GeneratePress – WordPress Theme [Review]

I’ve recently been building WordPress websites using the GeneratePress theme for clients and on some of my side projects.

After launching about at 7 websites over the last year using the GeneratePress theme —  this is what I like about it and what you should know before you start and get your website setup and customized as quickly as possible.

Review TL:DR

Generatepress is my new favorite theme! I’m using it on all my new websites and projects – including this one. I like that it’s fast performance as a digital marketer and super easy to customize and evolve the website design as a designer.

You can download a free version to start. Get the pro plugin, it’s easily worth the $49.

It really adds a lot of customization options to the website. Especially if you are building lots of WordPress sites and testing different types of landing pages.

It makes things easy and fast once you learn the generatepress way.

Click here to download the GeneratePress WordPress Theme ➜

Why GeneratePress

A while back, someone shared a website on the Indie Hackers forum they had built.

One of the first things I noticed was how fast the site loaded.

It looked great as well but that fast loading and easy reading is what really drew me in.

They told me about GeneratePress and down the rabbit hole I went. 

GeneratePress is not a theme – it’s a framework.

The way GeneratePress is built, it handles wordpress updates really well. I don’t really know what I am talking about here because I am not a developer.

I just did a lot of research before I bought the pro plugin because I am cheap and wanted to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time learning a new wordpress website builder.

Here is some of what I learned so far:

GeneratePress Reviews

GeneratePress is highly rated as one of the best themes I have seen. Read the reviews on WordPress support forum here.

Here is a recent thread on reddit on r/juststart – a subreddit for affiliate and niche site builders on recommendations of whether the GeneratePress Pro theme upgrade was worth it and did they recommend it.

They basically say it’s great and it’s what they are all using, blah, blah, blah… I’m not biased at all.

Pricing

Simple to the point pricing for an unlimited number of websites.

• Free Theme Download
• $49 for the Pro Plugin – more advanced settings and layout options

I think this about the average price for a premium wordpress theme.

It is more affordable than most other premuim wordpress themes that I have used before and has a lot more customization options.

7 Reasons I LIKE GeneratePress

1. Speed
   Generatepress is super fast from the start. I’ve been able to get really high site grade = performance with Google Lighthouse and GTMetrix tests.
   
   GeneratePress has a simple guide on how to optimize your site with the plugin Autoptimize.
   
   
2. Customize – Design & Site Structure
   The customize panel in the WordPress dashboard is probably the largest panel in terms of options and details to customize that I have ever seen in a WordPress theme.
   
   Being able to quickly edit font sizing, spacing colors, navigation, layout options, menus and landing pages. You can literally build any site structure / layout you want just clicking around in the customize panel.
   
   Some basic CSS and you can really take the design to the layout.
   
   With this type of theme customizing options I am able to keep evolving the site and brand design as tastes change instead of updating themes every few years. Combine with Gutenberg blocks…
   
   
3. Build Landing Pages Fast
   GeneratePress has something called “Sections”. Simply there is a checkbox on every post and page that lets you turn sections on and off.
   
   Section is a simple page builder. Below that in the sidebar (WP dashboard editor) is the ability to enable and disable certain elements on each page or post.
   
   An example would be for a business website you can have custom pages that would be built with ‘sections’, a blog and then multiple lead gen pages that would also could be built with ‘sections’ but hide the navigation, maybe the logo and also the footer widgets on these pages depending on the goal or test.
   
   Another use case for sections is if you are a blogger and you want a certain post to have a custom look for design and be special. Like how the NYT will have an elaborate type of post every once in a while. This lets you quickly build really nice custom blog posts without much custom development and have to worry about site structure and layout.
   
   Expand the custom options even further with the use elements and hooks to layouts.
   
   
4. Theme Support and Knowledge Base
   Easy to read and follo getting started guide and knowledge base to speed up the learning process.
   
   Every question I’ve had about setup or customizing GeneratePress has been quickly answered by google search that is answered in the extensive help forum where the developers are very responsive to many bugs and questions about plugins, laytos and more.
   
   
5. Starter themes & Unlimited Sites
   There are 39+ different GeneratePress “themes” in the Pro plugin.
   
   These are essentially just different custom settings presets so you don’t have to design and can just pick a layout to start then edit how you like.
   
   
6. SEO – Site structure evolution, speed, advanced layouts – it the bees knees
   
   
7. Price
   Basic theme is free to try.
   
   The pro plugin is $49 for unlimited sites with updates for a year. To continue getting updates and it costs $20ish per year.
   
