Are you looking for the best dark WordPress themes?
According to color psychology, a black background suggests power, elegance, secrecy, mystery, fear, and oppression. It’s often used to communicate glamour and exclusivity.
This style works across many niches. It’s best suited for fashion, glamour, and luxury brands.
In this article, we’ll share some of the best dark WordPress themes that you can use.
Key Takeaways
- Compare 20 dark WordPress themes at a glance. Jump to the comparison table below for pricing and best-fit use cases before reading the full entries.
- See real feature depth, not generic descriptions. The Divi, Astra, OceanWP, and SeedProd entries reflect their current feature sets, not an old snapshot.
- Avoid a dead-end purchase. Three popular picks changed how they’re sold. We explain exactly how to still get them.
- Pick by budget. Options range from free WordPress.org themes to premium page-builder pricing.
- Get a fast recommendation. Check our Final Verdict near the end if you don’t want to read all 20 entries.
How I Test Dark WordPress Themes
See our testing criteria
- Confirmed each theme is still actively sold and updated by checking vendor sites and, for free themes, their WordPress.org listing status directly.
- Verified current pricing from official pricing pages instead of relying on outdated screenshots.
- Compared real user feedback from WordPress.org, G2, and other review platforms for the themes with a public review history.
- Checked each theme’s actual current feature set against what’s advertised, including major version changes like Divi 5.
Why Trust IsItWP?
IsItWP reviews WordPress themes and tools to help you avoid buying something outdated or unsupported.
When a product changes its pricing model or gets discontinued, like three of the Genesis Framework themes below, we update this list to reflect that.
We’d rather tell you a theme changed than leave outdated buying advice in place.
Best Dark WordPress Themes Compared
Before we get into the details, here’s a quick side-by-side look at all 20 themes below. Use it to jump straight to whichever theme fits your budget and use case.
| Theme | Best For | Starting Price |
| Divi | Agencies and freelancers building multiple client sites | $89/year (or $249 lifetime) |
| Astra | Beginners and speed-focused builders | Free (Pro from $59/year) |
| Neve | Lightweight blogs and small business sites | Free (Pro from $69/year) |
| Ultra | WooCommerce stores wanting an all-in-one builder | $59 one-time |
| OceanWP | eCommerce sites that need heavy WooCommerce customization | Free (Pro Bundle from $35/year) |
| SeedProd | No-code landing pages and full theme building without hiring a developer | Free (paid plans from $79/year) |
| Parallax Pro | Storytelling and personal blogs, if you’re already on WP Engine hosting | Included with WP Engine hosting, or $360/year via Genesis Pro |
| Fargo | Wedding and portrait photographers | $75/year (or $112 lifetime) |
| Hestia Pro | One-page business and startup sites | $69/year |
| Collective | Agencies wanting a large multi-homepage design pack | $39 one-time |
| Inspiro | Photographers and videographers | $69/year |
| Monochrome Pro | Minimalist, typography-first blogs, if you’re already on WP Engine hosting | Included with WP Engine hosting, or $360/year via Genesis Pro |
| Auberge | Cafes, restaurants, and food bloggers | Free (Auberge Plus $44 one-time) |
| Beat | Bands, DJs, and event promoters | $49/year |
| Wallstreet | Digital agencies and portfolio sites on a budget | Free |
| Modern | Personal blogs and multilingual sites | Free |
| Carbone | Cafes, bars, and restaurants wanting a full-screen visual layout | $49/year |
| Tusant | Podcasters and music streaming sites | $69/year |
| Altitude Pro | Landing-page-style sites, if you’re already on WP Engine hosting | Included with WP Engine hosting, or $360/year via Genesis Pro |
| Korina | Restaurants, bars, and street food sellers | $49/year |
Importance of Dark WordPress Themes
Dark WordPress themes have become popular due to their unique and beautiful appeal. Plus, they are versatile, allowing you to use them across many industries. You can use them on a personal blog, eCommerce store, portfolio website, and so on.
Apart from this, dark themes can offer unique advantages that improve user experience and site performance.
- Enhanced Visual Appeal: Dark themes are visually striking and convey a modern, sleek look that works well for creative industries, technology, gaming, and luxury brands. The high contrast of light text on a dark background can create a dramatic effect, making your content stand out.
