For anyone new to building a WordPress website, choosing the right theme can feel overwhelming, as thousands of options and countless features to consider are presented to you. The two themes that consistently stand out for beginners and professionals alike are Divi and Astra. Both are top-rated WordPress themes, yet they offer very different experiences.
Divi is a complete, all-in-one theme and page builder created by Elegant Themes. It allows you to design every aspect of your website visually, with no need for coding. Meanwhile, Astra, by contrast, is a lightweight theme with a focus on speed and simplicity. Developed to work seamlessly with popular page builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder and allows users to launch a professional-looking website quickly and expand customization with third-party tools.
This Divi vs Astra comparison will help you understand which theme is right for you by exploring the main features, ease of use, customization options, performance, SEO, and pricing of each. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of whether Divi or Astra is the best match for your website project.
Overview of Divi and Astra
To help you understand the core of each theme, let’s do a quick overview to understand how each page builder is designed to serve different types of users.
Divi Overview
Divi is a premium WordPress theme and page builder created by Elegant Themes. It’s known for its powerful visual page builder, the Divi Builder, which allows users to design their websites on the front end. This means you can see changes as you make them—a valuable feature for beginners and experienced users alike. Divi comes packed with over 2,700 individual page templates and 370+ layout packs that are organized by industry and purpose, including options for blogs, eCommerce stores, and portfolios.
Divi’s real strength lies in its customization options. Users can drag and drop elements like images, buttons, text blocks, and more to create unique layouts without touching a line of code. The Divi Builder also allows for global settings, which help keep your website’s design consistent by applying changes across multiple pages at once. However, with so many features and options, Divi does have a learning curve. While this initial complexity might seem challenging, Divi offers tutorials, community support, and a vast library of templates to make the process easier.
Ideal for: Experienced who want an all-in-one solution and are willing to learn the builder for more design freedom.
Astra Overview
Astra, on the other hand, is a lightweight theme that focuses on speed and simplicity. Unlike Divi, Astra doesn’t include a page builder but is instead designed to work seamlessly with popular third-party page builders like Elementor, Divi, and Beaver Builder. Astra’s design philosophy is to keep things minimal while providing essential customization options. This keeps the theme fast and easy to manage, even with high traffic. Astra’s free version is highly functional, and the Pro version unlocks additional layouts, colors, and typography options for users looking to expand their customization.
Astra also offers 250+ starter templates, and more templates are available through the Astra Pro license. These templates make it easy for beginners to set up a professional-looking website without building from scratch. Astra’s minimal design approach means it’s fast, reliable, and ideal for those who want a website that’s quick to load and optimized for performance.
Ideal for: Users who want a lightweight, fast theme with basic design control and compatibility with third-party page builders.
1. Divi vs Astra: Ease of Use for Beginners
Choosing a theme that’s easy to use is essential, especially for beginners. A user-friendly interface can make website-building enjoyable rather than frustrating. Both Divi and Astra have strengths, but they cater to different user needs when it comes to ease of use.
Divi Ease of Use
Divi offers a highly interactive design experience through its visual builder, making it possible to create a website with drag-and-drop functionality. The builder allows users to see changes live, so you don’t have to switch between the back end and front end to preview your design. This is particularly helpful for beginners who want to experiment with different layouts, colors, or fonts without learning code.
However, Divi’s vast range of features can feel overwhelming for those just starting. With so many design options, new users may need some time to get comfortable navigating the different menus and settings. Divi’s floating toolbars, customization windows, and modules can take some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.
To help users learn quickly, Divi provides a large library of tutorials, community forums, and support options. Many users feel empowered by Divi’s hands-on, visual approach, which lets them build highly customized websites with minimal technical skills.
Astra Ease of Use
Astra is designed with simplicity in mind. Instead of offering a built-in page builder, it integrates seamlessly with popular third-party builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder, allowing users to control how much customization they want. For beginners who prefer to keep things simple, Astra uses the WordPress Customizer, which is familiar to most users who have worked with WordPress before. This allows you to make adjustments to site elements like fonts, colors, and header layouts in just a few clicks.
One of Astra’s greatest strengths is its starter templates. These pre-designed templates make it possible for users to set up a website quickly without worrying about intricate design work. With Astra’s streamlined interface, beginners can tweak these templates to match their style, reducing the time needed to launch a website. Astra’s minimal design ensures that users aren’t bombarded with too many customization options upfront, which is perfect for those who want to avoid a steep learning curve.
Which Theme Is More Easy To Use?
- Divi is best for users who want hands-on control with a drag-and-drop builder but are willing to invest time to learn the platform.
- Astra is perfect for users who prefer a fast, straightforward setup using starter templates and want to keep things simple or add third-party tools for more control.
2. Divi vs Astra: Customization and Design Options
Customization is a MUST considered factor for anyone building a website. The more options you have, the more control you gain over your site's design and functionality. Both Divi and Astra offer customization options, but they approach it differently.
