GeneratePress vs Astra What WordPress Theme should you choose in 2022?

You're trying to decide which theme to choose between GeneratePress and Astra as the theme for your WordPress theme for your site?

Overall, you won't go wrong , however every theme comes with its own strong points that might push you in one direction or in another. In order to help you identify these differences, let us compare GeneratePress vs Astra in a number of crucial areas like:

• User interface
• Starter sites
• Pricing
• Modules
• Premium vs free features
• Layout and style customization
• Performance
• Page builder integrations
• Developer compatibility
• Ecommerce integration
• Other integrations
• Support and documentation

Let's get started!

Note- we want to let you know our readers that GeneratePress is a host client. But, we did not give GeneratePress any particular treatment during this test and we ensured that the results were totally objective.

GeneratePress Vs Astra -- Astra Quick Introductions

Before getting to the discussion, we'll briefly introduce the two concepts.

GeneratePress

GeneratePress is a light multipurpose theme developed by Tom Usborne. Out of the box it is less than 10 KB and has an excellent name for its clean code.

At the time of writing, GeneratePress is active on over 300,000 sites as per WordPress.org. GeneratePress has an excellent 5-star rating on over 1150 reviews.

Astra

Astra boasts the unique distinction of being the sole non-default WordPress theme to pass one million active installs at WordPress.org. Astra also boasts a flawless five-star rating in over 4800 reviews.

GeneratePress Vs Astra -- User Interface

GeneratePress

Within the individual Customizer settings, GeneratePress keeps things a less flimsier than Astra. As a result, Astra is a little more intuitive in the personal Customizer settings.

For example, when you're selecting one of the pre-set header designs, all you have to do is pick a text dropdown:

This is a different approach from Astra and you'll find out in a second.

Additionally, you'll have additional options when editing individual pieces of content, which we'll discuss when we get to page builder compatibility.

Overall, GeneratePress' detailed use of the WordPress Customizer sticks with its light, easy-to-use approach.

Astra

As Astra provides starter websites in its free version, it has a little bit more of a structured introduction process. You'll still spend most of your time working in the WordPress Customizer when using Astra.

If you are the first to activate Astra when you first activate it, it will display an option to download the Starter Templates plugin, which lets you use the available demo sites for import:

Clicking "Get Started" will activate the demo site plugin, which we'll go over in the following section.

Then, you'll be able to complete everything else using the built-in WordPress Customizer the same way as you do with GeneratePress:

Astra's settings for Customizer are more intuitive and easy to use. For example, when choosing the pre-made header layout it will show a visual image of the layout, rather than only a text listing:

Is it a huge difference? Absolutely no. But most people will probably prefer the way that Astra has set things up in terms of beginner-friendliness.

You'll also get page-level controls and we'll go over them in the compatibility with page builders section.

GeneratePress Vs Astra - Starter Sites

In terms of pre-built exportable demo websites, Astra has a much more extensive choice. Additionally, Astra still includes starter websites for the free edition, but the starter websites are only available in the event you buy GeneratePress Premium.

In this regard, Astra is a bit more powerful when it comes to imported starter websites.

GeneratePress

Also, GeneratePress only offers starter sites when you buy GeneratePress Premium. There are no start-up sites when you purchase the free version, which is important to think about if you do not want to start at the beginning.

With the premium version, GeneratePress provides starter websites which are constructed using three content builders that are available:

1. native WordPress editor (blocks) - 44 different sites.
2. Elementor - 14 different sites.
3. Beaver Builder Pro - 6 different sites.

In total, that gives you 64pre-built websitesto pick from.

In order to import GeneratePress"starter sites," you'll need to activate your Site Library module in GeneratePress Premium. From there, you'll be able to look through the demo websites on your WordPress dashboard and import these sites in a matter of a few clicks.

When you import an existing website, you are given the option of doing a full or partial import. The import options include:

• Simply the WordPress Customizer settings.
• The Customizer settings, as well as the content from demo.

Astra

Astra provides a wide range of no-cost starter websites and many of starter websites with the Astra Premium Agency version.

Astra offers starter sites featuring four different editors for content:

• Native WordPress editor (blocks) - 52 diverse sites. 52 of them are free websites and 0 premium sites.
• Elementor The site has 133 websites including 60 sites for free and 73 premium sites.
• Beaver Builder - more than 106 sites, including 38 sites for free and 68 premium sites.
• Brizy - 40 different sites 17 sites for free and 23 premium websites.

Unlike GeneratePress, there's some similarities in starter websites between the various content editors. You can, for instance, get the identical starter website built using Block Editor and Elementor.

This is why you cannot simply count the templates' totals. But in general it is evident that Astra is definitely a broader selection than GeneratePress. If you just look at the Elementor demonstration sites, it still has double the number.

In order to install Astra's starter site it is necessary to install the companion Starter Sites plugin from WordPress.org (or the equivalent premium version for access to the free demo sites).