- Improved Readability in Low-Light Environments: Dark themes are easier on the eyes in dimly lit settings, reducing strain and fatigue for visitors. This makes them an excellent choice for blogs, forums, and websites with long-form content that users might engage with during nighttime browsing.
- Energy Efficiency: Dark themes consume less power on OLED and AMOLED screens since pixels displaying black or dark colors use minimal energy. This can indirectly contribute to a more eco-friendly browsing experience, especially for mobile users.
- Highlighting Content: Dark backgrounds naturally draw attention to key elements like images, videos, and call-to-action buttons. This makes dark themes particularly effective for portfolios and websites where visual content is a primary focus.
- Modern and Trendy: Dark mode has become a standard across digital platforms due to its popularity among users. Adding a dark theme aligns your website with this trend, so it feels modern and familiar to visitors.
As you can see, dark mode themes can help you in different ways. But, at the same time, you need to be careful to avoid making the user experience bad. Here are a few tips to help you use dark themes well.
Tips for Choosing and Using Dark WordPress Themes
- Check Contrast: Make sure text and other elements are highly readable against the dark background.
- Use Accent Colors: Highlight buttons, links, or key elements with vibrant colors to maintain balance and guide user attention.
- Prioritize Mobile Optimization: Verify that your dark theme looks great on all devices, especially for smaller screens where legibility can be challenging.
- Test with Visual Content: Dark themes often shine when paired with high-quality visuals, so make sure your images and videos complement the theme.
With that said, let us get into our list of the best dark WordPress themes.
Best Dark WordPress Themes
1. Divi
Best for: Agencies and freelancers who need one theme and builder that can handle any client project
Divi is a popular WordPress multipurpose theme for all kinds of websites. It comes with multiple dark templates for restaurants, coffee houses, artists, architectures, law firms, and podcasts websites.
Divi comes in two products: Divi Theme and Divi Builder plugin.
Divi Theme is best for users who want to make customization by using one of its 2,000+ pre-made layouts across 180+ layout packs.
The Divi Builder plugin works with any theme, and is best for users who want to use it alongside other themes.
Divi 5, the latest version, rebuilt the platform from the ground up. It now uses native CSS Flexbox and Grid instead of the old row-column system. It also renders pages twice as fast as the previous version.
Divi also includes Divi AI. It can generate a complete website, write page copy, and create images from a text prompt. Reviewers consistently mention this combination of design flexibility and support quality as the reason they picked Divi.
Features:
- Flexible customization options with CSS Flexbox and Grid
- Visual builder with a Theme Builder for headers, footers, and archives
- Custom fonts and text styling
- Filters, effects, and shadows
- Background image and video
- Divi AI for site generation, copywriting, and images
Divi costs $89/year or $249 as a one-time lifetime purchase, and the lifetime option is one of the most-mentioned reasons users say they picked it over other builders.
Check out the latest Divi review here.
2. Astra
Best for: Beginners and speed-focused site owners who want a lightweight theme that works with any page builder
Astra is a lightweight WordPress all-purpose theme well-suited for any business website. It comes with 300+ starter templates, including many dark-colored designs you can import and customize in a few clicks.
Astra works with Elementor, Spectra, Gutenberg, and most other page builders, so you’re not locked into one editor. It’s also one of the only WordPress themes with over 6,000 five-star reviews on WordPress.org.
Features:
- Page builder integration with Elementor, Spectra, and Gutenberg
- Speed optimization
- Custom colors and fonts
- Header layout options
- Translation ready
- 300+ starter templates, with 180+ premium designs in Astra Pro
Astra is free to install. Astra Pro starts at $59/year for one site, or $129/year for 10 sites through the Essential Toolkit bundle.
Check out the latest Astra review here.
3. Neve
Best for: Small business sites and blogs that need a fast, lightweight theme
Neve is a stylish WordPress theme designed for any type of website. It comes with dozens of ready-made templates for different business niches, including dark mode layout designs.
Features:
- WooCommerce compatible
- Blog page template
- Customizable header
- Call-to-action button
- Custom logo
- And more…
Neve is free to install. Neve Pro starts at around $69/year.
4. Ultra
Best for: WooCommerce store owners who want a fast, built-in page builder without a third-party plugin
Ultra is a powerful WordPress multipurpose theme with its own built-in Themify Builder. That means you don’t need a separate page builder plugin. It offers several fully functional built-in website templates and dark templates that you can import and easily customize to launch your website.
