And while WordPress is usually the platform people choose for this, it still doesn\u2019t answer all those questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You still need to decide on a theme, a page builder, and some plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GeneratePress wants to take care of it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So is it a good choice to build your site with? Let\u2019s find out in our GeneratePress review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
GeneratePress Review: Our Verdict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Free version of GeneratePress is pretty loaded. We think it\u2019s one of the best themes out there, even without upgrading to the premium version. If you\u2019re not sure what theme to pick, and you want something fast and lightweight, definitely choose GeneratePress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a good time with the free theme, or if you\u2019re already sold to their system, upgrading to GP Premium<\/a> is also a good idea. The hook system, site library, and theme builder make it a valuable addition to your online marketing toolkit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress is a multi-purpose WordPress theme that\u2019s minimalistic, low-code, and easy to customize. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also lightweight (takes up 61 KB) and it\u2019s completely free to download and use (although it does have a Premium version that we\u2019ll talk about in a bit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a quick answer – The GeneratePress theme is good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re digging it and want to make sure it\u2019s a decent choice, you can go ahead and install it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It has functionalities to build anything, from a blog to an ecommerce store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But should you get the free version, or the premium one? With no need for a child theme, the GP Premium plugin, as well as the free version offer a great experience that integrates seamlessly into the WordPress dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading our GeneratePress review to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re thinking about installing the GeneratePress free version, you might want to keep the pros and cons in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll delve deep into all the nooks and crannies of GeneratePress in our review, but for a quick summary, here\u2019s what you can expect from the Generatepress theme:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listing pros and cons is not enough to get a good overview of what the GeneratePress WordPress theme can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s analyze its features in turn, from the Layout, Colors, and Typography, all the way to custom code additions and other functionalities, to see if it\u2019s worth your time.<\/p>\n\n\n The site identity tab isn\u2019t that different from any other theme. It lets you edit the basic details of your site, like the site title, logo, or tagline.<\/p>\n\n\n But that\u2019s an important point about GeneratePress (and paid products from the company like GeneratePress Premium or GenerateBlocks<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n They do their best to not steer too far from the WordPress customizer adding crucial features like the site library module without sacrificing simplicity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, this cuts down on some more complex customization options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it lets the GeneratePress theme stay extremely lightweight, load fast, and it lets you edit it easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The layout tab is where GeneratePress\u2019 functionalities start to shine.<\/p>\n\n\n You can use it to edit custom theme layouts like your header, sidebars, footer, and the blog section. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the customization available in this tab is great, though beginner users of WordPress might need some experimentation to figure out what each option does. Take the header for example.<\/p>\n\n\n Having access to presets helps kickstart your development, but for people that don\u2019t have a lot of experience with WordPress, \u201cInner Header Width\u201d might be a confusing option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare that to the process of editing a header in page builders (even completely free page builders) and you\u2019ll realize that for beginners, things like Elementor are much better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of that, blog layout editing is virtually non-existent.<\/p>\n\n\n If you want more options over how it\u2019s displayed, you\u2019ll need to upgrade to the GeneratePress premium version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The colors tab has a similar problem.<\/p>\n\n\n There are many more options with the GeneratePress premium plugin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, it\u2019s definitely not a bad feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can still create a visual identity for your WordPress site with the help of this tab. It lets you modify the colors of important elements like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The free WordPress theme also has color presets that you can use if you don\u2019t want to bother creating an identity in the initial stages of development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The typography tab of GeneratePress is more advanced than what you\u2019d usually find in most WP themes (and even most WordPress page builders). <\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress has over 70 fonts to choose from, including popular Google fonts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To modify the text, you get the vanilla WP options like font weight and size, but so much more on top of that.<\/p>\n\n\n Besides options for body text editing, you can also modify the same details for each heading type. This is especially valuable for affiliate sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With deep customization like this, you can give your site extra flair, and an identity that stands out in each blog article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The menu tab is nothing special. It lets you edit the menu locations, the footer menu, and the main menu in the header of your site:<\/p>\n\n\n This tab lets you reorganize and add new menu options, together with links to your different site sections or off-site accounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, we noticed that GeneratePress integrates natively with other tools you have. We happened to have Thrive installed on the site we tested GeneratePress with, and in the footer menu there was the option to display it in the Thrive-generated footer:<\/p>\n\n\n This is great if you already use Thrive products. It\u2019ll help you customize your entire theme, and site, much faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The widgets tab lets you customize your header, footer, sidebar, and top bar. <\/p>\n\n\n As you can notice, individual footer widgets get more attention from the platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s likely because footers have evolved to incorporate a lot of elements, including policies, links to the site, and links to off-platform accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like in the case of menus, there\u2019s nothing too over the board to talk about here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a basic system to add widgets to your site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The widgets themselves are a treat however. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only do you have a lot of options, like calendars, meta data from WP, archives, or audio, but GeneratePress integrates easily with both Thrive Architect elements:<\/p>\n\n\n As well as Elementor widgets:<\/p>\n\n\n This is a good time to talk about integrations, because it\u2019s not all rosey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While GeneratePress free has a few integrations you can use (and even more if you buy GP premium, like ecommerce or e-learning integrations), they pale in comparison to the number of integrations in traditional page builders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking to build a website using dozens of tools, you might be better off with a different theme, or a GP-page builder combo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like in most other WordPress theme customization editors, you can also modify your home page in the GP customization screen:<\/p>\n\n\n It\u2019s not a lot, so you\u2019ll definitely need an extra tool to make your homepage look just how you want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, when you\u2019re just starting out and you\u2019re only interested in uploading content for it to get indexed, it can be a good temporary solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The additional CSS tab lets you modify your site\u2019s layout by coding it. It\u2019s not a huge benefit if you\u2019re a beginner and don\u2019t really master CSS.<\/p>\n\n\n But it can be a huge benefit if you know your code and want to have more control over your site\u2019s appearance and structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress has a lot of customization functionalities in the frontend. They manage to offer a decent amount of control (though not really enough on its own), but still maintain a lightweight structure, good loading times, and a manageable learning curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides what\u2019s on the frontend, GeneratePress also has a few other noteworthy features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n But GeneratePress has another card up its sleeve. The reason it can be the best WordPress theme is its high performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like we hinted in the beginning, GeneratePress is extremely lightweight, only taking up 60KB of space on the server. This allows it to load fast, as such improving your audience\u2019s experience on your site, and your authority in the eyes of Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But just how fast is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n How does it compare to other themes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To test the speed of GeneratePress, we put it head to head with two other popular WordPress themes: OceanWP<\/a> and Astra<\/a>. While writing this article, we had a website in development, which had the structure laid down, but not too many elements on each page. That\u2019s the site we ran these tests on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a site with a general structure, but no loading time fixes done to it, this is a decent loading time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall, the site performed a bit better, but you can notice the structure is not as good, and the time blocked by scripts increases significantly.<\/p>\n\n\n As a fan of OceanWP, this was a bit disheartening to see, but it just goes to show that GeneratePress is the best WordPress theme that keeps your site\u2019s backend clean. On top, it\u2019s the fastest WordPress theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The free version of GeneratePress is satisfactory, although it does seem like you\u2019re missing out on some features if you don\u2019t purchase GeneratePress premium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Is the GeneratePress premium theme enough to develop your entire site, without the need of other tools like page builders? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Can this multipurpose theme pull it off?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep reading our GeneratePress review to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress Premium is a huge update for the free Generatepress theme, with dozens of new features. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The GeneratePress premium modules include: a theme builder, a site library, enhanced customization for your blog, and a lot of other fancy tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are our thoughts on GeneratePress review: it\u2019s a good tool, but probably not enough for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s delve into each feature and find out why, as well as who can benefit from using this tool the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One mistake we made was trying to install GeneratePress premium modules as a theme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It does help to read installation instructions sometimes\u2026 because we were met by this screen when first trying to install GeneratePress premium.<\/p>\n\n\n To properly install GP premium, you\u2019ll need to upload it as a new plugin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you do that, you can activate it, and find its editing options in the Appearance tab.<\/p>\n\n\n There are a lot of premium modules, so it\u2019s great that the developer took some time to create great documentation.<\/p>\n\n\n We highly recommend you go through the documentation if you want to use GeneratePress. The information is nicely laid out, and it will help you hit the ground running with the plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With GP Premium, you get full access to the theme\u2019s code. This gives users total control over the layout and different elements on their site, as long as they know how to code, or they can hire someone that does.<\/p>\n\n\n However, you don\u2019t need to use this code playground to make changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even custom CSS changes can be made in the Theme Editor screen that we explored earlier with the free version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference now is that every tab and customization option has more features to play with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blog layout section, for example, is much more comprehensive.<\/p>\n\n\n All in all, the new options of the GeneratePress theme builder let you add more flavor to your site, which helps you create something unique and beautiful. To make full use of it, however, some knowledge of CSS is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The GeneratePress Site library serves two purposes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First, it showcases different uses of GP Premium, and what it can do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second, it lets you install a pre-made website on your own platform, as a template to create your site. This is a huge plus, as it speeds up development and keeps beginner users from having to deal with a blank canvas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In our case, unfortunately, we hit a roadblock trying to check it out.<\/p>\n\n\n A support article is available if you click on \u201cWhy?\u201d. It explains why this error sometimes pops up, and recommends refreshing the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In our case, that did the trick, and we were able to look at GP\u2019s site library.<\/p>\n\n\n The templates are diverse, and the sites you can create based on them look good.