Astra has established itself as one of the most versatile and functional WordPress themes in the market. Hello is another widely used theme launched by Elementor.
Which one is better for your website? Let’s find out. In this article I will describe both themes, show you the differences and help you choose the one that fits your needs.
1. Installations and reviews
You can download these themes for free on WordPress.org or install them directly from your WordPress admin area (go to Appearance – Themes – Add new – Search for Astra or Hello).
Both themes are extremely popular within WordPress community and are used by more than 2 Mln website owners.
| Active Installations | Average Rating |
| Astra: 1,000,000+ | 4.9 out of 5 stars; 5,186 reviews ★★★★★ |
| Hello: 1,000,000+ | 4.5 out of 5 stars; 96 reviews ★★★★★ |
As you can see, Astra has more than 1 Mln active installations and much more reviews. Hello theme has also more than 1Mln installations, but has fewer reviews – that’s probably because the builder is their main product.
2. Customization
Astra
You can adjust Astra using the default WordPress Customizer (WordPress admin – Appearance – Customize). All the global customization options are available in the Customizer and on the page/post level.
All the edits are visible in the front end and are updated in real time. It’s pretty simple to get used with the Customizer and start adjusting your site’s design and functionality.
There is also a dedicated area located under Appearance – Astra Options. Over there, you can access specific Customizer Settings and extend the functionality of your site with free plugins offered by Astra.
Hello
Hello theme can be also adjusted within WordPress Customizer (it has very limited options). However, it was primarily designed for Elementor page builder, which offers multiple customization options in its own editor.
To get the most of it, you will need to define your global settings and edit pages right inside Elementor builder. The editor is packed with a large amount of options, so you might find it a little overwhelming at the beginning.
The editor offers a selection of predefined widgets which you can drag and drop on your page and edit them instantly. The design is based on a grid/section system, where you can include different elements and drag them around.
3. Features
Astra
Astra is packed with a decent amount of useful features. The free version offers you everything you need to launch a functional website. If you need some more advanced options, you can anytime opt for the premium version.
Here is a list of features available in Astra:
- Header and footer builder
- Sticky header/mobile header
- Mega menu
- Colors & typography
- Boxed, full width, fluid layouts
- Spacing controls
- Grid, list, masonry blog layouts
- Infinite loading
- Above & below header content
- Custom header & footer
- WooCommerce options
- Display conditions
- Custom layouts
- Sticky headers
I like the fact that Astra integrates with lesser known tools, for example they provide support for EDD (Easy Digital Downloads) plugin which is a great alternative to WooCommerce.
Also, Astra Pro is packed with Custom Layouts feature which gives you more customization possibilities.
You can add custom sections on different areas of your website, such as:
- Entire website
- Archives
- Single posts/pages
- All posts/pages
- Before or after header/footer
- Before or after sidebar
- Before, after or inside content area
- Custom placement via shortcodes
Once you upgrade to Astra Pro, you will need to activate the Custom Layouts option from your admin. Then, create a new layout and you’ll get 5 options:
- Header
- Footer
- 404 page
- Hooks
- Inside post/page content
The most advanced feature is Hooks, as it allows you to create and place custom elements on your website and even add custom code.
View the full list of features available in Astra theme.
The latest versions of Astra: 3.9 and 4.0 are packed with some new features like:
- New Customize options
- Advanced compatibility with WooCommerce
- Advanced compatibility with custom post types
- Improved Astra admin dashboard
- New mega menu settings
- Default color and typography options
Hello
Hello includes lots of features as well, but you need to use it with Elementor builder. Otherwise, it’s just a blank WordPress theme. It doesn’t even include basic options and widgets.
Once you install and use it with Elementor builder, it becomes a more powerful combination. Here are some features:
- Over 80 design widgets
- Global fonts and colors
- Copy/paste and drag & drop everything
- Motion effects
- Slides & carousels
- Scrolling effects
- Header and footer builder
- Popup builder
- Sticky elements
- Social buttons
- Dynamic content
- WooCommerce builder
- Forms (contact, subscription, login)
If the built-in widgets are not enough for you, there is a multitude of 3rd party widgets (called add-ons). These are extra plugins that you install and get access to more widgets within Elementor.
As you can see, there are plenty of features to power your website and implement pretty much anything you need.
4. Performance and SEO
Astra
Astra has been built with performance and speed in mind. Being a lightweight theme, it loads in less than 0.5 seconds.
It uses Vanilla JavaScript, has optimized code and needs less than 50KB of resources to be fully functional and serve fast pages.
Astra is also SEO friendly and is packed with some handy options like built-in schema markup, built-in breadcrumbs, AMP compatibility, optimized header tags and more.
Hello
Hello theme is fast and lightweight out of the box. However, once you install the Elementor plugin and start creating stuff, it becomes heavier and can slow down your web pages.
This is happening because the builder is adding extra scripts and styles to your site, on top of those available in the theme. The team behind Elementor is working on improving the builder in terms of speed though.
Hello theme plays well with the most popular SEO plugins and offers some basic SEO features like HTML tags management.
5. Predefined templates
Astra
Astra offers an impressive amount of built-in templates. You can choose from more than 240 premade templates for a wide range of websites like: blogs, agencies, startups, businesses, cafes, restaurants, podcasts, e-commerce and many more.
The themes look fresh and modern and are available for the following page builders:
In order to import any of the predefined templates you will need to install the Starter Templates plugin provided by Astra. You can import complete templates, individual pages or even sections, which is very handy.