Once you've done that you'll be able explore the starter websites the WordPress dashboard. Once you've imported an existing site, you'll have the option of a complete or partial import. The import options include:

• Individual pieces of content from the demo site.
• Just the WordPress Customizer settings (no content)
• Just the content.

GeneratePress vs Astra - Pricing

Both GeneratePress and Astra offer free versions at WordPress.org as well as premium versions with additional functions.

For premium versions, both offer the same pricing. The one exception is that Astra will require a larger purchase to unlock Premium Agency templates.

GeneratePress

GeneratePress offers two methods of payment:

• $59 for one year of updates and support. You can renew for 40% less at the end of your initial year.
• $149 for lifetime support/updates and support for the entire time.

Both plans allow use on an unlimited number of websites.

Astra

For the premium theme, Astra has three pricing options:

• Astra Pro Cost: $49 for 1 year of support/updates.
• Essential Bundle: $169/year
• Growth Bundle Annual Cost: $249

The two plans permit use on an unlimited number of websites. Also, you can choose an option to purchase the "lifetime" pricing option.

GeneratePress vs Astra -- Modules

Both GeneratePress and Astra utilize a modular design for their premium versions which lets you turn on and remove the features you would like to utilize.

In this section, we'll show you which themes have what modules. The general rule is that Astra has a longer module list, which is logical since Astra is typically better-equipped than GeneratePress.

GeneratePress

Astra

GeneratePress Vs Astra -- Free and Premium Features

As we mentioned above, each theme comes with popular free versions at WordPress.org in addition to premium ones with additional options. The premium version is technically an add-on plugin for the free core theme - you'll use exactly the same theme, no matter if you're using the free version (just the theme) or the Pro version (the theme plus the premium plugin).

You'll need the premium version to use all the modules that we showed you in the earlier section.

In the end, Astra is a little less generous in terms of its free features and is more adaptable as a free theme. That's why Astra will probably be a superior alternative if you're hoping to stick with just one version.

GeneratePress vs Astra -- Layout and Style Customization

The topic was discussed briefly when we compared the complimentary and premium options and now we'll get deep into the layout and style the options to customize both themes.

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In the end, Astra and GeneratePress both give you a ton of customizable options. This is one of the reasons they're both popular.

But, it's an extremely difficult area to evaluate since there are numerous options to choose from (especially if you have the Premium version). To go through every aspect would take an entire book!

The general consensus is that Astra is a bit ahead in terms of the sheer number of features. However, for the majority of situations each theme will offer you all the options that you need. The majority of users will only notice a difference in the case of some particular features that are more specific to.

They're also extremely flexible in regards to "core" areas such as:

• Layouts

Furthermore, Astra is not ahead in all aspects, and GeneratePress is more flexible in some areas. In particular, GeneratePress has more preset header layouts. However, the layouts will change once Astra unveils its latest header/footer builder (currently being in beta as we're conducting this analysis).

GeneratePress Astra Astra -- Performance

GeneratePress

Astra

Comparison

In order to make things easier to you, here's the information from the GeneratePress vs Astra comparison on a fresh installed version:

GeneratePress against Astra - Page Builder Compatibility

GeneratePress

When working on an individual article, GeneratePress lets you adjust the layout and also disable specific elements.

The following elements can be adjusted: components:

• Layout for Sidebars Choose from any layout for the sidebar (disable, switch sides, or add an additional sidebar, etc).
• Footer Widgets- change the number of footer widgets ranging from 0-5.
• Content ContainerChoose between default, full-width, or contained.

You may also turn off these elements by checking a box:

• Top bar
• Header
• Primary navigation
• Secondary navigation
• The featured image/page header
• Content title
• Footer

Astra

Astra offers you a variety of page-level controls, including some extra options for controlling the behavior of headers. As an example, you could set up a transparent or sticky header for each page on a per-page basis.

You can adjust the following settings:

• Sidebar left, right or disabled.
• Content LayoutBoxed, Content boxed, full-width contained and stretched to full width.
• Transparent Header- enabled or disabled.
• Page Header- set a custom header for your page (more on this feature later in the following section).
• Sticky Header- enabled or disabled.

You may also turn off the following elements when you check a box:

• Primary header
• Title
• Breadcrumb
• The featured image
• Bar for footer

GeneratePress vs Astra -- Developer-Friendliness

Overall, GeneratePress might have a slightly advantage due to the unifying approach to customizing, but both are quite solid and provide a lot of choices.

GeneratePress

Once you've got the hang of it, it's super useful to have everything in one place. If you want to add a new element it is possible to select among four types of elements:

• Block
• Header
• Hook
• Layout

For example, let's say you'd like to include a hook in one of GeneratePress' many hook locations ( visual guide here). It is possible to create a new type of hook. After that, you'll be able to add the code you want to run and select the hook's location.

