Ever since the digital era started, the world has seen a growing need for speed. Traditional on-off communication by mail and telephone has turned into continuous communication through email and instant messaging. Digital magazines and newspapers are faster not only when it comes to delivering the actual news to their readers, but also from a journalistic point of view. Information can be gathered, centralized and published faster and cheaper than through traditional means. Also, publishing and maintaining a news website is far easier and cheaper than publishing a traditional one.
What the News websites and blogs which are currently online lack is ease of use and customizability. WordPress themes offer easy solutions to these problems through huge amounts of customizability options and one-click installations. A good design can mean the difference between a website, which is visited only once by a visitor, and a website which has not only new visitors, but also returning ones. In order to help you enter the world of professional journalism, we have made a list of the Best WordPress News Themes of 2017. Go through our picks and you will definitely find the best design for you.
Newspaper
Newspaper is one of the best selling WordPress themes from the Envato market and is especially designed for blogs, news, magazine, and publishing websites.
This theme is the perfect theme for anyone who wants to develop a clean, flexible and professional looking website. In terms of customizability, Newspaper includes with over 40 amazing demo designs, multiple header, footer & top bar layouts, full-width Big Grids which can be styled with no efforts, and smart lists that automatically adjust their size in columns. The theme also features an integrated Translation Panel, which will help you use dozens of already made translations. Newspaper comes with the tagDiv Composer plugin - a frontend drag and drop page builder created specifically for the news industry. This tool is designed with a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily create and setup your pages.
Newspaper comes bundled with the Revolution Slider premium plugin, and it’s compatible with the bbPress Forum, BuddyPress, WooCommerce, and WPML plugins. The theme includes it’s own rating system, as well as Weather, Exchange, Instagram, Social Counter, Popular Category and Author Box Widgets. It also has a custom ad system, and you can use Google AdSense, HTML codes, and banners, so monetization won’t be a problem.
SimpleMag
The name says it all. It’s a simple-to-use theme built using clean, optimized code. It features a responsive design which will allow it to adapt to any kind of screen, an Off-Canvas Navigation Menu, multiple homepage variations and various Categories Layouts. The WPML support offered by the creators makes the theme easily translatable. SimpleMag also has a Child Theme option, dozens of plugins, widgets and an extensive Theme Options panel built on the Redux Framework.
Optimized for WooCommerce, bbPress and SEO, SimpleMag is perfect for anyone who wants to start the next big news blog, as content can be easily categorized using the included AJAX Mega Menu and the Columns Menu. The theme comes with an invaluable drag & drop page composer tool which will allow you to build new layouts, using any of the included resources. Also, SimpleMag is extremely flexible from a linguistics point of view, as it has built-in support RTL languages.
SmartMag
SmartMag is a multipage, responsive, retina-ready WordPress theme, perfectly suited for Magazine of Newspaper blogs. It comes with different pre-made skins, a drag & drop page builder, navigation mega menus, an integrated review system and multiple post formats. SmartMag also offers support for more than 600 Google Web Fonts. Those who like to play with the design of their page will be able to do so through the use of the page builder which comes with the theme.
The theme is a testament to great design, not only from the point of view of a visitor, but also from that of an administrator. In order to optimize the administrators’ experience, the creators of the theme have integrated a very well organized back-end interface which will allow you to change anything from typography and colors to layouts or ad placement. SmartMag supports right-to-left writing and is WPML compatible, and also benefits from long-term customer support through the use of a fast-response forum.
Newsmag
With news as its primary focus, Newsmag is one of the best rated WordPress news themes out there. It is easy to install and even easier to edit, due to its intelligent design and multiple custom widgets. When choosing this theme, you will also get Visual Composer (the best tool for creating custom payouts), top bar templates, the Font Awesome 4 Menus plugin which will allow you to easily modify any of the included menus, and many flexible layouts for each of the included templates.
For those who want more flexibility, Newsmag includes a smart blocks feature, which will automatically adjust blocks depending on their use and positioning. When it comes to mobile terminals, the theme features several helpful widgets, such as an iOS Slider and an all-important Mobile Menu. The creators pride themselves with the speed and optimization of their code, from SEO to E-commerce, the theme has been designed so that it will always run at top efficiency.
