8 Blog WordPress Themes, Compared by Who Each One Suits
By Manob Editorial ·
A good blog WordPress theme keeps the writing readable, gives you flexible post formats and sidebars, and stays light on phones. We compared 8 blog themes on Manob: Privet and Sdary for general personal blogs, Futika for food, Treva for travel, and Henry, Broan, Arnika and Naban for writers who also show a portfolio.
What does a blog theme need to do?
A blog is a reading site first. Most visitors arrive on a single post from search or a social link, so the post page matters more than the homepage. Before you look at demos, decide what your readers do after the last paragraph.
- A readable post layout. Comfortable line length, clear headings and room for images. If the demo post feels cramped, your posts will too.
- Post formats that match your content. If you share more than text, such as galleries, video or audio, check that the theme supports those formats.
- Sidebars and widgets. Search, categories, recent posts and an email signup box usually live here. Some themes give you one sidebar, others as many as you want.
- Search-friendly structure. No theme ranks a site for you, but clean markup and built-in SEO options save you some setup. Some themes also work with an SEO plugin such as Yoast.
- Speed on mobile. Most blog traffic is on phones. A lightweight layout helps, and the demo is the place to test it.
- A way to grow. You may add a shop, a portfolio page, a second language or a membership later. Look for WooCommerce and translation plugin support now rather than switching themes later.
Every theme below has a live demo on Manob, and our guide to previewing a template before buying explains what to check in it. Every product on Manob is manually reviewed before it goes live.
How the 8 blog themes compare
We picked themes that differ in who they are for: general personal blogs, a food and recipe blog, a travel blog, and personal sites that pair a blog with a portfolio or CV. We left out themes in the same category that are really built for another business, such as farms, door services or logistics, because their demos won't help a blogger. Seven of the eight use the Elementor page builder or are built to; Sdary is the exception, a Bootstrap theme with its own slider and layout options.
| Template | Type | Built with | Price from | Live demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privet - Personal Responsive WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $28 | Demo |
| Sdary - Personal WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $30 | Demo |
| Futika - Food Blog & Recipe Responsive WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $29 | Demo |
| Treva - Travel Tourist WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $30 | Demo |
| Henry - Personal Elementor WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | Elementor | $24 | Demo |
| Broan - Personal Responsive WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $48 | Demo |
| Arnika - Personal Creative Responsive WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $38 | Demo |
| Naban - Personal Responsive WordPress Theme | WordPress theme | — | $31 | Demo |
Personal and general blogs
Privet: best if your posts mix text, galleries, video and audio
Privet supports standard, gallery, video and audio posts, which is the clearest match here for a creator who publishes more than articles. It lists 26+ header styles, 10+ footer styles and 87+ custom elements, a child theme, and compatibility with WooCommerce and Yoast SEO. A contact form and social links are built in. Translation works through WPML, Polylang and Loco Translator. It is built for Elementor and uses Bootstrap. The listing speaks to personal brands, coaches and individual portfolios, so expect a site that leans toward presenting you as well as your posts.
Privet is a personal WordPress theme for individuals who want to showcase a brand or portfolio. It is responsive, has several page templates and supports standard, gallery, vide…
Sdary: best for writers who want sidebars and a homepage slider
Sdary is the only pick here that does not list a page builder. Its strengths are in the blog basics: unlimited sidebars, unlimited pages, multiple layout options and color schemes, and a customized slider with transition effects on the homepage. It is built on Bootstrap with valid HTML5 and CSS3, and the listing mentions clean, commented code and Google Fonts support. It suits bloggers, writers and creatives. The honest limit is editing: with no builder listed, you change layouts through theme options and code, so it fits people comfortable with that.
Sdary is a personal WordPress theme for bloggers, writers and creatives. It is responsive, has a clean and modern look, and offers multiple layout options, color schemes and unl…
Broan: best for a quiet, minimal blog
Broan's selling point is restraint. The minimal design puts text and photos first, which suits personal bloggers, life coaches, portfolio owners and small businesses. It is meant for Elementor editing, has a Bootstrap-based structure, includes a mobile layout and ships with images. The facts don't list post formats or sidebar options, so check the demo for the blog layout you need. Pick it if "uncluttered" is your whole brief.
A minimal WordPress theme for personal blogs, portfolios and small business sites where the content comes first. It is built for the Elementor page builder.
Blogs that double as a portfolio or CV
Henry: best for a freelancer who blogs and shows work
Henry puts blog and portfolio support in one theme and is built on Elementor, so you can rearrange sections by drag and drop without code. The listing describes pre-designed templates and sections, interactive elements for personal portfolios, a fully responsive layout, clean code aimed at fast loading, and extensive documentation. It is aimed at freelancers, designers, creative professionals and personal bloggers. If your blog exists to bring in client work, this is a straightforward fit.
