14 Best Dark WordPress Themes (Free and Premium)
Dark WordPress themes have that modern and stylish look that can bring a unique touch to your website.
There are many reasons as to why you would want to go dark on your website design. First, black is often associated with sophistication and elegance. It also gives your website an air of mystery.
Dark colors also reduce eye strain, especially in low-light conditions. It’s a great choice if your visitors are night owls. A dark theme can also make other design elements stand out, enhancing important content like portfolio images or store products.
Taking all things into consideration, this article will help you explore the best free and premium dark WordPress themes that you can use for your website.
Our Picks for the Best Dark WordPress Themes
Divi
Divi is known for its versatility and strong visual builder. It has plenty of options if you’re looking for that sleek, dark look.
Divi has a number of dark WordPress themes that offer extensive customization options for your website’s elements and sections. Its themes give off a professional appearance that looks good even in dim lighting.
One standout Divi dark theme is the Divi Immersive VR Layout, which turns your site into a virtual reality experience. This layout is precisely made to work smoothly on all devices ensuring a smooth experience that’s up to date with the latest web design trends.
What really makes the Divi dark theme special is how easy it is to customize. With two immersive layouts, you can add the exciting features of virtual reality to your website. You can adjust everything, from the overall design to the smallest details.
Benefits of Divi
- It has over 40 unique elements like call-to-action buttons, sliders, and testimonial blocks
- You’ll have access to more than 1,000 pre-made designs
- Dedicated support ensures any issues are resolved quickly
- Continuous updates are guaranteed with your purchase
- Has a 30-day money-back policy
Drawbacks of Divi
- Can leave behind shortcodes if you change your theme
- Has a wide array of options that can be overwhelming for beginners
Networker
The Networker is one of the best WordPress dark themes, ideal for tech news and media websites.
It features a dark mode that helps reduce eye strain. This theme adapts to different lighting and changes its look based on browser settings to give your audience the best viewing experience.
Networker introduces a unique back-end night mode that improves the workspace for developers and content creators. It also allows deep customization of fonts and colors, making it easier to match the site’s style to your brand.
Furthermore, this theme supports various layouts and integrates with the Gutenberg editor, simplifying article management. It includes performance features like AMP support and lazy loading to keep the site fast.
Lastly, collaborations are made easy with Networkers’ advanced authors feature. You can invite authors to co-write without the hassle of creating a separate user account. You can work with multiple authors with the integration of the Co-author Plus plugin.
Benefits of Networker
- Built-in galleries enhance visual content presentation
- AdSense integration for efficient monetization
- Auto-loading posts to keep visitors engaged
- Stunning video backgrounds that enrich media posts
- Comprehensive analytics support to monitor viewer interactions
Drawbacks of Networker
- The richness in features might slow down your website if not managed properly
- Limited scope for those not seeking a tech-focused theme
Astra
The Astra WordPress theme is well-known for its quick performance. It’s lightweight and only uses under 50KB of resources giving you fast load times and helping your site run smoother.
It has extensive customization options. You can adjust its typography, colors, layouts, and headers to fit your needs perfectly. The Pro version of the theme provides even more customization tools.
For eCommerce sites, Astra’s compatibility with WooCommerce makes it a strong choice. It ensures that online stores operate efficiently and look professional.
Additionally, Astra is user-friendly, featuring a variety of pre-built templates that are easy to use and adjust. This saves a lot of time, especially for those eager to launch their site quickly without compromising on quality or functionality.
One of its standout dark WordPress themes is the Video Editor. It has a sleek, dark design that supports different types of media and portfolio features, making it ideal for displaying creative projects.
Benefits of Astra
- Highly compatible with numerous plugins
- Includes ready-to-use templates that are easy to customize
- Regularly updated to keep up with web technology and security standards
- Offers 24/7 premium support for Pro version users
- Provides diverse layout options, including full-width and fluid site layouts
Drawbacks of Astra
- The free version can be limited in features
- Its wide array of options and settings might be overwhelming for beginners
The Luxury
If you want to showcase luxury items like watches, bags, and jewelry, The Luxury by GoodLaters is an excellent choice. This dark WooCommerce theme makes it easy to set up an online store with features like instant add-to-cart for fast transactions.
This theme works great across all devices. It’s responsive and mobile-friendly which gives your visitors a superb viewing experience. Whether viewed on a phone, tablet, or desktop, The Luxury keeps its elegant look and functionality.
