16 Best WordPress Minimalist Themes for Design Inspiration

When designing a website, simplicity is paramount. Clean, well-organized layouts help direct attention to essential elements like calls-to-action, navigation, and top-selling products. And the best way to apply minimalist design principles to your website is by using a minimalist theme.

Any WordPress site owner can find plenty of minimalist theme options on the platform’s official theme directory and third-party marketplaces.

To make the search process more efficient, we have selected the best minimalist WordPress themes for blogs, online stores, portfolios, and other types of websites. Our selection process was based on user reviews, theme maintenance, and device responsiveness.

A minimalist WordPress theme prioritizes vital elements, omitting complex designs. It usually sticks to a limited color palette, often using white or gray backgrounds and clear, bold fonts. Using a simple WordPress theme guarantees a user-friendly experience and smooth site navigation.

Our Picks for the Best Minimalist WordPress Themes

Minimalist design is adopted by many types of websites, including eCommerce, restaurants, and personal blogs. Fortunately, you can find themes for each website category in the market. Our picks for the best minimalist WordPress themes include various niches so that you can find one that suits you.

1. Savoy

The Savoy theme for minimalist WordPress stores

Savoy is a fully-responsive WooCommerce. It has adjustable catalog columns, multiple menu types, and adaptive image loading to ensure optimal performance across all devices.

This theme includes access to over 1,000 Google fonts, integration with page builders like Elementor and WPBakery, and the Slider Revolution premium plugin.

Key Features:

  • Product quick view
  • Add-to-cart buttons on the shop page
  • Multiple filtering options
  • Instagram gallery
  • AJAX functionality

2. Aurum

The Aurum theme for minimalist WordPress stores

Aurum is a minimalist WooCommerce theme that caters to various store types, including boutiques, bookshops, tech gear, and jewelry. You can select from different minimalist design demos or customize the theme to suit your needs.

This WordPress theme is touch-optimized, ensuring a seamless user experience on mobile devices. The drag-and-drop builder has a wide selection of elements, including multiple styles for headers and shop pages, streamlining the design process. Blog, shop, and footer widgets are also available.

Key Features:

  • Product hover effects and carousel
  • Custom search page with content filtering
  • Support for plugins such as Layer Slider, Revolution Slider, and YITH Wishlist
  • Breadcrumbs and lazy loading to enhance user experience

3. Metro

The Metro theme for minimalist WordPress stores

Metro is another minimalist WordPress theme designed for WooCommerce stores. The one-click demo importer makes creating your business website quick and straightforward.

If none of the pre-built layouts fit your needs, the theme offers unlimited color combinations, a vast selection of Google fonts, and supports page builders to help you make one from scratch.

This premium modern theme gives you access to premium plugins like WooCommerce Variation Swatches, WP Layer Slider, and WP SEO Structured Data Schema. These tools can help you build a full-fledged WordPress website that works as good as it looks.

Key Features:

  • Elementor and WPML support
  • Category and archive page layout options
  • Unlimited color combinations
  • Admin panel by Redux

4. XStore

The XStore theme for minimalist WordPress stores

XStore is a minimal WordPress theme with SEO-friendly demos for clothes, home decor, coffee, and cosmetics stores. It integrates with the Visual Composer drag-and-drop builder and WooCommerce. To boost your sales efforts, it comes with built-in features like a wishlist, shopping cart countdown, and photo reviews.

This minimalist WordPress theme also has unique features like a ChatGPT-powered AI Assistant content generator and XStore Patcher bug fixer. Other theme features include AJAX functionality, and multi-vendor and multilanguage support.

Key Features:

  • Built-in header and product page builder
  • Multi-vendor capabilities
  • Compatibility with popular eCommerce plugins, including Dynamic Pricing & Discounts, Slider Revolution, and WooCommerce Amazon Affiliates
  • Photoshop and Figma source files included

5. Merchandiser

The Merchandiser theme for minimalist WordPress stores

This minimalist WordPress theme is ideal for eCommerce websites that rely on visuals. You’ll find full-width headers for product categories and decent-sized product photos in all catalogs and archive sections.

Merchandiser is also useful for promoting affiliate products. It has a dedicated page layout with a CTA button that takes shoppers to the third-party site where they can complete the transaction.

As Merchandiser is compatible with GDPR plugins, using it ensures your WordPress website complies with data protection laws.

Key Features:

  • Unlimited product variations with the option to set prices, stock, and images for each one
  • “Verified owner” label on customer reviews
  • Wishlist and order tracking features
  • Import and export products using CSV files

Pro Tip

When customizing your minimal WordPress theme, ensure to implement web design best practices for a lasting impression on your customers.

