Let me tell you one thing: both Astra and OceanWP are great WordPress themes. You can use them for practically any type of website. They’re packed with lots of features, great customization options and integrations.
However, I prefer Astra and I will explain why. First, let’s see what is the difference between these 2 awesome themes.
1. Free vs Pro versions
Both themes are free to use and have pro versions, if you need more advanced features, multiple site layouts and demos, better typography, WooCoomerce integration and many other options.
You can download them for free on WordPress.org (get Astra, get OceanWP) or install them right away from your WordPress admin area (Appearance – Themes – Add new – Search for Astra or OceanWP).
These themes are extremely popular and are used by thousands of WordPress users. Here is more info from WordPress site:
| Active installs: | Average rating: |
| Astra: 1,000,000+ | Astra: 5 out of 5 stars 4,677 reviews |
| Ocean: 600,000+ | Ocean: 4.9 out of 5 stars 4,067 reviews |
Astra and OceanWP are available in Premium versions as well. The Pro versions will give you even more freedom to customize your site as you wish and plenty of features to enhance your website functionality.
Winner: Astra
2. Price comparison
Here is the amount you’ll have to pay for premium versions. There are 3 plans for each of them.
Astra Pro
| Astra Pro | Mini Agency Bundle | Agency Bundle |
|---|---|---|
| $59 / year | $169 / year | $249 / year |
| All Astra Pro Features | All Astra Pro Features | All Astra Pro Features |
| 20+ Free Starter Templates | 55+ Free Starter Templates | 55+ Free Starter Templates |
| One-to-One Support | One-to-One Support | One-to-One Support |
| Unlimited Website Usage | Unlimited Website Usage | Unlimited Website Usage |
| 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 | |
| Schema Pro Plugin | ||
| SkillJet Academy |
OceanWP Pro
| Personal | Business | Agency |
|---|---|---|
| $39 / year | $79 / year | $129 / year |
| For 1 Site | For 2 Sites | For 25 Sites |
| 12 Months of Updates & Support | 12 Months of Updates & Support | 12 Months of Updates & Support |
| 8 Free Extensions | 8 Free Extensions | 8 Free Extensions |
| 13 Premium Extensions | 13 Premium Extensions | 13 Premium Extensions |
| 13 Free Demos | 13 Free Demos | 13 Free Demos |
| 60 Pro Demos Included | 60 Pro Demos Included | 60 Pro Demos Included |
As you can see, OceanWP Pro is a little bit cheaper, but you can only use it on a limited number of websites. On the other hand, Astra Pro can be used on an unlimited number of sites, so I would definitely recommend it for those who want to use it on more than 2-3 sites.
Winner: Astra
3. Customization and ease of use
Customizing these themes is pretty simple and straightforward. All the customization options are available within WordPress Customizer (go to Appearance – Customize). There you’ll be able to adjust pretty much everything that is related to your website design.
The free version of OceanWP offers a lot of adjustment options. You need to install the Ocean Extra plugin to benefit from all these features. Once installed, you’ll be able to install new demos, import/export settings, get more add-ons and many more (all located under Theme Panel area).
Astra free offers you some decent adjustments and I like they way it works – it’s simple to use, well organized and easy to understand. You simply install the theme and adjust it right away (go to Appearance – Astra Options), without the need to install extra plugins or search for tutorials.
Another thing that I like at Astra (and you don’t have this in OceanWP) is the built-in “Astra Settings” option when you edit a page or post. You can choose to hide/show specific elements like title, featured image, breadcrumb, etc. and adjust the settings for you sidebar or header.
Winner: Astra
4. Demo sites
You get more than 20 demos with Astra free and more than 55 demo sites with Astra Pro.
OceanWP offer you 13 free demos and 60 premium demos if you opt for their Pro version.
As of design quality, I like the Astra site demos more, I think they look modern, fresh, minimalist and they feel fast and light. You can choose from a wide variety of demo sites like: blog, agency, business, corporate, ecommerce, etc.
Winner: Astra
5. Features
Both WordPress themes are packed with an impressive amount of features.
Astra has plenty of features to satisfy your needs. Here are just some of them:
- Header and footer options
- Custom page headers
- Sticky headers
- Boxed, full-width, fluid layouts
- Mega menu
- Google and custom fonts
- Colors and typography management
- Custom sidebar
- WooCoomerce ready
OceanWP on the other hand offers you multiple extra features via Extensions. You can download for free or buy them individually or get them all in a bundle.
Here are some extension you might find useful:
- Cookie notice
- Instagram feed
- Posts slider
- Popup login
- Sticky footer
- Demo import
Winner: Draw
6. Compatibility with page builders
Both Astra and OceanWP are compatible with most popular WordPress page builders like: Elementor, Beaver Builder, Brizy and others. This gives you even more customization possibilities on top of multiple built-in features.
OceanWP works with all of the builders mentioned above + a few extra: Thrive Architect, Visual Composer, SiteOrigin and more.
If you’re using anything than Elementor or Beaver Builder, then OceanWP is the best choice for you.
Winner: OceanWP
7. Speed and SEO
Both themes are super fast. You can find lots of speed comparison articles where Astra and OceanWP are in top positions. The teams behind both products made sure that their WordPress templates are lightning fast.
Even so, I consider that Astra is better, because it has SEO and performance specific features like: built-in schema markup, built-in AMP compatibility, built-in breadcrumbs, optimized header tags and more.
Also, it’s compatible with most popular SEO plugins like: Yoast, Rank Math, All in one SEO Pack, SEOPress etc.
Winner: Astra
8. Integrations
Integrations are mostly available with the Pro versions.
Astra Pro has the following integrations:
- LifterLMS
- LearnDash
- WooCommerce
- Easy Digital Downloads
- Convert Pro
- Schema Pro
On the other hand, OceanWP Pro includes the following integrations:
- WooCommerce
- LearnDash
- LifterLMS
- Easy Digital Downloads
- bbPress
Winner: Draw
Conclusion
Both these WordPress themes are just great.
If you have some technical knowledge, need lots of free options and don’t need the theme for multiple websites, then go for OceanWP.
If you need a user-friendly, fast, great looking theme with lots of advanced features, then Astra is the best option for you. Also, you can use it on an unlimited number of websites.
I prefer Astra, because it just works and has everything you need. It’s easy to use and customize, looks nice, is SEO friendly and offers you a wide range of features. What else you can want from a WordPress theme?
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Astra can be downloaded for and used for free. However, if you need more advanced features, you might want to get the premium version.
Yes, OceanWP is free and can be used on your WordPress site. It also has a premium version with more options and extensions.
Sure, it works fine with Elementor builder and can be further enhanced. This offers you even more flexibility, so you can adjust your website as you wish.
Sure, it’s compatible with Elementor builder. You can use OceanWP as a base and further customize your site with Elementor.
To install Astra theme, login to your WordPress admin and go to Appearance – Themes. Then click on Add new, search for Astra and click on Install and then Activate.
To install OceanWP theme, login to your WordPress admin and go to Appearance – Themes. Then click on Add new, search for OceanWP and click on Install and then on Activate.