Speed is a key component of a high converting ecommerce site. We’ve optimized nearly 5000 sites in the last 5 years and in this post we share the fastest Woocommerce themes and why we recommend them. Our recommendations are based on hands-on experience with these themes.
Shoptimizer is the fastest theme we’ve found specifically built for Woocommerce.
It’s lightning fast AND is designed specifically for ecommerce with a ton of conversion booster features to help boost sales.
The Fastest WooCommerce Themes (summary):
Theme Name
Why Recommended?
Website Link
A premium, high performance theme specifically designed for WooCommerce AND speed with tons of conversion rate boosting features.
Divi has come a long way with speed in the last few years – lightning fast again with tons of ecommerce features makes it an excellent choice for WooCommerce
Neve is another fantastic theme option for WooCommerce sites. Their “Woocommerce Booster” module that has some similar features to the Shoptimizer theme features.
One of the most popular WordPress themes in general, this one’s also a theme that’s particularly suitable for a WooCommerce website. It’s a super light theme (coming under 50kb!) and doesn’t depend on jQuery, which is a great plus – and also the reason why it’s being listed here.
Like the Astra theme, GeneratePress also doesn’t rely on jQuery, making it one of the fastest WordPress themes out there. This is a versatile, performance-optimized multipurpose theme, also has built-in WooCommerce support. The plethora of options on its WordPress Customizer allows the user to adapt GeneratePress for different kinds of niches.
Similarly to Astra and GeneratePress, with the same basic approach, OceanWP is another streamlined, multipurpose WordPress theme. Although it’s not as lightweight as the other two themes mentioned here, it still has plenty of customization options and fares especially well when it comes to WooCommerce support.
Like the Shoptimizer theme, WoonderShop is another one that’s full-on concentrated on WooCommerce websites, with a focus on crafting a foundation that’s conversion-optimized, all for the best possible user experience for your e-commerce site. It’s especially convenient for mobile devices.
This is, in fact, the default theme that comes along with WooCommerce. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s so popular, but that’s not the only reason – it’s also very successful in helping your store load rather quickly to boot.
Table of Contents
Why are Some Themes Fast, and Some Slow?
Faster themes have a handful of characteristics that give them an advantage over slower ones:
- They contain less code, which means they get processed faster on the server.
- Their file size is smaller, which makes them easier to download.
- They don’t rely on jQuery JavaScript library.
- They have cleaner CSS and inline CSS so the site can render faster.
All of these characteristics enable the server to download and render the site faster from the server, also taking the load off the browser so it can assemble the page easily and in less time.
Slower themes usually need to download more JavaScript and frequently use off-shelf libraries and APIs, not necessarily optimized for speed such as Google Maps APIs and Google Fonts.
And What About jQuery?
When we talk about fast and slow themes it’s important to mention jQuery. This is a JavaScript library that a lot of themes use for their more advanced features. One such example is page builder themes.
Themes that heavily rely on jQuery require extra processing and are slower because they download and execute this library before the page renders. Themes that rely on Jquery find it really hard to get a 100 score on Google Pagespeed Insights.
Theme Speed is not the Only Factor for Faster Loading Times
While theme speed is pretty important for how fast your site loads, it’s not the only part of the equation. What is actually even more important is the hosting provider.
A good-quality hosting provider will make sure your site is always stable and loads as fast as it can. If you’re looking for a new hosting provider you can check out our selection of the best and fastest hosting providers for WordPress.
To test the speed of your site, make sure to use our free app, SiteSpeedBot.com. We designed this tool to give you a more detailed overview of how fast your site operates and to help you figure out how best to speed up your site.
The Fastest WooCommerce Themes In Detail:
It should go without saying that faster sites boost conversion rates and sales. Speed is key for your eCommerce store, and pretty important for your site’s SEO, as well as the overall user experience your site provides to potential customers or mere visitors.
“Clients often come to me asking for detailed technical SEO help, but often one of the first things I’ll discover is that their site is loaded with plugins and a very heavy theme. Simplifying your WooCommerce site by removing any unnecessary plugins and switching to a lightweight theme is cheap, easy, and can have a massive impact.”
– Jase Rodley, SEO Consultant
We’re proud to say that lots of sites have passed through our hands – more than 3000 in fact! – and we know what we’re talking about. With our WordPress speed optimization service, we’ve gained plenty of experience when it comes to sites and optimizing their loading speeds.