TheNews
With a clean, somewhat minimalist feel and great potential, TheNews is one of those themes which you’ve got to try out in order to understand why they’re on everybody’s favorite list. From a technical point of view, you get a responsive design which will always look amazing, regardless of the device it’s viewed on, a built-in contact form through which readers will be able to more easily communicate with you, and full SEO Optimization.
Design-wise, TheNews will get you custom widgets which you’ll be able to use in order to display ads, connect to social networks and display content in the sidebar, and a Featured Posts Slider (an interactive slideshow which will show readers a preview of the featured posts or articles on the site). While you will have multiple page templates to choose from, you’ll be able to design your own layouts with the help of the integrated page customizer.
Multinews
Probably one of the most versatile themes designed for journalistic blogging, Multinews is a great choice, regardless of what type of news you choose to host. Featuring an impressive array of widgets and plugins, the theme includes: Ajax Live Search, Author Timeline, Mega Menus, Flipping Magazine, and many more. This is a retina-ready, responsive design which has been built in order to be compatible with bbPress, WooCommerce, and BuddyPress. Multinews also includes and Advertising System, a Review System and a Weather Page.
As for customization, the theme comes with a light and a dark skin, the ability to set custom backgrounds and to customize categories, unlimited sidebars, and a well-designed Admin Panel which will allow you to change anything you can think of. Being a news-oriented theme, Multinews also features advanced typography options and MailChimp integration. As one would expect from a premium WordPress theme, SEO Optimization is the standard and, as an added bonus, the theme also includes multiple CSS3 animations.
Grand News
Grand News is truly a grandiose theme. Featuring a Live Customizer which will give live previews while changing different aspects of the website, to the Drag & Drop Content Builder that can be used to place and move the different elements of a layout or to create custom ones. The theme also comes with an integrated Review System, Custom Sidebars, Custom Widgets, a Mega Menu and an Advanced Gallery. The creators of the theme offer full translation support and WPML Compatibility and have made sure that Grand News will pass a Google Mobile Compatibility Check.
Grand News can truly make your content shine, through the use of the iLightbox integrated module and HD images. For those who want even more customizability, there is the option of modifying various styles with custom CSS code without altering the main theme. Being a Retina-Ready theme, Grand News also includes Sharp Font Icons which will always look gorgeous on any resolution.
TheNewsPaper
TheNewsPaper is one of those honest, in-your-face themes which does exactly what it advertises. Perfect for any kind of publication, the theme includes a .po file which will make localization a problem of the past. Apart from this, the developers have also included many custom widgets which will enable you to integrate ads into the site, or to connect to different social networks. For additional interactivity, the theme also includes a Featured Posts Slider which will always get the attention of your readers.
The built-in Contacts Page Template will enable readers to get in touch with you easier than ever and the fact that the whole theme has been built with clean code and has been optimized for search engines (SEO) will insure that the website will always be easy to find. TheNewsPaper includes several page templates, but these can always be modified or replaced with custom ones built with the help of the customization tools included.
Sahifa
Sahifa comes with over 400 customization options, which will allow you to turn it into literally anything you want. A testament to the flexibility of Sahifa is the TiePage Builder. A built in drag and drop homepage builder that uses a block placement system in order to let an administrator build brand new pages with little to no effort. The theme also features Mega Menus with Built-in Menu Icons, a Content SlideShow, a Rating System, Sticky Sidebars and a Weather Widget. Apart from these, Sahifa also includes 35 Custom Widgets, more than 650 Google Web Fonts and RTL Language Support.
The category system included in the theme can be customized with logos, background images and colors. For those who dislike the native, white look of the theme, there is also the choice of a Dark Skin. Every line of code used has been thoroughly optimized, both for SEO and for speed.
NewsMorning
A classical, well organized theme with a minimalist aspect. If you’re looking for a way to set up a news blog without having any knowledge of coding, then you should give News Moring a look. As far as aspect goes, the theme offers a Featured Posts Slider in order to present your chosen articles in a more stylish manner, a multitude of page templates to choose from and a Responsive Design. For those who are looking for a way to keep in touch with the users, NewsMorning comes with a built-in contact form which the users will be able to use in order to communicate with the administrator.
From a technical point of view, the theme has been updated in order to be compatible with the latest WordPress version and its code has been cleaned and optimized for search engines (SEO) and for E-Commerce. NewsMorning can also be easily translated, so localization will never be a problem.
