Top 10 Fastest Free WooCommerce Themes – Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of our exploration of the fastest free WooCommerce themes for WordPress! In Part 1, we examined five exceptional themes—Astra, Blocksy, Botiga, Boutique, and GeneratePress—each designed to enhance both the speed and performance of your WooCommerce site.

Now, in this second part, we will dive into the remaining five themes that promise to elevate your online business experience. Just like before, we’ll provide a detailed analysis of each theme, including their pros and cons, so you can make an informed choice for your WooCommerce project.

If you missed Part 1, be sure to check it out for a comprehensive understanding of the themes we’ve already covered. Let’s continue our journey to discover the best options for your online store!

6.Kadence Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The next theme we will go through testing is Kadence, a versatile WordPress theme recognized for its seamless WooCommerce integration and extensive customization options. Built to be lightweight and fast, Kadence is a popular choice for creating high-performing online stores. While it offers powerful features, beginners may need some time to effectively navigate its many options.

Pros:

  • Built-in WooCommerce Integration
  • Highly Customizable
  • Built-in Optimization Settings

Cons:

  • Dependence on Additional Plugins
  • Overwhelming for Beginners

To start the test off in tradition, we follow the same structure by going through the homepage with two testing tools and then loading up a product page to see closest to “real time” results. Let’s start off with GTMetrix:

Kadence Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The test results are excellent in every category. Here, we can even see a significant improvement in comparison to the last two themes we tested in terms of fully loaded time around one second.

Next, let’s take a closer look at the performance metrics with TTFB load time:

performance metrics with TTFB load time

Again, the TTFB is in excellent shape around 232 ms right above the excellent threshold of 150 ms but still, every other category compensates for that in great grades.

Let’s check with PageSpeed Insights to get another view of the website speed:

 PageSpeed Insights

The results confirm that the homepage is loading up really fast with excellent grades.

To further check the performance, we will go through a product page test with GTMetrix:

product page test with GTMetrix

The results prove that the loading speed is still consistent and excellent in terms of performance. Let’s check out the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

The TTFB is close to excellent and all the other metrics are in great shape. The load time is realistic given the background processes which the end user does not experience when visiting the page.

Let’s make a final test through PageSpeed Insights:

PageSpeed Insights

The test proves that the loading time is consistent on the product page and the grades are from good to excellent. 

7. Neve Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The next theme in the list is Neve – a fast and lightweight WordPress theme designed for optimal performance. It features SEO-friendly capabilities that enhance your website’s visibility in search engine results. Neve is also compatible with various page builders, offering flexibility in creating a tailored WooCommerce store. With multiple customization options for product and cart pages, it enables users to effectively design their online stores.

Neve provides numerous valuable features, but again, beginners may encounter challenges in navigating its options and maximizing its potential.

Pros:

  • Fast and Lightweight
  • SEO-Friendly
  • Compatible with Page Builders
  • Highly Customizable

Cons:

  • Limited Free Version
  • Limited Support for Free Version Users
  • Dependency on Plugins
  • Learning Curve for Beginners

First we go through the homepage of a live website with actual traffic to get an understanding of the speed:

Neve Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The results are excellent in terms of grades and speed. Let’s take a closer look at the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

We can see that it is below the 200 ms threshold which is excellent. The overall load time of the homepage is impressive for under one second.

Let’s check another testing tool like PageSpeed Insights:

PageSpeed Insights

The grades and loading time is similar which confirms the comparison for load time with different testing tools.

The next stage of the test will be an actual cart page to diversify the testing in this article which is not cached on purpose with more traffic, expected of an online business. The first test would be with GTMetrix:

 GTMetrix

The results are good to excellent depending the category. The load time is affected with the background process of loading up different products and pricing. Let’s check the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

On the higher end, however, some of the categories compensate for the affected load time. Overall, pretty much on par with the rest of the themes when tested with the same tools.

Let’s further check with PageSpeed Insights to confirm the load time and metrics:

PageSpeed Insights

The results here are a bit better. Keep in mind that the metrics here differ from the ones that GTMetrix has. To finish it up, the loading time is pretty realistic for a cart page with products loading on random from it without cache. The overall client experience will be good.

In the end, we will go through Neve them and where it falls a bit short. The first and most important thing is that it is very limited to the FREE version. A lot of the functionalities that are marketed when visiting their official website are connected to the paid version. That is additionally solidified with limited support for free users.

You will need to check your budget if you want to really use the theme as main for your website. The next thing is dependency on plugins which need to be added on top to fully utilize the functions of Neve. Important note is that it is a learning curve for beginners. If you do not have experience with WooCommerce themes, this one might prove rather difficult and force you to learn and research before setting everything up for your online business.

8. OceanWP Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The list of themes proceeds with OceanWP, a versatile and feature-rich WordPress theme widely known for its compatibility with WooCommerce. It offers built-in WooCommerce integration, allowing users to create online stores with ease.

OceanWP stands out with its high level of customization, making it suitable for a variety of website designs. One of its unique advantages is the extensive library of demo templates, which provides a quick and visually appealing way to jumpstart a WooCommerce website. These templates are particularly helpful for users looking for inspiration or a head start in the design process.

