Drag-and-drop WordPress themes are a lifesaver for WordPress users. Previously, if you wanted to create a website, you needed to know HTML and CSS or use the limited block editor in WordPress.
But that’s no longer the case. Intuitive and feature-rich, drag-and-drop themes have changed the face of how WordPress works. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned WordPress user, WordPress themes with drag-and-drop page builders make it easier than ever to design a user-friendly website — all without a single line of coding. You can even use some drag-and-drop WordPress themes without paying a single dime.
Why are Drag-and-Drop WordPress Themes So Useful?
Every WordPress theme comes with a page builder or is compatible with WordPress’ native block editor. A WordPress page builder allows you to design the content of individual pages. With these builders, you can change the structure of a page’s elements — such as headings, images, and text blocks — within a container.
Not all themes come with a drag-and-drop page builder. A few themes require more technical expertise or don’t allow you to edit the page in “live” mode — instead, you have to do it in the backend, then preview manually.
Drag-and-drop WordPress themes are useful because they make editing your page’s content easy and hassle-free. Simply drag a widget into place to start adding text, images, and headings.
These themes are a great choice because:
- You don’t need to know how to code. No HTML, no CSS. Simply install and start using.
- They’re mobile-friendly. These themes use blocks and widgets that are already optimized to be mobile-responsive. There’s no need to add media queries.
- Some drag-and-drop themes allow you to edit the page in live mode. You’ll see your changes in real time instead of having to click preview every time.
- The widgets allow for advanced capabilities. Create galleries, slideshows, and more with widgets in the drag-and-drop editor.
- In some cases, you don’t have to install another page builder. With these drag-and-drop themes, there’s no need to install a whole new page builder on your website because it’s already built in.
Which Drag-and-Drop Theme is Right For Me?
Choosing a WordPress theme is not to be taken lightly — and when you add a drag-and-drop editor into the mix, the decision can be a little more involved. Here are a few questions you should ask before choosing a drag-and-drop theme.
Do you have a preferred drag-and-drop editor?
If you already have a preferred drag-and-drop page builder, be sure to choose a theme that’s compatible with it. In some cases, you can even visit the page builder’s website to browse through themes that were created specifically for that builder.
What’s the purpose of your site? What features are you looking for?
Do you need certain features such as ecommerce capabilities? Or are you planning to create a site with many pages?
For the first, you’ll need a WooCommerce integration, and for the second, you’ll need mega menu capabilities. Be sure to double-check that the theme you’d like to use has these features.
What’s your experience with WordPress?
While drag-and-drop themes are meant to be easy to use, some allow for more advanced editing. For example, the WPBakery page builder allows you to edit the padding and margin of certain elements. For some users, this may feel inaccessible and overwhelming, and a page builder such as SiteOrigin may be a better fit.
What sort of website design are you looking for?
Are you looking for a standard, clean website? Or a website with advanced, modern design elements?
Free drag-and-drop WordPress themes are a better fit for those looking for a standard website without too many sophisticated components.
If you’re looking for more advanced design elements such as modern section dividers, animations, and drop shadows, you might be looking for a premium WordPress theme.
Do you want access to demo or starter sites with one-click installation?
Some drag-and-drop themes offer starter sites with one-click installation, while others do not. Instead of building a site from scratch, you import a pre-built demo and fill it with your content.
Whether you’re looking to streamline the design process or skip the setup entirely, it’s important to note whether your desired theme offers starter sites.
Page Builders You’ll Find in Drag-and-Drop WordPress Themes
The themes we’ve curated are either integrated or compatible with a drag-and-drop page builder plugin. Here are the page builders you’ll see mentioned on this list:
- Elementor: Elementor is one of the top page builder plugins. It features a drag-and-drop live editor with widgets that you can drop into sections and columns. Curious? Here’s how to use Elementor on your website.
- LiveComposer: LiveComposer is a visual page builder that allows you to drag and drop widgets in a live front-end editor. We cover this tool in more detail in our Live Composer review.
