Choose a theme that fits the job

Start with how you want to edit

A WordPress theme controls templates, styles, and presentation. It should not own information that you need to keep when the design changes.

• Block themes use blocks for templates and site-wide areas. The Site Editor can manage headers, footers, templates, colors, and typography.
• Classic themes use the older template system and usually rely on the Customizer, widget areas, and theme-specific settings.

Neither type is automatically better. Choose the editing model you can understand and maintain. Switching between themes later may require rebuilding theme-specific layouts or checking plugin integrations.

Test more than the screenshot

A demonstration uses carefully selected content. Test the theme with the kind of material you actually have: long titles, portrait and landscape images, empty categories, multiple menu levels, and ordinary paragraphs.

Check these areas before committing:

1. Responsive behavior: navigation, images, cards, forms, and tables at narrow widths.
2. Accessibility: keyboard focus, heading structure, labels, contrast, zoom, and reduced-motion behavior.
3. Performance: page weight, external fonts or scripts, and whether major features require additional plugins.
4. Updates: recent maintenance, compatibility information, and a credible route for bug fixes.
5. Support and documentation: what is available, in which language, and for how long.
6. Content portability: whether pages remain understandable if the theme is changed.

Avoid choosing only by animation, a large feature count, or a homepage screenshot. Every feature adds something to understand and maintain.

Two Project-if options

Project-if publishes two free block themes under the GPL. They are not universal recommendations; they are practical options when their intended use matches your brief.

If-Thema Small Business FREE

For small businesses, small offices, independent professionals, shops, and service websites. It includes core-block patterns for a homepage and common information pages, without requiring third-party plugins.

Review Small Business features, demo, and download →

If-Thema My Base

For personal websites, blogs, photography, portfolios, creative work, and profiles. It includes Blog, Photo, Works, and Profile starter patterns with Simple, Natural, and Dark styles.

Review My Base starters, demos, and download →

Make a reversible choice

Install the candidate on a staging site or temporary local copy when possible. Build one representative page, test it on mobile and with a keyboard, and confirm that you can edit it without undocumented workarounds. Keep a backup before changing an existing site.