   You can continue to use Generatepress if you don’t want to continue getting updates. Continue to use the theme you set up without receiving updates without paying the ongoing fee for updates. I always recommended paying a small fee for updates.

Below is a 3 minute video demo showing how the customization options work in the theme options.

GeneratePress Overview on Vimeo.

Click here to download the GeneratePress WordPress Theme ➜

What I DON’T Like About GeneratePress

Learning curve. 

Learning how to set up and customize GeneratePress theme was a bit of a reset for me.

Generatepress has a specific way of doing things, learning how all the elements and sections and hooks work together took a bit of time for me to wrap my head around.

However, once I learned the new way of doing things – the GeneratePress way. I am now able to setup better perfoming websites faster with advanced design and layout customizations.

There are literally so many options in the customize panel that you can click to edit things all day with no code that its overwhelming to click through them all for the first time. 

From a design, marketing, SEO perspective I love this variety of options.

But setting it up as a first timer to WordPress might be a little daunting depending on your ability, needs and wants.

I wish I could save ‘sections’ to easily add them to reuse them on other pages of posts.

I wish the font picker in the customize panel showed the font on each font in the selection menu (This is nit picky). I have to go to Google Fonts site to browse the fonts visually.

Workflow and GeneratePress Pro Setup

Now that I’ve set up a few sites with GeneratePress Pro – it only takes a few minutes to get a basic website set up and start customizing colors, fonts and layouts.

Here are the 10 steps I take to get set up and started customizing my GeneratePress theme design quickly with no code:

10 Step WordPress Setup Guide for GeneratePress Theme & Pro Plugin

Step 1 – Buy domain name and set up wordpress hosting with Dreamhost

Step 2 – Install the GeneratePress wordpress theme free

Step 3 – Buy and install the GeneratePress Pro Plugin $49

Step 4 – Turn on all GeneratePress modules in wordpress dashboard > check it out, click around

Step 5 – In the wordpress dashboard, select a starter theme layout from: appearance > GeneratePress > site library > activate modules

Step 6 – Go to the customize panel in the WordPress dashboard to start editing fonts, colors, spacing, widgets, navigation, footers, menus and mobile layout options

Step 7 – Homepage > make a new page > turn on ‘Sections’. Start adding and customizing sections and pages

Step 8 – Add plugins and widgets as needed

Step 9 – Add hooks & elements – Google Analytics or other code to optimize the layout and site design without adding plugins or editing theme code

Step 10 – Custom CSS to level up the details

At this point I like to have the site structures laid out and began adding content.

I will continually make small tweaks to the layout and make new landing pages as needed for digital marketing campaigns or building more advanced design layouts on any page or posts as needed.

As a designer and digital marketer this gives me a solid CMS to build websites and I can change and evolve as new content is added and the brand evolves.

The first 8 steps I would rate as easy and something a wordpress beginner could set up for a first website or blog and then learn the more advanced parts after you are set up and going.

Recommended Plugins for GeneratePress

There are few plugins that get recommended in the GeneratePress support form to add more functionality that I will now just add to the site at the start in addition to your required favorite plugins to use.

Lightweight Column – Easily add columns to sections for more elaborate layouts.

Autoptimize – Enhance the blog speed. It is easy to set up. 

Blog posts anywhere – easily add blog posts in all sorts of places on the site or create portfolios with this plugin

Theme Builder Comparisons

GeneratePress “Themes“

The below image is the 39 themes that GeneratePress includes pre built with starter content to get your site up and going.

All these sites use the standard WordPress editor to build their content and are simply customized in the wordpress customize panel.

Simply customize fonts, colors, spacing and the layout in the wordpress customize panel till you’re blue in the face.

Then next month change it some more and make more improvements and updates to your website on a regular basis.

Combine this with the ever improving gutenberg wordpress editor and the GeneratePress ‘Sections’ to pages or posts – this creates a literal infinite number of possible combinations of custom website designs and layout for your site.

View and demo the GeneratePress Site Library

Beaver Builder website builder is also included with GeneratePress Pro.

This is another 6 pre built templates and a WYSIWYG editor option for even more ways of customizing your wordpress website layout and content.

Generatepress VS Studiopress

This site is now using Generatepress, previously i was using a studiopress theme.

The GeneratePress has more options for easily customizing and font and layout and it costs less money than studiopress.

I prefer GeneratePress to StudioPress.