Its Master Slider feature is included for free on this theme. This slider lets users manage content with a simple drag-and-drop system, making it the best of its kind.
The Luxury offers both dark and light color schemes, providing versatility in design to match any preference. It’s also retina-ready, ensuring that all visuals are sharp and clear on any device.
In addition to its stylish design, this theme is built for performance and user-friendliness. Comprehensive documentation and video tutorials are also readily available to make its setup straightforward.
Benefits of The Luxury
- Its Drag-and-Drop Page Builder simplifies the site-building process
- You can integrate your portfolio to showcase luxury products in an organized manner
- Provides video guides that help users understand how to use the theme effectively
- Integrates parallax sections
- Features an advanced admin panel
Drawback of The Luxury
- The theme does not have a free version
Ennlil
Ennlil is a complete solution crafted to simplify making websites. With its one-click full demo import feature, you can swiftly set up your site and tailor it to match your style.
Moreover, you gain more freedom and control over your website’s look and layout through its integration with the popular Elementor page builder.
Ennlil also has lightweight theme options with Ajax support. This means your website will have speedy loading times which is essential to keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
This theme also boasts robust ad management capabilities, making it easy to monetize your website. You can showcase banner ads, sponsored content, or affiliate links. Ennlil simplifies the management and tracking of your advertising efforts.
Plus, it has over 30 Elementor news blocks, so you can create lively and captivating layouts for your content. With extensive customization options through the Codestar framework and compatibility with over 700 Google Fonts, Ennlil offers endless possibilities for building a standout website.
Benefits of Ennlil
- Boasts a fast and friendly support
- Translation ready for global use
- Regular updates to ensure reliability and security
- 3 different categories and post-layout variations
- Live Preview in WordPress Customizer
Drawbacks of Ennlil
- May require familiarity with Elementor
- Limited to magazine-style unless heavily customized
Agencium
Agencium is specifically designed for creative agencies, digital studios, and marketing firms. This theme is one of the best dark WordPress themes out there.
With this theme, you get plenty of options to display your portfolio in stunning ways like grid layouts, carousels, tiles, and more. Your projects will surely stand out like never before.
This theme also boasts stunning visual elements like responsive galleries and lightboxes that make your photos and videos look crisp and captivating, no matter the device.
In addition, you can showcase your project’s journey and backstory with dedicated case study sections. It also has a testimonial slider where you can showcase your client’s reviews of your work.
Lastly, this theme is engineered with optimized code for exceptional performance. Agencium guarantees swift page loading times so that your visitors stay engaged and satisfied.
Benefits of Agencium
- Comes with 7 home pages, over 200 blocks, and 30 pre-built pages
- WooCommerce support for easy eCommerce integration
- Future-proof with ongoing theme updates and support
- Flexible editing with Elementor drag-and-drop editor
- Advanced typography with access to 650+ Google Fonts
Drawback of Agencium
- Reliance on regular updates for optimal performance
North
Among dark WordPress themes, North focuses on minimalism and elegant presentation. It’s a top choice for agencies and creative studios. With its super-responsive design, your website will look flawless across all devices.
With this theme, you can easily create one-page layouts thanks to its Visual Composer plugin. You can also effortlessly create diverse page designs tailored to your needs with its drag-and-drop functionality.
Additionally, North offers 14 unique homepage versions, allowing you to choose the perfect layout to showcase your content. It also comes bundled with powerful features like Revolution and Layer Slider to enhance the visual appeal of your website.
Its theme options panel provides total control over your site’s customization, enabling you to configure every aspect with just a few clicks. Moreover, North includes .po files for easy translation.
Lastly, North’s compatibility with WooCommerce makes it an excellent choice for creating stylish and functional online stores. It has multiple options to showcase your work professionally.
Benefits of North
- Parallax, one-page design
- Light, dark, and night layouts
- Fullwidth and with sidebar blog pages
- Easy to edit animations
- Google fonts included
Drawbacks of North
- Limited support for older versions of WordPress
- A bit pricier compared to other themes
Wavo
WAVO is a WordPress theme designed for creative portfolios and agencies. It uses Elementor Page Builder and comes with over 60 ready-made Elementor widgets that make customization easy. This flexibility makes WAVO a top choice for dark WordPress themes.
