Astra Premium, a popular WordPress theme, fits this bill perfectly, offering a blend of performance, flexibility, and ease of use that has made it a favorite among developers and site owners alike.
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What is Astra Premium?
Astra Premium is an enhanced version of the free Astra theme, developed by Brainstorm Force. It is renowned for its lightweight structure and speed, making it an excellent choice for creating high-performance websites. The premium version, often referred to as Astra Pro, unlocks additional features and customization options that significantly expand the theme’s capabilities.
Key Features of Astra Premium
Performance Optimization: Astra Premium is designed with performance in mind. The theme is less than 50KB on the frontend, ensuring fast loading times. It uses vanilla JavaScript, eliminating the need for jQuery and reducing render-blocking resources.
Advanced Customization: With Astra Premium, you gain access to a wide array of customization options. The theme offers more layout settings, color and typography controls, and advanced header and footer options. These features allow users to create unique, visually appealing websites without needing to delve into code.
Pre-built Websites: One of Astra’s standout features is its library of pre-built websites. These Starter Templates are professionally designed and cover a range of niches, including blogs, business sites, portfolios, and e-commerce stores. Astra Premium users can import these templates with a single click, speeding up the design process significantly.
WooCommerce Integration: Astra Premium offers extensive WooCommerce integration, making it an ideal choice for online stores. Features like dedicated product page layouts, grid settings, quick view options, and checkout customization ensure a seamless and aesthetically pleasing shopping experience for customers.
Custom Layouts and Hooks: For developers and advanced users, Astra Premium provides the ability to create custom layouts using hooks and filters. This feature allows for the addition of custom content, code, or scripts at various points throughout the site, providing unparalleled flexibility.
White Labeling: Astra Premium supports white labeling, enabling agencies and freelancers to rebrand the theme as their own. This is particularly useful for those looking to present a cohesive brand image to clients.
SEO Friendly: Astra is built with SEO in mind. Its clean code and fast loading times help improve search engine rankings. Additionally, Astra seamlessly integrates with popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, ensuring your site is optimized for search engines from the ground up.
Accessibility Ready: Ensuring your website is accessible to all users is crucial. Astra Premium adheres to WCAG 2.0 standards, making it easier to create websites that are accessible to people with disabilities.
Ease of Use
Astra Premium is known for its user-friendly interface. The theme integrates seamlessly with the WordPress Customizer, allowing users to see changes in real-time. Its compatibility with popular page builders like Elementor, Beaver Builder, and Gutenberg further simplifies the design process, making it accessible to users of all skill levels.
Community and Support
The Astra community is robust and active, with a wealth of resources available to users. Brainstorm Force offers comprehensive documentation, video tutorials, and a dedicated support team to assist with any issues. Additionally, the community forums and Facebook groups provide a platform for users to share tips, seek advice, and showcase their work.
Pricing
Astra Premium is available on a subscription basis, with plans starting at $59 per year for the Pro version. There are also Growth Bundle options that include additional plugins and features, catering to the needs of more advanced users and agencies.
Conclusion
Astra Premium is a powerful and versatile WordPress theme that stands out for its performance, customization options, and ease of use. Whether you’re a beginner looking to create a personal blog or an experienced developer building complex websites, Astra Premium offers the tools and flexibility needed to bring your vision to life. Its extensive feature set, combined with its focus on speed and performance, makes it a top choice in the crowded world of WordPress themes.
