GeneratePress: The Ultimate Theme Review

GeneratePress is currently the best theme on the market. There is no doubt in my mind about it.

There’s one powerful scene in Batman: The Dark Knight where Batman interrogates the Joker, and the Joker (the late and great Heath Ledger) replies:
“What would I do without you? You complete me!”

An impactful scene that stayed imprinted in my brain, just as GeneratePress is an impactful theme in the WordPress community.
It’s safe to say that GeneratePress completes me regarding WordPress website development or speed optimization projects.

I wouldn’t be on my A game if I didn’t create a proper GeneratePress theme review. Here is a review of the theme on which WPservice.pro is built upon.

GeneratePress Review- A Dark Knight Rises

Batman and Robin (or Joker), Sherlock and Watson, Barcelona or Real, Lakers or Celtics, Star Trek or Star Wars, Superman and…, well, no one. GeneratePress is in the same boat as Superman – there is just not a good enough sidekick/competitor to be mentioned in the same sentence.

And while in most cases that might sound bad or monopolistic, you think they’ve grown soft or complacent, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The GP team is in tune with the newest developments, their forum is frequently answered by their support, and they remain hungry for success as they were on day one.

Tom Usborne created the GeneratePress theme about a decade ago. Yes, it’s been ten years already, and here’s my contribution congratulating the best theme on its 10th birthday.

So, why a Dark Knight title? As a superhero mentioned, the GeneratePress theme is often forgotten and outshined by other speed optimization necessities, like caching plugins, web hosts, or page builders. And yet, you should know how important it is to start a website on healthy foundations, something that GeneratePress most certainly is.

GeneratePress – A Healthy Start For Any Website

Here’s the quote that best describes the GeneratePress theme from the official GP website:

At just 7.5kb page size, 2 HTTP requests, and zero dependencies, the theme provides the perfect foundation to help your site hit 100%

https://generatepress.com/

Regardless of how I, as a WordPress speed optimization expert, dislike when someone requests a 100% on the speed tests, there is no arguing that GP provides a light, powerful, and robust foundation for your website to get a decent head start over competing themes.

I’m not going into how fast and capable this theme actually is. I’ve been using multiple themes in the past, but after discovering GeneratePress (GP), it became the only theme on my websites and the only theme I’m confident enough to recommend to my clients.

As Cristopher Lambert mentioned: “There can be only one!”
That sentence aged well. Why would I recommend a second-best when you can have the champion?

Free vs Premium GeneratePress

The best theme after GeneratePress is the GeneratePress free version. It’s still fast, light, and dependable.
Admittedly, it has been a while since I used a free version of GP. So, for this article, I needed to refresh my memory about it.

The premium cost is reasonable, especially considering the value it provides.

If you are new to WordPress or not an accomplished designer, you may find a premium version worth it on the site library module alone. This module will allow you to choose a predesigned template and customize it for your needs easily and efficiently—something I’ve often used.

While the free version of GeneratePress is impressive, the premium version unlocks even more potential. GeneratePress Premium offers advanced customization options, additional modules, and priority support.

GeneratePress Site Library – A Premium Tailoring

Site Library offers a collection of professionally designed, pre-built websites (templates) that can be imported with just a few clicks. This allows users to jumpstart their projects without starting from scratch. All you need to do is change the content and edit the style to your liking. Saving you a few hours of design and development.

On the tabs above, filter to the category best suited to your website purpose, select the design you like and preview it.

In the lower right corner, you can switch viewpoints from desktop, tablet, and mobile. On the right, you can see it’s been built with the GenerateBlocks page builder. If you like the design, import it, and voila! You are ready to edit/change content and styling however you like.
Repeat this process until you find the one you like.

Each site in the library is built with GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks, ensuring optimal performance and seamless customization. Whether you want to create a blog, business website, or eCommerce store, the GP Site Library has diverse templates to suit your needs.

With the Site Library, even those with minimal design experience can achieve a polished, professional look, making it an invaluable resource.

If you want to squeeze every ounce of speed from your future website, ensure all the assets are properly requested from your website. Sometimes, they are requested from the GP domain, and you need to edit out the CSS code URLs.

Performance That Packs a Punch

One of GeneratePress’s standout features is its performance. Unlike heavy themes with unnecessary features, GeneratePress is lean and mean (especially if you couple it with a page builder like GenerateBlocks). This means faster loading times, which is crucial for user experience and SEO.
Sites using GeneratePress load significantly faster than those using bulkier themes.

User Experience of GeneratePress

GeneratePress is designed with the user in mind. The clean code and efficient structure ensure that your site runs smoothly, providing a pleasant experience for your visitors. Navigation is intuitive, and the responsive design means your site looks great on all devices. A happy visitor is likelier to stick around, and GeneratePress helps you achieve that.

That’s why, at the time of writing, according to the official WordPress.org page, the GeneratePress theme has an impressive 2k downloads per day and over 600k active downloads!

Security and Updates

Security is a top priority for any website owner, and GeneratePress doesn’t disappoint. The theme is regularly updated to fix vulnerabilities and improve performance. Using GeneratePress is like having a vigilant guard dog that protects your site from threats.

Timely Support and Extensive Documentation

If you get stuck on some technicality, there is always an official forum that will help you out. David has been there probably since day 1. Ying also comes to mind while I write this; there are others as well. What I love about them is that they provide intelligent answers very quickly. Not some AI bots BS you have to go around to reach a real person.
They are like Alfred and Robin (I’ll let you decide who is who) to your Batman. They always have an answer to your problems.

The GP official documentation is thorough, and there are many explanation videos. If you’d like a styling tutorial for some obscure element, the chances are there’s one on YouTube already. For example, check Adam Wright’s channel.

A Perfect Setup for GeneratePress

You can use any page builder you like, such as Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, Thrive, or any other – GP is compatible with all of them. But, if you’d like a perfect setup where you can leverage a GP smart design, you’ll use it with GenerateBlocks or Gutenberg blocks builder.
Use Elements, hooks, and all the goodies Tom and the GP team supplied to you.
That way, given the limitations of the web host and content, your website will be as fast as possible.

Key Takeways

• Speed and Performance: GeneratePress is renowned for its lightweight design, significantly boosting website speed and performance.
• Customization: Offers extensive customization options, enabling you to tailor your site without unnecessary bloat.
• Modular Design: Activate only the needed features, keeping your site fast and efficient.
• Compatibility: Seamlessly integrates with major plugins like WooCommerce and Elementor.
• Premium Features: The premium version enhances functionality with advanced customization and priority support, making it a smart investment for serious developers.