Ultra’s demo sites regularly score 90-100 on Google PageSpeed, and it includes a Sticky Buy Button and Ajax Slide Cart for WooCommerce stores.
Features:
- Themify Builder included, no separate plugin needed
- 12 bonus addons, including Slider Pro and WooCommerce
- Parallax scrolling
- Custom color choices
- Smart layout options
- And more…
Ultra costs $59 as a one-time purchase, or you can get it plus all 42 Themify themes through the $89/year Master Club.
Check out the latest Ultra theme review here.
5. OceanWP
Best for: eCommerce sites that need deep WooCommerce customization without paying for a separate plugin
OceanWP is a classic WordPress theme built for any business or professional website. It comes with a 1-click demo content importer to immediately launch a dark website in just a few clicks.
OceanWP runs on more than 1,000,000 websites. Its free version already includes a genuinely usable WooCommerce feature set, which is rare among free themes.
Features:
- RTL languages support
- eCommerce ready, with sticky Add to Cart and mini cart styles
- Fast page load time
- Fullscreen templates
- Instagram feed
- 240+ full website templates in the Pro Bundle
OceanWP is free to install. The Pro Bundle starts at $35/year for one site and unlocks the full template library and advanced WooCommerce tools.
Check out the latest OceanWP theme review here.
6. SeedProd
Best for: Anyone who wants to build a custom dark WordPress theme without hiring a developer
SeedProd is the best drag and drop theme builder plugin for WordPress. With SeedProd, you can easily create a custom, dark mode WordPress theme from scratch without the need to hire a developer or edit any code.
It comes with 350+ templates across 20+ industries, including full theme kits with matching designs for every page of your site. You can easily customize every element by pointing and clicking. You can also add ready-made, conversion-focused blocks like countdown timers, email optin forms, image carousels, social profiles, and much more.
SeedProd also includes an AI Theme Builder that generates a complete site from a short description of your business in 20-60 seconds. It’s worth trying before you start customizing manually.
Features:
- Drag and drop functionality
- 350+ professionally designed templates across 20+ industries
- AI Theme Builder that generates a full site in under a minute
- Live previews and layout navigation
- Variety of color schemes and font combinations
- Background video and slideshows
- Integrates with WooCommerce and email marketing services
SeedProd’s Lite version is free. Paid plans start at $79/year, and WooCommerce theme building requires the $599/year Elite plan.
Check out the latest SeedProd review here.
Get the SeedProd theme builder today!
7. Parallax Pro
Best for: Storytelling and personal blogs, if you’re already hosting with WP Engine
Parallax Pro is one of the best dark WordPress themes on the market. It has a beautiful layout design for storytelling, personal blogs, and content-savvy websites.
Parallax Pro is built on the Genesis Framework, which StudioPress no longer sells as a standalone purchase. You can get it two ways. It’s included free when you sign up for WP Engine hosting, or you can subscribe to Genesis Pro for $360/year if you’re hosting elsewhere.
Features:
- 5 homepage widgets
- Custom header
- Parallax scrolling
- Footer widget
- Color choices
- Genesis Framework foundation, in maintenance mode with security updates only
See how to get Parallax Pro through WP Engine hosting or Genesis Pro
Want to try all the premium StudioPress themes, including Parallax Pro, for FREE?
When you sign up for WP Engine, the best managed WordPress hosting service, you receive the Genesis framework and ALL StudioPress themes for free (That’s over $2,000 in value!)
8. Fargo
Best for: Wedding and portrait photographers who want a dark, cinematic portfolio
Fargo is a dark-colored WordPress wedding photography theme from Pixelgrade, a theme shop that’s been active for more than a decade. It provides homepage sections to display your featured work and photographs professionally.
Features:
- Dynamic navigation
- Centered layout
- Post formats
- Cinematic layout
- Custom colors and fonts
- And more…
Fargo costs $75/year, or $112 as a one-time lifetime purchase.
9. Hestia Pro
Best for: One-page business and startup sites that need a clean, dark design
Hestia Pro is a one-page WordPress multipurpose theme with multiple dark templates. It allows you to easily create a website of your choice.