6. Hostinger Blog Theme

Hostinger Blog Theme demo

Our in-house solution is available for Hostinger users on Business, and all managed cloud web hosting plans – which are also optimized for WordPress. The theme comes with pre-built styles and color schemes ‒ a useful feature if you don’t have time to design one from scratch.

Moreover, this free minimal WordPress theme is compatible with our AI content generator, accessible during the website setup process. This tool helps you create unique banner copy, blog posts, and text for pages like About and Contact in minutes – completed with Unsplash stock images.

Key Features:

  • Pre-made styles
  • AI content generator
  • Unsplash integration for generating images
  • Lightweight and SEO-friendly

7. Neve

The Neve theme for minimalist WordPress blogs

If you’re looking for free WordPress themes, Neve is worth considering. This minimalist theme is lightweight, fully responsive, and customizable.

The free version of this multipurpose theme comes with AMP-optimized layouts and is SEO-friendly. Regarding customization, you can redesign the header and footer and create a custom color palette.

When your blog scales up, you can upgrade to its premium version. The Neve PRO theme provides access to more widgets, customization options, and premium modules to enhance your blog’s performance and engagement.

Key Features:

  • Over 100 starter sites
  • Seamless integration with Beaver Builder, Divi, and other page builders
  • Performance, WooCommerce Booster, and Blog Booster modules

8. Authentic

The Authentic theme for minimalist WordPress blogs

Authentic is a lifestyle blogging theme with a sleek and modern design. Its collection of demos includes a few minimalist options, like Visual Therapy. Alternatively, combine blog layouts and sections from different demos to create your ideal minimalist website.

Increase engagement on your blog by enabling share buttons and share bars on mobile devices. Embed your social links strategically on your blog to ensure optimal visibility – the theme supports up to 17 social media platforms.

Other noteworthy theme features include a responsive review block, signature features, and full-width page template options for images and galleries. You can also play a portion of a YouTube video as the website’s custom background.

Key Features:

  • Integrated block-based page builder with 40 block layouts for posts
  • Translation-ready
  • Custom widgets for contributors, featured posts, and social sharing
  • Configurable pop-ups and notifications

9. Stockholm

The Stockholm minimalist theme for small businesses

Stockholm is one of the best minimalist WordPress theme options due to its features and extensive customization options.

Offering over 140 demos for various types of businesses and support to WPBakery and other page builders, Stockholm makes building a minimalist website straightforward.

Besides supporting integration with popular plugins like WooCommerce and WPML, this minimalist WordPress theme also provides multiple styles to showcase your projects.

Key Features:

  • Child-theme-ready and retina-ready
  • Over 50 custom shortcodes
  • A wide range of header and title area layouts
  • Visual elements like parallax images, video slider, and custom background

10. Jevelin

The Jevelin minimalist theme for small businesses

Jevelin is a flexible multipurpose theme with a wide range of demos for different small businesses, including agencies, startups, and entrepreneurs.

It’s highly customizable, integrating with the WPBakery page builder for advanced, code-free design changes.

The theme includes the Slider Revolution plugin for creating animated, mobile-friendly slideshow presentations. Combined with its collection of layouts and templates, you can create a professional site effortlessly.

Enhance every part of your website with sidebar, header, and footer widgets. Upgrade the navigation system with the theme’s mega menus if your website is content-heavy.

Key Features:

  • Slideshow builder tool
  • Social share functionality
  • Over 40 custom shortcodes
  • Video and parallax background sections

11. Kleanity

The Kleanity minimalist theme for small businesses

Kleanity is a clean and minimalist WordPress theme tailor-made for business websites. While it may provide fewer demos than some themes on this list, its user-friendly drag-and-drop builder will help you customize your site effortlessly.

Apart from its user-friendly interface, Kleanity offers a customizable admin panel. You can modify the site’s layout and header style, design custom skins, and fine-tune colors via the theme settings page.

Additionally, you have the flexibility to create unique sidebars for individual pages, enhancing the overall customization experience.

Key Features:

  • Multiple blog, portfolio, and gallery layouts
  • Background wrapper options
  • Revolution Slider and Lightbox plugins included

12. Arnold

The Arnold theme for minimalist portfolios

Arnold is one of the best minimal WordPress themes for showcasing creative work. It provides a range of demos and unlimited portfolio pages, easing the process for those who don’t know how to create an online portfolio.

Mix elements like image galleries, headings, sliders, and social icons using the drag-and-drop builder. As for the typography, this lightweight theme lets you mix and match Google and Adobe fonts or upload your own.

This portfolio theme also supports WooCommerce, allowing you to make money off your work.