<\/p>\n\n\n So despite some technical difficulties, it\u2019s a big advantage to have this on your site building toolkit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress has its own system that replaces child themes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The hook system lets you insert dynamic elements on a page, which can then have any element added on top of them for extra customization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can access it by creating a new element:<\/p>\n\n\n And setting its value as hook:<\/p>\n\n\n This virtually lets you create your own shortcodes with CSS, to add elements on your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n While it could just be a hassle for global elements like headers or footers, it\u2019s an amazing tool to spice up your affiliate blog posts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, you can create custom CTA\u2019s for the products you recommend, and just paste the shortcode in your articles whenever you publish a new commercial article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, as you\u2019ve probably noticed, it integrates natively with the Thrive suite, which makes GP Premium extremely valuable if you already use Thrive products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you may have seen so far, GP Premium has fantastic support with exhaustive and helpful documentation, as well as great support for common errors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s safe to say, most people will have enough tools to make the most out of GP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, GeneratePress is mostly created by one person, so don\u2019t expect corporate level tech support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The only way to get help for specific problems is to either send a ticket, or create a thread in a support forum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s great that you can get in touch with someone if you have any problems, but it\u2019s not as valuable as live chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GP Premium has a decent pricing scheme. If you want to use the tool for a year, you\u2019ll need to pay $59, while a lifetime subscription is $249.<\/p>\n\n\n Both options offer a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can try the lightweight Wordpress theme without the fear of throwing money out the window if it doesn\u2019t fit your needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreover, the tool can be installed on over 500 websites, which basically means unlimited sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, you can install the free GeneratePress theme to get a feel for how it operates. In our opinion it\u2019s too barebones to illustrate how GP Premium modules work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GP Premium is an amazing tool that lets you create stunning websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But is it enough to replace a page builder? However, it\u2019s not the right tool for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can\u2019t make the most out of its hook system, you will be better off with a page builder like Elementor, Thrive Architect, or Divi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of them provide the same deep customization options in a friendlier interface, and with the added benefit of drag-and-drop editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as the free version of GeneratePress is concerned, you won\u2019t get a lot of mileage out of that tool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a good free theme, and it\u2019s especially a good pick considering its high performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you want to create a beautiful site, you will need to either upgrade to GP premium, or get another page builder on the side. If you want to see GeneratePress in action, don\u2019t forget to check out their demo site<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GeneratePress is a wonderful theme, packed with just the right functionalities you\u2019d expect from a free theme, but still maintaining a light size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The premium version of GeneratePress adds a lot of features on this minimalistic interface, which makes it a great combo to create wonderful sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, if you don\u2019t know your way around a CSS playground, you\u2019ll need to purchase a page builder on the side.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What\u2019s GeneratePress?<\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-homepage-1024x509.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
Can it replace a page builder?<\/p>\n\n\n\nGeneratePress Review – Free Version<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
GeneratePress Pros:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
GeneratePress Cons:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
GeneratePress Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-features-1024x517.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSite Identity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-site-identity.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nLayout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-layout.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/generatepress-header.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-blog-settings.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nColors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-colors.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Typography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-typography-1024x506.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMenus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-menus.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nEasy Pairing With Thrive Products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-thrive-themes.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWidgets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-widgets.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-thrive-widgets.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-elementor-widgets.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHome Page Settings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-homepage-settings.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAdditional CSS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-additional-css.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOther Quirks And Features<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
GeneratePress Performance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The GeneratePress performanc<\/strong>e<\/h4>\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-performance-1-1024x167.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nAstra theme performance<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Astra](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/astra-performance-1024x148.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nOcean WP theme performance:<\/h4>\n\n\n
![\"Ocean](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/ocean-wp-performance-1024x161.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIs GeneratePress free enough?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s Included In The Premium Version?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting Started With GeneratePress Premium<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-premium-installation.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Wordpress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/wordpress-appearance-tab-1024x302.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-documentation-1024x395.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nGeneratePress theme builder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-theme-builder-1024x370.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-blog-layout.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSite library<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-site-library-error-1024x328.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-site-library1-1024x469.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-site-library2-1024x463.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nHook system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-elements.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/www.authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-hook.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-css-shortcodes-1024x650.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSupport <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pricing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Generatepress](\"https:\/\/authorityhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/generatepress-pricing-1024x513.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nDo You Still Need A Page Builder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you know CSS, the short answer is yes. Premium users have all the tools they\u2019d need to customize their website and create something amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n