A magazine website has a distinguished style, layout, and a lot of content, so it needs a bespoke theme to bring out the best results.
But when you’ve just started your way around with an online magazine site in WordPress, you might want to save money as much as possible.
No problem, you can get top magazine WordPress themes for free.
Our collection of Best Free Magazine WordPress Themes is the only resource you need to find the perfect theme for your online magazine site.
Read below to find out the themes we’ve listed and pick the perfect choice for you.
Best Free Responsive Magazine WordPress Themes
- Newsmatic
- Newsis
- MH Magazine Lite
- Hueman
- Cream Magazine
- Colormag
- HitMag
- NewsCard
- Poseidon
- CoverNews
- Fairy
- News Portal
- Newspaperex
- Digital Newspaper
- ChromeNews
- Magbook
- BlogArise
- SuperMag
- MagazineNP
- Refined Magazine
- Trendy News
- Feather Magazine
- Newsbreak Magazine
- WP Magazine
- Royal Magazine
- Default Mag
- Madd Magazine
- Elegant News Magazine
Newsmatic
Newsmatic Theme has developed its custom integrated controls in the Live Customizer, which allows any users without technical knowledge to intuitively set up and manage their website fully as per their requirements.
It uses AJAX-loading method, so you can fully utilize the live customizer by editing all the settings and see live changes before finally publishing it.
Key features of Newsmatic Theme:
- Built with ReactJS, so it’s fast and provides high performance.
- 5 free custom-built blocks – Grid, Carousel, List, Filter, and Ad Block.
- 8 free custom-built widgets – Author info, Carousel Posts, Category Collection, Popular Posts Slider, Post List, Post Grid, Posts Grid 2 Column, and Widget Title.
- Ticker news and custom ‘Live Now’ button on the header.
- Edit image size, image height, and border radius directly from the customizer.
- RTL and translation ready.
Newsis (New release)
Newsis Theme is a recently released theme in WordPress, that has a primary slider along with 2 trailing posts columns in the main banner section. The 2 trailing posts columns in the main banner can be displayed on stack or side-by-side.
It comes with 4+ free pre-built starter websites that you can install in one click with Blaze Demo Importer.
Newsis Free Theme allows custom Ads banner that can be displayed on specific devices like desktop, tablet, or mobile.
In header, you can enable Off canvas menu where you can add multiple widgets. It has also provided Newsletter/subscribe option, live search, and custom button for better engagement and user retention.
There are 11 free custom news widgets that can you add on right sidebar, left sidebar and off canvas menu.
Key features of Newsis Theme:
- Primary slider along with 2 trailing posts columns in the main banner section.
- 4+ free starter demos, and 11+ custom news widgets.
- 6 news blocks.
- Multilingual Compatible.
- One-click demo import.
- Mobile Responsive.
- Off Canvas Menu.
- Related News in single post page.
MH Magazine Lite
When you configure MH Magazine Lite Theme, the first thing you need to do is create and set your static front page, assign the widgetized Homepage template to your static front page, and then place the widgets into the Home widget areas on your front page.
At the beginning of 2023, MH Themes made an announcement that they were working on new version on MH Magazine Theme. There has not been a new update since then.
Key features of MH Magazine Lite Theme:
- Widgetized theme
- 1080px content width
- RTL support for arabic languages
- 4 free custom widgets – MH Slider, MH Posts Large, MH Custom Posts, and MH Tabbed widgets.
- 13 total widget areas
Hueman
In Hueman Theme, you can set up to 2 sidebars in either left or right, both side, or no sidebar. There is a choice of options between boxed layout or full width layout.
You can choose up to 4 widget columns or no column at all. Put as many widgets as you want on the page.
Leaderboard ad can be enabled in header and footer area.
Key features of Hueman Theme:
- Live customization
- 0-4 widget columns
- Unlimited widget areas
- Choose between boxed layout or full width layout
- Header and footer leaderboard ad
Cream Magazine
Cream Magazine is an excellent free WordPress theme for news and magazine websites.
It is a very easy-to-use and simple theme to set up your website. It has an Authors widget that allows you to display the authors of your blog in your sidebar. Moreover, it has the option of lazy load for images, responsive, and WooCommerce compatible (making it easy and affordable to sell any product and service on your website).