Divi Customization and Design Options
Divi stands out for its incredibly deep level of customization, making it a favorite for those who want full control over their site's design. With over 2,700 full-page templates and 350+ layout packs, Divi gives users a head start in designing their site, regardless of the industry or style they are targeting. Each template is fully customizable using Divi’s visual builder, which allows users to drag and drop elements directly on the page. This makes it easy to move things around, adjust layouts, and see changes in real-time without having to switch back and forth between the editor and the live site view.
Divi also offers more than 65+ modules (such as image sliders, testimonial sections, and forms) that can be easily added to any page. You can further customize these modules by adding your own colors, fonts, animations, and more. If you’re someone who enjoys detailed control over every element of your website, Divi allows for advanced adjustments like custom CSS, as well as adding animations, effects, and backgrounds.
The Divi Theme Builder extends this customization to the entire website, letting you create custom headers, footers, blog post layouts, and other site-wide elements. This is ideal for users who want their website to have a cohesive and unique design from top to bottom.
Astra Customization and Design Options
Astra takes a different approach by focusing on simplicity and speed. While Astra does not come with its own built-in page builder, it works well with third-party builders like Elementor and Beaver Builder, giving users flexibility if they need more advanced design options. Astra’s core customization takes place in the WordPress Customizer, where you can adjust basic elements such as the header layout, colors, fonts, and more. This approach keeps the design process straightforward for beginners.
Astra’s Pro version unlocks even more customization features, such as custom layouts for your blog posts, headers, and footers. These features are designed to be lightweight and won’t slow down your site, which is a big plus for those concerned with performance. Astra’s starter templates provide a solid foundation, allowing users to make minor tweaks or add a page builder for more detailed customization.
Which Theme Offers Better Customization Features?
- Divi offers a more detailed level of control, with endless customization options and advanced modules for users who want to create unique, feature-rich websites.
- Astra focuses on ease of use and speed, offering essential customization through the Customizer and allowing advanced users to extend functionality through third-party builders like Elementor.
3. Divi vs Astra: Performance and Speed
Website speed is important for better visitor experience and for ranking higher on Google. Here’s how Divi and Astra handle performance.
| Feature | Divi | Astra |
| Base Theme Load Time | Slower due to feature-rich design | Very fast, lightweight theme |
| Optimization Tools | Built-in caching and minification | Optimized code, AMP support |
| Hosting Requirement | Best on high-quality hosting | Performs well even on shared hosting |
Divi Performance
Divi is a feature-rich theme with a lot of built-in functionality, which can make it a bit heavier in terms of performance. The wide range of customization options, design elements, and modules that Divi offers can lead to slower load times, especially if many modules are added to a page.
However, Divi includes several built-in optimization features to help mitigate this. For example, Divi comes with caching and minification features, which reduce the size of the CSS and JavaScript files to help improve load times.
While these features do help, Divi still tends to be slower than Astra, especially if you’re using a lot of custom animations, effects, or advanced design features. Divi performs best on high-quality hosting that can handle the resource demand. Shared hosting can struggle under the weight of a Divi-powered site, especially if the site contains multiple high-resolution images, animations, or other interactive features. As a result, Divi is often recommended for users who have access to premium hosting plans or are willing to optimize their site with additional performance plugins.
Astra Speed and Optimization
Astra is designed with speed in mind, and its lightweight code makes it one of the fastest WordPress themes available. The theme itself is minimal and doesn't include built-in page-building features, which helps keep load times low. Even when you add a third-party page builder, Astra’s lightweight structure ensures that the site continues to load quickly.
Astra is especially beneficial for those using shared hosting because it performs well without requiring as many resources as Divi. Additionally, Astra offers AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) support, which helps mobile pages load faster, making it particularly useful for users who expect a lot of mobile traffic. AMP can improve your site's performance on mobile devices, which is critical as mobile traffic continues to grow. Astra’s clean code and schema markup also help with SEO by making it easier for search engines to understand and rank your content.
Which Theme Gives You Better Performance
- Divi provides built-in optimization features but can still be resource-heavy due to its advanced features and modules. It performs best on high-quality hosting and may require additional plugins to speed things up.
- Astra, with its lightweight structure and focus on speed, consistently outperforms Divi in terms of load times and performance. It’s especially ideal for those on shared hosting or users who prioritize fast mobile load speeds.
4. Divi vs Astra: SEO and Mobile Responsiveness
In today’s mobile-first world, having a website that’s optimized for search engines and mobile devices is non-negotiable. Both Divi and Astra are designed with SEO (search engine optimization) and mobile responsiveness in mind, but they approach these aspects in different ways. Let’s break down how each theme helps your website rank higher in search results and perform well across devices.