Pros:

  • Built-in WooCommerce Integration
  • Highly Customizable
  • Extensive Demo Template Library

Cons:

  • Some Features Locked Behind Premium Addons
  • Overwhelming for Beginners
  • Limited Support For Free Version Users

We begin by going through the homepage to set a standard for comparisons with GTMetrix:

OceanWP Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The results seem pretty excellent. Let’s take a closer look at the performance metrics:

performance metrics

The TTFB load time is around 223 ms which is close to excellent. The remaining categories are all in great health as well. To solidify the test, we will go through Page Speed Insights:

Page Speed Insights

The results are the same, everything is in the “green”. The grades are excellent, including the load time.

The start of the test seems to be very promising, however the real deal comes with the actual cart and product pages which have higher traffic and no cache for objective results. The first test is again done through GTMetrix:

GTMetrix

We can see that the load time is consistent with previously tested themes and plugin setups, however, the grade is taking a hit and under 80% in terms of performance. Let’s take a closer look at the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

The TTFB is again on the higher end, but in terms of the other categories, nothing troublesome or really lacking. The overall performance is good.

To cross-reference this test, we will go through PageSpeed Insights as well:

PageSpeed Insights

It seems to be looking pretty much similar to the test results in GTMetrix. The grades are good to excellent and the load time is affected given that the cart is not cached and has products which load up at the end.

9. Storefront Theme for WooCommerce Speed

Оne of the themes we will test for website speed is Storefront. which is the official WooCommerce theme. It offers seamless WooCommerce integration, making it an excellent choice for online stores. Storefront is highly customizable and SEO-friendly, which can improve your site’s search engine rankings. 

Additionally, the theme supports extensive child themes and plugins, and it receives regular updates, giving it a competitive edge over many other themes that limit these features for free users.

Pros:

  • Seamless WooCommerce Integration
  • Highly Customizable
  • SEO-Friendly
  • Extensive Child Themes and Plugin Support (like Boutique in part1)
  • Regular Updates

Cons:

  • Limited Support for Free Users
  • Some Features Require Premium Addons
  • Limited Built-in Customization Options
  • Basic Design Without Premium Customizations

Let’s go through the homepage with GTMetrix:

Storefront Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The results are promising with high grades and low loading time of around 1.1 seconds. Let’s check the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

This time it is higher than expected but still in healthy range thanks to the other metrics which are excellent. Let’s check again through PageSpeed Insights:

PageSpeed Insights

The statistics prove that they are similar to GTMetrix and offer good to excellent grades and loading time in general.

The next step of the test would be an actual product page without cache to get close to the realistic loading times of a live WooCommerce website. We will start off with GTMetrix:

GTMetrix

The statistics are again consistent and good. No sudden drops of performance or grade for that matter. Let’s check the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

The TTFB load time is healthier than expected given the page has no active cache and it contains products. Very good overall results. Let’s make a final check through PageSpeed Insights to confirm this:

PageSpeed Insights

The results are consistent with good to excellent grades and loading time. The test of this theme seems to be pretty conclusive that it is optimize for WooCommerce type websites.

10. Sydney Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The last theme on our list, Sydney, appears here simply due to alphabetical order—not because it’s the least impressive. Sydney offers a great set of features in its free version, allowing users to get started without immediately needing to upgrade to premium. It’s highly customizable and features a modern, professional design that works well for WooCommerce stores. The theme is both SEO-friendly and mobile-responsive, ensuring better search engine rankings and a smooth experience on all devices. Sydney also benefits from regular updates and strong user support.

Pros:

  • Free Version with Solid Features
  • Highly Customizable
  • Modern, Professional Design
  • Seo-Friendly and Mobile-Responsive
  • Regular Updates and Strong Support

Cons:

  • Steep Learning Curve for Beginners
  • Advanced Features Require the Pro Version
  • May Need Additional Page Builders for Full Customization
  • Plugin Setup can get Complex Long-Term

We go through the homepage with GTMetrix:

Sydney Theme for WooCommerce Speed

The grades and loading time is excellent. Nothing out of the ordinary. Let’s take a closer look at the performance stats:

performance stats:

The TTFB load time is good but not excellent when over 300 ms. Despite that, the rest of the categories compensate for the load time to be very good and around 1.1 seconds.

The next test would be through PageSpeed Insights to confirm the results:

PageSpeed Insights

The results are similar and nothing to worry about here. The next step of the test will be a product page without any active cache to get a better view of the website speed:

website speed

The results are stable and do not drop drastically to alarm us of any real speed issues here. Let’s check the TTFB load time:

TTFB load time

The TTFB has slightly improved under 300 ms but the most important part is the rest of the metrics which are still in excellent health and compensate for the full load time which is expected again as in every other test we did.

Let’s check one final time through PageSpeed Insights:

PageSpeed Insights

The results are in and again, nothing out of the ordinary. The grades are good to excellent and the load time is decent. 

 To keep this experiment objective, we made the tests on similar product and cart pages so that there aren’t any biased results or on the contrary loading times that differ greatly from one another that would make you choose one theme over the other. All the themes are recommended from us in terms of performance and speed. The pros and cons are there for you to choose which one would suit you best on top of that with what they offer.

That’s it! We successfully went through all 10 themes, compared them with pros and cons, loading time, TTFB and grades with two different testing tools. The environment, although with a live site will not provide a 100% realistic load time since that depends on a lot of factors such as peaks of traffic, campaigns and other resource hungry options that may affect the performance. 

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Svetlozar Todorov
Svetlozar Todorov

Svetlozar Todorov is a Team Lead in the Support Team at WPX. Having over 7 years of experience with handling various clients issues, fixing and offering solutions has helped him gain a lot of knowledge. Managing different support teams and sharing expertise is essential in order to develop and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction.

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