Key Features:

  • Advanced slider module
  • A selection of web and mobile header layouts
  • WooCommerce layouts for shop archive
  • Portfolio list options with up to 12 columns and a pagination system

13. TheFutur

TheFutur theme for minimalist portfolios

TheFutur is one of the best minimal WordPress themes to showcase a contemporary look. It has a clean, black-and-white design with subtle animations to give your portfolio a dynamic feel.

Catering to professionals from various industries, this portfolio WordPress theme offers all kinds of layouts, design elements, and widgets. For embedding a blog into your portfolio website, the theme offers blog list layouts, Google fonts, and WPML compatibility.

Additionally, TheFutur supports integration with WooCommerce and child themes, it’s fully responsive, SEO-friendly, and retina-ready.

Key Features:

  • 36 unique Gutenberg blocks
  • Multiple portfolio list layouts
  • Testimonials interactive slider
  • Gallery lightbox pop-up, video pop-up interactive button, and other visual elements

14. Manon

The Manon theme for minimalist portfolios

If you’re looking for minimal WordPress themes geared toward creative people, Manon is worth a try. This WordPress theme features modern and stylish portfolio layouts and inner pages, offering multiple creative options to showcase your work.

You can build a one-page portfolio site using load more functionality and infinite scroll pagination. Alternatively, leverage its customizable mega menu and create a multi-level website by embedding a blog section and a WooCommerce shop.

Key Features:

  • A large collection of shortcodes, including options for testimonials, portfolio lists, top reviews, and pricing tables
  • Custom post formats for audio, video, gallery, link, and quote
  • Smooth scroll and page transitions
  • WPBakery and Slider Revolution included

Pro Tip

Check out our website design inspiration article for ideas on how to personalize your chosen WordPress theme.

15. Resca

The Resca minimalist theme for restaurants

Resca is a restaurant and cafe theme with clean, image-focused layouts, including a one-page demo. You can mix elements from various demos to create a unique restaurant site.

For reservations, Resca offers OpenTable integration and a built-in reservation form. Additionally, this WordPress theme includes a comprehensive menu page, enabling you to present all the essential elements engagingly.

For those familiar with Photoshop, Resca allows customization by modifying the PSD files. This theme is fully retina-ready and responsive, ensuring beautiful visuals on all screen sizes.

Key Features:

  • Drag-and-drop page builder
  • Self-hosted HTML5 video player
  • Unlimited colors and skins
  • Slider Revolution included

16. Grand Restaurant

The Grand Restaurant minimalist theme for restaurants

Grand Restaurant, one of the most popular restaurant themes on the market, offers a variety of demos with over 100 pre-built page templates. Several of them use minimalist designs, customizable using the drag-and-drop content builder.

This theme provides a complete table booking management system with multiple payment options, booking time management, and reminders. It also integrates with WooCommerce for online orders and deliveries.

Key Features:

  • Flexible reservation options
  • Multiple menu styles
  • Intuitive live content builder
  • Over 100 pre-designed widgets

Pro Tip

Pair your chosen WordPress theme with a booking plugin if the former doesn’t have the functionality built in.

What to Look for in a Minimalist WordPress Theme

When choosing a minimalist WordPress theme, consider these key factors for a great user experience.

First, check whether the theme is fully responsive and mobile-ready. With over 60% of global internet users accessing websites via mobile devices, you want to ensure consistent user experience across all screen sizes.

Look for customization options to match your brand, including custom colors, fonts, testimonials, and galleries. If you’re building a business website, consider any additional functionality in the theme, like a booking system for restaurant websites and WooCommerce support for online stores.

Most importantly, opt for a fast and well-optimized theme to keep load times under two seconds. 82% of consumers claim that slow page speeds impact their buying decisions, with a one-second delay reducing customer satisfaction by 16%.

Free minimalist WordPress themes can be budget-friendly, but they often come with fewer customization choices and limited capabilities than premium ones. Additionally, free WordPress themes may lack updates and support.

To overcome these limitations, consider choosing a premium theme that offers a free version. This way, you can start with the basic features and upgrade to unlock more design options and functionalities as your site grows.

Conclusion

A minimalist theme can elevate your website’s appearance, bringing attention to your work and content with a modern touch. When selecting a minimalist theme, prioritize responsiveness, customization choices, and optimized speed for better performance.

Here are the best minimalist WordPress themes for each category we covered:

  • Savoy and XStore for online stores
  • Hostinger Blog Theme for blogs
  • Stockholm for small business websites
  • Arnold for online portfolio websites
  • Resca for restaurant websites

We hope this article helped you discover well-designed minimalist themes to suit your website’s needs. Good luck!

Author
The author

Will M.

Will Morris is a staff writer at WordCandy. When he's not writing about WordPress, he likes to gig his stand-up comedy routine on the local circuit.