Top News
Designed to reduce bounce rates and to increase ad exposure, this is one theme you must check out. Built around the idea of maximum efficiency, Top News includes Dynamic Social Sharing Buttons, Post/Page Slideshows, Video and Audio Posts and 11 custom widgets. The theme also features Five Different Ad Units and YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud integration. In order to give the site a more professional feel, there is also an Infinite Scroll option which can be turned on and off, as well as Facebook and Disqus support.
Top News comes with a drag and drop tool which will allow you to move the widgets included in the theme in order to create the perfect layout for you. Also, there is the option of implementing Google AdSense ads into the layout. The theme comes with extensive documentation, which will guide you through all of the provided features, and with an amazing customer support service.
NewsSpot
Truly one of the best ways of putting content under the spotlight, NewsSpot is a perfect WordPress theme for any kind of News blog. The developers have included a variety of features which are meant not only to make a website more visible as far as search engines are concerned, but also to make the website itself faster and easier to maintain. From a Responsive Design to an integrated Featured Posts Slider, the theme will be indistinguishable from the websites of any of the main news publications.
Out-of-the-box, NewsSpot comes with several Page Templates to choose from, full WooCommerce and SEO Optimization, a Featured Posts Slider and a Contact Form which readers will be able to use in order to get in touch with the administrators. Feature-packed, easy to install and use, and highly customizable, NewsSpot is great for anyone who doesn’t want to “get his hands dirty” with lines of code or have to look for third party tools
ColorMag
Colorful, professional and modern, ColorMag comes in two flavors: Free and Pro. While the free version comes with: the ability to choose from Boxed or Wide Layout, the option to change the primary color, an Ad Widget, a Featured Category Slider and several Featured Posts widgets, the Pro version offers much more. ColorMag Pro features: over 600 Google Fonts, the ability to change the size of these fonts, more than 20 color options for the theme, WPML and Polylang compatibility, better and faster customer support and much more.
Both versions offer more than 15 widget areas and both have undergone serious speed and search engine optimization (SEO). Also, they are perfectly compatible with all of the major web browser, they have a responsive design, and they feature built-in support for a Sticky Menu. The designers offer different demos for each version, along with extensive documentation which contains step-by-step information on how to use the theme’s features.
Voice
Voice is the perfect WordPress theme to truly give a News blog, a voice. With features like Unlimited Fonts and Colors, WooCommerce and bbPress integration, a Responsive Design, Custom Widgets and support for WP Review, this one of the most feature packed themes out there. The designers update the theme regularly and have a one-click update system in place which will surely appeal to all those who have limited coding knowledge. The issue of translating the theme has also been addressed in a similar manner. Voice features a built-in Theme Translator which will do all the work for you.
When it comes to monetization, the designers have included a Built-in Banner Ads System, which will allow you to place ads without having to deal with various widgets. Speaking of widgets, the theme comes with quite a few custom ones. Using the provided layouts and widgets it is possible to personally create over 150 Post Listing Combinations, with little effort.
News24
If you’re looking for a theme that can help your News site go head to head with the best of them, then you should give News24 a chance. Featuring nine demos in order to showcase all the features integrated in it, the theme is perfect for any kind of online news publication. Its responsive design means that it will work perfect on mobile devices and PCs alike, and the clean, SEO Optimized code will ensure the visibility of your site.
News24 has been built on the Bootstrap 3 framework, with HTML5 and CSS3. It features a built-in 404 page, a Contact Form Page to ease the link between users and administrators, RTL Support, Unlimited Sidebars, Built-in Social Counters, a powerful Review System, and a Built-in Revolution Slider. Among the many tools included in the theme, there is also a drag and drop page builder, called Visual Composer. Using this tool an administrator can build entirely new layouts, using the resources provided with News24.
Portus
Portus is an easy-to-use, responsive, retina ready WordPress theme. Boasting a Breaking News Slider, a Read Later Feature and an Article mini-slider, Portus is a great choice for a News Blog or Website. The custom Mega Menu integrated in the theme supports content and widgets, giving the administrator more flexibility when it comes to organizing the website. The theme looks great on mobile, not only due to the fact that it has a responsive design, but also due to the Off-Canvas Mobile Menu specifically designed for mobile devices.
Another useful feature of Portus is the fact that it comes with Visual Composer. One of the most appreciated drag and drop page creation tools, it is invaluable for anyone who wants a fully customized website, or of those who want the freedom to make changes once in a while, without having to mess with lines of code. Other features include Photo Galleries, Parallax Effects while scrolling, a Fixed Header and an unlimited number of colors to choose from.