This is a post that’ll give you info on the fastest WooCommerce sites on the market today. We’ve made sure to include only the fastest themes that are also mobile responsive, with clean and light code. We’ve included both free and paid themes so regardless of your budget there’s a fast theme option to suit!
1) Shoptimizer
Shoptimizer is a theme that has been specifically built for WooCommerce AND to be fast loading which makes it our number one recommendation on this list.
There’s a bunch of features that are built into the theme that specifically help speed and boost ecommerce conversions.
Key Features:
- Core pages built with Elementor – with this option you’ll be able to edit your site’s core pages using the simple drag-and-drop editor;
- Checkout optimized for conversions – you can add microcopy for conversion-boosting through the Add to Cart button;
- You can display trust badges on your cart and your site’s checkout pages;
- Sale countdown timers or limited stock timers;
- You can stick important product details at the top of the page while the visitors scroll up and down your page;
- If you’re selling more expensive products, you can use the ‘request a callback’ option for individual products.
Cons
- LOTS of features, overkill for a small ecommerce site or those new to ecommerce.
2) Divi
With 500.000 users, Divi is one of the most popular and successful themes out there. Granted, it’s not the fastest theme on our list, but it’s definitely a very powerful and flexible one, while still managing to provide for a fast and well-optimized eCommerce website experience.
With regular updates and new features being introduced all the time, it’s no surprise this theme has gained so much popularity over the years. This is a multipurpose theme with which you can build all kinds of sites, among which are (of course!) online shops (since it’s fully integrated with WooCommerce), business sites, blogs, portfolios, and many others. Divi allows for easy and very creative, very responsive page designs.
Key Features:
- Own drag-and-drop page builder;
- Shop module with which you can implement your own WooCommerce pages and products into your own designs (with the help of the Divi builder);
- Lots of customization options (you’ll be able to control fonts, colors, and plenty of other elements of design);
- Mobile-responsive layouts so it can be easily accessed from any device, providing for a superb user experience;
- Flawless WooCommerce functionality;
- In-built Divi Builder page builder.
- Cart and filter options with an off-canvas menu;
Cons
- Needs some work with settings and CSS to make it fast
3) Neve Theme
Neve is another fantastic WooCommerce theme. Although the Neve theme can be used for almost all types of site, it includes what they call their “WooCommerce Booster” module and is very similar to the ecommerce specific features that Shoptimizer has.
This theme offers a rather rich variety of templates you can choose from, as well as plenty of examples from live production sites using it.
Key Features:
- AMP support built right in
- WooCommerce Booster module with conversion optimizations for eCommerce sites;
- Option for free download of the theme;
- Designed to load super-fast – runs smoothly without jQuery;
- Offers a plethora of templates.
Cons
- Not as feature packed as Shoptimizer (but that might be better for smaller sites)
There is also an option for a free download that doesn’t require credentials or signing up, where you can try the theme out and see whether it floats your boat.
4) Astra
In the theme world, Astra is known as one of the most popular themes out there. Its quality and popularity don’t fall short when it comes to WooCommerce sites as well.
It comes just under 50kb, which means it’s very light, and it also doesn’t rely on jQuery (a big, big plus).
One of the best things about this theme is its flexibility, which allows you to easily make compatible and functional design combinations. With full WooCommerce support and the real-time WordPress Customizer, Astra will also allow you to customize your store at will.
Key Features:
- A variety of store layout options;
- Pre-built WooCommerce demo sites;
- Infinite products scroll;
- Bubble icon for special sales;
- Cart icon slide-down – with this, people can check their carts without doing a page reload;
- Off-canvas menu for product filter and product search;
- Two-step checkout options, free from distractions;
- Built-in quick view functionality for products.
Cons
- Not built for WooCommerce specifically but it does make up for that in design flexibility and still does have some Woo specific features
5) GeneratePress
Similarly to the Astra theme, GeneratePress is also one of the fastest WordPress themes on the market, in large part because it doesn’t depend on jQuery.
This is another multipurpose theme that has been optimized for speed and overall superb performance, and one that also has a built-in WooCommerce support. So, whatever kind of business you’re in, you can use GeneratePress for any niche – the WordPress Customizer and its options allows for this.
Even though it might be less rich in options in general, compared to the Astra theme or OceanWP (coming up next!), this is still a theme that’ll make your store look good, make your site load fast, and provide for an overall superb user experience.
Key Features:
- Lightweight – theme size is under 30kb;
- Distraction-free Checkout mode;
- Control of the looks of upsells and related products;
- Add to cart AJAX button with a sticky panel;
- Shopping cart icon with a drop-down option you can add to your menu;
- Customizer options for better control over WooCommerce styles and layout.