Features:
- Page builder compatible
- Starter sites
- Ready-made homepage
- Portfolio section
- Video header
- And more…
Hestia Pro starts at $69/year for the Personal plan, with Business and Agency tiers available at higher prices.
Get the Hestia Pro theme today!
10. Collective
Best for: Agencies who want a large pack of ready-made dark homepages
Collective is yet another dark WordPress theme sold by KubiStudio, one of the elite authors on the ThemeForest marketplace. It comes with 12 unique, beautiful homepages and 14 custom Visual Composer modules.
On ThemeForest, Collective has sold more than 1,300 licenses with a 4.66 out of 5 rating, which is a solid track record for a niche dark theme.
Features:
- Clean and minimal design
- Shipped with Visual Composer builder
- 5 header solution
- One-click demo importer
- Lazy loading
- 600+ Google Fonts
Collective costs $39 as a one-time purchase on ThemeForest.
11. Inspiro
Best for: Photographers and videographers who want a fullscreen visual showcase
Inspiro is a professional WordPress dark theme designed specifically for photographers and videographers. Its fullscreen image slideshow beautifully displays your featured content.
Features:
- Supports YouTube and Vimeo videos
- Image gallery module
- Custom video background
- Theme options panel
- Built-in website demos
- And more…
Inspiro Premium starts at $69/year. Higher tiers, Creator Pack and All Access Pass, unlock more of WPZoom’s theme library.
12. Monochrome Pro
Best for: Minimalist, typography-first blogs, if you’re already hosting with WP Engine
Monochrome Pro is a minimalist WordPress multipurpose theme. It has stunning typography that makes your content pop out and highly accessible to your readers.
Like Parallax Pro, Monochrome Pro is a Genesis Framework theme. StudioPress no longer sells it on its own. It’s included with WP Engine hosting, or available through a $360/year Genesis Pro subscription.
Features:
- Genesis Framework
- Atomic Blocks plugin
- WPForms compatible
- Demo content
- 1-click theme setup
- Genesis Framework foundation, in maintenance mode with security updates only
See how to get Monochrome Pro through WP Engine hosting or Genesis Pro
13. Auberge
Best for: Cafes, restaurants, and food bloggers on a budget
Auberge is a free WordPress cafe and restaurant theme from WebMan Design. Its modern, dark layout design makes it suitable for creating a food and recipe blog.
It’s actively maintained on WordPress.org, so compatibility isn’t a concern here.
Features:
- Beaver Builder integration
- Custom header slideshow
- Google recipe view
- Nested food menus
- Supports RTL languages
- And more…
Auberge is free. A premium version, Auberge Plus, is available for $44 as a one-time purchase if you want extra layout options.
14. Beat
Best for: Bands, DJs, and event promoters who need a bold, dark homepage
Beat is an elegant WordPress dark theme for bands, musicians, events, DJs, artists, and night clubs. It has a fullscreen image slideshow on the homepage to immediately engage your users.
Features:
- 50 customizer settings
- Custom post types
- Elementor widgets
- Multiple layout choices
- Flexible header and footer
- And more…
Beat costs $49/year on its own, or you can get it plus other CSSIgniter themes through the $69/year Standard Club.
15. Wallstreet
Best for: Digital agencies and portfolio sites who want a free dark theme
Wallstreet is a free WordPress dark business theme. It’s well-suited for digital agencies, architecture firms, portfolio websites, and personal blogs.
It’s actively maintained on WordPress.org, so compatibility isn’t a concern here.
Features:
- Full-width page template
- Social media icons
- Featured image banner
- 4-column widgetized footer
- Services and portfolio sections
- And more…
Wallstreet is completely free to download from WordPress.org.
Get the Wallstreet theme today!
16. Modern
Best for: Personal blogs and multilingual sites that want a free, simple dark theme
Modern is a free WordPress dark theme for personal blogs and portfolio websites. It supports RTL languages and translation ready to create a multilingual website easily.
Features:
- Featured posts slideshow
- Speed optimization
- Jetpack plugin compatibility
- Custom color choices
- Footer widgets
- And more…
Modern is completely free to download from WordPress.org.
17. Carbone
Best for: Cafes, bars, and restaurants that want a full-screen visual layout
Carbone is a beautiful dark WordPress theme for cafes, bars, restaurants, and other food-related businesses. It features a custom full-screen background image and a classic centered layout.