Key features of Cream Magazine Theme:
- News ticker
- 6 free front-page news widgets
- Related posts section
- Sidebar and footer options
- 2 header layout variations
Colormag
ColorMag is a free WordPress theme for online magazines and news websites. You can create a sleek and clean website with ColorMag.
If you run into any issues with the free theme, you can get free support through their WordPress support forum.
Key features of ColorMag Theme:
- WooCommerce compatible.
- 10+ free pre-built demos.
- Limited news ticker.
- Default blog layout.
- Basic color options.
HitMag
HitMag Theme has 6 widget areas – Magazine Homepage, Main Sidebar, Header Advertisement Area, Footer Left Sidebar, Footer Mid Sidebar, and Footer Right Sidebar. Additionally, it also has 3 footer widget areas.
It is Customizer-based and is compatible with Gutenberg block editor.
Key features of HitMag Theme:
- Customizer based and Gutenberg ready.
- 2 column or 3 columns blog layout.
- WooCommerce compatible and translation ready.
- 6 widget areas.
- Support forum on documentation page.
- 4 blog listing layouts.
- 3 footer widget areas.
NewsCard
NewsCard theme is available with a child theme. It has a decent 3 layout options for banner and has 3 custom widgets.
It uses Bootstrap CSS framework. While you can create and customize themes easily with the framework, it makes the site bloated because the framework adds extra code and files to your website, that might not be particularly needed for your magazine site.
Key features of Newscard Theme:
- Left sidebar, right sidebar, or not sidebar.
- 3 custom widgets – Card/Block Posts, Horizontal/Vertical Posts, and Recent Posts.
- 3 Banner variations.
- 4 fixed footer widget columns with no option to create 2 or 3 footer columns.
- Bootstrap CSS Framework
Poseidon
Poseidon is a splendid free WordPress theme, you can use this theme to build an elegant online magazine.
The white layout makes your content spacious and it has clean typography. Likewise, it’s GDPR compliant; it protects the consumers’ data and their privacy. This theme is Search Engine Optimized, speed optimized, and has a responsive design.
Key features of Poseidon Theme:
- Compliant with GDPR
- Responsive layout
- Fast loading time
- Translation ready
- 4 magazine widgets – Grid, Columns, Vertical box, and Horizontal box
CoverNews
CoverNews is a neat WordPress theme that is perfect for magazine websites. This theme is fully responsive and can adapt to any screen size.
CoverNews includes useful features such as one-click demo import that make it easy to set up, Gutenberg compatible for a more visible editing environment, and it is fully responsive. It provides outstanding support if you need any help.
Key features of CoverNews Theme:
- Preloader option
- Logo and title customization
- Image banner advertisements
- 7+ free custom widgets
- Footer widgets section
Fairy
Fair Theme has multiple single page layouts. It has provided custom widgets for author, featured posts and social icons along with Newsletter and Instagram subscription letterboard.
There is a Breadcrumb show option in this theme with its Theme Default Breadcrumb, Yoast SEO Breadcrumb, Rank Math Breadcrumb, or NavXT Breadcrumb options.
You can show Full Image, Left Image, Right Image or no Image on articles page.
Key features of Fairy Theme:
- 5+ free pre-built magazine websites demo
- Easily enable/disable date, posted on, tags, category, author meta tags.
- Enable 3 column related posts below the article in the single article page.
- Sidebar can be made sticky.
- Translation ready.
News Portal
News Portal is a free WordPress theme that works best for online publications, magazines, and newspapers.
This theme offers capable qualities for your needs, the widgets that enable you to add a specific feature to your website, responsive design, and retina-ready, allowing higher-resolution graphics and pictures. Similarly, it delivers great support for your requirements.
Key features of News Portal Theme:
- Responsive design
- 5+ widgets with multiple layouts
- Multiple color scheme
- Retina ready
- Compatibility with popular plugins like Contact Form 7, SEO plugins, etc.
Newspaperex
Newspaperex theme is a fast and modern-looking child theme of Newsup Theme which you can find on WordPress.
It is entirely widgetized, hence it’s simple to add widgets to a specific area. Likewise, it is SEO-friendly, RTL-ready, and has various customizer settings.
