Are you rushing to get a modern and easy-to-design WordPress theme? Let me cut to the chase: Hestia s a fantastic premium WordPress theme on the market. If you want to build multiple (and multilingual) websites, you should sign up for Hestia now.
If you are a complete beginner and just window shopping for themes, in this review, I’m covering all the basics, features, prices, and boring yet, important notices YOU need to know before committing to a $69 – $ 200-year subscription…
Okay, Hestia, review! Here we go!
- What is the Hestia WordPress theme?
- How to Use Hestia?
- How easy is it to use?
- Hestia Theme Features
- Hestia's SEO Performance and Responsiveness
- Hestia Free vs. Premium: Plans & Prices
- Should you use the FREE or PRO version of Hestia?
- Pros and Cons of Hestia WordPress Theme
- Documentation and Support
- HESTIA THEME REVIEW: Is it Worth the Buzz?
What is the Hestia WordPress theme?
Hestia is a popular freemium WordPress theme known for its sleek and modern design. It’s fantastic for creating WordPress websites for all kinds of businesses, especially those in the creative and tech industries.
The Hestia WordPress theme is super user-friendly and has many customization options to make your site look and feel the way you want. One specialty of the Hestia theme is that it is perfect for one-page theme sites.
Thus, if you want to create an event page or lead generation website, Hestia is perfect!
Plus, it’s mobile-responsive, so your site will look awesome on any device.
Whether or not Hestia is actually beginner-friendly and good for SEO, we must dive deeper into this review.
So, in the following paragraphs, you’ll read more about speed tests, customization for beginners, and pricing!
How to Use Hestia?
Just like other WordPress themes, you can install the Hestia theme from your WordPress dashboard or from the WordPress website.
If you haven’t installed a theme before, all you need to do is to go to your Dashboard> Appearance > Add New > Search Hestia > Activate > Install. We recommend you read our install a WordPress theme guide for detailed instructions.
Once you’ve installed the theme, you can move on and start customizing your website using Elementor.
You could customize your site with Elementor’s free version, but in reality, Elementor Pro has many more features that help your website stand out (such as branded headers and footers). For beginners, you can start out with the free version, but you’d have to change to PRO as your website becomes more advanced.
HESTIA AND ELEMENTOR
You can customize the Hestia WordPress theme using Elementor Page builder. Elementor is the most beginner-friendly page builder for anyone who has just started WordPress. However, we recommend you switch to Elementor if you are new to web design because you must drag and drop the website elements and features you need for your pages.
Elementor could slow down your website, which is the only disadvantage when building a site from scratch. Thus, if you are looking for alternative ways to design your site, you should use the Gutenberg Editor.
Hestia and Gutenberg (Block Editor)
Gutenberg Block editor helps your website to load faster. Therefore we recommend you try this page builder too. The Gutenberg Block editor’s drag-and-drop function is not as intuitive as Elementor; however, you will have zero issues customizing your pages using Hestia PRO’s premade and premium starter kits.
HESTIA AND WOOCOMMERCE
Hestia theme provides smooth compatibility with WooCommerce, allowing you to personalize your shop’s layout and display a selection of products on the homepage. With Hestia Pro, users can access numerous customization options, particularly for the front page.
The front page sections are user-friendly and can be modified easily, so your consumers ALWAYS know what products you’re selling, how much is left in stock, and read customer reviews.
Additionally, the “Hestia Pro Hooks” uses WordPress hooks to insert custom content into various parts of the theme, particularly the front page. The theme also integrates well with popular page builders, including Elementor.
To maximize your e-commerce pages with Hestia and WooCommerce, you should use Hestia PRO. With Hestia Pro, you can access features like the product category, full-screen menu, storage notice, etc.
How easy is it to use?
Hestia is a beginner-friendly WordPress theme. You can use it for any website, whether you’re a hobby blogger, e-commerce business, portfolio, or local business.
Hestia is easy-to-use and what we love about it is that you can install the theme and customize it with any page builder like Elementor, Beaver Builder, or the Gutenberg Block Editor.
An easy-to-use theme
Hestia WordPress theme has two features that make your web design much easier! Let us review them individually and how the custom layouts, Hestia Pro Hooks, and Options work on your WordPress website.
You must install any of the Hestia Pro Plans to access these features.
Custom Layouts
When you use Hestia PRO, you get access to Custom Layouts builder, which allows you to customize sections of your website. You could build your own or use Hestia’s starter kit to make the website branded and unique.
With Hestia Pro’s Custom Layouts, you can get creative and make your website stand out! Use the WordPress editor or Elementor to design a section and showcase it exactly where you want it, thanks to the theme’s hooks. You can even use it as a header or footer on every page!
Hestia Pro Hooks
A unique feature that Hestia has is the “Hooks.” What Hestia Hooks does is that you can insert widgets, preferably on the home page, so it “hooks” the reader faster.
Just hit the Show Hooks button in the Customizer to see where you can add all your elements and widgets!
Hestia Theme Features
Centralized Customization
You can edit your Hestia Theme from your WordPress Dashboard under “Appearance.” There are no extra configurations, and changing fonts, colors, and backgrounds on your pages is very straightforward.