Master
Featuring a revolutionary One Click Install method and a Free TestDrive option, Master is one theme that’s not afraid to show what it can do. Ideal for all those who want who want fast results, the theme also comes with a Quick Setup option which will let you configure most of its options. Master comes with a lot of different customization options. Five blog layouts, five category layouts and three slider options. And, for those concerned how the theme would look on mobile devices, the developers have made Master Retina Display compatible and completely responsive.
As one would expect from a premium WordPress theme, Master includes support for WPML and for RTL, and it’s advertisement ready. The designers offer nine demos to showcase the plethora of features that come with the theme and provide the usual customer support one has come to expect from such a product. Also, Master comes with video tutorials which will guide administrators through the setup process and the menus of the theme.
Tribune
Tribune is the very definition of a perfect News Theme. Boasting a Featured Area with full video support, an Infinite Scroll option, and a Breaking News Ticker, Tribune will insure that visitors will return again and again. The theme looks great on any kind of mobile device due to its responsive layout, and has great online visibility as a result of the SEO friendly code used to build it. Also included is the option to import any of the demo content offered by the creators into a personal website.
While Tribune comes with several presets, administrators will be able to change various aspects of their site, with the help of the Visual Customizer included and the Theme Options Panel. The developers offer support for the translations of their theme and regular updates, as newer WordPress versions come out. Tribune is easy to install, easy to customize and even easier to maintain, making it a great theme for anyone who doesn’t have coding knowledge.
Editorial
If you’re looking for a high-quality retina optimized News theme, then you should try Editorial. Its Magazine Layout makes it perfect for any kind of journalistic content and, due to its responsive design and the fact that it’s Retina Ready, it’s also perfect for any kind of mobile devices. Theme comes in two versions: Free and Pro. While the free version includes a minimum amount of options needed to make this theme useful, the pro version has much more to offer, in the sense that the pain one offers more widgets and layouts to choose from.
Both versions can be easily customized without the need of writing code. Editorial has a Theme Options menu which will allow you to change anything from the main color used by the website, to the colors used by several categories included in the theme. The developers offer great customer support services and instruction on how to install the theme.
The NewsMag
The NewsMag has been designed for the sole purpose of accommodating the needs of all those who want to build a professional, modern News Website or Blog. The theme features the ability to change the look and functionality of the headers (anything from the home icon, to the posts shown in the Breaking News section), a Related Posts section which can be enabled or disabled and an Image Lightbox option.
The NewsMag boasts additional customization options for those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty with some custom CSS code. If you don’t know how to code, there are many single page and post layouts to choose from and two different site layouts. These can all be changed with the simple press of a button, no technical information needed. The theme receives continuous customer support and updates, and has been SEO Optimized. The only downside is that is doesn’t include support for E-Commerce or Localization.
Advanced Newspaper
Advanced Newspaper does exactly what its name says. It’s one of the most advanced WordPress themes for Journalistic Sites and Blogs. The theme features several Homepage, Category and Post Templates, for those who don’t have time to spend going through all of the customization options. Advanced Newspaper comes with a built-in HTML5 player, a Single Post Image Slider, and an Advanced Control Panel, which keeps all of the themes features in a clean, efficient menu.
The theme has been built on the Bootstrap Framework and is completely responsive. As many News Publications cater to an international audience, Advanced Newspaper also features full localization support and is compatible with WPML. Apart from the usual must-have features, the theme is compatible with WooCommerce and Font Awesome. The developers offer a money back guarantee for all those who are not satisfied with the performance of the theme during the first two weeks of use.
ColorNews
ColorNews is a responsive, well optimized theme which will surely impress visitors. Featuring Unique Posts System, over 13 widget areas various custom widgets, a News Website will be perfect with a theme such as this one. If customizability is one of your concerns, then you’ll like ColorNews. The theme features: Boxed and Wide Layouts, a Sticky Menu, a Footer Editor and a category color option.
The option of Advanced Typography is invaluable for News Websites, especially when considering the fact that the theme integrates over 600 Google Fonts. The designers have also included social icons and the ability to modify various aspects of the theme by writing custom CSS code. All the theme’s features can be observed in the demos that have been made available. It is important to note which options are for the free versions and which are for the pro one, though. The customer support is free, fast and in depth. Any problems with the installation or customization of ColorNews will be resolved as fast as possible.
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