Key features of Newspaperex Theme:
- One-click demo import of pre-built Elementor starter sites.
- Multi content layout
- Banner featured posts controls
- Translation ready
- WooCommerce compatibility
Digital Newspaper
Digital Newspaper Theme has captivated WordPress website owners with its unprecedented features. The main banner has a professional 3 columns design that’s best suitable for news sites.
It comes with 7 front sections with 7 different news block layouts and 9 custom Digital Newspaper widgets. You will get to choose separate colors and designs for all main elements of the page at both the initial and hover states.
Key features of Digital Newspaper Theme:
- 5+ starter demos, 5+ templates, and 9+ custom news widgets.
- 7 news block widgets.
- Multilingual Compatible.
- One-click demo import.
- GDPR Compliant.
- Schema ready.
- Free Support.
ChromeNews
ChromeNews is an excellent free WordPress Magazine Theme that comes with several capabilities to make a fantastic site.
It supports translation and Gutenberg blocks which create content layouts. This theme is fully responsive to auto-adapt to any size of screen. Lastly, they do provide support if you encounter any difficulties.
Key features of ChromeNews Theme:
- Basic typography style
- Breaking news section
- Multiple frontpage banner layouts
- 9+ free custom widgets
- RTL compatibility
- 3 category color options
Magbook
Magbook Theme has light and neat display design.
This free theme has 4 starter websites that can be imported to your site within few clicks using Theme Freesia Demo Import plugin.
It can be used with Breadcrumb NavXT to show breadcrumbs trails in your website while Newsletter plugin is recommended for newsletter subscription.
Key features of Magbook Theme:
- Lifetime free updates
- One Click Demo Import
- 5 Front page elements
- 3 custom widgets – TF: Category Box Two Layout Widget, TF: Category Box Widget, and Popular Posts, Tags and Comments Widget
BlogArise
BlogArise is a widgetized theme, so you can manage the content by adding widgets.
It is perfect for magazine sites that are related to anime, comics, and alike.
Key features of BlogArise Theme:
- Widgetized theme.
- Translation ready with WPML multilingual plugin.
- RTL ready.
SuperMag
SuperMag is a great WordPress theme mainly designed for news, magazine, and blog.
With SuperMag, you can customize the header, footer, and sidebar with ease. Similarly, it has creative features like allowing to enable or disable ad banner in the header, and multiple ad positions throughout the page. Breadcrumb options allow users to navigate back to a previous page or to find new useful content by indicating the hierarchy of your website’s pages. Lastly, you will receive forum support.
Key features of SuperMag Theme:
- Translation ready
- Breaking news option
- Social media integration
- Multiple ads position
- 2+ widgets
MagazineNP
MagazineNP Theme is a widgetized theme that comes with 9 custom widgets. It has 6 free starter sites with one click demo import option.
It is Gutenberg and Elementor builder compatible. You can edit the homepage from Customizer if you don’t want to use Builders.
Key features of MagazineNP Theme:
- RTL support
- Gutenberg ready
- Translation ready
Refined Magazine
In Refined Magazine Theme, you can show image, video, audio, and gallery post formats can be added to widget areas.
You can enable right sidebar, left sidebar, both sidebars, or show no sidebar.
You can get free support via email tickets.
Key features of Refined Magazine:
- 5+ free demos
- 9 custom widgets
- RTL compatible
- Free support.
Trendy News
Trendy News is a free WordPress theme that is rich in features that suits well for your professional magazine website.
It has beautiful design, flexible elements, changeable colors, and animations. It is both Search Engine and Speed optimized to help reach more readers and retain them to your online magazine. You’ll have a positive experience with trendy news.
Key features of Trendy News Theme:
- One-click demo import.
- 3+ pre-built demos, Three widget title alignments, and 2+ templates
- Breadcrumb options: Default, Yoast and NavXT
- Lazy load image option
- Optimized for speed
- Free Support
Feather Magazine
Feather Magazine is a simplistic magazine theme. It has a simple and clean design with only basic features.
It does not resort to visually extravagant design nor does it have multiple pre-built demos. If you want to change the design of your online magazine, you need to use any of its 3 child themes – News Portaly, Darkly Magazine, or Newsly Magazine.