- PageLayer: Like the others in this list, PageLayer features a front-end live editor with drag-and-drop widgets.
- Brizy: Its drag-and-drop widgets, live editing, and collapsible menu make Brizy one of the top drag-and-drop builders on this list.
- Divi: Divi is both a WordPress theme and page builder that features a drag-and-drop interface in a live editing environment. One comparison you’ll often see is Divi vs Elementor because these builders are so similar.
- SiteOrigin: The SiteOrigin page builder is different from the others in this list because the drag-and-drop capabilities are available on the back-end. This makes it easy and intuitive to use for most WordPress users.
- WPBakery: WPBakery features both a back-end and front-end drag-and-drop editor. The front-end editor isn’t live; rather, you click on a module to edit it, then save the changes.
- Themify Builder: Themify is a theme marketplace that owns a native page builder called Themify Builder. Like Elementor and Divi, it uses a live front-end editor where you can drag-and-drop modules into columns. Our Themify Builder review goes into detail about the features of this editor.
Some themes may use a native drag-and-drop builder that is exclusive to that theme — Divi and Make are examples of this.
The following themes offer premium support, have up-to-date features, are user-friendly, and are fully optimized for search engines, allowing your website to rank highly in search results. Let’s go over the best free drag-and-drop WordPress themes you can install and use on your website.
Free Drag-and-Drop WordPress Themes
- Blocksy
- WoodMart
- Layers
- Hello Elementor
- PopularFX
- Albatross
- Basic
- Make
- Superb Marketing
- Airi
- Sydney
- Simple
- Zakra
- Divi Theme
- Total
- Visual Composer Starter Theme
- Page Builder Framework
- Suki
- Neve
- Hestia
- Shopstore
- Vantage
These are the best drag-and-drop WordPress themes that will allow you to create a unique, engaging website without any coding.
1. Blocksy
Blocksy is a free drag-and-drop theme that’s designed to be used with the Brizy, Elementor, and Beaver Builder page builders.
With Blocksy, you can customize the layout, header, footer, and sidebar using their intuitive editor in WordPress’s customize panel. It’s also fully responsive and supports multiple translations of your site. Its modern blog feed layouts also allow you to create attractive archive pages.
2. WoodMart
WoodMart is a multipurpose WooCommerce theme that comes with a drag-and-drop builder header builder. Drag blocks into place, label them, update background images, change colors and borders, and more. Since a header is such a key part of building a WordPress site, this added functionality sets WoodMart apart.
Additionally, WoodMart is compatible with both Elementor and WPBakery, which gives you even more control to modify elements on the page. Change fonts, update your color palette to meet brand guidelines, and update your swatches to show multiple product variations.
3. Layers
Layers is a starter multipurpose WordPress theme that comes with a fully responsive design and a built-in drag-and-drop page builder. It uses Elementor, one of the top drag-and-drop plugins on WordPress.
Layers is extremely flexible and highly customizable. Though the theme is packed with features and options, it never loses its simplicity, making it a great choice for first-time WordPress users.
4. Hello Elementor
Hello Elementor is a free drag-and-drop theme built by the creators of Elementor. Simple, easy, and intuitive, Hello Elementor is ideal for new website owners and bloggers looking to get their site up and running in a short time.
Because it was built by the Elementor team, Hello Elementor enjoys a seamless integration with this popular page builder. It’s also compatible with WooCommerce, is SEO friendly, and has a 503-millisecond load time.
5. PopularFX
PopularFX is a responsive drag-and-drop theme with more than 70 design elements and widgets. The theme is free to download both on their website and the PopularFX WordPress listing.
PopularFX is integrated with the PageLayer drag-and-drop page builder. You have access to more than three hundred premade templates that range from finance to personal portfolio websites. Like the other themes in this list, PopularFX allows you to live edit — you can see the changes you make as you make them on the front-end of your website.
Its basic widgets include rows, columns, titles, images, galleries, buttons, star ratings, and embed modules. You can also add a Google Maps section to your site. If you want to go Pro, you’ll have access to more advanced widgets such as pricing tables and embed social media feeds.