The Library
Many WordPress themes do not come with an entire starter kit Library, but Hestia does. When you install Hestia, you get access to 4 FREE templates, and the rest are PRO (paid) versions.
You can easily start your web design with any of the templates from Hestia’s Library.
Right now, there are 5 free demos and 4 pro demos available for import which can be accessed via Customize > Hestia pro options > Sites library.
Front Page Section
Hestia’s front page section is intuitive for every beginner. You can create and design a website with drag and drop. When you are modifying your homepage, you can select sections and inner sections the same way we demonstrated in our website building tutorial.
What we like about Hestia’s front page is that the design is already modern, and you barely need to make any changes.
Orbit Fox
Orbit Fox is a popular WordPress plugin compatible with the Hestia WordPress theme. If you need a convenient all-in plugin, Orbit is the one for you! With Orbit Fox, you can add Social Media Share Buttons & Icons, Custom Menu Icons, Header and Footer Scripts, one-click import page templates, page builder addons, and free stock featured images.
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New
- In the Search field, type “Orbit Fox”
- Under “Orbit Fox” click the Install Now link
- Once the process is complete, click the Activate Plugin link
- Use Orbit fox and set up the modules you need. > Click on the Orbit Fox dashboard page
- Make the changes desired, then click the Save changes button at the bottom
- Translate Hestia
Are you building a website for foreign markets or clients? Then Hestia is going to be your multilingual friend since you can translate your website into any foreign language.
To translate your website on the Hestia theme, you can pick any of the two WordPress plugins and install them:
With the TranslatePress WP plugin, you can select your secondary languages and start translating the entire site visually, precisely as it looks on the front end. Therefore it is incredibly user-friendly. All you need is to select the text and make adjustments. TranslatePress also comes with automatic translation, so you wouldn’t even have to be fluent in a language to translate the whole website!
Polylang seamlessly integrates with WordPress and relies on taxonomies to ensure stable performance on your website. Based on your requirements, you can create a multilingual site with just one additional language, or up to 10 or more. There is no limit to the number of languages you can add, and WordPress will automatically download the necessary language packs when they are available.
Hestia’s SEO Performance and Responsiveness
Hestia is SEO-friendly and fairly fast; therefore, it is an optimal theme if you start a website. This section details why the Hestia WordPress theme’s SEO and speed or responsiveness serve on top of other WordPress themes.
HESTIA SPEEDTEST
Your website speed is detrimental to your website’s success. I would say, 99.9% of the bounce rate is due to how fast your website loads. Did I make up this number? I absolutely did.
I have no idea about real statistics. I’m just sitting here reviewing a popular WordPress theme for you.
What I can say for sure, though, is that I would NEVER recommend you install a theme if it was slow. Therefore, the Hestia WordPress theme has to pass the speed test, just like you in your teens to get your driving license.
The Hestia WordPress theme claims to have optimized and fast loading times, but their site has no proof. A comparison review from Astra themes made Hestia the 8th fastest WordPress theme, as the total size of the theme is 286kb.
For comparison, a lightweight theme would be around 50kb; however, if you overwhelm your website with plugins and features, the site will automatically slow down. Therefore, regardless of the theme you install, ensure the plugins are updated, and features are minimalistic.
SEO
The Hestia theme also claims to be good for SEO and responsive design. The free version has a well-structured tagging of titles, but if you change the content, you will not have access to the SEO tags. You can use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or SEOPress to handle your on-page SEO.
Beginner’s Tip: Only choose one SEO Plugin because choosing multiple plugins at the same time will eventually slow down your website, thus indirectly hurt your SEO efforts too.
Hestia WordPress theme is responsive and works well on different devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets.
The Hestia Pro version has additional responsive features, such as changing the font size depending on the screen size.
Hestia Free vs. Premium: Plans & Prices
Hestia’s free version is available from the official WordPress website or your Dashboard. Many people are using it because it has over 100,000 active users. Hestia has a fantastic rating of 4.8 stars out of 5!
If you fully want to unlock Hestia’s features, Hestia Pro is also available for $69 per year for personal use. It’s like a bonus that you can get to make Hestia even better.
Okay, but what does the PRO plan have that the FREE Hestia doesn’t?
The major differences between Hestia and Hestia PRO: Although Hestia offers a wide range of features, Hestia Pro also provides these features that the free Hestia lacks:
- Customizable Pricing tables
- Footer customization
- Subscribe section under blogs
- Enhanced Top bar
- Support for multiple languages
- Advanced WooCommerce Features:
- Accounting
- Storage Notice
- Default product sorting
- Category
- Full-Screen menu
- Portfolio Section
- Authors Section
- Adding shortcodes
Hestia PRO offers all functions that every successfully monetized website needs. Unfortunately, Hestia’s free version only allows you to set up the website to the minimum requirement.
Hestia PRO has three types of plans. Let’s break down the plans in full detail, and you can decide which is the BEST for you.