Cons
- Pretty much the fastest WordPress theme on the market right now which is good for speed BUT it can be a little light on features.
6) OceanWP
OceanWP is in the same range with Astra and GeneratePress – a well-made, multipurpose, streamlined WordPress theme that’ll make your eCommerce site load faster and make your (potential) customers more satisfied.
Even though it’s not as lightweight a theme as Astra and GeneratePress, it’s still a theme that won’t let your site down when it comes to page loading speed. And what it lacks in lightweightedness, it adds in customization options and WooCommerce support. In fact, OceanWP prides with offering one of the best WooCommerce integrations and support out there – detailed, nuanced, streamlined.
Key Features:
- Pre-built WooCommerce demo sites – you can import these sites easily so you don’t have to build ones from the bottom up;
- Option for sales badges;
- Shopping cart icon with dropdown option;
- Distraction-free checkout that includes a multi-step approach;
- Product quick view;
- Details about sticky products;
- Cart and filter options with an off-canvas menu;
- OceanWP’s WordPress Customizer offers lots of layout and style options you can use to tailor your site after your own tastes and brand style.
- A very mature theme, has been around since 2016
Cons
- Not as fast as some of the other themes BUT is a bit older so more mature, less buggy and more features
7) WoonderShop
WoonderShop is another good-quality WooCommerce theme, of the likes of the Shoptimizer theme.
Its focus is on WooCommerce sites, of course, with the attempts to build a conversion-optimized foundation. All of this provides for one superb user experience and great mobile-responsive pages on your eCommerce site that’ll work flawlessly on any mobile device.
This is a theme built to be easy to use, which means it’s also easily customizable. What it includes is a visual Customizer, as well as an integrated SiteOrigin Page builder that’ll make the drag-and-drop editing all the more easier.
WoonderShop allows you to choose between three different skins. By using the WordPress Customizer, you can style your site according to your vision and brand colors.
Key Features:
- Distraction-free checkout for retaining shoppers;
- Trust badges;
- Mobile-responsive – visitors using their mobile devices to check out your page will have a first rate experience;
- Built in cross-selling widget for displaying frequently bought products or products that are together or are related;
- Built-in AJAX product filters to eliminate page reloads;
- Key e-commerce functionality;
- Auto-complete product search;
- AJAX add-to-cart functionality which uses a dropdown cart to show the product;
- Search autosuggest to provide potential customers with a more tailored shopping process;
- It’s designed to be focused on performance, meaning its default Google PageSpeed score is in the high 90s.
It also gives you a 7-day free trial so you can test the theme out and see if you like it – no credit card required!
8) Storefront
Storefront is a default theme that comes with WooCommerce. It’s a popular theme among WooCommerce users, and a big reason for that is because it’s very helpful when it comes to booting and loading your store.
It basically has everything you need in essential functionality. It’s the same team that’s behind WooCommerce, so it definitely has some pretty nice code to help you out start your online store.
Some users are not that fond of this theme’s looks though. But, there’s a solution for that as well – you can find plenty of child themes in Storefront that’ll give your site a more special look.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else is important when it comes to site speed?
Theme speed is pretty important when it comes to improving the overall site speed, but of course, it’s not the only factor. Other important factors in this equation are:
–Hosting provider (hosting quality);
–Hosting location;
–The use of CDN (Content Delivery Network);
–The overall size of the page – page weight in MB.
Theme speed is pretty important when it comes to improving the overall site speed, but of course, it’s not the only factor. Other important factors in this equation are:
- Hosting provider (hosting quality);
- Hosting location;
- The use of CDN (Content Delivery Network);
- The overall size of the page – page weight in MB.
How do I test my site speed?
You can try our free speed testing tool SiteSpeedBot.com. Once you put your site in there, it will give you a more detailed overview of what you need to improve and provide you with advice on how to make your site load faster.
Does theme speed impact SEO?
The answer is a definitive yes. Site speed is considered a ranking factor for SEO and the theme speed has a big impact on the site speed.
In our years of experience optimizing sites for speed, we’ve come to the conclusion that the size of each page in megabytes (or the page weight) is a key factor here. So, a site that has a lot of pages, especially ones that go over the 3-5mb limit, will most likely not rank well.
Some of the techniques you can implement for making your pages weigh less are:
- Image optimization;
- Use of lazy loading;
- Use of next gen webp file formats.