Other notable features include its Google Fonts integration and membership area capabilities (on the Pro version).
6. Albatross
Albatross is a drag-and-drop hotel website theme that’s integrated with Elementor. Sophisticated and easy-to-install, this theme comes with MotoPress’s Hotel Booking plugin and is easy to set up with a few clicks.
Albatross comes with all of Elementor’s features, including live editing and diverse widgets that you can drop into Elementor’s columns and sections. You also have the ability to use section templates from Elementor’s large library.
7. Basic
Basic is a popular WordPress theme that’s integrated with the Themify drag-and-drop builder, making it easy for any user to create a custom design.
Basic offers you strong customization options without slowing your site down and overcomplicating the design process. Notable features including the ability to use shortcodes, video backgrounds, parallax scrolling, animations, various colors, Google Fonts, and more.
If you’re already using a free WordPress theme, you can buy the Themify Builder as a separate plugin and add it to your website.
8. Make
Created by The Theme Foundry, Make is a free WordPress theme with a fully responsive design and a native built-in drag-and-drop page builder.
Make is a great choice for WordPress users who would prefer to edit their site’s layout through the WordPress dashboard. The theme uses a drag-and-drop grid system that allows you to easily drop widgets into their appropriate place. Have you ever edited your site’s footer through your WordPress admin panel? You drop widgets into each footer column. Make’s native page builder is similar to that, but for your entire page.
You have access to a wide array of widgets, including site title widgets, site description widgets, custom code widgets, image widgets, and carousel widgets. If you want even more customization options, you can upgrade to a yearly subscription ($98.95/year) or purchase lifetime access ($489.95).
9. Superb Marketing
Created by Suavethemes, Superb Marketing is specifically created for marketing and SEO agencies, as well as freelance marketers. Superb Marketing comes with the PageLayer drag-and-drop page editor.
It’s a user-friendly, fully responsive WordPress theme that offers you a custom homepage design, a wide array of landing page options, and a grid-based, customizable blog page.
10. Airi
Airi is a multipurpose WordPress theme that’s seamlessly integrated with the Elementor drag-and-drop page builder.
Airi comes with all of Elementor’s built-in functionality. You can live edit your pages and place a wide variety of widgets on your site. Featuring WooCommerce support and Google Fonts access, Airi is highly customizable while remaining light and easy-to-use.
You also have access to various demos, even on Airi’s free version. Simply import the one that you like and start editing the elements to align with your brand.
11. Sydney
Built by aThemes, the same creator of Airi, Sydney is a responsive, professional theme that’s ideal for companies and freelancers. Fully integrated with Elementor, this theme can be installed and ready to edit within minutes.
Sydney’s most notable feature is its custom Elementor blocks, such as an employee carousel block, portfolio block, and posts block. The theme offers parallax scrolling support, making it easy to create a parallax scrolling effect on your website. It was also officially recommended by Elementor as a top theme choice.
12. Simple
Simple is a drag-and-drop theme that’s automatically integrated with the Themify Builder. Designed to work seamlessly with Shopify, it features flexible columns, customizable grids, and sticky headers. You can rearrange the elements to create an engaging design that keeps your website visitors on the page.
13. Zakra
Zakra is a lightweight drag-and-drop theme that comes with Elementor. It’s also compatible with other page builders. Though Zakra offers a premium version, the free version offers most of the features you need. WooCommerce compatibility, customizable headers, widget areas, and Google Fonts access are just a few of the features the free version offers.
You have access to an expansive library of demo sites that you can import with a single click. With these well-designed starter sites, you can easily create a website for your agency, real estate business, hotel, marketing agency, farm, ecommerce store, and church.
14. Divi Theme
Created by ElegantThemes, Divi is one of the most versatile and popular drag-and-drop WordPress themes you can use on your website. While it’s not 100% free, it offers a free trial — and it’s so feature-rich that the premium cost might be worth it.