Henry is a personal WordPress theme built on Elementor for freelancers, designers and bloggers. It offers pre-designed templates and sections, drag-and-drop editing and a fully…
Arnika: best for a photographer or designer with a visual blog
Arnika lists 20+ header styles, 10+ footer styles and 78+ custom elements, plus demo content import, a child theme and images included. It is RTL-ready, which matters if you write in Arabic or Hebrew, and it supports WooCommerce, so selling prints or a small shop is possible later. It runs on Elementor and Bootstrap 4, and translation plugins are supported. The audience in the listing is photographers, designers, life coaches and personal portfolio sites.
Arnika is a WordPress theme for personal and creative websites, built for photographers, designers and portfolio owners. It works with Elementor and includes images.
Naban: best for a personal brand with CV pages and a blog
Naban offers layouts for CV pages, portfolios and blogs, with 80+ custom Elementor elements, 20+ header styles and 10+ footer styles. It includes carousel and video blocks, unlimited colors, a child theme, and WPML, Polylang and Loco Translator support for a multilingual site. It is aimed at photographers, freelancers and personal portfolios. Compared with Arnika, which also lists RTL readiness, Naban is the one that spells out CV layouts.
Naban is a personal WordPress theme for CVs, portfolios, blogs and creative work. It is responsive on tablets, phones and desktops, and it is built with Elementor and 80+ custom…
Topic blogs: food and travel
Futika: best for a food blog with recipes
Futika is the one pick with recipe features built in, so a recipe can have its own sections instead of living in a generic post. It comes in clean, corporate, dark and futurist styles, lists built-in SEO optimization, and uses the Elementor drag-and-drop builder with 26+ header styles, 10+ footer styles and unlimited colors. It is meant for food bloggers, recipe creators and culinary enthusiasts. If you cover cooking, start here. If you don't, its recipe focus is wasted.
Futika is a WordPress theme for cooking blogs and recipe sites. It offers customizable layouts, integrated recipe features, built-in SEO optimization and Elementor editing in cl…
Treva: best for a travel blogger who may sell trips later
Treva is a travel theme, listed for travel agencies, tour operators and travel bloggers. It has destination and itinerary showcases, travel package sections, gallery sections for photos and social media integration. Booking, gallery and social features come through plugins, so a blogger can start with stories and photos and add bookings if the business grows. The facts say images are included and layouts load quickly. It is built for presenting trips, so a pure personal-essay blog may prefer one of the themes above.
Treva is a WordPress theme for trip sellers, tour companies and travel writers. It makes it easy to show destinations, itineraries and travel packages, with support for booking,…
How to choose a blog WordPress theme
- Start from your content type. Recipes point to Futika, trips to Treva, mixed media to Privet, and a writer with an old-fashioned sidebar layout to Sdary.
- Decide how you want to edit. Seven picks are Elementor-based or Elementor-ready, which means drag-and-drop editing but also a lasting dependency on that builder. Our guide to Elementor WordPress themes explains the free and Pro split. Sdary is the option for people who don't want a builder.
- Check the language you write in. Arnika lists RTL-ready layouts. Privet, Naban and Arnika list translation plugin support.
- Think about a blog plus portfolio. If clients should find you through your writing, Henry, Arnika and Naban give you space for both. Our personal portfolio themes roundup goes deeper on that side.
- Plan for a bigger publication. If you will run several writers and many categories, a magazine layout may fit better, and our magazine WordPress themes roundup covers those.
- Test the demo on your phone. Scroll a post, open the menu and try the search before you buy.
Once you pick one, follow our guide to installing a WordPress theme manually, then customize it with your logo, fonts and colors. Each product has Regular and Extended licenses; a personal blog usually needs the Regular License, and our license comparison explains the difference.
When to look elsewhere
- You are starting a hobby blog on a tiny budget. The WordPress.org theme directory has free themes that are fine for a first blog. Upgrade when you outgrow one.
- You don't want to manage a site at all. A hosted blogging platform handles updates and hosting for you, with less control over design.
- You want a much wider choice. A larger marketplace has more themes in this niche. Browse every WordPress theme on Manob first, then compare.
- You need a custom reading experience. A newsletter-style or membership site may need plugins or custom development, not just a theme. See our HTML templates vs WordPress themes guide if you are weighing a static site.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best WordPress theme for a blog?
It depends on the blog. Privet suits mixed-media personal blogs, Futika suits food and recipes, Treva suits travel, and Sdary suits writers who want sidebars and a slider.
Do I need Elementor for a blog theme?
No, but seven of these eight themes are built around it, which makes layout changes easy. Sdary is the pick here that does not list a page builder.
Can I add a shop to my blog later?
Several picks list WooCommerce support, including Privet and Arnika. Check the live demo and the product page for the shop features you need.
Can I use one theme on more than one blog?
A Regular License covers a single end product, so each separate site needs its own license. See the license terms for details.