Kadence vs Astra – Best WordPress Theme Comparison (2025)

Quick Overview: Kadence vs Astra

Before we get into the details, let's be honest about what these themes are. Both Kadence and Astra are popular WordPress themes designed for speed and flexibility. They're not bloated with unnecessary features, which is exactly why people love them.

Astra has been around since 2017 and has over 1.7 million active installations. It's established, trusted, and has a proven track record. Kadence is newer (launched in 2020) but has quickly gained popularity because it includes more premium-style features in its free version.

Speed and Performance Comparison

Let's talk about what really matters – how fast your site will load. Both themes are built with performance in mind, but there are some differences worth noting.

Page Load Speed

Astra typically loads slightly faster than Kadence in standard tests. We're talking milliseconds here, but if you're obsessed with getting that perfect 100 score on Google PageSpeed Insights, Astra might edge ahead.

That said, Kadence isn't slow by any means. It's still one of the fastest themes available. The difference becomes negligible when you start adding plugins, content, and images – which is what happens on real websites.

File Size and Code Quality

Astra's base theme is incredibly lightweight at less than 50KB. Kadence comes in slightly larger because it includes more features by default. Both themes use clean, optimized code that follows WordPress best practices.

Performance Metric	Kadence	Astra
Base Theme Size	~60KB	~50KB
PageSpeed Score	95-100	95-100
Load Time (default)	0.5-0.8s	0.4-0.7s
HTTP Requests	8-12	6-10

Customization and Design Options

Here's where things get interesting. Kadence and Astra take different approaches to customization.

Kadence Customization

Kadence gives you a ton of design control right out of the box. The free version includes header builder, transparent headers, sticky navigation, custom fonts, and advanced typography options. You can create unique layouts without touching any code.

The customizer interface is intuitive but packed with options. You might be wondering if that makes it overwhelming – honestly, it can be at first. But once you spend 30 minutes exploring, it makes sense.

Astra Customization

Astra keeps the free version more streamlined. You get basic customization options like colors, typography, and layout settings. To unlock advanced features like header builder and custom layouts, you need Astra Pro.

This isn't necessarily bad. Some people prefer starting simple and upgrading later. The learning curve is gentler with Astra if you're a complete beginner.

Page Builder Compatibility

Both themes work seamlessly with popular page builders, but they have slightly different strengths.

Elementor Integration

Both Kadence and Astra work perfectly with Elementor. You can build full-width pages, customize headers and footers, and create custom layouts without any conflicts. No clear winner here.

Gutenberg (Block Editor) Support

Kadence has an edge with Gutenberg because the same developers created Kadence Blocks – one of the best block plugins available. The integration feels natural and you get access to advanced blocks for free.

Astra also supports Gutenberg well, but you'll likely need additional block plugins to match Kadence's built-in capabilities.

Other Page Builders

Both themes support Beaver Builder, Divi, and other popular builders. No issues with either theme if you prefer these alternatives.

Pricing Breakdown

Let's talk money. Both themes have free versions that are genuinely useful, but the pro versions unlock significant features.

Kadence Pricing

• Free: Comprehensive feature set
• Kadence Pro: $129/year (single site)
• Includes: All pro features, updates, support
• Lifetime Option: $349 (one-time payment)

Astra Pricing

• Free: Basic but solid
• Astra Pro: $59/year (single site)
• Essential Bundle: $279/year (includes premium sites, plugins)
• Growth Bundle: $523/year (unlimited sites)

Starter Templates and Demo Sites

Both themes offer starter templates to speed up your website building process.

Kadence Starter Templates

Kadence provides around 40+ professionally designed starter templates. They're modern, clean, and cover various niches. The free version gives you access to all templates, though some use premium blocks.

What I appreciate about Kadence templates is they feel less "template-y" – they're unique designs rather than variations of the same layout.

Astra Starter Templates

Astra has over 280+ starter templates (though this includes variations). The free version gives you access to a decent selection, while Astra Pro unlocks the full library.

The sheer quantity means you'll probably find something close to what you need. Quality is generally good, though some designs feel dated compared to Kadence's offerings.

WooCommerce Support

Planning to run an online store? Both themes handle WooCommerce well, but with different approaches.

Kadence WooCommerce Features

Kadence includes extensive WooCommerce customization in the free version. You can modify product pages, shop layouts, cart design, and checkout process without additional plugins. The product gallery is particularly nice with zoom, lightbox, and slider options.

Astra WooCommerce Features

Astra's free version provides basic WooCommerce styling. For advanced features like infinite scroll, quick view, and custom product layouts, you need Astra Pro. The pro version is solid, but you're paying extra for features Kadence includes free.

Mobile Responsiveness

Both themes are fully responsive and look great on mobile devices. However, Kadence gives you more control over mobile-specific settings in the free version.

With Kadence, you can set different font sizes, spacing, and layout options for mobile, tablet, and desktop. Astra requires the pro version for this level of mobile customization.

Support and Documentation

When you run into issues (and you will), good support matters.

Kadence Support

Kadence offers support through their website and Facebook group. Pro users get priority email support. Response times are generally good – usually within 24-48 hours for most issues.

Documentation is comprehensive with video tutorials covering most features. The community is active and helpful, though smaller than Astra's.

Astra Support

Astra has more extensive documentation due to being around longer. Their knowledge base covers practically everything, and you'll find countless YouTube tutorials from third-party creators.

Support response times are similar to Kadence. The larger community means you're more likely to find answers to common questions through a quick Google search.

SEO Optimization

Both themes are built with SEO best practices in mind. They generate clean HTML, load fast, and work seamlessly with SEO plugins like Yoast and Rank Math.

Kadence includes schema markup options in the free version for better search engine understanding. Astra requires pro for similar features. Neither theme will hurt your SEO – the difference comes down to how many extra plugins you need.

Pros and Cons

Let's break down the honest advantages and disadvantages of each theme:

Kadence Pros and Cons

Astra Pros and Cons

Which Theme Should You Choose?

Here's the part where we help you actually make a decision. The "best" theme depends entirely on your situation.

Choose Kadence If:

• You want maximum control without buying pro immediately
• You're using Gutenberg as your primary page builder
• You need advanced header and footer customization
• You're building a WooCommerce store
• You prefer modern, unique design aesthetics
• You don't mind spending more time learning the interface
• You value built-in features over third-party integrations

Choose Astra If:

• Page speed is your absolute top priority
• You want the simplest possible starting point
• You're on a tight budget and need cheap pro features
• You prefer established themes with proven track records
• You want access to hundreds of starter templates
• You need extensive community resources and tutorials
• You're comfortable adding plugins for extra features

Frequently Asked Questions

Making Your Final Decision

After comparing Kadence vs Astra across features, performance, pricing, and usability, here's the bottom line: both are excellent WordPress themes that will serve you well in 2025.

Kadence is the better choice if you want more features immediately and don't mind investing time to learn a more powerful interface. It's particularly strong for WooCommerce sites and users who prefer Gutenberg.

Astra wins if you prioritize simplicity, want the fastest possible load times, or prefer lower pro pricing. Its massive community means you'll find help easily, and the starter template library is huge.

My honest recommendation? Try the free version of both. Spend a day building a test page with each theme. You'll quickly discover which interface feels more intuitive to you. Your comfort level with the customizer is just as important as the feature list.

Remember, the theme is just the foundation. What matters most is the content you create, how you optimize images, which plugins you use, and your hosting quality. Both Kadence and Astra provide solid foundations – the rest is up to you.

Choose the one that feels right, and get building. You can always switch later if needed, though hopefully this comparison has given you enough information to make the right choice the first time.