From header to footer, you get unlimited options to customize your website and make a unique design that keeps users on your page. Notable features include the ability to bulk-edit elements, transform objects, and create fun section dividers with a modern or playful flair.
Powerful and filled with tons of amazing features, this theme is backed by a prolific team of developers who regularly update it, adding new features every few months. If you’re still not sure whether this is the right theme for you, check out our Divi theme review.
15. Total
Built by HashThemes, Total is a modern multipurpose WordPress theme that offers compatibility with most drag-and-drop page builders, including BeaverBuilder, Elementor, and WPBakery.
Prominent features include its responsive layout, SEO-friendly design, mega menu options, unlimited color options, custom post types, custom fonts and icons, different header styles, and more.
16. Visual Composer Starter Theme
Visual Composer, a drag-and-drop builder, offers a free starter theme that’s automatically integrated with its native drag-and-drop editor. Easy to customize and responsive, this starter theme can be used for any sort of business or website, including a personal blog, a portfolio site, or an online store.
This feature-rich starter theme also offers built-in landing pages, custom post types, and unlimited color options.
17. Page Builder Framework
Page Builder Framework is a unique WordPress theme that was made to be compatible with multiple drag-and-drop page builders. This theme is mobile responsive, SEO-friendly, and multisite-compatible, allowing you to apply it across several of your own WordPress sites.
This theme is ideal for those who’ve used WordPress before and already have a preferred page builder. On its WordPress.org page, Page Builder Framework says that it’s compatible with “Elementor, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, SiteOrigin, Divi, Thrive Architect, Brizy, and more.” It’s also great for more advanced users because you can tinker significantly with this theme to create the site you want.
18. Suki
Suki is a free WordPress theme that’s compatible with popular drag-and-drop page builders, including Elementor, Brizy, and Beaver Builder. Suki makes designing a website easy with its hundreds of demo sites, which can come integrated with your preferred page builder.
Suki allows you to customize just about every section of the theme. On the free version, you can have up to eight header elements, choose between two blog layouts, create a gallery layout, and integrate your site with WooCommerce.
19. Neve
This list wouldn’t be complete without Neve, one of the most popular WordPress themes. It’s compatible with most drag-and-drop page builders and is officially recommended by Brizy. Its top features include custom footer and header designs, AMP compatibility, and layout width options.
ThemeIsle, the creator of Neve, is a prolific theme developer. It constantly updates its themes, meaning that you’ll always have a modern, up-to-date version that’s unlikely to be deprecated. If you upgrade to the Pro version of Neve, you’ll get access to custom layouts and priority support.
20. Hestia
Also created by ThemeIsle, Hestia is a free theme that’s compatible with most drag-and-drop page builders, though we would recommend going with Elementor, since it is listed as an Elementor theme on the ThemeIsle website.
Though there’s a Pro version, the free version of Hestia has all the features you need, including WooCommerce integration and access to a multitude of starter sites you can install with one click. Additional features include mega menus, translation support, and 1-click updates.
21. Shopstore
Shopstore is a handy WooCommerce theme that’s fully compatible with the Elementor, Brizy, Beaver Builder, Visual Composer, and WPBakery drag-and-drop page builders. Its principal features include customization options that allow you to create different product types and product display layouts.
22. Vantage
Vantage is a free drag-and-drop WordPress theme that comes with the SiteOrigin page builder. Its features include full mobile responsiveness, thousands of icons to choose from, flexible layout modes (full-width vs boxed), Google Fonts integration, and access to hundreds of widgets that you can add to your website.
The widgets that come with the SiteOrigin page builder can be integrated into standard WordPress widget areas such as the footer.
Drag-and-Drop WP Themes Make Building a Website Easy
Forget about coding a site from the ground-up — or tinkering with WordPress’s block editor. Drag-and-drop themes make it easy to create a custom, responsive website that showcases the best of your personal or business brand. Whether you’re looking to create a portfolio website or an ecommerce store, a drag-and-drop theme will allow you to do that with just a few clicks.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in January 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