Personal plan
The Hestia PRO Personal plan costs $69 per year and only supports one website. You can access all PRO features, such as customizing your footer and blogs, adding extra front page options, extending the headers, and accessing starter sites.
Cons: Even though Hestia Personal Plan is paid, you still need priority support from Hestia which could be detrimental for absolute beginners. Plus, getting access to starter sites only guarantees using some templates.
BEST FOR:
Hestia PRO Personal Plan is best for personal websites such as portfolio sites, affiliate blogs, recipe blogs, personal brand websites, e-commerce, events, lead generation, or landing pages.
Business plan
Hestia PRO Business plan costs $99 per year and supports up to three websites. In addition, you can access all PRO features, such as customizing your footer and blogs, adding extra front page options, extending the headers, and access to PREMIUM starter sites.
If you compare the three website themes, the most significant difference is between the Personal and Business plan.
Although the business plan lets you use three websites, it does come with priority customer support, and you can access premium starter templates that accelerate your website-building process!
So, the best Hestia PRO plan is the Business plan because it covers all the necessary features you need to build an advanced and functioning website at an affordable price.
BEST FOR:
Hestia PRO Business Plan is best for managing multiple websites such as affiliate sites, blogs, client pages, events, lead generation, and e-commerce.
Agency plan
The Hestia PRO Business plan costs $299 per year and supports unlimited websites. You can access all PRO features, such as customizing your footer and blogs, adding extra front page options, extending the headers, and accessing PREMIUM starter sites.
The most prevalent feature of the Agency plan is that you get Live chat and priority support, which you must have if you manage more than three websites simultaneously!
BEST FOR:
Hestia PRO Agency Plan is best for managing multiple websites such as affiliate sites, blogs, client pages, events, lead generation, and e-commerce.
Should you use the FREE or PRO version of Hestia?
To cut it short, use the free Hestia WordPress theme if you are using only one website for yourself and are not planning to make it an e-commerce or portfolio website. If you are a beginner looking for a simple site, we recommend you browse our theme reviews. Hestia PRO is superb for agencies or freelancers, and you can easily set up your e-commerce website on it.
Hestia’s Pricing Takeaway:
When we compared dozens of paid WordPress themes, Hestia’s pricing is slightly more expensive than the rest. Most high-quality WordPress themes on Themeforest fall into the $50-$60, and you could reach out to the theme creators if you have any issues. However, the personal PRO plan does not include priority support.
Pros and Cons of Hestia WordPress Theme
Hestia WordPress theme is a popular choice for building websites. Like any other theme, it comes with its own set of pros and cons that users you must consider before making a decision.
On the one hand, Hestia offers advanced customization options and compatibility with WooCommerce and page builders. On the other hand, some users may find the theme a bit limiting in its design options and may require additional plugins to add certain features. Regardless, let us go over the pros and cons of the Hestia theme in detail!
Pros:
What we love about the Hestia theme is that it is beginner-friendly, super simple to install, and has an adequate amount of starter kits, to begin with.
Furthermore, the pros of the Hestia theme are:
- Beginner-friendly
- Clean and modern design
- Simple and Versatile Starter Kits
- Light WordPress theme
- Simple code
- Starter Kit Library
- Compatible with WooCommerce, Elementor, and Gutenberg
- In-depth and simple documentation provided
Cons
Nobody is perfect, and the same goes for the Hestia theme. Based on our judgment, the Hestia theme has limitations when you want to build an e-commerce store or an advanced portfolio website. You can only achieve those goals with a PRO plan, which does not come at a low price.
Furthermore, the cons of the Hestia theme are:
- Not the cheapest WordPress theme for beginners
- The Personal PRO plan is not guaranteeing Priority support
- Limited library options unless you subscribe to Business Plan
Documentation and Support
Themeisle does Hestia WordPress theme. Thus, the company did an excellent job at guiding newbies on how to install, customize, and even advise on using the theme.
I’ve listed out why Hestia is not the most favorite WordPress theme – because even the most affordable PRO version does not guarantee priority customer support. However, on Themeisle, Hestia’s documentation is so thorough you wouldn’t miss a step!
In the documentation guide, you’ll find every step from using the free Hestia version, the key differences between the pro and regular plans, and what plugins are advised to install to make your future e-commerce or professional website stand out!
I have not seen such great document support, so well done Themeisle!
HESTIA THEME REVIEW: Is it Worth the Buzz?
Hestia is one of the best PRO themes on the market for WordPress websites. It is easily customizable, not heavy (so it loads fast), great with WooCommerce, and you can choose to run multiple and multilingual websites on it.
We recommend trying out Hestia for your professional WordPress website, and if you are an agency, Hestia is going to be a fantastic choice!
We loved Hestia’s simplicity and versatile integration with WooCommerce, Elementor, and Gutenberg! Of course, if you are considering the pricing of the plans, they could be cheaper. However, it is affordable.
PS. If you are looking for a Hestia PRO Plan, the best is still the Business plan that starts at $99 per year.
If you liked this article, you should read our Kadence vs. Astra article, compare two of the best WordPress themes, and further decide which theme you should choose for yourself or your clients.