The theme includes a variety of ready-to-use templates that are attractive and fully responsive. These templates lay a strong foundation and the addition of interactive sliders and animated elements makes your site lively.
Installing WAVO is straightforward with its One-click Demodata Installer. In less than five minutes, you can enjoy a functioning website. The theme also comes with detailed documentation to help you with installation and customization.
Plus, this Dark WordPress theme fully supports WooCommerce, allowing you to sell both digital and physical products directly from your site without any extra setup.
And if you’re not yet impressed, WAVO offers free lifetime updates through its connection to the Envato API. It also supports easy updates for paid plugins like Elementor and Revolution Slider directly through its system.
Benefits of WAVO
- Supports Contact Form 7 for easy creation and management of contact forms
- WPML compatible making your website ready for a global audience with multilingual support
- Comes equipped with features necessary for a robust blogging platform
- Supports both image and video parallax backgrounds for visually stunning effects
- Offers both one-page and multi-page layouts to suit various content strategies
Drawback of WAVO
- Users might find the header style options restrictive compared to other themes
Modern
This theme is a favorite for dark WordPress themes, thanks to its striking, full-screen intro slideshow. It’s perfect for artists and bloggers wanting to showcase their work in a visually appealing way.
The Modern WordPress theme is free and accessible, so everyone, including those with disabilities, can navigate your site easily.
With this theme, your website can support multiple languages, including right-to-left languages. Plus, the theme’s compatibility with the Jetpack plugin adds robust functionalities like tiled galleries.
The homepage is highly flexible, featuring sections for your latest blog posts, your portfolio, and testimonials. You can customize these sections to your liking, switch them off, or reorder them as needed.
One of the best things about Modern is that it comes with free lifetime updates. This means your theme will always be up-to-date without any additional cost.
Benefits of Modern
- One-click demo installation makes up your site quickly and easily
- Works with any page builder for custom layouts
- You can customize directly through the WordPress native customizer
- Excellent documentation and support from the theme developers
- Optimized for speed so that your site runs smoothly and loads quickly
Drawbacks of Modern
- It’s designed with a bold style that may not suit all business or personal tastes
- Dependent on plugins like Jetpack for some features, which could introduce bloat if not managed properly
SeedProd
SeedProd is a WordPress tool that’s perfect for those needing customized landing pages. Its versatility allows it to fit into any design scheme, including dark WordPress themes.
One of the theme’s standout features is its drag-and-drop page builder. You can drag elements around the page and drop them where needed. This feature is particularly useful when you’re aiming for a dark aesthetic, as it allows for detailed personalization.
SeedProd also offers over 100 pre-built templates. This makes it incredibly easy to start with a solid base and tweak it to perfection.
Additionally, the theme integrates seamlessly with various email marketing services. It aids in efficient lead generation and subscriber management, which is crucial for growing businesses.
The theme also includes robust access controls. This feature is vital for sites under construction or for those that need restricted access. It ensures that only authorized users can view certain content.
Lastly, SeedProd protects against spam and bots with Google ReCaptcha, ensuring that user interactions are secure and legitimate.
Benefits of SeedProd
- Accessibility-ready and user-friendly for all visitors
- Support for Multisite and BuddyPress for community-oriented sites
- Rolls out regular updates
- Has domain mapping capabilities that allow for the management of diverse microsites
- Provides thorough support materials for users
Drawbacks of SeedProd
- Limited elements and blocks compared to competitors like Elementor Pro
- Needs to work on their customer support
Arter
Arter is a WordPress theme made with personal portfolios and resumes in mind. It’s perfect for developers, designers, freelancers, and anyone aiming to establish a professional online presence.
This theme is a versatile choice among dark WordPress themes, but it also has light versions available. It’s built around the Elementor page builder so you can enjoy a broad range of options to edit your website.
Integration with WooCommerce is another key feature of Arter. You can easily add an online store to your portfolio or resume. This is particularly beneficial for freelancers looking to sell services or digital products directly from their platform.
Moreover, its one-click demo import allows you to quickly set up your site to mirror the theme demo, significantly simplifying the setup process.
Arter’s portfolio features also offer various layouts and animations, which are crucial for those who want to impress potential clients or employers with your dark and visually engaging site.
