugin-friendly. Your choice won't limit what tools you can use to build your site.
Kadence vs Astra: Pro Features
Maintenance and Updates
Both Astra and Kadence have solid track records here, pushing out around 15 updates per year. That means bug fixes, new features, WordPress compatibility updates, and security patches arrive regularly.
This consistent update schedule from both teams shows they're committed to their products for the long haul. Whether you pick Astra or Kadence, you can feel confident that your theme will keep working smoothly as WordPress evolves.
Support and Documentation
Both themes deliver solid support with comprehensive documentation and knowledge bases packed with tutorials. You'll find help whether you're a beginner trying to change colors or an advanced user diving into custom CSS.
Astra steps up the game with VIP support and a dedicated hotline for premium users, promising near-instant response times. Kadence counters with a more active community where users help each other troubleshoot and share tips. Both offer quick support for paying customers, so you won't be left hanging when issues pop up.
Kadence V/S Astra Pricing
Kadence Pricing
Express: $69/year
Plus: $169/year
Ultimate: $299/year
Astra Pricing
Astra Pro: $59/year
Essential Toolkit: $99/year
Business Toolkit: $149/year
Wrap Up
Astra wins if you want maximum template variety and proven reliability. Kadence takes the crown for performance and built-in features. You can't go wrong with either – pick Astra for simplicity or Kadence for speed.
FAQs
Is Kadence better than Elementor?
You're comparing different things – Kadence is a WordPress theme, while Elementor is a page builder plugin. They actually work together rather than compete.
Kadence focuses on simplicity and performance with Gutenberg integration, while Elementor offers advanced design flexibility with drag-and-drop controls.
Why is Astra so popular?
Astra hit the sweet spot early – lightweight, versatile, and works with everything without causing headaches. It arrived when WordPress users needed something faster than default themes, building a massive user base that keeps recommending it.