Features:
- Live theme customizer
- Menu management system
- Page builder friendly
- Reservation form
- Custom logo design
- And more…
Carbone costs $49/year on its own, or you can get it plus other CSSIgniter themes through the $69/year Standard Club.
18. Tusant
Best for: Podcasters, music streamers, and video creators
Tusant is a stunning dark WordPress theme designed specifically for podcasts, music streaming, and video websites. It easily embeds visual content from multiple resources.
Features:
- Episode page
- Masonry podcast shows
- Carousel slider
- Categories and filters
- Infinite scrolling and pagination
- And more…
Tusant costs $69/year, or $389 as a one-time lifetime purchase.
19. Altitude Pro
Best for: Landing-page-style sites, if you’re already hosting with WP Engine
Altitude Pro is a premium WordPress dark theme. It’s built on top of the Genesis theme framework, which makes it powerful and suitable for any type of website.
Like the other two Genesis themes on this list, Altitude Pro is no longer sold on its own. Access comes with WP Engine hosting, or through a $360/year Genesis Pro subscription.
Features:
- 7 homepage widget areas
- Color styles and choices
- Custom background
- Landing pages
- Sidebar layout options
- Genesis Framework foundation, in maintenance mode with security updates only
See how to get Altitude Pro through WP Engine hosting or Genesis Pro
20. Korina
Best for: Restaurants, bars, and street food sellers
Korina is a uniquely designed WordPress dark theme for restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, and street food sellers. It has a full-screen image slider and lets you customize your logo and navigation menu.
Features:
- Multiple header styles
- Beautiful typography
- Menu management system
- Layout choices
- Video header background
- And more…
Korina costs $49/year on its own, or you can get it plus other CSSIgniter themes through the $69/year Standard Club.
We hope this article helped you find the best dark WordPress themes for your website.
If you like it, you may also want to check out our guide on how to create a multimedia slider in WordPress to create an elegant design for your site.
FAQs: Dark WordPress Themes
Do dark WordPress themes slow down my site?
No, the color scheme itself has no effect on speed. What matters is the theme’s underlying code.
Lightweight options like Astra, Neve, and OceanWP are built for speed regardless of color. Heavier builders like Divi need more setup work to stay fast.
Can I add a light/dark mode switcher to any theme?
Yes. If you’d rather keep your current theme and just add a toggle, a dedicated dark mode plugin can add a switcher without a full theme change.
This is a good option if you already like your site’s design and only want the dark mode option for visitors.
Are dark themes harder to read than light themes?
Not if the theme is designed well. Look for strong contrast between text and background, and accent colors that guide your eye to buttons and links.
Poor contrast is the main reason some dark themes feel harder to read, not the dark color itself.
Do I need coding skills to set up a dark WordPress theme?
No. Every theme on this list installs through your WordPress dashboard like any other theme.
Builder-based options like Divi, Ultra, and SeedProd also let you customize colors, layouts, and content without touching code.
What type of website works best with a dark theme?
Dark themes work especially well for photography, music, restaurants, agencies, and personal blogs. They also suit any brand going for a bold, modern look.
Sites that rely on dense text, like documentation or news, may want to test carefully for readability first.
Final Verdict
If you want one clear recommendation, Astra is the safest all-around pick. It’s free, fast, and works with almost any page builder.
For agencies and freelancers building multiple client sites, Divi’s lifetime pricing is hard to beat.
If you’d rather build a fully custom dark theme without touching code, SeedProd’s AI Theme Builder gets you there fastest.
And if you’re already on WP Engine hosting, Parallax Pro or Monochrome Pro come included with your plan.
Resource Hub: Dark WordPress Themes
Want to keep exploring? These guides cover more theme options and how to get the most out of whichever one you pick.
- Best Free WordPress Blog Themes
- Best Responsive WordPress Themes
- Best Premium WordPress Themes
- How to Customize a WordPress Website
- Best Free WordPress eCommerce Themes
- Best WordPress Hosting Companies
I just finished reading your article about the best dark WordPress themes, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with the range of options you presented. As someone who prefers darker themes, I appreciated the variety in styles and functionality you highlighted.
Thank you so much for the appreciation, Karl. We are delighted to read your response! 😀