Which is the best WordPress theme? In this comparison of Astra vs Genesis StudioPress, we take a detailed look at my favorite WordPress theme makers. Because I run a number of websites, I personally use themes from both of these companies. But, let’s take a closer look to see which one is the best choice for your business website.
Astra
Astra comes in both a free and a premium version. Unlike the other two theme makers we’re looking at here, instead of choosing from a selection of already constructed themes, with Astra you start out with the base theme and then customize it to your liking. You can select a pre-built starter template to speed up the website creation process though.
Astra has three premium or pro plans that you can choose from. You get unlimited website usage with all three plans.
Astra Pro
$47 mo. or $199 One-time fee
Mini Agency Bundle
$135 mo. or $399 One-time fee
Agency Bundle
$187 mo. or $524 One-time fee
Genesis StudioPress
Genesis is the framework on which the StudioPress themes are built. Genesis themes are regarded by many in the WordPress community as some of the most efficiently coded and designed themes available.
StudioPress themes usually start at $99.95 for unlimited website usage. Third-party developed themes cost more. However, once you become a StudioPress customer (e.g. after you buy a theme), you get significant discounts on both in-house and third-party themes—with prices starting at $44.95 or less.
You can also get free StudioPress themes if you sign up for WP Engine managed WordPress hosting.
Theme Selection
StudioPress has a nice selection of themes built on the Genesis Framework that you can select—both in-house developed and third party developed themes. Currently, as I’m writing this article, there are 66 themes to choose from at StudioPress.
The one possible drawback with StudioPress is that all of their themes have kind of a similar look to theme. While there are definitely some variations, there are more similarities, so if you don’t really care for the basic look of their themes, it might be harder to find one you like.
And as I mentioned earlier, although Astra comes in one base theme that you can customize, there are numerous starter templates you can use for your website. In fact, there are currently 133 starter templates available, however some of them do require that you purchase the Agency Theme Package.
Astra definitely has the best combination of different looking starter theme templates and the ability to customize the base Astra theme to your liking.
Theme Design and Coding
From my experience, I’ve found both Astra and Genesis StudioPress themes to be very efficiently developed and coded. All of my websites using these themes have performed well. And, both Astra and Genesis have adapted well to the Gutenberg environment in WordPress.
Theme Customization and Usability
When it comes to customizing your WordPress theme, I like Astra the best. The Astra Pro theme gives you more options in the theme customizer that let you design your website more precisely without having to mess around with the css code.
While StudioPress themes are easy to work with through the customizer and with widgets, I’ve run into some instances where you have to edit the theme code to get the look I wanted.
A quick look at the theme customization panels gives you an idea of how much more you can easily change the appearance of your theme in Astra as opposed to Genesis StudioPress.
Because it includes the best combination of customization options plus ease of use, Astra is the winner in this category.
Theme Performance
Because StudioPress also includes third-party developed themes, it can be difficult to generalize on how well all of their themes perform. Here, Astra is easier to measure for speed and performance.
However, since I use themes from both of these companies, here are some speed test results from my testing. Using a basic WordPress website, I ran speed tests on webpagetest.org and gtmetrix.com.
As you can see, both performed very well. The Genesis StudioPress theme was slightly faster on webpagetest.org. However, Astra had a higher structure score on gtmetrix.com. In both cases, the difference was minimal. The bottom line her is: If you’re looking for better speed with your WordPress theme, then both Astra and StudioPress are excellent choices.
Customer Support
When you purchase themes with Astra or StudioPress, you get access to email support as well as their knowledge bases. With the email support at Astra and StudioPress, you’ll get a response within 24 hours. Whenever I’ve utilized the customer support at both Astra and StudioPress, I’ve received helpful responses in a timely manner.
To contact customer support for Astra and StudioPress, you just need to open a support ticket, supplying basic information. You’ll then get your response via email.
Based on my experience with these theme providers, Astra and StudioPress would rank equally when it comes to customer support. I like that you get continued access to support without having to pay for an extension, such as with ThemeForest.
Recommendation
Having used Astra and Genesis StudioPress themes over the years, I know that it’s possible to run a successful website with both. However, in this direct comparison, here are my overall finding and recommendations.
Overall, it is a close call, but I would rank Astra as the winner. With Astra, you get the best combination of customization options, speed and efficiency, usability, and customer support. You can start with the free Astra theme and then move up to the Astra Pro version to get the best results.
For beginners, going with a StudioPress theme with the Genesis Framework may be a better fit. While you don’t always get as many options, setting up your StudioPress theme can be a bit easier.
However, for the majority of WordPress websites, I would recommend Astra. Here are my overall review ratings for Astra:
Astra Review Ratings
| Theme Selection | |
| Coding and Design | |
| Customization/Usability | |
| Speed/Performance | |
| Customer Support | |
Average | |