It is also possible to target certain articles in lots of diverse ways like posts tags, categories, custom taxonomies, author, and lots more:

In general, GeneratePress Elements is very well thought out and a great tool for developers.

Astra

Astra also includes plenty of developers' tools.

First off, if you're looking to use Hooks from Astra ( visual guide here) It is possible to download the official Astra Hooks extension for the ability to include hooks straight through your WordPress Customizer. One of the advantages of this method is that it's free.

The Astra hook implementation does not have the easy display rules feature that GeneratePress has, so you'll need to add those conditions directly to the code:    GzaIriTYCwHSvGBDsCsr    The plugin for Astra Hooks is available free of charge.

If you're using Astra Pro, you get access to customized layouts as well as page headers (which can be wrapped in Elements depending on the version you're using GeneratePress).

To handle these components, Astra does give you specific display rules, similar to GeneratePress. It is possible to add hooks with the custom layout feature, that basically gives you access to the similar display rules.

Astra also has a dedicated white-label function, something that GeneratePress does not currently provide (though there are some solutions).

GeneratePress compares to Astra -- Ecommerce Integration

However, in general Astra has a stronger WooCommerce integration and has more specific WooCommerce capabilities. That's why Astra is probably a superior alternative in the case of WooCommerce stores, but GeneratePress could still work in most situations.

For instance, Astra has:

• Dropdown shopping cart
• Off-canvas WooCommerce sidebar
• Built-in product quick view
• An eye-catching indicator for sale merchandise
• A plethora of customizing settings available to regulate your personal catalog and your products

GeneratePress can match some of those functions like the non-stressful payment. But in general, Astra is definitely ahead in its WooCommerce integration.

Other Integrations Notable

GeneratePress doesn't really have many notable integrations beyond its WooCommerce integration, however Astra isn't without a few extra tricks up its sleeves.

Astra is not only WooCommerce's partner, Astra also has dedicated modules that support:

• Simple Digital Downloads

GeneratePress Astra Astra -- Support and Documentation

If you buy the premium version Both GeneratePress as well as Astra provide premium service. Both themes come with detailed information bases that you can use to assist yourself.

Overall, however, GeneratePress has a slight edge for support for some of the reasons that we'll talk in the next section.

GeneratePress

To begin, GeneratePress provides a detailed guide on all the features of the theme. This is an excellent first step if you run into any issues.

If you need personal assistance in addition to that, you may make use of the support forums for public users. Anyone can view the forum, however it is required to be a registered user to create topics. The forums for support can occasionally be stigmatized, but GeneratePress does it really well and reacts quickly to topics that are new.

There's even Tom Usborne, the developer who is still there to answer questions sometimes (though GeneratePress has grown to an extent that the majority of queries are dealt with by dedicated customer support staff).

Additionally, because the support forum is public it is possible to find the answer to your question just by searching Google to turn up an existing support topic.

For community support You can sign up to the official GeneratePress Facebook community, which has over 6,700 users.

Astra

Like GeneratePress, Astra has a detailed knowledge base including hundreds of content.

If you're in need of assistance that goes in addition to that, send a support ticket. Since Astra supports ticketing There isn't a searchable index of queries like the one you'd receive when using forums support.

For community support, Astra also has the largest official Facebook community that has more than 16,900 members.

Summary

GeneratePress as well as Astra are popular for an excellent reason. They're both excellent WordPress themes and you won't be disappointed using either.

Overall, Astra offers slightly "more" than GeneratePress. It's got more integrations, more starter sites and more options for customization, etc. Do you think that means it's better? It's not always the case. If GeneratePress comes with a starter website that you love and you love it, then it's not really a big deal the fact that Astra offers more starter websites since you'll only require the one template.

Similarly, if you're not making use of WooCommerce then it really doesn't make any difference the fact that Astra offers a more thorough WooCommerce integration.

However, GeneratePress has a slight advantage when it comes to performance, which is another crucial aspect to consider. In addition, Astra is also quite excellent when it comes to performance , it's only that GeneratePress is a bit better.

When it comes to pricing, the premium versions are identical, so there's not any difference in pricing. But, there are two things to note when it comes to pricing:

• The free version of Astra is much more user-friendly than GeneratePress's free version. GeneratePress. So if you're planning to stick with GeneratePress' free version or theme, you'll probably be happier with Astra.
• You need one of the agency bundles offered by Astra for access to premium templates.

Also, you'll need to take into consideration the type of website that you're creating. In this case, GeneratePress might be the best option for a brochure or blog, while Astra will probably be the best choice if you're building the WooCommerce store or online course.

The bottom line is that you can't be disappointed with either of the themes, so you definitely don't want to make a disastrous decision. In reality, it's all than choosing the one that best emphasizes and supports what you're trying to achieve.

Do you still have concerns about GeneratePress or Astra? Contact us via the comment section!

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