Hello
Hello theme is a blank theme by default. In order to import any templates you need the Elementor builder.
Elementor offers more than 200 design elements, consisting of different blocks, pages and templates.
If we talk about complete website templates, there are more than 100 complete website kits for different kind of websites. The old ones look a bit outdated.
Anyway, the advantage of Hello is the possibility to design your pages as you wish with their page builder. You have maximum control over your design.
6. Integrations
Astra
Astra theme includes the following integrations:
- LifterLMS
- LearnDash
- WooCommerce
- Easy Digital Downloads
- Toolset
- Convert Pro
- Schema Pro
Hello
Hello theme integrates with an impressive amount of tools:
- ActiveCampaign
- MailChimp
- ConvertKit
- Campaign Monitor
- Zapier
- Hubspot
- GetResponse
- Adobe TypeKit
- reCAPTCHA
- Facebook SDK
- Slack
- Drip
- MailerLite
- Discord
- Font Awesome
Check out the full list of features and integrations here.
7. Price
Astra
Price wise Astra theme is very affordable (you can of course use the free version). At the moment, there are 3 premium plans:
| Astra Pro | Essential Bundle | Growth Bundle |
|---|---|---|
| $59 / year | $169 / year | $249 / year |
| All Astra Pro Features | All Astra Pro Features | All Astra Pro Features |
| All Free Starter Templates | 180+ Premium Starter Templates | 180+ Premium Starter Templates |
| One-to-One Support | One-to-One Support | One-to-One Support |
| Extensive Training | Extensive Training | Extensive Training |
| Unlimited Website Usage | Unlimited Website Usage | Unlimited Website Usage |
| Premium Support | WP Portfolio Plugin | WP Portfolio Plugin |
| One of the Following Addons: | Ultimate Addons for Elementor | |
| Ultimate Addons for Elementor | Ultimate Addons for Beaver | |
| Ultimate Addons for Beaver | Convert Pro Plugin | |
| Premium Support | Schema Pro Plugin | |
| SkillJet Academy | ||
| All Future Plugins | ||
| Premium Support |
These 3 plans are also available as lifetime plans, meaning that you can purchase any of them them once and have lifetime access to premium features, templates, plugins and future releases.
Hello
Hello theme is free to use for any purposes. However, if you need premium features, you can choose from 4 plans provided by Elementor Pro builder. Here are the plans:
| Essential | Advanced | Expert | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| $59 / year | $99 / year | $199 / year | $399 / year |
| For 1 Site | For 3 Sites | For 25 Sites | For 1,000 Sites |
| 100+ Widgets | 100+ Widgets | 100+ Widgets | 100+ Widgets |
| 300+ Templates | 300+ Templates | 300+ Templates | 300+ Templates |
| Theme Builder | Theme Builder | Theme Builder | Theme Builder |
| WooCommerce Builder | WooCommerce Builder | WooCommerce Builder | WooCommerce Builder |
| Popup Builder | Popup Builder | Popup Builder | Popup Builder |
| Support for 1 Year | Support for 1 Year | Support for 1 Year | Support for 1 Year |
| Updates for 1 Year | Updates for 1 Year | Updates for 1 Year | Support for 1 Year |
Additionally, they offer a hosted solution called Elementor Cloud, providing the Premium plugin + hosting for $99 / year. Your can read more about the difference between Elementor cloud and plugin here.
8. Support
Astra
The free version of Astra is supported on WordPress.org forums. There are plenty of useful questions and answers and a big community of users willing to help.
For the premium version, you have the following support options:
- Comprehensive docs
- Email support (ticket system)
- Video tutorials
- Private Facebook group
- FAQs
Astra has been in the business for at least 6 years now, so there are lots of help resources, tips, videos, tutorials, etc. to help you get started and tweak your website.
Hello
Hello theme is also supported via forums on WordPress.org. You can create a topic any time and there should be enthusiasts willing to help.
The premium version of Elementor offers you more support options. Here are some of them:
- Help center
- Video tutorials
- Public Facebook group
- FAQs
- Premium support (average response time 1 day)
- Live chat (Studio and Agency plans only)
9. Conclusion
Which theme is best for you?
If you want to import a premade design, customize it and launch your website in a relatively short period of time, then go for Astra theme.
It works well with the most popular WordPress page builders, has an impressive amount of starter templates, is fast, SEO friendly and easy to customize.
If you like to build things from scratch and require a more granular control over your website’s design and functionality, then Hello theme + Elementor builder is a great choice for you.
It has more integrations and plenty of features to help you build and customize your website without coding skills.
10. Frequently asked questions
Why is Astra theme so popular?
It’s easy to use and customize, fast, SEO friendly, includes lots of pre-made templates and works well with the default editor and most of the block and page builders.
Is Hello a good theme?
It’s good, but mainly if you use it with their page builder. It’s pretty hard to create a more complex website using the default Gutenberg editor or other WordPress page builders.
Is Hello theme better than Astra?
Not really. Hello theme doesn’t include any starter templates, doesn’t have any built-in widgets and customization options. It’s mainly optimized to work with Elementor page builder.
Are Astra and Hello themes free?
Yes, both themes are free to use. You can further enhance them by upgrading to Astra Pro or Elementor Pro version.
Thank you for this article. I have both Astra and Hello theme. I went to the Hello theme because I’m a premium user of Elementor. It is a perfect team.
Hi, good choice, if you like to build in Elementor. On the other hand, I prefer Astra as it offers more stuff right out of the box. Either way, keep up the great work.