Key features of Feather Magazine Theme:
- 3 child themes if you want to change the design of your online magazine.
- Translation ready.
- No multiple pre-built demos so, essentially one-click demo import is not required.
Newsbreak Magazine
Newsbreak Magazine Theme offers 1 free demo but it’s not provided one click demo import option.
After the activation of the theme, it recommends One Click Demo Import plugin to be installed, but the demo files have to downloaded from its documentation page, extracted, and manually uploaded to the demo import page in WordPress dashboard.
Key features of Newsbreak Magazine:
- 1 free demo that needs to be manually uploaded and installed to demo content import process.
- Translation ready
- Off Canvas menu
- Threaded comments option to make a thread in a comment made in the blog post.
WP Magazine
In WP Magazine Theme, you can showcase your post/page in full-width, content-width, left sidebar, right sidebar, or default view.
You can assign different colors for different categories to be displayed on the site.
There is a design customization option for every section and elements.
Key features of WP Magazine:
- 6+ free pre-built demos that can be imported with one click import plugin.
- Default breadcrumb feature.
- Reorder sections by dragging and dropping at appropriate positions.
- Multiple font family choices.
Royal Magazine
Royal Magazine Theme is compatible with Elementor Builder, and provides support to free theme users.
It uses adobe fonts (formerly Typekit fonts), and allows you to upload custom fonts by using Custom Fonts module.
Slider Gallery and Lightbox are available in the theme to display posts and images.
The limitations of the theme are that there is only one free starter sites to be imported to kickstart your magazine site.
Key features of Royal Magazine:
- Built with Bootstrap 3 framework.
- Up to 3 related posts below the post in the single post page.
- 3 footer widget areas.
- Adobe and custom fonts.
Default Mag
Default Mag tries to fit content in rows as much as it can by making compact yet tidy column sections with small legible font sizes.
To import pre-built demos, you need Demo Import Kit and Themeinwp Import Companion plugins. However, Default Mag does not have any multiple choice for pre-built demos, so you might not need to import demo design except for sample content.
You will not have options in pre-built websites.
Key features of Default Mag Theme:
- 5+ free different widgets – Contributors Widget, About Widget, Author Widget, Featured Posts Widget, and Featured Categories Widget.
- Elementor Page Builder compatible.
- Translation ready.
Elegant News Magazine
Elegant News Magazine is a child theme of Superb Pixels Theme, which means all the modifications to show separate design as magazine sites have been made in Elegant News Theme while Superb Pixels Theme has all the WordPress template files and assets required for the theme to work.
When you install and activate Elegant News Magazine Theme, Superb Pixels Theme is automatically installed with it because Elegant News Magazine Theme inherits its functionality from Superb Pixels Theme.
Enable image optimization feature is provided in in the Customizer. Shortpixel is used to automatically optimize and deliver the images in webp format.
Key features of Elegant News Magazine
- Works with popular page builders such as Elementor, Beaver Builder, Divi, SiteOrigin, etc.
- 2 header layouts, 2 navigation area layouts and 5 blog layouts.
- Enable image optimization feature with Shortpixel image optimization service in customizer.
- Default placeholder featured image for the posts that do not have their featured images.
- 3 featured image layouts – full size of the image, recommended size image container that shows cropped featured image, and full size shown in the recommended size featured image container with background color shown on vacant space in the container.
Madd Magazine
Madd Magazine Theme is designed primarily in Black and White colors. It comes with a built-in slider along with right and left sidebars.
To utilize the theme to its best, Easy Google Fonts, Clean and Simple Contact Form, MetaSlider, and Recent Posts Widget with Thumbnails plugins have to be installed.
Key features of Madd Magazine
- 3-4 footer columns.
- Built-in slider
- Left and right sidebars to add widgets.
Summing up
Even though you can get best premium WordPress themes at an affordable price, it is not unreasonable to start with these free magazine WordPress themes.
I’m hopeful that you’ve picked a perfect theme for your magazine site from our list.
I wish you the best in your journey of running a top magazine site.
Follow our social media to keep in touch with our news and updates.
I will be back again with another new blog post. Till then, take care.