Elementor VS Beaver Builder

I’ve only used each of these website builders a few times… so take this with a grain of salt.

I like website builders and have no problem with them.

I can do everything I can think of design wise using Generatepress and the website is always superfast and updates without issue.

What Type of Website Builder are You?

Recommendations and thoughts for your wordpress building needs below.

I am a designer and digital marketer for clients and for my own niche sites.

This means I really value design, SEO, building landing pages fast and easy, customizing pages or posts easily with advance layouts, sales pages, layouts and typography.

If you fit into a category below and resonate with some of the points made below I would recommend trying GeneratePress on your next WordPress website.

Agency Owner

• Launch custom looking sites fast using a simple and iterative repeatable design and setup process
• Unlimited websites licence for $49
• 1 way of customizing sites to streamline websites builds
• Customize options for infinite site design and layout templates with minimal custom css and coding needed
• Turn any page or post into a custom layout and design with ‘sections’

Business Owner

• Great theme to build off
• Evolve and contanstanly and change your site as your brand evolves without the need to change themes which in the long run will cut down on development costs

Marketer

• Easily create custom pages of all types using ‘Sections’ in GeneratePress pro plugin
• Disable page elements, link navigation, sidebars and footer widgets with the click of a button on any page
• Add tracking codes via the elements. No coding or editing templates need

Affiliate & Niche Sites

• 100% Recommend – this is the theme you need to be using to build the digital empire
• Super fast loading
• Customs seo structure a layouts
• Learn one customization panel
• Launch many different looking sites really speeds up developments and improves unique brand on each site
• Turn any page or post into a unique design or layout quickly with ‘sections’ and disabling elements on certain pages
• Edit and change site structure and layouts quickly with no coding needed
• Custom sidebars and widget layouts with lots of options to edit
• Lots of starter templates to choose from

Designer

• Easily edit fonts, headers, line height and spacing without no code or css
• Build custom landing pages using ‘Sections’
• Easily add some basic custom css to make your site even more unique
• No coding required to customize layouts in an infinite number of ways buy just click options in the customize panel in the WordPress
• I could replicate most websites designs and layouts that are seen online easily with the customize options in the GeneratePress panel and some minor css

SEO

• Easily edit site structure footer widgets, navigation menus and sidebars without a developer
• SUPER FAST out of the box
• Easily add and manage tracking codes via ‘Elements’ without editing code templates
• Ability to hide different site elements (footer, navigation, sidebar) on any page or post easily a the click of button
• Lots of footer and navigations options that are editable by just clicking, no coding
• Easily experiment and change the blog elements, design and layouts from just clicking options in the customize panel available via the customize panel in wordpress
• Use ‘Sections’ to customize any page or post. Especially useful for building silo pages or improving pages that are performing well with more advanced layout options
• Migrating a site – easily replicated the layout structure and design with Generatepress editor – NO code needed or minimal

Blogger

• 100% Recommend – use what the Pros use
• Easily set up a blog in wordpress that is super fast and easy to read
• add ‘elements’ and ‘sections’ to your site to customize as needed
• Lots of strater blog themes are available
• The ability to customize your theme design, layouts, footers, menus is really great in GeneratePress because of the number of options available

Ecommerce / WooCommerce

• Amazon look a like wordpress theme starter available
• Super fast speed
• Easily customize any page or post layout

Beginner to WordPress

• Maybe recommend – there is a bit of a learning curve.
• Try the free version to start – if you like it a little bit and want to do more customize designs and layouts than buy the pro plugin
• If you don’t like it you can easily get your money back and change your theme design to something else

Conclusion – Best WordPress Theme

I give GeneratePress two thumbs up!

Combine website performance, design customizability, multi site use, support and pricing – GeneratePress is right in the sweet spot of my version of the best wordpress theme.

Click here to learn more and TRY GeneratePress ➜

GeneratePress has a 30 day money back guarantee.

So you can try it out on and click around to see it is something you would like. Also a free theme version is available to try before you buy.

This review is not exhaustive. I am still learning new things about GeneratePress all the time and am still learning new thing with each site I build with every site I build.

I’m not just recommending GeneratePress to earn a commission from the affiliate links.

I actually use it on all my sites and it is what I set up and recommend for my friends to use on their wordpress web sites.

I’m using GeneratePress on this website — I am literally putting my money where my mouth is with this review.

I will continue to use GeneratePress for most of my sites and WordPress clients websites going forward or until something else catches my eye.