Benefits of Arter
- Smooth page transitions without refreshing
- Beautiful animations and effects
- You can add your resume to this theme
- Offers detailed guides for setup and customization
- Access to expert help for any technical challenges
Drawbacks of Arter
- Its free version has many restricted features compared to the pro version
- Relies on certain plugins for full functionality
Woodstock
Woodstock is a sleek and modern dark WooCommerce theme that caters to various shop types like clothing, electronics, furniture, and more. Its seamless integration with WPBakery Page Builder allows for easy customization.
The theme’s support for dark mode enhances the visual appeal of products with a stylish, contemporary look. This makes it a compelling option for businesses aiming to leverage the aesthetic of dark WordPress themes.
Furthermore, the theme’s AJAX functionality enriches the shopping experience by enabling dynamic product filtering and adding to a cart without page reloads.
This theme is also retina-ready, ensuring that images and graphics remain sharp and engaging on all screens. In dark WooCommerce themes, it’s important to see the contrast and color depth.
Additionally, Woodstock offers a powerful theme options panel that provides extensive customization possibilities, from layout adjustments to style changes.
Benefits of Woodstock
- Enhances accessibility with multi-language support
- Unlimited sidebars and widget areas
- Built-in Google Fonts with over 500 web fonts are available with previews
- Has a Sticky Header to improve navigation and accessibility
- Streamlines site management with powerful customization tools
Drawbacks of Woodstock
- Premium plugins included require separate updates and management
- Requires a good understanding of WooCommerce for full utilization
GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a highly adaptable WordPress theme perfect for different websites.
It’s known for its lightweight, fast-loading design, which is important with SEO. Dark themes load faster with its 100% PageSpeed scores at just 7.5kb page size.
This theme offers extensive customization options, allowing users to easily adapt typography, backgrounds, and layouts to a dark aesthetic.
GeneratePress also integrates seamlessly with major page builders like Gutenberg, enhancing its versatility without requiring complex coding.
Furthermore, GeneratePress is responsive and retina-ready. When used with GenerateBlocks, it becomes even more powerful, facilitating sophisticated, dark-themed designs.
Benefits of GeneratePress
- Compatible with many plugins
- Fully prepared for eCommerce with WooCommerce support
- Adheres to the highest coding standards for security and stability
- Offers world-class customer support
Drawback of GeneratePress
- Less intuitive for beginners compared to other themes in this list
Neve
With Neve, you can easily create a website according to your liking. It has a number of pre-made templates that you can choose from, including dark WordPress themes.
This versatile WordPress theme has quick loading times, less than one second to be specific. It excels with its lightweight core, ensuring fast performance even with sophisticated designs.
Furthermore, Neve offers deep customization options, particularly in headers and footers, through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. You change colors and typography easily to suit your dark theme.
It also supports popular page builders like Elementor. Lastly, Neve is optimized for mobile with AMP support and is WooCommerce-ready, ideal for eCommerce sites.
Benefits of Neve
- Minimalist installation size with only 28KB
- Unified global color palettes
- Flexible blog layouts with extensive controls
- Easy to set up and customize without needing deep technical knowledge
- Supports RTL and is ready for translation
Drawbacks of Neve
- While the free version is capable, many advanced features require a paid subscription
- Reliant on page builders like Elementor for advanced editing
FAQs About Dark WordPress Themes
Yes, dark themes can be just as SEO-friendly as light themes if they maintain good contrast and readability.
Some themes offer a dark mode option, or you can use plugins to switch between light and dark modes.
Dark themes do not inherently affect website speed; performance depends more on the theme’s code quality and resource efficiency.
Websites focused on photography, art, gaming, music, and cinema often benefit from dark themes.
Not really. Maintenance is similar to any WordPress theme, focusing on updates and compatibility.
On devices with OLED or AMOLED screens, dark themes can reduce energy consumption.
Yes. Switching themes in WordPress usually doesn’t affect content, but you should double-check for potential layout changes.
Final Thoughts
Dark WordPress themes offer a unique blend of style, functionality, and visual appeal suitable for a variety of websites. From enhancing user experience with eye-friendly designs to boosting the aesthetic appeal of artistic and entertainment sites, dark themes have proven their value in website designs.
While a dark theme adds flexibility and appeal, remember that the background color is just one part. You should also focus on choosing the right typography and colors to ensure your website looks cohesive and can potentially increase your sales.
Are you using dark visuals on your website?
If not, perhaps this is your sign to reassess and see if you’ll benefit more from a darker website design. If done right, you can turn your website into a more classy and sophisticated one by simply switching to a dark WordPress theme.