Divi SEO and Mobile Features
Divi is built to be SEO-friendly right out of the box, but like any WordPress theme, it performs best when paired with powerful SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. These plugins allow you to manage crucial SEO elements such as meta descriptions, titles, and alt texts for images, ensuring that search engines understand your content. Divi’s flexibility also makes it easier to implement on-page SEO techniques, like adding keywords in headers, subheaders, and body text without worrying about design restrictions.
In terms of mobile responsiveness, Divi’s visual builder allows users to preview and adjust how their site will look on different devices (desktop, tablet, and mobile). This is crucial for making sure that your site maintains a good user experience across all screen sizes. Divi also offers custom breakpoints, allowing you to tailor the design and layout to specific device widths. However, because Divi is heavier in terms of design elements, some users might need to optimize further to ensure fast mobile loading times, especially if the site contains many high-resolution images or complex modules.
Astra SEO and Mobile-First Approach
Astra is known for being SEO-friendly and is designed with clean, lightweight code, which helps improve site rankings. Astra’s schema markup integration is particularly useful, as it helps search engines better understand the structure of your content. This can lead to rich snippets in search results, improving click-through rates. Astra also supports popular SEO plugins, making it easy to manage on-page optimization.
When it comes to mobile responsiveness, Astra is built with speed in mind, ensuring that your site performs well on mobile devices from the get-go. Astra’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) support is a significant advantage for mobile optimization. AMP helps your site load faster on mobile by using stripped-down versions of pages, which Google favors in mobile search rankings. This makes Astra a great choice for users who want a mobile-first approach without extra setup.
Which Theme Offers Better SEO and Mobile Responsive Features?
- Divi offers great SEO flexibility through third-party plugins and has strong mobile customization options, but it may require additional optimizations for fast mobile loading due to its heavier design elements.
- Astra is designed for fast, clean SEO performance with schema markup built-in and AMP support for optimized mobile pages, making it a better out-of-the-box choice for users focused on mobile speed and SEO.
5. Divi vs Astra: Pricing and Value for Beginners
Pricing plays a major role in deciding which theme to go with, especially for beginners who are looking to keep their website-building budget low. Both Divi and Astra offer different pricing structures, giving users flexibility depending on their needs. Let’s take a look at how each theme is priced and what value they offer for beginners.
Divi Pricing
Divi is a premium-only theme, which means there is no free version available. The pricing is straightforward, with two main options:
- Annual Plan: $89 per year
- Lifetime Plan: $249 one-time payment
Both pricing tiers give you access to all of Divi’s features, including its visual builder, updates, and premium support. On top of that, Divi’s pricing includes access to all Elegant Themes products, such as Bloom (email opt-in plugin) and Monarch (social sharing plugin). This makes Divi’s pricing particularly attractive for freelancers, agencies, or anyone who plans to build multiple websites because both the annual and lifetime plans include unlimited usage across an unlimited number of sites.
While Divi’s upfront cost may seem high, it offers a lot of value for those who want an all-in-one theme with continuous updates and support. For agencies or developers, the lifetime plan is especially cost-effective, as it eliminates the need for recurring payments while offering a complete suite of tools.
Astra Pricing
Astra stands out because it offers a free version, which makes it a highly accessible option for beginners who want to start small without any upfront costs. The free version includes basic customization features and access to a limited selection of starter templates, making it sufficient for users who need a simple website setup.
For users who want more advanced features, Astra offers several premium plans. Astra Pro costs $49 per year for a single license while it costs $59 per year for 10 licenses and $69 per year for 1000 licenses.
It also offers Bundle plans that come with additional plans and the pricing for that starts at $79/year for a single website. There are more plans depending on the number of licenses you need and which other products you want to bundle.
Astra Pro adds features like custom layouts, advanced header and footer options, and more templates. The Essential and Growth Bundles offer additional tools and plugins, such as the Ultimate Addons for Elementor and Schema Pro, which can be particularly useful for those looking to boost SEO or design functionality.
Which Theme Offers Better Value for Money?
- Divi is a paid-only theme but offers great value for agencies and developers who plan to use it on multiple websites, with the added benefit of access to all Elegant Themes products.
- Astra provides a free version that’s perfect for beginners on a tight budget, with affordable upgrade options through Astra Pro and bundled packages for more advanced needs.
Which is Better for Beginners: Divi or Astra?
Now that we’ve compared Divi and Astra across all key areas—ease of use, customization, performance, SEO, mobile responsiveness, and pricing— you probably already know what your decision is considering what you want to achieve and what you prioritize the most.
- Divi is best for beginners who want an all-in-one solution with a powerful visual builder and many customization options. It’s ideal if you’re willing to learn a more feature-rich system and appreciate the value of unlimited site use.
- Astra, on the other hand, suits those who want a fast, flexible theme that pairs well with third-party builders. Its lightweight design, ease of use, and free version make it appealing to beginners who prioritize speed and simplicity.
In the end, both themes can help you create a professional website without needing to know how to code. Divi offers greater design control, while Astra is focused on speed and a straightforward setup. Choose the one that best aligns with your goals for an enjoyable website-building experience.